"Bye, Dad! See you later!"

The door closed with a bang just as Rick Castle came out of his bedroom. "Alexis?"

There was no response, from his daughter or anyone else.

"Damn," Rick breathed.

Martha Rodgers came down the stairs, well-wrapped up in a red poncho coat, the scarves carefully around her neck. Beneath was a smart black trouser suit. "What is it, darling?" she asked.

"Are you going out too?" Rick demanded.

Martha looked down at herself. "No, I was planning to clean the oven." At his look, she sighed. "Alexis is out with Ashley again?"

"Yes." Rick crossed his arms grumpily.

"She's in love." Martha descended to the bottom stair, leaning elegantly on the railing.

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"I thought we could go and buy a tree together."

"Ah." Martha glanced towards the bare corner next to the fire. "Is that why you haven't decorated already?"

"Every time I've started to suggest it she says she's busy. And now I think she's avoiding me."

Martha shook her red leather gloves at him. "Of course she isn't. She just has other things to do."

"I just thought she'd want to help me."

"Then call her."

His lips squashed together. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm the cool dad. I don't chase my daughter."

Martha shook her head. "Kiddo, she's not psychic. If you don't tell her, how's she to know?"

His face took on the stubborn aspect she knew from when he was five years old and wanted to ride on the Ferris Wheel at Coney Island. "We've always done it."

"And now she has a boyfriend. It's natural she's going to want to be with him at this time of year."

"Over her father?"

Martha patted him on the arm. "It's no contest."

Rick sighed heavily. "I don't suppose you ..."

"Oh, no, sorry. Plans."

"Right."

She felt a stab of sympathy. "Richard, remember when you were her age? I barely saw you because you were out with some girl or other."

"It's not the same!"

"No?" She picked up her purse. "Anyway, why don't you call Gina? I'm sure she'll hurry round to help."

"She's ..." A shadow passed behind Rick's eyes. "She's in Europe for the holidays."

Martha raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. Perhaps the second time around was coming to a close, and she wasn't about to waste any tears over it. Instead she just said, "And I have to go or I'll be late."

"Where?"

"I'm meeting with some of the girls from our old production of A Chorus Line – we're going to dinner at Antoine's."

"It's barely two in the afternoon. And ... girls?"

Martha ignored the jibe at her age. "We're going to have drinks first."

"I'll have the stomach pump ready."

She hit him on the arm, but smiled at the same time. "Tell Alexis. I'm sure it just hasn't occurred to her."

"No, no. It's fine." He waved his hands, pushing it away. "And you'd better get going, or you'll be three martinis down before you get there."

"I'll soon catch up." She kissed his cheek. "And don't worry. You're not losing Alexis."

"I didn't say I was."

Martha arched one eyebrow and swept out.

For a long moment Rick stared at the door, as if by not blinking he could magic his daughter out of thin air. Then he slapped his hands together, the sound echoing through the quiet loft, and he went to get his overcoat.

Two hours later he struggled back in through the door, dragging a Christmas tree.

"Be a surprise," he muttered. "Be fun." Then ... "Oops." He'd knocked over one of the large vases on the floor by the stairs. Luckily it hadn't broken. "Have to be more careful, Ricky."

It took nearly another hour before he had it in place, stepping back more times than he could count to check to see if it was straight, and always tweaking it just a little. In the end he decided it was probably the floor and not the tree, and life was too short.

The box of Christmas decorations was a little harder to find. Eventually he located it on the top shelf in the coat cupboard by the front door, the place he'd look right at the beginning. Carrying it carefully to the table, he unfolded the top, gazing into a mess of jewel colours, most of them snuggled in torn up sheets of the New York Ledger. Every year he promised himself to do it much more carefully, and every January 6th he did it as quickly as possible, thrusting them away until next time.

He smiled at the glass ball resting on top, red and white stripes with green leaves painted around the metal loop.

It was one of the very first set of baubles he'd bought that Christmas after Meredith left. Alexis wasn't really old enough to know the difference, but he was determined she wouldn't miss her mother, and he'd gone just a little overboard. Over the years the other five had been broken, and this, the very last, had been wrapped in cotton wool all by itself to keep it as a memory. He'd worried, that first year and every year since, that he'd be a bad father, that he wouldn't know how to bring up a daughter, even with the intermittent assistance of his own mother. That worry didn't seem to be getting any less.

Lifting the bauble up, the firelight caught the glitter as he hooked it onto one of the branches, winking at him as if sharing a joke.

The joke, of course, was on him. Alexis had grown into the most beautiful, thoughtful, intelligent young woman, and he wouldn't have missed any of it for all the money in the world.

Smiling slightly, he pulled a small painted wooden cat from the box, and another memory surfaced.

Alexis was six when she brought home the kitten, another Christmas Eve that seemed such a long time ago now. It was a pitiful mewing rag of a cat, all wet and bedraggled, and when she help it up under her father's nose there was the distinct perfume of alleys. Luckily it was wearing a collar, but try as he might Rick couldn't get through.

"Please, Daddy?" Alexis had begged. "I'll take care of her."

"Alexis ..."

"Her name's Gigi. It says so on her collar." Alexis cuddled the kitten, not caring about the wet fur or other possibly noxious substances. "Daddy?"

He'd tried the stern look, but she trumped it with the puppy-dog eyes. His logical reasoning had fallen by the wayside too, and in the end he had sighed, deeply. She knew, of course. Her clear blue eyes had sparkled, and she'd run upstairs to give poor Gigi a bath, giving Rick orders to find some milk and something for the kitten to eat.

Of course, two days after Christmas the true owners called, ecstatic that their son's kitten had been found, having gotten out of the apartment just as they were about to leave for a holiday break. Alexis had been heartbroken. Even then, though, she had been grown up enough to decide not to accept Rick's offer of a kitten of her own, but instead had asked him to sponsor one at the local cat sanctuary.

Staring at the wooden animal he couldn't help but chuckle. Alexis was one of a kind.

Rick shook himself. This wasn't getting him anywhere. He took a deep breath, steeling himself from the tendrils of the past, and got on with the arduous task of decorating the tree.

Finally he was done, and the tree was adorned with lights, strings of beads, and a wide variety of hanging decorations. He loved it, the eclectic mix of plastic, glass and wood, and each one of them stirring memories.

Gina never had, of course. It was one of the things they'd argued about every year of their married life – she wanted a simple silver artificial tree, with only white and gold adornments, artfully placed and almost minimalistic, whilst he was for something entirely more ... homey. At least that was one fight they wouldn't have this time, and he took a moment to wish, quite honestly, that she was enjoying herself in Europe.

He stepped back, the bright colours reflecting off every surface in the loft, and felt renewed. A sharp hoot of an engine outside made him glance at the window. He was surprised to see it was dark already, and the clock confirmed he'd been at this a whole lot longer than he'd imagined. Not that it mattered.

"Hey."

He span on his heel, surprise written on his face as he gazed at his daughter just closing the front door. "Alexis! I didn't think you were going to be home until later."

She shrugged out of her coat, tossing it into the cupboard. "I thought you might like some help with the tree."

"Did your grandmother call you?" Rick asked, his eyes narrowing.

"She ... might have accidentally dialled," Alexis admitted. "But I see you've done it." She looked the tree up and down. "It's pretty."

"It's not quite done yet."

She looked again. Then smiled. "The star."

"That's right." His face softened. "Do you remember when we bought it?"

"Of course I do, Dad." She slid her arm around his waist and settled her head against his shoulder, just like she had ever since she'd put on a growth spurt a few years previously, about the same time he realised he couldn't keep her a little girl forever. "I'd just started at Marlowe Prep and was feeling a little lost, and you took me shopping. You said I could have anything I wanted."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "And you saw this box of bits in a charity shop."

She shrugged, smiling at the memory. "There it was, right on top. The star."

"Mmn."

"And I said that was what I wanted."

"You were very persistent, considering it was only September."

"And you bought it for me." She tightened her grip. "Thank you, Dad."

"You can have whatever you want. Well, within reason," he added quickly. "Nothing that requires gas, a pilot's licence or third party insurance."

Alexis laughed and pushed him away gently. "Help me?"

"Always."

She reached into the almost empty box and took out the last bauble, a silver star that had lost some of its shine here and there, but would always be special to them both. Rick held the steps while she climbed up, placing the star right at the very top of the tree, nested securely on the needles.

"There." Stepping down she smiled. "It looks good, doesn't it?"

"It does," he agreed.

"So ..." she went on slowly, "I thought we could have a quiet night in."

He stared at her. "What about Ashley?"

"He's going to do the same with his family." She turned her clear eyes on him. "Don't you want to?"

Pulling her quickly into his embrace again he hugged her tightly. "I can't think of anything better." He chuckled. "Hey, I can make some egg nog."

"Just as long as it's just egg nog."

"Why?"

"Remember your experiments with omelettes?" She shuddered, showing she'd inherited a fair amount of theatricality from her grandmother.

"Okay," he said, laughing. "Only egg nog."

At that moment his cellphone trilled.

Alexis looked up into his face. "Beckett?"

"Um ..." He paused only a moment. "I'll tell her no. Whatever it is." Pulling his phone from his pocket he toggled the on button. "Hey, Beckett."

Kate's voice seemed to make the phone vibrate. "Castle. Don't worry, it's not a body."

He relaxed. "Then you must have just wanted to hear my sexy voice."

Alexis grimaced.

"Right." Kate's tone couldn't be any drier. "Actually we're going for a drink," she said. "Just to celebrate the season."

"We?"

"Esposito, Ryan, the Captain and me. And we wondered if you wanted to join us."

Rick glanced at Alexis. "No. No, I don't think so. Alexis is home, and we're going to –" He looked up in surprise as his daughter's hand pushed at the cellphone. "What?"

"Invite them round."

"Really?"

"Really. It'll be fun. And I can practice my poker skills. For pennies, of course."

He gazed at his daughter, and wondered yet again what miraculous deed he had done in a previous life to warrant her gift. "Thanks," he said, smiling tenderly at her.

"Castle?" Kate sounded curious. "Are you okay?"

"Come on over. All of you. We can have an impromptu party."

"A party?"

"Why not?"

"Well, Ryan was meeting Jenny at the bar, and Esposito said he'd got a date waiting –"

"They can come too. The more the merrier."

There was a pause, and a muffled conversation that suggested Kate had her palm over the phone. Then ... "We'll be there."

"Great!" He grinned. "I'll order pizza."

Kate laughed. "Fine. See you soon."

"Oh, and ... Beckett?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure you've all got lots of change." He hung up before she could ask why, winking at Alexis as he did so.