A/N: Apparently I'm not very good at making things kid-friendly ;P Luckily I have two awesome betas who rein me in and use ominous language for effect. Iris and Anika, I love you guys!

Disclaimer: not mine.

Although they went to bed rather late, both Rick and Kate woke up early on Saturday morning. Kate began to cook up a birthday breakfast feast while Rick took out the presents from their hiding place.

Then, he went upstairs to wake Arriana.

"Guess whose birthday it is today?" he said softly into the sleeping girl's ear, rubbing her back in slow circles to coax the birthday girl awake.

Arriana's eyes popped open and she pushed herself upright excitedly. "Mine! It's my birthday!"

Laughing, Rick scooped her up into a bear hug.

"Happy birthday, Arri. C'mon, let's go see what your mom's prepared for you."

Father and daughter bounding down the stairs excitedly, making a ruckus. Kate shot Rick a reprimanding look. He should know better than to run down the stairs with Arriana, but he shrugged sheepishly, as though telling Kate 'What? It's her birthday!'

Rolling her eyes at him, Kate decided to let it pass, opening her arms excitedly to hug her daughter.

"Happy Birthday baby girl!"

"Mommy, I'm eight! I'm not a baby girl anymore, I'm a big girl!" She stated in all seriousness, earning big, smacking loud kisses on the cheeks from Kate.

It really was hard to believe that her baby girl was so big already. Laughing softly, Kate pulled back and gestured at the dining table with her head.

"All right, big girl, look at all the food I prepared for you this morning. You better have an equally big appetite!"

Kate straightened up, leading Arriana to the table that was laden with food. Arriana went straight for the smiley-pancakes, pouring maple syrup and strawberry slices over it.

The small family took their time with breakfast, content with the sedated pace as they allowed the Saturday morning to pass.

After they had cleared breakfast, it was time for Arriana to receive her birthday gifts. There were three gifts, one from Kate, one from Castle, and the last was from Lydia, her sitter.

Patience wasn't one of Arriana's stronger virtues, so she tore into Kate's present excitedly, roughly ripping the wrapper open. All too soon, Arriana held a small black box in her hand. Surprisingly, it already had a weathered look to it. Arriana went for the clasp, intending to open it to see what was inside, but Kate put her hand over the clasp.

"Gently, Arri."

Right, she was a big girl now. She could open the box carefully the way a big girl would.

Arriana reached for the clasp again, her movements more steady and demure this time round.

There was a pendant with the number 8 attached to a chain. Arriana slowly removed the pendant from the hook, holding the necklace in her hand.

It was different from her usual sparkly beaded necklaces. This one was made from a shiny silver metal, and it looked like the kind grown ups wore.

"Here, let me help you with that," Kate offered, reaching for the necklace when Arriana held it out.

Kate inhaled a shaky breath before telling her daughter the story behind the necklace.

"My mom got me this necklace when I was eight. She gave it to me in this very same box, and told me that eight is a big girl's number, so she was giving me this big girl necklace. You'll have to be careful with it – don't tug on it too hard or it will break, but I'm sure that you'll be fine. I'm giving it to you now, so that you can always have a part of grandma with you, just like I have this," Kate told her, pulling out the necklace that held Johanna's engagement ring.

She's waited eight years for this moment – eight long years since she had gone into labor, easily one of the scariest days in her life. She had never missed her mother more than in that moment, all alone and terrified in the delivery ward, surrounded by cold instruments and nurses clad in sterile gowns.

As soon as the doctor placed baby Arriana in Kate's arms, she broke down in tears, overwhelmed by emotions. Johanna's engagement ring was the only link she had to her mother, and the new mother wanted her daughter to have a piece of her grandmother as well, for whenever she needed the reassurance.

It wasn't until a week later that Kate remembered about the necklace she received on her eighth birthday. She made a note to locate the necklace and keep it at a safe place until the appropriate time.

And that time was now.

Kate helped Arriana put on the necklace with shaky hands.

"I can do that, Mommy. I'm a big girl now, I'll take good care of the necklace," Arriana whispered reverently, stroking the pendant gently.

"I know you will," Kate told her, kissing her on the cheek. She then leaned against Rick, drawing strength from him as he stroked her back gently, silently allowing Kate to collect herself.

"Here, why don't you see what Lydia got you," Rick offered, nudging the second present towards Arriana, distracting her so that her mother had a moment to herself. She tore through the wrapper and excitedly slid on the beaded bracelets onto her left hand.

Last but not least, was the huge present from Rick. He passed it over eagerly, and she enthusiastically tore through the wrapper to see a Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Bow and a dart refill pack.

She squealed, hugging him tightly as she asked, "Can I try it out now?"

Rick helped her remove the bow and fitted a dart, aiming and firing at a pillow to show her how to use it. Whooping delightedly, she began to clamber over the furniture, shooting at enemies conjured up by her imagination. It was the perfect gift for someone who was so enthralled with Disney's Brave.

And just like that the little girl was back in full force.

"You better tell her where she can play with that bow of hers, we don't want her knocking things down or breaking them," Kate warned, eyeing her hyperactive daughter.

"Don't worry Kate, we'll set the ground rules tomorrow. Let her enjoy her birthday."

They were interrupted when an arrow hit Rick squarely on his forehead. Both adults turned to look at the girl who had an expression of shock on her face.

"Oops?"

Kate burst out laughing, avoiding Rick's tackle as he encouraged his daughter to shoot at mommy next.

After a few impromptu rounds of target practice for Arriana, they decided it was time to get ready for the party. Arriana wore her favorite mini-dress with colorful leggings while her parents opted for the more casual shirt-and-jeans combination. Kate did her daughter's hair up into a waterfall-braided crown, curling the rest of her remaining hair.

The three of them set off for Klub4Kidz, dodging some of the paparazzi waiting outside the loft. The sight of them reminded Rick to check in with Paula to see how they fared with the press last night. Belatedly, Rick realized he should have asked David, their driver, to meet them by the side entrance.

However, they were determined not to let anything ruin Arriana's birthday, so they made their way into the town car as quickly as they could, leaving the paparazzi behind them, both literally and metaphorically.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the place was already decorated with streamers and balloons. The kids would be given special wristbands that allowed them into the private area for the party. Rick began briefing the hired security as Kate led her daughter off to check out the goody bags.

Lucas delivered as Rick had said he would, putting candy, cool little toys and party favors into the goody bags. On the other side of the room, the catering team was slowly bringing out the food.

It was mainly finger food and kid-sized snacks, but the presentation was very creative and even Kate was impressed. At the back of her mind, Kate wondered how much the party must have cost them.

At half past two, Alexis, Jim and Martha arrived. They wished the birthday girl 'Happy Birthday' before dropping off their presents at the designated corner. Since the other guests hadn't arrived, Arriana took the opportunity to fill her grandparents in. She hadn't seen either of them in way too long.

When Arriana proudly showed off her new necklace, Kate reached out for Jim's hand to exchange a tight squeeze. They didn't need any words to convey what that special connection meant.

By three, Arriana's classmates began trickling in, having been dropped of by their respective parents. Soon, all the kids were present and accounted for. Arriana's eyes bulged comically at the growing pile of presents in the corner.

Never before had she received so many presents for her birthday! She normally had a small family party with Mommy and Grandpa Jim, and over the years Mommy would bring a cake to daycare for her to share with her friends, but that was it.

This was her very first large birthday party. She really was a big girl!

Rick signaled for the magician to start, and he quickly got all the kids to gather in the middle of the room. As the magician's act began, the adults retreated to the other side of the room.

Javi, Lanie and the Ryans didn't arrive until four – they had been held up at the precinct – but Arriana didn't notice it at all. She was having too much fun with her friends.

The children played a few more games before it was time for dinner. Only then did Arriana notice the additional guests, running over to hug them in greeting.

"Happy Birthday chica, you're getting so big I almost don't recognize you!" Esposito said, picking up the birthday girl and spinning her in the air.

She giggled delightedly. She hadn't seen mommy's friends from the precinct in ages.

"Thanks for coming to my birthday Uncle Javi!"

The Ryans doted on her for a while, before Lanie came in and smothered her in kisses. In the end, Alexis came to her rescue.

"Come on, Arri, let's go get some food before your friends finish all of it!" The adults looked over at the food table, chuckling at Rick and Kate's attempt to help all the other kids get food onto their plates.

Twenty minutes later, the children were seated around their own tables, happily eating away. The rest of the adults made their way over to get their food, teasing Rick and Kate over how disheveled they looked.

It wasn't easy dealing with twenty-five children, especially when they were intent on piling a food mountain onto their little plates.

The adults made their way back to the table and settled in.

"Eww gross!" Rick exclaimed suddenly, attracting the attention of their small group.

"What is it, Richard?" Martha asked.

"I've got… I don't even know what this is on my pockets!"

He held up his left hand, which was covered in some sort of sticky goo, a grimace on his face.

"One of the kids must have accidentally wiped it on you after grabbing something," Jenny offered laughingly.

Ryan bumped Rick's shoulder lightly, teasing him, "Sure, accidentally."

The table erupted in laughter at that.

"Here, I've got some wet wipes," Kate offered, taking out a few sheets from her purse. "How hard can it be, huh?" she asked, throwing his words from the previous night back at him.

Rick made quick work of cleaning his fingers, reaching for more wet wipes to salvage his jeans.

"I may have forgotten just how rowdy and messy kids can be," he admitted to his smirking wife.

"Don't worry, partner, I've got your back," Kate said, bumping her shoulders into his playfully.

After clearing dinner, the waiters brought out Arriana's birthday cake and everyone came together to sing her birthday song. The cake was cut and quickly distributed with the help of the catering staff.

After that, it was playtime for the kids. They played amongst themselves, sufficiently entertaining themselves until their parents came to pick them up. Arriana thanked her friends for attending and handed out goody bags with help from Kate.

Ryan and Esposito helped Castle carry the presents to the town car as Arriana spent the remaining time with her grandparents. Lanie, Jenny, Kate and Alexis were quietly talking in their own little corner as well.

Arriana tried her best to stay awake, but it had been a long and eventful day for the girl. It wasn't long before she was lying across the chairs, stretched out as she slept with her head resting on Jim's leg.

At length, the remaining adults noticed the dozing girl and decided it was time to leave. Rick picked up his daughter, carrying her as Kate walked beside him to the waiting car.

As David drove them home, Rick pulled out his phone and checked his messages from earlier that day. Paula briefly updated him on the previous evening's press coverage, telling him it was good news on all fronts.

The press was appeased now that the couple had addressed the allegations regarding their marriage. They had been a team, helping each other answer questions and established a united front. A photographer managed to take a picture of their kiss on the red carpet last night, and that candid shot of their affection for each other effectively shut down the rumor mills.

"That's a good picture," Kate commented softly, resting her head on Rick's shoulder as he checked out some of the links Paula attached with her message.

She was, of course, talking about their candid picture with the kiss.

"Yeah?" he asked. "I kinda like it too."

Maybe he could secretly change his contact photo on Kate's phone later that night. That would give her a nice surprise the next time she'd receive a call from him.

A/N: If any of you guys want to see what Arriana's bow from Rick looks like, here's a link. I'll be honest - I'm jealous of her. Nerf-Rebelle-Heartbreaker-Phoenix-Design/dp/B00DLUE8DQ/ref=pd_sim_t_3

Oh and I'm just gonna wish you guys a Happy Valentines Day in advance! :) Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, sticking with me and for leaving reviews. I love you guys!