Authors Note: Thank you so much to those who have reviewed, story alerted, and favorited. You all have literally made me extremely happy, and I'm glad you're enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. Chapters should continue daily, so long as my schedule doesn't get to crazy. Thanks again! It means a lot to me knowing people like the story.

Disclaimer: I own nothing (sadly)

"What the…" she questioned, shaking her head. Kate pulled her phone out and called Rick, tapping her foot as she wandered around the loft.

"Yes dear?" he asked into the phone.

"Castle, what is this?"

"It's your Christmas present!" Rick was yelling into the phone because of the loud background noise.

"Richard, where are you?" she asked.

"Come find me Katherine." And the line went dead.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed. "Fine if he wants to play that way" Kate mumbled to herself, pulling her boots back on. She grabbed her coat, gloves, and hat, and rushed out the door. While in the elevator, she stared at the note he'd written her.

"This first clue takes you to the place where it all started."

"Where was the first place I saw Rick" she thought, tapping her foot. Seconds later, she knew.

The rooftop party

Kate stepped out of his building and into the snow covered streets. The rooftop where she'd first met him those 4 years ago was a 10 minute walk from the loft, and with the 1ft of accumulated snow, there was no way she was driving anyway. She could see Rick's footprints in the snow, but they had faded away as the snow grew thicker.

On her walk to the rooftop, she contemplated what he had planned for her. This was her Christmas present from him, which caused butterflies in her stomach. She'd only gotten him a new jacket, not knowing they would be in a sort-of relationship by the time she'd been in his apartment for an hour. Kate got to the rooftop, flashed her badge at the doorman, and took the elevator up to the penthouse where the party she'd met him at was.

The rooftop was decorated in gorgeous Christmas lights, and there was a decorated tree in the middle of the roof. Kate walked up to the tree, and her phone rang.

"Beckett" she answered, without looking at the phone.

"Figure it out yet?" Rick asked.

"Castle, this is gorgeous. But where are you?"

"I'm not giving up my secrets. So you like the roof?"

"It's wonderful" she said. Kate saw a box under the tree and knelt down, holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she began opening the box. She gasped at the present inside, and Rick chuckled at her from the other line.

"Have fun Detective" he said, hanging up the phone.

Inside the box was a copy of every "Derek Storm" novel he'd ever written. Each copy was signed, and they all contained a special message that described how much he loved her. He knew that his novels had affected her life, and he wanted her to have meaningful copies. Tears escaped her eyes as she read what he'd written in the books.

Kate,

Words cannot describe how perfect you are. You're gorgeous. You're extraordinary. You make all the songs make sense. You are the perfect partner in crime. A writer is nothing without his muse, and I am forever nothing without you.

Rick

It was sappy, yes, but she loved it. Kate brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled, putting the top back on the box. She heard a door open and turned, staring at a man whom she recognized from Rick's building.

"Ms. Beckett, Mr. Castle required that I take that package from you, return it to his loft, and give you this" the young boy said, holding a note up in his hand.

"Thank you very much dear" she said, handing him the box.

"My pleasure Ms." The boy gave her the note, took the box, and escaped quickly back through the door and out of the cold.

"Oh boy, what did he plan now" she mumbled to herself, opening the note.

Katherine,

Nikki Heat. Part you, part me. Your second clue takes you back to the place where you discovered the name of your wonderful alter ego that initially brought us together.

Richard Castle