Miracle at the 12th Precinct
Chapter 33
Title: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Disclaimer: Rick and Kate may belong to ABC, but I love them more.
A/N: We're almost to the end. One more chapter left after this one. Thank you so much 41319always41319 for the beta! And thanks so much for those who are reading!
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Despite the mysterious, unexplained disappearances of Henry Jenkins, aka Kris Kringle, Tommy Frost, and Holly Winter, the Feds and DA worked around the clock compiling evidence, and had built a solid case against the Mangosa family and their known associates. Those already in custody were not expected to see the light of day for many years to come.
And while the unknown origin of their vanishing witnesses irked both Jordan and Beckett beyond belief, the powers that be, including Jordan's boss, Captain Gates, and the Mayor highly suggested they drop the matter and focus on the aspects of the case they could successfully prosecute, especially after what became known as, Santa-gate.
The day after Kris vanished, a fluff piece was published in the Times claiming New York City's 12th Precinct had arrested Kris Kringle and were secretly holding him in custody. The article included a photograph of Henry Jenkins. What would become of Christmas, the headline asked. Once the rest of the press caught wind of the story, all hell broke loose. With Christmas right around the corner, and foremost on everyone's minds, reporters everywhere swept in like vultures, seizing the opportunity for publicity and they refused to let it go. What followed was an immediate, overwhelming media circus, internet frenzy, and letter writing campaign aimed directly at the 12th Precinct and the New York City Mayor's office. Hundreds of letters poured in, mostly from concerned children and their angry parents demanding answers to the same questions: Is Santa alright? Where is he now? Are the FBI and police involved in a cover-up, hiding Santa somewhere against his will? Who is Henry Jenkins? Is he the one and only Santa Claus? And did his disappearance have anything to do with the recent arrests of two key members of a major crime family? But the number one question on everyone's minds was – with Santa gone, did it mean Christmas would be cancelled this year?
The Mayor's office issued a brief, light-hearted statement attempting to put the general population at ease, but unfortunately it backfired, shedding even more light on the matter. A press conference followed shortly thereafter denying the allegations. Over the course of the next week, the story was thankfully spun by the mayor's own public relations team, reducing the reports to pure rumor and sensationalism. The rumors were reduced to nothing more than a way for businesses to stimulate the economy during the busiest shopping time of the year during an otherwise slow news week. Eventually the hubbub over the strange disappearance of Henry Jenkins and the fate of Santa Claus faded away.
Internally was a different story. As a result of a potential leak at the precinct, reminders of NYPD policies and procedures were issued with strict orders for all personnel to decline speculation to the public on any ongoing cases. And at the bequest of the Mayor, who was displeased, to say the very least, Gates was tasked with the tedious job of having her people haul what had now become thousands of letters received at his office over to the precinct for review. Each letter was to be read – just in case there was something within them pertaining to the case. Boxes upon boxes of letters filled up an entire conference room at the 12th.
As for our dynamic duo, Castle hadn't been kidding about them moving in together the following weekend. After giving him the green light, Kate's head practically spun on her shoulders at how quickly her things were moved into either the loft or storage. When Castle made up his mind to do something, he didn't fool around.
Between Kate and Rick's new living arrangements, and a string of additional arrests from evidence unearthed by their investigation into the Mangosas, the next few weeks passed by at warp speed.
On the home front, Kate and Rick discovered cohabitating was fun.
Friends and family all agreed moving in together was the best damn idea either of them had had in a long time. Martha and Alexis welcomed Kate into the family with open arms. Ryan gloated over winning a fairly large sum of money off Espo in their personal pool, and according to a teasing Lanie, Kate and Rick had entered into the 'honeymoon phase' of their relationship and were just, 'too cute'.
Even Kate's father was on board, taking the news of their recent cohabitation with ease. Jim assured his daughter he was happy for them, confessed how much he'd always liked Rick. No one was more shocked than Kate when Jim accepted Rick's invitation to join them for Christmas dinner at the loft instead of holding up at his cabin like he'd done every year since Kate's mom had passed. Jim admitted to Kate that celebrating without her mother, would of course, be hard, but explained that the time felt right for father and daughter to once again spend the holidays together the way her mother would have wanted.
With the support of an attentive Rick and a few sessions with Dr. Burke, Kate laid most of her fears to rest and settled in as newest, albeit unofficial member of the Castle clan.
At work, she appeared visibly relaxed, happier, smiled easier. And despite the perma-grin Castle walked around wearing most days, as far as everyone knew, Captain Gates was still in the dark as to the change of their relationship status. It appeared their secret was safe for the time being.
Sticking to the promise she'd made to Rick, Kate even managed to get both Christmas and the following day off from work, but in exchange had to agree to cover the late shift Christmas Eve due to the late notice. At first she worried missing out on Christmas Eve would throw a wrench into Rick's long-standing family tradition of a big family dinner that night, but he completely understood. In fact, changing things up, having the meal on Christmas day, didn't seem to faze him in the least; he almost seemed relieved, explaining he'd have plenty to keep himself occupied with, including last minute shopping and prepping for the 'Big Day'. He assured her not to give it another thought.
Their romance was progressing nicely despite their occasional dinner or pillow talk over the events that did or did not transpire during the case. On the job, Beckett had learned to put the unexplained disappearances of Kris, Tommy, and Holly behind her, but not discussing it off-duty, while living under the same roof as Richard Castle was another challenge entirely. Therefore, at home, Kate had a harder time letting go.
They'd only just climbed into their bed when Kate made the mistake of bringing up the case. "Can you believe five more men in Santa costumes showed up at the precinct today claiming to be -" She cut herself off the moment she realized she'd done it, and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping he hadn't been listening.
"What a bunch of wannabees." Rick scoffed. "Kris is most definitely back home by now, at the North Pole, hopefully resting comfortably. I wonder how they're all doing?" Castle maintained that Kris, Tommy, and Holly had returned to the North Pole where they belonged, just as they'd said they would.
"Or…" Kate replied. "The three of them are on a beach in Tahiti sipping mojitos."
"No." Rick said, "Don't be ridiculous - Kris said they were really behind schedule."
"Seriously, Castle?" Kate questioned, shaking her head.
"Why, after all you've learned, can't you believe that maybe, just maybe, Kris and Tommy were the real deal?" He asked, deciding Stubborn was Kate's actual middle name.
"Rick, the only thing I'm certain of is that Henry Jenkins, 'Kris', or whatever his real name is, was hired by Macy's to play a character named Santa Claus for their Christmastime exhibit. And while true, he was a lovely, kind-hearted, very sweet man with long white whiskers who looked the part, loved children, spoke numerous languages, and charmed everyone he encountered, that's not enough proof of the existence of Santa. Not to mention Tommy, his very perky, naughty, little side-kick with gambling and mommy issues who was paid to wear a very creepy elf costume and work alongside him. The way I see it they were two, important potential witnesses in a murder investigation who are now conveniently in the wind. And Jordan and I seem to be the only ones who care. I still cannot believe Gates has forbidden us to search for them further."
"You know where they are. Oooo…road trip to the North Pole! I call shotgun." He shouted, half joking. The love of his life stared at him, unamused so he took it down a notch. "Kate, everyone agreed you don't need them to testify in court. So what does it matter that they left? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. They went home, exactly like they told you they would. And you've learned more from their visit than you realize. You're just not ready to admit it. You were able to solve the mystery of how Carlos Mangosa died…at the hands of a crazy lady on a sled – a flying sled, I might add."
"For starters, Castle, I'd like to remind you there's no such thing as a flying sled."
"How do you not see it? Three people confirmed how Carlos Mangosa's murder went down; Vinny Costa, Tommy Frost, and Salvatore Ianuzzi. Granted Salvatore's testimony was hearsay and he's completely off his rocker. I'll give you that last one. Oh, that reminds me…I need to watch their recorded confessions. The boys said they're hilarious. They'll be running them at the Precinct Christmas party."
She sighed heavily. "Castle, two of those confessions are from soon to be convicted felons." Kate reminded him. "And Tommy – he's on the lamb again. As far as I'm concerned, they're all a bunch of raving lunatics." There had to be some ounce of truth for their stories to be so similar.
She refused to budge but Castle was relentless. "What about when we were held at gunpoint, right here at the loft, but took out the bad guy with the help of Kris and his army of elves? After you burst in, you saw something move in the tree. Admit it. I know you saw him. That was Jangle, Kris' main guy, his head of security. Admit you saw him!"
"I don't know what I saw, Castle. I honestly don't." It was red. Whatever it was, it was red. It was there, and then it wasn't.
"So, you're saying you still don't believe me? Even after all these years working together. You don't see even the possibility of any truth in my story? You're not even wondering a little?"
"Please don't be hurt, Castle. What I'm saying is, our interpretations are allowed to differ. All I remember seeing for certain was a flash of red." There was something there, he's right. "We were in the middle of a very stressful situation. There was a lot going on at the time. I was more focused on whether or not you and the others had been injured."
He couldn't hide his disappointment, frowned, then looked away. For the sake of their relationship he knew he'd have to let it go.
She almost wanted to believe as he did just to see him smile again. "How can you have such blind faith he was real, Castle?" She asked, quietly. "Even when, at one point, there was incriminating evidence against him."
"I don't know." He replied, unable to explain it more clearly. "I just do."
She didn't know what to say to that. His trust in Kris was admirable. Much like his trust in me. She sighed, hating that they couldn't agree. The one thing she knew for sure was that she loved him and didn't want to waste another moment spent arguing.
Convincing her Kris was real was a pipe-dream he refused to let come between them. Kate may be as stubborn as the day was long, but he loved her, and it wouldn't be the last time they disagreed on something, this he knew. Part of the reason he loved her was the way she stood her ground and how she challenged him. He took her hand, edged closer. The smile she returned indicated he'd made the right move. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist pulled her close. "Look, I think maybe Gates was right, we should leave it be. What matters is that we've taken down the Mangosas. Let's just agree to disagree and move on. But, on one condition…"
"Name it." She said, happy to put it to rest.
"If you ever have a change of heart, or find yourself with any questions…promise me you'll talk to me about it."
"Okay. I promise." She agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in to seal the deal.
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A week later, Christmas morning, Chez Caskett…
Rick put the cup of coffee down on the nightstand and climbed back into bed with Kate. "Wake up, sleepy head." He whispered in her ear attempting to rouse her from what appeared to be a fairly deep sleep. "Ho. Ho. Ho. Time to get up."
Annoyed at the intrusion, she flipped onto her other side, away from him, pulling the pillow over her head. "Too early...tired. What time is it anyway?" Came the muffled reply. At least that's what he thought she said.
"Nearly ten am." He'd let her sleep in long enough. The anticipation was killing him. He couldn't wait another minute to start their Christmas day together and to see her face when she opened her gifts. He planned to make good on his promise to himself to make this her best Christmas ever.
"Five more minutes, Castle." She negotiated.
How anyone could stay in bed this late, on Christmas morning of all days, was beyond him. Sure, she'd worked the night shift and probably didn't get home until around five am or so, but he'd had even less sleep and felt like a million bucks. Of course, she'd been working, while he and Ryan, on the other hand, were having the adventure of a lifetime.
While Kate's night was filled with thugs and crazies, his had been magical, fantastical, amazing, mind-blowing. Seeing Kris again - and in his element…had been triple-rainbow worthy. He'd never forget it. One day, he hoped to share it with her…one day. But in present day, she'd never believe him and he refused to ruin their day with tales of his experience, especially after they'd made a pact to drop the subject entirely. With any luck, Kate hadn't even realized he'd been out all night since, by the time she got home, he was already sound asleep.
She stirred slightly, but made no move to get out of bed. He'd have to try another tactic, this time using his in-depth knowledge of her weaknesses to his advantage. Tossing aside the pillow she'd been hiding under, he stroked her long, soft hair then brushed it aside and gently nipped at her ear. He left a trail of strategically placed feather-light kisses along the side of her elegant neck - the flesh that constantly taunted him. Whispering her name, he let his hands roam free. This led to less grumbling and more moaning on her part until finally morphing into a proper good morning kiss. "Merry Christmas, beautiful." He said, smiling down at her. "Our first as a couple."
"Merry Christmas, Rick." She said, turning seductress. Now fully awake she kissed his lips again, ran her fingers through his hair, and pulled him closer, kissing his neck as he'd done to hers, inviting him to join her. "Come back to bed."
"Sorry. No can do." He said, to her surprise, completely rejecting her advances by jumping out of bed. "It's Christmas day! Time to get up!" He announced, with the giddy excitement of a ten year old.
Kate sat up and shook her head at him, all thoughts of a roll in the hay followed by a return to dreamland slipping away. "Your priorities are seriously messed up, Castle. Okay, you win. I'm up. I'm up." It was hard not to give into his contagious enthusiasm regardless of her lack of sleep. "But that had better be my coffee on the nightstand."
"Of course it is. I'm not an idiot. You probably have a gun under your…" With raised eyebrows, he admired the deliciously tight t-shirt she'd worn to bed. "Well, maybe not under that particular shirt, not that I'm complaining…but I'm sure it's around here somewhere." He handed her the cup, leaned over, and kissed her.
"I love you, Rick." She said, smiling.
"I love you too, Kate." He replied, smiling back, goofily. "Happy?"
"Honestly?"
He nodded, mesmerized by her eyes.
"I've never been happier in my life."
Still smiling, he simply said, "Good to know." And it was, considering the exquisite diamond ring he'd safely hidden away in his safe until the time was right to pop the question. Avoiding cliché, he wouldn't be proposing today, but soon, he would be. He planned to ask for her father's blessing first. Realizing he was still smiling at her like a lovesick idiot he prayed he hadn't said any of the ramblings in his head aloud, but she appeared perfectly calm – apparently he was in the clear. He mentally patted himself on the back and then thumbed towards the door backing his way out of the room. "I'm just gonna, you know…go start some breakfast. You're probably starving. You look hungry. Are you hungry? You look hungry." He babbled, worried he would propose right then and there when he wanted so badly to do it properly.
"I guess I could eat something, thanks." She said, tilting her head at his odd behavior. "I'll just go shower and get dressed."
He pointed at her. "Okay, then. I'll see – you – later." And then he was gone, closing the door behind him to give her some privacy.
It was only after she'd showered, dressed, and was sitting on the edge of the bed putting on her shoes that she noticed them. Sitting in the corner of the room were boots. Big, black, lace-up boots, much like the ones Kris had worn as part of his Santa suit costume – the one he'd left behind for Castle to keep as a memento. But she didn't recall Kris leaving the boots - just the suit. Upon closer inspection she determined they were not the same ones she'd originally examined in Kris' hospital room. These boots were in Rick's size. And they'd been worn recently. There was dirt on the soles. On a hunch, she made her way into their shared walk-in closet.
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"Where is everyone?" Kate asked, scanning the room after joining Rick in the kitchen.
"Mother and Alexis will be down in a minute. They're getting dressed."
Kate offered to help, but he claimed to have everything under control. He insisted she sit, relax and enjoy her coffee while he prepared breakfast.
"So, what did you really do last night, Ricky?" She asked, casually, watching for his reaction.
A/N: The final chapter will be posted very soon! Please stand by for Kate's world to be rocked, and thanks again for sticking with this story. Karen