A/N: *Creeps out from behind a rock* Hi. Sorry I haven't updated this in such a long time… Been busy with my entry for the Castle Hiatus Ficathon. I needed a break from the anger/sadness/angst, so be prepared for fluff/happiness galore! Btw, I'm looking for a beta for this fic. PM me if you're interested/know someone who might be interested :)

Chapter Two

Rick's face broke into a wide smile, greeting sleepily, "Morning, Mrs. Castle."

Kate parroted back, "Good morning Mr. Castle," smiling contentedly as she carded her fingers through his hair. Rick rolled onto his side, supporting his weight on his elbow as he faced Kate.

"So, what are we doing today?" he asked her.

Kate reached for his free hand, entwining their fingers together. "We need to attend Arriana's Show and Tell. Then, I've got to prepare for a deposition."

Tugging on her fingers, Rick suggested, "Well then, why don't you hop into the shower and I'll go wake Arriana."

"I love you, Mr. Castle," she hummed contently, leaning close to give him another kiss.

"Love you right back, Mrs. Castle," he murmured, closing the distance between their lips.

Kate smiled into their chaste kiss before rolling out of bed. She couldn't believe how easy, how natural it came to her, being Mrs. Castle. There was a time when she couldn't even imagine telling another man she loved him, but now the words just come tumbling out of her mouth, unbidden.

And it was all because of Richard Castle.

The thought itself brought a smile back to her face, stubbornly staying on throughout her shower.

Arriana heard soft footsteps approaching her bedroom. Giggling to herself, she quickly scurried under her blankets. Her bedroom door swung noiselessly open, but she heard the click from the doorknob as it was twisted open, alerting the presence of another person in her room.

Arriana tried to still her shoulders, stifling her giggles so that whoever had entered her room wouldn't know that she was awake.

"Rise and shine, Arriana."

The voice was soft, probably an attempt to not startle her awake, but she could guess that Rick was standing by her bed. She tensed, prepared to launch her body upwards. The bed dipped a little as Rick sat down on the edge, and that was all the signal Arriana needed to pounce out, throwing the covers away.

"Good morning! Surprise!" she greeted happily, hugging him tightly. Rick barely had time to hug her with one arm as he set the other against her bed, propping them upright.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack there, kiddo," he said, hugging her back in greeting as Arriana continued giggling, overjoyed that her plan to surprise him had succeeded. "What are you doing up so early in the morning?"

Arriana stepped back from their embrace, shrugging her little shoulders as she replied his question. "I don't know, I was just up, I guess."

"Fair enough. Come on, let's go pick out your clothes and then you can get ready for school."

Rick stood up slowly as Arriana scrambled over to her dresser. "So how do you feel about show and tell today? Good?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm going to talk about my new sister, Lexi. Hey Uncle Rick, what do I call you now that you and mommy are married?" Arriana tossed casually over her shoulder, keeping her main focus on selecting her outfit for the day.

"Erm, I don't know. What do you feel like calling me?" Rick asked, joining her side as he helped bring down the dress she had selected.

"You're like my daddy now, right? So should I still call you Uncle Rick or should I call you dad? Daddy? Daddy Rick?" She tried out a few variations, looking up at him with her big, green eyes as he handed her a towel.

"I guess it's up to which one you prefer. You can call me Rick, or dad, daddy – I'm fine with either."

"Dad," Arriana tried, giggling to herself. "That's what Lexi calls you. Dad." More giggles bubbled out of Arriana as Rick looked on at her, an amused expression on his face.

"What's so funny, silly girl?"

Rick's question went unanswered as the little girl continued giggling quietly.

"Why don't you jump into your shower, and slowly think about it, okay? Let me know what you decide later," he said, guiding her by the shoulders, coaxing her into the bathroom.

"Okay, Unc– Dad."

More giggles ensued.

Rick shook his head, calling out, "Don't forget to brush your teeth!" as he headed out of her room.

It was almost seven by the time Rick had finished showering and dressing, heading down to the kitchen. To his surprise, it was still empty. Kate must be upstairs helping Arriana with her hair. He began tinkering about the kitchen, laying out the cereal on the table for Arriana to choose and making toast and coffee.

Soon enough, he saw his two girls coming down the stairs. Arriana was skipping down the steps, swinging her schoolbag happily as Kate followed behind her.

"Walk, Arri, don't skip down the stairs – you're going to trip and fall," Kate warned.

"Okay, mommy," Arriana replied, slowing her skips into a sort of upbeat march. Kate shook her head at her daughter's antics that morning. She could hardly keep still as Kate braided her hair earlier.

"What's up with you, baby girl? Why are you so energetic this morning?" She asked, heading to the kitchen to accept the steaming mug of coffee Rick was holding out.

"I dunno. Just am, I guess. Mommy, Uncle Rick said I could call him dad or daddy or whatever I wanted!"

Kate glanced at Rick as Arriana began pouring some Honey Stars into her bowl. All he did was shrug, telling her, "She brought it up, so I told her to call me whatever felt comfortable. Is that alright?"

"Of course," she said, walking over to the toaster that had just chimed. Their toast was done. Placing them onto a plate, Kate brought it over and set the plate in between her and Castle.

"So, Arriana, have you decided what to call me?" he asked, picking up a piece of toast to butter.

"Lexi calls you Dad," she said, giggling again.

Kate shot Rick a questioning look, and he told her, "Don't look at me. She's been giggling to herself since morning."

Deciding to find out for herself, Kate asked, "Arri, what's so funny?"

"Dad."

Giggle.

"It's so funny calling Uncle Rick Dad. I sound so old," she dragged the last word, erupting in giggles once more.

"Silly girl," Kate said, rolling her eyes as she took a bite out of her toast.

"How about daddy, then," Castle suggested, "and maybe when you're older you can call me Dad if you want. Or you could just call me both."

"Okay, daddy!"

Arriana turned her attention back to her bowl of Honey Stars, quickly eating it before it got too soggy.

"By the way, Kate, I talked to my lawyer about drawing up the adoption papers. If it's all right, I'll meet him while you prepare for your deposition, and then we can talk about it further tonight."

Kate hummed in consent, her mouth otherwise occupied with breakfast. Fifteen minutes later they were out of the door, heading for Arriana's school. It was time for show and tell.

Rick and Kate sat in the back of the classroom as Arriana stood in front of all her classmates.

"Good morning, everyone. For show and tell today, I'm going to talk about my new sister, Alexis Castle."

"And how did she become your new sister?" Mrs. Brown, Arriana's teacher asked.

"Mommy married Uncle Rick, who's now my daddy, so Lexi became my sister. I'm really happy because tomorrow is Wednesday, and on Wednesdays Lexi comes over to the loft for family dinner night. Normally, she stays in a dormitory at her university.

"Lexi used to stay at the loft, but last year she moved out when she started studying at NYU, which stands for New York University. I missed her a lot and that made me sad, so we have family dinner night once a week, and she comes over to the loft."

"Do you see her on other days as well?" Mrs. Brown asked, gently prodding Arriana to continue talking.

"Yes, I do. Sometimes when she's not too busy we spend time together on the weekends. But for the last two weeks she came back to stay with Grams and I at the loft while mommy and daddy went for their vacation. She had to go back to her dormitory on Saturday night though."

"Okay, one last thing and we're done. Why don't you try describing what Alexis looks like to your friends," her teacher said.

"Lexi is very tall and skinny, but not as tall as my mom. She has beautiful red hair and light blue eyes. She's the prettiest sister in the world," Arriana finished, pride for her sister shining through her eyes.

A/N: I know it's kinda short, but at least it's an update, right? And I'm sorry if Arriana's Show and Tell was weird – I'm not from the states, but this was how the internet kinda portrayed show and tell. Review!