22. Two For Joy(2)

With a frustrated sigh, Beckett pressed her face to his shoulder and felt him caressing her hair before she had composed herself enough to talk. Raising her head to look at him she said, "Not really, but I'm not going to tell her to stop feeling that way for whoever it is." She then studied her husband and said, "Alexis?"

"Not exactly," Castle said slowly. "She did like some boys as she got older, but it wasn't really for long since she would focus more on being with her friends and school work."

Beckett nodded and then said, "And I think it's frustration and not being able to watch her practice this dance."

"I know," Castle said, since he sympathized with her about that. "But we don't have that much longer until we get to finally see it."

Smiling, Beckett said, "You're just thinking of Disneyland."

"Hey, it's not my fault Skye and Mary got us rooms that same night for the next day," Castle told her. He laughed when she pretended to sock his chest and was quick to grab her hand, bringing it to his lips. "It'll be a great birthday Kate."

Watching him for a moment Beckett asked, "What did you do?"

"I-" Castle started to say in self-defense though his wife was cutting him off by kissing him deeply. He held her tightly to him, his hands slipping underneath her pajama shirt to caress her back. He allowed himself that only until they parted and fished them out to rest them on top of the t-shirt before he said, "I made a dinner reservation."

"That place in Pirates?" Beckett asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Castle said, relieved at her reaction. He was overjoyed when she kissed him after he'd answered her, and he was clutching her shirt in his hands to keep from doing anything more than that. Their tongues were stroking at each other for a while before she moved away first and he said, "Go with me alone for a little?"

"Hmm, I knew you'd ask," Beckett said. "I will. But thank you for the restaurant, I'm not getting a big cake am I?"

"No, the girls are upset," Castle replied. "They wanted to get a big… Ravenclaw and horse one which I don't know how that would have worked but I told them you'd want to get dessert somewhere in the park better."

"Which I do," Beckett said, tracing her husband's lower lip with her finger. She then said, "And we'll go on rides with Josie too."

"Definitely," Castle said. He saw she looked thoughtful and he felt compelled to say, "You're stunning Kate, you always have been," not surprised when she looked over at him with a slight frown.

"I don't care about that," Beckett said. She saw he was about to speak so she quickly said, "I know I'm aging-"

"But you still look amazing," Castle interrupted her. When she looked at him he said, "You do," pressing the point. "And you don't look like you're about to turn forty."

Just staring at her husband, Beckett wasn't surprised when he appeared to be worried after a while and leaned down to brush her lips to his. "Thank you, and thank you for the reservations," she told him.

"You're welcome, though I'm planning to take you out to dinner once we're back home," Castle said.

"We'll have to wait until next month," Beckett said with a smile.

"You're okay with that?" Castle asked while he was running his fingers through her hair.

"Of course," Beckett said. "It's hard to get the chance to do that here." They kissed again and when they'd parted she smiled at him and said, "But for now we should focus on the kids."

"Yeah, we can take Josie on a lot this time around," Castle said. "Teacups?" when his wife gave him a look he said, "Just checking." He rubbed her back; through her shirt; and said, "I'm getting excited to go."

"I'm not surprised," Beckett said in amusement. "And I'm also a little glad we don't live here; we'd end up going twice a year or more."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Castle told her in a mock defensive tone. When she gave him a look he shrugged and said, "Skye used to with her dad."

"She's told me, for their birthdays," Beckett replied. "She's lucky they're at opposite ends of the year."

"I… wait," Castle said when he realized something. "I wonder if they'll have anything for Christmas there." Looking at his wife he noticed the slight smile on her face and he asked, "They will?"

"They will, Skye told me they start decorating after Halloween. So by now everything should be up," Beckett said.

"Will it be that crowded?" Castle asked, knowing his wife had asked the investigator about that already.

"She won't be sure until we go," Beckett told him. "But we do have the wristbands."

"I'm glad they brought them here," Castle said. "Kate?" he then asked her.

"What?" Beckett said, surprised at how serious he suddenly was.

"I wonder if we should let Eliza go with them," Castle told her. "With the older kids."

Shaking her head Beckett said, "It'd be unfair, she's the shortest and she can't go on everything. And I don't think Marie and Kath would want their little sisters to go with them."

Nodding his head Castle said, "I'm just wondering how we could go on our own, Skye and Mary too."

"Our parents and Liam will be there," Beckett pointed out. She smiled as he seemed to think that over before he nodded, and she brushed her lips to his. "The youngest will be fine and we'll have our chances to be alone."

"Good," Castle said. He laughed when his wife lightly squeezed his side and they kissed shortly after. It was a calmer one and it allowed them to linger until they were parting for a quick gasp of air. Their second was far more passionate and they pressed their foreheads together before he was letting her lay back down.

"I love you," Beckett murmured after she was settled against his side.

"I love you Kate," Castle said, rubbing her upper arm gently. He lowered his head to her for another kiss, briefly, before he said, "I promise it'll be one of the best birthdays you'll have."

Beckett couldn't help laughing softly before she told him, "I think you manage that every year."

"Even though we're not going to be in T-" Castle started to say. He wasn't all that surprised when she kissed him to cut him off, and they were a lot more sensuous that time until they had to stop. When he was looking down her he said, "I have my answer."

"You do," Beckett said, taking his glasses as he took them off and setting them on her nightstand. The lamp there was the only one left on and she turned it off before getting back into his arms. "Tell me what you want to go on with me," she said.

Since he didn't mind the slight delay to them going to sleep, Castle went along with that and he and Beckett soon began to talk about their upcoming trip to the theme park. They kissed often but spent their time talking until she fell asleep first and he watched her for a bit until he was closing his eyes, both dreaming predictably of Tahiti and each other as they stayed close through their repose.