Author's Notes: This story is for I'm Widget. She was reviewer #73 for my Valentine's Dare story and this is her prize. I was originally only going to do this as a one shot but I really want to post it now. The only problem is that I am still stuck on the ending. So it will be a day or two maybe before I get that done for you. Keep an eye out for my next story that I'll start posting once this one is done.

Hope you enjoy this. I don't have a beta reader so any mistakes are mine but the characters are not unfortunately.


Rick's POV

I had just seated my mother and Alexis in the pew reserved for Kevin Ryan's precinct family when I turned to see Esposito leading Kate Beckett up the aisle. She looked lovely in her blue dress but I was not thrilled with the smirk on Esposito's face. I had been hoping to escort her up the aisle and he obviously knew that. Kevin walked up to greet the women and I felt for the poor guy. He was so nervous. Beckett at least was nice and didn't tease him like we had been doing earlier. She even paid him a compliment.

"You clean up well, Ryan. You look good in a tux."

"Thanks, you too," he said clearly distracted before we went to go greet some cousins. We all waited until he was out of earshot before we laughed. Knowing we had to get back to our jobs as ushers, we said bye to the ladies and walked to the back of the church. I didn't say anything about Beckett's lack of date. She had insisted that she had a date but she hadn't said anything about who he was. Maybe she was alone after all. Finally it was time for us all to take our places. I didn't really pay attention to the bridesmaids, preferring to watch Kate Beckett.

Once the wedding march started, I directed my attention to the groom, my friend Kevin who had been so nervous just moments ago. I watched as he suddenly stood up even straighter and smiled, no longer nervous. It wasn't a huge smile, just more of a 'Damn, I'm a lucky guy' kind of smile. It was exactly the kind of smile that I never had at either of my weddings.

The wedding was beautiful and it all went without a hitch. Soon we were all getting our photos taken in all the traditional poses. At least, we had taken as many of them as we could before the wedding so we were finally able to get to the reception. Alexis and Mother were already there having gotten a ride from Beckett. I went to find them and soon we were all having a good time.

Beckett's POV

I looked around the reception, checking to see if my date had arrived yet but so far he hadn't. The band started playing music, drawing couples away from our table and soon, Castle and I were the only ones left.

"Would you care to dance, Miss Beckett?" he asked gallantly offering his hand.

"Yes, thank you," I said as I took his hand.

"Are you okay, Castle?" I asked him as we danced.

"Of course," he asked looking a bit confused.

"You looked a bit sad at the wedding," I said. "When Jenny was walking down the aisle."

"You were supposed to be watching her, not me," he said with his charming smile. "Couldn't resist watching me in a tux?"

"Alexis told me to look at Ryan and I happened to notice you watching him also."

"I don't remember how it ever got started but in our family we always look at the groom when the bride walks down the aisle. Or at least, when he first sees the bride. I've seen one groom do a double takes, which I much prefer to the one wedding where the groom about passed out. If I hadn't been watching him, and caught him, he would have cracked his skull open," he said with a grin.

"So why did you look sad?" I asked him again, not wanting to drop the subject yet.

"I am happy for Ryan, I really am. He looked so happy and once he saw her, he wasn't nervous anymore. I just kind of wished that I felt that way at either one of my weddings."

"So you were nervous at your weddings?"

"Terrified. Meredith was pregnant with Alexis so that was twice the nerves. When I married Gina I was more nervous about if it was the right thing to do for Alexis."

"Grooms are always nervous at weddings though, I think it's part of the rules."

"Ryan was nervous before the wedding though, but once he saw her, you could just tell that he knew he was doing the right thing."

I looked into his eyes and before the playboy mask fell again, I could see the real Rick Castle. Not the supremely confident one that makes public appearances, but the one that I only catch glimpses of occasionally, the one that is occasionally unsure of himself. I didn't really know what to say so I just lightly squeezed his hand as we continued our dance. We stepped back and clapped when the song was over before we headed back to the table. I was almost there when Lanie caught me by the arm and insisted that we have a talk.

"So, girlfriend what was all that about?"

"What are you talking about? Everyone else at the table left, we just danced."

"I always thought that if he finally had you in his arms he would actually look happy. He looked mighty sad," Lanie said.

"He's fine."

"You aren't going to tell me?"

"It's not my place to say," I said simply hoping that Lanie would drop the subject.

"Okay. So when is your date," she used air quotes, "supposed to be here?"

"He should have been here already; he must have gotten caught in some traffic."

"You do realize that Castle doesn't think the date is real."

"I know," I said with a smile.

"Are you going to tell him who your date is?"

"Probably but it might be fun to see what he says first."

"Might be? Girlfriend, if you don't let me see Castle's reaction when you introduce your date, Imma gonna smack you."

I just laughed with her but I did want to change the subject so I turned to her and asked, "So it's been a lovely wedding. Giving you and Esposito any ideas?"

"Maybe," Lanie said softly surprising me.

"Really?" I asked excited. "Details."

"Later," she said with a mischievous grin. "Your date just walked in."

I turned to see my date and smiled as he walked over to our table. I barely had the chance to say hello to him when there was an announcement for all the single ladies to come to the dance floor. My date just smiled, said he would get me a drink, then Lanie led me away by the arm.

Rick's POV

"Ginger ale and a glass of white wine, please."

"Same for me, but make it two ginger ales. And can you put them in champagne glasses?" I asked the bartender before I turned to look at the man beside me. "Friend of the bride or groom?"

"Neither, actually."

"You are crashing a party full of cops?" I asked surprised and a little impressed

"My date is a friend of the groom," he laughed. "You?"

"I'm a friend of Ryan's, um, Kevin's." I held out my hand. "I'm Rick."

"Jim," he replied as we shook hands.

"Gentlemen, your drinks," the bartender returned with a tray of drinks.

"Thank you," I said to the bartender as I picked up my three glasses, Jim picking up his two. I turned back to the table that we were sitting at only to find none of the women there. "Oh look, it's that time of the wedding when friendships get tossed aside along with some flowers."

"What?" he asked with a smile.

"The bouquet toss. Trust me, I've been to my share of weddings and usually the women go nuts over who gets to catch it."

"I can't imagine my date doing that. How about your date?"

"One of them yes, the other no."

"You have two dates? And I thought crashing a cops wedding was a bad idea."

"Not exactly," I laughed. "See the two red heads?" I asked waiting for his nod, they were easy to see in the group of lots of blonde women. "The one I would worry about is my mother and the other is my daughter. And just what is my daughter doing now?" I asked as I watched her and Lanie take Kate Beckett's arms, obviously keeping her in place for the bouquet toss.

"Looks like someone doesn't want to be there," my new friend Jim said.

"Yeah, she is probably the exception that proves the rule about women and the bouquet toss."

"So I take it you know her."

"Yeah. She's my partner, Detective Kate Beckett."

"Oh, so you are a cop too."

"Not exactly. I'm a writer, I've been shadowing her for a while," I said, my eyes not leaving the dance floor.

"Lucky man. She's beautiful."

"That she is," I said. "She's also smart, funny, and very caring. She's extraordinary."

"Sounds like you know her very well. Are you two dating?"

"Beckett and I? No. We're just, uh, friends."

"Just 'uh, friends'?" he smiled. "But you would like to date her, I'm guessing."

"Who wouldn't," I said. "We live very different lives, she's private and I'm not. She wouldn't want to have to deal with that."

"She's a strong woman, she's dealt with worse. Her father, her mother," he said sadly.

"Kate told you about her mother?" I asked shocked as we both gut up to head over for the garter toss. Kate didn't share that with many people. "So you must know her pretty well, too."

"I would say so, she is my date," he smiled at me.

I felt like I had been kicked in the gut, or maybe a bit lower. I knew that Kate had never told Demming or Doctor Motorcycle Boy about her mother but Jim seemed to know all about her. How did I not know that Kate was dating someone that seriously? Did she really need to hide that from me? I thought she trusted me.