Day Three
Kate heard her alarm clock ring surprisingly early on that December three morning. For a while, she imagined what was happening. She looked at her side. No Rick. She was still in his loft, of course, but he was nowhere to be seen. She stopped the alarm and slowly got off the bed. Her slippers were cold, her robe was cold, everything was cold. The cold weather made her cranky, and she wished with all of her heart that Rick hadn't planned anything outdoorsy. She walked inside the kitchen, and startled when she saw him standing there, finishing a plate of pancakes.
"Morning, Kate." He said, his mouth full of strawberries "Did you sleep well?" He asked, swallowing the last piece of strawberry.
"Very well, thanks." She said, taking a seat where her own plate of pancakes lied. She looked at the plate, and the word 'Always' was written over a couple of pancakes, in chocolate syrup. A few strawberries formed a heart around the pancakes. A smile appeared on her face as she examined every bit of the plate, picking up her fork and popping a strawberry into her mouth "It's gorgeous, Rick." She said, touching his hand "Thank you."
"You're welcome, love." He said. She didn't say anything, but she loved when he called her that. It was much better than any other pet name, and Katie was for her dad only. She didn't have a nickname for him, as Castle was the only name that sounded appropriate. Except… well, she called him Rick in bed. Often.
"I like today's gift. It's short and sweet." She said, cutting up a piece of pancake and taking it to her mouth.
"Oh, that's not today's entire gift." He said, getting up from the counter and placing his plate and utensils on the sink. "Now wrap it up, we have one more before you head down to the precinct."
"I should've known you wouldn't be so subtle." She said, getting up from the counter and also taking her plate to the sink. "Gimme."
"Okay, I need you to sit over there." He said, gesturing towards the couch. "And wait." He said, walking towards the office. Once inside, he picked up his MacBook and a small notebook, whose cover read 'Always. K&R.', which he got personalized. He walked back to the living room, setting the MacBook on the coffee table and giving her the notebook.
"Rick, this is beautiful." She said, opening the notebook before he could stop her.
"No!" he yelled, yanking the notebook off her hands. "Sorry. You just need the actual gift first."
"Okay." She said, looking at him oddly. "What is it?"
"Well, it's a playlist." He said, sitting next to her and pulling the MacBook to his lap.
"Based on our relationship?" She asked, smiling at him.
"Sort of." He answered "Today is 'Always' day. Our key word, my favorite word, and the theme for today."
"Oh, I get it now." She said.
"Can I start?" He asked.
"Go for it."
He pressed play on his iTunes screen, and a Bon Jovi song started.
This Romeo is bleeding
But you can't see his blood
It's nothing but some feelings
That this old dog kicked up
She heard, and she knew she had heard that song before, but couldn't quite identify which song was that.
It's been raining since you left me
Now I'm drowning in the flood
You see I've always been a fighter
But without you I give up
Bon Jovi, she recognized, but still no song name. Rick was bobbing his head to the sides, following the rhythm of the song.
I can't sing a love song
Like the way it's meant to be
Well I guess I'm not that good anymore
But babe that's just me
And I will love you, baby, always
And I'll be there, forever and a day, always
I'll be there till the stars don't shine
Till the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme
I know when I die, you'll be on my mind
And I love you, always
Ahh, she remembered it now. 'Always'. It did make sense, and she felt rather stupid.
"Next one." Rick said, pressing next on the player.
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
This one she knew fairly well. It was her mother's favorite song, and hearing it still brought a tear to her eye. It was Elvis' "Always on My Mind".
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
"Always." He mouthed to her, before pressing next one more time.
Always and forever
Each moment with you
Is just like a dream to me
That somehow came true, yeah
A man sang, but Kate was sure she'd never heard him before.
And I know tomorrow
Will still be the same
'Cause we got a life of love
That won't ever change and
Everyday love me your own special way
"I'm sorry, I don't recognize it." She said, giving him an apologetic smile.
"I didn't expect you to." He said, squeezing her hand. "It's Luther Vandross' "Always and Forever". Alexis' favorite."
"It's a great song."
"It is." He said "Okay, here goes the last one."
You are always in my heart
Even though you're far away
I can hear the music of
The song of love
I sang with you
You are always in my heart
And when skies above are grey
I remember that you care
And then and there
The sun breaks through
It took Kate a second to recognize the song, before realizing it was "You are always in my heart", but in a different version that the one she knew.
Just before I go to sleep
there's a rendezvous I keep
And a dream I always meet
Helps me forget were far apart
I don't know exactly when, dear,
But I'm sure we'll meet again, dear,
And my darling, till we do
You are always in my heart!
Before the song ended, she kissed him passionately, running her hands through his hair. "Thank you, Castle. And Always, means everything to me."
"I know." He whispered "Me too."
…
Kate had been staring at the white board for almost an hour. Suddenly, she noticed a small word written in the the corner of the board. She couldn't really tell what was written from far, so she got up from her desk to try to read it more closely.
"Always." It read, in tiny black letters. "Castle", she thought, just as her phone beeped.
"John Lennon's Memorial, Central Park. 3:25 pm." It read. It was almost three fifteen, so she grabbed her coat and went out the door.
…
3:37 pm, Central Park
Kate had just arrived, and couldn't see Rick anywhere. Not five minutes later, he arrived, wearing a shirt that read "Always" and carrying two coffee cups.
"Hello, dear." He said, handing her one of the coffee cups and planting a soft kiss on her lips. The coffee cups also read "Always", and the word started to seem a bit redundant.
"You are SO cheesy." She said, grabbing his hand. "Where to, now?"
"Oh, darling. Why go anywhere? We'll just sit here." He said, sitting down, cross legged, next to the peace symbol with "Imagine" written in the middle. "Sit with me?"
"Always." She said, sitting next to him.