«Do you know that behind our backs they call us Caskett?», Beckett asked venomously, rolling the eyes.
"Caskett?", Castle repeated, leaning on door-post.
The working day hasn't started yet. Early sun rays were penetrating through jalousie – it was too quiet in the precinct. It seemed that if a cockroach ran, rustling sound would be heard. Having arrived at work before anybody else, Beckett became an unintentional listener of Esposito and Ryan's talk.
"Hey, bro", Ryan was holding out a cup of coffee.
"Thanks", he took bracing beverage.
The precinct was empty and friends decided to have coffee in the rest room.
"What do you think about Caskett?", in passing the detective asked, slowly drinking a boiling drink.
"What exactly?", Ryan also sat at the table.
"Yo, bro-o-o", drawled detective, slapping Espo on the back. "We had a bet yesterday, didn't we? "
There was a silence for some seconds, and then Kevin nodded, having clattered.
"Is anything wrong?"
"I presume, that Caskett will be", Ryan answered, taking a sip.
"According to you, she will accept him after so many false steps? He just ran away to Hamptons with his ex-wife for the whole summer, appeared in autumn, finished the book, but Castle even didn't deign to call Beckett ", Javi tirelessly kept talking. "Moreover we found him at the crime scene with a gun. As for me, as soon as we close the case, she will kick him out".
Ryan smiled and drained the cup.
"You know, I think that you better save you money", he said and smiled impudencely.
"The reason?", Espo got up and put a mug into the sink.
"They are Caskett, it explains everything", Ryan sighed.
"And still", Javi objected to.
"At any rate they madden each other, and whatever Castle does: plays tricks and throws vulgar jokes - they are impossible to divide", Kevin countered. "Just recall the moment when Beckett shot Dick Cunnan without a qualm for Castle's sake. He killed her mother, but Kate, without thinking she put a bullet to his chest ".
"She is a cop", Espo insisted on. "It's her duty to protect citizens of New York, and Castle is one of them".
"Oh. Come on", Ryan waved the matter aside. "Everybody is aware that Kate Beckett is the best cop, but anyway she has changed since a mystery writer stepped in the precinct".
" Do you mean Beckett's hundred of dizzying array of hairstyles over the years? ", Javi was laughing.
They stared at each other and burst out laughing together.
"She became mild… so kind", the detective drawled, recalling Beckett before meeting Castle.
"Bingo!", Kevin exclaimed. "She didn't smile so much, but now even her eyes are smiling. And by the way, why are they Caskett?"
"Em…", Ryan scratched his head. "I don't remember. We just put together parts of their names, didn't we?"
"Did we?", Espo sat back.
"Who else?", Kevin asked in confusion
"Montgomery!", the detective exclaimed and his index-finger raised up.
For couple of minutes a partner remains silent, going back to the hilarious moment.
"Exactly!", Irishman also sat down putting his mug on the polished surface of the table.
"Beckett and Castle went out somewhere and the captain couldn't reach them! Remember?", Espo asked with true enthusiasm.
"Yeah, he came in the bullpen and asked about Caskett", Kevin was widely smiling. "At first we didn't catch the concept".
"In this case, why not…", the detective was thinking. "… RickKate? KateIck?"
The Irishman pulled a face and nodded his head.
"It doesn't sound, as you see", Esposito sighed. "And besides, sooner or later all our clients end up there".
Friends looked at each other and a happy smile appeared on their faces.
"And anyway what is the hell with all this shipping stuff?", Javi fell to thinking. "We act like in the TV-series "Gossip Girl", the man was astonished.
"We are sitting here and discussing", Ryan looked around in search of sudden guests – but the office was empty. " Who knows, what if are also given a nickname and shipped with each other?", blue eyes were full of fear. "If Jenny knows…"
For another second the silence was kept, and then there was a burst of laugh. Guys were laughing and then they understood the meaning of spoken.
"Em…Khm… ", Kevin pretended to cough and embarrassing smile touched hos lips.
"EspoRa?", Javier made an attempt – and smile immediately fades away from Kevin's face.
"What is the nonsense? And why is your name first?"
"It's just clear that …", Zito stopped and shrugged, looking at something on the wall.
Ryan caught the idea and was full of anger.
"In this case, it will be RaVier!"
"What's the hell with RaVier?!", Espo jumped up. "What a stupid nickname!"
"It's much more better than EspoRa", Ryan said and rolled the eyes.
"And I suggest you the simplest one – EspoRyan!", they saw the captain.
"Captain!" as one detectives exclaimed, turning to the voice.
But Roy had already hidden in his office.
"This is a mes…", Kevin drawled.
"Aha, bad joke. Do you think they know?", Esposito asked when they were leaving the rest room.
"Know what?"
"That everybody call them Caskett, and we are now EspoRyan?"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Castle burst out laughing and couldn't stop after the story told by Beckett. Of course, she hid some details about boys' bet and about Ryan's confidence that she'll accept him. She was discontentedly looking at him, taking a sip of coffee.
"Is it funny?"
"And where were you hiding?"
"I. Didn't. Hide", Beckett rapped out, nervously shaking the leg. "I just was unintentional listener", Kate grinned.
"Oh, come on", Rick giggled turning on the coffee machine.
"What?", the detective asked. "They call us Caskett!"
"What's bad about it?", in confusion the writer asked and turned to the partner.
"Bad?", she couldn't believe her ears. "Castle, I'm a cop. Moreover, a female cop. I work with men and I don't want to be shipped with someone, especially with you!", Kate drained the mug.
"Caskett is better than EspoRyan", the writer laughed and stirred the coffee. "At least we have a rhyme, and the sense as well. They have… no creativeness".
Beckett gazed at him and then they were laughing and it echoed on the walls of the break room.
The two didn't realize that behind partly-shut door there were boys and the captain. But if Montgomery made all efforts not to laugh, there was no laughing matter for detectives.