Genre: Romance, Family, Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: The section of lyrics in this chapter is from the song Single Pigeon, the info on that song is below.

A/N #2: Really pleased to get the feedback I did for the last chapter, nice gifts to me as I always consider them, so will get to my thank yous for them right now! vetgirlmx (I wasn't surprised you mentioned them doing a lot that day, I had them only one day in Paris so I tried to fit in what I could, lol. And yeah, lol, I had to have them go to a Louvre even if they couldn't see every last thing, also glad that you could tell they enjoyed it I couldn't write it any other way, lol. I had wondered what you'd think of the bit at the top of the Eiffel Tower but was glad to see you liked the fact that they were able to avoid a panic attack with Julia. But I thought it was interesting to see that you had wondered about her and her having a fear of heights, lol, though I did kind of focus on Eliza being scared for a bit so I suppose that's why. I wasn't surprised you had expected Julia to say she wanted to be brave like Beckett but was pleased that you really liked the way that Beckett answered that; I figured she would say something like that since she wouldn't want Julia to feel she had to be like her. I was so, so happy that you looked up the dresses and you liked that second one. But I was a bit taken aback that you loved the first one as much as you did 'cause that one I wasn't fully sure about. But it was great that you saw them, thanks for that! And I laughed a bit at you knowing Castle would buy them both already, lol, it would be something he'd do. I'm not sure why I had them get in touch with people, friends and relatives, this trip it just seemed to happen but it's so great that you hope they keep in touch with them after the trip. And so, so happy you're waiting for the next chapter and now you don't have to try anymore!), TORONTOSUN (It was great to see that you liked them going to the Louvre and seeing the artwork there, lol, was afraid people might get bored with that though it's always interested me. Happy to see you liked the dresses moment, hope you could see them at all! So pleased that you liked the love scenes in the chapter, and that they were perfect after what happened with Castle and Beckett on their dinner. And I figure at that age Julia would notice nudity in artwork; I think I did around then myself; but glad you did think it that was an interesting thing!) and MichelleBell16 (It's great to see that you're still enjoying the trip; very important since I wrote about them doing a lot during it, going a lot of places. And it's great you're interested in reading when Beckett meets her relatives, since that means you'll want to stick around for that! I'm not surprised you're hoping that they'll all have a great time there with the ball. I'm glad that you thought it was sweet when Julia said she wanted to be brave like Beckett and that she assured Julia she could be scared. I figure it's tough for a girl that age to do that so had to have Beckett saying that, plus it would be sweet. So happy to read that you're looking forward to me updating and now you don't need to wait for that anymore!). Thanks so much for the reviews again, I loved reading them and what you all thought and am grateful for the time taken to write them and send them to me!

A/N #3: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Single Pigeon by Paul and Linda McCartney, from the Paul McCartney and Wings album Red Rose Speedway.

Over Regent's Park Canal

"First is the National Gallery."

"Right."

"Then Abbey Road and Regent's Park for Julia."

"Mmm-hmm."

"And then the Tower."

"Mmm-hmm."

"And then after we strip off our clothes and swim in the Th- ow!" Castle said, laughing at the end as his wife pulled hard on his ear. "What did I do?"

"You were doing great up until that point," Beckett said.

"Okay so after the Tower we'll head back here and have our evening with Julia," Castle said.

Sipping from her mug of coffee Beckett gave a slight nod and told him, "Right. I just hope everyone else will enjoy their dinner."

"Does your dad like Indian?" Castle asked her.

"He does, he just doesn't like anything overly spicy," Beckett replied. "I told Alexis to help him with that tonight."

"Good idea," Castle murmured, since he was drinking more of his coffee himself. He looked ahead of them and said, "I am so glad I got this room."

"This suite," Beckett corrected, watching him in amusement. "Though it is nice."

"A little too many obstacles getting to this bed," Castle commented.

"That's your fault, you were impatient last night," Beckett said. She couldn't help smile then, thinking of the night before after she and Castle had gone out to dinner alone; their return a little frantic as they made their way to the bed. She could still feel her husband after their night together from that point until they'd gone to sleep but she tried to shake herself as she knew they needed to get ready soon to go. She glanced around their room, decorated in blues and whites, and the bed they were currently in directly across from the window they'd opened wide to let in the cool air. "Are we coming back to this same suite?" she suddenly asked.

Castle; about to lean over to kiss his wife; paused at that and said, "Yeah I reserved it for our last day here."

"Sorry," Beckett murmured, not surprised to see the expression on his face.

"It's okay, I know we're close to that point," Castle replied. "So how much are we going to see of the Gallery?"

Letting him change the subject Beckett didn't answer and instead took the chance to lean over to kiss him. She kept it simple though she wasn't surprised her husband tried to hold her in place. "We'll go through as much as we can. Remember it's opening an hour early today."

"I know, good thing we saw that in our travel book," Castle replied. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder where it was exposed by her nightgown and said, "We can't…"

"No we should get going," Beckett replied, reaching for her phone then. "They're up already."

"Okay then at least let me have this," Castle said. When his wife turned to him; to ask what he meant he knew; he kissed her deeply and was relieved when she quickly wrapped her arms around him, responding hungrily until they had to part to breathe.

Tempted to let that continue Beckett pulled away from him and moved to get out of bed. She smiled slightly when her husband behind her sighed and she pushed herself to the closet to get her clothes for the day.

Castle wasn't sure if his wife had ducked into the bathroom because she didn't trust him or herself. But as he was buttoning his shirt he thought it more than likely she didn't trust either of them. "I'm wondering how Eliza's going to enjoy the Tower," he said when she opened the door to his knock so he could comb his hair.

"It's not all doom," Beckett commented, brushing her hair. She glanced at her husband to see him watching her; not surprised since he would do that; and she nudged him in the side saying, "She'll like the outside parts… the jewels…"

Laughing Castle said, "Yeah I think Julia will too." He then gave her an appraising look and to hide that said, "You too probably."

Shooting him a glance Beckett said, "Nice try."

"Can't help it, not after how you were last night, what you said to me," Castle replied, following her back out to the bedroom.

Beckett wasn't surprised at that and she smirked slightly as she sat down in front of the window to put on her boots. "And you weren't the same?" she eventually said as he was putting on his shoes across from her. "Come on," she said when he paused in straightening up. "We should go."

"Right," Castle breathed. He followed her into the outer room and said, "I wonder how they enjoyed breakfast."

"We'll find out," Beckett said as they went in the elevator down to the lobby.

"Sorry again about the rooms," Castle commented.

"It's alright, you explained that to me," Beckett replied as she slipped her hand into his. "And you said you tried to get them all on the same floor."

"After all the other places I thought it would be no problem; I think I forgot this is London, very busy," Castle told her.

"I think you did," Beckett replied before they stepped out into the lobby.

"Mommy! Daddy!" the girls cried together when they saw their parents. Running to them they hugged her tightly around the waist and told both of them about their morning and breakfast in their room with their sister and grandparents.

"I think they liked it," Beckett said in amusement, looking at her husband as the girls hugged him. "For now though we should get going."

"Oh I can't wait," Julia said eagerly as they left for the street. "I want to see the tower where Elizabeth was kept."

"Me?" Eliza asked.

"No another Elizabeth, she was the queen," Castle said, carrying the toddler as they started to walk to the Gallery since it was barely a quarter of an hour walk from the hotel. "Is anyone getting tired of London?" he asked jokingly.

"How can you say that Dad?" Alexis asked him teasingly. "You can't get tired of London."

"You're not excited for Abbey Road sweetie?" Beckett was asking Julia as they were walking with Martha.

"Yeah but you know so I don't have to say," the little girl replied simply.

Sharing a laugh with her daughter in law Martha said, "Of course we know. And are you as eager to go to the park after?"

"Yes," Julia said firmly, smiling widely. "That's where Paul sings about."

"Of course," Martha said with a smile. "And you were singing that song this morning."

Beckett wasn't surprised when her daughter giggled and squeezed her hand tightly and said, "That doesn't shock me but hopefully you weren't singing that over and over."

"No I just sang it once 'cause Lizzy was asking," Julia replied. "And I was humming it too."

"So are we doing like we did at the Louvre?" Alexis asked her father.

"I don't think we need to," Castle said. "It's not as big as that is. But we can't exactly walk slowly we have a couple other things to see before tonight." When his daughter nodded he then said to Eliza, "Do you mind going with your sister and grandparents for dinner tonight?"

"No Daddy, I wanna go with them," the toddler said slowly so she wouldn't mess up her words. She smiled and said, "And have dessert."

"We'll have something small," Alexis said.

"I know that you should tell Kate though," Castle replied before they reached Trafalgar Square. He watched as ahead Julia took a picture and then continued with Beckett and his mother to the museum.

Once they were inside the family went into the first room they came to which had art from the early Renaissance. The girls studied them but quickly moved on, Julia taking pictures here and there before they went into the next room which had Italian paintings.

"Wow, look at all the landscapes," Alexis commented as they stepped into the third room.

"You've never been here before?" Jim asked her.

"No, I don't know why we never came," Alexis replied.

"Look at the garden," Eliza said, pointing to one painting.

"It is pretty," Beckett said, standing with her. "Those look like roses." She smiled as the toddler nodded in agreement and said, "Should we keep going?"

"Yeah," Eliza said before reaching up to take her hand before she felt her father taking her other one.

"Look," Jim said, pointing to one painting they eventually came to in the last room. "Madame de Pompadour again."

"It is?" Julia asked interested. "What's she doing?"

"That's called a tambour, she's sewing," Martha said.

"Clothes?" Eliza asked.

"No most likely a tapestry or altar piece," Martha replied, shaking her head. "That's what women sewed with in those days. It holds the fabric and makes sewing easier."

"Wow," Eliza said, looking at how large the frame was compared to the woman. She smiled when her family laughed slightly at her and then let her grandmother pick her up as they moved to take the stairs up to the second floor.

"Looks like some Degas here," Castle said when they first walked in. He watched Julia step close to one painting and said, "Yeah, definitely Degas."

"He's not my favorite artist Daddy," the little girl told him after she'd taken a picture of the painting with ballet dancers.

"Then who is?" Castle asked.

"If we see I'll say," Julia replied easily as they went to the next room.

"Mommy, look at the blue," Eliza said in awe as they stopped in front of a van Gough.

"It's pretty," Beckett said, taking a picture of the whole painting before taking a closer one of the whorls of color in the sky. "When we go home we can try to make a painting like that." She leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek when she squealed and then followed the others around the room quickly. Going through another couple of rooms she had to comment, "Their collection is better than I thought it would be."

"I agree," Jim said as they went to a Monet water lily painting. He looked at his daughter and said, "You know while your mother loved roses, she always did love lilies."

"Is that a family thing?" Beckett said, taking a picture of the barely discernible flowers in the splashes of color the painting had.

"I think so," Jim replied. "When you were born your grandma sent you-"

"Lilies," Beckett replied. She smiled and said, "She assumed at the shape of my eyes."

"They tend to happen in the McColloughs," Jim responded before he smiled at Eliza who was waving to them as they walked into another room.

"Look at all the outside paintings," Julia said happily as she looked around at the artwork in that room. She was walking ahead of everyone else and soon saw a painting saying, "Look Grandpapa, this is supposed to be Spain," studying a painting of a view from a window with green and brown hills in the distance.

"It is," Jim replied, taking a picture.

"It could be Malibu too," Castle reminded his wife.

Beckett smiled at him before they made their way around the smaller room and then moved on. One of the first paintings there caught her eye and she looked to her father, smiling and expecting him to speak when instead it was her husband that did, startling her.

"It's wrong," Castle said as they gathered around the painting of the execution of Lady Jane Grey. "It was outside at the Tower and even if this is supposed to be outside she wouldn't be that close to a building."

"Does she play?" Eliza asked, seeing the woman in the middle wearing a blindfold.

"No darling but it doesn't matter," Martha said before anyone could reply to the toddler's question. "Now why don't we look at this painting here I think some of you will enjoy it a lot more."

When he saw the painting, Castle wasn't surprised when the girls gasped in pleasure at the sight of the horse in a lightning storm and he said, "Good guess Mother."

"I know my granddaughters," Martha said. She glanced at Beckett who was taking a picture of the painting of the stallion and said, "My daughter in law as well."

Beckett laughed softly at that as they continued on; looking at the different paintings they passed. When they had reached the next room she spotted a painting and glanced at her husband before Eliza was suddenly running ahead of them. "Eliza!" she whispered as the toddler went straight to the same painting she'd seen.

"A horsie!" Eliza said, looking back at her family and pointing up at the horse beginning to rear up.

"He must be important," Alexis commented, reading the name. "Whistlejacket?"

"I've never heard of him," Beckett said. "But from the information here he was a great racing horse." She straightened up and said, "He looks beautiful."

"I think he does too," Julia said with a nod. She smiled and said, "But Alex and Julius are better."

"One of these days when you have more experience you'll be able to ride them but not yet," Castle said to her teasingly.

Giggling softly Julia followed her mother around the rest of the paintings in the large room before they went into the next room. She stopped with Eliza in front of a painting there and said, "That can be me and you."

"It could," Castle said, stepping up and seeing it was of two girls with one reaching for a butterfly. "You holding your sister's hand while she tries to get away."

Smiling at that Eliza said, "I wanna go."

"Don't run again," Beckett said, putting her hand on the toddler's shoulder to keep her from taking off. "We have a lot more to see." She wasn't surprised when her daughters stuck with her and she walked with them and Castle to the next room which had portraits and the next two of that section which were paintings of places the girls found fascinating and Spanish and Italian paintings.

"They have a nice collection of Spanish painters," Martha said after they came to a room with just those paintings some time later.

"They do," Jim said as they watched the girls looking at a painting of Venus by Velasquez. "Did you take him to museums?"

"Oh of course," Martha responded. She smiled and said, "I wanted my son to be culturally aware. So it was museums and plays."

"I wanna see plays," Eliza said, coming back to them suddenly.

"We will kiddo," Martha said with a smile as they passed some paintings by El Greco. "Tomorrow night remember? We're going to see Annie."

"Mother," Castle said from ahead of them at the next room. "Rubens."

"My favorite artist," Martha told Eliza seriously.

As they passed the many paintings by the Flemish painter Julia said to her father who she saw was looking at her, "I didn't see the artist yet."

"Is it that you don't know the name?" Beckett asked. When her daughter nodded she said, "We'll try and search later tonight if we don't see their art here."

"Okay," Julia said. She then told her parents, "I hope Eliza doesn't care I'm gonna go with you by myself."

"She doesn't," Castle said reassuringly. "She likes the idea of having your big sister and your grandparents to herself."

Julia smiled and then nodded before they started going through numerous small rooms that mainly had art from the Netherlands and Flanders. When they reached a room with French painters she told her mother, "There are a lot of paintings about religion."

"That and mythology were really popular to paint," Castle said. They walked through more rooms, another with Dutch paintings, one devoted to Claude and a third to Nicolas Poussin. He wondered what the girls thought of the paintings in the last room as a number were of bacchanals. But they didn't seem to care so he continued through the rest of that section with them until they reached a room near where they had begun.

"I don't think the artist I like is going to be here," Julia said as they moved over to the Sainsbury wing when they had finished with the main part of the museum. She saw in the first room that the paintings were largely older and more religious but she still took pictures with everyone else until they had finished with the wing.

"So you two can pick out a book each," Beckett told them as they reached the gift shop after heading to it. "And then one toy or game together."

"Thank you!" Julia said before she hurried to the books.

"Do you want to get your book first?" Castle asked Eliza who was with him and Beckett; their parents and Alexis looking through the rest of the store.

"Yes please," the toddler told him.

Julia was looking through a book when her family came up to them and she closed it quickly before hurrying over to her little sister. "I think you'll like this one," she said to her.

"Paddington!" Eliza exclaimed, seeing the blue coated bear.

"Do you want this one?" Beckett asked her.

"Yeah," Eliza nodded rapidly.

"Okay what about you sweetheart?" Castle asked, directing that to Julia.

"These are little kid books," the little girl replied. "Can I look at the grown up ones?"

"Take her to the toys," Beckett told her husband. "We'll look around the other books." When the two had gone she took her oldest's hand and walked with her through the section of books before Julia abruptly stopped. "That one?" she asked as the little girl picked it up.

"This is my favorite artist," Julia told her mother seriously.

"One of my favorites and your daddy's too," Beckett said with a smile. She opened the book and flipped through it before she said, "Okay this will be for us all."

"Eliza can pick something for herself," Julia said to her mother as they were walking over to where they could see the toddler and Castle were.

"No, you can choose too, your daddy and I will enjoy this book too," Beckett assured her.

Julia thanked her mother before they hurried to the others, seeing that Eliza had chosen a small puzzle that was of Monet's water lily paintings and Castle let them take the one that was of the wheat field by van Gough that the toddler had liked earlier.

"Mucha, so that's the one you like?" Castle asked Julia as they were walking to the registers to rejoin their family.

"Yeah Mommy said you like him too?" Julia asked.

"Oh I do," Castle assured her as he could tell she wasn't sure. "I look forward to seeing his works in here."

"What's next?" Alexis asked with a smile once they'd paid and were stepping back outside to Trafalgar Square.

Hailing a cab Beckett didn't say anything as they climbed into two and took off together north. When they were dropped off close to their destination she felt Julia's hand; that she was holding; squeezing hers and she said to her, "You know where we are?"

Unable to speak in her excitement, Julia nodded rapidly before she managed a whispered, "Thank you."

"Wait until after we walk in their footsteps," Castle commented.

Julia giggled at that until she spotted the cross walk and she said, "There it is."

"The studios," Castle said. "Are a little further down." When he noticed his wife and their oldest looking at him he told them, "We drove by."

Seeing Alexis looking at her father Beckett guessed the we meant himself and an old fling. She nodded and then said so Julia wouldn't ask her sister about that, "Do you want to see the studio or the street first?"

"Can we see the street?" Julia asked. When her mother pulled her to the zebra crosswalk she looked around saying, "The street looks bigger in the picture."

Looking down at the album cover on the little girl's shirt Castle said, "I think that's the perspective of the shot, since you're looking into the distance. Plus there weren't these crazy lines in the photo."

"We should cross," Alexis commented. "There are less people than I thought would be."

"I believe because it's lunch time," Jim said.

"Do you two want to cross?" Castle asked his mother and father in law.

"We're fine, we'll enjoy watching this," Martha replied first.

When Jim nodded to agree with her Castle turned to his daughters and said, "Let's go."

It wasn't exactly easy to get the shot on a city street but since it was lunchtime Beckett was able to stand in front of the crosswalk after Castle and Alexis had explained to the girls how to walk. Since Julia had wanted to get them as close to The Beatles in the album cover as they could they had figured on the best way to get it and Beckett used her sports picture setting to document their entire crossing.

"How did it come out!" Julia asked, rushing over to her mother once they were back on the other side of the street with Martha and Jim. She looked at the screen of her camera and squealed when she saw that one picture had them nearly the same as the band. "Thank you Mommy!"

"Now your turn Katie," Jim said, taking her camera when they'd all looked at the pictures.

"So the same as before," Castle told Eliza and Julia. "But this time your mom will be in the front okay?"

"You're sure you don't want to just switch with your father and walk in the back?" Beckett asked her stepdaughter.

"I'm sure, it's just walking," Alexis said with a shrug.

Sighing but smiling a little as she wasn't surprised that the young woman had figured she felt a little self conscious, Beckett waited with the others to let another group cross before she set off down the crosswalk. She heard her mother in law calling to her son but didn't turn as at the same time she could hear the shutter of her camera as Alexis was taking pictures with the same setting she was. When they were all on the other side of the street she said, "Rick!"

"What, I had to give it a shot," Castle said, in his bare feet.

"But now you're going to have to stand here until we can go back," Alexis said, having joined them.

"It's not hot Daddy?" Julia asked, forgetting about the pictures in concern for her father.

"I'll be fine," Castle assured both his and Beckett's daughters as they were looking anxious for him.

"I tried to tell him," Martha said when they were back with her and Jim. "But of course…"

"Sorry to make everyone worried," Castle said as he put on his shoes and socks quickly. "But that was fun. The studio?"

"I want to see the pictures first," Julia said. She took her mother's camera from Alexis and went through the shots, stopping on one with all of them on the crosswalk. She smiled and said, "Daddy almost looks like Paul."

"He does," Beckett said, looking at the picture with her husband glancing at it over her shoulder. She smiled at him and said, "Again."

"I know, I'm that attractive," Castle said before he laughed when she playfully pushed at him. As they walked down the street then he said to Julia, "See if you can spot it first."

As soon as they came to a white fence with writing all over it the little girl said to her father, "You were right."

"I told you," Castle said, frowning as he saw that there was still graffiti on it; having seen it when he'd driven past it before. "But there it is," he told his daughters as Eliza was trying to jump up and down. He picked her up before they heard honking back where they crosswalk was and he turned that way with the others to see an accident had almost taken place.

While they were glancing in that direction Julia had watched a car with dark windows pull into the parking lot in front of the studios. She thought it might be someone famous and her mouth dropped open as she saw Paul McCartney step out. When he glanced towards her she waved wildly, squeaking when he waved back to her.

"Hi!" Eliza cried, not sure why her sister was waving to the man but doing the same. After he looked at her she realized he was the singer and she cried out softly in reaction.

Turning back to the girls Beckett saw the singer giving the two the thumbs up before heading up the stairs into the white building. "That was-" she began to say.

"Paul," Castle said at the same time as his wife. "Did anyone get a picture? At least one?"

Giggling at his mock panicked tone Julia told him, "I did Daddy. That's why he was giving us the thumbs up."

"And no one else saw that," Alexis said, having turned at the same time as Castle and Beckett.

"We did," Martha said.

"I got a picture," Jim added.

"Okay so that was great," Castle commented. "Should we head to the park?"

"I think we need to," Beckett said. "And we need to get lunch too."

With Eliza saying that she was hungry as soon as she'd heard that the family made their way to Regent's Park. They stopped outside of it to get some fish and chips at a stall and once they had the food in a cone of newspaper they headed into the park until they found a place where they could stop and eat.

"So you've had this all over," Castle said after they'd been eating for a while. "What do you think?"

Since he had been talking to her Julia ate quickly until she finished her bite of fish and said, "I loved it all over. But this is like what Paul ate with Linda and Denny. When they were on the Thames."

"When they were taking pictures for the cover of their album London Town," Beckett explained as her father looked confused.

"But wasn't Paul vegetarian?" Alexis asked; having seen those pictures but not thinking of it until then.

"I'm not sure if it was after that point," Castle said, thinking.

"It had to be before," Julia said firmly. "He wouldn't eat this afterwards."

Beckett smiled at how sure the little girl was but didn't comment on that as Eliza had come to her for another bite of fish. "Finish that and then you can have a chip," she said when the toddler looked at her but wouldn't chew.

Closing her eyes and wrinkling her nose Eliza did so before she took a fry from her mother. "Thank you," she said happily before eating.

When they finished eating a short time later Castle reached out to Julia and took her hand as they headed over to the canal to the northwest. "So there's a path along it," he told her as the family followed them two by two; Eliza coming to take his other hand. "But we can't stay for that long you know, not long enough to see a single seagull gliding over R-"

"Rick," Beckett told him warningly though it wasn't that irritated.

"Sorry, hard not to quote that lyric," Castle said. He jumped slightly when Julia suddenly started to sing and he laughed as he looked back at Beckett, singing with them as they walked.

Single pigeon through the railings
Did she throw you out?
Sunday morning fight about Saturday night

Single seagull gliding over Regent's Park Canal…

"I only sang it twice today Mommy," Julia said once Beckett had come up to them on the path next to the canal.

"I believe you sweetie," Beckett replied as they looked to see a boat on the water.

Waving at the people that were outside of the boat Eliza giggled before hiding a little behind her mother in shyness before it passed them. "I wanna go," she then told her family.

"I don't think we have the time," Castle said. "But it's pretty isn't it?"

Seeing her sister nodding Alexis said, "It is nice."

"I know, the parks in Europe are always very beautiful," Martha replied. "And this one is no exception," she continued, since it was the first time any one of them had been there.

Walking along the side of the canal the family took pictures until they stopped and looked around for a little longer. They then headed back to the Park Road which was a busy street outside the park and took two taxis again to the Thames and the Tower of London.

"A castle!" Eliza exclaimed as she saw the light colored structures.

"It used to be a fortress," Jim said with a smile as he watched her. "But do you want to go inside?"

"Yeah," the toddler said as she reached to him.

"Really strange to see her so excited when you think of how others were coming here," Castle said in a low voice to his wife.

"I know," Beckett said. "But you do realize she has no idea what this place is." When her husband's reaction was to kiss the back of her hand she rolled her eyes slightly and then followed him with the others into the main entrance. "So we don't have too much time here. About two hours before it closes."

"We had a late lunch," Castle commented.

"And we took a while at the museum," Alexis said.

"And went to Abbey Road and saw Paul!" Julia said happily.

"So we don't have too long here," Beckett said, shaking her head as she smiled at their recounting their day. "But that's enough to see the most important things."

"Like what?" Julia asked. She was surprised when no one answered that and instead they walked to the inner grounds of the fortress. She looked around in awe at the buildings around them as she took pictures before she eventually said, "This is like a city!"

"It is," Beckett replied with a smile. She glanced at Martha who took Eliza over to a building that was Tudor in style and then said, "Sweetie, do you remember your grandpapa telling you about Henry VIII?"

"Yeah is this bad?" Julia asked, quickly able to figure it out.

"This is Tower Green," Castle said, nodding to the square surrounded by a square of chains in front of them.

Going to a sign Julia read and said, "How were they executed."

"You don't really need to know," Alexis said first.

"No I want to," Julia said though she was slightly hesitant.

"They were beheaded," Castle said softly.

Looking at the square Julia said, "Like in France?"

"Not with a guillotine," Jim said simply, not wanting her to know any more.

"Who were the other people that are on the list?" Julia asked him, pointing to the sign.

"The Countess of Salisbury was the last child of Edward IV's brother," Jim explained. "Though she wasn't considered a princess by Henry VIII of course. What sent her here was the simple fact that she was Reginald Pole's mother. He was against the break with the Catholic Church and Henry went after his family still here in England after he escaped to Europe."

"Oh… how sad," Julia said, frowning at that.

Squeezing her husband's hand the answering squeeze that Beckett got in return let her know that her husband was well aware of how exactly the execution was supposed to have gone. She thought of something and said, "Do you think it's haunted here?"

"Being possibly chased around… and even if she wasn't her execution was botched so the negative energy from that… I do love," Castle told her.

Nodding Beckett turned her attention to the others who were watching them and said, "Sorry, it was something about… earlier."

"Jane Boleyn was as it says here, the wife of Anne Boleyn's brother and she was brought here because she supposedly helped Catherine Howard see another man while she was queen," Jim said. "And Lady Jane Grey was who we saw the painting of earlier. Do you want to know her story?" At Julia's nod he explained how she was the uncrowned queen of England for nine days before Queen Mary Tudor took the throne.

"But why did she do that to Lady Jane if it was other people who made her become queen?" Julia asked.

"Because there was a rebellion with the idea to put Lady Jane on the throne," Jim said. "Those advising Mary told her it was better to not let her be around in case that might happen again."

"Who's the Earl of Essex?" Julia then asked.

"He was a courtier of Elizabeth I, who tried to start a rebellion against her," Jim said. "He planned to hurt her."

"Oh," Julia said. "So that's why Eliza went with Gram over there?"

"It is, speaking of which we should get going," Castle said.

"What are we going to look at first?" Julia asked, trying to regain her excitement.

"The White Tower," Beckett said with a smile, pointing at the building that was in front of them as Castle left to get his mother and Eliza.

After the family was regrouped they went inside the building and explored the four floors that were open, coming to the Line of Kings.

"This is a lot of stuff," Julia said in surprise looking at the various items there were.

"I know we'll have to go quickly," Beckett said, looking at her husband.

"Why are you looking at me?" Castle asked, pretending to be offended. The laughter of their daughters as he said that let him know they weren't buying it.

"Who else should I be looking at?" Beckett said simply, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"I have seen it before," Castle said with a smile. "So we can get started."

The first thing they came to Jim read for the girls as being a suit of armor for Henry VIII. "And you can tell it's from later in his reign."

"Why?" Eliza asked.

"Want to stand in front of it?" Jim asked Castle. When his son in law had done so he said, "See how much bigger it is than your dad?"

"Ooh, so that was when he was bigger," Julia said. At his nod she said, "How could he fight?"

"I'd like to know that too," Castle said as they continued on.

"Horsie!" Eliza said.

"The great thing about coming to England," Martha commented as they watched the girls studying the life sized wooden horse. "Is that they love horses as well."

"A lot," Alexis continued, smiling at her grandmother. "They love horses a lot."

With a little work Castle and Beckett were able to convince their daughters to continue on and they looked through the different exhibits until they reached a smaller suit of armor.

"They think it's for Henry Stuart," Castle said. "He was the brother of Charles I."

"I wanna wear too," Eliza suddenly said as they looked another suit of armor that had been for Charles I as a boy.

"I don't think you do," Alexis said.

"You wouldn't be able to walk very well," Martha pointed out to her.

Frowning for a moment, Eliza then said, "I ride a horsie."

"I still don't know if you'd be able to move that well," Beckett said smiling at her. "You can ride a horse without that on."

Sighing Eliza took her mother's hand as they then left the building to head over to where the Crown Jewels were. As they were walking she saw some ravens on the grass and said, "Why birdies?"

"There's a legend," Jim said, smiling as the others looked to him. "That if the six ravens they have here left the Tower the kingdom would fall. So they protect them though sometimes they do leave."

"But not all six at once?" Martha asked.

"I have no idea, I would imagine no," Jim replied before they went into the Jewel House.

"Now we come to what I have wanted to see," Martha told her granddaughters as they came to the exhibit.

"Pretty…" Eliza said as she looked at a crown at the top of a number of items in a display. "Purple?"

"It's the Imperial State Crown and it's worn by the queen when she opens Parliament," Jim answered. He then drew their attention to one of two scepters and told them, "This is the King's Scepter."

"That diamond at the top is the Great Star of Africa," Castle commented.

"It's really big," Julia said in awe as her sister stared at it next to her.

"It is, see the crown below the one on the top?" Castle asked. "The queen wore that during her coronation. That orb is the Sovereign's Orb and the sword here in front is the Jeweled State Sword."

"Are you going to read everything that's in there?" Beckett asked him in amusement.

"Not everything," Castle replied simply. "That ring is the Sovereign's Ring."

"A lot of stuff," Julia said.

"They didn't wear all of that at once," Beckett told her as they continued. "But that shows you how seriously they took the coronation."

"Very," Castle added.

When the family stepped back outside they went to the Royal Menagerie, Castle and Beckett deciding the girls would enjoy seeing it. They walked through it slowly, as the girls were enjoying the sight of the different animals that had one time or another been inside the fortress.

As they were heading to the gift shop as the place was close to closing for the night Julia said, "That's a small place to keep animals."

"Exactly," Alexis said. "I hated seeing that."

"Luckily we went through it quickly enough," Martha said before they went inside.

"What do you think Eliza," Castle said to distract his youngest from what they were talking about. "Would you like a helmet?"

"No," the toddler replied, looking at the one her father was holding. She then giggled and said, "I don't see."

"She's right and it's too small for your head Rick, put it back," Beckett told him teasingly.

"Shoot and I thought this was the perfect souvenir for me," Castle said in mock disappointment. He smiled as Eliza and Julia laughed and he picked the former up saying, "Let's look around and see what we can get to remember our trip here," to them.

Walking through the gift shop Jim was surprised to see his daughter walking over to him a little later and asked, "They found something?"

"Just a book," Beckett replied. "And you?" When he held up a book she smiled and said, "We're going to leave; Martha and Alexis already did; so if you want to look around more…"

"I'll go pay now," Jim replied.

When they had left Martha said, "Well, we have a little time until we go so I think we should walk a little by the river here."

"Can we?" Julia asked as her sister grabbed her arm in excitement.

"Yes but we can't really go for that long a walk," Beckett said. "We all have to get dressed for dinner remember."

Setting off to the east of the fortress the girls walked ahead of their family, looking at the river and when they reached the Tower Bridge they looked back at the others.

"We're just walking across," Castle said, taking his wife's hand as she motioned them back with her other. "We went up to the top of the bridge already," he said, since the day before they'd gone up to the upper walkway. He picked up Eliza since the pedestrian part of the bridge was crowded and he watched Julia take her mother's hand.

"It's so pretty," Julia said. "I'm glad Paul had this in his album cover."

"I don't think there was anything more recognizable than this," Martha said. "And who knows, maybe they wanted to continue their boat theme."

"Boat theme?" Alexis asked with a slight laugh. "You mean because they recorded that album on a boat?"

"Maybe," Julia said, smiling at her grandmother widely.

"Thank you kiddo," Martha said.

Looking at the blue beams to their right Eliza smiled as she could remember seeing them before and then looking up at the first tower she recalled that too. "I wanna go up," she said to her parents.

"You can't really go up in the tower," Castle said, knowing by up she meant to the very top of the tower. "But we did get to see a lot of the city in the walkway."

"And in the Eye," Julia said with a smile, enjoying looking around as she'd gotten a lot of pictures the day before.

"I had always wanted to go on that," Jim said. "And I'm glad you enjoyed it," he told his granddaughter.

Smiling a little Julia said, "I felt safe 'cause we were in that pod. But it was fun to see how big the city was." She then looked back at the Tower and said, "I wonder what it looked like back when Elizabeth I was queen."

"A lot different and a lot smaller," Jim replied. He wasn't surprised when Julia nodded in agreement and turned his attention to getting a picture from the bottom of the first tower before they walked past it.

On the other side of the bridge the family walked to City Hall and caught two taxis there to go back to their hotel. Castle and Beckett watched the girls with them looking out the window together as they crossed the Tower Bridge again and then headed north. They passed numerous buildings that the girls exclaimed over; Eliza a little more than her sister; and then came to the Ritz.

"So we'll be in to help Eliza change," Beckett told Alexis as they were heading up in an elevator. "Unless you want to get her dressed. But we'll be over as soon as we're finished since we do have to pick up Julia."

"Don't forget," the little girl said teasingly.

"I don't think your mom would," Castle told her. He smiled when she giggled and then watched the others step out at their floor. "Not concerned?" he asked his wife as soon as they were on their way up again.

Giving him a slight look Beckett replied, "No Eliza seems to be genuinely excited. Plus it'll be nice for her to be alone with them for a change."

Nodding, since they were usually alone with their youngest, Castle took his wife's hand as they walked down the hall at their floor, squeezing it gently before they reached their room and slipped inside.