After the lady of the house had gotten their desired beverages ordered Burns said to Skye and Mary, "You two can perform."

"We can," the latter said in amusement. "I'm guessing someone would like a song or two?"

"It's possible," Skye said, standing up and walking to the piano. "I'll take care of this," she said, smiling at Paul.

"Have you your own song then?" the singer asked as he went over to her.

"No, one of yours I suppose," Skye said, playing a bit.

Beckett watched in amusement as the investigator murmured in the singer's ear and the two were talking quietly together before the investigator was starting to play the beginning of it. She felt her husband taking her hand tightly and smiled as he entwined their fingers together before Paul and Skye were singing together.

Must we wait another year
For the celebration dear?
If we do, we'll hold it here
Same time next year

I'll be here the same as ever
Maybe wearing something else
Ah, but nothing changes
Ah, but nothing changes

Still to me you look the same
As when I forgot your name
Lovers in a lovers' game
Same time next year

I'll be here, the same as ever
Ah but nothing changes (ah but nothing changes)
Ah but nothing changes

Smiling as Mary joined in at the second to last lyric for the background vocals, Castle glanced around the room to see the others' reactions. He tensed when he saw Brenton was glancing at them but turned his attention back to his wife before the two were singing again.

Same time next year

Must we wait another year
For the celebration dear?
If we do we'll hold it here
Same time next year

Same time next year
Same time next year
Same time next year
Same time next year

Same time next year

When Skye finished the song by playing the music a little longer after she and Paul had sung she smiled and nodded at the others applauding. "Thank you," she said.

"Yes, not bad," Paul said. "What about something a bit more…"

"Rock?" Skye asked with a smile.

"No, no," Paul said. "A tribute to the queen."

"The queen or Queen?" Skye asked wryly. When the singer flourished with his hand she laughed and then said, "After some coffee if you please," as the butler was bringing in a tray.

"Could we bring an amp and guitar?" Mary asked Brennan and Clara.

"Wait," Skye said quickly, taking her coffee from the former. "Would anyone mind if we performed this in the ballroom? We're performing it for a Freddie Mercury tribute concert at the end of the year and we could use the practice."

Beckett wasn't surprised when no one protested the idea and she felt her husband touching her arm as they were walking over to the other room. "I know," she said with a smile at the look on his face.

"Also who could pass up on a preview for a concert that's not for months yet?" Castle asked in Irish, not surprised she knew he was thinking of a free concert with Paul McCartney in it. They'd reached the ballroom and Clara and Brennan were going around to turn on the lights before they were sitting on chairs along the wall. He had expected his wife to stay with him, but he was soon going with her over to the investigator before she was speaking to Skye in Irish.

"How many songs are you performing?" Beckett asked.

"To be honest they're still getting all the acts set," Skye replied. "But it looks like we'll have a few of them."

"Including this one?" Castle asked her.

"Including this one," Skye said with a smile. She then said in English, "Let us go ahead and start."

"We can't wait to hear it," Beckett said, not surprised at the smirk on her friend's face. She wasn't surprised the investigator had seen through her attempt to find out the song she and the band were about to perform along with the others besides what they knew so far. She and her husband sat together, not taken aback when her husband was leading her over to the chairs furthest from the Ellistons. She did her best to focus her attention on the performance, smiling as she watched the band preparing. She had thought that Skye was going to perform on the piano but when Raj sat there instead she shared a look with her husband before they turned back to see that she was putting a bass guitar over her shoulder.

"Alright," Skye said after she'd quickly checked her guitar was in tune. "This is called Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen." She was about to look down at her guitar to form the first chord, but she stopped with a smile as some of the audience in front of them were applauding. "Thank you," she said before she looked at the band and nodded her head to Raj as he was beginning first and she was singing soon after.

I can dim the lights and sing you songs full of sad things
We can do the tango just for two
I can serenade and gently play on your heart strings
Be your Valentino just for you

Ooh love ooh lover boy
What're you doin' tonight, hey boy
Set my alarm, turn on my charm
That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy

Ooh let me feel your heartbeat (grow faster, faster)
Ooh, ooh can you feel my love heat, ooh
Come on and sit on my hot-seat of love
And tell me how do you feel right after-all
I'd like for you and I to go romancing
Say the word, your wish is my command

Ooh love ooh lover boy
What're you doin' tonight, hey boy
Write my letter
Feel much better
And use my fancy patter on the telephone

When I'm not with you
I think of you always
(I miss those long hot summer nights) I miss you
When I'm not with you
Think of me always
Love you, love you

Hey boy where do you get it from
Hey boy where did you go?
I learned my passion in the good old-fashioned school of lover boys

As the band was playing the instrumental, Castle leaned over to his wife and murmured, "How do they have the third guitar?"

"Magic," Paul said to them, smiling when the couple looked to him with wide eyes. "Or good playing."

"Especially in Skye's case," Beckett said, not surprised when the bassist nodded his head firmly in agreement. She smiled at her husband as she looked at him and they squeezed each other's hands at the same time before their attention was going back to the band as Skye was singing again.

Dining at the Ritz, we'll meet at nine precisely
(One two three four five six seven eight nine o'clock)
I will pay the bill, you taste the wine
Driving back in style in my saloon will do quite nicely
Just take me back to yours that will be fine (come on and get it)

Ooh love (there he goes again just like a good old-fashioned lover boy)
Ooh lover boy
What're you doin' tonight, hey boy
Everything's all right
Just hold on tight
That's because I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy

Walking out of the bathroom, Castle looked to the other side of the room and paused for a moment when he saw that his wife appeared to be asleep. Walking up to it he saw he'd been correct, and he smiled briefly before he reached for his robe and removed it.

Waking up to the sound of fabric rustling, Beckett raised her head and saw her husband lifting the covers before she groaned slightly and said, "Rick I'm sorry."

"For what?" Castle asked, pausing for a moment.

"We were talking about tonight," Beckett reminded him.

"I know," Castle replied easily as he continued and was soon leaning back against his pillows. "But we've done… a lot today so I'm not surprised you're tired."

"You too?" Beckett asked with a smile.

"I am," Castle said. "So why don't we just…"

Beckett wondered what he was thinking of, but only for a moment as he was soon pulling her onto his lap. She expected the kiss that he was giving soon after but not the gentleness of it and she was nearly sighing in delight as their tongues were lightly stroking at each other. When they were apart she said, "Are you sure we should do that."

"That was just part of it," Castle said. He wasn't surprised when his wife looked at him in confusion and then helped her off his lap before he pulled the covers over her lap as well. He then wrapped his arm around her waist tightly and pulled her close before kissing at her temple. "Love," he murmured.

"Hmm," Beckett said as he bowed his head to her so their lips were brushing together. "Again?"

"More," Castle said as a correction to her before he was taking her lips with his own. They were kissing passionately that time and he did his best to resist pulling her back on his lap before he was reaching up to cup the side of her head with his hand. He knew they'd delved into multiple kisses after the first but couldn't figure out how many in the end it was. All he knew once they'd stopped was that their lips were swollen and he was reminding himself that his wife had just been asleep. "We should… we should sleep," he started to say.

"It's okay," Beckett said. "I'm a little thirsty anyway." She was startled when her husband let her go and rushed off the bed before she said, "I was going to get it."

"I'm thirsty too," Castle said seriously. He wasn't surprised; when he turned back with their glasses of water in their hands; that his wife was just looking at him and he said, "I'm serious."

"I hope you are," Beckett said, taking the glass he handed her before she then took a few sips. "But I don't need to go to sleep just yet. We don't have any plans tomorrow except for swimming…"

"Did you want to check on the two men?" Castle asked when she trailed off. At the nod of her head he said, "I did too, I get the feeling Brennan and Skye would too."

Nodding, Beckett then said, "So we have that at least. Maybe we should just walk into town for lunch, look at the stores too."

"I agree," Castle said, setting their glasses on his nightstand. "Since we don't really need to go at a set time what would you like to do now?"

Beckett leaned over and kissed his cheek before she said, "Tell me something," cuddling close to him as their arms wrapped around one another.

Castle smiled before he then thought that over and then said, "Okay, it's in the fifties, 1956."

"I don't mind," Beckett replied with a smile. "So just the two of us?"

"Yes, since of course I can't really talk about our grandkids and who our kids are with," Castle said. "It was on March seventeenth and a Saturday, but we were still on our own. We drove up the coast and stopped on a beach to have lunch together, though we weren't really planning on staying for too long." When Beckett nodded he paused for a moment to kiss her temple and then continued the memory though more in detail that time.

"Is this good love?" Rick asked her.

"It's swell," Kate said with a nod before they were sitting together on the blanket that he'd laid out. She touched her hat for a moment to make sure it was alright in the wind before she turned her attention to the basket she had in front of her. She took out the bottle of water she had packed before taking out the meatloaf sandwiches and fried carrots. They began eating together, not speaking at first as they were watching the waves until her husband touched her arm.

"Would you like to go into the water at all?" Rick said.

"You mean wade?" Kate asked with a smile. When her husband nodded she smiled and said, "It's far too cold love, we should just walk in our shoes. Well… you may go in but I'll watch you." She watched him with a smile as he was thinking that over very obviously and then said, "Join me love."

"Of course," Rick replied swiftly. He then said, "The lunch is swell though Kate."

Smiling she said, "Thank you, but I hope you'll have room for some fruit."

"After we stroll," Rick said. When his wife nodded once they went back to their food and then began eating again until they'd finished everything outside the basket. He stood first and then reached for his wife's hand before they were walking together down the sand. Since it was so uneven they needed to go slowly before they were stopping and watching the waves again. He then glanced at his wife and said, "Should we have called the girls to come?"

"They're busy enough with their children," Kate replied easily. She couldn't help laughing softly at her husband's sigh of frustration and she told him, "We were in Mill Valley often, not with Ma and the others." She reached up to him and cupped his cheek with her hand before telling him, "Don't be sore love, they have their own families."

"Please tell me they'll be coming for dinner tomorrow," Rick said as he looked at her.

"They will," Kate said reassuringly. "They wouldn't miss it for anything; they do want to see us."

"Our grandchildren?" Rick asked.

"And children," Beckett said with a smile. She wasn't surprised when her husband turned to her and she bit at her lower lip as he cupped her face in his hands. She was about to speak when he leaned down and they kissed, but only gently before he pulled away. She wanted to talk but she couldn't find the words before she tugged on his hand so they could continue back to the blanket. When they were sitting again they ate one of the apples she had packed, deciding that eating separate ones would take too long. So she was taking the slices her husband was giving her and eating in silence, watching the water again.

"Is there anything else in there?" Rick asked her when he'd folded his pocketknife.

"Some of the cookies I made," Kate replied.

"They can be eaten at home," Rick said, making it a statement though he meant it as a question.

"Of course they can," Kate said softly. She and her husband stood up then and proceeded to pack everything they'd brought with them though they'd been at the beach for barely past an hour. They hurried into their car with their things and she sat next to her husband as he drove them back home to Mill Valley.

Relieved when they pulled until their driveway, as they hadn't gone to a beach that was far, Rick let his wife out first before parking in the garage. He was doing his best not to race out to where she waited for him and they walked as calmly as they could up into the lean-to. When they had set everything down, he locked the door before he was freezing before he turned to his wife.

Kate gasped as her husband was lifting her up in his arms before he carried her through the kitchen. "Stop!" she cried before he could reach the dining room. She was relieved when he set her down and she said, "You'll hurt yourself love."

"I wouldn't," Rick said, unable to help pushing her back against the wall they had stopped near. He leaned down to kiss her, holding her at the same time, and they were soon dueling against each other with their tongues. He soon started to touch her at the same time, what he could reach, before she was squeezing his arms to make him pull away.

"We're not ready yet love," Kate told him calmly. She reached for her hat and unpinned it to get it off her head before she set it on the dining room table. She unbuttoned her jacket before draping it over the nearest chair and watched her husband do the same with his on another. She held out her hand to him before they walked together to the stairs and made their way up to their room.

After they were there, Rick let go of his wife's hand to watch her walk to the bed, toeing off her heels at the end before he was taking long strides up to her. Since she was facing away from him he reached for the zipper on her back and pulled it down before he pulled it apart carefully.

Looking back over her shoulder, Kate sighed as her husband was gently rubbing his fingers over her back. She thought he might end up doing that for some time but shortly after that thought ran through her mind he was trying to push her dress off her shoulders. She smiled at the distraction and she helped him by pulling off the sleeves before she got it past her hips and it was on the floor. She felt her husband opening her brassiere before she got that off her arms and she removed her underskirt before her husband was pulling her to him. "Oh! Rick," she gasped before ending in a sigh as his hand slipped into her panties.

Rick didn't say anything at first as he was focusing on rubbing her clit and he could feel her moving against him as he continued for a while. Finally he stopped and said, "Let me get my glad rags off love."

With a quick nod, Kate moved around to the side of the bed before she slipped off her panties and tossed them aside. She climbed onto the mattress and lay in the middle of it before she laid back, watching her husband as he was taking off his clothes.

"I was wondering if you were going to stop," Beckett said with a smile when her husband did so.

"Really," Castle said. "I didn't have to let you know about it."

"Oh?" Beckett said, still smiling.

"You're aware of what we did," Castle said. "But we did head out for dinner."

"Because you took me against the wall in the kitchen," Beckett said easily. "Before I could start on the meal."

"And you were eager for it when we started," Castle pointed out before his wife was smirking at him. He shuddered at the look on her face and then said, "I get the feeling I need to tell you a memory with the girls."

"Let me get a random date," Beckett replied.

"You just do that to challenge me," Castle commented.

Smiling briefly, Beckett looked down at her phone and after she was on the site she then looked up at him saying, "A Sunday in September, the twenty-ninth of 1940." She expected him to comment on that before he was talking about the memory already to her slight surprise.

"The last memory reminded me of it since we would always have a big Sunday dinner," Castle was saying. "Your mom got us started on that."

"Of course, we did go to church so we'd have a larger meal later," Beckett replied. "Anything special about this one?"

"Not really," Castle said after considering that for a moment. "It's just a memory. We were happy," he said, adding that quickly at the end.

"Of course," Beckett said. "Go ahead."

Castle nodded and then said, "It was before the dinner was ready and of course I have to say the ages." He paused then and said, "Does it surprise you I didn't mention their ages in the last one?"

"A little, but it was just us," Beckett said. "So go ahead."

"Okay Julia was eighteen, Eliza was thirteen, Alexis was very close to turning twelve and Josie was already ten," Castle replied. "We were in the backyard; except for Julia and Eliza since they were helping you out with the dinner; and we were playing with their bubble kits."

"Da! Da look!" Josephine cried out in joy as she had managed to blow a large bubble that time.

"I see that, it was swell honey," Rick told her with a nod and smile. "Now don't spin too much," he had to tell Alexandra as she was spinning around with her bubble wand in hand.

"But look how many I can make Da!" the girl exclaimed.

"I know, but if you get sick your ma will be awfully angry at me," Rick pointed out.

"Girls, Rick," Kate was calling then.

Turning, Rick saw she was standing at the top of the steps down to the backyard and smiled before he told the two, "Dinner's ready girls." He followed them to the steps, not surprised when his wife was urging their two youngest to wash up with their big sisters. When he had reached her he kissed her and then asked jokingly, "Do I need to wash up too."

"Yes," Kate said firmly. She went into the kitchen after him and untied her apron, setting it aside before going to the bathroom where the others were washing their hands.

"I'm recalling now," Castle said, suddenly breaking away from the memory. "Your dad had me and your brother help him build that downstairs bathroom, but I added the shower there. That house had four bathrooms; a fifth one in that guest house in the back."

Beckett smiled at the wonder on his face and she said, "We added the second one for the girls upstairs. There were two when it was built."

"Right, sorry it was amazing to realize that," Castle said. "So you were checking your hair; perfect as always though." He smiled when she rolled her eyes and said, "And then we gathered around and ate."

"How're things going in school Julia?" Kate asked her daughter.

"Good," the girl said slowly. "I just hope that I can still write," Julia then said. "There are so many rules for writing and I don't think it helps my creativity."

"I was still able to write with all the school writing I needed to do," Rick told her. "But what about being a reporter?"

"I don't know," Julia said honestly. "But I'll do something."

"I want to too," Elizabeth said.

"Sew!" Josephine said.

"I'd like to open a shop," Elizabeth said with a nod.

"I'll keep teaching you," Kate said. "But I would hope you'd go to college."

"I will, and then try my best to have my own sewing shop," Elizabeth replied before Alexandra was asking their sister about Berkley.

"All our girls went there," Castle said. "And there really wasn't that much more to the dinner; it was great of course and we were having a lot of fun talking. We moved to the living room after we had washed everything up and they started to play while I was reading the paper and you were sewing." At her nod he leaned over and kissed her temple before continuing.

"Couldn't we listen to any shows Ma?" Elizabeth asked.

"There aren't any on right now honey," Kate told her with a smile as she paused in mending one of Josephine's skirts.

"Why don't we play cards?" Julia suggested.

"If you play Patience together," Rick said. When the girls nodded he continued looking through the stories in the paper before he then started folding it. As he looked at the girls his attention was drawn to the oldest before he then said, "Do you want to dance Julia?"

"I'd like to," the girl admitted. "Couldn't we Ma?"

"What dance?" Kate asked while she was getting her sewing set aside as she'd finished.

"The Lindy Hop!" Elizabeth said eagerly.

Looking around the room for a moment, Kate nodded and said, "But you'll have to get everything out of the way for that dance."

"I'll help them love," Rick told his wife. He got up then and started with the coffee table before the girls were picking up the tables that had decorations on them since they were lighter to carry. He got the armchair to the side of the room before he said, "Will you need the record player?"

"Of course," Julia said. She waited for her father to set the needle on the record and once the music started to play she began dancing with her sisters though they partnered off.

Kate, watching the four, smiled as she carefully walked to her husband and he immediately wrapped his arm around her waist. "That was the cat's meow," she said, applauding with her husband when the song was over and he'd taken the needle off the record.

"Why don't you and Da dance?" Alexandra asked.

Opening her mouth to protest, Kate felt her husband squeeze her arm and she said, "You'd like to?"

"I would," Rick replied, since they'd long since learned that dance. "Come on," he said in a cajoling tone before he pulled her into the middle of the room.

"Will you?" Josephine asked eagerly as the two were standing there.

"We will, start the music Julia," Kate said to their oldest before she and Rick were starting to dance. Though she hadn't been sure she found that she was enjoying herself greatly by the time the song had ended. She laughingly embraced her husband tightly before they shared a kiss as their two youngest ran over to them to hug them.

"It's funny," Castle said.

"What?" Beckett replied in confusion.

"You didn't like to dance in front of the girls but you did at the club," Castle said. "And now you're unsure about dancing in general."

"I'm not unsure," Beckett replied, rolling her eyes. "I do dance but that kind of dancing I hesitate since I'm not a professional."

"True, but what about back then?" Castle asked.

"I guess I didn't want the girls working at the club," Beckett said. "But in the end I would usually dance if they asked."

"And if I did?" Castle said to her seriously.

Beckett smirked and said, "I would then too." She wasn't surprised when her husband leaned down to her and kissed her, reacting to him hurriedly as she wrapped her arms around him. They were involved in that for some time before they were slowly parting for air. Though she was panting she soon said, "We were doing that later."

"Once they were in bed," Castle said. When his wife nodded he then sighed and said, "I should have just talked about us that second time."

"We'll see them tomorrow," Beckett said. She wasn't surprised when her husband studied her and said, "It's not the same, I realize that. But they'd hate to hear us going through this."

"You mean the three oldest," Castle said. He then paused and said, "Though I assume Josie will be the same once she's older."

Smiling Beckett said, "We've agreed she's going to learn from her sisters." When her husband nodded she laughed softly and said, "We should get some sleep."

"I really hope we can go into town tomorrow," Castle commented.

"We will I'm sure," Beckett said. "But why do you want to talk to them?" she asked.

Not surprised his wife had figured out he wanted to talk to the two men as well as check on them, Castle said, "I'm wondering about the attack, it just seems… weird." He then held up his hand and told her, "I'm not talking about the ghost idea, but why scare them if they were just going to knock them out."

"Let's… talk to Skye about that," Beckett said slowly. "It's getting later and I'd like to get some rest. We'll go into town and check on them."

"After we talk to Skye," Castle said as they were moving to lay down.

"After that," Beckett said with a nod before she watched him getting up to turn off the lights. Once he'd come back after taking off his glasses she pressed against his side as he laid down and said, "Goodnight Rick."

"Night Kate, I love you," Castle replied, hugging her a little closer.

"I love you too," Beckett said with a smile. She raised her head and they shared a brief kiss before laying down and getting comfortable. Closing her eyes she nearly started to think about the attacks that night but when her husband started to rub her arm she was quickly distracted. Thinking of the memories Castle had related that night she found herself asleep after, soon dreaming of him and continuing to contentedly until she woke up the next morning.