A/N: Takes place somewhere after 6x04.
Katherine, thank you for the beta once again. You're a gem. :)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
"Castle, what's with the ring box?" Kate asks him, when she opens her top drawer looking for a new pen and sees the midnight blue box sitting among her stationery.
"Oh, that's your ring. The jeweler called to say it was ready, so I picked it up this morning on my way here," he says, most of his attention still on whatever game he's playing on his phone.
"It's clean?" she asks, her hand automatically reaching for the box.
"Yeah, but the next time we're in the Hamptons and you get the sudden urge to build a sandcastle, I suggest you remove your ring first," he teases.
She sticks her tongue out at him, because he was the one bragging about his castle-building talents and challenging her to a contest. And she probably would have remembered to take off her ring, if he hadn't distracted her by trying to trip her on the way to the beach.
She won – although a strategically placed hand might have helped his ruling a little – but her ring was covered in wet sand. Some of the tiny grains got so deep into the recesses that she couldn't get the ring clean by washing it herself.
Castle took the ring to the jewelers and even though it was gone for just a couple of days, she missed it. Missed the weight of it on the chain at work and on her finger at home. She can't wear it now, because she left the chain at home, but she wants to see it. Just a quick peek.
But when she opens the box, she's surprised to find it empty.
"Um… Where's the ring?" she asks, showing the empty box to Castle.
"Huh? Oh, right. I wanted to make sure that I would remember to take it home with me, so I put the ring in my pocket," Castle says brightly and pats his right jacket pocket for emphasis.
His eyes widen slightly and his smile drops.
She's about to ask him what's wrong, but Ryan comes over with new information on the case. She shoots Castle a questioning look, but he brushes off her worry and mumbles about losing the game. She knows he's lying but doesn't have the time to work out the reason.
A few hours later she has it all figured out.
He lost her ring.
Her first clue was the way he kept putting his hands in his pockets, only to take them out seconds later. Also, he was looking down a lot. At her desk, in the interrogation room, in the breakroom and on his way to the men's room, everywhere his eyes searched the floor around him.
When he asked if the precinct had a lost and found box for the detectives, she knew what was going on.
Her first reaction was to call him out on it, to be angry with him, but she stopped herself at the panicked look on his face. He didn't lose the ring on purpose and he seemed guilty enough without her anger. Besides, even though she loves that ring and what it signifies, a new ring from him would be just as meaningful.
So, she hasn't commented on his strange behavior and has been on the lookout for the ring as well. She even went as far as going through the contents of her paper bin while he was retracing his steps through the precinct.
But now it's time for them to go home, without the ring. She hates how dejected he looks today, when normally he's the first one at the elevator.
She tries to keep the mood light on the way home, being careful not to mention the ring at any point in the conversation, but all he gives her are monosyllabic answers. She'd love to reassure him somehow, but knows he needs to come up with a solution, a way to fix the situation, before he'll be ready to talk about it.
So, she takes his hand in the elevator of his building and hopes the touch will offer him some comfort. He just lets out a deep sigh and jams his right hand deep into his pocket again.
But when they arrive on his floor, his head jerks up and he lets out a surprised Oh! She uses their connected hands to pull him out of the elevator before the doors close again, while his other hand burrows even deeper into his pocket.
Then suddenly she's the one who has to keep up when he hurries along the hallway to his loft. Once they're inside, he immediately rushes to the kitchen and pulls a pair of scissors out of a drawer.
"Wha-..." she begins, bewildered, but the question dies on her lips when he takes off his jacket and cuts through the lining along the lower edge.
He shoves his hand in the hole he's created and lets out a whoop when he pulls out the ring. He holds his hand up, the look of triumph on his face utterly adorable, and her face lights up in response.
She clears her throat gently and only then he seems to realize where he is.
"I, uh… You're probably wondering what's going on," he says, looking sheepish.
"Castle, I'm a detective. I know you lost the ring," she says calmly, not wanting to come off as accusing.
"I didn't lose it," he scoffs and she raises an eyebrow at that. "I just didn't know its exact location for a while," he says smartly, but she hears the relief in his voice.
She doesn't argue the semantics of his sentence or tease him further. She simply gives him an indulgent smile when he steps up to her and takes her left hand in his.
"Let's put this where it belongs," he says and slips the ring on her finger.
The familiar weight feels wonderful as she wraps her arms around his neck and pecks his lips softly.
"I love you," she whispers, leaning her forehead against his. "Thank you for finding out the exact location of my ring."
Okay, so maybe she'll tease him a little.
End.
Prompt: "Castle lost her engagement ring for a whole terrifying day." - contributed by Indrani_S. Filled as a gift to katicings for a generous contribution to YoungStoryTellers dot com slash ThankYouTerri. See all the prompts and fills at ThankYouTerri dot tumblr dot com.