The Season Comes Round Again

Disclaimer: I still don't own it, and they're way more evil than me

AN: This is a direct sequel to last years Spirit of the Season. You you can find the companion piece, from Castle's point of view, under the account of my writing partner, CuffedBunnies.

For CB, who always jumps on these roller coasters with me, just because.

Day 1: Surprises

December 4, 2013

Kate Beckett was thankful for the short work day as she prepared to leave shortly after 4:30. Sure, she had to come in early, but it'd been light, no body, mostly paperwork. She'd been scheduled to be off, but she had to swap the day for the following one in order to meet prior commitments. Castle had, somewhat surprisingly, come in with her. Although he had been doing that a bit more over this past year, even on these kinds of light days, she still had been surprised by his willingness to come in simply for paperwork.

His reasoning had been that if she was to be stuck at Black Pawn all day tomorrow, primarily without him, the least he could do was keep her company at the 12th today. She was far from complaining, she thought as she fingered the note in her hands trying to decide exactly where to put it. Today had given her the perfect opportunity to start – or restart – their little holiday tradition.

She had to admit, this was the first time in a long time she's felt so excited at the prospect of a new holiday season. Oh, Castle and made last year's holiday season wonderful for both of them. But, come this time last year, she hadn't seen it coming. Hadn't known to anticipate such joy. It had still been such a very foreign concept to her back then.

This year was different. This year she knew what was possible. Possible again. And this year, she was determined to be a part of making it happen. And maybe it was the success from his birthday party last April, but just the thought of making this work was giving her more of a rush than she'd had in any prior holiday season. So, she propped the note against his iPad while he was in the bathroom, then slipped on her coat and before she headed for the elevator.

She had secretly made the reservations for dinner on his phone, since he had the app already. And making them in his name might make the request for a window seat that much more likely to achieve, given the high likelihood of crowds. She wasn't proud to admit she wasn't above using Castle's name, but it was for him, a gift that hopefully could be reminiscent of the one he had given her the year before. Nothing so extravagant, but she wanted to kick off the event – This game that he it started last year – in a memorable way, something fun unique, and reminiscent Of what has come before. And so she had set reservations without hesitation.

Now all she had to do was wait. She had taken a page from his own book, and called the car service. She checked in advance, been lucky enough to get Max as a driver. He wouldn't question the odd plans, but would appreciate her symmetry in planning the evening. She chose the same drop spot at the Hilton, and waited out front despite the cold. Her cell phone beeped with an incoming text message. She pulled it from pocket with a grin.

Beckett I've been abducted! It read.

She rolled her eyes even though he wasn't there to see, and laughed. Such a drama queen, her fiancé. Her heartbeat picked up at the thought. Six months since the day at the swings, and she still hadn't gotten over that feeling. She hoped she never would.

Poor thing, she sent How will I find you? Do you have any clues?

She snickers again when the next text comes in. No! Which is completely unfair.

I think you do, she sent.

At least mine was descriptive, surprise? That could be anything. Even through the medium of texting, she could practically hear the frustrated whine in his voice.

She took just the smallest amount of pity on him. Start at the beginning, she sent back. This is your last clue until you arrive.

She didn't get an answer back to that one, and wondered if it was because he was sulking, or because he was close.

Five minutes passed, and then she saw the dark town car pulling into the curved drop off area. She stepped Up as soon as she recognized Max as he exited the vehicle. "Evening Max," she called.

He turned a good-natured grin her way as he came around to open Castle's door. "Evening Ms. Beckett. Turning a few tables I see?"

"Seems only fair," she tossed off easily. As Max open the door Castle stepped out, Kate found herself rocking up on her toes, nearly bouncing with excitement. It was such a very Castle gesture, and it caught her off guard. Apparently he was rubbing off on her. She bit her lip and looked away, hoping he hadn't seen it. Not quite in the mood for that level of ribbing tonight.

He's stepped from the car and his eyes found hers immediately. "I'm having the oddest sense of déjà vu," he said dryly. "Only seems backwards, somehow."

She played along, feigning thoughtful innocence. "Hmm... I can't imagine why." She bit her lip nervously and flashed her eyes back to his.

He laughed, but stepped over to Max, now back behind the wheel said a few words and passed him a tip. Then he met her on the sidewalk. "Well, I know you're up to something – Max just told me he'd see us in about three hours. Where to, Detective?"

She held out her hand, and he took it. They moved easily enough, being at a slight advantage over last year's crush because of the earlier hour. Because they were moving, she said nothing as she led him straight around to the side entrance of Rockefeller Center.

"The gym?" Castle asked. "Some sort of subtle hint, Beckett?"

She let out a breathless laugh at that, hadn't even thought of it. "No, not at all. Most convenient entrance," she promised as she made her way quickly to the elevator pulling him along with her fingers wrapped around his.

"That's a relief," he said. "I was really hoping you weren't going to try to be one of those bridezilla types."

She shot him what she hope passed for a stern look, though she wasn't sure she could manage much beyond adoring excitement tonight, if she were honest with herself. "Quit while you're ahead there, partner."

She must've halfway managed - or he was playing it up - because He offered a quick "yes ma'am," as the elevator doors opened, and she took the lead again, bringing him along behind her.

They threaded their way through the small cafe in front, and she guided them toward the host stand near the bar. She was grateful that she'd found directions to the place during her research. It would have been much less fun to tease him with if she'd had to stop and find her bearings.

She gave his name at the podium, and saw his eyebrows raise. The girl looked from one of them to the other, and Kate noticed a bit of that telltale fluster that she knows means she's a bit of a fan. Nothing is said however, and a professional mask slips quickly over the young woman's face.

A year ago, Kate might have felt a sickening surge of panic in a moment like this. Instead, she now felt a small wave of pity that felt like kinship. She wonders if she really kept it all off her face that night she approached him at the book launch. Probably not. He'd had her number within minutes in that interrogation room, though she was still loathe to admit it. And grateful as hell. But she won't be saying that either.

They were seated at the window, one with exactly the view she'd hoped for, and the girl departed. Kate watched her go, and then made a decision.

When their waiter arrived, they ordered their meals - she vegetable risotto, he the scallops - and Kate offhandedly requested a few cocktail napkins from the bar. The young man left retrieve them, she dug a pen out of her clutch.

When he returned with them and then left to put in their orders, she took a long sip of her water then handed Castle one of the napkins and the pen. "Sign that," she said quietly.

Castle gave her an odd look. "Pardon?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Come on Castle, don't tell me you can't recognize fangirls unless they're throwing themselves at you. The hostess. You're gonna make her night. Probably the whole week."

He looked past her toward the direction of the small stand near the bar. "Oh, I noticed I just didn't think. I mean, I know you're not wild about drawing attention, and I usually don't make a big production of it if we're -"

"It's not a production, it's a cocktail napkin. Sign it. Make the girl's day. Besides, it's almost Christmas." She raised an eyebrow and challenge, and he quickly bent over the table to scrawl his name on the small white square.

"Kathrine Beckett, I never," she heard him matter under his breath as she reached out and picked up the newly autographed paper square. The corner of her mouth turned up in response, but she said nothing.

When the waiter returned to fill their water glasses, she carefully handed him the small napkin. "Excuse me," she said, "could you make sure that the young lady at the hostess stand gets this?"

The young man look down at the object in his hand, and then back and Kate. "Oh, certainly. Marcy?" He looks down at the autograph again. "Oh, she's gonna flip. I mean – yes ma'am, of course."

Kate's smile widened as she watched him walk away, and then turned her eyes back to Castle. To her surprise, he was looking at her as though she had just delivered him a Christmas present. "What?" She asked, looking down and she tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away, somewhat defensively.

"Nothing. It's just, it's kind of fun watching you play Santa Claus."

She smiled at that, offered a somewhat shy shrug of dismissal. "Well, you know," she said. But she doubted that he did, because really she didn't either. It just, it seemed like the thing to do.

He cleared his throat. "Amazing view, I see why you picked it."

She smiled more broadly at that. "Well, it's not the VIP section or anything, but it seemed like good place to begin." She cast her eyes out the window at the large, soon to be glittering Christmas tree and the increasingly busy rink beneath.

"Are you kidding? This is awesome. I don't think I've ever been back here, what made you think of it?"

She shrugged. "I was looking for something that felt right, that held a memory of last year, but made it different, too. I looked around online a little, made reservations."

"It's amazing. You're amazing," he said quietly.

She turned her eyes out the window so he wouldn't see the flush rising on her cheeks. Their food came then, and they settled in to enjoying the food and the view below. When the time came for dessert, Castle begged off. When she raised a eyebrow in question, he shrugged. "There's a Ben & Jerry's in here, thought that might be fun."

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed. Castle and ice cream were always an interesting combination, she had discovered.

There was a minor scuffle over the check when it came, Castle insisting that the pleasure of her surprise was more than enough. But she glared in refusal - this was her night, her treat.

"Fine," Castle relented. "But, I'm buying dessert."

She sighed, but agreed. The ice cream stop was his idea, anyway, she reasoned with herself. As they made their way out, they received a somewhat breathless "Thank you for coming," from Marcy that made Kate bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. The girl was clearly now a fan for life, if she hadn't been already. Kate knew the feeling.

When they reached the Ben and Jerry's, Castle sent her in search of a table in the nearby seating area while he ordered at the shop, which earned him a frown from her, and the slightest trace of suspicion, too. There was something of a glint in Castle's eye that made her more nervous then she was willing to contemplate too deeply. But what ever it was, he was up to something.

When he approached her at the table she'd secured near the edge of the open seating area, she gaped at him. "Richard Castle, what did you do?" she asked. But it was a rediculous question. She should have known. She really should have known.

"I figured we could share," he said glibly.

She should hit him. "With half the city? There have to be 15 scoops of ice cream in that thing." It was in a bucket, basically. A bucket of ice cream. She really should hit him.

"Twenty, actually. And cookies and brownies and bananas and - well, everything, really."

"Castle," she sighed. "Why on earth -"

"'cause I could, and it looked like fun. Besides, I got there just before closing, so they got to use up a lot of bits and pieces."

Of course. "Oh, why the hell not? Though, we won't come close to finishing it, and it's still going to take forever to work off."

He passed her a spoon that seemed entirely too small for the insane concoction, and she chose an area and started digging. "Sure," he said, as he took a bite of his own, "but that's going to be half the fun, Beckett. Working it off."

The flash in his eyes made her blood run hot. Damn him. She stuck her foot out, fully intending to kick him. But her foot seemed intent on working itself out of her shoe and along his leg, almost of it's own volition. She steadfastly focused on her ice cream which was better than it had any right to be.

"Oh my god, Beckett," he exclaimed suddenly, his voice trapped somewhere between bedroom voice and an excited little boy. "You have to try this scoop over here. I think it has potato chip pieces in it!"

She groaned. He was going to be the death of her, and the season was only just beginning. God, she was having fun.