I never thought this day would come, but it has, and I'm all caught up. It's weird not having a bajillion chapters to be working on. Obviously updates will be slower now, but I'm aiming to have a new chapter posted within 2-3 days after each new episode. In the meantime, thank you to you all for sticking with me!

Secret Santa

"Castle."

"Hmmm?" he hummed sleepily, curling further into the covers and into his bed partner, twining his limbs more tightly with hers.

He felt the soft touch of her finger as she traced a path down his cheek, over the line of his jaw, followed it with her lips.

"Kate," he murmured, voice husky with sleep. His eyes slid open slowly, blinking as they adjusted and came to focus on his fiancée, propped up on one elbow above him, outlined by the pale morning light.

"Come on," she encouraged softly, eyes gentle and loving. "We should get up."

She started to roll away, poised to get a head start on the Christmas festivities and the copious amounts of cooking that still needed to be done, but her imminent departure rapidly drew Castle out of his sleep-addled haze and into awareness.

"Wait," he blurted, reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist, not even close to being ready to let her go yet. Not on Christmas morning.

"Castle..."

"I want to give you something first," he explained hastily.

Kate rolled over in his arms, lifted her eyes to his. "I thought we weren't doing presents until after breakfast this year."

"Well it's not exactly a present," he clarified. "Just..."

"Castle, you're not giving me an orgasm right before breakfast with your family," she stated firmly.

"That wasn't the plan, but it's nice to see where your mind went," he teased.

Kate rolled her eyes.

"I'm not saying no to your ide..." He was cut off by her finger over his lips, fell into silence.

"What did you want to give me, Castle?" she asked gently.

He rolled away from her momentarily, returned holding their journal in one hand. He expertly flipped to the correct page and handed it to her. She took the book from him and her eyes automatically sought out the date on the top of the page. December twenty-sixth, two thousand and twelve. The day after their first Christmas together.

Kate lifted her eyes to his, smiled broadly. He was giving her his thoughts and feelings from their very first Christmas. Back when the holidays had conjured up a swirling maelstrom of confusion for her as she'd struggled to open herself to the Castle family traditions while simultaneously wanting to cling to her own.

It was so different now; they'd come so far. And she found she was curious to see what he'd written.

He returned her smile before reaching out to pull her close, resting his temple against hers as they began to read.

Dear Kate,

I don't think I can possibly thank you enough for coming over on Christmas Eve, for spending not only that night but also yesterday morning with us. I know it was probably overwhelming for you to walk in on another family's traditions and festivities, but it means more than you'll ever know that you were willing to take the leap. Whether you're ready to accept it or not, you're family now.

I know, I know, I'm getting ahead of myself here. It's only been a few months, and I know we still have some things to iron out. But with each passing day it's getting harder and harder for me to hold back. There are things I'm dying to say to you, Kate, three little words in particular, and I know I've said them before but that was months ago and under very different circumstances and I just want to hold you in my arms and look you in the eyes and tell you how much I love you and how much it means to me to have celebrated Christmas with you. How much it means that you were willing to set aside your long-standing tradition so we could begin to make our own.

I hope that together we can find a balance of mine, yours, and new traditions for the future.

I'm glad you came over and ate dinner with us and smiled and laughed with us and shared your struggles with me as we laid in bed, wrapped up together in my sheets. I'm glad you allowed yourself to be open to the magic of the season. I know that was torn away from you so many years ago, but I'd like to think that being with my family maybe was able to help you believe again, even if it was only just a little bit.

I can only hope that this is the first of a lifetime of Christmases we spend together, because that would be the greatest gift I could ever ask for.

I love you, Kate. So much.

Rick

"Thanks, Castle," Kate whispered, tilting her chin to capture his lips in a passionate kiss.

"You're welcome," he replied against her lips, voice low and husky, and maybe that orgasm before breakfast wouldn't be such a bad idea. If he didn't stop brushing his mouth over hers, soft and gentle, she wouldn't have a choice in the matter because she wouldn't be able to stop herself.

But then he was pulling away, placing the journal back on the nightstand and rolling out of bed. Kate forced herself into a seated position, eyes following his naked form as he crossed to the bathroom.

He paused in the doorway, turned to glance over his shoulder. The sheet had fallen down around her waist, and his eyes immediately found the bare skin of her chest, caressed the soft curves heatedly, luring her to him.

Well, in that case...

Kate climbed out of bed, crossed to him, and only once she neared did he finally force his eyes to slide back up to her face.

"See something you like?" she teased.

"I see my gorgeous fiancée, completely naked and about to climb in the shower with me," he answered sultrily, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh really?"

"Mmhmm," he replied, arms wrapping around her bare waist, pulling her flush against him and pressing a scorching kiss to her lips.

"And what if I wasn't planning to shower this morning?"

"What if I told you I had plans for a multi-tasking shower?" he shot back, not missing a beat.

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Castle stepped backwards into the bathroom, tugging her with him. He kicked the door shut, reached behind him with one arm to turn on the tap. His other arm was still secured around her, holding her to him as he moved about the room.

"Indeed," he replied, straightening up and replacing his other arm, allowing his fingers to wander over her bare skin.

"Well in that case," Kate teased suggestively, wriggling out of his arms and stepping into the steam-filled shower stall, "I'd be more than happy to join you."

Castle hurried in after her, sliding the door shut and trapping the warm humidity in, steam swirling around their bodies, though the majority of the heat wasn't a product of the shower.

He dipped his head to join their lips together, wasting no time in backing her into the wall, his intentions blatantly clear.

Kate sighed contentedly, relaxed into the warmth of the water and the steam and his body. She supposed there were worse ways to begin Christmas morning.

Castle seemed to share her train of thought, pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her neck, lingered there as he spoke against her skin.

"Best Christmas ever."

Thoughts?