Dark Future
Night time in New York and steam wafts around a car parked in a secluded alley. The woman sitting behind the steering wheel is reading news reports on the screen in the dashboard.
'Mysterious Vigilante Nabs Drug Lord', reads the headline of the article she's reading. The car rocks as the back door opens, a dark figure gets in and closes the door behind them. The driver looks up from her reading into the rear vision mirror at the shadow now seated in the back of the car.
A black clad arm snakes between the front seats and snags the file resting on the passenger seat. The initials NYPD can briefly be seen on its cover in the dim light as the file disappears into the back of the car.
"Is this it?" asks a determined sounding female voice from the figure in the back.
The driver sighs heavily and replies, "Yeah, that's the Carconi file. We got him. He murdered his wife and her lover but he's got enough money for the best lawyers and friends in city hall. Got the word today, the DA's not going ahead. "Prosecution would not be cost effective". He's going to get away with it."
The woman in the back opens the file and briefly peruses its contents, "Huh, same old story."
As the woman in the back closes the file the driver looks into the reflection of the woman's eyes in the mirror and starts to say, "Ale….."
"How are the meetings Kate?" interrupts the woman in the back.
Detective Kate Beckett hangs her head, her long brown hair covering her face, "They're fine. Had my five year anniversary yesterday."
"Good. Keep going. You know I'll be checking," responds the woman in the back.
Beckett looks up again at the woman in the mirror and tries again, "They, HE, wouldn't of wanted this for you."
"I told you in front that bank, they were all I had. All I've got left is what he was doing when we lost him. It's best if you don't contact me while I take care of Carconi. You'll know when it's done. Bye," and with that the back door of the car opens and the woman gets out.
Beckett looks in the car's mirrors watching as the figure of the woman in a long black coat walks down the alley. The only colour a brief glimpse of long red hair streaming behind her as she strides purposely forward. She pushes her head into the headrest of her seat and closes her eyes in frustration. The memories of the last six years wash over her again for the millionth time.
That feeling of complete loss she felt when she heard the explosion from inside the command vehicle. The sleepwalking haze she went through after she stormed the bank only to find her worst nightmare realised. The hole in her soul that not even shooting Brandt in the head the next day could fill. All the strength and determination that he'd so admired about her disappeared with him. Worse than when she lost her mother. Like her dad after her mother's murder and as she almost did when she was shot she went into hiding at the bottom of a bottle. Eventually everyone, Ryan, Espo and Lanie dragged her back into real life but it took a long time and she still wasn't quite right. She never would. She would always have that heartrending regret for not letting him in, for not letting him know how she felt.
After getting sober she'd tried to reconnect with his daughter but she was gone. She remembers the day standing in his loft, reading the letter that had been left behind for her. Telling her that she was going to look for her only remaining family, her grandfather. Then a year ago she'd returned but she hadn't because a different person had returned. She was no longer the bright, happy, intelligent teenager she remembered. Now she was a person with one driving force, vengeance.
Beckett knew she couldn't stop her short of arresting her and she could never do that. So now she helped her when she could and hoped one day she could turn her away from the path she'd chosen. It was a small way of honouring him and what they could have had together.