This is my first Castle story and my first story in a long time. I am quite anxious about it but I simply could not NOT write it after that season finale that I still keep watching daily (numerous times). This plays only a few years after season 4 and is simply a sweet, little glimpse into the life of our favorite couple. I hope I did the amazing characters justice, please let me know. Enjoy! Love, Jojo~

Daddy's little princess – Daddy Castle

"Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" a shrilling voice echoed through the house, alarmingly high and sharp, reminding on a siren.

Newly reinstalled Detective Kate Beckett let out a miserable sigh, hating that she was torn from her deep slumber and was forced awake by the loud screams that could cut through glass. She had just a couple of weeks ago rejoined the force and her body was still aching from the extra training she put herself through to get back in shape. Adding her household chores, regular work and paperwork, she consequently plummets into bed on most nights, already asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Momentarily dazed, she pressed the fingers of one hand tightly to her forehead, trying to dull the suddenly erupting pain and to compose herself. She sighed, knowing that procrastination wouldn't do any good. She started raising herself and her upper body was almost upright when a gentle but firm hand pushed against her shoulder, successfully making her lay back down.

Kate blinked confused at the owner of the big, warm body who was propped up next to her and smiling tenderly, his big blue eyes tantalizing soft.

"What...?"

"Sleep, darling. I don't think she is hungry at the moment, you fed her just before falling dead into bed."

"But Rick..."

He quickly bent down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "No, you need your sleep, love. Let me go look after her." And before she could further protest because really, he was the one who got up most nights to tend to their baby daughter, he had already tucked her back in, pulling the covers up to her chin. She sighed in bliss as he stroked her cheek and kissed her closed eyes and then felt his weight leave the bed.

It was moments like this that had her eyes prickle with tears and her heart clench painfully in her chest. The love she felt for this man and their little family was consuming the vital organ that had been seemingly dormant before she met him. She couldn't believe that she had been hesitant about starting a family with him when she found out that she was pregnant only months after their wedding. She had always known that he was an amazing and dedicated father but she had let her fears take the better of her. Old habits die hard.

However, today she was thanking the heavens on a daily basis that he had managed to patiently guide her through her panic attacks and insecurities. She had never imagined that she would or could ever be this happy, content and fulfilled. He showed her the beauty of things she hadn't known she wanted, or needed to be truly happy.

Nonetheless, at this moment in time she did what she did nearly every night. Secretly, the detective opened one eye and noiselessly turned her head to watch the famous novelist interact with their baby. He had her already in his arms, competently cradling the little girl against his bare chest, rocking her back and forth while checking for the cause of the late night concert. It was a sight for the gods, a sight she would never, ever get enough of. That he was still clad in only his boxers didn't do harm, either. Kate sighed happily.

"Hey baby girl, what's wrong? You can't be hungry again, can you?" he smiled adoringly at the pink bundle in his arms and stroked her tummy. "Mommy just fed you two hours ago, so that can't be it."

The girl, who had stopped crying when her father took her in his arms, just looked with big, piteous eyes at him. "Do you want to attack mommy? I am sure she could…produce something for you if you are really hungry." He smirked at her, parts because of his choice of words and parts because she was furrowing her brows at him in condescending displeasure. Rick grinned and lifted her high in the air, spinning her once in a wide circle. She choked a small laugh but her eyes quickly turned back into a serious frown.

"Aww baby, so serious? Whatever can be wrong?" He bent to sniff at her bulbous behind and retreated slowly. "Hmm, you are not a stinky baby girl, either. Maybe you want your dummy?" He took the dummy that had rolled to the edge of her cradle and stuck it into her mouth.

She stared intently at him. They held eye contact for a very long moment and the little one sucked on her dummy three times before pushing it out of her mouth with her tiny tongue. Castle exhaled in mock indignation but managed to catch the dummy before it hit the ground and the baby girl exclaimed a loud sound of delight. He laughed softly with her and quickly turned to the sleeping woman in his bed, hoping they hadn't woken her. Luckily, although her head was turned in their direction, he found her eyes closed.

He turned back to the bundle in his arms and smiled softly. "You have to be quiet baby, we don't want mommy to wake up, do we?" he asked rhetorically and tickled her tummy again while walking the small distance to the special nursing rocking chair he had bought for Kate. It was the most incredible invention, really. It inclined whatever way one wanted, was soft but could also cradle the back in an upright position when necessary, perfect for stressed out mothers. They truly had enough work to do without being uncomfortable while nursing their babies.

"What's wrong princess? Why can't you sleep?" The baby looked at him and inclined her head the tiniest bit to the right, tiny rosy lips pursed. He grinned fondly at her and pushed the dummy quickly back between her lips. She spit it out again and squealed in pleasure, stretching her legs towards her waving arms. He couldn't help but return the smile and teased her lips with the blue dummy. She kept pushing against it with her tongue before he even had the chance to push it back in and laughed loudly.

Castle could almost feel his heart expand with love for this adorable, innocent and perfect little creature. She truly was a small miracle to him. Never had he thought that he would find a woman he could even imagine going through everything again. The marriage, the sharing of all his things and personal space, the laying bare of all his emotions, his heart, his family… Start fresh, built again.

He knew that he promised himself the last time he exited the divorce attorney's office that he would never let a woman put him in this position again and he truly believed that at the time. Never had he expected to meet such a force as the formidable detective that captivated him so wholly and blew away all his resistance with one haughty look.

The girl in his arms cooed and scowled at him, disapproving that his attention has been diverted from her. He quickly flashed his dazzling smile and bent to kiss her forehead and her ruby cheeks. "I am sorry milady, please forgive my misconduct and accept my most humble apologies. I am nothing but a modest servant to your every need."

Only his daughter would squeal every time he used such ostentatious, flourished language. His heart sang.

"You know, I think you are just bored. Could that be the case, my dear?"

The baby waved her arms at him and made blubbering sounds with her pink, moist, perfect lips. "I knew it. We Castles simply cannot tolerate boredom. You are just like your daddy." She squeaked and he grinned, gently rubbing her soft arms while she lay happily on his lap. "With the stunning beauty of your mother." She cooed and he took that as affirmation. "And her brains and my wit. You will be striking when you are older." She squealed lowly and he grinned, contemplating for a moment before adding. "Thank god your mother has a gun…"

He fought the urge to laugh out loud at the amused expression on his daughter's face, a direct reaction to his grimace. Her tiny fists clenched and unclenched, teeny feet waving in the air. He caught hold of them and sighed happily as she kept wriggling.

"All right, it seems to me that I have to tell you another one of my amazing stories, what do you think?" He might have imagined it but he could have sworn she tried to clap her hands in glee.

The professional story teller smiled warmly at the baby, reclined in the amazing contraption and started rocking back and forth in gentle motions while his fingers soothingly rubbed the baby girls' arms, legs, tummy and her soft head. He got comfortable and thought for a moment.

"You are in luck. I know just the story, with no dead bodies this time because mommy will punish daddy. And not the good kind. Ok, here goes.

It plays in ancient Greece, many, many years ago. There lived a poet who was usually a happy person. He was ruggedly handsome, not unpopular with the ladies," he grinned at her and she cooed happily in answer to his laugh, "but the poor fellow was also bored with his live and he suffered from writer's block. He killed everybody he could in his stor.. poems. One day, as if in answer to his prayers, the heavens sent him a beautiful Greek muse.

It was like she fell from the heavens and thus, struck him like lightning. Suddenly, the world made sense again for our poet. He was so inspired he started doing some of his best work. In fact, she inspired him so much that he only then realized how lost he had been before. How he had attracted all the wrong people, especially women and after that realization, no female could catch his fancy ever again.

Unfortunately, our hero found his muse after she'd spend some years on earth and some bad people had had the time to hurt her and she became very guarded, built a wall around her heart.

However, the poet didn't let that discourage him. In the contrary, he was extra careful with her, never pushed her, gave her time and stood by her in quiet support. She was so very precious to him, so emotionally fragile but at the same time so very strong…"

He stopped when the baby in his lap squirmed and bucked and waved her arms at him. "Yes darling, you got that right. Just like you. Beautiful, precious, fragile but also very strong." He gave her his index finger and as if in answer she pressed it tightly with her hands. The writer felt his heart clench in response. He briefly glanced to the bed where he could see his muse lying, a soft trail of diamonds shimmering in the moonlight down her cheek. God how he loved her.

"So, this beautiful muse worked for the police because she was very good at catching bad guys. You see, she was very tenacious but also compassionate and smart. The poet used a trick and he was allowed to follow her in her work and he soon began helping her with his unorthodox view of the world. They quickly became close friends and although our poet wanted her heart badly, he could see that she needed more time, so he patiently stood by and waited for her to see that he would always be by her side, because, really, no force in the ancient world could ever tear him from there."

Rick smiled softly at the baby who started yawning and picked her up to cradle her against his bare chest. He resumed rocking the baby gently, coaxing her to sleep.

"He even brought her coffee every morning, simply to see her smile. You know, she had a slight addiction for that stuff too but that is a different story." He giggled and the baby smiled in return, closing her eyes for a long moment before opening them again to look at him.

"Anyway, because she always caught the bad guys, one day she was in really big trouble. There were some people who wanted to kill her! She was in grave danger but didn't want to acknowledge it. Our writer…I mean poet, was very scared for her and told her to stop pursuing those people. She was too proud and too far gone to see the panic in his eyes so she continued to work on the case for a bit. Did I mention she could be very maddening?

So, they had a fight. The poet was very scared that he had lost her and just when he was about to forever give up on his love and on his future happiness, one rainy night there was a knock on his door. He opened it and there stood his muse, wet to the bones but looking lovelier than ever. Just imagine, she had finally realized what was important and that she loved our writer, too. She grabbed him and kissed him senseless. He couldn't believe his luck. He had finally crashed that wall around her heart. Then he let her in and took her in his arms and never let her go again."

He grinned at the memory of the uncensored version of what occurred that night and fondly gazed at the girl who had her cheek against his chest and was sleeping deeply, lips parted slightly. Very carefully, he stood up and walked over to her pink cradle, laid her inside and pulled the duvet up to her chin. Continuing to watch her with love radiating from him, he softly stroked her hair with his fingertips and quickly whispered the rest of the story.

"Soon after, he married his beloved muse so he wouldn't have to be apart from her ever again. He became very inspired and wrote many bestselling…poems…Love poems and in no time at all, his muse, I mean wife, gifted him with the most precious present in all the world. Another little princess. And they lived… still live happily ever after. Always. The end."

Lost in his thoughts and the sight of his baby girl, he suddenly began to feel the chill in the night air. Softly kissing the baby's forehead, he waited another second to be sure that she was fine and comfortably settled in for the, hopefully long, night before quickly returning to his bed and slipping under the covers.

Rick sighed happily as the warmth settled over him and turned to look at his wife, who had her eyes closed but little tears were still dancing down her cheeks. He swiftly rolled towards her and gathered her pliant body in his strong arms while cupping her cheek and kissing the tears away.

"What's wrong, darling?"

"I can't believe you told her that story." She stated with a small voice, opening her eyes to gaze warmly at him. They were so close the tips of their noses were touching. Her husband smirked.

"Why not? It's my favorite story." He kissed the side of her temple as he murmured further. "My favorite fairy tale of all time."

"You keep amazing me." She stated in wonder, tilting her head to the side so she could look him in the eyes again, eyes she adored so much.

"So do you." He gazed back at her earnestly.

Speechless for a long moment, she took a deep breath before closing her eyes, her fingertips grazing his cheek. "I will never know what I did to ever deserve you." Kate whispered, her arms winding tighter around his warm body to hold on to her lifeline before she started floating away.

"You fell from the heavens and struck me like lightning." He quickly answered, grinning down at her cockily.

"Oh you, stop it." She was getting teary eyed again just remembering his story and gently smacked his arm before hiding her face in his chest. "I love you so much," was all she could whisper against his naked skin before kissing the spot over his heart. His arms tightened around her, the fingers of one hand winding in her hair, splaying over her scalp.

"And I love you." He simply replied, because it's all they need.

The writer coaxed the head of his muse upwards with the hand that was still tangled in her hair and his lips easily found hers, like magnets. The kiss quickly got out of hand, steaming up the atmosphere around them. When the air ran out they pulled apart, but only slightly, both gasping for oxygen, feeling the heat between them tingle in every nerve ending.

"Aren't you sore or tired, darling?" he whispered, lips magically drawn back to her delectable skin.

Kate tilted her head to the side to allow him to kiss her throat more easily. "Nothing that signifies."

Thrilled with her answer, he used the moment to roll her under him and very slowly, sensually, let his body glide smoothly along hers.

"Then it might be time to work on my new, favorite project," he breathed while propping his upper body up on his elbows, eyes shining down at her. He bumped their noses together when she answered.

"Wouldn't you be terribly disappointed if we had another girl? You are already surrounded by girls as it is."

"Oh, that's just my cross to bear. It's not my fault that the female population loves me, you know."

"Does that line really work on the female population?"

"Hmm… I don't really care about any female in the population that is not my princess."

She giggled as he rained kisses down the side of her face. "How many princesses do you have, pray tell."

"Well, there is my red-haired princess who is nearly done with college and will come home on Friday for the weekend, by the way." She merely hummed in acknowledgment, enjoying the attention his lips were lavishing on her neck and shoulders.

"Then there is my new, tiny princess who has me wrapped around her equally tiny fingers and who loves my stories." Kate sighed happily, grabbing onto his shoulders as his lips travelled to the line of her night gown that displayed the tops of her breasts.

"And then there's you. Although you are not my princess anymore," his tongue traced just above the frilled line. She gasped and he smiled.

"Oh? How…how so?" the detective was almost embarrassed by her lack of self control and articulation under the given circumstances.

Raising his head, he brought their faces close once more. "Didn't you know? You have been upgraded to queen."

This made her smile widely. "So what does that make me? Queen of the Castle?"

"Oh my god!" his eyes lit up. "That is genius! I can already see the story in my head, about-"

She quickly cut him off with a kiss before his imagination could get the better of him. Now was not the time to get side-tracked. She had a mission, try for that baby brother to their baby girl. Stroking both sides of his face with her fingertips, she soon pulled back and smiled radiantly at him.

"Make love to me, oh King of my Castle?"

He laughed heartily and couldn't help but dip back down to kiss her deeply. "Always."