This is a response to a challenge set by Ariel119

(Inspired by the segment where he talks about getting a dog and accusing her of being his judgmental work wife... They are now dating/living together, and he tries to talk her into getting a pet. Something exotic like a snake. Story-limits: lets say 1000 words, give or take 100. Any rating).

Many thanks go to Ariel119 for making me write my first Castle-fic. I know it's slightly longer then required in the challenge, but I hope she will forgive me ;-) I also hope I have captured Castle and Beckett well and they are not too OOC. Please Read&Review.

It will be a one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything besides some DVDs and a book or two of this amazing series. All rights belong to ABC, Mister Marlow and the actors that portray the characters.

It was late. Way past closing time. But inside the precinct, there was a single light still burning. It cast a shadow on the face of the man that was sitting in his usual chair next to her desk. He was staring, but not really seeing her. Beckett was annoyed with his behavior, but had given up on reprimanding him as she knew it would do no good anyway. She learned that the hard way. Besides, truth be told, she kinda liked it when he did that. Not that she would ever admit that to him. She´d never hear the end of it. When another ten minutes had passed and Castle had still not said a word, she sighed and closed the folder she had been working on. "Ok, I give. What's wrong? You are never this quiet." Castle didn't seem to hear her. She snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey! Castle! Wake up, it's time to go home!" Castle startled at the snap and his eyes focused on the woman in front of him. They'd been secretly dating for several months now and Castle found himself thinking about the future a lot. All possible scenarios included the woman in front of him, but he wasn't sure she was ready for a commitment. Seeing her inquiring eyes, he put a smile on his face – not a hard thing to accomplish when he was looking at her – and said: "Wanna go grab a bite?" Not fooled at all by his tactics, she pierced his eyes with hers. "Come on, Castle, give. What's bothering you?"

"Not now, ok?" His eyes told her it would be useless to try and get more out of him, so she let it go and gathered her things. Castle stood and got her coat, which he held up for her like the true gentleman he could be. Switching off the light, Beckett turned to Castle and, after a quick look around the room, now only illuminated by the lamppost on the street, she kissed him on the cheek. She normally didn't want to bring their relationship into the office, but he looked like he needed it and there was no one around to see them anyway. His eyes lit up and he tried to kiss her back, but she was already halfway down the hall to the elevator. Quickly putting on his own jacket, Castle followed her, being the loyal puppy he always seemed to be when it came to her. Hmmm... puppy's, now there was an idea. Castle smirked to himself as he guided her into the elevator with his hand on her lower back.

They had dinner at Remy's. This late, they almost had the place to themselves. Both ordered a burger with fries and in an attempt to eat at least something healthy, Beckett ordered a side salad as well. They ate in companionable silence. Castle had returned to his earlier behavior of staring, only this time, he was definitely seeing her. She could tell, because his eyes were dreamy and his mouth formed that adorable half-smile, that always had her going weak at the knees. She doubted he was aware of it. She let him stare for a while, sneaking glances his way every so often and unconsciously smiling back at him, while biting her lower lip. It was a good thing there was no one they knew in the joint, as it would have been tough to deny any feelings going on between them. Suddenly Castle spoke. "Did you ever reconsider getting a pet?" "Huh?", was all Beckett could utter, still kinda lost in his gazing eyes. "I know you once said you didn't want one, but haven't you warmed up to the idea? I could get you a really cute one. You'd have something to come home to. I hate to always leave you alone, you know that." Beckett found her voice and said: "But I'm not home enough to take care of anything. I don't like cats, and I don't particularly look forward to walking a dog several times a day. I'm tired enough as it is." Castle gave it one more try. "How about a fish? Or a rabbit? A guinea pig?" "No, Rick, I'm fine on my own. A pet is just not something I can handle with my job requirements." Castle sighed and dropped the subject, but something in his eyes told her she hadn't heard the last of it.

And boy was she right. Several days passed. They worked the case, caught a break and found the guy who had first kidnapped, then assaulted and killed two girls from a local school. Gathering enough evidence to lock him up took several more days and by the time the case was closed, she had forgotten all about Castle's inquiry. So, when he approached her with a smile on his face to take her home after yet another long day, she just smiled back and let him guide her to his car. It took her a few moments to realize he was taking a wrong turn. And another. "Hey, ehm, Rick? I live the other way", she tried. "I know", was all she got in return, a big smile on his face. Getting suspicious, she turned to him as far as her seat belt would allow. "Rick? What's going on?"

"I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise? Why?"

"Just because."

"There is never a *just* because with you. Spill."

"No really. It's just my way of showing you I ... really appreciate you."

Not quite believing him, she gave him the benefit of the doubt and stopped questioning him.

Another couple of turns took them to an exotic looking pet shop. He parked the car and asked her to get out. When it was clear that the pet shop was indeed where they were headed, she said: "Rick, I told you, I don't want a pet. Besides, the store is closed."

Rick just smiled and knocked on the door. "Nothing is ever closed for me, haven't you learned that by now?"

An older man opened the door. "Hey Rick! Good to see ya! How's your mom doing?"

"She's fine, thanks, Bill, she sends her regards. This is Kate, Kate, this is Bill. He and my mom go way back. Bill is kind of an uncle to me." Beckett shook Bill's hand. "It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm just not quite sure what we're doing here." She looked at Castle. He deliberately held his eyes on Bill. "Did you get my special order?"

"Yes I did. Please, come in." They entered and he led them to a separate room. "Please be patient, Mooky needs to adjust for a minute. New smells and all."

"Mooky?" Beckett tried. "Yes. The easiest pet of them all, hardly needs any caretaking as he can do a lot of it himself. All he really needs is a lot of love and a cuddle every now and then." Just as Bill finished speaking, Beckett saw the most adorable little monkey peeking out from under the table. She couldn't help but react. "Oooow, he's cute! So cuddly! Is it legal to have a monkey for a pet?" Castle just smiled and he nodded to Bill, who took the hint and silently left the room. Beckett squatted down and stretched out her hand. It took a minute, but slowly, Mooky crept closer and sniffed her hand. "Oh, it tickles, Rick! I love it!", she whispered with a big smile. She was acting like a girl and she didn't mind one bit. When Mooky felt secure enough, she petted him and after a while, he climbed on her arm and onto her shoulder. She carefully lifted him from her shoulder and held him to her chest. She stood and turned to Castle. "Is he really for me? And does he really care for himself?" Rick carefully pried Mooky out of her arms and set him down. Mooky ran off under the table again. Then, Rick reached for Beckett's hands. "Well,..." he began. Then stopped. At her questioning look he continued. "You can have him if you really want to, but... I was kind of hoping you would settle for living with the other monkey." His whole being radiated a seriousness she had rarely seen in him. "What other monk...", she started to say, while looking around. And then it hit her. He was asking her to move in with him! Can take care of himself, needs lots of love and a cuddle every now and then... it all made sense now. And she found she could think of no reason to say no. She had no doubts at all. She would love to move in with him and his daughter. She loved Alexis too after all. Looking back up at Castle she realized she hadn't said anything yet. His inquiring eyes stared at her with the openness and love she needed. "I love you, Kate. I think I have from the moment you whispered in my ear that I had no idea what I would be missing and then you made me watch you walk away. Please don´t ever walk away again. You know I´ll only follow you. You´re my muse, my love, my everything. I would even dare to say you're my third and done. The one. I´m in this for the long run. Please move in with me. Alexis would love it too."

All she could do was fling herself in his arms and kiss him with all her might. "Yes, I'll move in with you. I love you too." More kissing. Until suddenly: "Rick, I know how you love to pull my pigtails, but this is hardly the moment to pull on my hair." Showing her both his hands, he said: "I'm not pulling your hair, Kate." They turned and looked at the creature standing on the table behind Kate, waving the end of a strand of Kate's hair and they both smiled. "Mooky!"

Ok. That's it for my first Castle fic. What did you think? Please review, you know you want to :)