A/N: because the world is a stupid place and I needed pugs to cheer Vallie and myself up
Disclaimer: mum gets home from her holiday tomorrow. House is a mess. Marlowe, please come tidy it?
The sofa consists largely of three pugs and two kids and an immeasurable number of blankets and pillows. Outside it's snowing, great white flakes drifting past the windows. Inside the loft is lit only by fairy lights, from the walls and the Christmas tree that is standing tall and proud by the window. Presents are littered everywhere, big and small, of all kinds of ridiculous shapes. Kate knows Castle likes to spoil everyone in the family, and she's stopped trying to stop him. As long as he doesn't go overboard on her, she doesn't really mind.
The only one on the sofa actually awake is Macchiato, and Kate can see the soft Christmas lights reflected in his eyes. The pug is sprawled across Mary's leg, practically sitting on his rear, his front legs and head over her calf. Mocha is asleep on James's chest, front paws tickling the six year olds chin. Kate can't help but smile. Three pugs, two kids and one husband who should be home before Christmas Day. She hadn't been particularly happy with Paula when she'd organised a book tour this close to Christmas, had been even less happy when adverse weather conditions had kept Castle in Toronto for the past three days.
Now it's half an hour until Christmas Day and she knows that he finally managed to get on a plane. When he's actually getting home she has no idea, but she hopes it's before it gets to midnight. She promised Mary and James they could stay up until he got home (and they would have got a lie in on Christmas morning) but they'd fallen asleep half way through The Lion King, which was alright by Kate. She wasn't particularly keen on watching the rest of that movie. Not that she didn't like it. She did. But there was only too much Disney heart ache she could take in one day.
Latte's leg twitches, chasing rabbits in her sleep and Kate scratches the back of her head, laughing quietly as her ear flicks involuntarily. Mocha's head jerks up suddenly, hearing something that Kate can't quite pick up. Then she can hear the slight squeak of the lift stopping, the sound of the doors opening. Kate tips her head backwards against the top of the sofa smiling. The scrape of the key in the lock has Macchiato down off the sofa, scampering towards the door on her fat legs. Mocha doesn't take long to go after her, takes a lot more care with moving off of James before jumping off. Latte, who isn't getting any younger, lifts her head up but stays where she is, stumpy tail wagging eagerly. Kate laughs again, lifts her down onto the floor.
Kate stays where she is for a moment, watching the three dogs trying to manoeuvre themselves around the opening door. Mocha barks, and it's really only a squeak, but Mary, who seems to be unconsciously alert to whenever her dog may need her sits up, blinking heavily.
"Mommy?"
"It's alright, Mary. Just Daddy."
Castle's dropped his suitcase, shut the door, and leant against it with a huff of breath. Kate leaves him for a moment, lets him gather his thoughts. The dogs are not so considerate, yapping and barking and standing on his toes until he looks down at them. Mary is already sliding forward off the sofa, running across the floor until she reaches Castle. He's ready for her, holds his arms out so she can jump over the pugs and into his arms, talking nineteen to the dozen about absolutely everything. How they helped Alexis and Jenson put the tree up. How Jenson caught Alexis under the mistletoe and did that yucky thing that Mommy and Daddy do. How James ruined her drinking straw castle. It makes Kate laugh really. As independent as Mary is growing up to be, she is a complete Daddy's girl. She's usually the first one to greet him at the door when he comes in. Castle says it's because she's so much like Kate. Can't get enough of him. She'd raised an eyebrow at him. Laughed. Said he was delusional.
Castle walks over to the sofa's, expertly avoiding the pugs, deposits Mary back on the sofa, collapses on to the sofa with a groan. Mocha and Macchiato are already jumping up onto the sofa, into his lap, trying to climb up onto his shoulder.
"Alright, Mary. Daddy's home. Time for bed."
Mary looked ready to complain, eyes narrowing, mouth pouting but Castle got in first. "Sooner you go to bed Mary, the sooner it's Christmas. Remember that."
Instead, the nine year old grinned, hugged her father one last time, flung her arms around Kate's neck. "Night night." She said, before reaching over for Mocha who was quite happy to scrabble up the girls chest so she could see over her shoulder.
"Night, sweetheart." Kate replies, smoothing her hand over the kids hair, before turning back to Castle. "Do you want the kid or the dog?"
"Oh, I think I'll have the kid." Castle grinned, handing Macchiato to Kate. The pug has half fallen to sleep again, eyes nearly closed. She's warm and heavy in Kate's arms and she tucks her against her chest, feels the warmth against her skin.
Castle's bending over the sofa, his hands under James's armpits. James's sleeps like his father, and he barely stirs as Castle lifts him up. He automatically wraps his arms around his neck, head sinking onto his shoulder. Still completely out of it. Kate follows behind, her finger stroking down the pugs nose. Upstairs is dimly lit, the only light coming from the bathroom. It's the one light that's permanently on during the night, enough light to make the upstairs traversable. Kate follows Castle into James's room, filled with toys and stuffed animals and toy rockets and cars and the odd dinosaur. She pulls back the covers (stars and planets and comets that glow in the dark) with one hand. James is like a dead weight in Castle's arms, drops like a stone onto the bed.
"Momma?" he mumbles, half asleep and half awake.
"Just Daddy putting you to bed. It's okay. Go back to sleep."
"Daddy?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"I missed you." And then he's asleep again, body relaxing against the sheets, dead to the world until morning.
Castle smiles, runs his fingers through his hair. "Missed you too."
Kate places Macchiato in the crook of the boys arm, and she turns around a couple of times, testing the surface before settling down on her stomach, head on her front paws. Kate knows she'll stay awake for a few minutes more, just to make sure that James is okay. The perfect little guard dog. They leave, pulling the door to behind them. Mary is standing in the hall outside her room, waiting for them to come and tuck her in. Mocha is weaving in between her legs, wide awake and excitable as usual. She'll settle down eventually. She's just a hyper dog.
"Is it Christmas Day yet?"
Castle points to the clock on her wall. "What does the clock say?"
Mary focuses for a moment, and then grins. "It's five past twelve."
"So?"
"It's Christmas!"
"It's Christmas. And when you wake up you can open your presents. But only when me and your mother and your brother are awake too, okay?"
"When your father and your brother wake up. " Kate rectifies. "Mother's having a lie in."
"Kate!" Castle cries, turning around. "You can't have a lie in! It's Christmas!"
"Tough luck, big guy." Kate says, slapping his arm gently. "You make me get out of bed before nine o clock and you will no longer exist to me."
"Harsh, Kate. That's harsh."
"We don't have to wait for you to open our presents?"
"You can open most of them. Wait until I'm up to open the one's from me and your father. Okay?"
Mary nods, and then turns towards her bed, picking Mocha as she went. "Is Gram coming for Christmas?"
"Of course, Alexis and Jenson are picking her up on their way over here."
"And Granddad?"
"Whole family, Mary. And some of Jenson's. Don't worry." Castle chuckled, pushing gently on her back to make her move over to the bed. "But you need to be well rested for tomorrow. So, bed."
"I'm going, Daddy. I'm going. Are you staying at home for a while now Daddy? I missed you. Mommy isn't as fun as you."
"I know, I know. Mommy's too serious. But it's okay, I'll be home for a long long while now. Never fear. Laser tag and water balloon fights and super ninja spies shall begin after Christmas."
Mary grinned. "Good."
"Now, bed."
Mary flops backwards onto her bed, scooting backwards until her bum hits the pillow, then sliding her legs under the covers. She pats the bed. "Mocha! Mocha come here!"
Mocha perks up from where she's exploring the area around the window before pottering over to the bed and pulling herself up. She finds her spot at the end of the bed, flops down onto her side. Mary watches her from her bed, covers pulled up to her chin. Kate bends down to kiss her forehead. "Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"You're not really boring."
"Thanks, kiddo. Neither are you."
"Night night."
It's not until they're back downstairs, lights all turned off, door locked, bedroom door closed behind them that Kate finally manages to fall into Castle's arms. He smells of airplanes and dust and travelling, somewhere hidden underneath is him. The cinnamon and the vanilla and the leather and the books. That scent that just smells like home. Castle's hands are tickling her lower back, trying to get underneath her shirt. She sighs against his collarbone, missed the feel of his skin against hers. It's not arousing, she's too tired for it, too tired for anything other than falling underneath the covers with Castle's arms back around her.
"I missed you." She mumbles, arms lose around him.
"Missed you too. And I promise, no more book tours for at least another eight months. And if Paula wants one, then I'll arrange it so we can make it a family holiday. There's no way I'm spending two weeks away from you guys again."
"At least you're home for Christmas."
"At least I'm home for Christmas."
Kate pulled away, pulling her shirt over her head and reaching for the old shirt of Castle's that she'd stolen for pyjamas. Castle was already switching the lights off, changing them for the bedside lamps. Pulling off his jacket he crosses over to the bathroom, fingers skimming across her stomach as he passes her. She's already in bed when he emerges again, boxers and an old t-shirt. He rolls in next to her, arms finding her out of practice, hand on her stomach, heavy and familiar. She's presuming he's still too wired from travelling considering he can't keep his hands still. If he's not stroking her skin then he's fiddling with her hair, pulling it away from her neck, combing it through his fingers. There's a dip in the bed, soft snuffles making its way towards them. Latte plops herself down right behind Kate's head, effectively cutting Castle off. Castle huffed.
"I've been replaced by a dog."