Castle's eyes were shining with excitement as they put the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. According to Kate, he had gone a little overboard when he picked out the tree last weekend, but she wasn't there to rein him in and, really what did she expect? If your Christmas tree isn't at least eight feet tall, what's the point? Their house was big enough to hold a tree of that size, and he definitely had enough decorations, so anything smaller would just be insulting.
Kate had been working and Alexis was still away on her European adventure, so Elizabeth had gone with him to pick out the tree, just the two of them, and she couldn't stop giggling when he pointed to the one he wanted.
"Do you think this one is too small Lizzie?" he had asked her, pointing to the tallest tree on the lot, smiling to himself as he watched his daughter curl up in a fit of laughter.
"No, Daddy! It's too big!" she squealed, her little fists coming up to playfully smack him on the chest.
Castle couldn't help laughing along with her, delighting in the fact that her face crinkled in exactly the same places as her mother's.
"Hey Lizzie, how about I ask if we can find an even bigger tree," he teased, looking around for an employee. This got her laughing even more, and by the time they left the tree lot, both Castle and Lizzie were red faced and breathless, the cold starting to sting their hands and faces.
All week long they had decorated the house, putting up lights outside, hanging garland down the staircase, snowmen, santas and reindeer occupying every empty space. Castle even hung some mistletoe above his bedroom door, a surprise he was sure Kate wouldn't mind.
But today was Christmas Eve, and they were just finishing the tree, their hectic life stopping them from completing the task earlier in the week. Alexis was back and the four of them together - his perfect family - hung the ornaments and the tinsel. Castle, with the help of a ladder, put the star on top of the tree, and they all stood back and gazed with wide eyes at the exquisite tree in front of them.
"Who wants hot chocolate?!" Castle asked, turning away from the tree, his own excitement evident in the fact that he ran into the kitchen to grab the ingredients.
After the famous hot chocolate was done and poured into mugs, extra marshmallows for him and Lizzie, Castle sat down with his girls to read The Night Before Christmas. It was a tradition he had started when Alexis was younger and he was overjoyed with the fact that he got to continue the tradition with Lizzie and Kate.
He read the story with vigor, giving life to the characters and making the magic of Christmas come off the page. His wife and daughters were listening with rapt attention, Kate's eyes shining with love for all of them, and his youngest daughter falling asleep in her mother's lap.
By the time the story was over, everyone was halfway to sleep, the warmth of the hot chocolate working it's way through their systems, and the thought of Christmas morning on their minds.
Kate volunteered to take all the mugs to the kitchen if Castle carried Lizzie to bed, so he scooped his sleeping daughter off Kate's lap and snuggled her close, breathing in the scent of her baby shampoo. She started to squirm in his grasp, coming awake without the comfort and warmth of her mother's body.
"Go back to sleep baby, Santa will only come if you're sleeping," Castle whispered in her ear, dusting a kiss to her forehead.
Lizzie yawned and wrapped her arms around Castle's neck, pulling herself up to rest her head on his shoulder. "Daddy, Santa's not real," she mumbled sleepily, closing her eyes again and sighing deeply.
Castle stopped in his tracks and turned to face his wife, who looked equally shocked in the kitchen. He stared at her with wide eyes, unable to believe his ears, but she just shrugged her shoulders and went back to cleaning the mugs.
Kate seemed very nonchalant about the whole thing, but Castle would not let that comment go unnoticed. He sat Lizzie down on the couch and waited for a minute while she blinked into consciousness, confusion evident in her small features.
"Lizzie, why do you think Santa isn't real?" Castle questioned.
"Daddy," she replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "we don't even have a chimney. How would he get in here?" She asked the question like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Castle just stared at her, dumbfounded.
He knew that Lizzie had inherited her mother's hair and her laugh, but he didn't think detective skills were genetic. Castle looked up from the couch to see Kate with her hand over her mouth, shaking with silent laughter.
Well at least one of them thought this was funny. Castle on the other hand was a bit disappointed that his daughter had already lost the magic of Christmas - she was only four! He turned a grumpy face back towards his daughter who he saw looking up at him with nothing but love in her eyes.
"Daddy, why you sad?" Lizzie asked, her voice small.
Castle's heart swelled as he looked at his daughter, and he realized the magic in her life was only just beginning.
"Oh I'm not sad honey," he murmured, picking Lizzie up and pulling her into a tight embrace. "I just discovered that you and mommy are more alike than I ever knew."
"I'm just like mommy?" Lizzie grinned, pulling back so she could look Castle in the eye, her arms coming to rest on top of his shoulders.
"Just like mommy," he grinned back. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
Thanks to the squad for the quick beta. Hope you guys enjoy!
Reviews are always appreciated :)
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