A/N: Thank you all for your reviews! Here's some more of puppy love and Sherlock!


Kate sighed as she slipped the key into the door, happy to finally be home after an excruciatingly long day at work. They had finished up a rather large case that had interrupted paperwork that Kate had been behind on anyway. And, to make matters worse, she didn't even have her comic relief.

That was the downside of having a famous author as a husband, she suspected. Book tours. Castle had only been gone two days and already she felt the absence in her life. Castle was her warmth, the one that kept her sane, believe it or not. Plus, she found the loft and the precinct to be unusually quiet without him and that slightly unnerved her.

The door swung open and hit the wall lightly with a soft bang and though she had expected quiet in the darkened loft, what she received was anything but.

From down the hallway she heard the distinct sound of their puppy yipping excitedly. Castle paid one of their neighbors to come and feed and play with the puppy during the day while he was away and she was at work but as soon as she got home, Sherlock was all hers.

She groaned quietly, slipping off her jacket and tossing it lazily onto the coat rack. She wanted nothing more than to pour herself a glass of wine and then take a nice warm bath and then curl up in bed with a nice book.

That would not be happening.

She trudged across the loft towards Rick's office and paused in the doorway. Sherlock, at seeing one of his owners, started to jump around in his cage, yipping even louder and faster, his little tail wagging furiously.

She flipped on the light and despite herself, let a small smile cross her lips. As much as she claimed to be annoyed by the "little pest" as she dubbed him, she found him the most adorable puppy she'd ever seen.

She immediately walked over to the cage, kneeling down beside it and opening the door. Sherlock bounded out of the cage straight into her arms, licking happily at her face as she laughed and wrapped her arms around his little body to keep him in place.

"Well hello to you too." She cooed with a giggle.

She rose to her feet and clutched Sherlock to her chest as she walked out of Rick's office and towards the kitchen.

She then placed Sherlock onto the linoleum floor and walked over to the refrigerator to retriever her wine, smiling over her shoulder as Sherlock scampered after her.

She grabbed one of the unopened bottles and then a wine glass from the cabinet. She popped the cork and at the sound Sherlock yelped and froze, his ears perking at the noise.

Kate smiled fondly at the small dalmatian and it only took a few seconds before he was moving again. She returned the wine bottle to its shelf in the refrigerator and then securing her wine glass in her hands, headed over to the couch, Sherlock following at her heels.

She lowered herself gently onto the couch, tucking her legs under her. Sherlock ran around her feet, panting heavily and wagging his tail. He then lifted his front paws onto the couch next to her, perking his ears and staring at her expectantly.

She raised her eyebrow, casting a stern look at the dog. She knew her husband was spoiling the puppy rotten but if she could help it she wasn't going to let him on any of her furniture.

However, the longer Sherlock stared at her with those big brown eyes, the more she felt her resistance dwindling. She took a sip of her wine and cast a look over the rim at the puppy and then he let out a quiet whimper and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on up."

Sherlock lowered himself to the ground, took a few steps back and then leapt onto the couch beside her, almost immediately trying to crawl into her lap, nearly knocking the glass from her hand.

She gasped, straightening the glass before the alcohol spilled and shoved her free arm between Sherlock and the glass and glared at the small dog.

"Sherlock!" She scolded, using her detective voice and the puppy stilled in her lap, crouching down, pressing his ears to his head and slowly looking up at her.

"Off!" She demanded, pushing his small body to the empty seat next to her and kept her hand on his back for a moment as he continued to stare at her silently.

She kept her stern stare unwavering until she was sure Sherlock would no longer move and then slowly lifted her hand off his back and moved it back to her lap. Sherlock was still for a few moments until her gaze left him and then he was up on his feet, once again moving towards her. He got two paws on her thigh before she snapped her eyes back to him and pushed him off again. "Stay!"

Sherlock sunk down to his belly, burying his nose between his paws and staring intently at Kate's hand in front of his face.

She kept her hand in front of his face for a few long moments and then slowly took it away, keeping her voice low and stern as she repeated, "Stay, Sherlock, stay."

The puppy lifted his head as her hand returned to her lap but he made no move to get up. She gave him a curt nod and a smile twitched at her lips as she then reached out again to scratch behind ears. "Good stay."

Sherlock shifted, wiggling his little body so he was facing her, all four legs stretched out on either side in what Castle liked to call the frog position and lapped up at her wrist, his little tail wagging happily.

She smiled at him and continue to scratch his head as she took another sip of her wine.

After a minute or two of silence, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the alcohol gently relieve the tension from her body.

She hadn't realized she drifted off until the shrill ring from the phone jolted her awake. She blinked and tried to move but found a small warm body on her lap, preventing her from doing so. Sherlock was curled up on her lap, his head lifting only when she moved. She knew she should have been mad at the dog but he was laying there quietly and still and he was just too cute to deny.

The constant ringing of the phone brought her attention away from the puppy and she placed down her glass of wine on the table beside the couch and then reached for the phone, her free hand running over Sherlock's back to keep him calm.

"Hello?" She mumbled sleepily, pressing the phone to her ear.

"Kate!" She heard her husband chirp in her ear and a smile immediately lit her face.

"Hey Castle."

"You alright? I tried calling your cell but you weren't answering."

"I...yeah, I'm fine, I fell asleep is all." She finished her sentence with a yawn and heard Rick chuckle from the other side of the line.

"So, how is he?"

Kate rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh I'm fine, Rick, thanks for asking." She remarked dryly.

"I...sorry..." He answered and she could practically see the sheepish grin on his face. "How are you, darling?"

She shook her head, smirking to herself. "He's fine, Rick."

"Yeah? Does he miss me?"

"Oh yes." She glanced down at the puppy, now sound asleep in her lap. "He's positively mourning your absence, Rick."

"He doesn't even notice I'm gone, does he?"

Kate chuckled quietly. "He's a puppy, Rick. He'll love anybody who gives him food and attention."

"So that's a no..." He sighed.

"Don't worry, honey, I'm sure when you get home he'll be rushing into your arms."

"And will his mommy be doing the same?"

"What? You think I can't handle a couple weeks without you?"

He was quiet for a moment and his answer with his soft, husky tone sent a shiver down her spine, "I can't handle a couple weeks without you."

She smiled to herself and at that moment really felt his missing presence. It was not a night in the Castle house hold if Kate did not begin to doze off in the strong yet gentle arms of her husband. It was something she had grown to rely on and love and without it she felt empty.

"Don't worry Castle, you will be greeted with plenty of kisses when you return from both me and Sherlock."

"Can't wait." He hummed. "So what is our little pup up to?"

Kate glanced down at Sherlock still slumbering peacefully. "He's sound asleep."

"Is he in his cage? Please say no."

"What kind of heartless monster do you think I am, Castle?" She answered with a smirk.

"No heartless monster at all, Kate. You're in fact the best mommy a puppy could ever ask for."

"Damn right."

They shared a small laugh and then Kate continued, "He's on my lap. We're having a nice snuggle on the couch."

She almost heard Rick's smile. "Thank you."

"He's my dog, too. I love the little monster."

"He is not a monster!" He protested.

"He is a four month old puppy, Rick. He wouldn't be normal if he wasn't a monster." Kate replied with a small laugh.

"Fine." Rick grumbled. "Fair point. However, he is our little monster."

"Takes after his dad."

"Hey!"

She laughed and Sherlock stirred, lifting his head sleepily, looking up at her. She cast a small smile at him and began to scratch behind his ears. Sherlock then let out a squeak of a yawn and settled his head back down, his eyes fluttering back closed.

"I love you." She cooed into the phone.

"You're lucky I miss you too much to take offense to that."

"I miss you too, Rick." She answered sweetly.

"This tour will be over before we know it, alright?"

"I hope so." She sighed. "The loft is just not the same without you."

"And this hotel room is incredibly lonely. At least you have the dog."

She hummed quietly. "He's not as fun to kiss."

"Good to know."

She smiled as she rested her head back against the couch, closing her eyes. "Rick..."

"You falling asleep on me over there?"

"Mmmm..."

"I'll let you go then. Call you in the a.m. And give Sherly a kiss for me would ya?"

"Will do." She hummed.

"I love you, Kate."

"I love you too, Rick."

"Sleep tight."

"You too." She murmured and then with a click, they hung up and Kate tossed the phone onto the empty space next to her too tired to reach out and place it back where it belonged.

She yawned and then glanced down at Sherlock, smiling at him tiredly. She then scooped the puppy into her arms, to which he snapped awake and tilted his head up to look at her. She placed a soft kiss to the top of his head and whispered, "Daddy says hello."

Sherlock tilted his head again and softly licked the side of her cheek and she giggled and scratched lovingly behind his ears. She then rose slowly to her feet and carried him with her to the bedroom and placed him gently on Rick's side of the bed.

She patted him lightly on the head and then headed towards the bathroom to get ready for bed. As she reached the doorway, she heard Sherlock whine and then jump off the bed and scurry across the floor towards her.

"Sherly." She cooed, scooping up the puppy and smiling at him before pressing a kiss to his little wet nose. "I'll be right back silly boy." She brought him back over to the bed and ran her hand over his back a few times and then started to back away. Sherlock rose to his feet once more and started to approach the edge of the bed, whining quietly.

"Stay." She instructed, pointing at him and he lowered himself to his belly but continued to whine. "Stay, Sherlock. I'll be right back."

She slowly made her way out of the room, keeping an eye on the puppy and her hand outstretched. Sherlock stayed where she left him until she entered the bathroom and the door clicked closed. Then she heard him let out a pitiful whine and scurry across the floor, stopping just outside the bathroom door and scratching at the door and yipping.

She sighed and opened the door, letting him scamper in towards her. She lifted him off the ground and placed him inside the bathtub where he paced back and forth across the surface of the tub before sitting down quietly, content to watch Kate from where he sat.

She shook her head with a soft roll of her eyes. She went through her bedtime routine as fast as she could, desperate to get into bed herself and as soon as she was done, scooped Sherlock out of the tub and headed back to the bedroom.

She placed Sherlock on the bed, letting him settle close to Rick's pillow and then changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas.

She grabbed the book she was currently reading off of her dresser and crawled under the sheets. She got herself comfortable, propping herself up against her pillows and then turned to the page she'd left off at.

She hadn't got past that page before she heard Sherlock move and glanced over the book to see him crawling towards her until he was pressed into her side, his small head resting on her abdomen. She smiled and reached down for a moment to scratch behind his ears and he let out a small huff in contentment and his eyes began to close.

She laid her book down on her chest for a moment and just watched Sherlock. It was true, Kate indeed through that the puppy was a little monster but it was times like these where she also thought he was a little angel.

She missed Rick, and missed his presence in the bed with her but she figured if she couldn't have Rick, Sherlock would be an acceptable substitute.

She smiled and then picked up her book once more.