Take Me Home

a Dash companion

Kate Beckett ducks away from Lanie's fretting fingers, pushes on her friend's shoulder. "You're supposed to be out there. We gotta get this thing started."

Lanie makes a face at her and goes back to Kate's hair, rearranging the pieces that follow the curve of Kate's cheek. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"What?" Kate asks, laughing a little. Her earrings are too heavy and she slides her hands up to take them out, effectively blocking her friend. "Marrying him?"

"No," Lanie huffs at her. "I can't believe you're marrying him at your Dad's cabin. On the lake. In February. And you didn't tell any of us."

"It's almost March. And Castle is the one who wanted it to be a big surprise; he wouldn't let me warn you. And well, I wanted to keep it away from the press for as long as possible."

"I don't think you get it, honey. I mean the fact that you decided to do this only yesterday," Lanie snorted.

"Well. I - it felt right. And I love the lake."

"It's gorgeous out there," Lanie admits with a sigh. "But I still wish you'd have told me before I got kidnapped by Castle's driver."

"Alexis told you, right?"

"When she came to my door, she said to wear a dress. And judging by hers, I decided on something formal. Only after I got in the limo did she tell me it was for your wedding. I mean, come on, Kate. I'm not wearing my most appropriate bridesmaid's dress here."

"You not wearing a bridesmaid's dress at all. You're my maid of honor," Kate says, rolling her eyes and tucking her hair behind her ears. She's only wearing it in a loose knot at the back of her neck, a little messy looking because she let it curl - entirely on accident. Dash was being - busy. Always busy. And loud.

"I'd have a bridesmaid's - maid of honor - dress if you hadn't kept it from us," Lanie growls.

"We've been engaged for a year," Kate laughs, rolling her eyes. "You'd think you'd have found one by now."

"I was never sure this day would come," Lanie shoots back. Kate jerks her eyes to her friend and the woman is already shaking her head. "No, I didn't - no. I knew you meant it."

She hopes he knows she's always meant it.

Kate pushes that away, turns back to the mirror her father dragged out from the guest bedroom. The overhead kitchen lights make her skin look washed out, but the dress - she loves the dress. Even if she is going to freeze outside.

The weather has turned though, has already begun to melt the northern world, the sun warming up the air and keeping it from being a totally crazy idea - marrying him in February. The warmth is like a sign from the Universe, as Castle says.

She returns her gaze to Lanie, smiling through the clench of her chest. "You're lucky you're here at all. I wanted us to just - elope somewhere. Castle was the one who insisted on a wedding and wedding guests."

"Thanks, makes me feel so much better." Lanie pinches her arm and gathers up her bouquet - she got the white calla lilies tied with a navy ribbon. Alexis has a bundle of roses. They just went to a flower shop and picked what was available, much to Castle's sighing dismay.

Lanie fiddles with Kate's hair again, lets it go. "You look beautiful, even if you're not wearing white."

Kate can't help the satisfied smile. She never wanted white - never imagined herself in white after her mother died. It didn't seem right, but this does. More than.

It may not be white, but it's beautiful: form-fitting to her knee, a deep navy, thin shoulder straps with a deep, square neckline. Castle kept looking at her legs when she tried it on in the store yesterday, and when he came in close to kiss her, he skimmed his fingers over the neckline. He wrapped his arms around her then and breathed in at her neck, and for some reason, she let him.

She's got that same, strange feeling her stomach now as she looks in the mirror, smooths down the material at her hips.

"Are you even wearing make-up?" Lanie huffs out at her.

"Yes," Kate says, rolling her eyes again. "Seriously, get out there. Dashiell won't stay quiet for long, and we need to get this going before he starts squawking."

"Right. You're anxious to get started because your son might start hollering."

Kate bites her bottom lip; Lanie sees right through her. "Fine. And because I just want to be married to him already. No more waiting."

Lanie lets loose a wide smile, throwing her arms around Kate.

"Don't get deodorant on my dress," Kate mumbles, laughing into her fiend's neck. "And don't make me cry. My mascara is supposed to be waterproof but I don't trust it."

"Fine, fine," Lanie says, pulling back with a laugh. "I'll get back out there so you can go marry Writer Boy."

"Man," she murmurs back. Writer Man.

Lanie chuckles and reaches for the back door that leads to the porch and - beyond. Where everyone is waiting.

At the last moment, Kate snags her by the elbow. "You don't really mind, do you? Castle did all of this in a hurry because I kinda just quit fighting him on it, and I just want - him, really - and we didn't have a lot of time and I didn't want anyone making a huge deal-"

"I don't mind, Beckett," Lanie says with a gentle smile and a hard grip around Kate's hand. "It's not about me anyway. It's about you and him."

And Dashiell. And Alexis. And the family they seem to make. Kate smiles back and kisses Lanie on the cheek. "Thank you. If you see my dad out there, send him in, okay?"

Lanie nods and backs away, grumbling about Kate getting ready for her wedding in her father's kitchen.

But Kate doesn't care. She's about to marry Rick Castle.

The back door swings open and brings with it a gust of air - not too bad, actually, warm enough. "Hey, Dad, I'm just about-"

Only the man behind her isn't her father. It's Castle in his dark blue suit, that crisp french blue dress shirt, the silk tie. So very handsome.

But with his hand over his eyes.

"Kate? Keep talking," he says, a groping hand out to find her. And he does, squeezing with a humming chuckle.

"What are you doing?" she laughs, reaching up to wrap her fingers around his wrist and tug his hand away.

He gasps but shuts his eyes. "No, no. Can't see the bride before the wedding."

She bites her bottom lip, squeezes his wrist. "But I do want to see your eyes, and how that shirt brings out the blue."

His eyes pop open in surprise, and not a little arousal, and she was right. "Mm, so very nice."

He laughs and pushes forward, catches her mouth in a heated kiss. "Not so bad yourself, Becket." He dips his head and glances down at her shoes, back up to her eyes. "Some sexy shoes there."

She grins and hooks an arm around his neck, rewarding him for that with another kiss, longer this time, playing with the hair at his nape.

The door opens and they shift to one side; Kate sees her father over Castle's shoulder. "Hey, Dad."

"Jim," Castle says, taking a hand off her hip to shake her father's hand.

"Rick, kinda waiting on you out there."

Kate strokes her thumb over Castle's ear and lets him go. "And who has the wild man?"

Her father reaches out and cups her elbow, his eyes far away as he studies her.

"Dad."

"Dashiell is with Alexis."

"Oh, but she's supposed to-"

"Don't worry. I think she was going to pass him off to Kevin or Javier, one of them."

She glances to Castle and he nods. "I'll make sure Alexis gets up front. See you out there." He leans in and kisses her cheek, then steps back, tilting his head. "That is - unless you run. You plan on jilting me, Kate?"

"Not yet," she smirks. "But keep it up, Rick. See what happens."

He grins widely and wriggles his eyebrows, then heads out the back door and down the porch to the lake.

Kate turns her eyes back to her father and he wraps his arms around her carefully, cradling the back of her head much like her mother used to when she was little. When she used to crowd at her mother's side seeking her attention and get that half embrace, the palm at her skull, the feeling of safety. She's found herself doing it to Dash lately too.

"You look beautiful, Katie."

She turns her head to his cheek and kisses him. "Thank you."

He lets her go, nods to the door. She takes a step forward, thinking he's gesturing for her to get going, but he stops her a moment, makes her pause with a hand at her arm.

"Dad?"

"I understand," he says quietly, nodding again to the door. "Why you wanted to wait for this. You're exactly like your mother. And you were right to wait. It was something you needed."

She goes still, her heart tripping against her ribs.

No one has understood. No one has been patient with her and said she was right. They have all - every single person - questioned her motives. Don't you love him? What are you waiting for? You guys have a son together.

"I'm like Mom?" she gets out, seeking the connection, today of all days.

"You always have to process it, sweetheart; you have to prove it to yourself. And to the people you love. I understand. Your mother did the same. But, Katie. Oh, Katie, just like Johanna, I don't think you know."

"Know what?" she says softly, her head filling with the image of her mother from her memories - fierce and loyal and lovely. If Kate is at all like her, at all-

"You have never needed to prove a thing, Katie. Not to the people who love you. Not to me. Not to Rick. Not to your son, either."

Her son. Her son.

She has so much to prove. So much to start making up for; it seems endless some days, all that she needs to make right.

Her father does her the courtesy of not hugging her again, and she can collect herself, keep it together. She really doesn't want Castle to see her crying as she comes down the aisle towards him, not after he left her joking and smiling.

"Dad," she says quickly. "That may be true. But it - this is the first time in over a year that I've felt like maybe I - I've really proved to be worthy of it." And because it's just the two of them, she says what she's really felt, all this time. "Worthy of. . .him."

He squeezes her hand. "I know, sweetheart. But he chose you."

And the strange, wonderful thing is - Kate doesn't know who they're talking about.

Rick.

Or her son.