A long time coming, and I know you thought I abandoned it, but this chapter was difficult to write. The next couple should come faster. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Tiny Tim Remixed

They pulled up to the New York Presbyterian Children's Hospital. Kate stepped out of the car with Castle and Alexis. Martha was returning home, claiming exhaustion from the previous endeavor. Castle had a shopping bag of gifts in his hand.

"Somehow, I don't think that's going to be enough to make dreams come true for all of these children, Castle."

"Not making dreams come true, today, Detective. Just keeping a promise." She heard the sadness in his voice.

Dropping back as they entered the hospital, Kate sidled up to Alexis, "Is this another tradition?"

"No." Alexis said, shaking her head, "This is a first and probably a last." Alexis' somber demeanor did not go unnoticed.

"What's going on, Castle?"

Castle stopped. "I'm not sure this is the best step for me to take. I promised you a day that would make you love Christmas again—"

"I've had a great day--"

"This next part…I have to do it. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. But you don't have to come. I mean I would like for you to be there with me, but, well, it's your decision."

"Of course it's my decision." She smiled at him. "I'd like to come if you're okay with that."

They hopped on the elevator and rode to the twelfth floor. When the doors opened the word "ONCOLOGY" popped out at them. Castle knew exactly where he was going.

He walked directly to a room and stopped in the doorway. There was a young girl asleep on the bed under a red and white rag quilt with a Christmas motif. She was obviously a cancer patient, a polar fleece Santa hat sitting loosely on her head revealing her name: Nicole. A woman, presumably her mother, was reading a book in the chair next to her, and there was two carts in the room holding what had been the contents of the room. He had been there all of five seconds before the woman looked up at them and smiled. She closed her book and moved to meet them in the hallway.

"Merry Christmas, Rick, Alexis," she said, hugging them both. "She wouldn't even let me take the things to the car until you arrived. It's a good thing you came."

Rick smiled warmly, "Merry Christmas, Amy. I wouldn't miss this for the world." He stepped back and put his hand on Kate's arm. "Amy this is Detective Kate Beckett."

"Kate, Amy Collier. Amy and I graduated from high school together." Amy Collier had the look of someone who would have gone to school with Rick Castle. She was average height, but had beautiful blond hair and clear blue eyes. She was wearing a cashmere red sweater and jeans; the woman exuded class.

"Nice to meet you, Amy."

"The pleasure's all mine, really." Amy beamed. "Nicole is going to flip out when she meets you. Just warning you."

"I'm sorry?" Kate was confused.

"You're the inspiration for Nikki Heat, right? She's going to be so excited." Amy turned to Rick. "This is a surprise."

Rick looked sheepish. "Honestly, I forgot about that. Kate is, well, spending the day with us, but it was a last minute thing. I think I may have inadvertently overshadowed my gifts with her presence."

"How is she doing today?"

"She's having a good day. Very excited to go home. Can't wait to see the dogs and Ryan. Christmas is waiting for her."

"So she's better?" Kate asked.

Amy glanced at Rick who shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't give her the 4-1-1."

Amy smiled sadly at Kate, "Nicole is…done with treatment. There isn't anything more they can do. So she wants to go home, today."

Kate understood Castle's reluctance to bring her now. And he was probably right. She remembered her mother's spirit in her dream. Christmas is about hope. And yet, this woman, her child, they had no hope. That was their Christmas present. She wanted to run, to go home and climb back into her bed. The fact that Castle was going to have to stay away for two weeks was no comfort.

Castle watched the emotions flicker in Kate's eyes. He could only imagine what she was thinking. His thoughts were interrupted by the chirpish squeal of a six year old girl.

"Rick!" Nicole's eyes were the same beautiful bright blue as her mother's and twinkled at the sight of her guest.

"Nicole!" Rick walked quickly to her bedside, everyone else completely forgotten. "Merry Christmas, sweetie." He leaned down and gave her a gentle hug, then he lifted the Santa hat and planted a tender kiss on the child's bald head.

"I brought you presents." Castle waggled his eyebrows and she giggled. "But before you tear into them I want you to meet someone. I don't know how long she can stay, but I know you want to say, 'Hi.' Kate?"

Kate entered the room slowly, a tentative smile on her face.

"Detective Kate Beckett—Nicole Collier."

"Oh my gosh!" The girl's cheeks flushed. "I can't believe it! This is so cool."

Kate held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Nicole."

Nicole looked up at Kate and smiled the brightest smile, shaking her hand. "Oh my gosh."

Castle couldn't help but glow at the situation. He had forgotten how obsessed Nicole had been with Detective Beckett. He knew that he probably lost the bet with Beckett, but at the moment seeing the look on Nicole's face, it didn't matter.

"Will you take a picture with me?" Nicole asked Kate.

"A picture? I…uh…Sure." Kate looked at Castle.

"Mom. Get my camera!" Nicole slid over on the bed and patted the spot next to her. "You sit here, Detective Beckett."

"Okay." Kate pressed her lips together to keep from chuckling at the girl. "You can call me Kate."

"Kate." Nicole said softly. Looking up she glimpsed red hair at the door way. "Alexis, hi! Merry Christmas!" The small girl held her arms open to the teenager who tenderly responded.

"Merry Christmas to you, Nicole!"

"Ok, are you ready?" Amy asked.

Alexis and Castle backed away from the bed. Kate put her arm around Nicole and leaned in, smiling.

"Cheese!" Nicole sing-songed. A flash and then it was over. "Let me see. Let me see…please." Her arms outstretched to receive the camera. "Oh! It's a good one. Can you go print it? Please?"

"Sure." Her mother smiled.

"Make three copies."

"Three? Why so many?"

"One for me, one for Kate and one for Rick."

"Me? Why do I get one?" Rick teased her.

"You have to have a picture of your two inspirations for Nikki Heat."

Kate looked at him, surprised again.

"You are absolutely right." Castle conceded. "Will you autograph it for me?"

"I will. I'm not sure about my friend, Kate, here."

"Sure. An autograph. I guess I can do that." Kate couldn't help but smile. "So you're the beautiful girl he named Nikki Heat after."

"You figured it out! Wow! You are a good detective." The child remarked.

"Thank you." Kate grinned.

"I'll just go print these and I'll be right back." Amy walked to the door.

"I'll go with you." Alexis was much more interested in electronics than hearing the story she had already heard one hundred times again.

"Last Spring, when I was going through chemo, Rick would come in and keep me company. He told me all about you. How you were this great detective and he had to come up with a good name for his character. I said Amy or Alexis. He said Nicole, because I was strong too. So then he said, 'Nikki Heat!' Short for 'Nicole Heather.'" Nicole beamed.

Kate looked over at Rick who seemed to be fascinated by something outside. Kate was almost convinced, but she saw the crease in his brow. He looked back and caught Kate's eyes before she quickly looked away. "I need some hot cocoa. How about you?"

Nicole nodded.

"The hot chocolate here is not bad for a hospital. Would you like some Kate?"

"Sure." Kate felt a little unsure about the situation though. It looked like Castle was about to leave her alone with this sick little girl that she hardly knew. And then he did.

"I'll be right back."

"So, Nicole, what do you like to do?"

"Read, mostly. I'll read just about anything. Mom won't let me read Rick's books though. Says that would be hugely inappropriate." She rolled her eyes for emphasis. "But she told me some of the stories from the book. Your character sounds really cool."

"She was, wasn't she?"

"Uh huh."

"So, how long have you and Rick been friends?" She was expecting a "my whole life" answer, but again, Kate was surprised.

"A couple of years. Since he gave me bone marrow."

"Rick was your bone marrow donor?"

"You didn't know?"

"No. That's kind of crazy, right? That your mom's friend was a match?"

"Well, I don't think they were friends before. It was kind of like, we have a match, and then they wanted to meet. He was here in New York, so we met. That was when she realized who it was and that they went to high school together. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah. Weird." Kate's brow creased involuntarily as she thought about the man she thought she knew. "So it didn't work?"

"It worked for a little while, but then the leukemia came back. Rick offered to donate more marrow. But my kidneys are shot, and they don't think I could handle another round of chemo. Rick offered me one of his kidneys, but it isn't a good fit and they don't really think I could handle the anti-rejection drugs." Nicole was only six years old, but had the medical vocabulary of someone much older. "I told my mom it was time to stop."

"You're a brave girl."

"I'm not afraid to die. My biggest worry is how sad everyone's going to be. I don't want them to be sad. I'm not." Kate watched this young girl and wondered how this creature came to be. "I always knew I wouldn't grow up. I never made plans. This is what was meant to be. I can't wait to get to heaven. It's going to be so great there."

Alexis and Amy came into the room at that moment. Alexis' eyes were rimmed with red. Kate realized they were probably outside of the room listening. "Okay, here are your pictures." Amy laid them on the bed in front of Nicole. "Where's Rick?"

At that moment, he returned carrying a tray of hot chocolates. "Cocoa for everyone. Oh good, the pictures are back. Have you autographed mine yet? I want it to say, 'To Rick, if only I were thirty years older…'"

The females in the room all rolled their eyes as they sipped the cocoa. Nicole pulled the bedside tray to her and grabbed a Sharpie. She signed two of the pictures and held the marker out to Kate. Kate grabbed the unsigned picture and sat in the window to autograph it. "To Nicole, Whose bravery inspires Nikki Heat. Kate Beckett"

After she returned the photo to Nicole, she took the one that Nicole had signed to Rick, and signed it herself.

"Oh, wait!" Castle exclaimed. "I can't believe it. You haven't opened your presents yet! We've been here like an hour already, and no unwrapping. You have to get home. So, open!"

"Okay, okay…Jeez, you'd think they were your presents."

The first gift Nicole opened from him was an exquisitely carved chess set. "Oh! Rick! It's beautiful! Now I don't have to play with that babyish plastic one that has the symbols on it that tell you how the pieces move. Ugh!" She fingered the smooth wood. "I can't wait to use it. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I have just one request."

"Shoot."

"Bang!" The girl giggled reminding everyone in the room of her age. "When I play you in chess we have to use the babyish plastic one that tells you how to play. Otherwise, I'll be completely lost." He teased her, knowing that he was pretty good at the game, but teaching her some pretty decent strategies as well.

"Deal." She said, winking at him.

The next gift she opened was significantly smaller. Kate recognized the red box and then the blue box inside.

"Rick, what did you do?" Amy scolded him prematurely for his extravagant gift.

"Chill out, Amy." Castle leaned in and whispered in her ear. "I know she's six. The chess game was more expensive."

The gift was a puffed silver heart with NCH engraved on it. "Wow. Finally, I have something from Tiffany's." Her smile lit up her face. "And it has my initials on it! I'm never going to take it off." Nicole pulled the pendant from the box and Amy came around to clasp it around her neck.

"Thank you, so much, Rick."

"There's one more thing."

"Rick, really, you shouldn't have." Amy implored.

"This one didn't cost me anything, I swear. Just a little brain power and I called in a favor that's all." He pulled out a flat box that looked like it held men's stationary. "I wrote something for you."

Nicole's eyes glittered with delight as she tore open the paper and lifted the lid.

"Oh. My. Gosh! You wrote a comic book! A Nikki Heat comic book! Oh my gosh!"

"Just for you." Rick looked over at Amy. "It's PG. Promise."

Alexis chimed in, "I made sure."

Beckett made her way to Nicole's bedside. It was an actual comic book. Rick was no artist, she was sure of that, but it was her in the comic as Nikki Heat. And he was Rook. No doubt about it. And from what she could tell it looked good. She would have to ask him about the artist later.

"You want to read it with me?" Nicole looked up at her.

"What time do you have to go?" Kate looked to Amy.

"We have a little time. Go ahead."

"Well, since you seem to have the ONLY copy. Do you mind if I read over your shoulder?"

"Can you read it out loud? Reading silently together drives me bonkers. You never know when someone's finished or if you're holding them up…"

"Understood. Alrighty then. Let's begin…"

Kate read the comic to Nicole for thirty minutes. Her phone vibrated and she thought her luck had run out, or rather someone else's had. She forgot about the movie plans with Lanie.

Reluctantly, Kate said goodbye to Nicole, giving her a business card with her personal phone number and email address. "You are the strongest, bravest girl I know, and I know a lot of girls." Kate hugged her and swallowed the lump developing in her throat. "Keep in touch, okay? I want to know how that comic ends."

"Okay. I'll call you." Nicole's eyes twinkled. "This has been the best day. Thanks for coming."

"It was an absolute pleasure."

"I'll walk you down," Rick placed a hand at the small of her back and headed out of the room. "Be right back."

The elevator ride to the lobby was silent. Finally, when they were standing in the alcove, waiting on a cab, Rick spoke. "I should have told you about her before bringing you here. It must have been a shock. Mother knew she couldn't take it and so she went home. I should have given you that option. I'm sorry."

"You're right. If you had told me about her before we came, I probably would have left." She paused, "And it would have been my loss. She's an amazing girl."

"I know, right?"

Kate turned to face him, her expression serious. "Two hours ago I was sure you lost the bet. Now I haven't decided. I'm not sure about how I feel about future Christmases. I'll have to think about it and get back to you tomorrow. But what I can tell you is that I will remember today as long as I live. And it's a good memory."

As the car pulled up, Kate leaned in and kissed Castle on the cheek. She lingered there a little longer than necessary, surprised by the flutter in her stomach. "Good night, Castle, and thank you."

Kate slid into the cab and disappeared into the Christmas traffic.

"Christmas day isn't over yet, Kate." Castle murmured to himself.