Two:

January 9, 1999 -

Kate Beckett curses herself for her foolishness as she stares at the home pregnancy test in her hand. She silently started to chant 'not positive, not positive, not positive', over and over in her head as she waited for a result. Instead of coming home for Thanksgiving as she did normally, Kate had lied to her parents that she needed to stay and study for her upcoming mid terms the following week. Instead of coming home for the holiday, Kate and her boyfriend, Rogan O'Leary decided to head to Vegas for a little 'fun'. Rogan was the bass player for one of the bands that made their rounds in the Palo Alto bars near Stanford where she was a pre-law major. Rogan personified the bad boy image that Kate seemed to be drawn to over the years.

The couple drove to Vegas for a weekend of fun. Excessive amounts of alcohol were consumed and birth control was forgotten while in their drunken haze. The two returned from their weekend together and Kate returned to her studies. She had to cancel a date with Rogan a few nights after their return to actually study for an upcoming exam with a group. The session ended early and Kate decided to surprise Rogan at the club where his band was playing.

Only Kate was the one to be surprised. She enters the club just in time to see Rogan with a girl that looked far too young to be in a club like this, heading back to the band's dressing room. Kate didn't need to follow them to know what was happening. She had been foolish enough to do the same thing herself last week. Surprisingly, she didn't feel as hurt by his betrayal as what she thought she would. She returned her attention to her studies and wrote the entire experience off as part of growing up.

And that was true until she missed her period. At first, she thought nothing about it as she could be off a couple of days either way. But the days turned into a week and she started doing the math. She was pretty sure that Rogan used protection... Kate was scheduled to fly back to San Francisco in two days and classes were scheduled to resume on the 15th. She was a twenty one year old in her senior year of college, not some fifteen year old. She had no excuse for her foolish actions.

Once again, all of her attention is focused on the pregnancy test in her hand. She gasps as the plus sign appears signaling that she is with child. Her mind swirls with images and different scenarios. The thought of having a child at this point in her life held no appeal to her. Coupled with the fact that the child's father was someone that she never wanted to see, it became obvious to her that the smart thing to do was have an abortion as soon as possible. She would have to keep it a secret, as both of her parents did not believe in such things unless there was a medical reason or a case of rape.

She could hear Johanna giving her a lecture about actions and their consequences. That she was old enough to understand these things... Kate decided that she would keep quiet about it all until she flew back to school in a few days. There was no need of creating any more tension in the home than what there was already. Things had been strained between her parents since she returned for the holidays. They tried to keep up appearances, but Kate knew her parents too well. While they never argued in front of her, she could sense that her mother was involved with something that her father didn't approve of.

Kate decided to stay out of the feud. She had her own problems to deal with at the moment. They were supposed to meet for dinner at the restaurant around the corner at a little after eight. Friday dinner together was a normal family occurrence and probably their last time out to eat together until she returns after the semester ends in May. She was planning on taking a vacation with a few friends from school to Cancun during the break between semesters.

Kate hides the pregnancy test in her travel bag and started to get ready for dinner. It was a little after six and her father should be home in a few minutes. Johanna called earlier and said that she had a last minute meeting with a client and would meet them at the restaurant as soon as she could. Jim arrived just as Kate was finishing her makeup. She greeted her father and relayed the message that Johanna may be a little late. The happy smile on Jim's face falters at the mention of her delay and Kate asks what was wrong.

Jim tries to act as if everything is fine and decides to clean up before they go to eat. Kate is watching the evening news when her father emerges from his room ready to go. He checks his watch and decides that they have a few minutes before they have to leave. He sits down in his chair and starts to watch the news with her. The two make small talk about current events to fill the time. Kate looks at the clock on the mantel and turns off the television. Father and daughter walk from the apartment talking about the cold January weather. Jim teases her about how she will get away from it all in just a few days.

They arrive at the small Italian restaurant where the Beckett's have been regulars for over a decade, and are immediately seated in what has become 'their' table. Both Jim and Kate order a glass of wine as they look at the menus. By now they knew the menu by heart and what they would have to eat. It was merely a stall tactic to kill time as they waited for Johanna's arrival. With each passing minute, Kate could sense her father's simmering anger growing. After thirty minutes Jim tells Kate that they will go ahead and eat. It was nine o'clock when the waitress brings out their dinners and there was no sign of Johanna. She didn't carry a cellphone so there was no way to contact her. The two sit there and pick at their meals in silence, feeling hurt that Johanna's work was more important than they were. It was nearly ten when they decided to leave and return home.

They return to the apartment and Kate runs to the answering machine, hoping for a message from their mother. By now their anger had turned to fear. They were both afraid that something had happened her and had no way of knowing. Kate decides that neither will get any sleep until she arrives, so she goes to the kitchen and puts on a pot of coffee. The two of them sit in the living room drinking coffee and trying to make small talk for over an hour. It was 11:46 pm when there was a knock on the door and both of them froze at the sound. Jim Beckett rose on shaky legs and made the trek to the front door peering through the eyehole.

He unlatches the deadbolt and slowly opens the door to see the two men standing there. The one flashes a badge and identifies himself as detective Raglan and gestures to the man standing beside him, identifying him as detective McCallister. Raglan asks if they could come in and Jim nods. The two men enter the apartment and make a quick look around. Kate was still seated in the chair facing her father's, not knowing what to do.

Raglan asks if they could sit and Jim gestures for them to enter the living room where Kate is still sitting. The two detectives sit at either end of the sofa as Jim introduces Kate as his daughter. Both Raglan and McCallister exchange a knowing glance at each other before he begins to speak.

"Is your wife Johanna Beckett?" Raglan asks.

"Yes, Do you know where she is?" Jim asks.

"Your wife is an attorney?" McCallister inquires.

"Yes, we both are?"

"Do you know any reason why your wife would be alone in Washington Heights at night?"

"No, She never talked to me about her clients. Can you tell me where she is?" Jim replies hurriedly, panic starting to take hold in him.

"I, I'm sorry Mr Beckett, but your wife is dead." Raglan replies emotionlessly.

Kate lets loose a heartbreaking wail as she realizes what the detective had just told them. Jim just stood there, too numb to speak.

The seconds seemed to pass like hours as the two of them try to process what the two detectives have just told them. Kate was openly sobbing now unable to believe that her mother was gone forever.

Jim regained some composure a minute later and asked the question that he had to know. "Are you sure it's her?"

Raglan nods. "Her ID was found with her. There was no signs of a robbery..." Raglan pauses for a moment before continuing. "We'd like for you to come to the precinct to make a positive identification." Kate's sobbing had eased up a little until they asked her father to identify her mother's body. The crying returned with even more force at the thought of seeing her mother dead.

"We'll give you a ride there and back Mr Beckett." McCallister comments as he rises up from the sofa. Soon Raglan does the same and the two men walk to the door.

"Give me a moment to get my coat." Jim replies as he gets up from his chair and gives Kate a heartbreaking look.

She stops her sobbing and gets up from her chair. "I'm going with you dad."

Jim looks at the two detectives standing by the door to see if it was ok. McCallister simply shrugs his shoulders as he starts to open the door. Kate follows Jim who follows the two detectives out the door and down to the street. The ride to the precinct was spent in total silence. Jim and Kate were both to numb to speak at the moment and it was obvious to the detectives that neither could help with their case.

The two Beckett's followed the detectives down into the basement of the 13th precinct and into the morgue. The coroner was there as the detectives introduced him and asked to see the body of Johanna Beckett. The coroner lead the two into the morgue and opened one of the doors where a body was being stored. He slowly slid out the table containing her body covered by a sheet.

He slowly lifts the sheet, uncovering her face. Up until that moment, there was a chance that Johanna was still alive and that they were mistaken about it all. That it was all a big misunderstanding. Seeing Johanna Beckett's body lying there destroyed that last bit of hope. Kate dropped to her knees in horror seeing her mother dead before her. Nothing in life could prepare her for this.

Jim could only nod his head as the tears took control of him also. Raglan thanks the coroner who lowers the sheet over Johanna's lifeless body and pushes her body back inside the drawer. The two detectives talk to the coroner regarding when the body will be released to the family and they thank him for his help as they wait for Jim and Kate to recover enough to be taken home.

During the ride back to their apartment, Jim recovers enough to realize that he has to keep control of his emotions until Johanna gets a proper funeral. There was a million things that needed to be done and judging from Kate's reaction, he was on his own.

But it was Kate that broke the silence in ride back to the apartment. "How did she die?" Kate asks calmly.

"We think that she died from stab wounds she received... We won't know for sure until the coroner completes his autopsy." McCallister replies.

"Did she suffer?" Kate asks as she has to know.

"I don't know miss..." Raglan replies. Their cruiser comes to a stop in front of their apartment building. The two start to enter the building as Raglan pulls a business card from his pocket, handing it to Jim. "This is my number. Call me if you can think of any reason why your wife may have been where she was when she was murdered. I'll let you know if we make any progress in catching her killer... Once again, I'm sorry for your loss." Raglan extends his hand to Jim and shakes it as the two detectives get back into their car and leave the two of them standing in the cold January night...