Charlie III

Chapter 10

All three of them had peppered him with questions until he was almost tired of answering them. Granted some of them weren't yes or no questions so he sat there and didn't say anything until they either asked a different question, gave up on that one, or maybe rephrased it into a yes or no question.

He had started out in Alexis's bedroom on her bed until she finally went to sleep. Then he'd jumped down off her bed, made his way down the stairs, and over to the puppy pee pads, just to make sure. Then he made his way to their bedroom.

Kate had left the door partially open and he slipped in easily. He had expected to find her in bed sleeping. Well, he was half right. She was in bed but she wasn't sleeping. She was sitting up against the headboard with all of the pillows behind her.

Rick moved around to her side of the bed and sat down. "Pick me up?" Bark.

Kate was all wrapped up in her own mind and staring out into nothing. Not really paying any attention to anything. Then she heard a dog bark; she glanced down and saw the puppy just sitting there.

Kate was still trying to wrap her head around all of this, however, she leaned out over the bed, picked him up, and settled him on the bed next to her. "You're really you?" she questioned him. Things like this only happened in movies or TV shows like Twilight Zone or Outer Limits or only in books. It was or should be impossible. That case with the dead ghostbuster had proven that.

"Yes, it really is me." Bark. And I'm still sorry.

"You realize this is supposed to be impossible." Kate just watched him lay there looking up at her with those eyes of his. "Enough with the puppy dog eyes already, Castle. It worked when I thought you were a real puppy. Not so much now."

That got Rick to sit up and look at her. She needed to ask him questions so he could talk to her.

"You just had to get yourself killed, didn't you. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? How much it hurt all of us? I was so afraid that Alexis might actually think about committing suicide." Kate was tired of hurting. Now she was angry since she had someone to be angry at for a change.

Rick lay back down and looked up at her. "Sorry." Whimper. Then suddenly he sat back up. "It's not like I was trying to get myself killed." Bark, bark, bark.

"And just what did you think you were doing? You got yourself shot. How much heart do you think any of us have left? You died in my lap, Castle." Kate felt tears starting all over again and wiped them away before they got anywhere.

Kate watched him stand, walk across the bed, and place both front paws on her enlarged belly and look at her. Her twins, their twins, were growing inside her.

She reached out to pick him up and put him in her lap with part of him on her belly. Then she kept her hands on him. "By rights you should be dead. Not up walking around as a puppy. And why a puppy both times?" Kate asked him but he just lay there. She finally worked out that she hadn't asked him a question. But instead of asking him a question… "My husband is a dog." She tried to keep her poker face but was betting she was failing.

"Oh funny, Kate, very funny." Bark, bark, bark.

"What are we going to do, Castle? I can't be married to a dog." Kate didn't know what to do next.

"I can still love you and protect you." Bark, bark. "All you have to do is take me back into the precinct." Bark, bark. "Gates will succumb to my puppy dog eyes." Bark, bark.

"Did you see him? Did you see God?" Kate was curious. She couldn't help but ask.

"No." Bark, bark. Just serial killers and a huge tree.

"So did you even have a choice? Besides coming back as a dog?"

That question gave Rick a little trouble. He hadn't had a choice in what to do, but he wasn't destined to come back as a puppy. Out of eight point one million choices more or less, he could have been something else.

"No." Bark, bark. He decided to keep his answer simple.

"Yet you remember who you are." Kate was still trying to come to grips with that, too. If everyone did this there had to be millions of dead people out there who remembered who they were in whatever animal form they were in now.

"Yes." Bark. Just don't ask me why since I have no idea.

"Yet each time you end up here instead of say Los Angeles or Kansas City. Or London for that matter." Kate waited for an answer until she realized she hadn't actually asked him a yes or no question again.

"So did you chose to be each dog? Irish Setter first and now a Labrador?"

"No." Bark, bark.

Kate became aware that she was absentmindedly petting him but hadn't noticed until now. However, she didn't stop. It was actually helping her a little.

"This is really weird, Castle." Kate stated the obvious as she kept petting him.

"Yes, a little." Bark.

"I can't keep calling you Castle, Castle. People are going to think I've lost my mind. Hell, I think I've lost my mind. I'm laying here talking to a dog." Kate rubbed both hands down her face.

"You do realize dogs don't have a long lifespan, don't you? Even if you live to old age you're going to live twelve years or so at best. The twins won't even be close to ready for college. Twins! I can't tell our children that their father's a dog!" Kate looked up at the ceiling since the guy that had done this was up there somewhere supposedly.

She sighed heavily. "It was sweet of you to come back, though." She lifted him up so she could kiss him and her face received a thorough licking. Kate put him back down in her lap.

"No one's going to believe this. I'm not sure I believe this." Kate returned to the original problem. "You're name is Charlie now, Castle. I'm not explaining to everyone that you're Castle. My husband."

"Okay." Bark. I can live with that.

ooOoo

It is one week later

Kate had been given four weeks off for medical leave though she only took one. Alexis herself only took two days off from her classes. Her semester was about done and she didn't want to fall behind or her grades might suffer.

It was Alexis's first day back to class and she was downstairs eating breakfast while watching Charlie or her dad as she'd been told and worked out for herself, sitting there watching her.

"Are you taking him back into the precinct with you?" Alexis asked Kate who was standing in the kitchen eating saltine crackers. So far most of Alexis's food alternatives seemed to be working. Just not all the time.

"Martha has her play and you have classes so I don't see an alternative. We just have to get past Gates again." Kate still wasn't so sure about that.

"Leave that to me, Kate. No one can resist these eyes." Bark, bark, bark. Rick then gave them both an idea of just what kind of power he could wield.

"I don't speak dog," Alexis told him.

"Perhaps not but I've seen that look before. I think he's planning on giving Gates a dose of his puppy dog eyes. Don't underestimate Gates, Castle, or we'll both be thrown out so fast you won't know what hit you. We may be thrown out if I don't take all four weeks anyway."

ooOoo

Alexis was gone and Kate was left sitting on the sectional with Charlie/Rick right next to her.

"How are we going to make this work, Castle?" Kate covered her face with her hands. "And I'm talking to a dog." She let her hands fall to the sofa. "And if you lick my face again I'm putting you on the floor," she warned him as he got up and started to come closer.

Rick decided to lay back down since he didn't want to be on the floor. "I'm still sorry." Whimper. It hadn't been his idea to get killed the first time. The second time, yes, just not the first.

"You're probably loving this, aren't you? You die and come back as a dog. Die again and come back as yet another dog. And if you say aliens are involved I'm leaving you here when I go into work."

All he could do was bark to yes and no questions and Kate hadn't actually asked him a question. But no, he wasn't loving this that much. "No." Bark, bark. It's great in the movies. Not so much in real life. Besides it's really embarrassing to have serial killers reviewing your life's history and deciding what happens to you. Still not sure just how that works.

Hearing the doorbell Rick jumped off the sectional and raced to the door, barking loudly the entire way. As soon as he got there he still didn't know why he had done it. However, he was there now so he just kept on barking until Kate opened the door.

"Gina?" Kate wasn't really expecting to hear from her. Castle had officially died months ago and she hadn't said word one until now.

"GINA!?" Growl, bark, bark, bark. Even Rick knew she hadn't called or been by since he had died the first time let alone when he was a puppy, just not this puppy.

"You got a puppy." Gina couldn't help but notice since it was standing there growling and barking at her even now.

"Ca…Charlie SIT!" She had gotten used to calling him Castle and had almost done just that in front of Gina. Kate watched Castle sit and stop barking but he didn't stop growling at her.

Kate didn't step aside and let her in. "What can I help you with, Gina?"

"I came by to express my condolences for your loss. Richard was a good man," Gina said. Rick simply growled a little louder.

"That's kind of you. However, it would have been even more kind if you had actually shown up at his funeral. I still have all the cards from people that sent flowers," Kate informed her. Meaning she knew Gina hadn't sent any and she was letting Gina know this little fact.

"YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP AT MY FUNERAL!?" BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK, BARK! Rick only stopped when Kate told him to. But that didn't stop him from growling at her.

"I'll share you condolences with the others. It was nice of you to stop by, Gina." Kate closed the door in her face and locked it. "The nerve of that woman," Kate muttered to herself.

"The nerve of Gina!" Bark, bark, bark. What did she really come here for?

"And you kept her as your editor," Kate said to Castle as she walked to the kitchen with the intent of getting something to drink. However, once she was there she remembered she couldn't have coffee. She'd already had her one cup. She couldn't have wine either or anything harder at all.

"What did she want?" Bark, bark.

"I have no idea, Castle." Kate opened the refrigerator to look for something. "Wait, what did you just say?" She looked down at him.

That had Rick trying to think. "What did she want?" Bark, bark.

"Okay, I didn't understand that one. For a minute there I thought I knew what you'd just said. Now I know I'm losing my mind." Kate spotted the apple juice Alexis had gotten for her because of her morning sickness.

"And a very beautiful mind it is, too." Bark, bark, bark.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Kate said to him as she poured herself a glass then stopped halfway and looked at him. "No!" It was impossible. She didn't speak dog and she couldn't actually read his mind no matter what Lanie kept saying or how in tune they could get during a case while coming up with a theory.

Kate only made it as far as the breakfast bar and sat down to drink her juice. Then a thought hit her. "Why did you buy a condo in Hawaii? It's only two bedrooms and not nearly as big as this place is. Do you have any idea how far by plane it is from New York City to Honolulu?" They were going to spend all day trying to reach it.

"Yes or no questions only." Kate shook her head before Rick could say anything.

ooOoo

The door had Kate's attention so she headed that way and looked first. "Lanie!?" Kate opened the door. "Lanie, what brings you by?" Kate was reasonably sure she should be at work.

"We caught a case but I was passing by on my way back to the lab so I thought I would stop and see how you're holding up. You lost Charlie and I wanted…" Lanie stopped when Rick ran over to her.

"Hi, Lanie!" Bark.

"Another puppy?" Lanie couldn't believe it. She was betting Kate, Alexis, and probably Martha had to be hurting. To find that they had another puppy already was a surprise. This was so not like the Kate she knew.

Lanie knelt down to pet the puppy. "Looks like a Golden Labrador. It reminds me of that dog you and Castle tried sharing until it chose to live with someone else."

Kate suddenly remembered that day. "That's true, I hadn't really thought about that. Royal was a good dog."

"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Bark, bark! Honestly! Trying to compare me to another dog. Though I did like Royal. I still can't figure out why he chose her over me.

"Did he just answer you?" Lanie asked since the timing was perfect.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I don't speak dog and neither do you. Martha's at her play and Alexis went into school today. I was thinking of going back in a couple of days," Kate told her since she was mostly fine. Even if what had she had just learned recently was stretching her beliefs pretty far.

"So soon? You sure you don't want a little more time off?" Lanie was still worried about her.

"So I can sit here and wallow in self pity? Doesn't really sound like me. I need something to keep my mind busy. It's just who I am, you know that." Though learning about Castle certainly helped. Except Kate still had questions. She just wasn't sure how she was going to get them using yes and no questions.

"I've learned that you're stubborn so I won't try and change your mind. And I have a dead body. Just be certain, girlfriend, that's all I ask." Lanie walked back to the door so she could go down to her car and work the case.

"I'm certain and I have a new partner." Kate smiled a little and looked at the puppy.

"Damn right you do!" Bark, Bark, Bark! And I'm going to protect you just like the other times.

"So who's your dead body?" Kate was curious since it was her job. This case would likely be solved before she came back to the precinct.

"Anna Perez, a rising star in Hispanic television. Perlmutter was supposed to get this case but called in sick so now I'm doing double duty. He better be really sick or he's going to be sick." Lanie was supposed to have today off.

Kate smiled. When Lanie was angry someone was in big trouble. "I'm sure the boys can solve it."

"I need to get going. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I suppose I'll see you later." Lanie looked at the puppy again and walked over to the door. "Just be certain, Kate, that's all I ask." Lanie closed the door behind her.

ooOoo

The three of them had had time to adjust to finding out that Rick had been the Irish Setter puppy and was now a Golden Labrador puppy. Each of them spent the weekend peppering him with as many yes and no questions as they could.

Kate in particular asked him questions meant to trick him. To prove to herself and the others that the puppy wasn't just barking. One was kind of part question and part not and Rick had simply lay down and whimpered since that seemed to be the appropriate response to something that wasn't really a question.

ooOoo

Alexis and Kate were now convinced that it was Rick and yet Alexis let him jump up onto her bed and sleep with her until he had to pee. Then down the stairs he went to use the puppy pee pads. Afterwards it was over to their bedroom and get Kate to wake up so she could lift him up onto their bed.

Kate was presently parking her car in the garage and gathering her stuff she and Castle were going to need. Since it was the law Rick was on a leash while Kate carried her bag and another bag that held food and water bowls and dog food that needed to go into the refrigerator.

"This better work, Castle, or this is going to be one short trip." None of them really understood Gates. She may or may not have gotten softer over her time as captain. So she might throw both of them out the second they stepped off the elevator.

Gates wasn't in her office and the boys weren't there yet. Kate sat Castle down in his chair and unhooked him. Then put his food away and got him a bowl of water.

"Just like old times." Bark.

"Castle…Charlie, you know the rules. Gates is more likely to let you stay if you don't bark," Kate reminded him as she turned on her computer and saw she would be spending part of her morning going through the mess that was her inbox.

"Beckett!" Espo was first to arrive and went straight to her. "You sure you should be here?" He'd seen what had happened when Charlie had been killed. He was thinking she really should be taking more time off than this.

"I'm fine, Javi. I'm going to go mad just sitting at home if I stayed there much longer."

"And another new puppy?" Espo spotted Castle sitting in his chair and walked over to him. "Just where do you find all the cute puppies?" Espo braved the puppy teeth and petted him.

"I am not cute!" Bark. Wait, I'm a puppy again so I am cute. Bark, bark. Fear my puppy dog eyes, Javi. Bark. Rick tried them out on him which got him being picked up and cuddled for a moment. Hearing the elevator ding, Espo put Charlie on his chair and went over to his desk.

"Detective Beckett. You have three more weeks of paid leave so why are you here? …And with another puppy?" Gates would never admit it but having that puppy looking at her like that yet again was unnerving.

"I'm fine, sir. I'm still on desk duty and I have someone to keep me company. Alexis named him Charlie again."

"Fear my puppy dog eyes." Whimper, whimper. There I didn't even bark. HA! Rick made sure his eyes were as big as he could make them and he only had eyes for Gates.

"No barking!" Gates pointed a finger at him and went to her office to get away from those eyes. If she could put up with the previous puppy that turned into more dog than puppy, she could do it again with this one.

"You're in." Kate was still a little shocked.

"No one can resist these eyes." Bark, bark. "I'm super puppy!" Bark, bark. "Oh wait, that was Underdog." Bark.

"NO BARKING!" Gates yelled from her office. With that Rick figured out how to lay down in his chair and look up at everyone with puppy dog eyes.

Kate could only shake her head, smile a little, and get back to her computer at least until the boys caught a case or Castle needed to be taken outside.