A/N: Here's a final update before we usher in the New Year :) Hope you guys enjoy this! Beta by Anika and Iris.

Disclaimer: not mine.

Arriana was miserable when she returned to school the next day. She couldn't play with her friends and even the simplest tasks were made difficult when she had only one arm to use. Mommy even had to help her get dressed in the morning! The teachers kept her away from the other students – the isolation wasn't intentional, they just didn't want the other kids to jostle her sensitive arm – but their logic was above Arriana's level of comprehension.

She was utterly miserable by the time Daddy picked her up from aftercare. He promised her tomorrow would be better.

Rick spoke to her teacher, Mrs. Brown, the next morning, handing her a medium sized plastic bag before waving goodbye to Arriana. When it was time for Arts and Crafts, Mrs. Brown took out the same plastic bag before emptying its contents onto the table and addressing the class.

They were going to decorate Arriana's sling and write messages on it using the colorful markers Castle had given. Mrs. Brown helped Arriana remove her sling before placing it on the table in front of her. The other kids lined up and took turns drawing on the sling as Arriana watched on happily.

Daddy was right. Her second day back in school was better than the first.

When her parents picked her up that day, Arriana chattered on excitedly about her newly decorated sling. Kate stole a kiss from Castle when no one was looking. "You did well," she murmured before pulling away. Rick responded by winking at her.

Arriana was slowly getting better at coping with her temporary disability. The days quickly rolled by, and soon her parents were bringing their daughter for her appointment with the therapist.

She had been going to bed earlier than usual ever since she's had her accident, and the extra rest promoted the process of repairing her tissues. The training exercises given by the therapist slowly increased in their levels of difficulty, and Arriana began slacking off. Kate was quick to point out that the more she practiced, the faster she would be fully recovered and allowed to play with all her friends again. From then on, the seven year-old was adamant at doing her exercises as prescribed by her physical therapist.

It wasn't long before she said goodbye to her sling. Over time, new memories began replacing those of her recovery period and the sling folded in the back of her wardrobe was just a token of a quickly fading memory of an injury.

Rick's latest Nikki Heat installment was due to launch soon, so he began spending more time at Black Pawn, holed up in meeting for hours over negotiations on promoting the book before he was allowed to leave.

He still dropped by the Twelfth whenever possible, but the team was slowly getting used to his absence. Nowadays, he could only afford spending a few hours in the precinct, trying to keep up with the current case before taking off to Black Pawn.

But this particular morning found all four of them in the precinct. The boys were trying to get an address while Beckett and Castle checked through prior records of their suspect.

"Yo Beckett, we got an address."

She automatically got to her feet, patting herself to check that her holster was in place as she looked over at Esposito. He too, was already getting to his feet as he hung the phone back to its cradle.

Beckett was half aware of Castle getting to his feet as well while she tracked Ryan scooting back to his desk on his roller chair. "I'll coordinate with back up," she told Espo, picking up her phone and punching the correct combination of numbers.

"No fair, I need to be at Black Pawn in twenty and I really should make a move. Text me an update?" Castle asked.

Beckett already begun talking on the phone, so she merely nodded at him.

"Be careful," he whispered in parting.

She grabbed at his hand before he was too far, giving him a squeeze during the lull on her side of the phone. "Love you," she mouthed, sorry she couldn't say bye to him properly. Castle smiled back, squeezing her hand in understanding before he turned and left.

"No, we have one armed suspect and two possible hostages. Yes, that's right. No, there are only three people on my team," Beckett continued speaking into her phone, clarifying the details of their take down to the back up coordinator.

Both her detectives were good to go, and Esposito was already heading over with the address on a piece of paper. "Alright, we'll meet you there in fifteen. Here's the address." Beckett relayed the address over the phone, eager to leave the precinct. Time was of the essence here.

After she hung up, Esposito and Beckett quickly made their way across the bullpen to join Ryan who was already waiting for the elevator.

Another book tour. That was what they wanted him to do. Granted, his last one was quite some time back, but he wasn't keen on doing a book tour. He offered to do signings or meet and greet sessions with the fans, but he wanted to do them over the weekends. Make it more staggered so he could convince Kate to come along with Arriana for a few of them. That way, he wouldn't have to spend an extended period of time away from his family.

But Paula countered that it was less effective – the hype just wouldn't be the same. And besides, his idea would be a nightmare to coordinate and budget. Gina told him point blank that he was good, but not that good. They would consider his request, but it was a long shot.

Castle rubbed his temples. Any meeting with both Gina and Paula present, much less one where they both ganged up on him, always left Castle with a throbbing headache.

He should check in with Kate, see how they fared. He pulled out his phone, but was unsure if their operation was done. It should be, considering how long his meeting had run, but it was better to text her and be on the safe side.

Just finished at BP. How'd it go on your end? Want me to head over or meet at home?

Pocketing his phone, Rick considered his options. If he went home now, he could start on dinner and possibly make lasagna, but if he returned with Kate, they'd probably be able to make spaghetti for dinner. Kate was always better at making the meatballs anyway. Arriana's been asking for both recently.

His phone chimed, signaling a new text. Huh, he wasn't expecting a reply so soon. Kate must be done then.

Case closed. C u at home.

That was… short.

If Kate seemed curt and brief in her text, Castle brushed it off and attributed it to her being busy. After all, they closed the case, and that meant paperwork. He'd ask Kate about it when she returned.

Looks like Arriana's going to help him layer the lasagna for dinner.

Castle was lounging on the couch with his laptop balanced on the edge while Arriana was doing some schoolwork on the table in front of him when Kate got home.

"Mommy!"

"Kate," they greeted as she toed off her shoes by the door.

"Hey," she greeted tiredly, enveloping Arriana in a one handed hug as they made their way over to the couch. Kate leaned down, sharing a chaste kiss with Castle.

Straightening up, she asked, "Dinner?"

"Lasagna, and it's already in the oven."

"Good," she replied. "Let me just hop in the shower then we can eat."

She ruffled Arriana's hair affectionately before pushing her daughter toward her opened books. Kate's eyes stayed on Arriana a moment longer before she headed into their bedroom.

Their daughter might be oblivious to Kate's lingering gaze but it didn't go by unnoticed by Castle. Shutting his laptop, he slid it onto the table and trailed after Kate.

Shutting the door behind him, he called out, "Kate?"

"I'm in the bathroom."

He made his way over, opening the bathroom door to see Kate clad in her undergarments, her clothes lying on the floor. He knew Kate well enough to not ask her directly what had been bothering her.

"Everything all right?" he asked from the doorway.

Kate slid off her necklace and rings, placing them in the little box on the sink counter.

"Yeah, I just want to wash off the grime from the day. The take down was at a warehouse in the industrial area," Kate elaborated, looking at her palm as she rubbed on a spot. Unhooking her bra, she finally looked up at him. Smiling, she told him, "It's fine, Castle. Really. I just want a quick shower before joining you guys."

"Okay." He slid the door shut, giving her some privacy. He wanted to believe her; after all, she seemed fine. If something had happened the boys would have called him.

But there was something there.

He just couldn't put his finger on it, but Kate seemed a little off. He'd buy her story for now, but Castle was going to keep an eye out, just in case.

A moment later he registered the sound of the shower coming on. Releasing the handle, Castle decided to let it rest. He headed out to join Arriana once more.

Nothing happened during dinner. Kate behaved normally; as though everything was fine. Maybe she was trying to lull him into a sense of false security so he would let his guard down.

Neither of them were comfortable about discussing Kate's cases in front of Arriana so they talked about Castle's meeting at Black Pawn. The conversation flowed easily throughout dinner.

Even though it was unlikely Black Pawn would accommodate his suggestion, he asked Kate what she thought about coming along during the weekends with him.

"I don't know, Castle, I'll have to look at the dates and see if I'm on shift or not. They would make a nice, short family trip though. I might be able to do one or two?"

The mere prospect of that had Castle excited. "Yeah, you and Arriana could come along to the cities she's never been to! I'd meet the fans, and on our time off we could explore the city together! I wonder if Alexis could come along. Maybe if she's not too busy?"

"I know that she's pretty free this month, but she'll have a tough course next month. When are they planning your book tour?" Kate asked.

"Not sure, maybe next month or the following. You spoke to Alexis recently?" This was new information to him.

"Oh yeah, we talked over the phone for a bit just now," Kate replied nonchalantly, taking a bite of her dinner.

Castle looked back to his plate, trying to go for casual when he asked her, "What… What about?"

When he looked back at Kate, she was giving him a look. Yeah, the look that said he wasn't fooling anybody, least of all her.

At least he had the decency to look a little ashamed. Kate swallowed before answering him.

"I don't know, Castle. Normal stuff. Anyway, we should ask Alexis what she thinks when she comes over next."

"Lexi has to say yes! It's our first family trip together," Arriana interrupted her parents.

"What are you talking about? Arri, we've been on family trips before. Besides, Alexis can't help it if she's busy with college and you dad doesn't even have confirmation from Black Pawn yet," Kate told her daughter.

"I know that, but it's going to be our first trip as a real family."

"Tell you what, Arri, I'll try my best to make this happen, alright? And even if Black Pawn won't do this for me, we can always just plan our own short trip when everyone's available."

"I'll tell Lexi about our family trip. She'll definitely agree to it, especially when I tell her daddy said he'll make it happen." Arriana picked up her last forkful of lasagna and ate it happily, all too pleased with herself.

Kate frowned at her, telling her gently, "Arri, we can't always get our way and we shouldn't force people to agree with our plans."

"Don't worry about it, Arri. I'll think of something," Castle told her when he saw Arriana's face fall slightly at her mother's words.

She beamed brightly immediately, smiling in adoration at her father.

"Daddy says he'll think of something, and Daddy always make things happen."

Kate shot him a reproaching look, but he missed it, focusing on his happy daughter instead.

They didn't have time alone until Arriana went upstairs to shower. As Kate and Castle loaded the dishwasher, she told him, "You're staring again, Castle."

He startled, blushing at getting caught. Kate seemed focused on arranging the plates, so he didn't realize she would notice. Turning so she faced him, Kate continued. "It's still creepy."

Handing her the baking tray, he told her, "Can't a man enjoy the view?"

"Don't think I didn't notice you observing me throughout dinner as well. Castle, it's disconcerting."

Damn, busted.

"Are you sure everything's fine? You can tell me anything, Kate, you know that," he gave in, voicing his concerns.

Kate closed the dishwasher door, sighing loudly. "I told you, Rick, everything's fine. Anyway, I think you're spoiling Arriana too much," she changed topics, referencing their earlier conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"I just don't want to get her hopes up and then disappoint her."

"But we won't disappoint her, because-"

"-because you'll make it happen?" Kate finished his sentence wryly.

Castle shot her a confused look, wondering where she was going with this.

"Yeah," he said slowly, "What's wrong with that?"

"I just don't want our daughter growing up with everything going her way because her Daddy will make it happen. She's going to turn into a brat!"

"No, she won't, because her Mommy has no problem hitting her with a dose of reality," Castle quipped.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Uh oh. There he went again. Speaking without filtering his words. He probably could have worded that sentence better.

"What are you saying, Castle? That I'm bad cop and you're good cop? You're the fun parent who makes things happen for her and I'm what, the strict parent who stops things from going her way? Are you saying I'm a bad parent?" Kate continued.

This was bad, so bad. He had apparently struck on a nerve that he didn't even know existed! Was Kate PMS-ing? Wait, no, don't ask that. Kate would kill him if he actually asked her that.

"Kate," he began slowly, "I just meant that you can keep her grounded and in check with the real things in life that matter. No one's saying you're a bad parent, okay? You're a great mom."

He made to hug her, but Kate promptly stopped him with a hand to his chest. Stepping back, she took a deep breath.

"Rick, I'm just going to spend some time with Arriana in her room before she sleeps. And after that, I'm going to bed because this has been a long day. Okay?"

There were so many things he wanted to tell her. That he was sorry for his comment; that he was worried for her; that he was probably right in thinking she was hiding something for him. Something had to have happened earlier in the day to cause Kate to be so volatile.

But looking at Kate, he knew she wasn't up for heavy conversation. "All right, Kate. I'll be in my study."

That little blow up in the kitchen had hurt the both of them and both parties retreated to their own space to lick their wounds.

Arriana took Kate's mind off a lot of things. Sitting in bed and just listening to her daughter chatter away was exactly what Kate needed. What Mrs. Stone did in the warehouse, that was-

No, Kate wasn't going to think about it. She was here, now, with her daughter, and she wasn't a bad parent. She wasn't like Mrs. Stone. She loved her daughters, both of them, and she tries her best to make things happen for them as well. Castle wasn't the only one who made things happen for their girls.

Damn it, she does that too! Good things, she made good things happen for their daughters as well. It may not be as apparent as Castle's results, but she did put in the effort and her daughters knew that she would do anything for them as well, right?

She couldn't wait to meet Alexis tomorrow. It might be hard trying to slip off to meet her for lunch without Castle knowing, but she needed this. Kate was just happy Alexis was free on such short notice.

"Mommy, you're pulling too hard."

Arriana's complaint brought her back to the present. Kate looked down and was surprised to find that she was tugging on her daughter's hair rather hard. Kate immediately let go, apologizing as the braid became undone.

"I'm so sorry, Arri, I was thinking of something else," she said, rubbing Arriana's scalp tenderly. Arriana wanted to sleep in braids so that her hair would be curly the next day. Go figure.

"What are you thinking about?"

Running her fingers through Arriana's hair to detangle it, Kate began braiding again. "Nothing much. Just missing Alexis. I'll do it properly this time, promise."

Kate lingered in Arriana's room even after her daughter fell asleep. What happened today at the warehouse still jarred her, especially as a mother. She had definitely overreacted at Castle's comment earlier in the kitchen.

Kate sighed, rubbing a hand over her face.

He was bound to know that something was up. Maybe I can blame it on PMS? No, she wouldn't do that. Not to Castle.

She'd come clean to him, tell him what happened and why she was being weird – but not yet. It was still too soon. She needed some time to process and compartmentalize before she shared it with Castle. Because he would need her to be strong when he found out. And she couldn't be strong for him until she saw Alexis and put this irrational worrying behind her.

Kate just hoped she could continue pretending that everything was normal and that Castle could be understanding in the meantime.

She just needed some time to fix herself.

By the time Kate tiptoed her way down to their bedroom, the lights were off and Castle was already in bed. Thanking the higher beings for small favors, Kate pulled back the covers on her side and tried to slip into bed without moving the mattress too much.

"Kate? 'S that you?" Castle asked sleepily.

Damn.

"Yeah, Castle, go back to sleep," she whispered, lying down beside him.

He shifted so that he was now facing her. "Kate, I'm sorry about earli-"

"No, it's fine. I jumped to conclusions and it was my fault. I'm sorry."

"Kate, what happened? What's really going on here?"

Kate shut her eyes and turned to face the wall, presenting her back to him.

"Nothing, Rick, just had a long day."

There wasn't a clearer sign that she didn't want to talk about it, but Rick was nothing if not persistent. He scratched and clawed for years and he wasn't about to stop now.

"Kate, I've seen you just watching Arriana when you think neither of us are looking and don't think I didn't notice all those lingering touches. What's really going on here Kate?"

He is her husband and he's worried for her. She should at least give him a sign or something. Rolling over to face him, she admitted, "Okay fine, something happened at the warehouse, okay? But I'm not ready to talk about it yet. I just need you to trust me and be understanding. I'll tell you about it when I'm ready. Goodnight, Rick."

Kate rolled over once more so she was facing away from him again. He sighed in defeat. Something had happened and his wife couldn't talk to him about it. Not yet, she said, but he couldn't help worry about it.

He draped an arm over her lightly. He didn't want to stifle her when she felt like she needed space, but Rick wanted her to take comfort in his steady presence. They both lay in bed, feigning sleep until it became real.

A/N: Hey guys, I've got the next five or so chapters written out, but I'm stuck after that. So, I'd love to hear what you guys would be interested to see in future chapters. :) Please review, and here's to a wonderful 2014!