Disclaimer: I do own a TV, but I can't even watch Castle on that anymore

California Dreams

Chapter 6 – The Chapel of Love

The staff at the chapel were lovely, very helpful in giving them all the forms they needed to complete, and confirmed that the marriage wasn't binding unless they lodged the paperwork at a County Clerk's office within 60 days of the ceremony. Rick had introduced himself, and signed in as Richard Rogers, which brought him a raised eyebrow from Kate, but he just whispered 'later' and smiled at her. They chose the standard plain wedding bands that were offered, although after Rick upgraded their hotel room Kate was surprised he didn't go all out for rings. Rick did consider getting Kate a proper wedding band, and an engagement ring, but he decided that they would definitely do the wedding again, for real this time, with all their friend and family around, and he would buy her a real diamond and wedding set for that. The plain ones would do for now.

Elvis was performing another marriage so they had a wait a quarter hour while he sent the previous happy couple off with a rendition of 'As long as I have you', then they were shown into a room that looked just like the Graceland lounge, complete with peacock stained glass panels, and an altar fashioned from the front half of a gloss black baby grand piano. 'Elvis' was in his white glitter-covered jumpsuit, and he serenaded Kate as he walked her down the aisle to Rick with 'My Wish Came Tue'. The vows were standard spoken, and then after declaring them husband and wife, and waiting mostly patiently while Kate and Rick kissed, he walked both of them back down to the doors while singing 'Love Me Tender'. His assistant had the documentation packed in a clear plastic envelope, and all the staff showered them with confetti on their way out of the chapel.

"Well, Mr. Rogers, what do you want to do now?" Kate asked once they had climbed into the back of the cab Rick had flagged down half a block from the chapel.

"I would love to spend some quality alone time with my wife, Mrs. Rogers" Rick was grinning, having given up on even trying to wipe the smile off his face since the woman of his dreams kissed him the night before.

"Hotel it is, then" Kate said, also smiling, and then lent forward to give the address to their driver. Then they were lost in each other until the cab stopped, the driver loudly clearing his throat. Rick gave him a note that he didn't have change for, but Rick just shook his head and closed the door, wrapping his arms around his wife and hustled her to their suite. They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening totally engrossed in each other, taking a moment or two to glance at their wedding bands every once in a while, and smile wide at each other. They finally fell asleep in each other's arms, and had the best sleep either of them could remember in years.

The next morning, Kate was up early, and called room service for coffee again, but rather than returning to bed, she sat in the lounge, cradling the cup in her hands and staring out the window on the rising sun.

Rick rolled over, reaching for Kate and finding only cool sheets, which woke him up really fast. He checked his left hand, seeing and feeling the wedding band there, so he knew the last 36 hours had not been a dream, but he was still wary of where Kate had gone. He grabbed a robe and wandered out to the lounge, rubbing his hand over his hair, messing it up even more than it had been from Kate's fingers. He found Kate in the lounge, and he could see she was deep in thought, so he helped himself to a coffee then sat next to her, waiting for her to acknowledge his presence.

After a few minutes, Kate released a loud sigh, and then leant over to nudge his shoulder with hers.

"What happens now?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"What do you mean?" Rick was not at all sure what Kate meant, and he wasn't going to assume anything and perhaps put his foot in it. They had been open and honest with each other, and he wanted to continue that clear communication, leave the subtext and innuendo for another time.

"We are going back to New York today. Back to the precinct. Back to your family, your writing, your fans. What happens to us now?" Kate's voice got quieter as she kept talking, almost whispering the last part.

Rick was taken aback again, at how forlorn Kate looked, as if she didn't want to go back, but to remain in this little bubble they had created. He was relieved, and he moved quickly to reassure her.

"Nothing has to change, Kate. We are together, and so we will just make some adjustments when we return home. But my family already loves you, and most of your workmates already think we are together, so it's up to us how much we tell them. It's up to you."

Rick reached and put her empty coffee cup down, then lifted her into his arms, hugging her close and kissing her gently. Kate wasn't a tactile person, but in his arms she finally felt safe, and she knew they would get through whatever else life would throw at them. She reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him, pouring all her love and gratitude into the kiss, hoping he could feel what she couldn't yet say. The kiss led to more, and they only just made it to the airport for their flight, grateful they only had carry-on luggage to worry about while they sprinted to the gate, holding hands and laughing.

The End

Prompt: On their way back from LA, their flight has an emergency layover in Vegas and Kate decides to take Royce's advice… and they come home married.

A/N: Finally, I got to the point of the prompt. I just can't seem to write one-shots, so sorry for making this so long, Lou.

Again, I don't live in the US so the chapel and wedding details were all courtesy of uncle Google and my imagination.

Due to popular demand, I will be writing a second part to this story, called "A New York State of Mind." Look out for that around November 2016.

Thank you so much for your follows and reviews, it is fantastic to receive feedback for my work, as you know this is not for profit, so your comments are what keeps me writing.