Genre: Drama, Crime, Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: I had been wondering what readers would think of the last chapter so I loved getting the feedback I did and I want to get to my thank yous for that! noelianoe (I know you posted this for the first chapter technically but I wanted the chance to reply to that review and will take it here. First you're very welcome. I'd wondered if people were enjoying my stories more than the show right now and with your comments I got confirmation of that. Not surprised really that you feel that way, it's kind of how I feel and the show right now is making me write even more like I am. And to let you know I will not be going anywhere near the route the show has gone, not a spoiler I'm just saying I'm not going to do it 'cause I honestly can't. But glad I could keep things real for you!), TORONTOSUN (Was nice to see that you liked how everyone was having fun, as well as Eliza. And yeah, that's what happens when kids go to amusement parks, they're usually too short for a lot of rides and that's why they have those sections of kids rides of course; that way they're not left out. Lol, I had to laugh at what you said about Small World I'm not the biggest fan of it either and I've been on it many times, lol. It's very hard to get that song out of your head I know, so sorry about that! And you're right, I think it is a record too that everyone went really fast from the list. And yeah, with Disneyland I couldn't have it just about Castle and Beckett had to put in the family too but pleased so much that you liked that part of the chapter!), vetgirlmx (Happy to read you thought both halves of the chapter were good first off. I'm also pleased that you thought they had a really fun day; was trying to convey that, lol. And speaking from experience at that same park I can tell you with absolute certainty that they're exhausted after all that, lol, that's why you take meal breaks and a snack break to try and help out. I kinda laughed when you mentioned that you cringed when Alexis took the girls, but you made a point. Brave of her to do that at an amusement park but I think Alexis can be pretty brave. I was so, so pleased to read that my descriptions of the park made you feel like you were there with them, I was hoping to do that because I've been going to Disneyland for… ever, lol, so I wanted to get it right. Great to get some confirmation that I got that for you! Glad you had fun reading it and that you can't wait to read more to see what'll happen next and now you can to see what that is!), Guest (Nice to see first off you thought the last chapter was cute, hard to not write that with Disneyland, lol, or want to write that of course. And yeah, I thought readers might like them going there since I've gotten some comments previously that people wanted to see them go there. So I was happy to read that that you were glad about that too!) and Beckett-Castle4ever (Was really happy to see that you thought both halves of the chapter were great. And also pleased that you could tell that everyone in the family had a good time while at Disneyland, really wanted to portray that so was nice to get confirmation that I did!). Thanks so much to all of you for the reviews I got, I loved reading them definitely this time around and I'm so happy that you took the time to write them out and send them my way; I appreciate it!

A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Las Brisas written by Ringo Starr and Nancy Andrews, from Ringo's album Ringo's Rotogravure.

The Breeze Will Carry Us

Trying to stretch as he saw they were nearing the exit on the 5 freeway that Skye had told him they would need Castle said, "Now we are definitely in San Diego."

"Oh I can't wait!" Julia said. "Did you see this when you came?" she asked Alexis who was sitting with her and Eliza in the back of the car.

"I wasn't on the freeway here," the young woman replied. "But Gram and I did see Mission Bay which is right there."

"You'll be able to see it from the house it looks like," Beckett commented as they got off and were going to the left. "Are you guys sure you're okay with us taking the hotel room?"

"For the last time yes," Alexis said, joking in her tone though.

"Yeah, you won," Eliza said.

"I'm blaming that on you and Skye's father," Beckett said to her husband.

"I didn't think they were serious playing Roshambo for it," Castle replied, since he had done that against Mary as they couldn't figure out which couple would take the hotel room at the Hyatt next to San Diego Bay since the house couldn't hold all nine of them with just three bedrooms.

"But at least Liam said he'd get a room for Skye and Mary for their anniversary," Alexis commented.

"That is true," Beckett replied. "And we're here," she said as they pulled into a driveway of what looked to be a one story house behind Skye in their car.

"Beautiful, windy San Diego," the woman said then she saw the others were out of their car. "We'll get everything in and then head to Old Town."

"What about us checking in?" Castle asked.

"We'll go to your hotel after this," Mary replied. "So you two can check in then and from there we'll use the trolley to get to Old Town and Balboa Park. Though you two will have to come back with us here to bring your girls tonight."

"That's fine, we do need to say goodnight to them here," Beckett said. "So the people who own this place are friends of your father's."

"He's a pilot and he and his wife are from Germany," Skye said with a nod as they went to the front door. She unlocked it and said to the twins, "Show Alexis, Julia and Eliza their bedroom. There's a queen bed in there which I hope works out."

"It will," Alexis replied before they went to their right in a large living room they stepped into from the entry.

"Walk around," Mary said, coming in with her suitcase. "Take a tour and check out their view."

"We'll wait," Castle said, Beckett nodding next to him. When he saw the two women were going up the stairs he called, "We would like to see that room." After they'd gone out of sight he turned to his wife and said, "Nice house."

"It is," Beckett replied. "Come on, we should see where they're going to stay while we're here." She pulled his arm and led him to the two bedrooms that were there to the right and she heard their daughters in the one to the west.

"Who picked this room?" Castle asked as there was a sliding door facing west towards the back.

"The twins said they sleep in the other bedroom when they're here," Alexis answered as she was hanging something in the closet.

"Well you have a nice view," Castle said, joining the girls at the window, looking out. He smiled and then said, "Are you guys going to stay here?"

"No, we go," Eliza replied. She then said, "Where?"

"We told you sweetie," Beckett said, hanging up something from Eliza's suitcase. "It's where the city was started."

"A long time ago," Julia added. "Before Mommy and Daddy were born."

"And your gram and grandfather," Castle added, going over to help his wife get their daughters' things hung up so they could go. "We're going to walk around the house first. Which we should do," he said rapidly as the girls turned to him, looking as if they were about to protest that idea. "That way you know where to go."

Beckett wasn't surprised when the two finally turned back to the window and once she got the last shirt of Eliza's hung she went to the toddler, picking her up to her gasp of surprise. Going to the door she caught sight of the twins running and after she looked through the doorway to their room briefly she went out to the living room.

"You can come up," Mary said, coming down the stairs before pausing on the second to last one.

"Not bad isn't it?" Skye asked as she put her suitcase against the wall while everyone was coming up.

Going to the window and seeing the view of the bay there Beckett nodded and then said, "Though we're not going to be here at the house much it sounds like."

"Come for breakfast," Mary said with a slight smile. "We'll eat out back with that view."

"Speaking of which let's go down and check out the rest of the house," Skye told them. "I know," she told Castle as he opened his mouth to speak. "That's my Californian side coming through." She led the way downstairs and to steps that led down to what she told the others was the family room. "And this is the office, mainly the billiards room," she said as she opened the door and revealed the pool table.

"Can we play?" Julia asked interestedly.

"Maybe if we have time," Beckett said. "And the back?"

Smiling at that Skye then led them over to the door to the backyard which was just a cement path in front of the windows that had comprised the western wall of the family room and to the north an area with a table. She nodded to the door to their right and said, "That's your daughters' room."

"Oh yeah," Castle said as he quickly recognized it. "You're sure it's okay they stay there?"

"It is," Mary replied. "They prefer the other room as it's a bit smaller; and we're usually not in the house too often down here as mentioned before."

"You stay in that room don't you?" Beckett asked.

"We do and Dad likes to sleep on the couch down here in the family room, it folds out," Skye replied. "Okay so we should get going, a lot planned for today of course."

At that the four girls went to their parents eagerly and after going to the cars they made their way down to San Diego Bay and the hotel where Castle and Beckett checked in. They went with their daughters and the McDouglases to their room, Mary and Skye protesting them coming along.

"We're not trying to torture you or anything," Castle said when they stopped on their floor.

"We know but it's odd we're all going to what'll likely be a simple bedroom," Skye told him.

"We'll see what it looks like now," Beckett said as the bellman stopped at a door and then opened it for them.

"Ah, trust Dad to get a great room," Skye said with a smile as she saw it was a corner room with a large bed. "So I think you two'll do well in this one."

"You're right, we will," Beckett said, trying not to laugh as Castle rushed past her, picking up Eliza on the way and making her squeal in delight. She followed at a more sedate pace, pausing at the end of the bed when she remembered the bellman and turning back was startled to see that Skye was closing the door after the man. "Thanks," she said, frowning slightly.

"Not a problem," Mary said, having been watching them.

"She's right, it's not," Skye added. "Go on and take a look at your view."

Beckett didn't feel right about allowing the woman to tip the employee but she could tell the two wouldn't allow her to protest. So she instead headed to the couch on the bed's left which was against the northern window where everyone was looking out. "Oh wow," she said, getting their attention. She smiled at that and then said, "It is an amazing view."

"We'll have to remember the room number," Mary said then, standing next to her wife who'd gone to stand next to Beckett. "And ask your dad to reserve it again if he was serious."

"I'm in complete agreement," Skye said. "So you two will be good here?"

Castle took a moment to realize that the room had fallen silent and that the others were looking at him. When he did he glanced back at the women and asked, "She told you about what I've done at some hotels? Because that was a long-"

"No," Beckett said, rolling her eyes though she was fighting a smile at the same time. "We have a nice bed and an equally nice view so you don't need to worry about us."

"Where's Old Town from here?" Julia asked.

"It's far," Marie answered before her mothers could. "But the trolley we take to it is close."

"We've stayed here with them once," Skye said as Beckett was looking at her. "So now are we ready to leave?"

"Yeah I think so," Castle said, sounding dejected. He helped Eliza to the ground from his lap before he stood up and once he had, Beckett held him back. "Unpacking?" he asked, realizing he'd forgotten about that completely.

Beckett didn't reply before she leaned over and whispered into his ear once everyone else was out in the hall.

"Ah, fantastic," Castle said, affecting a delighted tone instead of the ecstatic one in response to what his wife had promised him that night.

"What?" Julia asked as her parents quickly went to their suitcases.

"I told him not to be mad that I did have to unpack some things," Beckett answered as they worked quickly. "And luckily he isn't."

"Since I need to do the same," Castle replied simply. When he and Becket hung up some shirts and she put some things into the dresser he followed her out into the hall with the others. "So did you go on the trolley when you were here?" he asked his daughter as they walked in a group to the elevator.

"We took cabs," Alexis replied. "Gram was more comfortable with them. But I did see it when we came."

"What does it look like?" Julia asked as Eliza was tugging her hand; knowing her little sister wanted her to ask that.

"You'll find out really soon," Alexis replied.

When they had reached the lobby Skye and Mary led the way out onto and after crossing Harbor Street and passing a barbeque restaurant they came to the station. The two women helped Castle and Beckett get tickets for their family before they purchased for themselves and their daughters. They didn't need to wait long for the next trolley to arrive, Eliza squealing when she was the first to see the bright red lead car.

Inside they sat grouped together, Julia and Eliza sitting with their parents though the latter sat on their father's lap, looking at the scenery passing them.

"Look at that building," Julia pointed out to her mother.

"We're going to stop Kate, I'd take a picture if you want," Skye was telling her friend rapidly.

Though she hadn't planned on it Beckett was at the door with Julia, taking pictures of the Spanish Colonial Revival train station before they had to get back to their seats as they were pulling up next to it, a stop on their way. "That's a train station?" she asked Skye to make sure.
"Santa Fe Depot," Mary answered for her wife when they were on their way again. "It's an Amtrak station."

"So it's still in use," Castle stated. When the two women nodded he glanced back though he couldn't see the building and then turned back as Eliza was tugging on the front of his shirt. "What is it sweetheart?" he asked.

"There," the toddler replied, pointing to where they'd stopped.

"Little Italy," Castle said. He smiled when Eliza looked slightly perplexed at that and he explained, "It's like Chinatown at home."

"Oh," the toddler said before nodding. She looked out the window and then cried out saying, "Plane! The plane lands Daddy, Mommy look!"

"That's the airport," Skye said in amusement, having easily heard her. "The busiest single runway airport in the country."

"Not the world? Castle asked.

"That would be London Gatwick," Skye said.

"Have you flown here?" Beckett then inquired.

"I have but you have to understand that was in a small airplane. Which I don't mind," Skye said. "You have to land very close to the buildings downtown, I'd be worried unless I had someone experienced with me."

"Your dad?" Alexis asked.

Skye tapped her nose and then smiled saying, "For a time he flew the route from here to Heathrow and back again before he switched from there to LAX."

"Did he miss it?" Castle asked.

"Not really," Skye said. Shortly after they had reached the end of the line and she led the way with Marie holding her hand, going to the intersection at the street near the station. "That's the state park," she explained to Castle, Beckett and their daughters since she knew Alexis had been there already. "But it extends out into the area around it as well."

"But the historical part of it is in here?" Castle said.

"There's more outside as well," Mary said. "The Whaley House is outside."

"The Casa de Estudillo and the-" Castle hurriedly said, seeing that Julia looked interested in knowing that as well.

"We'll get to it," Skye interrupted him. "And also another area that Alexis didn't go to when she was last here."

"What is it?" Eliza asked as they were walking up the dirt path into the park.

"You'll see," Mary said, smiling as the toddler giggled.

"Are you going to lead the way?" Julia asked her big sister.

"I don't remember the way exactly," Alexis said, laughing slightly. "So I'm eager to find out where we'll go first."

"I think we'll head up here," Skye said, pointing to the whitewashed buildings to their right. "Since it's mainly stores and then go to the Casa de Estudillo before heading to the other side."

"Right now?" Alexis asked, looking at the two women who were looking at the rest of them.

"I asked if we could go to lunch first," Marie said.

"Me too, I'm hungry," Kathleen said.

"Yeah Eliza and Julia were saying the same on the way to the hotel," Castle told them. "So lunch it is. Where?" He wasn't surprised when Skye turned first to their left and led the group to a restaurant that had some outdoor seating. But when they didn't go inside he said, "There are a lot of restaurants here?"

"We would have taken you to the one that used to be over there," Mary said, pointing to the north east. "It's reputed to be haunted."

"She thinks it is," Skye said. "Me, not so much."

"Do you believe in spirits?" Julia asked the investigator.

Looking over at Beckett, Skye replied, "I shouldn't really say."

"I wouldn't think less of you," Beckett protested as she knew that her friend was serious. "You can believe what you'd like."

"Have you had an experience?" Castle asked, a little flabbergasted as he hadn't expected that of the woman. When Skye glanced at her wife he said, "Both of you?" his tone stunned.

"We'll talk after lunch," Mary said simply. They reached a plaza past the restaurant and she and Skye went with their daughters straight to a restaurant in the center of it. "We have nine of us here," she said before the hostess could ask.

"We get to eat outside?" Julia asked eagerly.

"We will," Skye said, smiling back at Eliza as the toddler was squealing in joy at hearing that. That was all she could tell them though as they reached their tables towards the edge of the seating area and they sat where they wanted to. Once they had their menus she then said, "We usually come here to eat and we always sit outside."

"Are there any tables inside?" Castle asked her.

"Of course it does rain here," Skye said before she smiled. "And there are shops here but besides the toy store over there not sure our daughters will all like them. Well, I'm not sure what you would think Alexis."

"I remember this plaza now," the young woman said. "And you're right; I don't mind not looking through them as they're mostly decorative things for homes, though there's a store over there with some kind of gardening items."

"Yeah pots, plants, that kind of thing," Mary said with a nod. "We can walk around and then just stop if anyone wants to."

"We'll do that through the rest of the park… out on the street too," Skye said as hurriedly as she could while the waiter returned then with their drinks.

After ordering Beckett asked the two women, "Will we have enough time for Balboa Park?"

"We might, it depends on how quickly we walk through this," Skye said, gesturing around them. "But that's not to say we run," she said in a mock-warning tone to her daughters.

Giggling Marie said, "Mummy said we can go to the Natural History Museum if you want to go too."

"I do!" Julia said eagerly.

"You don't know what's in it though," Kathleen replied.

"That doesn't matter, it should be fun still," Julia replied.

"Any other museums?" Castle asked.

"A lot though we might not have time for more than that one," Skye said. When she saw that he was just looking at her she shook her head saying, "Look it up online, I'm not reading out the list."

Since the woman was speaking wryly Castle got his phone from his pocket and bringing up a list of the museums the park had he whistled and rapidly counted them saying, "Sixteen of them."

"What are they?" Julia asked as her father handed his phone to Beckett.

"They have gardens," she then said. "We could go to one of those." She wasn't surprised when both Julia and Eliza asked her about them and she looked at the McDouglases for them to answer that one.

"There's the Japanese Garden," Kathleen started.

"And the building with all the orchids," Marie added.

"A lot of gardens," Skye said before the two could say anymore. "But those two are good ones. We'll figure out what to do after we finish here." She then asked Castle and Beckett if they were planning on taking their daughters to museums while they were going through Europe and they were still talking about that when their food arrived.

"It's good food," Marie said, watching as Julia bit her taco.

"Yeah, the shell isn't crunchy," the little girl said. She looked over at Eliza and saw that she was eating hungrily, Alexis sitting next to her having to slow her down. "We were very hungry," she told the twins.

"Us too but Mummy and Mommy don't like us to gobble," Kathleen said.

Eliza made a noise, trying to sound like a turkey and when the other three nodded she said, "My teacher says a turkey says that."

"Yeah they do," Marie answered, nodding her head. She then seemed to jump in her chair and said, "I forgot they have stables here but they don't have horses, just donkeys."

"Didn't we see those in the episode they had here Daddy?" Julia asked her father.

"They showed one in the beginning," Castle replied. "So it looks like they went all around the park."

"You let her watch Ghost Adventures?" Mary asked as they let their daughters talk among themselves again.

"She snuck in and watched it," Beckett said. "When she was younger she wasn't so much into spirits. But seeing the beginning movie they had she started to believe it a little more."

"Has she ever told you about experiencing anything?" Skye asked.

"No but what about you two?" Beckett said. When the women looked a little startled she smiled and told them jokingly, "I figured it out."

"So did I," Castle added. "We're good like that."

Breathing out as she knew they couldn't avoid the question anymore, Skye said, "Promise you won't become judgmental?"

"I promise but I can't say I could believe it," Beckett replied.

"Them," Skye said slowly.

"You've had more than one?" Castle asked, shocked to hear it.

"Two experiences, mine was just once," Mary said. "But oddly enough at the same place, not at the same time," she finished hurriedly as she could tell Castle was going to ask that.

"The first time was my first flight as a pilot," Skye said. "I was flying from LAX to San Francisco and I was a little nervous though I was trying not to let that show."

"Of course," Beckett said, already guessing what the woman had been through.

"I was alone in the cockpit about mid-flight as the co-pilot had to use the restroom and just before a flight attendant joined me the door was locked so there was no way someone got in until they did. There's nowhere to hide there and," Skye continued. "I started feeling a chill through the area and this was in May." She smiled slightly at her wife who took her hand, squeezing it tightly. She kept going though her voice was a little strained then saying, "And I could feel my father's presence around me and my nerves calmed and I smelled the scent he had, sandalwood and cloves that I always thought was distinctive to him. It wasn't my co-pilot; he had cologne on; so that calmed me down enough to fly there and back to LAX without any problems."

"Did you tell your dad about that?" Castle asked her, sounding amazed.

Nodding Skye told him, "He said it was my father and that he was letting me know he was proud I was following in his footsteps." She started to speak and then said finally, "I-"

"Lied a little bit," Beckett finished before she could. "I'm not judging you," she was quick to say as the investigator looked at her with wide eyes. "You've felt his presence a number of times. I guessed."

"Yeah," Skye replied. "But not all the time, just here and there. And the other time…"

"That's the Whaley House," Mary replied. "We were there together but at one point I was in the theater and I could smell lavender, which was odd as I was alone since Skye had left and she smells like roses and jasmine, so I knew it was Mrs. Whaley. I took pictures all around the room but no luck getting anything."

"And you had the same experience?" Castle asked.

"I did but for me it was when I was looking into the master bedroom," Skye replied.

"Did you know that the scent was one people had said they could smell in the house," Beckett stated.

Smiling at each other, Skye and Mary nodded before the latter said, "She lied a bit again."

"That was a cool thing to see," Marie whispered.

Glancing over at the kids and seeing they and Alexis were all watching them, Skye said quickly, "I felt a heavy chill and saw a chain swinging in the courthouse. A heavy chain with no one around. And not like someone was walking outside and shaking it, it was discernible right away."

"That might have been Yankee Jim," Mary said, finishing her food then and leaning back. "I was upstairs with Kathleen, Marie was with her."

"I saw it," the little girl replied hurriedly when the others all turned to her. "Tell them what you did first Mummy."

"I'll show them," Skye replied. "So there you have it. But don't go into the house thinking you'll experience anything Mr. Castle," she said to him teasingly, pointing at him.

"I heard if you do that you might not," Castle replied, smiling back at her. "But I'm eager to head out, are the rest of you."

"The shops first!" Julia said.

"Yeah, toys and…" Eliza started to say before she trailed off and then looked at Skye and Mary in confusion as she had no idea what else there was to see.

"We'll show you," Mary said laughingly as the others were doing the same and they soon left the table once they'd paid. She and her wife led the way around the plaza but they didn't stop at the stores until they reached the toy store, the last one before they went out into the rest of the park.

Going along the buildings while the others were ahead of them Skye watched Beckett next to her taking pictures for a moment before she said, "You really don't think less of me after that?"

"No," she replied, looking from her camera to her friend. "Because I know what Rick believes and while I can't agree I don't think it makes him less of a person."

"But you just can't believe in what I've experienced," Skye said simply.

Studying the woman closely Beckett said, "I've known some people who have had that kind of… experience with parents or relatives that have passed away. Not me though."

With the tone of her voice, Skye nodded and said, "What would you do if you had?"

"I don't need my mother… announcing her presence," Beckett said firmly. "I'm her daughter and my girls are a part of her as well. She's with us in that way."

"That's what my father thought with regard to my mother," Skye responded. "And I've kept that in mind myself since I've never known her. But with the flight I suppose I was so concerned it might have brought him to me… or what you might think is that I conjured him up with my mind, who knows."

"And with the Whaley House maybe you're telekinetic," Castle said, walking back to them after they'd reached an old building that said Wells Fargo on the front. "With the chain moving. But I came back to tell you, Mary thinks we should take the kids in here-"

"Which she's already doing," Beckett commented, looking past him to where the four girls were ahead of Mary and Alexis going into the building.

"And she said something about a candy store? In Spanish so your daughters didn't hear," Castle finished.

Pointing to the next building over Skye said, "It's there and we usually allow them to get something to save to take home. Up to you two if you want to join us."

"We can, we just have to keep an eye on our girls," Beckett said before they turned to go after their families.

"Alexis too," Castle said.

"Yeah," Beckett said wryly. "You tell her that."

"You think I'd go crazy Dad?" the young woman said, having been walking up to them. "I'd be more concerned with Julia."

"Hey!" the little girl said in mock annoyance as she turned to them from the stagecoach she was taking pictures of. "Why though?"

"There's a candy store next door," Castle said. When the two girls looked suddenly eager he told them quickly, "We'll get a little candy and then save it like Marie and Kathleen will do."

"We do that," Marie said when Julia and Eliza looked at her and her sister. "But we get to have one little thing."

"Like a sample," Kathleen said before she giggled.

"Okay but after this building," Castle said to remind them there was a little museum in the building; which was why there was a Wells Fargo stagecoach in front of them.

From there the group headed to the candy store, the four youngest leading the way and trying to keep Eliza from running ahead on the dirt. When they went in Castle and Beckett were startled to find the store was small and they quickly got their daughters to help them get some candy while Skye and Mary were helping their twins.

"Can't help get a few things myself," Skye said as she stood behind Castle who was paying for four bags of candy since she was carrying the same number of bags herself. "Who didn't get anything?"

"Kate's sharing with Eliza," Castle replied before he stepped out of her way and went outside to wait for her. "That was nice; it felt like an old west candy store. Though I don't know if they had those…"

"Just in the general store?" Beckett said. When her husband nodded while looking in his bag she saw that Julia and Alexis were doing the same as Eliza watched them. "Do they really only pick one thing?" she asked Skye and Mary as they came out, all holding their bags.

"They do because we confiscate them as soon as they get the candy out," Mary said. "Go ahead and pick something," she urged the twins.

Once everyone had a candy and the bags were hidden away Skye led them to the path in between the candy store and museum saying, "This is the first schoolhouse that was in this county, it's from 1865."

"How long ago was that?" Julia asked interestedly.

"A hundred and fifty three years," Castle told her.

"That's an old school," Julia said, Eliza nodding in agreement next to her.

"Wait 'till you see inside, then you can see it's old," Kathleen said, pointing out the long and thin red building ahead of them.

Inside the classroom, Eliza slipped her hand from her father's, running down one of the two aisles between the old fashioned desks to the front where she climbed onto the seat of the middle one. "Time for school," she said seriously when her mother knelt next to her. She giggled shyly as Beckett took a picture of her and then said, "A big desk Mommy."

"For you it is," Castle said, coming up with Julia. He watched her go onto the desk across the one her sister was in and asked, "What do you think?" as she was looking around.

"I feel like Laura," Julia replied. "From the Little House books."

"Understandable," Castle said with a nod. "Think I should try and sit down?"

"I think you'd get stuck Dad," Alexis said, sitting behind her sister though she didn't put her feet underneath the desk.

"I think so too," Beckett said. She smiled when her husband looked at her and she then pulled on his arm, bringing him over to her.

"Everyone smile," Castle said as he then saw she was preparing a shot of their daughters at the three desks. "Wait," he said after she'd finished, remembering something and getting his phone out of his pocket. He took a photo and sent it to his mother and father in law before asking, "Should I send it to everyone?"

"Except us," Skye said from where she and her wife were watching their daughters in some of the desks in the back.

"Right," Castle said before he quickly sent it to their friends.

At the back where there were some books on a table Mary asked Julia and Eliza when they were close, "Did you enjoy that?"

"Yeah," the toddler said, nodding her head firmly.

"I wish our school desks were like that, they'd be fun," Julia added.

"Me too," Marie said, Kathleen and Eliza nodding in agreement.

"You two want a book?" Castle asked as they then turned their attention to what was on the table.

"This one," Beckett suggested, holing up one that was a children's book about school in the old west.

"What would you like Julia?" Castle asked.

"Can I get this one?" the little girl asked, pointing to a coloring book of the missions in California.

"They had to make a model of one of those," Skye said after she purchased a book for her daughters.

"Which ones?" Beckett asked.

"One of Santa Barbara," Marie said. "We went to that one."

"And I made one of Mission San Diego," Kathleen said. "It's close here and we went to it too."

"Up there on the hill?" Castle asked.

"That's the site of the old fort," Skye answered. "Though the mission had originally been up there too before they moved it inland."

"Are we ready?" Beckett asked as Eliza was looking at her book.

"Sweetheart," Castle said gently taking it back from her. "Eliza," he said gently when she started to protest but with a slightly stern undertone.

"I wanna read," Eliza said, frowning.

"Later, we have a lot more to see remember?" Castle said.

"And we're gonna see the donkeys too right?" Julia asked, hoping that would distract her sister as they left the schoolhouse.

"We will," Beckett assured them. When they were back to the candy store they headed east and passed a candle store and one with pots and different outdoor décor before they came to a building that looked like a general store. "More candy?" she asked Skye as she saw a barrel just outside the entrance with soda and water on the top.

"No, better than that," the woman replied.

"Oh, books," Alexis said before she laughed with the others and they headed inside after the twins who pulled Eliza and Julia with them.

"She's right," Mary finally said. "But there's more than that. Coloring books, reading books, haunting books," she ended on, looking at Castle.

"Real haunting or fiction?" he asked as soon as she said that.

"Real, I'll show you," Skye said, "Sorry," she told Beckett.

"I'll steer the girls to the coloring books," she replied, glancing at her husband as she passed him.

"So she's not miffed at this?" Skye asked as they then went over to a shelf with books on ghost stories at different locations in the country.

"I love your vocabulary," Castle said in slight amusement. "And she might be, hard to read her sometimes when she doesn't want you to know what she's thinking."

"Okay, well these books are good but if you're a first timer here in San Diego I'd recommend this one," Skye told him, pulling out a book that was blue. "The author sometimes ran ghost tours but he looks at it with a slightly skeptical eye still which is good."

Nodding Castle looked over the titles and then said, "I think this'll be good for now. And who knows we might get ideas for places to go." He'd been paging through the book and said that after seeing there were black and white pictures of different locations. That tucked under his arm he went around a set of shelves and saw that Beckett was with their daughters, looking through what were coloring books and regular books. "Did you tell them they could pick one out?" he asked his wife.

"I did and apparently there are a lot of them," Beckett replied. She then reached for the book under his arm and said, "Really?"

"Let him get a book Mommy," Julia said as she glanced over at them and saw the title of the book, knowing immediately what it was about.

"I will," Beckett replied, looking at Eliza to see how she was reacting. When she saw that the toddler was looking at a coloring book of horses she smiled and said, "I think I know which one she wants."

"This Mommy," Eliza said, not having been paying attention and handing over the book to her.

"You don't want one too?" Castle asked Julia as the little girl turned to go to the shelves around the corner from them.

"I do but I want to keep looking," Julia said. "Hi Alexis are you going to get one too?"

"I don't think so," the young woman answered. "I just like looking at what they're of."

Seeing the ones in front of them, Julia read the titles but didn't find any that appealed to her. So she followed her sister; the rest of their family trailing behind them; and when she saw the ones on the shelves there she said, "I found them!"

"Really?" Beckett asked, seeing that half were coloring books of fashions of the past and also flowers.

"I have my allowance still," Julia said. "So I'll buy this one myself," she told her parents as she picked up a book of Civil War era fashions and one about the language of flowers.

"Which one?" Castle asked her, not surprised she held onto the one about flowers.

"I can't wait to color these," Julia said as they made their way over to the register and looked at everything else there was for sale.

"I hope you'll have enough colored pencils to last," Beckett said jokingly as Castle took everything to pay.

"I will," Julia said, taking Eliza's hands to keep her from grabbing a bag of taffy near where they were waiting.

"Come here sweetie," Beckett said, taking the toddler. "Why don't we go ahead to the next store and wait for your daddy?"

"I'll see you over there," Castle called to them since he wasn't too far away to hear them. He then handed Alexis the coloring books Julia had chosen so she could look at them before he turned his attention back to he others.

Since Skye and Mary were still in the store looking around Beckett knew her husband would let them know where they'd gone to so she led her daughters outside. The next store was in a small building and seeing the name Gum Saan she said, "I think this place will have things from Asia."

"It does, look at the incense," Julia said, pointing to the small boxes of it on a basket. "Are you going to get some?"

"I have to wait for your daddy," Beckett said simply, holding on to Eliza as they walked inside the store.

Julia looked around at everything she could see but at the same time kept an eye out for her father. When she saw Alexis walk in, Castle following her, she rushed over to him and said, "Look at all the incense they have Daddy."

Handing Eliza to Alexis; as the toddler had started to wriggle in her arms after seeing her older sister; Beckett went to Castle and Julia and told him, "She asked if I would get some."

"And Mommy said she would wait for you," Julia told him. "I'll go with Alexis and you can look together."

"She's certainly determined to control things sometimes," Skye said.

"That's from her mom," Castle said. He glanced at Beckett out of the corner of his eye and when he saw the look she was giving him said in protest, "Well it is."

"We'll leave you two alone," Mary said, though there was a hint of laughter in her tone as they passed them.

"Do we really need any?" Castle asked his wife, studying her to make sure she wasn't annoyed with him.

"There are some scents I'm seeing that interest me," Beckett told him. She looked down at the boxes and said, "We should really remember to use it more." She wasn't surprised when Castle nodded in agreement to that since they tended to use the incense before, during and after they were intimate. Though a lot of the time they'd end up forgetting to use it until after she could recall the times when her sense of smell being affected helped make things far more erotic. At the laugh of one of the McDouglas twins she shook herself rapidly of her thoughts and said, "Pick out what you like and I'll get my own."

Castle glanced at her; he knew what she was thinking as the same thoughts were running through his own mind; but didn't say anything and instead turned his attention to the incense. After he'd gotten a couple of boxes he let his wife take them, going over to where Julia was outside with Alexis and Eliza. "You guys didn't see anything?" he asked them.

"Not really but it's pretty stuff," Julia said first.

"Eliza wanted to go to you Dad but I told her to wait," Alexis said as she then handed him the toddler.

"How're you doing sweetheart?" Castle asked her as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Rubbing her back he said, "If you-"

"She's asleep already Daddy," Julia whispered.

Glancing down Castle could see that the little girl was right and he waited for Beckett to come out, pointing to their youngest so she would see.

"Well…" Beckett said, thinking for a moment. "Can you two go with Skye and Mary around the rest of the stores here?" she asked Julia and Alexis, motioning to the shops behind them and in front of them.

"You should go to that one though Daddy," Julia said, pointing to a small, white building across from them.

"We'll do that later," Beckett said. "Maybe after the Casa de Estudillo."

"I was wondering if this would happen," Skye said, coming over and seeing Eliza. "How long to do you need?"

After agreeing on taking a half hour Castle and Beckett went to a shady group of benches where they sat with their daughter who was still asleep on his lap. At first they were quiet, watching as Alexis took Julia across to the large white building across from them, waving to her as they went. But eventually Beckett spoke, reaching down and running her fingers over Eliza's temple after she pressed a kiss to it.

"You don't mind?" she asked him.

"I did the same thing for Alexis," Castle replied easily. "Granted that was usually at home but still it isn't a problem."

Beckett nodded and leaning against him a little said, "I'm wondering how she'll be tomorrow."

"She'll likely do the same thing," Castle replied, wrapping his free arm around his wife's waist. "But don't worry, I won't mind tomorrow either."

"Even though we're going to be at a world famous zoo?" Beckett asked in amusement.

"I've always wanted to go there," Castle said. "Watching Carson and that woman that was from there. But never had the chance so I'm a little jealous of Alexis that she did." He was quiet for a moment and said, "Have I ever told you I love that you are as into animals as I am."

"No but it's nice to hear," Beckett said with a smile as she stroked the back of Eliza's head gently.

"What about reptiles?" Castle then said.

"What, you think I'm scared of them?" Beckett replied.

"They have a reptile house there, if you remember Alexis' description of the place," Castle said.

"It won't be an issue," Beckett said, trying not to laugh. "You want me to cling to your arm through the place, making sure you protect me from the snakes behind the glass?"

"Well if Harry Potter was around to make said glass disappear… then yes," Castle said. He then laughed as she did before she made him stop and then looked down at their daughter. "She's had an exciting few days."

"I know it's going to be fun to see her in Europe," Beckett answered. She looked up then to see that Julia and Alexis were jogging over to them and asked, "Something you want to get?"

"No she got some postcards already," Alexis said.

"And this for Mari," Julia replied, showing the shirt she'd picked out for her friend. "She likes her I love San Francisco one."

"I guess you're starting up a collection of those," Castle said, gesturing with his head over to the bag his daughter held.

"I got one for Julia, it's a little big but I wanted her to be able to wear it for a while," Alexis said. She then glanced down and said with a smile, "Morning Lizzy."

"Hey she's up," Castle said as the toddler sat up, rubbing her eyes. "How was your nap Eliza?"

"Good," the toddler replied with a yawn. "Do I go now?"

"Do you guys want to head to the store here?" Skye asked as they were approaching them.

"That would be nice," Castle said before he handed Eliza to Alexis at her insistence. When the others were ahead of them he turned to Beckett and before she could say a word he was kissing her as hard as he could, feeling her reaching up to grab the front of his shirt so he knew that she'd been expecting that. He kept things up as long as he could until needing to breathe, and he carefully broke off their kiss. "Sorry, I would have done that when we were sitting but things didn't work out," he said as he took her hand.

"That's alright," Beckett said in slight amusement as they followed the others to the mineralogy store.

Julia walked through the room, looking at the merchandise before she saw a smaller room with gemstones inside locked display cases. She was studying a box with some pearls in it before she heard someone coming up behind her and looking up at her dad said, "I don't think you need to get Mommy something from here."

"And what made you think I was going to?" Castle asked, smiling at her as he put his hand on her shoulder.

Shrugging Julia said, "You gave her jewelry before."

"True but your mom doesn't like having too much of that," Castle replied. "Books however…"

Julia giggled at that before he took her hand and she asked, "Where are we going?"

"I bought a pan for you and your sisters to try to get some rocks, like miners used to do for gold," Castle told her.

"Really?" Julia asked excitedly. When he nodded in response she hurried with him outside where there was a tub of water and the rest of their family was there.

"Skye and Mary took their daughters to get something to drink," Alexis told them. "So we'll meet them at the stables."

At that moment two employees came over with three pans, and after showing the girls how to take some of the sand on the bottom of the tub and swirl it and the water until they could star revealing the stones. With Castle and Beckett helping their daughters, they soon each had a handful of polished stones and even some pyrite. With their finds in cloth bags, they headed to the stables to meet the McDouglases and continue their exploration of the park.