Disclaimer: If they were mine, they'd be doing tequila shooters on a beach in Maui while on their honeymoon.
A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites. You guys rock! I'll try to write faster!
Team Caskett
Chapter 4
Bending Iron
Victoria "Iron" Gates sat alone inside the office anticipating the arrival of the man who had summoned her. What could he possibly want from her now, which could be important enough to take her away from her busy work schedule? She wasn't aware of any problems at the precinct and there better not be any. If today's unscheduled meeting was about something stupid one of her people did, heads would roll. She had a reputation to uphold for running a tight ship, an untarnished record, and she'd do whatever it took to keep it as such. Gates didn't appreciate surprises, especially, where her department was concerned.
After being kept waiting in the reception area for over twenty minutes, she'd been unceremoniously ushered in by a staff member, and told he'd be with her shortly. Although she normally abhorred tardiness, it wasn't very often she was extended an invitation to this office, so she made a conscious effort to remain patient and poised.
Besides, she told herself, trying to relax, it allowed her time to absorb her surroundings in private. In contrast, her retched office at the twelfth, the size of a postage stamp, was considerably less appealing. This room was more to her liking. The lush, thick carpet, darkly painted walls, massive mahogany desk, and tasteful decorations had been selected with utmost care, by a decorator with impeccable taste and an unlimited budget.
The American flag, photos of famous dignitaries, and artwork were placed strategically around the room to ensure their fullest impact. As long as there wasn't any trouble, she didn't really mind being beckoned here at a moment's notice – this taste of the good life only strengthened her vision. The power emanating from the room was palpable; gave her a thrill. It was where she belonged. And someday, that big chair behind the grand desk would be hers. Her present position as Captain of the twelfth precinct was only a stepping-stone.
She was fighting the urge to give the chair a test run when his greeting rang out, breaking her reverie. Gates jumped to attention at the entrance of her superior.
"Victoria! Sorry to have kept you waiting. My last meeting ran longer than expected; pretty typical around here, I'm afraid." He said, shaking her hand briskly in combination with his politician's smile. If she had a baby with her, he'd be kissing it.
She plastered on a similar expression, the one reserved for higher-ups and mandatory social functions. "It's not a problem, Your Honor. I completely understand. I know how busy you are."
"Please, sit." He says, motioning for her to take a seat in the visitor's chair in front of his desk. "Tell me how it's going over at the twelfth precinct these days. Everyone happy?" he asks, taking a seat in his own chair.
"No complaints, Sir." Is everyone happy? What does he think I'm running – a summer camp?
"Great! I've seen the recent numbers, and your solve rate's been climbing. I'm attributing this to your superb leadership skills." He pauses, allowing her to bask in the glory of his praise, before adding solemnly, "I know Roy Montgomery left behind some pretty big shoes to fill Victoria, but I've heard you're doing a fine job - as expected. You've got an excellent team in position, a close-knit group. They really seem to care about one another; have each other's backs. I for one am glad to hear some things haven't changed. This keeps up, I see good things coming your way Captain Gates."
"Thank you, sir. That's kind of you to say. We do our best."
"So, how's my good friend Rick Castle? I haven't seen him in awhile. He's still shadowing Detective Beckett, right?"
"Yes Sir. He's still around. Not as much lately, I've noticed, but he still shows up when the mood strikes."
"He's quite something, huh." He said, practically laughing, knowing damn well, Gates is not Castle's number one fan. But still, it's good to be the Mayor, so he goes on. "I've never met anyone else like him."
"Yes, Sir, he's… one of a kind." This would be the understatement of the year.
"If he hadn't become a successful writer, he would have made an excellent cop. Maybe you could convince him to change careers full-time?" he asked smiling. He was shocked she hadn't fallen off her chair at his suggestion. The Mayor was having fun playing with her; it was really breaking up his day. Gates was always so serious. The woman really needed to lighten up.
"He's one hell of a writer!" He said changing the subject. He didn't want her to pass out on him. "Have you read any of his books?"
"No, Sir. I prefer non-fiction." She lied quickly, with a straight face. In reality, she's read the entire Nikki Heat series. The first one, after she met him, purely out of idle curiosity, and the remaining books because she convinced herself it was her responsibility to know what was being written about her precinct. Anyway, that's her story and she's sticking to it. She could understand how some might perceive Castle as mildly talented. Oh, crap, the nut's growing on me – must be time for a vacation day.
"Oh, well, you really should read them. They're fantastic!" he said. "So, Victoria you're probably wondering why I asked you here today. It concerns Beckett and Castle actually, and his daughter, Alexis - sweet kid. Rick's done a fine job raising her all on his own. He's not as wild as the press makes him out to be, you know."
"I haven't forgotten the work he, Detective Beckett, and her squad did on the Laura Cambridge murder case in January. I learned a valuable lesson from that mess, Victoria. Know your people. Spend time with them. Let them get to know you. Learn what drives them and makes them tick. Keep them happy. Because when your team is happy, they'll remain loyal to you and work even harder. If I had taken my own advice with Jordan Norris, who knows, maybe I could have prevented some of what happened. But please forgive me, I didn't mean to be morose."
She was trying to remember if she had any Tylenol in her purse; he was giving her a headache. Spend time with them? Let them get to know you? What the hell is his angle? Gates decided nodding in silence was the best way for her to refrain from telling the Mayor of New York City he was off his rocker.
"You know, it's interesting…" he said. "Beckett reminds me a little of you." This got her attention and she raised an eyebrow at the statement. He was changing the subject so fast, her head was spinning. "You're both tough, by the book, survivors. She's one to watch; you're lucky to have her."
"Yes Sir, she's an excellent detective. And, you have a point about Castle..." She said taking a deep breath, bracing herself for the pain her next words would cause the ulcer forming in her stomach. "I suppose Sir, this would be my queue to admit that while I was initially hesitant about having Castle as part of my department, I may have jumped to conclusions about his level of ability. I did feel at first it was, shall we say – unorthodox - to allow a civilian "writer" to be partnered with a trained detective. I can admit, now, after seeing them in action, they do make a surprisingly formidable team. Castle's proven to be, on occasion, dare I say…an asset to the department." I may have just thrown up a little in my mouth. Focus, Victoria, your boss is staring at you. "It still concerns me somewhat; his lack of proper academy training Sir, but the lawyers have assured me he's signed a detailed, legal waiver." I should know, I've read it twice, with two different lawyers.
"Yes, I agree." He said, skipping over the waiver comment. "They are a formidable team. If only there was something we could do for him in return, for all the support he's given us over the past few years."
"Yes sir."
They were interrupted by his secretary, on the intercom with a reminder his next meeting was in fifteen minutes. He glanced at his watch and realized he had to wrap this up.
"Speaking of teams…I got a call today from Alexis Castle. Victoria, there's something I'm going to need you to do for me…"
From beyond the closed doors of the Mayor's office, Janice, his secretary spilled her coffee after jumping at the sounds of the not so docile tones of Captain Victoria Gates yelling at her boss. It wasn't something Janice heard every day, so she hit the intercom button to listen in. She didn't know what they were talking about, but Gates was in an uproar. The last thing she heard before dialing out for security was…
"You want me to do what!"…
A/N: To be continued… warned you this would be a long one. Some of you wondered how I would get Gates on board. I hope I did it justice. I was aiming for silly to somewhat plausible. Lots of crazy antics to follow, currently swimming around in my head, but let me know if there are any stunts you would like to see pulled. I already know what he asks Gates to do, but first, there will be more from the peanut gallery. Eventually, some old friends will also be heard from. Maybe even an original character I miss from a different story of mine. I know how this ends too, and it's going to be a doozy. (Unless, of course, it's already been done by one of the over 8,700+ Castle stories on this site, which it probably has. It ain't easy being original on this site.;-)) Thanks for reading and please review! Karen