Trigger warning, don't read if you have the following triggers this story contains.

Drug and Alcohol problems.

Abuse/neglect

This is a Christmas story that is a bit dark and is in three parts.

Dakota Mayer sat in the corner of her ratty old apartment on her old mattress that was so old that the spring's were practically sticking into her.

Her skin was an olive skin and her hair was wavy and was a chocolate colour which speaking off which needed washing. "I'll be back, then we can have our tea party," She told her two barbies and teddy.

She got up from her mattress the wooden floor boards letting out a squeal the minute her foot came in contact with it.

After a short walk to the kitchen, she tried with all her might to push the old white wooden chair to the sink getting a couple of splinters in her hand on the way.

When the chair was in front of the sink, she got on it and it wobbled a little underneath her, Dakota turned on the tap which only ran cold water and picked up the bar soap that had holes in it from roaches eating it.

She picked it up anyway and tried to get some of the studs of it and then combining it into her hair as best as she could.

She was in the middle of rising when the tap was turned off and she felt a rough hand grab her off the chair. "What do you think, you're doing?" Her father screamed at her, his breath rank of alcohol and his eye's were so red.

"I..I."

"Get back to your corner," He said shoving her into the kitchen table making her fallen down and hit her head on the wooden floor as she fell.

"Little shit," He mumbled as he walked to the bathroom leaving his defenseless and scared daughter on the cold ground.

/

Once Dakota picked herself off the ground she went back to mattress curled herself into a ball and started to cry, she cried so much that she ended up crying herself to sleep.

Her sleep was interrupted by her father slamming every cabinet in the kitchen and bathroom. "What did you do?" He asked angrily as he turned around. "Where did you put them."

He waited a minute for an answer but when he was given no answer, he slammed his fist on the table making Dakota jump and whimper. "Worthless."

He shook his head as he walked towards the front door and opened it in a furious range. "Stay." He pointed at her as he slammed the door behind him.

Dakota crawled off her mattress and lifted it up a little, to reach for the marker and calendar she had hidden underneath.

She opened the calendar and crossed off the date twentieth of December only a couple of day's until Santa came and she had only one wish the same one she had for two years.

A mommy that would sing her to sleep, give the warmest hugs, she would be beautiful, smell really good and her skin would be as soft as a teddy bears fur.

And a daddy that wouldn't call her names, throws her around like she was an object, he wouldn't smell of alcohol and his eye wouldn't be red they would be normal.

He would also give the warmest cuddles and when he went to kiss her on the cheek would tickle her with his facial stubble.

Her real mommy had died years ago, she didn't know how long ago cause she didn't remember her, her father on the other end had been injecting needles in his arm or sniffing drugs ever since she could remember.

He would be out all day, coming back smelling of alcohol and would be as high as a kite then he would come back sleep it off and then go back out of a night.

Coming back drunk, stoned or high and would sometimes bring a random woman who would either be drunk, high or stoned too.

Their moans and the sound of the springs squealing would wake her up, Dakota would close her eyes and try to go back to sleep.

She didn't go to school and never been outside before all she knew was this old small apartment that only had one room which was the bedroom.

Her grandmother who was her dad's mother would come over and teach her spelling and writing. But she died over a year ago and never had she felt so lonely, the only things she had to keep her company was her barbie and teddy.

She ripped off the back page of her calendar which was blank and started to write on it. "Dear Santa, all I want is a mommy and a daddy, Love Dakota."

She stood up and folded the note and stared at the door with fear what if he came back? What if he noticed her? What if she got lost?

Oh well if that's what she needed to do to get her Christmas wish from Santa that's what she would do.

/

The coldness hit her right away she wrapped her arms around herself in the hopes that it would be enough to warm her, She had been wearing the same raggedy and ripped dress for nearly a year which was starting to get to small. The fresh air was good a change from the stale smells of her apartment.

As she walked the streets of New York nobody seemed to be worried about the dirty looking kid in a ripped dress walking down the street.

Once the note was sent off to Santa, she was on her way back home when she stopped to play in the snow, after all, this was going to be her first and last time she would have the chance to do so.

/

She was out of breath as she closed the door behind her, Dakota scanned the small room for her dad and then ran to the small bathroom.

All clear her dad wasn't back yet, she closed the bathroom door behind her and ran straight to her bed.

A couple of minutes later she was so close to falling asleep when all of a sudden there were loud police sirens going off and they were coming towards her building.

In fear, she got off her bed and ran towards the bathroom door and hid behind the toilet, It wasn't long till she heard the sound of something hitting the ground making everything in the apartment shake a little.

"Joe Mayer, NYPD." A couple of men shouted loudly.

She heard the group of men open and close the cabinets in the kitchen and look around the apartment.

She started to sweat, her heart was beating so fast she could hear it in her ears as she saw the shadow of a man at the bathroom door, The man opened the bathroom door and shouted once again. "Joe Mayer, NYPD."

The man's footsteps came closer and closer and the closer he came the more she he had been caught out.

She screamed as she pointed his gun at him. "It's okay." The man said in a soothing voice as he put the gun away. "I'm not going to hurt you," He said getting down to her and opened up his arms.

Dakota slowly stood up and then crashed into his arms. "Hold on," He whispered in her ear as he stood up. "It's okay, sweetie you're safe now," He told her as they left the bathroom.

"Javi, I found a little girl in his bathroom," Ryan called out to his partner. "A kid?" Espo asked shocked. "This case just gets's more and more twisted by the minute and were not even back at the precinct yet."

"We need to call, Beckett," Espo added. "It's midnight, but?"

"Didn't stop you, from calling when I was in the middle of entertaining, I swear you have a talent for cockblocking."

"I'm sorry Javi." Ryan sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, my ass," Espo said pulling his phone out. "Which I'm still angry about," Espo added.

/

It was a cold winter night, the heater was on, but Kate was still cold or maybe she was just using it as a excuse to cuddle with her husband. Castle had been pulling an allnighter two nights in a row to get his chapter finished and she had missed having her husband to cuddle with, she also missed using his chest as a pillow.

Her phone buzzing on the nightstand on her side of the bed ruined her paradise she groaned as she rolled over to pick up her phone. "What?" She answered half asleep.

"We need you to come in, boss." Espo's voice said. "Okay, I'll be in soon," Kate said as she hung up the phone.

She got out of bed, got her blue top, black jacket and black slacks and, of course, some black stilettos she then headed towards the shower not only wake her up but to wash off the smell of sex, after some much-needed rounds with her husband.

After she was changed she walked back into her bedroom where she found Castle awake. "Where do you think, you sneaking off too?" He asked her.

"Ryan and Espo called me in."

"They've become so much needier, ever since you became Captain."

"It's in the job description." Kate shrugged as she walked over to him. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

"Babe you need sleep, not crime." Kate smiled as she sat on the bed. "Good point."

"I'll be home, sometime tomorrow morning."

"Okay, love you." Rick smiled. "Love you too," Kate said pressing a kiss to his lips as she started to move off the bed.