Kate was amazed at Rick's ability to compartmentalize.

She knew he was doing it for Alexis' sake. Still, every so often his face would fall. It was always when Alexis' attention was otherwise engaged. He never cracked in front of the teenager. Not once.

They laughed, keeping to safe subjects. Kate told a slew of funny stories about Castle at the precinct.

Every time she stole a quick look in his direction he was smiling back at her, soft and tender. Love radiating from every inch of him. She felt a pang of regret at how much he must have been holding back. And for so long.

She reached for his hand under the table, giving his fingers a quick squeeze before tangling them with hers.

Since she and Alexis had cooked, they were both banned from doing dishes.

Alexis took the time to go unpack and change. Pajamas were apparently mandatory for their Christmas day movie marathon.

Castle pointed Kate in the direction of his bedroom and told her where she could find some sweats and a t-shirt. She tried to dismiss him, tell him it was unnecessary, but he was persistent. She finally gave in and stalked off, unsurprised when she turned back and found a victorious smirk adorned his face.

Although she was less than comfortable, it was nice to get a peek at his room alone. She quietly moved about the space, taking in the warm but masculine surroundings. His dresser was tucked into the back corner of his huge walk in closet.

She ran a hand over his neatly hung button downs, each perfectly pressed. Seriously, he was such a girl. She shook her heading, smiling, breathing in his almost overwhelming scent.

She found sweat pants in the bottom drawer, just as he promised. She pulled a baggie, soft pair from the top and took an equally oversized t-shirt from the next drawer up.

She quickly shed her jeans and sweater, folding and setting them next to a photo of Castle and a much younger Alexis.

It was ridiculous that she'd agreed to this. She could only stay for a few more hours before she had to leave for her dad's. Yet here she was, putting on his clothes to watch a movie with his family.

As she went to pull the sweats on she caught herself thinking how nice her shoes would look along the dark shelves. She shook the thought as quickly as it came, silently scolding herself for even going there.

It's been one damn night.

She didn't hear him approach. The soft cotton was half way up her thighs when his arms surrounded her.

She laughed as his lips found her bare shoulder, the sweats falling and pooling at her feet.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing dishes right now?" she asked.

"My mother relieved me of my duties so I could..." He pulled her hair out of his way, working his mouth along the column of her neck. "...change into my PJs," he whispered against her ears. "Want to help me?"

She grinned and turned in his arms, stepping easily from the pants and slanting her mouth against his. He lifted her, sliding her back until she sat atop his dresser. Her legs wrapped around him, ankles hooking, pulling him close.

"Is that a yes?" He teased. She worked his belt loose, yanking it free as she caught his mouth again. As her fingers moved to his zipper he broke away gasping. She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"What do you think?"

...

The afternoon flew by.

Kate watched, smiling, as both Castle and Alexis tore into their present with gusto. A beautifully decorated Christmas tree was a lit in the corner. The lights of the tree played across her partner's face as he tore into the packages.

Castle made heaping bowls of popcorn and then settled between Kate and Alexis on the couch. Martha was curled up in an arm chair, wrapped in a blanket. Christmas classics played back to back on the large flat screen television.

Kate was having a hard time paying attention. Castle was warm against her side, his arm draped around her shoulders. Every so often he would drop a kiss to her hair.

She was wearing his clothes, on his couch, and spending Christmas day with his family like it was something she did every year. And surprisingly, she was OK with that. She not only felt less broken, but nearly whole again.

It felt as if a giant boulder had been lifted from her chest, finally getting something that she wanted so badly. For so long. If she had to give it name she'd say she felt happy. Genuinely happy, for the first time since before her mom died.

She let out a long sigh, snuggling further into Castle's side and catching his attention. He looked down at her with awe, like he still couldn't believe this was happening.

"Will you come back over later? After your dad's?" He murmured, looking at her expectantly. Almost desperately. She studied him a moment before nodding. Where else would she go? He still looked like he was about to crack any minute. But instead he grinned and leaned down, capturing her lips chastely.

Half way through White Christmas she had to leave. She leveled a look at Castle when he tried to follow her into his bedroom. If she let him come "help her" change, she would be more than late to her dad's. Though, she could always blame the roads. It was snowing this morning, right?

Kate shook her head, trying to dislodge the heat that just griped her.

Later.

He walked her to the door after she thanked Martha and Alexis for allowing her to join them. They both smiled warmly at her, their own thanks shining through.

He helped her into her coat, griping the lapels tightly. He didn't want her to leave. It was all over his face. She placed her hands over his, her thumbs trailing from knuckles to wrist and back.

"I'll be back. Probably around 10...is that OK?"

He nodded eagerly. The corner of her mouth twitched as he pulled her flush against him, kissing her soundly.

It took her the trip to her dad's place to wipe the stupid grin off her face.

...

It was after 11 by the time Kate parked her car outside his loft. She hadn't let her dad's until almost 10:30 and ran home real quick to pack a bag. She texted Castle as the door man, smiled and nodded her through. As the elevator arrived her phone buzzed in her hand.

Door's open.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find. Maybe another movie playing. Alexis, Martha and Castle just how she left them. But all she saw was Castle, alone, staring in the fire place. Seemingly hypnotized by the dancing orange flames. She quickly stepped out of her shoes, dropping the bag with a light thud next to them and locking the door behind her.

He was back in his gray sweats and white v-neck t-shirt. Or maybe he never changed out of them. His hands were busy turning and twisting Alexander Bishop's business card.

The rest of the loft was quiet. Everyone else seemed to be asleep already.

She sidled up to him, bumping his hip. He turned his weary face toward her.

"Hey," he breathed.

"Hi," she whispered back, suddenly feeling shy. "How are you?"

He shrugged, running a thumb over the letter-pressed name of his father.

"You know, when I told my mother I was naming my alter-ego Rook, she was against it. She'd never had an opinion about any of my characters before. But she really didn't want me naming him Rook..." he paused, casting her a sideways glance. "...You know why I named him that right?"

She bit back a smile and nodded.

"Rook and Castle are interchangeable names for the same chess piece," she stated quietly. A ghost of a smile washed over his face.

"How long it take you to figure that one out?"

"Three pages," she teased. He nodded, smiling.

"I just assumed she thought it'd drive you away..."

Kate quirked an eyebrow at him.

"My mother is a big fan of yours," he said softly. Then with a quick gesture between them, added, "and this."

She dropped her chin, feeling her face flush.

"A Bishop and an investigative reporter. Seriously, what are the odds. I can't even..." He ran a hand down the length of his face then back up and through his hair.

"I know, it's crazy," she sighed shaking her head and sliding an arm around his waist. "What are you going to do?"

He looked at the card in his hand for a long moment, turning it over a few more times. Almost as if he hoped it would read something else if he flipped it enough.

He turned toward her, without severing their physical connection. He crushed the card in his fist and then, without looking, threw it into the flames. Her eyes widened, following the crumpled ball as it disappeared into the fire, turning to ash.

Her head jerked back to him, the question all over her face.

"If he didn't want me, I don't want him. I have everything I need, everyone I need," he said, lifting a shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, not believing him.

Richard Castle didn't let anything go. He poked and prodded and needed to understand everything.

"I don't want to know, Kate," he explained softly. She looked at him for a long moment, studied the way his face seemed to have lost all the tension that had been residing there since he showed up at her apartment last night. Watched as a boyish grin graced his handsome face, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling their hips flush.

He dipped his head down, meet her lips. She lost herself in his kiss, the warm cave of his mouth, for a few quiet moments.

"Are you sure you're alright, Castle?"

"Alright? No. Not at all. But I will be. I'll write it all out tomorrow," he said.

"And that helps?" She asked. He began swaying to a song she couldn't hear.

"Yes. It does. Always has," he mumbled against her temple. "It also might help if Rook sticks to only writing romance novels from now on." She laughed and pushed up on to her toes, finding his mouth again. "That helps too," he sighed as she dropped back on her heels.

"I bet it does," she chuckled into his chest, breathing him in. She tightened her arms around him, a lump rising in her throat. The relief she felt at finally just giving into this was overwhelming. "I love you."

"Love you too" he murmured, smiling against her hair. "And, Merry Christmas Kate."

...

a/n: thoughts?

This is the end of this one. I have an idea for a sequel with more of Castle's dad, but I wanted to keep this one about Castle and Beckett. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. You're all fantastic.