Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Besides on DVD. Oh, and the title is a reference to a song from Sugarland's Christmas album... which I also do not own. The song, I mean. I do own the CD. Not that that's important.

Author's Warning: This story is fluff topped with fluff rolled in sugar and then coated with sprinkles. I'm fully aware of that. And I claim no responsibility for any cavities or diabetic incidents that it might cause. More than anything else, it was just something I was working on to help me relax and get through finals in one piece. Which it did. I wasn't going to post it, but I figured... why not? I've been wanting to do a holiday story anyway, so here's my somewhat feeble attempt at one. If you're looking for something with much depth or actual plot... close this story. You won't like it. If you want something quick and simple to read with fairly short chapters and some cute family moments... you might actually like this. That's what I'm hoping, anyway.

Oh, and if you've been reading my other chapter story, "It Happens," don't worry. I'm still working on it. I'm writing like 4 stories at once right now, and that one has me a little bit blocked... but my semester is over now and I have tons more time, so I promise to try to update it soon.

After a full six hours of studying in the library, she found herself back in her vacant dorm room, staring uncomprehendingly at a page of her notebook. She'd been over this material a hundred times, and she knew she should know it by now, but there were still bits that escaped her, and she needed to catch them and hold them captive, at least until her final was over.

But the information wasn't sticking with her, probably because her mind kept wandering. In three days, she couldn't help thinking, regardless of what happened on finals, she got to go home.

It was uncharacteristic of Alexis to think this way. She'd always been the hardworking girl. And she liked school. She'd made friends. She loved her classes, and most of her professors. She even loved having her own little space away from home. Somewhere that was just hers. Well, hers and her roommate's. But she couldn't help thinking of her dorm room that way, even after living there an entire semester: away from home.

Even though she was spending a great deal more time here than she was at the loft in New York, that was still the place she thought of as her home. She missed it, she realized. She missed her room, her bed, her friends, her grandmother, but, most of all, she missed her dad.

It wasn't as if she hadn't seen him. She wasn't going to school that far away, and usually he made an appearance at least once a week. They'd have lunch or dinner, depending on the time, and fully catch up on what was going on in their lives. She'd tell him about school and her friends, and he'd tell her about his work shadowing Detective Beckett. Sometimes he'd bring an excerpt from his latest Nikki Heat novel for her to read over. And in between these visits, they called each other often. Any time one of them had news to report that simply couldn't wait until their next meeting, the other received a call. But even all of that was not the same as seeing him every day.

If she was at home, she knew she never would have been able to study for six hours straight. He would have distracted her at least two or three times by now, forcing her to take breaks. And honestly, she knew she needed that now. Cramming more information into her brain was not going to work if she didn't give herself a chance to cool down and digest what she'd already stuffed inside. But she had a final tomorrow morning, and she didn't have time for a break.

Just as she began pouring over a page of notes for about the thirty-fifth time that night, her cell phone rang. Her heart leapt when she looked at the screen. Dad. Whether she had time to talk or not, his were not calls that she ever ignored.

"Hey," she answered, surprised by the level of exhaustion she heard in her own voice.

"Hi sweetie, thought you might need a break from studying. And it sounds like I was right." She could hear the concern in his voice, and was a little surprised at how much he'd been able to glean from the single word she'd spoken. But only a little. He was her dad, after all.

"I'm fine," she insisted, though she felt tears brimming in her eyes at the sound of his voice. Either she missed him even more than she'd realized or she was so unbelievably stressed that her emotions were no longer making sense. Maybe both.

"What final do you have tomorrow?"

"Chemistry."

"Oh. That's an important one, isn't it?"

"They're all important, but yeah, it actually counts toward my major."

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm getting there, but it's really hard."

"So you're still coming home on Thursday, right?"

"Yeah. My finals will all be done by then, and I'm ready to get out of here for a little while."

"Great. I can't wait to see you. I've got the evening all planned."

She smiled. She was legitimately counting down the hours. "I'm sure you do."

She could hear the grin in his voice. "I have so much to tell you."

Alexis frowned. How much could he possibly have to tell her? It had been just over a week since she'd seen him last. Just over a week. Maybe that was why she missed him so much more than she usually did. It had been longer than usual since they'd seen each other. But they'd been talking on the phone…occasionally. Come to think of it, she'd been so distracted with finals that she hadn't realized how little they'd talked. She wished she could say she had a lot to tell him too, but she'd been pretty much engrossed in schoolwork lately. That didn't make for many interesting stories. "Exciting cases lately?" she asked instead.

He hesitated. "Yeah," he finally said. "You could say that. I'll tell you everything on Thursday."

A smile flicked across her face. She knew her dad, and that tone… something had happened. Something good. "Tell me now."

"Don't you have to study?"

If this was his excuse, he really was keeping something from her. "Dad?"

"I will tell you everything on Thursday," he said cryptically. "Until then, what have you been up to?"

She sighed. "Just studying like crazy."

"Oh, come on. What else?"

"That's pretty much it."

"No breaks?"

"I watched a movie with Laura and Amber last night."

"Better."

She smiled. She sometimes didn't realize how much she missed her dad until they talked. He was her best friend, and if anything, the little bit of distance between them had brought them closer than ever. She confided in him even more than she had before. He even confided in her from time to time. They talked for almost an hour, about everything and nothing, before she went back to studying, more anxious than ever for Thursday to come, and all but forgetting about whatever the vague news was that he had to tell her.