Disclaimers: If only.
Summary: Rick takes Kate and Ariel to Los Angeles with him for the second Nikki Heat movie.
A/N #1: This chapter is going to contain two firsts; the first airplane ride and first steps.
Chapter 17: California Dreaming
March
When Kate walked into the loft on a windy March afternoon, she smiled at the sound of Ari's baby voice coming from Rick's office. She walked into the office where Ari was playing on her busy blanket while her father talked on the phone. "I know, Gina," he blew a kiss at Kate.
"Ma-ma, ma-ma," Ari rapidly crawled over and grabbed onto Kate's pants legs to pull herself to a standing position.
"Hi, baby girl," Kate bent over and scooped her up, kissing her chubby baby face as Ari patted her face. "Are you helping daddy make phone calls?"
"Okay, you said the 26th of March through to the 10th of April," Rick continued, making notes on his desk calendar. "So, is Natalie managing to stay sober? I'm not being nasty. I'm just asking. Fine."
Kate smiled, remembering hers' and Rick's trip to L.A. after Mike Royce's murder. Going to the set where Heat Wave was being filmed, they learned that the star, Natalie Rhodes, was in rehab. "Chunky Monkey, let's go find a snack," Kate rubbed her nose against Ari's, as the baby giggled in delight.
When Castle emerged from his office 15 minutes later, Kate was feeding the baby some applesauce. "What's going on?" She asked after he'd come over to kiss her.
"I have to fly to L.A. the middle of March. They want the screenplay for Heat Rises. I'd like to take you and Ariel with me. Can you get the time off?"
"Yeah, I can take off. How long?"
"Almost two weeks. It'll be her first plane ride," he smiled at his daughter, who had applesauce smeared all over her face. "Maybe we can take her to Disneyland."
"Castle, she won't remember Disneyland."
"Come on, we've got to get her picture taken with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck."
Kate just rolled her eyes. Her husband was such a Man-child, but it was one of the many things that she loved about him. "Okay, I'll give you Disneyland as long as you give me the Santa Monica Pier."
"You've got a deal, Mrs. Castle," he kissed her once again.
That night Kate sat in the rocker in the nursery holding Ari's warm baby softness in her lap. Ari was almost asleep, but not quite. Kate kept softly humming and singing as she felt the weight in her lap get heavier and heavier. As she rocked, she thought about all of the changes she'd seen in her daughter in the past nine and a half months. Her vocabulary seemed to increase constantly. She'd started standing unassisted for brief seconds. She was observant of people and surroundings. She loved all of the various people in her life and they all loved her.
Planting a kiss on top of her sleeping head, Kate got up and put Ari in her crib, covering her with her favorite blanket. She then walked downstairs to Rick's office, where he was working on his laptop. "Is she asleep?"
"Yeah," she looped her arms around his neck from behind. "How old was Alexis when she got on a plane for the first time?"
"Two months old," he turned to face her. "It was a nightmare. I forgot about the ear pressure. Let's just say that I think the other passengers were getting ready to issue us a parachute."
"Oh no," she groaned. "What do I do about that, Castle? I don't want to be one of those parents that I used to hate being around. You know the ones with the screaming kids."
"Nurse her during takeoff and landing. Or give her a bottle. Your choice."
In the last month Ari had only been nursing at her breast more as a form of comfort than for any nutritional reason. Kate missed those days of having her baby at her breast. That feeling of having her nuzzling against her, her tiny nose pressed up against her chest. "Should we pack her some baby snacks?"
"Definitely. She can't eat whatever they give us on the plane. We also have to take the car seat."
"I know that, Castle. I'm going to fix me some ice cream. Do you want some?"
"Of course. Chocolate with lots of whipped cream."
***CCC***
The next morning Castle was trying to dress his squirming octopus of a daughter to go visit Kate at the precinct. "Come on, sweet pea," he said as he tried to push her feet into her shoes. "Let's go see mama."
"Ma-ma," Ari parroted. "Ma-ma."
"Well, we'll go and see her as soon as you get your shoes on."
He finally got her shoes on before slipping her arms into a tiny sweater. "Bye," Ari waved her tiny hand as Castle laughed.
"Yeah, we're going 'bye' right now."
When he stepped off of the elevator at the precinct, Kate was nowhere to be seen. But he soon found himself mobbed by all of the detectives wanting to hold the smallest Castle. "Where's Kate?" Castle asked Espo.
"She's in the box with a murder suspect."
"Come on, Ariel, let's go see mama," Castle commandeered his daughter.
"Bro, is that really a good idea?" Espo followed his friend.
The man that Kate was questioning was the suspect in a particularly brutal murder. His wife had been found in the garage of their home, stabbed to death with a machete. Her hands and head had been almost severed. The couple had a long history of domestic abuse complaints.
"Steven, your neighbors have called the cops on you and Camille eight times. Eight! That's just the neighbors. Camille called the police herself another seven times. That's 15 times, Steven!"
"I didn't kill her!"
"Steven, she was hacked to death with a machete! She was stabbed 12 times. That's crime of passion. Was she planning on leaving you? Did you find out about it? Just talk to me, Steven. Talk to me so that I can let the D.A. know what to charge you with."
"I'm telling you that I didn't kill her. I loved her."
From behind the one way mirror Kate froze. She could vaguely hear the chants of "Ma-ma, ma-ma" coming from behind the glass. 'Oh, he didn't,' she thought to herself. "Would you excuse me for just a second?"
Standing in the ob room, Ariel was beating on the one-way mirror with her small hands as Kate questioned the man inside. Suddenly, Castle saw Kate leap to her feet and quickly leave the room. Seconds later, she burst into the ob room. "Castle, what in the hell are you doing?"
"I came to take you to lunch," he replied innocently.
"Ma-ma, ma-ma," Ari held her arms out to her mother.
"Hi, chunky monkey," Kate took Ari from Castle and cuddled her. "Daddy shouldn't have let you listen to mommy talking to a murder suspect. Take her to my desk, Castle. I'll be done in a few minutes."
"Ma-ma!" Ari began to cry when she handed her back to Castle.
"Come on, sweet pea."
Castle walked back into the bullpen and over to Kate's desk, opening the bottom drawer where he knew that she kept some toys for the baby's frequent visits to the precinct. He found a stuffed rabbit and showed it to Ariel, who grabbed at it. "I understand that you're going to L.A.," Castle looked up to find Capt. Gates standing beside the desk.
"Yes, sir. I already got tickets for Disneyland and SeaWorld."
"Have you traveled on a plane with a baby before?"
"Yes, sir. I took Alexis on several plane rides when she was small. The first one was awful, but I learned pretty quickly."
"Have a good time. And, from now on, keep that child out of the ob room."
"Yes, sir. Wow, word gets around," he told the baby as she grabbed for his nose.
Kate came out a few minutes later and Castle took her to lunch at Remy's, where Ariel got her first taste of vanilla milkshake. By the noises she made, they assumed that she liked it. "Hey, you're too young to be making noises like that," Castle teased his infant daughter.
"Castle," Kate slapped at him.
"There is this place in Los Angeles at The Farmer's Market called Johnny Rocket's that has the most awesome milkshakes. We have to go while we're there."
"Are they more awesome than Remy's?" She asked skeptically.
"Almost. I can't wait to squire my two ladies around L.A.," he smiled.
"Well, we can't wait to be squired by you."
"Kate, I'm sorry about—"
"Castle, don't. We'll talk about it later. I don't want to talk about it now."
After lunch, Castle drove Kate back to the precinct. "I'll see you at home later," he kissed her before she got out of the car.
Kate looked in the backseat to where Ari was dozing off in her car seat, traces of vanilla ice cream around her mouth. "Be careful. I'll see you at home. I love you."
"I love you," he answered back.
After he walked into the loft, he took a face cloth and washed Ariel's face before putting her in her crib for a nap. He put her on her back, but Ariel immediately rolled onto her stomach, tucking her legs under her and sticking her little butt in the air and her thumb in her mouth. Castle thought it was the cutest thing ever.
By the time Kate walked through the loft at 5:45, Ari was awake from her nap and was the master of disaster. There were blocks, and various toys scattered all over the living room floor. In the middle of the mess were her husband and daughter, having the time of their lives. Castle was lying in the middle of the floor while Ari used him as a bridge to other parts of the room. "Are you having fun?"
"I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm getting too old for this," he grumbled.
"Oh, I don't know, Castle. You're not that old," she got down on the floor with the two of them.
"Ma-ma," Ari climbed up on her mother.
"You should've seen her, Kate. She stood up for like . . . 10 seconds and then she looks at me like she'd just discovered electricity or something."
"If I miss her first steps, you'd better get it on video for me," she warned him, as she lay on her back beside her husband and Ari took turns climbing over the both of them. "Hey, watch the knees, young lady!"
"Maybe she'll walk while we're in L.A.," he looked at her.
"I don't know, Castle. I think she's just testing the waters right now. I'm not sure she's quite ready to walk just yet. How old was Alexis?"
"Eleven months old. There was no stopping her after that. And there won't be any stopping this one, either, not if she's anything like her mama," he kissed her, laughing when he felt Ariel climbing up his chest and grabbing for his nose. "She doesn't like us kissing," he laughed.
"She's a typical kid," Kate laughed back.
"Give daddy a kiss," Castle instructed Ariel, who gave her father a sloppy, open mouth kiss. "We've got to teach this kid to pucker. Baby slobber is so unappetizing."
"I'm going to start dinner," Kate kissed Castle once more before getting off of the floor.
"So, did you nail him?" He asked, his gaze following Kate to the kitchen.
"He had cuts on his fingers and we found blood on the machete that belonged to him. So yeah, we nailed him. Castle, what were you thinking bringing Ari back there? She didn't need to see that part of my job."
"Kate, she's not going to remember it. But, you're right," he got up and scooped the baby up. "I won't do it again."
That night after putting the baby to bed, Kate went through her checklist of things to bring with them on their upcoming trip to L.A. while Castle was in his office writing. She'd gone online to see what she could and couldn't pack. She was dismayed to find that Ari was as subject to being screamed by TSA as she and Castle were. But that was the price to pay for living in a post 9/11 world. She and Castle had argued about paying for a ticket for Ari, which would require taking the car seat or just having Kate hold her on her lap. Kate decided that it was safer to buy a ticket and take the car seat. This also saved having to get a car seat for the rental car in L.A.
"What're you doing?" Castle asked, walking into the room and watching Kate pack more things into Ariel's very large diaper bag.
"I don't want to forget anything."
"Kate, they do have stores in L.A."
"I just don't want to forget something for the plane and have her screaming because I forgot something."
"Kate, relax," he walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Pack a bottle, a sippy cup, her favorite toys, her favorite blanket and enough diapers to get us to LAX. Think of it as one more thing to add to your resume as a new mom. If you can handle a coast to coast airplane ride, you can handle anything. The first day of school is a piece of cake compared to this."
"Don't make fun of me, Castle," she buried her face in his chest.
"Never," he kissed her neck.
***CCC***
Martha and Alexis gave them a ride to the airport early on the morning of the 26th. Instead of going in with them, they said their goodbyes at the curb. "You guys are going to have a great time," Alexis hugged her father and then Kate. "Try not to miss me too much."
"Alexis, I'm going to be gone for two weeks. We'll call you every day and we promise to send lots of pictures."
They all hugged one last time before they got back into the car and drove away. Castle checked their bags in at the curb since they already had their e-tickets. Kate carried the baby and the huge diaper bag while he handled the car seat and both of their carry-on bags. Fortunately none of them got flagged by TSA while going through security. Castle watched Ariel as she tried to take in all of the strange sights. While she'd been to the airport several times, this was the first time she'd ever been past the security checkpoint.
Once they got to the waiting area, Castle left their bags and the car seat with Kate before going in search of coffee for the two of them. "Grande skim latte with two pumps of sugar free vanilla for the lady," he came back moments later with the two Starbucks cups.
"Thank you," she sighed blissfully as she took a sip of the hot liquid.
"Down!" Ari demanded as she tried to squirm out of her mother's lap.
"Come on, sweet pea, let's walk around while mommy enjoys her coffee," Castle set the baby on the floor and held onto her hand as she walked on shaky baby legs beside him. "We'll be back."
After walking for a few steps, Ariel decided that the chairs were more interesting than walking with her father was. She banged on them, tried to crawl under them and tried to climb on top of them, but her legs were still too short. This made her mad and she voiced her disapproval. "Your legs will get longer soon, sweet pea," Castle assured her. "After all, you have tall parents. Genetics are on your side. Come on, let's go back to mommy."
The wonderful thing about getting on a plane with a small child was being able to be one of the first to board. When they walked into first class, Castle walked up to their seats and with the help of one of the flight attendants, was able to quickly click Ariel's car seat into place before Kate placed her into it and buckled her in. "My name's Naomi," the attendant smiled at them. "Let me know if you need anything, Mr. Castle."
"Thank you, I will," Rick smiled at her.
"We both will," Kate added, shooting daggers at her husband.
Kate opened up the diaper bag at her feet and took out Ari's favorite toy and a bottle of apple juice. Ari banged her hands excitedly at the sight of her rag doll. Kate couldn't help but notice the looks on some of the other first class passengers as they stepped onto the plane and took their seats. The look that said, 'Oh no, we're traveling with a baby.' "Who's mama's baby girl?" Kate grinned at Ari, who grinned back before patting her own chest. It was a game that they played often. "Who's daddy's baby girl?" Ari patted her chest again as Kate laughed. "You're so smart!"
Kate held onto the bottle of juice until right after the pilot made the announcements and they began to taxi down the runway. She then handed the bottle to Ari, who took it happily and popped it into her mouth. 'Please don't let her start screaming,' Kate prayed as the plane began its ascent into the heavens. But except for some whimpering around the nipple of the bottle, Ari handled the takeoff much better than Kate had expected her to. "She's going to be a pro," Castle smiled at her.
They had been lucky enough to find a non-stop from New York to Los Angeles, which saved the hassle of having to deplane and rush to another gate with the baby. Ari fell asleep midway through the flight and didn't awaken until shortly before they landed in L.A. They got off of the plane and headed for baggage claim and then the rental car kiosk. Ari found the baggage carousel fascinating, squealing and clapping her hands with every piece of luggage that came around. "Alexis tried to climb on it and ride it when she was about three," Castle warned his wife. "If I hadn't grabbed her, she would've disappeared into the great unknown."
Kate spotted Ari's stroller first and quickly grabbed it, opening it and plopping the baby into it as she saw their other bags. "I'll grab a cart," Castle told her. He came back moments later with a baggage cart. Kate loaded their bags, the diaper bag and the car seat onto it before Castle latched everything down. "Come on, let's go get our car."
After getting the car, Castle drove to the hotel where he and Kate had stayed the previous time they'd come to Los Angeles together. Kate smiled at him at the memory. The reason had been sad, but she'd gotten a little closer to Castle during the trip. One of the things that he'd said to her had stuck in her mind. "You know what I thought when I first met you? That you were a mystery that I was never going to solve."
"So, did you?" She looked at him as he pulled into the valet parking area.
"Did I what?" He looked confused.
"Solve the mystery that is me."
"No, but my life wouldn't be as much fun if I was able to figure you out," he grinned, handing the valet the keys as a bellhop exited the hotel and collected their bags while Kate took Ari from her car seat.
The suite was perfect. When Castle had made the reservation, he'd asked for and received a crib for the second bedroom. "Oh, a word of warning," he looked at Kate. "She probably won't sleep well tonight. So, the crib might end up in our room."
"When do you have to go to the studio?"
"Not until tomorrow morning. I thought that we could settle in tonight and just relax. Order room service and play with Ariel. And then," he walked over and pulled Kate into his arms, "after she's asleep, maybe mommy and daddy can play."
As she smiled into his bright blue eyes, Kate was reminded of that last night in L.A. She'd come so close to coming out of her room and going to him. But when she'd come out of her room, she found that he'd already gone to his own room, so the opportunity was lost.
After dinner, Kate bathed Ari before bringing her back into the living room where she and Castle got onto the floor with her and the toys they'd brought from home. But Ari's favorite toys were her parents. She loved using them like a mountain climber. "Hey, do I look like The Adirondacks to you?" Castle gently removed Ariel and stood her on her feet, making sure that she was balanced before he slowly let go of her hands. "Ariel, go see mama."
Kate held her breath as she held her arms out toward Ari, who was about five feet away. "Ari, look. I've got baby," she picked up the rag doll and held it out toward her. "Come get baby."
Ari looked from her mother toward the doll. "Ba!" She called out. For a brief second Kate thought she was going to crawl toward her, until suddenly she got bold and took a tentative step. Castle put his finger to his lips so that Kate's excitement wouldn't bubble over. That first step was followed by another and a third one before she lost her balance and sat down hard on her diapered butt.
"Ari, that was great!" Kate and Castle were jumping up and down in excitement while their small daughter stared at them as if they'd lost their minds. "Castle, we've got to get her to do it again so that we can send video to my dad, your mom, and Alexis!"
But as much as they tried, Ari had no interest in repeating her trick. At least not that night. Now that she was bathed and had played, she began to get cranky. "Okay, chunky monkey. Let's go to bed," Kate picked her up and handed her out to Castle who planted a good night kiss on her forehead.
***CCC***
When he woke up the next morning, Kate wasn't in bed. He walked out into the living room where he found Kate dozing on the couch with Ari against her chest. "Kate?" He gently shook her awake. "How long have you been up?"
"Been up? Are you kidding, Castle? You didn't hear the screaming?"
"Well, I heard screaming—"
"Not me!" She slapped at him. "And not that kind of screaming! I'm never having sex with you on vacation ever again. Ari woke up at one o'clock. I gave her a bottle and rocked her back to sleep. As soon as I put her back in her crib, the screaming started."
"It's probably jet lag and an unfamiliar environment. It might take her a day or two to get used to things."
"Castle, I've been on stakeouts that weren't as exhausting as this is."
"Why don't I take her and you go lie down for a couple of hours? We don't have to be at the studio until 11."
By the time Kate woke up a couple of hours later, both mom and baby were in a better mood. Since the weather was so much warmer, she dressed Ari in a sundress with a pair of sandals on her tiny feet. To be on the safe side, she stuck a sweater in the diaper bag.
When they got to the studio, they were met by the producer and the director of Heat Rises. "We like what you've done with the screenplay, Rick," the director told him.
"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?" Rick asked.
"Well, we were just wondering if you could possibly throw in another steamy scene? Women eat that romance shit up and men . . . well, men like seeing breasts and asses."
Kate just rolled her eyes. "Castle, Ari and I are going to walk around the set. We'll catch up with you after your, uh, meeting."
Kate walked around, meeting up with the two actors who played Raley and Ochoa, collectively known as 'Roach' in the books. "Wow, you and Mr. Castle have sure been busy," the actor playing Raley teased her.
"Det. Beckett?" Kate heard the familiar voice behind her. "They told me that Castle was going to be visiting the set, but I had no idea that you were joining him. Oh, is this Ashley?"
"Ariel," Kate corrected her. "How have you been?"
"Oh, I've been great. So, I guess the sex scenes in the books are based on real life experience now," Natalie Rhodes grinned.
Ari began to fuss, quietly at first, but then the whimpering turned into full-blown wailing. "She's trying to tell me that it's lunchtime," Kate forced an apologetic smile. "It was nice to see you, Natalie."
"You, too."
Kate walked away, holding Ari as she dug in the diaper bag for the bag of snacks she'd stashed for her. "You sensed that mama didn't like that awful woman, didn't you? I'm thinking if I hung around her much longer, she'd make you part of her clone army. Come on, let's go and find daddy."
Castle found his two girls sitting on a bench. Ari chortled happily as she offered Castle a rather soggy teething cookie. "No thanks, sweetie. That is one thing I'll pass on."
"What's wrong, Castle? You're not in the mood to share soggy cookie with your daughter?"
"Most foods I don't have a problem with. Those things . . . no," he shook his head. "Are you ready for lunch?"
He found a small restaurant near the studio. Kate took out a jar of carrots and peaches to feed Ari while they waited for their own lunch. "I ran into Natalie. Ari's not a fan."
"Did she bite her?"
"Castle, I won't have our daughter biting anybody. No, she had an Oscar worthy fit. So, they want more sex? Do they think that you write porn?"
"Apparently. They just want an excuse for Nikki Heat to be naked."
"I think if Nikki's going to be naked, then Rook deserves equal time. He should be naked, too."
"I agree, but the studio will never go for it."
"That's because there's a double standard in Hollywood. It isn't fair. Do they think that we ladies don't want to see our leading men in all of their glory?"
"Uh, which leading men would you be talking about exactly?"
"Brad Pitt, Matt Damon—"
"You want to see Jason Bourne naked?"
Kate gave him a shy smile as their waiter brought their food to the table. "Its okay, Castle. You're the only naked man that I come home to."
"I should hope so," he said as he began to eat. "So, are you ready for Disneyland tomorrow?"
"I think you're the one who's ready for Disneyland. When did you take Alexis to Disneyland the first time?"
"She was three. I brought her out here because Meredith was filming an episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' and she wanted to see Alexis. Well, it ended up that Meredith was far too busy to spend time with her daughter, so to make up for my exes miserable failings as a mother and a human being, I took her to Disneyland and the San Diego Zoo."
"Did she like it?"
"Goofy scared the shit out of her," he smiled when he remembered. "We were walking and he just appeared out of nowhere."
"I can understand her terror. There's something kind of creepy about people walking around in giant animal costumes," Kate shuddered.
"Come on, Kate. Disneyland is magical."
"Castle, she's 10 months old. Do you really think she's going to remember a trip to Disneyland?"
"No, but you and I will. We'll remember how her eyes will light up when she sees all of the sights. We have to buy her Mickey Mouse ears. I still have Alexis'."
Kate knew that he wanted to create wonderful memories for her like the ones that he'd created for Alexis when she was small. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound so . . . I don't know. For the record, I think we're going to have a great time."
After lunch, they drove to Venice and dipped Ari's toes into the Pacific for the first time. The water was too cold to leave her in it for long, but it was warmer than what the Atlantic would be this time of year. Kate snapped video of Ari playing in the water with Castle and sent it to everybody. After playing in the water and then walking along the sidewalk among the bikers and people on rollerblades, they went back to the hotel where they all took naps.
Kate woke up and smiled into Castle's eyes. "Watching me sleep is creepy, Castle," she murmured, moving into his arms and kissing him. "Is Ari still asleep?"
"I think I heard her a few minutes ago. Maybe she'll entertain herself for 15 or 20 minutes," he waggled his eyebrows as Kate shook her head.
"I doubt it."
As if on cue, Ari let her parents know that she was awake. "I'll go get her and change her," Castle volunteered, getting out of bed and going to the spare room.
Kate got up and went to get a bottle of water. She was drinking it when Castle came out of the room with the baby. "Hi, chunky monkey," she reached her arms out for Ari, who went to them willingly.
She sat down with some of her toys and they began to play. Castle grabbed his camera and took some pictures. He could never have enough pictures of the two of them together. He already had hundreds on his computer and he knew he'd have hundreds more before this trip was over. He sat down and held his arms out toward Ariel. She stood up on shaky legs and took steps toward him as Castle quickly grabbed his camera and began snapping.
This time she seemed to like the fact that her legs could get her where she wanted to go. As soon as she reached Castle, he turned her and she walked toward Kate, who took video to send to Alexis, her father, and Martha. Her phone chimed moments later. 'She's walking and I'm missing it!' Alexis texted.
"Alexis is disappointed," Kate told him.
"We'll buy her something at Disneyland."
Kate just rolled her eyes.
***CCC***
As predicted, Kate and Castle enjoyed both the trip to Disneyland and SeaWorld far more than Ari did. When Ari got her first look at Mickey Mouse, she erupted into ear splitting shrieks of terror. When they looked at the pictures later, Kate almost broke into tears at the sight of her tiny daughter screaming hysterically with a giant mouse at her side. Even Kate holding her for the picture didn't ease her fears. "I can see her in Burke's office, Castle," Kate wiped at her eyes.
"Oh, and what is she saying?"
"She's going to be sitting in his chair with her doll in one hand and her sippy cup in the other. She's going to say 'My mother made me get my picture taken with a giant mouse.'" She glared at Castle, who was almost falling off of the sofa with laughter. "It's not funny, Castle!"
"Okay, I have to ask. Where does your phobia of people in animal costumes stem from?"
"What're you talking about?"
"Come on, Kate. You said it yourself the other day. That people who dress in giant animal costumes is creepy. There's got to be a story. So, enlighten me."
"Why? So that you can blow it out of proportion?"
"No. I just want to understand. I'm not making fun, Kate. I promise."
"When I was five, I got invited to a neighbor kids' birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese Pizza. I remember walking in with my mother and there was this giant rat standing at the entrance. I had nightmares for months. What in the hell kind of a mascot is a giant rat?"
"I don't know," he reached for her as she cuddled into his shoulder. "Except for Goofy when she was three, Alexis never had any fear of any of those franchise mascots. Were you also scared of Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny at the mall?"
"The Easter Bunny was terrifying. I remember telling my mother that I didn't like Peter the Rabbit."
"You make grown men whimper in fear in interrogation and you're scared of the Easter Rabbit at the mall?"
"Not anymore, silly," she slapped his chest. "If he scared me now, I'd just take out my Glock and shoot him."
"Now, that's scary."
Their last full day in L.A. was spent at the Santa Monica Pier, where they walked the boardwalk and took Ari on the Ferris Wheel. They stayed long enough to watch the sun set before going back to the hotel. "This was a nice trip," Kate sighed sleepily after she'd put Ari to bed that night. "So, were they happy with your revised screenplay?"
"Yes, although they disagreed with Rook being naked, too."
"I'm telling you, Castle. Double standard."
***CCC***
When they stepped out of the airport late the next afternoon with their luggage, Alexis and Martha were waiting for them. "Richard, Katherine!" Martha ran up and greeted them, taking Ariel from her mother's arms.
"Hi, daddy," Alexis kissed and hugged her father before turning to Kate. "Hi, Kate. How was the flight?"
"Long," Kate sighed. "Ari didn't do quite as well this time. I think the passengers were about to toss us out of the emergency exit. I think she's cutting some new teeth. She's been kind of cranky the last couple of days."
"She's grown," Alexis commented after she took the baby from her grandmother.
"As wonderful as this curbside reunion is, let's get home," Castle told his girls.
Once they got home, Ariel demonstrated her new walking prowess to her sister and grandmother as they clapped and fussed over her. Ariel ate up the attention. Watching her, Kate couldn't help thinking that as wonderful as going away with Castle was, there was something great about coming home to family.
A/N #2: The Peter the Rabbit thing is something that my unmuses's niece told her mother after a visit to the mall to see the Easter Bunny when she was three or four. She ran in terror and later told her mother that she didn't 'like Peter the Rabbit.' It's been a running joke in our house ever since.
A/N #3: For the record, Johnny Rockets at The Farmer's Market in Los Angeles=awesome milkshakes. I wasn't making that up. I went there on my first trip to L.A.
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