AN: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Thanks again to anyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. Special thanks goes to castlebeckett siempre for your continuing support, and to aligehri for the LOVE. I love love. ;o)

Once again, not beta'd.

Chapter 8

The mirror was fogged from the steam of her shower.

Kate took the edge of her towel and, bracing herself with one hand against the counter, wiped a portion of it clear. As she pulled the wide-tooth comb through her hair she let her mind wander to the events of the night prior.

It was a gooooood kiss.

Really good.

The best.

The kisses that followed were just as good, if not better.

And, oh...there were many more kisses.

Kate smiled despite herself into the mirror at the memory.

He had been so gentle. So sweet.

They kissed.

Oh boy had they kissed.

Her lungs felt like they'd run a marathon with no previous training. And in reality, she kind of had. She'd only kissed him briefly twice...ok three times before this and she still wasn't straight on the legitimacy of those prior kisses. Distraction, tradition, and coercion didn't usually lend themselves to the magic of a real kiss.

But this was Castle. And she had definitely felt the magic. Every time.

They'd kissed last night.

And then they had fallen asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

She still didn't know what that meant yet, but it was a step forward. Definitely a step forward.

When she'd finally been able to pull herself from sleep, leaving her dreams on pause, he was once again absent from the bed. But this time he'd lit another fire in the bedroom fireplace and had left a fresh cup of coffee on her bedside table. The table on her side of the bed, that is. The side of the bed she was sleeping on...

They'd kissed.

Kate pulled the robe tighter around her body and opened the bathroom door that lead to the bedroom. Where she had left her clothes for the day laid out on the bed she found a purple snowsuit and black snow boots. A matching purple jacket hung from the knob of the closed bedroom door. What was Castle up to?

She dressed quickly putting on her long johns under the snowsuit, and threw the jacket over her arm as she exited the room to see what the rest of the house was up to.

Castle hummed to himself in the kitchen as he cleaned up the mess he'd made from making breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, fresh cut fruit, blueberry muffins, and coffee were spread out on the counter in a buffet style arrangement. He snagged his second piece of bacon (it didn't count if no one saw him) and spun to see Kate entering the kitchen.

"Castle what is this?"

She was so very...Kate. So very Kate in her purple snow coveralls and her hair pulled into a loose pony tail. That little crinkle in the middle of her forehead that she got when she was confused or angry or both. He wanted to kiss that little crinkle away.

So he did. He leaned in and kissed that spot only to be thwacked on the chest by the back of her hand.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You didn't answer my question." She narrowed her eyes at him, but he could see the playfulness lurking behind the annoyance. So he egged her on a little. (Pun intended)

"This is breakfast." He said with a flourish, obviously pleased with himself.

She snagged a piece of toast. "Where are my clothes?" The annoyance was slightly elevated in the tone of her voice.

"Are you naked! What is wrong with my eyes?" He blinked rapidly and looked her up and down as if trying to change what he was seeing.

"Castle."

Uh oh. Now she was getting angry. That wasn't in his plans for the day. (Or...ever.)

"I just wanted you to be better prepared for today's activities and while lovely, your sweater and jeans just didn't fit the bill."

"And a purple snowsuit does?"

He nodded eagerly.

"And you just happened to have one in my size?"

He frowned. "Actually, no." He indicated what she was wearing. "That particular suit is a new addition this year."

"Addition? To what, exactly?"

He removed the robe he'd put on after dressing and revealed his own green snowsuit. There was a commotion on the stairs and Kate turned to see Alexis and Martha coming to join them wearing blue and red, respectively.

"Ok, obviously I'm missing something." She was only a little perturbed as she was constantly reminded that the biggest drawback to this trip was the fact that she had absolutely no idea what came next (both day to day and...in a more personal nature). It was that lack of control thing again.

Alexis giggled as she entered the kitchen and plucked a muffin from the counter. She shot her father a questioning look. He nodded briefly and began loading plates with food.

"Eat up, you're going to want your strength," he said cryptically.

Kate took the plate thrust into her hands and was shepherded into a chair by Martha who was bringing up the rear.

"Today is the day of the annual Yule Duel!" Alexis said excitedly.

"Now, now, calm down darling. Let the poor girl eat her breakfast before you overwhelm her," Martha exclaimed as she sat and nibbled on a plate of scrambled eggs.

"Martha, do you participate in this...Yule Duel?" Kate regarded the older woman's own red snowsuit.

Thus far Martha had kept a pretty low profile, participating in the less...active of the activities.

Castle guffawed and nearly choked on the orange juice he'd started to drink. "Are you kidding? This is one that she," he pointed an accusatory finger at his mother, "actually instituted when I was 8, the year Star Wars came out."

"Really, Richard. You make it sound like I was the one who was star crazy." She turned to Kate, "Richard was crazy about Star Wars. I was just...doing the best I could. Although back then we used props from the play I was in at the time. Broom handles, I believe. I think I had a nasty bruise on my wrist for about three weeks!" She laughed at the memory.

Castle grinned sheepishly. "What? I was 8. Her wrists were right within my strike zone!"

"Ok, so a Yule Duel..." Kate thought the words sounded funny as they came out of her mouth. "I'm guessing you don't still use broomsticks?"

Alexis practically flew out of her seat and ran down to the living room. "Dad?"

"Go ahead."

The girl let out a squeak of giddiness and swept her hand over a spot the mantle. A secret panel opened up on either side of the large fireplace, each revealing two lightsabers set in vertical wall mounts.

"Shut the front door," it came out more of a whisper than a statement. "No. Freaking. Way." Her eyes lit up like firecrackers on the fourth of July.

"Yes way." He loved surprising her. He loved that she got excited about geeky things like he did.

Martha clapped her hands, "How far we have come from the days of the prop broomsticks!"

Castle addressed Alexis who was bouncing on her toes in excitement at the older woman's reaction. "Would you like to do the honors, young padawan?"

Alexis swiftly moved past each of the lightsabers turning them on. When she swept past the fourth Kate saw that they were each different colors. One side glowed with green and red, the other cast blue and purple. "They're officially licensed by LucasFilm. As close to the real deal as currently possible!" the littlest Castle exclaimed.

"And we each use the one that we've been, uh, color coded for?" Kate asked as she looked down fingered her purple duds.

"Exactly!" Castle looked quite pleased with himself. "And actually, each color represents a different character too. We decided to go with colored snowsuits because the Jedi robes kept getting in the way, and also weren't as warm..." he shivered for emphasis. "But, should you decide you'd rather have a Jedi robe, you're welcome to strip right here and I'll get you one."

"Richard!" "Dad!" Oops. Again he'd forgotten (only momentarily) that his family was in the room.

"What? I'm just trying to be helpful!" he defended.

"Sorry Castle, I already 'stripped' once today and don't plan on doing it again until bedtime." Kate walked over to the purple lightsaber and fingered the hilt. So I'm..."

"You're Mace Windu, from the prequel films. He first appears in..."

"The Phantom Menace." She cut him off and took a few steps towards him. "Not my favorite of the Star Wars franchise by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like Samuel L. Jackson."

"Ah, but did you know that Mr. Jackson's favorite color is purple, and that Mace Windu's lightsaber being purple was a stipulation of him being in the movie?" He took a couple of steps towards her, drawn like a magnet to its opposite pole. "So that his character would be more easily distinguished from other Jedi, especially in the final battle in Attack of the Clones."

"Oh my gosh! You did that on purpose didn't you?"

Castle shot his daughter a questioning look. At the incredulity on her face he looked to his mother for clarity. Alas, she was no help as she was laughing and pointing at him as she sat on the couch. Or...she wasn't quite pointing at him, rather above his head? It was hard to tell because her arm was shaking due to her laughter.

He looked up.

Oh.

Well, no, he hadn't done that on purpose. Maybe his subconscious did, but that didn't explain why Kate had done the same thing. A quick glance told him that she was also looking above them and contemplating how they'd managed to land themselves under the mistletoe again.

It would be wrong deny a tradition.

He leaned forward and whispered, "You don't need a purple lightsaber to be easily recognizable. You stand out all on your own. You-"

She reached out unexpectedly and grabbed his ears pulling him in for a kiss. Wow. Tongue. Nice.

She released him as suddenly as she'd grabbed him. "Shut up, Castle."

"In case you were wondering," he straightened, cleared his throat, and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened, "I am Luke Skywalker,"

"Big surprise." She deadpanned.

He narrowed his eyes at her, continuing, "Alexis is Anakin Skywalker, and Mother is Darth Vader."

"You made your mother be that bad guy?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Oh darling, don't you worry about it. As he said, we started this when he was 8 years old. Someone had to be the bad guy!" Martha laughed again.

"This padawan is quickly losing patience, so let's get to dueling," Alexis piped up.

Castle grabbed her up giving her a noogie. "Ha! The Force is strong in this one! Everyone grab your jackets, let's go!"

She'd kissed him again.

And this time she'd been able to surprise him. The only drawback being that it had been in front of his mother and daughter again and she'd had to keep it short which required more of a force of will than she had expected. These...feelings that she had developed for him, that she'd known in some part existed, had surfaced with a vengeance over the past few hours and she was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep her hands off of him.

She tugged on her jacket, (Another perfect fit thank you very much) and bumped Castle's hip after grabbing up her weapon and cradling it in her right arm.

Kate leaned against the railing on the porch and looked out over the fresh blanket of snow that covered the ground in front of the cabin. Vacations, it turned out, were good for loosening her up. She could feel her inhibitions releasing their tentacle like hold on her brain and slowly slipping away from her. It was a new feeling. A good feeling. A scary feeling, but a positive one. Things were looking up.

She'd kissed Castle. And again. And...and she planned to do it again. Speaking of, he corralled everyone out of the house and locked the door. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his jaw as he turned around. His eyes lit up in surprise. Ha. Got him again. This was fun.

"I don't know what that was for, but thanks," he whispered before raising his voice, "All right! Everyone load up and let's head to the battle field!"

The lightsabers really were very cool. They were heavier than they looked, but no one seemed to have any trouble swinging them around. Leave it to Castle to leave the laser tag at home and break out the laser swords for the holidays.

They'd taken the truck to yet another clearing and paired off. First Martha and Castle battled Kate and Alexis. Old school Star Wars vs. the prequels. The sounds that came from the weapons made it easy to get lost in play. After Martha and Castle had practically defeated them, Alexis and Kate decided to make it official and surrender and take a short break to recover.

Castle came up and rested his chin on the side of the truck next to where his girls were sitting on the open bed. "That was fun!"

Kate reached up and patted his cheek. "It was a little unfair, Castle. You've been doing this for several decades."

"Ouch. Way to make a guy feel old."

"Hey, it's the truth. I think we were a little outmatched."

"What do you say to a rematch, this time on different teams. Alexis with Mother, and you with...me."

"I dunno Castle," she hopped down from the back of the truck, "Think you'll be able to concentrate?"

He gulped. She totally had his number.

"I think I'll be just fine, Miss Beckett. The question is, will you be able to keep your eyes on the target and off of my finely sculpted body?"

She smirked. "Game on, Rick."

Ooooh. She wasn't playing fair. "Just try to remember that for now, you're on my team. It would be detrimental to game play for you to try and break me now."

"Who? Me?" she bit her pinkie finger and sauntered back onto the field.

Not fair at all.

Kate sipped hot cocoa from a thermos as she watched Castle and Alexis battle it out on the field. The snow was quickly turning to slush beneath their trampling feet. She laughed as Castle took a swing, missed, and started to lose his balance, slipping into a crouch to catch himself. He was just so darned adorable. He flashed her a smile even as his daughter circled around him to deliver her victory blow across the shoulders.

Martha had started the truck, turned on the heat, and sat huddled in the cab watching as they finished up with their perhaps unconventional reindeer games.

Castle shook the snow out of his hair and wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulder as they meandered back to the truck. "Whew, I think that that was the best Yule Duel we've ever had! Bar none."

"Thanks Detec...ahhhh...Kate. Having a fourth really leveled the playing field for these two." Alexis motioned between her father and grandmother playfully.

"Hey! Who is the current reigning champion of the Yule Duel?"

"You, Dad. But only because nobody wants to hurt your feelings."

Kate backed up as the two Castles began wrestling in the snow that remained by the truck. Watching them produced a warm contented feeling deep in her gut. It was somewhat familiar, yet unfamiliar as of late. Or maybe it was just the hot cocoa.

No. It was this man. His family. His willingness to share his family.

She watched as Alexis bowled Castle over on his back and sat on his chest laughing. He lifted a knee and twisted his hips dumping her onto the ground before shoving himself to his knees and trying to tickle her through her many layers of clothing. The girl was already laughing so hard it didn't really matter what he did. He stopped his tickle attack on her suddenly and set his attentions back towards the truck. Kate scrambled to her feet, slipping a little, and climbed into the cab with Martha screeching. "Castleļ¼No!" She slammed the door shut just as he made it to the truck, but he yanked it open and started tugging on her arms. "Castle! I already showered once today, I don't want to get all covered in muddy slush!"

"C'mon Kate, I'll help you get it off."

It was tempting, but again, his mother was right here...she squinted at him and bit her lip drawing a groan from his beautiful mouth. "Later," she mouthed and shoved him back with a foot.

"Spoilsport." He was smiling though. The promise of later... "I suppose we should be heading back then. Who's ready for lunch?"

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around the house. Alexis had curled up in a corner chair to read. Martha spent most of the afternoon digging through cookbooks and then crashing about the kitchen preparing what she claimed would be a 'gourmet dinner' fit for kings. Kate had changed into the clothes that she'd originally picked out for the day and had curled up in front of the fire for an afternoon catnap. And Castle lounged happily on the couch wondering at the magic of Christmas. It had been the best Yule Duel day ever, and this holiday vacation was by all means his absolute favorite.

Castle loved that having just one of his senses stifled, the others were heightened. He closed his eyes and listened again to the sounds around him. The fire crackled. He could hear the soft and even in and out of Kate's gentle breaths as she dozed.. He recognized the delicate wind of a page being turned, his mother's murmurings to herself as she moved about the kitchen, opening of cabinets or drawers, the clanging of a pot or pan, these were the sounds that whispered to him: HOME.

He took a deep breath in through his nose. The smoky dark smell of the fire, Kate's shampoo, old ink and worn paper, and a blend of herbs and spices filled his nostrils overwhelming his temporal lobe with a sense of HOME.

This is what it was supposed to be like, he realized.

Home.

He'd never before felt such utter satisfaction.

"Daddy it has to be tonight."

"Pumpkin, I thought you might want to wait a few days. We still have a few weeks left. Plenty of time."

"No, Dad. Tonight. It's always been on the third night. Tradition." Alexis' lower lip was puckered out, her eyes big and round. A face any loving father would give anything to.

He scooted back from the table and cracked his back and neck, followed by his fingers. He sighed. "All right, but you have to go get it."

Martha stood as well, but placed a hand on her granddaughter to halt her movement. "Why don't we all change into our pajamas first? Wouldn't that be more cozy?" she winked at Kate and withdrew her hand from Alexis' arm to start clearing dishes from the table.

"Martha, let me get that. You spent so much time preparing such a wonderful meal, please."

"Alright," Castle addressed the redheads, "you two go on and change. I'll help Kate here, then we'll change and meet you back here for..." he eyed Alexis, "the big event."

Everyone parted and Kate stayed with Castle to finish cleaning up the kitchen. They worked easily together, his hand brushing hers as he handed off dishes to be placed in the dishwasher. His chest brushing her back as he stepped around her to put leftovers into the fridge.

"Mr. Castle, if I didn't know any better I'd say you only agreed to help clean up so that you could be alone with me."

He moved in and kissed the side of her neck. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She turned to find herself chest to chest with him. She lifted up on her toes and planted a closed mouthed kiss on his lips before dropping down and ducking under his arm leaving him protesting. "Right. I'm sure you don't."

Once everyone had changed into pajamas and reconvened in the living room Alexis presented her father with a large, thin, bound volume. "Ok, everyone get comfortable," he said, positioning himself in the middle of the large couch so that Alexis could cuddle into his left side. He snagged Kate's wrist and pulled her down to the couch and, after receiving an encouraging look from Martha who had settled herself into the big chair, she snuggled up under his right arm as he cradled book in his left.

He opened the book to the title page, "Fletcher the Christmas Moose, by Richard Castle. Illustrated by Alexis Castle, age seven."

Kate smiled up at him, at his daughter curled into his side.

He cleared his throat and began, "It was a beautiful day in the forest. Birds were singing, plants were growing, and all of the forest creatures were getting very excited about Christmas..."

AN: I'm going to post the story (Fletcher the Christmas Moose), but can't decide if it should be a separate story (like a one-shot) or just the next chapter in this story. What do you think? Let me know.

Also, reviews are welcome and much appreciated. I got a bit discouraged this past chapter as counts were down a bit...anyway, to my faithful readers, I apologize for the delay in update. Hope it was worth the wait. PS. if you haven't figured it out yet, this story will not be completed until sometime after Christmas...yep. ;o) Thanks to anyone who stays with me!