"Are we doing that artwork right now?" Alexis asked Mary in surprise when the doctor turned to her as soon as the others had left.
"No, I wanted to ask if you wanted to play pool at all," the doctor said. "And I'll play for you if you're wondering why I'm asking."
"Sure," Alexis replied immediately. She couldn't help smiling when Mary was looking at her in surprise before she said, "I'm assuming we'll do that while Josa is awake."
"That's the plan," Mary said, smiling back at her before they watched her wife going up the entry stairs.
"Is she going to be okay?" Alexis asked her.
"She will… and I'm guessing she'll meet us in the game room so we should go back," Mary answered. As they turned to walk back, she asked, "Have you and Louis talked about doing anything with your house?"
"You mean like the game room and bowling alley?" Alexis replied with a smile. At the doctor's nod she said, "To be honest, no but I think Louis would like something."
"Not a man cave I hope," Skye said, walking down the stairs just as the two were passing.
"No, he told me when he found out what those were that they were the stupidest thing he'd ever heard of," Alexis replied. "But I think he'd like to have our own game room."
"Ah, the game room of an Irishman… darts and Guinness," Skye said. "I'm kidding," she said quickly when she realized the young woman might take offense to that.
"Don't worry, I teased him with that myself when we were talking about it," Alexis said. "He pretended to be annoyed but then said he'd have darts but other stuff."
"He doesn't enjoy the black stuff?" Mary asked.
"He does but when it's not a problem for him to drink," Alexis said. She laughed briefly when the women shared a look and told them, "He did stop for right now."
"Good, I would imagine the smell would make you sick," Skye commented while she took out her file from the bag she'd brought downstairs with her.
"Yes, it did and that's why he stopped for good," Alexis replied.
"Do you like it?" Mary asked. "Outside of your pregnancy of course."
"I do, but I need it with a burger to really enjoy it," Alexis said.
"That would be your dad I assume," Skye commented wryly. She then paused and said, "What're you going to do now?"
"Play," Alexis said. When she saw the way the women were looking at her, she said, "Okay, okay, not play. But I will get up again."
"Shortly I would imagine," Skye said, watching her sit next to her. "Hold on-" she started to say.
"I want to sit here," Alexis said.
"That's weird, you don't want to see what's in that file," Mary commented.
"Have you?" Alexis asked.
"Yes, I always see her files," Mary said simply. "I need to," she added when the young woman was looking at her in surprise.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Alexis said. She then looked at a picture and said, "How did the people survive on those flights?"
"Airmanship," Skye said immediately. She smiled and then said, "They all had some training in the same situation, not exact but it helped."
"That was because of a few past flights," Mary said. She then studied her wife and asked, "What're you thinking grá."
Sighing Skye said, "That this is annoying." Shaking her head she then added, "I can't really move forward on this because of the metal. I need to know what exactly the iron has in it."
"It would help you?" Alexis asked.
"To a degree," Skye replied. She wasn't surprised the young woman looked confused and explained, "There are three companies these bolts could have come from."
"From the black market," Alexis said slowly before the investigator was shaking her head and clarifying why she'd done that at the same time.
"I'm beginning to think it's not black market," Skye said.
"No?" Mary asked her wife.
"I think it was stolen," Skye replied. "The metal, tampered with and remade."
"Then you'd be searching for someone very specific," Alexis said before she was looking with Mary as the investigator tossed a picture onto the table.
"They're able but not fully an expert," Skye said. "Trevor looked at those and he agreed with me."
"Just by the picture?" Mary asked her.
"He's good," Skye said simply. She then sat up straight and looked at the doorway to the room.
"Grá?" Mary said, watching her.
"I think… it's one of the victims," Skye said, not taking her eyes away from the hall.
"Are they talking with you?" Alexis asked, feeling a slight chill watching the woman.
"It's alright," Skye said, squeezing the young woman's arm gently. "She left; I think your pregnancy made her shy away."
"Should I leave?" Alexis said slowly, glancing at Mary.
"Oh no, it's fine," Skye said. "But I still think you shouldn't be looking at all this."
"I'm fine," Alexis said firmly.
"Well," Mary said, looking at her wife. "You have been sitting for a while so you could walk around again."
Alexis was about to shake her head before she paused and then said, "Alright, I'd like to play with the pinball machine."
"Do you want to talk with us?" Mary asked as she stood just before the young woman.
"If I feel like I should," Skye replied with a smile before squeezing her hand when Alexis had left the table.
Mary nodded, having been studying her wife, before she moved to follow Alexis to the game. "You're lucky," she said, watching her start the game.
"I realize," the young woman said with a nod. "But you should start."
"You don't have to," Mary said. "We're family, aren't we?"
"You should listen to her," Skye said. "How long can you stand?"
"I thought you were talking to her," Alexis said, rolling her eyes though she was smiling at the same time.
"Why would I say that to her?" Skye asked before she was putting everything away in her file.
"Are you finished," Mary said while Alexis was starting.
"Yes, I've looked at everything so many times it was easy," Skye replied, setting aside her bag. She walked over to the pinball machine and said, "How're you doing?"
"Are you asking because of my stomach?" Alexis immediately responded with.
"No, just in general," Skye replied. When the young woman glanced at her briefly, she said, "Seriously, I leave the worrying to your father."
Laughing quickly, Alexis turned to the investigator when the ball slipped past her and said, "You know Mom worries too."
"Of course, but he's a little more… vocal about it," Skye commented.
"That was not hard to notice," Mary said. "But you don't mind it."
"Take your turn," Alexis said in mock annoyance before the doctor was laughing and responding as she stepped up to the game.
"Sorry, I remember how much your dad hovered around your mom when she was pregnant the last time," Mary explained.
"I would guess it was the same when she was pregnant with Eliza," Skye commented.
"It was, she has a lot of patience," Alexis replied while they were watching Mary begin.
"And practice," Skye said. She wasn't surprised when the young woman glanced at her and said, "Those… four years or so before they began to date. She's told me how he would do this and that for her attention."
"Yes," Alexis said with a sigh.
"Oh don't worry we all do that," Mary said.
Seeing the look the doctor gave to the investigator, Alexis said, "Really, even you?"
"Nothing that big," Skye immediately said.
"I don't know, leaning into you when you were… essentially green to other women?" Mary replied to that.
Rolling her eyes Skye said, "I have had contact with other women."
"Still," Mary said, laughing when she lost her turn.
"See what you did?" Skye asked laughingly.
Alexis smiled as Mary went to her wife and embraced her tightly before she went over to the pool table.
"You want to play now?" Skye asked, she and her wife having followed the young woman swiftly.
"No, just giving you two-" Alexis started to say before the chime for the door outside rang. She wasn't surprised when the dogs were running for the entry and said, "They're back."
"Boy I hope so," Mary said jokingly before they were walking together to the hall. Inside the entry she and Skye were helping the three with their outer layers before Beckett was asking Alexis to take Josie to the game room. She and her wife shared a look, and she was about to ask what was wrong when the writer was answering that unasked question first.
"You should know that when we got to the school the media was there," Beckett began. "But they were at the parking lot on the other side of the Academy while we took the kids in."
"And after we left, they were right where we needed to go," Castle said in obvious annoyance.
"They started asking you questions?" Mary supplied.
"Of course they did," Skye said. "Though I get the feeling it's what they asked that's a problem."
"David actually got one question; why the FBI isn't here," Beckett told her.
"I'm not surprised," Skye replied with a nod. "And to that I say they feel they have more in D.C. than they do here. But if we get more from the metal, I'll definitely be calling them in… I have to, to be honest." She then straightened up and said, "There is something I feel I should tell you now." When the writers were turning to her, she held her hands out to them and said swiftly, "It's not Alexis. I saw one of the victims here."
"Julia-" Beckett started to say before the investigator was shaking her head. She was relieved but then said, "Wait, she wanted to talk to you," seeing her husband nodding in agreement before Skye was responding.
"She did, but she wouldn't fully approach me," the investigator said. "I think it's the twins… that kind of energy if that makes sense."
"It does," Castle said quickly. "You don't want to try talking to her now?"
"Still can't, I'll attempt it at the station," Skye said simply. "Was that it for the reporters though? You didn't need shove them aside or anything?"
"Why does it sound like you're talking from experience?" Beckett asked her. She rolled her eyes when the investigator shrugged before she said, "No, we made our way through them, and I did tell them that Brad was going to release a statement later."
"Oh great, that means they're at the station," Skye said in annoyance.
"They could be gone by the time you go," Mary pointed out to her wife.
"I think he'll wait until he can get them out of there," Castle said.
"And if he has to hold a press conference?" Skye asked him.
"I don't think he will," Beckett said.
"Unless it was super serious, he wouldn't," Castle said. Seeing the surprised expressions on the two women's faces he told them, "He doesn't like to do them for murder investigations, since he wouldn't release any information."
"That's strange," Mary said.
"But prudent," Beckett commented. "His predecessor, in his second murder investigation mentioned the place where the victim was found, and it nearly cost them the case."
"The one you worked with?" Skye asked with a frown.
"Him," Castle said with a brief nod. "He wasn't inept, just inexperienced. Luckily they managed to solve the case in the end."
"And with that… we're not leaving yet, are we?" Skye asked, looking at her watch.
"No, so since we have the time, we really should watch the show with Josie," Beckett said though she was directing the end to her husband.
"Where are you watching that?" Skye asked.
"The game room," Castle answered before they were turning to walk down the hall. "What were you doing with her while we were gone?"
"We played the pinball machine a bit," Skye said, looking pointedly at her wife.
"That long and you only played a little bit?" Castle asked doubtfully.
"Even I can tell you're lying," Beckett commented.
"Skye was looking at her case," Alexis said since they were entering the game room.
"And you looked at it too?" Castle asked in surprise.
"You mean investigations," Skye said. She then turned to the young woman's father and said firmly, "She's an adult, I warned her not to, but she decided to stay."
"I didn't see anything bad," Alexis said. "And hearing what you said I think it's a good theory, but I forgot to say how did they get it onto the planes?"
"That's where the security camera footage comes in," Skye said. "Once we get it."
"And the results of the testing?" Mary asked.
"Hey, do you guys want to wait to talk about that?" Alexis suggested.
"What's wrong?" Castle said quickly.
"Not me, Josa," Alexis responded with a smile before her mother was going to the toddler and picking her up while she spoke to her gently.
"Did you want to see your show now sweetie?" Beckett asked her.
"We really should," Castle said quickly, realizing why his wife had been talking in the tone she had. "That way they won't get sad on Sesame Street you didn't see them," he added.
"What're you talking about?" Mary asked in Irish.
"She said she wanted to play games," Beckett said quickly. She wasn't surprised when Josie still didn't answer and told her, "Your daddy's right."
After seeing Josie nodding Castle moved to the TV as he asked, "Are you going to join us?"
"We will," Skye said. "It'll be nice to revisit the show."
"You don't watch with your younger girls?" Alexis asked.
Shaking her head Mary answered, "They've outgrown it."
"Is everyone ready?" Castle asked from the TV.
"Start it Rick," Beckett told her husband with a smile while she was watching him. She had sat on the end of the bed after her oldest had waved her over and said to Alexis, "You know you can take the TV once we leave."
"I'm aware, Gram and Grandpapa tried to urge me while she was taking a nap yesterday, but I think I was good without it," Alexis said looking at Josie who was squealing and clapping her hands before she spoke eagerly.
"My show!" the toddler said.
"We're watching it right now," Castle promised before he started it. As the theme song was playing, he walked over to the table and took one of the chairs before he was sitting by his wife and their daughters.
Once the show had ended, Beckett said to the McDouglases, "You didn't have to stay for this."
"No but we didn't really have anything else to do either," Skye said first.
"And like we said before we didn't mind," Mary told her.
Seeing the way the two women were looking at his wife Castle asked, "What's wrong?"
"What are you going to do at this point? Brad hasn't gotten in touch with you," Skye said.
"No, but I'm going to text him," Castle said before he was getting his phone out of his pocket. He was a little startled when it began to ring and he said, "Never mind. Hello?"
"Are you guys ready to come in?" Brad asked.
"Have you found Kipling?" Beckett said in response.
"No, but I want you to be with me when I head to the Report," Brad said.
"You don't want us to meet you there?" Castle asked.
"No, you can bring Trevor and Skye," Brad replied.
"Do you have something for the two of us?" Skye asked then.
"The security footage," Brad said. "Did you have it sent to me?"
"Yes, I want to use your computer," Skye said before she hesitated. "I didn't tell you?"
"No," Brad replied. "But that's okay, you can use it though why?"
"I only have a laptop and everyone in the bullpen has way smaller screens," Skye explained.
"Okay," Brad said simply. "To be honest I don't blame you for that."
"Did the media go over there?" Castle asked.
"Of course, Emerson handed out the statement we had printed, and he got them out of here," Brad said. "Did they harass you?"
"We didn't give them the chance," Beckett said, sharing a look with her husband.
"I'm relieved to hear that," Brad said. "So if you're ready come to the station and we'll head for the Report as soon as you bring those two in here."
Glancing at Skye, Beckett was able to tell her friend had some kind of response to that, but her husband was hanging up first. She turned to Alexis who was still sitting next to her. "It's just going to be Mary," she commented.
"Not for that long I'm sure," Alexis replied quickly. "Gram and Grandpapa might come back right after lunch." She then smiled at Mary and said, "And you're kind of insulting her."
"No she isn't," the doctor said in amusement.
"Then we need to go," Beckett said, though she was looking at Josie as she spoke.
"Go to school?" the toddler asked.
"Work sweetheart," Castle said, stepping up to them. He took Josie from his wife and kissed her cheek before saying, "You'll stay with Alexis and Mary, and they'll play with you."
"I was about to ask," the doctor was saying. "You don't want me to teach her… or us I should say."
Shaking her head Beckett said before her husband could speak, "She can have the day off today. Though…"
"The pool table?" Castle asked his wife when she was looking at him.
"The colors and numbers?" Alexis inquired since she was aware of them doing that for her sister.
"If you don't mind," Castle said, directing that to Mary.
Alexis couldn't help laughing lightly when the doctor looked at her and she said, "Oh don't worry, it gives us a reason to play for sure. But where is she going to go?"
"If you'll hold my cue then I can carry her," Mary answered.
"Okay," Alexis said before they were laughing together.
Sharing a kiss with Josie, Castle told her, "Now you get to play."
"Good Dada, I play," the toddler said.
"Yes you will," Beckett commented in amusement when her husband handed her their youngest. She shared a kiss with her before she told her, "And we'll be home as soon as we can."
"Will you text Gram or Grandpapa?" Alexis asked while she was hugging her father.
"Both," Castle said. "Rest when you need to."
"I will," Alexis said firmly before they were letting each other go. After Mary had Josie, she shared an embrace with Beckett and told her, "Focus on the case."
"We will," she replied, smiling at her daughter's admonition.
"I'm ready if you lot are," Skye said when the writers turned to her. She kissed Mary briefly again before they headed to the hallway with Mary and Josie. She wasn't surprised when Castle looked back at her wife before the doctor was speaking almost sternly to him.
"She's going to get what she can of the pool table set up, then sit and wait for us to go back," Mary explained.
"Okay," Castle said, his eyes a little wide. He then made a face and said, "A lot of déjà vu in your tone."
"Of course," Beckett said, smiling when her husband looked at her. "We had to keep you in line back then somehow."
Laughing when her mother and the McDouglases were, Josie said, "Do I go too?"
"You need to help Mary keep an eye on Alexis for us," Beckett said. "Remember?" She smiled when the toddler nodded and went over to Mary after she had her dark blue coat on. She shared another kiss with Josie and then said to Mary, "We'll keep an eye on Skye."
"Conversely," the investigator said wryly.
Reaching out to her wife and cupping her cheek, Mary said, "I would have asked them anyway."
Sighing, Skye moved to share a brief kiss with her before she said, "I'll be careful."
"I'll hold you to that," Mary said with a nod.
After they'd said goodbye to Josie and Mary, Castle followed his wife and Skye into the garage and said while he got into the driver's seat, "No tears."
"She's getting used to it," Beckett said.
"I'd like to pose the theory she's thinking of the game room," Skye said from the backseat as they were leaving the garage. She smiled when the two glanced back at her and said, "I'm just saying, that's what I'd be thinking of if I were her age," before Beckett was speaking to her husband with a smile.
"She's impatient," she commented.
"I noticed," Castle said before he was turning out on their street. He frowned spotting something in front of the Darnley-Nkosi house saying, "Is Patrick waving?"
"And Trevor's on the phone," Beckett said, glancing back to see Skye had leaned forward to look out the windshield.
"Hey, we need to call Brad," Darnley said once the car had stopped in front of him and his husband.
"What is it?" Beckett asked while she was getting her phone ready.
"I got a call from Rutherford Fields," Nkosi said.
"The private airfield?" Skye asked in surprise.
"Yes, go there," Nkosi said a little tersely to Skye and then Castle.
"Why?" Brad said from Beckett's phone.
"I know the people in the tower, they told me a plane has been stolen," Nkosi said.
"Why-" Castle started to say.
"It's Mr. Garnett's," Nkosi interrupted the chief. "It took off and has been circling the Hamptons for the last fifteen minutes."
"Have they scrambled any jets?" Skye asked.
"They were doing so when I was on the phone with them," Nkosi said. "There it is!" he then told everyone since he'd been looking out the window.
Looking up for a moment, Castle saw what he guessed was a Piper and he said, "No one checked on the parents of our vics," right when Brad was answering.
"I did this morning to make sure all four couples were fine," the chief said. "They're settled in the new safehouse and were having breakfast. I'll head to Rutherford and meet you there."
Hanging up the phone, Beckett said, "Have you been keeping an eye on it?"
"Yeah, but it banked, and I can't see it now," Skye said.
"Should we stop somewhere to watch it?" Darnley asked.
Shaking her head Skye said, "The best place to be is the airport… can you call your friend?"
"I was right going to right now," Nkosi said.
"You're not going to put it on speaker?" Darnley asked his husband while he was dialing. He wasn't surprised when the investigator was nodding before the man on the other end picked up.
"We're still tracking the plane," the ATC said.
"How much fuel was on it?" Skye asked.
"It's Skye McDouglas," Nkosi said in a rush.
"Right, well it should have a full tank," the man said absently. There was the clatter of keys on a keyboard before he swore and said, "Mr. Barnett scheduled it, but we hadn't gotten the tank in to refill our supply. It should only be up for another ten minutes at the most."
"We're heading to the airport," Nkosi said. "Call me if there's anything else."
"I see it," Skye said. "Wait… it's going down, stop!"
Doing his best not to just slam on the breaks, Castle pulled over to the side of the road, having just left the more residential part of the city. Throwing himself out of the car with the others, he ran after Skye and managed to grab her arm before she could reach the field on the other side. "Don't," he told her. "If you get hurt…"
Shaking her head, Skye was looking up at the plane, never taking her gaze from it before Castle was making her step back. She was about to protest, but Beckett was taking her other arm, leading her to say, "I don't know who is flying that."
"They're no pilot," Nkosi said, standing with the three along with his husband.
"Should we…" Castle started to say, wondering if they should get back in the car when the plane started to bank away from the field. It turned back and he said, "It can't stay together doing that."
"She's sturdy," Skye said grimly. She turned then, though she'd intended to keep her eye on the plane, when a car pulled up to them and she called, "Tell the fire department to come here."
"It's still flying," Brad said, having to yell at them since he was staying at his car.
"It's circling," Darnley replied, having noticed the plane continuously doing so while they watched.
Getting out of his squad car once he'd called in to the fire department, Brad jogged down the street to the others and said, "You need to move back."
"Try and get her to," Castle said. When his wife glanced at him, he shrugged and then turned back to the plane when they heard the engines beginning to power up.
"Too fast," Nkosi said in obvious pain.
"Too high," Skye groaned out before her gaze was shooting down to the field. She felt Beckett grabbing her, only realizing then that she was trembling before the writer spoke to her in obvious concern.
"What is it?" she said, looking at the field for a moment before Skye was clutching at her hand. "Skye!" she said in surprise when a heavy sigh left the woman and she nearly collapsed.
"What happened?" Brad exclaimed, turning from the plane that had evened out though it had dropped low in the sky again.
"I have no idea," Beckett said, letting her husband take Skye and carry her to the car as she rushed behind him.
"No, don't," the investigator said when Castle was trying to get her to lay down.
"Do you need an ambulance?" Beckett asked, watching her friend closely.
"No, I'm okay. Move," Skye said roughly before she tried to stand up. She brushed aside the writers when they attempted to stop her and she yelled, "Stall!"
"Run!" Nkosi said before they were going to the front yard of the house across the street from the field. The plane behind them was diving towards the ground, and when the owner of the house opened the door, they were pushing him inside as they followed.
"Get away from the windows," Skye told the woman who was inside. Brad was pulling the man with him, and they stopped back in the room looking out the picture window just in time for the plane to slam into the field across the street.
Turning away from the window just as the glass shattered, Beckett could feel her husband holding onto her tightly and keeping her head down. When things seemed to settle, she raised her head with him before she asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"I am," the woman said. "What happened?"
"We were tracking a plane," Brad said, relieved he'd worn his uniform so the couple would be aware of who he was.
"Well… I guess you don't have to now," the man said with a grimace as they were standing up. "All these windows," he muttered.
"You should get in touch with your insurance," Nkosi said, reaching for Skye.
"Don't," the investigator said to her colleague, looking back at him and shaking her head. When Nkosi nodded, she turned her attention to the door and stepped out just as the fire department was pulling up. She walked to the front of Castle and Beckett's car and then gasped before she was running.
"Skye!" the five behind her said, beginning to follow her.
Dodging the firemen, Skye skirted the flaming wreckage before she was reaching the body she had managed to spot at end of the field. She was about to turn it over to see who it was when someone was grabbing her from behind.
"It's me!" Brad said in response to the investigator screaming. "Step back, this is a crime scene now."
"You have to-" Skye started to say.
"It's out of your jurisdiction," Brad interrupted her. "Call the FBI, because we're both going to need them here."
"I saw the body falling," Skye told Beckett while she led her back. "And someone was by Brad's car."
"Could you see who it was?" Beckett asked.
"No, everything went way too fast," the investigator replied before they were turning to Brad.
"Do you need help?" Castle asked, having kept an eye on his friend putting on gloves while listening to Skye.
"No," Brad said shortly before he was grabbing the shoulder and turning it over. Seeing the man's face he breathed out and said, "That answers why we couldn't find him," while he stood up straight and they were all taking in the man's bruised and bloodied face. "Kipling."