A/N:I know it's been a while since my last update, and I'm sorry. It's nearly exam time and, more excitingly, PROM IS THIS WEEKEND, so it's been a bit hectic. That said, thanks for sticking around. You guys seriously never cease to amaze me. I love every single review, and I appreciate every one of you. Thank you so much for your support and thank you for your continued love. You make my days brighter.

Rick opened the door at around eleven that night to find Kate Beckett, looking casual, comfortable and cold in her red yoga pants and white tee-shirt under her black peacoat, adorned with a white knit hat and candy-cane striped scarf. She had her hair in a loose braid, and her cheeks were pink from the cold. Her hands were full with the three gifts she had brought along with her overnight bag. She smiled brightly at him.

"Merry Christmas," he replied, stepping aside to let her in. He shut the door behind her, turning to find her easing out of her coat. She winced and he was next to her in seconds, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"You okay?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. I pulled my shoulder a bit helping my dad with some boxes earlier," she explained. "I'm good." Even so, he gently placed his hands on her shoulders, carefully pulling her coat from her body, with such care in his touch that she couldn't help but be ensnared by the feeling.

"Ready to play Santa?" she asked, turning to him with bright eyes that conveyed her excitement. He nodded enthusiastically and she placed her gifts under the unnecessarily large tree.

"You didn't have to do that," he pointed out. She glanced at him.

"Okay, a," she began, "I wanted to, and b, do you honestly expect me to believe that you didn't get me anything?" She raised her eyebrows in question and he laughed.

"Okay, you're right," he relented. "Point taken." She turned back to him.

"Okay, so Santa presents are in here," he said. He led her to his office, where they pulled the presents from Santa Claus out of a closet and placed them under the tree.

"I'm glad you're here for Christmas this year, Kate." Rick's voice was unusually soft and she glanced over at him, his profile lit with glittering Christmas lights, making his skin seem to glow.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," she replied.

"You know," he began, "Alexis, she, uh, she really enjoys having you around." Kate smiled slightly.

"I enjoy being around," she responded, joining him on the sofa.

"She always asks about her mom, you know, at holidays and her birthday and I...I never know what to tell her," he confessed. "I never know how to break it to her that Meredith isn't going to come back and be her mom. Meredith isn't cut out for that, I guess. She just...she doesn't really care a whole lot."

Kate surveyed him from where she sat, wondering how on earth she'd found this man. But, she realized, the truth of the matter was, she hadn't found him at all. He had found her, by complete and total chance. Not sure what to say, Kate reached for his hand. Tangling her fingers with his, she met his eyes. Her skin was deeply heated where it met his, eliciting a bone-deep warmth that she loved. His bright blue eyes had darkened, and she found herself desperate to be closer to him. She forced herself not to lean into him, not wanting to upset the careful balance they'd created.

"I'm sorry she's not here," Kate said.

"I'm not," Rick replied without hesitiation, never once breaking eye contact with Kate. She felt her neck flush, the color creeping into her cheeks.

"She adores you," he said. The unspoken addition lingered in the air between them.

'I adore you, too.'

He didn't need to say it for her to hear it. She bit back a smile.

"I adore her, too."

There was a warm silence between them for a moment, unspoken communication buzzing in the air.

"Up for Santa's cookies?" Rick asked after a few minutes. Kate smiled, nodding.

"Of course," she replied. They stood up, and he squeezed her hand before releasing it. In the kitchen they shared the chocolate chip cookies and milk that Alexis had set out before going to bed.

"So, what'd you get me?" Rick asked. His eyes were light and sparkling again, having lost the darkness from earlier. Kate frowned at him.

"Rick Castle, I am appalled," she declared. "I can't tell you what I got you for Christmas."

"Please," he begged, drawing the word out.

"No, Rick," Kate laughed. "You're such a child." He fixed her with a pouty face, complete with soulful eyes but she shook her head.

"You forget that I deal with children for a living," she said. "Your puppy dog face doesn't work on me."

"But Mommy..." he whined and Kate couldn't help but laugh.

"No. You will have to wait until tomorrow morning like the rest of us." Rick sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. His flair for the dramatic was expressing itself, a trait which she knew he'd inherited from his mother.

"You're so silly," she laughed.

"I'm curious," he protested.

"You're nosy," she shot back. He just smiled at her, completely enamored with the stunning dancer in front of him. She was something special, this Kate Beckett. even having only known her for a matter of months, he knew that she was the kind of person who would make her impression and be impossible to forget. Not that he would want to forget someone so extraordinary. She smiled back at him, and he found himself marveling at where they'd gotten in such a short amount of time. Not so long ago, he'd known nothing of her existence. Now, she sat in his kitchen, sharing Santa's cookies with him while his daughter slept upstairs. And tomorrow, Alexis would wake not only he and his mother, but Kate too. She would join in on this tradition of a beloved holiday. A family tradition.

The idea of having her as part of their family made him feel warm and content, like that feeling you get when you drink hot chocolate after coming in from the snow. He loved having her here, loved how easily she fit into their lives. It was as if she had simply been designed to ease into place with them, a puzzle piece with smooth edges and no bent corners.

"It's getting late," Kate said softly. He was jarred from his thoughts by the sound of her voice, but nodded in response nonetheless.

"Yeah," he agreed. "And we'll be up early tomorrow." He gave her a soft smile.

"You know where the guest room is?" he asked. She nodded affirmatively. She stood and retrieved her overnight bag before pausing at the base of the stairs. He stood in front of her, the dim lights from the kitchen creating a sort of warmth to their surroundings.

"Goodnight, Kate," he murmured.

"Goodnight, Rick." She hesitated and then hugged him, and he wrapped her up in his arms, the sort of perfect fit that he found so poetic. The hug was brief, but felt intense. He smiled at her as she ascended the stairs. She paused at the top, glancing back at him with a flash of a flirtatious smile.

"Too bad there's no mistletoe," she whispered, and then she was gone, leaving him speechless in her wake.

A/N: Thoughts? Still looking for speculation on what Rick's gift could be! :)