Note: None of these characters are mine


All Good Things Must Come To An End

"You look glum this morning, Castle. Did Santa forget to come? Only coal in your stocking this year?" Kate nudged Castle with her elbow playfully. He gave her a half-smile but his heart wasn't in it.

"Castle?" she pushed, her tone turning serious at his rare display of gloom. "What happened?"

Castle sighed and looked down at his lap, fiddling with his phone absentmindedly.

"It's January 6th - time to take down the Christmas tree."

"That's what has you looking like your Grandma got run over by a reindeer?" Kate asked, looking concerned but trying to a coax a smile from him.

After a pause, he finally made eye contact with her and explained. "Every year on January 6th, Alexis and I take down the Christmas tree. We drink warm apple cider and play the Christmas music one last time as we wrap up the ornaments in newspaper and stuff them back in their boxes. Then we wrestle the tree from its stand and drag it into the elevator to take it out to the street."

"Ah," Kate said, comprehending, "Alexis left for school last weekend, right?"

"I know it seems silly, but it was tradition. And this is the first year she's not around for it. Frankly, I'm kind of dreading taking down the tree without her."

Kate smiled at him sympathetically. Castle shrugged, looking back down at his lap. "All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes," he said.


Castle's apartment was silent late that evening when Kate came knocking. When he answered the door, Castle looked at her in surprise, swinging open the door wide.

"Beckett?"

Through the doorway, Kate could see the Christmas tree, which was easily nine feet tall and six feet in diameter. It stood in the corner of the room, spectacularly decorated with lights and ornaments. A tall step ladder leaned against the living room wall, a stack of newspaper rested on a coffee table, and empty plastic boxes were piled next to the tree. The tree's decorations, however, had been left untouched.

Kate looked away from his glum evening and smiled at Castle. She thrust the package of amber filled glass bottles she'd been carrying towards him.

"Hard apple cider. I figured if Alexis has grown up, your tree disposal beverage of choice can grow up too."

Castle looked down at the bottles of cider, his eyebrows furrowing involuntarily, before looking back up her questioningly.

"All good things may come to an end, Castle. But new good things, new traditions, develop to take their place."

Castle blinked at her, as his gloomy face slowly morphed into a smile. His eyes twinkled as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Shush," she said, slipping past him into the apartment and beginning to bustle around the living room like she belonged there. "You find a bottle opener; I'll find some music. How on earth did you fit that tree into the elevator, anyway?"


Thanks for reading!