Disclaimer: *sigh* I don't own Castle

A/N: Thanks to kw15915 for reading this over – you are the best!

Splashing through the sand bar
Talking by the campfire
It's the simple things in life, like when and where

-Kid Rock, All Summer Long

*~* Thursday, July 23rd*~*

He felt the bed shift beside him and reached out a hand, grabbed at her wrist. "Don't go Kate."

"Castle..."

He pulled her back on the bed, on top of him.

"I know of another way to get exercise," he punctuated the idea with a deep kiss, moving his hands to her hips.

"Not with a house full of people, the guest room next door..."

"We'll be quiet."

"Speak for yourself. Besides, I promised Jenny and Lanie that I would go for a run with them."

"They're going to run with you? As in, you're going to let them run with you?"

"Sure. So maybe they run slowly and I always complain but we always get some good chatting in."

He groaned and leaned his head back on the pillow. "Fine. But you better get some dirt on the Javier and Lanie situation."

"I'll try if you try."

"We were going to make breakfast this morning, maybe then."

"Deal." She pushed herself up, the bed squeaking, "Time to get up."

He followed her, climbing out of bed and heading for the shower, grumbling the whole time.

Javier turned away from the screen door with the empty bottles in his hands. Grace was standing in the doorway, blocking his way.

"They won't let me in the kitchen."

"Grace, let us in," Castle tried.

"Nope, we're decorating the cake. He can't see it."

"What about me."

"You'll tell him."

Javier called, "Jackson! Want to bring out three beers?"

"No!"

He and Frobisher came running out and headed down the steps to toss a beach volleyball around.

Javi protested, "Hey, it's my birthday."

Lanie appeared at the door with three cold ones and a kiss for the father of her child, "Here you go, now stop bothering us and get the barbeque started."

"Anything for you."

Kevin and Castle studied the exchange and accepted the proffered beers.

Castle picked at the condensation covered label of his bottle, "Are you guys doing any better?"

Javi shrugged, starting the electric grill, "We get along just fine...we just don't talk."

"Is something wrong?" Ryan put his beer on the long wooded table to ask.

"Nah...We're just not close, don't share stuff. It doesn't matter."

"Sure it does man, you're our friends. We want you to be happy." Ryan looked really concerned.

"We'll be fine."

"Take some time...You have a couple of days here," Castle chimed in.

"Yeah. Maybe." The look on his face was closed off, ending the conversation.

Jenny brought a platter with the hot dogs and hamburgers to cook and sat herself down on the table beside Kevin, picking up his beer and taking a swig.

The girls all came running out the door, down the steps and started running circles around the boys.

Kate and Claire joined them last, Kate carrying a tray of veggies and Claire carrying the bottle of dressing, upside down, and was gnawing on the bottom.

"You men gossiping?"

"None of your business."

"Where's Lanie?" Javier asked innocently.

Kate shrugged, "Inside."

And he was gone.

Kevin and Castle turned their attention to the meat, paying as much attention as if they were award winning ribs instead of your basic burgers and hotdogs.

Dinner was a raucous affair; children grabbing and yelling and adults talking over them all. Claire, in her high chair, seemed to be taking it all in. It was her own personal show that she watched attentively, laughing and clapping in all the right places.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw the cake being brought out, covered with candles and bright coloured candies.

Kate had prepared two cakes and iced them side by side to make one large cake worthy of a fiftieth birthday. The kids had been free to decorate as they wished and the boys, Norah and Fiona had piled on the candies while Grace and Mairi had taken their time to make perfect little designs. Someone had layered the words, Happy 50th Birthday, in icing over the candies for a delightful decadent look.

They sang happy birthday with Claire joining in on the last word, much to everyone's amusement. Then Jackson and Frobisher started singing, "How old are you now," but they were silenced with large pieces of cake.

They retreated inside to the living room to escape from the bugs while they opened presents.

There was much laughing and teasing as Javi started to work on the big box of fifty presents. He unwrapped them all and had a comment for each, much to the delight of Grace and Frobisher who had picked many of them out. He shared the candy he got and clipped his plastic Captain's badge on right away, hooking the plastic handcuffs onto his belt loop. He let Norah play with the angry bird plush and set the bobble head baseball player, and box seat tickets, on the table, bobbling away. Kate had picked out the monogrammed pens, for Javier to sign his fancy pants Captains paper work with.

Lanie handed over her gift in exchange for a kiss. It was a shinning new keychain for the 15th division to take the place of the 26th and the 12th.

Jackson presented him with a signed baseball and glove and then promptly asked if he and Frobisher could go play with it.

Kevin presented his gift last and the whole room held their breath, knowing what it was.

If Javi noticed the change in the room, he didn't let it show, only took his time reading the card carefully made by Jenny and the girls. Then he unwrapped the paper, revealing a nameplate.

Captain Montgomery's nameplate.

"How? What? Thank you..." He finally finished. He pulled his buddy into a hug, eyes glittering.

He looked around, "Did you guys all know about this?"

They nodded.

Kate spoke up, "We talked about it but it was Ryan who tracked it down."

He gave her a hug and a kiss as well and moved around the room thanking everyone for the best birthday ever.

Jackson and Frobisher came running back through the living room, oblivious to the emotions in the room. They grabbed the new light saber flashlight and ran off to tell ghost stories, the light perfect for an eerie green glow.

Jenny and Kate started picking up the wrapping paper and little girls to send to bed. They foursome ran off giggling, high on life and sugar. Claire was the only one left, sounds asleep, curled in her father's lap with a piece of crinkled wrapping paper clutched in her little hands.

Kate looked around at the perfection of the moment; watching Lanie and Javi walk out hand in hand to the pool house, Jenny and Kevin say their goodnights as well and Castle carrying the sleeping girl off to her room.

The room was empty now and still she still she stood, their crazy family was all together and Montgomery, their hero, had joined them in presence.

A/N: Sorry this is so late...The story is all there but the words won't come out. Some words of inspiration, or advice, would be much appreciated. *le sigh*