Gifts of Love Large and Small - Chapter 2

Her phone chirps at her elbow for the third time in the last half an hour, drawing Beckett away from the CompStat report she's working on (or trying to) again. A quick swipe of her thumb over the screen tells her Castle's asking if they're still on for tree hunting in a little while.

A sigh escapes her lips. She's been staring at this report for the last two hours, searching for a way to explain their numbers that isn't going to get her ass handed to her on Friday by her former captain. Gates may be a good friend and an honorary aunt to her children, but these numbers are not going to make Victoria happy on a professional level and there's no appealing to her personal side during the meeting.

Everything is in flux and has been since the world turned upside down, making it even more important to do their jobs well and right. She won't compromise on doing right by the victims and their families, and she's also not going to put her people at risk. Right now, though, that means things get done a little – a lot – slower. The brass will have to find a way to understand that.

But it's up to her to sell it and she's not sure she'll be able to spin these numbers to where she needs them.

The phone rings, some silly song that Castle set as her ringtone to drown out the sounds of Baby Shark in her head. She snatches it up, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Beckett," she snaps, knowing it's too clipped, that she's taking something out on Rick that's not his fault, but it's too late to stop it.

"…Hey? Bad time?"

"When isn't it these days?" she asks, knowing it's the wrong thing to say after it comes out of her mouth. "Sorry – I didn't mean… you calling is not the problem."

"No, I get it," her husband says without missing a beat, though it lacks his usual cheery lilt. "What can I do?"

Thankfully, she manages to swallow the words that are on the tip of her tongue this time, the words that would hurt his feelings even more than she already has. He loves helping, loves being able to work cases and solve them with her and the boys. With the restrictions on personnel and visitors and taking care of the kids every day for months before they'd finally gone back to school in person (largely on his own, given that she hadn't been able to work from home very often), he hasn't been to the precinct much and it's been weighing on him. Both of them, really.

"Text Ryan and Esposito and get them to file their paperwork for their last three cases. And get them to stop taking their sweet time coming back to the precinct after they conduct interviews. They're making my squad look slow and lazy."

Rick chuckles and just like that, some of the tension is gone. A smile touches her lips only to have it fall a moment later as her hand lifts to scrub across her brow. She needs to eat something; the granola bar she'd scarfed down somewhere around lunch has worn off completely, leaving a dull throb between her temples in its wake. Or maybe the headache is because she knows her husband's not going to like what she has to say next.

"Look, babe, I-"

"Kate," he sighs, knowing where this is going. She's not surprised; they've had some version of this conversation a dozen times in the last few months as she's often needed to stay later than anticipated. "This was your idea."

She drops her hand, landing with a dull thud on her desk blotter. She'd been so confident last night on the rooftop, so eager to make this happen for the kids, for him, and now she's going to upset them. Hell, she's upset, too. She doesn't want it to be this way.

"I know that. I know. But I have 1PP breathing down my neck and I need to get this damn report done and get my presentation prepared before tomorrow morning."

"You're the one who insisted it had to be today," he reminds her, sounding way too much like a disappointed father than her partner, and she sits up straighter in her chair. "We could've planned to go this weekend and not gotten anyone's hopes up."

"We can still go this weekend," she says, trying to keep her frustrations from turning into sarcasm or something worse. "We'll make an entire day of it, how's that?"

Rick's quiet on the other end, quiet enough that she takes a second to make sure he hasn't hung up on her or that the call hasn't dropped.

"I'm sorry, Castle. I was looking forward to tonight, too. And if I can get everything together soon, I still might be able to…"

He exhales. "No, I know. You can't help needing to get through your paperwork."

"I'll make it up to you guys tonight when I get home," she offers, knowing it's a gamble to promise something else when she's already reneging on one deal. "Tomorrow if the little ones are asleep when I get there."

"Make it up to me double, since I have to break the news to the kids."

The forgiveness in his voice causes her stomach to lurch and Kate releases a quiet laugh, covering her face with her palm. She swallows hard, pinching the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb and taking a deep breath. She will not cry over this. "I'll make it up to you triple, baby."

Her husband chuckles. "I can't wait."

"Me either."

"Kate," he starts, sounding serious this time but not upset, "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay," he agrees. He hangs up a moment later, leaving her to return to her paperwork and hope she won't make a liar of herself for the second time in one day.

Mercifully, she finishes with her report and her presentation just a few hours later, thanks in part to her detectives who stuck their heads into her office a few minutes after she got off the phone with Castle, letting her know with sheepish smiles that their outstanding reports were in her box. Having those extra numbers made such a difference, she's quite sure she owes Rick quadruple for his part – however he did it – in making it happen.

It's dark when she steps out of the precinct, and she knows it's too late to get home and bundle the kids up to take them to one of the Christmas tree lots close to the loft. Not if they're going to make it to school in the morning, and judging by the stress in Rick's voice earlier, he needs the break that the loft being empty for a few hours will provide. No, they'll stick to the revised plan to make a day of picking out a tree on Saturday. She'll even look for a tree farm a little further out and maybe they'll find one of those Santa's village or Christmas markets to walk around as well.

Everyone in her family of eager Christmas elves will like that, she knows. And if she's able to buy some gifts for Alexis and Martha, maybe even her father too, she'll be happy.

Of course, she muses as a display catches her eye, she owes them something good. Something to make up for changing it up on her kids after they'd already told them and gotten them excited. And if she's quick enough, she can do just that tonight.

After tapping out a quick text to her husband to let him know she's making a stop, she ducks into the store and makes a beeline to the shelves of Christmas decorations. She fills her arms, grabbing the first things she sees that look like the display and picking up a few extra things along the way to the checkout counter. They have plenty of other decorations at home, but this'll be a good touch, something new for Reece and Jake, Lily too, to call theirs.

While she waits at the tail end of the shortest line, she asks Rick if the kids are still up, dragging her teeth over her lip while she waits for him to respond. If they aren't, it'll be okay. She can wake them up with this surprise and give them something to look forward to when they get home from school. If they are, though, she wonders if it's too much to ask to see if Castle can keep them awake until she gets home.

They're hanging in there. Everybody's bathed and in PJs, but they're still awake.

A smile spreads over her cheeks and relief settles against her shoulders.

Okay, I'm about to check out and then I'll be home.

She gets an excited emoji in response, followed by a selfie of the four of them, crowded on the couch in one of the many pairs of Christmas pajamas they own. The boys match in red and green while Lily's are a soft blue with snowflakes and polar bears. And then there's her husband in his very own green plaid pants and Buddy the Elf t-shirt.

Yes, making this stop was a good idea.

Lugging a box and a couple of bags home isn't the easiest of things, especially when it comes to the final few feet of hallway and her front door, but she manages with only the barest of bumping and cursing. Stepping into the loft is a slightly different story; she manages to tilt the box in her arms so it won't bang against the doorframe, but the bags catch on the door handle and she holds her breath to see if they're going to tear with her attempts to just surge forward.

"Here, let me help you."

Castle's hands free the bags from the handle, scooping them out of her grip in the process.

She presses a grateful smile to his chin, breathing her thanks into his skin. "I didn't really think through how I was going to get all this up here."

He chuckles, closing the door behind them and stopping her before she can shrug out of her coat to cover her mouth with his. Her body rocks, sinking toward his chest as the tension of the day falls away. He pulls her closer, his arm tight around her waist.

"Hi," she breathes against his lips, slipping a hand up his side and gripping his t-shirt.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry about earlier," she says once his mouth leaves hers. Her thumb sweeps his side as their eyes meet. "About snapping and changing plans at the drop of a hat. You know I never meant to-"

Castle dusts another kiss over her mouth, a little firmer than a moment ago and she feels the breath leave her lungs.

"It's okay," he assures. "You're allowed to have a bad day here and there."

She hums, pressing her fingers to his back. "So are you."

He nods in agreement. "I'm sorry, too," he adds, keeping her tucked into his side as he draws her deeper into their home. "I didn't mean to snap at you, either."

She knocks her head to his shoulder. "I know. It's okay. Now come on, let me show you what I bought tonight."

Castle grins, peering into the bags in his hand before glancing at the box she's sliding across the floor. "Oh, they're going to love this."

Kate gives him a little squeeze. "I hope you will, too. It's for them, yeah, but it's also for you."

The look he gives her promises that he already loves the little four-foot pre-lit tinsel Christmas tree, the riot of ornaments to go on it, and the embroidered silver tree skirt to go around it. And while Kate takes the tree out of the box and sets it up by the window in the living room where their big tree will eventually go, he's the one to duck into the office and retrieve their sleepy babies.

Watching them shuffle in, she feels a little bit bad for waking them from their dozes, but the way their faces brighten when they see her tells her it was the right thing to do, not waiting until tomorrow.

"Mommy!"

"Mama!"

Three little bodies crash into her, wrapping their arms around her legs from hips to knees. She leans over, bringing them in for a group hug and a round of noisy kisses.

"Hi babies. I'm sorry I wasn't home before," she says, pushing the boys' hair off their foreheads and tucking stray strands of Lily's bangs behind her ear. "And I'm so excited to go get a big real Christmas tree with you and Daddy on Saturday. But while we wait for that, I brought home a little something else."

She moves out of the way, showing them the gift. Her heart swells at their squeaks and giggles, and she loops an arm around her boys as Lily's the first to get closer.

"What do you think? Wanna decorate before bed tonight?"

The boys lose steam just a few minutes into placing the ornaments on the branches, slumping against Kate's shoulders and snuggling in once she flops onto her butt to avoid falling over, but Lily keeps going, helping Rick choose what to put where and taking charge of the operation after she decides she has the best ideas. Castle's there for the taller branches, and to help her put the star at the top, but other than that, Lily's got it.

"What do you think, Little Flower?" she asks once the last ornament is on the tree, beckoning Lily to come press between her and Rick where they sit on the carpet.

Her daughter sighs happily, a soft, delicate smile on her face. "It's so beautiful, Mommy. I lub it."

Shifting the boys in her grip, Kate leans over to kiss the top of Lily's head. "I do, too, baby. I do, too."

"Me too," Rick says, catching Beckett's eye when she straightens up. His lips connect with her hair just as hers had their daughter's and she scoots a little more, eager to be close to him.

She exhales as his arm winds around her, secure and sturdy against her shoulders while they watch the way the twinkling lights reflect off the branches of their Christmas tree.

Thank you so much for the love for this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Until next time.