AN: This chapter isn't supposed to be a song fic, but there's an old song mentioned that seemed Casketty to me. (A really old song. I'm aging a lot faster than I'd like, and it was one my parents enjoyed.) – "Always" by Irving Berlin. As I understand it, this was written as a twenty-fifth anniversary gift to his wife.

Ella Fitzgerald's gorgeous voice was singing it on youtube until about two weeks ago when I found it had been removed because of copyrights. Apparently links don't post here, but if you're interested, the song itself is still on youtube. Look for Always The Ink Spots. The Ink Spots sing it once in a similar style. After they sing it once (ending around 1:20), it wanders off into a spoken thing I'm not fond of.

Epilogue 2

The caterers Castle had hired came in on schedule to set up for dinner, and Kate again asked why there were caterers this time. They usually made family meals like this one themselves. He explained that he just wanted a night for his family and extended family to relax and enjoy their dinner without having to work at it or clean up after it.

"Just enjoy it," he told her as he buttoned the cuffs of his shirt.

"You look very handsome tonight," Kate told him from where she casually leaned against the door frame watching him. That's my favorite shirt. I love seeing you wear it."

"I know," he answered with a mischievous smile. "That's why I bought two more just like it." He basked in the smile she gave him, the one she saved just for him…just for moments like this.

"Thank you," she answered, without even the hint of a smirky comment.

He looked at her appreciatively as he put on his jacket. "Is that a new dress?" he asked.

"I saw it when Lanie and I went shopping last weekend. I thought having caterers might call for a new dress." She stood away from the door frame and did a couple of turns to show him all sides of her new outfit. "Do you like it" she asked hopefully.

"I love it. You look beautiful. I'm already having lustful thoughts about getting you back out of it."

"After the company leaves," she promised as she smoothed the shoulders of his jacket, letting her hands linger there longer than necessary.

As he kissed her, they heard someone knocking at the front door.

"We can serve any time you're ready, Mr. Castle," one of the catering staff said as Rick and Kate went to answer the door.

"Thank you, Mark," he answered. "I'll let you know when the last guests arrive. You can start then."

"Yes, Sir."

Martha and Alexis had come downstairs just as Castle opened the door for Ryan and Jenny. The Ryans were soon followed by Lanie and Esposito…and within a few more minutes, Alex had joined the dinner party, and then Jim Beckett. Dinner was served, the staff was efficient and attentive, and conversation was light and easy. Everyone except Kate knew Castle's intention for the evening, but no one knew how or when he would carry it out.

Castle was familiar with the catering staff. He had worked with them often over the years. Dessert had been prepared so he and Alexis could easily serve it themselves later, and he had asked them to clean up and clear things out while he entertained his guests. He started dance music and invited everyone to join them as he pulled Kate to an open space to dance. Some danced and others sat where they were at the dining table and talked. Before the catering staff left with their healthy tips, Castle and a couple of other members of his group had a short dance with each of them, and all three members of the catering team left laughing and exchanging thank you's with the host.

The dancers wandered back to talk with those who still sat at the table, most of them wondering when Castle was going to do whatever it was he had planned…and whether it would be simple or elaborate. He had given nothing away; and so far, Kate seemed oblivious to anything more unusual than caterers.

After about twenty minutes with the others at the table, Castle stood, picked up the remote for his sound system in one hand and held out his other hand to Kate. "Dance with me, Kate…an old-fashioned waltz." He checked the remote and clicked it, starting an old song from the nineteen-twenties. The music started, and the smooth, clear voice of Ella Fitzgerald was singing "I'll be loving you always…With a love that's true, always…" He held her and waltzed her slowly around the room, and his guests sat back and smiled, seeming to understand that his plan had begun.

"This song… Where did you find it?" Kate asked as she caught the lyrics that so obviously applied to them.

"Just listen, then I'll tell you about it," he answered and swung her away to twirl her around before pulling her back to him. As the song ended with 'Not for just an hour…not for just a day…not for just a year, but always,' he stopped and took the ring from his pocket to show her. At the last word he said softly, "Marry me, Kate."

She held her left hand out to him, and he slipped the ring on her finger and then kissed her as the room went up in cheers and whistles. When he pulled her close and started dancing again, Kate realized Ms. Fitzgerald had picked up the tempo of the song. It was almost like a little happy dance to follow the love song, and neither of them could seem to stop smiling. Others got up to join them; and when the song ended, they were swamped with congratulatory hugs and demands to see the ring.

After she had shown him the ring, Jim Beckett hugged his daughter and said, "Rick told us he wanted witnesses when you said yes."

Kate suddenly looked distressed. She turned to Castle and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes! Castle, I forgot to say yes."

That brought laughter from the rest of the group, including Castle; and he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her from the floor, and swung her in a circle before putting her down.

"When you offered to let me put the ring on your finger without an argument, I assumed that was what you meant. Do you like it?"

"I love it. It's perfect,"

"So are you," he whispered in her ear as he leaned to kiss her cheek.

"Any idea when this will happen?" Alex asked.

"Tomorrow?" Castle answered in the form of another question. When Kate backhanded him in the chest, he asked, "Too soon?" and everyone laughed again.

"We need a date so we can start planning," Martha told them. "Decide soon. There's a lot to do."

"They're barely engaged, Martha," Alex reminded her. "Give them a day or two to enjoy the idea."

"I'm with Martha," Lanie insisted. "There's major shopping to be done."

"In your world, there's major shopping to be done with or without a wedding," Esposito teased, earning his own backhand to the chest. "Do you and Beckett work on that together or something?" he asked, rubbing his hand across his heart, which brought another round of laughter.

"There's champagne, sparkling juices, and dessert," Castle announced. "Help us celebrate."

He and Alexis served dessert, Martha poured the drinks, and everyone toasted the newly engaged couple. After dessert the party began to break up, and congratulations were offered repeatedly as people gradually left for their own homes.

When they were down to Castle's family, which he now considered to include Jim Beckett, Martha left with Alex, saying they were going out for a while. "Don't wait up," she told them.

Jim hugged his daughter again. "I'm happy for you, Katie." He gave Castle a quick hug, too, saying, "Rick, I'll be proud to call you my son."

"Thanks, Jim. I promise to take good care of her," he said appreciatively, wrapping one arm around Kate's shoulders and pulling her close.

"I know you will," Jim answered, giving Castle a fatherly pat on the arm. "And Katie does, too. Goodnight."

"I'm going over to see Paige for a while. You don't need to wait up for me, either," Alexis told them, picking up her purse and walking toward the door. "If I stay too late, I'll just stay there and come back early in the morning; and I'll call if I'm staying there."

"Looks like you thought of everything I'd usually tell you," Castle answered.

"See you in the morning," she called over her shoulder as she left.

"You think they planned that ahead of time?" Castle chuckled.

"Probably…and I can't even find it in me to feel guilty," Kate answered, planting a big kiss on his lips.

"You're gonna marry me," he said with a big grin, standing with his arms around her waist.

"Yeah" She grinned back and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified, but not because of you."

"Me, too." He held her close, his hand on the back of her head, holding it against his shoulder. "We can do this, Kate," he said and kissed her temple. "We can make a good life. We'll argue and annoy each other, but we'll get past it and get old together and still be in love. Do you believe that?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be wearing this ring and thinking about being your wife. I believe you. Tell me about the song. I liked it."

"It was written in the twenties as a love song, but it makes a good lullaby, too. Mother sang it to me; she said her mother sang it to her. I sang it to Alexis. It has nice memories. Today just adds to them." Changing the subject suddenly, he pleaded, "Please tell me it doesn't have to be a long engagement."

"It doesn't have to be a long engagement."

"Can it be a really short engagement?"

Why do you want it that short?" she teased.

"Mostly because I love you, and I want to get to the part where I can call you my wife. Girlfriend just didn't say enough about how I feel about you. Fiancé is a big improvement, but…"

"And the rest of the reason?"

He let a little chuckle escape before saying, "We've been careful…most of the time…but what we've been doing lately would tax any kind of birth control; and, Kate, I wouldn't ever want you to think I married you for any reason except that I want to…I sooo much want to. And, besides that…I so do not want to have to tell my very responsible daughter that I've been careless enough that my girlfriend…no…that my fiancé is pregnant."

Kate laughed. "I probably don't want to have to tell her that, either." Sounding more serious, she leaned back to look at him and asked, "Does Alexis know that she's the reason you married Meredith?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't have told her…probably would have stuck my head in the sand and hoped we had been divorced long enough she wouldn't put all the dates together and figure it out, but Meredith just threw it out there one day while Alexis was visiting her in California."

"How old was she then?"

"Thirteen. It bothered her for a while, but she finally decided that she always knew I wanted her from day one, whether she always thinks her mother did or not."

"You mentioned options when we were working on the sci-fi convention case. Do you really want another child? You've just sent the first one to college." Somewhat shyly she asked, "How would you feel if it happened? It hasn't," she added quickly to avoid worrying him, "but how would you feel if it did?"

"Elated," he assured her. "We could sing our song to another little Castle…keep the tradition going. I like being a dad." He gave her one of his little smirky smiles. "Our children would probably not make for easy parenting, but Alexis is great. If I could manage that on my own with half her genes being Meredith's, then, between the two of us, you and I could probably find a way to get one to turn out pretty well. In spite of my public image, Kate, I think I must be the marrying kind. I'm sorry I can't say you're my only wife, but I can promise you'll be the last one. You've spoiled me for anybody else." He paused and gave her a soft kiss. "Do you want kids?"

"Not right now, but later…after we've had time to settle into this a little more."

"So…short engagement…just in case?" he asked mischievously.

"Long enough to wrap our heads around it and plan a wedding?"

"Do you remember how long it took Ryan and Jenny to plan a wedding?"

"Small wedding. Shouldn't take as long."

"You don't want a big wedding?"

"No. I want to be married to you. All the important people should be there, but there aren't that many of them."

"I'm again regressing to lustful thoughts about getting you out of that dress. Can we table this discussion until tomorrow?"

"Table, desk, bed, shower…wherever you want," she answered suggestively. "We seem to have the whole place to ourselves…and something to celebrate."

"Decisions, decisions," he answered, turning out lights and walking her toward the bedroom. "Let's decide while we rescue my future wife from that confining dress."