A/N: I know this is hardly an adequate enough gift to express how much I adore and appreciate all of you who have not only taken the time to read my work this year, but have also shown me such tremendous amounts of support and overwhelming kindness. I do hope these chapters, this handful of stories and the brief little glimpses back into their worlds, can be considered at least a fraction of my gratitude. If a favorite of yours was not chosen this year, I sincerely apologize and hope that there may be at least one story in this compilation that will ease the disappointment. Above all else, I'm just wishing each of you a magical December and the happiest of holidays.

Chapter 1: No More Departures

After parting ways instead of getting engaged in 5x24, 'Watershed', Castle and Beckett run into each other on Thanksgiving Day while Beckett is visiting from DC. This chapter picks up not long after.

Christmas is only a few days away and the impending holiday has her missing New York, missing him. She was fine in DC before Thanksgiving, before that fated cab ride with the man she used to love, has fallen in love with all over again. Before she saw Castle for the first time in six months, she could have made this place a home, she could have been close to happy here, she could have made it work.

But now… he has her questioning all of it.

Kate stares at the phone on the opposite side of her bed, where he should be. He's visited what should be considered an obnoxious amount of times in just the last three weeks, spent practically all of December boosting his frequent flyer miles to come see her. She doesn't complain, she can't - she's drunk on the sensation of having him back, the renewed thrill of electricity that surges through her veins every time he touches her, the warmth that floods her blood when his voice is in her ear, whether it's here or on the phone.

She'll have him any way she can, but she often wonders how long they can make spontaneous trips on planes and stolen hours between her increased caseload work.

I want us back, she told him on the swings just shy of a month ago. But this isn't them, not completely.

She wants morning coffees and late nights in his bed, she wants him by her side while she investigates, building theory and breaking cases with her; she wants him in reach, not miles away.

Kate pushes up onto her elbow in the bed. It's late, an inappropriate hour to contact him, but she snags her phone anyway. She composes a message, hits the send button on impulse, and bites her lip as it informs her the text has been delivered.

Esposito takes only a handful of minutes to text back.

Last year was the first Christmas he ever spent with her. They agreed to reserve Thanksgiving solely for family then, their months of dating intense but still new, their first (and last) dinner with his mom and her dad still leaving a lasting impression neither of them wished to repeat. But Kate Beckett showing up unexpected on his doorstep on Christmas night made up for everything.

When they broke up, he abandoned the wistful idea of another Christmas together, but now? He yearns for it so badly it aches. He wants her here, helping him decorate, baking cookies with him and Alexis, in his bed on Christmas morning.

All he wants for Christmas is the woman he loves and just got back.

But she's in Washington DC and while he managed to do some decorating in the house she's renting last week while she was at work (her face when she got back that evening was totally worth it), it's not the same.

He'll sacrifice whatever he has to just for the sake of having her back in his life, reclaiming the privilege of loving her after losing her, but while he's grateful, he also hates missing her like this. Phone calls and video chatting are great, long distance is fine, but it'll never replace the sensation of waking up with her in his bed every morning or the knowledge that she's only a cab ride away instead of a plane trip.

He wonders if it's gnawing at her yet, the distance. Every time he shows up on her door in DC, she's dragging him into the house with her smile smudged to his and laughter bubbling between her kisses. Every time he leaves her, the work of her mouth over his is mournful, aching and desperate, always tempting him to cancel his flight. Kate doesn't half-ass anything, she can't enjoy only having one foot in the door, not with him.

But he knows how much she values this job, how much it means to her, and he would never want her to quit, especially not for him.

Rick reaches for his phone on the nightstand. It's nearly one in the morning, but he can't sleep, his mind wracked with thoughts of her and Christmas and words he should probably pour onto a page. But instead, he opens the web browser on his phone, begins typing into the search bar.

Apartments for rent in DC

"Are you sure you want to do this, Beckett?"

Kate pauses with the phone wedged between her ear and shoulder, her fingers falling still over her suitcase and her lips pursing.

"I don't know yet," she admits on a sigh, laying her boots along the bottom of her luggage. "I just want to meet with the director, Rachel, discuss the options."

"It's not because of the boyfriend, is it? Because, look, I'm happy for you-"

"No," Kate assures her quickly, folding her coat over her arm. "Castle is important to me, but I wouldn't quit for him and he wouldn't want me to. This is about me."

Agent McCord is silent for a moment. "It's the grey areas, isn't it? You're a cop, you want everything to be black or white, but in this town, with this job…"

"It rarely is," Kate fills in, fingering one of the buttons on her coat as the sinking feeling in her stomach that she's felt on multiple occasions after a case is wrapped up, but loose ends are still left undone, sets in.

"If you can make peace with that, then I hope you decide to stay, because you're an amazing agent, Kate, one of the best I've ever worked with, and you're an excellent partner. I'd hate to lose you, but I won't try to convince you to stay either."

Kate's lips quirk with a smile, gratitude in her chest, but it's not the same. Not the partner she needs.

"Thanks, Rachel. I'll let you know after the holidays. Enjoy your Christmas."

"Hanukkah," she corrects. "And you too."

The call disconnects and Kate lowers the phone to her lap, descends from her haunches to sit on the floor in front of her open suitcase. She has a meeting with the AG director about potentially quitting her job as soon as she gets back, she has a meeting with Gates about potentially returning to the Twelfth as soon as her flight lands. She has no idea what she's going to do yet, all she knows is that she wants to go home for Christmas.

The key comes in the mail just days before Christmas and his heart trembles with excitement. He ties a red ribbon through the hole, hangs the lonely gold key like an ornament on the Christmas tree. The bridge to their future is subtle amidst the rest of the decorations, perfectly hidden in plain sight for her to find on Christmas morning.

He's booked viewings with multiple real estate agents, plans to allow Kate to have her say in which one they choose, but he asked the agent of just one place - his personal favorite - if he could have the key sent over in advance. The gesture was more symbolic than anything and they agreed to no gifts this year, but he can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes the meaning behind the house key on their Christmas tree.

He can't wait for her to be here. But it's only Tuesday, five days until Christmas, and she's not flying in until Friday.

She's scanning the house, ensuring she has everything she needs for a week in New York before she has to rush for the airport. Castle kept her up late on the phone last night, causing her to sleep through her alarm this morning, and if she misses her flight because of him, she'll kill him when she finally does get there.

Kate strides out of the bathroom, positive she has everything, but stops short in front of her bed. Her fingers twitch and she starts for the nightstand without thinking, tugs open the top drawer and plucks the beat up jewelry box from inside.

She cradles the little box in her fingers, most of the velvet rubbed away from six months of Castle's fidgeting fingers scrubbing it raw, and pops the lid open - a ritual she performs more often than she would like to admit. Her fingertips graze over the diamonds sparkling up at her before they close around the band.

She eases the ring from its box, tucking the demolished velvet into her coat pocket, and slips the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. It's not the first time she's tested the feel of it on her finger either, but this time, she doesn't take it off.

He told her to put the ring on whenever she's ready, when she thinks the time for an engagement feels right, when she knows she wants to marry him.

Kate wiggles her fingers, lets the ring wink back at her, before she pivots on her heel and grabs the handle of her suitcase.

Whether she fully realizes it or not, she walks out the door with her decisions made.

Her flight is late, holiday traffic out of LaGuardia is horrible, and her meeting with Gates runs over by an hour. By the time she's finally striding down his street with her suitcase rolling behind her, it's almost midnight and his voice is in her ear.

She shakes her head as he whines about flying to see her despite the fact that she's supposed to be here in just a few days. Tickets are an outrageous amount of money and she tells him to save his. Maybe if she was still sitting alone in DC tonight, she might be a bit more tempted, but she's so close, just a few more feet-

Kate winces as the angry screech of tires and car horns blare, loud enough for him to hear.

"Just wait," she says.

It'll be worth it.

"What's the point of having money if I can't spend it on what I want?" he complains and she rolls her eyes, dodges a frazzled looking mother pushing a baby stroller.

"Rick, it's nearly midnight," she huffs, but another loud honk of a car on the street next to her muffles the point of her sentence and she shoots the driver a glare.

"Yeah, where are you?" he questions, puzzled and curious. "Ooh, are you going to meet Rachel to investigate another top secret case?"

Her lips quirk. Silly man.

"No, I'm trying to get home," she informs him, sighing out in relief as his building finally comes into view and some of the foot traffic begins to clear.

Home.

"Your street is never that noisy."

Kate smirks. "I know."

It only takes a moment for him to connect the dots and then he's gasping into the phone, the sound of him rushing across the loft, flinging the front door open, filling the line.

Her cheeks ache from the cold and the smile curling across her lips as she hastens her pace through the last few steps to his building, her fingers reaching for the lobby's door-

But Rick beats her to it.

He spills out onto the sidewalk, nearly stumbles straight into her. He stops short with his hand catching her by the waist and his smile lighting up his face like the lights across the city.

"You're here early," he breathes, beaming back at her with that crooked little boy smile, as if his Christmas wish just came true.

"Surprise?" she grins, humming as he leans in to kiss her, hard and fast, a warm and wonderful contrast to the cold December air.

Kate cups his cheek with the hand not holding to her suitcase, sealing her cool fingers to his skin. Castle draws back from her reluctantly, his brow scrunching just slightly. His hand rises to cover hers.

He's so close, close enough for her to witness the moment realization flares through his eyes.

His thumb strokes over the ring on her finger, flecks of gold bursting through his gaze, and he finally turns his head to see for himself.

"You're here and you're wearing my ring," he murmurs, lowering her hand between them and examining the diamond band taking up residence on her finger. "Does this mean - are you-"

Kate flips her palm to curl her fingers around his, dragging him in for one more kiss in the cold. They have a lot to talk about, her job and his ring and everything in between, but right now, all she wants is to revel in the joy she managed to bring to his eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Castle," she whispers against his lips.

He only lets go of her hand to cradle her face in his, to twine his fingers through her hair, and kiss her thoroughly.

A soft moan slips from her lips and her body sways into him, pushing him back inside.

The suitcase catches in the door and Kate huffs, pulls away from his mouth to yank the luggage inside.

"This is the best gift," he breathes, his hands still at her jaw, his thumb stroking the corner of her mouth as it lifts with her returning smile. "I can't believe you're here."

She releases her suitcase to wrap her arms tight around his neck, rising on the toes of her boots to kiss him again. The heels give her the height and press her in closer against him, has him grinning into the excited seal of her lips.

"I missed you," she admits, dropping back to the soles of her shoes. "And Christmas was driving me crazy down there by myself."

"Which is why your Christmases and days leading up to them should always be spent with me," he murmurs, lowering his hands to reach past her for the suitcase. "Are you still staying until New Year's?"

She hesitates and his heart does too. "Yeah, but Castle, there's something I need to talk to you about."

The words 'we need to talk' coming from a woman he's seeing never mean good news, but he reminds himself that this isn't any other woman. This is Kate and she's not breaking up with him, of that he's certain.

"Okay, let's head up to the loft," he murmurs, hauling her luggage behind him. "Jeez, since when do you pack heavy?"

She ducks her head, hiding a smile. "Kind of what I need to talk to you about."

He watches her curiously through their walk to the elevator, determining that whatever news she has for him can't be bad.

"Wow, you really went all out this year," Kate appraises, walking into the transformed winter wonderland of the loft. She hasn't been here since the near end of November, when the interior of his home was still draped with autumn decor. Every Christmas decoration imaginable consumes it now. "It looks even more magical than last year."

"Tell Alexis that," he sighs, rolling her suitcase to his office's doorway. "She complained that I was taking it too far this year just because it took an extra day to finish. Told her it was worth it."

"A week of marathon decorating is a bit extreme," she concedes with a smirk.

"Just wait until next year," he warns, abandoning her suitcase to join her by the tree. "Wherever we spend Christmas, I'm dragging my decorating traditions with us."

"Or we could just spend it here," she shrugs, her heart speeding up just slightly. "We could... spend every holiday here."

"Kate, I can't ask you to fly down that often," he murmurs with a gentle shake of his head. "You have a demanding job and-"

"No, Rick," she stops him, shifting to take his hips with her hands, curling her fingers in the soft fabric of his t-shirt. He's watching her with his brow in an adorable furrow, his lips pursed with questions. "I meant, what if I just... came home?"

He blinks. "From DC? Wait, like - quit your job and move back?"

Uncertainty flutters in her gut. She thought... well, she hoped he would be overjoyed by the prospect of having her back in the city, of having things back to the way they were, but he looks less than thrilled.

"Yeah, I - maybe I should have talked to you first, but I met with Gates when I landed, discussed what it would take to get my old job back," she explains and his brow hitches.

"And?"

"She says there's an opening for me, if I want it," she reveals, snagging her bottom lip between her teeth.

"And do you want it?" he asks, his chest still, as if he's holding his breath.

"I do," she murmurs, tugging him closer. "I like my job at the AG office, but it's not the same. I miss my work at the Twelfth, I miss putting the victims and their families first rather than prioritizing politics," she mutters, feeling his hands lift to splay at her spine. "But even more than that, I miss my partner. Miss you."

She sucks in a breath, but the strange flicker of disappointment she caught in his gaze dissipates beneath the flare of exuberance, the beam of his smile spreading across his face just before he darts in to kiss her.

Kate sighs against his mouth, releasing his hips to lace her arms around his back.

"You're marrying me, you're coming home, and we're going back to the Twelfth? You really are the gift that keeps on giving tonight," he mumbles and she laughs, nips at his lip before she parts from his mouth. "Makes my gift pretty insignificant."

She glances up in confusion. "We said no gifts, remember? This is just... what's supposed to happen, how it's supposed to be."

"Careful, Beckett," he warns, extricating one of his arms to lift a hand to her cheek, brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "Almost sounds like you're believing in fate."

"Not fate," she murmurs, covering his hand and turning her head to press a quick kiss to his palm. "Just us. Now, what gift?"

He sighs, knocks his forehead to hers for a moment before disentangling from her and stepping up to the magnificent Christmas tree that lights up the living room. She watches him pluck an ornament from one of the branches, clutching it in his palm, and dropping it into hers.

Kate looks down to the key attached to a red ribbon in her hand. Her brow knits.

"What is this to?"

"It was going to be a key to a DC apartment." Her eyes flash back to him, the disappointment suddenly making sense, but he doesn't look dismayed anymore. Only happy. "I'll have to call the real estate agents, but-"

"You were going to get an apartment in DC?" she whispers, stroking her thumb over the gold teeth of the key.

It's like the Gift of the Magi, the story of a woman cutting her gorgeous long hair to buy her husband a chain for his watch, while the husband sells his watch to afford a brush for his wife. They're both left with useless possessions, but a priceless form of love for each other.

"I was going to give it to you on Christmas morning, show you the places I set up viewings for, and then when I flew back with you after New Year's, we could pick the one we like best. Though, I admit that I like your plan better." The smile is curling at his lips, illuminating his face with the lights of the tree, but the look he's giving her is serious, promising. In a forever kind of way. "I can write from anywhere. I will, if that's what you want. But I'm not giving you up again."

Her heart swells hard and fast in her chest, makes her breathless, and Kate surges forward to wrap her arms around his neck. She buries her face in the warmth of his throat and he hugs her back, holds her tight.

"I love you," she breathes, the key digging into her palm.

"I love you too." Castle turns his head to press his lips to her temple. "And I'll follow you anywhere, Kate."