"Well, kiddo, I've got some good news and some bad news," Rick announces as he approaches the dining room table with his breakfast.
"Okay, what's the bad news?" Ruby asks as she scoops eggs into her mouth.
"I couldn't upgrade us to the Viking themed room at the hotel in Dublin so we're stuck with a regular suite," Rick sighs.
"Okay?" Ruby rolls her eyes. "What's the bad news?"
"Fine, I guess that was just bad news for me, then," Rick pouts. "The good news is that the weather forecast is looking great for the week."
"Really? No rain?" Ruby asks.
"Nope, just nice, sunny days all week," Rick smiles.
Kate isn't so sure, "my dad always told me to trust an Irish weather forecast as far as you could throw it."
"That...that doesn't make any sense? You can't throw a forecast?" Ruby's confused.
"Right, so you shouldn't trust it either. We should pack for some rain just in case," Kate says. "Plus, rain in Ireland isn't so bad because that means rainbows."
"Yeah, how else are we supposed to find the pot of gold?" Rick asks.
"That's really a thing?" Ruby chuckles.
"Well, rainbows are," Kate laughs. "Don't let him try to convince you about leprechauns."
"Hey, give me some credit. I know leprechauns aren't real...anymore," Rick says.
Kate and Ruby just stare in befuddlement. They knew Rick believed in pretty much every possibility, but leprechauns are a bit much, even for him.
"Um, so, how long is the flight exactly?" Ruby asks with a twinge of anxiety.
"About 6 and a half hours," Rick says. "Should hopefully be able to squeeze and some movies and a good nap."
"How big is the plane?" Ruby asks.
"I'm not sure," Rick admits. "It is a pretty popular flight, so it'll probably be pretty full. But we have first class seats so you'll have lots of space."
"But I'll still by you guys, right?" Ruby asks.
"Yep, we're still right by each other, our seats are just bigger and recline all the way down," Kate explains. "And the food is better."
"But it's still safe? To lay all the way down and stuff?" Ruby isn't sure that being able to lay down makes her feel more assured about the flight.
"Yes, it's safe," Rick nods. "But you have a seat belt to be extra safe."
"Are you nervous for the flight?" Kate finally asks.
"Well, I don't even remember the last time I was on a plane I was so young," Ruby replies. "And I've never been on a flight this long before either."
"Feeling nervous before a flight is totally normal," Kate assures her. "And we'll all have masks on so we can stay as healthy as possible."
"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that," Ruby realizes. "Planes are basically flying cesspools, right?"
"Unfortunately, they're not the most sanitary," Castle admits. "But that's why we are taking precautions where we can. And that means you're mostly stuck with just us for the next 13 days."
"Yep, just us, the rental car, and the greenest hills you've ever seen," Kate says.
"I'm so excited!" Ruby smiles. "Uh, I just want it to be tomorrow already."
"Wow, kiddo, that bunny looks awesome!" Rick says as he hops onto his side of the bed. They had a midday flight out of La Guardia the next day, so there was no rush to get to sleep for an early morning drive to the airport. That had been Kate's idea when they booked the flight, to go for the 6PM evening flight over the 8AM flight. Even though the 8AM meant they'd be in Dublin sooner, wrestling two teenagers (Ruby and Castle) out of bed before sunrise did not sound like an appealing way to start their vacation. Ruby appreciated it, too, because it gave her more time to finish her most recent crochet project before the trip.
"It's a hare," Ruby corrects him. "Ireland's national animal."
"See, I thought it would've been a sheep or something," Castle says. "There are so many sheep in Ireland. I don't recall ever even seeing a bunny there. Have you?"
"Hare," Ruby cuts in to correct again.
"I can't say that I remember seeing many hare there," Kate smiles.
"Ireland's national animal is so practical," Ruby says as she works to stitch the hare's legs to its body. "England, Scotland, and Wales all have interesting ones. England's is a lion, which is actually sort of dumb since lions aren't even indigenous to Europe, much less an island in Europe."
"That one I did know, cuz their soccer–I mean–football teams are the Lions and Lionesses," Rick says.
"And Wales is a dragon and Scotland is a unicorn," Ruby smiles. "Like if you're gonna pick something weird at least make them cool like that!"
"I think a sheep would've been really cool," Kate admits. "But the hare is cute."
"Yeah, well, at least Ireland has a national animal. North Ireland doesn't have one at all. Lame," Ruby scoffs.
"Oof, be careful going around with such loaded political statements," Rick chuckles. "They really don't have one?"
"They used to," Ruby shrugs. "An elk. It was on their old coat of arms. It looked pretty cool, actually. But they haven't used that since like 1970 or something. Ages ago."
Kate chuckles because she knows her husband will have something to say about that.
"Ages? You do know I was alive in 1970, right?" Rick feigns disgust.
"Like I said, ages," Ruby laughs. She pulls the needle through her final stitch and smiles as she sets her stuffed animal creation down on the bed. "Okay, it's done. Now what should I make?"
"Well, how are we supposed to know it's an Irish hare?" Rick asks.
"Hmm," Ruby thinks out loud. "I guess it doesn't look Irish, does it?"
"What if you made it a little hat or sweater with the colors of the Irish flag? Or a shamrock?"
"Oh, yeah, that's a good idea," Ruby smiles. "I'll make him a shamrock sweater."
"Well, that's something you can do on the plane, because we should probably get to bed so we're well-rested for our long day tomorrow," Kate says, throwing the covers off the bed so that Ruby can climb out of her spot in the middle and go upstairs to her own bed.
"Fine, you're right, you're right," Ruby says as she turns to give Rick and Kate each a little goodnight hug. "Goodnight, love you guys!"
"Love you, too, Rubes," the married couple says in unison. Ruby closes the door behind her and Kate immediately pulls Castle toward her.
"I'm ovulating," she whispers in a sarcastically seductive voice.
"Now? Really?" Castle asks with bright eyes. Kate nods and nips at his ear. "Oh, god, okay, just give me a second." He peels off his pajama shorts in one swoop, his top off in another, and leans to pull Kate in for a kiss.
"After you brush your teeth," Kate chuckles when he pulls back.
Rick raises his brow when he hears what she says. He holds him palm to his mouth and huffs out to smell his breath. "Oh, oops. Sorry," he chuckles. He starts rolling out of bed, when Kate grabs onto him but the waistband of his boxers.
"Actually, let's just do it," she says as she pulls him on top of her.
"You are such a romantic," Castle says as he slides off his boxers and gets down to business.
The next morning, the Castles woke up at their normal time, went about their day with a buzz of excitement as they cleaned out the fridge and finished up last minute chores. They headed to the airport without rush or worry, boarded their flight, and landed in Dublin in the early morning without incident.
After a few days in Dublin visiting the museums, distilleries, and pubs, Rick, Kate, and Ruby hopped into their rental car and headed south. Each day was filled with beautiful views, centuries of history, and plenty of laughs. Even as they drove from town to town, they didn't feel rushed or exhausted, but rather exhilarated and made whole by the quality time they were spending together as a family. Ruby was even being nice to Rick unironically, which he greatly cherished.
On the morning of July 9th, they pulled up to the valet of their hotel in Galway.
"Hey, sleepyhead, we're here," Rick calls out to the sleeping Ruby in the back seat. Ruby slowly opens her eyes and lets out a yawn as she stretches her arms and legs.
"Morning, birthday girl," Kate smiles as Ruby looks more alive.
"You already said that earlier," Ruby laughs.
"True, but I didn't really think you were awake," Kate says.
"Okay, that's fair. I wasn't," Ruby chuckles. They'd gotten on the road from their last accommodation early that morning, but now was a perfect time for a birthday brunch. "Can we get breakfast?"
"That's the plan, kiddo, what are you thinking?" Rick asks.
"That place you mentioned last night sounded good," Ruby shrugs. "And it's on the way to the cliffs."
That's how Ruby wanted to celebrate her 13th birthday: brunch, a roadtrip to the Cliffs of Moher, and window shopping in the center of Galway. So, that's what they did. As beautiful as the cliffs were, it was the hundreds of sheep that grazed along the walking path that was the highlight for Ruby. She kept asking to feed them, and Kate kept reminding her that sheep eat grass, so they had plenty of food already. After dinner and a stop at the next ice cream shop across from the hotel, they wound down in their beautiful suite.
"Geez, I'm tired," Ruby yawns.
"See, that's what old age does to you," Rick jokes.
"You would know," Ruby shoots back.
"Walked into that one, babe," Kate chuckles as she cuddles closer to her pouting husband.
"Suppose I did," Rick admits. "Anyway, did you have a nice birthday?"
"The best," Ruby smiles. "Thank you guys so much, for everything."
"Of course, Rubes, we're glad to celebrate you," Kate smiles. "Can't believe I'm the mom of a teenager now."
"MILF," Rick whispers under his breath.
"Barf," Ruby replies with an eye roll. "On that note, I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Okay, night Rubes, love you," Kate calls as Ruby walks toward her room on the far side of the suite.
"Any chance you're still ovulating?" Rick whispers when he knows Ruby's out of earshot.
"No, but we can always practice," Kate grins. They run off to their room and cap off the long day with an exhilarating night. Before they call it a night, though, Kate muses about weather and time.
"You realize it's been exactly 6 months today?" Kate asks. "Since we met Ruby."
"Wow," Rick sighs with a smile. "Feels like a lifetime and yesterday."
"Yeah," Kate agrees.
As the Castles closed their eyes on the night of Ruby's thirteenth birthday, the air was filled with salt water and the scent of fresh grass and the kind of hopefulness that could only ever end in heartbreak.