Silver Hammer (A Noise Comes From Behind)

by Jude Rigby

With a woman beaten to death in her apartment and no signs of a break-in, Castle and Beckett's new case is a look at players and silver hammers as they try to find the killer. And with the school year ending, they prepare to celebrate Father's Day with their family; though Alexis is still in California. Ninth in the Beware of Darkness series. Caskett pairing. Complete

16. When The Class Has Gone Away

Genre: Crime, Drama, Family, Romance, Humor

Rating: M for violence, language and sexual situations

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: I have some Spanish in this chapter, if I got anything wrong, for goodness sake tell me and I'll fix it ASAP, lol.

A/N #2: I was pretty overwhelmed to see all the reviews I got for the last chapter and I was very, very pleased, so want to say thank you right away! LoveAbby (Really happy to see you liked the chapter of course. And you make a good point about the love scene in the tub. I actually haven't really described the tub he has, but in my mind I say it's pretty deep, and to keep the water from spilling I would say just don't fill it to the top, lol), vetgirlmx (Also was glad to see that you too enjoyed the chapter, of course. And I was so happy that you like the way they talk after these cases when they get shaken up as you said, when it ends in this way. And to answer your question, Julia's dance teacher knows about Castle and Beckett, and so does Julia's school teacher as well, so it's still a secret, lol. Was great seeing you liked the conversation between Lanie and Beckett, and you're right, definitely less awkward for them now. Really glad you want to read the next chapter too!), Beckett-Castle4ever (So nice to see you enjoy when I write Castle and Julia together, and that you enjoyed it in the last chapter too. And same for seeing you enjoyed the family time, great reading that! And I'm also very glad that you too want to read the next chapter; now you can!), MichelleBell16 (It's always nice seeing people going through my series even when I'm posting so far into it, and reading that in your review was no exception. But love that you're enjoying this series, great compliment that you caught up with it. I loved seeing you enjoyed the relationship that Beckett and Julia have; as I always hope readers will like that, and Julia's relationship with Castle and everyone else too! As I mentioned before, I am really pleased seeing you want to read the next chapter, which you can too now, lol. And I am glad that you want to see what'll happen in the future with the family!), life's a mystery (Happy that you too enjoyed Castle picking up Julia, and the same for them playing together before Beckett got home; was hoping readers would, so nice to have confirmation of that! And really great that you liked the heart to heart that Castle and Beckett had, I really like seeing that readers enjoy those. And also, happy to see you too want to read about the graduation!), tt520438 (Really glad to see you liked the time between Castle and Julia too. And not surprised at what you were wondering at the end of your review, I get the feeling I'll be asked that a lot, lol), sammysgirl78 (Was so happy to see that you enjoyed the last chapter so much, and that you're liking the story still too! I thought you might like the beginning with Castle and Julia spending time together. And it was really nice reading you mentioning them playing hide and seek and how Julia was when Castle fell. I'll say the same for you mentioning when Julia fell asleep on his lap too; that I figured you'd like too, lol. Glad to see that you liked the time Castle and Beckett spent giving Julia a bath, I know you like family time. And I figure at this point I can't have Beckett be too aloof with Castle, she's going to marry him after all, lol, so happy you mentioned that with him noticing her being sore. And glad you like too that they talk to each other about how they feel, thought readers would. I was very happy to read what you thought of the love scene in the bathtub, to read that you liked it, and also that you thought it was sweet and hot, it's what I was aiming for! I thought you might enjoy the talk about the conversation between Lanie and Beckett too, so glad for confirmation in your review, lol. And of course, so happy to see you want to read more, and now you can!), dhurley (Great that you're enjoying this story so much, and here is another chapter for you to read!) and pcol22 (As always, really glad that you liked the last chapter. Same with your reaction to the conversation between Lanie and Beckett, glad that you enjoyed that! And do like reading you want to get to the next chapter, and here it is, lol). So again, soo grateful for all the feedback that I got from you reviewers, and I appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them to me, I appreciate it a lot!

When The Class Has Gone Away

Padding around the bed, Julia looked up at her mother and Castle who were still fast asleep and she pursed her lips together for a moment, debating if she should wake them up, before she suddenly saw Beckett's eyes were blinking open. She was nearly going to turn and run out of the room, when her mother spoke.

"Hey sweetie, good morning," Beckett said with a slight smile as Julia put her Stitch doll in front of her mouth. "Are you excited?" She wasn't surprised when the little girl shook her head no and asked, "Nervous?" At her nod she said, "Then come here."

"Should get some more sleep," Castle mumbled from behind Beckett then, pressing his forehead to the back of her shoulder.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Beckett replied, helping their daughter up the rest of the way on the bed. She shared a kiss with Julia before she felt Castle sitting up. She did the same, not surprised when Julia immediately snuggled close to her, sticking her thumb into her mouth. "Sweetie," she said gently, moving her hand.

"You're only going into first grade," Castle said. "Believe me; you still have another eleven years to go before you graduate from high school."

"Is that a lot?" Julia queried, looking up at him.

"It's the number after ten," Beckett told her.

"Oh yeah," Julia breathed. "That is a lot. But what if I'm not smart in first grade?"

"I don't think you need to worry," Castle said, chuckling. "You're pretty bright for your age."

"He's right," Beckett said when Julia looked at her. "I have no doubt you'll do great in school. You just need to go."

"I won't play hooky," Julia said.

"What? It's not like it's a bad word," Castle said defensively when Beckett gave him a look. "And she heard an older kid saying that one day, asked me what it meant. I couldn't lie to her of course."

Sighing, Beckett said, "I know you won't sweetie, and don't worry, you're still our little girl even though you're going to be a first grader."

"Am I still your little one?" Julia nearly whispered.

"Yes," Beckett said immediately and firmly. She leaned down and kissed her forehead before she whispered something to her.

Looking on, Castle wondered what she'd said, when Julia stood up in between them and hugged him tightly. "Morning Julia," he said with a smile before sharing a kiss with her. "Now," he said, scooping her up in his arms. "We can get break-"

"Wait!" Julia cried before he could move. "You didn't kiss Mommy good morning," she said shyly.

"She's right, you didn't," Beckett said simply, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

"Then you'll excuse me for a second sweetheart…" Castle started to say, trailing off as he leaned over to meet Beckett for a kiss. It lingered; neither of them wanting to end it; but he kept it simple, knowing Julia wasn't watching as she had her face buried into his chest. When they parted, he brushed his lips across her delicately, feeling her immediate shiver at his care, and he moved back fully. "Okay, so what I was going to say was we should have breakfast, and I was planning on making a special one for you."

"What is it?" Julia asked as Castle grabbed his robe after standing with her in his arms.

"That's a surprise," he told her simply, waiting for Beckett to get her robe. With her following he went out to the kitchen, waiting for his fiancée to sit at one of the chairs at the counter. Handing her their daughter, he couldn't resist, kissing her again, though that one was much faster than the one before. He ruffled Julia's hair when he saw she was watching, and went around to begin cooking as they watched him.

"Do we need to set the table?" Julia asked her mother as he began cutting up strawberries once he had a stack of pancakes on a plate.

"We can eat right here," Beckett said. "Though if your mom comes down…"

"I can eat standing up," Castle said simply.

"Can I stay here?" Julia asked, looking on as Castle made a face using the berries he had on the top pancake. She smiled when he handed her the plate and said, "It's too cute to eat."

"Let me take a picture…" Beckett began before trailing off when she saw she had a text message from Ryan. She quickly took a picture of the food, and then looked at the message.

"A case?" Castle asked as he handed her a plate then.

"Yeah," Beckett said, looking at it and shaking her head with a smile as there was a happy face made with raspberries and strawberries on it. She took a picture at Julia's request and then told him, "They just caught a case and Lanie's with them; Perlmutter's on another case. So it looks like they can't go."

"But you'll take pictures right?" Julia asked after she begged her mother to take a picture of Castle's plate though he'd just thrown some berries haphazardly on his pancakes.

"I will, I guess I'm preparing myself right now," Beckett said as they started to eat. She was a little surprised to hear Castle's phone ringing, and she watched as he read a text on it. "Ryan?" she finally asked.

"And Espo, they want me to be there to 'represent' them," he answered. "So your uncles did want to go," he said to Julia as Beckett got another text. "You're a popular girl sweetheart."

"Lanie's asking for pictures too," Beckett said with a smile. "Keep eating," she told Julia who was looking at the message. "And she wants to have dinner somewhere so we can all get together and celebrate."

"Who?" Julia asked.

"The three of us, Lanie, your uncles and your Aunt Jenny," Beckett replied. "He's right, you are popular. But you also need to finish breakfast so we're not late," she said gently, cutting a piece of the pancakes and feeding it to her daughter.

Julia continued eating then, as Castle and Beckett discussed the Fourth of July, and she finished eating a blueberry before asking, "Can Mari come over with her mommy and daddy?"

"They are, I invited them to lunch and dinner," Castle said. "So it'll be with us, my mother and your dad, but need to see about their son."

"What about Alexis?" Julia asked in confusion.

"When I said us I meant the four of us," Castle said, not surprised at the look of realization on Julia's face at that. "Okay, so I think we should get going… good morning Mother," he said as he got off his chair and took the three empty plates.

"Good morning, how is the graduate this morning?" Martha asked, going over to Beckett and picking up Julia. "You're not even dressed yet," she said teasingly since she was already.

"We're taking it easy this morning," Beckett said.

"Someone's a little nervous," Castle said as he put down a plate on the other side of the counter.

"Oh kiddo, you have nothing to be nervous about," Martha said, kissing Julia's temple before handing her to Beckett. "Just think, after your graduation, you have summer off from school."

"And I have camp again," Julia said excitedly.

"There's that too," Martha said, cupping the little girl's chin and squeezing it gently.

"Can I still go to classes after you pick me up?" Julia asked her.

"We were hoping you'd let Castle pick you up once in a while," Beckett said.

Julia looked a little troubled before she said, "But you'll work with Mommy right?"

Hesitating on that, since he wasn't sure how to answer it, Castle finally said, "Most likely," shaking his head at his mother, as they hadn't been sure how to tell Julia what was going on with the election.

"Then you can take turns, and I can go to classes with you still," Julia said to Martha in eagerness.

"That's a wonderful idea," she said with a smile. "Go and get ready, you need to get to school."

"Are you coming with us?" Castle asked as he finished the dishes and cups.

"I think I'll meet you there, you'll have an hour to spare until the ceremony starts," Martha commented. "By the way, what are you and Kate going to be doing until you need to go back to the school?"

"There are some shops around there," Castle said simply. "We'll probably head there; have some coffee since we didn't have any right now."

"You planned this ahead of time didn't you?" Martha said as her son went to his bedroom. "Does she know?"

"Know what?" Julia asked, coming down the stairs in her jumper, Beckett behind her.

"You need to wear your uniform?" Martha asked.

"She does, but we're taking a change of clothes for after," Beckett said. "Can you watch her?"

"I can, go and get ready, and if you're wondering what I was talking about when you came downstairs, ask your fiancé," Martha said as she watched Julia go over to Castle's office.

"I was thinking," Castle said the second he saw Beckett enter his room. "Of going to the bookshop by her school, and the café after."

"I'm going to assume that's why you didn't make coffee," Beckett said simply before she began to get dressed.

"Pretty much," Castle said, pausing in heading to the bathroom to brush his hair as he watched her. When she had finished buttoning her blue and grey patterned blouse, he couldn't help himself, going to her and saying, "Was hoping you'd be in a dress."

"Of course, but you know, we should focus on our daughter today Castle," Beckett commented, smiling as she looked at him in the mirror above the dresser as his arms wrapped around her from behind. "I'd like us to give her attention and get her mind off that nervousness she's been feeling. And to do that, you can't be ogling me."

"Right," Castle said. "But tonight…"

"You'll see. Go, we're going to be late," Beckett told him before she pulled him by the arm to the bathroom.

Castle didn't say anything else, but followed suit in finishing with his hair before he left. But before that, he leaned over and kissed her gently at first before they suddenly deepened it at the same time. He kept from turning enough to take her in his arms, not surprised she did the same, as he was able to pull away more easily; though it didn't make him any happier to do it. "I'll be with Julia," he said simply before he went out to the living room, seeing Julia was standing at the windows. "Okay sweetheart?" he asked once he'd reached her.

"Yeah," the little girl said. "I was looking 'cause I wanted to see if it was gonna rain again."

"Looks pretty good," Castle said, kissing her cheek gently as he picked her up. "And lucky for you, you're going to be inside."

"Yeah," Julia said. She saw her mother come out of the bedroom then and waved saying, "You look pretty Mommy."

"Thank you, but say goodbye to Martha," Beckett said as she went to the closet to get Julia's backpack where her cap and gown and clothes were stored. "We're going."

Going to join his fiancée, Castle looked on as Julia hugged Martha tightly and his mother promised she would be there at the school on time. "Give me a call when you're there," he told her. "And I'll let you know where we're sitting."

"If I don't get there before you do," Martha said simply in reply before going upstairs, calling a, "See you at the school," to the three of them.

Since all they really needed to take was Julia's backpack, the three were out of the loft and the building, heading in a cab. Castle waited outside the gates as Beckett took their daughter to her classroom, where she wasn't surprised to see a lot of uneasy students with their parents reassuring them.

Seeing his fiancée coming out from the school, Castle asked when she was near, "She's nervous still isn't she?"

"Actually, compared to some of the kids in the classroom, she's not doing that badly," Beckett replied. "Though she heard a boy asking his dad what he should do if he got too scared to walk and get his diploma, and she asked me the same thing."

"She'll be alright," Castle said as they crossed the street together.

"At least you never told her about your graduation," Beckett teased him.

"She'd be horrified," Castle said quickly. "And not sure… oh, you meant my sixth grade graduation. Yeah, that probably wouldn't help at all."

"Yeah, I don't see how she would be helped knowing you were naked under your robes," Beckett said.

"What about you?" Castle asked.

Shrugging Beckett said, "I didn't really have a problem with it. I was always of the mindset of wanting to grow up."

"And leave your parents?" Castle pointed out.

"That part I didn't like. But you know, you grow up and you realize you're going to need to make your own life," Beckett replied. "But that's much later."

"It better be, don't want Julia to want to leave us," Castle said when they reached the bookstore. He opened the door for her and they went inside, splitting up to look through the shelves. He found himself going to the kids books and he was a little surprised when Beckett joined him a moment later.

"I looked through the fiction section first," she replied with a smile. "She needs something new to read, so looks like we had the same idea."

"We did. I was thinking either The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; if she likes it we can go with the rest of the series. Or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Castle told her, holding both books up.

"This one," Beckett said. "And if she likes Dahl we can get his other books."

"Let's take this one too, just in case," Castle said, holding on to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book as well as the other.

"You're going to spoil her," Beckett said in a slightly sing-song voice.

"Never can spoil a child with books," Castle scoffed. "But you know, if you're thinking this will spoil her, we can get the Dahl books and the rest of the Wizard of Oz books from the library."

"Better plan," Beckett said before she led the way to the fiction section where they looked through the shelves.

They weren't looking at the books together, but every once in a while they would discuss something they'd chosen before leaving with three books of their own as well as Julia's. They walked back towards the school then, and to the café, trying to resist taking each other's hand, though it was difficult.

---

"Looks like you beat us," Castle said to his mother as he sat next to her at the Mt. Surrey auditorium.

"Jim and I were coming in at the same time, we decided to go ahead and get the seats," Martha said. "How was she?"

"Good, anxious," Beckett said.

"Who's going to help her with her cap and gown?" Jim asked, sitting on the other side of his daughter.

"They have some mothers of kids in the class helping out," Beckett answered. "When are you going to Skype with Alexis?"

"She wants me to start as soon as they begin announcing the names, since Julia's going to be in the beginning," Castle commented. He wanted to say something, but heard a familiar voice down the row a little.

"Anita, George, great to see you," Beckett said, getting up and going to the couple at that greeting. "Is she-"

"Scared, anxious, yet again. But she did sleep pretty well last night," Anita interrupted. "So there's that at least. Julia too?" At Beckett's nod she said, "Alright if we join you here in the row?"

"Sit," Beckett said. "This is my dad, Jim Beckett, and you know Martha of course." She went back to sit between her dad and Castle and said, "What are your plans this summer; besides that trip to Japan."

"Nothing really, we have work and Celia does have day camp as well," Anita replied. "You?"

"Not sure, yet," Beckett said, glancing at Castle, since they honestly weren't sure what their summer was going to be like besides the same two things; work and day camp.

"Julia mentioned you'd be going to Japan, what will you be doing over there?" Castle asked, leaning over to look at the two.

Discussing the trip took some time; as Celia's parents were planning to go for a month; and Castle and Beckett only stopped talking about it with them when the lights dimmed and the principal of the elementary school stepped out on the stage. She explained that the classes would be announced in alphabetical order by the teacher's name, so Julia's class was first.

"Hey Dad," Alexis whispered on the phone as Castle had started up the Skype conversation as Mrs. Clayton had gone out on the stage; her students standing at the opposite end to go up the stairs there.

"Hey, Julia should be going pretty soon," Castle said as quietly as he could. He glanced at his fiancée, and then at the stage, seeing the first students go. When he saw her friend Johnny walk over to the teacher, he whispered, "She's next," seeing Beckett getting her camera ready; his mother and her dad doing the same.

Waiting at the end of the stage, Julia heard her teacher announce, "Julia Beckett," and she walked across to where Mrs. Clayton was standing behind a podium. She blushed and looked out to the audience when she heard a loud whistle; knowing it was Castle; and gave a tiny wave though she couldn't see where her family was sitting. She took the diploma that her teacher handed her, her face solemn as she shook Mrs. Clayton's hand.

"Did you see?" Castle asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, thanks Dad, I'll call later," Alexis replied. "Tell her she looks so sweet in her little cap and gown and that I love her."

"I will," Castle said, looking at Beckett who smiled at him. "So now we wait," he whispered into his fiancée's ear.

"Now we wait," she replied, reaching down and taking his hand, their fingers entwining as they took advantage of the darkness of the auditorium to do what they'd been unable to before.

---

Standing outside the elementary school building, Castle and Beckett were with their parents, waiting for the classes to return from the auditorium. They were standing in a group; Celia's parents talking with other parents they knew.

"So did they get the pictures?" Martha asked Beckett.

"They did, Lanie's at lunch right now, she said she felt terrible about not coming," Beckett said. "But I just told her to have that dinner."

"Here they are," Castle said, having watched for Mrs. Clayton and her students. He wasn't sure where the other classes were going, but it was just Julia's class, and he soon saw her.

"Don't run everybody," the teacher was saying as some students waved to their parents. "And remember to bring your families to the room if they want drinks and cookies."

Splitting up with Celia, Julia hurried as fast as she could without running to her mother. She couldn't help it, and ran the last few steps before Beckett was picking her up, hugging her tightly. "Did you see me Mommy?" she asked when she pulled away enough to look at her.

"I did, and you didn't have to be nervous at all," Beckett assured her. She took the small bouquet of flowers that Castle was handing to her and said, "This is from us."

"Thank you," Julia said, her cheeks becoming pink as she took the daffodils. "They're pretty. Did you whistle when I got my diploma?" she asked as she went to Castle then.

"Of course, I knew you wouldn't be able to see us, so had to make sure you knew we were there," he replied, kissing her cheek, not caring if anyone saw him doing that. "And Alexis was watching too, and she said you looked very cute and that she loves you."

"Oh, are we going to talk to her tonight?" Julia said anxiously.

"We will, after the show," Beckett said as the little girl was then handed over to her father. She smiled as her dad kissed his granddaughter, murmuring something to her to her nod.

"Thank you Grandpapa, I'm happy you were here too," Julia said, still blushing as he'd told her that he was proud of her and glad that he'd been able to see her graduate.

"Come here kiddo, you did a wonderful job," Martha said, taking her. "Walked across the stage like a prima ballerina and you were very grownup getting your diploma." She kissed Julia's cheeks and said, "I'm just glad it'll be some time before you graduate again."

"Me too," Julia giggled, hugging her around the neck. "Mommy, Castle? Cookies?"

"One, and we'll have a drink," Beckett said.

"After this we're heading home since I'll make you your favorite for lunch," Castle said. "So you need to save room for that." As he'd been speaking they'd been heading for the building, and inside Julia's classroom he wasn't surprised to see it was almost full of parents and kids. He took the little girl to the table with punch and cookies, not surprised when Julia turned to her mother and asked to split it with her. He noticed Mrs. Clayton coming over, and he said, "Julia, do you have the present?"

Jumping at the reminder, the little girl hurried to her backpack, and took out a wrapped box. "This is for you Mrs. Clayton, 'cause you're the best teacher," she said in a rush, handing it to her.

"Thank you so much, Julia, that's so sweet," the teacher replied with a smile before opening the box.

"That's from Spain," Julia said quickly. "It's to wear around your arms. My grandpapa brought it."

"I… thank you, and to you Mr. Beckett," Mrs. Clayton said in surprise when she pulled out the black embroidered fabric. "I will enjoy wearing this when I go out." She then smiled at Beckett and said, "I was just going to tell you your daughter is a wonderful student, and I will miss her."

"She'll miss you," Beckett said, smiling in return. "You've been a great teacher to her."

"Have a wonderful summer Julia and I hope you enjoy the first grade," Mrs. Clayton said before she said goodbye to everyone and went to parents standing with their son near them.

Remembering that she wanted to get Julia's picture with as many people as possible, Beckett had her get Celia and bring her over to take her picture before getting Mrs. Clayton. She then had Castle, Martha and her dad all take pictures with Julia who was holding her diploma up in each one and the daffodils cradled in one arm. Castle then took her camera, and she took a picture with her daughter before kissing her temple, not surprised when her fiancé took a picture of that as well.

"Can we go?" Julia asked, looking up at her mother and Castle.

"Say goodbye to Celia, but remember you've got camp with her too," Beckett said. Watching her go she turned to her dad and Castle's mother saying, "You're sure you two don't want to come with us tonight?"

"We're sure," Martha said. "Between this and the show tonight, we wanted to come see this more."

"Plus," Jim said. "You three should have a night out; as a family."

Smiling at that, Castle squeezed Beckett's arm gently before letting go, watching as Julia skipped up to them and took their hands. Leaving the classroom, they walked ahead of their parents, swinging their daughter in between them to her happy squeals that echoed through the hallway.

---

Looking over to the side as Castle walked into the room, Beckett couldn't help smiling as he glanced at her up and down once. "I told you I'd dress up, is she ready? And are you ever going to stop reacting like that," she asked.

"Yes to the first question, and no to your second," Castle said, turning to Julia who was sitting on the couch with her tablet. "So, just out of curiosity, where are you keeping these dresses?"

"This is a recent purchase," Beckett said simply as she finished sweeping her hair up into a bun and tucked her mother's comb into the top of it. She went to the end of the bed, and was going to put on her shoes when Castle took the right one from her. "You know," she said as he took her foot, running his hand along it slowly to make it curve down. "She's right there."

"She can't see us," Castle said simply. "She could hear us, but can't really see us."

"And what exactly are you planning to do that she doesn't see?" Beckett asked as he pushed her other heel onto her foot.

"Nothing really," Castle replied with a shrug as she stood up. He hadn't moved; just stood up himself; so they were soon nearly face to face. He took advantage of the moment, and took her in his arms, leaning down and kissing her gently at first. He waited to get a reaction from her, and when she began to respond to the kiss enthusiastically, he deepened it. He was careful though, not doing enough to make it hard for them to part if they needed to, but he found himself unable to stop. They parted to breathe, but were soon back to each other's lips, and he gently caressed her tongue with his own before there was a sudden shout. Sharing a look with his fiancée as they abruptly parted, he took her hand and they hurried out to the living room.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Beckett asked, seeing Julia was fine on the couch, looking at her tablet a little angrily though.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Julia asked, looking up at them in confusion. She then set down her tablet and hurried to her mother, touching the pattern on her dress. "Is this the one you got by yourself?"

"It is," Beckett said with a smile. "Is it okay for me to wear?" She nearly laughed when her daughter told her in a serious tone of voice to turn around, and she did so, looking at Castle and seeing he was looking away from them.

When her mother had stopped, Julia smiled widely and nodded saying, "It's perfect Mommy, the pattern is pretty. And I like that the black gets big from the stripes."

"You can always do something with fashion," Castle commented then, having managed to calm down enough to turn back to them. "Though considering your mom was a model, it wouldn't surprise me."

"She was?" Julia asked in surprise.

"How did you know about that?" Beckett asked in shock. "Castle," she said then when he didn't answer, and instead went to the table, grabbing two things. "Rick, if-"

"I searched your name once on the internet, and there you were," Castle said quickly since he could tell she was getting annoyed. "Only a few pictures, but of course, since your mom," he directed that to Julia who looked stunned still. "Is very beautiful, they were nice, the clothes… I could have cared less."

Taking her clutch purse from him, Beckett said, "The clothes are also now pretty outdated," knowing her cheeks were flushed and cursing her ability to blush.

Shrugging Castle said, "The clothes didn't really matter, I just wonder why you didn't tell me about it."

"For a while I was expecting a comment," Beckett said, letting him help her put her black shawl over her shoulders. "I'm surprised you didn't say one now."

"She doesn't need to hear that," Castle said in a whisper as his lips were close to her ear. He smiled when she shivered slightly and watched as she went over to Julia to help her into her sweater. "Okay, so we're ready to go?"

"Yeah, I wanna go see the dances," Julia cried, spinning around and letting the skirt of her navy blue rose brocade dress bell out around her.

"Come on," Beckett said, taking Julia's hand after checking her clutch one last time. She took Castle's arm and they left, letting their daughter skip down the hall ahead of them, humming under her breath as they watched her.

---

Sitting in the theater where the show was being held, Castle turned around yet again in his seat, looking over his shoulder. He turned back and saw that his fiancée was looking at him closely. "What?" he asked defensively.

"That's the fifth time you've done that, who are you waiting for?" Beckett asked.

"I-" Castle began to say before Julia suddenly gasped on the other side of her and he turned behind them again.

"Celia!" Julia squealed happily as she saw her friend coming down the aisle with her parents.

Looking at her fiancé, Beckett smiled and got up to greet the three saying, "I'm guessing Castle invited you to join us?"

"Celia wouldn't leave us alone until we'd said yes," George said as they sat in the seats, the two girls standing in front of Julia's chair on the end of the aisle. "Apparently they've been reading a travel book of yours about Spain?"

"They have, we're going to use it when we can go," Castle said.

"She wants to go now," Anita said with a smile. "And she's begging us to go."

"Begging us so much I caved in and got the same travel book; with Celia's help; to see," George said. "Never thought too much about Spain, but I can see why she's so eager to go."

"I am too," Anita replied. "And your dad goes every year Julia said?"

"He does, since the late '70's," Beckett replied. "He'll go for a month or two; though this year he split his trip into two for…" she began before trailing off. Though Celia's parents knew about the wedding, she didn't want to say it out loud.

"No, I understand, but what if it's not until the end of August that he can go back?" Anita said.

"He'll go then, he saves his vacation for that specifically," Beckett said when the lights started to blink. "Julia," she said before Anita called to her daughter. She wasn't surprised when the two insisted on sitting together, so they moved over one chair, and she sat closest to the girls as the host for the show walked out on the stage, groups of people in costume on either side in the wings.

"Bienvenidos atodos ustedes, welcome to all of you to our show tonight," the man said, his accent thick. "We are here tonight to showcase to you the different folk dances of Spain. Each one is from a different province, but we only scratch the surface of Spanish dance. All the members of our troupe are from Spain, so we must thank our sponsors Mr. and Mrs. McCullough for allowing us to come here to New York to entertain you tonight." After the applause for the couple in one of the box seats, the man said, "We begin tonight with the Sardana, from the Catalonia region."

The first group of people stepped out, men wearing white and women in red, and they joined hands in a circle before the first music began. The dancers lifted their right legs, putting their toes forward slightly and then began to dance in place, moving their feet in time to the music. The music changed and the dancers raised their clasped hands together before continuing with their footwork.

"Have you ever seen this?" Castle whispered as the dance continued in the same vein, the dancers going faster or slower depending on the music, the same with the rhythm of raising their hands or lowering them.

"My dad did," Beckett whispered. "In Barcelona." She started clapping when the music finished, looking over at the girls who were whispering to each other. She looked at Castle, fighting a laugh when the two started to try and move their feet in the same way the dancers had.

"And we have next for you a Seguidilla, from the Castilian region," the host said, stepping out only to say that before a line of dancers formed in the darkness at the back of the stage.

"Look at their dresses," Celia whispered to Julia, though the adults all heard her.

"They're pretty and they're holding the castanets," Julia whispered back excitedly. "My grandpapa gave me those!"

Watching the pairs of men and women dancing together, the movements were mostly passes and footwork, the women playing the wooden instruments in their hands as they moved their arms in time to their own music.

Glancing over at their daughter, Castle wasn't too surprised when he saw that Julia was watching the dancing intently. But it made him pause as he realized she didn't really have to. He didn't see when she would need to dance those particular steps, but decided, watching the men and women raising their arms, that she would likely be able to use it for the Flamenco.

That dance over, there were some dances from the Andalucía region and also La Mancha before there was the Fandango dance. Before they could stop the two, the adults were trying to keep Julia and Celia from getting too excited as the music for that increased in tempo. Luckily no one sitting around them complained, and once the guitars stopped they calmed down.

"So where in Barcelona did your dad see that first dance?" Castle asked as after that dance was an intermission and Anita and George took their daughter with them to get drinks.

"The one where they stood in a circle?" Julia asked.

"Yes, he was outside a church," Beckett said, thinking for a moment. "If memory serves me correctly he was heading to the Sagrada Familia and-"

"Gaudi, I almost forgot about him, that's going to be awesome to go and see his works besides the cathedral," Castle said.

"Is he a friend of Grandpapa's?" Julia asked.

"No sweetie, he was an architect," Beckett said. "You'll like some of the things he made, especially his tile mosaics. But he saw some people dancing outside the church, that same dance."

"I thought they were gonna start playing ring around the rosy," Julia said.

"Me too, but I thought that was a pretty nice dance, they all were," Castle said.

"Are they gonna dance the jota?" Julia then asked.

Neither Beckett or Castle could answer, as the Gowers returned with drinks, and the show soon started again after that. After a few dances more, the host came out onto the stage and a map of Spain appeared on the screen that was lit up behind him.

"Our next dances are both the Jota," the man said. "First we will perform the Aragonese Jota, which is from the province of Aragon."

The dance began with a young boy and girl stepping out into the spotlight and once the music began, they kicked their legs and danced around one another, arms high in the air as they both played the castanets. Castle and Beckett looked at their daughter to see her reaction, and they saw her looking at them her lips pursed slightly.

"I think she might be interested in learning it," Castle said, amusement in his voice.

'Probably the Castilian one too," Beckett said, smiling widely.

After that dance the host introduced the Castilian Jota, and a group of four dancers began, with four more waiting to the sides. The men and women started out with their hands held up in between them, the men spinning the women. They parted, and began to play the castanets as they moved in the steps, their arms sweeping down to their feet before the other four dancers joined in and they switched couples before starting the same steps again, dancing around each other until the music stopped.

"That's the one Grandpapa said the people wanted to teach me," Julia said to her mother.

"I don't think it'll be as formal as that is if you're learning from people from the town," Beckett said.

"That's okay, I don't think I'm gonna dance like I will dance Ballroom. And Latin," Julia said quickly with a smile.

The last dance over several minutes later, the host returned to his place in the spotlight and said, "And for the rest of our night here with you, we have the Flamenco, a well known dance, and when one thinks of Spain, they think of this dance. It began in the Andalusia region and has become synonymous with our country. We hope you have enjoyed our show and thank you for joining us. Muchas gracias a todos y buenas noches."

"What did he say?" Celia asked Julia.

"Thank you and I think good night too," the little girl said, looking at her mother and Castle who nodded. Talking came from the stage then, and she and her friend looked to see a man in a Flamenco dancer's costume was coming into the light, a woman standing at the opposite end from him.

Castle and Beckett watched the beginning of the dance, the couple beginning to stamp their slight heels into the stage, arms moving and the woman's hands fluctuating with the guitar music. They then looked over at their daughter, seeing she was moving her hands back and forth slightly before she mimicked the movement of the women as another dance started with just one woman dancing.

"This one she'll learn," Beckett whispered to her fiancé as Celia began to do the same thing with her hands.

"I hope she likes those kinds of dresses," Castle said, slight amusement in his voice again. Beckett just looked at him, and he couldn't help reaching down as a man and woman began to dance to slower music, moving around one another, staring at each other intently. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his fiancée's palm and then wrist, loving the beat of her heart matching the rhythm of the guitar, and in that second, wished he could tell her and show her he loved her as she leaned slightly against him. Instead, he tapped out the music's beat into her palm with his first two fingers, watching her breathing seeming to grow deeper as he felt his responding to it in turn, the steady rhythm working through them both and making them share a look that was intense, but abruptly broke when there was a final crash of the acoustic guitar on stage and the dance ended.

---

"Where are we going?" Julia asked a little impatiently as she waited for her mother and Castle to hand their things to the coat check attendant. "I'm very hungry Mommy, Castle."

"We're going to eat right now," he reassured her, glancing at Beckett to see her response to his choice for dinner. He laughed shortly when she playfully pushed his shoulder, and he went to open the door for them, looking to their daughter to see her reaction.

"It's down in the basement?" Julia asked in confusion.

"It's called a bodega," Beckett explained. "And they're supposed to be wine cellar restaurants, so they're under the ground."

"Want to stay? We can always go somewhere else," Castle said.

"This is good," Julia said. When he started to pick her up she stopped him saying, "I can go by myself."

"Then hold onto the railing sweetie," Beckett said, taking her hand as they started down the stairs, Castle following.

"It's cold here," Julia said in surprise once they were halfway down.

"Makes it a great place to come in the summer," Castle commented. "You wouldn't really need air conditioning."

"Did you come here before?" Julia asked them.

Before they could answer, Castle and Beckett were quickly shown their table as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and they led Julia towards the back of the restaurant, and their table was a curved booth, looking out on the rest of the seating area.

"So I was thinking; remembering the last time we were here," Castle said. He then remembered Julia's question and said to her quickly, "We came for Valentine's Day. Anyways, I was thinking we could do tapas or else paella."

"Depends on the tapas they have," Beckett said. "If there aren't any she would eat, we should stick with the paella."

"I think we're confusing her," Castle said, laughter in his tone as he looked to their daughter and saw the perplexed look on her face.

"You remember what tapas are, Castle had them when we saw the first Clásico last year," Beckett reminded her. "Appetizers basically. And paella is…" she said, trailing off as she got her phone out of her clutch. She searched the name and showed Julia a picture of the rice dish. "It's different depending on what you get, so the paella here won't be the same as in this picture."

"I want tapas again," Julia said. "But that pa…ella looks good too."

"I wonder if I should learn to make it," Castle mused.

"My dad always said that the best paella was cooked outside in the open air," Beckett said. She smiled when her fiancé looked at her in uncertainty and she said, "It's where he usually ate that in Spain. And usually at a small house party in Carbajales."

"Did he ever cook it?" Castle asked.

"My mom," Beckett replied. "Just once, because it's a little difficult when you're trying it out the first time. My dad brought her back a small paellera, the pan they use, and she tried it out." She then laughed softly at her memory of that and said, "He teased her while they were making it on the roof. I must have been… ten or eleven, and he told her that traditionally the men cooked it. And she told him he was welcome to try it if he wanted to, but he declined, saying the men he'd eaten it with last time had been too particular when he'd tried to help. All he could do was garnish it with some roasted peppers in the end instead of risk ruining the dish."

"So then we should make it," Castle said carefully, not really wanting to interrupt her memory, but worried it might sadden her with remembering it. "Together. You are a pretty good cook though you tend to prefer to let me."

"He's right Mommy, and I wanna help too," Julia said, having been worried about her mother as her smile at the beginning of the story faded towards the end. "Even if it's just putting on peppers I'll help!"

"Alright, we'll try…" Beckett said, smiling at her as she cupped Julia's cheek. "This weekend isn't good; remember we have to meet my dad at the Dakota for lunch at his friend's apartment tomorrow. And at night I'm having Maddie over for dinner since she's back from London to get her stuff to move back there with her husband."

"Sunday night," Castle said.

"Father's Day? I thought you wanted to eat at Coney Island," Beckett commented.

"I did, but I think we should go up on the roof of my building, and cook the paella and eat there," Castle commented. "And I could use tomorrow to learn how we need to cook it."

"Would you be able to cook it on the roof?" Beckett asked.

"On Fourth of July, some people have barbeques, all through summer actually," Castle said simply. "So it'll be fine. And invite your dad."

"I will, and I just hope we can cook an edible paella," Beckett said. "For now, we should order."

"That's where we'll need your help sweetheart," Castle said.

Together Beckett and Castle told their daughter the list of tapas and their description from the tapas dinner menu they'd been given. After they'd ordered everything, he had the waiter lean over so he could speak to him and when the man had gone, he noticed his fiancée and Julia were watching him.

"A slight surprise," he told them.

"What makes it slight?" Beckett asked before the waiter came over with another who was carrying a bucket. She watched in surprise as the second man placed the bucket on the floor, and watched their waiter pour out a drink, raising his arm above his head. Since the glass in his other hand was held down further, the bucket held the liquid that didn't make it to the glass, which; once filled, he set in front of her. "Sidra?" she asked as the man poured another glass and gave it to Castle and they both drank it quickly before it lost the air bubbles in it.

"Do I get some? And what is that?" Julia asked, touching her mother's arm.

"It's cider, but for grownups," Castle answered. "And I read up on Spanish cuisine since we were last here."

"I guess so," Beckett said. "My dad's gone to the sidrerías in Asturias where they serve this, though he has the non-alcoholic version now."

"And so will you Julia," Castle said, their waiter returning a glass of regular cider and their first tapa. "Okay, so we need to keep going back to Spain, there's too much to see."

"First though, we should have a toast," Beckett said. "To our little girl who's officially in the first grade," she said with a smile as Julia squirmed next to her. "And to the summer. Salud."

"Salud," Castle and Julia echoed. They tapped glasses and drank before getting started on their food, the waiter bringing over three dishes after the first. When Julia asked about the Fourth of July, Castle and Beckett explained their plans for that weekend; since the holiday was on a Friday; and what they'd do all three days they were planning to stay there.

"Cut these up sweetie," Beckett said, taking Julia's fork and cutting the albóndigas, meatballs, on her plate in halves. She then got her knife and split the empanadas and croquetas they'd ordered as well. "I was thinking of taking off Thursday too," she commented to Castle. "So we could go the earliest we can on Thursday, and then come back late Sunday; get as much done as we can."

"Do you think we should start looking into the…" Castle said before trailing off.

Helping Julia with her calamares, Beckett didn't answer at first before she said, "I think we should, but there won't be too much to do in the end. We've kept things simple."

"We're not going to be rushing though," Castle said quickly.

Smiling, as she knew he was uneasy about that, Beckett said simply, "No, because it's taken us a long time to get to that point. We just don't need a huge ceremony; it'll be a private, simple wedding, which is what I want. Our family and closest friends, and us getting married which is what really matters."

"You make a great point. Julia, are you enjoying your food?" Castle asked. He chuckled when she nodded after eating some tortilla and said, "I should look into cooking more Spanish food."

"I think the tortilla should be the first thing you learn," Beckett said.

"Can we get dessert?" Julia asked then, finishing her half of croqueta.

"You're still eating sweetie," Beckett said with a smile, not surprised at the question.

"We will, something special," Castle said. "We should have gotten it when we came last time."

"Well, we were good with our sherry," Beckett said simply. "So we'll have the trip with the Fosters when we go, we need to do something with them," she said to bring their conversation back to the Fourth.

Trying to figure out what to do with their neighbors in the Hamptons took some time to discuss, and by the time they'd decided to see if they could go hiking with them or perhaps go horseback riding, they were served dessert.

"Churros?" Julia asked, recognizing the pastry, though she noticed it didn't have sugar on it.

"Spanish churros," Beckett said. "That's what the chocolate is for."

Watching, Julia was surprised when her mother dipped one of the pastries into the cup in front of her, and realized the chocolate was thick, and she hurried to do the same.

"Well?" Beckett asked, looking at her fiancé and then their daughter once they'd all taken a bite.

"It's good," Julia said with a smile. "They have this in Spain? Did Grandpapa?"

"He did, he took me to a restaurant when I was younger; it's not around anymore; and we had that for breakfast," Beckett said.

"A pretty good breakfast, with some coffee," Castle said, holding up his mug. He jumped then when his phone started to shake in his pocket, and he took it out.

"Alexis?" Julia asked eagerly, leaning over to look at him.

"She wants us to call when we get to the loft," Castle commented absently as he answered the text. "So that's two things we need to do, call Alexis and sign her yearbook."

"Okay, then let's finish and go, because it's pretty late," Beckett said. She laughed with Castle when Julia only pouted in response to that, and they returned to their dessert as they went over the dances at the show again.

---

Sitting on the edge of the armchair, Julia watched her mother walk in with her yearbook. "Are you gonna sign it now? Or after we talk to Alexis?" she asked as Beckett took her hand and made her walk with her to Castle's desk.

"Right now, Alexis is finishing up dinner. She'll call when she's ready to talk," Beckett replied, helping her daughter onto her lap. "Did you have fun tonight?" she asked as she opened the book and took Castle's pen in front of her.

"Yeah, I wish we could do that again," Julia said.

"I think we should do that," Castle said as he walked into the room. "Go to different dance shows, and then have dinner after, eating food from whatever country's dancing we just saw."

"I don't know if we could do that," Beckett said, pausing in starting her message.

"We can try," Castle said. "Go ahead," he motioned to the book, knowing she wanted to read it to their daughter.

"Okay," Beckett said before kissing Julia's temple. "Julia, I am so proud of you today. You are a great student, and you try to learn as much as you can. I know you will make your daddy and I proud when you get to the first grade. We love you, are so lucky to have you and you will always be my sweet little girl, Mommy," she read as she signed, looking at Castle after she'd signed her name before looking at their daughter to see if she was reacting to the message.

Smiling at that, Castle watched as Julia hugged Beckett tightly, and he laughed slightly when she held out his pen towards him. "So I take it that's a hint?" he asked as he stood up and walked over to the desk, sitting down in his chair.

"Pretty much," Beckett replied, staying next to him as Julia sat on his lap with his help. She wondered what he was going to write as he picked his pen back up; pausing a little as he almost set it down to the page. "What?" she asked when he didn't move for a moment.

"No, I was just thinking of writing a limerick, but maybe I shouldn't," Castle said.

"Just write, I know you have something planned already," Beckett said. She was surprised when he didn't say anything when he began to write, and she guessed he wanted to make them wait. She fought the urge to roll her eyes until he finally stopped, pulling his pen away from the page before he signed at the bottom of the message.

"Okay," Castle said, glancing at his fiancée who shrugged before he turned back to the page. "Julia, like your mom said, we are so proud of you today. You've done a great job in kindergarten and I couldn't be luckier to have a daughter like you. I'm looking forward to this summer, and spending time with you before we help you when you go into the first grade…" he read, trailing off. "I'm not sure how to sign that."

Smiling, Beckett said simply, "What do you want to sign?" She wasn't surprised when he wrote firmly, Daddy, knowing that their daughter would be able to read that.

Turning after he'd finished, Julia was going to speak when Castle's phone rang. "It's Alexis!"

Helping the little girl down, Castle shared a quick kiss with her before he let her go with her mother. Setting up the TV, he soon had Alexis on the screen and said, "Hey, good timing, we need to get Julia into bed soon."

"I figured, though she's up pretty late tonight, it's almost ten," Alexis said, smiling at Julia on her screen.

"She's hyper," Beckett said, watching Julia rock back and forth on her feet.

"The dancing was sooo good, I wish you were here to see Alexis," Julia finally burst out saying. "The costumes were so pretty, oh! And you should have seen the Flamenco; it was pretty and looks like fun to dance to."

"Maybe they'll come back while I'm home Jules," Alexis said. "And how was dinner, Dad told me where he was taking you."

"We had Spanish food, and it was…" Julia started to say. "What was it called Mommy?"

"Tapas," Beckett replied with a smile.

"Sounds great. So what're you doing tomorrow?" Alexis asked her dad.

"I'll probably write a little, I need to get the chapter I'm on past the first few paragraphs of the beginning," Castle commented.

"And you?" Alexis said, glancing at Beckett.

"Lunch with my dad, and tomorrow night my old high school friend is coming over. She just got back from London; she's only here to get her things. And she wants to meet Julia," Beckett replied.

"Sounds interesting, but Dad, didn't you-" Alexis started to say.

"Yeah, but that was a while back," Castle said, quickly cutting her off as he knew Julia wouldn't want to hear about him dating other women before her mother. "So what're your plans? The city?"

"Yep, I'm heading to Chinatown and the mall one last time. I went to Fisherman's Wharf today, for dinner. Saw the sea lions again and I took some pictures; I'll send them to you Beckett, for Julia," Alexis said.

"Thank you!" Julia said happily.

"Okay, I should go, you need to get her to bed don't you?" Alexis asked.

"Yeah, I just wonder how long it's going to take," Beckett said slowly as she looked at her daughter who was bouncing up and down slightly.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow Dad," Alexis said. "Mind if I call tomorrow?" she said to her dad's fiancée.

"Not at all, but make it at eight, Maddie will likely have gone and we'll be settling down for the night," Beckett replied.

"Great, I'll talk to you tomorrow then," Alexis said. "And Jules?"

"Yeah?" Julia asked, smiling a little.

"I love you little sis," Alexis said, not surprised when Julia stopped moving and then began to blush a little. She returned the little girl's shy wave before saying goodbye to Beckett and her dad, turning off her screen.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" Castle asked once everything was off and he was picking her up.

Julia nodded and then sighed saying, "I wish Alexis was here."

"She will be soon," Beckett assured her. She placed her hand on Castle's back as they went up the stairs, knowing that he was missing his older daughter in that moment. There wasn't really much surprise hearing herself referring to Alexis in that way and she smiled as he set their daughter down so she could get her changed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Castle watched Julia run out of the bathroom a few minutes later; changed into her pajamas; and wasn't surprised at all to see her bouncing around. He had to laugh when she started to try and mimic the hand movements of the Flamenco dancers, and he grabbed her, pulling her to him. "You're not going to get to sleep yet are you?" he asked as Beckett came out of the bathroom.

"Not for a while," Beckett said with a sigh as she sat next to them. She then leaned over and whispered into Castle's ear. When he nodded, they got up and she waited for him to say goodnight to their daughter.

"Okay sweetheart, we'll wake you up tomorrow, have breakfast before you need to go to lunch with your grandfather," Castle was saying as Julia stood up on the bed in front of him. He hugged her as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and shared a kiss with her before saying, "I love you Julia, sweet dreams."

Nodding once, the little girl watched her mother walk up to her, and she bounced a little on the bed before throwing her arms around Beckett's neck. "You were very pretty tonight Mommy," she told her seriously.

"So were you," Beckett said simply.

"But Castle thought you were pretty, he kept looking at you. And he was going to kiss you when we saw the Flamenco," Julia said in a matter of fact tone. When the two looked at each other she giggled and said, "I saw."

"You were both pretty tonight," Castle said quickly so they could get her to sleep.

"Okay, so tomorrow, remember we have plans, so we need to make sure we're not late to meet your grandpapa," Beckett said. "And I love you so much Julia, sweet dreams."

"Love you Mommy," Julia said, sharing a kiss with her. With that, her mother tucked her into bed, and she sighed as first Castle and then Beckett kissed the top of her head. She watched in surprise as he then took out his phone, and The Beatles' song Good Night began to play. She smiled and hummed as the two stood next to the bed, watching her. Though she was excited from that night and earlier that day, she felt weariness creeping onto her, and she soon closed her eyes, just as the song was beginning to end.

"You know, one of these nights we need you to play Dehra Dun to her to put her to sleep," Castle said once they'd left the room and headed downstairs together.

"Do you want me to sing too?" Beckett asked wryly with a smile.

"Sure, you know you can," Castle said simply. "And I'd like to hear you sing that actually."

"Speaking of music, there's something I wanted to ask you," Beckett said, taking his hand then and pulling him to his room.

"Shoot," Castle said, locking the door; grateful that he'd thought to lock the others before they'd left for the show.

"What exactly were you doing when they were dancing Flamenco?" Beckett asked.

Castle didn't answer that for a moment, thinking of how he could word it before he finally said, "Do you remember the first practice that Julia had for her Ballroom lessons?" When she nodded he said, hesitating a little as he really had no idea what she would say in response, "And her teacher said, you need to feel the music?"

"Right, but what does that have to do with you tapping out the rhythm of the guitars on my palm," Beckett said, very perplexed.

Deciding to just take a chance, Castle said, "You know that everything is a rhythm, a beat right?"

"Yeah, I know," Beckett said simply. When her fiancé looked at her in a little shock she smiled saying, "Freshman year of college I had a music class; I wanted to learn to read and write music, luckily my mom was pretty understanding and urged me to take the class since I already had all the classes I needed to take. But the professor was very into music as a part of everyday life, not just instruments and songs. Your heartbeat, your breath, the way you walk all of that is a rhythm, and a song in of itself. And I agreed with him, there is a rhythm in everything, it's why music is a part of life, it's a physical expression of rhythms. But what I'm not getting is why exactly you were looking at me the way you were. You usually only do that when we're alone, and we were definitely not then."

"Because I've come to realize you, as a lover, have a rhythm that I want to try and learn," Castle said simply, knowing he couldn't avoid the reason for much longer. He saw that his fiancée looked a little confused again, and he explained, "When we're together, when we make love… when you beg me to fuck you," laughing as she pushed him slightly at that. "But when we're together, your body has a way of moving, the way you breathe, your pulse racing in your neck, even the way you speak, it all culminates into a kind of rhythm that is never the same. And I try to learn it; even though I didn't realize I was doing that for a while; though it's hard to."

"You're serious," Beckett said simply, watching him closely. When he nodded she breathed in deeply and then said, "I think that encompasses both of us, because you're supplying your own rhythm I guess we're calling it, to mine."

"A symphony?" Castle suggested as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"I guess, but one that's private to us," Beckett said.

"Definitely," Castle said nodding quickly. He pulled her closer and said, "And also the fact that that Flamenco music was pure passion, I wanted to warn you about now."

"Now? So what, you were a time traveler and at some point you switched places with the future Castle so I have you back?" Beckett teased him. She smiled when he shook his head once, knowing he was too far into his arousal to go along with her, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly as he leaned down to kiss her neck. "Hmm, I'm assuming it's racing?"

"It is," Castle said, pulling away from her pulse. "But you know I'm not doing that while we're together, figuring-"

"You said," Beckett assured him. "It's a subconscious thing I'm guessing?" When he nodded his head once, she smiled and said, "I guess I should confess I'm doing something similar."

Kissing her gently on the lips, Castle pulled back and said, "Music?"

"No," Beckett said, cursing the heat rising in her cheeks. "I try and figure out who you're going to be whenever you come to me."

"In what way?" Castle asked, confused but intrigued by that.

"You're a different lover every time we're together you know," Beckett said. When he looked like he was thinking that over, she smiled and said, "You are, you're never the same, and it's a little challenge to me. To figure out how you'll move, how you'll touch me. And believe me when I say love doing it. But I don't go into it with the sole purpose of that."

"I thought so, you know, I think we're sharing that too," Castle said. "You can be different every time and I love trying to work with you, it's a lot of fun."

"So," Beckett said, biting her lower lip as she pressed tightly against him and could feel his arousal against her thigh. "Should we do it again? I'd love to try and match the rhythm of the guitars with our bodies."

Shuddering in pleasure at that, Castle leaned down and captured her lips with his own, reaching up to her hair with his hand to pull out the comb. When they needed to breathe, he tossed it onto the dresser carefully, and then pulled his fiancée over to the end of the bed where they kissed again, that time arms embracing each other as they were passionate. It wasn't until they had parted to breathe again did he move, making her turn around so he could loosen her hair. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her back against him as he nuzzled the back of her head with his lips, feeling her shake. "This is going to be more intense than the music was," he commented as he could feel himself throbbing at her heavy breath.

"Yes it will," Beckett said, turning around to face him. She ran her hands over his shirt; his jacket long since discarded; and pressed one hand to his heart, the other descending to cup him carefully before she gently pressed her hand around him. She nearly smiled as he jerked against her with a groan; though that squeeze was fairly gentle; but instead she reached up and wrapped her arms around him saying, "It will be, because you're going to fuck me Rick."

Unable to really find a reply to that, Castle gathered her up in his embrace, and crushed his lips to hers, feeling her groan against him in response. He held her close, and was suddenly cursing their clothing since he could feel her breasts pressed against his chest; just under two layers of fabric. But he wanted to take his time a little, not just rush her into bed as if they were together for only sex. He pulled back and said, "You don't want to fuck me love?"

"No," Beckett said, smiling that time at his use of the endearment. She was going to tell him he didn't need to waste anymore time, and could start getting her undressed when he beat her to it, the loud sound of the zipper being pulled down her back filling the room. She shivered as his hand slid down to the small of her back, a trail of fire echoing in his wake. She helped him get that dress off, watching as he carefully took it to the longer dresser he had, setting it there. "So you liked that one."

"I did… damn it, you beat me," Castle said when he turned to her and saw she was naked. He then had to swallow hard as she was walking around the bed, completely naked save for her heels. "So," he said, coughing when his voice was a little throaty as he watched her remove her shoes. "Are you set or do you need my help?"

"Not yet," Beckett said. She laughed for a moment at his confusion at that and told him, "Get rid of the clothes Castle." Lying back in the middle of the bed, she watched him discard his clothes, not taking as much care with them as he had with her dress, everything in a pile on the floor. She shook her head as he climbed on the bed from his side; since it was closer she knew; and said, "You're usually so neat."

"They don't really matter right this second," Castle said as he lay on top of her. He kissed her as soon as he was settled, glad that she'd propped herself up on some pillows as he didn't have to bend down that much to reach her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and they fought against each other for a while before he pulled away. Reaching in between them with his hand, he wasn't all that surprised when he barely brushed against her folds, and his skin was instantly damp. "How long?"

"Since you were tapping my palm with your fingers," Beckett confessed. She was surprised when he breathed out with relief and said, "You too?"

"No, longer, since I was kissing you over there before we left," Castle said quickly, taking her right hand and bringing it in between them. He hissed slightly as he curled her hand around him, his fiancée taking charge of her own fingers, those wrapping around him as well. "So there's been a lot of repressing between the two of us, is it going to kill you if… Kate!" he ended on a yell that had a groan mixed in with it as she proceeded to carefully stroke him.

"I think I'm going to end up killing you," Beckett said as she watched him. She knew she could have smiled at his reaction to her touching him as intimately as she was, but there was no humor, more pride in the fact that he was groaning against her shoulder, straining with himself, trying not to move with her and failing miserably. "Oh god, I can't wait anymore," she said, getting more and more turned on as she watched him. She was able to get his attention with that luckily, and it took little time for them to work together to get him to slide inside of her to their mixed groans. "You need to fuck me Rick," she whispered to him once he was in her completely, making her tremble as she could feel much better what hours of repressing his desire had done now he didn't have to stop it.

"I do," Castle said, pulling back slightly. He didn't move, and instead grabbed her hips, taking the pillow she quickly grabbed in response to that. With them raised, he took her left leg, and pressing a kiss to her ankle, he set it on his shoulder. He wasn't too surprised when she'd figured out where to place her other leg; tight around his waist; and he moved once, hard, just to see what they would be feeling with that new position.

Her gasp ripped from her throat, Beckett was relieved when Castle paused then and said, "Where… where?"

"A book, I didn't buy it, just was a sample page," Castle said, his jaw tense as he was fighting with his body again to not move yet. When he felt her suddenly move her hips underneath him, that was the last straw for him, and he began to thrust, going hard and as roughly as he could, knowing she was ready for it because of how wet she was around him. He breathed out harshly when he felt her moving with him shortly after that, and he leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. He hadn't been sure if they'd be able to do that; even with the picture that had been on the page; and he tried to go down her neck to her breasts. While he was able to reach her neck, he was unable to go further than the hollow of her throat. To console himself, he reached up, cupping her left mound in his hand, flicking his thumb against the nipple as he watched her closely so he could see her reaction.

Arching her back so his palm came down on her breast, Beckett reached up to hold him in place, their fingers eventually entwining. She was relieved when he kissed her again; since she wouldn't really be able to start it herself; and she was quick to slip her tongue into his mouth before he was responding. She moaned into his lips as they began to playfully fight against one another before he was pulling away. She kissed his lips when he was still close enough for her to do that, and then looked on as he went to the hollow of her throat. She bit her swollen lower lip as he nipped around the edge of it, his tongue quick to soothe her skin. All during that, he was still moving inside of her, roughly as she'd asked him twice to do, and she was there with him, matching each thrust easily, their hips making a hollow smack when they met.

Trying to move down to her breasts again, Castle finally gave up, and instead of just staying as he was, he stopped, but only to move them around so they were both on their knees in the middle of the bed. "Now you can fuck me," he nearly growled to Beckett as they started to thrust again, nearly at the same time.

"I think…" she started to say before she gasped. Beckett held Castle to her breasts where he was kissing around each mound wildly, and then said, "We're fucking each other."

"Just don't stop," Castle groaned, his hands on the small of her back, trying to hold her to him though she was moving up and down on him. He kissed her, a frantic, passionate crushing of their lips before they parted, and he cupped her left breast in his hand. Bowing his head, he took it with his lips, flicking his tongue over the very tip of her nipple. He felt her reaction more than heard it, as she was clutching at the back of his head. Shuddering, he suddenly pulled back as his body was urging him to lay her on her back and take her again that way. But instead, he took hold of her hips, and at the same time as he made her, he rocked his hips slowly with her. They were still moving, but very measured as compared to before. But the thrusts were more deliberate, and he swore he could feel every last inch of her as she kissed his lips and cheeks before he had had enough.

Finding herself on her back, Beckett pulled Castle down to her once he was moving again, feeling him going faster than he had been before. She kissed him, feeling him inside of her, deep since the pillow was tucked under her hips again. She stroked the back of his head, all the way down to the middle of his shoulders. There she could feel his muscles, working furiously as he pulled away from their kiss. She brushed her fingertips against his cheek, watching as he turned his head to kiss at them while she wrapped her legs higher around his waist. She was breathing heavily, and could feel her body aching, wanting to reach her climax. She was trying to control herself, but it was difficult to do, especially with the friction they were making each other feel. She could feel that rhythm they'd been talking about before, could even hear it in the slap of their hips meeting. She bit her lower lip hard as she was distracted from that as Castle bowed his head, and took her right breast with his mouth. Stroking his hair as he suckled at her carefully, she suddenly tried to tilt her hips up a little more, wanting to feel more than she already was though by then her body was a raging fire of pleasure with everything he was making her feel.

Feeling what she was doing, Castle reached down and helped her with one hand under the small of her back. The pillow was useless then to her, but it made a comfortable place for his hand to rest as he went back to her breasts before eventually going up to her lips. They were kissing hard, and he could feel his lips swelling up again with the force. But he didn't stop until they had exchanged at least three of those; not sure of the exact number since it was next to impossible to keep track; and then it was to breathe. He moved to her ear, nibbling at the lobe slightly before pulling back and pressing his forehead to hers. "Love…" he said simply, hoping the tone of his voice was conveying what he was feeling then, because of her. He was having a hard time trying to identify where his pleasure was coming from, as everything seemed to be bundling up together, and he tried to stop, but something tense in him suddenly loosened; with almost explosive force as he yelled out her name, burying his face into her neck.

Quick to join him as there was no real way for her to withstand feeling Castle taking his final pleasure with her, Beckett cried out, guessing it was his name as she held onto him tightly, moving her hips harder, back on the pillow. The waves of ecstasy that seemed to search out for every inch of her body made her literally dizzy, and she clutched at her fiancé to keep from losing consciousness though the blackness of that was trying to get her to give up. Just able to hold on, she finally stopped moving as Castle did so above her, shuddering hard once before his body slumped down onto hers. "Castle," she said after a moment.

"Sorry, I don't think I can move though," he replied, his voice sounding a little weary.

"Can you turn over?" Beckett asked. She wasn't surprised when he grabbed her and rolled around onto his back. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder, feeling him stroke her hair before she raised her head to look at him. "You know what I just realized? It took you a long time to tell me about that rhythm you feel with me, you didn't want me to know about that?"

"Not that, just I wasn't sure what you'd think," Castle said. "I thought you'd pass it off and consider it like ghosts or aliens; that it's not real."

"True," Beckett said before she carefully got off of him. She tossed the pillow she'd been laying on aside, and sat back against her pillows as he joined her. "But it's not something supernatural, it's something you can feel."

"It's amazing is what it is," Castle said, turning and kissing her shoulder from collarbone to end.

Beckett smiled and shook her head before he tilted his head up to hers. She met his lips in a kiss, one that was slow but sensuous, before she moved back and said, "You're right actually."

"What do you mean actually?" Castle said in mock indignation. He wrapped his arms around her and started kissing wildly at her neck before he ran his tongue along the side. At her shiver he pulled back and said, "I'm just right, aren't I?"

His lips close to hers, Beckett could taste his breath before she flicked her tongue out to her lower lip. She found she couldn't speak at that moment, so she only nodded before he kissed her again. The kiss was quick, and she was soon leaning against him as they were quiet, listening to the silence in the room. She eventually moved, pulling the sheet up over them before saying, "Today was… interesting."

"Which part, the graduation or the dance and dinner?" Castle asked. "And in what way?"

Smiling Beckett said, "The graduation. I say it every once in a while, but I still find it… a surprise to find I'm a mother."

"But you wouldn't want to stop would you…" Castle started to say. When she gave him a look he laughed and kissed her shoulder which was still bare as she was holding the sheet above her breasts. "So what about the show, you liked that right?"

"I did," Beckett said with a smile. "I never thought I'd know more about Spanish folk dances, though I guess knowing about the jota when I was young I should have realized it would happen."

"You know, that reminds me of the costume that Julia has now, and about Julia and what I wanted to talk to you about," Castle said.

"Interesting train of thought," Beckett said. "Please, do tell what's on your mind."

Shaking his head at her wording and her tone of voice as he smiled, Castle leaned over to kiss her briefly before saying, "When we're married, Julia's last name?"

"She'll have yours," Beckett said. She then paused for a brief second, not so much hesitating as to take a breath, and said, "But I'd like to keep mine."

"Yeah, that was a given already, and I guess I should have told you I was going to leave that up to you," Castle said. "But what about your last name? Will she keep it; are we going to do that hyphenated thing?"

"I don't think so, she'll have a long last name, but I can't imagine someone talking to her formally and calling her Miss Beckett-Castle," Beckett replied. "I would like her to keep my last name still though. So that I think we have set. Anything else we need to get settled?"

"I don't think so," Castle said. He thought for a moment and said, "I think we've got as much of the wedding set as we possibly can. The honeymoon needs to be set once we have a date for the wedding. And the housing situation."

Breathing in, Beckett said, "I've been thinking about that too. And I really think we should tell them we're not going to be taking their place. It's absolutely stunning but… it's not enough time to decide."

"What I was thinking too," Castle said. "We'll find another place, as stunning as that apartment was and we'll make it our own."

"And we should tell Martha and Alexis they can move in with us," Beckett said. "Because we're talking like they're only going to be guests wherever we move to."

"That's been bothering you too?" Castle asked. When she nodded he kissed her deeply before he said, "You wouldn't mind my mother living with us?"

"She's family Castle," Beckett said. "But I think she'd want to stay here."

"Probably will shuttle back and forth," Castle said with a grin. "To see her youngest granddaughter. So why don't we start; secretly; looking into homes?"

"Great, save the paper on Sunday, when we have a chance next week we'll start looking," Beckett said.

"Perfect, now," Castle said, grabbing Beckett and pulling her under the sheets. "Something we need to do."

Beckett watched him in the amber light as he lay on top of her body, and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. Their lips met in a kiss, and everything became lost as they began to caress each other intimately.

A few very quietly whispered words emanated from the bed sheet, and their sighs at each touch slid into a groan of satisfaction as they couldn't stop themselves. Their hurried I love yous joined their heavy breathing as their lips joined every so often to add to the heat rising between them. Their bodies joined together, and they began searching for that rhythm they'd spent the bout before creating. They soon found it and discovered that yet again, it was one they hadn't fashioned before and they were in no rush in bringing it to its culmination; as time meant nothing to them in their pleasured effort.