It took a really long time to sort out all my thoughts for this one. Still don't know if I'm entirely happy with it, but I'll let you decide. Read/review. Thanks!
Disclaimer: All characters, bars, and everything else Castle-related belongs to the genius mind of Mr. Marlowe.
It had started out as an innocent game of Truth or Dare. Everyone was bored with their paper work, and Martha and Alexis were having a girls' weekend in the Hamptons, so Castle didn't want to go home. Ryan and Esposito had been throwing paper at Beckett to see who could get her away from her work, and in the end she told them that if they were going to act like ten-year-olds, they would be treated like ten-year-old, so she gave them a timeout. It worked, for a little while, but once she told them they could get back to work, Beckett was the one getting antsy. No one else was at the precinct, and she just simply did not want to work anymore. Castle took note of Beckett's exasperation and suggested they move the night to the Old Haunt.
After a few drinks, Esposito suggested Truth or Dare, because they were all a little tipsy and really, what's the worst that could happen?
Well, after an hour, they'd seen Ryan snort a packet of sweetener, Esposito get slapped twice, and learned that Beckett liked a certain TV show about space-cowboys.
The whole bar clapped as Castle finished his rendition of "Sweet Caroline" and got down off the table. "Wow, Castle, I didn't think you'd actually do that," Beckett told him once she had stopped giggling.
"My dear detective, haven't you learned by now that I'll do whatever you ask?" Castle asked, quirking his eyebrow at her.
"Except paperwork and staying in the car."
"Well, I'm not gonna do boring stuff," they all laughed and Beckett got up to use the bathroom and get another round. "Don't do anything good without me."
Ryan rolled his eyes "We promise, Becks." She smiled and walked toward the bathroom, her hip swaying a little more than usual so that Castle only looked away after she rounded a corner. He focused back into the boys' conversation. Ryan was saying, "Come on Javi. You can't tell us you've slept with someone in the precinct other than Lanie and then not tell us who she is!"
Espo wouldn't budge. "I'm not telling you guys. She'd kill me."
Castle was intrigued. "Now why would she be angry if you told us? We're excellent secret-keepers." Ryan nodded enthusiastically.
Espo laughed "The only time you're good at keeping secrets is when they're about you or Beckett, Castle. And Kev, you tell Jenny everything,"
Ryan scoffed. "I do not tell her everything," he said. Espo raised his eyebrow and Castle took a swig of his scotch.
"Bro, come on." Espo said with a disbelieving look at his partner.
Ryan "pshh"ed a few more times, then changed the subject back to Espo's secret. "We won't tell anyone!"
Castle fixed Espo with his most serious look. "I just sang Sweet Caroline in front of my entire bar. I think you can tell us the lady's name."
Espo looked from Ryan to Castle, then to the bar, where Beckett was ordering a round for them. Castle watched intently, and he suddenly knew.
"No. No, no, no! Seriously?" Castle stared, a disbelieving look on his face. Espo looked sheepish as he realized Castle had figured out the identity of his mysterious hookup. "You've got to be kidding me, Espo!"
Ryan had no idea what was going on. "What? Who is it?"
Just then Beckett came back to the table. "The drinks'll be out in a few minutes." She looked up at Castle, who was still staring at Javier, who looked very uncomfortable. She looked to Ryan, who had a confused expression on his face as he tried to read Castle's expression. "Did I miss something?" she asked, taking a sip of her water.
"The other woman you've slept with is BECKETT?" Castle's outburst caused Beckett to choke on the water.
"Excuse me?" Beckett stared at Castle, then at Ryan, who looked as though he'd just been punched in the face, then to Espo, who was looking at her with a pleading look in his eyes. "You seriously told them?" she was just a little furious. She had made Espo promise not to tell anyone.
"Castle figured it out!" Espo replied, getting defensive.
"When?" Ryan said, finally getting back into the conversation.
Beckett huffed out an annoyed sigh. "It was before we knew either of you, okay? Why do you think we're so close?"
"To be honest I always thought it was just from working together for so long." Castle still couldn't believe what he'd found out. He felt enlightened, wierded out, and betrayed, all at the same time. He looked around the table at his friends, Beckett and Espo trying to make Ryan stop laughing. "I'll be right back," he said, probably letting a little too much anger get into the words, and he went to the bar to tell Brian to give him a very strong whiskey.
"Hey," Beckett came and sat on the stool beside him. "You okay?"
Castle couldn't believe she had the nerve to ask him that. Of course he wasn't okay. "Yes." He said curtly.
"Look, Rick, it was a long time ago! And it was one time. He's like a brother to me now." Beckett needed him to understand that it didn't mean anything.
"And what does that make me?" He knew it was slightly off-topic, but he had to know. "Am I like a brother to you? Or am I more like a cousin, or just a friend, or that one uncle who's close to you in age and always…" He trailed off after he saw the look on her face. It was somewhere between anger and laughter, and it was beautiful. He suddenly became aware of how very close she was to him.
"You are my partner. My best friend, my nine-year-old-on-a-sugar-rush writer boy." She said as she moved closer to him and whispered in his ear, "And the man I love. So why does it matter if I slept with Javi before I met you?"
He looked at her, not believing he had heard her correctly. She only smiled and gave him a quick peck on the mouth. Castle smiled. "So can I tell them now?"
Beckett rolled her eyes and laughed. "Well, you kept your mouth shut for three weeks, so I guess it's about time they knew."
Castle was positively beaming as he took her hand and led her back to their booth. Two minutes later, Ryan and Esposito were almost jumping up and down like high school girls and yelling "FINALLY!"