855. Chapter 855

After Secret Santa

Episode 5.09

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Instead of coal in my stocking, I got no Castle. Rating: K Time: See above

Kate came out of the bathroom, ready for bed, to find her husband checking his tablet and singing softly.

"Good King Sauerkraut,

"Look out your feets uneven,

"As the snoo lay all about,

"All kerchoo achievin'."

Kate knew what she had to do. "Castle, what's snoo?" She asked with a straight face.

Rick smiled. "Not much, what's new with you?"

Kate climbed into bed and took his tablet away. "We need to get to bed. And it's still a week from Christmas. You do not need to obsess over Christmas."

He took the tablet back. "Yes, I do. I need to make up for all of those Christmases that you missed working at the precinct."

"Castle, I didn't miss Christmas. Working on Christmas Eve was my Christmas tradition, just like all of your traditions."

"All of our traditions, Mrs. Castle Claus."

"Okay, but I do want to drop by the precinct and at least make an appearance."

"We will. And I've arranged for the usual catered Christmas spread for those working."

Rick turned off the light and the two snuggled together. Rick was about to drift off to sleep when Kate spoke. "Castle, I lied to you."

That woke him up at once." What? What did you lie about?"

"Do you remember me telling you that I stopped believing in Santa when I was three because our apartment had no chimney?"

"Yes. So?" He said, relieved.

"Well, I was just teasing you. I believed in Santa until I was six. Then I heard some older kids at school say there was no Santa, that it was our parents. So, I went home and asked my mom and she told me the truth. There was no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny and there wasn't even a Tooth Fairy."

"How did you react?" Castle asked, fascinated by this side of his wife.

"I was heartbroken. I cried, and then my mom told me that my favorite teddy bear, Rupert, didn't go out and have adventures when I was asleep."

"So, what happened after that?"

"Oh, I still got Santa gifts and we colored eggs for Easter. My mom even kept telling me stories about Rupert for several years. But, eventually, we stopped. After my mom was killed, we sold Rupert at a garage sale. Even now I kind of miss him."

"I know. Alexis still has Monkey Bunkey. I don't think she'll ever get rid of him. What was Rupert like? Was he a big bear?"

Kate shrugged. "He was about fourteen inches high with light brown fur and black paws and feet, and he had the cutest little black nose and brown eyes. I really loved him."

Rick held her and told her how much he loved her. He told her that his life was all about making her happy.

Three days before Christmas Kate woke up to find that Rick was already in the bathroom. As she got out of bed, something clinked. Searching her bed, she found thirty six quarters under her pillow. "Castle? What is this?"

Rick stuck his head out of the bathroom, looking as innocent as he could. "What is it, Kate?"

"I have thirty six quarters under my pillow. Do you have any idea how that might have happened?"

"It had to be the Tooth Fairy. She probably checked her records and discovered that she'd missed you in the past and wanted to make up for it."

"You think that's it?"

"Positive. What other explanation could there be?"

"I think I'll donate these to the Police Benefit Fund. And there must be a cheap Tooth Fairy operating in Manhattan these days. Ryan tells me that Sarah Grace gets a dollar for each tooth and some kids in her class get five dollars."

"Wow! Talk about inflation. Tell you what. What don't I add a little bit to the donation? Make it a nice round number."

"Did you have a number in mind?"

"A thousand?"

Kate walked over and kissed him. "No one is ever going to call you Ebenezer Castle."

Two days before Christmas Eve, Kate woke up alone in bed. She could hear Castle in the kitchen and what sounded like Martha and Alexis, too. She hurried up and got ready and walked out to see everyone in the kitchen. "You're cooking breakfast without me?" She said suspiciously, since she already had a good idea what was happening.

"Breakfast? Not at all. We're making hard boiled eggs to color for Easter." Rick told her.

Indeed, Kate could see a large bowl of boiled eggs as well as dyes. And something else. "Castle, where did ever find chocolate eggs, bunnies and Peeps?"

"When will you ever learn, Beckett? When I say I know a guy, I know a guy." He handed her a couple of hard boiled eggs. "Now get to work. And I expect to see some artistic effort with these."

Everyone had to admit that Martha had made the best eggs. She had only made four, but using crayons and different dyes, she had made Easter eggs that resembled her, Alexis, Rick and Kate.

"Okay," Rick said. "I just got a text from the Easter Bunny. He's on his way, but he's kind of behind. He's asked that you ladies step into the bedroom while I help Mr. Bunny.

Once in the bedroom, they could hear Rick talking to Mr. E. Bunny and helping him plant the eggs. When the door slammed, he told them they could come out and gather up all the eggs, chocolate and Peeps they could find. Everyone ran around the loft, rather easily finding the eggs and candy.

"Not very challenging, Castle." Kate said.

Rick nodded. "Mr. Bunny told me that he thought you three might be out of practice and so he didn't make them too hard to find."

Christmas Eve was the usual Castle extravaganza. Rick and Kate went to the precinct to oversee the meal Rick had ordered and everyone exchanged gifts of one sort or another.

After Christmas dinner at the loft, and opening the presents, Kate found a small red ribbon by her bed. "Castle, what is this?"

"I have no idea." He said looking innocent. "Why don't you follow it?"

Kate followed the ribbon to their closet. Opening the closet, she found a fourteen inch tall bear with light brown fur, except for his little black ears and paws, a cute little black nose and little brown eyes. Around his neck was a little card that read, "My name is Rupert Castle Bear and I belong to Katie Beckett."

She picked up Rupert and took him to Castle. "You are so sweet. I love you, Rick. More than I ever thought I could love. Thank you." Then she kissed him.

"Oh, we're not done yet. Sit down. I need to tell you a story about the adventures Rupert had last night.

Kate sat, holding Rupert.

"Once upon a time….The best stories begin with those words, you know."

And when he was done, he and Rupert sang to Kate.

"Deck us all with Boston Charlie,"Walla Walla, Wash., an' Kalamazoo!"Nora's freezin' on the trolley,"Swaller dollar cauliflower alley-garoo!

"Don't we know archaic barrel"Lullaby Lilla Boy, Louisville Lou?"Trolley Molly don't love Harold,"Boola boola Pensacoola hullabaloo!

"Bark us all bow-wows of folly,"Polly wolly cracker 'n' too-da-loo!"Donkey Bonny brays a carol,"Antelope Cantaloupe, 'lope with you!

"Hunky Dory's pop is lolly,"Gaggin' on the wagon, Willy, folly go through!"Chollie's collie barks at Barrow,"Harum scarum five alarm bung-a-loo!

"Dunk us all in bowls of barley,"Hinky dinky dink an' polly voo!"Chilly Filly's name is Chollie,"Chollie Filly's jolly chilly view halloo!

"Bark us all bow-wows of folly,"Double-bubble, toyland trouble! Woof, woof, woof!"Tizzy seas on melon collie!"Dibble-dabble, scribble-scrabble! Goof, goof, goof!"

"Merry Christmas to all and to all good night." Said Kate.