Title: A Christmas Carol

By: greygoose70

Summary: A/U ending for S5, E9, Secret Santa where Kate is visited by three Christmas spirits.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy 2022.

"Merry Christmas, Kate." Those were Castle's final words as the elevator doors closed in front of him.

Beckett detected the sadness in his voice as he spoke even though he attempted to hide his sorrow with a smile. She knew he was a bit upset with her for lying about pulling the Christmas Eve shift when actuality she volunteered for it. She tried to explain her reasoning and he readily accepted it, but she knew he was disappointed. Then of course there was the issue of the Mistletoe hanging above the elevator doors and Castle standing beneath it waiting for a traditional Christmas kiss. She was about to step to him when the elevator doors opened, and a group of officers stepped off, so she backed away. Castle just shrugged his shoulders and backed into the elevator.

Beckett turned headed for the breakroom to get a cup of coffee, she needed to think. Castle loves Christmas, not so much the religious aspect of it but its traditions the decorating, the gift giving, Santa Claus and she was having difficulty getting her head around it all. She and her dad haven't celebrated Christmas since that fateful day fifteen years ago. They don't decorate, don't exchange gifts and she stopped believing in Santa when she was three.

Beckett took her coffee back to her desk began sifting through the backlog of paperwork and hoping nobody would get murdered tonight so she put a sizeable dent in it. It would also keep her mind and thoughts off Castle and Christmas.

Later

"Hey Beckett," Detective Karpowski called out as she approached her desk.

Beckett turned when hearing her name called seeing Roz just beginning to remover her coat. She then took a quick glance at her watch noticed the time as eleven o'clock. "You're early Roz," Beckett responded.

"Yeah, only so much I can take of the in-laws. Why don't you go; I'm sure Castle is anxiously waiting for you."

"I will. Thanks." Shutting down her computer, donning her wool coat and making for the elevator.

"Merry Christmas," Roz said as Beckett passed. "You too," she replied. She had such a hard time repeating those words.

Kate stepped into her apartment shutting the door and locking it. Turning around she took in the darkened space when she suddenly heard someone say, "It is dismal looking isn't it. No decorations. No feeling of Christmas."

"Who's here," Beckett declared immediately drawing her gun. "Show yourself."

"I'm right here," the feminine voice said," her image suddenly appearing from where she was seated on the sofa. "And there's no need for the gun. It will be useless to you anyway."

"Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment and how did you get in?"

"Oh, getting in was the easy part, Katie. I'm here because you need me. I'm your mother."

"MOM!" Kate shouted lowering her gun and stepping closer pulling up short when she sees Johanna entwined with chains and briefcases loaded with files forged during her lifetime of trying to bring justice to those unjustly accused.

"Katie, you must curtail this obsession of yours of getting closure for the victim's families less you end up like me. This selfishness you carry because of how I died can only end up with you suffering the same fate. And sacrificing the love of a good man because of it is not good either."

"But Mom…"

"Listen to me Katie. You have but this one chance to avoid the same fate. Tonight you will be visited by three spirits. You must heed their advice or be cursed to carry much heavier chains of your own." Johanna then proceeded to the door and passed through it.

Kate plopped down on the sofa in the same spot her mother had been setting. That couldn't have been real, she thought. No, she must have sat down here when she got home and fallen asleep but then looking down, she saw where her gun was still in her hand. Why had she drawn her weapon? "Because it's what you do when confronted with danger" a new and different voice said.

"Oh god, not another one. Which one are you," Kate uttered upon seeing a woman all in white seated at the opposite end of her sofa.

"The Spirit of Christmas Past. Are you ready for your first journey, Kate?"

"I suppose so. What choice do I have?"

"None really so take my hand," the woman said reaching across the sofa. "You won't need the gun so just leave it."

Kate placed her service weapon on the coffee table then took the woman's hand where they were instantly transposed through space and time. Kate found herself staring at her dad and her nineteen year old self. They are seated in a booth at their favorite restaurant. "We were waiting for my mother," Kate mentioned, "but we had been here for more than an hour. Dad figured she was still at work, so we decided to go home."

Suddenly the scene changed. Kate was now seeing her and Jim at the front door of their house. "There was a police detective there," Kate explained, a Detective Ragland. He told us my mother had been found stabbed to death in an alley in Washington Heights probably the victim of gang violence. I left the next day, returned to Stanford, packed up all my stuff, came back home, entered NYU majored in criminal justice. Upon graduation I enrolled in the police academy determined to make detective and find my mother's killer."

"And you did," the spirit responded.

"Yes, I did but not whoever ordered her killed.

"But didn't Doctor Burke tell you if you stayed on this path it would destroy you maybe even get you killed."

"It almost did," Kate replied and with closed eyes she rubbed the spot on her chest where she had been shot.

Kate's eyes flashed open, she found herself back on her sofa. Her weapon was still laying on the coffee table. Her thoughts going back to that rainy night when she showed up at Castle's door soaking wet when she decided he was worth more to her than finding out who ordered her mother's killer. "But you did discover who ordered her death," another new voiced said.

"Yeah, I did but he's too big, too important, too powerful so I made a deal with him. So which spirit are you?"

"The Spirit of Christmas Present. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Kate replied reaching her hand across where the spirit took it and in a flash she was suddenly in the precinct breakroom watching as Castle is telling her he knows she volunteered to take the Christmas Eve evening shift asking her why she just didn't tell him. "I told him just as he had his traditions so did I and working Christmas Eve so those with families could have it off is mine."

"But that is a lie also is it not. Isn't because to you it has no special meaning it's just another night."

"No. Well, it used to but since being with Castle I've been trying to see life in much the same way as him."

"Yet you still can't say Merry Christmas and have yet to tell him 'I love you'."

"He knows I love him."

"He does then how do you explain this."

All of a sudden Kate was viewing her and Castle at the elevator, him standing beneath the mistletoe grinning. "I wanted to kiss him so badly, let him know how sorry I was, give him something to hold on to till I went over the next morning."

"But then you retreated when those other officers appeared. Why, were you embarrassed?

"No but we were at the and precinct where PDA is frowned upon."

"A quick kiss to your lover who happens to be standing under mistletoe I doubt would be considered PDA. Let's see what your decision today cost you.? Instantly Kate was looking in on the Castles as they were preparing their Christmas dinner.

"How you coming with the potatoes, Pumpkin" Castle asked his daughter Alexis.

"Ready in a minute," the girl responded.

"Well, let's step on it I have a show to get to," Martha clamored. "You know my troop is putting on a special showing of 'The Nutcracker'."

"Too bad Kate couldn't make it Dad."

"Me too, but I would never ask her to give up her traditions to spend time with us. They're just as important to her as ours is to us."

"Oh god, is that what he thinks,"

"Probably," the voice standing next to her answered. Again, it was a different voice than that of the previous spirit, somewhat harsher.

Kate turned to see what this new spirit looked like seeing a hooded figure clad in black. "You must be the Future Spirit."

"Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is my official title. Let us see what it holds for you."

Turning back around Kate found herself staring back in her apartment. She saw herself setting on the same sofa the only light coming from a lamp on the end table. She was eating something from a takeout container, and she looked different. Her hair was shorter, she was dressed better. "You're the precinct captain now," the voice spoke. "You'll be headed back to your office as soon as you finish your dinner."

"What day is it?"

"Christmas Eve 2016."

"And Castle."

"Not around anymore. He gave up on you two years ago got tired of your traditions taking preference over him, so you're all alone."

Kate felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Castle had given up on her because she couldn't let go of her stupid traditions, couldn't put him first. Did she even ever tell him she loved him.

"No," the spirit answered, "you didn't."

"Please tell me I can fix this," Kate pleaded wiping the tears from her eyes.

"You tried but you ran out of time."

"What do you mean?"

"Look," the spirit said pointing a finger out toward her front.

Kate looked to where the spirit was pointing finding herself standing in front of her mother's grave. She fell to her knees noticing there were two additional graves. One she knew was her fathers. The other was snow covered, she began clearing it off shocked when she saw the name engraved in the granite, it was her name Katherine H. Beckett. She quickly brushed the remaining snow off showing the dates, Born: November 17th, 1978 – Died: February 16th, 2017.

"No, no, no," she sobbed as tears streamed from her eyes. "I can change, I will change, I will put Rick first, I will put his family first, I will celebrate and honor the spirit of Christmas every day. Please tell me it's not too late."

Kate sprang forward from her place on her couch her cheeks still wet from her tears. "It's time for the new Kate Beckett," she spoke out loud. "Time to put an end to my silly traditions and put others ahead of me and by others I am referring in particular to the love of my life, Rick Castle. She wasn't going to wait till tomorrow well actually later this morning after glancing at her watch and seeing the time. But she wasn't going dressed in these clothes not if she was going to start a new Christmas tradition with Rick.

Kate jumped up off the couch, removed her coat and sprinted to the bathroom stripping her clothing along the way. Following a quick shower, she darted to the bedroom began digging through drawers. Finding her red lace panties and bra she quickly donned them. In the next drawer down she found her red flannel pajamas and put them on. In her closet she located her red four-inch heels and slipped her feet into them. Going back to the living room she grabbed her coat put it on checked the pockets being sure she had her wallet and keys, putting on her gloves she exited her apartment and headed for the elevator. She was going to take her police cruiser since getting a cab at this hour of the morning would be nearly impossible. Firing up the blue beast she dropped the selector in drive and headed to 595 Broome Street.

Standing outside his door she faced a dilemma. What if he's not up? He has given her a key, but she doesn't want to use it, she wants to see the look on his face when he answers the door, so she raises her hand and with a closed fist knocks firmly three times.

Rick is at is desk typing away on his next Nikki Heat novel when he hears the knocking on his door. He is tempted to ignore it thinking it is probably some drunk who has the wrong apartment but that's not the type of person he is so getting up from his desk he goes to answer it.

Upon opening the door Castles jaw drops down to somewhere around his navel when he sees Kate standing there. "Merry Christmas, Rick" he heard her say as she stepped across the threshold and wrapped him in her arms. Castle may be somewhat slow at times but with the beautiful Kate Beckett press up against him he instantly wrapped her in his arms keeping her close. "Bec-Beckett," he finally stammers out.

Tilting her head back she said, "It's Kate, Rick. When I'm here it's Kate and for the record I love you too."

Rick immediately planted his lips to hers kissing her with all the passion he had, a kiss Kate returned with her own. Continuing the kiss till the need for air became apparent they separated. Still breathing heavily Kate sputtered out, "I'm sorry Rick, no more lies only truths. No more late-night shifts on Christmas Eve and you never need to have Mistletoe overhead in order to kiss me no matter where we are at."

"What brought all this on, Kate?"

"I'll tell you later, right now I want you to take me to bed; I want us to start a new Christmas tradition of our own."

"I'm sure it's going to be one I will enjoy being a part of."

"You have no idea."

THE END