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Song of the Chapter: "Picture" by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or anything affiliated with it, nor do I own "Picture" or it's singers.

June 11th, 2014:

"Nah, man." Esposito was saying as he and Ryan entered the bar. "It's totally the wife."

Ryan shook his head as they took a seat at the bar and motioned for two beers. "What? Were you born yesterday?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Esposito said with a smirk.

"Hell also hath no fury like a man ripped off." Ryan pointed out.

"That sounds like the talk of a man who's not afraid to place a wager on his opinions."

"You're on." Ryan said, shaking his friend's hand.

"Still betting on cases?" A voice came from behind them. "I thought you would have been trained out of that by now."

Both men turned to see a sandy-blonde haired man with shining deep blue eyes smiling at them.

"Castle!" Esposito grinned. "Hey, bro!"

"Hey yourself!"

"How ya been?" Ryan asked.

"Pretty good, can't complain." Castle told them. "You know. What's new with you guys?"

"Well, let's see…" Ryan looked at Esposito and grabbed his hand. "Well…we're together now…"

Esposito nodded.

"Wh-what?" Castle stammered, his eyes growing wide. "That's…I mean I'm…I'm happy for you?"

Esposito and Ryan looked at each other again, and then burst into hysterical laughter, unable to keep up the gag for very long.

"Oh." Castle let out a long breath, seeming to breathe easier. "You guys gave me a heart attack. That would have been too weird."

Esposito grinned. "Come on, man. We had to mess with you. It's been too long."

"Fair enough." Castle conceded, smiling now too. "What's really new?"

"In reality? Let's see…well, Jenny and I just had a baby girl." Ryan said with a proud look on his face. "Her name is Grace." He dug a picture out of his wallet and handed it to him.

"Grace Ryan?" Castle smirked, taking the picture. "Are you going for a string of the most Irish names on the planet?"

"Hey." Ryan said in a mock warning tone.

"Congratulations, though." Castle told him, looking at the picture. "She's beautiful." He handed it back.

"Thanks." Ryan said, tucking it back in place carefully.

"What about you?" Castle looked at Esposito. "Proposed to Lanie yet?"

"Nah, not yet." Esposito shook his head.

Castle raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Things are going good right now." He shrugged. "I'm happy, she's happy. It works for us." He took a drink. "Someday though. What about you Mr. Big Shot? Any big projects since apparently there's been an unofficial end to Nikki Heat?"

"Actually, yes." Castle leaned forward conspiratorially. "I just signed a rather large deal to write about a certain British spy."

"No." Ryan said in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Now that's sweet." Esposito remarked.

"Mmhm." Castle nodded. He paused, and then asked, "How's Kate?"

"Last we heard she's doing good." Esposito told him.

"Last you heard?" Castle chuckled. "You mean when you left work today?"

Ryan glanced uncomfortably at Esposito, and then looked back at Castle. "You didn't hear?"

The smile slid a fraction of an inch. "Didn't hear what?"

"She left, man." Esposito said.

Castle furrowed his brow. "Left what?"

"Everything." Ryan said. "She quit her job and moved out to the suburbs."

"What?" Castle asked incredulously. "Kate would never…you guys are kidding again, right?"

"Wish we were." Esposito frowned.

"Kate loves being a detective. She would never quit. It's a part of who she is." Castle objected.

"Yeah, well. Guess she loves Josh more." Esposito gave a half a shrug. "Besides, she was saying something about it being a better place to raise a family."

Castle swallowed hard. "R-raise a family?"

"Yeah." Esposito nodded. "She left about halfway through her pregnancy."

"Kate has a kid?" Castle's voice sounded weird to his own ears, and his heart plummeted into his stomach.

"…Yeah." Esposito said, realizing just how much Castle had never heard, and how hard it must be to hear it now. "Kid's…what…about a year old now?" He looked at Ryan.

Ryan nodded. "Sounds right." He nodded, and then looked at Castle again. "She got pregnant about a month after you left. It's a boy. Name's Michael."

Castle took a deep breath and stayed silent for a while before saying, "I need a drink." and ordering a beer.

Ryan and Esposito both looked nervous.

"You okay?" Ryan asked.

"Is she happy?" Castle asked seriously. "Honestly?"

"She sounded like it when I talked to her." Esposito said. "Although…"

"Although what?"

Esposito hesitated. "Although, she never sounds as happy as she got whenever she was with you."

Castle's drink was set in front of him and he took a long drink from it, not saying anything for a while. "I can't believe it." He whispered.

Ryan and Esposito said nothing.

"You know, I've done a lot of things in my life." Castle told them. "Some I probably should regret, but letting her go is the only one that I actually do."

"Bro, if you had told her…" Esposito trailed off.

"I know." Castle grimaced. "But she's happy now. That's all that matters." He took another large drink and set the bottle down on the bar, and then took out his wallet and laid a 20 down for all 3 men's drinks. "I'll catch you guys later." Then he got up and left.

"Think he knows she cried when he left?" Ryan asked.

"Nah." Esposito shook his head. "And I'm not going to be the one to tell him."

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