Christmas Train Chapter 13, a castle fanfic

Christmas Train

Chapter 13

Epilogue

January 6th

Kate had her suitcases on the bed, laying open, and just starting to load them both up with everything that she'd brought with her, when suddenly a tornado took over their room. It collected all of the Christmas decorations, all of the Christmas lights, then it all got sucked into Rick's little overnight bag. She had never seen anything like it. It was one more thing that convinced her that he was Santa. "Are my green dress and shoes in that thing somewhere?" She had really liked that dress.

Rick nodded. "Yep, both of your dresses, actually, along with other things I thought might be useful but didn't need."

"Can you do that with my stuff?" Maybe she didn't need to pack after all.

He shook his head. "Sorry, it only works on Christmas stuff. Now if all your stuff was Christmas related it would work. However, you'll be able to do it yourself when you're Mrs. Claus," Rick said and closed his bag.

"I'll be able to do that?" She hadn't really thought about it. "What else will I be able to do?"

"I don't know. I'm Santa not Mrs. Claus. You'll have to either find out for yourself or ask Lily." He groaned. "Lily! She's so going to rip me a new one for being late."

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Castle. She's an elf, what can she do?" What could a five foot elf do to him?

"You haven't met her." Lily wasn't really going to kill him. He was pretty sure she loved him. But that didn't mean he was going to get to keep his ears…or his ass.

They weren't even done packing yet when there was a knock on their door. There was a pair of train employees waiting. "We're here to escort you both to a room where you will be held until the authorities can talk to you."

It was starting!

Rick and Kate never saw Shrom or Vile again. They were the only ones held in that room. They also never saw Bracken again. They had no idea how he was removed from his room or even what he looked like. Kate could imagine what he looked like after twelve days, though, and what he smelled like. She smiled at the thought.

Kate knew what to expect since she would have done something similar. They had asked the same questions over and over and over again. They slipped in a new question to break things up. Even Kate was getting tired of it.

Eventually both of them were released, but only after giving them a way to contact them if they had more questions.

"What number did you give them, Castle?" He lived in the North Pole. What area code was that?

"My mother's number. I don't actually live there but she can pass it along," he said as they headed for the first shuttle back to Earth.

"Your mother? You didn't tell me anything about your mother!" Kate was so going to hurt him. "What about your father?" He knew about her parents but hadn't said anything about his. He was so dead!

He shrugged. "I don't know my dad. He left my mother before I was even born. Mother's an actress in New York."

"NEW YO...!" She could have met him in New York before this and didn't! At least she had him now. "Does your mother know you're Santa?"

"Of course, she's my mother," he said, rolling his eyes and continuing toward the shuttle.

"And my dad can't know?" There was something seriously wrong with this picture.

"That's because she convinced the elves that she could be trusted." Rick thought that was obvious.

"So you took her to the North Pole?" How had he gotten past the catch-22?

"Of course not! The elves came to her." Taking his mother to the North Pole when she didn't know anything about it or could be trusted was not possible.

"So if I can convince the elves to go to my dad he can convince them like your mother did. …YES!" She had found a way out of her catch-22. "You are so introducing me to your mother, Castle."

"I'll bring her with me to your dad's place, right after I check in with the elves," he promised.

Kate searched for a piece of paper. "Pen, Castle." She held out her hand until a Christmas pen was in it. She wrote down her dad's address and his phone number. "Here, get there as fast as you can. You have to ask my dad a very important question."

Rick stopped in his tracks. "What if he doesn't like me?"

"Relax, babe, Dad's going to love you. New York, here we come." Kate couldn't wait to see her dad.

Rick didn't need to knock since he had a key. He had even taken a cab to make it look normal. He didn't see her right away. "Mother?"

"RICHARD!" Martha closed her book, laid it on the sofa, and stood up. She went to him and they hugged. She took his hands in hers. "How are you, son? How was your vacation? You said something about a train this time, I think."

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "It was great, Mother! I actually met someone." He was sure she would be happy for him. Though maybe not so happy about how fast they had taken things.

"Really! Come over here and tell me everything." Martha pulled him over to the sofa and sat down. She was bursting with questions. "What's her name?"

"Her name is Kate. She's a homicide detective here in the city." He thought she might like that part.

"Really! That sounds dangerous. So you met on the train. What's she like?" What did her son see in her?

"Kate's special, Mother. She's amazing. She was initially a bit cold but she warmed up quickly. She's a little stubborn and tenacious but she has a heart of gold. She has a really good singing voice even if she doesn't think so." Even he hadn't told her that.

"So you got her to sing Christmas songs with you." That was a good start. "When did you meet her?" Meaning when in the trip did he meet her? How much time did he spend with her?

"That's kind of a long story and complicated." For her it was going to be really complicated.

"Give me the short version." She would weasel the rest out of him over time.

"Well, she came onto the train with a boyfriend who turned out to be the U.S. senator for New York. It was just that he was on the train to kill people." Rick paused as his mother's eyes opened wide. Still she just sat there and listened.

"Kate was trying to find out who was killing people and I was helping her. Unfortunately the train's doctor turned out to be a total quack. He barely knew how to apply a band-aid much less help with forensics." He was willing to see what Kate saw in him.

"We had dinner together, sang songs together, searched for the killer together. That was where I learned to love her." Some of the color left his face as he recalled what happened next. "Then the train blew up and I was forced to reset everything. We were actually on the train for eighteen days instead of just twelve."

"Oh, my! So where was her boyfriend? This U.S. senator from New York?" Martha queried.

"He was the one doing the killing, it turned out." Rick scrunched up his face since that was the bad part.

"Oh my word! A senator? From New York?" It was possible but it made New York look bad and she loved this city. "So what happened next?"

"Kate was the one that found out her boyfriend was the killer so she dumped him. OH, and Shrom and Vile were on the train." Rick almost forgot about them.

"Your alien Andorian friends. I thought they were in the military?" What were they doing on a Christmas Train?

"They are and they were a big help. They were the ones that caught Bracken and locked him in their room until the end of the trip," Rick explained.

Martha had to think that over. "So what does this Kate think about you?" Or was her son crushing on some woman because he had helped her catch a killer?

"Kate loves me, Mother." He saw the look on her face. "We had eighteen days together." He took a deep breath and said, "I proposed and she said yes." Then he saw the shocked look on her face.

"You proposed? After just eighteen days of knowing this woman?" Her son had lost his mind. "Does she know what you do?" She saw that as a possible deal-breaker. Something that might send her running. Only children really believed in Santa Claus any more.

"Yes, Mother, she knows I'm Santa. It was a bit of a shock at first and she didn't believe me, but she came around. Now she loves the idea." Rick was certain she was looking forward to being Mrs. Claus.

"She said yes, I take it?" Martha saw him nod. "Does she know she has to live in the North Pole?" He nodded again. Martha had another question. "Are you sure you two aren't moving too fast? It was only one little train trip." It usually took months to get engaged and then still more months to get married.

"Yes, I'm sure. You're going to get to meet her and her dad tonight since we're having dinner there. So you need to look your best." Rick looked at his Christmas watch. "You have two hours."

"Tonight!?" Now she knew her son was nuts. "Two hours?" It was going to take her longer than that. "Does her father know about this? Of course he doesn't." Those two were as good as dead.

Rick got up. "Up, Mother, you have two hours." He needed to use the second bathroom to get ready himself.

Her dad opened the door. She was so happy to see him. "Hi, Dad!"

"Katie!" Jim hugged her then pulled her inside and closed the door. "So how was your trip? Where's Will?" He wasn't really a fan of his but if his daughter liked him, he would suffer through.

"Please don't ever mention him again and don't ever, ever call him my boyfriend again." Kate didn't even want to think about him if she could help it.

That was a shock to him. "What did he do?" Maybe he didn't mean it and they could recover from it.

Her face flushed red with anger. "Will is a murderer, Dad. He's been arrested and is going to be locked up for the rest of his life. I don't ever want to hear his name again." Kate thought about going into the kitchen to get a stiff drink to wash away having to actually say his name. However, her dad didn't have any alcohol since he was a recovering alcoholic.

Stunned, Jim sat down. It sounded like her fun trip had been anything but. "A murderer?" He hadn't liked the man but he hadn't expected that.

Kate sat down next to him and took his hand with both of hers. "I did meet someone. He's amazing and you're going to love him. I love him more than I can ever say." She squeezed his hand.

"You love him? In twelve days?" His daughter had lost her mind. Though she was glowing in a way he had never seen before in his life. "What's his name?" He would go into work and do a search on him to satisfy his peace of mind.

"Richard Castle. He's so funny and so very kind. He's in toys." She needed to build up to telling him he was Santa Claus.

Then Jim felt something and lifted up the offending hand to find an engagement ring on her finger. "Katie!? What have you done?"

"I'm engaged." She put on her best Please don't shoot me face.

"Come again? You're engaged to this guy you met on the train, I take it." His daughter had lost her ever-loving mind. First her boyfriend turned out to be a murderer and now she was engaged to a man she had just met! "Who are you and what have you done with my Katie?" This person was definitely not his daughter. She didn't do things like that.

Kate couldn't help but start laughing. "It's me, Dad, and you're going to love him. I love him with all my heart. Oh, and we need to get busy cooking. He and his mother are going to be over here for dinner in two hours." She got up and went into the kitchen.

Jim stopped her in her tracks. "There's nothing in there, Katie. And his mother, really?" She was introducing him to him and including his mother? Now he knew she'd lost it. That or this really was serious.

"What's the closest restaurant that can do take-out for four?" She needed to think. "Papa Baresi's! It's only two blocks down the street. You warm up the oven, set the table, and I'll get the food." Kate headed for the door and turned to see her dad still just sitting there.

"Please, Daddy. I love him and you'll love him after you meet him. …Please!" She didn't have much time left. Jim got up to appease his daughter. "Thank you, oh, thank you!. …Love you!" She hurried out the door.

Kate was back with bags in her hands. "Go get ready, Dad. I'll use the guest room and en suite to get cleaned up. Please hurry!" He needed to look his best. She couldn't wait and began putting the food that need to be kept warm into the oven. Then she walked over to him and started pushing. "Go and put on one of your best suits." She pushed him into his room then headed for the spare bathroom after grabbing one of her suitcases.

She was out of the shower, dry, and dressed. Her hair was up since that was easier and she'd even put on a little makeup. Then she hustled to the kitchen to check on dinner. At least her dad had set the table for four. There was a knock at the door.

"They're here!" It couldn't be anyone else, surely. Opening the door she saw Castle wearing his amazing green suit from the trip and an older, rather thin woman with fiery red hair. "Castle!" She was glad he was here and couldn't resist hugging him.

Rick proceeded to introduce them to each other. "Mother, this is Kate. Kate, this is my mother, Martha."

"Hi, I'm so glad to meet you. Dad will be out soon." Kate turned her head to look but didn't see him.

"It's a pleasure, Katherine." Martha moved in and hugged her.

Kate closed the door and needed to find her dad. Martha smiled. "I smell Italian. It's one of my favorites."

"I'll see what's keeping my dad." She disappeared and moments later came out with him in tow.

"Dad, this is Rick and his mother, Martha. This is my dad, Jim."

Talk was basically civil as Jim asked most of the questions since he hadn't had much time to question his daughter about the trip.

"Are you sure you two are certain about all this?" He meant getting married. He was happy for her but it just seemed sudden and not well-thought-out to him.

"Yes, Dad." She swallowed hard. "But there's one thing you need to know." She really didn't know how she was going to tell him this.

"You haven't told him?" Martha asked and saw Kate shake her head. "Oh, dear." Jim was going to think the two of them had lost their minds for sure.

"Told me what?" Jim had heard a lot already. He couldn't believe that her boyfriend had done what he had done. And he was still trying to get past how fast these two had moved.

Rick saw his mother looking at him. He sighed heavily then looked her father straight in the eye. "I'm Santa Claus."

Kate stood up for the man she loved. "It's the truth, Dad. He really is Santa Claus."

"You don't believe in Santa and neither do I," Jim retorted. "You haven't since you were a little girl. He doesn't exist, let alone him being Santa." Jim didn't know what to think. How had his daughter come to this conclusion? Maybe drugs were involved.

Before Kate could ask Rick to show him. It started to snow, INDOORS!

Taken aback, Jim looked around then glanced up at the ceiling. It just seemed to come from nowhere; it only snowed around them and not the entire room. The snow was even cold. But they were indoors. Jim's mouth opened but nothing came out. Then a piece of paper fell from the ceiling and landed on his plate. He picked it up, read it, and his jaw dropped. He recognized it easily. It was one of his letters to Santa when he was just a little boy long before his parents died. "How…?" It was impossible, totally impossible.

"It was the last letter you ever sent to Santa. Like Kate's letter, you didn't get what you asked for. You wanted a puppy but I can't give life or take it. So you didn't get a puppy that Christmas. You stopped believing in Santa after that," Rick explained even though Jim hadn't read it out loud.

"I really wanted that puppy. I gave up on Santa after that." Jim noticed that it had stopped snowing and was melting fast. "Jo didn't want to ruin it for Katie so we let her believe until suddenly she told us she didn't believe any more."

Kate laid her hand on her dad's. "I was wrong, so very wrong. Please believe, Dad, …please." It was so very important to her that he did.

Martha added her voice. "Trust me, it's a shock. It took more than a snow job and a letter to convince me. You should see the North Pole where he spends all his time."

Was he ready to listen? "Well, Daddy?"

"Santa Claus." Jim looked at his last letter again. He hadn't written like this in a really long time.

"I should have brought my bag and changed into my suit." Rick kicked himself over that. "I still can, though." All he had to do was go get it and come right back.

Jim was still staring wide-eyed after Rick had vanished in a small snowfall, only to come back in another small snowfall. Now he was in the spare bedroom changing clothes.

Then out came Santa Claus. He was fat, his cheeks and the tip of his nose were red. He was wearing a tiny pair of reading glasses. His hair was white and hung down to his shoulders. He was even wrinkled from old age. He was the best fake Santa Jim had ever seen.

"Ho, Ho, Ho!" Rick laughed and his whole body seemed to jiggle. Then suddenly he took his hat off and in an instant, all of that disappeared. It was just Rick in a red suit that didn't even begin to fit him. He was way too skinny for it.

Kate looked from Rick to her dad who was just standing there with his mouth hanging open. "Dad?" She watched as Martha stepped up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Santa exists, Jim. Better start getting used to it." Especially if these two went ahead with their plans and got married.

Jim was in his bedroom with Kate and Rick was with Martha in the living room. He paced back and forth. "This needs to work, Mother." Jim was being a little more difficult than his mother had been.

"It's not as easy as you think, Richard. Until you proved it to me, Santa Claus didn't exist. Give Kate a chance. …So, what's next for you two?" Martha wanted to know what her son and Kate were thinking.

"I haven't even been to the North Pole since I got back. Because of rewinding time, for them I've been gone eighteen days not just twelve. …I'm in big trouble. I was hoping that if I took Kate with me so she could see it, that it might save me." Lily was going to kill him, let alone what Fredrick was going to say and do.

"And Jim?" Martha had seen it and got to go when she wanted. All she had to do was call her son to come get her.

"I need to bring Fredrick and Lily here before he sees the North Pole. If they don't approve…" He was never going to say it.

Martha patted his arm. "Give him a chance. Lily may be a little rough around the edges but she loves you dearly. Just not like Kate apparently does." Martha was silently thinking both of them, especially Lily, were going to be thrilled for him.

Then Kate and Jim came out to join them. "I'm told that you need to bring elves here to interrogate me. They need to be ready to plead their case that Santa actually exists when they do," Jim said. Kate saw Rick and Martha smiling widely.

"Let's get started then." Rick got up and went over to Kate. "You okay here, Mother? This may take a few hours." He could take her home.

Martha was willing to stay. "It'll give Jim and me time to talk and get to know each other better."

"Get ready for elves," Rick cautioned. He embraced Kate then much to her surprise, she found herself being snowed on. She didn't really feel anything at first but suddenly she was very cold. She also saw what she saw in her ring that was on her finger.

"This is the only physical way into the North Pole. The reindeer and I use this every year." Rick told her.

She was starting freeze to death but the view was amazing. The North Pole looked huge to her and yes, it was inside a dome. She even saw a space at the very top of the dome. Then it was snowing again.

It was immediately warmer and she realized she was right in the middle of it all. There were buildings, Christmas decorations and lights, and trains everywhere. Not to mention elves all around them. "Mr. C!" They'd been spotted.

Rick had to spend the next several minutes introducing Kate to every elf that came their way.

Kate didn't have much time to look at the buildings since she was surrounded by elves who were bombarding her with questions.

"Where are Fredrick and Lily?" Rick needed those two.

One of the elves replied sadly, "With the reindeer. Cupid's sick."

"WHAT!" Rick suddenly felt like shit. "We have to go." Rick made it snow and the next thing Kate knew she was at the entrance to a large barn. Inside there were a number of large stalls and she could see reindeer antlers sticking out of most of them.

Rick left her and ran to a stall. She broke into a run to try and catch up to him. She didn't. She had no idea where his speed came from but he was really fast.

By the time she reached the stall she saw a number of elves and all of them were crying. She also found Rick sitting with the head of a reindeer in his lap. She saw tears running down his face in rivers. He was sniffling loudly and looked utterly crushed. She hated seeing him like that. The pain he was displaying reminded her of the pain she'd gone through when she lost her mother.

Then she saw him look up at everyone and if it was possible, he looked worse. He was in pain or maybe agony was a better description. "Castle?" She walked slowly to him, got down on the floor to hold him, and mingled her tears with his.

"When?" Rick croaked, barely able to speak.

"About an hour ago. He's been sick and weak for days. Nothing worked," Fredrick sighed.

That it was an hour only hurt more. If he had come home first instead of going to see his mother and then Jim, he would have been here.

"Nothing worked, S…, Mr. C," Fredrick told him again.

It felt like hours to Kate even if it was only about thirty minutes before Rick finally let go and got up. "How are the others?" He prayed it wasn't a contagion.

"They were upset and restless but they're fine now. Cupid was old, Mr. C. It was his time."

"Who is this?" Lily had held her tongue after seeing Kate but Mr. C needed some time. They'd had days to be ready for this.

"Lily, this is Kate, Kate, this is Lily and Fredrick." Rick's attention turned back to his dead reindeer. He should have been here. He had failed him and that was what made it worse.

Lily was looking at Kate with new eyes. Then she saw a ring on her finger and recognized it immediately. She brought her hands to her mouth and felt tears start all over again, as if she hadn't cried enough lately. Mr. C had brought a girl home with him! Her prayers for him had been answered. She couldn't believe it. She had so many questions.

Rick began giving orders. "Make arrangements for a funeral. No work for twenty-four hours after the burial. Then we need to start training his replacement."

"Yes, Mr. C." Fredrick would get started immediately.

Rick shooed Fredrick off then went to each stall one by one to make sure the other reindeer were actually okay and that they got a chance to see him and smell him. He took Kate with him and she found herself being sniffed up one side and down the other. For the first time in her life she got to pet a reindeer.

"Main building?" Lily wanted to learn who Kate was so she took hold of her hand and started walking toward the main building where Mr. C's room was located.

The three of them were eating again though it was a light snack after Lily had grilled Kate with a few hundred questions, or that was how Kate saw it.

"I approve, Mr. C. I'm going go see to getting some renovations started on your space and go get Fredrick. We'll be back in about an hour." They had to grill Jim with questions before he would be allowed there.

Kate sat back after she was gone. "She's certainly a force to be reckoned with!" Kate had never meant anyone like her. She was determined and irresistible. Kate blamed some of that on her looking so sweet and kind and being an elf.

Rick rolled his eyes. "You have no idea. We have an hour so we should put it to good use." He got up and they took what looked like an old steam train that was full of Christmas decorations. From there they walked.

"This is the elevator up to the space that may supply answers for you," he said and both of them looked up. The space was really up there!

Kate saw him input a code, place his hand on a pad, and say something in a language she had never heard before. Then a door opened and inside they went.

The walls of the elevator were clear and she could see all of the North Pole below her. She couldn't help but notice the incredible dome that kept out the incredible cold of the Arctic. The top of it soared above the castle where she was now but still left plenty of space before the ice of the Arctic took over. And the sides curved down, ending with an arched pattern etched into the bottom edge. The castle's topmost tower was kind of like being at the peak of Le Mont-Saint-Michel, the island castle off of Normandy, France, and looking down at everything. Then there were the smaller towers that surrounded the castle. It looked like something out of the Renaissance with the exception of the trains as they traveled around and out into the fields that kept everyone fed. For that was what the North Pole was, a tiny country populated by some of the most special folk in the world. And she was a part of it now.

The room was sort of large yet mostly empty. However, it had a huge diamond-like gem that was bigger than a basketball in the middle of it, resting on a tiny wooden pedestal that had beautiful carvings that were intricate and totally alien to her. All around was glass and she could look down on the North Pole yet again.

"WOW!" The North Pole looked a whole lot better up here than what was in the diamond on her finger. "Now what?" This was his city.

"Now you place your hands on the gem and let your heart open. What you want to know is in your heart somewhere. It will find it and answer your question. As far as I understand it.

"You have to have a good heart and believe in me and Christmas. Have no doubts or you'll get nothing. This is going to take some time so either take bathroom break now or get started. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on you." He kissed her then headed to the elevator.

He should really help Fredrick with the funeral plans for Cupid.

While Rick was away from her, Fredrick and he had gotten a lot planned. They had a couple of reindeer that might work. Only one was Cupid's offspring. Rick had high hopes for him. It was going to take months of training for him to be ready. Who ever it was was going to be called Cupid even if he was Cupid 13.

Rick had given her a little over two hours. On his return he found her curled into herself and she was crying or still crying. He dropped to the floor next to her. "Kate, …love?" When she turned to look at him all he saw was pain and hurt. She looked utterly devastated.

He wrapped his arms around her. All that did was to get her crying even harder as she clutched him tightly. Kate needed someone to hold her. She had called him boyfriend. She had kissed him. God help her but she'd actually had sex with him.

Rick just sat with her and held her until she calmed down. Finally Kate looked up at him, though there was still pain on her face. "…It was Will. Will killed her." She buried her head into his chest and sobbed brokenheartedly.

He felt his heart stop. It wasn't possible. The person she had once called boyfriend had killed her mother? What the hell was going on? Rick didn't and couldn't take a life. But he did know two people who would kill him and wouldn't bat an eye. The biggest question was should he ask it of them?

Kate was showered, dry, and back in her clothes, feeling better finally. It had been more than two hours. Closer to four, really. He had called for Fredrick and Lily so they could go grill Jim. It was the only way he would be allowed to see the North Pole.

It snowed a little for all four of them and they found themselves in the living room of Jim's apartment where Martha was telling stories. "MOTHER! Not that story." She was embarrassing him. It was a good thing he was there to stop her.

"Jim, this is Fredrick and Lily. This is Kate's father, Jim." Rick waved his hand.

"Go somewhere and come back in an hour," Lily commanded.

Jim was wide-eyed as he got his first look at an elf. A real Christmas elf.

"Good luck, Jim." Martha patted his arm and joined her son.

"Your place?" Rick suggested and made it snow. Jim saw them vanish and the snow stopped.

"You better sit down, Jim," Lily warned.

"Are you all right, Katherine?" Martha thought she looked lost and a little vacant. Like she really wasn't there.

"She used the gem and found out who killed her mother. It was her old boyfriend that she initially went to the train with," Rick explained grimly.

"Oh Katherine, honey." Martha wrapped her arms around her, guided her to the sofa, and sat down with her. "Some wine, Richard." Martha waved her hand at him and didn't look to see if he was doing as told. Her attention was on Kate and she wasn't leaving her alone any time soon.

Kate had to admit that having Martha hold her and console her did make her feel better. It felt familiar somehow.

Rick had given them just over an hour and the three of them were back in Jim's apartment.

"Dad!?" Kate rushed over to him since he was sitting on the sofa and looked like he was staring out into nothing.

"He'll be fine. He needs to think for a while. We have to come back and ask a few more questions," Lily assured them. Martha knew just what Jim was going through so she sat down on the other side of Jim.

"You four can go. I'll look after him." She knew just what to do for him. "It's okay, my dear, he'll be fine. He just has a lot to process before they come back for more."

Rick was satisfied. He got Kate to join them, he made it snow and they found themselves in his room.

Fredrick excused himself while Lily stayed for a minute. Kate found herself being hugged tightly. "I'm so happy that you're here." It meant Mr. C wasn't going to be alone any longer and that made her more than happy.

"Those two…" Kate didn't have words for them.

"I couldn't handle this place without them." He was sure of that. Then he found Kate wrapping herself around him. Then he heard her sniffle. She was crying again.

Kate had been doing her best to keep herself together but she was falling apart and couldn't stop it. "Castle… Make me forget. Help me forget." She had kissed him, she had had sex with him and he had killed her mother. "Make love to me." She needed to forget.

January 7th

Kate was showered and dry. She didn't see where his bathroom was all that great. His shower was barely bigger than the one on the train. However, stepping out into the bedroom naked was another story. His room was amazing!

It looked like the inside of a log cabin. It had wood floors with throw rugs to keep your feet warm. One wall had a fireplace made from stone that seemed to be always burning. There was an impressively large Christmas tree in the corner that just touched the cathedral ceiling. Or the star at the top did. There was a Christmas village under it complete with people, trees, and tiny Christmas packages. It even had an equally tiny Christmas train running through it that never stopped.

Not to be outdone was the Christmas train that was larger that was running around the room at ceiling height. It disappeared into tunnels and came out the other end. There was even a Christmas village for it, too. The train had smoke coming out the stack as well.

The bed she had made love to Castle in and slept the night in was a real Santa Sleigh. It was red with dark wood runners. The comforter was red, black, and gold, while the sheets were a bright red. The entire thing was so soft and comfortable. After making love to Castle she had slept the night through in total comfort. She was certain that Castle himself had something to do with that.

She loved the room and was certain she could get use to this. She had just finished getting dressed after fishing clothes out of her suitcases when Castle entered the room. She hadn't known where he'd gone but it probably had something to do with where they were.

"Here, I got you something." Rick held out a present for her. It was small and the elves had made it as fast as they could since it was for Kate.

"You didn't have to do that." He had already given her more than she was worth. She felt bad that she hadn't gotten him anything.

"Yes, I did. …Open it, love," he smiled. Kate ripped the paper off and opened the little box. Inside she found a tiny Christmas tree that turned out to be a pin.

"It's gorgeous." She could see lights and decorations in it.

Rick took it out and pinned it to her shirt. "This is your phone to me. Just call to me and tell me what you want. I'll show up instantly." He felt safer having her use it rather than needing access to her phone.

"Thanks, babe." Kate raised up a touch since she had her boots with heels on and kissed him.

"Ready for your first day back?" He was ready to take her to work.

Kate suddenly found that she wasn't sure. Still it was her job, she was good at it and people needed her. "Let's go." She felt him wrap his arms around her and it began to snow again.

She found herself in the elevator with him. He kissed her. "Call me when you want me."

"Maybe for lunch?" Kate suggested, knowing that she was going to miss having him around.

"I'll be here." It started to snow and he was gone. Then the elevator went Ding!

Kate stepped out and walked to her desk. When she saw it, it felt different to her and she stopped to study it. Coming to work to catch killers had always been hard work. It was just that now her desk didn't feel so dark to her. The bullpen and even the building felt lighter and more happy to her. She was sure a certain someone named Richard Castle, aka Santa Claus had something to do with that. She also raised her hand to look at it again. It felt different to have a ring on that finger. It also had her smiling widely. She was soon going to be married to a man she couldn't possibly ever love more.

Kate sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. While it booted up she looked around. Kevin and Javi weren't in yet, however, the captain was. There was even a Christmas tree in an obscure corner that needed a bit of help. Okay, a lot of help. It was pitiful-looking. Maybe once she was Mrs. Claus she would be able to fix that.

She had never been this happy in her life. She was sure Castle was partially to blame but there was something else. She truly believed. Her happiness was because she believed in…

**CHRISTMAS!**