WHERE THE LOVE LIGHT GLEAMS
MEETING AU
RATED T
CHRISTMAS
Why she waited until the last minute to finish her Christmas shopping, Kate Beckett will never know. It isn't like she was surprised by her niece's list; no, she's had the list for a month. And she hasn't been working more than usual. She easily could have bought the presents online, but she waited too long, and now they would arrive late.
Which is why she finds herself fighting the crowds on December 23rd, sweating buckets under the heavy winter coat that she hasn't been able to take off because her hands are full.
With one hand gripping a shopping basket and the crumpled list in her other, she manages to find the majority of the items, the basket growing heavier with each action figure and board game. She glances at the list once more, swiping her sleeve across her damp forehead. She has one item left, a doll that Lanie had specifically told her was very popular, and for the briefest moment, she considers flashing her badge to part the crowd.
She spots the doll aisle and turns, her eyes sweeping the shelves, ignoring the other people in her quest. Hope springs in her chest when she sees it, just one, the doll that will make or break Christmas, and her fingers curl around the side of the box-
Only to see another hand, a masculine hand, grab the other side.
Oh, no.
Her eyes lift to the owner of the hand, intending to give him a what-for, perhaps threaten to arrest him when she almost drops the box in surprise.
Holy freaking crap.
"I touched it first," she blurts, immediately regretting the words. God, she sounds like one of those shoppers that she had to deal with when she worked patrol.
And in front of the man she recognizes as her favorite author, too.
Richard Castle's mouth quirks. "I believe you're mistaken," he argues. "You tried to take it out of my hand."
"No." Kate narrows her eyes. "You've got it backwards."
"Tell you what," Rick says, "we'll find an employee, see if they have any in the back."
Kate points at the sign on the shelf below the doll. "'No stock in back,'" she reads, "so don't bother."
Rick stares at her for several long moments, his hand still on the box. Finally he sighs and lets go. "My kid has plenty of presents already. You take it," he offers.
Kate feels her face flush, and she lifts the full shopping basket. "So does my niece," she argues, shaking her head. "Go ahead."
He lifts his arms, palms out, and takes a small step back. "Nope, I won't." He smiles, making her insides warm. "I hope your niece enjoys it. Merry Christmas."
Kate can only stare as he walks away.
She spots the Starbucks on her way out of the shopping center, and even though she's exhausted from the crowds - and not looking forward to standing in the massive line - she decides to stop.
The line moves quickly despite its length, and after just a few minutes she's waiting by the bar for her latte, eyes glued to her phone, keeping an ear out for her name.
"Latte for Kate."
She glances up and spots the cup on the edge of the counter, but as she steps towards it, it's grabbed by another hand.
A familiar hand.
"Excuse me," she snaps.
Rick Castle turns around, the cup at his lips, and the look of confusion makes way to amusement. He lowers the cup and holds it out. "I'm so sorry - wait, I drank from it, you don't want it-" he rambles. "I wasn't even paying attention, I just saw the cup and-"
Kate can't even be mad. Not when he looks horrified, his cheeks flushing. "It's fine. You let me take the doll," she adds, lifting one of her shopping bags, "so consider us even."
"No," Rick argues, shaking his head, "let me buy you a replacement."
"They can make me ano-"
"Come, sit." He motions to the lone empty table, pulls the chair out for her. "What was it? Oh, I'll just look at the cup. Unless you want something different? Do you want food?"
Kate presses her fingers to her mouth to hide her smile.
She's familiar with his work, having been a fan for years, and is familiar enough with the tabloids to know that he's a bit of a playboy. So this stammering, nervous, and - as he trips over the chair - a little clumsy version of him is a welcome surprise.
He returns to the table a few minutes later, carefully examining each cup before putting one in front of her.
"I'm Rick, by the way," he says when he sits across from her and takes a sip from his own cup. "Since I know your name."
Kate tries to keep her face neutral, but he tilts his head, examining her.
"You already know who I am." He raises his eyebrows, and the corner of his mouth twitches with amusement. "A fan?" he teases.
Kate feels her cheeks flush. "Of the genre," she lies. He doesn't need to know how much of a fan she is, that he literally saved her life years before.
The corner of his mouth quirks. "Okay." He doesn't sound even a little convinced. "So. You got the doll for your niece?"
She hesitates for a long moment, unsure how much she should share with a stranger. As far as she knows, he could be a terrible person, ready to take what someone tells him and use it for a character. Or, he could be a serial killer that no one has thought to investigate. He does, after all, kill people for a living, at least on the page. She really shouldn't just blurt her entire life story.
But she's run into her favorite author twice now, and he's even bought her a latte when he didn't have to. And sitting across from her, asking about her, when he probably has a date with a Rockette to get ready for.
Well, she could flirt a little.
"Yeah," she finally says. "Well, not really. She's my best friend's daughter, and she calls me auntie." She takes a long drink. "So. Yes. My niece. You mentioned your daughter?"
Rick chuckles and leans forward in his chair, props his elbows on the table. "Yeah, Alexis."
"Can I ask how old she is?"
"Seven. Going on thirty," he adds. His face lights up with a grin, and Kate feels her face warm at his obvious joy when thinking about her. "She's mature beyond her years," he continues. "So she'll understand that they ran out of dolls," he teases with a wink.
Kate rolls her eyes and smiles. "Well, I'm glad. I think my niece would have been insoluble," she admits. "Lanie's a single mom, and she does her best. But Monique's only five, so she doesn't quite understand the nuances of the holiday supply chain."
Rick laughs, his shoulders shaking with the rumble. "No, I can't imagine she does. Hell, even I don't understand sometimes."
"Same," Kate chuckles.
They fall silent as they sip their respective drinks, and although Kate lets her gaze travel around the room, she watches Rick out of the corner of her eye. His eyes don't move from her face, she notices, and his gaze is soft, the blue of his irises bright and curious. Like he's studying her. Memorizing her.
Maybe she should think it's creepy, but she doesn't.
She thinks it's cute. Endearing.
As she's considering whether to ask for her phone number, her own phone vibrates in her pocket, two quick pulses indicating a text. She looks at it and winces, grabs her bags, and stands.
"I'm sorry to cut this short," she apologizes, "but I have to go to work."
"No problem." He grabs both of their cups, ignoring her protest that he stay, and follows her out of the cafe. "Can I walk you to your car, carry a bag or three?" he offers, a slight tease in his voice.
Kate runs her tongue over her bottom lip in contemplation, and she doesn't miss the way his eyes darken as they follow the movement. She smirks, and lifts her right arm, offers him the bag with the doll that had introduced them. "If you promise not to take this and run, I'll trade you a bag for my coffee," she teases.
Rick throws his head back and laughs. "You drive a hard bargain, but I accept," he tells her once he stops laughing. He double-checks the cup before executing the trade with a deftness that tells her he's juggled things like this before.
He pauses as she takes a couple of steps in the direction of her car, but then his strides match hers, their footsteps in sync the entirety of the short walk.
"This is me," Kate announces just a few moments later when they arrive at her cruiser. Usually, she doesn't use it for personal errands, but since she was on call, she hadn't wanted to waste time going home.
"This-" Rick freezes in place, his jaw dropping open. "A police cruiser? You're a cop?" he blurts. "So cool."
She chuckles. "Yes. Hence my day being interrupted by work." She sets her coffee on the roof of the car so she can retrieve her key from her pocket. Opening the trunk, she drops the shopping bags that she's carrying next to her go-bag, and motions for Rick to put the one he's been carrying inside. When she shuts the trunk and turns back to him, she almost has to laugh at the slack look on his face.
Oh, he thinks it's really cool.
"Well," she says on an exhale, "I have to go. Thank you for the coffee. And the doll," she adds.
He blinks several times, then gives her a crooked grin. "I'm sorry I tried to steal them from you," he returns. "If this seems too forward then I apologize, but may I ask for your number?"
Kate's cheeks warm at his request. "You can ask," she teases. After a moment of consideration, she holds out her hand. "Give me your phone."
He doesn't call. Or text. Or reach out to her at all.
At first, she figures that he's trying not to seem too eager, so he'll wait a couple of days. But as the days turn into weeks, she starts to wonder if she'd read him wrong. She'd thought that they had chemistry, a mutual attraction. She hadn't imagined his eyes darkening, or the warmth of his palm on hers as they shook hands before parting. She definitely hadn't imagined the soft, almost reverent, way he'd said her name when he said goodbye.
Lanie assures her that he probably had something come up. Maybe he was going on vacation. Maybe he needed time to break up with a girlfriend. Maybe he lost his phone.
She suggests that Kate look him up, call him herself, show up at his home in a grand, romantic gesture worthy of a Hallmark movie.
Kate rolls her eyes at that suggestion so hard that she almost falls off Lanie's couch.
She's abused her badge enough to investigate her mother's murder. She won't do it to try and get laid.
So she goes to a New Year's party with someone Lanie sets her up with, only to go home alone after her mind stays firmly on Rick. And the first nine weeks of the year, she goes through her routine: working cases, sleeping in her silent apartment. The routine that's been her life since she became a detective. She likes her routine. She thrives on her routine.
She almost manages to forget that her favorite author had bought her coffee, walked her to her car, asked for her number, and then proceeded to forget she ever existed.
Until one night, in early March, when a case upends her entire routine.
She'd known about his new book, has even seen the rumors that he killed off his most popular character. She has the book on preorder, not that she'll have time to read it right away.
Her stomach churns with nerves as she and her partners step into the elevator, and as soon as they step onto the rooftop bar, her eyes find his broad back.
"You want me to take this?"
She glances at Esposito, narrows her eyes when she sees the smirks on his and Ryan's faces. "Funny," she snaps. "I got it."
She takes a deep breath as she approaches the man she hasn't been able to forget about. Badge in hand, she stops just behind him.
"Mr. Castle?"
When he turns, Sharpie in hand, she just manages not to roll her eyes at his assumption.
"Where would you - Kate?"
His mouth drops open and his pen falls to the ground.
Oh, so he does remember that she exists.
"Detective Kate Beckett," she clarifies, "NYPD. We need to ask you some questions about a murder that took place earlier tonight."
He blinks at her several times, then turns to the red-headed girl behind him - his daughter, she assumes - and gives her the Sharpie. "Alexis, I'll be right back," he tells her before turning back to Kate. His eyes flick over her shoulder, and he raises his hand in a wave, beckoning someone over.
"Richard, the cops are here," comes an inquisitive female voice. "What did you do this time?"
"Mother," Rick says in a low rumble, a noise that immediately warms Kate from the inside out. "This is Detective Beckett. Can you hang out with Alexis while I talk to her?"
Martha turns her attention to Kate and holds out her hand. "Martha Rodgers, it's a pleasure," she introduces herself, then turns back to Rick. "I ask again, what did you do?" she teases.
Rick quirks an eyebrow. "Nothing, Mother. I just need to talk to her for a minute."
"At the station," Kate interjects, "if you don't mind. I can drive you."
"Oh my God, I can ride in your cruiser?" Rick asks, his excitement obvious. "Absolutely. Mother, you'll get Alexis home?"
Martha pats his cheek. "Of course, dear."
Kate watches as he says good night to his daughter and speaks to a woman she recognizes as his publisher and second ex-wife, then leads him towards the elevator after he grabs his coat.
Neither of them acknowledges their personal history until they're alone in Kate's car, but as soon as the doors are shut, he turns to her.
"I lost your number," he blurts.
Kate raises her eyebrows, but doesn't respond.
"I know how that sounds," Rick continues, "because you put it in my phone. How could I lose your number unless I lost my phone? But I did. I lost my phone." He reaches his hand out and curls it around her knee, but when she glares at him, he takes it back.
"I don't believe you," she says in a low voice, turning on the ignition and pulling out into the street. "Phone contacts sync, Rick. Just say that you weren't actually interested, so you didn't want to call and string me along." She shrugs. "It's fine, Rick. I'd rather you say that than lie about losing your phone."
"It's not a lie, though," Rick argues, twisting so he's facing her. "After you left, I dropped my phone and it broke, and your number hadn't synced yet. All I knew was that you're a cop named Kate. Not nearly enough to try and find you."
Kate takes advantage of a red light to look over at him. He looks sincere enough, and it would explain his lack of contact. But she won't let him off the hook yet.
He takes his phone out of his pocket and hands it to her. "Here, look. It's a different phone, see?"
She only has time to glance at the phone before the light turns green, but from what she can tell, it could be different. "Okay, Rick," she finally responds. "Assuming you are telling the truth-"
"I am."
"Assuming you are," she repeats, glaring at him, "it doesn't matter now. I'm in the middle of a case, and there are multiple crime scenes using your books as inspiration, so that's what I'm focusing on."
Rick leans back in his seat with a sigh. "Okay, I understand. But after the case?"
"We'll see," she says as she pulls into the precinct garage.
She can't help but succumb to his charms after the case wraps.
He's been surprisingly helpful, even pointing out that they initially had the wrong suspect, vocalizing a hunch that she hadn't yet admitted out loud. Aside from his reckless disarming of their suspect, he's acted almost like a cop.
So, when he gives her that damn crooked grin and asks if he can take her to dinner, she accepts.
He insists that her work clothes are fine, so she returns to the precinct, types up her report in record time, and meets him outside.
"What are you in the mood for?" he asks.
She cocks her head as she studies him. For a moment, he had held his elbow out, as if offering it to her. But before she'd been able to react, he'd shoved his hands back in his pockets. Her disappointment surprises her.
"Have you ever heard of Remy's?" she finally asks, realizing that he's awaiting her response. "It's this fifties diner…" She trails off when she sees his face light up. She can't help but mirror his grin. "You have."
"I love Remy's. Shall we?" Rick asks, holding his arm out again.
This time she reacts quickly, tucking her arm through his, curling her fingers around his surprisingly firm bicep.
"So, Kate," he says once they're seated, "tell me about yourself. Something I don't know yet," he clarifies with a smirk.
She chuckles and tilts her head forward, letting her short hair frame her face. "There's a lot you don't know," she teases, gazing at him through her lashes. "Where do you want me to start?"
Rick leans back in his booth and laces his fingers over his stomach. "The beginning," he states after a moment of studying her. "Did you always want to be a cop?"
Kate flushes at his question and feels herself close off, the walls around her heart firmly in place. He doesn't mean anything by it, just pure curiosity. But it's not something she talks about. The last love interest she'd told had been Will, and she's still sore from his departure, even though it happened months before.
She finally decides on a vague version of the truth. "I always wanted to help people," she explains. It's not wrong. "Doing it through law enforcement was practical."
Rick lifts a brow. If he suspects that she's not being entirely truthful, he doesn't say anything. "Does your family have history in law enforcement?"
"Not really," she admits. "My parents are lawyers. I thought that would be the career for me, too, that I'd continue the family legacy."
"Why didn't you?"
My mom was murdered and I needed to solve it because the detective couldn't. And I couldn't either.
She doesn't say that, though, doesn't tell him her most treasured secret. So she just shrugs a shoulder and leans forward, rests her elbows on the table. "Got sick of school," she lies. "What about you? Any particular reason you write what you do?"
Rick mirrors her pose, and she's struck by how close they are now, suddenly aware of the subtle darkening of his eyes.
"I like stories," Rick answers with a shrug. His gaze flicks to her mouth, and her breath catches in her throat. "I like to read mysteries, so I started to write them, and lucky for me, people buy them."
She almost does something stupid, like ask if he wants to skip dinner and take her home, but just then the food arrives, and they both lean back, the spell broken.
She groans as her eyes open, the morning sun shining directly in her eyes. She'd obviously forgotten to shut her blinds, and as the events of the previous evening come back to her, she can't stop the slow smile that creeps onto her face.
After a good dinner with pleasant conversation, Rick had insisted they share a cab so he could be sure that she made it home safely. She'd rolled her eyes, although secretly had been pleased, as it meant she could spend that extra few minutes with him.
Judging by the soft kiss they'd shared before she left the cab, he'd wanted the extra time as well.
Her phone pings, and she glances at it, feels her cheeks flush when she sees the notification from Rick.
Good morning. I had a great time last night.
She fires off a quick reply as she slides out of bed.
Me too.
She isn't surprised that her phone lights up with his incoming call, and she answers on speaker as she grabs her robe and tucks her feet into her slippers to ward against the early morning chill. "Sick of texting?" she teases, feeling her blood warm at his resulting chuckle.
"I wanted to hear your voice, Detective," comes his rough husk. "But hang on a second."
She hears the sound of water running in the background, then a loud grinding sound, something she recognizes from many hours spent in coffee shops as an espresso grinder. She grins as she pads over to her own coffee station, the single-serve machine that Lanie had gifted her last Christmas, and turns it on.
"I'm back," Rick announces. "Sorry, I should have called you after I started my coffee."
Kate chuckles. "Don't worry about it," she assures him, "I'm just making mine now."
He hums, a low rumble in her ear that sends warmth through her bloodstream. "You don't work today?" he asks.
"I'm on call in an hour," she says after glancing at the clock. "So I'll get ready here shortly, then head in and work on paperwork until there's a body drop."
"Oh, paperwork," Rick teases. "So scintillating."
Kate lowers herself to her couch and takes a long drink of coffee, closes her eyes with a smile when she feels the caffeine start to course through her. "It's an unnecessary evil," she agrees.
Her phone beeps in her ear, and she frowns, holds it out to see a notification from dispatch. Everyone else must be busy for them to call her in early. "I'm sorry," she apologizes, "I have to go."
"Early call?"
"Yeah." She sighs and stands up, her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder. "Can we talk later?"
"Of course," Rick says, the smile evident in his voice. "Feel free to call me if you need my expertise, Detective."
She feels her face warm at his tone. "Don't hold your breath," she teases. Her phone beeps again and she exhales through her teeth. "I do have to go. Thanks for calling, Rick."
"Until next time, Kate."
Although he shows interest in the murder board when he brings by donuts for the precinct - and coffee for her - he doesn't linger too long, instead steals Kate away for a walk around the block when she admits that they're stuck.
"Just for a few minutes," he insists. "Get some fresh, New York air."
She rolls her eyes, but chuckles despite herself, and ignores the knowing looks from Espo and Ryan as she follows him to the elevator.
Once they've turned the corner and they're out of eyesight from the cops milling around outside, Rick holds out his arm, and she hooks her elbow through his. She leans into his side as she sips her coffee, his solid frame beside her helping ground her, and forget about the case for a moment.
"Want to talk about it?" Rick asks as they stroll.
She sighs and drops her cheek to his shoulder for a brief moment. "Not really," she admits. "Tell me about your day. What do you have going on after this?"
Rick gives her arm an encouraging squeeze, and he lifts his coffee to his lips. "Just writing until I pick up Alexis from school. I'm working on a draft for the next book," he explains, "and dodging calls from Gina. The draft is late, so she's up my ass to get it ASAP."
Kate's ears perk at the mention of him writing, but she doesn't say how much she looks forward to his books. She hasn't denied that she's a fan, but she also hasn't told him that every time she's reminded that she actually knows her favorite author - seems to be dating him, in fact - she has to tell herself that yes, it's real life.
God, her mom would have flipped.
"Can I ask you something?" she says when they turn the corner to go behind the precinct.
"Of course."
She hesitates, unsure whether she wants to know the answer. But it's been bothering her since she heard the rumor, and knowing wouldn't stop her from reading the book, so after a moment she just blurts it out.
"Is it true you killed Derrick Storm?"
Rick's steps falter, but he recovers quickly. "Do you really want to know?" When she just glances up at him and nods, he purses his lips. "Okay. Yes, it's true. It was getting stale," he admits. "Each book follows a certain formula, and, well, the formula itself wasn't stale. But he was losing his…" He trails off, and Kate can almost hear him searching for the right words.
"Excitement?" she offers.
"Kind of. Like, you always have the event that kicks off the story. Derrick gets involved, he gets in over his head, maybe he's kidnapped or almost dies, eventually he finds out who's behind the original event, there's some conspiracy, he saves the world," he explains. "But it was starting to feel like every book had a checklist, and I was just ticking things off."
Kate nods. "I think I get it. Sometimes that can be comforting to the reader, though," she argues, stopping before the end of the block and turning to face him. "Because it looks like the bad guys are going to win, Derrick always pulls some trick out of his hat, and the bad guys are taken down. It's closure," she adds. "Sometimes it's nice to know that justice is served, and victims, or their families, can start to move on."
When he just stares at her with his soft gaze, she wonders if she said too much, if she revealed too much too soon. But the corners of his mouth quirk, and he nods.
"That's a good point, Detective," he admits, tilting his coffee in her direction. "I hope that what I'm working on next could help fill that void. All I ask from my fans is a little bit of faith."
Kate opens her mouth to respond, but she feels her phone buzz in her pocket, and she sighs when she reads the text from Ryan. "I have to get back up. The boys may have found something."
"Damn," Rick says in a low voice.
He reaches for her hand, and he laces their fingers together, surprising Kate when he turns them around. He takes a step closer to her, crowding her against the building. As he lets go of her hand to cup her jaw, his fingers play with the fine hairs at her nape, and his gaze drops to her mouth.
"Thank you for taking this walk with me," he murmurs, his eyes locked on her lips.
Her breath catches in her throat at his proximity, at the low rumble of his voice that she can almost feel in her chest.
"Thank you for the coffee," she manages.
He hums in acknowledgment. "I would really like to kiss you again," he admits.
She smirks and steps closer to him. "And I would really like you to."
When his lips descend to hers she sighs and leans into him, loops her arm around his neck and pulls him close. She feels his arms wrap around her waist and she parts her mouth under his, a moan escaping when his tongue touches hers.
As much as she's tempted to let him pin her against the building and have his way with her, she's aware that cameras are everywhere, not to mention an open murder case that she needs to return to. So she slows the kiss and pulls away, trails her thumb along the shell of his ear.
"Can I see you later?" Rick breathes, dropping his forehead to hers.
She bumps her nose against his. "Maybe. Depends on the case," she admits with a sigh. She wishes she could give him a solid answer, but she can't yet. She doesn't yet know when she'll be able to leave.
He nods. "Okay. Can I call you, at least?"
"Of course," she assures him, smiling at the nerves in his voice. She slides her hand down his arm and slots her fingers through his, tugs him back towards the front of the building. Once they turn the corner and are in view of other officers, she drops his hand, and they're silent save for brief parting words.
She grabs her phone once she steps into the elevator, but before she can start to type, she gets a notification.
Always a pleasure, Detective.
She draws her bottom lip between her teeth and feels a flush creep onto her cheeks as she replies.
I needed that. Thanks again.
She leaves it vague on purpose, not specifying whether she needed the coffee, the company, or the kiss.
But when she notices the inconsistency in the victim's timeline moments before Ryan points it out, she knows without a doubt that she'd been helped by all three.
NINE MONTHS LATER
Once again, Kate realizes with a muttered curse under her breath, she's waited too long to shop for presents. She's managed to find things for most people in her life, Rick's mother and daughter included, but the man himself has been incredibly difficult to shop for. If he wants something, he buys it for himself, so she's been scouring gift guides and obscure websites for weeks, with no luck.
What do you get the man who buys whatever he wants?
Which is why she finds herself fighting crowds on December 23rd, heavy coat slung over her arm - at least she learned one lesson from last year - scanning storefronts and shelves for the perfect gift.
Finally she gives up, admitting to herself that she won't find anything in a chain store, and she decides to grab a coffee before moving onto the next possible destination. The line is long, but as usual it moves quickly, and she scrolls through her email as she waits by the bar.
She grins when she spots a text from her boyfriend, and she chuckles at the Santa meme, almost doesn't hear her name called by the barista.
"Latte for Kate!"
She glances up to make sure nobody's in front of her, but her eyes drop back to her screen as she types a quick reply. She sees a shadow move in front of her, but she doesn't think anything of it until she realizes the bar is empty.
Not again.
She looks around, trying to figure out who of the dozens of people walking by is the culprit, and when she spots a familiar grin from the door, and the owner of the grin holding up a familiar cup, she rolls her eyes.
"You should really pay more attention, ma'am," Rick teases when she reaches him. "Someone could just take your drink."
Kate grabs the cup out of his hand and takes a sip. "Very funny," she fires back, looping her free arm through his. "Are you following me?"
Rick chuckles. "Not quite." He leads her outside, their steps falling in sync as soon as they're side-by-side. "I had to run out for something, saw you standing in line."
"And decided to get between me and my coffee, I see how it is." Kate falls silent as she drinks her coffee. All of a sudden she's glad she hasn't found his gift, because if he'd seen her with a bag in her hand, he would try and coax the contents out of her.
They wander down the hall, passing by stores and weaving through shoppers as they sip their drinks, and Kate sighs in contentment and drops her cheek to his shoulder.
Since being reacquainted with Rick in March, they've had a whirlwind romance, culminating in her planning to move in after the new year. He's spent the year shadowing her for a new book character with a name that she pretends to hate, but secretly loves that he based the character off her. They haven't talked about the future past their upcoming cohabitation, but she has no intention of spending her life without him.
She doesn't realize they've come to a stop until he nudges her off his shoulder, and she lifts her head to find him gazing at her, worry furrowing his brows.
"Where'd you go?" he asks in a quiet voice, cupping her jaw.
She shrugs. "Nowhere. Just thinking," she clarifies when he gives her a look that says he doesn't believe her.
"About what?"
"Us," she explains. "The upcoming move, mostly. The future."
Rick's lips curl in a hopeful smile. "A good future?" he prods.
She slides her free hand up his arm and curls her fingers in his coat collar. "A great future," she breathes before pulling his mouth down to hers.
When they part a few minutes later, him for a destination he refuses to share and her for her car, she has a new idea for what to get him, and she just hopes that she can find it.
All the stress from shopping melts away as soon as she spots the rare books store and manages to procure a first edition printing of Casino Royale. And after she and Rick thank each other thoroughly for their presents on Christmas, she falls asleep with a smile on her face while he whispers his love in her ear.
Merry Christmas, indeed.
A/N: This is the first part of what will be a collection of holiday-themed fics posted over the next 12 months. I don't have the whole year planned out yet, so at this point I can't tell you how many chapters there will be (aka which holidays will be included). I can say that there will be a variety of ratings, since I do have a New Year's installment that is rated M. The ratings will be stated at the beginning of each chapter. And they'll likely be standalones, so I will also state at the beginning when it takes place, if it's AU, etc. They will also likely be varying lengths. Follow the fic or me for notifications, and I hope you enjoy!
