Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Family, Humor
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: I was happy getting the feedback for the last chapter I did so I'll go ahead and get started on my thank yous for that! TORONTOSUN (It was great to see you thought it was very good writing with Paul in the chapter, since I had so much fun putting him in the story!) and
Mb (I was pleased to see you thought the last chapter was nicely done. And it was great you thought it was nice seeing them doing something different with them hiking, I wanted to try it though it can be a little bit difficult to write, but I did want to include as you said the beauty of the country in its natural habitat. I was glad you caught the hotel had amazing view and not surprised you mentioned them doing their favorite pastime with them swimming, lol. You're welcome for sharing the first half! It was great to see you thought the second half was a wonderfully written update too! And I was glad you enjoyed their dinner with the entertainment by Paul, Skye and Mary. I was pleased you thought the dancing to the song Good Morning was sweet, I thought it would be fun for them to that! I was glad you liked Castle and Beckett once they were back in their room exploring their passion along with each other. You're welcome for sharing the second half of the chapter too. Happy Easter (belatedly) to you and yours as well!).
Thanks so much for the reviews, I loved 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 Angel of Harlem written by Bono, from the U2 album Rattle and Hum.
Blue Light On The Avenue
Looking up at the building they were walking into, Beckett said to her husband, "What do you think?"
"It fits," Castle said. He saw that his wife looked confused and said hurriedly, "What?"
Shaking her head, Beckett said, "Going to this museum instead of the Guggenheim."
"Oh… sorry," Castle replied before they were stepping into the entrance of the museum. "I'm fine with it," he said quickly. "Hopefully we'll be able to go there though next time we come."
Beckett was smiling at that and told him, "Why am I not surprised you said that."
"You know me too well," Castle said with a smile. He turned his attention then to getting their admission for the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao that morning, the twenty-first of July, and once he had it he said to his wife, "What do you think?'
"Let's wait and see the artwork," Beckett said in amusement since she knew he was echoing her words. She took the map of the museum and said, "Are we leading?"
"If you want to," Darnley said.
"There isn't really much to guide us through," Lily commented.
Shaking her head, Beckett said, "Alright, if you want to we will."
"Is that a negative or a positive?" Skye asked her in amusement.
"Positive, I'm looking at Josie," Beckett explained.
"Should we let her out?" Jim asked his daughter.
"I think so," Castle said before his wife could say anything. He went over to the baby and wasn't surprised when she immediately walked to him as he approached her. "Could I pick you up sweetheart?" he asked as she was holding onto the leg of his jeans.
"Dada," Josie said before she was laughing while her father picked her up.
She smiled when Castle kissed her cheek before he carried her to his wife and said, "What's first love?"
"It's by time period, we're going through medieval art first," Beckett said.
"I'm ready," Eliza said, having walked to her parents. She stayed with them as they reached the first room and then walked away from them, taking pictures of the artwork before she paused in front of a display case with a crucifix in it that her grandfather was standing in front of. "What is it Grandpapa?" she asked him.
"It's a crucifix," Jim said, smiling at her. He watched as the little girl took a picture of the artwork and said, "You like it?"
"Yeah, I like the colors even though it's a sad time," Eliza said since she knew what the crucifix signified. She then said, "Are there only these paintings Grandpapa?"
"No, we have a lot more to see," Jim told her reassuringly.
"We should move," David said.
"Thank you," Brad said seriously as Sophie in his arms was whimpering slightly.
"This way," Beckett said before they were walking through the next rooms and that period of artwork. They finally reached the next era before she noticed Julia was at a painting, staring at it before she was walking up to her. She was going to speak first when her daughter was speaking first and sounding a little disturbed.
"Is she going to kill herself?" Julia said.
"Hey," Castle said, walking to them. "Come look at this painting," he said. "The colors are a lot brighter."
Though she was still wondering why the woman in the painting was holding a dagger to her chest, Julia went over to see the painting of a woman riding off into the waves of the ocean she guessed on a bull.
"Rick," Beckett said, stopping her husband from following their second oldest.
"You don't want to know the story," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife was looking back at the plaque next to the painting on the wall, and he murmured into her ear, "She was assaulted by her husband's son, and she committed suicide after telling her father and husband." When he felt Beckett tensing up, he hugged her gently and said, "I didn't want you to know."
"Julia shouldn't have known," Beckett replied as she breathed out. She could feel her husband was gently rubbing her back before she said, "I'm okay, we better go, they're moving to the next room."
Looking into her eyes, Castle saw she appeared to be okay, but he hugged her quickly before letting her go and taking her hand. They were a little behind the others and he stayed with Beckett, watching her taking pictures of the paintings in the small room the others had gone through already.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Mari asked her friend, touching her shoulder.
"Nothing, just making sure my parents are coming with us," Julia replied. She then smiled at her friend and said, "Something was wrong with that one painting."
"I didn't like it," Mari said, nodding her head.
"You didn't take a picture of it?" Julia asked softly.
Shaking her head that time, Mari said, "It's really… something is wrong. You're right and I just didn't like it at all."
Julia was startled when her friend hugged her tightly and she was hurrying to do the same to her with her free arm. After they let go of each other she said worriedly, "There'll be great paintings after this. Look at this one."
"Should we talk to her?" Rebecca said to Beckett and Nancy as she was standing with the two women at the exchange between the two girls.
"If she doesn't shake that I would," Beckett said.
At the writer's tone of voice, Rebecca turned to her and said, "Julia should be okay."
"I hope," Beckett replied before they were continuing. She wasn't surprised when they were coming to more religious paintings, as she spotted some works by Greco. Another painting caught her eye and she groaned under her breath as she saw that Julia and Mari were standing at it.
"Girls," Paul said, beating Beckett over to them. "We might want to go on."
"To better subjects," Beckett said under her breath. She was startled when the girls didn't say anything, though the painting had featured two men cutting into the breasts of a woman, and she said, "Are you okay?"
"Was it a story?" Julia asked.
"I would say most likely," Paul told her before her mother could respond.
"I really hope there are better paintings," Mari said, shaking her head. She then smiled a little said, "There should be."
"There will be," Castle said, having caught up to them. They went quickly then through most of the other works, stopping to look more closely at Goya's works the museum had before they came to the artwork from the 1800s. He relaxed since the subjects weren't as graphic and could tell his wife was doing the same.
"I like the colors on this one," Julia was telling Mari as they were standing in front of a Cassatt painting.
"I know, the blues in the white colors are great," Mari said.
"Could you paint something like that?" Julia asked her friend.
Laughing softly, Mari shook her head and said, "You know that's not the type of artwork I do."
"I was kidding," Julia told her with a smile. "But don't worry, you're a great artist. Way better than I am."
Mari giggled, since it was true, and then said, "You write better than me."
"I don't know, I think you could write too," Julia said.
"Not books," Mari replied firmly.
Julia merely shrugged before she turned her attention to the artwork they were passing before they were moving together around the rooms again. They were a little ahead of the others eventually, and she turned from a painting of a young woman in a pale pink dress to freeze suddenly. She felt her friend bump into her from behind before she was asking what was wrong in obvious concern.
"It's not another bad painting is it?" Mari was saying. "Oh!" she said in surprise. "I thought it was another bad painting."
"It's not the woman," Julia said. "It's the guy." She was startled when her friend took her by the arm and pulled her over to the painting.
"Yeah, that is weird," Mari said. "But it says the painting's called Venus of Poetry."
"Oh, that makes more sense," Julia said. "Still though."
"Yeah," Mari said before they laughed softly and then looked at the painting again.
Studying the nude woman laying across the picture while holding a shawl, Julia said, "It's interesting she's staring at us."
"And not the guy," Mari said. She then said, "Maybe that's why she's a goddess."
"She's being aloof?" Julia replied. When her friend nodded, she said, "We better keep going?"
"Yeah," Mari said in agreement before they were walking together to the next painting that was vertical instead of horizontal as the previous one was. "I love the blue again," she said, talking about the background.
"I know," Julia said. "But the other colors are really different." She was turning to go to the next wall when she peeked at the next room and froze again. She was shaken when her friend hurried around her and saw what she was looking at.
"Think we should just go to see it?" Mari asked her friend.
"Yeah… I mean we've seen nudity in paintings before," Julia said. She winced when she realized what she had said and told her, "Let's just go see it," in exasperation. They walked over to the next room, looking together at the artwork before she whispered, "Are you seeing the same thing?"
"Hullo you two," a voice said behind the girls, making them obviously jump. "Sorry," Skye added quickly. "Just wanted to see what you'd found."
"I saw it," Julia said quickly. "But… I'm a little confused."
"Oh?" Skye said questioningly.
"The… that…" Julia said before she stopped herself as she could feel her face was on fire.
Surprised, Skye looked over at the painting before she quickly spotted what she guessed the girls had. "If you're wondering whose hand that is," she began with as there was a hand cupping the breast of one of the seven nude women in the painting. "I think you're supposed to guess that yourself."
"It doesn't look like her own hand," Mari said hurriedly.
"It's not," Julia said firmly. "That doesn't make it an erotic painting does it?"
"No," Beckett said. She smiled at her daughter as she was blushing deeply again, and said, "If it was it wouldn't be here."
"She's right," Skye said. "But you two better continue to look." When the girls had left them, she turned her attention to her friend and was about to speak when the writer was first.
"I'm wondering about her reaction," Beckett said.
"I don't blame her, she was trying to figure out why that painting was allowed here; Mari too," Skye replied. She glanced at the painting again and said, "Yeah, I kind of wonder too."
"It's not that bad," Beckett said. "Though the hand is surprising."
"I know," Skye said. "But wow do I appreciate it."
"Where's your wife?" Beckett asked her teasingly.
"I have no idea," Skye said. "Excuse me."
Beckett laughed softly before she walked back to where her husband was in the other room, watching him looking at a painting. "Venus of Poetry," she read on the plaque.
"Yeah, there's something arresting about her gaze," Castle told his wife. He then turned to her and said, "It's interesting. What was wrong though?"
"Come here," Beckett said simply, taking her husband's hand and pulling him over to the next room.
"Is that what Julia and Mari were looking at?" Castle asked. When his wife nodded, he said, "Are they okay?"
"They are," Beckett said. "But they were wondering about that hand."
Castle turned immediately back to the painting before he saw what she was talking about and then said, "I don't blame them. But they're okay right?"
"They're fine, I think just thinking it over," Beckett said in amusement. She took her husband's hand and started taking pictures with her camera in the other before they were finishing with the modern art. Going downstairs she said to the others, "Do you guys want to eat here for lunch?"
"We should," Paul said. He laughed when the others were looking at him in surprise but didn't say anything as they were making their way back down to the museum's café.
"What about the gift shop?" Julia asked her mother as they were entering the restaurant.
"We'll go after," Beckett replied. "Is there anything you'd like?"
"Not really, I just know Mari is going to want to see their art supplies," Julia said with a shrug. "Could I sit with her?"
"Not today," Castle answered before his wife could. "We're going out with the other parents tonight remember, so we want to eat lunch with you."
"I thought so," Julia replied. She then smiled before she headed with her family to get into line. When they had their food and were walking to the terrace she said, "We still have to take a siesta don't we?"
"You do," Beckett said, smiling as Eliza was sighing heavily while they were sitting down. She made sure her husband was okay getting Josie set in her highchair before she said, "It's the same as always girls."
Julia merely nodded, smiling at her little sister before she turned her attention to her sandwich that had strips of beef she had decided to try. She glanced at her parents as they were all starting to eat before she finally asked them, "So you're going out to a restaurant?"
"We are, a little away from the hotel but we thought you kids wouldn't mind," Castle commented.
"We don't," Eliza said hurriedly. "Are you gonna go see a movie or anything?"
When her husband looked at her, Beckett couldn't stop herself smiling and she said, "We're going to a club… or discotheque as they say here."
"Neat," Eliza said, sharing a smile with her sister. Something came to mind and she was about to ask her parents about it when her big sister was saying it before she could to her slight surprise.
"You're just going to dance with each other, right?" Julia was saying.
"That's the plan," Castle commented.
"And when were you going to tell me about that?" Beckett asked her husband with a smile.
"At one point," Castle said, laughing when his wife playfully pushed him aside. "No, I'd like to dance with just you," he told her.
"Good, I'm counting on that," Beckett replied before she was giving another piece of tortilla to Josie that she had cut up.
"What about tomorrow?" Eliza asked then.
"Since we're not having dinner later tonight?" Beckett asked in return. She smiled when Eliza nodded and then looked at her husband before saying, "We're going to drive up to Santander."
"What's there?" Julia asked.
"It's on the coast," Castle replied. "And we're going to have a beach day." He chuckled as his wife laughed softly while their second youngest was quietly cheering and then said, "I guess you're happy about that."
"I am," Eliza replied. "We didn't go to the beach for a long time."
"She's right," Alexis said from the table next to theirs. "Not since our third day in Barcelona."
"Which is why we're going to do that eventually," Castle said, smiling. He then said, "I wonder if we should do anything else," before he and his wife were laughing together as their daughters were pretending to protest. "I thought I could fool you," he told them as they were finishing their food.
"No way Daddy," Eliza said, smiling when he kissed the side of her head. "What do we do now?"
"Time for a siesta," Jim said, walking over to them. He smiled when the girls groaned but squeezed their shoulders before he said to his daughter, "What time are you guys leaving?"
"We'll say goodnight after the siesta," Beckett replied.
"What're we going to do then?" Julia asked in surprise. She was a little startled when her parents didn't answer her, cleaning up the table before they were leaving. But when they were with everyone, she was about to ask her question again before her father was talking to the others.
"I hope you don't mind that we got you guys tickets to a soccer game tonight," Castle said. "And if anyone else wants to go with them please let me know and I'll try and grab more."
"That's alright," Lily said. "But the babies?"
"That's what I was worried about," Castle said, looking at his wife.
"We have an extra set of headphones for Josie, she hasn't used them so you can of course," Beckett told her friend.
"Thanks," Brad said. "They might enjoy it a lot."
"I think so," Jim said. "You should tell them why there's a soccer game."
"It's a friendly," Castle replied. "Between…"
"I'll take it," Skye said hurriedly, glancing at Jim who nodded to her. "Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna," she pronounced. She smiled and then said, "Though I guess I didn't have to really."
"No, you did a good job," Jim replied.
"So does any parent want to go?" Castle asked. He was surprised when they didn't say anything and he turned his attention to the kids asking, "And do you guys want to go?"
"I do," Jacob said seriously. "I never thought I was going to see a real Spanish soccer game."
"Okay," Castle said as he was looking at the other kids to see they were nodding in agreement with the young man. "Then you have your plans for the night. Oh and don't thank me, thank Paul for your seats."
"Okay, okay," the singer said laughingly when the kids were thanking him immediately. He stopped them and then said, "It should be quite a lot of fun, but our food will just be bocadillos."
"The little sandwiches?" Eve asked.
"Not little," Brad told his oldest daughter. "A bigger baguette of bread. They'll have choices, right?" he asked Paul.
"They will," the singer said. "And I will too," Paul said quickly to Julia as she was turning to him. "Don't worry," he told her with a smile. "I had a feeling you would."
"I just want to make sure," Julia replied. They were walking together to the gift shop then when no one had anything else to say about their plans and she went to her mother. "Are you okay not going to the game?" she asked her.
"Don't worry," Beckett told her. "I would rather go to the club… are you okay we're not going?"
"Yeah!" Eliza exclaimed. She smiled when her mother and sister laughed then and she said, "I hope you have fun there too."
"I hope you have fun at the game," Castle told them.
"We will," Julia said. "It'll be like going to see the Mets with Grandpapa."
Smiling as Eliza nodded, Beckett hugged both girls and then told them, "Go find one thing for us to get for you." She watched them go and told her husband, "We'll have to come back one day for a season game."
"Really?" Castle asked.
Beckett said, "I want to take my father to a Clásico game."
"Oh… sure," Castle replied, not really having to think that over for long. He then smiled and said, "Just say when and I'll get tickets as soon as I can."
"Thank you," Beckett replied. "But I think I'd like to wait until Josie is another year older at least."
"So not this coming season but the one next year in the fall," Castle said, not surprised when his wife was nodding. "Okay, I'll do my best," he said, hugging her with one arm.
Beckett glanced at her husband at that, but she didn't say anything as they were watching their kids walking around the store. Feeling his arm holding her to him tightly, she smiled and leaned against him, eager suddenly for that night.
"Are you all set?" Jim asked his granddaughters.
"Yeah," Julia said first. It was later that evening and they were in the Athletic Bilbao stadium which she had learned was called San Mames. She turned to Paul that was to her right and said, "Thanks so much for these seats. It's so cool."
"I know, I'm glad I got these as well," the singer said, smiling as the girl giggled a little. "Who are you rooting for?"
"I think it's going to be Bilbao," Julia said, as they had gone to the store at the stadium to get shirts for the game. Her grandparents had let her, and her three sisters get jerseys of the home team and the other kids had done the same though they were either the red and white stripes of their home jerseys or blue; as she'd gotten; of their away ones.
"Good choice," Paul said with a nod. He squeezed her arm and then said, "Let's hope they'll win."
"I hope so too," Julia said with a smile. She then said, "I'm glad they let us get bocadillos."
"I know," Mari said with a smile. She then said, "I can't wait to try mine."
"What about the game?" Marie asked as she was on the other side of Mari.
"That first but it hasn't started yet," the girl replied before they were all laughing together.
They had to stop shortly after that as the announcer in the stadium was beginning to speak and Julia shared an excited look with Mari before they were cheering for both teams when the players were named. She watched as the teams eventually came out and she was smiling as they had kids with them as she'd seen when her grandfather had watched Liga games back at home. After the coin toss, she said, "Here we go," as the players were getting into position on the field. She leaned over a little in her seat before the referee was blowing the whistle and Bilbao kicked the ball ahead. She hadn't thought that she would cheer, but she was and when there was a pause eventually as a player on Osasuna got hurt, she said to Paul, "Is it that easy to cheer?"
"Just be glad we're not at a Liverpool game," the singer told her.
"You'd cheer?" Mari asked, leaning over in her chair to look at him.
"Yell is a better word for it," Nancy commented.
Laughing Julia said, "And then they would film you." She thought of something and said, "Wait… are they filming this?"
"Yeah, they might show you," Paul teased her.
"Okay," Julia said. She smiled at the singer when he squeezed her shoulder and said, "Go Bilbao!" smiling as Paul was laughing. They turned their attention back to the game as it had started again. Eventually Bilbao scored and she was cheering with the others since the stadium was loud with the home team fans' cheers. After they had calmed down, she was waiting on the edge of her seat for half time, wondering if Osasuna was going to score before the ref blew the whistle again at the end of an extra five minutes. "That was really good," she said.
"It was," Mari replied since her friend was talking to her. "I wonder if the other team is going to score."
"I was thinking that too," Julia said as she nodded.
"Are we going to eat now?" Eliza asked her grandmother.
"I think so," Martha said, watching as Jim was getting up. She turned her attention then to Josie on her lap and carefully took off her headphones.
"Mama," the baby said immediately.
"Mommy is going to dinner with Daddy," Eliza told her sister. "But don't worry, we'll be with them in the car however long it takes for us to go to the next city."
"Santander," Jim said while he was sitting down with their dinner.
"Bocas!" Eliza said eagerly.
Julia, able to hear her sister, laughed and then took hers from Alexis before she said, "I'm glad she's so happy about these."
"I know, we have to tell Mom and Dad," the young woman told her sister. "Enjoy," she said to both her and Mari.
"Thanks," the two girls said at the same time. They shared a smile before they were eating, and they were also trying to be careful that Paul and Nancy weren't seeing the chorizo in their sandwiches. When they were nearly finished with their meal, Mari was touching Julia's arm to get her attention before she was asking about halftime.
"How long until the game comes back?" Mari said.
"It's fifteen minutes, right?" Julia asked Paul.
"It is," the singer answered. "But it'll go quickly."
"It's almost over," Nancy said to the two girls with a smile as she leaned over to look at them.
"Cool," Julia replied, smiling back at her. She was about to speak to Mari when Nancy was calling to her, making her turn quickly.
"Weren't you going to take a picture and send it to your parents?" Nancy asked.
"Oh! That's right," Julia said, reaching into her pocket for her phone. Once she had it, she said, "Mind being in it too?"
"No," Paul said while Mari was hurrying to them.
Letting the singer take the camera, Julia smiled when he was taking the picture of the four of them as they pressed close together to fit on the screen. "Thanks," she said to Paul while she looked at her phone once he'd given it to her.
"Did it come out alright?" the singer asked.
"Yeah," Julia said, smiling and nodding her head. She sent it with her mother texting her with Halftime, Bilbao is winning right now, have fun at dancing at the disco! She was talking with Mari and finishing her juice she'd had with the sandwich while there were three minutes left and she paused as she heard her phone. "Oh… it might be Mom," she said, handing Mari her glass. She was rushing to grab the phone and checking her message before she smiled and said, "Look."
Leaning over, Mari was soon smiling herself as she saw her parents and said, "They must have asked to be in the picture."
"Probably," Julia said since their parents were in the picture her mother was taking. She then read the message that her mother had sent her which said, Have fun at the game, we love your jerseys! We love you Julia, night. Mom & Dad. She hurriedly texted her mother back saying, Love you too Mom & Dad. Night! She was shaken from her message sending by the announcer on the stadium's system and hurriedly turned her attention back to the field as the teams were coming back out as well.
"I wonder if it's this exciting being here when it's a game during the season," Mari said to her friend as the players were getting ready in their positions.
Julia was momentarily surprised by the question, and she hesitated for a moment before she smiled and said, "I think so, maybe more because it's to win for that season." She wasn't surprised when Mari nodded at her and they turned back to the field as the whistle was blown and they were playing again. She was eager when the game continued to see Bilbao win, not just because she was wearing the team's jersey but because she was having so much fun. She was watching the players so closely that she nearly jumped up from her chair when Mari grabbed her arm tightly. "What're you doing?" she breathed to her friend.
"Look," Mari whispered.
For a moment Julia had no idea what her friend was talking about before she remembered the screen and glanced up at it before she saw Paul there, waving. She was in the shot as well and she smiled, waving with him before the cameras went to something else.
"Did you enjoy your screen time?" Paul asked her.
"Yeah," Julia said, feeling her cheeks were a little warm. "Did you?"
Laughing, Paul said, "I did, luckily it was brief."
"I was thinking the same," Julia said before they were turning back to the field as the crowd's cheers were becoming louder. She saw that a Bilbao forward was getting close to Osasuna's goal and she was crying out with everyone else in their group until the man scored and she was cheering again with everyone. "They could win!" she cried out to Mari.
"I know, I hope they can make it!" she replied since there were twenty-six minutes left.
Julia was on the edge of her seat again as time wound down before she eventually noticed there was a weird noise in the rows below them. When she had the chance, she looked down at the people, seeing that they had something in their mouths that they were throwing out. It hit her that they were eating sunflower seeds, and she smiled since her grandfather had told her about doing that when he'd seen Real Madrid play one summer in the capital city. She heard the spectators groaning and she turned back to the field to see a Bilbao player had fouled an Osasuna one. She did the same herself as she realized they were going to get a penalty kick and said, "They're going to score."
"Don't be so down hearted lass," Paul told her jokingly.
"He's right," Nancy added, smiling at her. "He may miss."
Knowing they were right, Julia nodded rapidly before she looked back at the Bilbao goal before the Osasuna player was taking the shot. She groaned with the others for a second time as the player scored, and she sighed saying, "Well, at least they got to score a goal."
"Good to know you're fair," Paul told her.
"What if it was Liverpool they just scored on?" Mari asked him.
Julia shared a look with her friend, and they were starting to laugh loudly as Paul had made a gesture that they knew meant it was different. She then shook herself and said, "We gotta see how the rest of the game goes now."
"I know," Mari breathed as the players were running around again.
When the ref blew the whistle finally, Julia was cheering yet again as on the screen it read Bilbao 2 Osasuna 1. They waited to leave though, and she was talking with the other kids in that time to discuss the plays they'd seen and all three goals.
"Okay everyone," Paul eventually said. "Time for us to go and get dessert."
"Churros?" Ivy asked hopefully.
"If you guys don't mind," Nancy said, smiling at them.
"No way," Jacob said before they were all laughing.
The group left together and went in taxis back towards their hotel before they were stopping at a churreria and going in together.
"Is Sophie okay?" Eve asked Jim as he was sitting with her sister's stroller.
"She's just fine," Beckett's father said with a smile. "Sleeping still."
"Too bad the babies and little kids won't get to have these," Marie said.
"It's only the five of them," Eliza said.
Julia smiled, sharing it with her friend, as her little sister was yawning widely before she said, "I know, but we'll have it again I'm sure, Grandpapa loves it."
"That I'm guilty of," Jim replied, smiling at her words and the way the kids were smiling at him. He was about to tell Eliza to sit back in her seat as she'd come over to him when she was wrapping her arms around him and asking him about their dessert.
"Are the churros ready Grandpapa?" the little girl was saying.
"They are now," Jim said in amusement, hugging her to his side. He shared a kiss with her and was going to get up when the worker they'd ordered from was bringing them.
Watching her grandfather speak in Spanish to the woman, Julia smiled before she turned to her friends and said, "I hope we keep having these."
"Oh I know, they're sooo good," Mari said in agreement.
After they'd thanked the woman who brought their churros and chocolate, Julia grabbed one of the half arcs of pastry and dipped it. She couldn't keep herself from making a sound as she ate it, enjoying the taste too much. She heard Mari making the same sound and the looked at each other before they started to laugh, being careful not to choke on their dessert.
"You guys are weird," Jacob told them. He was laughing with the others loudly before they did their best to calm down and went back to eating. "I hope it's fun over in Santander tomorrow."
"We might end up walking around the town," Kathleen commented.
"I think so," Julia said, smiling when her friends were looking at her at the same time. "But it should be nice, maybe we'll have something different for dessert."
"Maybe the same thing," Marie said. They were laughing together again before she told the others, "I think our moms will want to have churros again."
"I wouldn't mind," Eve said, the others all nodding at the same time.
After talking together through the rest of their dessert, Julia was disappointed when they were getting up to leave. But they were able to walk together back to the hotel since it was only a couple of blocks away. She walked with Mari though they were quiet, just enjoying looking around at the different restaurants and bars as well as people. She was smiling while they walked into the hotel's lobby and said goodnight to the others before saying the same to her grandparents and sisters though the youngest two were asleep. She and Mari headed up to their room and once she was locking the door behind them, she said, "That was so much fun."
"I know," Mari said. "The museum too except for those weird paintings."
Julia nodded and then said, "Well, we have to take a bath remember?" Her eyes were widening when friend was suddenly pulling off her jersey and almost running to the bathroom which was to the right of their bed. "I guess you don't mind going," she said, walking to the doorway.
"No," Mari said with a smile. "Are we taking it together?"
"Yeah," Julia said. She went to the tub and quickly filled it before she and Mari were going over to the shower once they had everything ready and their clothes were set in their laundry bags for the trip. They rinsed off quickly before they went carefully across to the tub. She sank under the water as soon as she was inside and when she came back up, she saw her friend was smiling at her. "What?" she asked.
"I was just watching, making sure you came up okay," Mari replied. "My turn."
Julia rolled her eyes, though she was smiling, and she made sure her friend soon came up out of the water. "It's nice," she commented.
"And this tub is huge," Mari said.
Nodding, Julia went to the side and leaned against it before she said, "I'm going to miss the room, but we've got another one in Santander." She glanced at her friend when she was giggling and said, "What?"
"You just like saying the name of the city," Mari replied.
"Sure," Julia said, shaking her head. She laughed when her friend playfully pinched her side and she said, "Not while we're naked!"
"Oh, I didn't do that that hard," Mari said in mock annoyance. They were smiling at each other and she then grew serious saying, "Do we need to wash up?"
"Yeah," Julia replied before they were moving together since she was aware it was getting late. They started to wash themselves, going quickly before they were taking turns to get out and get their towels. Once they were dry, they were putting on the robes that came with the room, walking into the bedroom and changing before brushing their teeth. She smiled at her friend when they finished and was going to speak when Mari was doing so first.
"Do we have to go to sleep?" Mari asked.
"Let me check the time," Julia replied, hurrying over to the nightstand on what was her side of the bed. "We have a little time. But maybe we should just get into bed so we're ready when we have to turn off the lights." At Mari's nod, she hurried over to the window and covered it with the black curtains before she went to the bed, getting on it since they had pulled down the covers already. "Those curtains are so heavy," she said with a smile as they were floor to ceiling.
"I was going to help you," Mari replied while she smiled as well as she was on the other side of the bed.
"What did you get?" Julia asked as her friend's text alert had rung.
"It was from Mom," Mari answered. "She just said goodnight again. I answered back and told her the same."
"That's it?" Julia asked in surprise.
"That's it," Mari echoed, smiling again. She then grew serious and said, "I didn't want to interrupt their dancing." She wasn't surprised when her friend nodded in understanding and she said, "What kind of dancing is it that they do there? I asked Mom and she just said it was for grownups."
"Yeah, you have to be old enough to go inside," Julia replied. "'lexis told me. And she told me you dance really, really pressed up against each other."
"How pressed up?" Mari asked in surprise. She was startled when her friend grabbed her hand and she watched her holding them pressed against each other. "That close?" she asked in slight shock. Julia nodded again and she breathed, "No wonder you have to be an adult," in wonder. "Did you ask what kind of music?"
"Modern one that's faster," Julia replied, wondering how her friend would react to that.
"So you rub up against each other," Mari whispered. She bit her lower lip when her friend nodded and then said, "If you're in love that would be really nice."
Nodding Julia said, "Yeah, I know that's probably the best for when you love someone enough to want to not stop touching."
"Think you would ever?" Mari asked her.
"Maybe, someday," Julia replied. She then said, "But that's not for a long time yet."
"Longer for me," Mari said. When her friend nodded rapidly in agreement she was smiling and then said, "I can't wait to go to the beach again."
"Me too," Julia agreed. "It feels like it's been ages since we were at the beach. Even though it wasn't that long," she added in a rush as her friend was about to speak. "I know we were there in Barcelona." She and Mari started to laugh together before they were stopping and she then said softly, "Are you excited about White Mount?"
"That's coming up," Mari said with a smile, not surprised her friend was asking that. "I am."
"Sharing my blue room with me?" Julia asked. She was relieved when Mari nodded, though she had been assured by her friend already. A few days before her parents had gotten a call from Brennan about him and Clara giving the blue room to Julia once they were there for their stay. Her parents had spoken with her and she had decided she wanted to move out of the nursery though she'd immediately asked about Mari sharing the room with her for sleepovers. Luckily they'd agreed; along with her friend's parents; and she was eager to get to decorate as she wished since her mother's cousin had told her parents she could. She shook herself when Mari was placing her hand on her shoulder and was about to explain why she'd been daydreaming when her friend was telling her first to her amusement.
"You're thinking about what you want to have in the bedroom," Mari commented. When her friend was smiling, she did so in return and said, "I don't blame you, it's a big room."
"It's why I asked you to come and share with me," Julia said. "I'd feel really lonely there, kind of scared too at night."
Nodding in understanding, Mari hugged her gently and kept her arms around her neck before saying, "Thanks, I'd miss you a bunch in the nursery."
"Thanks," Julia said. She giggled when her friend did and she then said, "I hate to check the time now."
"It's probably time to go to bed," Mari commented with a slight smile. She watched her friend grabbing her phone on the nightstand and then said, "It's time."
"Yeah," Julia said with a sigh. "I wanted to talk with you about the room."
"Let's wait until we're there okay? I don't remember the shape of it now, I keep thinking of the nursery," Mari told her.
"Alright," Julia said, exaggerating her voice before they were laughing. They were turning off their lights before laying down and she said, "Night Mari."
"Night Julia, see you in the morning for our next trip," the girl replied.
Julia smiled and then hugged her friend the best she could before they let go of each other and settled down to sleep. While she was doing that, she had a lot of thoughts whirling in her head, poetry, paintings and dancing and she was surprised her dreams weren't overly affected as she dreamt peacefully into the twenty-second.