Prompt: Beckett decides to go for Captaincy. The day of her promotion Alexis needs to ask her something and finds her staring at her uniform scared of wearing it again on a podium in front of her colleagues. Author's choice where to go from there.
Alexis was looking for something to wear, her step-mother was being promoted to Captain and she wanted to look nice for the special occasion. She recalled a skirt that Kate had bought, but had never worn, it would go perfectly with her top.
She went in search of her stepmom who was standing in front of her uniform motionless. Beckett was frozen in place she stared at the uniform, the one she had been wearing when she was shot.
"Kate?"
Beckett spun around to find Alexis looking at her worried.
"What's up Alexis?"
"Are you okay?" The young woman asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit nervous is all. Big day." Beckett lied.
"Okay," Alexis didn't believe a word she said, "Can I borrow that pale blue skirt with the white trim?"
"It's in the bottom right drawer." Beckett didn't take her eyes off the uniform.
Alexis took the skirt and went to get her father. He was the only one who could get Beckett to admit that she wasn't alright.
She remembered the morning of Montgomery's funeral. Her dress blues were hanging from the closet just as they were now. She'd put them on and a few hours later it was covered in blood.
"BECKETT!" Castle screamed as he shoved her to the ground, but it was too late there was an intense pain in her chest- she'd been hit.
Screaming. Lots of screaming. Castle yelling at her to stay with him , telling her he loved her. He had called her Kate. Blood seeped through her uniform, she was laying in a pool of her own blood. Things were blurry she could make out Lanie and Castle. Commotion and then darkness.
"Kate? Kate? Beckett!" Castle saw his wife frozen, her face filled with fear like he'd seen so many times before after a nightmare.
"Huh?" She came back to reality and in front of her was that dreaded uniform.
"What's wrong?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
She looked up at him, her eyes watery, "The uniform. Standing in front of everyone. Last time I-"
Beckett buried her head in his shoulder and began crying. Castle knew exactly what she was trying to tell him. The last time she had been on a podium in her uniform she nearly died. He held her close as she cried. She rarely talked about the shooting that happened six years ago.
"You're gonna be fine, Kate. Nothing's going to happen to you."
She looked him in the eye, "I know that the chances of me getting shot by a snipe again are…low, but Rick, I keep remembering that day."
"I know. You're strong, Kate. This is all fear talking. You're going to put on that uniform and you're going to give one of those thank you I couldn't have done it speeches and you'll be Captain of the 12th precinct. Alright?"
"Only if you promise you'll be there," She managed to smile.
"Always." He pulled her in for a kiss.
"Not now writer boy or I'm going to be late." She grinned deviously and grabbed her uniform.