Title: Surprise
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I have no rights to any persons real or imagined, no television shows, no books, basically nothing. You want to sue me the best thing I have is a bed, but try to take that and I'll cut a bitch, it's super comfy.
Summary: The story of Kate Beckett, Rick Castle, and how his books brought them together.
The first time she found one of the boxes Kate was justifiably wary; her apartment had just been blown up and now a box shows up on her desk?
But it was just a book. Well, hardly just a book. It was a new copy of One Bullet, One Heart.
And it was signed by the author. By Castle.
The note written in the front cover tied the book together with a case they'd just closed, a hard case which had worn on her.
She didn't say anything. Neither did he.
A Skull at Springtime came a week after the first. With a cup of coffee sitting on top of the box.
The note in this one said 'I can't get you out of my head, oh I'm bad.'
She'd never admit it, but Kate found herself reading Castle's one-liner more than the actual story.
In the first two months after the shooting, Castle sent her each installment of the Derrick Storm series. One every two days. Each with their own handwritten note.
After that he ran out of books. And out of patience to wait for her.
When Kate came in to the kitchen everything was quiet. Too quiet for a morning with the Castle clan. Martha wasn't running lines, Alexis wasn't busy with 'last minute' (she didn't leave for a month) college packing. And Castle wasn't bugging the two redheads.
But there was a box on the counter. The same kind of box that Castle had been giving to her with his books.
And, as far as Kate knew, the next Nikki Heat novel wasn't done yet. Yes, that was the cover art in the box.
"Hey." Kate spun when she heard Rick's voice. "You like? She's not naked this time."
She just smiled and said, "You finished it."
But Castle shook his head. "Not yet, almost but I hit a snag. I thought I knew Nikki Heat but-"
"Don't know Nikki Heat as well as you thought?" Kate asked with a smirk.
"Can you just read the last scene then help me out?" pleaded Castle with a puppy dog-like pout.
Without a word Kate picked up the dust jacket but inside the box was only a hand written note.
What would Nikki Heat do if Rook asked her to marry him?
Kate read the words again before turning to look at Castle. But he was on one knee with a ring in his hands.
"So what would Nikki Heat do?"