AN: So, I got this edited earlier than I thought, which means you get another chapter today! In just a few short hours I've had an amazing response and it makes me smile so much, so thank you :) This one has a lot of cuteness, including a Castle/Alexis moment.

I knew I forgot something earlier, which is the Disclaimer. I don't own them. I own an OBSCENE amount of merchandise, but not the actual show. Pity.

I hope you all enjoy!

IBYL
xo

Rick blinked his eyes open the next morning and realised that the sun was already high in the sky. He then noticed the weight on his shoulder, and couldn't help the smile that escaped as he recognised the dark curls of his favourite detective, resting on his shoulder. Although he was reluctant to wake her up, he had to – the precinct was waiting. He shifted subtly, and shook her gently.

"Hey, Kate." He murmured softly, and her eyes opened slowly.

"Hey." She whispered with a sleepy smile that had Castle's heart melting. "I slept?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah, so did I. For a few hours at least." He grinned, and she grinned back, before yawning a little.

"Wow, I haven't slept like that in weeks. Did you hear my phone at all?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"No, but I was fairly out of it, so you might want to check for safety's sake." He said, and she sighed before shifting away from him and picking her phone up from the table in front of them.

"Nothing, thank god." She groaned, before leaning back into the couch.

"Do we have to go into the precinct today?" He asked, and she nodded.

"In about an hour, if there's no body drop before then." She said, sighing. "I'm still stunned that I slept." She pulled a face to indicate her confusion and Castle cracked up laughing.

"You mull over that, and I'll put together some breakfast." He said, kissing her forehead softly as he stood from the couch and wandered to the kitchen, leaving Kate with a looked of stunned surprise as she contemplated his last little action.

XXX

15 minutes later, Rick returned to the couch with two plates, loaded with toast and scrambled eggs. Kate smiled.

"Yum." She crooned, digging in like she hadn't eaten in days, and making Rick laugh before he took his first bite and moaned.

"I am the best chef ever." He stated, and Kate laughed.

"I'm enjoying this too much to argue with you right now. Later." She murmured between bites, making him laugh. She finished her food and took her plate to the kitchen, before wandering back to the couch to see Rick.

"I hate to eat and run, but I have to go clean up before work. Will I see you later?" She asked, secretly hoping he responded in the affirmative.

"Yeah, you will. I'll bring lunch." He grinned.

"That would be great. Thanks, Rick – for breakfast and… everything." She said, self-consciously. He smiled, thinking to himself how adorable she was, before getting up from the couch and wrapping her into a hug.

"Thanks for coming over. I'll see you in a bit." He smiled.

"See you in a bit." She grinned back, before leaving the loft and getting into the elevator, trying to ignore the fluttery feeling in her stomach and the giant smile that threatened to grace her face.

Castle had to resist the urge to dance around the loft, instead deciding to busy himself by making a second round of breakfast. Alexis had a late start at school that day, and he decided to make her some eggs too. She tumbled down the stairs and he smiled.

"Morning, pumpkin."

"Smells good in here. What are you doing up? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, worried. He smiled at how thoughtful she was, and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm fine, Alexis. I actually slept for a while last night."

"Really?" She asked, surprised. He hadn't been sleeping well for weeks.

"Well, yeah. Beckett cornered me in the precinct yesterday, asked me why I looked like the walking dead. And she was about as scary as you were, so I told her I'd been having nightmares, and she told me she was in the same situation, and made me swear to tell her if I was having trouble sleeping. I messaged her last night, and she was awake too – she'd had a really bad nightmare, and it left her rearranging her closet. So I invited her over, figuring that since we were already awake we could hang out. We ended up crashing on the couch." He said, trying desperately to hide his grin.

"Oh… well, I'm glad she could help." Alexis said, before beginning to eat.

"Hey, Kiddo?" He said, and Alexis looked up. "You know how much I love you, and how much I love all of the advice and help you've given me over the years. You're a genius, Lex. It's part of your charm. But you can't help much with this particular problem, and I don't really want you to. For you to help fix my nightmares, you'd had to have experienced them yourself, and I don't want you to have to go through that. Not now, not ever." He wrapped an arm around her. "I promise you I'll be okay. You don't need to worry about me. Beckett, she can help with this one. Don't get me wrong, I don't want her to have nightmares either, but… I can't really change that since she's a grown woman with a harrowing job. I still get to protect you for a little while longer." He said softly, and she smiled through the tears forming in her eyes.

"Thanks, Dad." She said softly, kissing his cheek.

"If I'd known she was coming over, you would have known immediately." He said, finally gauging what she was worried about.

"After you'd finished happy dancing, you mean?" She teased, and Castle tried to look indignant but failed.

"Yeah, after I'd finished my happy dance I'd let you know." He said, and she giggled.

"It's okay, Dad. Really, it is. As long as she's helping you and not hurting you, I'm alright with it." She said. "Okay, I'm going to get ready for school. Will you be here when I'm done?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get some writing done before I head into the precinct for lunch. Say goodbye before you leave." He said, turning for his study.

Another one bites the dust!