Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. I'm sorry there was such a long break between chapters, but I was abroad. However, I have all the chapters through six written and beta'd so updates should be pretty quick.

A/N: Thanks to Melissa for being an amazing Chamberdon shipper.


Eight days earlier…

"Bottoms up, boys!" Castle announced as he brought another round of drinks to the table. "This one's on me."

"Cheers!" Ryan and Esposito called as they clinked their glasses together. Beckett rolled her eyes.

"You realize we have work tomorrow, right?" she reminded them. "I'm not dealing with your hangovers. Or cleaning up any vomit."

"Stop worrying," Ryan said lightly. "This frat boy knows how to handle his booze."

"Please tell me you're not talking about yourself," Esposito ribbed him.

"I can get you a drink too, if you like," Castle offered her. "I know the guy who owns the place."

Beckett glanced around at the other bar-goers crowded around the high tables at The Old Haunt. She leaned forward. "You don't say."

"As a matter of fact, I do say." He grinned. "What'll it be?"

"Castle, no," Beckett responded. "I've had plenty for one night."

"If by 'plenty' you mean 'two' then I suppose that would be right. Come on, indulge yourself. That autographed copy of Nikki heat just raised five thousand dollars for charity."

"Your mother was the highest bidder."

"All the same," he said with a wink. "Still going to charity, right? The Children's Hospital at NYU thanks us for our generosity."

"It was the Children's Hospital at Columbia," Beckett corrected him. "And I think you've had quite enough to drink." She pulled out the flimsy red straw he had been using and put it down on the table, holding his half-empty glass out of his reach.

"Bro, there are better ways to swap spit than that," Esposito pointed out. Beckett threw the straw at him.

Esposito was about to retaliate when Beckett suddenly exclaimed, "Ouch!" Someone had slipped on the slick bar floor and careened into Beckett. The drink she had been holding for Castle splashed all over her.

"I'm sorry!" the thirty-something guy who had crashed into her apologized. "This floor is so slippery – can I get you a napkin or anything?"

"No, it's fine," she replied. "We've got plenty of them here." She gestured to the napkin dispenser at the center of the table. She grabbed a handful and began dabbing at her dress .

"Oh, right," he said sheepishly. "I'm really sorry...Listen, let me make it up to you. I'll buy you another one. What are you having?" He peered into the bottom of the glass. "Was that Scotch?"

"Oh – no," Beckett said. Behind her, Castle raised his eyebrows and exchanged a glance with Ryan and Esposito. "No, I'm really fine."

"I insist," he said. "Please, on me." When she continued to hesitate, he added, "In exchange for the dry cleaning bill?"

"That really won't be necessary," she responded. "I'll just throw it in the wash when I get home. Besides," she added, with a sideways glance at Castle. "I know the guy who owns the place. Drinks are already free."

To Castle's surprise and annoyance, the man failed to recognize the dismissal. Instead, he smiled. "Then humor me?"

"Um…okay," she conceded with a smile. "Just one drink." She stood up from the table, leaving the now-empty glass next to Castle. As she leaned over to replace the glass on the table, she whispered in his ear, "Behave."

"Yes, dear," Castle called to Beckett's retreating back. She didn't respond.

Despite the drinks he'd had that night, Castle suddenly found himself more alert as he watched Beckett and the man approach the bar. He ordered a drink for her and then another for himself. Castle frowned. Something about the man seemed off – though maybe it was because this was a bar, after all, and anyone who bothered showing up at a bar on a Wednesday night clearly had nothing better to do and had, by default, to be a little off.

Beckett said something to the man and then walked off in the direction of the ladies' room. The mystery man continued to wait for their drinks at the bar.

"What do you say, Castle?"

"Huh?" He turned back to Ryan and Esposito, completely oblivious to the fact they'd been having a conversation without him while he'd been watching Beckett at the bar.

"We were talking about team poker," Esposito informed him. "You and me, versus Ryan and Beckett. Your place, high stakes. What do you think?"

"It's a school night," he pointed out. "I don't want Alexis to be up late watching us make fools of ourselves."

"Fine, my place then," Esposito said with an impatient wave of his hand. "But then we'll have lower stakes."

"Yeah, sure." Castle clearly wasn't listening. Beckett was back, talking to the mystery man again, drink in hand. He saw her take a sip, staring at the man, who was showing too much interest in Beckett for his personal liking. He also felt a twinge of annoyance that she would drink something paid for by this other man, but not something paid for by him. Or on the house, since he owned the place.

The man leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Castle was surprised when she didn't knee him, but instead giggled a little and touched his arm flirtatiously. The guy then turned and walked away, leaving her alone at the bar with the drink. As she walked back over to the table, she took another sip.

"The prodigal detective has returned!" Castle proclaimed. "With drink in hand!"

"Try not to wet yourself," Beckett replied calmly as she took another sip.

"Hey, Beckett," Ryan said quickly. "We were thinking of heading over to Esposito's place for some team poker. You and me wiping the floor with Castle and Esposito. What do you think?"

"Hmm," she said. "I don't know…"

"Why not?" Castle demanded.

"It's just…getting kind of late, isn't it?" Beckett said. But Castle was sure the lateness of the hour had nothing to do with her refusal to join them.

Esposito apparently agreed. Frowning, he asked, "And when has that ever stopped you before?"

"Well…" For some reason, Castle thought Beckett looked very uncomfortable. "I just – didn't want to be out late tonight, that's all. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow and at least one of us has to be alert and not hungover."

"Poker doesn't make you hungover," Ryan pointed out. "You have to come. We can't play teams otherwise."

"Where are you really going?" Castle wanted to know. He raised his eyebrows. "Are you meeting mystery man at another bar, maybe one more out of the way and private? In a hotel perhaps?"

"Mystery man?" Beckett repeated. "That guy? Come on, you guys. I have standards."

"You're avoiding the question," Castle observed.

Beckett rolled her eyes. "I don't need to justify all my decisions to you, Castle. If I want to go home and sleep, I'll go home and sleep. No need for the interrogation."

"Okay," Esposito said. "We'll just play regular poker, it's not big deal."

Castle wasn't about to give up so easily. "Come on, what are you hiding?"

"Nothing," Beckett replied exasperatedly. But Castle had the odd feeling that she was lying for sure this time.

Beckett sighed. "I really just want to go home, draw a nice bubble bath, and relax and forget everything for awhile. Is that so much to ask? That I want to have some time by myself?" Without waiting for their reply, Beckett set her still half-full drink down on the table and swung her purse over her shoulder. "I'll see you all tomorrow bright and early," she told them. "Don't stay out late tonight."


A/N: I promise to update soon. Please review in the meantime!