Chapter 46 – Puppy

So, major apologies for taking so long with this. Almost a full month! I'll spare you the excuses—just know that the first week was on me. I didn't write anything for the first week after my last post…just sort of vegged out and watched Dollhouse with the hubby / did nothing. The stuff after that? Yeah. Nothing I could do about it. Sorry if you've suffered from withdrawals.

Since it has been such a long time, here's a more detailed summary than I'd normally offer.

Kate kicked Castle out of the precinct after New York magazine published an article about her—but she did it to protect him because she knew she was going to explode. She was still mad by the time she got home where her father was waiting for her. Jim called her on it—but let her get it out of her system since the gym didn't help. They ended up having a good talk about love and loss and loving after loss.

Meanwhile, Castle was incredibly worried about Kate and how this press would affect her—and really them as they were getting closer. He hated that he'd brought such scrutiny to Kate's life and past.

After the publication and non-fight with Castle, Kate was feeling too guilty and keyed up to sleep—even thought they'd been working non-stop since she returned from camping. When they finally got their confession, Kate went home, intending to hit the sack, but her apartment was crowded by paparazzi—so she left and ended up at Castle's.

There, Castle did a mime act not talking to her because he'd been forbidden to speak until he finished his next chapter. Martha sent him to work and kept Kate company. She also "drugged" an already tired Kate with melatonin. Kate had a very funny reaction to the melatonin and ended up sleeping on Castle's couch. Kate fell asleep telling Castle that she wasn't mad at him—she just didn't want to yell at him. So, the publication is another thing to add to the list of things they haven't talked about, along with Kate's (sort-of pending) break-up with Josh and the kisses they've shared. But, she did stay and make breakfast for the Castle family.

Also, shouldn't be a surprise that the puppy's coming up, so I thought you guys might like to see what I'm describing before you start reading: http:/weheartit (DOT) com/entry/8082803

ISN'T HE CUTE? Eyes look photoshopped, but I couldn't resist him. I picture Castle's pup with longer fur, more curly fur around the ears…but other than that, pretty much the same.

"Kate? Are you sure?"

"What? Do you think?"

"No. I'm just starting to worry we're never going to find what you're looking for. I mean, we've passed on a lot of cute pups, a few well-trained dogs and a lot in between."

Kate pursed her lips. She was feeling it, too. Disheartened. They'd started at the Animal Haven because Kate didn't want to just fall in love with one dog without having some frame of reference. And while there'd been many dogs there, she didn't feel attached to any of them.

Then they'd gone to an apartment complex not too far from there. On Craigslist, Alexis had found an ad for an adorable looking dog that some lady had found and was taking care of. She was black with white on her legs and belly, and a little brown over her eyes and at the tips of her pointy ears. Greta had been friendly and she was exceptionally well-trained—she even rolled over, a trick Kate knew Rick would love—but she was almost too good. Kate felt like Greta would be great dog for someone, but not Rick. He needed to be surprised sometimes.

It was worse with Inuyasha—the dog she'd had a feeling about. There was something about that dog's white fur-hair and golden eyes in the photos. He was the whole reason she'd wanted to look at other dogs first. She was afraid she'd be taken with him and would want to take him home right then—but she was approaching this like she approached everything else: explore all options. She felt that yes, she'd know the one when she saw it, but she still had to be sure. The problem was, she wasn't sure. Not at all.

She'd liked Inuyasha immensely. He was the perfect height—not too big for a lap dog, but not too small either. He was sweet, loved attention and played fetch. But even though Cotons weren't supposed to shed, whatever his other half was must have been a shedder—a big shedder. So, that was one thing, but it wasn't what made her say no. It was the little boy who'd lost his grandmother…all screaming tears and snot-nosed as his mother tried to explain that they couldn't afford to keep him. But he was Grandma's. You can't just give him away! Whether they could keep him or not, Kate couldn't be the one to take him away.

And now, here they were walking out of the Humane Society of New York. She'd been peed on by a beagle mix named Gomer when he rolled over so she could pat his belly. He was out. They'd been nearly licked to death by a pair of puppies the volunteer had called Maltipoos. They were super cute, but there was a family looking at adopting the pair, so she and Alexis wished them well and she wondered when she'd become such a softie.

She'd fallen a little in love with a red merle Australian Shepherd. She was still recovering from a partial leg amputation, though, and wouldn't be ready for adoption for another two weeks—and Alexis felt bad for her, but wasn't as taken with her as Kate was, and Kate was worried she liked her as much as she did simply because she'd been injured and still seemed so full of heart and energy.

"The maltipoos were cute," Alexis offered.

"But they're…uhh! Why's this so hard?" She'd made so many phone calls and spent so much time online. She thought it would be easier in person. "Let's just get lunch, hmm?"

Truthfully, they couldn't even call it lunch. It was already after three. After they shooed Rick out, they'd spent the morning recording Alexis' composition. It only took two attempts to get her solo right, but four when they added Kate on the piano. Then they'd burned them to CD, and, of course, they each had copies for their iPods.

Kate sat across from Alexis thinking about how much she'd grown since that first time they met for coffee to talk about the Oxford summer program. She'd liked Alexis immediately, but felt nervous having Alexis ask her opinion, but she'd learned a lot about Rick in that first meeting—not so much from the things that were said, but from listening to and observing Alexis.

She'd known she'd had a soft spot for the man as a father from the time Alexis and Martha had picked him from the precinct. He may have been the pompous asshole who'd stolen her files, but with his arms around his mother and daughter and the obvious, easy affection between them—how could she not be a little taken with him?

"It's funny how nervous my dad was to go help your dad."

"Really? He didn't seem nervous."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to help him—and I quote—'pick out the appropriate attire for installing cabinetry' last night."

Kate thought about the way Castle looked when he'd left the loft this morning in a dark grey t-shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. She could tell it was a soft material by the way it caught on his jeans and folded as he moved. Comfortable looking blue jeans and the shoes he'd worn on their hike. She couldn't imagine he'd needed help coming up with that.

"I had to stop him from going out to buy steel-toed boots."

Kate laughed. "Well, he needn't have worried. Dad just needs a few extra hands, some muscle"—which your dad definitely has, she added silently—"and some common sense."

"And he asked Dad?" Alexis scoffed.

Kate looked up questioningly at Alexis, surprised to find herself mildly offended that Alexis would talk about Rick that way. Ridiculous, she knew. It's her father. And it wasn't something that Kate herself wouldn't have said. She knew they teased one another and she had no special entitlement as Rick's sole picker-on-er—and truth be told, Alexis came to the role first and with more to back it up…but it didn't prevent Kate from being irritated. Maybe it was Alexis' tone? Or maybe Kate's head was too preoccupied to hear what was meant to be a joke? Either way, she was pulled between that niggling preposterous thought: Hey, only I am aloud to talk about him like that! and an incredible urge to be his paladin.

Reacting in either such way would be far too telling, so Kate tried to brush it off and focus on today's mission. But Alexis called her on it.

"What?"

"It's nothing."

"You look…mad."

"I assure you, if I were mad—I mean really mad—you'd know it." In reality, when she was most mad, she was really quiet. Then, she'd either get in really good workouts or have a really clean apartment—sometimes both. "It's just…the way you said that."

"About Dad having common sense?"

Kate conceded "yes" with a small shrug of her shoulder.

"Sorry. Paige just sent me another text. She's still mad at me," Alexis explained, twirling her fork in her pasta. "But, I meant it more as a joke. Really, I think it's sweet—him trying to impress your dad like Ashley does with him."

Kate smiled at Alexis, half in apology for her own irritation and half for the fallout she was experiencing from outing Kyle to Paige. "Your dad's insightful—in ways that don't occur to other people. And he knows when to be serious."

"I forget sometimes," Alexis said, stopping abruptly with her fork resting upright in her plate. "You see these sides to him that not many people do. Probably more than I do, really. When he's serious or upset or anxious. I mean, I know we joke that I'm the parent and he's the unruly kid, but obviously that's not true. And we fight sometimes, but it's just nice to know that he has someone, too. And that you can take him seriously."

"Well, not too seriously," Kate teased. "That would be—"

"Boring."

"Exactly." And so not what I need.

When they walked into Bideawee, Kate was immediately impressed with how clean and quiet the place was. Unlike the other two animal shelters they'd been to, it didn't stink and the walls and floors weren't dingy. Between the cushy chairs in the lobby and the lack of hokey-cheap looking posters sporting cats in hats and dogs playing poker or inspirational sayings, Kate concluded that Bideawee was privately founded and funded. She looked around, taking in the oil paintings of people and their pets that decorated the walls and noted another wall that was dedicated to thank-you notes and pictures of adopted dogs and cats with their new families.

When a woman appeared behind the counter, Kate smiled and introduced herself and Alexis.

"Ah, yes. I'm Claire. We spoke on the phone." Kate had filed away all her descriptors of the woman before she finished speaking: Five-foot-five, 180 pounds, short red hair, and purple glasses on chain around her neck. A little uptight, but kind.

Kate had called ahead knowing they had strict adoption guidelines, just like each of the shelters. While this one didn't require home visits, they did demand to meet each member of the household and observe the interaction between the potential adoptee and adopters. Alexis and Kate had decided on their story while camping. If anyone asked, Kate was Rick Rodger's fiancée and staying with Alexis while her father served overseas. Kate had wanted to go with step-sister, but Alexis had insisted that this was much more believable. Plus, she'd already explained the situation to their building superintendent and received a letter of support from him—which backed up the "Kate as fiancée" story. Alexis had been thorough; she also had a certified copy of the building's bylaws which indicated that they could, in fact, have a dog, cat, fish or bird.

"I'll just have you sign in here," Claire indicated a book on the counter, "And if I could see your ID?" Kate and Alexis each offered her some identification. When done, Claire offered them a clipboard with a questionnaire to complete. Kate fought the urge to comment on how extreme the whole procedure seemed—just to look at some dogs, but took the clipboard with a smile.

Kate and Alexis sat down to answer the questions together. It required basic household information, details on how far it was to the nearest park, how often the family traveled, and if they'd had a pet before. It even had questions on how stable and safe the home environment was, family issues and a series of multiple choice statements like "When you get angry, you are most likely to…" It was four pages long! By then end, Kate wondered if they'd want to do a cavity search or see her records from grade school? You'd think they were trying to adopt a kid, not a dog!

Once they completed the survey, Alexis handed the clipboard back over to Claire.

"Thanks," she said. "It helps weed out those who are serious from those who aren't."

Kate smiled again. "It's no problem," Kate answered, though she was thinking, Hmm, you'd think the $250 adoption fee would be enough to weed out those who were serious from those who weren't.

"You wouldn't believe how many people just up and leave at the questionnaire."

Yes, I would. While Claire looked over their paperwork, Kate rolled her eyes at Alexis, causing the girl to smirk.

"Alright, then. Everything looks good here. Why don't I buzz you in? See if we can't find you all the perfect pet companion?"

Oh, Lordy! Kate thought walking through the painted pink door. This place has more security than the precinct! They had to go through two more doors before arriving at the dog kennel area.

Even back there, it was surprisingly quiet. There were several areas that basically looked like long hallways lined with two rows of large kennels. Each hall had its own double doors.

"Now, down here," Claire explained, "you'll find mostly our large breeds—and some of our loudmouths, but sweeties, all of 'em. This row," she said pausing in the middle, "is where you'll find our mid-size breeds. Finally," Claire pointed to the last two rows, "you'll find our small breeds down that row—they're actually the loudest of the bunch—and puppies in the last one. Not too many in there, so also our overflow, but, as luck would have it, we're actually down in numbers now."

They heard another buzz, and Kate assumed someone else had entered into the front lobby. "Mackenzie here'll help introduce you to our gems—knows 'em all." She turned to the young, brown-haired girl who looked shier than a turtle and like she'd hide in her shell if given half a chance. But as the girl moved down the aisles talking to all the different dogs and telling them details about every one of them, Kate realized that the shelter was her shell. She became more lively as she went on—thanks in no small part, Kate was sure, to Alexis, who'd gone out of her way to try and relate to the girl asking her questions about the different dogs and what kinds of music she played for them—and a whole host of details that neither was really interested in.

After it had taken 15 minutes to get through the first hall—the mid-size dogs, Kate realized that it was going to take forever at this pace. When Mackenzie stepped toward the doors to the large-breed area, Kate stopped her.

"Actually, Mackenzie," she said with an apologetic tone, "I think a large dog is going to be a bit much for our space. I think we'll want something a little smaller."

"Oh," Mackenzie said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Do you know what you are looking for then?"

"A puppy?" Kate asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure when she'd decided it, but she knew now that she had her heart set on a puppy. That's what she kept picturing. She wanted to present Castle with a puppy, not a dog.

Mackenzie's shoulders sank—which surprised Kate a little, but she led them to the furthest row and pulled open the doors. She let Kate and Alexis step ahead. This room was different. Instead of kennels on each side, one side had rows of what looked like baby gates. You could look into each area, which came to mid-thigh, and see the puppies playing or cuddled up together. It looked like they kept the brothers and sister pups together, sometimes even with pups from other litters.

"You can step into any of the areas," Mackenzie told them, showing them how to open the gates. "Just watch where you step—piddle and such. They haven't all taken to the paper training."

"Oh, Kate! Look," Alexis said, leaning down to pick up a three-month old, wiry Dalmatian-mix. "It's the pups we saw online. I think this is the girl that was chewing on her brother's ear."

Kate walked forward, leaning over the gates looking in, while Alexis continued. She stepped over the gate into the next pen, with the Dalmatian still in her arms. "And look, here are the boxer puppies." Kate wrinkled her nose. They weren't cute even as puppies.

Kate listened with half an ear as Mackenzie began to tell Alexis all about Sadie, the Dalmatian puppy she was still holding, but she kept walking down the aisle. She stepped up to a gate with some smaller puppies all huddled together on a blanket. There were two reddish brown puppies and six black ones.

One of the brown puppies lifted its head and peeked at her. It had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen on a dog—not ice blue, but a warm, sapphire blue. She picked up the puppy, noticing he was a boy. He crawled up her chest and burrowed in her neck until she felt his warm nose on her neck.

"Lex," she called quietly, not wanting to startle the puppy.

When Kate turned around, Alexis awed and walked over.

"Who are these guys?" Kate asked. "I didn't see them online."

"The black puppies were dropped off last weekend. Litter of eleven pups, they dropped of ten. Mom's a Black Lab mix, don't know what the sire is, but the vet thinks maybe German Shepherd. The one you're holding and his siblings were dropped off when they were about four weeks old. They were hand-fed for a while. Mother's a Labrador Retriever and father's a King Charles Cavalier."

"They're so cute!" Kate said, pulling the puppy away from her to look at the cinnamon-colored puppy.

"Which is why we don't need to advertise for the puppies. These guys just went up for adoption on Thursday. A few people knew they were here, and were in right away. Litter of five and just these two left. Plus, they're already paper-trained since they've been with us so long. I'm actually surprised they're still here. There was a guy in, said he'd be back today for the little guy and there's another family that wanted her." Mackenzie said, nodding to the sister pup that Alexis had picked up.

She was nearly the same half red, half brown color as her brother, but her nose was a pinkish-brown and she had a spot of white on her chest. Her brother, though, was all one color—even his nose matched the rest of him. There was no way to describe his color other their color to say "cinnamon." They each had ears that were slightly longer and larger than a lab's would be, with fur that was a bit longer and wavier than a lab would have. The girl pup had a slightly bushier tail, longer fur all around and was a bit larger. Her eyes were a darker, midnight blue like most puppies had. The boy pup, except for his color, slightly curled fur and slightly longer ears looked just like a lab. With warm blue eyes.

It suddenly occurred to Kate that a lab might just be too big—and she didn't know anything about King Charles Cavaliers, except that it sounded like a regal, Castle-worthy breed.

"How big are these guys gonna get?" Kate asked.

"It's a bit of an odd breeding, to be honest. Totally accidental. The sire's actually a show dog." Mackenzie pointed to the wall. "Pics of mom and dad are there. She was a family dog. Hit by a car. The vet expects they'll be about knee height when full grown. Though, this guy might be smaller. He was the runt and he's got smaller paws."

"So, I know a bit about labs, but what are these Cavaliers like?"

"Very similar to a lab, actually. They're very affectionate."

"I can tell," Alexis said, turning her head from puppy kisses.

"Playful and loyal. Smart, too."

"Barkers?" Kate asked, thinking of Martha.

"Not normally, no," Mackenzie answered.

Kate fell quiet while she continued to pet the pup's silky fur and he gnawed playfully on her fingers. It seemed he was ready to play so she set him down to get a better idea of what he was like. She grabbed a toy with a bell in it and played tug-o-war with him. Alexis released the pup she was holding as well and they laughed when she immediately tackled her brother. The black lab puppies were all around their feet now, too, giving Kate an opportunity to appreciate the size difference between them.

While all the puppies were scampering around, chewing on one others' ears and vying for attention, the little boy pup made his way back over to Kate and sat on her foot. She scooped down to pick him up again. She couldn't resist. He was too cute and cuddly. She could picture Rick with this dog. Walking in the park. On the beach she'd never seen. From somewhere in the back of her mind, she drummed up a vision of herself presenting this beautiful cinnamon-colored pup with a cream bow around his neck to Rick, and she knew that's how it should be.

"So, what do you think, Kate?"

Still daydreaming, Kate turned to Alexis with a small smile on her face that wouldn't stop growing.

"What do you think?"

"Yeah. Definitely yeah." She looked down around her. "But, which one?" she asked as she leaned down to pick up the girl again.

Kate knew. But she thought she ought to give the girl a chance. Plus, if Alexis had a preference, it might be possible to sway her. They switched puppies. Kate was surprised at how much heavier the girl actually was. Still light, but much heavier than the boy. And her eyes didn't make her think of Rick.

She looked back over at Alexis. The boy pup was worming his way in, she could tell. "So, what do you think?" Kate asked.

"He's sweet, but so is she."

"But he' so cute and cuddly. And he might be smaller."

"But she seems to like fetch more."

"But he's cuddly."

"You mentioned."

"And he's a boy."

Alexis looked at her, perplexed, wondering what that had to do with it.

"Your dad's kinda out-numbered."

"A dog's not gonna change that."

"But he could at least claim the boy pup is on his side."

"I don't know. I think he's already claimed you."

"Not in so many words."

"More. I'd say. Three novels?"

Kate raised her eyebrows, not wanting to concede the point, but also not really wanting to contest Rick's claim on her. If Alexis was willing to pretend it was just courtesy of Nikki Heat, she'd play along for the moment.

"It doesn't matter, though." Alexis said. "I meant him." She wiggled the pup in her arms and grinned.

"Oh." Kate blushed. "Well, I like him, too." Stupid.

"So, it's him?"

"Yeah." Wait. HIM him? Or the puppy him? "Th—the puppy. I mean, if you think…"

"Dad will love him."

They left with the puppy and a small bag of Purina puppy food only after sitting through an hour long interview-slash-interaction observation with Claire that rivaled some of Kate's own interrogations.

"And are you sure your father, your fiancé will be welcoming to this new addition to your family?"

"Yes. Quite."

"People change and can change their minds."

"My dad won't."

"Rick's very committed."

"But he's not here."

"Because he's serving our country and supporting others' right to freedom, while you're questioning his commitment." Alexis replied indignantly. She was really selling it.

"I'm sorry. I mean no offense, but what happens to the puppy if things between you and Mr. Rodgers don't work out?" Claire directed her question to Kate.

"Again, you're questioning his commitment!" Alexis exclaimed. "And you don't even know him!"

"And mine."

"That's kind of the point. I don't know him, but I have to make a determination as to whether we'll be turning over this puppy. What happens if one of you decides to leave the residence? Where will the puppy be then? Will it be left with Mr. Rodgers? And I don't know him."

"The fact is, it won't happen. Dad loves Kate."

"And things not working out isn't a scenario we are willing to entertain," Kate added. "I'm more apt to be killed in the line of duty." Alexis stiffened beside her and realized she shouldn't have said that.

"For—"

"Ma'am, I can appreciate that you're just doing your job, but if you're concerned about who Rick is, you shouldn't be. He's the kindest, most loving and amazing man I've ever met. He managed to raise this beautiful girl into an intelligent and thoughtful young woman all on his own. He loves dogs and cats as much as you do. If you think we're okay—well, as much as we like this little guy, Rick's going to love him even more."

Kate smiled to herself; she could see the moment Claire had been convinced. Alexis had needed to rely on a white lie for her impassioned plea, but Kate was convincing because she hadn't forced a single word she'd said. Claire finally stopped questioning their fictitious home environment and walked them through all the additional paperwork. This time it felt like 40 pages, not four.

Now that they were finally back at her apartment, Kate felt herself relax. She'd been so apprehensive about the possibility of all those cameras being outside her apartment, she'd gone as far as to ask Alexis if she thought they'd be there. Alexis had been pretty confident that they wouldn't be—especially since her dad had called Paula. They hadn't been there this morning when she'd slipped in wearing yesterday's clothes—wouldn't that have been great, especially if they discovered she had been at Castle's?—but she'd still worried about the possibility that they were back.

They hadn't really talked about it. Alexis and Martha had asked if she was okay and Alexis had again been apologizing profusely when Kate threatened to shoot her if she said "I'm sorry" one more time. She assured them she'd be fine.

"I've got you guys, right?" She'd asked and received no argument, only shiny-eyed nods of approval from the two red heads and a side-hug from the man standing close beside her.

Now, she looked around her full apartment. Puppy toys and small carry crate because the clerk said not to get one too big, that it wouldn't be comforting. A puppy blanket and two dog dishes. She'd planned on Lanie and Alexis, but when Madison called when they were on their way home and heard about the puppy, she wanted to come meet the creature. She was closing the door from letting Maddie in when, she heard a voice call out, "Don't shut it yet, Katie."

She'd pulled the door wide with a smile on her face recognizing her uncle Dan's voice. He was taller than her dad and burlier like her grandfather had been. Their older brother, her Uncle John, had called him "Lumberjack" from the time he hit high school. Her Uncle John was gone now; it was just her Dad and Uncle Dan—and her aunts and cousins, of course, left on the Beckett side.

Her dad gave her arm a quick squeeze and bypassed her for the puppy, but her uncle wrapped her in his customary bear hug and spun her around, squeezing until her ribs protested. When he set her down, both their heads swiveled to the living room.

"Ah, there's my girl," her father said, wrapping a grinning Alexis in a similar bear hug—though it didn't appear to be threatening Alexis' ability to breathe. Apparently, she hadn't been bypassed for the puppy, but rather Alexis.

Kate looked past them to the couch where Lanie sat and caught her eyes with a questioning look. She could see Lanie processing this new information. She looked to Maddie and found she was also looking at her with unspoken questions shining through. She looked back at her uncle and shrugged at all of them.

Was it normal to be displaced in your father's eyes—or arms—by your teenage friend? Your partner's daughter? She couldn't find it in her to be bothered by how close they'd become, even knowing how quickly it had happened. In fact, "bothered" was far from how she was feeling. It was something warmer and fuzzier.

"So, where is that little guy?" Jim asked.

"He ran into Kate's bedroom when Maddie knocked." She turned to Kate. "You have a lot of junk under your bed. I couldn't reach him."

"It's not junk!" Her eyes widened. "It's—my boots! He better not be chewing on my boots!" You couldn't call it racing exactly, since no one tried to beat her there, but she was in her room in a flash, while everyone else laughed at her.

"You must be Alexis," Dan said, holding out a hand to Alexis. "You dad wouldn't shut up about you."

Alexis smiled and shook his hand. "That's funny. It's normally Kate he doesn't shut up about."

"I'm Dan, Jimmy's big brother."

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir."

"So formal. No more of that, 'kay?"

"Uh, yes, Sir."

He gave her a look.

Alexis smirked at him. "Danny."

He gave her another look. "Dan."

"Oh, I don't know. I'm liking Danny," Lanie piped up. Jim laughed.

"Lanie, good to see you again," Dan shook her hand. "I might let Red get away with it, but not you."

"And you," she said before turning to Jim. "Boys good for you?"

"Yup. Big help. Got everything done. Looks great."

"No one lost a limb?" Alexis asked.

"All good." Dan replied.

"Mr. Beckett," Madison stepped forward, as both men's heads turned toward the blonde. "Good to see you. It's been a while."

"Maddie—you're over thirty. You can call me, Jim."

Madison playfully slapped his shoulder. "Don't tell people I'm over thirty."

"You know, Dan, right?"

"Of course. You probably don't remember me, but I was in Kate's class—with Jeff."

"Oh, no. I remember. You're the one who turned him down so many times. Katie and Becca got so sick of him hanging around you girls all the time. Begged me to send him to boot camp."

"Well, I hear it worked out well. Becca says he's married now, with a kid."

"And another on the way."

"Really? Kelly's pregnant?" Kate asked stepping out of her room with the puppy.

"Just told me last week," he said, as he, her dad and Maddie all reached toward the puppy, who cowered into Kate. She kissed his head and handed him to her dad.

They all "oohed" and "awed" over the puppy, and laughed at his antics when he became braver and wanted to play.

"So, does this guy have a name?" her dad asked.

"Well, I can guarantee you it won't be 'Jack'."

"Jack's a good name. Suit's him fine."

"No name," Alexis said.

"Kate says she know what Castle's going to name him," Lanie said.

"We've been trying to guess—"

"But they're not even close."

There was another knock on her door. With everyone there, Kate worried it might be Castle and panicked momentarily, but Lanie was already getting up to answer the door.

"That'll be Javi and Kevin. They wanted to see the puppy, too."

"What?" Kate exclaimed. "They left Castle alone?"

Lanie let them in and before they could even say hello, Kate asked them directly.

"You left Castle unattended?"

"Uh…unattended? He is a grown man, Beckett," Ryan answered.

"You know he knows Alexis is here. Where do you think he's going to end up?"

"Nah, he said he was headed home," Esposito explained. "Shower. Writing."

"Um-hmm. He's gonna be on my doorstep."

"I'll go call him, Kate." Alexis assured her while the boys sat on the floor to play with the puppy. The puppy seemed to prefer Esposito and they were joking with Kevin, offering to tie a T-bone around his neck, while he kept insisting that it was just that the puppy could smell Jenny's cat and thought him a traitor.

"Hey, Boss, what are you going to name him?" Kevin asked.

"He's not mine to name."

"Really? You call her 'Boss'?" Dan asked, surprised.

Ryan tucked his head a little sheepishly. "Well, she's our boss."

"The Captain is our boss."

"The Captain is the Captain," Esposito said. "You're Beckett, the Boss."

"Makes you sound like a mob hit man," Alexis said. "Dad would be proud."

Her uncle was enjoying this as much now as he had earlier in the day when he'd figured out they were talking about his niece when they referred to "the boss."

"Why's that so funny?" Maddie asked. Kate groaned knowing what was coming. It was one of her uncle's favorite stories to tell about her.

"When my daughter, Becca, turned ten, we took her, a friend and Katie to the movies. There was little Katie sitting in the middle of the backseat between the two older girls, talking about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Becca wanted to be a doctor or a veterinarian and the other girl wanted to be a teacher. They went back and forth. I'm sure they threw out more things. Katie'd been silent the whole time, then outta nowhere, she pipes up. 'I don't care what I am. I just wanna be the boss!'"

Kate was already red, knowing what her friends were going to hear, but she laughed and shook her head. They were all laughing at the story.

"Danny, that's fantastic. You have to tell my dad that story."

Danny? No one called her uncle that.

"Next time I see him, Red."

Red? What the hell? They already had nicknames for each other? She looked between the two. Everyone else seemed to be laughing, but she was merely confused. She couldn't wait to share this tidbit with her aunt.

"I gotta say, though," her uncle Dan continued, "Katie's the only one who followed through. Becca never committed to four years of college and last time I saw Dana, she was working the checkout counter at the grocery store."

Kate smiled at him, knowing he was proud of her. In the lull, she heard the elevator ding and looked up at Alexis.

"That's your dad."

"Huh?" She hadn't heard anything.

Everyone started talking and she hushed them. They didn't believe her.

"Did you get ahold of him?" she asked quietly.

"No, but I left—" Alexis started explaining.

"Beckett—" Esposito tried.

"You can't—" her dad tried.

"Now that's ju—" Lanie looked irritated.

But they were all interrupted with a knock at the door.

Kate turned and glared at the boys.

"What?" Ryan asked quietly. "You don't know it's him."

More knocking. "Kate?"

More glaring.

"Tell him you have company," Esposito whispered.

"No, I'm not telling him I have company! He'd still want in."

"Can you imagine what kind of company he'd think she had when she didn't let him in?" Lanie hissed.

More knocking. "Kate? Alexis?"

"Good point," Maddie said. "Tell him you're naked!"

"No! I'm not—"

"Do you want him to bust down the door?" Lanie asked. "Cause he's done it before when she was naked."

"What?" Madison asked.

"Naked?" her father questioned.

"Bomb. Apartment."

"You left out that detail," Madison accused.

"Really? Now? I didn't think everyone needed to know." She glared at Lanie, while her father crossed his arms and glared at her.

"It was called Naked Heat," Alexis said.

"Not helping, Lex."

"He's still out there," Dan said.

"Also not helping. You four, my office. Take this stuff" She gestured to the boys, Maddie, Lanie and the toys on the floor. "You three, my room. Take the puppy and hide in my bathroom if you have to."

More knocking "Kate? I know you're in there. I can hear you moving around."

"I'm going to get your Dad out of here. You call him—and get him to go home. Lanie, you stay with the puppy when Alexis leaves. The rest of you—I don't know! But you all better keep quiet!"

"I can see why you call her 'the boss,'" Kate sneered at her uncle, before going to answer the door. She checked over her shoulder once to ensure they were all out of the way and that there was no puppy paraphernalia lying around to give them away.

"Hey, Castle," she pulled open the door, not entirely prepared for the sight and smell of a freshly showered Castle. He dipped to kiss her cheek, causing her heart to pace faster.

"What took you so long?"

"Cleaning. Earbuds." She answered as he walked past.

"Where's Alexis? Thought I'd treat you girls to dinner. What do you say?"

"Sounds great, but Alexis already left."

"Ditched you for Ashley, huh? Now you know how I feel."

"Uh, no. Said something about wanting to spend some time with you. She called you, I think."

Castle pulled out his ringing phone and noticed a message from Alexis. He was just finishing listening to his message when they heard something in the direction of Kate's office.

Maddie. Kate had thought twice about sending her in there where she knew her mother's murder board was open, but she thought Maddie would rather be with Lanie and the boys and she did not want the boys in her room. She figured the boys or Lanie might look, but that they'd keep Madison away. Obviously not.

"What was that?" Castle asked.

"What was what?" With the look Castle gave her, she knew that wasn't going to work. "Oh, that?" she nodded in the direction of the noise.

Castle nodded.

"New neighbor."

"Mrs. Hanson moved?" he asked doubtfully.

Kate shook her head. "Why does it not surprise me that you know my neighbors?"

"Well, not all of them. She's a fan. Gave me tea and showed me pictures of her grandkids while I was waiting for you one day."

Well, that explained why Mrs. Hanson was always asking after Mr. Castle and glaring at Josh. Poor Josh. He got a bad rap from everyone in her life—'cept Maddie.

"So, you heading out to meet up with Alexis?"

"What? No. Just you and me, Detective. Alexis called to say she wouldn't be home for dinner."

"Huh?"

"Ashley, I'm guessing. See? You were ditched for the boyfriend."

When Kate didn't answer, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. "So? What do you say we order in?"

"Actually, Castle, I'm not too hungry. Lex and I had a late lunch."

"Kate," he scolded. "Now, you know what happened yesterday when you didn't eat."

"That's 'cause your mom drugged me, and you know it! Besides, I made you breakfast. Go eat that!"

"Oh, come on, I'll tell you how Ryan scared the shit out of your dad and uncle Dan. Nice guy by the way. Learned lots of new stuff about you, Ms. Beckett."

Kate groaned, but she didn't doubt it. How, again, had they all ended up spending the day together? She needed tighter control.

"Plus, I've got some juicy Esplanie news." Castle leaned forward, and went all serious on her, whispering. "Of the life changing four-Cs with four little words on bended knee variety."

Kate's eye's widened. She knew she had to get him out of there and fast!

"You know what, Castle? I am a little hungry," she grabbed his arm. "Come on. I'll buy you dinner."

"Oh, no. My treat. I already said."

"But that was when we were ordering in," Kate said, trying to usher him out the door.

"We could still stay in." Castle stopped in her doorway, refusing to budge. "Relax. Watch a movie." He really wanted to stay. He loved her apartment and there was far greater chance of cuddling if they stayed.

"Uh-uh, Castle. Dinner. Out. I'm buying. Italian?"

Kate grabbed Castle's hand and pulled him out of her apartment. The door shut, and two others opened. They were all quiet as they listened to the voices fade down the hall.

"No. I'm buying. I was thinking Thai."

"No way. You can't have Thai."

"Sushi?"

"Maybe. No wasabi for you, though."

Everyone was smiling, except Esposito who looked oddly pale. Lanie and Alexis high-fived. They hadn't planned that, but it couldn't have worked out better if they'd tried.

So…I hope that was somewhat worth the wait, but I am really sorry I made you wait! This chapter was much longer than I intended for it to be. I wanted to show how serious and thorough Kate had been about finding the perfect puppy, but I honestly, I didn't expect them to end up back at Beckett's apartment. Still, I like how it worked out.

What do you think? Do you like the puppy? I'd love to hear from you!