A/N: Hello, hello! Long time no update. I figured it was finally time to finish this little adventure, so as before you'll be getting a new chapter each week this summer.
Just as a refresher: this takes place summer 2022 and the quints are 5. I've tried to stay as true to what WDW looked like that summer, but some creative liberties have been taken. I hope it doesn't pull you out of the story too much.
As always, reviews and comments are always appreciated!
Enjoy!
"Alexis! Look! It's Alexis!" Danielle shouts, standing up on the bench, pointing at her sister and brother-in-law.
"Hey, guys!" Alexis smiles. She squats down, happily accepting her siblings' hugs, feeding off their excitement, watching as they use Max as a human jungle gym and climb all over him. It's their way of showing love for him; they know he could never say no to them.
Alexis leads the group back to their tables, starting another round of hugs.
"I thought you guys weren't getting in until later," Castle says. The surprise on his face makes Alexis giggle
"Yeah, neither did we," Alexis agrees. "Somehow we managed to get on an earlier flight."
"Well, we're glad you did," Kate says, hugging her stepdaughter. "How did you find us?"
"Oh, I've been texting Lanie since we landed. She told us where to find you guys."
Lanie laughs off Castle's hurt look. "Hey, don't look at me like that! What's the big deal if I wanted it to be a surprise?"
"Come, sit. Are you hungry?" Kate says, and they all shift to make room for the eldest Castle child.
"Starving," Alexis smiles. She sits and eats off everyone else's plates considering they had barely made a dent in the pile of food they had gotten; Max does the same at the other picnic table they had claimed. As they eat, the little kids fill their older sister in on the events of their morning.
"Alexis! We went on the pirate ride and they were shooting the bad guys and there was explosions like this—"
"—and the camel spits at you!"
"—and we went on this really fast roller coaster and it was so scary."
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There is nowhere else he'd rather be right now than here sandwiched between his son and daughter as they ride through the dark halls of the Haunted Mansion. He looks side to side, taking in every little detail; the loud music and sound effects, and narration right in their ears only add to the spooky vibe of the ride.
He feels Austin jump as they enter Madame Leota's lair and listen to her disembodied head reciting the enchantment to bring all the ghosts to life; his son hides in his arm out of fear of the spooks around them. But Danielle gasps in awe of it, completely entranced by the spell the ride and its story have put on her.
His daughter who loves Halloween and all things spooky and scary just like him.
From the second they entered the window and doorless stretching room and the lights went out, he knew this would be the perfect ride for her.
He follows Danielle's tiny finger to the ghosts that dance around the ballroom below them. Every scene they come to there is something new for her to see and point out to him and Castle, for the first time in two decades, sees the ride from his daughter's perspective. Sees how mystical and magical it is. It makes him fall in love with it all over again.
"That was awesome!" Danielle announces, a giant smile on her face, as they exit the ride. "I wanna go again!"
"It's my favorite too," Castle smiles, taking his daughter's hand. "We can go again later if you want." Danielle nods enthusiastically, looking up at her dad as they weave around other parkgoers.
"Hey, hand me the water, please," Kate says, taking the bottle from her son and drinking from it. "Want some?" She hands it back, and Austin finishes the liquid off, throwing it back into the basket of the stroller. It's the middle of the day now, and the Florida heat was living up to its reputation.
They're into Fantasyland now, the music and colors changing before their eyes. Once their strollers are parked, they all fall into line for 'It's a Small World.'
While they wait, Grace teaches her younger cousins a hand clap game she'd learned in Girl Scouts that year. Soon enough, they are getting into the boat and riding through the canals looking at all the displays. Everyone is looking in a hundred different directions, trying to see everything. The colors and art style work perfectly to bring them into an imaginary, ideal world.
Kate has to admit, as annoying as the song was, it's a really cute ride, and she realizes the adults are enjoying it just as much as the kids and that that was Walt Disney's intent. Damn, that man was smart!
"That was fun. I liked it," her son tells her as they climb out the boat and up the ramp to the exit.
"Yeah, it was," Kate replies, taking his hand and holding out the other for his twin who catches up to them. They reconvene back at their strollers, where Jenny is laying a sleepy Kieran into his stroller, pulling the sunshade down.
They are about to get into line for the next ride when an announcement rings out about the parade due to start soon.
"We could watch the parade and head back to the hotel for a rest?" Jenny suggests. She could see how tired the kids were (and the adults for that matter).
"Yes, definitely," Kate agrees. The Florida heat was no joke. They make their way to a spot along the already filling parade route and before long, another announcement rings out heralding the parade's emanate arrival.
The soundtrack starts, the narration quickly behind, and soon floats are going by and dancers are waving to them.
The kids have a blast pointing out their favorite characters and asking for high fives from anyone who gets close enough. The girls squeal when the princesses' wave at them and everyone loves the fire breathing dragon finale.
Once the parade ends, they join the flow of traffic back out to the front of the park and out the turnstiles.
"Momma, I don't wanna leave yet," Austin pouts, looking back over his shoulder as the castle gets further and further away.
"Don't worry, we'll be back. We're here all week," Kate reassures her son.
A short monorail ride and a bus trip later, they arrive back at their hotel where everyone splits off to their respective rooms for a rest.
"We are not playing. It's quiet time," Kate tells her kids. "We are going to rest and cool off from the heat for a while."
She'd herded them all into the second bedroom of their suite, closing the curtains to block the bright afternoon sun and turned on cartoons for them to watch.
"Then are we gonna go ride more rides?" Austin asks her.
"Maybe. Or we may just go swimming. It depends on how we feel."
"Aw," her son sighs.
"I told you: we're here all week. We're gonna ride all the rides. I promise." She hugs him close and then goes to the door, turning off the lights. "No more talking. No playing. It's quiet time." She gives them a look that lets them know she's not playing and then closes the door.
"How long do you think that will last?" She asks as she enters the living room, plopping down on the couch next to her husband. The busy day and sweltering heat have made them all tired and Kate leans against Castle's side, closing her eyes for just a second.
"I'd give it twenty minutes," Castle guesses, tilting his head as he thinks.
"Until what? They fall asleep or are bouncing around ready to go?"
"Eh, it's a 50/50 shot," he shrugs.
She huffs a laugh; he's not wrong.
All three adults soak in the quiet and the roaring AC, closing their eyes for just a second.
.
.
.
Kate flinches awake, looking around trying to get her bearings. She blinks hard a few times, swallowing away the dryness in her mouth.
How long was she asleep?
Voices from the open balcony door beckon her and she stands and follows. Her dad and youngest daughter stand together at the railing, the elder pointing out the animals in the field before them.
"Hey, guys," Kate says.
"Hey, Katie," her dad says.
"How long was I asleep?" She asks.
"A couple hours. We all fell asleep for a bit," Jim chuckles. "Rick took the kids to get dinner, they should be back soon."
She must have slept hard if it was already dinner time and her husband and kids leaving didn't wake her. She hopes they all can sleep tonight.
"You didn't want to go with them?" Kate asks Finn.
The girl shakes her head. "Papa was showing me the animals."
Kate realizes her daughter may be more tired than she's letting on. She did a lot of walking today, most of it without her walker and just holding on to their hands for support. They'd been practicing with cuffed crutches at physical therapy, and every time it was offered for her to bring them home to use, Finn declined. Maybe when she goes to kindergarten in the fall they'd offer again. But Kate really was impressed at how Finn had kept up with the other kids all day; with her famous smile plastered on her face.
"That is so cool," Kate smiles, coming to stand behind her daughter, hugging the girl around her shoulders. They stand and continue to watch, Jim calling out facts about the animals they see.
The moment is lost, however, when a wall of voices comes from their room as the rest of their family return.
"Shoes off and in the closet, guys," Rick says, coming around the corner and setting to-go containers on the table. "Nemo, come eat, baby. I got you mac & cheese. Jim, they didn't have bacon, so I just got you a cheeseburger. Hope that's okay?"
"Oh, yeah. That's fine," Jim answers, taking Finn's hand and walking with her to the table, Kate following behind.
Castle looks up and smiles at his wife. "Hey. I brought you pizza. I didn't know if you'd be hungry or not."
"Thanks," she smiles.
"Mommy! Did you know that Grace and Kieran are sleeping over with Tio and Nani because Uncle Kevin is taking Aunt Jenny out on a date. He's gonna kiss her and they're gonna be so romantic," Miyana relays to her with a sigh, a dreamy look on her face.
"Is he? How fancy," Kate agrees.
"I wish I had a romantic and could go on fancy dates," the girl replies, finding that daydream again. Her braids from that morning are nearly gone; the hair ties hanging on for dear life.
The adults laugh at her and the innocence of the statement.
"Where are they going?" Kate asks Rick. She knew he'd arranged for all the couples going on the trip to have one date night alone that week and that all the adults would be having a fancy dinner together their last night, but she didn't know where those dinners were.
"They're going to Tapolino's Terrace," Rick says, showing his wife the restaurant's webpage on his phone. "The vibe made me thing of Ryan and Jenny. And they still get fireworks views, so that's good."
"Yeah, it does sound like them," she agrees. "Are you gonna tell me where you're taking me?" Kate tries, smiling sweetly at her husband.
"Nope," he says simply. "Some things are meant to be a surprise, Beckett."
"Well, you're no fun!"
"That's not what you said the other day," he laughs, jumping out of the way when she tries to smack him. He laughs at how red her face gets and laughs even harder when he sees his father-in-law shake his head at the crude joke.
"Mommy, Finn: hurry up and eat so we can go swimming," Liam orders them, coming into the room already in his swim trunks.
"I think I'll just bring it down with us. I'm not hungry right now," Kate tells him. Liam stares at his sister as if he can will her telepathically to hurry so he can get down to the pool faster. "Give your sister a minute to eat and then we'll go, okay?" She calms him with a hand on his shoulder and watches him rush off to herd his other siblings into their swimsuits.
"Don't worry about him, Finn. You take your time," Kate says, leaning against the table.
"He's very impatient," Finn comments. "The pool's not going anywhere."
Kate chuckles at that. "No, it's not. you are so right."
