Ok, I know I should be working on that other piece of fluff I'm writing, BUT I'm just not motivated. Anywho... Here goes, Christmas fluffiness :)

It was a dark, cold winters night in the Castle loft and not a sound could be heard but the crackle of the fire and the scratching of a pen against paper. It was the night before Christmas Eve and Richard Castle had left his most important gift until last. It wasn't intentional, that he'd left Kate Beckett's present so late, he'd been looking for weeks. Nothing had jumped out at him. Nothing "screamed" Kate, until he came across a small stationary boutique on the way to a crime scene this morning.

He was later than usual, as it were, the queue at the coffee shop about a mile longer than expected. After collecting the caffeinated beverages from the barista, he decided to walk the three blocks to the crime scene. He'd nearly made it two blocks when a car sped past, hitting what was left of a melting snow drift and throwing slush down the side of his new Armani suit. Now, Richard Castle was, by no means, a vain man, but he did take pride in the way he dressed. He had turned to the window of the boutique to survey the damage done by the sloppy mess that had been flicked up at him. After assessing the side of his dark pants and feeling quite happy that it was only a small splatter mark, his eyes landed on it. It lay in the corner of the window display, on a mahogany cushion, its black leather cover glistening under the lights of the display. He to know what was in it. His eyes were drawn to the warm travel mugs he was clutching. It would take a few seconds, and he was already late, so he pushed the door open.

Breathing in was the most wondrous experience Castle had had in a very long while, his senses were assaulted with the aroma of freshly pressed paper, the musty smell of old classics and the tang of newly opened ink. A small, old man with glasses perched precariously on his nose, greeted him and offered his assistance. Richard smiled politely and pointed towards the window display containing the mysterious leather tome.

'I'm wondering about that book in the display. The black one in the corner.'

The old man nodded and hobbled to the display to collect the heavy volume. He handed it to Richard, running a hand across the cover to collect the dust that had settled itself during the books wait.

'We can stamp it with gold infill if you decide on it. This book has waited long enough to find its place.'

Castle smiled at the gent. He was obviously an avid collector of volumes. Opening the cover, Castle was met with surprise as he noted the heavy yet blank sheets of parchment, not paper, bound between the leather. 'This is parchment!' He grinned, an idea suddenly blossoming in his imagination. 'I'll take it,' he said with a smile, 'Oh, and I'll need a few bottles of ink while I'm here.'

The old man smiled and took the book behind the counter and reached up to retrieve two wells of black ink. Another thought sprung to Castles mind as he stood waiting for the bill, 'Would you stamp this for me? I'll collect it on my way home and pay extra for the rush.'

'Of course, Sir. Just write here what you'd like it to say,' he answered, pushing a small book across the desk. Castle picked up the pen, his hand was shaking slightly as he wrote just two words.

For Kate.

He finally arrived at the scene some twenty minutes later than he'd expected. Thankfully the barista had made their coffees extra hot this morning so it seemed the universe was in his favour when Kate smiled gratefully at him and clutched the warm cup to her lips without chastising him for his tardiness. As it turned out, their call was a false alarm and she was in fine form for it. She had only waited at the scene because she knew that Castle was on his way. He knew this would have caused quite a bit of ribbing from Detectives Ryan and Esposito but was unbelievably grateful for not having to walk back alone.

Chipper was not a word that one would normally use to describe Katherine Beckett, but today it seemed to fit perfectly. There was a smile that was permanently fixed on her lips, her hair was curling freely around her shoulders instead of being restricted by a tie and to top it off, she was giggling.

Castle couldn't believe it as he walked out of the break room with fresh mugs of coffee to find Lanie had claimed his chair and the two were laughing like schoolgirls. It was an odd sight for a homicide department. He walked over and placed the coffee on the desk in front of Kate noticing that she had sorted the paperwork that had been littering the desk previously.

She looked up at him, eyes sparkling with mirth, 'Thanks, Castle.'

He smiled back, 'Anytime, which reminds me, are you and your dad still coming for dinner Christmas Eve?'

Lanie let out a small giggle and Kate's cheeks burned a soft pink. Lanie's laugh was cut short by a soft thump and an, 'Ow!'

'Yes, dad said thank you for the invitation and I have tomorrow and the next two days off so I will be helping in someway...'

Rick cut her off, 'Kate, you barely ever get days off, I don't want you to spend your day helping me when you could be relaxing.'

Rick heard Lanie mumble something along the lines of, 'Oh, she'll be helping alright.' There was another thump under the desk followed closely by Lanie's cry of, 'Girl, Imma smack you!'

Rick let out a chuckle and put his untouched coffee in front of Lanie, 'I see you girls are busy, so if you don't mind, I have a little last minute gift wrapping to do.' Unless Castle had been very mistaken, he could have sworn that there was a tinge of disappointment in Kate's eyes as she bid him farewell. He couldn't dwell on that, he had a present to finish.

And so, here he sat, the clock had just ticked past midnight, his pen flowing across the page. His hand was starting to feel the cramping associated with hours and hours of long hand, but Kate was worth it. He was determined to finish this book for her by Christmas morning.

It was nothing like his usual macabre works, it was a tale of the romance and magic of the Christmas season. Something light and fluffy that she could read after a long day chasing hardened criminals. Something of her own.

Finally, at two in the morning, Castle looked over at the fire, it had begun to wane hours before hand and was now just a collection of glowing embers. He had just completed the last line of the story, four pages from the back of the leather backed volume. Stretching out in his chair, the bones in his hands and fingers cracking and popping with relief, Rick checked his phone. One new message from five minutes ago. And from Kate Beckett? What was she doing up? He opened the message and laughed at the short but completely adorable message.

Happy Christmas Eve! :D K

She really was in an amazing mood about having Christmas off this year. He opened a replay and answered quickly.

Why are you still up? C

Replacing his phone on the desk he closed the book and placed it in the gift box, he would write the letter later.

His phone vibrated against the hard wood of the desk, how had he not noticed the first one? He opened the message on the way upstairs to curl up under the warm blanket.

Baking cookies ;) You? K

Cookies? Kate Beckett bakes cookies? He let out a hollow laugh and replied quickly.

Is that what you kids are calling it these days? :P I was just putting the finishing touches on your present.

The next reply was nearly instant, Nice to know I'm keeping you up late, Castle. I'm going to bed now, you'd better be up when I get there...

He grinned at the hole she'd dug and sent one last text. Oh, I will be, Detective, just wait and see ;)