A/N: Because CaffeineKenzie said so. Sequel to Like Daddy Does. Hope it's alright :)
Rick Castle sat on the edge of their daughter's bed, Jaden perched on his lap as they both waiting patiently for Emma to emerge from the bathroom.
It was career day today and Castle had had a blast going to the mall with the kids to get the necessary articles of clothing and equipment. Their son – truly his son – decided he wanted to be a ninja, which had Castle rather excited. Kate on the other hand had given them both a playful eye-roll, followed by the murmured comment.
"Like father, like son."
She, however, was not allowed upstairs to see her daughter got ready and was told to wait downstairs, which she reluctantly did.
It would all be worth it though, he could imagine to look on her face already when she saw her daughter, because like mother, like daughter.
He was pulled back to the present moment when he felt his son perk and looked up to see Emma finally emerging from the bathroom. A huge grin spread across his face as he took in his daughter's appearance.
Her hair tumbled down her back in loose curls, framing her face and Castle had to laugh at the serious look on her face, he could see Kate in her so much
She was dressed in a blue top and dark skinny pants, a leather jacket, which hung open, showing off the fake NYPD badge and handcuffs. He had wanted to get her a fake gun as well, but he decided against it, people would get the gist.
She completed the look with a pair of flat boots and a smaller coffee, travel mug, identical to her mother's.
Oh Kate was going to love this.
And of course he was right, the look on Kate's face when she came down the stairs, ready to "go catch bad guys", was priceless.
They were running late however, so there wasn't much time to get all emotional over her daughter's choice of future career. They left the loft, dropping their kids at school. Kate revelled in the looks other kids threw their way as she took in the almost identical pair and the mysterious look of her son, who trailed silently on the other side of her.
She dropped them to their classes and returned to a grinning Castle waiting in the car.
"You knew about this?" She asks him, a wide grin on her face.
He chuckled and placed a hand on her thigh, "Where do you think she got the outfit?" He replied, as she drives off, headed to the precinct.
It definitely wasn't what he expected, but it definitely made her day. It made the boring paper work she had to do seem less tedious.
It was a little after one when a body dropped and not long after Castle got a call from their kids' school, requesting either him or Kate to come down to the school as soon as possible.
Of course then, Kate began to worry. He told her to continue hunting down bad guys, he'd go and find out what this was all about.
He walked into the classroom some time later, spotting Emma's teacher, Emma, who looked somewhere in between furious and sorry. He spotted another kid with an older woman who was holding an ice pack to his head.
Well, this didn't look too good.
He took a seat beside his daughter, raising an eyebrow at her in question, she just shrugged and ducked her head.
The teacher cleared her throat then and proceeded to explain what had happened.
Apparently Emma decided to take her career to heart and when she saw her fellow classmate picking on someone, she didn't stand for and acted immediately.
Listening to Emma tell her tale, he learnt she had told him to stop and when he didn't, she flipped him and held him down.
Someone had one too many martial arts training, he had thought to himself.
He knew he should be upset, and he was, but he was still somewhat proud of his daughter's actions. It maybe wasn't her place or responsibility, but knowing she only did what she did because someone was in trouble did dispel his anger and her knew it would be the same for Kate.
He sent her a quick message, briefing her on the situation and letting her know he was taking her home, collecting his son at the same time.
He could tell Emma was a bit afraid of what her mother would say, since she was the more serious of the two.
He sat on her bed again that evening beside her.
"Is mommy going to be mad?" She asked quietly, staring down at her hands.
He sighed, "Probably, but you know it's only because she loves you."
She nods and sighs, picking at the hem of her shirt. He wrapped an arm around her, bringing her into her side, giving her a comforting hug.
"You can't go around beating on other kids Emma, for whatever reason. You'll get in trouble." Her tells her.
"Mommy doesn't." She said softly.
Oh.
"Mommy beats up bad guys all the time, she has to protect the people the bad guys are being mean to and she never gets in trouble." She continues.
So that's what this is about, he thinks to himself, she wanted to be exactly like her mother.
"Yes, that is true Emma, but you're just a little girl, it's mommy's job. We can't all go around beating up bad guys, they have people for that, like mommy." He explains, running a hand up and down her back.
She takes a deep breath and looks up at him with wide eyes.
"I just wanted to protect people, like mommy does." She sighs.
"You can protect people in other ways Emma." The woman of discussion's voice come from the doorway. They both look up to find Kate leaning in the doorway watching the two of them.
She steps into the room, taking a seat on the other side of their daughter and pulls her into her lap.
"I'm sorry mommy." She whispers, curling into her mother.
Kate hugs her, "It's okay."
"You're not mad?" She asks timidly, looking up at her mother.
Kate smiles, "I am mad that you hurt someone else," She says, tucking a curl behind her daughter's ear like Castle did to her all the time. "But I'm proud of you because of why you did it."
Emma smiled, looking between her mother and her father.
"But you're still in trouble." Kate continues, "You could have hurt that kid more than you intended."
Emma ducks her head again and sighs, "I know."
"Promise me you won't do it again." Kate pulls her back, forcing her to look her in the eye, "You promise if you see someone picking on anyone you tell someone, you don't take it on yourself."
Emma nods, shoulder's slumping, "I promise."
Kate smiles, "Good."
She glances at Castle who gives her a warm smile, "Dinner?"
Castle nods, "In the oven."
She sets her daughter down, holding out her hand to her which Emma grabs immediately, making Castle smile.
"Let's go get your brother and stuff our faces," She says, "We'll figure out your punishment later."
Kate leads Emma out of the room, Castle following behind as they go to collect their son from his room and heads down for dinner.
Kate couldn't help the smile that kept taking over her features for the rest of the night, despite the circumstances. She had to admit, hearing it had made her heart melt and she knew she wouldn't stop thinking about it for a while. The words her daughter had uttered to Castle earlier bounced around her head, popping to the forefront of her mind every now and then.
"Like mommy does."
End A/N: Any and all mistakes are mine and I apologize.