'Mumum!'

'Nuh.'

'Mumum, geddup, geddup!'

Beckett groaned when she felt the creaking of the bed by her hip, heard the voice of her little girl. 'Jojo, what is it?' she sighed, then felt little thumbs lift her eyelids up for her. Yep, there was Jojo, wide awake and bouncing like a spring on the spot.

'Mumum! It air-puh-lane day! We gonna fuh-ly-a Bermuda fo' a sup-ah 'pishal weddin'!'

Beckett gently removed her daughter's fingers from her face, then sat up as Jojo rounded the foot of the bed and hollered the same way at her father.

'Daddy! No time be suh-leepy now! Time-a go!' When she received no response, Jojo clambered up and squatted on her father's back, shook him like she was testing a Christmas tree. 'Daaaaaaa-deeeee! Geddup! Up up up!'

'Jojo, did you get any sleep?' Castle mumbled as he felt his daughter's pure excitement all but vibrate her right off the floor.

'A li'l bit, but can' be late fo' the puh-lane! It gonna go woosh-woosh-woosh!'

Jojo made a rocking motion with her arms that sent her whole body rocking; her exuberance was infectious and Beckett had to laugh. 'Alright, bumblebee, let's go get some world traveler breakfast.'

'Nope, no wan' an icky tummy.' Jojo shook her head. 'I wait fo' puh-lane 'nacks.'

'Well, I'm going to make something for me, and we're going to let Daddy sleep a little bit more since he was up late with me last night.'

'Why up pas' beddie-byes?'

Beckett thought of the tender yet smoking hot love she'd made with her husband, the kind that had the bed gently creaking with their movements and her moaning in his ear for more. It was exactly what she'd needed to put the case behind her and be able to enjoy the trip for the wedding. 'Because we were enjoying some alone time together.'

'Oh, that nice. You workin' lossa Mumum, you nee' Daddy time too, jus' like me.'

'Very different Daddy time,' Beckett murmured as she followed Jojo downstairs and went straight to the fridge. They stayed in the kitchen a little longer the night before after dinner and cooked bacon so that this morning all they had to do was warm it up for BLTs and fresh fruit salad with juice, coffee or milk before getting on the plane.

She still couldn't believe that Andrea and Daniel were picking up the tab for the entire wedding party, but then like the majority of their weddings the gathering was family only so in that respect it made sense. They all knew of all the people in their crowd that had money with a capital M Andrea had the most, even more than Castle did, and she would spend it all on her loved ones before she'd live the high life off the interest alone.

She zapped the bacon from the fridge in the microwave, waited for toast; when she turned around she saw Jojo had scampered off upstairs again and knew from the sound patterns of the footsteps Jojo had gone to wake up her big brother. Sure enough there was her little voice excited followed by his sleepy and irritated one.

Ah-Shay, come on! Time-a go!

Jojo, it's okay we'll be on time

No, you too suh-low, you a tuh-till big buh-ro! Less go! Less go!

Jojo, I'm going to use the bathroom, then I'm going to get some breakfast. You need breakfast too.

No, too ess-cited!

Beckett shook her head, made coffee she knew her husband wouldn't be able to function without, listened to her children's footsteps on the stairs as they scampered into the kitchen.

'Mumum, we nee' have bik-fiss, like...like now!' Jojo insisted, looking from her big brother to the

'Jojo, remember Alexis' graduation from school? How we had lots of time to get ready and then wait?' RJ yawned.

'Uh-huh.'

'That's what flying on airplanes is like. Our bags are packed and our parents have the tickets, all we have to do is get ready like we're going out for the day.'

'Oh.' Jojo frowned over this, then shrugged. 'I 'till too ess-cited.'

'Okay, then snack on the plane.' But Beckett would tuck a bistro-box into her tote because she knew once Jojo got to the airport she would be calmer and hunger would set in. 'Just remember Jojo, there's lots of little kids flying for the first time, they're not as seasoned a traveller as you are.'

'Oh, it okay, I say no be 'faid.'

'Who do we get to sit with on the plane, Mumum?' RJ asked, putting in bread for toast. 'Are we going to be all mixed up or staying with our families?'

'We are going to be all mixed up so you'll get to sit with Trini, my boy, and your sister is sitting with Nessa and Heddie.'

'Wha' 'bout Devin an' Nate?' Jojo asked, and Beckett smothered the giggle when she saw RJ go very still, turn to his sister like a cobra coiling up to strike.

'Jojo, we talked about this.'

'Shee, Ah-Shay, Devon my fuh-rien'! He no' like you an' Tah-rini.' Jojo shook her head, looked to her mother for backup. 'Shee, Mumum, wha' we gon' do wit' my buh-ro? He susha silly boy!'

'No I'm not,' RJ said with great pride, 'I just like to make sure you are protected. I'm your big bro, that's my job.'

'Aw, gassy, big buh-ro! I have toas' too?'

Jojo having apparently forgotten that she was too excited for food, gave her brother a hug and waited while the bread warmed. Beckett glanced up the stairs as she saw Castle coming down the stairs, yawning and scratchign his belly but grinning when he was done.

'Heard Little Miss Drill Sargeant waking up the troops, figured I should come down before the bacon all went missing.'

'Good plan.' She smiled when he touched his lips to hers, sighed as she wrapped her arms around him. 'I'm so thankful for this vacation. This last case...'

'I know, it did a number on everyone involved. Is there any good news to come out of it, now that it's over?'

'Well, we locked up a dangerous sexual predator, and Sarah Ritter's family is going to be looking after Ashley until her father sorts everything out legally for her mother, and Sarah looks like she'll be sprung from the hospital some time today.'

'All those lives that get to go on because you're the best.'

'That, and I work with the best too. Nicky Tomasi didn't have that team in his corner the way he needed after he lost his mother. I had a good team,' Beckett murmured, 'so did Meredeth when she lost Constance, but this kid had no one. At least no one who cared the way a nine year old boy would need to be cared for.'

'Maybe now he'll get some help.'

'Daddy!'

The tranquility of Castle's embrace was shattered when Jojo hollered for her father. Beckett pecked his lips, grinned. 'Better see what she wants before the walls fall down.'

They managed to make it to the airport in one piece, Jojo even managing to keep her toast and bacon down despite bouncing like a super-ball in the car the entire trip to LaGuardia. Beckett had to laugh as she watched her little girl hold up the tiny little card-stock book to the airline attendant, informing her that her caterpillar Bib wasn't in trouble with the police and he had his little book to travel on an airplane. Then Jojo had been charmed when the attendant got out a small book of stickers used for children and put it in Bib's toy passport before assuring the little girl she would have to watching out for her buddy on the plane.

Now seated and waiting for the push-back, Beckett watched her daughter wriggle in her seat beside Heddie, who was very uiet, a sign she was either very nervous or feeling very sick.

'Heddie, how you doing darling?' Beckett asked her.

'O-kay,' she replied in a small voice.

'Jus' okay? No, be happy! We gonna see Adam and Lissy weddin',' Jojo encouraged her.

'I 'faid, Sho-sho.'

'Oh, it okay.' Jojo patted her friend's hand and when the plane began to move Heddie gripped it tightly.

'Sho-sho, I faid, it 'cary.'

'No, it okay, Heddie, I here.'