I am overwhelmed by the reviews and story/author alerts! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I profusely apologize for how long it's taken me to update. At first I was having a little bit of writer's block, and then that little thing called life got in the way. But all is good now and I should be updating regularly… hopefully. Here's chapter three. As always, please review :)

"Hey dad. Why are you home?" Alexis asked as Castle walked through the door.

"There was nothing to be done at the precinct. But, since Kate won't be around for a while, what are we going to get her for Christmas?"

"Diamonds. They are a girl's best friend."

"A girl after my own heart," Martha chimed in as she came down the stairs.

"Alexis, you've been spending too much time around your grandmother."

"Speaking of which, I'm going shopping. I'm off to get something for Chet," Martha said as she grabbed her purse from the counter.

"So, what are you going to get the lucky man? Wait. Never mind, I don't want to know." Castle shook his head in horror flashing back to his childhood.

"Oh please," Martha scoffed. "You were twelve when you came across the gift. You should have known by the wrapping that it wasn't for you! And it's not like I – "

"Whoa, mother, there is a child present! I'm present! I'm already scarred for life, and I would appreciate it if you never imposed it on Alexis."

"Please, I'd rather Alexis have my habits than your mind," she raised her eyebrow. "In all seriousness, what are you going to get the lovely detective? You're leaving it kind of late you know."

"I know. But I want it to be perfect. I was thinking some earrings, and maybe an inscribed bracelet. Suggestions are open to the floor," Castle beamed as he looked at his daughter and mother.

"Well," Martha started, "I fully support the jewellery option."

"Oh course you do, mother."

"I'm sure she'll love whatever you get her. But I must be off. Lots of shopping to do," Martha said hastily and made her way out the door.

"Alexis?" Castle turned to his daughter. She was always good in these kinds of situations.

"I like the jewellery idea, I do, really. But, –"

Castle knew a 'but' was coming.

"It's kind of a thoughtless gift. Don't get me wrong we love jewellery, but it's only something you went out and bought. What if you made something? You should get her the jewellery too, but maybe accompany it with something from the heart."

"Well, my thirty year old daughter, what are you getting for Kate?"

"Gram and I already went out shopping. We bought her a new jacket from Banana Republic, and a scarf from H&M. I also bought a picture frame that's just from me. I put the picture of the two of us in it. You know the one when we went skating at Rockefeller Center a couple of weeks ago?" Castle nodded. "But, if you got her a bracelet and necklace, then the matching earrings can be from Gram and I."

"Well I guess you thought of everything. I think it's safe to say that you never turned out like me, or my mother!"

"Thank God," Alexis teased as Castle kissed her on the head.

"What about a CD? Or a poem? I could confess my love in a haiku!" Castle started spitting out ideas.

"They're nice! I think she'd like that."

Castle hurried off towards his office.

"Dad, where are you going?"

"To write! Despite what everyone may believe, I do actually have to work at my writing."

Alexis chucked as Castle ran towards his office.

Castle had been sitting in his office for ten minutes and hadn't gotten very far with his poem. He was trying to think of words that rhymed with Beckett, and involuntarily began to say them out loud.

"Dad? I heard voices. Are you talking to yourself? You've finally gone insane haven't you?" Alexis asked as she came in through the office door.

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was being so loud. I'm trying to write but it's not going over so well," Castle said as he sheepishly started to close his laptop.

"Let me see what you have," Alexis quickly glanced at the screen before Castle had a chance to close it.

"Cricket? Bucket? Biscuit? Digit? Parking ticket? Dad, this is beyond pathetic!"

"Oh come on! How about this: Kate Beckett, I'm so glad you gave me your digits. Now that we're together you can get me out of a parking ticket!"

Castle realized how pitiful his rhyme was. "That was pretty lame, wasn't it?"

Alexis nodded in agreement.

"Well nothing rhymes with Beckett!" Castle shouted in his defence.

"I have one for you. How about casket? As in if you give her a poem with any of those words you're going to be six feet under," she paused for emphasis, "in a casket!"

"Despite your sarcasm, that was a very good rhyme! I'm so proud," Castle beamed.

"How about you try Kate, instead," she said bluntly.

"Alright. My dearest Kate, if we lived on a ship… you'd be my first mate!" Castle looked hopefully at his daughter.

"No!" Alexis shook her head in disgrace.

"Kate, thanks to you, NYC has a low crime rate?"

Alexis shook her head again.

"Kate, meeting you was like sliding in to home plate?"

"No!"

"Hey, that one was pretty good! She is a fan of Joe Torre. It could work!"

Let's see," Alexis thought for a moment, "We have date, great, wait –"

"They're good!" Castle screamed in excitement.

"Soul mate, fate," Alexis continued.

"Slow down!" Castle screamed trying to type as fast as his fingers would let him.

"Dad! You're the one writing her a poem. Don't you think it'd be a little creepy for me to say something like 'from the second I met you Kate, I knew you were my soul mate'?"

"Okay, point taken. But how'd you come up with something that good so fast?" Castle looked at his daughter in amazement.

"Maybe I have your writing gene. But apparently mine is a little more enhanced," Alexis giggled. "But, forget Kate. Maybe something like," she paused again trying to think, "when I'm near you my heart skips a beat, and… and without you I'm not complete?"

"That's great! Keep going!"

"No way! I started you off. Now it's all up to you. And if I wrote it, she'd know it didn't come from you. I'm more evolved than you," Alexis teased.

"I'm decreasing your allowance!" Castle shouted jokingly as Alexis exited his office and closed the door behind her.

Alright, writer boy, think! Castle hit himself on his head.

"When we first met I thought you would throw me in jail," Castle was now reciting his thoughts out loud. "No," Castle hit the backspace on his laptop. "During our first case I thought you would surely throw me in jail."

"That's a good start. What rhymes with jail? Detail, prevail, sale, email, tail…" a light bulb went off in the authors brain, "Pigtail!" he shouted.

Castle began to dictate what he was typing: "During our first case I thought you would surely throw me in jail, I'm glad you never because I love pulling your pigtails.

Castle was on a roll. He added two lines to the beginning, altered Alexis' input slightly, and then continued. Two and a half hours later he had constructed a poem. He reread it a few times making a few alterations. He couldn't think of an ending. He needed one more line to make it complete.

Just then his phone rang, and Beckett flashed across the screen. "Well hello my love lady. You got an ID? His name was Noah? And you have a suspect?" Castle questioned in excitement. "It looks like Christmas came early! I'll be right there!"

Castle saved his document and closed his laptop. Before he left he yelled to his daughter, "Honey, that was Kate. We've got a suspect, but we should be home soon!"

"Bye dad!"

A/N: I would love it if you could please vote on something. Would you all like to see Lanie and Esposito together? I know Jon has been campaigning on Twitter…

Thanks in advance for the lovely reviews, and input on the direction this story should take.