"Okay," Beckett was saying to Julia as they had crossed the street separating their hotel and the college. "We can't go through this whole thing but I think we can walk inside the squares and take pictures of the buildings before we go back."
"Is it going to take that long," Julia said in slight anticipation as she squeezed her mother's hand that was holding her own, excited to get to be there with her.
"It's a very big college," Beckett replied.
"Why couldn't Alexis come here?" Julia asked as they made their way around to the main entrance.
"She wanted to go to Oxford," Beckett told her. "That's a good school too," she assured her. She made Julia stop then so they could take pictures of the entrance and she said, "It looks more like a manor doesn't it?"
"It does but it's beautiful too," Julia breathed as she looked at how big the entrance was. When her mother took her hand she squeezed it tightly saying, "Thank you for bringing me."
"It's been a while since it was just the two of us," Beckett replied with a smile as she then wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulders. "So I decided this would be very nice for some mother-daughter alone time, as your daddy puts it."
"It is," Julia said once they had passed into a square. "What's this called?"
"Hold on," Beckett said, getting their travel book she had with them. She got to the pages on the college and said, "They call it Parliament Square."
"Pretty but it looks like there are banks here," Julia said, looking all around them.
With a smile Beckett let her take a few pictures before saying, "That's the style of architecture. If your daddy was here he would be telling you all about it."
"Yeah," Julia replied before she turned to him. "I'm glad you said goodbye to Daddy."
"Oh?" Beckett asked as they continued past the grass on either side of the path to walk to the Campanile ahead.
"Just because it means you're in love, a lot in love," Julia said. She then sighed and said, "I'm making you mad aren't I?"
"Doing what? Making sure we're still in love?" Beckett asked, stopping her in front of the tall bell tower. When her daughter nodded she gathered her tightly in her arms and said, "That doesn't make us mad, we're glad you don't mind we kiss in front of you two. But sweetie you have to know your daddy and I are close."
"I know but still…" Julia started to say before she trailed off.
"And we like to make sure we're in love with one another too," Beckett assured her. She smiled when Julia looked at her and nodded saying, "We don't like the thought of being apart. Do you remember that fight we had earlier this year?" At the little girl's slight nod she continued saying, "It didn't even last a day, that's how upset we both were at being so angry with each other. So trust me we're going to keep going because we love what we have together."
"Good, 'cause you're the most in love parents I've seen," Julia commented after they'd gone back to taking pictures of the Campanile. "Well… no, Rebecca and David are second after you."
"Thank you sweetie," Beckett said, laughter in her voice at the seriousness of her daughter's tone. When they had finished she led her through the tower and to the buildings on the other side of it. She then took Julia's hand and said, "We'll look at the New Square and then I'll take you to look at the Bank of Ireland before we head back."
"Okay," Julia said, looking around as she was speaking. Once they were in the square she couldn't help asking, "Daddy said your family came here… a writer too?"
Beckett sighed though she was smiling and she grabbed the travel book again before opening it to the pages on the college, handing it to her daughter. "Read this," she told her.
"Samuel Beckett 1906 to 89," Julia began. "No… bel prizewinner Samuel Beckett was born at Foxrock, south of Dublin. In 1923 he entered Trinity, and later graduated with a first in modern languages and a gold medal." She looked up at her mother and asked, "So is he family?"
Taking the book back Beckett replied, "That's what your daddy likes to joke about. But no, we have no relation to him. If you ask your grandpapa then he'll tell you the Becketts of our family came from Kerry which is on the opposite side of the country."
"Did Daddy ask Grandpapa?" Julia asked as they continued their circling around the square taking pictures of the buildings surrounding them.
"Of course but does that mean he'll stop…" Beckett began before trailing off and shaking her head. She was still smiling though and she then said, "Your daddy likes to tease."
"I know," Julia said before she suddenly giggled. When her mother asked her what she was laughing at she told her, "Just that you like that about Daddy. It makes you happy."
"I think Skye taught you how to read people's emotions," Beckett said, pretending to sound annoyed. But she stopped Julia from walking then and wrapped her arms around her as tightly as she could murmuring, "I love you Julia, you know that right?"
"Of course," the little girl said, through she was hugging her mother back as forcefully. "I love you Mommy, you're the best mother."
Beckett hugged her closer and then leaned down to share a kiss with her before they held hands again and walked through the rest of the square before heading to the bank across the street.
"Eliza, wait," Castle said as he noticed that somehow the toddler had gotten out of bed without him noticing and was coming up the stairs.
"I can go Daddy," Eliza said stubbornly as she held onto the railing.
"Still, it might take you a while," Castle said as he met her and picked her up. He kissed her and said, "I was just going to go wake you up."
"Where is Mommy?" Eliza asked, looking downstairs.
"They didn't get back yet," Castle replied. "But sit with me until they get back okay?"
"Kay," Eliza said as she watched him sit down in his armchair again. On his lap she cuddled close to him and pressed her cheek to his chest, hearing his heart beating.
Leaning down Castle pressed his lips to the top of her head before he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. "Oh here they come," he told her, standing up so he could go back down to the room.
"Daddy! We saw the bank!" Julia cried when she spotted him.
"Awesome I showed that to your mom when we came for our honeymoon," Castle replied as he handed Eliza over to his wife. He shared a kiss with Beckett and then turned his attention to Julia asking, "Did you take a lot of pictures?"
"Oh I did," Julia said, watching as Beckett set her sister down on the bed. "It's so beautiful."
"I hope that doesn't mean you want to go there when you go to college," Castle joked. He was surprised when she hugged him tightly around the waist and said, "I'm just kidding Julia."
"I won't go away too far," she told him seriously.
"We still have a while until we get to that point," Beckett said from the bed from where she was changing Eliza for dinner. "So why don't you come here so you can get your clothes to change?"
Nodding Julia put her camera on the dresser in the room before joining her mother and sister at the bed. She changed once they were alone while Castle was in the bathroom and waiting for her mother to finish she told her, "Where are we going for dinner?"
"It's called The Restaurant," Castle said, smiling as his wife; her blouse off at that moment; turned to look at him. "Should I go back?"
Beckett didn't reply and finished putting on her new blouse before she took Eliza off the bed. "Are you ready?" she asked, going straight to her husband.
Giggling with her big sister as their father jumped a little when their mother came nose to nose with him Julia said, "I think he is Mommy."
"What she said," Castle replied. He then grinned after she kissed him and said, "You know if you wanted to kiss me all you had to do was ask," keeping his tone teasing.
"We should go, take them to see everything," Beckett told him. "It was quicker to do it that way."
"Then let's get out of here," Castle said, sharing a smile with her when their daughters cheered.
After getting everything they needed Castle and Beckett took the girls out to walk to the street, taking the same path that they'd gone on on their honeymoon.
"There's the bank," Julia pointed out to her little sister. "And that's the college Mommy and I went to."
"Oooh, pretty," Eliza said at the sight of the entrance. "You took a picture?"
"A lot of pictures, when I show them to Mari I'll show you too," Julia promised. She then looked at her parents and said, "I kinda miss her."
"You'll be back home soon enough," Beckett assured her, holding out her hand to her since Eliza was on Castle's shoulders. "And playing with her."
"At school," the toddler told her sister.
Smiling as she knew her sister was right Julia nodded and said, "Can she come over for a sleepover."
"Maybe," Castle said. He then hurriedly added, "We need to wait and see what'll happen sweetheart."
"But we will think about it," Beckett said. They were at the corner of the college and then crossed the street to the beginning of Grafton. Once they were there she said, "This is it."
Looking down it Julia asked, "Are we gonna walk the whole way?"
"We're going to try though there's another street we're going down," Beckett replied.
Starting down the street Julia watched her mother taking a few pictures and said, "Why didn't you take them before?"
"It was night when we came," Beckett answered.
"And we were a little tired too," Castle added. "But I promised your mom we'd come back so she could see it during the day."
"And he kept that promise," Julia said earnestly.
"He did," Beckett replied with a slight nod and a smile. "For now let's get you two inside here," she said as they'd come to a children's boutique. "And see if we can't get you something to wear this Thanksgiving."
Following them inside Castle was a little surprised when Eliza took his hand and pulled him to some dresses. "These are more for Christmas," he said, as he knew his wife would say the same thing. "Why don't we look at the different outfits?"
"Kay," Eliza said, letting him lead the way. She looked at one set that he took from a rack and studied it closely. "That is good," she finally said, smiling at him.
"Let's see what your mom thinks," Castle replied, reaching down and taking her hand. He led her to where Beckett was holding up a tunic like shirt in front of Julia and said, "I think Eliza got hers already love."
Turning and taking the long green shirt with fabric pants in a cream color, Beckett said to their youngest, "You like this?" as it had a Celtic knot at the waist.
"Yes Mommy, lots," Eliza said firmly.
Smiling Beckett handed it to her husband and then held up the tunic to them saying, "Julia picked this."
"Very pretty," Castle replied.
"Yeah, wear it Jules," Eliza said immediately after.
Blushing a little since they were both sincere Julia replied, "I will, do I need to try it on?"
Folding the pale grey tunic with blue and green embroidery around the neckline Beckett made sure she had the black leggings that went with it; thick for the winter; and then answered, "No I can see you'll fit right into it. And so will Eliza in hers. Let's go Rick we're nearly to Duke Street."
"Ah, got you," Castle said in response as he nodded. "Let's go."
"Why?" Eliza asked as they went up to the register to pay.
"I don't think they'll say," Julia replied. But something about that didn't sound right though she couldn't figure out why that was. When they'd left and passed a few more stores; including their restaurant they'd be eating dinner at; she saw a street to their left and asked, "Is that it?"
"It is," Beckett said. "Are you ready to go down it?"
"Yeah," Julia said, her little sister nodding in agreement from Castle's shoulders. When they were going down it she looked around and said, "I feel like Harry Potter going through Diagon Alley."
"Close," Castle said. "It does feel like that but we're just in the wrong country. And Muggles too."
Giggling Julia nodded and then watched her mother suddenly turn to the left again, taking her with her as they were holding hands. "Mommy?" she asked before she spotted the display in the window. "Books! You said you were gonna buy us a book earlier, is it here?" she said eagerly.
"It is," Beckett replied with a smile. She then led them all inside and once Eliza was down from Castle's shoulders she brought the two in front of her and told them seriously, "You two were very good for us today and we appreciate that. But these books are very special so we want you two to do something else very good right now."
"Choose one together," Castle told them, leaning over a little as well.
"We can do that," Julia said, smiling reassuringly at her little sister who was looking at her a little doubtfully. She then turned back to their parents and said, "But how can we pick a book for both of us when she's still little?"
"We'll have to look around and see," Castle told them.
"Let's go now," Julia said in obvious excitement before she took her sister by the hand and led her toward the kids' books she'd seen already.
Following them Beckett said to her husband, "I'm not surprised at her reaction."
"Look at Eliza," Castle murmured as they stood behind the two looking at the books in front of them.
Glancing at her Beckett couldn't help smiling seeing the expression of complete awe on their youngest's face at the tomes and she told him, "Our daughter."
"Definitely," Castle replied. He was surprised when Julia took a book down from the shelf then and after she and her sister had glanced at a couple pages, turned to them. "Already?" he asked as the little girl held out the book.
"I thought it would be good to have fairy tales from Ireland but a different book than we have already," Julia said. "Is that good?"
Looking through the book and seeing that it was in fact different from the one she and Castle had gotten them their first visit there since it had myths and legends as well Beckett nodded and said, "That works out really well. This is what you want too sweetie?"
Since she was looking at her Eliza nodded and said, "I want that book Mommy. Please?" she added the last just in case.
"Yes please?" Julia asked, deciding her sister had the right idea.
"Let's look for us love," Castle said as he took the book from her.
Walking around Beckett pointed out books that his mother and Alexis might like and when they'd picked out one each for them said, "Want to go down to see the basement?"
"Are there more books?" Julia asked.
"Maps," Castle said, remembering suddenly how he'd found their copy of the Kama Sutra down there. "We picked out the one we have in our office there," he told them.
"Okay I want to see," Julia said. When they were down the stairs and she was looking at the different sized maps of Ireland she asked her mother, "Can I buy a small one for my room?"
"You can," Beckett replied, looking at the price on the back of the map. "But where will you put it?"
"Can we get something to lean it on and put it on my bookcase?" the little girl asked.
"Great," Beckett said, handing it back to her. "Your first purchase in Ireland."
"At least now we won't get lost," Castle quipped.
Giggling Julia said, "With an old map Daddy?"
"You're too smart for me," Castle replied, ruffling her hair.
"No I'm not," Julia said firmly, going to him and wrapping her arm around him as they headed back to the stairs. She watched Beckett go ahead of them with Eliza on her hip and then walked with her father to the register.
"Good afternoon to you lass," the woman said with a smile. "I saw you choosing a book with your sister; I hope you'll be enjoying that one."
A little shocked at how much she liked the sound of the woman's accent Julia shook herself slightly and said, "Oh yes I can't wait to read it, thank you." She handed over the map and said, "I'd like to buy this myself please."
"Of course," the woman replied ringing it up. "That'll be ten Euros."
Handing over the bill that her father had handed her; since he was carrying her money she had saved for the trip; Julia watched the woman put the map in a bag before she said, "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," the woman replied, sounding surprised hearing her speak in Irish.
Smiling and nodding Julia went over to where her mother was waiting with Eliza said softly, "I got it."
"I see that and great job with your Irish," Beckett said, reaching down and running her hand over the back of her head.
Smiling wider Julia looked at her bag and suddenly felt grown up before she pushed that thought aside by leaning against her mother as she stroked her hair until Castle was walking over to them. "Are we going to keep walking?" she asked her parents as she took Castle's hand back out on the street.
"We'll head down Grafton," he replied. "Since your mom and I only came here to Duke Street and we ate down there at a pub for dinner."
"I wanna see," Eliza said suddenly.
"We can go," Beckett said quickly when her husband looked to her. They walked down to the place and she smiled when she saw it was still there. "Your daddy ordered for us," she told the girls. "A single dish of fish and chips."
"Just one?" Julia asked.
"It was a huge piece of fish," Castle said. "And we sat right there at that table."
"It was a great night," Beckett commented. She smiled when her husband looked at her and she could see he'd been remembering too. After a while; when Eliza leaned her head against hers; she shook herself and told him, "We should go."
"Yeah that would be good," Castle said before he realized Julia had taken a picture of the place.
"To show Gram, Grandpapa and Alexis," the little girl explained as she could tell he was wondering why she'd done that. She then took his outstretched hand and they all turned together to head back to Grafton Street and continue down until dinner, eager to see what else they would end up encountering as they went and hoping she could find something for her friend.
Walking on the street further the family stopped in a number of stores but didn't make any purchases except for Julia, who got some postcards for her friends back home. By the time they were at the other end of the street the girls were complaining about being hungry and thirsty so Castle and Beckett turned them around from St. Stephen's Green which they were across from and they headed back up to the restaurant.
"I'm surprised," Beckett said, her arm around Julia's shoulders while Castle was holding Eliza on his shoulders again. "I thought you two would want to go back."
"Yeah but we did a lot of walking," Julia said. She glanced at her sister and said, "Well, she was running for a while and I did the walking."
Smiling as he recalled himself a few minutes earlier having to chase Eliza down the middle of the street Castle said, "I got a good workout too. Let's just hope this place allows kids."
"I'm sure it does Rick," Beckett said, shaking her head slightly as she smiled.
Reaching the building Castle was a little confused as on the ground floor was a store. Seeing his wife was too he went to the nearest worker, asking about the restaurant and being told it was on the third floor.
"I think we should stop for the girls," Beckett said as they left to find the stairs to go up.
"After?" Castle asked.
"Why don't you shop Mommy?" Julia asked her.
Beckett was about to say she didn't need to when she recalled she'd seen a nice sweater in passing. So she instead said, "I'll see when we come down to leave."
Upstairs inside the restaurant they were led to a table near the windows and as they sat Julia said, "Thank you for asking to sit here Daddy."
"I figured you two would want the view," Castle replied as they looked down at the street where people were still walking. "So did you have fun today?" he asked.
"Wait until we order," Beckett said, trying to read the children's menu to Eliza.
Nodding to that Castle checked to make sure Julia was okay with the choices there before saying, "What do you feel like?"
"I'd like the macaroni and cheese," the little girl began.
"So does Eliza," Beckett said wryly.
Giggling at that Julia then said, "But can I get the burger?"
"Sure," Castle said, looking at Beckett and seeing her nod. "And Eliza?"
"The pasta," Beckett said simply. "You?"
"Mommy I'm thirsty," Eliza said, tugging on her sleeve.
"I'm getting you some pomegranate juice okay?" Beckett told her. "And Julia, I know already what you want."
"What?" Julia asked with a smile.
"The mint frappe," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.
Giggling softly at that Julia told them, "You know me. And yes, that's what I want."
"Are you ready to order?" Castle asked his wife. "By the way in response to your question before the catch of the day; whatever that is."
"If it's Irish salmon?" Beckett asked him teasingly.
"Then salmon it is," Castle said. He couldn't ask her what she wanted since their waitress had come over to them and they needed to order everything. Though he wasn't too surprised she had selected the duck since he'd thought she might want that. "So now we can talk about our day," he said once they were alone again. "I have to say I loved that museum first."
"Well since that was mainly what we did I'll agree," Beckett said. "But I liked having tea too."
"So did I," Julia replied, her little sister nodding in agreement with what. "And I liked taking pictures with you Mommy, that was fun."
"I liked the jewelry," Eliza said, pronouncing the last word carefully. She smiled when her family laughed softly at that and then listened to them talking before their drinks were served. She sipped eagerly at the reddish-purple juice and then looked out the window, trying not to think about how hungry she was.
"Sweetie," Beckett said, touching Eliza's back a while later when she could see their waiter was coming with their food. "I just hope she'll like seeing it," she said to her husband and oldest daughter then.
"See what Mommy?" Eliza asked.
"The Book of Kells, you saw it before," Julia reminded her. "It has pretty drawings in it and the knots that you like."
"When do I see?" Eliza asked her mother.
"Tomorrow," Beckett replied. "For now eat, you said you were hungry." She smiled when Eliza motioned to her with her hand and she leaned over, sharing a kiss with her before turning to her meal and listening to her husband asking Julia what she liked best at the museum as they all began to eat.
"Alexis just texted," Castle commented as got on the bed on his side and sat up against the headboard. "They're just going into dinner right now and they feel great."
"Nice of you to find that resort for them," Beckett said, smiling at him as she set down the sweater she'd bought in the building where they'd eaten dinner.
"Is it Grandpapa?" Julia asked, watching her get her phone out of her pocket.
"It is, he's stopped for dinner at a pub himself in Ballybay," Beckett said as she read the text. "And he'll be late so he'll see us tomorrow. Also he had a great time exploring."
"As far up as he went I think he did," Castle commented. "So do they fit?" he asked.
"They do," Beckett said, smiling at the girls who were wearing the sweatshirts they'd bought for them at the same store as her own. "And I think they like them."
"I love mine," Julia said, touching the unicorn on hers.
"Should we tell them who made them?" Castle asked his wife.
"Stella," Beckett said, turning to the little girl and seeing that she was watching them questioningly.
"Paul's daughter?" Julia asked, looking down at the picture of unicorns running through water on her sweatshirt. When her parents both nodded she launched herself at her father first crying, "Thank you Daddy!"
"Ah! They're attacking me!" Castle said in mock panic as Eliza was quick to join her sister.
Laughing behind her hand Beckett went around to the other side of the bed and waited for a moment before she carefully pulled Julia off of Castle. She was a little surprised when the little girl pulled her down onto the bed and she let out a quick exhale of air when both girls threw themselves at her, thanking her, "You're very welcome but we let you pick those remember?"
"Yeah but still they're cool," Julia replied, kissing her mother's cheek.
"Yeah cool Mommy," Eliza echoed her big sister, kissing her other cheek.
Beckett smiled and kissed them back before she said, "You're welcome. But you need to get into the bath now."
Smiling Castle got up to help Beckett get their daughters into the bathroom and as he started to fill up the tub she helped Eliza undress. He let Beckett wash their youngest while he sat at the other end of the tub, eventually saying, "At some point you two are going to be too big for the tub."
"Not yet," Beckett replied with a smile as she was rinsing out the toddler's hair. "Okay we can't really let you play for too long tonight," she said since she had finished. "So do you want to make something up or get out?"
"We'll make something up," Julia said as she watched her sister start to play with the showerhead attachment, making it dive as if it was a dolphin or whale. "What is it?" she asked her.
"A horsie," Eliza said. "And it goes in water."
"Doing what?" Castle asked, trying not to let the amusement seep too heavily into his tone though it was difficult.
"Going to see the fishies," Eliza replied in a matter of fact tone.
Sitting on the edge of the tub with her husband Beckett smiled as she and Castle watched their daughters played with the showerhead and one of the washcloths that he gave to them. She had a hard time following how things were going but finally she had to stop the story to get the girls out which Castle helped her with, dressing Eliza for her while she helped Julia.
Once they both had their teeth brushed and faces washed Castle carried the toddler out to the bed while Julia and Beckett followed. He set her down on top of it and joined her before the other two got on after them. "Okay so I guess it's time for goodnights?" he asked his wife.
"It is," Beckett replied. "No," she told the girls when they started to protest. "You had dessert and we let you stay up a little later tonight too. So it's time for bed or you'll both be exhausted tomorrow."
Sighing Julia said, "I think they're right," to her little sister.
"I wanna go play," Eliza protested.
"We have to wait until it's daylight," Julia said. She giggled when her little sister finally sighed and they went together to their father.
"Goodnight you two," Castle said as he took them into his arms and embraced them tightly. "I love you both, sweet dreams."
"Love you Daddy," Julia said as she kissed his cheek.
"Me too Daddy, I love you," Eliza was quick to say. She gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek before she giggled and then shared a kiss with him. After he had kissed her sister she said, "You go to bed too."
"I will," Castle assured her. "Say goodnight to your mom now."
Going over to their mother the girls wrapped their arms tightly around her and kissed at her cheeks a few times before Beckett began to laugh.
"I love you both too," she said to them, sharing a kiss with them both.
"I love you Mommy," Julia replied.
"Lots Mommy," Eliza said hurriedly. She leaned back and holding out her arms wide she said, "I love you this much."
"Wow, lucky," Castle joked.
"You too Daddy!" Eliza said, nearly sounding like she was exasperated.
Beckett pulled her back into her arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead saying, "Thank you sweetie. You two have sweet dreams okay?" When they nodded she and Castle moved to tuck them into bed, Julia on her side and Eliza with him. "We're going to read for a little and then come back down to join you. But for now sleep," she said.
Sitting next to Eliza, Castle stroked her hair again until the toddler was asleep, glancing from time to time over at Julia and Beckett to see when the little girl did the same. "So," he said when they met at the end of the bed. "You really want to read?"
"I do," Beckett said. "You got to earlier."
"True," Castle replied. "Okay I'm going to change and then I'll meet you up there. What?" he asked when she gave him a look.
"I'm going with you," Beckett said simply. She then took his hand before he could reply and dragged him over to the bathroom where their pajamas already were.
After they had changed and were going up to the loft, Castle said, "They were tired."
"A long day," Beckett said, turning to him. "What?" she asked, watching him closely.
"I was just thinking, I love seeing you with them," Castle said, taking her hand and entwining their fingers. "You're very much a mother then."
Smiling at that Beckett replied, "And vise versa." When he started to open his mouth she quickly said, "No, not as a mother, a father of course."
"Of course," Castle replied easily before he smiled widely at her.
"Let's read," Beckett said, shaking her head.
Watching her sitting down on the couch with her book in hand Castle reached down and took it from her carefully before saying, "So we know what happened up until the point Líle lost touch with Bridget."
"Right and I get the feeling she wrote to her, trying to reach her many times," Beckett said. "Though if she did she never kept the copies of those letters or they got lost."
"If they went to Liverpool then there's no real way to find them from here," Castle said.
"No but we have to hope that maybe they kept a good record of the people coming in at Liverpool," Beckett said simply. "Why?" she then asked as she knew there was a reason he was bringing that up.
"You're not going to be disappointed if there are no descendants of Bridget are you?" Castle asked, studying her eyes then for her answer.
Smiling slightly Beckett cupped his cheek gently and said, "I'm not really giving myself expectations of finding any family, so whatever the PI says I'll be prepared for it."
"But don't you want to have some kind of connection to Ireland now? In a distant cousin? Very distant?" Castle asked her, taking her hand from his face and holding it.
"I already do have a connection Rick," Beckett said. "And it's the fact we shared this together for our honeymoon… and now with the rest of our family." She leaned in towards him as he was doing the same to her, sharing a kiss with him before they parted and she settled back with her book to read once she had it back from her husband.
Castle sat down next to her and opened his book, trying to focus on the words. But he soon found that he was having a hard time concentrating that well on what he was seeing and wasn't really taking in what he read either. So he closed the tome, tempted to snap it shut but recalling the girls down on the bed.
Looking over at him Beckett asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I'll think of something," Castle replied before he stood up and went over to the window behind the desk to their right. He parted the curtains and looked down at the street, leaning against it as well as he saw a lot of people on the sidewalks. "Busy city," he commented to his wife when he felt her coming up next to him.
"It is," Beckett said with a nod. She wrapped her arm around him as his came around her waist and she said, "Are you-"
"No," Castle said, cutting her off as he knew what she was going to say. "Not with them here but I can't seem to settle down."
"That twelve year old again?" Beckett teased him.
"Basically," Castle said with a smile at her. He then looked down at her and studied her for a moment saying, "I interrupted your reading didn't I?"
"A little," Beckett said. "But I'm in no rush to read honestly."
"Then why don't we do something else?" Castle asked.
"You read my mind," Beckett replied before she reached up, twining her arms around his neck before he leaned down to meet her. As they kissed deeply she held on as tightly as she could to him, moaning softly at the feel of his tongue very gently slipping into her mouth. She met him and was soon embroiled in a heavy duel until they needed to breathe badly. Parting she smiled and said, "Maybe that wasn't your twelve year old self."
"Maybe," Castle said before he leaned down and kissed at her neck gently. He listened to his wife sigh with pleasure until he moved to press his forehead against hers.
Beckett pulled away to look at him and said, "We should take another shower."
Shuddering at the instant memory of that morning Castle thought about that for a moment before he shook his head telling her, "It's tempting… insanely tempting," as he slipped his hand underneath her shirt to run his fingertips along her skin. "But it would probably be better if we just stayed up here a little longer. Plus we'd save water," he pointed out to her.
Kissing him briefly on the lips Beckett smiled and said, "That's true but it's hard to resist," shivering as he was stroking her still. "You need to stop," she said suddenly.
"Sorry," Castle said, stopping but not moving his hand until she looked at him. "Come on," he said, taking her hand and pulling her over to the couch. "I think I can try and read now."
"You think?" Beckett asked wryly as she watched him get her book from the table in front of them.
"I can try," Castle repeated. Before he leaned over to grab his book he kissed her again but kept it calmer than it had been when they had been by the window. He felt her fingertips brushing against his jaw and groaned slightly before they slowly pulled apart from each other. "Again, I said try," he told her as they looked into each other's eyes before he gave up and grabbed her rapidly.
Opening her eyes Julia looked at her little sister who was fast asleep in front of her. She raised her head as she realized their parents weren't with them and wondered how long she'd been sleeping. She heard the murmur of voices above them and looked up at the loft, seeing the lights on there. Slipping out of the bed she padded over to the staircase and went up carefully until she could see them. When she saw that they were on the couch and wrapped up in one another, she ducked down and sat on the next step out of sight as they were parting then.
"We should get to bed," Beckett told her husband.
"I would love to do that but you know Kate I don't really feel like it," Castle said.
"I'm glad the girls can't hear you," Beckett replied, rolling her eyes.
"Oh… well, actually they can," Castle said.
Looking at him in confusion Beckett then realized why her husband had said that and she looked over at the top of the stairs. "Julia?" she asked.
Walking up carefully the little girl held onto the railing, trying to hide her face behind it saying, "Sorry Mommy, I just woke up."
Getting off her husband's lap; though he tried to hold her in place; Beckett went over to their oldest and she pulled her after her back to the couch. "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked, placing Julia onto her lap.
"No," the little girl replied. She smiled and then said, "I wanted to hear what you and Daddy were talking about."
"You're out of luck there, we weren't really talking," Castle said, looking at his wife as he said that.
"I could see," Julia said. She then looked at them both and said, "Do you think I could find someone in love with me like you are?"
"Not for a long, long time," Castle said immediately.
"You might," Beckett said, giving him a look. "But your daddy is right; it doesn't need to happen now."
"I know," Julia said as she smiled widely at them both. "You didn't know each other until you were older, so I bet I won't know that person either until I'm grown up too."
"You ever wonder what would have happened if we'd met as kids?" Castle asked his wife.
"Not really, I think how we met worked out perfectly," Beckett said simply.
"Fate then," Castle said with a smile as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He leaned over then and brushed his lips across hers telling her, "I love you."
"I love you too Rick," Beckett smiled before they shared another quick kiss. "You're not tired?" she asked their daughter as they turned to her at the same time.
"Not very much," Julia said, shaking her head. "Can I read too?"
Looking at the books that had tumbled to the floor while they'd been kissing Castle said, "Not tonight, I thought we could read but…"
"You were busy kissing Mommy," Julia finished for him when he trailed off.
"How long were you watching us?" Castle asked, pretending to sound stern.
"I wasn't watching," Julia said in exasperation. "I peeked over here, saw you and then I sat back down."
"He's teasing you," Beckett said. "He heard you remember?"
Smiling at the glare the little girl gave him Castle laughed; trying to be quiet as he couldn't forget Eliza; and then reached for her to pull her onto his lap. He kissed her temple and said, "Sorry but I couldn't resist. Your sister was still asleep right?"
"Yeah she was very tired," Julia said seriously. "She did a lot and saw a lot today."
"So did you," Beckett pointed out to her.
"But I'm older, I can stay up later," Julia said, looking slightly hopefully at her mother.
"Sorry sweetie," Beckett replied, smiling as she reached over and cupped her daughter's face. "You stayed up past your bedtime, like I told you earlier."
"Not the best time to ask for your bedtime to be changed," Castle told her. "But you have been up late for a while so far this vacation. So not too bad."
"Yeah but once we go home we have to go to bed at the normal time," Julia told them. When they didn't say anything, just looked at her, she sighed and then reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "What are you gonna do on your anniversary?" she asked.
"I have plans for your mom and I," Castle said quickly.
"Surprises?" Julia said when he looked thoughtfully at her mother.
"No, tell me love," Beckett said to him, looking at him and gently smiling.
"Okay," Castle said. But he didn't speak for a while until she inclined her head slightly. "First off we'll try to ride horses in the morning and after maybe go swimming; we'll see. And then we're going to have a picnic lunch and we'll walk around the gardens. Maybe we can look for where we want to renew our vows."
"That would be nice," Beckett replied.
"I'm jealous," Julia then said. She smiled when her parents looked at her and she told them, "That you're going to have a picnic."
"How do you know we won't when you're there?" Beckett asked.
Julia looked eager at that and she asked, "When are we going there?"
"Soon enough," Castle told her.
"What are we going to do while you're there alone?" Julia asked then.
"Sweetie," Beckett said, slightly warningly as she knew the little girl was trying to delay them taking her down to bed.
"You guys will be in London," Castle said, sharing a look with his wife as he knew they needed to try and make her tired. "And you'll be doing something with everyone else. What that is we don't know because your Gram told us it would be a surprise."
"A museum?" Julia suggested.
"We don't know," Beckett said. "But it will be fun I'm sure."
"Oh I can't wait to go to England too," Julia said excitedly. "I'm so happy you brought us here," she said to her parents, looking at them both. "We're lucky."
"You are," Castle said. "And you know we're lucky."
"Because you got to come here too?" Julia asked, sounding a little confused.
"He means because we have you and your sister," Beckett said, smiling as she looked at her husband. "And the rest of our family too."
Julia smiled at that and then said, "Yeah," as she nodded her head at the same time. She grew thoughtful for a moment before saying, "Mommy?"
"You want to go to bed?" Beckett asked. When Julia frowned she laughed softly and said, "What is it? And so you know we will be going to bed very soon, it's very late."
Pursing her lips Julia finally nodded in agreement to that and told her mother, "I want to buy something special here in Ireland for Mari. She was really excited to hear I was coming."
"We've been looking," Castle began. "At a lot of stores so we should be able to find something for her."
"But it has to be special," Julia said quickly. "She's my best friend and I want to get her something nice 'cause she's Irish too."
"I've been looking around for Rebecca," Beckett said, since her friend was full Irish while David was Welsh and German.
"I'll be looking around Wales but as to whether I find anything… we'll see," Castle said. Seeing Julia yawning widely then he smiled and said, "I think it's time we head to bed."
"Good idea," Beckett replied. She leaned over then and shared a kiss with their oldest before helping her down off of her father's lap. She led the way downstairs, watching Castle share a kiss with the little girl before tucking her in next to Eliza who was still asleep. She wasn't surprised when Julia fell asleep quickly and as soon as she had she turned to Castle to lead him past the staircase and the armchair next to it. Underneath the window where they could have a little more privacy she threw her arms around him tightly and proceeded to kiss him, relieved when he responded to her almost instantly.
Holding onto his wife as tightly as he could then Castle carefully ran his hands up and down her back, feeling her clutching at him in response to his touch. He would have loved to do that for much longer but she was soon pulling away to breathe and he had to do the same, getting a few quick breaths before he leaned over, brushing his lips up and down the side of her neck. Pulling away he smiled at her and murmured, "I love you Kate."
"I love you too Rick," Beckett whispered before he was pulling her close. She pressed her cheek to his and closed her eyes, relishing in that moment for the time it lasted before he leaned down and took her lips again, nearly crushing them. She did her best to keep quiet and was just able to do that as her nails raked his shoulders through his shirt. Things became more and more passionate, their tongues fighting together eagerly before they parted with a gasp. She suddenly recalled the girls and let go of Castle at the same time he let go of her to check on them. Breathing out softly as she saw they were still asleep she turned to her husband and said, "We should get some sleep ourselves."
Kissing her on the lips; lingering slightly as there was no way he could stop himself from doing that; Castle said, "You're right. Night love."
"Night Rick," Beckett said with a smile before they exchanged a final, brief kiss. They walked to the bed together, getting in next to their daughters before she reached over to brush her fingertips against Julia's cheek and then Eliza's carefully. She smiled again when Castle did the same before reaching over to her. Holding hands tightly she squeezed his as he was doing to her for a moment before they let go, settling down to sleep and joining their daughters who were still doing so peacefully in between them.
