Very Castle Celebrations
Chapter 37
The last time Castle can remember having to be so careful unwrapping Christmas presents was before Alexis turned three. Having a toddler scooting about has reminded him of old cautions. The recyclable wrappings are going in a sealed bin. The non-recyclables are being promptly secured in bags for disposal as soon as the unveiling ceremonies are over.
In hopes that playing with them will tire him out enough for a reasonable bedtime, Jackson's gifts are revealed first, with some help from his sister's nimble fingers. He can barely get his arms around the giant teddy bear dressed like a racecar driver but insists on trying to carry it across the room anyway. He jiggles to the beat of the musical table designed to teach him his alphabet in English and Spanish. Castle catches Kate's smile as Jim Beckett gets down on the floor to join his grandson in playing with a toy parking garage, complete with a ramp that toddler-safe cars can be pushed up and down.
Alexis is presented with her bonanza next. Kate had counseled Castle that the most supportive thing he could do for his daughter would be to buy stuff for the apartment she shares with Cary, and Mother had concurred. Putting Martha Stewart aside, he decided to use his daughter's favorite shade of green - the one that she thinks makes her hair look good - as a unifying theme for towels, a tablecloth, and a handmade quilt. He couldn't resist throwing in a tote bag like one of Kate's that Alexis had admired.
While Jim Beckett is still absorbed in playing with Jackson, Mother is the next to receive her Christmas bounty. Castle has rarely had trouble shopping for the diva. If the clothes can barrage the eyes in the back row of a theater, they are usually to her taste. He found a shawl reminiscent of the psychedelic paisleys of the late sixties that suits her personality perfectly. He also bought a faux fur coat in one of the animal prints she adores, along with a matching hat and throwback muff. Kate added in a silky blouse to complement her mother-in-law's eyes.
Jackson's eyelids are finally beginning to droop, and Jim asks to accompany Kate to put him to bed. When they return, he's swiping at his eyes and attributing the tears to a seasonal allergy. Kate places his present, a Louisville Slugger signed by Hank Aaron, in his arms. Castle gifts him with a jacket he'd purchased at a charity auction, which had originally been worn by baseball great Joe Torre.
Castle intends to tuck Kate's earrings into her stocking, as the next morning's Christmas surprise, but he has plenty to give her now. He knew that some of the prints she'd had on the wall in the apartment she'd lost to a bomb from a serial killer, had been damaged beyond repair by smoke and water. He gives her replacements, to hang wherever she wishes in the loft. Jim Beckett brought a scrapbook Johanna had kept, with Kate's papers and pictures from grade school. Someday Kate may even let Castle see it.
Castle is last. He really didn't have anything on his wish list. Being able to spend a family Christmas with Kate is worth more to him than anything money could buy. Still, presents are always fun. Alexis gives him a biography of Edgar Allen Poe with an introduction by Stephen King, which she'd managed to cajole the master of horror into signing. Mother gives him a poster of his favorite space cowboy show, autographed by all the members of the cast. Jim Beckett brought him a framed copy of the review of Heat Wave that was printed in The Ledger.
Castle can't guess what is under the wrappings of Kate's gift to him. It's way too heavy to be clothing or even an action figure. He pulls away the paper to reveal a three-ring binder - a very thick three-ring binder. Inside are copies of the files of every case that he and Kate worked on together, with a "closed" stamp on each, encircled by a heart. After all the grief Kate gave him in the early years about "borrowing" N.Y.P.D. files and evidence, for her to present him with the collection of them is overwhelming. His lips can't find the words. A kiss now, and those that come later will have to communicate the intensity of his feelings.
The rest of the holiday festivities are on hold until morning, when Castle and Kate finally crawl into bed together. Castle almost expects to hear the beat of tiny hooves on the roof - almost. Kate is not in a kerchief, and he is not wearing a cap. At the moment, the last thing on his mind is settling his brains for a long winter's nap. The scent of cinnamon and vanilla is clinging to Kate's hair and skin, tempting him to a banquet of Beckett. He breathes in the sweetness of peppermint, whether from toothpaste or the last lick from a candy cane, he doesn't know, and he doesn't care. She is more delicious than anything the chef at Q3 could whip up.
He tries to go slowly, to make the fantasy night last, the tip of his tongue tasting one tiny spot at a time. Another part of his body has other ideas - more urgent ones. He can tell by Kate's reaction to the touch of his mouth that she is as impatient as his rebellious member. She strokes him through his Christmas plaid pajama bottoms, before rubbing her heat against his burgeoning hardness. He needs her, flesh against flesh, unhindered by any barriers, no matter how sexy or seasonal. He tugs her translucent red gown over her head, the mussing of her hair adding to the look of green flecked abandon in her eyes.
He pulls at the thin strips of already moist lace that cover her, even as she loosens his drawstring and shoves his pants down his legs. His top is gone. Later he may search for the buttons. Her touch entices as she guides him to the need only he can fill. She is velvet, softer and more luxurious than any that the fanciest of Christmas couture could offer. She surrounds him by both body and spirit. The air is forced from his lungs as they meld and move in the most compelling of rhythms.
Flickers from the twinkle lights that line the window surround them with the magic of the night as they come together. Kate's legs wrap around him, urging him deeper. The tips of her breasts strain toward his chest with every thrust. He can feel the intimate embrace she uses to bring him closer to climax. It is more than he needs; his mouth takes hers just before they are caught in a double tsunami of sensation. A dreamlike fog in which Kate is the only reality shrouds his mind. They can float there together. There is time while Santa rounds the globe; he and Kate can spend all of it in each other's arms. Castle just hopes that he regains the capacity for thought by the time Jackson awakens for his first Christmas. He wants to enjoy every moment of the magic.