Title: Secrets and Sidekicks

Summary: After the wedding Ryan and Alexis share the good news with their family and friends. (I know some of you wanted me to write the wedding but I'm going to pass, I struggle with not making wedding chapters boring.)

Genre: Friendship/Family

Characters: Ryan, Castle

Everyone sat around lazily as night descended upon them, bow ties and high heels long ago discarded. Since it had been small and intimate no one really left after the reception, everyone unwilling to end the day. It was too bad it was such a rarity to have everyone here together but with hectic schedules they had to take what they could get. The only person missing from the group it seemed was Devlin who had fallen asleep on Castle almost an hour ago before Ryan had taken him inside and tucked him in.

Ryan's eyes drifted around to Paige and Taylor, Castle and Beckett, Patrick and Lila and Ava, and last but certainly not least Lanie and Esposito who were seated next to him. "Yo, you listening to me?"

He turned and smiled fondly at his obviously intoxicated partner. "Yeah bro, I'm listening." His lids slid shut as a relaxed smile spread across his lips. Today had been perfect; it honestly couldn't have gone any better than it had. There were no hiccups, no issues, no nothing. Everyone that had been invited came with the exception of a few of Ryan's sisters but that was to be expected, not like they could drop everything and run to a wedding for a brother they hardly knew anymore.

"Next time you try to tell me something I'm ignoring you," Esposito informed him. "Are you even awake?"

He couldn't help the soft chuckle that bubbled out of him, "I'm sorry I'm just really buzzed and really relaxed. Plus I don't even know what you're talking about anymore. How much have you had to drink Javi?"

The dark-skinned man stared down at his almost empty bottle of beer before looking at Lanie and eventually back to Ryan, "That… doesn't matter. Shut up."

When he noticed his wife making her way over to him he smiled gently, she was so stunning and completely his. It was a privilege to just know her but now being married? Icing on the cake didn't even begin to describe it. When she approached him she handed him another bottle of dark beer and sat down in a chair next to him, their fingers automatically entwining when their hands touched.

"What's wrong chica? Don't like dark beer?" Esposito asked casually when he saw that not only did she not have a bottle in her hand but appeared much too sober compared to everyone else. "You better catch up, you're not drunk enough."

She cast a nervous glance to her brand new husband who squeezed her hand in reassurance before she shrugged casually. "No drinking for me tonight."

"Why not?" Taylor asked curiously.

With a steadying breath she forced herself to not tremble and looked at her dad. "You're not supposed to drink when you're pregnant."

The silence that followed was so comical that Ryan couldn't help but snort and giggle goofily, the laugh finally popping Paige out of her stunned silence. She screamed before anyone else could even react and launched out of her chair to hug Alexis tightly. "Oh my God! I'm going to be an Aunt! I've waited for this moment for so long!"

Esposito finally shook himself out of his stupor and grinned at his smiling best friend, "Seriously bro?" At Ryan's nod he leaned forward and jerked him into a rough hug. "Awesome."

When Paige stepped away and after Taylor gave her congratulations Alexis just stared at her father and when a silent tear slid down his cheek she instantly walked over and dropped down onto his lap. "Are you ok dad?"

He nodded and hugged her close, a choked laugh leaving his lips. "My baby is having a baby. I'm just so happy, and surprised, and Ryan is just so dead."

"What?" Ryan squeaked once Beckett stepped back from hugging him.

He sniffled and nodded, "As soon as she moves I'm going to kill you with my bare hands. Not even Esposito can save you. I suggest you start using those chicken legs to start running."

Ryan let out an awkward laugh until Alexis moved and Castle stood up. Realizing he wasn't joking he tried to get away but found Castle was much quicker than he let on and within a few seconds he was being manhandled across the yard. "Are you ready?" the writer asked darkly.

"For what?" he cried nervously. His answer came a second later when he found himself hitting the cool water in the deep end of the pool. When he finally surfaced and pushed his hair off his forehead he glared up at Castle. "That was mean."

"A little," he said with a grin before sitting down in a chair next to the pool. He glanced around and was pleased to see no one had followed them to the side of the house. He needed a few minutes alone with his new son-in-law. "Congratulations Ryan."

The smallest detective at the 12th pulled himself out of the pool and sat down in a puddle before beginning to discard whatever sopping layers he could. "Thanks Castle. I'm pretty excited."

"I'd go into the whole spiel about being a dad and husband and all those good things but you already know it all. So all I can say is this, keep doing what you're doing. I couldn't have picked anyone better for Alexis." Ryan kicked his feet idly back and forth in the pool and nodded shyly before turning slightly when Castle continued. "It seems like forever ago that I found out about you two, it's amazing how far we've all come in the last two years. Still hard to believe Alexis is married. Time goes so fast Ryan, don't ever take anything for granted."

"I am scarily aware of that fact and believe me I don't."

The two men descended into a comfortable silence, the only noise coming from the guests in the back of the house and the sound of water lapping against the edge of the pool.

"That's why you're not going on a honeymoon isn't it?" Castle suddenly said with a snap of his fingers. "I wondered about that when you two said you weren't going to Ireland like you had talked about a few months ago."

The soaked man nodded, "Yeah. We both thought about it and figured I should save my vacation time for when the baby gets here. You know she was pretty nervous to tell you."

"Why?" he questioned.

Ryan hoisted himself up and grimaced at the water pooling in his shoes before walking over and dropping down into a chair next to him with a sloshing noise. "She thought you'd be disappointed in her for some reason, or pissed at me."

Castle pursed his lips a little as he shrugged, "This was of course unexpected but how could I ever be disappointed? She's my little angel, she can't do wrong in my eyes. As for being pissed at you, I'd like to think we moved past that and you're back to being my sidekick."

"Your sidekick?" Ryan said in disbelief. "You're Beckett's sidekick and sidekicks don't get sidekicks. I am not a sidekick."

"You're Esposito's."

"Why isn't Esposito my sidekick?" he argued. At Castle's arched brow he sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Fair enough."