CHAPTER FIVE
24, December 2453. Crystal Lake Park, Karolain City 14:00 hours.
A light breeze ruffled the water of Crystal Lake on a mild winter day. Kate and Lanie were strolling near the lake, watching the graceful water birds. They stopped at a concession stand for a light snack. They had just settled at a table, when they heard a child's voice.
"Mama, can I have a sausage? Just one, I am very hungry." They peeked around the corner. A little girl, about six years old, was standing with her mother. Both were dressed in clean but worn clothing.
"I am sorry Vanna; we have no money. You can have some soup when we get home."
The girl began to cry, from hunger, not pique. Neither one heard Rick Castle approach them. Rick was in civilian clothes. He said;
"May I speak to your daughter?"
Warily, the woman said;
"Yes, My Lord."
"I am not a lord, just an officer."
He knelt, careful not to touch the girl.
"Are you very hungry, Little Miss?"
"Oh, yes, Sir, Mama and I have not had any meat in a long time."
"I can fix that."
He stood and said to the mother, "Please sit down at that table. I will get something for you to eat."
"But we can't pay you, Sir. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I believe that no one should ever be hungry or cold. Also, in my home, at this time of the year it is customary to give gifts, to celebrate a special season."
"But we have no gifts to give, in return."
"It is not necessary. There is nothing that I need or want."
Rick walked over to the concession stand and returned with two plates heaped with two sausages each with rolls, hot roasted tubers, greens and hot tea.
"When you finish eating, please wait for me in the little shelter over there I won't be gone long."
Kate and Lanie had watched the whole encounter.
"That surely goes against the image of the hard-ass marine, doesn't it?" Lanie said.
"Yes, it does but it fits with what Julia told me. The man is a walking dichotomy. Let's wait a little while. I want to see what else he does." They moved to a spot where they could observe the shelter but not be seen by Rick as he approached.
About 25 minutes later, Rick came back, carrying some packages. The mother opened them. The packages held a week's worth of food, two new coats and a doll for the child...
He then handed the mother a credit chip.
"Use it wisely."
The mother's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Sir, this is too much!"
"No, it's not enough but it's all that I have time for, now"
"Can I do nothing for you Sir?"
"No, I have everything that I need."
"At least tell me your name."
"It's not important. I am just a passing stranger."
"Even if I do not know who you are, Sir, the Gods do and they will bless you."
Kaylara watched as the handsome stranger walked away. What a wonderful thing it would be to find a man like that for myself, she thought. Surely, he must have a lady.
As she turned to take Vaunna home, she noticed two off-world women looking at her, rather strangely. One was pretty, short and dark, the other, beautiful, tall and fair. She grasped Vaunna's hand and walked away, quickly.
"We'd better get going, we have to get ready for the party." Kate said.
"Mother, we're home." Kaylara said.
"Why were you gone so long?" Her mother asked as she hobbled into the room.
"I think we met the God, Kantos, in disguise or one of his avatars."
"What are you talking about, are you crazy?"
"No mother. Vaunna and I were in the park and she asked me for a sausage, which I could not buy. She was very hungry and started to cry. A stranger came and bought food for both of us, Rich hot food. Then he left and came back with more food, two new coats and a credit chip!"
"And look at this, Grandmother, a doll for me!"
"We can eat good food for a month! I can get you a new, warm blanket and medicine. He would accept nothing in return. He wouldn't even tell me his name, although he said that he is an officer. Though who ever heard of an officer doing something like this?"
"Mother, he was very tall and very handsome, as generous as a fairy prince."
"Well, it is said that sometimes, Kantos walks among us, never saying who he is."
24, December 2453. Bachelor Officer's Quarters, Imperial Guard base. 16:30 hours.
Rick Castle signed for the delivery of his civilian formal wear. It amused him, how much fashion changed back and forth, over the years. Men's fashions less so than women's but they did. His new suit was in the current Centauran fashion, which had a retro look very like that of Earth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Centauran Style was more colorful. Del had asked the tailor to make the outfit in Kevan house colors, but Julia had declined.
"He'd never wear it." Julia explained. "You know how he is. It would draw too much attention. Your house colors are the same as the Imperial Colors. We'll go with your style, but in basic black."
The jacket was double breasted waist length with a standing collar, worn open. It was Jet black with gold buttons. The trousers and vest were black. The shirt was white, worn with a black jabot at the throat.
Later, showered and dressed Rick applied a man's cologne, called "Night Stalker"
He rarely wore any kind of scent but tonight, if they were going to make him attend a party, he was going to make the best of it. He'd purchased a car at the start of winter.
It was a sleek two- seat model that had both air and ground modes. He got in and drove to Julia's. Del and Lairlene would meet him there and they'd all go together.
Del and Lairlene arrived moments after Rick , he and Del were dressed identically, except for color. Del's jacket was deep crimson, as was his jabot. Well, I feel better. I don't look like a peacock, Rick thought, now I know how Julia accomplished it so quickly, she had the tailor use Del's pattern.
"The two of you look magnificent." Lairlene said.
Lairlene wore a gown of midnight blue, her hair caught up in a jeweled comb. Like most Centaurans, her hair was a dark auburn and her skin honey-colored. Her wide set, slightly slanted eyes were pale amber. She was a lovely woman with a sweet disposition.
Julia and Jason came out of the house, to meet them. Julia's gown was a light blue that matched her eyes and was slit up one side, to mid-thigh.
24, December 2453. At the Lakeshore House, 19:20 hours.
Marlene Frasier was making a last-minute check of the party arrangements. Everything seemed to be perfect. The management had decorated the main room to look like a country house from Earth. Right down to a large Christmas tree and a fire in the huge fireplace.
"Alex, it's perfect. I hope that our guests think so."
"They will, Honey. Your taste has always been exquisite."
"You know what makes this party especially nice this year?"
"What's that, Honey?"
"The whole family is here, the boys, Kate, Jake and Felicia, Vic and Peter, everyone!"
"Well, let's get the family together to greet our guests. They'll be arriving any minute."
At the General's call, the family gathered. Mike and Sean, the Frasier's twin sons were both attractive, fair-haired men, a little taller than their father. Both were slim, wiry men.
Vic and Peter Beckett were in their mid- thirties, average looking men. Peter and Vic were both tall dark-haired men with fair skin and light eyes.
All the Frasier men wore formal clothing of a conventional pattern.
Kate wore a deep blue evening gown that left her shoulders bare... Felicia and Lanie wore black, Marlene, lavender.
The first of the guests to arrive, were the Emperor and Empress. He was dressed in civilian formal wear identical to Del's, except that it had gold trim around the collar and cuffs. She wore a Black gown with crimson trim. She also wore a ruby studded tiara. Alex inclined his head and said, "Good Evening, Your Majesties. Welcome and as we would say, on Earth, Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to your family and to you too, General. Would you do a favor for us?"
"Certainly, Your Majesty. What is it?"
"For the evening, could we dispense with titles?
Lucania and I get little chance to relax. For the Evening, I'm just Hal Kevan"
The Empress said, "I am simply Lucania."
"We'd be very pleased to do that, if it's your wish." I'm Alex."
"Wonderful. Most of your guests are not Centauran, anyway, so they wouldn't recognize us, anyway."
Due to the nature of their positions, many people forgot that the imperials were still young, only in their mid-twenties. The Emperor had been catapulted into his position on the sudden death of his father.
His older brother, who should have been crown prince, was a painfully shy intellectual who wanted no part of court life. Hal had been a newly married, army officer when his father died.
"Most of our guests will be the newly arrived, senior crew members of the Tenacious, with a few diplomatic personnel. Enough people for a good party but not so many as to be overwhelming."
"This sounds as if it will be a greatly enjoyable party, Alex. Let's get on with it!"
A group of guests arrived together, among them, Rick, Del, Lairlene, Julia and Jason.
Amid the confusion, Rick broke away from the group and headed for the bar.
General Frasier noticed and intercepted him. "Nice try, I'm wise to your tricks by now. Come on, join us."
"But it's not a reception or ceremony, there's no receiving line."
"You still need to meet and greet. And remember, no rank in the club. It's all first names, tonight, including those two."
"But they're the…"
"I know who they are." Alex interrupted him. "At their own request, don't use their titles, tonight"
"It's good to see you tonight, Rick. We weren't sure that you would attend." The Emperor said.
"Well, I was rather pressured into it, Sir."
Marlene Frasier called to Alex. "Bring them over here, please. I want them to meet the rest of the family."
Rick quickly moved to the back of the group, getting ready for another attempt to reach the bar, unnoticed. General Frasier introduced the imperials, Del, Julia and Jason. Del introduced Lairlene. Julia caught Rick, this time. She grabbed his coat sleeve. "Get back here." She whispered.
General Frasier said;
"Remember, after the formal introduction, first names, only. "Major Rick Castle, Fleet Marine Corps, I'd like you to meet my sons, Senior Cadets Michael and Sean Frasier and my nephews, Commander Peter Beckett and Lieutenant Commander Victor Beckett." They shook hands, all around.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Gentlemen." Rick said. Sean Frasier was staring at Rick. "Is there a problem, Cadet?" Rick asked
Sorry, Sir. The Major threw me I recognize you from your hologram. You're the …"
"Drop it, Sean, I'll explain later." General Frasier said His tone of voice brooked no argument. "Thank you, Sir. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll…"
"No, you won't. You're not going to duck this party, especially not now."
Kate and the rest of the family had joined the group. Kate placed a hand on Rick 's arm and smiled at him. "It's nice to see you Rick, you certainly are handsome tonight."
Rick 's smile transformed his face. "Kate you're the most beautiful lady in the room."
Kate blushed. "You're exaggerating."
"I am not. I don't flatter people. I tell things as I see them."
Jake Beckett extended his hand. "Playing the silver-tongued devil, are you? Good evening Rick."
"No way, I'm only speaking the truth. Good evening Jake."
"In this case, you're right, except for my Felicia."
"No one ever won points, arguing that one, Jake.
How about buying you a drink and agreeing that we're both right."
Jake laughed at that one. "I accept. Well spoken." "If you'll excuse us, Ladies, we won't be long."
"Please don't be," Felicia said.
"Damn it, Jake did it again. "Kate said
"Did what? ""Interfered!"
"Oh, I don't think so, this time." Felicia said. "Even if he did, the evening just started. I'll keep an eye on him."
At the bar, Rick raised his scotch. "To two beautiful ladies." They clinked glasses and drank. Del and the Emperor joined them at the bar. "Do you want to try my invention?" Del asked
"What is it?"
"You take a tall glass, add that "Rusty nail you told me about, a shot of Vulcan Vodka, a shot of Kevan House whiskey and fill with carbonated water, add ice. I call it a Cinnamon Assassin. One sets you up all evening!"
"Four shots of high proof alcohol, I should hope so!" Rick said. "I'll try it!
"So, will I, the Emperor said.
"I'd better pass," Jake said. "Felecia is giving me that look, already."
"One of the advantages of being a carefree bachelor, I can do as I please." Rick said."
Del gave the bartender the instructions and the drinks came quickly.
Rick took a sip. "It's excellent, Del but it's no lady's drink!"
"Speaking of ladies,
The Emperor said;
We'd better take these with us and join them for the buffet or we're in big trouble!"
"I'm not, no lady to worry about!"
"Smart-ass, well, come along anyway."
The buffet was excellent. Rick set his drink down on a table next to Del's place, then proceeded to the line. He smiled. The General must have been reading his mind. All his favorite foods were laid out. He took a large slab of ham, roast beef, roasted potatoes,
A bowl of salad and rolls. He proceeded to the table and sat, preparing to feast to his heart's content.
A frustrated Marlene Frasier said, "How does that young man do that?"
"What young man does what?" Alex asked.
"Rick Castle, I was holding a place, hoping to seat him next to Kate and there he goes, off with his buddy."
"First, Marlene, I told you not to try that. Secondly, I have no idea how he does it. When he's off duty, he generally does exactly what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. I'm surprised that he attended, tonight!"
Rick got a second helping of ham, then looked at the deserts. His absolute favorite was there, a lemon crème pie. Sated, he sat back, taking alternate sips of his coffee and the Cinnamon Assassin.
Although the party was still in its' early stages, Rick was quite pleased with the way it was going. He' just finished an excellent dinner and no one was bothering him.
General Frasier rose. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm Alexander Frasier, your host for the evening. I want to thank you all for attending and making this very special season a festive one. My wife, family and I, wish you all a very Merry Christmas with hopes for a prosperous and joyous new year. You came to eat, drink, dance generally enjoy yourselves, not to listen to me talk. So, in a few minutes, the music will begin. Thank you all."
A very pretty, voluptuous, woman came to the table. Rick rose. "May I join you?"
She asked.
"I would be honored." Rick replied.
"Thank you." She sat down, her slit skirt displaying a shapely thigh." "You're Rick Castle, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am and you are?"
"I'm Cheryl Cristobol, I am assigned to the Tenacious as an intelligence officer. I believe that you are the ground force commander."
"That's true, Cheryl, but I'm not here to discuss the mission, just to enjoy myself." "They're about to start the dancing, Cheryl, would you like to dance?"
"Yes, I would, thank you for asking me."
Rick intended to dance the first couple of dances with Kate , as he really enjoyed dancing with her, but seeing that both her cousins and her brothers were here, he decided to dance only a couple of courtesy dances, then head for the officer's club, then his quarters, having met the essence of General Frasier's request.
As the music began, Sean Beckett said, "May I have this dance, Kate?"
"Yes, Sean, I'd be delighted," Sean was stiff and a little awkward.
"I'm sorry, Kate.
I'm not very good at this." Kate smiled.
"You're doing fine, Sean."
""No, I'm not, but at least I'm not stepping on your toes." She laughed.
"That's better than Vic."
"Speaking of Vic, I think he's waiting for the next dance." Sean said.
Kate looked over Sean's shoulder. Vic was indeed, waiting for her.
Meanwhile, Rick led Cheryl Cristobol onto the floor. She was smooth and supple. Not as good as Kate or Julia, but quite good, nonetheless. She pressed herself as close to Rick as she dared. Her dark eyes were locked on Rick 's face as they danced. Her gown, a flaming red, exposed a wide expanse of smoothly tanned skin. Her voice was husky as she said, "You're a marvelous dancer, Rick. You really get a girl's heart racing."
'It's just a skill. I had a very good teacher."
"It's much more than that, Rick. We have a long voyage ahead of us, I think we'll have plenty of opportunity to explore the situation."
As the first set ended, Cheryl said," Shall we dance another?" A feminine voice came from behind them. "Perhaps, later but it's my turn, now, I would like to dance with my brother." Julia was waiting.
"Cheryl Cristobol, I would like to introduce my sister, Julia Caldwell." The two women exchanged pleasantries but it was obvious that there was no real pleasure on either side. Rick escorted Cheryl off the floor and returned to Julia.
"What's up, Julie? Did the ambulance chaser grow two left feet?"
"Can't I dance with my brother, if I want to?"
"Sure, if you don't have an ulterior motive, like lecturing me."
"No lectures, Rick, I just want to make sure that you're enjoying the party."
"I am good food, good drinks, and good music." "So, you're not going to pull your usual vanishing act?"
"Not yet, anyway. Let it go, let's dance."
The music had a fast tempo, so they swung into a quickstep. Just as when Rick and Kate had danced other dancers stood back to watch the siblings. Even though neither
Had danced with the other, in a long time their execution was nearly flawless.
"It's hard to believe that they are not professional dancers!" The Empress exclaimed.
"They are amazing, Jake said. Especially that they are brother and sister!"
As the dance ended, Julia said, "Please don't leave early and don't forget the courtesy dances."
"I did pass my deportment classes at the academy, remember? I'm not likely to forget that."
Kate was watching as Rick and Julia danced. "I wish that you could dance like that, Vic. It would spare my toes."
"It's not my fault, no one taught me to dance."
"That's because you skipped the classes at the academy."
"Well they weren't mandatory."
"Poker classes were?"
"Hey, they helped me pay my bills. Besides, I could hardly believe what Uncle Alex told me. That poster boy can't be the hero they say he is."
"Vic, you're an idiot. I was on the Clara Barton when they brought him in. He was so badly wounded he almost died. Uncle Alex was on the ground, during the battle. He told me, personally, what Major Castle did."
Rick escorted Julia back to her table, then approached the Emperor and Empress. "Excuse me Sir, may I ask your lady to dance?"
"You'll have to ask her, but you have my permission. "Madam, may I have the honor of the next dance?"
"I would love to dance with you, Rick but I thought everyone was supposed to use first names, tonight."
"Well, yes but you're the Empress."
"So? I'm a woman like any other."
Rick smiled, one of his rare, genuine ones. "A beautiful woman but not like any other."
The music was that of another waltz. "You're very good, Lucania. What a pleasure it is to dance with you."
"It's a pleasure to dance with you, Rick and thank you for the compliment. For once I can believe it, not coming from a courtier."
"You should believe it, whom ever it comes from, it's true."
The dance ended with Lucania's eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Rick. I enjoyed that, very much."
"As did I, Thank you."
After Rick danced with Marlene Frasier, the band took its' first break.
Rick finished his Cinnamon Assassin and went to the bar for another shot of Scotch.
Well, he thought to himself, this is going much better than I thought it would. Maybe I won't go to the club after all."
Lieutenant Callie Chandler had been watching Rick since the dancing started.
In or out of uniform that man is smoking hot! She thought. I bet he's even hotter out of clothing, altogether! I don't know what's wrong with Kate, she hogged him the last time, but not tonight, so I'm taking my shot!
She walked to the bar. "Hi, I'm Callie Chandler, You're Rick Castle, aren't you?"
"Hi, Callie Chandler, yes, I'm Rick Castle."
"May I buy you a drink, Rick?"
"No, thank you, I just got a fresh one. I will, however, buy you one."
"I accept, thank you. A Black Russian, please." They took their drinks to a table and sat down. Callie was a willowy brunette. Conventionally pretty, she wore the classic little black dress. "Where are you from, Rick?"
"I'm from San Francisco, in the North American sector of Earth."
"What a small galaxy! I'm from San Diego!"
"Great beaches down there, do you surf or sail?"
"I like jet-board, have you ever tried it?"
"Yes, I have, quite a rush! I really miss the sea, that's one thing I do regret in my career,
Not being near the sea, I was all up and down the west coast as a youth."
The music started up, again. "Would you like to dance, Callie?"
"Yes, thank you."
From the moment, they reached the floor, Callie made no secret of her intentions.
She pressed against Rick even tighter than Cristobol had. It was a long set, one song segueing into another. Near the end, Callie whispered into his ear, "Do you want to blow this party and go somewhere to get better acquainted?"
"I wish I could, you're a lovely woman, but I'm pretty much here on a command appearance." "That's too bad but if you get some free time, call me. I'm at the base hospital."
For the first time, in her life, Kate got bitten by the green-eyed monster and didn't even recognize the emotion. She'd never had reason to be jealous. She didn't realize, that she was falling for Rick and it would be some month's before she would be forced to realize that she was in love with him. At this point, all that she knew was she enjoyed his company and loved his dancing.
Lanie said;
"What's the matter, Kate? You look like you want to bite somebody!"
"Damn that Callie! What does she think that she's doing, behaving like that?"
"She's going after something she wants. What's wrong with that?"
"I want to dance with him. He's the best I've ever seen. And he told me twice, once tonight, that I'm beautiful. He hasn't asked me to dance, even once!"
"Then go ask him!"
"I can't, Vic and Peter will never let me hear the end of it!"
"Well, do what you please, but don't whine if you lose out. You told Jake off, are you afraid of the other two?"
"You're right, Lanie. I came to the party to enjoy myself. I'm going to do just that!"
"Rick, are you trying to hurt my feelings?" Rick turned around.
"How could I do that?" Rick asked.
"You haven't asked me to dance, all evening."
"Your family is here. I didn't want to intrude."
"You wouldn't be but since you want to play bashful, I'm going to ask you. "May I have the next dance?"
"Bashful? Hardly. Absolutely you may have the next dance." Kate moved into his arms as the music started. She decided to fight fire with fire. She moved in close and rested her head on his shoulder, quickly lost in the music and the warmth of his arms. The tempo picked up on the second song a Tango. She moved back flashed him a grin and said, "Let's show them how it's done."
"Will you look at them?" the Empress said. They're even better than He and Julia were! Hal, we're going to take lessons! I want to dance like that!"
"Who has time for dance lessons?"
"You'll find time!" (The or else was left unsaid)
The music stopped. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is our final break of the evening. Following our break, we will play the final set. Thank you."
Kate took Rick 's arm. "Come sit with us, please. There is only one more set of dances. I'm going to be selfish. I want all of them."
Rick laughed. "Santa might not like selfish little girls."
"I'm not worried, I'm not a little girl!"
Julia and Marlene both looked at Rick as his laughter carried. Julia smiled. It was rare to see her brother so relaxed, especially in public. Marlene smiled, also. "Alex, look at them! I thought that they would make a perfect couple, now I know it. What beautiful children they would produce!
As Kate sat, Rick said, "Would you care for some refreshment? I would be happy to get it for you."
"No thank you, Rick, please just sit and talk with me."
Julia overheard the exchange and chuckled to herself. You've finally met one smarter than you are little brother. She's already wise to your escape and evasion tactics.
The lights dimmed to signal that the dancing was about to start again. Rick
took Kate 's hand and led her onto the floor. Once again, she melted into his arms.
There were only brief pauses between the songs. She never pulled away from him, at all.
Suddenly, the music stopped. "What's going on?" He asked "The music stopped in mid-beat." A spotlight focused over their heads.
"Look up." Kate said. They were directly under the Mistletoe. Mischievously, Sean Frasier yelled, "Kiss the girl!" Marlene, not to be outdone, repeated it. Julia and Jason joined in. Kate was blushing but laughing too.
She raised her face. "Do your duty, Rick." Rick lowered his and softly kissed her.
He meant it to be brief, but she locked her hands behind his neck and her mouth opened under his, surprising them both by the intensity of her response.
She recovered more quickly than he did, laughing at the series of cheers and cat-calls.
The music started up, again. "Let's finish the dance." She whispered.
They did. "Good night, Rick. I had a wonderful time, even if it wasn't long enough."
"Good night Kate. So, did I. Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas Rick."
25, December 2453. Christmas Day. 08:00 hours.
Rick Castle's alarm went off, set off by his com. "Castle." He growled.
"Merry Christmas, Brother Dear, time to rise and shine. You promised me the whole day.
Breakfast is in an hour."
"Julie, you're a sadist. I've got a headache!"
"Don't give me that. You weren't drunk, last night, so no hangover. Didn't sleep well?"
"None of your damn business, I'll see you in an hour!"
Rick arrived at Julia's, wearing the black trousers and shoes from his formal outfit,
With an open neck, dark gold tunic. He was carrying two large sacks. He handed one to Julia. "Christmas present from Del. Some snacks for the afternoon". Julia opened the sack. There was a carved wooden tray of assorted sausages and cheeses and another of dried fruits and nuts. Also, four bottles of wine. "Oh, how thoughtful. Please thank him for us."
"Breakfast is ready. The children are eager to open their presents, so let's get right to it."
Julia had prepared Rick 's favorite, as she put it, "Barbarian's Breakfast."
Four scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, ham, sausage biscuits and hash browns with coffee. "That was delicious, Julie. Thank you."
"You're welcome. You know, if you visited more often you could get breakfasts like that more often."
"Yeah and I'd weigh 150 kilos."
"Presents, Please." Melissa said.
"Okay kids, come on." Rick said, as he picked one up, in each arm. He settled them on the couch. Julia had made it a rule that each child got one present from Rick. Otherwise he would have spoiled them.
Melissa got a jewelry set of a heart shaped amethyst pendant on a sterling silver chain with matching earrings. Alex got the latest combination hand held computer and game device. He gave Julia a set like her daughters, in Sapphire on gold and Jason a scale model of the latest aerospace fighter, to add to his collection.
Julia had sculpted a figure of Lord Lochinvar, in black and white marble for Rick.
"We're going to the Christmas Day service at the base chapel, Julia said. Want to come?"
"No, you go ahead. I'll take a nap while you're gone." When they got back, Julie said;
"We saw the Frasier's and the Becketts at church. They asked for you. Marlene invited you to stop by, this evening for coffee and cake."
"I'm not going to do that."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want to, I don't have to justify my reasons to you."
"Kate got to you, didn't she?"
"No, damn it, she did not. I've got a battalion to run, I can't afford the distraction."
"Aren't you going to give the General and Marlene presents, you usually do."
"Yes, a crystal decanter of Single malt scotch and a crystal candy dish filled with chocolate truffles. I usually do the Secret Santa routine drop it on the porch and leave. The Beckett bunch, being there complicates things. I'll head to the Base Exchange and pick up a bottle of John Jamison,"
"You're not getting anything for Kate?"
"Why should I get something for her? She's not my girlfriend, she can share in the chocolates."
"It would be nice if she feels that she's special."
"Who ever said I was nice?"
"I do. I'm your sister, there's not much you can hide from me."
"If I were being nice, I'd accept the invitation and I don't want to."
"If Kate didn't get to you, what are you afraid of? I know that you like the Frasier's."
"I'm not afraid of anything, I just like my privacy."
"So, you can run around hurting people's feelings any time you want to?"
"Damn its Julie, you know better than that. I don't try to hurt anyone's feelings."
"Rick stop that! You're going to make me angry. I don't like it when you play dumb! Being ignored, hurts."
"I didn't ignore her. I paid her an honest compliment and I danced with her more than anyone else."
"Then you kissed her."
"I was maneuvered into that."
"You can't tell me that you didn't want to!"
"Okay, yeah, I wanted to. "
"Then be nice. You're going to have to go get the whiskey for her brothers, so get her a little something and go visit, this evening. That's all you must do. If you don't, I'm going to tell Melissa that her uncle Rick would just love to have a tea party with her."
"You'd do that to me?"
That's right, I would. Creative blackmail is so much fun!"
"Okay, but you're going shopping with me. I wouldn't have any idea what to get her." "You never have a problem getting a present for Melissa or me."
"You're family. I know what your tastes are. Melissa is a child. She'll like anything I get her."
"Let's go right now."
"Right now, the championship game is about to start!"
"Sooner started, sooner done, the game is seldom decided in the first half, anyway."
Rick quickly got the bottle of Irish whiskey, then they went shopping. "Look Rick, Chanel #5 it's a classic. She'd love it!"
"No way, I don't do perfume."
"How about those crystal roses, they're beautiful and not too expensive."
"No, flowers, even crystal ones would look like I'm courting her."
"No, they wouldn't. Flowers are a traditional gift for many reasons and you know that. Will you please quit being difficult? You did bring me along." Julia put her hands on her hips. "If you interrupt my day, you are going to listen to me!"
When they got back to the house, Julia said, "Call Marlene and accept the invitation."
"Okay."
"Frasier house, Sean Frasier speaking."
"Cadet Frasier, this is Major Rick Castle, may I speak with Mrs. Frasier, please."
"Marlene Frasier."
"Good afternoon Mrs. Frasier. This is Major Castle. I am calling to accept your kind invitation. What time should I be there? 19:30? Fine, I'll be there. Thank you."
Rick called Del. "Still in town Del?"
"Yes, I am, why?"
"I want you to do a favor. I have a social engagement, tonight. I want to abbreviate it. I want you to go to the base and send a signal to my pager. It will register as priority signal requiring my presence at the battalion, do it at 21:00 that will give me just enough time to meet the social obligations."
"There's nothing that the staff duty officer can't handle."
"I know that, you know that, Kate won't know that; I'm hoping Julia won't get it either.
"The General will."
"He'll suspect, but he won't know until tomorrow, then he won't say anything."
"We'll have to check in tomorrow afternoon, after that, I'll sign out on leave. Do you have anything, a cabin o
r house that I could borrow until, say, the second?"
"Yes, I do why?" "I want to get away for a few days, especially beyond the New Year's Eve parties. Battalion headquarters will have orders to contact me, only in case of a true emergency."
25, December 2453, Frasier House, Karolain City, 19:30 hours.
"Good evening Mrs. Frasier. Thank you for inviting me."
"Good evening Rick, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Marlene?"
"At least a few more times, Ma'am."
"Well, come in. We're all in the living room." General Frasier rose to shake Rick 's hand. "Welcome to our home Rick."
"Thank you, Sir." "Good evening to you all."
A chorus of good evenings was returned. "I've got a few small gifts to celebrate the season. I hope that you all will enjoy them. This is for you and your sons, General." He handed General Frasier the Scotch. "It's Laiphrog single malt, Sir." There was the Scotch, a cut crystal decanter and eight shot glasses.
"You call this a small gift? I don't think so! This is magnificent. Thank you, Rick."
"It's my pleasure, Sir."
"These are for you Mrs. Frasier." Marlene accepted the boxed chocolates and a crystal candy dish.
"This is so sweet Rick. Thank you."
Rick laughed. "You're welcome, Mrs. Frasier but that was a terrible pun."
"Marlene laughed. "That wasn't a pun, until you made it one, you rascal."
"Commodore, this is for the Beckett brothers."
"Thank you, Major."
"Kate, I hope that you will like these." Kate opened the box. The crystal roses were exquisite. Each was a different color. Red, yellow, white, pink and blue there was also a crystal vase to display them in. "Oh, Rick, these are lovely. I've never seen anything quite like them. Thank you so very much." Impulsively, she kissed him. Rick smiled. "You're welcome, Kate."
Vic said; "Jake, got a minute?"
"Sure Vic. Aunt Marlene will you excuse us for a minute?"
"Yes, Jake. But don't take too long. I want to serve."
They stepped into the hall. "What is it Vic?"
"I don't like that Castle. He's way too smooth, I think he's trying to get Kate in bed!"
"Vic, don't go there. If he gets into Kate's bed, it will be because she wants him there. She's already pinned my ears back for sticking my nose into her business.
Besides, I've done some checking on him. He's a good guy. If you start something with him, he'll put you in the hospital and there would be nothing to do about it, because you've been warned."
They went back inside. General Frasier said, "What was that about?"
"Nothing Uncle Alex. Vic was misinformed about something, I straightened him out."
"You'd better have. Vic, if it was about what you're usually wrong about, stay out of it or I'll put you in the stockade, myself, to prevent you from turning arrogance into stupidity!"
"Everybody, come sit down. The cake and coffee are on the table."
After a few minutes, Rick said:
"This is delicious, Mrs. Frasier. This must be homemade."
"It is Rick, I'm glad that you are enjoying it."
"I don't think that I have ever tasted a better desert."
After they finished eating, they moved into the living room. Rick sat on a couch. Kate sat next to Rick.
"Do you have plans for the rest of the holidays, Rick?"
"Not particularly, I may hang out with Del or head out to the coast Just a moment, my com just went off.'
"What is that?" Kate asked.
"That was Captain Kevan. Please excuse me, I'm needed at the battalion, right now!"
"What's going on, Rick?" Frasier asked.
"Probably nothing too serious, a possible security breach, sir. But I must check it out, Good night all."
Rick sprinted to his car. That was perfect timing, Del, he thought. Jake was a little sharper than Rick had thought anyone but the general would be. "What the hell is going on? If it's not too serious, doesn't he have a duty officer?"
The general decided to cover for Rick. "Of course, he does, but his staff is young. The SDO may have panicked. But whatever it is, it only concerns his battalion or the base alarms would have gone off."
"I'm worried," Kate said, her brow furrowing. The general patted her hand.
"Don't be, honey, as I said, if it were a major alarm, I'd know about it. I'll check it out though."
26, December 2453 Force Recon Battalion headquarters. 08:00 hours.
"Battalion Headquarters, Captain Herriot, Sir."
"Captain Herriot, this is General Frasier. I'm checking on an alert, last night about 21:00 hours."
"I just came on duty, Sir. Let me check the log."
"Sir, there is no record of any major incident, other than an alert that went out to the C.O. on the personal net. It was handled by the C.O., the X.O. and the Sergeant Major."
'Thank you, Captain. That will be all, there's no need to record this call."
General Frasier chuckled to himself, in rueful admiration. Oh, that sneaky bastard.
He did it again and he knows that I can't do anything about it, he didn't break regulations. I'm still going to chew his ass.
"Personnel locator, get Major Castle for me."
"Sir, Major Castle is in the field with Captain Kevan and the Sergeant Major. He can be reached through emergency recall. Is this an emergency?"
"No, it is not. Thank you." He tapped his communicator again.
"Kate, its Uncle Alex, there's nothing to worry about. Last night's alert turned out to be a minor matter. Rick, Del and the Sergeant Major are in the field handling it."
"If it was a minor matter why didn't the staff duty officer handle it?"
"I don't know; I didn't follow up on it."
Julia called Rick. She was anxious to see how the evening went. "This is Major Rick Castle. I am not available at this time. If it is urgent, contact the emergency recall network. Otherwise, leave a message. I will get back to you."
"Rick, it's Julia. Call me when you get back." She bit her lip thoughtfully and called up another person.
"Hi, Marlene. It's Julia. How did it go last night?"
"Everything was going very nicely until Rick got an alert, then he left here like a bat out of Hell."
"An alert? What kind of alert?"
"Military, but Alex says it turned out to be minor."
"Okay, thank you, Marlene."
Julia tapped the communicator to end the call and sat there fuming. Minor alert, can't be reached, like hell! I'm going to wring his neck!
26, December 2453. Bachelor Officer's quarters, 18:00 hours.
Rick Castle walked into his quarters and called for the computer to turn on his hallway lights. He slung his bag to the ground and turned and then nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Holy hell!"
Julia sat in his easy chair; arms folded. Her blue eyes were icy, and her expression boded ill towards the man in front of her. If looks could kill, he'd already be in neatly shish-kebabbed little pieces on the floor.
"Rick." He winced at her tone as it brought back the many, many times he'd done something in his teen years that she didn't like. But this was even worse. This was the Mom tone. He reminded himself sternly that he was a grown man, a soldier, and an officer. It did not help much. He decided to try a bluff.
"Julia, I wasn't expecting you."
"I'll bet you weren't."
"Something to drink?"
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Really? A drink? You know perfectly well why I'm here."
"Hey, I did what you asked. I went to the party, I gave out the presents, and I had dessert."
Julia snorted and stood up quickly. "And then you rushed out of there like your pants were on fire."
"There was an alert! You can check with Del."
She smiled. It made Rick nervous. "Computer, full lights, please."
Rick 's mouth dropped open as the lights revealed Del sitting there sheepishly. He narrowed his eyes as Del stood up and walked towards him.
"Your sister is scary," he said under his breath to Rick as he quickly slipped out of the door. Rick turned back to Julia, who had lifted one eyebrow. He sighed.
"Come on, Julia, you know that's not my thing! I'm not a social animal. I'm not comfortable around people I don't know."
"Oh, honestly! You know the Frasier's! And Kate! I didn't throw you into a socialite party! It was simply a nice Christmas gathering, not a full-scale invasion, idiot!"
"Julia-"
"Don't Julia me! Do you ever think before you act? I know that you hurt Kate 's feelings, and probably Marlene's as well."
"I doubt that, Marlene is an officer's wife. She knows about alerts.
"Yes, she does, and long enough to know a real one from a fake one, if she really thinks about it."
"Why would she even think about it? Her whole family was there."
"Her family includes Kate."
"Kate 's feelings wouldn't be hurt. She doesn't know me that well. Besides I covered it."
"Her feelings wouldn't be hurt, Really? On Christmas eve, did that feel like a simple mistletoe kiss? Sometimes, little brother, I want to smack you so hard you'll see stars!"
She shook her head. "Look, I understand, I really do. But, Rick, sometimes you have to stick it out when an opportunity comes along!"
"What opportunity?"
She walked closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Kate, you idiot! Women like her are a once in a lifetime thing." With that, she smacked him on the back of his head and flounced out of the room. Rick rubbed his head and sighed again. He was going to go to bed and try to forget the past few minutes ever happened.
27, December 2453 the fire Rose Club, Karolain City. 18:00 hours.
Rick Castle, a drink in his hand, sat at a table and contemplated the wreckage of his plan. It had been neatly executed until Julia's interference. Kate 's kiss at the party had reminded him how long he'd been celibate.
He guessed that Kate would be as hot in bed as she was on the dance floor but she wasn't the kind of woman to used and left behind. He wasn't ready to make the kind of commitment that she was worth.
Well, at least here I can get away from the social whirl. He thought. I can stay at Del's guest house, out of sight of the base.
Rick ordered a Mountain Runner steak with steamed vegetables. The Fire Rose was primarily a night club but had an excellent kitchen and often served as a restaurant as well. Rick was in no way a gourmet or even a gourmand. He usually looked at food as fuel for his body. He did, however, enjoy a well-cooked meal when his mind wasn't on more important things.
It had taken an effort but a few minutes ago, he'd forced everything else out of his mind and concentrated on enjoying physical pleasures. Still, following ingrained habit, he'd picked a table in a corner where he should be able to avoid notice. It hadn't worked. It might have on Earth or one of the Earth colonized worlds, but not here on Alpha Centauri. He was just too different. Not only his size, but also his dark hair, fair if tanned complexion, and light-colored eyes stood out from the norm. Also, his hologram had been plastered all over the news when he was awarded the Order of the Blue Rose.
He was just finishing his meal when he heard, "Well, this is certainly strange."
He looked up. A woman was standing by his table.
"What is strange, Miss?"
"That a handsome man like yourself would be dining alone in the Fire Rose."
"It's not strange, I often dine alone. I find that it helps me to concentrate."
"It's rather selfish, isn't it?"
Rick frowned in confusion. "Selfish? Why would it be selfish?"
"You deprive the ladies of your company." She smiled prettily at him, dimples showing
"May I sit down?".
Rick rose and pulled out a chair. "Please be seated."
"Thank you."
The woman was Centauran and quite pretty, though not as lovely as Celienne or Lairlene. Beside the dimples, she had large soft golden colored eyes, the honey toned skin most Centaurans shared, and a shoulder-length fall of mahogany curls that gently framed her heart-shaped face.
"Would you care for something to drink?" Rick asked.
"A glass of wine would be nice."
Rick called up the order. The woman toyed with the stem of the glass when it arrived.
"What brings you into the Fire Rose? We don't see many non-Centauarans in here."
"A Centauran friend introduced me to it."
"Excuse me for not introducing myself," the woman said. "I am Talene Soroit."
"I'm pleased to meet you, Ms. Soroit, I am Rick Castle."
Talene's eyes widened and her hand gently slapped the table.
"I thought that your face was familiar. You're Major Richard Castle, the hero of Tantalus!"
"Yes, I'm Major Castle but I wish people wouldn't use that ridiculous phrase.
I'm no hero. I'm just an officer, doing my duty. Please, can we not talk about that?"
"I'm a journalist, Rick so I know the truth of the matter. But I'm not here after a story. I'm just relaxing after the work day."
"That's all I'm doing, though I'm not working right now, I'm on leave."
'What does a professional soldier do to relax?"
"That depends on the man or woman. We're no different than anyone else. We play sports, attend the theatre, listen to music, dance, read, watch holos, do artwork, you name it, we do it."
"What do you do?"
"All of the above except artwork. I leave that to my sister."
"Excuse me if I'm too inquisitive, that's the nature of a journalist, but as I said earlier, you are a very handsome man. How have you managed to stay single? You are single, yes?"
Rick grinned at her not-so-subtle probe and nodded his head. "My career path is not conducive to long-term relationships. I am Marine Force Reconnaissance. That's a type of unit that you don't have in your armed forces. It's a special operations unit. I won't go into detail on that. Suffice it to say that there is a very high attrition rate among our line officers before they reach Colonel. It wouldn't be fair to a lady to deal with that, much less marry me."
"And that attrition rate doesn't bother you?"
"No, it doesn't. I knew the odds going in." Rick looked at his chrono and made a quick decision.
"Talene, I would like to continue this conversation, but I have an appointment with a friend of mine. We need to go over some modifications to his boat. Would you be free to have lunch with me, tomorrow, say at 13:00?"
"Yes, I would, very much."
"Good. I will see you then." He stood and left, not noticing Talene's eyes admiring the view.
28, December 2453 Karolain City 13:00 hours.
Rick smiled as he watched Talene hurry to the front door of the restaurant. She was right on time. He took a moment to admire the flowing dress that showed off a lot of leg, before offering his arm to escort her inside. She smiled at him, showing off her dimples again, and they sat down at a table by the window that offered a stunning view of the nearby purple hills.
They ordered the restaurant special, lightly steamed legs of a crustacean like a crab in appearance but not at all in taste, accompanied by fire-roasted vegetables and a small green salad. Rick was pleased to see that she ate well and didn't try to pick at the food. It told him that she was content with herself and wasn't trying to be some stick figure. They spent a good two hours talking about their various interests and travels. Rick was surprised to find that she liked riding jet boards as much as he did, and that she'd won awards for her ability on the narrow surfboard hybrid. She was fascinated by his travels, never having left Centauri. As the lunch finished, Rick decided that he would very much like to continue with her over dinner, and they made a date for dinner in two days.
Neither of them saws the tall blonde stop in surprise as she spotted them through the window as she went about her errands. Talene would have been confused by the irritation on her pretty face, but Rick would no doubt have realized that, judging by the laser-beam glare directed at him, he was, once again, in the doghouse with Julia.
That evening, Rick again found Julia waiting for him, though this time she spared him the mini-heart attack of her previous visit by staying outside his room. Her face was thunderous. He sighed and forced on a completely insincere smile.
"Julia. What brings you to see me, so soon after your last visit?"
She rolled her eyes. "Let's go inside."
"Whatever you want to say can be said here."
"I saw you with your lunch date today."
"Let's go inside."
Julia followed him into his quarters, waiting impatiently as he placed his things on the table. He turned to face her with his arms folded, only to find her in the exact same position.
"So, you saw me with my lunch date, who is, by the way, quite nice. Her name's Talene. What are you doing spying on me anyway?"
Julia raised one eyebrow. "I wasn't spying. I was running errands in that sector and saw you through the window. Rick, what are you thinking?"
"What do you mean what am I thinking? I'm single, she's single, and we had lunch. That's all there is. Besides, my love life is none of your business."
"What about Kate?"
"What about her?" Rick responded defensively. He couldn't deny that he was drawn to the feisty brunette, and that he'd felt a bit odd asking someone else to lunch, but he wasn't about to admit that to his sister. "We're friends, nothing more."
Julia raised both eyebrows this time. "Just friends? Are you mental? Haven't you even noticed how good you two are together? I thought you really liked her!"
Rick sighed again. "Julia, I like her, a lot. I do. But you and I both know I'm not ready for the kind of commitment she wants and deserves. This life I lead would be heartache for her, always worrying about what mission I'm on and what's going to happen. Would you want that for her?"
Julia came closer and put her hand on his arm.
"Rick, she's in the fleet too. No, she's not in a combat unit, but she's also not in headquarters either. Any of those ships on the fringe that she would be assigned to face as many dangers as you. She's not afraid. She has a military family. She knows about these things. Just…think about that, OK? You'll never meet anyone like her again…and you and I both know it."
"I know, but…it's not right for now, Julia. It's not. OK?"
She crossed her arms and regarded her brother. "Fine. Not for now." She hugged him quickly and walked to the door. Just as she left, she turned her head. "Not for now for NOW." With that, she left.
Rick threw himself on the bed and draped his arm over his eyes. Sisters!