A/N: That's right - I'm back. NaNoWriMo word count met means I get to write fanfiction. Since I met the quota for 11/10 at 11:57pm, I asked for Castle prompts on tumblr. thejetsetgirl replied that I should work on a Comfort installment and gave a few other suggestions. What I started with was a Comfort chapter taking place on the beach in the Hamptons in December. What I got was something completely different and I think I like it a lot.

Disclaimer: The writers aren't writing fanfiction instead of memorizing lines for a French video project they need to film in 12 hours...

She wasn't sure why she had gone along with his plan. She had told herself she wasn't going to, that she was going to dig her heels in and refuse completely. But then, as they sat in the conference room, pouring over financial statements and cell phone records, he had turned those blue eyes on her and she found her resolve crumbling.

Part of her knew that she wouldn't have been doing anything in New York City. Nothing productive anyway. She'd spend the morning at the precinct – she always took the graveyard shift on that day to give her co-workers a chance to spend the morning with their families – doing paperwork and perfecting her game of Minesweeper. Once the second shift showed up, shaking snow off their coats and carrying in leftovers from their early lunches that they'd share with her, she'd go back to her cold, empty apartment and watch "It's A Wonderful Life" and cry.

Instead, she was sitting on the side of the bed, her toes curled under her feet as she watched the time on the clock. It was still early – habit had her getting up at five – and the rest of the house was silent. But she had been awake for almost an hour and she was getting restless. A glance out the window told her it wasn't snowing, but the wind was blowing the sand on the beach across the dunes. Wind she could handle.

Kate dressed quietly, tiptoeing down to the first floor to pull on her sneakers, leaning against the wall to tie the laces. Her hair hung down on either side of her face, reminding her of the hair elastic on her wrist. Laces tied, she scraped her hair into a ponytail, securing it so it brushed her back as she swayed her head.

Castle was right, those years ago. The house in the Hamptons was right on the beach, the wrap-around deck was practically on the ocean itself. She closed the back door and walked out to the beach. No iPod or headphones this time. Just the gentle lapping of waves at the shore, the call of seagulls even in the bitter chill of December.

She jogged up and down the endless stretch of beach, her body having to work twice as hard in the sand. When she reached the house again, the tugging of her scar had reached critical. She sat on the dunes, letting her head fall back so she was looking at the purple-black sky dotted with stars.

"This how you spend Christmas at home?"

His voice didn't surprise her. Instead, she twined her fingers over her stomach, feeling the slight bump of the scar through the fabric of her shirt. "There's usually less sand."

She sensed him sit at her hip, his fingers skimming along the top of her thigh. "I'm glad you're here, though."

"Me too."

They sat in silence, him watching the waves, she looking for constellations in the sky she never got to see in the city.

"What do you normally do on Christmas?"

She swallowed, pushing herself up and bracing herself on her elbow, looking at him. "Work, mostly. I cover for the people with families." Kate had to pause, swallow again, and push past the concept. "Watch Christmas movies. Think."

"Alone?"

The sadness in his voice startled her. "Yeah."

His hand found hers, still resting on her stomach, and hooked his pinky through her slim finger. "Then I'm doubly glad you're here."

"Even if I'm sitting on the beach in the cold?"

"Even then."

She rolled, pressing her front against his side. "What's the agenda for the day?"

He leaned down, his lips ghosting across the delicate skin of her ear. "Breakfast before presents. Then we watch 'It's A Wonderful Life' because it's Mother's favorite." Her head withdrew from next to his. "What's wrong? Because we can switch up the order if we need to."

Kate couldn't tell if the salty taste in her mouth was the ocean air, her sweat from the run, tears, or a combination of the three. "No. No, the order's fine."

"Then what's wrong?" he asked, scooting over in the sand to wrap his arms around her shoulders, tugging her against his chest.

"Just…" she sighed, letting herself relax against him. "My mom loved James Stewart. We'd watch that movie every year right after breakfast, the three of us on the couch in the living room, sharing a blanket. Mom knew all the words." Kate laughed, turning her face into Castle's chest, her nose burying itself in the warmth of his jacket. "Drove Dad crazy when she'd whisper them into his ear."

His fingers tugged on the ends of her hair, shaking the sand out of it. "We don't need to watch that movie if you don't want. Mother will understand."

"No." She pulled back, meeting his eyes. "I want to." She placed a kiss on his lips, her own mouth smiling as she did so. "It's my favorite Christmas movie."

He stole a second kiss from her, his hand cradling the back of her head. "Well breakfast usually come first, but I think we need a shower before we gorge ourselves on pancakes and bacon and eggs and homefries and whatever else I cook up." He stood first, helping her to her feet.

"'We need a shower'?" she asked, walking back to the house with her pinky linked with his again. Her legs were twitching from the run. "You didn't do anything to deserve a shower."

Suddenly, his finger was gone from her hand as he fell right into a forward roll. His body collected sand at the same time as it kicked the grains up around him and onto her pants. When he righted himself, shaking his head to get the sand from his eyes, he grinned back at her triumphantly.

"Now I have." He grabbed her hand, practically dragging her back up the steps to the porch and through the back door, past the Christmas tree they had decorated two days ago and up the stairs. At the top, he paused, listening for sounds of Alexis or his mother. When the coast was clear, he walked past the closed doors to his room, shutting that door behind them.

"Wait here."

He ran into the bathroom and she heard the shower turn on. Sand was pricking at her from under her shirt, so she pulled it over her head, tossing it into the corner to wash later. She toed her sneakers off, kicking them in the same direction as the shirt and had her thumbs hooked in the waistband of her pants when he re-entered the room.

When he frowned, Kate crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"

"You were my present." He was taking steady strides toward her and she wasn't backing up. "I'm supposed to unwrap you. An unwrapped present is no fun."

She ducked out of his reach, dancing toward the bathroom. "Fine. If I'm no fun, you can just stand around with sand in your clothes while I shower and you can jump in after me."

Kate barely held in her squeal when he lunged after her, catching her around the waist and pulling her back against his chest. As he kissed her neck where it met her chest, sand from his hand fell down her sports bra. "Castle, you're getting sand on me!"

Less than a minute later, when she found herself pressed against the wet tiles of the shower, Castle pressed his lips against hers. "Merry Christmas, Kate."

She returned the favor, pushing up on her tiptoes. "Merry Christmas, Castle."

A/N: I adore "It's A Wonderful Life" and I added a lot of my relationship with my mother into this story (except in my household, there are six of us curled up around the living room watching the movie instead of the Becketts' three). Any other fans out there?

This will definitely have a few more chapters - I have ideas. At least one more chapter for sure to be written whenever I get the chance.

That said, I still like getting feedback. In fact, I love getting feedback.