Not the Same

Castle had woken up at 5:30 in the morning to catch his flight at JFK for the first stop on his year long book tour. The kids were asleep and would be up in a half hour or so to start their day. Johanna Martha, Kat and JJ would be heading off to school while Martha looked after James Royce for Beckett while she was at work. Beckett woke up briefly to say her goodbyes to her husband before he left. They both knew that Martha would be up too as she would have slinked in from her apartment to say goodbye to her son.

"I call you when I land; Kate." Castle said to his sleepy wife.

"I know, don't do anything stupid or reckless; babe."

Castle smiled and the duo shared a kiss. After that Castle made his way out of the loft. On the way out he said goodbye to his mother.

Some time later; Beckett was up with the kids. She had been in single mom mode since she said goodbye to Castle. Every time Castle went on a book; Beckett relied on her family and friends to help with the kids.

"I miss Daddy." Kat said in between bites.

"I miss him too." the others echoed.

"It's not the same without Daddy here." JJ stated.

"We all miss him." Beckett said as she tended to James Royce.

The wheels started to turn in Beckett's mind at that point until her kids brought her back to reality.

"Alright you three; finish up your breakfast so you're ready when Alexis and the girls get here."

Alexis had offered to take her siblings to school as she made her way to meet up with one of her cousin – in – laws to help plan a party.

"So Grams is picking Kat and JJ up when they're done with school?" Alexis asked when she and her daughters arrived.

"Yes, Martha is picking them up and I'll be picking Johanna Martha up when she's done."

Once Alexis had departed with her siblings and her own children; Beckett started working on her own plans as she waited for her mother in law to come by for James Royce.

"What are you working on; Katherine darling?" Martha said when she had arrived.

"Plane reservations for all of us to see Rick while he's on his book tour."

Martha looked over her daughter in law's shoulder and noticed that Beckett was booking the flight for all of them in business class.

"Why don't you switch the flight to first class; kiddo."

"I would but I'm paying for the ten of us to fly out to Los Angeles, not Rick."

"Well he can be the one to pay for it." Martha said as she flashed one of her son's credit cards.

"How did you manage to get that?"

"I picked his pocket this morning just in case you decided to visit him while he is away."

Beckett shared a smile and a laugh with her mother in law.

"You're one sneaky lady, Martha."

With that Beckett switched the seats on the flight from business class to first class. In seventy two hours; the ten of them would be boarding their plane at one of the departure gates at JFK.