From the diaries of Nikky Heat
It was the announcement he had been dreading and the phone call he had been fearing. Detective Kate Beckett had resigned.
With Roy Montgomery leaving to a higher command in the NYPD, due in no small part to Beckett and Castles rather astonishing success rate, the 12th got a new captain in the form of Jim Vaughn. Things spiraled downhill big time.
Oh, cases did still get solved, perps but behind bars and the other assorted stuff cops do still got done, but the 12th changed. The rumor will reached Esposito and Ryan's ears soon enough, along with the faces that were replaced by transfers or otherwise. Beckett saw it too and even heard it as Vaughn, in all his overweight corpulent form referred to her team as a prima donna team.
Even Castle found it worrying and in a conversation with the mayor and Montgomery, who both kept coming to Castle's poker nights, alluded that he believed the 12th was in trouble.
Two days after that conversation at the poker game Vaughn threatened to fire Kate Beckett if she stepped out of line once again. He made it clear to her that one screw up would be enough. That night, Kate Beckett cried in the arms of one Richard Castle, rich and famous novelist and sometime consultant to the NYPD. Castle, now finally her boyfriend, did his best to console her.
The very next day, Alexis brought him news of an officer involved shooting. Half an hour later, Kate called to tell him she was okay. Near dinner time that call came.
He told her he'd meet her at Remy's, at their boot. She was there when he came.
"So what happened?" Kate seemed on the verge of tears. " I couldn't take it anymore, I'm or rather I was a detective and I was good at my job." The tears stayed away, the anger returned. Castle smiled an apologizing smile.
" Whatever happens, I'm there for you." She smiled back " Thanks, wouldn't want anything else."
Castle made another face " Speaking of anything else, want me to help look?" Beckett knew Castle could pull strings and probably get her on the FBI or even back with the NYPD in another capacity.
Oh how she wanted that, how she needed that even, Kate Beckett heard herself say something entirely different " No, I'd rather do this myself." He nodded that he understood, but Castle insisted paying for the lunch.
Four weeks later, Kate Beckett felt sorry for herself. She couldn't get a job anywhere within the city of New York, no matter how or what she tried. It sent her sulking.
And somehow Castle, was worried. A return of KB to her old ways, impossible! Esspecially for him.
When Castle worried, he made phone calls. Those phone calls formed a plan.
A plan he put into action three weeks later, when he took a still sulking Kate Beckett out to lunch.
Again at their favorite place Beckett could only wonder what was going on. There was a job open with a private investigator that had heard about her and was grovelling at her feet to sign her up.
She wasn't sure about the offer though as it would seem Demming moonlighted for him every now and then. In fact, she wasn't really sure about anything anymore and, she was going to tell Castle just that.
It could wait though, as for some reason Castle's agent and Castle's publisher were sharing the booth they were heading for
It got him her most annoyed look, as she hadn't forgotten that ex wife number two was the one that spent the summer in the Hamptons with him. She had forgiven him the transgression though.
" Castle, what's your agent doing here with that, 'Leech'?
A question from him was her response " You know what happens with leeches when they're full?" The annoyed look got a little worse " I'll shut up now."
pollite greetings were exchanged as all four people took their places.
" I brought what you asked, Ricky, but I don't see the use of it yet." Paula commented as she found her bag and took a writing pad along with another folder from it.
Castle took the pad and along with a pen handed it to Beckett " I'm not gonna take notes at a business meeting, Castle." to Beckett her surprise Gina shared the sentiment.
" Yeah Rick, What did you bring us here for?"
" To ask a question." Beckett began blushing but the way he was looking at Gina indicated that that thing wasn't going to happen here. Paula roled her eyes " Ask away already."
" It's simple, what did Nikki Heat do before she met Jameson Rook?"
Gina frowned, Paula was dumbstruck and Beckett wrote on her pad, taking very little time to eat as the others were served. In her usual hard working style she penned three and a half pages before Castle made her stop to get some food in her.
He eyed her scribblings first, taking the time to write in a little something of his own above it before handing it to Paula, who began reading it.
The more she read, the more Paula her smile grew. In that gentle way of pushing Castle was also known for he responded " Did you see what I wrote above it."
Paula didn't responded and began rummaging through that older folder she had with her. Gina then took the pad and started reading. She skipped half of each page and nodded and smiled, be it a little less then Paula.
" Do you think she can do it?" Castle watched as Gina crossed her arms.
" I based Nikky Heat on her, she the only one who can." Castle answered. He knew Gina wouldn't give in that easily and added that " He would personally aide her, to the best of his abilities."
" That's what I'm afraid of."
Kate chose then to chime in as she wasn't really sure about what was going on around her " Hello, still here, subject of discussion and all that." Gina took Kate her verbal outburst as the moment to get a bit of control back.
" Do you think you can really write ' from the diaries of Nikki Heat? ´
Kate now looked at her boyfriend " Your footsteps, hey?"
Castle wasn´t sure wheter he should smile or run for the hills and dig in as deep as he could. " That´s all up to you, but your sulking and moping around, Kate. That´s not who you are. I figured this would turn those energies and experiences of all those years of being a cop into something that the world can relate to, and that´s better payback then that harassment lawsuit the PBA filed on your behalf"
Kate stared off into the distance. Thoughts on a lot of things running through her mind like Niagara Falls. In the end though, there was only one thing that mattered. She turned to the waiting onlookers and told them she had made a decision.