"I think that's good," Beckett said, watching her husband writing on the notepad they had for their plots. "But at least the pregnancy won't affect what we put there."
"Very true," Castle said absently as he was finishing with what he was writing. "Do you want to write the prologue?" he asked, looking at her.
"That would be great," Beckett said. She smiled when her husband looked at her in surprise at her tone and she told him, "I know you want to start the first chapter a little after that."
"How do you do that?" Castle said in admiration, shaking his head in wonder at the same time.
"I know you," Beckett replied easily. "Now let's start."
Nodding, Castle opened a new document on his laptop and he and Beckett started to write the prologue together, making it short as the murder was via a hit and run. He read it back to his wife and when they agreed that it was set he said, "Mind if I try the opening?"
"Go ahead," Beckett told him with a smile as she could tell he was eager to write. She watched him doing so, a little surprised that he wasn't reading it out loud as he usually did. But finally he'd stopped and she was surprised again when he nodded to the screen. "Are you sure?" she asked him with a smile.
"Yeah, feel free to change wherever you want to," Castle told her.
Beckett wanted to tell him that she likely wouldn't but knew he wouldn't really accept that before she looked at the screen and started to read the first page he had. She smiled at how he wrote their conversation in it, discussing plans for the day and a walk through the neighborhood before his character was touching her stomach and asking if she was alright to announce the pregnancy to the readers before they left the home. "It's good," she told her husband when she finished. "And sweet."
"Thank you," Castle replied. "Not too much?"
"No, don't worry, since she's pregnant he needs to be considerate," Beckett said. "Your female readers will want him to be."
"Our readers," Castle said firmly to her.
"Our readers," Beckett said with a smile. "So they'll leave and see the accident scene?"
"Yeah, either right after it happens or before the police get there but there are other people?" Castle asked her.
"We can figure that out later," Beckett said. When her husband looked startled she said, "I know but I think that's enough for today."
"Are… you sure?" Castle said, taken aback by that.
"Yes, Josie will wake up soon and I did want to hear the rest of the memory," Beckett said, standing up and reaching for his hand. She smiled when her husband looked at her, and she pulled him over to the couch before she watched him sit. She sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around him saying, "Tell me."
"Okay," Castle said. "Julia had some reading for her homework and once she finished you started dinner, I helped and she was watching her sisters in the dining room, so they were close but not in the way of us."
"Here love," Rick told his wife as he was giving her the pan with the chicken in it. "I'll get the potatoes."
"I'll take them," Kate told him firmly as she was setting the pan on the stove. "You need to get everything for the table."
"Are you sure?" Rick asked, watching her reaching back into the oven.
"Yes, just make sure the girls are alright," Kate said, giving him a look as she knew he was asking because of the baby.
Rick knew she was serious, so he went out into the dining room after he'd gotten the deviled eggs his wife had made from the ice box. He set it on the table and then went to the girls who were playing together with blocks. "How goes the building boss?" he asked Julia.
"Not so swell Da," the little girl said. "They always want to knock everything."
"It's the way of babies," Rick told her as he knelt to them with a smile on his face. He took Alexandra's hand as she reached up to him and said, "Let them honey, they'll learn not to once they grow older."
Sighing Julia eventually nodded her head and said, "I suppose I will Da."
"Good girl," Rick said, kissing her cheek before he repeated the same with Elizabeth and Alexandra.
"Rick," Kate said as she walked over to him with the platter of chicken and potatoes in her hands. "You'll hurt your knee."
"It's swell Kate," Rick assured her, standing up before he went over to her. Since she'd already set down the platter it allowed him to gather her in his arms and he kissed her. Though their daughters were there and Elizabeth was crying out to her mother, he couldn't stop himself and kissed her deeply as he held her closely to him. He wasn't sure how long they were embroiled in that but once they parted his lips were throbbing and she was smiling at him making him murmur, "I love you so much Kate."
"I love you," Kate whispered back to him as he leaned his forehead against hers. She looked into his eyes and was about to kiss him when she felt someone grabbing her skirt and she looked down to find it was Elizabeth. "I suppose we need to get them dinner," she told her husband as she looked at him.
"It appears we do," Rick said with a nod. He kissed her lips quickly before he said to the girls, "Come, we'll get your hands clean and we'll eat."
"That was about it," Castle told her. "We ate dinner, played with the girls until they needed to go to bed and after we were in our room we did some… things."
Beckett smiled and then reached for him, cupping his face with her hands before they were kissing gently. "I know what we did and we enjoyed it." She was about to speak again when they heard Josie on the baby monitor and turned to his tablet before he opened it and they saw she was awake. "Let's go," she told her husband with a smile before she got off his lap and they went upstairs to Josie's room so they could spend the next half hour with their daughter before they went to watch their girls in dance class.
Stretching her leg in front of her, Julia looked up to see that the door opening was her family and she smiled at her parents and Josie before she went back to her stretching.
"Mommy, Daddy," Eliza said as she rushed to them from the changing room.
"Hey sweetie, you need to go get ready," Castle said after she'd hugged her and Beckett. "Go ahead with your sister."
"Okay, I'm glad you came to watch," Eliza said.
"Of course we did," Beckett told her before they watched her going to the barre where her big sister was. She was about to tell her husband they needed to tell them about the memories he'd shared with her when he was talking about them first.
"I was thinking of telling them another memory, but I was thinking of Alexis," Castle told her. "Should I call them?"
Shaking her head Beckett said, "After but I'm going to warn you they might want to stay home tonight."
"Sure," Castle said before they turned their attention to the class and watched the students practicing ballet that day. He watched Eliza and her partner Quentin to see how the boy was handling it but say he seemed to be fine with the other boys that were dancing as well.
After Ms. Grey had dismissed the class to change, Beckett looked at her husband as he was going onto his phone and she smiled. "You couldn't resist, could you?" she told him.
"Of course not, but I'm only texting her," Castle replied.
"I know but still," Beckett said, watching as his phone was lighting up.
"You're right," Castle said as he saw the message his daughter had sent to him. "They're staying home for dinner," he said while he was quickly texting Alexis back. "I let her know it was okay," he said.
Smiling Beckett squeezed her husband's arm and then said, "Will you still tell them?"
"I think so," Castle replied. When she slapped his arm lightly with the back of her hand and said, "What?"
"You think so?" Beckett said.
"Oh, no I mean I will," Castle said hurriedly. "Sorry I was reading her answering text; they'll come over for dinner tomorrow,"
"Okay," Beckett said with a smile as Eliza was walking out from the girls' changing room. Julia and Mari were close behind them and she stood up before getting Josie into her carrier. "Hopefully they won't have much homework," she said to her husband.
"I don't!" Eliza said eagerly as she had reached her parents. "Why?" she then said in confusion.
"We'll tell you when we go home," Beckett said.
"Okay, let's go," Julia said simply. She smiled when her parents looked at her and then told them, "Mari's going to wait for her parents."
"That's fine," Beckett told her. "Did you ask her to come over?"
"She did," Mari herself said. "But Mom told me already I needed to come home; I can go over tomorrow or Thursday after school."
Castle was about to speak when the door to the classroom opened and David walked in, Mari racing over to hug him. "You're able to pick her up?" he asked.
"I finished everything up at City Hall luckily," the mayor said with a smile. "But I need to get her home, Rebecca wants us to do a fondue and we're making it together."
"Dani too?" Mari asked. When her father nodded, she smiled and then said, "Cool."
Waving goodbye to her friend, Julia turned her attention to her family and they went out together to their car. After they were on their way she asked her parents, "Did you write?"
"A little bit, so at least we were able to start it," Beckett said. "Do you have homework?"
"A little bit for French," Julia said. "I was able to do some in Study Hall. It won't take me that long, why?"
"Because your dad wants to tell us another memory," Beckett said.
"Oh! Why don't you say it now Daddy?" Eliza asked eagerly.
"Because I'd like us to get home and be comfortable there when I do it," Castle said.
"It's going to be long?" Julia asked.
"I'm not sure," Beckett replied.
"No, I don't know either," Castle said quickly. "I won't until I tell it to you guys since I have no idea what I'll be telling you yet."
"You need to get a date?" Julia said. When her father nodded, she smiled and said, "Cool."
Castle couldn't help laughing at her tone though he had to make it brief since he was arriving at their home. Once he'd been able to get into the garage, he helped his wife getting their daughters into the house. "You know we forgot something," he told her after they'd hung their coats and the girls' as well.
"I didn't," Beckett said easily. "I know we need to get dinner and I will right now."
"Get the date Daddy!" Eliza told him eagerly.
"Let me help your mom start dinner and Julia start her homework," Castle said as the girl was bringing a book over to the island in the kitchen.
"And you need to play with Josie," Beckett told the girls with a smile.
"Okay," Eliza said eagerly, and she was playing with the baby in her highchair while the others were working before she saw her father going to his phone.
"Where are Gram and Grandpapa?" Julia asked suddenly as she was closing her French book.
"Still out," Castle said. "I haven't heard from your gram, so I guess she's still with her friend."
"I did text my dad but he hasn't answered so he's still on the way," Beckett said when her husband had looked at her. "Did you get a date or are you texting Martha?" she asked as she saw he was looking at the screen of his phone.
"The first," Castle said. He looked up at the girls when he heard their confused sounds they were making and said, "I have a date; it's not the first." He looked back at his phone screen and then said, "Actually it's the second."
Sighing as her husband didn't continue Beckett said, "Finish that before I make you go to the garage."
"You're going to make him go on a time out?" Eliza asked worriedly.
"No, to get the vegetables for dinner," Castle said. "Which I'll do anyway but the date here is August second in 1930."
"That was after Josa was born… six months?" Julia said, guessing the number as she was trying to figure it out in her head.
"She was," Beckett said. "Not long after the last one you told me," she said to her husband then in Irish.
"I know, ask the app about that," Castle said before he switched to English. "I'll be right back girls," he said to Julia and Eliza.
"I think I know what Dad's going to talk about," Julia commented when he was out of sight of them.
"You remember?" Beckett asked her.
"Sort of," Julia said with a frown. "I just remember a beach, that's it."
"So do I," Beckett said, nodding her head. She then looked over at the hall and saw that Castle was walking down to them and she smiled saying, "You know you didn't even ask what I needed."
"I guessed," Castle said. "Hopefully it's right or I'm going to have to go back."
"No, I have everything," Beckett said once she'd studied all the vegetables he'd brought back.
"What about that day Daddy? Jules says we went to the beach," Eliza told him.
"And we did," Castle replied. He quickly washed his hands and said as he started to wash the vegetables, "We were there at the beach, swimming and after we had lunch you girls brought out your ball to throw together while your mother and I were still sitting with Josie."
"How old were the three of us?" Eliza asked.
"I was eight by then," Julia said. "Eight for almost three months."
"You were going to turn three the next month," Beckett told Eliza.
"And Alexis was two months away from turning two," Castle added. When the girls nodded he said, "You weren't throwing that ball very well; you and Alexis; but you were still having fun." He smiled when Eliza giggled and then continued, going to the Thornton State Beach where they had spent the day.
"I'm so glad that the weather is so swell for the beach," Rick said to his wife.
"I know, Julia was in agony that we wouldn't be able to stay for long," Kate said. She smiled when her husband looked at her in confusion and she told him, "She thought we would only come for our lunch," squeezing his hand when he nodded.
"You're the cat's meow Kate," Rick told his wife as he leaned over to murmur that to her.
Smiling at him, Kate squeezed her husband's hand again as she wasn't surprised he was telling her that for a second time since she had changed into her bathing suit. It was brand new, a bright blue color and belted with a short skirt that exposed her legs. She wasn't sure if she; a mother of four children; should really have the audacity to wear it but with the way her husband stared at her repeatedly she felt far more reassured.
"Ma," Julia said suddenly, coming over with her sisters who were walking a little unsteadily. When their mother looked at her she told her, "How much longer must we play?"
"A little longer, I won't have you cramping up in the water," Kate said. She noticed her husband was looking at her out of the corner of her eye and she turned to him asking, "What?"
"You sounded quite a bit like your ma saying that," Rick replied with a smile. He then turned his attention to their oldest and said, "Your ma is right, but it shouldn't be much longer. Would you like me to play with you?"
"Or you Ma," Julia said hopefully.
"I'll keep an eye on them," Rick said with a nod before he kissed his wife on the lips before she was getting up. "Come here girls," he said to Elizabeth and Alexandra, holding his arms out to them. When they were with him, he helped them sit down and shared a kiss with them both as they giggled happily before watching their mother and sister in front of them.
After they had tossed the ball back and forth for a while, Kate wasn't surprised when Julia caught it and held it before she said, "Yes you may swim now, but take your da with you."
Nodding, the little girl hurried over to the blankets her parents had set out to say, "Ma says we can swim now Da."
"Alright," Rick replied as he looked at his wife to find her going to sit next to him. He couldn't stop himself and kissed her again, that time far more passionately before he slowly pulled away from her. He smiled with her as they heard their three oldest giggling before he said, "We'll be back."
"Be careful," Kate told him, letting him go and trying not to become very annoyed that she had to. She turned her attention to the two with her, checking on Josephine as well before they were watching the two in the water.
"Dada," Elizabeth said as Rick and Julia were splashing each other as they stood ankle deep for the latter.
"Rick," Kate called to her husband as the baby was standing up.
Turning to her, he saw the baby was starting to walk to them slowly and Rick said to Julia, "We'll need to step closer to shore."
"Do we have to Da?" Julia asked with a sigh.
"We have to be fair for your sisters," Rick said firmly. "Just for a bit, she'll see your ma is making a castle in the sand and she'll want to go."
After nodding a bit reluctantly, Julia went with him into shallower water and started to splash both her and their father. Finally she grew tired of that and said, "May I go into the water Da?"
"Yes," Rick said. "But only just to your shoulders." He watched her nod before she hurried to the waves and he smiled, knowing that she was going to duck underneath them as she enjoyed. He turned back to Elizabeth and started to splash with her again before his wife was suddenly crying out to him.
"Julia!" Kate said again when she saw their oldest was having trouble and disappearing under a wave. "Rick-" she started to cry.
Though he had to leave Elizabeth behind, Rick was running further into the water and then diving underneath. He wasn't sure he would be able to find the little girl, the water nearly murky, but he continued as he couldn't leave without her.
Having run to grab Elizabeth, Kate had to calm her two middle daughters since they were crying in reaction to her tone and Rick racing into the water. She did her best to stop them but grew more and more concerned when her husband didn't reappear. She was just beginning to think of going after them when Rick's head suddenly came out of the water and she nearly began crying herself as their oldest was with him.
"Hold on tight Julia," Rick said as he was swimming with her clinging to his back. He continued; though his arms and legs were straining; until he could walk and he moved Julia to his hip as she started to cough. "That's a girl, just let the water out and you'll breathe just fine," he told her before Kate was racing through the water to him.
"Oh Julia," she said tearfully. "My little one are you alright?" Kate checked to make sure that her oldest nodded and she pulled her back into an embrace before kissing her cheek. "Oh, my little one," she said.
"I'm sorry Ma," Julia eventually said tearfully. "I was pulled by the wave."
"It's alright, I know you didn't want that to happen," Kate said, looking at her husband who was sitting in the water, breathing a little hard still. She kissed her daughter's temple and then said, "You'll stay near us now?"
"I will," Julia said before she had her mother set her down. Once her feet were on the sand she went to her father and wrapped her arms around him tightly, "I'm sorry Da."
"No, no," Rick said quickly, relieved he'd recovered enough to stop panting. "As your ma said, you didn't want that to happen. Thank her for her sharp eyes."
"Thank you, Ma, Da," Julia said immediately to them both. "Might I sit with Josephine?"
"Go on, take your sisters and tell them your swell now," Kate said as the two had been standing on the sand watching them. Once their three oldest were settled on the blanket, she turned to her husband and knelt next to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Oh Rick," she breathed. "I thought you'd be lost as well."
"I'm swell love," Rick told her seriously. "I'm just that glad I found her." He was about to speak again when his wife turned him to her and she kissed him firmly on the lips. He was startled by it but soon moved to respond to her, her tongue slipping into his mouth.
Kate was taken aback when her husband tried pulling away at that moment and she didn't let him succeed in that before they had to breathe. "What's wrong? Couldn't you breathe?" she said in her concern.
"I didn't want you tasting salt," Rick confessed. He was surprised when his wife smiled and he was lucky when she was kissing him yet again, not realizing their oldest daughter was watching them at that moment.
Smiling for a moment, Julia then turned her attention to her little sisters and saw they looked tearful still. "I'm swell," she told them reassuringly before she reached for them both. Hugging them at the same time she smiled again when they both squealed in reaction to her being wet. She laughed and they then looked to their parents as they were walking up to them.
About to see if all three girls were alright, Kate heard Josephine beginning to fuss and she hurried over to where the baby had been sleeping to pick her up. She quickly calmed her down and then said to her husband, "We should take them into the water."
"Are you sure?" Rick asked in surprise.
"Would you like to go, only so far that we can sit in the water," Kate said, speaking to their oldest.
"That sounds swell," Julia said. She took Elizabeth's hand as their parents were getting their little sisters and they stepped into the water. She could feel her sister squeezing her hand tightly and she smiled before saying, "Don't be scared, we'll only go in a little."
"Here?" Rick asked his wife. When she nodded he sat down with her and Julia, making sure the other three girls were alright. Seeing they were he started picking up the wet sand underneath them and then proceeded to bring it up to show the girls, smiling when the youngest ones laughed while he threw it to the waves and it broke apart. He did that for a while before they were leaving the water and he and Kate were sculpting with Julia while their youngest were watching them.
Taking the rind of the piece of watermelon that Julia had eaten after they'd made their castle from the sand, Rick told his wife, "I think they've had enough love."
Looking at their daughters, Kate smiled and then said, "I suppose they have. And I think we need to be home for dinner soon as well."
"You're not making anything difficult, are you?" Rick asked as they were getting up to begin gathering everything they'd brought with them.
"No, just sandwiches again, but different from our cucumber and ham at lunch," Kate replied, smiling. She helped her husband in getting everything to the car and once they had their three oldest in the back of it, she held Josephine in the front and looked on while he was getting them back home.
"Are you all awake?" Rick said once he'd parked outside the garage.
"I am," Kate said before they looked into the backseat to find that Elizabeth and Alexandra were fast asleep. "Wake them up my love," she told her husband with a smile as he handed her the keys. She went into the house with Josephine and took her over to the bassinet in the dining room where she set her to sleep. She hurried to the lean-to to see if the others were okay and saw Elizabeth and Alexandra were awake and trying to get their father to pick them up at the same time. "Girls," she called. "Come inside and leave your da alone," smiling when he was picking up Alexandra.
After they were all in the house Rick gave his wife a quick kiss on the lips before he told her, "Thank you so much love, they were driving me spare."
"I could see," Kate replied, smiling. "Julia? Would you mind watching your sisters?"
Seeing the little girl shaking her head, Rick then said, "Good, go on and get your sisters' toys and play with them in the dining room." When their daughters were in the next room he went to his wife and said, "How might I help love?"
"You don't need to," Kate told him seriously as she was finishing tying her apron.
"But-" Rick started to say.
Smiling, Kate reached for her husband and pulled him to her so they could kiss gently before she pulled away. "I love you Rick, I need no help until I have everything ready. Play with our girls," she told him. She brushed her lips against his when he nodded and let him go, watching him going into the dining room. She smiled again as he was sitting with their daughters and their toys before turning to start getting their dinner ready as she was feeling the late summer afternoon breeze coming in from the open windows.
"I'm glad we did go Da," Julia was telling her father.
"So am I," Rick said, smiling. "It was a swell day even though we went in deep."
"In the waves," Julia told him seriously as she was nodding her head.
After laughing for a moment, Rick kissed the top of her head and looked over at his wife before he focused on their daughters. But he couldn't stop his gaze going to her, trying not to think of when they'd finally be alone later that night when their girls were in bed.
When he and Beckett pulled away from each other Castle looked into his wife's eyes and said, "What brought that on?"
Smiling at the question Beckett told him, "Just in general. Plus, I was glad to see that you saved our daughter."
"I had to," Castle said seriously. He then pressed his forehead to hers and told her, "Hopefully you wanted to do this now because of now."
Beckett laughed softly and then said, "It is. But I'm glad you stopped with memories there." She watched him then and said, "Are you thinking of another?"
"No, I just… your bathing suit," Castle began slowly.
"Pervert," Beckett told him though she was smiling at that. "It can't really have been that attractive," she added.
"Oh no, it was," Castle said a little earnestly. "It was risqué a little back then and you were the mother of our children and you were absolutely gorgeous."
Beckett bit at her lower lip before she said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Castle said. "Though I feel embarrassed about my suit."
"It was what men wore those days," Beckett said, as she knew his was very revealing if he became too aroused.
"You enjoyed it," Castle said. "I think I can call you a pervert now."
"No," Beckett said simply before she was smirking at him.
Sighing Castle said, "No but still… that night."
"Go ahead," Beckett told him.
"You're not worried I might go too far with that?" Castle asked. When his wife shook her head, he breathed out and then said, "Alright… we came up to our room and you were wearing your bathing suit underneath a dress which you took off for me…"
Staring at his wife intently, Rick said, "You look better than a movie star love. You're gorgeous."
Smiling as she was posing for him, Kate stopped as she said, "Thank you, and I'm so happy you've kept your bathing clothes on."
Breathing out hard when his wife plopped down on his lap Rick was holding her tightly and said, "What would you like?"
"Anything which you do," Kate replied easily. She wasn't surprised when her husband seemed unsure about that and she leaned over, brushing her lips against his. She then reached up to the straps of her bathing suit and pulled them a little so the top of it was loose on her chest. "There, what would you like?" she asked him.
"Much more," Rick said, breathing hard while he watched her. He moved, standing up and then laying her in the middle of the bed before he was helping her with her bathing suit. With it out of the way he was going to move to her before she was grasping him at his groin. "Kate," he said in an almost hiss.
"If I'm to be in nothing but my skin you need to as well," she told him seriously though she had a slight smile on her face.
Nearly gasping for air, Rick nodded and reached for his own bathing suit which he was overjoyed was as simple as his wife's. He wasn't surprised to find her at the edge of the bed when he was climbing onto it naked, or when she reached for him by wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed passionately sitting on their knees in the middle of the mattress and he would have been more than happy to remain there for a while before she was suddenly moving and collapsing on the bed below him.
"I'm absolutely drained Rick," Kate said while her husband was staring down at her. She put her arms above her head and watched her husband's eyes trace over her breasts. When he didn't move, she then reached in between her legs and was gently rubbing at her clit, sighing before she was moving a little faster which made her begin to moan. She gasped when she was suddenly stopped, and her husband was taking both her hands with his own. Looking on while he kissed her fingers and then palms, she murmured his name before he was leaning down to her and kissing her lips.
Rick spent a while there, their tongues rolling and dueling together before they were slowly parting. He moved to her breasts but only looked at them admiringly before he slid down her body further and reached her sex. Kissing around the mound he could feel her parting her legs and he went down to her entrance where he was lapping at her folds. Tasting her arousal, he was shuddering in joy and he moved to slip his tongue within her. He moved it back and forth repeatedly, hearing her crying out and he was doing his best to hold her down until she finally broke and he tasted her joy as well.
A little lost in her ecstasy, Kate was arching her back and calling her husband's name until she was still on the bed. When she felt him moving, she was moaning softly in pleasure and she watched him as he came to her. Their kiss was deep and they were fighting with their tongues again until they were parting, breathless. She smiled as she gently ran her fingers over her husband's lower lip and when she stopped she asked him, "Would you like me to do the same to you?"
"Yes," Rick was quick to say before he was moving at his wife's direction. When he was laying where she had been he watched her beginning to kiss down his chest and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as her mouth lovingly closed around his length and proceeded to suck and rub around him to his absolute delight.
"I'm going to stop there," Castle said.
Squeezing his arm, as his voice was strained, Beckett said, "Probably for the best." She then studied his face and said, "I'm sorry for this."
"No, it's okay," Castle said, knowing she was talking about their celibacy. "It makes things… amazing when we get back to it. But we're not going to be doing that for a while are we?"
"No," Beckett said with a smile on her face. She then leaned over and kissed his cheek before she got off the side of the bed so she could remove her robe. "But you're right, it feels… amazing when you're back with me."
"I'm glad to hear that," Castle said as he could tell she was serious. He covered her lap again when she was under the sheets and told her, "We weren't doing that back then, but I never got tired of you."
"I was the same," Beckett said, cupping his cheek before she kissed him tenderly. When they parted, she smiled at him and after she had studied him for a moment said, "You were really a big six."
Breathing out heavily, Castle couldn't stop himself and he leaned down, kissing her deeply on the lips. He kept that up for some time until they were slowly parting and staring into her eyes he watched her whisper to him lovingly.
"I love you Rick," Beckett told him.
"I love you too Kate," Castle said, looking into her eyes. He leaned down and caught her lips but made that kiss gentler, lightly stroking his tongue against hers for a bit before they parted. He pulled her onto his lap then and wrapped his arms around her, feeling her leaning against him in response. "I've said it before, but I can't really help repeating it; I was so happy that night at the hotel. And then when you came to the loft now."
Beckett couldn't help smiling at the way her husband had worded that and she leaned over, kissing him gently on the lips and then said, "So am I." They were quiet for a while and she finally spoke as she had been thinking about something that she wanted to ask him. "How were you able to handle that time until we were at the hotel?" she asked him.
"I could use my hands," Castle reminded her.
"Yes, but that doesn't get boring after a while?" Beckett replied.
"No, it helped things out," Castle said easily. "You forget I had a good imagination and I could imagine you."
Smiling again Beckett said, "Do I want to ask what exactly you were imagining in regards to me?"
"No," Castle said seriously before he smiled as she was laughing. He squeezed her gently before he said, "Why did you ask?"
"I just feel like it was unusual you weren't with other women," Beckett said. When he frowned she told him, "Really, it's hard to believe you'd settle with self-pleasuring in that time."
"I did want you," Castle reminded her. "And I was willing to wait… which is weird to say because how could I have known if you would have married someone else." He then smiled at her and said, "I get the feeling we wouldn't be able to stay apart once we met. With all our lives we've shared." He kissed her temple at her sigh and said, "You don't need to agree."
"Thank you," Beckett said, glad that he hadn't added the words out loud to that. She then looked at him and said, "I'm happy we reached that point," running her fingers gently through his hair as he was nodding to her smile.
"To get off of that," Castle told her as he looked up at her. "Subject," he added quickly when he saw the way she was looking at him. "What were your plans for tomorrow?"
"Nothing other than the usual," Beckett said in amusement. "Why don't you just ask if I want us to write tomorrow?"
"Do you want to?" Castle said immediately.
Beckett couldn't help laughing softly and she leaned over, kissing him lightly before she said, "Let's see how it goes. I'd like to leave the possibility open in case we don't really have anything while Josie's taking a nap."
"Okay," Castle said easily. When his wife looked at him questioningly, he said, "I know we do need to write, as much as possible before first Spring Break and then Spain." Though his wife was nodding he noticed the look on her face and asked, "Are you still annoyed by the investigation?"
Looking at him in confusion, Beckett quickly understood what he meant and said, "No, not that. I know it's going to happen. I was thinking of their birthdays."
"Oh," Castle replied. "Well… wait, just them?"
Beckett smiled and shook her head; knowing her husband was aiming for that; and she said, "Your birthday too. I just hate that they'll be getting older, but it's going to happen."
"Alexis too," Castle commented. When his wife nodded, he said, "I can sympathize, but I think someone told me that you can't really stop them getting older so just enjoy the years you have."
Giving him a look; though she didn't really have anything behind it as she'd told him that once; Beckett said, "I know and that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"Neither do I," Castle said. "Though you aren't looking forward to Josie's?"
"I am, and I'm guessing because of that you want to talk about what we'll do?" Beckett asked him.
"That would be nice," Castle said seriously. He smiled back at his wife when she did so to him and he leaned over to her as she was doing. Their kiss started out very gentle and slid into becoming fervent and they didn't stop until they were breathless. When they parted, he reached up and gently pushed her hair behind her ear before telling her, "Goddess," in a husky whisper.
Reaching for her husband's hand, Beckett pulled it to her mouth and she kissed the back of it before telling him, "The party?"
Though he was frustrated by her changing the subject, Castle saw the necessity of that and he said, "Should we do what we did with Eliza? Like we talked about when she turned nine months?"
"It works," Beckett said with a nod. "And really I'm not sure what else we could do with her."
"We're inviting everyone from the city?" Castle asked.
"Are you thinking about Lanie going?" Beckett said, asking a question of her own in response.
"I am, if the baby's born soon it'll be two months… around that," Castle told her.
"It would be up to Lanie and Dylan," Beckett said when he looked at her questioningly. "But I think she'd come out here."
"What about gifts?" Castle asked.
Beckett couldn't help laughing before she then said, "I think just the usual. Clothes and books, toys and any games they have for year old kids."
"I was thinking of something else," Castle commented.
"I had a feeling," Beckett said with a smile. When her husband looked at her questioningly and said, "The expression on your face."
"It's why I can't really get anything past you," Castle told her with a smile. "What about a new Lladro?"
"We could, it depends on what you'd want to get her," Beckett said. "And would you want to look at the site now?"
"If that's okay," Castle said though he was reaching for his phone as he spoke.
"Go ahead," Beckett told him with a smile as she watched him opening it. She let her husband control things and watched him going through the different types of figurines. When he had finished, she said, "Let's do that again tomorrow, and decide then."
"Sure," Castle said as he knew she had seen a couple as well that they liked for their youngest. "The others?"
"Let's leave it for Christmas for them," Beckett replied. "Though you're thinking of Alexis?"
"Sort of, I'm not sure what she'd want to have in the house," Castle said. He scratched his cheek and then said, "An IOU for one?"
"Okay, but we need to give her something to actually unwrap," Beckett said. "And I have some ideas so let me take care of that. Though she might not get the Lladro."
"Why not?" Castle asked, surprised his wife had spoken so swiftly abruptly.
"If we're getting them a home…" Beckett said.
"Oh," Castle said in realization. "I guess we can tell them?"
"You have to," Beckett said with a smile. "If they're picking it."
"Okay, then we'll have other things and give them a Lladro for a housewarming gift," Castle said.
Beckett couldn't help laughing softly at how determined he was and she leaned over, kissing his temple before telling him, "Since we have that set let's get to sleep."
Castle set aside his phone but he wrapped his arm firmly around her waist so she wouldn't get off his lap. "Before we do that…" he began to say before he was leaning into her and then kissing her deeply.
Holding onto him as tightly as she could, Beckett didn't mind when her husband was dipping her back slightly as they became more intense. When they managed to stop after several of them she said with a smile, "I'll have to watch out until Saturday."
"I'm so happy it's not that far away," Castle said seriously.
Laughing Beckett brushed her lips against his quickly and then said, "Again, I love you."
"Love you Kate," Castle said before he kissed her gently. When they parted, he let go of her and watched her move off him so they could lay down. As soon as she was in his arms he then said, "We can do that tomorrow again, right?"
"Of course," Beckett said, not surprised when her husband kissed her as soon as she'd said that. When they'd parted, she pressed her cheek to his shoulder and murmured to him, "Goodnight love."
"Night," Castle said, turning his head and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Smiling as she was pressing closer to him, Beckett closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. She fell asleep knowing her husband was still holding her and she couldn't help wishing for the next three days to go swiftly so they could finally be intimate again. Until then she had her dreams of him, remembering their night together in the thirties and her body was literally pulsing as she spent the time left until morning wrapped up pleasurably in her intimacy with Castle.