UNDER THE MISTLETOE
POST-7X06 AU (TAKES PLACE IN THE SHOW AU)

Push my pride aside
When I close my eyes
It's just you and I
Here under the mistletoe
-Under the Mistletoe, Kelly Clarkson and Brett Eldredge

Rick spots her as soon as he steps onto the precinct floor. He doesn't recognize the person that Kate is talking to, but it looks like a serious conversation, so he turns instead towards the break room, where he sees several others congregating. He nods his greeting to Detectives Ryan and Esposito, who both regard him with wary looks.

He doesn't blame them; he'd be hard-pressed to accept a man who showed up one day and acted like he knew everyone, then two days later, woke up in the hospital with a head injury and no memory of the previous 48 hours.

His head is fine - he's had countless appointments with a neurologist - but there's no telling whether his memory will come back. According to Kate, he'd appeared at the precinct, insisted that he'd known them for years, and even helped solve their case. In the process, though, he'd been injured, had tackled her out of the path of a bullet and hit his head on the ground.

When he woke in the hospital, he saw his concerned mother and daughter, and a gorgeous stranger who told him that he saved her life.

More than that, she confessed over coffee a few days later, she'd begun to think again that she had a purpose. She joined the police force to solve a very personal case, and she never did, she explained. She rose the ranks quickly, becoming captain of her own precinct at just 34 years old, but not being able to solve that one case gnawed at her, had her doubting herself.

"And then you told me I was extraordinary," she'd said, her gorgeous hazel eyes fixed on him. "You helped me see my success instead of my failure, and I just…it's been a long time since the weight on my shoulders felt a little less heavy."

God, he wishes he remembers meeting her.

He was drawn to her, though, found himself constantly thinking of her; and, in a surprising turn of events, he started writing again. He wrote out a rough character sketch of a brilliant police captain, driven but haunted by her tragic past, wanting a better future for herself.

A couple coffee dates later, he'd broached the idea of shadowing her for research. And when he walked her home at the end of that date, she'd brushed her lips to his cheek and agreed. She also liked him, she'd admitted shyly, a feeling that was very much mutual, so they also decided to continue dating as well. Nothing serious, they'd both insisted, just two people getting to know each other.

And then last night, he asked her about Christmas.

He's finding his footing again with his daughter, but she already had plans in LA, so he won't see her again until after the new year. And his mother left town that morning for two weeks in the tropics.

He'd invited Kate over, and really, he had no right to be upset when she said she was working.

"We've known each other for two weeks," she'd pointed out, her arms crossed and jaw set. "You're being unreasonable."

"But I'll be alone," he'd whined.

"That's not on me."

She was right, of course, but he'd still stormed out of her apartment.

Once he calmed down, he called and texted her, but she - rightfully, since he was an ass - didn't respond.

Still, she'd already invited him to the precinct Christmas party, so even though their fight is still fresh in his memory, he decided to go.

"Hey guys," he says to Ryan and Esposito. "How's it going?"

The boys share a glance. "Fine," Ryan says. "You?"

Rick shrugs. "Pretty good." He spots a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, and he turns his attention to the door, his heart skipping a beat when Kate walks through.

She pauses when her eyes meet his, and she squares her shoulders before walking up to him. "Hi, Castle," she greets him quietly, reaching around him to grab a mug and fill it with coffee.

He waits her out while she prepares her cup, not wanting to say the wrong thing and screw up everything. When she finally finishes stirring and sets her spoon in the dishwasher, she jerks her head in the direction of her office.

"I think we need to talk."

Once the door is shut behind them, quieting the din of the bullpen, she leans against the edge of her desk, cradles her coffee to her chest.

"I'm sorry," he blurts. "I was an ass. I didn't have a right to get upset that you wouldn't just drop everything. We've only known each other for a month, of course you have your plans."

"They're not just plans, Castle," she argues, setting her mug down and folding her arms over her torso. "It's what I do, what I've always done. I work Christmas so others can be with their families. That doesn't mean I don't celebrate; I just do it differently. And I'm not going to drop that this year, especially not a few days out. I made a commitment, and I'm going to keep it."

He swallows around the lump in his throat. God, he respects this woman so much. She easily could have stopped working the holiday when she became captain, forced her officers and detectives to work so she didn't have to. Plenty of people do.

She's one in a million, and she doesn't even realize it.

"Maybe I can stop by?" he suggests, taking a cautious step forward. "Keep you company for a while?"

She flushes and pushes herself off her desk, moves towards him. "Yeah, that would be nice."

There's a knock on her door, and the flush on her cheeks deepens. "Yeah?" she calls out.

The door opens and Esposito leans in. "Hey, boss. Ryan and I are heading to a call."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know." When they're alone again, she turns back to him and draws her bottom lip between her teeth. "Can you stay?" she asks in a quiet, almost timid voice.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." He curls his fingers around her arm when she passes him, looks down into her eyes. "Are we okay?"

She offers him a small smile and presses her free hand to his cheek. "Yeah," she whispers.

Rick follows her out of her office and back to the break room. He lingers for a couple hours, chatting with the other unis and detectives, until Kate gets a call and has to excuse herself.

"We're still on for tomorrow?" he asks a few minutes later, waiting for the elevator.

Kate cocks her head, a teasing smirk tugging at her lips. "I suppose," she drawls. She looks up when the elevator arrives, and her smirk disappears.

He follows her gaze and grins when he spots the mistletoe hanging over their heads. He looks back down and cocks a brow. "You know what that means, right?"

Her bottom lip lands between her teeth again. "Mm-hmm."

LIfting his hand, he tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear and cups her cheek. "This okay?" he asks quietly. She nods, and he bends down, brushes his lips across hers.

She sighs and loops her arms around his neck, presses herself close. They keep the kiss chaste, aware that they have a potential audience, and after a few moments, she pulls away. "Talk later?"

He smiles and kisses her once more before stepping into the elevator. "Can't wait."

A/N: Just a note about posting; I fell a little behind with the writing so the rest of the chapters will basically be written the day they're posted (that's also why this one is a couple hours late). As a result, I can't say for sure that they'll still be posted on consecutive days, but I'm trying like hell. Make sure you have alerts turned on. Thank you for reading!