February 15th, 2021

Hello back in the Hamptons Diary!

I didn't get any chance yesterday to write to you because we were so busy with a little ride on the horses, playing at the pool, getting ready for the ball and then THE BALL!
I'm giggling in my head 'cause I sorta yelled there on purpose 'cause it was so, so much fun. The dancing was so nice, I danced with Mari, Lizzy, Mom and Dad, with Paul and Ringo and Peter. Mom and Dad danced a lot together which was perfect, all the couples did which they were supposed to of course. So it was fun and magical too and I didn't even have a spouse there (I put that 'cause Skye and Mary are wives and there was another couple there that were husbands).

But the biggest, biggest thing that night was the best news of all LOUIS PROPOSED TO 'LEXIS!

I got to see it, 'cause Louis proposed outside the ballroom in the… I think it was the pavilion they call it, but Dad said they have another name for it.

"Dad," Julia said, turning from her desk to her father who was sitting on the side of her bed with her mom next to her.

"Yes?" Castle said.

"What was the name of the place where Louis proposed to Alexis?" Julia said. "I know they all call it the pavilion, but you said it had another name."

"It's a monopteros," Castle replied. "Do you need me to spell it."

"Is it M-O-N-O-P… T?" Julia started to ask before her father nodded. She thought about the pronunciation of the word before finishing guessing, "E-R-O-U-S?"

"Take out the u, but that was a good guess," Castle told her.

Nodding, Julia went back to her diary and then started to write, continuing after the sentence she had last written.

It's a monopteros, it's a dome with columns underneath but no walls and you go up two steps to reach it. It's pretty all white marble and Dad and Mom said they had them in Ancient Greece and Rome. Anyways Louis got on one knee and had the box for the ring and 'lexis said he opened it with his thumb once he had asked her (we couldn't hear since me and the other kids were a little far). She also said he practiced to do that so he was very, very serious. And she said yes (of course she did, she loves him and I wouldn't be excited above if she said no) so we're going to have a brother in law.

It's kinda funny thinking that one of my three sisters is going to be married and might even have kids of her own. I would be an aunt! But I don't want to mention this to Dad at all 'cause I know he hates that Mom isn't 'lexis' birth mom. Still I'll be happy whenever that happens of course. I can't tell you anymore about that though 'cause that's it, they haven't talked about their wedding yet, just two things. One is that me, Lizzy and Erin are going to be the wedding party (like me and 'lexis were for Mom and Dad their first wedding and then us with Lizzy when Mom and Dad had their fifth anniversary). And two is that it's gonna be this year before Christmas. I would love to know when they're gonna do it and where, but I guess we can't push them. Plus, it took Mom and Dad a while to decide everything for their wedding (they were almost gonna have it at the city home so I'm really glad they changed it to here on the beach!). But I'm just really glad that 'lexis is so happy and I hope they'll have a nice wedding.

Today there isn't much to write about, we had breakfast at White Mount, said goodbye to everyone there (except for everyone going back to the Hamptons) which I hated, went to London and then flew home. When we came back here, we got the dogs (they missed us all of course) and we took them to the park though they couldn't go in the dog park. It was a lot of fun, but it started to snow then and we had to run back home. We went back out (me, Lizzy and Josa with Mom and Dad) to the market, got our stuff, played with Josa and then cooked with Mom and Dad. We played after we ate but not for long with 'lexis and Louis since they have work and we have school. We played a little more and then Lizzy went to bed and I came on here. And since I have to go to bed soon I need to stop there. But I'll try to write again tomorrow if I can. Night Diary!

Closing her diary and getting everything put away, Julia got up and then went over to her mother, standing in front of her before she looked up from her phone. She was about to tease her for being on it for so long when her mother spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I was just getting in touch with Lanie," Beckett said.

"Isn't it late?" Julia asked her.

"For Lanie?" Beckett said in response. When her daughter nodded, she smiled and said, "She doesn't have to go to bed right now. And if you're remembering how tired I was at the end of my pregnancy with Josie then I'll tell you now that every woman's pregnancy is different. Even for the same woman her two pregnancies might not be the same. So right now Lanie isn't asleep."

"How is she?" Castle asked her.

"Good, frustrated but really good," Beckett said.

"What happens if she has the baby?" Julia asked her.

"We'll go out to see her and the baby," Beckett replied. "But wait and see when their baby decides to join their parents before we decide for sure what we'll do. It might come in the middle of the night."

"Why do you say their? Aunt Lanie thinks it's a girl," Julia commented.

"And she could be wrong," Castle said. "Or she could be right," he added as Julia was opening her mouth. "We can't say until the baby is here to say for sure."

"That's true…" Julia said. "Does Aunt Lanie want a girl more than a boy?" she then said with a frown.

"No, she just feels like it's a girl," Beckett told her.

"Did you know what 'lexis, Lizzy and Josa were going to be?" Julia asked. "Or Lizzy, 'lexis and Josa," she quickly corrected herself.

Smiling Beckett said, "No, though I think after I'd given birth to Eliza I had a feeling Alexis and Josie were going to be girls. The shape."

Nodding, Castle said, "I have to admit I thought Josie now would be a girl before we found out because of your shape. It was a clone of your stomach when you were carrying Eliza."

Beckett smiled briefly and then squeezed his hand a little hard as she didn't want Julia asking about when she was pregnant with her. "I told your aunt to text or call us… well, technically it'd be Dylan that would let us know," she corrected herself. "And we'd go see them as soon as we possibly could."

"When could we see the baby?" Julia asked.

"That would be up to them," Beckett said.

"Alright," Julia said with a sigh. "So… do I need to go to bed yet?"

"You have a little more time," Castle said in amusement. When she came to stand next to him he wrapped his arm around her before he said, "Want to sit on my lap?"

"I think I'm a little too heavy now Dad," Julia told him.

"I don't think so," Castle said. He then looked at her closely and said, "You are having a birthday soon."

"Yep, almost a month," Julia said, smiling as she heard her mother sigh. She went over to her and hugged her before kissing her cheek and saying, "Sorry Mom, I'm ready to be twelve."

"I'm not ready for that," Beckett said wryly. "But I'm glad that you're so happy."

"Are you absolutely sure about not having that Fantastic Beasts party?" Castle asked the girl.

"Yeah… I really just want to have a 1920s party," Julia said. "And then… could I go in order of decades?"

"I think so," Beckett said with a smile as her husband was looking at her to answer. "As long as it's what you want."

"What would we do with the forties party?" Castle asked.

"I'd want it to be right before the war," Julia said. "Before rations and all of that stuff. So no uniform Dad."

"I won't," Castle said. He then looked at his wife and said, "Are you okay with costumes?"

"For her sake, yes," Beckett said firmly. She then smiled and looked back at Josie before her husband was touching her arm and speaking.

"The seventies love?" Castle asked her.

"I don't know," Julia said when her parents looked to her at that point. "Seventeen feels like ages from now."

"Good," Castle and Beckett said at the same time.

Laughing with them Julia said when she calmed down, "Then I want to do the twenties now and the thirties next year for sure."

"And you'll tell us for your birthdays after that what you want to do?" Beckett asked her. When her daughter nodded, she then said, "Then we'll do that."

"Does Lizzy mind?" Julia asked her mother. "Not having parties like that? We're always on Spring Break when we celebrate."

"She doesn't," Castle said as his wife looked to him. "I asked her and she says she likes getting to be at a different place for the party."

"Good," Julia said with a smile before she then sighed as her mother reached out to her but stepped into her embrace without a word.

"I am eager for your birthday sweetie," Beckett told her daughter as they were hugging one another tightly. "Even if your dad and I might say we don't want you growing up too quickly."

"Thanks," Julia said, hugging her tightly. She then smiled and pulled back so she could look at her mother and said, "But you said I'll always be your little girl."

"I said the same thing to your sister after Louis proposed to her," Castle commented.

Giggling softly Julia said, "Yep. We all think that… well, not Josa yet but she will when she gets Lizzy's age."

"I'm sure she will," Beckett said. She hugged her daughter close for a moment before telling her, "I love you sweetie."

"I love you too Mom," Julia said. "And I'm excited for Mexico City."

"Me too, even with the investigation," Beckett told her with a smile.

"Oh good," Julia replied. She laughed softly when her mother rolled her eyes and then hugged her again before they were sharing a kiss. "I know you're happy for the investigation," she told her father as she wrapped her arm around his neck when she'd gone over to him.

"I am eager for the birthday party," Castle said. "And we're hoping your twelfth year is a good one."

"I was twelve in 1934, right?" Julia asked.

Nodding Castle said, "We made that year the best we could for you four, even with the Depression going on."

"You were really great parents," Julia said with a smile before she hugged him tightly. "Just like you are now, don't worry," she said in a rush, pulling back to look at him.

Laughing Castle kissed her cheek and said, "I had a feeling you were talking about now too sweetheart. I love you Julia," speaking to her seriously at the end.

"I love you too Dad," Julia replied. She hugged him again and said, "I'm glad you're back at home with us."

"So are we," Beckett told her with a smile. She watched her husband and their second oldest share a quick kiss before she stood up with her husband so Julia could get under the covers with Macca and JoJo on either side of her. "Sweet dreams," she told her after she'd tucked her in.

"Thanks, you too Mom, Dad," Julia told them with a smile. She watched them leave the room, turning the light off behind them before she was relaxing and closing her eyes so she could nod off.

After they were inside their own room Castle took his wife's hand gently and said, "What did you want to do?"

Thinking that over, Beckett finally said, "Why don't we change and get into bed before I tell you?"

"Sure," Castle said with a nod. He reluctantly let her go before they grabbed their pajamas and went to their bed to change. He was finished first and when he waited for his wife, he wasn't surprised when she told him to go.

"I'll be right behind you Rick, don't worry," Beckett said with a smile. "Or are you just trying to see me naked?"

"I'll go," Castle said quickly, walking to their bathroom. He'd started to brush his teeth when his wife walked inside and he glanced at her before turning his attention back to what he was doing.

When she had finished with her teeth and was preparing to take off her makeup Beckett said to her husband, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, would you mind if I watched you?" Castle asked.

"Right now?" Beckett replied in surprise.

"Yes," Castle said seriously.

"If you want to watch me taking all this off, okay," Beckett said.

"It doesn't matter," Castle replied easily as he was leaning against the counter and watching her.

Though it wasn't the first time he'd done that, Beckett was still a little surprised he wanted to before she turned her focus on herself until she had finished. She cupped her husband's face before she started to turn to the bedroom and was gasping as he suddenly picked her up. "You're so lucky I'm not mad at you," she teased him as he carried her over to their bed.

"I don't think I would be doing this if there was a chance you would be," Castle told her seriously.

Beckett shook her head before her husband set her down next to his side and she was immediately reaching for him, pulling him down to her so they could kiss. It was very gentle and when they parted she said, "Would you tell me something."

"Of course," Castle said. "By the way," he was telling her as they were getting onto the bed. "I'm sure Louis was with us back then."

"You should wait to tell them," Beckett said with a smile. She pulled the covers onto her lap with him before she said, "And I know. They met at the diner Alexis was working at over the summer of 1947 when she was nineteen. I think she was off from Berkley."

Nodding quickly Castle said, "They waited until 1949 to marry though… luckily."

"Rick," Beckett said warningly though she was soon smiling. "It's amazing I didn't get married younger-"

"To me," Castle interrupted her.

"To you, you didn't let me finish," Beckett said wryly. She leaned over and kissed him quickly before saying, "But it happened then." She studied her husband then and asked, "You're trying to see if you can think of their kids."

"Sort of," Castle said. "Not that I don't want to know," he then added quickly as his wife was giving him a look. "It's more to see if I can get anything at all."

"And?" Beckett asked him.

"Nothing," Castle replied, shaking his head. "I think they need to have kids first before we can figure that out; it's why I knew you had eight at the most." He could see she looked uncertain and he changed the subject slightly asking her, "Are you going to pick a date for me?"

"You have your phone," Beckett said, nodding to his nightstand. She watched him opening it, looking on though she couldn't see the screen of his phone.

"August 21st, 1939," Castle read to her. "It says here it was a Monday but I don't think they'd started school yet."

"That was the next week," Beckett told him. "I'm assuming we were spending it with them."

"I'm surprised you let me tell you repeatedly," Castle told his wife with a smile.

Shrugging Beckett said, "It makes you happy, so why not."

Castle couldn't resist the temptation and he leaned over, sharing a swift kiss with her before straightening back up. "Seventeen… only eleven days from turning twelve, a little less than a month and a half from turning eleven and of course Josie was already nine. It wasn't all that hot… we were in the north of the state."

"I remember Skye mentioning that about it," Beckett said. When her husband looked at her in slight surprise she said, "I wasn't in San Francisco in August."

"Okay, well we were with the girls in the backyard, having a picnic since Alexis and Josie wanted it," Castle said. As his wife leaned against him, he wrapped his arm around her to hold her firmly against his side before he began while they were towards the end of their meal.

"We couldn't do this for dinner as well?" Elizabeth asked her mother hopefully.

"I don't think we could," Kate replied, looking above them at the sky.

"Do you think it'll rain?" Alexandra then asked doubtfully. "It's awfully warm."

"It could still rain," Rick told her. "And it has before."

"I would hope for some," Kate commented. "The garden will need it."

"It should," Rick commented suddenly.

Reaching over to her husband, Kate placed her hand on his arm and asked, "Is it your knee?"

"There's no pain love," Rick assured her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "Are you finished?" he asked her.

"I am," Josephine said before she jumped up. "Could I play with my jump rope Ma?"

"Alright," Kate said after she considered the sky.

"Don't get sick," Julia told her little sister.

Making a face, Josephine raced over to where her jump rope she'd gotten for her birthday in February was before she started to jump with it.

"Go on girls," Kate told the three still with her and Rick. "We'll clean everything up."

"Weren't we going to have watermelon?" Julia asked.

"We will after you play," Kate replied. "Go," she urged her.

Helping his wife with the napkins and glasses they'd used, Rick went back out for the napkins, smiling at Julia and Elizabeth turning the larger jump rope they'd bought for all four of their daughters. He watched Alexandra jumping in with her little sister and he was about to call encouragement to them when he heard his wife calling to him from the kitchen. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing," Kate said in surprise. "You forgot about the watermelon," she told him, nodding to the bowl on the counter.

"What about you?" Rick asked as he picked it up.

"I'll be out in a moment," Kate said as she walked over to the dining room.

Though he wondered if his wife was alright, Rick knew he couldn't follow her while their daughters were outside, and he went back to the lean-to to head into the backyard with them.

"The watermelon!" Josephine said eagerly, stopping when she saw her father. She ignored her sisters saying her name in protest as she hurried to him and took a piece of watermelon. "Thanks, Da," she said happily to him.

"You're welcome, but your sisters seem to be a bit sore," Rick commented.

"Not sore," Alexandra said first.

"You should have told us you wanted to stop," Elizabeth said as she and her sisters were getting a slice as well.

"I don't know if she could have," Rick commented. "But at least you weren't hurt," he then said. "You-" he started to say before he heard thunder. Looking up he saw the drop of water on his glasses and said, "Now it'll rain."

"Oh, good!" Josephine said happily before she hurried out onto the grass as she was still eating her watermelon.

"Shouldn't we go inside Da?" Julia asked as they watched her three little sisters hurry out into the rain and stand while they were eating their watermelon.

"I suppose but… it's a summer rain," Rick replied. "It's like a shower."

"But what will-" Julia started to say.

"Rick," Kate said firmly behind them. When her husband turned to her she said, "What are you doing? Get the girls inside now."

Since he could tell from his wife's tone she wasn't pleased, Rick went out to them before he ushered the three inside. "We're sorry," he told his wife. "It was… swell," he finished as she just glanced at him while the five of them were crowded into the lean-to.

"Stay here and I'll get some towels," Kate said with a sigh.

"I feel bad Da," Josephine said, going to her father and taking his hand.

"I know, we'll have to make it up to her," Rick said, having felt the guilt a lot more when he saw the way the water dripped off them onto the floor of the lean-to. "If only it hadn't… the watermelon," he said before stopping himself in realization and hurrying out.

"Ma'll be sore!" Alexandra cried as she and her sisters went to the doorway to watch him run out to get the bowl he'd left on a small table.

"Girls," Kate said, coming in then and passing out the towels she had. She shooed them away from the doorway and held out the towel for her husband as he was coming up the steps into the lean-to. Taking the bowl she told him, "You'll all need showers and dry clothes. I'll get a fire in the stove and you'll sit there so your hair will dry. Now take off your shoes and stockings and walk through the house but be careful."

"I'm sorry Ma," the four girls said though not at the same time.
"I know, your aunt, uncle and I would do the same with your da," Kate told them reassuringly. "Now go and come back to the stove when you finish." When they'd left, she turned to her husband and said, "Why didn't you come inside?"

"Because I was fifteen again," Rick replied easily. "I am sorry though love."

"As I told the girls I know. Now go so I can have your clothes and hang them to dry," Kate replied easily.

After toeing off his shoes Rick removed his socks and walked through the kitchen, dining room and living room to reach the stairs. He looked back at his wife when he saw she was mopping behind him and where the girls had dripped on the floor. He felt a sense of guilt seeing that but as he started up to the second floor he reminded himself to make it up to her once he and the girls were downstairs.

"What?" Castle asked as his wife had sat up to look at him then.

"You seem to have a tendency to do that," Beckett told him a smile. She leaned into him and kissed him briefly before she said, "But it doesn't really surprise me. Let me know what happened after that."

"Sure," Castle said. "We all showered and changed… did we have to? It wasn't cold."

"In those days I think that was the belief to keep from getting sick," Beckett replied. She wasn't surprised when her husband looked at her questioningly and she shrugged before saying, "I guess I learned it from my mom back then."

Thinking about that for a moment and then nodding Castle said, "You were taking all our clothes to hang under the covered part of the patio to dry since we didn't really have room in the house to dry them there though we had a little laundry room. The rest of us were going to the stove while you were busy and starting to dry off."

"And talking?" Beckett asked.

"You didn't hear us," Castle was quick to say. He wasn't surprised when his wife rolled her eyes; though she was smiling; and he pulled her to him again before he continued.

"Have you girls thought at all?" Rick asked.

"Thought about what?" Elizabeth asked, stepping into her slippers she'd tossed onto the floor.

"What to do for your ma," Rick asked them.

"What if we made dinner for her?" Julia said in response. "Us girls?"

"And what about me?" Rick asked though he was touched by her idea as she was earnest.

"Feed Ma when we eat?" Josephine asked. "What?" she said, hurt by her three older sisters laughing.

"Girls, please," Rick told them sternly to get them to stop. "It's an idea but I don't know that your ma would like that," he said. "She's not a baby," he told Josephine gently. "Another idea."

"I would have said get some flowers Da," Julia told him. "But it's still raining."

"I'd thought of that too but…" Rick began saying before he was looking out the window. He frowned and then said, "I'll try to think of something."

"Yes, yes it was sexual but there wasn't much I could do with the rain," Castle said defensively when his wife was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. He relaxed when she smiled at him and then said, "It was more… pleasuring you but you stopped me after the second time. Spoilsport?"

"Spoil… you said the same thing last time," Beckett said, playfully punching his arm. "And it was enough for me alright?"

"Sure… though you know that does give me an idea," Castle commented.

"Pervert," Beckett said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "But it was a nice dinner."

"A nice break for you," Castle said.

"It was," Beckett replied with a smile before wrapping her arms around her husband as he started up while they were in the dining room waiting for their daughters to finish their dinner.

"What exactly are you doing Rick? You and the girls?" Kate asked her husband as he was pouring wine for them both.

"They're preparing dinner for you, I'm just getting you some wine," Rick said before they turned together to the doorway leading to the kitchen.

Smiling Kate said, "It looks like you did a swell job with the salmon honey," as Julia was coming in with the main dish.

"Thank you, Ma," the young woman said with a smile. "I hope it came out almost as good as yours."

"I'm sure it did," Kate said reassuringly as she hadn't really let her daughters prepare salmon on their own before.

"She was afraid it wasn't cooked all the way through," Elizabeth told their parents.

"It does look finished," Castle reassured her, watching the rest of the girls come in with the potatoes, mashed turnips and rolls to make sure they were alright. "I'll serve Kate," he said as his wife was beginning to stand up.

Watching her husband getting a plate prepared with salmon and the side dishes, Kate was surprised when he gave it to her. "Josephine-" she started to say.

"It's okay Ma," the little girl said with a smile. "You should have it first; you were working very hard."

"Thank you," Kate told them.

Once he was sitting at the head of the table Rick said, "We wanted to make things up for you love."

"I had a feeling," Kate said with a smile, reaching over to him and squeezing his hand. They heard the thunder close to the house and she was looking up with her family as the lights flickered and then went out. She smiled and said, "It's alright," as Josephine was making a soft noise in her fear. "We'll have the candles and it'll be like it was in San Francisco when we were in our tent."

"Would you girls like the story again?" Rick asked. When the four said yes, Josephine a little more insistent than her sisters, he shared a smile with his wife as they were lighting the first candles before they began.

"Why didn't they get tired of that story?" Beckett asked her husband as he stopped there.

"I have no clue," Castle said. "I guess you figured they would but no, they loved hearing it."

"What's your theory?" Beckett asked him teasingly as she'd been watching him.

"To be honest I think because it was how we'd met then," Castle replied.

"I know," Beckett said with a slight sigh as he'd been looking at her pointedly. "They want to hear about us but that worries me a lot more than our story back then."

"I think because it was different," Castle said. "All our friends have similar stories about first meeting… well, I think Skye and Mary and Patrick and Trevor are like us in the being different aspect. But it's an interesting story too."

"Trust you to think of it as a story," Beckett said though her tone was laden with amusement. She shared a kiss with him and then said, "We'd better sleep, we're taking them tomorrow."

"The snow?" Castle asked though he was taking off his glasses to set them on his nightstand.

"Either way, plus we have to get them ready to go," Beckett said as she was checking her alarm on her phone quickly. When they were laying down after the lights had been turned off, she said as they covered themselves up to their shoulders, "I am glad we're back though."

"Though it was a fun trip," Castle said as his wife pressed against his side while they wrapped their arms around each other.

"Are you including the case?" Beckett asked him.

"Not that but everything else," Castle said. He heard his wife laughing and seeing her shaking her head he kissed the top of it. "And I am looking forward to the next ball."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said. They looked into each other's eyes and though she couldn't see him easily she saw him leaning down slightly to her. They kissed very gently, and she was relieved before he pulled back. "I love you Rick," she told him.

"I love you too Kate," Castle told her. When they said goodnight to each other they laid down again and he was listening to their breathing after he'd closed his eyes, knowing she was asleep as he still held her. He nodded off a little after her, feeling very relaxed and finding when he did dream he was seeing her that night in their memory and feeling very satisfied before he woke up the morning of the seventeenth with her still in his arms.