Love Story

Prompt: AU. Beckett is invited to a Costume party where the guests are given the costumes they are to wear. Beckett was stuck in a dress from the Nutcracker. Young Alexis who is dressed as a girl from the gingerbread village runs up to Kate, and says that the sugar plump princess is suppose to dance with Prince Erik aka the nutcracker who happens to be Richard Castle himself. Kate and Rick fall for each other in that one dance brought on by the "order" of his child.

"Girl. You look absolutely stunning."

Kate grinned, brushing a loose curl out of her face as she twirled in a circle, allowing her skirt to billow and blossom around her. She was wearing an elegant short-sleeved white dress with a lacy bodice and a full sparkling skirt, an ice blue ribbon tied around her waist. There was more makeup on her face than usual, too, with a hint of a sparkle in her eyeshadow and a soft pink shade decorating her lips.

Kate had wanted to wear her hair in an updo, but the moment Lanie had seen the dress that Kate had been assigned, she insisted on fixing Kate's hair, leaving it in elegant curls down her back instead, with a rhinestone tiara placed atop her head. "Girl, you get to be Clara," Lanie said. "Do you realize how lucky you are? You're going to be the envy of the party."

It was five days before Christmas, and the New York Historical Society was hosting its annual Christmas ball. This year's theme was "The Nutcracker," and each guest had been assigned a specific character upon registration. They'd had to send in their measurements, too, and the Society had shipped them a costume to wear that night. It was an exclusive, expensive event, and Lanie had won two tickets in a giveaway from her favorite radio station. She'd insisted that Kate attend with her, and Kate had agreed.

While Kate had the privilege of masquerading as Clara for the evening, Lanie had been assigned to be a Sugar Plum Fairy, and she looked radiant in her long, plum-colored gown. She'd opted for an updo, not wanting her hair to get caught in the dainty silver wings that were attached to her back.

"Absolutely stunning," Lanie reiterated, smiling as she handed Kate her coat. "Now, we're already running late, and the limo is probably here by now. Are you ready?"

Kate smiled and nodded, draping her coat over her shoulders. She'd been looking forward to the evening for weeks.

An elderly gentleman in a tuxedo ushered Kate and Lanie into the ballroom. As they stepped through the elegant double doors, the man stopped and began to clap his hands, garnering the attention of the guests that filled the room.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced. "May I present to you, our distinguished guest, Miss Clara."

The ballroom erupted in applause, and Kate watched, stunned, as people began to bow, nodding their heads to her.

"Curtsy," Lanie whispered harshly, elbowing Kate in the side.

Kate obliged, tucking one ankle behind the other and grabbing the sides of her skirt as she dipped down, inclining her head to the party-goers. She turned back to Lanie as she straightened, feeling her face begin to redden.

"I can't do this," she whispered nervously. She hated being the center of attention and wanted nothing more than to turn around and leave the ballroom, escaping the stares of the other guests.

"Girl, of course you can," Lanie reassured her. "Everyone loves you already. Come on, I'll stay right with you." She took Kate's hand, leading her down the carpeted steps to the ballroom floor.

Before they made it very far, two young women in dresses and wings identical to Lanie's approached them. "You must be the third Sugar Plum Fairy," one of them said excitedly. "They said there would be three. Good evening, Clara," she finished, nodding toward Kate. "May we borrow your friend for some photos?"

"Of course," Kate obliged. Lanie followed the two women as they disappeared into the crowd, chatting animatedly. Kate was left standing awkwardly in the center of the room, alone.

I'll just stay here until Lanie gets back, Kate thought. It shouldn't be too long. She looked around the room, taking in the beautiful decorations. A silver carpet had been laid across the floor, and matching shimmery silver tablecloths adorned the large round tables around the edges of the room, leaving a great open space in the center of the room for dancing. Silver, white, and sky blue snowflakes adorned the walls, and swaths of white cloth and twinkling fairy lights hung from the ceiling, giving the illusion of gentle snowfall. It was absolutely beautiful.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red and brown streaking toward her. She lowered her head to see a preteen girl running up to her, a huge smile on her face. She was wearing a long, light brown gown adorned with white decorations around the neckline, sleeves, and the bottom of the skirt.

"Hi, Clara! Oh, I'm so glad to see you," she said excitedly, brushing a strand of red hair out of her face. "I'm Ginger, from the Gingerbread Village. But my father is Prince Erik. And you're Clara. That means you have to dance with him! Come on," she said, grabbing Kate's hand.

Before Kate could react, the girl began tugging her toward the edge of the dance floor. She could see a man standing beside a table, the large crown atop his head easily distinguishing him as the prince. A gold sash was draped across his body, and matching gold shoulder pads and cuffs decorated his bright red jacket. He was wearing tight navy blue pants, and tall black boots rose to his knees.

As Ginger pulled her closer to the man, his face grew clearer. Oh God, there was no way. It couldn't be…

It was. Prince Erik was none other than Richard Castle.

Kate felt her knees grow weak beneath her, and her heart began to pound as she stopped in front of him. "Clara, this is Dad—I mean, Prince Erik," the girl said. "Prince Erik, I'd like you to meet Clara."

A smile appeared on his face—the same smile that she'd seen on the jacket of all of his books; the same smile that she'd seen at the two book signings she'd attended, where she'd met him in person. There was no doubt that he was even more handsome in person, and the red, blue, and gold of his Nutcracker uniform made his brilliant blue eyes pop.

He bowed deeply, tucking one arm behind his back. "Good evening, Miss," he said, rising, his voice deep, but gentle. His eyes locked with hers, and she had to fight the urge to melt into a puddle.

"Hi," Kate squeaked, curtsying awkwardly in return.

"You guys have to dance," the girl exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. "It's going to be so romantic." She sighed, a dreamy look on her face, and Prince Erik—Richard, rather—chuckled.

"Alright, Pumpkin," he said. "Only if it's okay with this beautiful lady, though," he added, gesturing towards Kate.

He had just called her "beautiful." She felt her face flush, and suppressed the urge to giggle like a school girl. "Of course," she managed, unable to contain the grin that was spreading across her face.

Ginger clapped her hands in excitement as Castle stepped forward, straightening his back and squaring his shoulders confidently as he flawlessly transitioned into the role of the Prince.

"Well, in that case, Madame," he said, bowing slightly as he offered his arm, "may I have this dance?"

Kate nodded, smiling, and took his arm, allowing her to lead her out onto the dance floor. He stopped when they reached the center of the floor, marked by a large, swirling sky blue snowflake adorning the silver carpet. The orchestra on the stage began to play a slow waltz as Castle took Kate's hand in his, wrapping his other arm around her waist. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and they began to dance, swaying gently to the lilting rhythm of the waltz.

She couldn't believe that she was dancing with Richard Castle. Even in her wildest dreams, she'd never have imagined that this moment would ever happen—especially not like this. He was the prince; she was the princess. It seemed that the stars had aligned in just the right way to bring them together tonight. The night had only just begun, and already, she wanted it to never end.

"So what brought you here?" Castle asked, interrupting Kate's thoughts. "What made you decide to come to the ball tonight?"

"It was my friend," Kate replied, looking into his eyes. "She won two tickets on the radio, and she invited me to come with her."

He raised his eyebrows. "So you came with your friend?" he asked carefully.

"If that's your way of asking if I'm single, then the answer is yes," Kate answered, grinning.

A mischievous smile lit up his face. "Good to know," he murmured, raising his hand to twirl her. Kate giggled as she spun away from him. He pulled her back towards himself easily, that dazzling smile still on his face.

"So, what's your real name?" he asked.

"Hey, you know we're not supposed to tell," Kate said, amused. The ball's regulations were very strict, insisting that everyone remain in character for the duration of the ball, only revealing their real names at the end of the night.

"No one would know if we did," he replied, a smirk on his face. God, he was so handsome.

Kate leaned in close to his ear, allowing her lips to brush against his jaw. "My name is Clara," she whispered, over-enunciating the consonants of the name. She pulled her head back and raised her eyebrows, laughing at the look of confusion and amusement written across his face.

"Fine," he said, lips pursed together in an amused grin. "Well then, Clara, I am enchanted to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," she answered genuinely, smiling as she locked her eyes with his.

Although the ball regulations had stated the prince and the princess only needed to dance together for one song, the two barely noticed when the music faded and the orchestra began playing a new piece. They weren't paying attention to anything but one another and were oblivious to the stares of the other party guests, who had all stopped dancing and moved to the edges of the room, entranced with the chemistry between the two distinguished guests. Kate and Rick swayed together, completely in sync with one another, in the center of the room. A spotlight shone from the ceiling over them, illuminating their figures and following their movements as they twirled about the dance floor, unaware of the transitions from one song to the next, their bodies growing slowly closer together as time progressed.

The music suddenly stopped, jolting Kate back into reality. She stopped, and Rick did, too, looking up to the stage, where a middle-aged man in a tuxedo was stepping up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the New York Historical Society, I would like to thank you all for your attendance," the man said jovially. "This year's ball has been a huge success. In keeping with the spirit of our Nutcracker theme, I'd like to invite you all to the dance floor for the final dance of the evening, 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies.'"

The final dance of the evening? Kate had no idea the event was almost over. She and Castle must have been dancing for quite some time. She cringed inwardly, realizing that she'd practically abandoned Lanie, and that Castle hadn't spent any time with his daughter.

The party-goers began to slowly join Kate and Rick on the dance floor as the familiar music began to play. Kate spotted Lanie, with the other two Sugar Plum Fairies, running excitedly to the dance floor together, happy to have the spotlight on them for a moment. The orchestra began to play the familiar tune, and Rick turned back to Kate.

"Well, Miss Clara," he said, bowing deeply. "May I have one last dance with you?"

Kate was conflicted. She didn't want to stop dancing with Castle—even though she was nearly breathless from the past hour of dancing—and clearly, he wanted to spend more time with her, too. But his poor daughter must have spent the evening alone. "Ri—Prince Erik," she corrected, hoping he hadn't caught her blunder. "Are you sure you don't want to dance with your daughter?"

"It's okay," Rick answered, smiling. "This was supposed to be a father-daughter date for us, but she's the one who insisted that you and I share a dance." He looked pointedly to the side of the room, and Kate followed his gaze, spotting the redhead by one of the tables. The girl grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

"See? It's fine," he assured. "She's been playing with the other Gingerbread Village kids all evening, anyway. Besides, I don't know about you, but this is the most fun I've had in a long time. I'm more than happy to share the night with someone as intriguingly beautiful as you."

Kate blushed furiously, stammering out a thank you before curtsying deeply, taking a moment to compose herself. When she rose, Rick took her in his arms once again, his right arm wrapped tighter around her waist than it had been before.

They began to dance their final dance, eyes locked together, growing steadily closer to one another as the music played. As the final notes sounded, Kate realized her face was only inches from his. They stood still, and he began to lean towards her. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly, knowing he was about to kiss her. As his lips brushed hers, her breath caught in her throat. She liked him, a lot, but she wasn't ready to kiss a virtual stranger, who didn't even know her name. Not yet.

"Kate," she breathed the moment before his lips touched hers. "My name is Kate."

He pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting hers. "Kate," he whispered, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "How wonderful to finally meet you. I'm Ri—"

"I know," she interrupted, grinning bashfully. "I love your books."

His smile grew wider as he took another step back, releasing Kate's hands. "Really? I—wow. Thanks," he stammered. "Hey, you… uh… well, Alexis—my daughter—and I were going to go get ice cream at Oddfellow's after the party. Would you like to join us?"

"Go get ice cream, wearing this?" she asked, gesturing to their costumes. "Everyone will stare at us."

"I don't mind," Rick chuckled. "Alexis won't, either. We'll get the royal treatment, for sure."

Kate must have still looked skeptical, because Castle reached toward her, gently laying a hand on her shoulder. "Come with us, Kate," he said gently. "I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for this night to end just yet."

Truth be told, Kate wasn't ready for the night to end, either. She stood still for a moment, thinking, then looked over to where Lanie was standing. Her friend smiled happily and nodded, motioning for Kate to go without her.

"Okay," Kate finally answered, turning back to Rick with a smile. "It's a date. But the next time, let's do it without the crowns."

Castle grinned, bowing regally. "If you insist, my princess."

The crowns were put away until two years later, on their wedding day, when the rhinestone tiara once again decorated Kate's head as she danced with her prince. The world disappeared around them as they spun together, dancing their first dance as the king and queen of their own castle.