60. Christmas Day Gift Massacre

X~~~~X

Castle and Kate were woken on Christmas Day by the excited chatter of their daughters in the living room and only seconds later the door to their bedroom was opened and Jamie and Alexis stumbled inside, giggling.

"Nooo," Castle groaned, burying his head deeper into Kate's side, who chuckled, "make them go away."

"Daddy," Jamie exclaimed, poking his side as she crawled onto the bed. "Up!"

"It's Christmas Dad, get up," Alexis joined in, starting to pull away the covers which startled Castle fully awake as he grabbed for the sheets before his daughter could complete her task when he remembered that he hadn't put any clothes on last night after Kate and he had made love.

Kate shot him a knowing smirk and got out of bed, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of boxers, apparently having found the time to get dressed sometime during the night, "Why don't we give your Dad a moment to wake up and the three of us can already get breakfast going, mmh?"

"Presents?" Jamie asked, still sitting on the bed, watching her mother and her sister with big eyes, breakfast obviously being not on her list of priorities right now.

"Once Daddy is ready we can open the presents, okay?" Kate smiled and Jamie nodded in agreement.

"Hurry Daddy," she told Castle with emphasis and then pressed a kiss to his cheek before sliding off the bed and hurrying after her mother and sister.

When Castle appeared in the living room five minutes later, after using the bathroom and dressed in boxers and a shirt, his robe still hanging open, he found his girls gathered around the Christmas tree and stopped in his tracks to enjoy the view for a moment until his mother came floating down the stairs looking as if she was going to hit the red carpet and not as if she had just gotten up.

"Good morning my Darlings," she cheered and waltzed toward her son to press a kiss against his cheek before she sauntered on to show the same affection to her granddaughters and Kate, "Merry Christmas everybody. I hope I haven't missed the Gift Massacre," she stated dramatically.

Castle grinned, "Nope, we were just about to start."

"Very well, I'll watch from a safe distance then," Martha nodded solemnly and sat down on the couch. "Carry on."

"Okay," Castle rubbed his hands together. "Let's get this show on the road. Who wants to see what Santa brought?"

"Me, me!" Alexis and Jamie exclaimed simultaneously but waited patiently until Castle handed them their first gift.

"You need help, Alexis?" Kate asked, watching the redhead tentatively tearing at the paper with her broken arm, but Alexis shook her head.

"I'm good," she grinned, never taking her eyes off of her present.

Wrapping paper was soon flying all over the place as one present after the other was opened and inspected. The girls shrieked happily with every new toy or piece of clothing they discovered, while their parents watched with amused expressions on their faces, sitting next to each other on the floor and leaning against the couch.

Martha presented the girls with matching necklaces, before she handed a small jewellery box to Kate who looked at her with surprised eyes until Martha gave her an encouraging nod.

With shaking hands Kate opened it and found herself looking down at a beautiful set of antique earrings, "Martha!" she gasped, her eyes shooting back up to Castle's mother.

"They were my mother's," Martha explained with a warm smile and a gentle voice.

"I can't accept these, they're … ," Kate stuttered, trying to hand the box back, but Martha shook her head, placing her hands over Kate's."

"I want you to have them, I've waited a long time for someone like you to pass them on to," she said and then added. "Katherine, I'm very fond of you and it would mean a lot to me if you kept them."

Kate blinked against the sudden tears that threatened to fall and then leant forward to give Martha a tight hug, feeling totally overwhelmed by Martha's gift and level of affection.

"Thank you," Kate muttered and felt the older woman's arms tighten around her.

"You're welcome, kiddo," Martha whispered back, before they pulled apart with matching smiles on their faces.

"And me?" Castle chirped in from behind, feeling he needed to lighten the mood a bit.

"Oh you big baby," Martha rolled her eyes, grabbing the last box she had lying next to her. "Here you go."

Castle happily grabbed for his presents, tearing at the paper much like his daughters and pulled out a beautiful Rolex.

"Wow, thank you mother," he beamed and leant down to place a kiss on his mother's cheek.

"You're welcome," she patted his cheek tenderly in return and then surprised them with another envelope. "This is actually for the two of you," she said looking at her son and Kate. "A romantic weekend at the Bed & Breakfast of a friend of mine up in Vermont, whenever you want to go, and included full child watching duties on my side."

"Mother," Castle gasped surprised. "You didn't have to."

"I know, but I want to," she said nonchalantly, "Besides I want my girls to myself for a whole weekend. You see - purely selfish motives."

They thanked her, carefully setting their presents aside before it was Kate's turn to hand out her presents.

She handed Jamie a new pair of swimmies and then said, "Remember when we went swimming with Daddy and Lexie?"

Jamie nodded eagerly.

"I signed you up for swimming lessons so you can swim as fast as your sister one day, how does that sound?" Kate asked and watched her daughter's face light up.

"Yay!" Jamie exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. "When?"

"We start in two weeks," Kate laughed and received a smacking kiss on her lips from her daughter, before Jamie settled back down next to her sister who came next.

"Alexis, this is for you," Kate smiled and handed a box over to the redhead who took it with big expectant eyes.

"For me?" Alexis asked and watched Kate nod.

"Open it," Castle gently nudged her, knowing already what his daughter would find inside.

"A riding helmet?" Alexis asked confused, looking up at Kate.

"Yeah, you know when I was your age my mom took me out to the stables for riding lessons and I thought you might enjoy it as well, once your cast comes off," Kate explained, waiting for the girl's reaction.

"Just you and I?" She asked, glancing from the helmet back to Kate.

"Just you and I," Kate confirmed and then glanced at Castle, "Of course your dad and your sister might come along to watch us from time to time. Do you like it?"

"Yes," Alexis laughed and then threw her arms around Kate, "Thank you Kate!"

"You're welcome Pumpkin," Kate hugged her back, happy that she obviously had made the right choice.

Martha received a wonderful turquois cashmere scarf Kate had found on a flea market and Castle's mother immediately wrapped it around herself, thanked Kate wholeheartedly and then added, "Hurry, before the big one here starts to pout again."

Castle turned, surprised to actually find Kate handing him another package since he thought he had already received his present last night.

The box was heavy and Castle kept shooting expectant glances in Kate's direction as he un-wrapped it. When he opened the lid he found and old typewriter in the box and his eyes lifted in awe to look at the woman he loved, "Kate it's beautiful."

"I found it in an old bookstore in the Village, it looked like it has a history," She said and he couldn't stop himself from placing a fierce kiss against her lips.

"Thank you," he grinned from ear to ear.

"I have more," she told him with a teasing smile and reached behind her to hand him a much lighter and much softer package.

"What is it?" He asked, sounding like an excited six-year-old.

"Open it," she shrugged, biting her lip.

"You bought me a Batman bathrobe?" He shrieked like a girl and immediately put it on instead of his old robe, the attached hood looking like Batman's head piece. "This is so cool," he exclaimed, causing his mother to roll her eyes and his daughters to laugh.

"I got myself the matching Wonder Woman one," Kate pulled him back down to earth only to shoot him straight back into the stratosphere.

"Best Christmas ever," he stated and then grabbed her off the floor to kiss her senseless.

"Now, now," Martha intervened at some point, "there are kids around, save it for later."

They pulled apart somehow reluctantly, flushed cheeks and breathing heavily but Castle eventually found his voice.

"My turn," he announced and then grabbed for the last present lying under the tree. "This one is for all of us," explained as he handed it to his daughters, "but you two may open it."

The girls did as they were told and un-wrapped an illustrated book about the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

The four women in the room lifted their eyes to meet Castle's who smiled proudly at them, "We're flying the first week of May," he finally stated and was met with a series of gasps and happy shrieks.

"Seriously Dad?" Alexis asked. "Are we going to see elephants?"

"And lions," he added looking at his youngest, who shrieked happily although he wasn't sure Jamie totally understood what was going on. "Assuming you do get off at the precinct," Castle said, turning to Kate.

"I think it's more than enough notice in advance but doesn't Alexis have school?" Kate frowned but Castle shook his head.

"She's off that week. They have exams for the older students," he explained. "So what do you say, family trip?"

His daughters agreed eagerly, while Kate placed another kiss against his cheek, giving him a soft, pleased smile. Only his mother was less enthusiastic and offered him an apologizing shrug, "I'm sorry Richard, but I won't be able to make it. I just got a part in a new play that's opening at the end of May."

"Mother we could -," he started but Martha waved him off.

"Nonsense, you'll go on your family trip," she patted his knee as Castle sat down next to her on the couch, "Besides, mosquitoes and wild animals? Not so much my thing," she reassured him with a smile and then changed topics, "Now I believe there are two more presents to hand out, right girls?"

Martha winked at her granddaughters and both girls skittered off into the kitchen, returning with their hands hidden behind their backs.

"What are you hiding?" Castle asked, sitting down next to Kate on the floor once more.

"One," Alexis started to count, looking at her sister and giving her a nod.

"Two," Jamie continued, obviously excited.

"Three," Alexis finished and both revealed what they were hiding.

"A Cookie Santa Bear?" Castle exclaimed, grabbing for the gift Jamie was holding out for him and grinning from ear to ear. "Just like Cookie Angel."

"And a Cookie Santa Elephant for you," Alexis nodded happily, carefully handing her gift over to Kate. "We made them together," Alexis stated proudly, putting her arm around her sister.

"Grammy helped," Jamie stated as well, just as proud as her sister.

"Thank you, you two," Kate smiled, pulling both girls in for a kiss and then watched Castle do the same before they both got up to place the ornaments next to each other on the tree.

They started to move over to the kitchen where Castle started to make pancakes for everyone. Kate topped their cups with coffee and hot chocolate when she realized that Alexis had stayed behind, still sitting beneath the tree. Castle shot her a look when he noticed as well, but Kate shook her head, placing a hand on his arm and giving it a squeeze, "I got this," she assured him and walked over to the redhead.

"Hey Alexis," Kate spoke softly as she sat down next to her, "You alright?"

"Yes," the girl said not very convincingly.

"Come on," Kate nudged her shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"I just," Alexis sighed and Kate got worried, "there was one thing I really wanted for Christmas, more than anything else."

"And you didn't get it," Kate concluded, pulling Alexis close, feeling the girl shake her head.

"You said I should ask for it for Christmas," she heard Alexis sob and Kate suddenly had an idea what this was about and how to fix it.

"Hey," she said, waiting for Alexis to look at her and then said, "if I told you, I meant it." She smiled cryptically before getting up and pulling the girl with her. "I think your dad and I have something to tell you guys."

There was more excitement when they shared the news of Kate and Jamie moving in and a definitely happy Alexis before they finally settled down to have breakfast and get ready to get out for a Christmas Day walk at Central Park.

Central Park was covered in a blanket of snow and Jamie and Alexis soon ran ahead to make snow angels, while Castle, Kate and Martha held on to steaming cups of coffee. An hour later they slowly made their way back, walking down 5th Avenue and passing Rockefeller Center where Martha took the girls to get cookies and watch the tree while Kate and Castle stayed behind watching the ice skaters on the world famous rink.

"Hey, are you okay?" Castle asked when he noticed the melancholic expression on Kate's face.

"My mom and I used to come here," Kate told him quietly, not even trying to pretend like it was nothing.

"I didn't know," Castle replied, looking troubled, "I'm sorry, we should go."

"No," Kate stopped him, grabbing for his hand, "no. They're good memories."

He leant down to lightly press his lips to the top of her head, before resuming in watching the skaters with her.

They brought Chinese take-out home with them, another Castle tradition as Kate was told, albeit a strange one in her opinion, and they all gathered around the coffee table in the living room, spreading the various dishes around them before digging in.

Castle checked his Rolex for the fourth time and it hadn't gone unnoticed by Kate that he was acting strangely nervous ever since they returned. She asked him about it when they cleared the table and were alone in the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you Castle?" She questioned with teasing eyes, thinking he might be hiding another surprise from her.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong. What would be wrong?" he stammered rather unconvincingly and avoided eye contact with her.

"Castle," she narrowed her eyes at him, leaning against the counter behind her, but he only offered her another nervous smile before escaping back into the living room. She let him though, not wanting to ruin his surprise if that was indeed what he had planned.

Martha took the girls upstairs after dinner, to help them change into their PJ's for the last part of the day, while Castle got the popcorn started and Kate pulled out the tape of It's a Wonderful Life.

She caught him looking at his watch again and then glancing over at the front door and she was just about to ask him again what his behavior was all about when there was a knock on the door.

"Could you get that?" Castle called out from the kitchen and Kate moved over to the door, shooting him a curious look.

"Castle, you'd better not be messing with me," she called over to him playfully as she opened the door but when she saw who was on the other side all playfulness drained out of her.

"Hello Katie."

"Dad?"

X~~~X

AN: I know this has been pure fluff, but it's Christmas I think it's justified. ;-)

If you want to see the Batman and Wonder Woman bathrobes go to my twitter account. ;-) BreeLorelai