Power Play
A Castle One-Shot
By Laura Picken
This is my response to a thread on the CastleCast podcast's 'murder board' on Facebook (and well, all of the questions and resulting theories that have been floating around since "Always"). I'm hoping that, at least in my own mind, it will answer the question about the NYPD's fraternization rules...;-)
DISCLAIMER: Castle, Beckett, et al. are property of Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC. I have no clue as to the true statistics, rules and regulations of the NYPD, so anything I shoot off my mouth and declare in this story to be 'truth' is pure fiction.
It was over.
She was sure of it.
Her partnership with Castle was almost certainly over.
As Kate Beckett leaned back against the elevator wall, trying to gather her strength for the gauntlet she knew she would face when she made it to the bullpen, a moment of panic started to overwhelm her. God, she thought, what if Gates demands my badge?
It started before they even left the Hamptons...
"Mother?" Castle was on the phone, letting Martha know they were about to start the long drive back to Manhattan. "Just wanted to let you know we're on our way back...wait wait wait...slow down, Mother, tell me what's happened."
Kate's ears perked up as Castle's voice rose in volume. "They WHAT?!" He was practically screaming into the phone. "What did the column say?" Castle started pacing the room as he listened to Martha, trying to physically force himself to calm down again. He finally collapsed on the couch, holding his head in one hand as he held the phone to his ear with his other hand. "Well," Castle finally declared with a weary sigh, "I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. Does Paula know?...So she's already working on damage control, thank God. Thank you for letting me know. I'll tell her."
By the time Castle hung up the phone, Kate was nearly ready to have a panic attack herself. Her face drained of all color as her boyfriend explained the situation to her: apparently, unbeknownst to them, William and Kate had been out east for a charity polo match, and an enterprising stalkerazzi saw lights on at Castle's house and snapped pictures of them from the beach. "From what Mother told me, the pictures are tasteful, by the standards of the paparazzi..."
"But...?" asked Kate, afraid to finish the thought.
"You remember last night, Kate..."
How could she forget? Kate blushed as she realized which moment the photographer must have captured. "The balcony..."
"Our relationship's been made public, Kate," Castle finally admitted somberly. "*Very* public."
Beckett drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves as the door opened. She quickly went over a mental checklist of 'who knew': Martha and Alexis had known from almost the very beginning, and Ryan, Esposito and Lanie found out a few weeks later. Beckett smiled, remembering how the boys had surprised her by how discreet and protective they had been.
Sure enough, Ryan was waiting for her as she stepped out of the elevator. "Hey Beckett," he greeted her, "where's Castle?"
Beckett frowned, confused. Did Ryan not *know*? "He's at home," she replied. "He figured it would probably be best if we weren't seen coming into the precinct together, under the circumstances..."
If Ryan's casual greeting had surprised Beckett, his amused smile downright shocked her. "That's a shame," he said. "He would definitely have wanted to see this..."
Ryan walked with his boss into the bullpen, backing away only when he was sure that Beckett noticed what was on her desk: long-stemmed red roses. At least four dozen of them. The detective approached her desk carefully, noting that the arrangement seemed to be a mix of flowers in various stages of bloom: a dozen were in full bloom, and the rest were evenly mixed between half-bloomed roses and rosebuds. Beckett was inwardly fuming. True, it was an extravagantly romantic gesture, but on today? Of all days?
All of Beckett's anger melted, though, when she read the card:
Congratulations and best of luck. (you'll need it)
Bob Wheldon
P.S. It's about damn time!
"I swear, I didn't read the card," Ryan piped up from behind her. Beckett turned to see her fellow detective grinning like the Cheshire Cat. "The courier was a friend of a friend who does a lot of deliveries for the mayor's office."
Beckett allowed herself a small smile as she tucked the card back into its envelope. "It was a very nice gesture," she conceded.
"Detective Beckett?"
Ryan and Beckett's conversation was cut off by their captain's call from her doorway. "Yes?" Beckett replied.
"My office, Detective. Now."
Ryan squeezed Beckett's shoulder in a show of support as she walked into Gates' office, closing the door behind her.
Beckett steeled herself, preparing mentally for whatever verbal assault she assumed her captain was going to throw at her. What Beckett wasn't prepared for, though, was the latest surprise in her already surprising day.
"We're here, sir. Go ahead," Gates spoke into the open speakerphone line as she sat down behind her desk.
The voice that filled the room was unmistakable. "Detective Beckett? Mayor Wheldon here. Police Chief Warren is also on the line."
"Gentlemen," said Beckett.
The mayor got down to business immediately. "Captain Gates?"
"Yes, sir?"
"First off, I just wanted to thank you for your continued ...assistance with Mr. Castle's...research. I know that he considers the work he does with your detectives to be the primary reason for the success of the Nikki Heat series."
Gates suddenly seemed to find herself at a loss for words. "Th-thank you, sir."
"I'm sure you're aware of the...unfavorable article that was published about Detective Beckett and Mr. Castle this morning?"
Gates glared across the desk at her trouble-making senior detective. "Yes, sir."
"I'm sure you're aware of the rules about fraternization between police officers..."
Gates nodded, even though Beckett was the only one to see it. "Yes, sir."
"However," the mayor continued, "Mr. Castle is *not* a police officer, which means he is not subject to those regulations. Chief Warren, am I correct in saying that Mr. Castle is considered by One PP to be a civilian volunteer?"
"That is correct, sir," the police chief chimed in.
"And are there any rules about fraternization between officers and civilian volunteers?"
"There are no regulations at this time, sir."
"In fact, aren't many of our volunteers friends and relatives of our officers?"
"Yes, sir."
Wheldon returned the focus of the conversation to the women at the 12th. "Detective Beckett, how long have you been dating Mr. Castle?"
"Six months, sir," replied Beckett.
"That means you started dating...when you had resigned from the force, is that correct?"
"Yes, sir."
"And, obviously, you have continued this relationship since your reinstatement? Outside of the public eye?"
"Yes, sir."
Wheldon's tone turned warm, and he let out a small chuckle. "That alone is a hell of an accomplishment, detective. And a credit to *both* of you."
Beckett was slightly taken aback by the compliment. "Thank you, sir."
"Captain Gates, has Detective Beckett's performance been hindered by Mr. Castle's presence in any way?"
"Are you talking about her case closure rates," countered Gates, "or Castle's ability to..."
Wheldon cut her off quickly. "I think you know what I mean, Captain. And I think you know that I already know the answer to that question."
Beckett could have sworn that her captain was pouting, just a little. "Yes, sir."
"Then when you combine the overwhelmingly positive publicity the department gets from the Nikki Heat series with this team's case closure rate and their ability to handle themselves with discretion, does anyone here have any reason why Mr. Castle's work with the NYPD shouldn't continue?"
Gates seemed to move to speak up, but was cut off by her boss. "No, sir," replied the chief.
"Then this is settled, then," the mayor declared. "Good."
Gates had one last card to play. "Your honor," she spoke up before the call could end. "Right now I'm sure Detective Beckett is facing an overwhelming amount of attention from the press..."
Wheldon cut her off quickly. "The press has an exceedingly short attention span, Captain Gates, *especially* in New York City. If you need to take Beckett out of the field for a day or two, then that's your call."
Gates quickly understood the implied meaning behind the message. "Yes, sir."
"All right," Wheldon announced, effectively ending the conference call, "now if everyone will excuse me, I have a press conference to attend. Detective Beckett, Captain Gates, always a pleasure. Dave, I'll see you later this afternoon."
Gates hung up her phone and turned to her detective. "Is Mr. Castle with you this morning?"
Beckett shook her head. "No, sir."
"*Are* the press going to be a problem, Detective? *Do* I need to keep you out of the field until this blows over?"
"No, sir," Beckett replied with confidence.
"Then I guess we're done," Gates replied with just the slightest hint of resignation. "Dismissed."
Beckett nodded her acceptance with a quick, "thank you, sir," and left her precinct commander to her thoughts.
Mayor Robert Wheldon closed the door to his office, allowing himself to relax for the first time that day. "You know," the mayor told the man who was waiting for him, "those press conferences are always the very *least* favorite part of my day."
Richard Castle didn't even get up as his friend crossed the room to return to his executive chair. "Thanks for your help earlier. Did they..."
"Not one question about it," Wheldon replied with a smile. "That doesn't mean they won't be dogging you for a couple of days..."
Castle nodded in understanding. "But if they're not asking you about it then nobody's looking to turn it into a scandal." He got up to shake his old friend's hand. "I owe you big time for this one, Bob."
Wheldon returned Castle's handshake with a wide, warm smile. "Even if I were keeping track, I'd still be in your debt, Rick. I'm just glad I could help." As his friend turned to leave, though, the mayor found he couldn't resist the temptation. "Rick, can I ask you one question?"
"Sure, Bob," replied Castle, surprised by his friend's hesitation. "Anything. What is it?"
"You've been 'following' Kate a long time, Rick. Actually, I've never seen you go this crazy over a woman...not even Kyra. Is she really worth all of this?"
The smile on Castle's face told Wheldon everything he needed to know. "Absolutely."
A/N: Okay, so is this good? Bad? Meh? I haven't seen anyone else write their relationship going public from this perspective...am I on to something, or not? If you think I'm trying to prod you into posting comments, then you'd be right! Post 'em below. :-D