Hi there guys!

Thank you all so much for your support! :) It really does mean a lot! This is the final chapter of this fic. Thank you all so very, very much for reading! Y'all are the best readers ever! I am so blessed! Thank you!

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 6]

December 25th, 2019

Presents were passed out and thank you's were received.

Martha had given Rick and Kate two VIP tickets to go see The Jersey Boys on Broadway that following weekend, also offering to watch Braden that night. Even though Rick and Kate weren't the biggest fans of the theatre, they were both excited and thankful that they could have a date night for the first time in a long time. It was really very thoughtful and sweet of Martha.

The older redhead had given Alexis a beautiful golden bracelet that had once been given to her by her own grandmother. It was absolutely gorgeous and such a family treasure. Alexis immediately put the bracelet on, the jewelry looking at home on her wrist. The bracelet had three purple stones, the Christmas lights flickering against the bracelet.

And for Braden, Martha got him a small collection of comic books that had originally belonged to Rick when he was a little kid, she'd found them in a few boxes that were in the back of her closet. There was Conan the Barbarian, Ghost Rider, The Black Panther; the list went on. Braden was in complete awe. When Rick saw that the comics were his from his childhood years he began flipping through them with his son, telling him all about what was going on in the world of superheroes.

Martha was thrilled when she saw that they had gotten her a beautiful necklace with round diamonds and swirls of sterling silver in the form of a lovely, heart-shape. It was so Martha and it couldn't have been a more perfect gift. When she opened the box, she put the necklace on right away, loving it at soon as she laid eyes on it.

Once they finished swapping gifts, it was time for the famous Christmas feast prepared by one Richard Castle!

Rick was in the kitchen for the next hour, preparing their dinner while everyone else stayed in the living room chatting amongst themselves. He had been offered assistance, but Rick being the stubborn and humble man he is, turned them down. Kate stayed close to the kitchen though, keeping an eye on her husband just in case something were to...happen. Last year he hadn't kept an eye on the turkey and it, well, went up in flames.

This year there wasn't a turkey; instead he was making Pasta Fra Diavolo. It was simple and quite delicious.

"Kate, do you mind helping me with this real fast?" Rick called from the kitchen, not looking up from what he was doing.

That made her smirk. Sauntering over to join her husband in the kitchen, she gave him a little smack on the behind. "I thought that you didn't need help?" She asked, smiling up at him.

He huffed, adding the sauce to the pasta. "Would you think less of me if I said I do?" From his tone, Kate could tell that he was stressing out over everything.

"Oh, absolutely," she cheekily responded, winking at him. "What do you need help with?"

Rick pecked her cheek in thanks before nodding his head over to the large salad bowl. "Could you toss the salad? And then pour the wine glasses? Brae said he wanted raspberry juice."

Kate nodded, but before she went to work she grabbed Rick's hands, stopping him from his task and turning him so that he faced her. She reached up to cup his cheeks, her thumb swiping across the skin and stubble. "Take a deep breath, it's all right." Rick closed his eyes and sighed, letting out a deep breath. "No need to stress out, okay?"

He nodded and then opened his eyes, gazing at her. "Okay," he whispered, giving her that sideways smile that made her knees buckle.

Pressing her lips to his, she kissed him fiercely then proceeded to toss the salad. Kate when finished with the salad started to pour red wine into three flutes, and then pouring raspberry juice for her son.

A few minutes later, dinner was served.

"Dinner's ready!" Rick called, bringing the plate of pasta over to the table while Kate brought the glasses.

The rest of the Castle family arrived to the kitchen, each taking their places at the kitchen table. Food was passed out and divided, the strong aroma invading their nostrils and making their mouths water.

Braden grinned proudly when he saw that his mom had given him a plastic little flute with raspberry juice; it made feel like one of the grown ups. He held it up when his dad said he was making a toast, all of the adults raising their own glasses.

Rick stood; glancing around at his loved one. "To family," he simply said, his glasses raised in front of him.

"To family," was echoed as they all clinked their flutes together before taking a sip.

"Richard, this looks incredible," Martha commented, reaching over to grasp her son's forearm.

That made him puff his chest out a bit. "Well, thank you, Mother."

"You definitely inherited my cooking abilities," she winked. "Although...with what happened with that turkey last year-"

He pointed his fork at her. "I'm going to stop you right there. That was an accident and you know it."

Martha took a sip of her wine, her blue eyes shining. "Whatever you say, darling."

Kate chuckled lightly, patting Rick on the thigh in sympathy. She glanced across the table over at Braden who was scarfing down the pasta, a bit of the sauce making a little ring around his mouth. "Lex, could you-" She pointed to the five-year-old.

The twenty-five year old looked up from her plate and then turned toward her younger brother, a smile blossoming on her lips. "Brae..." She wiped his mouth with her napkin, ruffling his hair. "Slow down there. What's the rush?"

He gave a toothy smile. "It's just so tasty."

Alexis rolled her eyes as a chuckle bubbled out of her. "Yes, it is. Very tasty. But I think it'd be even better if you got some of it in your mouth, instead of on your face."

"I was saving some for later," Braden replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Everyone laughed at the boy's answer, loving the simplicity of his response and the innocence in which it was said.

"Dad, can we talk?" Alexis asked, knocking on his office door and peeping her head inside.

At the sound of his daughter's voice, Rick swiveled in his chair and smiled at her. "Yeah. What's up, pumpkin?"

Alexis crossed over to her dad's desk and taking a seat on top of it. She sat on the edge, her feet dangling off as she twiddled her thumbs and tried to collect her thoughts together. "I wanna talk about David..."

Rick leaned farther back in the chair, his hands clutching the armrests. "Oh, right," he breathed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, sweetheart...I'm sorry about how I reacted earlier, it's just- you're my little girl and I don't want to see you get hurt if things don't turn out the way you hope."

Reaching down, Alexis grabbed Rick's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I know that and I'm glad that you're so protective. Really, I am," she confessed. "And yes, I know there's a risk by putting my heart out there, but I want to take that risk. David is different, he's a really good guy."

"I'm sure he is," Rick concurred.

"It's just the thing that bothered me is that it felt like you were, well, judging him in a way. I mean you haven't even met David, and I don't know, I guess it just made me feel like you didn't approve of our relationship."

Another sigh. "Again, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I do approve, you're a bright young woman who is highly capable of finding a great guy." He paused. "Kate said that I'm just being over protective about all of this, and I hate to say it, but I agree with her." Alexis couldn't help but smile at that bit of news, thankful that Kate was defending her. "And from now on, I'm going to be more accepting of your decisions. It's your life and you should chose to date whoever you'd like, and I need to be okay with that."

Alexis kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dad."

"It may take some time though," he quickly added, "I am a slow learner." Alexis chuckled at that. "So tell me about this David. What's he like? I know you said he's in medical school..."

A blush appeared on her cheeks. "Yeah, he's in his final year and then he is going to do his residency at St. Barnabas Hospital."

Rick smiled as he watched Alexis talk about her boyfriend. Wow, she had a boyfriend. He'd have to get used to that...

She went on. "He is a really great guy, Dad. A lot like you actually; he's handsome, funny, has a quick wit...and not to mention he has quite the collection of Star Wars memorabilia," she added with a smile.

Rick smiled brightly at Alexis, squeezing her hand. "Well, I guess David and I will have to swap stories some time on how we acquired said memorabilia."

"That'd be nice." She agreed.

An idea popped in his head. "Hey, what is he doing for New Year's? Because he can come over and-"

Alexis cut him off, happiness all over her features. "Really? You'd be all right with that?"

He gave her a shrug of his shoulders. "Of course I would. I am trying to be better about the whole dating thing, so yeah, if he wants to come over, then he's more than welcome here. He'd get to meet the family, it'd be fun. Plus, I could see this young man for myself; see if he is good enough for my daughter. I may even bring out the decapitated head for good measure," he chuckled mischievously, rubbing his hands together.

"Dad..."

Hands rose in surrender, Rick let out a laugh. "Joking. Just joking." She smirked at him. "But really, bring him over for our New Year's Eve party, I'd love to meet him."

"I will."

"Okay, what do you say we go to the living room, see what everyone is up to, huh? I think Brae said he wanted to watch a movie before bed."

Alexis nodded, standing up and putting her hands out for her dad to grab. He did and stood up, the two of them joining the rest of their family in the next room. Rick joined his wife on the couch, while Alexis went over to her brother and Martha, the two of them sorting through the movies.

He sat down, kissing her fully on the lips as soon as his backside hit the cushions. "Hi."

She smiled, "Hi yourself. How'd your talk with Alexis go?" Kate snuggled into his side, arms around his middle as she rested her chin on his shoulder, gazing up at him. He'd put his Santa hat back on, finding it on the table behind the couch when he sat down. She really loved him in the silly thing.

"It went really well. David may be joining us for New Year's Eve. Alexis still has to ask him, but I'm pretty sure he'll be able to make it."

Kate lit up at that, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She could feel the stubble beneath her lips. "Oh, that's great! I can't wait to finally meet him."

"I can't wait either, actually." Rick then turned Kate in his arms so that she was at an arms length. He had a huge smile on his face. "He seems like a great guy. And get this...David apparently has a knack for collecting Star Wars memorabilia."

Seeing him all excited about something so simple, made Kate laugh wholeheartedly. Of course he would be freaking out about that...

"See?" She gave him a poke to his stomach, making him chuckle and then smack her hand away; he was very ticklish. " I told you everything would work out. The two of you will be able to bond over Star Wars toys."

Rick had been bouncing on the couch, the idea of this young man dating his daughter starting to sit well with him. But he stopped at Kate's words, giving her an incredulous look. "Toys? Toys? I do not have toys. I have very rare collectibles, thank you very much."

"I know you do. I just like messing with you." She then patted his cheek and stood up, heading for the kitchen.

"I- uh, where are you going?"

"I was going to get some wine. Want some?"

Nodding, Rick grinned at her. "I'd love some. Thank you."

"Mhmm."

Rick relaxed against the couch, putting his feet up so that he was stretched across the entire length. He was glad that he had that talk with Alexis, the anxieties he had been feeling about David now washed away. Well, not all of them were, but he was sure that would change come New Year's Eve. A sedated smile sat on his lips as he watched his mother and kids go through the various movies, and from the looks of things they picked one.

A weight on his shins grabbed his attention. "Scoot over," Kate ordered, sitting on his lower legs. Rick didn't move, a smug grin on his lips. "Don't make me get my handcuffs..."

He complied, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge, his feet resting on the coffee table. "We can save those for later," he whispered, peppering kisses along her jaw line as soon as she sat down.

"Have they picked out a movie yet?" She asked, totally bypassing what he just said and handing him his wine before taking a sip of her own.

"I think they just did."

And like clockwork, Braden ran over to his parents, a DVD clutched in his hands. "Can we watch this?" He held Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the TV classic.

"No," Rick answered straight-faced.

Braden sunk, his shoulders slouching forward. "Oh. Okay..." And he then proceeded to walk away.

Feeling bad for teasing the poor kid, Rick set his wine glass down and grabbed his son by the back of the shirt. Rick pulled him back so that he was facing his parents. "Brae, buddy. I was just joking," he chuckled. Pointing toward the television, Rick smirked, "Go put the movie in!"

Giving his dad a look of surprise, the five-year-old then smiled, laughing. "Good one, Dad. You totally got me!"

Rick stuck his fist out, the boy hitting his own fist on top of his dad's; it was their little handshake that Braden had come up with when he was little. Braden then ran over to the DVD player, handing his sister the disc before going back to the couch and jumping next to his mom. Martha took a seat on the reclining chair and Alexis sat on the ground in front of the couch.

Soon, the movie was starting. All eyes were on the screen.

Kate let out a deep breath as she attached herself to her husband's side, snuggling into him. He was like a heater, he radiated off warmth. Pressing a kiss over his heart, she whispered, "Merry Christmas, Rick."

He tore his gaze from the movie, returning the kiss but on her forehead. "Merry Christmas, Kate."

Looking out the window, a light snow fell outside; the entire city now covered in a pristine white. The snow gently drifted to the ground, falling in the form of unique white snowflakes. They looked like soft cotton falling from the sky, sparkling beautifully on this cold Christmas night.

There ya go!

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