Spirit of the Season - Castle
Author's note: This is the Partner Piece to lms2457's "Spirit of the Season - Beckett"
Disclaimer: Castle is in AWM's capable hands. I just play around with the toys, and promise to eventually set them back as I found them.
For Li. Thanks for helping straighten out this maddening day.
DAY FOURTEEN - STARS
December 13, 2012
Castle could tell today's case was hitting Kate really hard. A young girl, nineteen, had been killed in an alley. They had their list of suspects, one of whom, the boyfriend, had skipped town. The boys had put out an APB on him and the vehicle he was last seen in, so now, it was down to questioning the few people in the city, and waiting.
He watched Kate as she leaned forward on her desk and rubbed her temples. She was exhausted, but insisted on pushing through this one until the boyfriend was caught. He'd already brought several cups of coffee to her throughout the day, and it helped some. It was now late enough, he figured it wouldn't be a good idea to bring her anymore, or risk her not getting any sleep tonight.
"Hey, Boss," Esposito called from his desk, "Looks like our APB worked this time. Just got a call from the Horseheads Police Department. They've got our suspect, and said they'd keep him until we can arrange a pick up."
Kate looked over to Castle and he could see the spark of determination in her eyes. He wanted her to leave it, let the boys take it, but he knew she wouldn't.
"Come on, Castle. If we leave now, we can be there by midnight."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?" He wanted to say more, but his hands were tied, being in the middle of the precinct.
She shook her head, "No, actually, it can't. We know this guy committed the murder, and the longer he sits in that cell, the bigger chance there is that he'll find some way out of this." She took a breath, and it almost turned into a yawn, "It's late already, and this has to be taken care of as soon as possible. I can't let this one slip through my fingers."
He nodded. Yeah, he could see what she was saying, just wasn't too wild on the idea of her doing this, right now. "All right. You go, I go."
It looked like she wanted to argue for a moment, but then let it go. "Whatever. You can help keep me awake, at least." Kate grabbed her purse out of her desk and got to her feet. "If you're coming, then let's go."
Castle got up and caught up with her in time for her to call over her shoulder, "Espo, let them know we're on our way."
"Already on it," he answered.
The trip down the elevator was quiet. He thought of all the different ways to approach Kate about how she really wasn't in a shape to drive, and all of the scenarios ended up with him either being kicked or shot.
She didn't seem to notice how quiet he was, so that was a plus, he guessed.
When they got into the parking garage, and closed in on her car, he mustered up the courage and found the words.
Castle waited until they were nearly to the Charger before he took Kate's hand in his. "Are you sure you're all right? You really seem tired." He saw the circles under her eyes, and recalled what they'd already gone through today with the case and the suspect on the run.
"Why don't you let me drive?" When she started to argue, he held up his hand to stop her, "I will stop before we get to Horseheads so you're the one in the driver's seat when we get there. I'm just saying, you need rest, so let me do this. Okay?"
Kate let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "You're probably right. I could nap on the way there."
"That's fine, great even," he answered and opened the door for her, "I know you need it. By the way, are you hungry? I know you had a light dinner, but given the hour, we can find a drive through or something..."
"I'm good for now, Castle. Let's just get on the road and if it hits me later, we can stop." She yawned and laid the seat back a few notches while he walked around to the driver's seat.
"What about you?" She asked as he buckled in. "Do you need to grab a bite?"
Castle smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine."
He watched as her eyes closed and she relaxed into her seat. He cranked the car and pulled it out of the parking garage, and started the long drive to pick up their suspect in Horseheads.
It really had been a long week, and that pile on top of all the extra holiday things he and Kate had been doing lately, it was no wonder she was exhausted. He knew he'd had a few hard days himself. It was just so much easier to get through, knowing she was there with him.
He hoped she felt the same.
"I'm glad you're here," she said, almost like she was using her Jedi mind tricks again. "I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes. I definitely wouldn't be making this run."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Castle felt his heart fill with how much love he felt for her. "Go to sleep. I've got this, and if any bells or whistles go off, I'll wake you, okay?"
Kate's hand slipped into his and she squeezed his fingers gently. "Thank you so much, Castle."
He kissed the back of her hand, and glanced at her, seeing her eyes were still closed. "Always," he answered.
Rick found a station playing slow, instrumental music, and had it playing softly as he wove his way through the New York traffic and found his way out of the city and toward Horseheads. Kate was asleep, and he was glad she was getting the rest she so badly needed.
As she slept, he did play around with the buttons a little. How could he not? There were so many, and he knew the functions of most of them. Especially the ones that set off the sirens and other loud sounds. He managed to find his favorite and he had to admit, it was pretty awesome, driving with the lights flashing. However, it was only once they were out of the city and the traffic was sparse. And then, just for a few minutes.
Thankfully, Kate slept through all of that, because if she had been awake, he was sure she would have been more than a little irritated with him.
Kate shifted in her seat, and he knew she wasn't in a very comfortable position. With his free hand, he reached over and tucked a few stray strands of hair over her ear, then caressed her cheek for a moment before he pulled his hand back. He wished there was something he could do, but there really wasn't, until they finished this pick up and got back to the loft.
Rick drove for a while longer, and checked the time. It was ten minutes after eleven, and he knew it wouldn't be long before they would arrive at the Horseheads Police Department.
He found a place to pull off the road and killed the engine. There was something special about tonight, and since he'd made good time driving here, there was plenty of time to take a break before they had to show up at the station.
He rolled the window down and stuck his head out to watch the sky for a few seconds. Castle smiled to himself, knowing this would be perfect. It was dark out, and the sky was clear, with all the stars twinkling brightly. He could even make out the hazy trail of the Milky Way across the sky.
And in a few moments, two sparks of light streaked between the stars.
It was part of the Geminid meteor shower.
Quickly, he found a spare piece of paper in one of his pockets and a pen. He scribbled the word 'Stars' on it and pressed it into Kate's hand as he reached over and gently shook Kate's shoulder.
"Wake up, Kate, you really need to see this."
She mumbled a little and pushed his hand away.
"Come on, Kate." He shook her a little harder, and her eyes popped open.
"What's this about?" Then, she looked at the clock and back at him, suddenly wide awake and in cop mode. "Castle, we're on the side of the road. What's wrong?"
"We're okay," he said, kind of regretting his decision. "I made good time, and it was a perfect spot, so I pulled off on the side of the road..."
"For what, exactly?" she asked, and her eyebrow quirked upward. Then, like it suddenly dawned on her, she looked at the crumbled paper in her hand.
"No, not for that," he said, as she read the note, "This is your cop car, Beckett, why would I do that?" He laughed and her expression didn't seem to soften much. "I just...well, there's nothing wrong with the car, but maybe with me, if you wish to consider this romantic streak you bring out." He smiled as he shifted to face her a little better, "The show's already begun, and I don't want either of us to miss the best part."
"What are you talking about? And 'Stars?' What's this about?"
"The Geminid meteor shower. The peak isn't until after midnight, but I have a feeling the show's gonna be awesome even now."
Kate moaned and rubbed her eyes, "You know, I don't like being woke up in the middle of the night, much less if we're on the side of the road. And they're not really stars, you know that, right?"
"Technicalities, for one, and two; we don't have to be here," he replied, feeling a little hurt. He'd hoped this could bring a little joy to her, in what's left of the day. "If you'd rather, we can go ahead and trade seats and continue on to the police station to make the pick up."
She watched him for a moment, seemed to take in his words. "This is just so different. I didn't expect it." Kate opened her door and started to get out. "We can take a few, Castle. If only to humor you," she quipped.
He got out as well, and joined her as she sat on the hood of the car. "The stars are beautiful tonight," she commented.
He could tell, now she was a little more awake, that she was a little excited about the whole thing. Castle moved so he was next to her and put his arm over her shoulder. "Are you warm enough?"
"I think there's a blanket in the trunk," she offered, and Rick got up to check. Sure enough, when he opened it, there was a blanket folded and set to the side. He took it and threw it over his shoulders as he walked back to Kate.
She stood and waited until he was leaning against the car before she moved in front of him. It was like she was in his head again. Rick wrapped his arms around Kate, covering her as well.
"What about now?" he asked, reveling in the feel of her in front of him, her head leaned back onto his shoulder as they both looked up toward the heavens.
"Always, with you," she answered, and he could see the corner of her mouth quirk upwards.
The sky was so clear, clearer than he could ever remember seeing it. Then, a meteor streaked green almost completely across the sky, and he felt Kate gasp, more than heard it. A few seconds later, another followed.
"Did you plan this?" she asked.
"Not really," Castle answered quietly, brushing the shell of her ear as he spoke, "However, I have known about the Geminids for a while, that the Earth passes through them each December. I honesty had planned to take you some place to watch, but then with the case, I had to abandon it." He kissed her cheek, "But I can't complain. I think this is perfect."
He took in a deep breath of the chilly air, held her a little closer for a moment. "This is so awesome, being here, sharing the beautiful night with you. I don't think anything could possibly be better."
Several more meteors streaked through the sky, each one a little different. It seemed like there was at least one or two every few seconds. Castle wasn't sure if he'd ever seen a meteor shower that was so active, so spectacular.
As they watched, Kate pointed out a several of the constellations and told him how they'd gotten their names, or how they were placed into the sky. It had been a while since he'd last been to the planetarium, and he had to admit, this was a hundred times better. He guessed, in a way the time did end up being about the stars.
Everything about this day and this night, or really, these past two weeks, had ended up so much better than he could have ever anticipated.
And to think: There was still ten days until Christmas.
This would absolutely be the best Christmas in his entire life.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Kate asked.
Castle knew he'd been quiet for a while, if she was asking that. He chuckled lightly and kissed her jaw. "Just thinking about our Christmas holiday so far. It's been so awesome, and there are still several days to go. I may end up exploding from all the happiness I feel."
She turned in his arms, still wrapped by him and the blanket. Even in the dim starlight, he could see her eyes and her smile so well.
Her arms were now around his waist, and she rested her head against his chest. "I know what you mean. I never knew I would feel like this again, especially at this time of the year. I guess dreams really do come true."
"Of course dreams come true," He nodded, then kissed the top of her head, "We're living proof of that."
"I know." She pulled his head down and kissed him, hard, on the lips. "And I also know that, unfortunately, we should be on our way."
Castle nodded, "Yeah. They'll be looking for us soon."
Kate rubbed her nose against his before she backed away from him. "Thank you for this," she breathed, "It may sound cliche, or silly, or whatever, but I think I needed it."
"It was my pleasure," he answered as he walked her to the driver's side of the car and opened the door for her.
"And once we get this guy back to the precinct, we've got the weekend," Kate said, smiling in such a way that he had a feeling she had something up her sleeve. "And I promise you, it will be the best weekend ever."
Castle let her get settled into the seat and shut the door. He thought about her words as he walked to the passenger side and got in. "If it's a weekend with you, I know it'll be awesome."
She just smiled as she cranked the car and sped off down the road.