52. Happy Birthday

X~~~~X

Kate looked at her reflection in the mirror Saturday evening and couldn't believe it. He had bought her a dress and it was simply stunning, the most beautiful one she had ever seen. The dark blue silk hugged her in all the right places, making her feel desirable in a way she had never experienced before. She had put her hair up into a knot and despite having had some difficulties taming her curls, she was satisfied as she applied some extra touches to her make-up. She had always feared she wouldn't fit into the glamorous world that she knew Castle had to be a part of from time to time, the one she had seen in the tabloids over the years but looking at herself right now she thought she might after all.

"Kate!" She heard him call out for her, "We really need to go or we'll be late."

"I'm coming," she called back, still not knowing what he had planned for her, his lips had been sealed for the past two days, no matter how persuasive she had been in her attempts to get him to talk. So with one last look at herself she finally left Castle's bedroom to join him and the rest of the family in the living room.

"Wow," was all Castle could manage when he saw her, his eyes travelling up the full length of her gorgeous body. He had known that the dress would look wonderful on her, but the reality in front of him rendered him speechless.

Kate looked likewise pleased with his appearance as she stared at him across the room - he looked simply delicious in his tux. "You don't look too bad yourself, Castle." She grinned at him, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks and she feared she would totally embarrass herself in front of their family if she didn't manage to draw her eyes off him.

"Kate, darling you look like a movie star," Martha exclaimed, adverting Kate's focus as Castle's mother clapped her hands together while getting off the couch. "And I mean from the time when Hollywood still was Hollywood, not in the cheap way that seems to be in fashion nowadays," the actress rolled her eyes dramatically before pursing her lips to give Kate a more careful look.

"There's something missing," she finally said and held one finger up in the air as she reached into her purse to pull out a box.

Richard had shown her the dress a couple of days ago and she owned just the necklace to go with it.

"Martha," Kate gasped as she saw the beautiful piece of jewellery in the older woman's hand, "I can't."

"Nonsense, of course you can," Martha shook her head, stepping behind Kate to place the sparkling stones around her neck. "There, perfect," she stated as she eyed Kate once more.

"It's beautiful," Kate sighed, letting her fingers dance over the necklace, before looking at Martha, "Thank you."

Martha just waved her off, sitting back down with the girls on the couch.

"Mommy beautiful," Jamie said in awe since she had never seen her mother like this, dressed up and ready to go out on a big night and Kate leant down to give her daughter a kiss.

"Thank you Baby Bird," she mumbled before she kissed her sister goodnight as well, "be good to your grandma you two okay?"

The girls nodded and Kate stood, looking at Castle whose eyes were still fixed on her, "Shall we?" she asked tentatively.

His smile broadened and he stepped toward her, "Yes, yes we shall."

Castle held out her coat for her and Kate gracefully slipped it on, closing her eyes when he gently pulled her hair out from under her collar, his fingers tracing the sensitive skin on her neck and she thanked him with a shy smile as he offered her his arm.

"Have fun you two," Martha called after them as the girls waved their parents goodbye, "And don't do anything I wouldn't do," she smirked.

"Mother!" Castle scolded her, "Not in front of the kids."

"Castle, where are we going?" Kate asked in the backseat of the town car he had ordered for them for tonight but he just gave her a secretive smile in return, shaking his head. He wouldn't tell her and ruin the surprise, not after he had put so much thought into everything.

"You will see soon enough." He told her, enjoying the pout on her face.

Eventually she sighed, giving up and snuggling into his side instead as his arm came around her shoulder to pull her close. He couldn't believe how far they had come, when only a few months ago they had trouble to have a normal conversation. And now, three months later, she was here, in his arms and they were doing a lot more than just talking.

"I know you don't like it too fancy," Castle said after a while, sounding a bit nervous, "but I figured I could make an exception for your birthday."

"It's not even my birthday yet," she told him and hoped he hadn't gone too overboard.

"No, but in a few hours it will be," he smirked, "let's call this foreplay."

The look he gave her made her blush from her face to her toes and she feared he might devour her right there in the backseat of the car, but two could play this game and so she moved closer to him to breathe into his ear, "I certainly hope that this is just foreplay."

She felt him shudder at her side as her teeth caught his earlobe and pulled gently on it and she quickly pressed a kiss against his jaw, before leaning back into the seat, satisfied with his reaction.

The car finally stopped right on Times Square and after Castle got out first he held out his hand for Kate to follow him.

"Broadway?" she asked and still had no clue what Castle had come up with for her. "Castle?"

"Almost there," he smiled, taking her hand and guiding them toward 42nd street.

The minute they rounded the corner Kate's eyes fell onto the bright yellow lion head illuminating the front of the New Amsterdam Theatre and Kate's heart skipped a beat.

"The Lion King?" she gasped. She had wanted to see it ever since it opened on Broadway in 1997, had planed to see it with her mom, but somehow they had never found the time before she had moved to Stanford and when she came back, well things had changed.

"I thought you might like to see it," Castle interrupted her depressing thoughts, "I saw the CD at your place and I know Jamie is a fan too and I figured - do you like it?"

And suddenly he sounded so insecure and nervous that it made her heart beat faster. She couldn't believe how much this meant to him, how much making her happy meant to him.

She pressed a passionate kiss against his lips right there on the sidewalk on 42nd street and held onto him for dear life, "I love it," she finally got out as she pulled away, the biggest most beautiful smile on her face. "I've always wanted to see it."

He beamed back at her, so very happy to please her, before he took her hand back into his, "Then let's go."

They had a box all to themselves and Kate couldn't help but feel a bit like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when Richard Gere took her to see La Traviata at the Opera. The difference being the man at Kate's side wasn't just a character in a movie, he was real and she felt overwhelmed by how wonderful he made her feel, how special.

"Do you like it?" Castle whispered halfway through the first act, and was met with her sparkling eyes that told him more than a thousand words.

The costumes, the music, everything was just perfect and Kate enjoyed every minute of it. She had loved the movie so much when she was younger, it had stirred her desire to visit Africa one day and The Lion King had been the first passion she had shared with Jamie. She looked over at Castle again. He seemed to be more focused on her and her reaction than on what happened on the stage and her hand reached for his, pulling it into her lap, her thumb caressing his skin, while she returned her attention back on the stage.

In the end she had tears in her eyes when the final curtain fell, overwhelmed as so often when confronted with the story that reminded her so much of her own.

She turned to find him watching her, his soft eyes carefully gauging her mood, because of course he had sensed what was going on. She gave him a reassuring smile to tell him she was okay and yet again reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together as she tugged him out of the box.

When they stepped out into the dark and cold November night Castle sneaked his arm protectively around Kate's waist and she leant into his body, hiding from the chilly wind that blew through the streets.

"Thank you Castle," she said after a moment of comfortable silence, "that was a great birthday present."

She heard him chuckle and looked up to see his sparkling eyes directed at her, "That wasn't your birthday present."

"What?" Her eyes widened, "Castle?"

"We're just getting started," he told her as the town car stopped right in front of them, "I hope you're hungry."

She didn't even try to get him to tell her where they were headed next, knowing he wouldn't tell her anyway and so she just leant into him and watched the city pass by as they made their way back downtown.

They stopped in front of a small Lebanese restaurant called Békaa and Kate looked at Castle with a frown. She had suspected they would go to Tony's again, but apparently Castle had other plans.

"Trust me their food is to die for," he told her with a wink as they walked toward the front door.

The minute they stepped inside, Kate felt as if she had been transferred into another world, a dream of A Thousand and One Nights unfolding in front of eyes as her view roamed over the colourful fabrics which created the illusion of being in a big tent in the Sahara rather than a restaurant in Tribeca and it reminded her of the blanket fort Castle had built in the Hamptons.

"Wow," she exhaled, taking it all in, feeling Castle at her back helping her out of her coat. The restaurant was packed with people, a steady buzz of voices filling the room, accompanied by oriental music and Kate could feel her own blood thrumming with it, making her heart race with excitement. She hadn't felt this adventurous in a long time and she couldn't wait to taste the delicious looking food she saw on the tables.

"Rick," they were greeted by a black-haired woman, in her mid-fifties, dressed in a traditional Lebanese robe, "how are you?"

She kissed him on the cheek and held out her hand to Kate, "I'm Soraya," she introduced herself and Kate immediately liked the older woman, who smiled warmly at both of them.

"Soraya and her husband Jibril run the restaurant together," Castle explained to Kate and they followed Soraya to a more secluded area of the restaurant.

"Yes, he's very busy in the kitchen tonight, but I'm sure he'll have some time for you later," Soraya replied, stopping in front of an alcove, that was separating them from the rest of the guests. "I think this is what you had in mind, right?"

"Perfect, thank you Soraya," Castle smiled at their host and kicked of his shoes, signalling Kate to do the same before he sat down in the mountain of pillows, pulling Kate down with him.

"Do you like it?" He asked, studying her carefully, but he didn't need to worry.

"It's fantastic," she replied, looking around in their little hideout, noticing the small table in the middle, the candles hanging from the ceiling, "I love it."

And then she had to laugh as she looked at him sitting on the ground in his tux, herself in that beautiful dress, "Maybe a bit overdressed." She grinned, but she didn't really care.

It was way past their bedtime, but they had been having such a wonderful time that Martha didn't have the heart to send them to bed earlier, but now both girls were fast asleep against her sides and she was the only one still watching The Lady and the Tramp.

With a sigh Martha turned off the TV and stood up, leaning down over Alexis to wake her.

"Alexis Darling," she mumbled, letting her fingers run through the girl's ginger hair until she blinked her eyes open to look at her grandmother, "time for bed."

Alexis yawned but shuffled off the couch without any protest, while Martha picked Jamie up and they all made their way upstairs. Fortunately the girls were already in their pj's and had brushed their teeth earlier in the night, so she just had to tuck them in and kiss them goodnight before she made her way back downstairs to clean up the slight mess they had made over the past hours.

With a smile, she put away the popcorn and chocolate, cleaned the kitchen and put away the toys that lay all around the living room.

Fifteen minutes later she sank down into her son's comfortable leather couch, a glass of wine in her hand and wondered what her son and Kate were up to right now.

"How's your Baab ash-scham?" Castle asked, glancing up from his own plate to see Kate's enchanted face as she bit down on saffron prawn which were served with sautéed arugula and orange dressing.

"It's to die for," she told him and Castle sighed happily.

Everything had been going great so far, Kate had loved the musical and apparently dinner was a success as well and still he was nervous, because there was one more thing he had prepared for her and he knew it had the potential to ruin everything. He had to approach very careful.

After they finished their main course Castle kept glancing at his watch while it ticked closer to midnight and Kate watched him with an amused expression on her face until he lifted his eyes to finally meet hers as the clock stroke midnight and rang in November 17th.

"Happy 23rd birthday Kate," he beamed at her across the table, before leaning in to kiss her softly.

"Thank you Castle," she sighed against his lips, her fingers caressing his cheek, "and thank you for the wonderful evening, it was amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she kissed him again.

"Not too fancy?" He just had to make sure.

"No," she shook her head, "not too fancy. Just perfect."

He sighed, relieved she liked it and kissing her once more before he remembered that there was still something waiting in his pocket for her.

His heart was beating so fast he thought it might explode as he reached for his jacket with his right hand, while his left held onto hers. He just hoped it wouldn't ruin everything and she wouldn't feel pressured.

"It's not what it looks like," he stammered when he saw her wide-eyed panicked look and pushed the small velvet box across the table toward her, suddenly thinking his idea to use a ring box had been beyond stupid.

He could see she was still nervous when she reached for the box and Castle suddenly wished he had come up with something different, no matter how great he thought his prepared speech sounded.

He had to control the urge to rip the box from her hands and tell her to forget about it but that would look even worse. He had thought a symbolic gift would mean more to her than anything he could have bought, but now ...

The box opened with a soft click and Kate's eyes lingered for a moment on the silver object that was placed inside before she lifted terrified eyes to look at him.

"Kate," he started, trying to reassure her, but his voice was pitched too high to hide any of his own nervousness.

"A key?" She frowned, pulling it out of the box, her hand shaking.

"To the loft," he sighed, shaking his head, "It's stupid. I shouldn't have ... ."

"Giving me the key to your loft is stupid?" She questioned, her expression changing from scared to confused.

"No! That's not. It's not just -," he stopped, his hand running over his face, "it's not just the key. I thought - I wanted," he sighed, struggling to find the right words, "I don't think it's the right time so maybe we should just forget about it. We had such a wonderful time tonight I don't want to ruin it."

"Castle," she reached out tugging on his hand to make him look at her, but he stubbornly kept staring at the small table between them, "Rick," she tried again, "please talk to me." She wouldn't let this indeed wonderful night be ruined just because he was afraid of her reaction to whatever was on his mind.

"I want you and Jamie to move in with us," he blurred out still not looking at her, but quick to continue, "but I know it's too early. I know you're not ready for that yet. So I thought I'd give you the key, because beside obvious practical reasons, it would also symbolize that I want you to feel at home at the loft, that I want you to come by whenever you feel like it, whether I'm there or not until you are ready. I want it to be our home and I thought the key could remind you that it was there for you to take whenever the time is right."

She looked at him with so much love, he thought it would break his heart and then her lips were on his, while her right hand clutched the key to her chest, as she tried to put everything she couldn't say just yet into the kiss.

"Thank you Castle," she finally mumbled against his lips and he reluctantly let go of her as she sat back a bit to look at him.

"You like it?" He asked, hesitantly, unbelieving that maybe everything was just fine after all.

"Yes," she nodded, pressing another kiss to his lips, "and you're right it's too early but I hear you," she smiled, giving him a knowing look. "I hear you."

He couldn't help the hopeful smile gracing his lips, "Soon?" He asked tentatively.

"Soon," she nodded, because she had been thinking about it as well. How good it felt to come home to the loft, how much easier it would make a lot of things and how right it felt. But she didn't want to rush into things, there was too much at stake and they had only been dating for a couple of weeks. There was time.

After enjoying a heavenly dessert, they decided to walk home instead of using the car and as they walked side by side in comfortable silence Kate couldn't remember when it had been the last time she had felt so light-hearted and carefree.

"Castle," she softly called for his attention, while they moved along the still busy sidewalks of Tribeca, "I had a wonderful night, thank you for everything. I haven't felt like this in a long time." She said honestly.

He nodded, a shy smile playing along his lips and she knew there was something else on his mind.

"Do you miss your dad?" He suddenly asked out of nowhere, causing her to falter and stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

"I -," she didn't know how to answer that question and he really didn't give her a chance as he went on.

"You know I never met my dad and usually that's fine, I learned to live with that missing piece of my life, but on special days like Christmas or birthdays I do miss him. I wished he was here, telling me he's proud of me. I wish he could see his granddaughters and I wish I knew he's okay."

Kate stared at him, swallowing heavily. He had never shared anything about his father with her and somehow she felt like she now owed him the same. If she couldn't talk to Castle about her fears who else was left?

"I do miss my dad," she admitted quietly, tears springing to her eyes, "but I don't miss the man he's become."

Castle nodded in understanding, "Would you give him another chance?"

Kate worried her bottom lip, she had asked herself the same question many times before and she wasn't sure what her answer was or should be, "I don't know." She sighed and it was the truth.

"I'm sorry," Castle sighed. "I shouldn't have brought it up, not tonight. I didn't mean to pull you down."

Kate shook her head, wrapping her arms around him, "It's okay. I'm fine."

"Okay," he nodded unconvinced.

"Take me home Castle," she muttered against his neck, "and you can make up for it, by making me forget."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously when she looked at him and Castle was glad he hadn't managed to kill the mood completely.

"Shhhhh," Castle tried to tame his giggling daughters as they made their way into the bedroom, more or less quietly. He was carrying a tray full of breakfast treats, while Alexis held a bouquet of flowers and Jamie had a gift certificate tucked against her belly.

Castle had let Kate sleep in after they had celebrated way into the early hours of the morning until they had been truly spent and satisfied. He had gotten up early and prepared breakfast while his mother had entertained his girls a bit longer and now the three of them were sneaking around the bed, Martha already gone since she had a rehearsal in the morning. She would meet them later in the afternoon.

Kate felt the mattress dip at her side and blinked one eye open to find Castle looking at her.

"Hey," she smiled broadly up at him and he leant down, placing a kiss way too decent for her taste on her lips, but then she felt the mattress dip on her other side as well and turned to see Alexis and Jamie grinning at her.

"Happy Birthday," they exclaimed together and Castle quickly grabbed the flowers from his daughter's hands while trying not to drop the tray he was balancing in his lap, as the girls flung themselves into Kate's arms.

She laughed, catching them and found herself pampered with kisses from the girls.

"Thank you," she chuckled, kissing them back in return and then settled them at her sides.

"We made breakfast for you," Castle told her proudly, his eyes shining in the brightest blue and he looked like a little boy on Christmas morning.

"Wow," Kate looked at the treats that he spread out in front of them, before he climbed in next to them. "You thought of everything."

He grinned happily at her, his hair still ruffled from sleep and he looked simply adorable. Leaning over Alexis who was sitting in between them, she kissed him and then nuzzled her nose in his neck mumbling, "Now I know why you were so determined to put our clothes back on last night."

He chuckled, "Didn't want to embarrass you on your birthday," he whispered, placing another kiss on her lips. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," she smiled and then turned her attention back to Jamie and Alexis, "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yes!" both of the girls exclaimed loudly and Kate covered her ears.

"Okay then let's eat," she instructed as she reached for the first pancake.

An hour later they were sill all lounging in Castle's bed, too lazy to get up, Kate's fingers running circles on Jamie's and Alexis' backs, while Castle's kept running through her hair.

"Kate?" Alexis asked into the quiet.

"Mmm?" Kate hummed.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," she replied easily, not seeing the frown on Alexis' face.

"Wow, that's old," she finally stated.

And while Kate gasped in mock shock, Castle laughed so hard he almost fell out of the bed.

"Shut up old man," Kate warned him before a pillow hit him straight in the face.

X~~~~X