#chb2020

Just click the link attached to the Castle Halloween Bash master list you wish to view.

Castle Halloween Bash 2014

Castle Halloween Bash 2015

Castle Halloween Bash 2016

Castle Halloween Bash 2017

Castle Halloween Bash 2018

Castle Halloween Bash 2019

Castle Halloween Bash 2020

Castle Halloween Bash 2021

Castle Halloween Bash 2022

Castle Halloween Bash 2023

Castle Halloween Bash 2024

something at work in my soul: just right (a reference material verse ficlet)

 She meets him outside her first class of the day, licking her lips as she looks him over, taking him in. He hadn't been kidding when he said he goes all-out for Halloween. She's positively underdressed by comparison.

 Rick smiles, cocking his head. "And just who are you supposed to be, Ms. Beckett?"

 She tilts her head in return, making a point of dragging her eyes up and down his body again. He shifts from foot to foot but says nothing.

 "And what about you?" she asks in lieu of an answer. "Zombie, Rick?"

 He nods. "Did my own make-up and everything," he says, looking more than a little bit proud of himself. "You like?"

 She nods. "I'm impressed."

 "Well, when you grow up with my mother you learn a thing or two about stage make-up," he says, lifting a tattered jacket-covered shoulder.

 "Mmm, well," she says stepping closer. Her fingers toy with his lapel. His chest stutters under her hand. "Do you think you could help me with mine before this party tonight?"

 Her boyfriend's hands land on her hips, drawing her closer. His mouth brushes hers, his lips soft despite the lipstick or stain or whatever he's put on today. "I'd love to. But first, we'll have to make sure your costume is just right."

 She laughs, brushing her hands down his sides. "That's Goldilocks, babe." She nuzzles his mouth. "Don't you know I'm Little Red Riding Hood?"

 Kate bumps her nose against his before pulling away. Her hood goes up as she starts to walk away.

 "Oh! I know!" Rick calls to her back, jogging to catch up. "We'll make you Zombie!Little Red Riding Hood tonight. Then we'll match."

lingering

 "There they are!"

 "Who?" Her husband turns to face her, his brow furrowed in confusion.

 She sighs in exasperation, knowing she is not speaking a foreign language; they've talked about this before; he's heard the stories just as she has. "You know who. I told you about them; they're famous around here. The writer – Castle – and his wi-"

 "Oh, not this again."

 "What do you mean, 'not this again'? This is amazing – they're the stuff of fairytales. You know they worked together for years before they got married and they fell in love because he wrote books about her?"

 "I seem to remember hearing something about that a few million times, yes," her husband drawls, giving her hand an exaggerated, patronizing pat. "I just don't know why you're so obsessed with them."

 She huffs, pushing at his shoulder, turning her gaze back to the couple strolling ahead of them with their dog. Their heads are bent close together, lips brushing occasionally, and she sees them alternating between linking arms and just moving in each other's space. "I don't know how you can't be. It's a gorgeous love story, honey. You used to be romantic, you know."

 "I'm still romantic," he defends. "But I'm romantic just for you. Not strangers the entire town likes to gossip about."

 "It's not gossip," she insists. "It's, it's gospel at this point. They went through terrible things to be together, but they accomplished amazing stuff too, and they never fell out of love with one another. That's not gossip, that's fact."

 Her husband tilts his head, giving her that much. Everyone remembers the day Kate Beckett arrested a senator on TV and then just weeks later appeared on the morning shows to plead for information about Richard Castle's whereabouts.

 He touches his lips to her forehead. "You're right. It just seems sad. Given everything else that happened…"

 "It's a good thing to see them," she insists, hugging his arm. "Especially if you're with someone you love. It's a good thing. It's means good luck for you, for your relationships."

 He nods again, pressing another kiss to her hairline. She smiles, lifting her chin to touch her lips to his, kissing him quickly.

 When she turns forward again, the happy couple has disappeared, fading into the woods once more. Exactly as the folklore says they do; they stroll a little arm in arm and then they're gone.

 But their peace lingers.

hindsight (a take the stairs verse ficlet)

 In hindsight – hah – maybe she should've put some limitations on Rick's Halloween exuberance.

 After all, she'd expected him to decorate their apartments, to line the walls from waist to ceiling (floor was out thanks to two endlessly curious little ones) with witches and spiders and all things creepy and crawly, but she hadn't expected him to make their children part of the display. At least not quite the way he had – handprint art, yes. Their twins' painted butts? Not so much.

 Still, it makes her laugh – a little too hard, given that she's in the middle of the bullpen and running financials on a victim – and wish she'd been at home for the decision-making process on that one.

 Little pumpkins, huh?

 She could picture Rick's face at her response, his upturned lips and quiet chuckle. He was a great dad; if the little grin she could see on Anna's face was anything to go by, Anna and Eli were no doubt having a blast with his over the top afternoon antics.

 Yep. Picked them up from the pumpkin patch this morning.

 She groaned. Yeah, she definitely needed to get home, if only to stop Rick Castle, Dad Joke Extraordinaire, from making more pumpkin puns.

something at work in my soul: if the costume fits

 Kate presses her fingertips to her lips, fighting the prick of tears at the backs of her eyes. Her babies are absolutely beautiful. Her resilient fighters, her Jake and Reece, Peanut Butter and Jelly – as Lily has taken to calling them since they were born over a month ago – her baby boys.

 They're finally coming home. After more than a month in the hospital, they're getting to come home today.

 And, apparently, they're doing it in costume.

 "Look at you guys," she murmurs, rubbing a hand over Reece's belly, tweaking the tomato ketchup logo. She does the same for Jake, tracing her fingertip over the lettering. "Did Daddy put the nurses up to this? Because this looks like something Daddy would put the nurses up to."

 Rick chuckles, moving behind her and brushing his hands down her arms. His lips brush her temple.

 "As much as I'd like to take credit for it – and believe me, I wish I'd thought of it – this is all the nursing staff. Nancy said they love getting to dress the NICU graduates up a little bit; it shows them how far they've come."

 She nods, pressing her fingers to his. "Their first Halloween costumes."

 Castle nuzzles her again. "I took so many pictures."

 Kate chuckles, swallowing hard. "Good."

 He loops his arm around her, drawing her back into his chest. They stand together, watching their boys squirm and stretch. "So, hey… I was thinking…."

 "Mmm?" she asks lifting her head. "You were thinking?"

 "What would it take to get Lily to dress up as a jar of mayonnaise? Then you, Alexis, and I can go as pickles, cheese, and bacon and we'll have all the burger toppings."

 She grins, shaking her head. Yeah, there's no chance of that. "Not even if you put a princess crown on it, babe."

 He clucks his tongue. "Probably true," he feigns a sigh. "Okay, let's take our condiment twins home."

something at work in my soul: the thought that counts

 "Hey doodlebug, whatcha doing?"

 Lily leans into the hand Lanie brushes through her hair, pushing at the leaves with a firm hand. "S'a sign."

 "It's beautiful," Lanie says, taking in the brilliant colors – oranges, reds, browns and even a few lingering greens. Lily had picked everything out herself, she'd said, choosing a nice variety of sizes as well as colors, sizes that will fill the page. Lanie has to admit, she's impressed; the kid has a good eye.

 "Fanks." Lily picks up the glue stick in her fist, scrubbing the largest leaf with it and smacking it down with triumph. "An' den I'm gonna paint a punkin an' make it say 'Habby Hall-ween!"

 Lanie grins. Castle had started early with Lily – her first Halloween had been a quiet affair, coming just weeks after her birth, but every year after that has gotten progressively more involved, becoming more of a spectacle; apparently Lily is getting in on the action herself this year.

 "I think that's a great idea, Lil. Can I help you?"

 The girl considers the offer for a moment before nodding. "Ya. Mama pours da paint. Ca' you pour da paint?"

 Lanie nods. "Orange paint, coming right up."

 "An' pink!" Lily says quickly, grinning.

 Lanie chuckles, brushing her fingers through Lily's hair quickly. "And pink. Of course, how silly of me to forget that."

 Lil grins, her nose crinkling just like her mother's.

something at work in my soul: mug shot

 Castle's grinning when he emerges from the house with their mugs in his hand, which is enough to make her eyes narrow.

 "What?" she asks, looking between his face and the cup, certain he's about to hand her something she's not going to like. "What's the face about?"

 Her partner chuckles. "Don't look so suspicious, Beckett. I'm not going to hand you anything radioactive."

 Kate rolls her eyes. "There's a pretty big gap between radioactive and the coffee you promised, you know. I have no idea what you might have up your sleeve – especially given how tame you've been this year so far."

 He hums, cocking his head. "I have been pretty calm, haven't I? Showing remarkable restraint?"

 "Uh huh," she agrees, lifting an eyebrow. "And here's where you hand me a mug full of fake blood?"

 He mutters, "No. But damn, that would've been good. I'm going to remember that for when Alexis comes home," he adds.

 Beckett shakes her head. "No, you will not. First, that fake blood smells terrible; she'll vomit if she gets it anywhere near her mouth."

 Her boyfriend considers that. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll think of an alternative. Something she can eat; it'll be great."

 "uh huh," she says. "So, what've you got for me?"

 Castle licks his lips, passing the mug over. She looks inside, expecting fake spiders or a worm of some kind, only to find her coffee with looks like a marshmallow ghost on top.

 "This is very cute," she says.

 "It's an Eep!" Castle says, cheerful as ever, pulling a laugh from her. "Like a peep, only scarier. An Eep!"

something at work in my soul it's a (carving) date

 It's a stupid plan.

 They don't do this – well, she doesn't do this. He has no qualms about showing up at her place with some bullshit excuse on his tongue. But here she is, hefting a pumpkin higher in her grip in his elevator, waiting to see his face when he opens the door to her and her idea.

 That is, if he's even home to open the door to her. She doesn't know his schedule these days, what with him making off and on appearances to promote both Heat Rises and his Derrick Storm graphic novel. He could very easily be off somewhere with his sea of groupies fawning over him. He could have a date, too; it's presumptuous of her to assume that he'll just be home by himself on the off chance that she stops by.

 But then again, he's been receptive before – their cookie making at her apartment comes to mind – and he never seems to be inclined to turn her away when she comes to him. So yeah, she feels sheepish, but… she's here.

 With a pumpkin to carve with her partner.

 "Beckett! Hey, am I missing a body drop?"

 She shakes her head. "No, no. I just… brought this." Beckett lifts the pumpkin a little bit. "Thought you might be interested in carving it? If you're busy, though, I can go."

 Castle's hand shoots out, stopping her from leaving. "No, never. Never too busy for you, Beckett. And never too busy for pumpkin carving, either."

 Delight brighten his features as he looks between her and her cargo. Where he'd seemed tired before, he looks energized.