A/A/N:) Ok so it is not Christmas time but I don't get to choose the time that inspiration hits. I cannot believe that it has been so long since I wrote Christmas Blues. I'm going down the rabbit hole to see where it leads. Care to join me? D.

A/N2:) As always please excuse the typos and grammar miscues. I have waited until I have the full story to put it up. So put on some festive music turn the AC up and grab a cup of Coco. Enjoy D.

"A Castle Christmas"

A Castle Fan Fiction

By Dethwalker

Chapter 1

The Airport

Kate and Alexis

Kate Beckett, Police Detective extraordinaire and closet Castle fan, found herself in an unusual situation. A situation that she had never really found herself in before, she was genuinely happy. She and Castle had spent their week after Christmas alone together and were still alive to tell about it. They had spent a couple of days upstate with her Father and then had retreated to his apartment for a very intimate few days. The cat and mouse game that they had been playing for over a year was finally over. They had both wanted to move their relationship forward since mid-fall but either his writing or her caseload had gotten in the way. After Christmas they had succumbed to their passion and the wait had been worth it Richard was the consummate and generous lover who always made sure that Kate's desires were met and exceeded in most cases. He actually seemed to find joy in giving her pleasure. They had reluctantly rejoined the land of the living yesterday when Paula, Castle's agent had started pounding on the door around noon, demanding that Rick come to the door to discuss business. Apparently, Black Pawn wanted to renegotiate his contract. Paula had been adamant that they both had to go to Black Pawn that day for the bargaining session. Castle had reluctantly agreed and so while Castle tried to bleed his publisher dry, she had come to pick up Alexis, at JFK, from her trip to see her Mother for Christmas. She had been scheduled to arrive last night but bad weather in the mid-west had canceled her flight. So an almost giddy Kate Beckett was waiting for her friend to come home.

"…. Flight 710 from Los Angeles now arriving at Gate 18A…."

Kate pulled out the sign that Castle had worked on last night. It was decorated with drawings of holly and a Christmas tree and just said "Baby Bird". Kate felt foolish holding it up but Castle had been most insistent that she hold it up for him since he couldn't be there to greet his daughter. Kate was surprised that she was feeling excited to see Alexis. They had grown close in the last year and she was sort of blind-sided by how much she had missed seeing Castle's daughter during the Christmas holiday. Tomorrow would start their weekend Christmas celebration. Kate was mystified at her eagerness for this impromptu Castle Christmas. She realized that this was the first holiday of any kind that she had anticipated since her mother had died. The thought made her a trifle melancholy but did not change the fact that she was excited.

"Kate!", Alexis yelled happily and threw her arms around the detective.

Kate returned the hug and felt a lump in her throat. She had missed Alexis more than she would have believed possible, reuniting had touched her heart. She held Alexis at arm's length and saw tears in her eyes as well. Castle's daughter was beaming a brilliant smile.

"Dad made you hold up that sigh didn't he?" Alexis surmised.

"Yes… Yes he did. He was quite upset that he was being summoned to Black Pawn today/"

"I knew it was that time." Alexis agreed.

"Frankly, I don't see what the big deal is. He has to make them a lot of money, with as many books as he sells."

"They never think that he does enough for the advances that they pay him. It's either that he doesn't do enough press or not enough book signings. They really want their pound of flesh. If I didn't know how much he needs to write I'd tell him to tell them to stuff it. It's not like he needs the money." Alexis stated.

"Does he really need to write that badly?" Kate asked

"That's right you have never seen him with writer's block. It's downright scary. I'd rather be forced to watch the entire Saw movie series than see Dad blocked." Alexis was very emphatic.

"Wow that sounds pretty gruesome. Where would you like to eat lunch, Sweetie?" Kate said changing the subject.

"Let's go to Rossi's. That is sort of our place." Alexis suggested.

Rossi's Bistro

One hour later

Kate and Alexis.

The ride over to Rossi's was accomplished in a companionable silence. Kate could tell that Alexis, though excited to be home was still recovering from the cross-country flight and the time change. They entered the restraint and were seated quickly at their usual table. Their waiter gave them the once over to see if they needed some time to decompress like they did the last time they were here. Seeing no impending tears he promptly came over to take drink orders and leave the menus.

"So Alexis. How was Christmas in L.A.?" Kate asked.

"All right, I guess. Mom made sure I wouldn't need to go clothes shopping for, like… a year.."

"She loves you, Sweetie, in her own special way she is trying to show you." Kate said placatingly.

I know, but I had to bring back an extra bag just so I could fit everything in."

"How was Christmas dinner at your grandparents?"

"Wonderful, Nana loves to cook so we had turkey and all the trimmings, complete with Pumpkin Pie"

"Ooooh, that sounds good." Kate agreed.

"It was divine. Nana is a knitter so I got a lovely sweater with matching scarf and hat and PawPaw is a woodworker he made me a Noel train."

"A Noel train?" Kate was a little confused.

"It's a wooden train, the cars are letters that spell NOEL. As Paige would say it's Tre cute.' Anyway, Mom got called in to do reshoots for her last movie so I spent the last couple of days with Nana and PawPaw. PawPaw took me ice skating yesterday since my flight was canceled. So it looks like the storm missed us here."

"I wish. It went off the coast of the Carolinians and has now become a Nor'easter, which is supposed to hit us tonight. It looks like we are going to be snowed in this weekend."

"No worries there then. So… you seem to be pumping me for information and avoiding telling me about your Christmas. Alexis pressed.

"Oh Honey. Parts of it were just awful. My Dad's lady friend turned out to be young enough to be my older sister."

"No…" Alexis was shocked.

"Yes! I am so grateful that your dad was there. He really helped me keep it together."

"I am glad he was there to help."

"So was I." Kate agreed.

"Sooo, anything else happen while I was gone?" Alexis asked artlessly.

"Have you been talking to your dad." Kate accused.

"What! No, well we talked briefly yesterday after my flight was canceled but I thought you were there when I did. It's just that you seem different… Happier"

"Alexis… i…. I love your father." Kate blurted out and felt a weight lift.

"Oh Kate" Alexis gushed." I'm so happy for you… And Dad." Alexis moved around the table to hug her friend.

"You're not upset?"

"Why would I be upset? I've been rooting for the two of you for a year now. I think it's great."

"I know we have talked about this before, but having it happen is another thing entirely. I don't want you to feel imposed upon" Kate said

Alexis gave her an impish smile. "So when can I start calling you Mom…"

"Oh, Alexis, no it's just Kate, always, just Kate."

Alexis let out a silver laugh full of joy and happiness. "Relax Mom, I was just teasing," Alexis said smiling, finding humor in the situation.

"Sweetie if I were your mother I would have had to have had you when I was twelve."

The Waiter came to take their orders and the conversation turned to idle banter. The meal was spent catching each other up on non-earth-shattering events. As the waiter began to take away the plates Alexis returned the conversation to more interesting matters.,

"Oh. The one gift Mom gave me that didn't come from Rodeo Drive was a pair of VIP tickets to The Secret Agents concert. We got to go backstage and meet the band."

"They're still touring? I thought they had retired."

"Nope, they just put out album number ten 'Agent Provocateur'. Dad is friends with the lead guitarist Devin. He promised to get Dad tickets when they come to Yankee stadium next summer."

"Oh, I had a crush on him when I was in college. I had his poster up on my wall. The one with his axe slung real low and his shirt unbuttoned. When I heard him play his solo on 'Diary of a Mad Man', I got all tingly. I listened to that song over and over."

"Dad had the poster of Tonya, the keyboardist coming out of the hot tub in her wet T-shirt and Daisy Dukes. He had it autographed by the whole band, but Mom made him burn it."

"I remember that poster, I think I would have burned it too. That T-shirt was entirely too small and too short, It left very little to the imagination."

"I agree totally. Anyway, the warm-up band was a group called Rousted Round-about."

"I don't think I've heard of them" Kate commented.

"I sure you've heard their song 'Pastel Scenes and Broken Dreams'"

"Yes, I have. I like that song."

"Well, I got to know their lead singer Ian Donal. He is really cute. He gave me the t-shirt that he wore on stage. He got his bandmates to sign it too."

"That sounds a little risqué," Beckett added.

"It's not like he gave me his underwire. I can't wait to introduce him to Dad." Alexis said impishly.

"I sense a nefarious plot here" Kate said with narrowed eyes.

"Can't you just see the look on Dad's face when I introduce this guy who is a couple inches taller than Dad. He has a neon purple Mohawk that sticks up another eight inches. He has a tattoo of Dante's Inferno that starts on his right wrist and goes up to his neck, earrings a pierced brown, a pierced lip and a nose ring, As my new boyfriend." Alexis broke into a very broad and very devilish grin.

Kate broke out laughing, "Oh that is just so wrong on so many levels. It would be a very mean trick to play on your Dad, very mean…. I have to be there when you do it."

"Of course… I wouldn't want it any other way. "Alexis agreed.N:) O

"Of course… I wouldn't want it any other way. "Alexis agreed.