AN: I don't own Castle, pity though because I would be rich and rubbing shoulders with my idols.
Okay so it's that romantic time of year again. I know that it isn't quite Valentine's Day but I have a fair few stories spanning a few different fandoms and I thought it was good to get one up today. Expect another Castle one tomorrow along with a Supernatural and a Bones one. I hope you enjoy this little fluffy piece and FYI it's set during Season 3, while Beckett is with Josh. Hope you enjoy this story and Happy Early Valentine's Day!
Detective Katherine Beckett looks up at the calendar hanging on the wall beside her desk. February was written along the top in large bold text. Her eyes travel down to the date. February thirteen. The day before Valentine's Day. Her boyfriend was on the other side of the world at the moment so she was just planning on spending it alone, maybe watching a movie or something like that. She continues to stare at the dates spread along the calendar. Funny things dates were; how did they come to be? Kate would never know. She sighs; Valentine's Days had never been her favourite.
"Girl I don't mean to be rude but you've been staring at that calendar for what seems to have been forever. I have been standing right behind you." Booms Lanie's enthusiastic voice.
Kate just nods slowly.
The medical examiner didn't take a nod as an answer though. She needed more then that. "So what makes that calendar so interesting Kate?" Lanie asks puzzled, "Yes it would be better if it was one of them fireman ones but sadly you're not that lucky."
Beckett shrugs "I dunno I'm just staring at the calendar thinking over how long we may have to solve this murder." Okay so that was one of the biggest lies that the detective had ever told but despite the fact that Lanie was such a close friend she really didn't feel like bringing up Valentine's Day with her. It always brought the awkward questions, a bit like when it was her mother's birthday.
"Okay then, if you're sure…"
Kate nods and glances over at the other woman "What are you doing here anyway Lanie?" Kate begins, "I thought that you would have other work to do down at the morgue."
"Ahh I was just stopping by. It is Valentine's Day tomorrow and I really needed to know if anyone had any plans about what they were planning on doing. You know fleshing out if any of the guys were asking any of the girls out on dates."
Kate rolls her eyes. Lanie always did have an interest in other people's lives. "Anyone ask you out this year?"
"Ahh I personally expected the men to be lining up out the door, you know with their hearts in their hands, but sadly there has only been a few this year. I had to turn them down though considering that I already had plans of curling up on my sofa and watching some of my favourite Valentine's Day movies." She replies, "Any plans for you?"
"Nah," Kate shakes her head "Nothing out of the ordinary, just a few movies to watch like you."
"What about Castle?"
"Why would Castle have anything to do with this?"
"I know you like him girl, you can't hide that from me."
Kate begins twisting a strand of hair around her finger, what she tended to do when she was discussing a crush. "I don't like Castle, he is a pain in the ass Lanie. I only keep him around because the Mayor says I have to so why would I want to spend Valentine's Day with him?"
"I never said that you had to spend Valentine's day with him, but I must admit that guys have always liked Secret Admirer presents, you know choc dipped strawberries and stuff." Lanie winks at her best friend before hopping down off the desk and stretching her legs.
Kate shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Sorry Lanie, say what you want but I would never stoop down to such a low."
"Oh sure Kate, sure."
X-X-X-X
Richard Castle groans and taps his fingers impatiently on the table beside the computer.
* Tap * * Tap * * Tap*
Starting out faint the noise grows slowly louder. He had had just about enough, he had no idea what to write and Gina was eagerly awaiting the next Nikki Heat novel, Heat Rises. After staring at the screen blankly for another two minutes he rises and walks over to the door. After pulling it open he sees his mother, Martha Rogers, standing on the doorstep.
"Oh Richard you like taking your time," she cries throwing her hands into the air dramatically "I'm getting older and I might run out of time if you don't speed things up."
"Oh mother my apologies but I'm not the one who is trying to get into someone else's private office." Richard scoffs as her stretches out an arm.
"Well I'm only looking out for your best interest darling."
"Yeah by knocking on my office door while I am obviously working, I don't interrupt you when you are auditioning."
Martha runs a wrinkled hand through her bright orange hair before turning to her son. "Yes but you never gave me an opportunity to finish talking."
"Okay fire away then."
"You know how it's Valentine's Day tomorrow? I have been thinking about you and wondering if you have a date."
"That is none of your business, you go do something with your own boyfriend and leave me be."
"Oh perfect display of a man without a Valentine. You can't celebrate February the fourteenth alone so why don't you invite your beautiful detective friend?"
"Do you mean Beckett?"
"Oh no I mean Angelina Jolie, of course I mean Beckett."
Castle shifts about awkwardly on his two feet. "No, no we aren't even dating mom, why would I ask her about being my Valentine?"
"Because I see the way that you look at her."
"I don't look at her in any way."
"Yes you do. Oh how about this, why don't you send her a secret admirer gift? Women love them you know."
"…" Castle pauses and glances around the room. He actually liked this idea very much but he could never let his mother know. "No mother, I'm not going to do that."
"Sure, sure kiddo." were Martha's last words before hurrying out of the office.
Castle looks over at his laptop and slams down on the lid. Perfect, he was eager to do this, Kate Beckett, his secret admirer.
X-X-X-X
Chocolate dipped strawberries, are you serious Lanie?
Kate laughs to herself as she stirs the chocolate buttons around in a pan on her stovetop. Her medical examiner friend had suggested that she make chocolate dipped strawberries and Kate had just laughed her off. Oh what Lanie would say if she saw her tough ass cop friend mixing melted chocolate.
Kate picks up one of the freshly washed strawberries and dips it into the chocolate. After swirling it around in a perfect three-sixty motion she lays it on a sheet of cooking paper, which was atop of a tray. She slowly finishes the last berry before placing the tray in the fridge.
The young woman's hand slides over her cheek slowly and she realises a small smudge of chocolate must have spluttered against it. She chuckles softly as she rubs her hands together triumphantly before hurrying into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
X-X-X-X
"Dun, dun, dun, dun." Castle hums his song to himself as he dips one berry after the other in the warm chocolate. He was actually enjoying this more then he would have presumed. Castle lays them all down on a baking tray as a smile slips onto his lips. Beckett was going to love this.
"Dad!" A voice erupts into the kitchen causing Castle to look up from the strawberries that he was laying on the tray. His sixteen-year-old daughter Alexis makes her way into the kitchen. She eyes her dad's handiwork off before turning to him puzzled. "I have seen you do some strange things dad but nothing as bizarre as this. Did gran put you up to this, huh?"
Castle smiles at his daughter and shakes his head. "Just a secret admirer surprise for someone." His eyes don't quite leave the strawberry in his hand as he talks to the girl.
"Secret admirer surprise? So who is the lucky girl? Was it one of those women at the book signings? You seemed pretty smitten with them." Alexis walks closer towards her father and dips one of her fingers in the chocolate. She quickly licks it off and smiles. "Tastes just like it did when I was little."
Rick can't help but smile at his daughter as he looks over at her. "I haven't changed the recipe. Why mess with something good?"
"Yeah I'm with you on that one dad." Alexis nods her head quickly before lifting an orange eyebrow yet again at her father. "So who is it?"
"Just one of those women from the signings. Lola, no Chloe…wait Kathy. Yeah I couldn't have a Valentine's Day without giving a Valentine." Castle wasn't going to tell his daughter that it was for Detective Beckett. He'd be a laughing stock.
Alexis nods slowly. "I don't remember a Kathy but I suppose that you know what you're talking about." Alexis smiles at her dad but she doesn't seem to fully believe his words. Lola, Chloe, Kathy. Her dad tended to know the names of his "women" better then that. She felt that there was something else going on here.
Castle turns back to continue dipping strawberries but turns back to Alexis when he feels his daughter's arms wrap around his shoulders. "Have fun with your strawberries dad." Her voice whispers into his ear.
Richard smiles back at his daughter as he holds her close. "I will."
X-X-X-X
Okay this is the most pathetic thing that I have ever done.
Katherine Beckett cringes at her own ridiculousness as she disembarks the lift in Castle's apartment building. She walks past a collection of doors on his floor and lays a plate covered in glad wrap on his doorstep. She quickly straightens a note and pins it into the plastic. Kate's hand slowly presses down on the doorbell before hurrying down the carpet at record speed. After embarking the lift she risks peeping back towards Castle's apartment. She watches as Castle bends over and glances puzzled towards the gift. Just as he was getting to the note the lift closes and Katherine feels it slowly moving in downwards motion. Her face was a touch red from all of the blushing that she had done and a small smile wouldn't leave her lips.
X-X-X-X
Rick Castle peers back down the hallway. Not a single person occupied it but himself. He was too late. Did it really take him that long to get to the door? He begins to turn around when something catches the corner of his left eye. Rick spins backwards and bends his knees to get a better look. On the carpet before his front door was a white plate. On it lays some chocolate dipped strawberries and it was covered in a thin sheet of glad wrap. His fingers slowly work their way over to the note that was pinned to plastic. He quickly swipes it up and opens the folded piece of notepad paper.
Rick,
Happy Valentine's Day
From a Secret Admirer
He stares puzzled at the sheet for a spilt second before scooping up the plate of strawberries in order to bring it into the house. Most of him presumed that the "Secret Admirer" was one of his fans but a small part of him doubted that greatly. Since when did his fans deliver things to his doorstep? They usually always came through his publisher. Rick shrugs quickly and closes the door. Pity he ate so many strawberries whilst he was making Beckett her surprise yesterday.
X-X-X-X
Kate Beckett sighs as she slowly fills out a sheet of paper work for Captain Montgomery. She had no Valentine's Day plans whatsoever this year, considering that Josh was on the other side of the world saving sick underprivileged kids, and she was feeling a touch down.
"Hey Beckett!" Esposito's voice booms out and shakes the detective from her thoughts.
She looks over at the man and tilts her head to the side confused. "Yeah Javi, what's up?"
Javier makes his way over to Beckett and lays a plate before her. It sported a vast collection of perfectly dipped chocolate dipped strawberries and was wrapped in a piece of heart print cellophane. Puzzled she glances back towards her colleague. "And may I ask what the hell this is?"
Esposito shrugs "I dunno Beckett. I was on my desk just then and when I saw the name I knew that it must be for you."
"Your desk? Why not mine?"
"Don't ask me but I presume they picked mine because it's closer to the door. Easier to slip in and drop it off I suppose."
Beckett nods slowly as she wraps the curly pink ribbon around her little finger. This sort of handiwork made hers look like the job of a three year old. "I better open this then Espo."
"Yeah…" The man stops when her notices the woman's fingers flapping about signalling for him to go away. Esposito's eyes roll before he hurries away. As he walks between the desks in the precinct he mutters something to himself but he was too far for Beckett to grasp what he was saying.
The woman ignores the detective and shifts her attention yet again to the gift. She pulls out a pair of scissors from her pencil pot and slowly cuts the cellophane. Her thin fingers grasp the note and she holds it up to get a good look. Her name was written in swirly handwriting on the front and the same text made up the words in the note. Her eyes focus on writing as she slowly begins to read.
Katherine,
Do you have a Band-Aid because I swear I scraped my knee falling for you?
I hope you have the loveliest Valentine's Day.
From Your Secret Admirer
Katherine stares at the piece of paper. That was one damn cheesy pick up line that was scrawled on there but it did make her smile. This note had made the one she wrote for Castle look horrible in comparison. Thankfully he didn't have to know about it.
She folds the note again and stashes it in her pocket before popping a strawberry in her mouth. She chews thoughtfully as she wonders who wrote the note. Technically it could be anyone that she had bumped heads with over the years but she felt she knew this person quite a bit. Hmmm, it was a secret for a reason.
Kate scoops up the plate and places it in her drawer. If she didn't do that the other detectives would presume it was a free for all and take all her strawberries.
The woman's attention once again shifts to her paper work as she continues scrawling. She was writing the same things but this time she could taste strawberries on her tongue and her heart was thumping. A Secret Admirer, Lanie was right, it did make your heart flutter.
X-X-X-X
~-~-HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY 2015 ~-~-
AN: Please Review to share the Valentine's Day love!