Thank you for the great responses to the latest chapter. This one is the party, so I hope you all enjoy it. Gregg.

Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, the characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Outside of having to order him to keep the speed down, Beckett loved the ride to the bar in the Jag. The whole interior was designed for ease and comfort. The seats were plush and you practically sank into the enveloping cushioning, the leather supple and smooth. Glancing at Castle as he drove them also produced those lovely, heady feelings that were now commonplace when she was near him. The recent trip and time apart had been tough, but she'd managed. The fact that he'd been glancing at her every few seconds, as well as giving her some rather amusing leers, told her that he'd had the same difficulty while away on the trip.

"Are you sure we can't just head back to your place and get to the part where we make up for the lost time while I was away with Alexis?" he almost pleaded when he pulled up into his parking space at the bar.

"Patience, Writer Boy," Beckett chided, using her other fun nickname for him which she had thankfully gotten from Lanie.

"It's Writer MAN, not Boy, and I could prove it to you, yet again, if we could just go back to your place," Castle replied predictably.

"After a drink," she said firmly as she opened the door and got out of the car. She sighed wistfully as she did so. It really was a great car to be in. She smiled in amusement as he rushed around the car and offered his arm gallantly. "Thank you," she told him as she slipped her arm in his.

"You are most welcome," Castle said in his most serious tone, and then grinned. Now that the work day was over, and they were away from the Precinct, he was able to indulge in some PDA. Not really the particular kind of affection he wanted to show her at the moment, but that would be happening soon enough, even if he had to make a managerial/ownership decision and announce last call this early in the day once she'd had her "one" drink. Opening the door they walked in.

"SURPRISE!" came the loud shout from a number of people in the establishment.

"What the Hell?" Castle jumped back a little, then he noticed that Beckett was smiling widely at him, and that the people in the bar were his friends, and a number of officers he knew from the Precinct. The Mayor, Police Commissioner, and the Chief of Detectives were also there.

"It's a party, Castle," Beckett grinned. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "It's for that article you wrote. This is our way of saying thanks."

"Was this your idea?" he asked curiously.

"Maybe," she replied vaguely.

"Thank you," he said softly. The he turned to everyone. "All right, let's have a party!" he grinned his usual happy go lucky grin.

The party went very well from Castle's perspective. The Mayor, Police Commissioner, and the Chief of Detectives presented him with an Honorary NYPD Detective's shield for his contributions to the department, and specifically the 12th Precinct. He got some mileage out of that one by threatening to arrest anyone who glared at him anymore, throwing in a knowing glance at his fiancée, Beckett. As usual when he was being childish, she rolled her eyes and joined in on the laughter. About two hours into the party everyone heard an excited shriek come from one Dr. Lanie Parrish. When they all looked over at her they saw her throwing her arms around Esposito, just about inhaling his face in kiss after kiss.

Another shriek followed from Jenny as they all saw Ryan exchange the original engagement ring, his so-called honey of a deal, with the one he'd purchased (with Castle's substantial assistance) that afternoon. Within minutes the women at the party all huddled together and Castle got a visit from Esposito and Ryan.

"My Honey isn't too happy with me, Bro," Esposito said, a look of mingled shock that he was now engaged, and a little trepidation as Lanie hadn't been too happy about one tiny detail.

"What's that matter? The ring not big enough?" Castle asked, wondering what the Hell was going on.

"Because I'll be making some serious payments for that rock I cried over this morning, I had to explain that the two month rule has basically broken the bank on the honeymoon front," Esposito said in a near hiss. "No honeymoon means a seriously ticked Honey."

"And don't forget the wedding ring," Ryan added in to be helpful

"Shut up," Esposito jabbed his partner in the ribs. "I'm trying to forget that I'm hemorrhaging cash at the moment."

"And Jenny loves the ring I got this afternoon, but like all women, she put it on, kissed me to within an inch of my life, and then said I didn't have to go and buy her such an expensive ring," Ryan told his sorry tale. "My honeymoon is going up in smoke as we speak, too."

"Does Jenny like the mountains?" Castle asked.

"Yeah," Ryan replied. "She took me on some nature hike once and wore my feet down to the nub."

"I have a cabin in the Adirondacks you two could use for your honeymoon," Castle offered. "And you and Lanie can use my beach house in the Hamptons, which has a private beach."

"I will never understand women," Montgomery came up to the group.

"Oh?" three knowing smiles came back at him.

"She tells me her original ring is a bit skimpy, I get her, with your help Castle, a ring that costs more than the down payment on my house, and then she squeals, wears it for all of two hours then puts the old on one and pronounces that the new one is too nice to wear everyday so it goes in the jewelry box for extra special occasions," Montgomery moaned. "Do you know how many times that particular jewelry box has been opened in the last ten years? A whopping four times! I'm going to be making payments for the next two years and the damn thing won't see the light of day once in that time, I just know it."

"But are the ladies happy?" Castle asked. Three nods greeted him. "Then I think we need to focus more on that fact than our own misery."

"What have you got to me miserable about, Bro?" Esposito demanded.

"This whole surprise that Beckett has planned for me," Castle nervously looked around to make sure Kate wasn't anywhere in earshot.

"This party was the surprise, Dude," Ryan told him.

"No it's not," Castle said firmly. "She mentioned something about back at her place afterwards, and the way she said it makes me want to whip out my safe word every couple of seconds."

"You are so whipped, Bro," Esposito shook his head.

"Even more than me," Ryan added with evident satisfaction.

"No, Bro, you're way more whipped than Castle," Esposito told his friend. "Hands down. Still."

"Well what about you?" Ryan demanded. "You've been wearing a steel cup for days now! If that isn't whipped I don't know what is!"

"You would, too, if you saw that cleaver in action!" Esposito hissed, trying to keep the conversation from getting out to everyone else.

"At least we're not on the couch, Gentlemen," Montgomery reminded them all. "Now I suggest we get back to our ladies and mingle before we do get couch patrol."

Castle let Kate drive them to her place in the Jag to see how she liked it. Needless to say she loved it. He, on the other hand, was keeping a hold on the large binder with all the e-mails in them from so many NYPD officers. He'd been deeply touched when he'd been given it. He silently promised himself to read through each one and also the ones on the flash drive. He quickly forgot about the binder and flash drive when, the second the door to her apartment closed on them, he found himself pushed against the door and the happy recipient of the most sultry, sexy, HOT welcome home kiss he'd ever received.

"Welcome home, Stud," Kate said in a sultry purr, emphasizing the last word. She looked deeply into his eyes as she pulled down his jacket and began to unbutton his shirt.

"Happy to see me?" Castle asked, his voice trying to catch up to his mind as she undressed him. A moment later he was standing against her door in nothing but his boxer shorts. A visible sign of his excitement tenting out the boxers.

"Very," Kate said in a very sexy purr-like growl. "Go get on the bed and wait for me," she ordered. "And keep the boxers on," she added as she walked away to the master bathroom.

Castle was not about to disobey. He ran, not walked, to the bedroom and all but jumped up on the bed and laid himself out with his hands behind his head looking at the door and waiting for his surprise. He was sure glad he wore the black silk boxers that Kate loved so much on him.

"You ready?" he heard her call out from behind the door.

"More than words can express!" he said excitedly. He saw her come into view and suddenly his raging arousal, and his desire to be ravaged, left in an instant. "Apples!" he managed to squeak instantly.

Kate smirked. She had put on a leather bustier, leather garter belt, even some leather panties along with sheer black stockings and knee high leather booth with very high heels. On her head she wore a leather brimmed hat and in her hands a black leather whip. She'd done this on purpose to see what kind of reaction she would get before moving onto her real plans for the evening.

"Already, Ricky?" she purred, deciding to play this for a short bit to see what he would do. "But I wanted to show you how good I am with a whip," she pouted in feigned disappointment.

"Apples!" he said more firmly. No way was he going to be the recipient of a whip demonstration! Not in this lifetime anyway.

"But Ricky," she continued, as she uncoiled the long whip. "I'm really good. I'll even crack the whip away from you so you won't even get touched. Just a demonstration. Pleeeaasseeeeeeee!" she pleaded like this was the most important thing in the world.

"Sorry, Kate, but I gotta go with apples on this one," he said in as manly a voice as he could muster. He was feeling a little pale, not to mention downright nauseous, with that whip still uncoiled and in the same room.

"Just once, please," she pleaded once more. "If you let me I'll give you a night that will make your wildest Nikki Heat fantasy look tame by comparison," she threw in with a deliciously wicket look on her face.

Castle's jaw came unhinged at that offer. Now that was something no sane guy would ever turn down, and while he may be a bit wild now and then, he was most definitely sane. His therapist would go to bat for him on that one.

"Okay, but just one crack and away from me," he caved. "And this better be one Hell of a night," he muttered.

Beckett beamed as she let the whip move smoothly under her expert hand. She had done some dominatrix stuff while undercover once and her specialty had been the whip. Twirling it gracefully she let it whip out and it hit with a resounding CRACK!

Outside Kate Beckett's apartment a scream of pain and anguish could be heard loud and clear.

"APPLES!"

A/N: There will be one more chapter to this story. It will be a short epilogue. In it we find out what happened to Castle, and also see how he responds to the messages he received from the NYPD. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg.