Genre: Romance, Family, Humor, Supernatural
Rating: M for sexual situations and language
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: Loved getting feedback for the last chapter so I'll get to my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (Great to see you like the story so far. And I'm so happy you thought the flashbacks were very well written in the chapter!) and
Mb (I was glad to see you were happy that they made it to San Francisco since their first stop leaving the airport was to go to the spot on the beach where the club had been. And yeah, I figured that if they went to where they recalled those memories would be more real, so glad you caught that! And I'm not surprised you mentioned them still thinking mainly about their kids and the rest of the family with them getting gifts and going back together with them. I also wasn't surprised you were laughing at the Skype call they had and the one with Eliza after, I wanted it to be a bit different so I'm really happy you enjoyed it! It made me laugh at you saying you were impressed with Castle and Beckett's restraint, but you're right since I intended for it to be tension fueled since they wanted to be together after abstaining before their trip. I'm so happy that you thought the flashback about them at the club after prohibition was repealed was nice, I love history and one of my favorite shows showed what people did after that too and it seemed I should include a party too. Great you thought the first half of the introduction into Castle and Beckett finding places from their past life! And you're welcome for sharing the first half too! I wasn't surprised that you thought it was sensual and hot with Castle and Beckett being intimate again, and I was really happy you described it as that too! I agree with you, that though they torture themselves with abstinence they're loving, sensual and explosive which I'm also really happy you think they are too! And I was glad you loved the flashback and thought it was loving and hot too. Another thing I agree with you on, Castle and Beckett can't be any other way really. So nice that you're looking forward to them going to Mill Valley and what memories they'll have there that they'll relive and cherish too! You're welcome for sharing the second half too!).
Thanks so much for the reviews, I enjoyed reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them my way!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Mill Valley by Rita Abrams, from her album Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point Fourth Grade Class.
Seem Like Make-Believe
"Do you want me to put the roof up?" Castle asked his wife.
"No, there's a reason why I put my hair into a ponytail," Beckett replied, smiling at him. She looked ahead of them at the toll gate for the Golden Gate Bridge and since they were leaving the city her husband merely slowed down a bit before they were going through. She couldn't help feeling a thrill of excitement as she could soon see the Marin Headlands through the vibrant orange towers of the bridge and she said to her husband, "Still feel like you're dreaming?"
"Oh stop," Castle said jokingly as he had repeated that to her when they'd been leaving their room. He then smiled before he said, "No, since I'm driving I need to not be."
"Good to know," Beckett said before she was looking up at the towers they were passing underneath. She felt a thrill of remembrance and she smiled before reaching to her husband's right hand, taking it with hers until they were off the bridge and the GPS was telling them where to go next.
When they had gotten off the freeway, Castle had to pay close attention to the directions but realizing they were driving through Sausalito at first made him speak. "What about May?" he asked her.
"I got in touch with her but she's in New Mexico," Beckett replied with a smile. After they'd gotten onto Miller Avenue she continued and told him, "For filming but Luke's supposed to join her this weekend; their kids will be with his parents in San Jose."
"Okay," Castle said shortly before they were driving past a school.
"Tamalpais High School," Beckett said after she'd seen the name of it. "Our girls went here."
"They did," Castle said slowly. "An old school… we saw it after your dad bought the house here, but it was new then."
Beckett nodded and looked around, recognizing a few buildings here and there before they came to the one they needed to turn onto to bring them closer to West Oaks. She couldn't help herself and grabbed her husband's arm harder than she meant to, but he didn't say a word as he shortly after came to the street and he was turning them. "Rick," she breathed as she spotted the front yard of the home before she was even aware if it was the right address since the house was tucked back.
Castle, having an idea of what his wife was thinking, didn't say anything until he had parked against the curb in front of the Craftsman house, the for sale sign prominent in the large front yard. "Kate don't say it," he begged her once the roof was rising above them. "Please don't say there might be a chance this isn't our house."
Taking his hand Beckett said, "I wasn't going to, I was going to tease you that it's probably why you picked the house back home in the Hamptons. But I realized that was stupid; it is why you picked out our home in the Hamptons."
Unable to help smiling at that, Castle brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it lovingly before he said, "It is, though the shingles aren't the right color… the trim is."
Beckett smiled and asked, "You don't know if you should be disturbed or not?"
"Sort of, I'll settle for pleasantly surprised; since we both picked that color of course," Castle said, the trim of the lighter wood shingled home the same blue shade he and Beckett had chosen. "Let's go," he told her.
"Go where?" she asked in surprise.
"To see our house," Castle replied.
"Rick it's a Thursday," Beckett said though she was hurrying out of the car after him. "Whoever's trying to sell it might not be here."
"They will be," Castle said firmly, nodding to the gate that was open on the side of the garage. They went to the gate of the fence around the front; closing in the long yard up to the home; and he opened it for her before following on the path up to the front door. As in their memories there was a closed in porch with chairs and table before his wife was ringing the doorbell. "What are we saying?" he asked her quickly.
"If someone's here," Beckett began, pausing for a moment as she could dimly hear movement inside. "I'm not sure," she said doubtfully for a moment.
"Hello," Castle said, as a woman in her early thirties opened the door.
"Hi, are you here to see the house?" the woman asked before she looked troubled.
"Is this is a bad time?" Beckett said.
"No… I'm sorry I know who you two are," the woman replied, shaking her head. "I feel kind of strange seeing you here on my porch… two writers and I know you live in New York… sorry… I'm babbling."
"Would you mind if we stepped inside?" Castle asked her then.
"Oh no, please, come in," the woman said. While she was closing the front door; after the two had walked inside; she said, "I should have introduced myself, my name is Naomi Dorsey…" She trailed off as she realized the two were standing in place and staring at the living room which made her quickly say, "There's no family room… or entry way really but the rest of the downstairs is spacious." When the two still didn't respond she said, "Look-"
The woman's obvious uncomfortable tone shook Beckett first and she turned to her saying, "I'm sorry, there's a reason why we're here and it wasn't really because the house is for sale."
Taking up the conversation quickly; since he knew his wife would have a hard time explain fully; Castle said, "You should know that we came here because we lived in this house." He shared a look with his wife and then said, "In our past life."
"Oh…" Naomi said, frowning.
"He's right, we did," Beckett told her.
"We're not sure our names, but we can tell you details," Castle said. "I was a police officer, but I left after Kate and I got together. We had four kids, our oldest was adopted. I became a writer then… which I know sounds like I'm making it up but I wrote for the papers in San Francisco about my time in the Army in WWI and then moved to writing a radio series about solving crimes and I moved to a TV show when that started to become popular."
"You're forgetting the club," Beckett told her husband, feeling uncomfortable as she was trying to read the woman's expression and couldn't place what she was thinking at that moment.
"Oh right, well, I should explain myself in your family back then," Castle told his wife. When she rapidly nodded, he then said, "They took me in after the earthquake in '06 and her father had a club on Ocean Beach that eventually went to his son; her brother we called Junior and then to us. She also had a twin sister I'm certain had some form of a name with Rose in it; or that itself. Both her siblings were gay, and her sister had a lavender marriage with the sweetheart of their brother, her sweetheart was going to marry Junior but…" He paused for a moment and then said, "He was murdered, it was while I was investigating that we got together. But… sorry I'm forgetting the club itself. It isn't there anymore but it was on Ocean Beach, across from the end of Golden Gate Park and close to Cliff House. It was called-"
"The Blue Bay Club," Naomi said, letting her smile spread across her lips.
"You've heard of it?" Beckett asked her.
"Oh yes, I know you're telling the truth," Naomi said. "This was your home."
For a moment Castle felt elation at being believed but he then felt confusion and he asked, "How do you know that?"
"Because I know a little of your story," Naomi replied, still smiling. "Why don't I follow you around."
Though she wanted to say the houseowner should be doing that, Beckett nodded as her husband was and they were walking together to the dining room. "We ate meals here mostly," she couldn't help saying. "Though we had the table in the kitchen. We were more comfortable with the space."
"You said you had four kids?" Naomi asked, smiling as she could see the joy on the writers' faces as they walked around the long room.
"We did, plus her sister…" Castle started to say. "I forgot to mention that her sister and her sweetheart got married; not legally but they were to all of us. Anyways, they ended up adopting five kids."
"Was she Skye McDouglas?" Naomi asked. She couldn't help laughing softly as the two looked startled and she explained, "I saw her and her wife on Dancing With the Stars. Who was the husband?"
"A friend of mine," Beckett said. "And my brother was his husband in this life."
"Wow…" Naomi said. "I hate to tell you this but-"
"The kitchen is different from what we knew?" Castle asked as they were walking over to the doorway to it.
"We expected that," Beckett said when the homeowner was nodding her head. When they stepped inside the room, she was startled at how big it was; though she knew from her memories already. She felt her husband taking her hand and looking at him said, "It's weird seeing it in person."
"It is," Castle said in agreement. "But it looks like the layout is the same," he commented as there were modern appliances and the colors were the same.
"It's a great kitchen," Naomi said.
"This way is the room where my mother slept," Beckett said, spotting the hallway that was off the exact middle of the kitchen. She glanced over at the door at the end of the room and asked, "The lean-to is still here?"
"The realtor who showed it to me called it the mudroom," Naomi replied. "But yeah, it could be that too."
"We can leave the backyard and guesthouse for last," Castle said before they were walking to the hall. He looked at the bedroom, seeing the room had been expanded at one point to include the bathroom; making it an en suite.
"The upstairs bedrooms are the same," Naomi replied. "I think it was intended to be a B&B, but the location isn't the best really."
"Now we can head upstairs," Castle said as they walked back to the living room and entry before he paused. "They took out the closet," he told his wife as he opened the door where it had been to find it was a bathroom.
"It's back there," Naomi told them, pointing out another door that was directly across the room from the front door. She had to smile at the way the two were merely glancing at it before they were heading up the stairs. As they walked into the four bedrooms, she found their reactions and obvious joy in seeing those rooms again; though they had been changed; enjoyable to witness before they went to the flight of stairs that was at the end of the hall. "Let me," she told them.
Once the homeowner had gone up and opened the door, Beckett went up first at her husband's insistence before she stepped inside and froze. The first thing she had noticed was the bed, the frame of it the exact same one she and Castle had had when they'd lived there in their past life. "Rick," she said, turning to him.
"I see," Castle said as he'd come up behind her and saw what she had.
"Yeah, that bed frame isn't my type," Naomi said. "But I never felt compelled to buy a new one. A lot about this house is the same I think; from when you lived here."
That got to Beckett then, but she went with her husband to the bathroom, seeing the tub there was new but it was in the same place as their old claw-foot one they'd had. She then turned to the woman and asked, "How did you know we were telling the truth?"
"Because I lived here for a month before I found the compartment in the closet," Naomi replied as she led the two back into the bedroom. "And I found the room."
"Room?" Castle asked. He breathed out and said, "It was from when your father had the attic made into this bedroom; leftover space of the attic and he just left it," looking at his wife as he spoke.
"We used it as storage," Beckett said slowly before they were looking at the homeowner as she walked to them.
"This is just one of… a lot of boxes that are in the space over there and the garage," Naomi said. "And everything is yours, Richard and Katherine."
"Wait," Beckett said, taking the envelope that she had gotten from the box she'd brought out and set on the mattress. "Rick…" she said in disbelief.
"No, those were our names love," Castle said, shaking his head as the name Katherine O'Shea was written in what he knew was his handwriting in the middle. Seeing that in the top left corner he'd written Richard O'Shea, he felt something almost click within him and he said, "Your maiden name was McDevitt."
Nodding Beckett then said, "You've read these?"
"Just what's in this box, it's nothing really personal. That letter you're holding was written while you were in LA, for a film to promote joining the Army during WWII," Naomi told them quickly.
Beckett looked at her husband, suddenly eager to read what he'd written but she knew they needed to make sure they weren't insulting the woman who'd let them into her home and was about to speak when Naomi was doing so herself.
"Go ahead, from everything you've told me these are your items," the woman replied.
"Have you read everything?" Castle asked.
"I did," Naomi replied. She smiled and then told them, "I've lived here for a year and during the winter I had a lot of time. I didn't know I would be meeting you."
"We don't mind," Beckett said. "I'm not sure we would have had the right to mind to be honest. Since of course this is your house."
"I'm hoping it won't be any more soon," Naomi said.
"Would you mind if we looked at these?" Castle asked. He realized what he was asking and then said, "Downstairs in the bedroom there."
Smiling Naomi told them, "Don't worry, you can read in here. I don't live here anymore. Take as much time as you'd like."
"Thank you," Beckett said, watching her go. Once the door was closed, she started to turn her husband and was startled when he was sliding into her, taking her hands tightly. "Rick, what are you-" she started to say.
"I want us to buy this house," Castle told her seriously.
Beckett started opening her mouth before she paused and took a moment before she said, "I had a feeling you would." She hesitated and then told him, "But would the price be a dent at all?"
"I don't know how much she's asking," Castle said honestly. "But I think she'd be fair. She did say she isn't living here," he added.
"True," Beckett said before she bit her lower lip. "I would want to have this home. To stay here… Memorial Day weekends… random weekends. We'd have our home back."
Seeing the tears welling in her eyes Castle felt his own starting to tear up and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He ran his hand gently over the back of her hair and said, "Imagine what the girls will say when we tell them," smiling as he could feel her shaking and her laughter a second later.
"If she sells the house to us," Beckett said as they were letting go of one another. "But… would you want to rent it at all?"
"No," Castle said. "Lend it to any friends that want to stay here," he then explained. "For free; it's, I mean it'll be our home."
Beckett nodded and murmured, "Let's tell her and if she'll let us, I want to take a box of things back to the hotel." She wasn't surprised when her husband nodded and they got up, going together to the door and down the flight of stairs before they made their way to the first floor.
"Naomi?" Castle said when his wife gently squeezed his back.
"You're finished?" the woman asked in surprise.
"No, we'd like to ask about buying the house," Castle replied.
"Really?" Naomi said as she stood up hurriedly.
"Yes, though we're not sure how much you're selling it for," Beckett said, sharing a look with her husband.
"My realtor hasn't had a chance to bring new flyers," Naomi said, grabbing one from the table next to the front door. "I had to cut the price a second time, no one's wanted to buy it," she told them. She then smiled and said, "I think I know why."
"We can pay this," Castle said after showing the paper to his wife. "Also add twenty-five thousand."
"Deal," Naomi said, reaching out and shaking first his hand and then Beckett's. She then said, "Of course I'll have to contact my realtor but… as far as I'm concerned you have your home back."
"Thank you," Beckett said, though she was sounding confused as they were watching the woman was heading to the table again.
"My keys; I've kept them separate since I don't need them on the ring anymore," Naomi said. She handed them to Castle and said, "The furniture you see here is yours; my husband and I already have our new house mostly set."
"Did you move into the city?" Castle asked her. "If you don't mind us asking."
"I don't and we did," Naomi said. "We're really excited to sell this house since it means we can settle into our house. It's on Alamo Square; not one of the Painted Ladies though. It's on Hayes," she said, adding the last at the end quickly.
Beckett felt herself freezing before she stared a look with her husband and she tried to speak though she found that she couldn't, nodding to him as he gently squeezed her hand.
"Is it 11041?" Castle asked.
"Yeah… where'd you get that number?" Naomi asked. Something seemed to come to her, and she said, "You lived there."
"Did you come across it in the box?" Castle asked her.
"I just saw Alamo Square in some letters there were on the bottom of that box," Naomi replied. "I guess the envelopes got lost." She then paused and said, "If you'd like to see the home we'd be happy to give you a tour."
"Are you sure?" Castle said slowly.
"My husband would be really happy to let you," Naomi said. She then smiled and said, "His name is Nico and he's a fan of your books as well."
"We were going to go to the house tomorrow to look at the outside of it," Beckett told her.
"Now you can see the inside," Naomi said. "Though… you already know what it looks like don't you?"
"We do," Beckett said before her husband could. She smiled at him for a moment and said, "We can describe it for you."
"Tomorrow before you come into the house," Naomi said. She went on her phone briefly and then told them, "Come for lunch, Nico said he'd love to have you two over."
"A quick question," Castle said. "Did you tell him it was us or just some friends."
"I'll tell him who you are later tonight when I go back home," Naomi said. "Now let me take you to the garage."
"The garage?" Beckett asked. "I'm sure it's in good shape," she said as she looked at her husband and couldn't help the confused expression on her face.
"It's not that," Naomi said. "I have no idea why it was in the papers when I bought the house but now that you're here you can explain it. And take ownership."
"Of the garage?" Castle asked, still perplexed as his wife had been. When the woman just led them through the house, he and Beckett shared another look before they were going into the lean-to.
Pausing with her husband Beckett looked around the room, taking in the built-in bench as she knew it was from when they'd lived there. She tried not to think of them making love there a few times as they were going down the steps to the backyard.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot you haven't seen the back yet," Naomi told them.
"Are you sure you don't want to try and get more out of us?" Castle asked her.
"No, I realize the guesthouse is a good size, but the backyard does need a little work," Naomi replied. "I'm not much of a gardener."
"The front doesn't look too bad," Beckett told her.
"No but… it needs upkeep," Naomi replied. "And replanting, some of the flowers are going already. Luckily the palm trees are in good shape."
"Yeah, those are amazing," Castle said as the Cabbage Palm trees lined the edges of the lot's borders north and south in the front yard.
"They were here when I moved in," Naomi said.
"We planted them love," Beckett told her husband in amusement as they made their way to the guest house first.
"What?" Castle asked as he noticed Naomi was smiling at them.
"Sorry," the woman replied. "You two wrote that to each other in your letters." Naomi then looked serious and she was about to apologize when the two were speaking at the exact same time.
"You don't need to worry," Castle and Beckett told her. They glanced at one another as the woman was laughing and the latter asked as they were walking into the guesthouse. "Before we go into your home, what do you and your husband do?"
"You'd want to know about us?" Naomi replied.
"That would be nice," Castle said. "Since you're allowing us to see your house… and allowed us into this one even though it's for sale."
"Well, my husband and I are both thirty-four, our birthday is the same day which for some reason my dad said meant we shouldn't get together," Naomi said.
"That makes no sense," Castle said, stepping out into the bedroom of the guesthouse once he'd looked at the bathroom.
"I told him the same, but I get the feeling he was just joking," Naomi said with a shrug.
"Do you have siblings?" Beckett asked her. When the woman shook her head she smiled and said, "Then he's joking but he didn't really want you to get married."
"Your dad?" Naomi asked.
"Sort of, he never said anything like that, but I knew he was going to miss me being his little girl," Beckett said.
Seeing the two women smiling at each other in understanding Castle looked out the window at the western end of the house before his wife was calling to him. "Sorry, what were you saying?" he said as he walked over to them.
"That my husband and I are both doctors in the city. I'm a pediatrician and my husband specializes in physical therapy for athletes," Naomi replied.
"Anyone famous?" Castle asked.
Shaking her head Naomi said with a smile, "He doesn't really tell me. Let me show you the garage now."
"How long have you been married?" Beckett asked as they walked down a path from the guesthouse to the garage across the yard.
"A year and two weeks," Naomi said. She was blushing as they both congratulated her and then said, "I should have just said a year."
"It's hard not to be specific when you're so recently married," Beckett said. "And a good thing you are," she added, smiling at her husband.
"She's right, it means you do want to continue," Castle said as they were reaching the detached garage. It was covered in the same shingles as the house and the trim was the same blue color as well. He then looked at the doctor and said, "What's in here that's so important?"
"Go ahead and open it," Naomi replied.
Beckett shared a look with her husband before they were stepping up to the door as she pressed the button on the opener the doctor had handed to her. When the door was fully raised, she breathed out and said, "It can't be."
"I think it is," Castle said. "Help me with the cover," he told her before they were going inside and then removing the car cover. When they had it on the ground, he wasn't surprised when his wife was gasping, and he looked at her before turning to Naomi. "Do you know if it works?" he asked.
"I was told that it did," the doctor replied. "But never started it, I didn't really think I should. Plus, I'd be terrified to drive it and break it or crash it." Naomi studied the two as they were walking around the car and said, "This is special," hesitantly as she didn't want to annoy them.
"I guess you didn't have information in the box you had," Beckett said absently. She realized what she'd said and then told the woman, "We drove in this together while he was investigating my brother's murder and the night we got together too." She wasn't surprised when the woman merely smiled, and she turned her attention back to the car. "When would you want to try it out?" she asked her husband as she went to the engine where he was standing.
"Later," Castle replied in Irish. "On our own."
Beckett smiled and nodded before they were turning back to the doctor to wrap things up so they could get lunch. She couldn't help feeling pleased when the woman said she would be heading back to the city at that point and once they had agreed to get papers signed as soon as they could while she and Castle were still there they walked her to her car, parked on the street.
"Oh," Naomi said after she was in her car and had started it after they'd talked for a little longer. "There are pictures in the box; you should check them out. Luckily you wrote on the back Kate. I'll see you tomorrow and thank you so much!"
"Thanks, we'll see you," Beckett said. She looked at her husband and said, "Lunch?
"Yeah," Castle said before they were heading to the house to lock everything up. They were walking down the front yard to the sidewalk and once through the gate they both paused to turn back and study the house.
"Three homes Rick," Beckett said.
"You want to back out now?" Castle asked her with a smile.
"No but I wasn't expecting that being married to you," Beckett said.
"Neither was I," Castle said. "But I'm glad we're really going to do this," he said, taking his wife's hand and entwining their fingers. At that point they started to walk, going north to Blithdale and they heading to the west. They'd asked Naomi about where they could get something to eat and she had told them about a pizza place. They'd decided to eat at the house, call their daughters and then take stock of what they'd left in their past life and what needed to be done to bring the house to their liking before going to the Buckeye Roadhouse for their dinner, returning to the city after that.
When they'd reached the pizzeria, they ordered their food and went down the street a little more until they'd reached the gelato shop Naomi had recommended to them. They got two cups and then went back to pick up their pizzas before they returned to the house, going through the lean-to and leaving their shoes.
"This is incredible," Castle told his wife.
"I know," Beckett replied, as they'd done that a lot living there. "And I have to say this room does need some paint."
"They all do, don't they?" Castle asked.
"Yes, and we need a good backsplash tile," Beckett replied, looking around the kitchen which was painted a cream color. "It's funny she didn't do anything."
"She did explain she was debating whether or not to stay here," Castle said.
"True," Beckett said, as the doctor had said she and her husband had tried living in the suburb though the commute had decided them moving into San Francisco for good. She opened the cabinets then, looking to see what there was; as Naomi had told them she and her husband had left what had been there from the owners before them. "Here are some plates… they're not that bad. I guess Naomi and Nico have a different kind of taste," she told her husband as she set the plates down. "And glasses… utensils, luckily we have enough to eat here."
"And we have a fridge and freezer for the food," Castle commented as he was setting the gelato in the latter. "Okay, I'm ready to eat."
Beckett smiled before she and her husband were getting pizza slices on their plates and their water before they went to the dining room. As they started to eat, they looked down the long table before they were breathing out heavily at the same time. "I hope we get used to this," she said as she and her husband were sharing a look with each other.
"I know, we'll need to watch the girls when they come," Castle replied. He took another bite of pizza and asked her, "When should we do that?"
Looking at her husband in surprise Beckett asked, "What do you mean? I thought we were going to come back on Memorial Day."
"You wouldn't want to bring them sooner?" Castle asked her.
"No, I would," Beckett said. "When?"
"Next weekend," Castle told his wife hurriedly.
"Okay," Beckett replied. When her husband appeared startled, she said, "Really, I think that would work out best so Julia could focus on her finals after that."
"With Memorial Day weekend being a break," Castle asked her.
"Sure," Beckett said before they were laughing together and then returned to their food. When they'd finished, she let her husband take their plates before they went into the kitchen. "Inventory?" she asked her husband with a smile.
"I think that would be best," Castle said, drying the plates and glasses that he'd washed. He dried his hands after that and then told her, "You're leading us love."
Beckett smiled and leaned over, kissing him on the lips before they were walking over to the dining room. "The table stays," she told her husband.
"Agreed, and luckily it's big enough for us all," Castle said. "Are you going to call Skye?"
"I need to," Beckett said, smiling again. She then went into the living room and straight to the old stove that they'd used and checked inside. "Think it's usable?" she asked.
"It is," Castle said, peering in as well. He was about to speak when the alarm he'd set on his phone started to go off and he said, "Time to call the girls."
Beckett nodded and they went to the front yard, having decided during lunch to call their daughters there. Once they'd stopped walking, she looked on while her husband dialed the number for her father's phone and their four daughters were soon on the screen. "Hi everyone," she said as she could see hers and Castle's parents behind the girls.
"Hey, are you guys outside?" Alexis asked.
"We are," Castle said before his wife nodded to him. "And we have a surprise for you." He turned the tablet around then, letting it pan the driveway before he finally got to the house itself and stopped there.
Beckett couldn't help jumping slightly as Julia and Eliza were both screaming suddenly, and Josie started to cry before Alexis was taking her from Julia. Once they were calmed down, she said, "I'm guessing you recognize it?"
"I do!" Eliza said. "We ran around there and everything; it was so much fun!"
"Were you able to go inside?" Martha was asking them.
"Actually, we did a little more than that," Castle said as he turned the tablet again.
When she spotted the for sale sign, Julia gasped and asked, "Did you buy the house?"
"How'd you guess?" Castle asked, glancing at his wife and seeing she was in fact trying to hide her laughter.
"I think we all know you would Dad," Alexis said with a smile.
"Can we really go inside there?" Eliza was asking.
"Yes, and live here when we're visiting San Francisco," Beckett said. "But we're going to stay out here, we're going to come back soon so we can show you."
"How soon?" Julia and Alexis were saying at the same time before they smiled at one another.
"We'll let you know, don't worry," Beckett assured them. "Now we really want to know about your days."
"Where are you walking to?" Eliza asked as she could tell they were doing so.
"To the porch so the neighborhood doesn't hear what you say," Castle said. He and Beckett sat on the chairs on the porch and he said, "Go ahead and start."
Listening to Eliza, Julia and Alexis talk to them about their days at school and work, Beckett suddenly thought of something and she murmured to her husband for a moment. When he nodded, she watched him reach to her palm and when he tapped out, I'll text her. She then turned her attention back to the tablet as their parents were telling them how things had gone with Josie. Once they had finished, she was about to ask her mother in law what she'd done; since her father had spent the most time with the baby; when she was speaking first.
"I do need to bring something up," Martha was saying. "I've looked into things and I'll be able to move in with you at the end of this summer."
"Really?" Castle asked his mother as Julia and Eliza were gasping.
"I will, if you're wondering about my classes, I may be giving them to Hilda Franklin," Martha said.
"Oh, good idea," Castle said, knowing the woman well and aware she would take his mother's method to continue to teach it.
"We can't wait for you to move in Martha," Beckett told her.
"Are you sure?" Martha asked.
Beckett couldn't help laughing softly and then said, "I'm sure."
"Then I will," Martha said before she was laughing as her middle granddaughters were hurrying around the coffee table and hugging her at the same time. "Thank you, girls," she told them before letting them go. "Jim?"
"Oh no, I'm fine with that, and one of us can go out while Katie and Richard are out," Beckett's father said. "To stay with Josie for now."
"Great," Beckett said. "Okay, so we need to let you guys go."
"Will you call tomorrow?" Martha asked.
Glancing at her husband; as she had just realized they hadn't discussed their conversation with their children the next day at the Alamo Square house; Beckett then said, "We will of course, around the same time."
"Great!" Julia said first before her sister was saying the same. They laughed together and then started to say goodbye to their parents before they hung up.
In Mill Valley, Castle and Beckett sat on the porch, looking out on the street before he was speaking first.
"We should call them inside the house tomorrow," he told his wife.
"Where would be the best place?" Beckett asked him.
"The dining room," Castle said after thinking that over. "We ate there all the time when we were there, they'll recognize it immediately."
"We do need to show them the front though," Beckett said.
"Walk across the street after we start the conversation; I don't know if you want to do it in reverse at all," Castle told her.
Smiling, Beckett took her husband's hand and gave it a brief squeeze before standing up and saying, "I'd like to. Come on, let's go upstairs and get the pictures."
Castle nodded and he followed her inside before they were going to the second floor and checking all the beds and furniture. He and his wife were satisfied with the mattresses and agreed they'd buy some sheet sets when they were back in the city and return to the house to drop them off. When they were going up to their room, he looked at his wife and said, "Blue?"
"A different blue from ours," Beckett replied, smiling at him. She then looked to the bathroom and said, "The same color in there and I think besides that it's fine."
"Good, I agree," Castle said. He laughed briefly when his wife was rolling her eyes but grew serious after a moment and he stepped over to her, kissing her gently on the lips. "The mattress?" he asked.
"Yes, it's the kind we like and a good size," Beckett said. "We just need sheets and towels like all the other rooms."
"Can we start looking at the box now?" Castle asked. At her nod he hurried to it and then dug into it before he could feel a stack of pictures. He pulled them out quickly and did his best not to see what the top one was, covering it before he and Beckett were sitting down.
Taking the stack, Beckett smiled at how her husband was looking at her before she said, "We won't look the same."
"No," Castle said. "But whatever we did look like we know how we acted." He shared a kiss with her before they were looking down at the picture, he was taking his hand off. He smiled seeing it was of them the day of their wedding and he said, "Junior took that."
"Yes," Beckett replied, smiling again herself. She had a heart shaped face in the picture, her hair darker than it was at the present time pulled back into what she knew was a bun. Her lips were a little thinner, her nose nearly aquiline and her eyes were almost the same shape. She could also tell that they had been blue though the picture was black and white, and she turned her attention to her husband in the photo.
Castle saw his eyes had been blue as well and he said, "So I think we can guess the three girls were blue-eyed as well." When his wife nodded, he hugged her closer and he looked back at himself again, his hair lighter in color making him realize abruptly that it might have been a reddish shade. He studied his nose; different in that it was the celestial shape; and lips which were close to what he currently had. His face was a little rounded and he could see the joy on his face at that moment. "We were happy," he said before he pointed out his hair.
"I noticed," Beckett said. "I hope we can find color pictures of us all."
"Me too," Castle replied. When she went to the next, he said with a smile, "Looks like I was bigger than you then too."
Beckett let out a soft laugh and said, "I could tell from the picture before. But our body shapes are a little different."
"No, you're still petite," Castle said quickly before she was going to the next picture. He wasn't surprised when she suddenly let out a sob and he held her close to him, the photo of their four daughters together in what he assumed was the late thirties. "They were beautiful love," he told his wife.
"They were," Beckett said, calming herself down. She then looked up at her husband and they kissed before they were going through the rest of the stack. She found herself nearly crying again when she saw her mother, father and siblings before they reached some colored photos.
Laughing Castle said, "Oh, Alexis is going to love this."
"I know," Beckett said, as it was a picture of them with their daughters in front of the house. She had quickly noticed her husband and Alexis had reddish-brown hair, much like Julia's had been when they had first met her in their current life. She could tell that it was in the fifties by style of the tops of the dresses she and the girls were wearing and her husband's suit. Since her twin had taken the picture close to them, she could tell that their three daughters they'd had together had blue eyes. Julia's eyes were a deep brown and she murmured, "They are beautiful."
"You're stunning," Castle said, seeing his wife's blue eyes in the photo.
"So are you," Beckett said before they were kissing deeply. When they'd parted, she saw that was all they had for photos and murmured, "Those boxes in the garage."
"Yeah, those we need to leave for now," Castle said. He kissed his wife's temple as she was nodding and he said to her, "Is there anything we need to take with us that isn't here?"
Looking over the box Beckett then checked her watch and said, "Yes, but I'd like to check some things out now."
"Sure," Castle replied, watching her reaching inside the box.
"Here," Beckett said, handing her husband a box.
Smiling Castle said, "These we exchanged during the war."
"Here's your letters to me," Beckett said, showing him another cinnabar box.
"You want to read these?" Castle asked her.
"Just a couple," Beckett said. "You're first."
Castle nodded and they looked at the letter together, seeing his handwriting before he was reading it to her.
To my friend Kate,
I write this to you from xxxxx though I know already the censors are going to take that out. I'm really happy you wrote the little note to me you did. I'd be happy to share letters with you. The boys with me won't mind; there are dozens of them that're writing to friends that are ladies like you. I think they'll say there's something to be said about having the voice of a lady in your mind when we're here in all this muck. It's been raining like cats and dogs and I could wish the war over now though
I miss being home, have you had a Lime Rickey yet? I could go for one now, can taste it through the straw with you, Rose and Junior with us at the counter. The best thing we get here are the packages that you all send from Home. Tell your ma I loved her toffee; it stays for ages and I'm trying to save it so I build up a good supply. I had KP duty (remember I told you and the family that's Kitchen Patrol) just peeling potatoes but I'll do it since Junior and I would race. Much to the chagrin of your ma it's helping me here. I suppose I should stop talking about food, but I go to bed hungry and missing your ma's good cooking. And you and Rose too, since you would help her.
I suppose I'm lonesome, I mean I do have Bradley. He's a great man and fellow doughboy but I miss all of you and I wish we hadn't had to fight. I miss home, I miss everything and I miss the bay, the blue of it is beautiful and I wish I could be there to watch everything happening. I miss you all and I'll just stop here before I get too heartsick. Write to me again Kate! Many times, mail call is the best part of the day and seeing your writing makes me feel like home has come to xxxx . Until I write again…
"I signed it Doughboy O'Shea," Castle finished with. He looked at his wife and said, "I wanted to get home to see you; I was terrified."
Beckett nodded and then shared a kiss with him before she told him, "We all were too; let me get my responding letter to you," smiling as he nodded before he was requesting something from her.
"Could I have another. Ow," Castle said when his wife pushed him aside slightly. "What?" he asked though that time his voice was slightly laughing.
"Thank you for not saying that in a British accent," Beckett told him.
"Then Skye would kill me," Castle replied. When she merely nodded, he said, "So…"
Beckett rolled her eyes; though she was smiling; and leaned into him so they could kiss one another quickly and she then asked him, "Do you want me to start reading this now?"
"That would be nice," Castle said.
Beckett nodded and read her opening to him saying, "To my friend Rick…"
"What?" Castle asked his wife as he was watching her when she trailed off.
"I'm remembering," Beckett said before she looked at him. "We called you Ricky when we were kids. I think once you and Junior turned fourteen you asked us to stop."
Nodding, after thinking that over, Castle said, "It seemed a little childish to me. Luckily your parents always called me Richard."
"It was what you preferred, they were adults," Beckett said.
"Yeah, keep going though," Castle said. He laughed for a moment when his wife pinched his arm gently before he watched her raising the paper again. He wanted to comment about it only being a page but wanted to hear what she had written more so he allowed her to continue.
It's always a happy day when we get your letters, Ma's overjoyed that you write, she gets so worried about you. So much that Junior's taken the papers in the morning to the club with him. Ma knows what he's doing and makes sure to tell him to bring them back. We keep up with everything with the war, but it feels so far away until we hear about where you are. It makes me nearly ill to think of you in a battle, so I am pleased you're only doing kitchen work.
You'll have to tell me what xxxx is like. Rosie wants to know more than I do (she's guessing by the thick bar over the word), you know how she is. Everyone here is well, since I mentioned Rosie, Mary too and Patrick. He's gotten a job at the bank, just a lowly job cleaning but he's intending to work his way up. Junior wants him to work at xxxx but you know Patrick's mother would never let him do that. And Junior tells me (he's just walked by my room) to tell you he said hello and to show Kaiser Bully who's boss. Ma just yelled at him to quiet down and don't be a bully himself.
I'm laughing now but it's no fun without you here to back Junior up. Rosie isn't here at the moment she's at her own job and Junior and I will pick her up. The auto is going to be so empty and dull; Junior does try and make up for you being there, but it doesn't help. They say the war could be won by us, but no one is certain and I do wish it'd finish soon so you and everyone else can come home. But you're doing the right thing for our country (as Ma tells us repeatedly) and we have to keep everything here on the Home Front for you. I suppose I write it here to remind myself, but we'll send you a big pan of fudge and toffee so you can share and socks that Ma and I have knitted (Rosie came in and told me to tell you that she knitted one row of the socks I made for you, it was all she could manage) plus soap so you can keep clean with all the muck and mud you mentioned. Write to me again, I will love to share letters with you, hopefully we won't exchange very many before you're home!
"I wrote my name," Beckett told him, showing him the letter.
"I laughed at the McDevitt Homefront you put underneath," Castle said. "When I read it."
Beckett nodded and then stood up saying, "Here."
Castle was startled at that, watching her putting the letter back in its box before she pulled a book from the larger box and handed it to him. "Is this a diary?" he asked.
"There's more in the boxes in there," Beckett told him. "I kept them from the time I was twelve to a year before we…"
Watching her expression become painful as she trailed off, Castle took her hand and said, "Don't think about that love."
"I don't, but I had to relate that," Beckett said, shaking herself. "I want to take them back with us to the hotel," she told her husband as she was walking quickly to the closet and the attic space behind the small door in the wall.
"All of them?" Castle asked in surprise.
"No, just some of them," Beckett called back to him. She started to drag one box out but struggled once she came into the closet before her husband was helping her. She didn't have a chance to thank him until they were in the bedroom and she said, "Just a few. To fit in the empty box in the closet."
Castle nodded as she had started to cut the box open and looked on while she was opening the flaps and he couldn't help saying, "That would make sense."
"Again, I'm not taking all of these," Beckett said, picking up the first one that was a composition book. She paused, touching the edge of the book and then turned to her husband as he'd brought the box to set on the bed.
"Do these need to be in any particular order?" Castle asked, watching her setting down the first one into the box.
"No, I'll see once I open them," Beckett replied.
Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Castle watched her starting to walk back and forth from the larger box to where he sat. "How can you tell?" he asked her as she nearly had the smaller box filled.
"I don't know," Beckett said honestly. She grabbed two of her diaries from the bottom and then said, "I can't read these all to you tonight."
"No, but we have a few days here," Castle said. When his wife looked at him, he told her, "I don't mind, I have nothing really but these letters I wrote you… we are taking them back to the Hamptons right?"
"I'd like to," Beckett said. She looked at the cinnabar box and said, "There's more than what we exchanged during the war."
"I know, though I wonder why those two letters were out of the boxes," Castle said.
"If you say fate…" Beckett told him.
Since his wife was slightly smiling at him, Castle said, "I kind of think it is. But however it happened it allowed us to see all of this. Do you want to take the car out now?"
Startled, as her husband had spoken rapidly at the end, Beckett looked at her watch and said, "That would be nice."
"But are you done here?" Castle asked.
Putting the two cinnabar boxes into the cardboard box, Beckett paused and then handed her husband her box. "Open it," she said as she saw his confused expression.
Though he wasn't sure why he needed to look inside, Castle did so before he easily spotted her reason. "You kept it," he said, touching the end of the blue ribbon that was open over the top letter.
"I did, I kind of needed to," Beckett said simply. "But tie it for me?" she asked, handing him the letter that she'd read to him.
Nodding his head, Castle quickly did so and then said, "Let's get this out to the car and then take the other around."
"I'll follow you," Beckett said with a smile before they left the room. She opened the car and trunk for him outside and as they were walking to the garage she told him, "You're driving." When she saw the expression on his face she said, "It was your car remember."
Castle was going to tell her that she could easily drive it when he decided not to say anything. Instead he told her, "You're driving back to the city."
Laughing Beckett squeezed his hand and then said, "Thank you for being fair but you didn't have to."
Shrugging Castle said, "It makes you love me more right?"
Giving him a look, Beckett turned her attention to the garage that she opened before they were stepping inside the Model T together. Her husband was able to start it shortly after that and she said, "When did you convert it?"
"The fifties," Castle said after thinking that over. "We had the money for it, and I didn't want to lose it."
"Okay," Beckett replied. "Where should we go?"
"First I need to be able to drive it," Castle said before he was backing up. He continued down the driveway, using all his concentration as he was getting used to the car. Once the gate across the driveway was closed and they were on the street he headed south, wanting to keep to residential streets which led him to say, "I'm glad we got seatbelts in these."
"Why?" Beckett asked.
Looking around the car Castle said, "I guess it wasn't us… some past owner?"
"The way Naomi explained it, the car couldn't be sold," Beckett reminded him.
"So they upgraded it safety wise," Castle said.
"They did but Josie isn't riding in this for a while," Beckett said.
"I don't think she would want to," Castle said. "It's a little bumpy. Any good at fixing up cars?"
"Some things," Beckett said. "Suspension I don't think I can take care of."
"We should look into that," Castle said. "Once we have the house," he added as he was stopping at an intersection.
"How does it feel driving that?" Beckett asked him.
"Nice," Castle said. "Familiar," he said, glancing at her before he started again.
"I know," Beckett said, reaching for his hand and squeezing it as they toured their new neighborhood in their old automobile.