Genre: Romance, Family and Humor

Rating: M for sexual situations and language

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters featured on the show Castle, they belong to the creator of the show, ABC, and the others who do own them.

A/N #1: As it says with the chapter title, this is the epilogue, and the end of this story, but I of course have yet another one ready to go, so if you want to keep reading this series, look out for next installment in a few days!

A/N #2: I got a lot of great comments for the last chapter, so thank yous are definitely in order for my reviewers! naman2002 (Very glad to see your reaction this chapter and also nice to see you enjoyed it too of course!), TORONTOSUN (Not too surprised you liked the title of the chapter; it is definitely a great song. And I'm not quite sure if there was really a moment where Castle and Beckett were unsure about each other; I didn't intend to write it as that; but as you said, I do have them looking to the next year, so hopefully that cleared up any possible feeling they were unsure of each other!), wendykw (Was nice to see your review, since you did mention you liked how they celebrated the New Year. And did like you thought it was a fun chapter, good too see that too of course!), vetgirlmx (I don't blame you for enjoying the time Castle and Beckett had alone together, since you're right, they haven't done that lately without something else happening too. But definitely glad you liked what they talked about too, especially that you like they're talking about the trip. And that it's making you look forward to that, lol, them going there and everything, since it's making you want to read more to see how it'll go), sammysgirl78 (Also great to see that you like when Castle and Beckett talk about the future, I do like writing about that, so great that people are enjoying reading it! And as for the party, I'm glad you didn't think they were starting to discuss it too soon, and that you enjoyed reading about that too. Oh, and was happy to see you liked that shower scene lol, stretching my legs writing that one, so was nice to see the mention. And as I said before to another review, I'm glad you too liked the way they rung in the New Year too! But am so happy you've enjoyed the chapter that much to want to keep going!) and mrj726 (Glad to see you've enjoyed this story so far; and used the word enjoyable, is nice to see that word!). So again, thank you all so much for your comments, I appreciate it a lot and also loved reading what you all thought! I have to say thank you as well to all of you who will review this chapter in the future; I will definitely appreciate it too.

A/N #3: And to all the readers, reviewers, people who favorited and followed this story I give my complete thanks. I never expected all that I got in the end and I appreciate everything greatly!

A/N #4: The title of this chapter is a lyric from the song Happy Xmas (War Is Over) by John Lennon, as mentioned in the previous chapter.

New One Just Begun

Watching as Castle poured champagne into her glass, Beckett said, "I don't think we need to finish the whole bottle."

"We can't really leave it open," Castle replied simply as he filled his glass again. "And it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Leave it for tomorrow," Beckett said with a shrug. "We can always have a champagne brunch."

"Really? Is that an order in brunch or are you volunteering to cook?" Castle asked, watching her as she took a sip.

"I think we'll be ordering in," Beckett said simply. "I'm not planning on moving from that bed until I absolutely have to." She leaned back and smiled slightly at his momentarily surprised expression before he leaned back himself, putting his free hand on the couch to her side, effectively trapping her where she sat. "Unless you have any other ideas?" she asked.

"No, you didn't give me a chance to think of anything," Castle said, sipping at his champagne. "And frankly I'm glad you didn't."

Beckett wasn't too surprised when Castle closed the gap between them, and she took his kiss gladly, his lips a lot warmer than they'd been on the top of the building. She felt a shiver run through her inwardly as she remembered their kiss once the fireworks had finished; both their lips nearly numb. But they'd felt enough, and decided things would be far better if they moved to his loft. As he pulled away then she slowly opened her eyes, watching him as he caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. Her breathing quickened again, and she sat up, setting down her glass on the coffee table hurriedly.

Castle was going to ask if she wanted more, when Beckett kissed him once, very quickly. He knew what she was doing, so he put down his glass, and turned to her, pushing her carefully back against the couch. Before her back hit it, he was already kissing her, their lips almost fused together as her hands slid over the backs of his shoulders. Groaning slightly in the back of his throat at her touch that sent a thrill through him, he moved away from her slightly, easing up the pressure on their lips. But he didn't stop kissing her until they really had to. He looked at her, watching her carefully as she kept her eyes closed, wondering what she was thinking at that moment.

Beckett finally couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and she opened her eyes as she smiled slightly saying, "Are you wondering why I did that?"

"Not really, there's no need to explain it, I just hope you wanted it as much as I did," Castle said.

Laughing slightly as she sat up, Beckett quickly said, "I'd let you know if I didn't. And you know, I'm starting to realize why you're so eager to drink all of this." She picked up her glass and finished it before holding it out to him.

"I swear I don't want you drunk," Castle said, pouring more out for her. "Just…"

"Buzzed?" Beckett supplied with a smile.

"Sort of," Castle said, realizing how ridiculous it sounded as it was spoken. "Just, relaxed would probably be a better word. Ready for, whatever," he finished, waving his hand slightly.

Looking confused for a moment, Beckett then said, "Why are you being so vague, you're usually a lot more assertive than that."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if you're leading me on or being completely serious," Castle said honestly. "I'm hoping it's the latter."

"You know, I think I like this," Beckett said, leaning back as she fought a smile. "You so unsure."

"So it's the former," Castle said. When Beckett just let a smile slowly curl the corners of her lips he let out a frustrated sigh and filled his champagne glass again.

Watching him, Beckett remembered what they'd been talking about in the first place and quickly said, "There's not really a need to relax me with something besides yourself. You do know that right?"

"I'm aware of it, but it's New Year's Eve… Day," Castle quickly corrected himself. "It's a special night." When Becket shrugged he said, "See, this is why I was vague, I don't want to lead myself up to something only to be painfully let down."

Unable to help laughing; since she knew Castle was joking by his tone; Beckett took a sip out of her flute and said, "Alright, then why don't we talk about something else if you don't want that."

"Sure, why don't we do something since you're in no hurry to head to bed," Castle said quickly.

"I thought we were doing something," Beckett said simply.

"Drinking? What you want to have a drinking game," Castle said. He sat up a little straighter and said, "I have some Scotch-"

"We had some last night," Beckett said with a smile as she covered his mouth with her hand. "And I thought we were talking."

Castle was a little startled at that, but then realized that she was again teasing him and he said slowly, "We are."

Recognizing that she was pushing a little too hard with that, Becket quickly withdrew, and she leaned over, kissing him on the lips softly. "I'm actually ready for bed now. Go ahead and save the champagne, and I'll see you in your room," she told him.

Without saying a word, Castle nodded and watched as Beckett left, and he stood, trying not to sigh in his disappointment. As he was putting away the bottle and rinsing the glasses, he had a sudden hope that she was trying to tease him again, but he tried not to put too much on that. After her leading him on repeatedly, he was a little tired of guessing and hoping she'd want something more than just innuendos. He walked to his room, and when he stepped inside he paused in mid-step when he saw his fiancée, left foot off the ground.

"I am sorry," Beckett said in slight contrition. She smiled at him over her shoulder and let her robe fall the rest of the way to the floor. "I was just trying to read you," she told him as she got on the bed.

"And you thought I was leading you on myself?" Castle asked, going over to her and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, no, but you seemed to be holding back," Beckett said, thinking for a moment before she lay back, watching the way his eyes caressed her form as she did so. "I didn't want you to do that."

"I wasn't sure what you wanted," Castle said, snapping his eyes from her long legs; mostly exposed with the navy blue negligee she had on; to her face. "You weren't exactly helping me figure it out with how you were acting," he said, trying to keep his tone even so she wouldn't think he was angry.

"I think I can make it up to you," Beckett said, sitting up. She reached surreptitiously under her pillow and pulled out a length of black silk, holding it out to him.

His eyes wide when he instantly recognized it Castle asked, "Are you sure?"

"I'd like to go back to this at least," Beckett said, smiling to reassure him. "And I think I'm ready."

"You think or you are," Castle said, searching her eyes to see if she was being truthful.

"I am," Beckett said, trying to ignore the doubt rising in her.

"Okay," Castle said, not really sure himself. He shook it off then, and took her wrists, pressing them together before he took the silk, tying it loosely around her. "Good?" he asked, making her test his knot.

"Yeah," Beckett said, hoping her voice wasn't slightly off in tone. She smiled a little as Castle lowered his head slightly to hers, and she nearly sighed as he kissed her deeply, but very slowly.

Once he had moved back, Castle helped her lay down again, watching her put her hands above her head. He couldn't help but shudder slightly at the way the dark blue silk covering her breasts tugged at them, and he bent his head, kissing at her neck and sliding down further.

Closing her eyes tightly as she did her best to take in what the touch of his lips was doing to her, Beckett suddenly saw her hands, cuffed and slamming down on Harris Bremner, his body crushing hers to the floor as he tried to touch her body. Gasping at the memory, she pushed herself up, making Castle move quickly so she wasn't shoving him off the bed, and she began to struggle with the silk around her wrists.

"Easy," Castle said quickly as he realized what had likely happened at the panicked look in her eyes. He untied her wrists, and threw the fabric to the floor before he touched her bare shoulder, waiting for a flinch. He was a little taken aback when she didn't, and he gathered her in his arms as she was breathing heavily. He didn't say anything, wanting her to calm down first before he tried to talk to her. She remained rigid in his hold, and he had no idea if she was okay until she slowly pulled away from him.

"I tried," Beckett began. But she faltered, not sure what she wanted to say. So she quickly said, "Give me a minute, and we can try-"

"Not again," Castle said quickly, knowing how she was going to finish that. "And we probably won't try again for a long time. Not when it does that to you."

"It wasn't you," Beckett said, relief mixed with disappointment in herself at his words.

"And it wasn't you either," Castle told her firmly. "But why were you trying to bring that back?"

"It's been almost eight months, I thought I would be fine," Beckett admitted.

"Okay, well, I don't blame you for wanting to try that, but it's too much," Castle said.

"For you too?" Beckett asked, catching that in his tone of voice.

"I saw you laying there, handcuffed," Castle said, running his hand over his face as if to get rid of the image in his mind. "I thought you were dead for a split second. Seeing you tied like that, reminded me of that moment and it wasn't a lot of fun."

Sighing Beckett said, "I'm sorry for almost pushing you off the bed."

Shrugging Castle told her, "I should have just fallen off, would have been payback for you. I'm afraid at some point that's going to happen and it'll be a lot worse than what I did to you." When she smiled he wrapped his arm around her waist slowly, to see if she was alright with it. She didn't stop him, so he pulled her against him so she leaned her head against his shoulder.

Beckett let herself wrap her arms around him, trying her best to get rid of the flashback she'd had and she said, "That doesn't happen all the time, just in case you're thinking I'm ignoring a larger problem."

"I realize that," Castle said. "And it was just twice that this happened; considering what occurred, we're very lucky it wasn't more." They were quiet for a moment and when she raised her head he asked, "Do you want to just get some sleep?" He was surprised when instead of answering, she kissed him, and lightly, gradually. He seemed to read her intent with that, and parted his lips, sliding his tongue as slowly as she had kissed him into her mouth. Though he hadn't wanted to, the kiss went out of their control and they were clutching at each other tightly. He pulled back abruptly, and breathing hard, reached up to touch the aquamarine on her chest, waiting for her to react.

Feeling as if she needed to move things along much faster with that, Beckett reached up and started to pull off the wide straps of the negligee. She jumped slightly when Castle suddenly grabbed her hands, and she looked into his eyes, a little shocked at his quick shake of his head. "What is it?" she asked, wondering if he himself wanted to put the moment behind them and go to sleep.

Looking into her eyes, Castle didn't say a word as he made her lay back on the bed yet again. But that time he wasn't intending to let her get up again. He kissed her, deeply, making sure he was keeping his weight off her in case she would have another flashback from that. When she broke off the kiss for them to breathe he stopped her from unbuttoning his shirt. "Not yet," he told her, kissing her fingers hurriedly before he moved to her neck.

"But…" Beckett began to say before she closed her eyes tightly in pleasure and forgot what she was going to say as his hand ran over her body, stroking her through the blue silk.

"We have time just… just let me have this," Castle said, not really wanting her to realize his plan yet. He kissed her briefly, and then turned his attention to the rest of her body. He cupped her right breast through the negligee, trying not to shudder too hard at the feel of it through the fabric. He gently thumbed the nipple, feeling it stiffen underneath his touch, and he kissed her hard then, trying to remember what he was going to do before she distracted him without even meaning to.

When Castle had pulled away, Beckett licked her lower lip briefly, and tensed as she could taste him there, and his lips were suddenly kissing around her breast. She shifted, a little moan escaping her mouth before she could stop it, the pleasure that radiated from his touch was unending and she reached for the back of his neck to try and pull him up to her again.

Though he was relieved she seemed to be doing fine so far, Castle kept her from pulling him up until he'd gone over both breasts, that moment becoming more than just showing her she was with someone who was not going to abuse her. He went back up to her lips quickly as he realized what he was doing, while he had originally planned to show her he wasn't going to hurt her; he was startled to figure out he was trying to literally worship her. That shook him, but when they parted, breathing harshly, he decided that if it was what he was doing, he wasn't going to fight it.

Beckett was a little taken aback when Castle kissed her hard yet again, but she went along with it willingly. She held onto him tightly as he turned that kiss into another, and she was almost gasping for air as he trailed his lips down over her chin, her neck, and finally to her scar. Her breath grew heavier as he brushed over the skin; then traced it almost delicately with his fingertips before he slid one hand under her negligee strap. She was more than ready to get it out of the way, her skin on fire by then, and she rose slightly off the bed, only enough though to help him with the straps, exposing her upper body. She was a little amazed he was still dressed, but that thought was completely lost as he pressed an open mouth kiss to her left breast, his heavy breath hot on her skin, moistening it intensely.

Moving quickly to her nipple, Castle carefully proceeded to suckle at it, waiting for any kind of negative reaction from her. But when she slid her nails over his hair, he groaned slightly and doubled his efforts, soon going to her other breast. He stopped when he needed to breathe, and he moved back up so they were face to face to kiss her. While he was keeping her busy with that, he slid his hand down her abdomen, and slowly underneath the rest of her lingerie which was gathered at her waist. He waited again, wanting to make sure she was consenting. She quickly kissed him roughly, and he moved from her when they had stopped at the same time, pulling off the navy blue silk and tossing it aside to the floor. He went back to her breasts then, nuzzling at them both before he let her draw him up to her lips again.

A little surprised when Castle let her do that, Beckett made the most of that kiss before she let him go, her breath coming fast and hitching with her gasps and moans with every brush of his lips. She was trembling though she wasn't aware of it, and her skin was almost aching in the pleasure that he was giving. She felt a little guilty that he was doing everything for her, and it was then she had the sudden realization he'd had as well before her; it was much more than her getting over the flashback.

Feeling his shoulders being grabbed before he could go any lower, Castle quickly moved, and was a little surprised when Beckett kissed him fiercely. He wasn't sure why she was doing that so abruptly, but he returned the kiss, and with the same energy she had, before they parted with a heavy gasp for air. He immediately went down her body again, traveling down her stomach, until he finally reached the junction of her legs. Touching the right leg, he was relieved when she moved both, giving him her definite consent. He took things slowly still; kissing his way up her inner thighs until he was at her entrance, and he placed a firm kiss there, hearing her sigh once. That spurred him on, and he proceeded to pleasure her, wrapping his arms around her legs and holding her closely to him.

The result of Castle's tongue sweeping repeatedly over her already aroused sex was leaving Beckett dizzy, unsure if she was going to be able to withstand him long enough to allow him to enjoy the action as well. That suddenly reminded her that he had done the same thing to her in the shower, and she tried to tell herself to return the favor when he had finished, but it was a little lost as her hips started to move of her own volition against him, his fingers of his right hand suddenly joining in, and rubbing firmly at the bundle of nerves above his mouth.

Holding Beckett down with one hand was a little hard to do at first; just because she had moved suddenly; but she eventually calmed and he was able to focus his full attention on her once again. He was a still a little amazed he was doing all of that to her, fully clothed; they usually preferred their clothing to be out of the way quickly when they were intimate. But he definitely wasn't immune to what he was doing just because he was dressed and he tried to put that out of his mind, though it was difficult. He kissed her thigh then, to drag things out for a little more, and felt her skin breaking out into goose bumps. He moved back to her mound and proceeded to pleasure her without stopping, letting himself speed up, until he could feel her almost writhing as she moaned and cried out with each sweep of his tongue or rub of his fingers.

Unsure of the time, and not really carrying about it either, Beckett lost her last shred of control, and her back arched slightly as she let herself react vocally, hoping that Castle could hear her as he kept his tongue working along her sex. When she finally came back to herself, she was breathing heavily and was pleasantly sated, feeling her skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat as she raised her head to his kissing at her abdomen, working his way up. "You didn't really have to do that," she whispered as he pressed his cheek to her shoulder. "At the very least you could have let me take off your clothes."

"They'll come off eventually," Castle said simply though he was a little desperate to get them off.

"Now's a good time," Beckett said, sitting up and making him do the same. As he kissed her she still began to unbutton his shirt, knowing he was trying to distract her. Once she had his help in taking it off his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him distract her fully. She only let him do that for a short time though, and then let her hands slip down in between them, working on the fly of his pants as he moved from her lips to her neck.

Castle finally gave in, and helped her remove the rest of his clothes before he got back on the bed, kissing her again as a means to distract her. He felt her trying to reach down and grab his erection, but he was quick to put a stop to that. He didn't want to stop his original idea of making everything about her, so he grabbed her wrists, quickly sliding his hands up to hers so she wouldn't flashback again. He kept their mouths close as he laid her back, pulling away only so he could breathe. As soon as he had her on her back, he paused, kissing at her neck and shoulders as she wrapped her legs around him immediately. He could almost feel the impatience flowing off of her, but held out a little more, just wanting to make sure he'd given her enough time to really want him once again.

Breathing heavily as she could feel Castle's hand cupping her breast again, Beckett tried to speak, wanted to tell him to hurry as she was starting to get annoyed at his delaying. But she was enjoying his ministrations, his mouth drifting to the junction of her shoulder and collarbone, and she couldn't really form the words as she seemed to be moaning or gasping a little every time she tried to open her mouth. Finally she couldn't take it anymore, and she grabbed Castle's hand off her breast, putting it in between her legs and breathing harder as his fingers slightly moved against her slick folds. While he was busy with that, she curled her fingers around his arousal, feeling him jerk slightly against her body.

"Not now," Castle hissed as she began to stroke him. He quickly moved his hand, grabbing hers with damp fingers before he pulled it back up out of the way. Moving slightly, he found that she wasn't about to stop as she helped him getting him to slide easily inside of her. They both exhaled sharply at nearly the same time in the same way, as if in relief; which he knew he himself was feeling. Waiting again, Castle kissed her deeply, and wasn't too surprised when Beckett began to thrust up against him, making him groan in pleasure at the sensation. He held down her hip with one hand as he pulled away to look into her eyes, and only then did he allow himself to move; but he kept his hand where it was, wanting her to see what he was planning before he let her go.

The very slow, deliberate movements he was making at first started to irritate Beckett, but as he continued, she relaxed slightly. She looked up into his eyes as he was moving, and she got that sense again that things were much more than him comforting her. She reached up, and held onto his shoulders as she started to move in time with him. He let her go carefully she could tell, but she didn't try to speed things up, matching him effortlessly. She felt her heartbeat speeding up, her body shaking imperceptibly, as he lowered his head to hers, kissing her deeply.

Though he'd wanted to make things about her, Castle was unable to stop himself from taking some of the pleasure that Beckett was giving him. So he'd used that first kiss to try and refocus his attention to his plan. But the kiss slipped into a second, and then a third before he had completely forgotten everything except just trying to make sure he wasn't alone in feeling the gratification in the way they moved together. He started to move a little faster, and kept doing so until they were way beyond taking things leisurely. But she was enjoying it and he could easily tell it was a lot, so he didn't try to stop, letting things happen as they were, but making sure he was giving her more than what their bodies were providing in the way of satisfaction.

Putting her hands on the back of Castle's head, Beckett led him to her lips, and they both brushed them against each other, in an unspoken agreement before he deepened it. She had wanted to build up to that a little, but once his mouth was firmly on hers; she decided it didn't really matter. Sliding her hands down the back of his head she had to hold onto his shoulders as he suddenly moved so he was sitting up. She kept her legs wrapped around him and let him break off from her lips to her neck, descending rapidly to her breasts. Her head tilted back slightly in pleasure as he took them fervently, and his hands soon came into play. She was a little dizzy with his touch and their bodies still moving together, so it was a shock when he suddenly stopped.

Before Beckett could protest that, Castle was moving them back around again, and he lay on top of her, still inside her, but not moving as he traced her lips with his fingers before he kissed them. Feeling her slightly struggling against him, he began to move again, another jolt that ran though him; though much more pleasurable than when he'd stopped. When she cupped his face in her hands; after they pulled away at the same time; he let her kiss his cheeks, lips, all over his face, feeling her desperation in each touch of her lips. He stopped again, wondering if it was a little strange he felt a bit proud of the heavy groan of disappointment that she made once he'd done that.

Though she didn't want Castle to stop, Beckett had to admit that she was finding the time before he would move again something that was almost as good as his making love to her. She was breathing heavily as he remained still, and she glanced up at him, seeing he was watching her. Before she could really respond to his gaze, she was suddenly throwing her arms around his neck as he turned them around, putting her on top again. She took it in stride, and that time sat on her knees, moving before he could really stop her. She kissed him at the same time, to make sure he wouldn't, wanting to feel that second when their hips slammed together that made her entire body ache with the pleasure and wanting more of it badly.

Responding to the kiss, Castle held her tightly to him as he ran his hands all over her back before he held onto the small of it. Slowly pulling away after enough time had passed, he caught his breath for a moment before grabbing her hips. He felt her falter, and knew she was thinking he was going to stop her. But he merely helped her move faster, groaning as she hissed out a breath between her clenched teeth in response to the change in their rhythm. With her a little distracted, he flipped them around, and began to take her harder than she'd been moving a second before.

Wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him, Beckett kissed him, but only for a brief moment though it was deep. She dodged his lips, and felt the groan of frustration in his chest against her breasts. She kissed him again, but like before, only let it last a moment before she was turning her head away. Her plan was to tease him; a little like he was doing to her; but he suddenly moved, getting up on his knees as she did the same. She wasn't too surprised when he cupped the back of her head firmly, and kissed her hard. She moaned against his lips, the sound distorted until he pulled away and suddenly slowed down, his hands on her hips again to make her do the same. She was breathing hard, staring into his eyes as he was doing the same to her, their bodies moving effortlessly together in their new pace.

Castle eventually stopped and made her do the same before he kissed her slowly, and lay her back, not wanting to do that anymore. He was more than ready to feel her losing control while she was surrounding him. He proceeded to move again, faster which made them both groan out in unison before he kissed her on the lips a second time. He groaned out loud when she pulled away after a moment, and knew she was going to start that again. Before she could though, he laced his fingers through hers, and moved her arms up above her head. He was careful, not wanting to push things too far after he'd been so careful up to that point. But when she let out a heavy moan, he was spurred on, and leaned down, kissing her lips, neck and breasts until she was starting to move erratically.

There was too much building up in her body, and Beckett suddenly let go of Castle's hands, and wrapped them around his neck. She was lost then in a sudden haze that made her eyes shut tightly together, the pleasure of her orgasm becoming more than just a simple end to what they were doing. She was screaming, not sure what, but it was with a tone of complete ecstasy, and she held on to Castle as tightly as she could, her nails raking over his back in the process.

Groaning and then yelling out her name as he joined her in her climax, Castle wasn't ready to stop moving, though his body was telling him he needed to stop. He wanted to feel her again, wanted her to have more as well, so he tried to thrust faster, but it was almost impossible. It was enough though for them both to fall over the edge, and much quicker since he suddenly changed the angle of his hips, managing to almost ram into her body and rubbing her the nub at the apex of her legs in between them as he moved in and out of her. They were both yelling; it may have been words, or just random sounds that they had no control over. He didn't care, it was intense, and he knew that she was feeling the same as he did. That time though, he did stop, thoroughly exhausted and once his body had ceased its movements, he tried not to collapse on her, instead carefully pulling from her and laying on his back, bringing her quickly with him, the room filled with their heavy panting.

Trying to speak, Beckett wasn't quite able to do so, breathing too hard to be able to take a breath so she could. She paused then, waiting to recover slightly but when she had she looked up at Castle she kissed him, brushing her lips against his. She wasn't too surprised when in response he pulled her on him to deepen the kiss. Though they had just been panting for air, they were kissing hard and frantically, until finally she had to breathe again and reluctantly pulled back. She waited again to speak, and once she felt she could do so without gasping out words, said, "You didn't have to do that… before, but thank you."

"It wasn't like I was being forced to," Castle said with a shrug, holding on to Beckett so she couldn't move. With his right hand he reached up, and began to stroke her hair before saying, "We don't need to do that again."

"I know," Beckett said with a frustrated sigh, knowing he was talking about her trying to bring their light bondage back into their love making. "I was hoping I was finished with that but…"

"It doesn't make you weak," Castle said hurriedly, putting his hands on the small of her back. "That you're getting flashbacks. The fact that you could do anything at all sexually after going through that proves it."

"I almost thought you were going to take full credit for that," Beckett said with a slight smile.

"How can I do that?" Castle scoffed. "Everything's up to you. Though I have to say I must have done something right, never got a knee to the groin did I?"

Rolling her eyes, Beckett then leaned down, kissing him lightly on the lips before he cupped the back of her head with his hand to hold her for a little while longer. When they pulled away she said, "You may have."

"That's pretty much a yes," Castle said with a slight laugh as he let her go so she could slide to the other side of the bed. He followed her and stayed on his side, his head on his hand. "Very different from last year," he commented after he watched her stretch her arms above her head.

"We were almost drunk last year if I remember correctly," Beckett said. "That's why I was against drinking that entire bottle of champagne. I wanted a clearer head when we went to bed. Though that didn't diminish from what we managed to do that night."

"No, it didn't," Castle said. He looked at the wall then but he didn't really see it, instead remembering New Year's Day after midnight a year before. "Those were some interesting pictures."

"They were," Beckett said, shaking her head though she was smiling. She reached up and touched his cheek, turning his head down to look at her. "Besides that though, it was nice."

Castle was watching her a little intently then, so he didn't comment on her word choice. Instead he leaned down and kissed her, wrapping his arm under her body and holding her tightly as they proceeded to take quick turns exploring each other's mouths before he moved back slightly. He could feel her breath, sharp against his lips, and he couldn't stop himself, kissing her again harder, his lips immediately aching at the sensation.

With both her arms wrapped around him, Beckett that time took over, drawing him on top of her body. After a bit she used her right hand and grabbed his, pushing it down the side of her form. She let him go when he easily took over; able to tell what she wanted; and she couldn't stop herself from slinging her leg around his. "If you-" she started to say when they pulled apart at the same time and stared at each other. But he cut her off with another kiss, but that one was very careful and she sighed, slightly relieved since she suddenly felt a little drained though she wasn't sure why.

"We've got time tomorrow," Castle said absently as he pulled away and then lay on his back, bringing her with him.

"Are you talking to me or yourself?" Beckett asked, letting him wrap his arm around her but not laying down yet.

"Myself," Castle said honestly. "You sound like you're tired though."

"I thought you would be too, you were doing a lot of the work," Beckett teased him.

Smiling slightly, Castle was going to respond to that, when she leaned down, and kissed him. He held her tightly to him as he moved them around yet again, laying her down. He couldn't stop himself, and he ended up settling in between her legs, their hips pressed together by the time he moved to breathe. "Damn it, sorry," he said, about to move.

"No, I don't think I'm necessarily ready to sleep at this point," Beckett said, stopping him. "But we're sleeping in a long time tomorrow," she told him seriously, smiling when he nodded in complete agreement. They kissed again, a far simpler kiss than what they'd been exchanging that night, and when they parted she said, "A lot better than last year."

"So that means each time we celebrate, they'll be getting better and better," Castle pointed out to her, trying not to smirk as she'd been so exhausted that night she'd fallen asleep almost the second they'd finished making love the year before.

"That's the idea, but it depends on what happens each New Year's Eve that's going to determine if it was better than the year before," Beckett said simply. "Were you able to follow that?" she asked as he looked her.

"No, I got it, and I think if we spend it doing what we did tonight it'll be as good or better," Castle said.

"Yes, I was waiting for that," Becket said, rolling her eyes. "And we'll see what happens; we have another three hundred and sixty five days." She fell quiet then, a little surprised at herself for thinking that far ahead in the future. She never really allowed herself to do that, since she had been so unsure of where their relationship was going to go, she'd been taking things day by day. But knowing it was very likely they had more days together wasn't terrifying her as a couple past boyfriends had done when they'd discussed a future with her. She had to wonder what exactly it was that made Castle so different, but she shook herself from her thoughts, seeing he was looking at her.

"Tired now?" Castle asked, wondering what exactly had been going through her mind.

"No, I'm good, just, thinking," Beckett said slowly. She stared down at him for a moment, and then leaned down, kissing him slowly, and quickly again, watching him closely when she pulled back. When he tugged her down to him again, she let him, almost smiling but his lips crushing hers cut it off swiftly.

Feeling the way Beckett was pushing against him, Castle wasn't sure if she was yielding to him because she wanted more, or if she was doing that for him. He briefly recalled that she had tried to pleasure him before he stopped her, and he pulled back asking, "You're confusing me a little," looking into her eyes to read her expression.

"When I say I'm not tired I don't kid around," Beckett said, taking the chance to smile then. She brushed her lips over his and reached down, running her hand down his chest before he grabbed it. "You don't want to?" she asked in surprise since he didn't really stop her when she came on to him that way.

Thinking for a moment, Castle said, "There's a reason I focused most of everything before on you. Well, besides the fact I was just eager to do all that. I wanted to start the year out good for you and…" trailing off as he shrugged.

"That is incredibly cheesy," Beckett said, looking at him seriously. Before he could protest she then smiled and said, "But sweet, thank you. However-"

"Wait, there's one thing I wanted to suggest," Castle said. "We get some sleep now, and sleep in, a long time as you mentioned, tomorrow. Once we get up we have time and we can just let things develop as they will. Knowing you, probably will be pretty fast."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, though she didn't exactly mean it, Beckett said, "I don't think I agree exactly with that plan."

"Okay," Castle said quickly. When she shot him a look he shrugged and said, "I don't really want to argue with you."

Beckett shook her head, and lay on her back, pulling Castle with her saying, "I prefer this a lot more than sleeping."

"Then I think I have no other choice than to follow your lead," Castle said seriously before he leaned down and kissed her slowly.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Beckett took his lips eagerly, and together they very easily began to make love; in spite of being tired and his so called plans to wait for the next day to be intimate again. She then threw herself into the moment, forgetting everything else as the sensations he was quickly bringing to her were enough to take her complete attention.

A little surprised at her eagerness, Castle found it an intense joy, and he put everything he could into taking her, making sure to go slowly, carefully. He began to kiss around her neck and shoulders, trailing down to the junction of them, and the sigh that escaped her lips drove him to kiss her mouth as she responded immediately, willingly to him, filling him with a surge of arousal. He moved around her upper body with his mouth, his free hand caressing her, wanting her to feel what exactly she did to him and with the way she responded to that, he was assured she wasn't impervious to it, making him a little desperate, wanting to feel more of her as she clung to him in desire.

Quiet as she watched Castle sleep, Beckett wondered idly how long she had been laying there. She wasn't exactly sure, but thought it might have been at least twenty minutes since they'd made love. She sighed under her breath as she recalled that; he had been incredibly careful with her and she swore she could still feel the touch of his hand on her skin, sliding down and making her feel every moment until he had disappointingly pulled away.

In the end it had been as amazing as their first time that night, and the only thing that had gotten her to stop had been the exhaustion finally coming on from her exertions both times. But while Castle had easily fallen asleep, she found she was unable to which confused her. She guessed she was tired, but not to the point where she was sleepy. She turned onto her side and pulled the covers over her still naked body as it was cold, and as she did that, the diamonds in her engagement ring caught her eye.

Holding her hand in front of her face, Beckett was still slightly startled to see it, though by then she was more comfortable with the band around her finger. She had to wonder how things would go once she and Castle returned to work and they would have to hide even more of their relationship from their colleagues and friends. But she found she was far happier having the ring; even though she wouldn't be wearing it on a permanent basis yet; than it not being there at all. That thought was not a new one, but it was still startling. She had gone through a lot of her relationships, not expecting much from them, since she had literally run from them when she saw them as getting too serious, too afraid things would end with her hurt and after what she had gone through losing her mother, she was loathe to have to experience it again with someone else she cared for. But things had ended up going far different than she had expected once she and Castle had begun their relationship.

It had been unlike her past relationships, and again Beckett knew it was because of Castle himself. She had already admitted to herself that she enjoyed it, that she did love him, before she had ever met Julia. She was a little unsure still of being hurt, of losing what she had with him which was significant because for almost six years he had been there; a constant in her life and one she'd come to accept and appreciate for more than just that as they'd become closer. So while she knew it was a risk, she was ready to take a step further with him, gambling a little on what he felt for her to do so.

Castle suddenly moved then, turning onto his side which shook Beckett from her thoughts as his hand lay on her stomach. She reached down and grabbed it before sliding it over her side as she turned onto hers, facing away from him. He didn't really move in response so she relaxed and sighed deeply as his touch reminded her of earlier in the night and how he'd been with her.

Though her risking her emotions with him was unusual for her, Beckett was a little surer of that than anything else between them. The way he treated her, the way he had supported her through more challenging moments, the way he had stepped up to become a father figure towards her daughter; she found was ready to face their future.

That made her pause a little in her train of thought yet again. The fact that she could very easily use the word their made her realize the change that had come over her in that year. It wasn't a change that made her different, it affected her mentality, and thinking it over she decided didn't mind it. It would take a little getting used to as she had always been on her own until adopting Julia, but since then, it had made that easier as well. She couldn't help smile slightly to herself, thanking her daughter in her mind for what she had done for her without even knowing, as being able to think in that way something she appreciated. And with that, she relaxed a little, falling asleep before she realized she was doing so.

Beckett would never be able to figure out later how long she had been asleep; she only knew that when she'd woken up the covered windows were brighter with dawn. She came awake sighing slightly as she felt Castle trailing his lips down her throat and she reached down, cupping his cheeks to bring him up to her lips. Kissing him deeply, she felt him pushing the covers away from their bodies, and she took him to her once he had finished.

Not having had any clue what Beckett had been thinking about earlier; about him; Castle carefully made love to her as soon as he had made sure she wanted it as much as he did. He kissed her hard, explored what he could of her body, remembering the night before and the time he'd spent doing that as well; wanting to repeat the experience urgently.

Holding onto the back of his head as his lips trailed over her upper body, Beckett could feel his need for her. She tilted his head up, and kissed him yet again, that time even harder than she had before, their lips crushed together until they needed to breathe. Most of what happened after that tended to be more of a blur to her she would recall later, coming out of a deep sleep into making love with Castle. But she would definitely remember the pleasure, recalling it long after they'd reached the edge very close together, kissing frantically in response to that. She lay on her side again after they'd parted with a few more kisses; more leisurely as they didn't feel the same need as before; and he pressed up close behind her, kissing at her shoulder.

"Happy New Year," Castle whispered into her ear.

Smiling widely at that Beckett turned enough so she could look at him and said, "You said that already."

"Doesn't hurt to say it again," Castle shrugged. "Kind of a blessing for you this morning."

"Happy New Year," Beckett said before he leaned down to kiss her lightly. She cupped his cheek in her hand before he pulled away, and she brushed her lips up his jaw then, fully turning as he moved his arms to wrap around her. She whispered carefully into his ear then, feeling his fingers sinking into her back with each word spoken, "I love you."

"I love you too," Castle replied simply once she had moved back enough so they were looking into each other's eyes. He returned the smile she gave him, and held her tightly as they brushed their lips against each other's, the action seeming to speak more for them than anything more passionate could.

Cupping his face in her hands as they parted, Beckett looked into his eyes and saw a reassurance of what she had been thinking earlier about him as his gaze seemed to be a mix of desire and adoration. She pressed her forehead against his, and their lips met in another slow, gentle kiss that quickly became far more as the diamond in her ring began to catch the dawn light forcing its way into the room onto them both while their bodies intertwined once more.