Disclaimer: Not my characters, just borrowing.
Notes: I got this idea after seeing a How I Met Your Mother gif on Tumblr. I also got a request for something form "ultimatecastlefan," and I'm using this story as a vehicle to answer it. :)
Richard Castle was humming. He never hums. Does he? He couldn't recall. He slid onto the counter stool at the hole-in-the-wall diner in The Middle of Nowhere, Vermont. He pulled his phone out, and went to his virtual brag book. His humming died off, as he began to study each photo. He paused on a group shot from the 12th.
"What'll it be?" The old waitress was the stereotype. Raspy voice, a bit too much make-up, ill-fitting uniform. Castle mused that it wouldn't be a good diner without her.
"Coffee, please," he responded going back to his photos, "black."
"Sure thing, sweetie," she disappeared down to the other end of the counter to the coffee pots. Returning a few minutes later she sat the coffee in front of him, "You gonna want anything to eat or just the sludge?"
"I'm not sure yet," Castle replied going her a polite nod and smile, "I'll be sure to let you know..." he glanced down at her name tag, "Cynthia."
"You just give me a holler, darling," she picked up a rag and went to wipe down some of the tables.
A man slid onto the stool next to Castle he waited about thirty seconds before speaking, "Cindy, can I get a coffee and a slice of the cherry pie sometime today?"
"Hold your horses, Benny," she called finishing up on the table she was working on, "You're the one who always shows up while I'm busy." She moved to pour another cup of coffee, and grabbed him a slice of cherry pie. Setting them in front of him she pulled a bowl of creamers and a little basket of sugars out for him, "There you go."
"Thank you, Cindy," he took a bite of the pie and then leaned over to check out the photos on Castle's phone, he let out a low whistle, "Wooo, who is the broad? She's a looker."
Choosing to ignore that derogatory tone he answered, "She's a cop. She's my X."
"Your ex?" Benny looked him up and down, and shook his head.
"Yeah," Castle smiled wistfully.
"Couldn't imagine anyone ever letting that one go," Benny commented.
"She usually lets them go," he flicked to the next picture, it was a picture from Christmas, all of his girls in matching pajamas.
"Pretty little bunch of girls there," he nodded.
"Yeah, they are," Castle was bordering on having a stupid smile, before it completely broke out he moved on to the next picture.
"So, your ex, huh? What'd you do?"
"I don't know what I did," he moved on to the next.
"You sure got a lot of pictures of her. Her being your ex, and all."
"I used to have more," he clicked his phone off and dropped it into his pocket.
"Mmmm," the man nodded, feeling his pain.
Castle took a drink of his coffee when the door jingled, and he turned to look. Breaking into a big smile he spoke, "Good morning, ladies."
"Daddy!" The four-year-old ran across the room to him and leapt into his arms just as Castle got the stool spun around.
"Hi, baby!"
"Mommy said I could have pancakes," she wrapped her chubby little arms around his neck, "can we share?"
"We can share, Chrissy."
Benny looked at the group, "I'm just gonna go down there, you should try the pie." He picked up his pie and mug, and moved down to the other end of the little diner.
Kate sat on Benny's stool, "Morning."
"How do you feel?" he covered her hand with his and gave it a quick squeeze.
"Awful," she smiled wryly. She gave him a quick kiss and swiped his coffee for a good long sip.
"Well, hi there cutie," Cynthia came back over and gave Christina a little wave, "we moving on to breakfast?"
"Short stack of pancakes for the little lady and myself. She'll take your finest glass of milk."
"Yes," Christina nodded, "finest."
Cynthia laughed, "One glass of moo juice coming up," she looked to Kate, "You sweetie?"
"Decaf, scrambled eggs and toast please."
"White or wheat?"
"Wheat, please," Kate smiled as the caffeine started to wake her up. Plucking Chrissy, from Castle, she headed toward the bathroom, "Lets go wash our hands."
"I'll be back, Daddy!" Chrissy waved over Kate's shoulder as they disappeared around the corner.
Benny paid and walked back toward Castle confusion etched across his features, "You two sure are, uh, friendly, for exes."
"Exes?"
"Don't tell me she's your ex's sister?"
Castle laughed heartily, "X, as in the letter. As in the Roman numeral ten. I'm sorry, I'm so used to everyone at home getting that joke I didn't think. She's my perfect ten, so I call her my X."
"City folk..." Benny laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, "She sure is a ten though, and the little moppet is adorable."
"Yeah," Castle grinned, proud father that he was.
"Enjoy your day," he nodded and looked up before calling to Cynthia, "Don't you work to hard, darling."
"Go on, Benny, you got work to do," she shooed him out.
"Daddy!" Chrissy skidded around the corner, and came to a stop at his back.
"What is it baby?" Her panicky tone had him worried, and he immediately dropped off the stool to squat down at her level.
"Mommy said to tell you that you was in biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig," she drew the word big out in a way that only a four-year-old Castle can, "troubled. Why are you in trouble? I don't want you to be in trouble." Chrissy's curls made her face a blur of brown she was shaking her head so fast.
"Where is Mommy?" Castle asked calmly.
"Bafroom," Christina replied pointing behind her, "She was going, blllllllllleeeeeeck." She made a retching noise, and bent over to pantomime vomiting. Castle noted that she had clearly inherited Martha's dramatic tendencies.
Castle took the little girl's hand and led her back to the bathroom, he was about to knock when Kate opened the door. The scowl on her face said it all. Her anger was short lived and the scowl quickly fell into a smile.
"I'll go pay, we'll find a grocery store, get you some tea and something very very bland to eat," he kissed her forehead.
"I'll go get us checked out, and load the car," she exited with Chrissy. Castle went back to the counter.
"Don't you worry about it, baby," Cindy sat a to go glass of hot tea and a little cup of milk on the counter, "He's not started on your food yet, you just go take care of your ladies and that new little baby."
"I'm still going to tip you," Castle dropped a twenty on the counter and took the cups with him as he left.