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: It was great getting the feedback for the last chapter that I did so I'll go ahead and get started on my thank yous for that! Mb (I was happy to see you thought the chapter was a nice update as you put it. And I haven't yet been to an aviation museum, I really want to go to one, especially the one I wrote, lol. So I'm really glad that you enjoyed that bit. Same with them being excited seeing everything along with it being a private tour, lol, with the new members of their group I figured it would happen. And no surprise you said you want their connections and vacations, lol, I definitely agree! You're welcome for sharing the last chapter! And don't worry, I'm more relived that you're doing alright, I know things can get hectic so I'm just happy that you have reviewed in the end! Really pleased to read you thought the second half was a nicely written update. And yeah, stuff will pop up even when you're supposed to be relaxing on vacation. I had wondered what readers would think of what happened with the plane but I'm glad you got what I was trying to do with that! Not surprised you thought it was a great celebration for Paul and Mari's birthday. And I think even though the famous people are there they're normal so I wrote that celebration that way, lol. Great to see you thought the second half of the chapter was nicely done! You're welcome for the second half too!) and
Mb (I was really pleased seeing you enjoyed the walkthrough of Seattle since you didn't know about much of it except for the needle and market. I've seen a few travel shows on it and family have gone there and loved it so I had to include it, lol. So glad that my description gave your mind other things to think of when you hear about Seattle. I was also happy to read you enjoy everyone's observations since I figured it'd be boring to just have Castle, Beckett and their family observing stuff, lol, or just Castle and Beckett. And not surprised you're enjoying too how they're relaxing and enjoying the vacation together. Really happy you smile that everyone's top priority is good… I hope I got that right. You're welcome for sharing the first half of the chapter! Glad you thought the second half was nicely done. And I love sweet crepes myself, lol. I'm glad you enjoyed the dinner with the four older kids, I thought it would be fun though would of course be safety since they're still kids. Had to laugh at you saying how it went boom to Castle and Beckett with their adult time as well as passion and love. You're welcome for sharing the second half of the chapter. And thanks for catching up, it was really nice of you to do that! You're welcome again!).
Thanks for the reviews, I loved reading them and appreciate the time taken to write them out and send them my way!
A/N #2: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Washington, My Home written by Helen Davis.
You Feel And Understand
Turning when he heard footsteps approaching him down the path, Castle smiled when he saw it was his wife and said, "You look great."
"So do you," Beckett said. "I guess this is the coat portion of the line."
"I thought the same," Castle replied, wrapping his arms around her before he pulled her to him.
When her husband was literally crushing his lips to hers, Beckett wasn't surprised since she had thought he might do that. They had yet to do their makeup and she parted her lips to his tongue before they were rubbing gently together. Once they'd parted, she smiled and told him, "You're going to stop now."
"Why," Castle stated instead asking. He smiled when his wife laughed briefly before he was leaning down to her, gently kissing her on the lips until they let each other go.
"I think you know why," Beckett replied. "Also, do you want Stella or Julia to try and find out why we're taking so long?"
"Not really," Castle said swiftly before they continued down the path. It was the twenty-second of June and the day before they'd made their way down to Port Townsend, still in Washington state, to Manresa Castle. It was the early morning, since it was chilly, and he suddenly said, "It's not supposed to be that hot today."
"You double checked?" Beckett asked him with a smile.
"I did," Castle replied, seeing they were approaching the pop up for the hair and makeup. "Sixty-five today."
"Good," Beckett said. "Especially with these coats."
"Did I mention how much I love your coat?" Castle asked her.
"You did," Beckett said before their three youngest were walking over to them.
"Mommy, that coat is beautiful!" Eliza said eagerly once she had reached her.
"She's right," Julia said. "I love the colors," she added, touching the sleeve of her mother's blue-grey coat. It had lines of off-white in a plaid pattern, and she said, "Will you get to keep this?"
"She will," Stella said, walking up to them. "I have that in other colors, so I have the option… if you'd like it."
"She will," Julia and Eliza said at the same time.
Laughing with the girls' parents, Stella said, "Kate?"
"I'd like to," Beckett replied in amusement once she'd calmed down laughing.
"Why so eager?" Paul asked, having walked to them.
"It almost matches our daddy's eyes," Eliza explained with a wide smile.
"And we think Mom should wear blue," Julia added.
"You're right, it does look good on her," Stella said. "Let me go see where Skye and Mary are."
"I would wait for them," Beckett called. She heard Julia gasp before she left them, and she smiled seeing the crew from Ghost Adventures was walking up to the tent.
"Hey, did you film already?" Julia asked the men when she had reached them.
"As much as we could without you guys," Zak said, looking at her pointedly before the teen spoke rapidly.
"They asked permission," Julia said. "And they all got it."
"Who's they?" Aaron asked her.
"Sorry," Julia said with a brief laugh. "Me, Mari, Eve, Jacob and the older McDouglas twins."
"What about your sister?" Zak asked her.
"Oh, her too," Julia replied. "I… I forgot to ask about the three youngest McDouglases," she then said slowly as she realized that.
"Skye and Mary are walking up to the tent," Jay said.
"Right, excuse me!" Julia said, rushing away from the four men.
"Should she really be on lockdown with us?" Aaron said to Zak.
"She said she'd be able to handle it," he replied. "And her dad seems to be alright with it."
"I think that means you need to talk to her mom," Billy said. "She's coming up to us," he told his co-investigator before Zak was turning.
"I wanted to talk to you about lockdown," Beckett said. "And I'm guessing you did too," she said with a smile when the men glanced at one another.
"Yeah, I'm just making sure it's okay your daughters are going to be there with us tonight for lockdown," Zak replied.
"Hey," Aaron said.
"Eliza will go with you," Beckett assured him, smiling again.
"And Julia?" Castle asked. When his wife turned around to him in surprise he said, "I finished with makeup."
"You have makeup?" Billy asked.
"Barely," Castle explained.
"Yes, she can," Beckett said. "I know you have everything planned so I'm not going to change that. Mari however…"
"He talked with her parents first," Aaron was quick to say.
"Kate, Rick," Stella called.
"She's coming with us," Zak said swiftly before the two were leaving them.
"I wanted to ask you one more thing," the designer said once the couple were with her. She was straightening Beckett's lapels and said, "You're comfortable with what's underneath your coats. Both of you."
"I am," Castle said swiftly since he was wearing a dress shirt and black trousers.
"Me too," Beckett added, wearing the same.
"Good because you're going to need your shirt and the trousers for the next picture," Stella told her. She turned to Castle and said, "Do you mind?"
"You need to ask her," he replied immediately.
"Go ahead," Beckett said in amusement. "But I checked him already."
"And very well too," Stella said, walking around the writer before she nodded.
When the designer was going to Skye and Mary, Beckett turned to her husband and said, "You can keep yours you know."
"I heard," Castle said. He watched her gently run her hands over his shoulders before he added, "And I'm assuming you'd like me to."
"Very much," Beckett said, moving her hands off her husband's charcoal grey coat. It had a pocket on the chest and Stella had given him a patterned handkerchief that was blue and green hues. "I'll ask about this too," she told him.
"He can keep it," Stella said. "Come on you guys we have a lot to do before it's late for your lockdown. Kids? Get changed now you're going to be up soon."
"She hasn't had you guys model, has she?" Marie was asking the Willis kids while they watched their parents going to the verandah with arches and vines growing up the columns between them.
"Nope," Bobby said, mimicking an American accent. He smiled when the others nodded before he said, "She didn't want us on camera."
"You want to model?" Julia asked since Bobby had looked at his older sister.
"You have to- ah!" Bailey cried out in surprise when Julia grabbed her hand and pulled her after them. She laughed when the teen eventually let her go and said, "You're lucky I don't mind," not surprised Julia was responding rapidly.
"I figured you could have just pushed me away," the teen said with a smile. They slipped into the dressing room for the women and girls and then said, "Do you know what we're wearing?"
"No clue," Reiley replied before Julia and Mari were disappearing behind the curtains.
"Oh, now we do," Mari called to the others. "But why are we the only ones now?"
"Mum wasn't sure," Bailey told them. "She doesn't really do much children's clothes, at least not this high end."
"You really should model," Julia said, sticking her head out from around the curtain.
Making a face at her Bailey said, "You're too much."
"Blame her dad," Eve commented before they were all laughing.
"If my mom could hear you, she'd agree," Julia said, stepping out since she was changed. "And my gram… my big sister…" she added before she trailed off.
"We got it," Marie said. "You look great!"
"Thanks," Julia said, looking down at her dress. "Though just the two of us."
"You didn't hear?" Reiley asked. "Their mum… I mean Mary, is going to be in it with you."
"Not mine?" Julia asked in surprise.
"How many outfits are hanging there for your mum?" Reiley asked her.
"Oh… I think she is," Julia said. "This one… whatever it is."
"Believe me, we don't know," Bailey said, studying the teen. "Are you comfortable."
"Now you want to design," Julia teased her.
Laughing Bailey said, "Mum teaches us a bit."
"We're interested but I don't know if we want to do the same," Reiley added to her sister's words. "But Mum did a good job on that," she said.
"She did, I love it…" Julia began before she trailed off. She then rushed to the curtain Mari was behind and cried out her friend's name before she jumped when the girl screamed shortly from behind.
"What?" Mari asked.
"You're asking us?" Kathleen said as she, her twin, Eve and the Willis girls had rushed up behind Julia. "You're the one who screamed!"
"I'm fine," Mari said in obvious embarrassment as she stepped out. "I was… looking at the seams of the sleeve and side to see how to do it."
"I'm just glad you're okay," Julia commented.
"And that you're okay with the dress," Marie added, her twin nodding in agreement next to her.
"You'd best head to the hair and makeup," Bailey commented, looking at the girls' hair.
"Right now," Julia said before she and Mari were soon alone in the room.
"What're you thinking?" Mari asked her friend with a smile.
"That I love this dress," Julia replied.
"You get to keep it," Mari pointed out to her before she was startled when her friend snorted and then spoke to her teasingly.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of the dress with that fabric I gave you," Julia said.
When she saw the smile drop off her friend's face Mari told her, "No it's okay, I want to make it, but not like this one."
"No way," Julia said before she looped her arm through her friend's, and they made their way outside. While they were walking, she looked down at her dress, a moss green color that had a belt at the waist in an off-white color. It had a collar the same color as the belt, but it was thin and there was an embroidered design at the ends of the sleeves and hem of the skirt in a slightly darker green than the dress was.
"You look so cute," Beckett said, walking down the path with Castle and the McDouglases.
"She's right, how're you feeling about the skirt? Bit twirly," Skye told them.
Laughing Julia said, "That's the style."
"Do you want that for your dress?" Mari asked her.
"I don't know, let me see what the bodice looks like," Julia said after a pause before she spoke while they were leaving the adults.
"I have to go," Mary said suddenly, rushing to the room they'd been allocated.
"Huh," Skye said before she strode after her wife.
"Want to come into the room with me?" Castle asked when they were alone.
"And not come out?" Beckett told him teasingly. She reached over to him and squeezed his hand before they were walking over to the rooms. Ducking inside she got her outfit for hers and Castle's solo photo and told the women, "Are you guys ready for the castle itself now?"
"Yep," Skye said simply.
"Have you been here before?" Beckett asked.
"No, but I've watched the boys here," Skye answered. "And I'm so relieved you all don't mind the décor here."
"Rick's seen the episode too," Beckett told her with a smile though the investigator couldn't see her.
"I have to go, see you two outside," Mary told them before she was nearly running out.
"Don't fall!" Skye called after her wife. She then turned to the curtain and pushed it aside before she said, "Don't laugh."
"I wouldn't laugh," Beckett told her friend with a smile while she was stepping outside as well. "I'd be shocked if you were wearing a dress right now but not laugh."
"Very nice," Skye said, reaching for the sash on her friend's dress. "Mary's wearing a dress too."
"I'm not surprised," Beckett replied. "It's her third."
"Yeah, she doesn't mind," Skye said, speaking a little absently since she was trying the sash in a careful bow.
"And do you?" Beckett inquired, looking back at her.
"Of course, she's keeping everything," Skye said.
"I was surprised we're being allowed to," Beckett confessed.
"Me too, but I think her supply is good," Skye said. "Also, we're still refusing payment for this." She smiled when her fried turned from the mirror she was checking her reflection in and said, "I want to see my wife in what she's worn again today."
"Rick would agree with you in the case of me in my clothes," Beckett said with a smile before they were jumping at the same time when her husband spoke outside the room.
"Are you two done? I'd like to see my wife's outfit," Castle called inside.
"Are you ready for the jacket?" Skye asked her friend with a smile.
"Yes," Beckett said rapidly. "I'll be out in a sec Rick," she called to her husband while she took the deep grey blazer.
"Interesting colors," Skye commented while they stepped outside. "See you in the popup," she told the pair.
"You look amazing," Castle told his wife as soon as they were alone.
"You too," Beckett replied. She was surprised when he made a brief face before she asked him, "You don't think so?" though she was speaking in amusement.
"Please tell me I don't look like a professor," Castle said. His outfit for their last picture was a plaid shirt that was a blue shade with brown, white and red lines with a tan blazer and jeans. He was a little surprised when his wife had him turn around before she hugged him from behind while she spoke.
"You don't," Beckett replied. "And keep your glasses on."
"You'll insist?" Castle asked her. He felt her nodding, since her cheek was pressed to his back, and he smiled before telling her, "I will."
Letting him go reluctantly when he turned, Beckett told her husband, "Help me?"
"Sure," Castle said rapidly before he took the blazer she held. As she slipped her arms into the sleeves he told her, "The dress is beautiful on you love."
"Kiss ass," Beckett said teasingly since they were alone.
"Thank you," Castle replied. When she laughed and turned around to him, he took her into his arms, and they were kissing lightly before they let one another go. Walking together he kept glancing at her before she started to laugh and he told her, "I'm not apologizing."
"Don't worry," Beckett was quick to assure him. "I'm glad the pattern is one you approve of." When he frowned at her choice of words, she squeezed his hand firmly and told him, "I do too."
"Oh good, I don't want it to be one sided," Castle replied, bringing her hand up to his lips.
Moving to sit on the chairs in front of a mirror, Beckett listened idly while Stella spoke with the hairdresser before she was leaving. She glanced down at her dress, a blue that nearly matched her husband's eyes in shade, with a pattern of red berries and yellow and green leaves. She didn't mind the pattern since it was small and spread out and approved of the main color since it was a shade of blue she liked. When her hair and makeup were done, she left the popup, and they went to find Stella who was returning with Skye and Mary.
"Fantastic," the designer said to the couple with a smile. "You both look great so let me see how you fit…"
After the woman had walked around them Skye said, "You'll like where you take the pictures."
"The garden?" Castle asked. When the investigator and doctor nodded, he said, "Awesome, we'll meet you there Stella," pretending to leave before Eliza was crying out to them.
"Wait for us!" the little girl said.
"I almost thought they'd be dressed for the picture," Castle told his wife.
Nodding, Beckett looked at their family members before she realized two were missing. "Where are Alexis and Josie?" she asked.
"Here," the young woman said, smiling when her parents looked to her and Josie who was in her arms.
"She's in the picture?" Castle asked Stella who was near them.
"She is, you don't mind I made that decision?" the designer said to them both, a slight smile on her face.
"Mama!" Josie squealed, reaching for her. "My new?"
"I think so," Beckett replied, taking her. "Do you need me to set her down?" she asked the designer.
"Yeah," Stella said before studying the fit of the toddler's shirt. It had an ombre effect in the fabric of a rainbow while there was a line of buttons in different shapes the color the shirt was underneath. She had a denim jacket for toddlers and young girls and Josie had it on, leading her to ask, "Do you like your jacket?"
"Eh," the toddler replied shyly.
"You don't mind her wearing leggings?" Stella asked Josie's parents since she'd chosen a dark, nearly black, blue shade of them.
"No, it works for the outfit," Castle said.
"Okay, then I need to tell you what you're going to be doing for this picture," Stella said.
"We're not posing?" Beckett asked. She wasn't surprised when Stella looked at her in surprise and explained, "I figured you'd do that."
"I'd like you to walk around with Josie," the designer replied with a smile.
"Nothing special with that?" Castle asked. When Stella shook her head no, he glanced at his wife before she spoke.
"We'll do the best we can," Beckett told her. When Stella led them to the garden, she looked around it before saying, "We'll walk around the arches?"
"To start with, if Manning can't get a picture you might want to go to the fountain," Stella agreed with a brief nod before she walked over to the photographer.
"I just thought of something," Castle told his wife.
"Let her walk in between us," Beckett told him with a smile.
"Man, you are just… reading my mind," Castle said.
Beckett raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise at him exaggerating his voice so much, but when Josie laughed between them, she realized why he'd done that. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, but right now we need to start," she told him once their youngest had calmed down.
Glancing over at Stella and the photographer, Castle nodded and moved to take Josie's hand before he called, "Walk?"
"Yes," Stella replied before she watched the two doing so. She could hear the shutter of the camera Manning had in front of her and glanced out at the three to make sure the clothes translated well as they walked.
"Okay," the photographer eventually said when the pair had brought Josie to them. "I'll let you take a look, see what you think," he told the designer before he watched her calling to Castle and Beckett.
"You can come over," Stella told them.
"Come here sweetheart," Castle said, picking Josie up. "You know the two of us are going to the castle here," he told her.
"You?" Josie asked.
Laughing at the face her husband made Beckett told him, "You know her sisters have taught her their last name repeatedly."
"Okay, then we're going to wherever there's a Samuel Beckett museum," Castle shot back teasingly.
"I don't think there is," Beckett said with a smile.
"Still," Castle said, not surprised when she was laughing in response before they reached the designer and photographer.
"You have a picture?" Beckett asked the designer.
"Yeah, luckily," Stella told them. "And you can look at the others if you might want any of them."
Stepping up to the camera on the tripod, Beckett looked at the picture the designer had chosen before she smiled, Josie looking up at them while they looked down at her with the fountain next to them, and said, "Great shot."
"Thank you, I managed to catch you guys at the right time," Manning told them.
After he and Beckett had looked through the pictures Castle said, "I think the one after this and six after we'll take."
"I'll get them for you," Stella said with a nod before she told them they could change.
"You're sure you don't want to stay?" Castle asked while he took off his blazer. "Zak would let you come with us."
"Pass, never really believed in this stuff. I'm surprised Dad is going with you," Stella told him with a smile as they walked over to the dressing rooms.
"It's Julia," Paul said since the group of them were on the path.
"I just hope you're alright Dad," Stella told him. She wasn't surprised when he merely nodded, and they turned their attention to unpacking everything to leave the investigators to start their daytime investigations.
"We're here on the third floor," Zak was saying to the camera Jay was holding. "With some of our group. Now this is a very special pre-lockdown investigation because we have the one… the only… Sir Paul McCartney," he then said, moving with a sweep of his arm to reveal the singer behind him.
"Thank you, thank you," Paul said laughingly as he bowed, and the others were applauding.
"You might be wondering why we have Paul here with the kids," Zak said. "But we're trying to contact the little girl who we've met here before. They should be able to bring her out and we want to use Paul singing to get a little more of a reaction if it's needed. Aaron is going to stay with them," the investigator continued. "Because he's the most childlike of us all."
"Yeah," Aaron said before he laughed, setting off the kids behind him and Zak.
"So, they're going to use the Ovilus and Paranormal Puck, good luck," he told them before Jay had turned off his camera. "Be careful," Zak said to the kids. "No provoking," he added, looking around at all of them.
"We won't," the kids and Paul said at almost the same time.
"And if you need help definitely ask Aaron," Jay commented.
"We will," Julia promised. "Make sure our parents are okay," she told the two men.
Watching the two, Aaron looked down the hall where they were and said, "Okay, I'm going to turn on the camera so don't be awkward or anything."
"I won't, I just won't look at the camera," Jacob said jokingly.
"Good way to do that," Aaron said before he turned on the camera.
Squeezing at her sister's hand Eliza said, "What do we do now?"
"Do you sense anything?" Julia asked, trying not to think of the camera filming them.
"Yeah," Eliza said before she took off down the hall.
"Whoa! Eliza wait!" Aaron called to her. "Take this," he told Paul before he was running down the hall after her.
"We better follow," the singer said with a smile.
"Yeah," Eve said though she was watching Julia.
"Where are you going?" Paul asked her in surprise.
"Over here," Julia replied after she'd gotten the Ovilus. "I'm not going to go inside though or ask questions yet because I see Aaron caught up to Lizzy."
"You are so lucky your parents aren't here," the paranormal investigator told the little girl.
"She's here," Eliza said with a smile. "She says she wants to play here."
Looking at the window at the end of the hall, Aaron said, "You want to try and get her to come with us back down the hall?"
"She won't, Jules sees something there… or she feels it," Eliza said, correcting herself. "And she doesn't want to go down here. But she would like to go inside the room here."
"Let me get everyone down here," Aaron said. "Or are you going to stay?"
"Stay, I won't go anywhere she knows I can't do that, or I can't come back," Eliza said simply.
"Guys," Aaron said, walking swiftly down the hall to them.
"There's something in this room," Julia said, holding up the Ovilus.
"I think we should wait and send your sister with some of the others downstairs," Aaron said. "She does have the little girl down the hall, and she needs to stay there," he added before Eve was speaking hesitantly.
"We're going right?" she asked.
"Yeah," Julia said, shaking herself from the door. "Should I bring this?" she asked, holding the device up slightly.
"You should," Aaron said. "And you'll ask questions with your sister."
"Are you going to record?" Julia asked while they were walking down the hall together.
"I need to film," Aaron said. "But someone can hold the device since we taught you guys what to do with that," he told the other kids.
"I will." "Lizzy will," Eliza and then Julia said at the same time.
"Okay," Aaron said, turning his camera back on once they were at the end of the hall.
"Ask a question," Julia said when they were quiet for a while and Eliza had the recorder.
"But… okay," the little girl started to say hesitantly before she realized why her big sister had said that. "Hello little girl, I… do you have a name? I don't want to keep calling you little girl." Jumping when the Ovilus went off that her sister was holding next to her Eliza asked, "What did it say?"
"Nellie and greeting," Julia said.
"No way," Jacob said, going over to her.
"He believes you," Eliza said rapidly. "But he's surprised," she told the little girl. "Now he's walking back to stand where he was before," she said into the recorder.
"Julia, ask the Ovilus directly," Aaron told the teen.
Nodding Julia said, "Nellie, hi I'm Julia. These are our friends and the boy you just heard was Jake Davis. Do you mind him being here with the rest of us?" She wasn't surprised when the Ovilus said, hello and law, telling the others before she said, "That's right, his dad is the police chief where we live."
"Can I talk to her?" Jacob asked, stopping himself since he'd been about to speak.
"Sure," Eliza told him with a smile.
"Nellie, I hope you don't mind that," Jacob said.
"She doesn't," Eliza said quickly. "But you should ask her something."
"Let me," Eve said suddenly. She smiled briefly when the others looked at her and said, "I feel like she would answer me."
"Go ahead," Julia said with a nod.
"Hi Nellie, you're not stuck here because of whoever is in the room down there, are you?" Eve asked. They were all quiet and when there was nothing on the Ovilus she said, "Think she spoke to the recorder?"
"Probably," Aaron said. "Do you want to handle the recorder?"
Laughing with the others Marie asked, "Which one of us?"
"Anyone," Aaron said. "And we better make it quick since we need to get some sleep for tonight."
Nodding rapidly, Eliza let Jacob take the recorder before she was watching him playing back his sister's question. They listened to when no one was talking after that before they heard a little girl's voice saying, "Downstairs."
"Does that mean she can go around?" Fleur said before the others were quieting her.
"There was something else there," Ivy told her sister.
"Sorry," Fleur said.
"The Ovilus!" Eliza gasped when it spoke.
"It said alright," Julia told the others with a smile.
"Thanks," Fleur said, smiling herself before Jacob was playing the recorder.
"Here," the teen told the others rapidly. Listening with the others Jacob heard the next word and said to the others, "She said play."
"Oh, good Nellie," Eliza said happily. "We're going to come back to play with you later, me and Aaron."
"It said good," Julia said when the others looked at her after Ovilus spoke before they heard the walkie-talkie Aaron had crackle before Zak was speaking on the other end of it to the investigator.
"Aaron, Aaron come in," Zak was saying.
"Yeah Zak," the investigator said.
"The parents want the kids back, some of them need to sleep for tonight," Zak said.
"Alright, we'll be down in a second," Aaron said before he turned off the camera.
"We didn't get to do anything else," Iris said.
"You didn't either," Julia said, looking at Paul.
"I'm new to this," the singer said quickly. "I imagine it's a little more… intense after dark," Paul directed to the paranormal investigator.
"Yeah, you'll find out tonight, but the girls will let you know where you can go," Aaron assured him.
"Do you think you're going to come up here?" Ivy asked Eliza.
"I don't know, it depends on Nellie, she has to tell us where to go," the little girl said.
"I think you mean you," Julia said with a smile.
"Really?" Eliza asked.
"I think she wants to talk to you," Julia replied.
"You know what, we never played with Nellie," Fleur told everyone.
"Oh yeah! We couldn't now could we?" Iris asked Aaron.
"They did tell us to go back downstairs," the paranormal investigator told the others. "Though if you wanted to roll the ball down the hallway you could."
"Sure," Jacob said since he was holding the bouncy ball. "Wait, is that alright?" he then said, recalling the room down the hall.
"I don't think so," Julia said, not surprised when the others were turning to her. "But we'll probably use that later tonight," she added.
"And the other devices?" Eve asked her.
Nodding Julia said, "Though she's going to have to tell us."
"I would let her," Eliza said in mock annoyance since her sister had looked at her while she'd spoken.
"You know what? This place is a little creepy," Ivy suddenly said. "Especially the turret."
"Yeah, definitely," Aaron said. He then realized the way the younger kids were looking at him and said, "And?"
"I think they want you to tell them why it's bad there," Julia said, shaking her head at her sister.
"Why not? I'm going to be here for lockdown," Eliza said in protest.
"Not there though," Julia said firmly.
"Oh… but can I find out someday?" Eliza asked.
"You will," Paul said.
"Do you know?" Eliza asked him.
"I was informed but it won't matter when you're on lockdown," Paul replied.
When her sister let out a rough breath Julia said, "Sorry, Mom and Dad would be mad if you heard."
"It's scary?" Eliza asked.
"Yes," Julia said. "And that's all I'm going to say." She wasn't surprised when her sister looked like she was going to protest before Aaron's walkie-talkie was crackling again and Zak was talking to them in slight annoyance.
"Aaron, where are you the parents are waiting for their kids," Zak said.
"We… we're coming right now," Aaron replied, his eyes wide when he realized they hadn't moved to leave the end of the hall.
"Why didn't we go?" Eve asked while they were walking rapidly.
"I think it's the room right here," Julia said, nodding to the one they passed.
"Is the spirit there gone?" Aaron asked her.
"Yeah, and it is a spirit," Julia assured him, knowing he was asking that.
"Good thing," Mari said, not surprised when her friend nodded. "You don't have to go back there, do you?"
Julia was about to speak when she was yelling since there was a loud bang behind them. "It's the room," she told the others, her eyes wide.
"Go, go to the stairs," Aaron urged them before they were hurrying.
"Don't run," Paul admonished them before they were heading down rapidly.
"Easy," Zak said, the first to see the kids on the first floor.
"There was a bang on a door."
"A mean spirit was there."
"But the little girl was there too I don't think she wanted us to leave yet," Ivy, Iris and then Eliza told the paranormal investigator.
"No one's on that floor, right?" Aaron asked his co-star.
"We're the only ones here," Billy said. "Until tomorrow morning."
"Okay, something is up there," Aaron told them. "And we got some evidence."
Getting her daughters' attention, Beckett had them turn to her and said, "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah, I got the little girl to tell us her name!" Eliza said, not realizing she was doing so loudly.
"What's her name?" Zak asked.
"Nellie," Eliza said a little shyly. "She was really nice, but we didn't get to play with her at all."
"You called us down," Julia said. "But she won't be on that hall again."
"We'll ask you to let us know where to go," Zak assured the two girls.
"I think we better get some sleep," Castle said then. He smiled when Julia, Mari and Eliza groaned but they were soon laughing and he said, "Good thing you're joking, or you wouldn't be going on lockdown."
"We're going right now!" Eliza said.
"Meet us at The Rook at six," Zak said.
"Where?" Castle asked, freezing.
Shaking her head Beckett told him, "One of the restaurants love."
"It's the one easiest for them to have open for us," Zak said. "Actually, the only one open for today."
"The sounds from there wouldn't travel up to the third floor, would it?" Paul asked.
"No," Zak said. "It's not under where you are. But we'll look at the evidence and footage you have before we eat."
"Come on," Beckett told the three girls. As they moved to head to their rooms, she squeezed Julia and Eliza's shoulders asking them, "Do you feel okay?"
"Yeah," Julia said simply before her sister was responding eagerly.
"I'm excited, I knew she wanted us to go down the hall to her," Eliza said.
"But you weren't scared?" Castle asked, catching up to them.
"No," Eliza said seriously.
"I don't think you're going to be able to convince her to not go," Castle told his wife.
"I realize," Beckett said wryly. She then said, "Are you going to be able to sleep?"
"Yeah," Julia replied, speaking firmly.
"Okay, then we'll come pick you up," Beckett said since they had reached Julia and Mari's room.
"See you," Julia said, following her friend inside before she locked the door. "I can't wait now," she told her.
"For lockdown?" Mari asked.
"And dinner," Julia said before she and her friend moved to get changed and go to bed while they were laughing together.
"I'm surprised we're here and not the restaurant," Castle commented once everyone was settled around the table in the private room.
"There are too many of us," Brad said. He studied his friend and asked, "Are you disappointed?"
"No," Castle said quickly. "It's just a restaurant."
"But you wanted to see more of it," Beckett commented in amusement, sitting at his left with Josie on her other side in her highchair.
"I did see it," Castle said, smiling when his wife rolled her eyes. He squeezed her hand before he heard Skye clearing her throat on the other side of the table.
"You realize the other reason we're in this room, right?" the investigator asked when the couple turned to her.
"I saw that," Castle said.
Glancing around the table when the other adults were saying they had too, Beckett said to the four men, "You don't mind?"
"I think it'd be harder if they hadn't put something that said they needed to close," Billy commented since there was a sign that the castle was closed because of the show.
"Yeah, I mean a few autographs aren't too bad," Aaron added. "Right Julia?"
Blushing the teen playfully stuck her tongue out at him before he responded, and Julia was about to respond before two waiters were walking into the room to take their drink orders. She made a face for a moment and then turned her attention to the waiter walking over to them and she ordered some water before they were waiting to order their food.
"Are you okay?" Marie asked.
"Yeah, just impatient to get started," Julia replied.
"You might want to wait a little," Jay said.
"That's the bad part being this far north," Julia said with a laugh.
"Yes, the sunset isn't for hours!" Eliza complained though she was smiling shortly after she'd said that.
"A few hours," Zak said.
"That cuts into your time," Martha said before Aaron responded to her though he was looking at her middle granddaughters.
"We're going to do a little daytime investigation," he explained.
"I won't get to be here at night?" Eliza asked in disappointment.
"Don't worry, you will," Zak assured her. He had to pause then since they needed to order their food and once they'd finished he continued, "But you had a lot of luck with Nellie."
"Good," Eliza said firmly. She then frowned and asked, "You're not mad that we didn't keep filming when we left are you?"
"For the bang on the door?" Billy asked. He smiled when all the kids nodded and said, "Don't worry, we're going to open the door of the room across the hall and put an x-camera there. And once you guys are in the RVs we'll head to that corridor."
"I hope you find out who that is," Eliza said. "That was scary."
"Definitely, especially since it was the middle of the day," Paul added.
"You sure you want to do this still?" Zak asked him.
"If I can start in the daytime," Paul said swiftly.
"Will you join us?" Jay asked Nancy.
"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "But I'll try with the kids if you're serious about it still being daylight."
"We are," Zak said, his fellow investigators nodding. "But we'll discuss that later, you said you wanted to tell the kids about the twenty-fourth?"
"Thank you," Castle said, trying to sound annoyed though it was difficult as the kids had all turned to him at nearly the same time. "And yes, I was planning on it."
"We're leaving already?" Jacob asked, feigning disappointment before his parents were telling him not to lie. "I used to be so good at that," he said, pouting to the other kids.
"Where are we going?" Maddy asked a little impatiently.
"Wait," Eliza said, holding her hand out to her friend. "We can't do anything tomorrow?"
"Some of us are going to be sleeping in tomorrow," Aaron said. He was surprised when the younger kids were saying the word no in obvious disappointment and he said, "Really?"
"I think they're serious," Beckett said with a smile, taking the fork Josie had managed to grab from her.
"Yeah, we never get to see you," Eliza said. "But… oh, are you going to be busy?" she asked, looking a little concerned.
"Depends on what you'd want to do," Jay commented, smiling. He wasn't surprised when the older kids were booing and hissing at him jokingly before he said, "Okay, we know already, and we agreed."
"Wow, you figure four middle aged men would be something to be afraid of," Zak commented laughingly when all the kids; except for the two youngest; were cheering.
"I think you earned their respect for letting them all… almost all of them investigate earlier," David commented.
"I guess so," Billy said before Eliza was standing suddenly and speaking to the other kids sternly which ended up calming them down quickly.
"We didn't hear what we're gonna do tomorrow," the little girl said. Her eyes widening when she heard her parents and grandparents laughing, Eliza looked at them and said, "I wanted to know," speaking a little shyly.
Castle was about to tell them when the kids were all groaning at the sight of the waiters walking in with their food.
"Food!" Josie said eagerly.
With everyone around the table laughing, the waiters set out the plates before they were left alone.
"Okay, I'll say now before the kids refuse to eat," Castle said swiftly. "There's a path at the water in front of the hotel, the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. And we can rent bikes."
"We know how to ride bikes," Jay said in mock annoyance when the kids were looking at him and his coworkers.
"Yeah, not that badly either," Aaron added.
"You'll come with us?" Julia asked though she was looking at Zak.
"Like he said, we know how to ride bikes," the paranormal investigator commented.
"Great," Julia said. "And what else?"
"Well, we probably won't be up until lunch," Castle said. "So we'll do that until we're tired and come back to the hotel and have dinner and some dessert."
"S'mores," Julia and Eliza said at the same time before they were laughing with their friends.
"It was too easy to figure out," Beckett told her husband, touching his arm. "But for now, we need to eat and get to the investigation," she reminded everyone. She wasn't surprised when the kids were soon after beginning to eat and she turned her focus to Josie. The toddler seemed to be alright eating on her own and she eventually turned her attention across the table to Skye.
"I know and I think we might have to," the investigator said.
"How-" Beckett started to say before her husband was interrupting her to her surprise.
"It's that twin thing," Castle said. When his wife glanced at him, he shrugged and told her, "You realize I'm right."
Turning her gaze back to Skye, Beckett said, "We're not going to the turret, are we?"
"Oh no," the investigator said. "Though…"
"The basement?" Castle and Beckett said at the same time.
"I know," Skye replied. "But I feel like we should… just the restaurant part, not the kitchen," she told the pair. "And just us."
"I figured, but you better be sure about it being safe going there," Castle said.
"I won't know for sure until we go down there," Skye assured him. "Since she'll want me to do the same," she said as she nodded to her wife who was holding her hand at that moment.
Watching Mary murmuring to Skye, Beckett turned back to her food before she was talking to Rebecca and Lily about the next day. When they'd finished the meal, she saw Zak was looking at his watch and she asked, "Are we starting?"
"We are," the paranormal investigator said before he looked around the tables.
"What're we going to do?" Eve asked her parents.
"Back to the RVs," Brad said.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Skye said in mock irritation since the chief had turned to her.
"It has been a benefit," Darnley said, since the vans they'd been expecting had fallen through. With Paul's help they'd been given instead RVs from the company that were surprisingly hybrid though he knew that had been why the singer had assisted them in getting them.
"I'll say," Alexis commented.
"How're you feeling?" Jay asked her.
"I've been fine," Alexis replied. "Though I'll be glad to head to our RV."
"Good, you can't investigate," Eliza said firmly. "Mamó said no."
"Not Grandmama?" Alexis asked, smiling briefly at her little sister's tone.
"Her too but Mamó said it first," Julia said first. She got up then when the other adults were standing, and they were moving to the lobby to say goodnight to everyone. She watched as the last of the employees from the restaurant left before the owners of the hotel did the same after they'd talked to Zak and Aaron.
"That's it," the former said, smiling at the group waiting for them.
"Everything's ready?" Paul asked.
"And then some," Billy said before they were laughing. "Let's head to nerve center."