Kick Caskett wanted a sci fi story with a pineapple, a dragon, and the moon. This is what I came up with.

Disclaimer: Just read it; you'll realize the mind that created this is NOT the mind that created Castle. Although I really tried to keep them in character... :)

A feeling of peace washed over Kate as she entered the elevators at the precinct. Her decision was made. Karpowski was covering her Christmas Eve shift and Kate was heading over to the loft to spend the evening with Castle and his family.

She didn't have a present for him-by the time she realized that she had changed her mind about how she wanted to spend the holiday all of the stores were closed. Kate wasn't worried, though. She had thought of the perfect gift for him, and it wasn't something that could be found at a store.

Her heart.

Kate had been waiting for the perfect time to tell him how much he meant to her. What better time than their first Christmas together?

By nature Kate expressed her feelings more through actions than words. But Castle was a writer. And he expressed his emotions equally well through actions and words. This Christmas Kate wanted to do the same.

She wasn't sure who was more surprised when Castle opened the door before she had a chance to knock.

"I-" Castle's expression held a hint of confusion as he looked at her. "Uh-"

Kate opened her mouth to speak but at the moment her mind was a blank.

Where was he going? Her heart warmed as she realized that he had the same thought she had: creating a new tradition of spending Christmas Eve together, whether they were at the precinct or the loft.

His words confirmed it. "Uh, I was just coming to see you."

"I was coming to see you." Joy and amusement danced in her eyes as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved.

"What about your shift?"

"I got Karpowski to cover." Kate glanced down at the coat thrown over his arm. "What about your family tradition?"

"I was thinking it was time for a new tradition."

"Me, too."

They stood there, she in the doorway, him with his hand still on the open door, smiling softly at each other. Until Martha said, "Oh, for God's sake Richard! Invite the girl in!"

"Right," Castle said, "would you-?"

"Yeah." Kate entered the loft, immediately taken in by the fifteen foot fully decorated Christmas tree that was directly in her line of sight. "It's beautiful," she told him once they were standing mere inches from the tree.

Castle only smiled in reply. Kate smiled back, close to biting her lip. It had been hours since she had been in his arms and she just wanted to kiss him. The playful waggle of his eyebrows told her that he wanted the same thing. Their lips met softly, a tender touch that complimented the mood of the moment.

"Merry Christmas," Kate's tone was as soft as their kiss had been.

Expecting him to say it back, Kate frowned when he said, "I didn't get you anything."

"What?" She hadn't expected him to actually listen to her. Not about this. For a brief moment she was disappointed until she remembered. She already had what she wanted: him.

"Wait, I do have something for you," Castle said and hurried over to the fridge. Kate exchanged puzzled glances with Alexis and Martha as Castle opened the fridge, opened one of the compartments and quickly found what he wanted.

Was that-?

"A pineapple?" Martha's shocked tone confirmed it.

"It's her favorite fruit," Castle defended himself, holding the tropical produce protectively against his chest.

Kate's favorite fruit was cherries. What made him think-?

Then she remembered. A few days ago she had shared another memory of her childhood. On sunny summer days when her parents weren't working the three of them would have a picnic in Central Park. The food they brought varied except for one thing: pineapple. It was actually her dad's favorite fruit; she and her mom both preferred cherries. But pineapple was a summer fruit and so a constant at their picnics, which largely took place in the summer.

Castle probably did get the pineapple just for her. He may have even had it privately flown in from Hawaii.

"I love it," Kate said honestly. The cliché 'it's not the gift but the thought behind the gift' was really true. Most people would not have pineapple at a Christmas Eve dinner. But because of the memory she had shared with him, he had made sure it was there.

Castle beamed at her which made Kate grin in return. She walked over to him and, unable to resist, gave him a quick hug. "Thank you, Castle."

He handed the fruit to her and their fingers briefly touched as she took it. Kate had just got it settled in her hands-it was fairly large for a pineapple-when there was a loud popping sound.

"Wha-?" Kate couldn't finish the question. She couldn't move. She wasn't sure she should move.

Because mere inches from her face was a baby dragon. The creature's skin was a deep forest green, its small wings a dark purple. Golden eyes gazed her accusingly. Kate finally moved when the creature snorted, thin streams of fire shooting from its nose. She jumped back, knocking into Castle, who grasped her shoulders to steady her.

"Where did you get that pineapple?" Kate kept her voice at a whisper, not wanting to startle the dragon. Thankfully Martha and Alexis hadn't done anything yet. She was expecting Martha to start screaming any second.

"My new housekeeper, Shaysla, got it at the supermarket," Castle whispered back.

Kate figured it had to be something like that. The woman must be some magician.

Only-it was a dragon.

A rabbit, she would understand. Even a chicken.

But a dragon?

Dragons didn't exist.

Except that she was looking at one at that very moment.

One that less than a minute ago had been a pineapple.

"We need to speak to your housekeeper," Kate said, no longer whispering but keeping her voice low. "Now."

As soon as Castle had mentioned the housekeeper's name the dragon had looked over at him, its eyes pleading. He wasn't sure what made him do it, but he held out his arms. The dragon went right to him, settling against him just like Alexis used to when she was a baby.

It took less than fifteen minutes for the housekeeper to arrive.

"Syler!" The woman cried out as soon as she saw the dragon. The creature started wiggling in his arms so Castle let it go. The dragon, whose name was apparently Syler, flew to her.

"I knew you were the right ones," Shaysla said after taking a few moments to make sure the animal was unharmed. "I knew you could free him."

"Free him?" Castle and Kate repeated dazedly.

"From the curse that the man in the moon placed on him after I refused to betroth Syler to his daughter, Twila."

"The man in the moon?" Castle and Kate spoke in unison again. It was one of the few times where Castle was as thrown as Kate by the unique situation they found themselves in.

"He's not actually a man, but a dragon," Shaysla explained.

"Does that mean you-" Castle wanted to know.

Shaysla nodded. "Syler is my baby brother. We lost our parents in the war shortly after Syler was born. I'm responsible for him."

"What war?" This time it was only Kate who spoke.

"The war between the sun dragons and the moon dragons," Shaysla said. "We are moon dragons and get our power from the five moons that circle our planet. The sun dragons live in a neighboring planet that is much closer to our sun; they get their power from the sun."

"Power for what?" Kate asked, although she could guess.

"Shape shifting and instant transporting, mainly," Shaysla said. "Although we also use it in battle, when we have to fight."

"If these other dragons are called sun dragons, why did you refer to one of them as 'the man in the moon?" Castle wanted to know.

"Because right now he is in one of the craters of your planet's moon and is in the form of a man, in case one of your kind discovers him."

"But your planets have to be light years from here," Kate said. "Why would you be anywhere near our moon? Or on our planet?"

"We received a distress signal and came to help. We thought it was from one of our fighters and were alarmed because he was so far out. It took us hours to reach him."

Castle's eyes widened at that. "Hours?"

"We move very fast," Shaysla said with a shrug.

"To say the least," Martha said.

Castle felt bad that he had forgotten his mother and daughter were there. Although, given the circumstances, he figured they understood.

"How did dad and Detective Beckett help?" Alexis asked.

"Only true, pure love could break the curse," Shaysla replied. "I have been observing them for two moon cycles. Their love is very strong. I have not overheard them speak of it, but it is more than obvious every time I see them together."

Kate found she couldn't look Castle in the eyes. This hadn't been the way she wanted to tell him. For one thing, she had wanted to be the one to tell him.

"So the curse was that he was turned into a pineapple?" Kate was glad Alexis asked the question because speech was beyond her at the moment.

"The curse freezes a dragon in whatever form he is turned into when the spell is cast," Shaysla said.

"Why a pineapple?" It was Martha who spoke this time.

"I don't know," Shaysla said. "He must have been to your planet and seen one and decided to use that form. There is nothing like it on our planet, or his."

"So what happens now?" Alexis asked.

"We return to our crew and continue fighting."

"But won't the 'man in the moon' just place another curse on Syler, or on other members of your crew?" Kate asked, finally able to find her voice.

"We have defenses against that. We were just caught off-guard before. Everyone now is fully protected against any and all curses the sun dragons try to throw at us."

"Do you need help to get back to your crew?" Castle asked.

"And how would you help them, Castle?" Kate asked, barely able to hold back her laugh.

"I know a guy."

Of course he did.

"One who owns a rocket?"

"And works at NASA," Castle said.

"Wouldn't he have to report it to his superior officer that he had found an alien life form?"

Castle's face fell. Kate could tell that in his excitement he hadn't thought the whole idea through.

"It's kind of you to offer, but Syler and I can just use instant transport," Shaysla said. "Thank you again for your help. If you ever need our help in return-" She closed her hands into tight fists, closed her eyes and unclenched her fists in less than a blink. Resting on each of her palms was a green rock, about the size of Castle's thumb and shaped like a diamond. "These are rocks from our planet," she explained as she opened her eyes again. "All you need to do is hold it in your palm, close your hand into a fist and whisper my name. I will get to you as soon as I can."

Before any of the humans could comment there was a loud pop and the two alien dragons were gone.

Castle looked over at his mother and daughter and said excitedly, "Kate and I rescued a dragon!"

"They do say that love is the greatest magic of all," Martha said with a dramatic wave of her hand.

"Who says that?" Alexis wanted to know.

"I can't remember at the moment, but someone," Martha replied.

Love.

Right.

Castle looked over at Kate and saw the panicked look on her face. He easily slid back into his familiar way of making both of them feel at ease-humor. Or at least joking. He was still in too much shock from everything that had just happened to try to be funny.

"I could write a whole new series of books," Castle said. "About a CIA agent who is secretly an alien dragon. Or maybe a kid genius that the CIA snaps up, not knowing that he is really-"

"An alien dragon?" Kate finished his thought, shaking her head. "I don't think so, Castle."

"You're right," Castle agreed after a moment. "The reader would never buy it."

Hopefully you enjoyed this little story, Kick Caskett. And everyone else. :)

Merry Christmas!