Morning.

Kate could feel the fresh rays of sun peeking through the wood slatted blinds that covered their window. Her alarm was set to go off any minute; her internal clock worked better than any digital version. However, just because she was awake, didn't mean she wanted to get up and out of bed. She craved the warm embrace of her husband's arms wrapped around her body, heating her skin with his touch.

A smile crept across her lips as she turned toward his side of the bed, seeking out, but she was met with cold sheets instead of heated flesh. Kate begrudgingly opened her eyes and propped her head against her hand as her groggy vision confirmed Castle was nowhere to be found. Turning to reach for her phone, she found a single white lily lying on her bedside table with a pink piece of folded paper propped against it. She picked the note up and toyed with it between her fingers before slowly unfolding.

This flower pales in comparison to your beauty...
Sorry I couldn't be here when you awoke. Hope the surprise in the kitchen makes up for it.

Kate pulled her bottom lip through her teeth and shook her head. Always the romantic, she thought with a smile. Slowly rolling over, she eased from the bed in search of what Castle had left for her. The smell of coffee brewing immediately washed over her senses, widening her upturned lips.

Nearing the coffee maker, she noticed another pink note rested against a filled travel mug.

Half-caf vanilla latte. As if I could leave you uncaffeinated on Valentine's Day. Breakfast is warming in the oven as well as a fruit plate cooling in the fridge.
xoxo

She reached for the cup and took a slow sip, her eyes fluttering shut from the taste. Castle had already gone through so much trouble for her today and the day had just begun.

Kate hadn't seen Castle all morning and was a bit disappointed to not see him at the precinct when she arrived for the day. Whatever errands had pulled him away must have been important, because she knew how much he loved celebrating each little Hallmark holiday with her.

And Valentine's Day was at the top of that list.

Her eyes scanned over to the interrogation room door as Esposito and Ryan emerged, with a uniform leading a man in handcuffs toward booking. Looked like her hunch last night was right.

"Craig confessed?" she asked, as her two detectives walked over to meet her.

"Yep. You were right about him," Ryan said with a quick nod, as the three of them moved together toward their desks.

Esposito propped against his own desk and handed her the file with Craig's statement. "Looks like he was obsessed with Tara, the woman Jake was having the affair with. Craig had pined over her for years and she never returned the affection. Yet when he found out that Jake was sleeping with her, seems like he cracked."

Kate hummed in agreement, flipping through the paperwork. "Jealousy will do that."

"It's kind of crazy that one woman could change the course of two men's lives," Ryan said as he glanced at the whiteboard, before moving to erase the timeline.

"Well, those men were equally responsible for their own poor decisions," Kate pointed out, handing the file back to Esposito.

Ryan paused to look back at her. "True, and she lost her job over the whole ordeal. When the bosses found out the details, she was fired over the company's no fraternization clause in their employment contracts."

"And now the victim's wife is left to pick up the pieces," Esposito grumbled, tossing the case file onto his desk.

"She seemed like a strong woman."

"She did. I have faith that she'll be okay. She's a mom," she murmured, rubbing her hand along her stomach. "She'll do what it takes to make sure her children are okay."

"I was raised by strong women. I can definitely account for that."

Kate offered Esposito a smile as she looked down at her father's watch.

"Wrap up the paperwork, boys, and you might just have an early night for Valentine's Day."

She patted Ryan and Esposito's backs on her way into her office. Closing a case was always bittersweet. Nothing would bring back the dead or make it necessarily easier for the lives left behind, but at least there was justice and if it offered the slightest bit of closure to the family left behind, it made it all worth it.

Shrugging off her coat and tossing it on her couch, she sighed when she noticed the stack of files on her desk that needed her attention. Her plans for tonight were motivation enough to work quickly through the paperwork. She needed to leave early to set up her surprise for Castle.

Stepping off of the elevator, Castle puffed out his chest from excitement. He had managed to track down the perfect gift for Kate without missing the holiday entirely. Though he would have enjoyed spending the day at the precinct with her, the look on her face when she opened the gift would be worth it. With a quick adjustment to the package in his hand along with the bouquet of flowers, he fished his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

The sight he was greeted with was unexpected to say the least.

Castle's beautiful pregnant wife was half on the couch, half on the floor, trying to fasten one of the laser tag vests. Trying was the key word since it seemed difficult over her growing belly. She was adorable and stubborn, but the fight with the vest was a losing battle.

Kate startled at the sound of the front door closing, her face falling in defeat as she tucked her chin against her chest. "I wanted to surprise you with laser tag for Valentine's Day, show you that I could still be fun," she sighed. He offered her a small smile.

His heart broke at the words and he quickly set down the flowers and package to assist her onto the couch. Damn, he loved this woman even with her third trimester grouchiness.

"I know you're still fun, Kate," he said, easing the vest off of her chest. He helped her up to sit on the couch and he sank down beside her, brushing a kiss to her forehead.

"But I've been unbearable lately." Her chin dipped to her chest again, staring down at her hands. "Don't deny it, because even I've realized it's true."

Castle shook his head, refusing to let her continue down the path of self-deprecation. He guided her face up in his palm, seeking her gaze.

"You weren't last night," he countered, placing his other hand on her thigh, his thumb circling her patella. Kate rolled her eyes and scoffed at his defense. Two little mannerisms that warmed his heart as it reminded him of the early days in their partnership.

"Castle. It was only because I was trying really hard to not get annoyed," she grumbled. "I know I'm snapping more and more. I'm really trying not to because you don't deserve it - you're an amazing man, Rick..." He refused to let her continue and silenced her with a slow, gentle kiss, pulling her closer toward his chest.

"You're pretty amazing yourself, you know that?" Castle whispered, his lips not moving far from her skin. "You're carrying our child after recovering from another shooting. Somehow you love me and I get to call you my wife on top of everything, so I'll take a little grumpiness here and there."

Kate leaned back, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears as a grin stretched across her face.

"I love you," she murmured, trailing her fingertips against the stubble on his jawline.

"I love you, too and I love the thought behind your surprise, but why don't we wait until you're a bit more mobile again?" He chuckled and she nodded with a laugh. The sound of her joy fluttered in his chest.

Castle placed his hand along her cheek, leaning forward to dust another kiss against her lips. He tried to pull away to keep it chaste, but Kate deepened it.

"I like that idea," she hummed after they separated, resting her forehead along his cheek, not appearing to want to venture far before the position proved uncomfortable and she leaned back against the couch cushion. "So, where have you been all day? Thank you for the coffee and breakfast this morning. I would've preferred to have you instead."

Kate had meant the words to sound light, but as soon as they left her mouth, guilt etched in Castle's eyes and his expression turned apologetic.

"I know. I'm sorry. I would've loved to spend the day with you, but I had to meet with someone early so I could get you this," he said, reaching for her hand and lacing her fingers with his for a moment.

She quirked her eyebrow toward him as he released her hand and jumped up to grab the bouquet and gift from the counter in the kitchen.

He offered her the bouquet as he sank back onto the couch next to her. "The flowers are beautiful." She leaned forward to breathe in the scent of the lilies before setting them down to accept the other item in Castle's hands. "Thank you, but what's this?" she asked, eyeing the red and black wrapped box.

"It's not flashy and probably not the typical Castle Valentine's Day gift that you'd expect, but I was talking with your dad yesterday," he rambled. He was cute when he was nervous, but there was no reason to be, not over a Valentine's Day gift.

"You talked to my dad?" She arched her eyebrow at his guilty expression; apparently that bit of information was supposed to stay a secret.

"I did. He talked some sense into me." He chuckled, uncertainty still present in his tone as she started to unravel the ribbon adorning the box. "Your father reminded me that you've never been the type who wanted people taking care of you. I've known you long enough to know that, but I've been a little overzealous lately with wanting to be your knight in shining armor. Taking care of every last thing for you."

Kate reached forward and squeezed his hand, calming him with her touch. "I'm not a princess and I don't need a knight, just my partner."

"I know that, and talking with him reminded me of the story you told me about when you were little…"

Pulling the ribbon the rest of the way off, she continued and tore the paper from the box. The box itself was nondescript, but when she opened the simple cardboard she revealed a beautiful leather bound copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

"It's a collectible edition, not first edition, but I thought the illustrations were unique and I thought you'd appreciate the detail," he explained, carefully flipping the cover open to support his claim. "It's not the most romantic thing, but I figured I have a lifetime to romance you. I wanted to show that I believe in you and wanted to apologize for losing sight of the fact that you're not a damsel in distress. You're just like Alice and can take care of yourself."

Her heart fluttered from the sentiment. He actually remembered.

She had mentioned the book in a conversation they'd had years before. Back when their relationship was still so fresh and each bit of information shared with one another was new and exciting. She had told him about the nights when she was just learning to read and her mother would pull out an old tattered version of this book. They would stay up reading the stories for hours. As a child, she related to Alice and wanted adventures of her own one day. The fact that he would go through all of this trouble... it was the most thoughtful gift he could've given her today.

"It's perfect," she whispered, wrapping her arm around his neck and carding her fingers through the hair at the base of his skull. "Absolutely perfect." With little effort, Kate lowered his face to hers, relishing in the taste of his kiss.

Castle broke the kiss, surprise painted in his expression. "Really? Because if you'd rather jewelry or-" She silenced him with the brush of her fingertips against his lips.

"Really. We can read this to our little girl one day. Hopefully she'll love it as much as I did as a child."

"I'm sure she will, because she'll be just like her mother." He grinned, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "You sure you didn't want jewelry?"

She groaned and shook her head. "Castle, this holiday is so commercialized. But this?" She motioned to the book, lightly tracing the title engraved on the cover. "It's so much more. My favorite author, who just happens to be my wonderful husband, gave me a collectible version of my favorite childhood book. That in itself sounds like it belongs in a fairytale."

"Call me your favorite author again," he teased.

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a playful shove against his chest. "Now you're pushing your luck, Babe..."

Episode beta work by griever11, honeyandvodka, and the Castle Season 9 beta team.

Castle Season 9 is produced by Team Planet and the writing team of Castle Season 9. Executive Producer is acertainzest.

For a full list of season 9 authors, please look at our ffnet profile.

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