Central Park was really, truly beautiful at this time of year. Castle grinned as he and Alexis walked over Gothic Bridge, hand in hand, the sunset glowing brilliantly over the silhouetted squares of the industrial buildings running the length of the landscape, their harsh planes and edges standing in stark comparison to the cushioned earth around them, crystalline and smooth.
They walked slowly together, ambling towards the Met, enjoying these stolen moments before Alexis had to leave tomorrow to return to her next semester at college. They didn't say much as they watched the golden light slip further below the horizon. Castle removed his gloved hand from Alexis's grip so he could wrap his arm around his shoulders, lean sideways and kiss the top of her head, the soft wool of her winter beret brushing his nose. Alexis responded by circling her arm around his waist and squeezing his side playfully. They continued to walk along the path, the sounds of Fifth Avenue traffic seemingly miles away; all they allowed themselves to hear were the chiming giggles of children dancing nearby, the sweet coos of the songbirds scattered about the trees and the melodic flow of water as it tripped over rocks on the bed of the Reservoir.
Alexis began to guide her father from the path by both of his hands, walking backwards towards the trees as he dutifully followed. She had a devilish smile gracing her pale face that Castle couldn't help but mirror. Quite suddenly, she released just one of his hands; the pull of her other hand swung him sideways, and they tumbled backwards, landing on the back with a thump, still joined by their hands. They swung wide their arms and legs, sweeping the ground around them before they stood and admired their work: A pair of snow angels, joined always by one wing.
From there they journeyed home for dinner, with a special if slightly doubtful dessert lovingly made by Martha, which turned out to be just fine, though Castle wasn't entirely sure what that tang was that laced the spongy chocolate and slippery sauce. Whatever it was, it didn't entirely spoil the dish, which all three of them polished off happily and finished with a glass of wine, with which they toasted Alexis's success at Colombia so far.
While Alexis packed and Martha supervised, Castle sat in his study playing with his fictitious murder board, building upon a case he hadn't finished working yet, though he'd reworked its beginnings several times already. He worked efficiently, though he soon found himself increasingly distracted by the centre of the web, Nikki Heat, which had a picture to accompany a click-to-view character biography; the picture captured a perfect smiling face, with soft lips and hazel eyes lit aglow with laughter as golden strands of hair began to sweep across smooth skin as it escaped imprisonment behind soft ears. The quality was not exceptional; Castle had taken the photo over a year ago on his early-model iPhone. However, the beauty of that face was not dulled by such a trivial thing as pixellation as the eyes watched Castle gazing lovingly at them, watched him softly touch the screen and stroke the cheek of the image, bringing up the character bio alongside the photo.
Kate.
Castle was so in love with her, butterflies filled his stomach as he stood here just thinking of her, her beauty and intelligence and heart of pure gold, and his heart began to beat faster.
He smiled before turning from the screen in response to the clacking footsteps echoing around the loft as his two favourite redheads descended the stairs, rolling suitcases in tow. Packing light for the Christmas break had certainly not ever been in Alexis's nature, even now that she was in her second year and had visited home plenty of times to trade clothes and artefacts, old and new. She and her gram were already dressed in their pyjamas, Alexis's pink cotton adorned with penguins and Martha's gaudy blue silk, shimmering in the dull lamp light of the room.
"All set," Alexis declared, her suitcases propped beside the door. She walked up and gave Castle a big, long hug, tucking her head beneath his chin so that her hair tickled his neck. He kissed her cheek and whispered, "Night," before she bounded up the stairs to bed. Martha watched this with wise eyes, nodding her head towards him before turning to ascend to her own room.
Castle turned himself and made his way towards his own bedroom, switching off the lights as he went.
The following morning, Alexis left early after coffee and toast. While Castle wanted to carry her bags up to her dorm for her, she insisted she was fine and so he made his way home after a long hug which she had allowed even as her friends spilled out of the doors to meet her.
All day Castle sat writing, enjoying the development of his characters as he was working his way into an unfinished case, planning to make it as far as he could before he ran out of ideas, hopefully saving him grief later when Gina called because he was behind on his deadline, just like he had been with every other book he'd ever written. He wrote banter between the detectives in his fictional bull pen, basing them on Esposito and Ryan but altering their characteristics slightly. Then he wrote a scene where his two main characters had an opportunity to be alone together, skin brushing skin and tongues meeting lips.
Castle longed to call Beckett.
He'd been holding out because he knew this was a difficult time for her; she'd struggled last year, and today, specifically, would be wrought with pain for her. January ninth. On this day fifteen years ago she'd lost her mother, so Castle decided to wait to hear from her as she dealt with the day. He thought she might be with her father, anyway, and so would be otherwise engaged; their being together was more important today than Castle's need for her. He understood that.
So he walked down the block for some coffee and a bear claw, which he ate on the way back to his apartment. He wondered if he should get something for Kate to cheer her up, or maybe just to let her know he was thinking of her and understood that she needed her space right now. She wasn't really a woman for trinkets, he knew, so he though hard as he altered his path and headed for a nearby cluster of shops he was particularly familiar with.
Half an hour later, his throat warmed by the coffee, with cold hands and a store bag in hand, he returned to the apartment. He found a note his mother had left him – she'd gone for a manicure. Female vanity, he thought, chuckling; another thing Kate didn't have or subject him to.
Words spilled from his fingertips as Castle tapped on his keyboard, the glow of his laptop screen illuminating his face long after Martha's return and the setting of the sun. Soon his mother came in to speak with him. She was going out with a few old girlfriends to celebrate their reunion in a play together; she'd got him something to eat on her way here. Castle thanked her and wished her a lovely evening before saving his document at last, hugging her, and retrieving his meal.
He'd like to say that he enjoyed the peace of his loft now, but in truth he missed his girls, Kate most of all. He wondered when would be a good time to call her and when he'd see her again. He thought of her as the warm aroma of Hoisin filled his mouth; Chinese was Kate's favourite.
Tired of these walls, Castle headed out for another walk, this time as Central Park was bathed in darkness. Though this was generally unsafe, the sweeping snow flurries illuminated the scenery, the glowing moonlight amplified by each snowflake's reflection. Very few people walked at this hour. He spied several dog walkers, a few amateur photographers and one runner, determined, or perhaps insane, enough to pound his feet against the blanketed ground wearing only a long-sleeved T-Shirt and knee-length shorts. Castle looked over his shoulder to follow the runner's path as he accelerated down a hill.
When he turned back around to continue forwards, he was most surprised to find a person just inches from his face, who grabbed his neck and kissed him with a hot fury before he could so much as focus his eyes on her face so close to his. At last she leaned back, her hands still clutched tightly behind his neck, and Castle smiled, finally having the opportunity to set his eyes on her, his expression one of awe.
She was so perfect.
"Kate," he muttered, grinning now, immeasurable happy to see her. He flattened his palms on her back and pulled her towards him, kissing her softly.
Without a word she fell into step beside him as he wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and she imitated the action. They enjoyed the environment as Castle had with Alexis the night before, walking under the cover of snow-covered treetops, the ambience of the city an eternity away. Castle stopped abruptly having seen something, and when Kate asked what was wrong, he pointed at a pair of snow angels in the bank, explaining that he and Alexis had crafted them yesterday. They decided to turn back then and head for the loft.
Castle was again surprised by Kate once they'd shut the door to his apartment behind them; she took his face and kissed him with fiery passion that caused a shiver to tumble down his spine and a hot glow to form in the pit of his stomach. He was taken aback as she guided him across the room, settling him into the couch as she tangled her fingers in his hair and pressed her belly against his, flat and toned from her years of combat training.
At last Kate came up for air and Castle smiled, enjoying her new-found attack. He took this opportunity to reach across the arm of the sofa and open the draw to a small chest that stood there. From the draw he retrieved the back he'd brought home with him earlier that day and Kate recognised the logo from a jewellery store a few blocks away. He presented it to her with delicacy and she took it accordingly.
Inside the back was a small box and inside the box was a chain partially buried in foam. She pulled up the chain by its clasp until it hovered above the box, a silver pendent dangling from the bottom and reflecting the light of the lamp that stood on the chest. It was a locket. It was heart-shaped and it was engraved.
It read, "Vincit Omnia Veritas."
Kate allowed a tear to slip from her eye and slide down her cheek. Castle caught it before it could reach her soft lips. She'd been reading these words for a good part of the day. So long, in fact, she'd ended up sitting cross-legged before them, searching their opulence for some hidden meaning. Truth conquers all things.
More tears escaped Kate's eyes as she opened the locket. In one half was a small photograph of Johanna and Jim, smiling without a worry in the world. In the other half was a photo of Kate and Rick. They were in the exact same position, wore the same cloak of happiness. Kate smiled as she examined the photos, still straddling Castle's lap, facing him.
Castle reached forward and snapped the locket shut, rotated it in his fingers and set it in her palm. Kate continued to cry, only now her smile grew, became a grin, and she looked up at Castle with incredibly love-filled eyes. She thought she couldn't find a more perfect man if she combed every corner of the earth, searching. She loved his sensitivity and thoughtfulness and even his childishness, and the soft feel of his hands as he looped the necklace around and under her hair, hooking it together, making it whole. She touched her throat where it rested right above her heart. Castle released her hair and it tumbled gracefully down her back.
That night they made love as snow fell beyond the comforts of the room, scattering shadows across Rick's bedroom as each fell, gradually darkening the space when she clung to the windowpanes. The fire was gone from Kate but the passion was not and they rested in each other's arms, basking in shared warmth.
They fell asleep lying clinging to each other, their embrace buried beneath Rick's downy comforter, and Kate's last thought was of the locket and what the back of it had read, the pane behind the photo of her and her other half.
Always.