CH20

It is still the same day: (Middle of October)

This chapter has a minor amount of "M" rated material. Reader discretion is advised.

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Kate was wrong, they were not sitting on the roof as Kate had feared. The exact opposite in fact. They were right on the far corner of the Yankee dugout, down front up against the wall. Kate felt like she could just reach over the wall and touch the grass. She was giddy and was bouncing.

They went through the introductions of the starting teams, stood for the National Anthem, and listened to the singing of the song. The Yankees took the field with Cone as their starting pitcher.

Kate was still bouncing up and down, not keeping still as Boston gave way and took the field for the bottom of the first inning. Boston had Martinez as their starting pitcher and the Yankees didn't do any better.

It went like that for the first three innings. Rick had his head on a swivel searching for the hot dog and beer guy. This was a baseball game; everyone knew the best hot dogs were at a baseball game, even if they did cost a small fortune.

Kate thought she knew what Castle was looking for and she could hear them yelling out what they were selling. Except she watched Castle pull out a piece of paper, write something with his ever present Sharpie, and hand it to someone over the fence they were sitting behind. She watched the man disappear into the Yankee dugout.

In the bottom of the 4th inning the Yankees scored a run and now had the lead. Kate was hopping up and down kissing Castle and hadn't noticed someone standing in front of them till she stopped kissing Castle.

"Rick, good to see you. It's about time you showed up to cheer us on." He was grinning since he knew Rick wasn't a big Yankee fan.

"Joe! It's good to see you again. I see you've got yourself another winning team." Rick held out his hand and shook hands with Joe Torre.

"Someone has to make sure the Dodgers don't win the World Series." Joe teased since he knew Rick.

"Joe, this is Kate Beckett. Kate this is Joe Torre. Kate is the most special person I know." Rick smiled widely.

Joe held out his hand and waited for Kate to come down from the stars to shake his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You must be really special if you plan on handling Rick. I'd wish you luck but by the look of it, you don't need my luck."

Kate stood there gaping at Joe Torre. She was meeting Joe Torre and was shaking his hand. "Castle, …Beckett …Kate …big fan!" Her behavior had Joe laughing.

"You still at the same number. I'm sure Kate and I would love to have you over for dinner some time," Rick offered, still grinning at the speechless Kate.

"Nothing has changed. I'm sure Ali would love to come over and catch up. You just let us know when after we win the World Series and we'll be there," Joe couldn't help but tease Rick.

Joe's statement got Rick to growl. "Just for that I may cook for you." Joe knew Rick could burn water.

"I have to get back and win this game. I'm glad you could come. Enjoy the free tickets and let me know when you need anymore." Joe waved. "Nice meeting you Kate Beckett."

Kate was still just standing there with her mouth hanging open. "That…was…Joe…Torre." Kate was still in the clouds.

"Free tickets huh?" Rick stared at Kate who wasn't looking at him. Rick helped Kate sit down.

It was during the top of the next inning when Boston scored two runs that Castle finally got his hot dog and beer and bought the same for Kate. She sat there dejected as Boston scored two runs. However this was when it finally hit Kate that Joe had said something about free tickets.

Kate put 2+2 together and came up with Jack and his free tickets. Castle was friends with Joe Torre. It was also now that Kate caught up with Castle inviting him over to their new place for dinner; she stared at Castle while she ate her hot dog and drank her beer.

Rick remained silent through it all. He wondered how Kate had gotten her hands on two free tickets handed over by his friend Joe Torre when it was obvious that Kate didn't know him. However it only made Kate that much more special to him.

Rick was happy up until the 7th inning when the Yankees scored two more runs and went through 4 pitchers in the 8th. He was forced to watch their reliever, Rivera in the 9th and win the game.

Still he got to see Garciaparra hit a home run for Boston along with a home run by Martinez for New York, and watch Kate wave good-bye to Joe as they left. Their date left Rick with questions. Now he knew who to invite over for dinner, knowing Kate would likely go nuts planning and cooking for them. Just the thought alone had him proud of Kate and made him smile.

"What's the smile for Castle? The Yankees won," Kate pointed out since Castle had been rooting for the Red Sox and she knew it. Kate hoped she could win him over to her side the longer they lived in New York City.

Rick leaned into Kate's ear as they started the long climb up the steps to the exit. "Because we are going to inaugurate the new bedroom tonight when I ravish you till you beg for mercy."

It had Kate's heart racing instantly thinking about what Castle was going to do to her tonight. From the grin on Castle's face, he knew just what those words had done to her.

Kate spent the entire trip home looking into Castle's eyes, which from her point of view were looking at her like she was already naked.

The second they locked the front door and set the security system for them being home, Castle took her hand and pulled her down the hall to their bedroom. "Strip, Kate and get into bed." Castle told her and then left the bedroom.

Kate literally shook as she stripped, tossed her clothes onto a nearby chair, and sat on the bed waiting and wondering. Castle was gone too long and Kate was starting to burst at the seams over what he had planned.

Then he finally returned. When he walked back into the bedroom he was naked and already hard. Her eyes spotted his erection immediately; she couldn't wait to get her hands on his manhood and treat it like only she could.

Castle stood right in front of her. His erection was all she could see and was just thinking about reaching out and giving it all of her attention. "Lay down on the bed Kate, on your back." His words somehow had their effect on her as Kate lay down on her back and waited for Castle to join her.

It was only then that Kate noticed the silk scarves that he had in his hands as he tied one end to her wrist and the other end to the post of the headboard. "Castle?" Kate had wanted it to come out like a strong question, however it sounded more like an excited whimper.

Kate watched him tie her ankle on the same side to the post at the foot of the bed. Kate followed Castle as he tied her other ankle and finally was working on her other hand. It left Kate tied to the bed, spread eagle and naked.

Kate was now squirming as she waited for what was to come next.

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It was morning and Kate was standing in their new bathroom looking at her body in the full length mirror that was in the dressing room. Kate was marked again. She inspected each and every splotch and stripe on her body.

Most of them she knew how they got there; others were a complete mystery. Kate remembered just what Castle had done to her last night. Well what she could remember anyway. Her mind had given up trying to keep up with the number of orgasms that she had. Kate was pretty sure there came a point where they just didn't stop and she had no idea just how many she had had last night.

Then there was what was in her hand when she had gotten out of bed. Kate lifted it up in her hand to look at it. It had a handle about 6-inches long that was covered in silk with cross stitching in red and black and had a loop on the end that allowed you to hang it up. The business end had a number of 11-inch long satin strands that matched nicely with the marks on her thighs and across her breasts as Kate held one of the strands up against one of the marks.

What Castle had done to her last night showed Kate that he wasn't afraid and it gave her more confidence in what she wanted to do. It had her searching one of the drawers that she had hidden it in. "Soon little one, soon." Kate stuffed it back into its hiding place for another day.

Kate decided to return to bed. She slid in close to Castle and drew a doodle on his chest with her finger while she kissed his exposed skin. When Castle's arms pulled her in closer she knew that Castle was finally awake.

"Morning." Castle whispered. "Hi." Kate returned. "I love you Rick. You own so much of my heart I don't know how much of it is actually mine anymore." Kate gave his skin a longer kiss.

"I didn't hurt you last night did I?" Rick really was worried that he had gone too far.

Kate chuckled lightly. "No. …Last night was simply …extraordinary. No one has made love to me like you do, let alone what you did last night.

Castle, just when did you start using this?" Kate lifted up the whip she had found.

Rick reached out and took it from her and held the handle in his hand. "You were mumbling nonsense somewhere around your 15th orgasm, I think, when I started to use this on your thighs while I used my other hand to stimulate you each time I whipped you.

I think you had three more until I switched to whipping your breasts. After each stroke I would bend down and bite one of your nipples. With each bite I would stroke your clit causing you to come again.

When I switched back to your thighs you started climaxing with each stroke of the whip. After a while even I lost track of how many orgasms you were having. It was so erotic Kate, watching you squirm while screaming at each stroke.

I stopped and untied you when I feared I was actually hurting you and that scared me. You finally calmed down. However your body was still twitching occasionally. You're sure you're not hurt? I'd die if I thought I had hurt you."

"I have muscles that I didn't know I had that are sore, but I barely remember any of what happened last night. I remember the start but after that it is a blur." Kate buried her face into Castle's side.

"Castle, just how many orgasms did I have last night." Kate knew her body had never felt like it does now.

"I'm afraid I don't really know, my love. If I had to guess, … somewhere over 20 easily, maybe one or two short of 30." Rick knew he had given up counting and had switched to just trying to get Kate to never stop having orgasms. It was like a drug to try and see if he could get Kate to never stop. The look on her face, the sounds that she made, the changes in her skin color...it was all so intoxicating, and he was responsible for all of it.

Still was all of Kate's twitching and screaming really an orgasm or was it something else? He had reduced Kate to a quaking puddle of goo incapable of forming a coherent thought. Now he just had to plan on how or when to do it again.

Kate rolled over onto her back. "30!?" Kate whispered. Kate knew that until Castle started making love to her she had counted herself lucky to have more than one and no one had ever made love to her like Castle did. …EVER!

The idea of having had 30 orgasms was something that didn't seem possible. But her sore muscles told her something else and Kate had faith that Castle wouldn't lie to her. Kate decided to ask Jill when they were alone, since Jill was part of her now.

Then the stupid alarm went off. That told her it was time to get up, take a shower, and get her butt back to her classes in the Academy. Hopefully today wouldn't involve anything physical because her muscles couldn't take much more abuse.

It took half an hour each day one way by taxi or by motorcycle and one hour by combination bus and underground to reach the Academy. Today turned out to be a taxi day since Kate didn't think her sore muscles could take using mass transit today.

Rick had his own task to do today with Kate's reluctant blessing. Armed with Kate's key, he took a taxi and was soon standing outside the door to Kate's family home. He hoped to find Kate's father home and suffering from a night of drinking himself into oblivion. Rick was just hoping it wasn't a permanent case of oblivion.

Rick let himself inside and closed and locked the door behind him. What he found inside was just what he feared most, Jim had gone right back to drinking. At least he was eating the food that they'd left behind. There were containers of soup that Jim could warm in the microwave. All the other meals were frozen TV dinners that, while not good, were better than nothing.

In addition there were bottles of alcohol everywhere. Most were empty but not all of them. Rick, however, had come prepared. He had cleaning supplies and was armed with Kate's knowledge of where everything was.

The trash went into plastic bags that he had brought with him. The alcohol went down the drain and then the bottles went into the trash. Rick took an inventory of how much food was left so he could go shopping and build up the supplies again. Next came the use of the vacuum cleaner followed by a complete scrubbing of the bathrooms.

Rick didn't know how to cook but he knew how to clean and had no qualms about putting in the work. Being in the military had actually been harder than this. His trips to the gym meant he was still in excellent shape and all this work was done quickly and efficiently.

Next came a trip to the grocery store to replace the food that Jim had used up. Rick had the freezer and shelves restocked and decided it was time to go check on Jim. He feared what he would find and prayed that his delay hadn't cost Kate her father.

Rick found Jim lying on his bed still in his clothes along with a few more bottles, some empty and some not. At least there wasn't any vomit. Jim looked thin and he was a little cool. He was also out cold.

Rick picked up all the clothes off of the floor, started a load of laundry, then went back in to gather up and search for all the bottles of alcohol that he could find. He poured it down the drain and put the bottles into the trash. Jim appeared to be a whiskey man though there were also bottles of vodka and even a few of tequila, though those were not nearly as numerous.

Next came stripping Jim naked and tossing his clothes into the laundry pile. Rick knew what to do next but he decided it was time to start the coffee machine first. Rick overloaded the filter with grounds in an attempt to make the coffee extra strong.

Stepping back into the bedroom Rick picked up Jim, carried him into the bathroom, and placed him in the tub. He turned on the shower and let it run cold. Since it was October the water in New York was starting to get really cold.

It took a few minutes before Jim started to react to the water and had actually opened his eyes. Rick started using a wash cloth to wash Jim and scrub his skin clean. Jim was shivering and Rick could barely feel his fingers from the cold water. Jim still hadn't said a word. Rick grabbed a couple of towels and helped Jim step out of the shower. He just stood there while Rick rubbed him dry.

Rick put Jim in a robe and walked him into the kitchen where he sat Jim down and watched as Jim started to go back to sleep. Rick now spent his time force feeding Jim what he was hoping was cup after cup of strong coffee.

When Rick started getting too many grounds he started another pot brewing while sitting there watching Jim drink his coffee for himself. "I know you don't I?" Jim was finally looking at Rick over the rim of his cup of coffee.

"Yes, we've met before. The last time was when you were in the hospital," Rick confirmed.

"Katie dropped me in a hospital and left me there." Rick could hear the venom in Jim's voice.

"Your daughter, who I think you still love dearly, was afraid you were trying to kill yourself. Want to tell me what happened?" Rick was willing to let Jim bend his ear. Besides if he got Jim to talk it might help him figure out what the problem is.

"I would never try to kill myself. Katie thought wrong." Instead Jim's defenses came up.

"Like you would never raise a hand against your daughter," Rick countered and suddenly regretted it. It was likely only going to make Jim more defensive, and Rick was here to get him to stop drinking, not argue with him.

"I've never done so and I resent the implication." Rick sighed. He had made an enemy of Jim before he even had gotten started. Still his love of Kate wouldn't allow Jim off the hook so easily.

"Kate's bruising and cuts that I tended to that day say otherwise. Kate is actually scared of you now thanks to your drunken attacks," Rick went on the offensive.

Jim put his cup of coffee down spilling some of it. "Lies, all lies. I think it's time for you to leave." Jim tried standing up but realized he couldn't and remained seated.

"You're probably right. I've cleaned the place and have a load of laundry in the washer. I've also gone shopping so you will have some food to eat."

"Kate is already hurting from the loss of her mother and now her father is trying to kill himself by drinking too much. That behavior has already put you in the hospital once. You go back in again you may not come back out. Are you so sure you want your only child to be parentless?

I'm well acquainted with losing someone. You lost your wife; I get it, I do. But is having lost Johanna worth the loss of your entire family? Kate just wants her father back, however, if you no longer want to be a father or maybe someday a grandfather after walking your daughter down the aisle, then stay here and drink yourself to death.

Just remember, suicides are not allowed to be re-acquainted with their dead loved ones. You drink yourself to death and you'll be alone for all time." Rick wasn't afraid of Jim physically; if it came to it he could put Jim on the floor in a heartbeat. So Rick turned his back and walked for the front door. "I know a couple of places to help you stop drinking, but you have to want to stop for it to work. Your daughter loves you and I love your daughter with all my heart. I'll be back in a week to check on you, clean the house, buy you some more food, and make sure that all the bills are paid so that you are not thrown out of your own house because you have stopped payments on it. Because you've stopped living.

Don't forget to move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. There is a fresh pot of coffee on the counter should you decide to re-join the land of the living. Otherwise we'll bury your dead body next to your wife's and Kate can cry over two graves instead of one.

And I'll hate you for the rest of my life for what you have consciously chosen to do to Kate simply because you lost your wife." Rick was still mad after he had Jack call him a taxi and was still fuming when he finally got home.

"I think I may have screwed up Jack. If he drinks himself to death after this, Kate is never going to forgive me." Rick collapsed onto the sofa in the living room and looked up at the dark ceiling far above him.

"Perhaps some tough love is just what Jim Beckett needed. A slap in the face instead of being babied by a woman," Jack offered.

"I just wish I knew what he was doing. He goes out, buys more booze, and starts drinking again. It would be nice to know when and how he's doing it," Rick talked to himself. Rick knew just what he needed and who to get it from. "What was that guy's name? Danielson, Donaldson? Something 'son.'" It had Rick up off the sofa and into the library/study where his laptop and phone numbers were located.

Half an hour later Rick knew an overnight FedEx package would be arriving from an address in Langley in his future. Rick didn't know how many he was going to need now or in the future, so he had left it to his friend to send as many as he could. Rick had told him no matter how many he sent it wouldn't likely be enough.

"You're sure you can monitor these things Jack?" Rick wanted to hear it again.

"Positive. They may be state of the art for you, but they are child's play for me." Jack knew he could monitor them, all of them, if it came to that.

"Way to cheer me up Jack. Insult the best the CIA has to offer." Rick was teasing and by Jack's silence, Rick knew Jack did too.