Christmas Train Chapter 4, a castle fanfic

Christmas Train

Chapter 4

December 27th

They had both searched the entire train, or so it seemed. Save for seeing areas on a computer screen, they'd both now seen every car that made up this train with their own eyes. It really was a first class and second class train. It had two kitchens that fixed different foods based on what class they were cooking for.

Multiple seating areas were complete with Christmas decorations everywhere. Rick had been pleased to at least see they hadn't scrimped on those even in second class.

"Where is he?" Kate was actually beginning to get worried about Will.

"He's not outside the train since that would make him dead." The only thing outside of the train was the vacuum of space. "Unless you two brought a space suit." Rick suffered through the look she threw at him.

"We even checked the walk-ins which only showed that this train has a lot of food." It was a twelve day trip so it had to have a lot since there were no stops in the itinerary for them to restock. Just sight-seeing stops. "That just leaves the cabins. …One of the dead men's cabins?" He was on the naughty list but was he also that sick?

"Our cabin!" Kate quickly walked toward their room. Rick almost jogged to keep up. He was learning what having long legs did for a person when it came to speed.

She found him in their cabin. "WILL!" He was looking at a portable computer that she didn't even know he'd brought with him. "Where've you been?" They had looked everywhere for him.

"Here, where should I have been?" He needed to do some research for what to do next.

"There's been another murder. We've learned that both of them were involved in politics. You might be next so we need for you to be monitored so you aren't killed," Kate explained.

"And you're investigating it, naturally!" He hated that part. This wasn't part of his plan. "With HIM!" He pointed at Rick who was standing just a little behind her.

"Castle's helping. What is wrong with you? People are dead, Will! You should–"

Will interrupted her. "YOU'RE OUTSIDE OF YOUR DAMN JURISDICTION, KATE! You shouldn't even be involved. Let the employees solve it, that's their job. Do you have any idea what kind of mess you're risking by being involved? How many lawsuits you are opening yourself up to from family members?" Bracken knew the law that she obviously wasn't thinking about.

"I don't believe you! You're an ass! Something is seriously wrong with you!" Kate had had it with him. She was done with him. "I need my suitcases." She started for the door.

"Just where do you think you're going," he demanded.

"Anywhere but here. I'll sleep in one of the storage areas if I have to." Kate stopped at the door. "Oh, and if you were thinking of proposing on this trip, you can forget it. I wouldn't marry an asshole like you if you were the last man on Earth. …Or in the entire universe for that matter." She stomped out and went to where they stored everyone's suitcases that were part of this car.

Bracken rounded on Rick. "This is your fault!" Rick could see the hatred on his face.

"I'm not the one on the naughty list," Rick countered.

Bracken rolled his eyes. "You and your naughty list. One would think that you think you're Santa Claus or something. Which is impossible, I'll remind you, since he doesn't exist. You obviously have mental issues. Something I'm going to make sure you have looked at when I get home. You'll like living in a mental institution." Bracken would see to it. Provided he actually managed to get off this train alive.

Rick just smiled. "I'm a lot more mentally stable than you are, thankfully." Then a question occurred to him. "Why are you even on a Christmas Train if you don't believe?" He knew Shrom and his wife didn't believe, but they at least had an excuse. They were aliens.

"Why I'm here is none of your concern. Does Kate know you're mentally unstable?" Bracken questioned and then watched as she walked in carrying her two suitcases. "Kate," Bracken began, only to see her glare daggers at him.

"S.H.U.T. U.P., WILL!" Kate opened one of her suitcases on the bed next to Bracken as he sat there.

"Where do you think you're going to sleep, Kate? There aren't any spare rooms, the train's full." He had no intention of not having a first class room for this trip. He was far too good to suffer in second class. Far superior to the scum that stayed there.

"She can have my room. I'll find somewhere else to sleep. I'm a gentleman." Rick looked at Bracken as he said the last part. It earned him a death glare that he only smiled at.

Kate got to work packing. She was in a hurry to get as far away from Will as she could and wasn't even bothering to fold her clothes properly.

Bracken had remained silent through all of it until she was done. He watched Rick take the suitcases from her so he could carry them. "You're making a mistake, Kate. He's mentally unstable. He thinks he's Santa Claus." Bracken was sure Rick was going to make certain she moved in with him.

"I made a mistake, all right. I mistakenly thought that you could love anyone. All you do is use people. Politicians are all the same. You're all cheats, liars, and scum." Her eyes blazed with fury. "You're totally evil. People are dead and you couldn't care less. You're heartless and I'm sorry I never noticed it sooner, but I'm glad I have now." Kate stormed out of the cabin.

"You'll be back." There was nowhere else for her to go. She would soon learn that Rick was a sick man.

Kate didn't bother to respond – he wasn't worth it – and hurried down the hallway, her anger flaring, until she had to stop since she didn't know where she was going to go. Maybe she really was trapped.

"This way." Rick squeezed past her to take her to his room.

"I can't take your…room?" Kate felt her jaw drop when he opened his door and let her step inside. His room was beyond belief. There were Christmas decorations of all types all over the place and the room was totally lit up with Christmas lights. He had no need for the cabin lights with this many Christmas lights.

Rick put her suitcases on his bed which had a Christmas throw on it that looked like it was crocheted. "I'll let leave you alone and let you unpack while I go get you some coffee. Maybe with extra Irish Whisky this time." He smiled at her and headed for the door.

Kate stopped him. "Castle." She wanted to say he didn't need to find somewhere else to sleep, that she could share, but she really didn't know him that well. "You're sure you can find somewhere else?" The train just might be full and neither of them might have a choice.

"Leave that to me. Besides Shrom and Vile's old cabin might still be empty." He knew it wasn't but he had a plan.

Kate knew she was going to lose this argument. "Thanks, …Pink Skin." She bit her lower lip to hide her smile as she teased him.

"I knew you would come around. It's why you're still on the nice list." Rick left her to unpack and closed the door behind him.

"The nice list." She sighed. They really needed to talk about that.

December 28th

Kate woke up and rolled over to look for her travel alarm clock. When she didn't find it she began to worry. When looking around told her that she didn't recognize anything she started to panic. At that point she remembered her fight with Will and that Castle had given her his room. Then she noticed a night light and it made her smile. Castle slept with a night light. It was cute if not unnecessary. Still it had helped her when she needed it.

She crawled out of bed, turned on the lights, and found the place lit up in the extreme with Christmas lights. "A little much, Castle." She headed to the bathroom so she could start her day. Stripping off her nightshirt and panties, she threw them on the bed and turned on the water. She noticed that the shower head was colored. At first it was blue, then green. When it was green it began playing Jingle Bells. Shaking her head, she stepped into the shower. That hadn't happened in the other cabin she was sharing with Will.

Now dry and dressed for work since she still had to find a killer, she opened the door so she could go get breakfast. While she walked she couldn't help but wonder where Castle had slept. Wherever he was sleeping was her fault.

Once she reached the dining car Kate found herself being taken to a different table. Before she even reached it she saw Shrom and Vile sitting with Castle. "Hi!" Castle was there and so were her two new friends.

"Join us." Vile scooted over to make room for her.

"How did you sleep?" Rick inquired.

"Amazingly well, actually." Even after what had happened she'd slept the entire night through. "You didn't have to give me your room, Castle." She would have found something. She could have slept in the doctor's office on his table if necessary.

"It sounds like you, Pink Skin." Shrom believed it and saw his wife staring at him. "Pink Skin tells us you two are hunting for a murderer." He had yet to hear anything about it from the train crew and hated being left out of anything that might concern him.

"Two bodies," Vile added since one was more than enough. "Politicians, we hear."

"I'm sure they deserved it," Shrom stated and didn't notice the look Kate gave him. "The only good politician is a dead politician."

Kate shook her head. "No one deserves to be murdered." No matter how bad they were or what they had done, they didn't deserve that. Better to rot in prison somewhere than be killed.

"In that case be thankful that you are not an Andorian," Shrom shrugged.

Kate's response was stopped when their waiter showed up to take drink orders and leave a breakfast menu for her.

"There's a formal black tie Christmas party tonight." Rick had read about it in today's series of events. "You three are coming, right?" He didn't want to go alone. Not when he had friends he could go with.

"I didn't bring anything that formal to wear. It hadn't occurred to me." Kate had some nice things to wear but not that kind of nice.

"Leave that to me. I'll get you something you can wear," Rick offered.

Kate thought about it and remembered all of the cars they'd toured when searching for Will. "This train doesn't sell clothing like that." They had a lot of merchandise passengers could purchase so they could remember being on this trip, but nothing anywhere near that formal.

"I've learned never to underestimate Mr. Castle," Vile commented.

"My wife's correct. Never underestimate Pink Skin, here. Doing so would be an error." Shrom hated making mistakes and underestimating people. Especially in his line of work since he and his wife were military.

"You'll love it, I promise. …So that's a yes?" Rick looked at all three of them hopefully.

"We'll be there, Pink Skin." He knew his wife would give him hell if he wasn't.

"Sure, …and thanks, Castle." She had no idea how or where he was going to get her a dress but she would go in something. "We need to get back to finding our killer before he kills someone else."

"Right after breakfast." Rick was in. Not like he was going to let her do it alone.

Kate had been sitting in the doctor's office for thirty minutes and she was positively fuming. She was going to have his license pulled if she could arrange it. He didn't even qualify as a medic let alone a doctor. He hadn't even made arrangements for a nurse to help him.

"Where are the bodies?" She didn't need to see them again but what had he done with them? "I hate him!" Kate couldn't wait any longer and left to go back to the security station.

The crewman looked up in surprise and immediately tensed up. "Detective? What can I do for you?"

She had a task for him. "I don't have the time to view each room so I want you to view each room's door. I want to know how many times each door was opened and when. Somehow the killer's managing to get into the cabins. So was he already in the room when our vics entered their cabins, or did he gain entrance after the vics entered?"

He visibly relaxed in relief. "Part of that I can answer now. Each door is set up so that only the owner can open it. Each time he or she does it creates a record. I had to do that for when you moved into Mr. Castle's cabin," he informed her as she watched him print out a list for each cabin. "Here you go. As for how someone else could gain entrance, he or she would need to be able to access to the system and I haven't as yet found any signs of hacking. The cabins are meant to be safe for the guests as they should be the only ones who have access. Every code is changed for each trip."

That left her trying to figure out how the killer was getting into the cabins. "Okay, coordinate each time the door is open and view every one of those times to verify he was the only one through each time. …Thanks." Kate didn't wait for him to say no. She would simply take him to task if he didn't do as he was told.

Next she went back to her room, well Castle's old room, to view the floor plan of each car. She wanted to see where both of her vics were located and how far apart they were to each other. Just how far did the killer have to travel each time after he picked a room he would have come from?

"CREW!" Kate could've kicked herself. Who was to say the killer was a guest and not one of the crew? She knew just who she needed to find to get all the information on the crew. She hurriedly left her room to find him.

Kate had a task for Castle and since she was in his room and didn't know where he was, she had to go searching for him.

Amazingly, she found him in one of the drink rooms. He was playing a piano while singing Christmas songs with other people. She stopped to watch and listen since he had his back to her. She wouldn't say he was the greatest singer but he did know how to play a piano. As she watched she didn't miss that she was smiling as he sang and played. She had to admit he did know how to have a good time. And he seemed to really love Christmas.

They were on their third song when Kate couldn't wait any longer. She walked up behind Rick and placed her hands on his shoulders. He jumped a bit and stopped singing but he did manage to keep playing.

His face lit up. "KATE!" It was very obvious that he was happy to see her. "Sing!" Rick kept playing while the others continued to sing.

"I don't really…" She wasn't there to sing. She was there to get his help.

"Sing or the answer is no," Rick said. Kate growled; she really didn't want to sing a Christmas song. He once again tried to get her to sing. "Come on, Kate, S-I-N-G!" She gave in and started singing. "Louder!" Rick said and began singing himself.

They were all, including Kate, on their third song and she was still singing strong and actually starting to enjoy herself. She had no idea how Castle was doing it, but she was having fun.

Kate needed to get ready for the Christmas party so she went off to her room. Along the way she ran across Shrom and Vile. "I'll be there," she assured them and kept going before they could ask her what she was wearing since she had no idea. She really didn't have anything formal enough to wear.

She stepped into her room and saw it first thing since it was all laid out on the bed. "OH, MY!" Even from where she was standing she knew it was gorgeous. She had no idea how he'd gotten it.

Her hands shaking, Kate carefully lifted it up so she could really see it. The skirt was an emerald green Shantung silk, the fitted bodice was a combination of emerald green and silver. It was off-the-shoulder with long attached sleeves. A mix of sheer fabric and exquisite embroidery was throughout the fitted bodice. The skirt was a soft flared effect with a long slit at one side. The gown was a full length with a decadent train at the back. She laid it back down and picked up the shoes off the floor. They were nude pumps that had six-inch heels on a one-inch platform.

Next she picked up the necklace and held it up. She just had to see it against her skin so she stripped off her top and went over to the mirror. She could feel tears starting in her eyes. On a lovely white gold chain was an emerald pendant with an oval stone as big as her thumbnail that was surrounded by tiny diamonds. She put it back down and picked up the coordinating bracelet. It had three small oval emeralds encircled by diamonds equally spaced on a length of delicate diamond leaves. And of course there were matching post earrings!

Then she saw something else. They were six-inch long silver sticks with tiny bejeweled drops on the ends. "For my hair." She could put her hair up and hold it in place using the silver sticks.

"It's gorgeous!" And it was all too much; she didn't deserve it. "I'm giving it back after the party, Castle." There was no way she was keeping it. It had to have cost him a small fortune. She had no idea how he'd gotten it. But she was determined to find out how. "Before I leave this train," she vowed.

Kate was showered, her hair was up and she had used more makeup than she ever had before. Now she was standing in front of the mirror and barely recognized herself. Both hands covered her mouth as she felt tears starting and had to grab a tissue before she ruined it all. She felt like Cinderella going to the ball. Then there was a knock on her door.

"That better not be another body." She really wanted to attend this party.

Opening the door she found Castle standing there. "Castle!?" She barely recognized him.

He was in a dark green velvet dinner jacket that had black silk lapels. There was a black pocket handkerchief in the upper pocket. Under the jacket was a dark green and black waistcoat with an elaborate pattern. Beneath that was a black shirt. His tie was one she had never seen before. It was a silk ascot and he had a large square emerald and white gold filigree slide that rested just below where the normal knot should be.

His trousers matched his jacket's color though they were silk instead of velvet. His black shoes completed all of it. He was incredibly handsome.

"You're gorgeous!" Rick had known she would be lovely, but this exceeded his wildest expectations.

"You don't look so bad yourself, Castle. You're very handsome looking." Kate smiled at him. She had never seen anyone so handsome in years.

"I came to escort you to the party, milady." Rick presented his arm to her.

"Thanks, Castle." Kate put her hand in the crook of his arm and held onto him. She had never felt like this before, not in all her life. No man had ever treated her like this. Bracken's little gifts paled in comparison.

"I wonder what Shrom and Vile look like?" She was looking forward to seeing what her new friends were wearing.

"Everyone will pale in comparison to you, but I'm sure they will be amazing." Rick was delighted to have Kate on his arm as they walked.

Kate saw both of them first and stopped in her tracks to take them both in. Vile was wearing a two piece gown. The top was a sheer illusion scoop neckline that exposed her blue waist with an open back. The top featured beaded pearls along the cap sleeves, neckline, and down the spine while the curve-flattering mermaid jersey skirt that was a bright white completed the look. It made her white hair and blue skin stand out. She was gorgeous! Then Kate noticed a pearl necklace that was a choker and had a matching bracelet and earring set.

Shrom was equally stunning in a navy and steel gray jacquard tuxedo. With steel gray silk lapels, the jacket was breathtaking with its complex navy blue design woven throughout. His waistcoat, bow tie, and trousers were made of the same fabric while his ruffled shirt and pocket handkerchief were the same steel gray color as the jacket's lapels. Ever prepared, Shrom carried an ebony sword cane with a silver horse's head handle. His ensemble beautifully complimented Vile's lovely gown.