There's Room for Two

Prompted by nikkibeckettcsm: Castle and Beckett argue the merits of getting a puppy verses a kitten they then decide to use a third party as the tie breaker, their three year old son. - Sorry it took me so long to fill this for you! :)

Note: This takes place in the Out of the Blue Universe, but it isn't required reading. Not that I'd ever tell you not to read that story, too. :)

They have a game plan for this: research, recon, make a decision.

That's the plan, hatched at the breakfast bar over coffee and put into motion a little bit each day for the last month. They'd spent hours huddling over Castle's iPad, looking at breeds, researching temperaments, even which ones would shed the least. She'd wanted to have all of their bases covered, wanted to know exactly what they'd be getting into if they went down this road, and wanted to make a decision that worked for all of them.

Her husband had gone along with it, as he often did, letting her research to her heart's content while he waited for the fun part. The recon. That he'd jumped all over, emailing her links on an hourly basis until she'd finally suggested he save everything for a round up at the end of each day after their son went to bed. It made it hard to interrogate suspects when she was overwhelmed by fluffy options.

And now they're here, waiting for their appointment at the animal shelter with a rowdy three year old in tow. She doesn't blame Martha for needing to cancel for the afternoon – a meeting with a donor for her school trumps babysitting – but they're still hopelessly deadlocked. Kate just hopes they won't break Ian's sweet little heart if she and Castle can't come to a consensus on a pet today.

"Mama, lessgo!"

"Let's go?" Beckett asks, catching her son's wiggling body between her knees. "Where are we going, goofball?"

"To da pubbies an' kitties, Mama," he huffs, like he can't believe he's explaining this to her again.

At least he's been briefed on the plan.

"That's right. Daddy and I picked out a few puppies and kitties to meet and we'll see which one works for us."

Her son nods, patting her knee in understanding. "Bof."

Beside her, Castle laughs. He's filling out pre-adoption paperwork – doing his share for once – just in case they do make a selection today, while she wrangles the crazy man.

"Can't get both, buddy," Castle murmurs, diverting his attention back to the papers when Ian turns his power pout on her.

"Why?"

"Because one pet is a lot for our house," she explains, dropping her head to rub noses with her son. She won't tell him their preferences, hers for a cat and Castle's for a dog, but she's going to clue him in on his very special job. "And since Daddy and I can't decide, you're going to be our tie-breaker."

Ian giggles, like she's sharing state secrets with him.

"So you can't say both, baby boy."

The boy giggles again, a sure indication that he's going to do just that. Which means they'll be forced to make the decision like adults. Damn.

Ian's fingers slip between hers in an attempt to tug her from her chair. No doubt on an adventure into the restricted area their shelter liaison had slipped into a few minutes ago. Sometimes he's just like his father; eager, adventurous, utterly adorable.

"Not yet, Ian. They'll come get us when it's our turn."

She can't blame the kid for being excited. The part of her that had begged her parents for a pet when she was growing up has been kept tightly under wraps throughout the entire process, now that eagerness is poised to spring to the surface as soon as she gives it permission.

Ian sighs, but gives up his attempts to pull her where they shouldn't be.

"C'mere, squirmy. Let's look at our suspects again." She hauls the baby into her lap, grabbing the file of potential pets off her husband's leg. Castle glances at her, amused at her word choice, but doesn't comment.

"What? It's better than 'candidates.' They're pets, not presidential hopefuls."

"Yeah, but suspects?" His eyebrow lifts playfully.

Ian grins at his father, giggling into her arm. Adoration wells in her belly, making her pull him in closer. Every day with her boys is insane, but it's a kind of insanity she loves. This will be good for them.

"S'look at da suspecs," Ian echoes definitively, opening the folder for her.

They read together. She tells him each animal's name, age, and description before letting him tell her whether he thinks they'd be a good fit in their house. With the exception of maybe two in the entire stack, each one is a resounding yes. Yeah, this will go smoothly.

"Mr. Castle? We've got everything set up for you if you're ready to go. What we're going to do is we'll take you into the cat room and let you socialize with them, and then whenever you're ready, we'll do the same for the dog room."

Ian answers for the both of them, slithering his lanky body out of her arms and rushing to the girl's side. The volunteer, Sophie, smiles before taking his hand.

They play with the cats for over half an hour, letting the baby greet them all and snuggle the willing ones. The cats are sweet, all of them, but the spark of instant love isn't there like Kate had expected. A glance at her husband tells her he feels the same; if he'd fallen in love with one of the cats, there'd be no way for him to hide it.

"Time to go?" he murmurs, stealing a quick kiss.

"Yeah, I think so," she agrees, rubbing her son's sides gently. "Let's go see the puppies now, baby. Say bye bye."

Despite the monikers, few of their pre-selected dogs are actual puppies. They're aiming for slightly older dogs that will adjust to life in the loft easily. Hopefully they'll also be a bit more sedate than a young dog will be.

They leave the puppy room a little while later, having felt the same fondness and amusement for the dogs that they did for the cats, but again no sparks. Disappointment settles heavily in her chest.

Forget about Ian's tender heart, going home empty-handed might just break hers, too.

Her husband's prepping Ian to head home – which is no small feat, given the pools welling in their son's bright hazel eyes and the trembling in his lower lip – when she makes her decision. She wants one of these animals.

"Castle," she murmurs, touching his arm and stepping between the boys and the exit. "Why don't we… ask to look at the others? The rest, not just the ones we had on our list."

He looks confused. "What about –"

"Forget it. Let's just look. Let's just," she trails off, biting her lip quickly. She's a planner by nature, but some of the best things in her life have come from throwing her carefully crafted strategies to the wayside and embracing what her gut's telling her to do.

"Come on, Castle, let's get this family a pet."

His face breaks open, and his mouth lands against hers, hot and eager, only to be spoiled by their combined giddy laughter. They both really want this.

Ian smacks a kiss to her hand, too, amped up by the energy around him. By her impulsiveness, by his father's joy. It makes it all the more worthwhile.

A few minutes later, they're being led through a corridor of kennels. Dozens of excited dogs bark at them, but ever fearless, Ian doesn't even flinch beside her. Not even when a Great Dane – a harlequin, she thinks she remembers reading – moves to the edge of the kennel, pushing its nose against the bars. The dog is taller than the baby, but it seems more curious than intimidating.

"Hi pubby," Ian chirps, completely unfazed by the fact that he's addressing a giant. The dog's tail wags happily, a low woof coming a moment later. Ian lights up at the greeting, tugging on Beckett's hand gleefully.

"That's Dottie," Sophie explains. "She's our resident big baby. Her owners brought her in about a month ago. They hadn't realized how large she would get and their apartment wasn't the place for her."

Who the hell doesn't know a Great Dane's going to be large? Her heart thuds for the poor thing. After being dropped off at a shelter after how many months with a home, it's no wonder she's so happy to see a family. She doesn't seem to be aggressive, just eager; Ian's been inching closer every few seconds and she's simply lowered her head to the boy's level, studying him.

"How old is she?" Beckett asks before her husband can. The wheels are already turning in Castle's mind, probably the same wheels that are turning in hers. She catches a glimpse of his face out of the corner of her eye and has to suppress a laugh. Still surprising him after a decade, good. "We read that Great Danes actually do reasonably well in apartments."

"She's just over a year, so still a bit in the puppy stage, but she's moving out of that. She responds well to commands, responds to 'no,' and knows her name. All good things. And to answer your other question, Danes generally are good apartment dogs, provided they have an outlet for their energy. If they don't, that's when you see a lot of the bad behavior. Dottie does well, though."

Ian grins up at them, knocking his head back against Beckett's legs.

"Do you think we can meet her?" Castle asks almost cautiously, curling his fingers around her hip.

"Sure. Let me get a leash and we'll take her out and let you get acquainted."

They both nod before Kate dips, kissing her curious little boy's cheek.

"Stay here with me, R2. We'll meet her for real in a second."

He giggles, holding her wrists gently.

"She's pwetty."

Smiling, she scoops her son up, hefting him onto her hip. "She is, huh?"

"An' big."

"That's right. She's a big puppy. Is that okay?" She sways with him, watching Dottie's large eyes follow them. The dog seems to be as enamored with them as they are with her. Castle's been strangely tightlipped so far, but his energy is vibrating through his fingers, branding her through her jeans. He's enamored, too.

"Ya, s'okay."

"What do you think, Daddy?" She nudges her husband, looking up at him from under her lashes.

"I think," he clears his throat, "that you amaze me."

"Yeah," she asks, bumping against him. "And what about the dog?"

"She's beautiful and seems sweet." He's downplaying, she knows. "Are you…?"

"Uh huh, might be." She grins, watching his smile blossom. Okay, good. They really are on the same page.

"Good," he breathes, tickling Ian's neck before kneeling in front of the kennel. "Hi there, Dottie. I bet I know how you got your name."

"S'got spots, Daddy!" Ian supplies, just in case they didn't get it. "Like a cow. Mooo."

Kate grins, looking up as their volunteer returns with the leash.

A few moments later, the three of them are being inundated with friendliness from one very excited animal. Ian can't stop giggling, Castle's been pinned to the bench he'd been perched on thanks to the dog's affectionate lean, and she's currently being thwapped by a rapidly wagging tail.

God, this dog is sweet. Huge and a little uncoordinated, but so damn sweet. She's great with Ian, nudging him gently with her head but not bullying, putting up with his eager chattering through it all.

"She's doing well with him," Beckett murmurs, glancing over her shoulder at Sophie, hoping her son's cackles will cover her question. "What about other kids?"

Castle must hear her ask anyway, because she feels his gaze on her, steady and warm.

"Younger children?" Sophie asks, waiting for her nod. "Well, I think it's a good indication of how she'll react to other children, especially if they're part of the family. If you're part of her family, you're one of hers."

"Good, that's good. Thank you." Her hand smooths over Dottie's side.

She's not pregnant, but it's no secret that she wants to be soon. Knowing the dog isn't likely to reject a new baby is good.

Ian and Castle chortle gleefully when she gets a slurpy kiss on the nose from the dog. That's what she gets for her contemplation.

"She wubs ya, Mama."

Kate laughs, swiping her hand across her nose. Dottie's head nudges hers, inviting her to stroke her ears. "You do, huh?"

Her heart stutters at how easily the dog leans into her, how trusting she is. If she hadn't been sure before, she is now; they can't send her back to her kennel.

"What do you think, Beckett? It's a big job."

"Pwease, Mama?"

Oh, that is not fair. No coaching the kid, Castle.

She pretends to think, tapping her lips until her son smacks a kiss on her mouth. "Well, in that case… yeah, yeah let's do it."

Sophie claps her hands. "That's great. And before I get the paperwork, I know you were looking at cats, too, so I want to ask if you're interested in Dottie's friend Kit."

Castle chuckles. They both get the reference. It's cute.

"They're so close," Sophie continues quickly, before they can shut her down, "they're kind of partners in crime. I don't want you to feel pressured, obviously, but if you were interested in a cat, she's the one for you. Every time they're in the same room, they play around. Kit even gives Dottie hugs and kisses."

They shouldn't. They really shouldn't.

"She's about a year old, too. Domestic medium hair, beautiful grey color. It's up to you, of course, so I'm going to stop talking now."

It'd be insane to say yes, to bring home both. To take an already crazy house and make it crazier would be a terrible idea. And yet, she lifts her eyes to Castle's and nods quickly.

Castle smiles, sliding his hand down the dog's – their dog's – back.

"No, no. Let's meet her, too."

And that's how the Castle household grew by two in just one day.

So much for their game plan.

A/N: I have a Great Dane and she is the biggest, sweetest baby on this planet. I'd pick her a dozen times over. The picture to accompany this fic can be found on my tumblr: bunysliper, or in the picture for this story.