Javier Esposito's Wedding Toast
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Still don't own any of this. Nope. Rating: K Time: At Caskett's wedding reception.
"Bro, I did not like you one little bit when you showed up at the precinct." Javier Esposito looked around at his assembled friends, daring them to contradict him. "The last thing that the best homicide team in the city needed was some wise ass writer getting in the way. And when you got Beckett to start thinking that we'd arrested the wrong man, I was ready to try some of you on the arm." Esposito slammed his fist into his open palm.
"Then you proved that you were right. You even chased down and caught the killer. And I thought…"Esposito stopped for a moment. "Anyone can get lucky once."
Kate nodded vigorously and Rick smiled, but shook his head.
"Then you used your friendship with the mayor to get to follow us around. Researching a book, the man said. Ha! I knew what he was sniffing around for. I'd learned all about the playboy Richard Castle. I figured if you hurt Beckett, and she left enough of you for me to find, I would hurt you. Seriously."
"I would have helped." Kevin Ryan called out.
"Yeah, you would have inflicted your fashion sense on him." Esposito said, his smile taking the sting out of the insult.
"But years went by. You proved yourself a valuable asset to our team and, in spite of the obvious attraction between you and Beckett, nothing happened between you two. Bro, I decided you were seriously weird, or maybe you were numb from the waist down."
Both Kate and Rick shook their heads vigorously. "No way, Espo." Kate called.
"I remember the day Kevin told me that you two were a couple. That day is in a tie for the worst day of my life. We thought Tyson had you and I was standing there watching Beckett's heart break and there wasn't one damned thing I could do to help. But she knew you and we got you back."
Esposito smiled at the happy couple. "And from that day on, I started seeing something I'd never seen before. I saw Kate Beckett truly happy. Not just pleased that she'd caught another killer, but deliriously happy. Every once in a while I'd catch the two of you looking at each other with these huge smiles on your faces and I'd have to smile myself."
"Then something happened. Beckett wouldn't tell us what it was, but everyone knew something was going on. Then you and Castle walked into the precinct looking all serious. Beckett told us that she'd taken a job with the Feds in DC and how she was going to miss all of her New York friends. I saw Castle standing there looking all glum and I thought how can he just let her walk? I decided that as soon as Beckett was gone I'd have a little talk with the boy. Then I'd help him pick up his teeth."
"Then, all of a sudden, Beckett is holding up her left hand and she has a ring with a rock in it the size of the Chrysler Building and she says, "Oh, yeah. Castle and I are getting married.""
"And so you two are. There's no doubt in my mind that you two are made for each other. But, Beckett, if he ever steps out of line, I'll be there to set him straight…Always.