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"Ten bucks says they hook up before Christmas."
Ryan looked up from the file he'd been trying to read, training his eyes on Castle and Beckett, who were having a discussion at Beckett's desk. He watched as Castle leaned in, wearing that look, the one you often find on men trying to pick up women at bars after two a.m. and too many drinks. Beckett was standing her ground, looking him in the eye, and Ryan narrowed his own eyes, frowning at her lack of personal space. "Uh...I don't know about that bet."
As he watched, Castle's expression turned hopeful , and Beckett's smile made Ryan wonder if maybe Esposito wanted to change that bet to tomorrow. Beckett leaned in, closer and closer, until she was whispering in Castle's ear, and Ryan wondered if perhaps he should go throw water on the two of them. Then Beckett slid past Castle, wearing that smile she had when they were leading a perp off to jail. Ryan looked back over at Castle, who had the same stunned look as said perps. He watched Castle look down, as if to check and make sure he hadn't been castrated, then look up at Beckett's retreating back.
She turned and smiled. "You coming with me to this interview, or have I finally offended you to the point you're quitting?"
"Right behind you," Castle said, hurrying to catch up with her as she walked out.
Ryan looked across his desk at Esposito. "Make it twenty, and you're on."
***
Ryan walked into the morgue, trying not to look too closely at the body Lanie was working on. "Are you lost, Ryan?" Lanie asked without looking up.
"I was supposed to meet Beckett here."
"She and Castle left five minutes ago," Lanie said, looking up as she walked away from the body, taking off her gloves. "You should be able to catch them at the precinct."
"Right. Thanks." He turned to go.
"Hang on."
He stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
Lanie went over to her desk and opened a drawer, pulling something out before joining him by the door. "Fifty on New Year's."
He blinked. "What?"
"Fifty bucks says Castle and Beckett hook up at New Year's."
Ryan thought for a moment. "Eve or Day?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Is there a difference?" she asked in a rather annoyed tone.
He looked at her, then glanced at the somewhat scary array of instruments on the tray near the table. "None whatsoever," he said, taking the fifty. "Besides, that's a sucker bet. Too cliché."
"Nothing's too cliché for Castle."
"Maybe not, but Beckett?" Ryan shook his head. "I'll make sure your money buys me something nice."
"Keep dreaming," Lanie said, going back to work, leaving him to head back to the precinct.
***
"Okay, Jackson, you've got Thanksgiving--nice to see you have money to burn there--and Gibson, you chose the first week in March." Ryan narrowed his eyes and studied the young officer. "You might make detective one day," he said as he stuffed the money in the pocket he now reserved for taking bets during the day.
They said goodbye and left, and Ryan sat down, opening his desk drawer and pulling out the lockbox he'd started keeping in there. He opened it, depositing the latest bets inside and locking it up before putting it away once more.
"I hear they have banks for that sort of thing."
The rich, decidedly non-cop female voice made him jump, banging his knee against his desk. "Ow," he said, rubbing his knee as he looked up to see Martha Rodgers sitting on the edge of his desk. "Where did you come from?"
"Brunch," she said, as if it was the most logical answer in the world.
"It's 4:30 on a Tuesday afternoon."
"And?"
He blinked a few times and shook his head. "Castle's gone to interview someone with Beckett," he said, rubbing his knee again. "Probably won't be back for at least an hour."
"My dear boy, I know how to use a cell phone. I waited for him to leave before coming in here."
He went back over their brief conversation in his head just to be certain he hadn't missed anything. Maybe he was going crazy. "So why are you here?"
"Well," she said, opening her purse with very deliberate movement, "I heard about the little pool going on, and I wanted to put in my bet."
Okay, so she was the crazy one. "You want to bet on your own son's s--er, romantic life?"
"Is there something wrong with that?"
On soooo many levels.... "Of course not," he answered. She held out a folded fifty, and he took it. "What date do you want?" he said on a sigh.
"Valentine's Day," she said, sounding almost dreamy. "He's a romantic at heart, you know."
"He may be," Ryan said, putting the money in the lock box, "but good luck getting Beckett to be one."
She frowned at him. "I'm sure Beckett has a romantic side," she said.
"Right, she keeps it next to her gun."
Martha laughed. "Darling, that's where all of us keep our romantic sides," she said as she pushed off his desk. "I'll be back on February 15 to cash in," she added as she sauntered off.
He stared after her for a moment. "No wonder he's like that," Ryan said as he shoved the desk drawer closed and went back to viewing monotonous surveillance footage from their latest crime scene.
***
"Hey, Detective Ryan, have you seen my Dad?"
Ryan looked up from a case file to see Alexis Castle standing over him. "Sorry, he hasn't been in this morning. I think he met Beckett at the Dubois apartment to check out the crime scene."
"Oh good!" She pulled Esposito's chair over to sit close to Ryan, looking around one more time before leaning in and holding out her hand. He saw a crumpled bill in it. "I want twenty on January 15."
"What about January 15?" he said with the straightest face he could muster.
She gave him a look he recognized as a patented Castle face. "Nice try. Dad and Beckett. The pool. I want twenty on January 15."
He stared at her hard for a moment before relenting and taking the money. "Fine. But if anyone finds out, I never took this."
"I was never even here," she said quickly.
"And you should go before you get caught." She stood, but he grabbed her arm. "Wait--why January 15?"
She shrugged. "I have a good feeling about it. It's a lucky time of the year for Dad."
He frowned as he watched her walk away, jumping when there was a loud bang on his desk. He turned his head to see the captain standing there. "Ryan, tell me I didn't just see you take a bet from a teenager."
"No, sir," Ryan said quickly, shoving the money in his pants pocket and sitting up straight. "I wouldn't."
Montgomery gave him a long look. "Good," he said, finally. "That girl has inside info, and I'd hate to have to chase her down and find out what she knows so I could change my bet."
He walked away, and Ryan put the money in his lockbox before going to look for Esposito with the idea of smacking him for ever getting this started in the first place.
***
Ryan signed the paper on the clipboard and thanked the officer on duty inside the evidence locker. He turned around, running smack into Beckett. "I just locked up the gun," he said, sliding past her. "Ballistics found a match on the--"
"In a minute," she said, stopping him in the empty hallway around the corner from evidence. "First, I want my money."
"What money?"
She turned, giving him the full force of the Beckett glare until he started to squirm. "My money." When he stared blankly, she rolled her eyes. "You really think Gibson would ruin her career by betting on my sex life? And to be so accurate, too," she finished with what could only be called an evil smile.
"I knew she was good," Ryan muttered. "And that's cheating. You can't bet on yourself."
Her smile thinned into a hard line. "You were betting on my sex life. You really want to have this argument?"
No. He really did not. "Fine, the money's in my desk."
"Well, let's go get it, then," she said, walking with him to his desk. She waited as he opened the lock box and took out the money, handing it over to her. "Thank you," she said with another smile, before turning to walk away.
"Wait," he said, unable to stop himself. She turned back. "Did you really...?"
"Maybe...maybe not. Thanks for the cash."
He watched as she walked over to Castle, smiling and leaning towards him with a laugh. So...maybe she wasn't lying then, he thought, only to wonder one second later as she counted out half the money and gave it to him. So she had been lying.
Castle pocketed the money and gave Ryan a little salute before turning to say something else to Beckett. She leaned in close, a very different smile on her face, and answered, then they turned and walked towards the exit.
So she hadn't been lying? Or had she, and they were just playing it up?
"Dammit!"
He felt a tap on his shoulder just before he heard Esposito's voice. "Ten bucks says she's faking it."
---
END