Just 24 hours left until 'The Final Frontier'! I actually went to the store and bought myself a copy of that TV Guide with them on the cover! The story is AMAZING! I cannot wait to see it! Okay, anyways, enjoy!
Chapter Four-November
Rick, for the first time that year, arrived at school before Kate. Usually, he arrived ten minutes before the class began (Martha had been called in to work early every day for the rehearsal of a new Broadway play set to premiere in early December) and found her laying on the couch, her nose buried in one of Mr. Montgomery's many books. He would usually stand next to her, making funny faces and trying to distract her, or he would play with Kevin and Javi, who were usually settled on the rug, playing with their trucks.
Today he arrived a good half-hour early though, since Martha had been in a rush to make an early cast meeting. She'd barely had time to pack him a lunch so she just shoved a twenty in his hand, thinking it was a five, and kissed him goodbye. Rick shoved the twenty in his pocket without comment and went over to the rug to sit with Javi and Kevin who were coloring furiously, at least two dozen sheets of paper spread around them.
"Hey, guys!" Rick greeted, walking up to them, careful not to step on any of the papers, catching a glimpse of a purple 'T' and a red 'K'. "Watcha doin?" he asked.
"Makin' a sign for Kate," Kevin answered, "today's her birthday!"
Rick's eyes widened. "It is?" he asked.
Javier nodded. "Yeah, dude, where have ya been?" he asked. "She said it yesterday at lunch.
Rick tried to remember Kate saying something about her birthday at lunch the previous day but all he could remember was the mess he'd made out of his Sloppy Joe.
"Mmm, Sloppy Joe…" he said aloud, causing Javi and Kevin to look up at him, curiously.
"Uh…Rick?" Kevin asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, man, cause you got some drool on your lip…"
Rick snapped out of his daze and quickly wiped his mouth. "Uh, yeah!" he said, embarrassed. "I'm okay. Um…do you guys want any help?"
"We're almost done with the drawing," Javi said, "but you can help tape it all together."
Rick smiled. "Okay." He ran over to the teacher's desk and got the tape dispenser, bringing it back to the rug and helping Javi and Kevin put the giant banner together so that it read, 'Happy 7th Birthday, Kate!' on it.
They were having trouble holding it up when Lanie and Sidney walked in, talking.
"Hey, Lanie! Sid! Come help us out over here!" Javier called.
Lanie saw what the sign said and rushed over to help. Sidney Perlmutter was a little more reluctant but eventually joined in, holding up the bottom banner-the, 'Kate!'- while Javi and Kevin held the middle-'7th Birthday'- and Rick, the tallest, held 'Happy' up high, grinning.
They stood there like that for the two minutes that it took Kate to arrive, her nose stuck in a new book-presumably her birthday present.
She didn't even notice them standing there, holding a sign for her, and she nearly walked right past them, but Javi whistled loudly.
"Hey, Beckett!" he called, "Look up!"
Kate's eyes snapped to her friend, then to what he was holding, her eyes following the banner all the way to Kevin until she took in all of her friends-and Sidney-standing there, holding the banner with her name on it.
"Surprise!" Kevin said, smiling, his blue eyes shining. "Happy birthday, Kate!"
Kate smiled, big and bright, closing the book and taking in the crooked, colorful letters and her friends smiling faces-except Sidney-and laughed.
"Oh my gosh! That's awesome!" she exclaimed. "Thank you all so much!"
Lanie dropped her side of the banner and ran to hug her best friend, squeezing her, fiercely. "Happy birthday, Kate!" she said, before pulling back and taking something out of her pocket, handing it to Kate.
Kate smiled and took what her friend offered. It was a homemade card, folded up to fit in Lanie's dress pocket and wrapped around a gift card for Barnes and Noble.
Kate beamed at her, reading the card.
"'To my bestest friend, Kate: Happy birthday, Girl! I hope you have a great day! Love, Lanie' Aww, thanks, Lane!" she said, embracing her friend again. "But you know great is spelled G-R-E-A-T, right?" Lanie frowned and Kate smiled. "I'm just kidding! Come here!" She squeezed, tightly.
Kevin was next and gave Kate a new journal. "Mom said you'd like it," he said, blushing.
Kate smiled at him. "I love it, Kev! Thank you!" She hugged the little boy, who was a few inches shorter than her so she ended up picking him up a little bit. He didn't mind, though.
Javier was next and he gave her a copy of Sherlock Holmes.
"It was my Abuelo's," he explained, "he knows I don't like reading so he said I should give it to you for your birthday; he knows how much you love mysteries."
Kate smiled. "Aww, that's so cool!" she said, hugging Javi. "Thanks, Jav!"
Javi beamed. Everybody turned to look at Sidney, who shook his head. "Don't look at me," he said, "I didn't get you anything."
Javi rolled his eyes and looked over at Rick. "How about you, Poe Boy? You got anything for Kate?" He knew he didn't already; he just wanted to see what Rick would say.
Rick blushed at Javi's question. "Um…well I…it's a surprise…for later…not now…hey! I think it's time for class!"
Montgomery smiled. "Yes it is!" he said. "Everybody take your seats and we can start the day off by singing 'Happy Birthday' to Miss Beckett.
Kate blushed and took her seat next to Rick, who was searching through his mind for something to give or make Kate for her birthday.
Rick finally figured out what he was going to give her at lunchtime, while he was waiting on line. He always sat with Javier, Kevin, Kate, and Lanie at a table in the corner and usually he would be the first one there but since his mother had given him money today, he had to wait on line for his lunch. Kate had promised to save him a seat.
He was served up a plate of spaghetti and meatballs and got down the line to the desserts when he saw that they had cupcakes, iced with different patterns. He picked a chocolate one for Kate with what looked like a unicorn on it, covered in red sugar. He placed it carefully on his tray, making sure it didn't get any tomato sauce on it, before paying.
"Do you have any birthday candles?" he asked the lunch lady.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's my friend's birthday today and I wanna give her this cupcake and it'd be really great if I could put a candle in it to make it like a birthday cake, ya know?"
The lunch lady smiled. "That's sweet of you." She reached into a drawer and took out a candle. "Here ya go; just don't light it."
Rick smiled and nodded. "Thank you!" he said, taking the candle and placing it outside the unicorn.
He carried the tray carefully back to the table, staying out of Kate's sight. "Kate," he said, "close your eyes!"
"Why?" Kate asked, turning around.
"No!" Rick said, causing her to stop what she was doing. "Don't look; it's a surprise! Just close your eyes, okay?"
"Alright…" Kate said, unsure. Rick smiled and Lanie signaled that her eyes were closed so he carefully placed his tray on the table next to Kate and put the cupcake in front of her.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now, Kate!" Rick said.
Kate's eyes opened and she gasped. "Whoa! That's so cool! Thanks, Rick! Uh…what's the candle for?"
"It's for your wish, silly!" he said. "But we can't light it so you'll just have to pretend to blow it out."
"Uh…okay," Kate said, shrugging. She closed her eyes tightly for a few seconds before opening them and blowing the imaginary flame out.
"What did you wish for?" Kevin asked.
"She can't say, Dummy, or it won't come true!" Javi said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't call him a Dummy, Jav!" Kate scolded. Javi hung his head.
"And that's only the first part of your gift! Wait until you see the second!" Rick promised.
Kate's eyebrows rose. "There's more?" she asked.
"Of course there's more!" Rick said, ideas flashing through his mind. "But you're gonna have to wait until after recess to see." Kate tilted her head at him but he just smiled and slurped a long piece of spaghetti.
When Kate, Javier, Kevin, and Lanie entered the classroom after break they were surprised to see Rick there, working on something on the blackboard. Kate's eyes widened when she saw her name above a large picture of a castle. It was really well drawn and had a few little cartoon people in and around it.
The message above it read, "Happy birthday, Princess Kate!"
"What's this?" Kate asked, coming up to stand beside him.
Rick smiled at her. "It's the other half of your birthday present!" he answered, raising his arms to motion at the large castle. "You see, there you are," he pointed to a girl in one of the towers, dressed as a princess that Kate supposed was her, "there's Javi and Kevin," he pointed to two knights standing guard at the base of the castle, "Lanie," he pointed to what looked like a Lady-in-Waiting in one of the lower windows, "I even put in Mr. Montgomery; he's the King." He pointed to a King figure, standing on top of the castle.
"As I should be," Montgomery chuckled.
"This is so amazing, Rick!" Kate said. "But…where are you?"
Rick shrugged. "I didn't make myself yet," he said.
"Yeah you did!" Javier insisted. "You're the castle!"
Rick looked at him, uncertainly, "The castle?" he asked, skeptically.
"Well, it's either that or the village fool," Javi said.
"No, the village fool is Sidney-"
"I heard that!" Sidney called from his seat.
Rick winced. "I'll take the castle," he said, smiling, "I like the sound of that…Rick Castle; its way better that Rick Rodgers!" He ran to the lower right corner of the board and signed the drawing, 'Rick Castle'. "From now on you shall all call me Castle…peasants!" Kate rolled her eyes at him.
"Whatever," she said, "thanks for the gift, Castle. It was really thoughtful."
Ri-Castle smiled. "You're welcome, Kate. Happy birthday!" He hugged her and she kissed him on the cheek, making him blush and mumble like crazy. Kate laughed.
"How about a picture in front of Mr. Ro-I mean Mr. Castle's castle?" Montgomery asked, taking out the polaroid he kept on hand for special occasions.
Kate smiled and nodded, moving back to stand at the side of the castle, with Castle right beside her.
Montgomery was about to snap the picture when she stopped him. "Wait! Javi, Lanie, Kev; get into the picture! Come on!"
They all moved to stand with them, the boys kneeling on the ground in front while Lanie stood next to Kate, her arm around Kate's shoulder. Kate had both of her arms slung over Lanie and Castle's shoulders and Castle's arm was around her waist.
"Everybody say, 'Cheese!'" Montgomery said.
The children all smiled. "Cheese!" they said in unison and Montgomery snapped the photo of all their smiling faces.
It would be the first thing that Kate put into her new journal.
REVIEWS would be nice, yes?