Chapter Four:
Now I'm missing your smile, hear me out.

December 24, 2003.

She pushed through the spectators, careful not to accidentally knock the carboard tray in her hands.

The three small hot cocoas felt like the most important thing in the world to her right now and the thought of losing one - or worse, all of them - because someone wasn't watching where they were walking had her stomach knotting and churning and doing all sorts of things it definitely shouldn't be doing. She couldn't afford to spend another 40 minutes in line for a replacement, not when she had already finished work later than intended.

She was on a deadline. There was a little girl counting on her and she wasn't going to be the one to let her down. Not on Christmas Eve.

Finally, she found a space against the railing. She was close to the exit - close enough that they couldn't miss her - but far enough away to not be bowled over by the hordes of people coming and going.

Before long, that sweet voice echoed over the dull roar of the crowd.

"Kate!"

She turned in the direction of the voice just in time to see the girl running toward her, a bright smile on her face.

"You made it!" Alexis cheered as she wrapped her arms around Kate's waist and hugged her tight.

Kate balanced the drink tray in one hand and used the other to hug the girl back.

"Of course: I told you I'd be here."

"She's been telling absolutely everybody about the pretty lady from the ice rink," Rick informed Kate with a smile on his face.

"Oh, you're so sweet," she told the girl.

Alexis shrugged. "Daddy said it first."

Heat rose to Kate's cheeks but her smile only brightened as Rick hung his head and groaned.

"Oh yeah? What else did he say?" she asked Alexis, passing her one of the hot cocoas.

"He told Grams that he was infatuated but I don't know what that means and he told me not to look it up," Alexis continued, completely unaware of her father's torment. "He also told me not to eavesdrop on adult conversations."

"I am so sorry," Rick said to Kate when Alexis stopped spilling his secrets long enough to take a sip from her drink.

Kate laughed and shook her head. "Seriously? I just spent three days semi-stalking you and you're the one apologising?"

She passed Rick a cocoa and he accepted it with a smile. They began to walk aimlessly, heading out of the crowd.

"It's a little different," he began to explain. "You were watching because I remind you of your father."

"What? No! God no! You and Alexis skating together reminded me of when my dad would bring me here as a kid," she rushed to clarify. "You as a person do not remind me of my father, at all."

Rick smirked. "Glad we cleared that up," he said before sipping from his drink.

Kate took a deep breath and shifted her focus back to Alexis.

"So," she drawled. "Will Santa be visiting you this year?"

Alexis looked up at Kate, then to her father.

"Of course," she said with a forced smile as she looked at Kate again. "I've been very good," she added in an overly sweet voice.

Rick laughed and shook his head.

"Non-believer?" Kate asked.

"Not since I was five," Alexis informed her, as if the idea of still believing in Santa Claus was somehow offensive. "It's impossible for Santa to fly all over the world in one night."

"I was always told he used his magic," Kate said with a shrug.

"Does he use his magic to make his handwriting look just like my dad's, too?"

Kate laughed and looked at Rick. "Seriously?"

"She was five! I didn't think she would be analysing the handwriting on the labels," he defended.

She looked at Alexis again. "You're a smart kid."

As they made their way to the street, Kate turned in the direction of her car and they continued to stroll.

"When did you stop believing in Santa?" Alexis asked.

Kate furrowed her brow. "What makes you so sure I don't still believe?" she questioned.

Alexis giggled. "Grown ups only pretend to believe because they don't want to spoil the magic for little kids," she answered. "So when did you stop?"

"I was three," Kate answered.

Rick stopped walking, looked at Kate with a frown. "Three?"

Kate stopped, turned and shrugged. "We didn't have a chimney."

"That makes sense," Alexis said to her father. "Also, we walked passed our car." She pointed to the silver sedan parked along the street a few yards back.

Rick looked back to where she was pointing. "Oh, yeah." He turned back to face Kate. "That's us. But we can walk you to your car," he offered.

"Actually-" She looked just a little further down the road. "I'm just here: the red one," she said as she pointed out her car. "Anyway, don't you have a dinner to get to?"

"Yeah, we do," Rick said, but she could sense his disappointment. He tapped Alexis on the shoulder. "Okay, Pumpkin, time to say goodbye."

"Bye, Kate!" Alexis threw her arms around Kate's waist again, hugged her just as tight as she had before. "Thanks for the cocoa."

"Not a problem," Kate said with a smile. "You have a good Christmas, okay?"

"I will."

Rick pointed his key fob toward his vehicle and pressed the button to unlock it. "Jump in and buckle up, I'll be there in just a second," he told his daughter.

"Don't forget to ask for her number," the girl called over her shoulder as she skipped toward the car.

Kate lifted her half-empty cup to her mouth to hide her smirk while Rick - yet again - hung his head sheepishly.

"You know, a little more training and she might actually make a really good wingman for you," Kate jested.

He hummed and nodded, but the scrunch of his nose told her exactly how much he disliked that idea.

"She's watched one too many Hallmark movies, I think," he mused aloud, watching as Alexis climbed into the car to make sure she got there safely. She turned back to them and waved before closing the door. "I would really like your number, though."

Kate smiled at the fluttering in her stomach; the nerves and excitement that had smothered her usual grief.

"I'd like that, too," she said with the slight nod of her head.

Rick pulled his phone from his pocket, opened his contacts and then passed it to Kate to enter her details.

She smiled as she handed his phone back to him. "It's been nice, Rick. I hope I hear from you soon."

"You will," he promised. "Merry Christmas, Kate."

"Merry Christmas."

She pulled her phone from her pocket, flipped it open on it's third ring and answered without so much as a glance at the caller ID.

"Beckett," she said into the device.

She leant her head to the side, holding it between her cheek and her shoulder, and continued to stack dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

Whoever was on the other end of the line remained silent.

"Hello?" She pulled the phone from her ear and looked at the screen - no caller ID - then held it to her ear again. "Is anyone there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was looking for Kate-"

"Rick?" she interrupted, a smile forming on her face. She looked up at the clock on her wall. "When you said I'd hear from you soon I didn't expect you to call tonight. What happened to your dinner?"

She closed the dishwasher, ignoring the few dishes left to give him her undivided attention.

"It's done," he said; his voice low, strained.

Kate frowned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said quickly, brushing off her concern. "I don't want to seem too forward but- what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" she asked to clarify. "As in Christmas Day?"

"December 25th, yes."

She hesitated, didn't want to be so bold as to assume he was inviting her to join his Christmas festivities - but she also didn't want to tell him she had no plans only to then have to turn down such a polite invitation from the kind stranger.

"I understand if you already have plans. I mean, most people organise their Christmas plans months in advance, I just-" Rick took a breath to calm his nervous rambling. "I'll be spending the day alone for the first time in my entire life and I just really... don't want to."

"Wait, where's Alexis?"

Rick sighed. "Her mother just picked her up. They'll be spending the next few days together in the Hamptons."

"Oh, Rick. I'm so sorry."

He hummed, acknowledging her statement, but she could tell his mind was a million miles away.

"It seems my enthusiasm for Christmas left with them," he grumbled. "But I figured before I drown my sorrows in eggnog and gingerbread cookies I would check in with the pretty lady from the ice rink and see if maybe she wanted to waste some time together."

Kate looked around as she weighed up her options. The piece of buttered toast and half a glass of wine that she had planned on being her dinner sat on the bench to her side, remained as unappealing as they had been a half hour ago.

Wasting time with Rick, however, was definitely appealing. Maybe, just maybe, he could be the perfect Christmas distraction.

"You wanna start now?" she asked on a whim.

She could practically feel his smile radiating through the phone.

"Sounds perfect."

PROMPT:

Alexis being the ultimate wingman for Castle when she was younger.

Castle and Beckett are both going to be alone for Christmas so they agree to spend the day together.