Standard disclaimer.

Merry Xmas, make it a good one and put your faith with your friends and family.

…

"Richard, give it back."

He took in the petite blonde woman in front of him with a swell of brotherly pride and raised a glass in a silent toast. No," he smiled.

"Castle, give it back," there was a laugh mixed in with the resigned tone to Ryan's voice.

"No can do," he apologized.

"Rick," even Kate's tone lacked some of the flagging patience it would have otherwise.

"I heard about this game," he announced, waving Jenny's phone for emphasis and reclaiming his seat next to Kate in the booth, scooting in close and he felt the amused huff of her breath over his neck. He twisted and gave her a peck on the lips, tasting vodka just briefly before pulling away, snaking an arm around her now that she had moved forward and into him so he could snag her clutch.

When she saw he had taken it, he gave her a second in thanks before opening it and fishing out her phone as well.

Lanie chuckled from Beckett's other side and Esposito wandered back over from the bar with a fresh bottle, Ryan and his wife inexorably drawn in as well.

"Come on, sit down," he told them when he saw the eclectic mix of standing and sitting members of their circle. "And put your phones on the table." He led by example, placing his own and the two he had confiscated face up on the pitted wood of their customary booth.

"Dude, if something happens to my phone," Esposito muttered in good humor, freeing said device from the inner jacket pocket and adding it to the pile.

"Nothing is going to happen to it," Castle reassured him. "Lanie?" he asked the woman who was watching him with open amusement.

"Come on, Lanie,' Kate nudged her. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Don't make me regret this, girl," she rolled her eyes but added her cell along with Ryan.

"Excellent," Rick beamed. He made sure all the phones were safe in the middle and face up before rubbing his hands together and ordering a round of shots with a wave to his barkeep.

"You never said it was a drinking game," Jenny said with a pout. "You know I can't drink. That's why we're here."

"You won't be drinking," he told her. "You are the honorary judge."

"Judge of what?"

"Well, we're all going to make a bet, see. Until the game is over, no one is allowed to touch their phone. If they do, you get to order them a round of shots – any shot you want and they have to drink down every single one. We're going to bet to see who caves first. Ryan will take your share, I'm sure."

"Castle!" Ryan protested flinching under the sudden backslap Esposito delivered him.

Kate however was laughing. "We all know who is going to crack," she shook her head. "You can't go half an hour without fiddling with Rick Jr."

Lanie let out a hoot and gave Kate a small high five, "I'm with you on that one."

"I'm going to have to put my money on my boy here," Esposito grinned, clapping a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"Me too," Jenny leaned into her husband's side and scooting a hand into his belt hooks. "I'm counting on you making losing interesting."

"That'll be the pregnancy hormones talking," Lanie whispered for the rest of the table, giving Jenny a knowing wink. "Wants to take advantage of her man." Jenny blew her a kiss and the rest of the table went red with laughter at Ryan's brilliant blush.

"I'm betting that Esposito over there is our man," Castle recovered first, almost set off again by the indignant flare that set up camp on his friend's face.

"Man, why do you have to go and out the finger on me?" Esposito complained.

"Someone had to," Castle shrugged. "Lanie's too much of a dark horse." He raised his glass and reached around Kate to clink it with the ME.

"Yeah but why me? Ryan's got calls from almost all of Ireland calling to congratulate him."

"Just keeping it interesting, Detective."

"You are going down Writer Boy," he growled.

"That's not what you said a minute ago," Castle reminded him sweetly.

Esposito just groaned and turned to Kate. "How do you put up with this guy?"

"Don't ask," Kate suggested archly.

Castle grinned and nuzzled his nose into her neck, her tendons staying put rather than turning into it the way she usually did, meaning she was staring Esposito straight down. He nibbled at her collarbone because he couldn't help it and wasn't sure if the groan came from her or Esposito.

"You are so on."

…

The attention focused so carefully on any fixture of the Old Haunt except the phones was painful. Conversation starters began to include appreciation of the woodwork, inspection of the complementary peanuts and critiques of the bar they had claimed as their own. Despite no one betting money or favors on her phone ringing, Kate found at least every second thought to be about who could possibly call. Her father didn't really call outside their weekly catch up, their latest case was closed, and all the other numbers who regularly called her phone were trapped in the same limbo.

She was safe, right? There was no way Castle would be able to outlast her anyway. SHe did not want to be doing six shots.

All members of the booth and one hyperalert older man in the next booth jumped when less than five minutes later a phone went off. Derspite the distinctive ring tone, everyone peeked at the phone before relaxing with a sigh. She felt almost dirty, sneaking a peek. But she was allowed to look and it wasnt her phone. She looked at the Irishman in the booth who had two sets of six shots riding on his inability to leave hisphone alone.

Ryan's hand didn't flinch towards it at all, leaving him with a self-satisfied smirk across his face.

Next was Lanie's. Kate immediately recognized the woman whose picture was lighting up the screen and looked at her friend questioningly when Lanie happily ignored it.

"Aren't you going to get that?"

"No," Lanie grinned, her bangled wrist moving over the table to pull a shot towards her voluntarily though she obviously had no intention of picking up her phone. She knocked it back gustily and let out a whoop. "Oh, God. I've wanted to do that for so long." The smile was almost wide to split, and she upended the shot glass enthusiastically on the table. "Don't get me wrong, I love my Momma, but that felt so good."

"You go girl," Castle congratulated her.

"Just 'coz you could never hang up on your Mom, Castle," Esposito scoffed.

"Like you would," Ryan snorted reaching across to feed the birds with Castle who was obviously delighted with Ryan's support. Kate could barely restrain a laugh either; she had met Momma Esposito, Parish and Martha. None of them were the sort of woman she would want to leave hanging.

Ten minutes later, Esposito's phone lit up. As if a magnetic field had suddenly been generated every member at the party was drawn forward in their seats to track the incoming call.

"I am amazing," Castle boasted as Esposito rocked back in dismay. "Bro, you are doing six shots of Sambuka, because I called it. I. Am. The. Man."

The ringtone was insistent but Esposito made no move to silence it.

"Answer your phone," Castle frowned.

Esposito didn't budge.

"Espo, it's Captain Gates. You can't just ignore her," Beckett patted his shoulder in sympathy.

Esposito's hand stretched out but just as Castle flagged a passing waiter, Espo's hand veered off and grasped one of the remaining whisky shots on the table and throwing it down with none of the relish but the same determination Lanie had.

"Sambuka shot," Esposito rasped, jerking his thumb at Castle. "For this guy."

"What?" Castle protested.

"For even thinking that I was going to be the first to cave."

…

When Castle's phone lit up with a text message she couldn't help but let out a little chuckle; victory was going to be sweet. He looked torn, like he was genuinely in pain when Lanie picked his phone up and waved it in front of him.

"It's Alexis, Castle. You sure you don't want to see what she wants?"

"Hey, no touching!" Esposito protested.

"He just said I wasn't allowed to touch my phone," Lanie corrected him primly. "Well, Castle? Little Castle on the line."

"Could I bribe you into reading the message for me?" Castle asked trying to dredge up his charm.

"Hell no. Little Castle is about to win me this little bet."

Castle snarled good-naturedly at her and grabbed Kate's hand, dragging her out onto the dance floor out of earshot of his phone.

…

Castle had put a lot of effort into retaining the integrity of the Old Haunt when he bought it, the era and the history. So when he didn't have someone tapping away on the old upright, he had the old greats pumping smoothly out over the bar, quiet, just a nod to atmosphere except a corner he had kept clear towards the back. That open stretch of scuffed wood had a few more speakers lending Ella a stronger voice here out of the direct lights as Castle cradled Kate closer on the unofficial dance floor.

He never told Kate, but it was an attempt to make the place more accessible for the friends and family of those who drank alone and dangerously. Some of his old regulars just in it for the atmosphere could bring their wives, their legal-aged families and take a lazy spin or shuffle around to the music, just quiet enough to let them loose themselves. There was a romance here and he wanted to share it more than he wanted to give them a quality drink.

It got a little livelier on occasion when requests came in, Eddie pounding out jazz, blues and boogie woogie in the subdued lights.

As it was, the opening drum beats of Ella Fitzgerald's Night and Day, gave him the perfect throb to pull Kate into some formal steps, the formal fluid moves he so rarely utilized taking his mind off what his daughter would want enough to call from her dorm.

She spun in from the turn and molded herself into him, close enough that he saw the tendons in her neck pull when she leant her head back to look into his face.

"Hey, Big Daddy," she greeted him quietly, eyes soft.

"Hey," he returned, closing the distance and feathering his nose along hers, so grateful for the peace of mind she gave him. Her hand came to rest warm off the back of his head, sheltering him close, halfway between his ear and his neck.

"You didn't count on Alexis texting, did you?" she murmured, fingers running circles tight against his scalp.

"Didn't even think about it," he agreed, pulling back to see her eyes were a mix of humor and sympathy.

"Do you want me to check the message?" she offered.

"Not if you want to win that bet."

"I thought you knew by now that I'm not after your money and I don't need to get you drunk to get what I want."

"Does that mean you've seen something else that might interest you?"

"Perhaps," she granted, letting her nose flirt slowly with his.

…

"Oh that has to be the cutest thing," Lanie sighed. She nudged her elbow into Esposito's ribs where he sat quietly talking with Ryan beside her and all three watched the partners slowly revolving around to notes they couldn't quite make out back in the booth. "That has to go on their wedding invitation. Ryan, take a photo."

The man didn't pause, just giving Jenny a kiss to her temple and picking up his phone, touching his thumb to the photo app on the main screen.

It took some time for him to master the zoom function, and in the dim lighting Lanie could see it was hardly going to be a professional quality shot. Without using a flash it wouldn't do it full justice but he waited until they turned, snapping a good angle. It was only as he withdrew it back into his chest to check his shot after the disturbingly loud shutter sound that Lanie looked closer at the device in his hand.

"Ryan," she said slowly.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a photo?" he asked looking confusedly from one face to another. "Like you said?"

"Bro!" Esposito crowed. "Thank you!" he grabbed up his phone and was already calling Gates back. "Yo," he hailed Brian behind the bar. "I need six shots of Vodka for my boy over here!"

Ryan gaped at Esposito's retreating back- obviously trying to ferret out a quieter spot to apologize to his boss, before turning to Lanie. "You tricked me!" he sounded injured.

"I didn't mean to," Lanie put him off. "I just wanted that photo, which you will be sending me by the way."

"What?"

"That photo. I want it."

"No," Ryan shook his head. "The way I see it, it's your fault so you have to share some of the blame."

Lanie's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Kevin Ryan."

"I'll send you the picture if you take two of the shots."

"Two shots!"

"One?" Ryan reconsidered taking in the woman's outrage. "A shot for a shot?"

"Consider it a personal favor," Jenny interceded on her husband's behalf. "For my winnings I'm ordering him six shots of Schnapps and a woman in my condition shouldn't really be carrying her husband in and pouring him into bed."

Lanie looked somewhat mollified, looking over at Ryan with a somewhat pitying glance as Brian lined up the six shots from Esposito and Jenny ordered the next six.

"Fine, one shot," she agreed, shaking her head at Ryan. "But the vodka is all yours. Never could hold your liquor."