I'm sorry this is a little late.

Upload Date: February 12, 2013

Chapter Rating: K+

Chapter Summary: Castle is mugged and his present for Beckett is taken. Gates returns it to Becket. Beckett gives Castle her present. He gives her his.

#45

One minute, he was walking out of the jewellery shop looking like the cat that ate the cream with the rectangular box containing the gifts he'd ordered a month earlier, and the next he was lying in a hospital bed with a concerned looking Beckett sitting next to him.

"Hey," she said softly, greeting him with a warm smile. "You're awake."

Castle blinked. "What happened?"

"You were mugged."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Aw, man, I don't remember." Suddenly he bolted up in bed. "Your present! Oh, ow."

"Just sit back down," she said, guiding his head back to the pillow. "It's in evidence, along with your debit card, credit cards and cash."

"Wow, how long was I out?"

She chuckled soundlessly.

"About an hour. Ryan saw it happen and tackled the son of a bitch. He's in custody."

Castle nodded slowly. That was right; Ryan had given him a ride. He hadn't wanted to be late for their dinner so Ryan had put on the siren for him.

"You haven't seen your present, have you?" he panicked.

"No, I haven't, but you can give it to me yourself as soon as he's sentenced."

"What? No. It's Valentine's Day now. You have to get it today."

"Castle, it's fine. You know the rules. It's evidence."

"But... that's not as romantic."

"Castle, you were mugged. You get a free pass. Hey, if it means that much to you, I'll give you a deal. I won't give you my present until you give me yours. We'll have our own valentine's day. Screw tradition. What matters is that we're together, right?"

He took a deep breath and smiled.
"Right."

"So, how's Mr. Castle?" Gates enquired.

"Oh, he's fine. Just a couple of scratches and bruises. He's been cleared to go home. His mother's taking care of him."

"He's a very lucky man."

"Yeah, it certainly was a lucky escape," Beckett agreed.

"Actually, I was referring to Mr. Castle's connections. He's very lucky to have friends in such high places."

"Sir?"

"Judge Markway gave Mr. Huntley our attacker, a hearing this afternoon. He pleaded out. Which means - "she pulled an evidence bag out of her draw and handed it to Beckett, "Mr. Castle's personal affects can be returned to him."

Beckett looked own. It contained his wallet and a jewellery box.

Her eyes widened.

"I'm sure Mr. Castle will be happy to be able to give that to whoever he bought it for on Valentine's Day," said Gates.

"Uh - "said Beckett, snapping out of her reverie and looking back up at Gates, "I'm sure he will."
She turned to go.

"Oh, and - Detective?"

She turned back.
"Yes, Sir?"

"That's your bike in the parking lot, isn't it?"

"Uh... yes, sir."

Gates smiled.
"It's very nice."

"Uh... thank you - sir."

"Hey," said Beckett, knocking on his bedroom door. "How you holding up?"

"Great! Oh," he said, spotting the evidence bag. "I see you've found your present."

"I haven't opened it," she assured him, giving him the box.

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to wrap it but I did spend the better part of the day unconscious. Happy Valentine's Day," he said weakly, handing it back to her.

Beckett let out a soft gasp when she opened the box to reveal four diamond Dog Tag Necklaces, each with their own pattern and design.

"Wow, Castle, they're beautiful."

"For my kick-ass biker girlfriend."

Beckett smiled warmly.
"I don't know if I'd wear any of them on my bike. I'd be too scared of them falling off."

"It's a secure chain, Kate. It's called Biker chic."

"I love them; thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, what did you get me?"

Beckett chuckled softly.

"Martha, you can bring it in now," she called out.

A few seconds later, Martha walked through the door with a small puppy.

"No..." said Castle in disbelief, as Beckett took the puppy from Martha.

"Hey, little guy," she beamed at him, before handing him to Castle.
"He's mine?"

"Well, that's up to you, Castle. If you want him to be 100% yours, awesome. I know you'll take great care of him. But... if you wanted to talk about the possibility of co-ownership, I wouldn't necessarily be opposed."

"So, in this scenario, he wouldn't just be mine, he'd be ours?"

"I know it's a big step, but I think we're ready."

"Where would he sleep?"

"Well, I was thinking about that. Your place has more room and you have two in-built dog-sitters. However, you have a lot more stuff that could get chewed than I do, and we spend most of our time at my place, so... It's just an idea - "

"I love the idea. Mom, could you give us a moment?"

"Of course," said Martha, stepping out.

Castle turned back to Beckett as he softly stroked their dog's coat.

"Kate, I don't know what t so say. He's beautiful. Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, moving in to kiss him.

The dog wanted to get in on the action, licking them.

They chuckled as they broke apart and Castle played with him.

"You are the most adorable dog in the world," he said in a baby-voice. "Yes you are, yes you are."

He looked up to see Beckett staring at him, s dopy grin on her face.

"What?"

Beckett shook her head.
"Nothing," she said, looking at the dog and patting him reverently. "I love you."

Castle stared back.
"Are you talking about me or the dog?"

Becket met his gaze, her smile even brighter.
"Both."

Castle smiled back in amazement.
"Best Valentine's ever."

"Really? Even with the mugging?"

"Sure, it was exciting."

She rolled her eyes.

"You don't even remember it."

"i can imagine."

"You didn't have to go through it to imagine it."

"Oh, Kate, was somebody worried about me?"

"Well, of course I was worried, idiot."

"Well, i'm fine."

She gingerly ran her hand over his bandaged wounds.
"You'd better be."