As Kate walked into the place she now called home a wave of happiness washed over her. This over decorated pine scented apartment was now her home, and she loved everything about it. It was as if Castle had somehow infused the walls with love, happiness and joy. The place was safe and warm. And it had nothing to do with the heating.

"Katherine darling. Is that you?"

"Yes Martha," she called out removing her jacket.

"And Richard?"

Kate sighed. "No. He just had to get one also gift." It was probably for himself. How the guy had any money left was a mystery to her?

"Oh good. It came."

Kate frowned as she deposited her jacket and bag on the couch. What came?

"It came. it came It came," Martha called out as she run down the stairs, slightly scaring Kate. She wasn't holding on to the railing and she was waving her arms. As Martha got on solid ground Kate noticed an envelope in Martha's hand.

"It came?" Kate asked excitably.

"It did, Martha told her. "I have been stalking the mailman all week."

"Who have you been stalking?" Alexis asked as she walked down the stairs.

"The mailman. Kate has been waiting for a delivery."

Alexis frowned. "What could be so important? Did you order someone Christmas presents online and were worried it wouldn't turn up in time?"

Kate took the envelope and pulled out the item she had been waiting for. SHe stared at it and smiled. "It's your fathers Christmas present." Kate told her as she showed Alexis the gift.

Alexis stared at it in shock. The joy Kate had felt only moments earlier was staring to dissipate.

"Do you think I should have gotten his something else.?"

Kate was now seriously rethinking her choice of gift. The last few git she had given him had been meaningful to the both of them but it wasn't really something he could hold or play with. Even though he could hol this gift it was more symbolic than anything. Maybe she should have gotten him something from a toy store.

"I think its amazing," Alexis told her. "No one has ever done that before"

Kate frowned. She hadn't even realised that. "Oh,"

"I have a spare box if you want to put i inside and confuse Dad?"

Kate smiled at Alexis. They both knew her father so well and how t mess with them. "That would be great. I do have another gift your grandmother is hiding for me that are already wrapped to look like something else."

"Richard is a snoop so I have hidden it in my underwear drawer. The only palace granted to be snoop proof."

"Hi everyone you should see what I brought"

Kate turned around and quickly hid the gift behind her back.

"Hey Castle."

Kate felt the envelope being tugged from her hand. She turned slightly and saw Martha stuffing it down her bra. Well Castle certainly wouldn't be looking there for his gift.

"We were just discussing keeping you out of the kitchen tomorrow" Alexis told him as she walked past.

Castle frowned "Christmas smorelettes," he whined.

"I'll make you green and red Christmas tree pancakes" Alexis told him as she walked up the stairs. Martha following her granddaughter trying not to look suspicious.

"Okay," Castle told his daughter frowning like a five year old.

Kate sidled up to her husband and smiled at just thinking the word.

"You know Castles if we don't have to get up early to make breakfast we can stay in bed and have Christmas sex."

Castle sighed. "Yeah I guess but I had a new Christmas Smorelette recipe I have never tried before and you and I have had Christmas sex before."

Kate tried really hard not to laugh and be offended. "Yeah Castle your new recipe would be awesome and we have had Christmas sex before. we have never had Christmas sex as husband and wife before."

Castle eyes lit up. "You're right. We have never had Christmas Eve sex either as husband and wife."

He dropped the bag he had been holding, grabbed his wife's hand and began to drag her off to the bedroom.

Kate snuggled into her husband. "We should probably get up," she told him.

"I was already up," he told her earning him a slap.

"Get up and out of bed," Kate told him as she reluctantly let go and climbed out of bed. She quickly scooped up her pyjamas and quickly walked off into the bathroom. She quickly freshened up and gave herself the once over. She had put her pyjamas back on. It was tradition in the Castle household to open presents in throe pyjama's. One of the saner Castle traditions. However she did tidy her hair and added a little lip-gloss. No doubt Castle would be snapping photos of their first Christmas together as husband and wife. So she wanted to look good. When she exited the bathroom she saw Castle was dressed and checking his hair out in the mirror.

"You're gorgeous Castle," she said sarcastically as she walked past him and slapped his butt.

"Ruggedly handsome," he told her as he exited the bedroom following her.

"Morning," Alexis announced as they entered the kitchen. A pile of red and green pancakes sat on a plate next to cups of stemming of coffee. "So?," Alexis asked as she put the pan in the sink. "Food or presents?"

Castle who has been standing behind her mere seconds ago was currently running over to the tree. Alexis and Kate shared a smile and an eye roll. Kate grabbed both coffees and followed her husband over to the tree.

"Gram," Alexis hollered as she grabbed two more coffee mugs and headed over to the couch.

Martha fluttered down the stairs and gracefully sat on the couch accepting a steaming mug from her granddaughter.

Castle had wasted no time playing Santa, handing gifts out to everyone. He skipped over to his huge pile next to Kate dropping off another gift. When all the gifts were handed out she waited to see what would happen. Castle gazed over his gift and then looked up as his family.

"Why isn't anyone opening their gifts"

Alexis bit her lip and then looked over at her grandmother. "We were waiting to see you open Kate's gift".

A greedy grin appeared on Castles face as he turned to look at his wife. "Oh what did you get me?" Castle looked over the pile in front of him. "Which one is it?"

"All the presents I got are wrapped in light green paper with cartoon Santa's on it."

Kate watched as the other three Castles looked over there pile and began pulling out Kate's gifts. Castle pulled out a long thin rectangle box and shook it. Kate smiled. She had added bubble wrap to that box to hide the true identity.

"Open the small one first," she told him.

Castle looked over his pile and grabbed the small box. He looked between the narrow rectangle box and the small square one.

"Just open it Castle."

Castle put down the rectangle gift and started tearing open the package. No saving the paper for him. When he revealed a box and gasped in surprise. "A box! Just what I always wanted."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Open the box"

Castle opened the box and pulled out the thin plastic card inside. "It's your driver's licence," he told her glancing at it. His eyes opened wide. "Oh is this your licence to be sexy?"

"Dad," Alexis whined slightly annoyed, slightly disgusted.

"Take a closer look at it," Kate told him.

Castle shrugged then looked at the I.D again. "Katherine Houghton Castle."

Castle's head whipped around to his wife. "Castle?"

Kate nodded.

"Oh this is so cool," he told her looking over the card. He gave it a flick with his finger. "It looks authentic too. Hey do you think you could get one made for me but with my name as James Bond?"

Kate bit her lip. "Umm Rick it's not a fake. It's real. That's my new licence so be careful with it."

Castle looked at the licence then back at her. "It's real?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah."

"You changed your name?" he asked shocked.

"Yeah."

"But what about your career?"

Kate shrugged. "You changed your name for your career."

"Yeah because a zinging name is memorable,"

"You don't think Kate Castle is zinging? "

Castle looked down at the I.D. "Well no I think it's awesome. But your career? You have built a name for yourself."

Kate shrugged. "I am a cop Castle. I do a good job. My last name is irrelevant. To the job that is. To me," Kate shrugged. "I don't know. Mrs Castle sounds nice. A new name, for the new me. I am such a different person to who I was eight years ago. I'm a wife, a step mother, a daughter in law, a person who likes Christmas and looks forward to coming home at the end of the day. Kate Castle kinda fit."

Castle gaped at her.

"Open your other gift."

Castle slowly lowered the card back into the box and reached for the other parcel. He unwrapped the gift and pulled aside the excess padding. He looked at the desk sign so similar to the one on his desk that said Captain Castle. This one had Castle on it too. Detective Kate Castle!

"I am still waiting on my new work ID but that goes in my desk first thing Monday,"

Castle sat there speechless.

"Don't you like it Dad?"

Castle looked at his daughter. "Umm yeah it's fantastic. I am just shocked."

Kate laughed. "Looks like your father can be silenced."

Castle returned to his gaze to the desk sign in from of him.

"Well I am not waiting for my son to come out of his coma I am opening my presents." Martha told them all.

Kate watched as Alexis and Martha tore into their gifts. Martha looking hungrily at the limited edition bottle of wine Kate had tracked down for her. It hadn't been easy bit the look at Martha's face had been worth it. Alexis had been happy with the pair of heels she received putting them on with her pyjamas. Kate was glad that her mother in law and step daughter were happy with the gifts she got them. She had been nervous about her selections but hadn't wanted to go to Castle for gifts or her new family. In years to come she would probably team up with Castle and get the family a joint gift but for now she wanted to get them something on her own.

She gazed down at the gift in front of her and began to tare into them like a true Castle Marsha had given her a bottle of perfume that had to cost more than a week's wage based on the size and was that real gold on the bottle? Alexis had treated her to a spa weekend for two at a place she had recently seen in a magazine. It was meant to be a relaxing weekend so no men allowed. Alexis had told her she could take Lanie if she wanted but there was no way Kate was going without Alexis. The bond between the two of them had grown over time and some time alone together would only help to cement their new relationship as step mother and step daughter.

When Kate got to Castles gift she looked over at him and saw he hadn't opened anyone else's presents. He sat there staring at her ID and desk sign.

"Castle. Can I open your present?"

Castle nodded looking at her like he was lost.

Kate unwrapped the small parcel and was slightly worried. What had he got her? Was it family appropriate? When she revealed a small jewellery box she idly wondered if it was going to be another pair of earrings that he accidently gave to Gates first. Opening the box she spied an oval shaped locket. Pulling it out of the box she smiled at the engraved 'Always' on the front. Using her nail she popped open the locket to see if he had gone as far as to put a picture inside. He had. On one side stood her parents on their wedding day. The other was the now Mr and Mrs Castle on their wedding day too. Kate bit her lip and smiled.

"Its beautiful," she told Castle.

Castle smiled. "I noticed you weren't wearing your mothers ring anymore but still subconsciously reach for it. I thought maybe this would be a nice change. Still have your mother close to your heart, but your father and me too."

"Alexis. Why don't we get the table ready for breakfast?" Martha told her as she got up from her spot and took her coffee and her wine with her.

Kate shuffled closer to her husband. "I love it Castle. It's one of the best presents you have given me."

Castle gaped at her. "It's a locket Kate. It's an inanimate object. You changed your name. You changed your last name to mine. I joked about you being Mrs Castle. I didn't think you would actually do it and I was okay with that. Your career is important."

"You're important. I also know how important family is to you. I can't promise you the white picket fence 2.5 kids and a minivan. I am not saying no I am just saying I can't promise it. What I can do is promise to be your wife forever and I want the world to know it.

Castle pulled her into a hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much. There has never been a Mrs Castle before. Their career and … never mind. I am so glad you are the first Mrs Castle."

Kate smiled. "Me too,"

The end