Much to Be Thankful For - Chapter Two

Back from Break

The first day back from a break was always a little bit rugged, but usually by the time the kids got to his class, they had managed to shake off their malaise. That wasn't the case today; instead of happy, albeit tired faces, a good chunk of his students greeted him with despondence.

"Wow," Rick started, looking around the room. "I would ask about your break, but obviously the answer is not good. Did you venture out into the Black Friday madness?"

The kids at the front – Miranda and Ben, he noted – sighed, shaking their heads.

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Castle," Miranda said. Her tone suggested he absolutely should worry about it, but he was willing to let it go for the time being. They had a lot of work to do before the end of the semester, and not much time to get it done.

"Did you have a good break?" Another of his students asked, sitting up straighter when he passed by with a stack of graded papers.

Rick gave her an easy smile. "I did," he answered, dividing the pile in his hand and offering it to her for help. "My mother almost gave us food poisoning by way of salt overdose in our mashed potatoes, but we had an excellent meal otherwise. The rest of the weekend was quiet and relaxing. Until I read some of your papers, anyway."

The class groaned, and a few brave souls piped up to argue a lack of time to work on the assignment. Rick's cheek twitched, remembering having made a similar case more than once when he was in school.

"Nice try, but you had the entire month leading up to Thanksgiving. And you've got until next week to get your final draft in to me. It's more than fair, I'd say." He was met with grumbles, but nobody disputed it. "Now, once you get your papers back, we'll go over some of the issues I noticed most often, and if you have anything specific to your own work that you want to talk to me about, we'll meet for a while after class. How's that?"

He looked around to see nods of agreement, albeit many reluctant.

"Hey," he said, getting their attention. "Guys, I was just messing with you. Your papers are not that bad, I promise."

Their shoulders relaxed at the reassurance, and he noticed they didn't hesitate to turn their work over after that. Rick hid a smile. They were good kids, hard-working; they never liked doing poorly on assignments, even the ones they procrastinated starting.

"Okay," he said once everyone had their paper. Their eyes tracked him on his way back to the white board. "Let's start with the intros."

By the time class ended, their moods had improved considerably, but he could tell something was still on many of their minds. He said goodbye to most of his students, reminding them to email him if they needed additional help, before turning to those who remained.

Rick clasped his hands, glancing between them. "All right, who wants to go first?"

Forty-five minutes and five meetings later, only Ben and Miranda remained, and as they shared a look, Rick got the feeling they wanted to discuss more than just their final drafts.

He and Kate had enjoyed a few chuckles about their students' attempt to set them up on a date, even sharing the tale at Thanksgiving dinner, but then the antics had slipped his mind and they'd gone about their weekend. Now as he watched the well-meaning matchmakers slump, it occurred to him that they might have been waiting for some word from him about the success or failure their plan.

"Okay, guys. What's going on? Why do you look like someone stole the last of your favorite pie on Thursday?"

"Ms. Beckett's engaged!" Miranda blurted out, despair heavy in every syllable. "Did you know that? Lucy spotted the ring from across the hall this morning, it's so big. And when she asked about it, Ms. Beckett said it happened over the weekend."

Rick blinked. "She's–oh, that's why you're upset."

Their heads bobbed.

"You like her, Mr. Castle, and she likes you, but randomly she's getting married? What the hell?" Miranda continued, sharing a look with Ben. He nodded an agreement, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he thought about his words.

"We were really pulling for the two of you," the boy said finally, squirming at his desk. "Everyone was. It just sucks."

Oh, jeez, they really were upset. Rick exhaled, leaning back in his chair to buy himself some time to think. He wasn't stupid, neither was Kate; they both knew keeping an engagement under wraps was going to be much harder than hiding their relationship, especially since his fiancée had no plans to take the ring off her finger. They had talked about people finding out, agreed that it wouldn't be the end of the world when they did. But even then, would she kill him for flat-out telling his students?

Probably. Since the entire school would likely know before the first bus arrived in the morning.

"Guys, it's–"

"Babe, are you ready? I'm taking the rest of this grading ho-ome."

For as often as he and Kate Beckett were on the same wavelength, it was apparently not one of those days. His fiancée stumbled just inside his classroom, her eyes flicking between him and the students that remained.

"Oh," she breathed. "I'm–sorry, I'll just–"

Rick extended a hand, cutting her off. "It's okay, come in. We're just finishing up." He turned back to his students, finding Ben and Miranda staring, mouths hanging open.

"You–" Miranda breathed. "I thought–"

"Mr. C," Ben started, not much better off than his companion. "Did you proposeinstead of just asking her out?"

Kate's peel of laughter kept him from replying. "No, Ben," she added once she caught her breath. "He didn't propose to me out of the blue."

"Good, because I know we didn't put that much on those cards."

Kate laughed again, moving around the kids to drop her bag beside Rick's desk and steal his chair. He couldn't help but give her a smile; she might freak out later, but for the moment she seemed calm about letting the cat out of the bag on the first day. He watched her thumb slide over the ring, saw her lips lift in contentment.

"You didn't just start dating either, did you?" Miranda accused, looking between them.

Rick took that one. "No, we've been dating for two years. Since Ms. Beckett asked me out."

He had to admit, he added that last part just to watch their reactions. He wasn't disappointed.

"You are so cool," Miranda breathed, new admiration shining in her eyes. "The last guy I asked out laughed in my face."

Rick's triumphant smile softened into something more sympathetic. "It won't always happen that way, Miranda. I am sorry that it did, though."

He saw Kate nod out of the corner of his eye. "He's right. And I know it probably hurt at the time, but at least you avoided dating someone who would do that."

Warmth flooded his belly; his fiancée was so good at that – finding ways to connect with the students without being patronizing or over the top. He loved that quiet empathy she possessed.

"Thanks, Ms. Beckett," Miranda murmured. "Thanks, Mr. Castle."

"You're welcome," they answered together, sharing an affectionate look. They did that a lot at home.

"Now," Rick continued, "do you need any actual help with your papers, or were you hanging around to yell at me for not getting the girl in time – even though I actually did."

His students laughed, looking a little sheepish. "The last one."

Yeah, he'd had a feeling. "In that case, get out of here. Go work on your papers for real. Let my lovely fiancée take me home."

Ben jumped to his feet first, grabbing his bag and tossing it over his shoulder while Miranda gathered her notebook and shoved it into her bookbag.

"See you tomorrow. Sorry about getting mad at you, Mr. Castle," she added, following Ben to the door.

Rick chuckled, lifting a hand in farewell. "Do your homework and you'll be forgiven."

They grinned from the doorway, nodding.

"And oh," Ben said, looking to Kate as well. "Congratulations."

Kate smiled, waving – her left hand, Rick noticed with no small amount of glee. "Thank you, Ben. Have a good night."

Both students nodded again. "You too," they said, disappearing down the hall.

Kate got to her feet as soon as they were gone. Rick watched her survey his things, her fingers drifting over his desk until she was satisfied that she'd grabbed everything he might need for the evening.

"You know they're going to tell everyone," he said, joining her behind his desk, slipping his palm over her back.

She nodded, leaning into his chest, swiping her lips over his, her smile wry. "I'm sure they're on their phones already, spreading the news."

"Mmm, probably. We're going to have to invite them to the wedding, otherwise Miranda might yell at me again."

"You think? They were taking you apart in here before I walked in."

His hand skimmed up her spine, cupping the back of her neck and holding her close. Kate murmured his name, a reminder to be careful given where they were; someone could walk in on them and turn it into an issue, engagement or no engagement.

"And you said I'd be the first one to tell people," he teased against her mouth, grinning wider when she huffed.

"I thought you were alone. You're usually alone by this point in the afternoon."

His lips touched hers again. "I'm alone now. Want to make the best of it?" His eyebrows wiggled. "I could lock the door and give us some time before we go home."

Kate hummed, rubbing her hands along his sides. "Or you could just let me take you home; we can be alone there, too."

"At least until my mother shows up unannounced. Because that would be our luck."

Kate laughed. "Still better than a custodian or worse showing up at the door here."

"Don't worry, I'd pay them off with those gift cards the kids gave me." Rick dodged her swatting hand, schooling his face as he pretended to weigh the options. His mother or the principal; which one would hold it over his head longer? "While I could live with the risks if it means fulfilling one of my greatest fantasies, I see your point. Take me home, Ms. Beckett."

She nipped at his lower lip, pulling away before he could get any ideas (any more ideas; he already had a few). "Good choice, Mr. Castle."

He caught her hand once they'd squirmed into their coats and lifted their bags onto their shoulders, brushing his fingertips over the stones of her ring. It was their ritual, taking one another's hand at the end of every work day, even for a moment, but this time when they reached the hallway, he didn't let go.

A/N: This is for everyone who asked to see the kids reacting to the reveal of Caskett's relationship after the first chapter. I hope you liked it! Thank you all once again for your kind words on this story - and on all my stories. It's a privilege to be able to share with you.