It's nearly pitch black, the only light coming from the occasional strike of lightning and the dim glow of stars glued to the ceiling when Castle steps quietly into his daughter's room.

There must be at least six pairs of shoes he accidentally trips over, sprawled across the floor haphazardly almost as if it's an obstacle course. Sandals, sneakers, flip flops, slippers despite the fact that it's summer. "It's just in case, Dad. Hamptons house is too cold, my feet will fall off," Ava had chastised and he had lost that argument before it'd barely begun. Castle kicks a pair out of the way - party shoes that Ava has no need for here - and he kneels beside her bed.

"AJ," he whispers. She doesn't stir, wrapped up tight in blankets with a leg sticking out, her dark hair splayed across the pillow. He brushes his hand over the crown of her head, smiles at the tiny grunt that escapes her lips, so much like Kate on weekend mornings when she refuses to get up. "Aje, wake up. First summer storm. Come on, baby."

Lightning flashes at the same time the smile widens across her lips. She doesn't open her eyes, but it's the third year they've done this, watched from the back porch as the rain danced across the pool, the thunder crashing and lightning splitting open the night. It was an accident the first time; Ava had been young, scared awake from the first storm of the summer with too much stubborn pride to admit it and he had taken her outside, let her watch the tide of the ocean from the safety of their backyard, the way it was somehow calming when the mystery was gone. She had woken him the year after that, excited, and he couldn't deny her request despite the time, couldn't resist the blooming smile at new adventures. It has become their tradition, and sometimes he wonders how long it'll last, if she'll still want to do this years down the line when she's a teenager and embarrassed of him in ways Alexis never quite was.

Ava sits up, stifling her yawn. She rallies in ways no kid should, bounces a little on the mattress to jump start her adrenaline. "Ready."

She jumps out of bed, grabbing the chenille throw that's fallen onto the floor and manages to step into her slippers with a look at that says, See; I told you I'd wear them.

"You're going to put away your shoes tomorrow, right?" Castle asks, leading them out toward the back.

The air is humid when they step outside, filled with the scent of rain and summer. Ava climbs up on the patio couch, wrapping the blanket around herself. "Yes. I just didn't tonight cause Mom said I had to get rid of my stuff from last summer and I wanted to wait for her."

She nestles into him when he sits down beside her, her head falling onto his chest and she hands over a piece of the gray chenille without a word. His youngest is vibrant and full of life, but she finds beauty in the dark; in the sky and the stars and the deepest parts of night. Castle wraps his arm low around her waist and she burrows in deeper, pulling her knees up to her chest. He lets the silence breathe for them, closes his eyes and listens to the exhale of wonder that escapes at the break of thunder.

"What makes the lightning?" Ava asks, tapping him on the leg. "And how come there's always thunder after it?"

Castle opens his eyes, pressing a kiss to her scalp. "Remember how we discussed that light travels faster than sound-"

"No, I mean, you already explained the real reasons last year. I remember it pretty much. What do you think makes it? Like Thor is the god of thunder, right? Do you think he's up in heaven or wherever the gods hang out and he gets mad and throws his hammer? Maybe Iron Man got mad at him and they had this fight and Thor says I'm gonna throw my hammer at you and Iron Man shoots up in the sky to run away and that causes the flash." She stops to take in a breath and he doesn't need to look at her to know her nose is scrunching, that she's finding fault in the plot holes of her own story. "Oh, except that would make the thunder would come first so it doesn't make sense which is okay because violence is bad. Mom wouldn't be happy."

"No," Castle laughs. "Mom wouldn't be happy. Especially because you know how much she loves Iron Man."

"She totally does. Even more than you and that's a lot." Ava leans forward and rests her head on her knees. She tilts her head to look up at him. "Do you think she's mad at me?"

"Who? Mom?" His daughter nods, and she's suddenly serious, eyes glassy. He can't tell if it's exhaustion or merely the reflection of rain, but he pulls a strand of dark hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek softly with the pads of his fingers. "We both know that if Mom is going to get mad, it'll be at me first and she's not mad at me."

"As far as you know."

Castle gasps. "Last time I try to make you feel better." The corners of Ava's lips lift. "Why would you think Mom's mad at you?"

"I don't know."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

"Mean." She sighs. "Fine. I just feel bad cause we never invited her to our first summer storm thing before and I did this year and it wasn't supposed to rain until tomorrow when she was here, but it came early."

"Baby, Mom loves you. She knows this is our tradition and she understands that. You two do things without me all the time and I don't get mad."

There's skepticism on Ava's face that can only be defined as Beckett. "You pout, Daddy. For like hours."

"Okay, but your mother is much more mature than I am."

"Well, duh."

"Now who's being mean? I promise you Mom isn't mad at you." He jostles her until she giggles, soft and nearly melodic combined with the rain. "Now enough sadness. Summer bucket list. Go."

"Getting a dog."

He should have seen that one coming. "What did Mom and I say?"

"Not until after we move, but what if that's another year?"

"Ava."

She senses the warning, giving a small nod of the head. "Fine. I wanna go on Connor's boat. It's so big and he said we can go fishing."

"You, my little Princess, want to go fishing? You know you're going to have to touch worms, right? Slimy, icky, gross-"

"Stop! It just sounds fun, okay?"

Castle grins. "You like Connor! You're gonna play with worms because you like a booooy," he teases.

"Ew, shut up! I do not. He's Connor. He's like my gross brother and why did you have to say that." She slaps him on the leg, lightly, hiding her head between her knees. "You're so embarrassing. Can you not say anything around him like that?"

"Thou doth protest too much, my dear."

"You're like the worst Dad who ever existed. Boys are dumb and you don't even like Shakespeare. You think he's stuffy and boring and lame so can we just talk about something else? What's on your bucket list?"

"Torturing my daughter."

"Dad."

"Okay, I'm sorry. Think we can get Mom to go to the hot dog eating contest on Coney Island?"

"No. You know she'll pretty much die there and she'll go on and on about how gross it is and it totally ruins the fun. But Uncle Javi will come and we might be able to get Uncle Kevin, but Mom won't. That's your number one on the bucket list? Not original, Dad."

He doesn't tell his daughter that he already got the number one thing on his bucket list over eleven years ago. "You're right. What else is on yours?"

"Can we throw a pirate party? I've been reading the pirate books that Patty gave me a few weeks ago and it would be so much fun! Everyone can dress up and wear eye patches and you can hire a band, like you know how you have on New Year's? We can wear beaded necklaces and skirts and search for treasures!"

For a second the only thing that registers is: books and Patty and he can already picture the look Kate would give him if she was here; the one warning him to act like an adult because it's fine that Ava mentioned James, it doesn't mean his daughter loves him any less, and he should focus on the party idea because - well, it's actually a good idea, a Castle idea.

"We could turn the diving board into a plank."

"Yes!" Ava exclaims. "And talk like pirates. And maybe if we ask Ana and John they'll let us turn the boat into a ship, like Pirates of the Caribbean. Can we do it?"

"I'll talk to Mom but I'm sure it can be arranged."

"It'll be so much fun. Oh and Alexis and Scott will be here and Jake can wear a little pirate onesie because we have to dress up for holidays even though that's kind of a dumb rule, but still! You have to make Mom say yes."

He bites his lip to stifle the laugh; Kate's never quite forgotten the 'dressing up on holidays' rule, no matter how ridiculous it's become over the years. Costumes to one-up each other; photos that have remained hidden deep in their closet, only for the other to see. "I'll get Mom to say yes."

"Good. It would be so much fun."

She yawns, turning her body so she's lying across the couch. Her head rests on his lap and she's down for the count even with her excitement, another twenty minutes tops. He combs her hair with his fingers, listening to the way her breaths even out, watches as her body melts into the furniture.

"Do we have to do anything tomorrow?"

"Not if it's like this all day."

"Good. I'm gonna be pretty tired. And I wanna read more of my book and maybe when Mom gets here we can watch movies and build a blanket fort?"

"That can be arranged."

She snuggles up against him and Patterson is forgotten the moment Ava is content and nearly asleep with the rain pounding down around them. The droplets sluice over the surface of the water and he counts the seconds in his head once the first bolt of lightning strikes, waiting for the thunder. It cracks and slams against the night and he has the sudden desire to write. He's halfway through his next novel, but he misses Heat and Rook tonight; can't help but think of them during summer highs and storms that are more vibrant in the dark. He'll put Ava back to bed and -

Suddenly Ava jolts up, glancing around. The transformation from exhaustion to exhilaration crosses her face in seconds. "Mom's here."

"What?"

"You didn't hear the car door?"

"It was just thunder, baby. Come on, let's put you to bed."

"It wasn't thunder. I totally heard her car!"

"It's almost three in the morning, AJ. Mom isn't here."

"You're off your game, Castle." His wife's voice comes from behind him and he turns his head to find the gate closing. She jogs toward them, the hood of her sweatshirt pulled up over her head, doing her best to evade the rain, "Civilian Investigator skills a little rusty?"

"Mommy," Ava squeals, and suddenly she's five again, scrambling over the back of the couch to latch onto her mother. The guilt and worry of earlier is nowhere to be found, erased with sheer joy. "You made it."

"Like I was going to miss the first summer storm party I was invited to?"

Kate lifts Ava into her arms, coming around to sit next to him. She pulls the hood down, her hair stuck in the collar, and the girl settles in her lap and she's getting taller; long limbs that don't quite fit comfortably anymore, but an innocence none of them are quite willing to let go of yet.

Castle leans over kissing Kate's cheek. "You drove in this storm in the middle of the night? Beckett-"

"I wanted to be here," Kate responds softly, a hint of warning in her tone. Then she's focused on her daughter again, shedding the skin of Detective Beckett to become Mom. "Thanks for letting me join this year, Ave."

"You're welcome. Can you tell Dad to stop saying I like Connor?"

"I would, but we're already planning the wedding with his parents. Dad wants you to get married in space."

"Someone with the last name Castle is getting married there since you wouldn't and neither would Alexis," Castle argues.

"Getting married in space is dumb. How do you go to the bathroom?" And then Ava remembers what she's arguing against and the stubbornness crosses her features again. "But whatever, I don't wanna get married and I really don't wanna get married to Connor, and stop! One of you needs to be on my side."

Kate laughs. "You're right. I'm sorry. How was your day aside from Dad being Dad?"

"Hey!" Castle protests.

Kate touches his thigh, giving him a small smile, as she settles against him. She's already nearly dry due to the humidity and he wraps his arm around her waist. She smells like summer and the perfume he had bought her a couple of months ago because it somehow reminded him of her, and he presses his lips to the side of her head.

"It was good. We have to go through my closet tomorrow and get rid of some stuff and Dad and I are planning a pirate party-"

Kate lifts an eyebrow in his direction and he shrugs. "We'll discuss it later."

"And because I'm gonna be tired tomorrow and it's gonna be like this out, Dad said that we can stay home and I can read Patty, but when it stops raining, can we go get my favorite waffles?"

"Definitely. Should we wait for Addie and Claire to get here?"

"Yeah, we probably should. Addie hates when I eat them without her." Ava yawns again, shifting around until she gets comfortable. She stretches out between them, curling up underneath the blanket. "I'm tired."

"Come on, kiddo. Bed," Castle says.

"Just a little while longer out here, okay?"

"Okay," Kate answers. She leans her head back, staring up the cloudy, midnight sky. "You didn't want to complain about the Civilian Investigator comment?" she murmurs with a smile.

"I was choosing to ignore it. Besides I'm not rusty. I was distracted."

"By?"

"The fact that I'd rather be writing Nikki and Rook right now than anything else and Ava's party idea does sound pretty awesome." He can tell that Ava's already asleep by the soft snore and slight mumbling of incoherent words as another clap of thunder breaks. "I wish you didn't drive in this."

"Castle, it's fine. I'm here. I was careful." She threads her fingers through Ava's hair, untangling a knot. "I didn't want to miss this."

"You closed the case?"

"Around eleven. You were right. It was Fitzsimmons."

"And you call me rusty? Beckett, I helped figure out your killer from our living room."

"Only because you'd rather procrastinate than write." She rests her head on his shoulder. Her fingers trace light patterns over his t-shirt, lost in a haze of exhaustion. "While we're on the topic of living rooms, I checked out the Penthouse on my lunch hour."

"And?"

"It's six bedrooms, Castle. We don't need that much space."

"Sure we do. Our room. Ava's, Alexis', Mother's. Guest room. Don't forget that I'll need an office. Six might not actually be enough."

He doesn't need to see Kate to know she's rolling her eyes. "Right because you haven't designated a room for your cardboard cutouts."

"Beckett! That's such a good idea."

"Sometimes I really question my sanity on agreeing to marry you."

"What's worse is that you had a kid with me. One who is very much like me."

"Yeah, well, it's cute on her."

He grins, sliding a hand underneath her sweatshirt. Her skin is warm against his palm and he rubs his hand soothingly down her back. "You can admit it. It's cute on me too."

She presses her lips to his, soft, quick, answer enough. "You know Martha wants the loft, right?"

"She's been dropping not so subtle hints from the moment we decided to move. What does she need all that space for?"

"Have you ever met your mother, Castle? I'm sure she'll be throwing outlandish parties and ruining all the hard work that we put into the place."

"It's going to turn into some sort of brothel isn't it?" He shivers dramatically. "What about your dad? Can we move him in as her chaperone?"

"I don't even want to think about it." She shifts, getting a grunt out of Ava as she re-positions herself. "It will be nice to keep the loft in the family."

"Kate, we don't have to move-"

"I love the loft, Castle. Alexis grew up there. Ava took her first steps in the kitchen. It's where you wrote us for the first time. But it's time. We both wanted to make the change. I don't regret that. I'm just saying it would be nice to have someone we love living there."

He thinks of the words that poured out of him the night he had met her, the dinners and wine dates before they were them, the way she came to him on a night so much like tonight, soaked and vulnerable wanting no one but him. There are markings of both of his daughter's height on the wall in the laundry room and a lifetime of memories of rebuilding his relationship with his mother. Kate's right. It's time to leave, but this was his home, their home, their family's home, and he's not willing to give that up yet. "I'll talk to Mother about it when she comes out here."

She nods and he thinks she's recalling the same memories, a different life that had eventually meshed into one. "We don't need six bedrooms. I called Steven and he sent me another listing. Downtown, only a couple of blocks from where we are now. Two floors, four bedrooms, an office. We're still near he and Claire so if we need to pick up Ava late one night we don't have to go across town and we're still close to Ave's school. Plus, the elevator opens up into the apartment."

He considers it for less than a second. "Sold! When can we check it out?"

"Couple of days. Claire said she'd watch the girls. We can head into the city, look at it and come right back. Steven sent me photos of the property. It fits us."

"I really think we should have a cardboard cutout room."

"You sure, Castle? Wouldn't it just be a reminder of how much you've aged over the years?"

"You're as mean as your daughter."

Kate laughs, rubbing her face against his shoulder. "Only when I'm tired." She unravels her fingers from Ava's hair, staring a moment too long. He knows what she's thinking by the way she looks at their child and he feels the twinge of regret over the past and the arguments that had once nearly destroyed them. And just like that it fades, washed away with the water that drips from the awning above them. "We should get her into bed."

"We should get you into bed too." He lifts an eyebrow followed by another and she grins with pursed lips, shaking her head.

"Not happening."

"Not even if I-" Castle leans over, feels the way her breath hitches and she shivers as he whispers in her ear. He can nearly feel the heat radiating off of her, the rapid rise of her chest as he bites gently on her lobe.

Kate looks down at her watch with a sly smile. "You have twenty minutes before I pass out." He hefts his daughter into his arms in a move he wasn't even sure he still possessed, and Kate follows, not bothering to shield herself from the rain. He watches as she lifts her head slightly and this time the smile is in remembrance as the storm washes over her and then she's suddenly beside him again, in stride like always. "So, how miserable were you when Ava said she wanted to read Patterson all day tomorrow?"

"Beckett, please. I'm a grown man. I can handle it."

"You wanted to curse his existence, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah. It's a miracle I had the willpower not to say anything."

Kate opens the door to the house and Ava's right; it is freezing in here.

"Speaking of will power, put her to bed, Castle." She slaps his ass before making her way up the stairs, three steps ahead of him. She reaches the landing, pulling off her sweatshirt. "Eighteen minutes and counting, babe. Better hurry."

Thoughts and comments are always appreciated.

Thanks for reading!