AGAIN: I have no ownership, rights, connection of any kind to Castle. I'm just killing time until the new season.

All reviews welcome. I only ask that you be polite and constructive. Feel free to point out grammatical, spelling, or factual errors. I do a lot of editing and reediting so sometimes cut and paste errors may slip through. Please let me know.

A/N: This chapter took a while, sorry. But's longer than normal. In fact I had to cut it off before I got out of hand. The characters of Roland and Justin are my own creations.

As Rick Castle and Roland Clark walked into the conference room, they heard Ethan Slaughter making a valid point.

"How can you own Home Alone 3 and not own 1 and 2?"

"Hey, it has the funniest booby traps and the hottest mom," Justin replied, "and besides 3 has Scarlett Johansson."

"Dude, that's creepy."

"What's creepy about it?"

"Wasn't she about 11 in that move?"

"No she wasn't, Collin. She was 13, 12 at the youngest."

"That is fairly creepy brother," the Brit responded.

"Hey, I was young too when it came out."

"You were 20," Roland said closing the door.

"Creepy," the other four said in unison.

"Our parents should be so proud of how we've used our expensive educations to debate the great issues of the day," Rick lightheartedly mocking his friends.

Rick then placed a cloth bag on the table. One by one, each drew a domino tile from the bag. The sum of the dots on each domino corresponded to a seat at the table. The tradition went back to when they were in school. Their headmaster used it as a way to assign seats during their frequent detentions. Eventually, it became a treasured memory of childhood. Despite the badges, guns, and success, they were all still mischievous troublemaking nerds at hert.

Rick got the middle chair on a long side of the table. Collin got the seat at the short end to Rick's left and Roland sat at the opposite. Ethan and Justin sat on the opposite side from Rick with Ethan to his left and Justin to his right.

He then nodded to Justin who closed the door and turned on the last of their signal dampening equipment. The room was secure.


Colin was the first to speak up, "Alright boss, are you going to tell us what's going on with you?"

"Yeah, the Limey's right" followed Ethan, "You've been acting squirrelly last couple of days."

"But we got know Rick." They all had a look of worry.

"No, Collin, I'm not dating Gina again." A little bit of relief but still apprehension on their faces.

"And, no, I'm not seeing Meredith either." Sigh of relief.

"Collin, seriously, me dating my exes is what has all you scared."

"No, what has us scared is the aftermath when it goes wrong, crying, the temper tantrums, the pouting, and nightmares."

"Not that there is anything to worry about, but if I start dating Gina or Meredith again, I'm sure Alexis will be ok."

"Who said anything about Alexis? I was speaking about you."

"Ah, British humor, can't beat it. Shoot it, yes."

"Anyone outside of this room notice my squirrelly behaviour?"

"I don't think so," Ethan responded, "But then again, we've all known you since before you lost your virginity."

"Oh come on, he says stuff like that and I'm creepy one?"

Again in unison, "Yes."

"Justin, we will get you a good therapist and possibly an attorney latter."

"This started after your so-called interview with Roy Montgomery. Care to share brother?"

"Actually Roland, I do want to share. Before I do, you guys have to know this is bad. I'm going to ask you to go up against someone more dangerous than we've ever dealt with before."

"That's a really high bar to go over," Justin observed, "How dangerous are we talking about?"

"Do you remember Sauron from Lord of the Rings?" the comment may have been sarcastic but the seriousness of the expression on Rick's face made them pause for a bit.

Finally, Roland broke the silence, "Maybe you start at the beginning Rick."

"Alright, but what I'm about to tell you goes no further than this room. Understood?"

The all agreed in turn.

"I'm going to tell you a story guys. It starts back around 1992. This when Roy was a rookie, he started hanging around with these two detectives, John Raglan and Gary McCallister. This was before Rudy Giuliani became mayor and started cracking down. The crime rate was out of control. The mob was almost impossible to touch because they bought, intimidated, or murdered their way out of trouble.

The three cops come up with their own twist on vigilante justice. They get the bright idea to kidnap mobsters and hold them for ransom. Although, they called incarceration and bail."

"Whoa...whoa...whoa. We all know Roy. That doesn't sound like him. He's the straitest cop on force. He's busted crooked cops and stared anyone who gives him that blue wall of silence crap."

"He was kid back then Justin. He was full of righteous indignation and frustration. Raglan and McCallister were veteran detectives. They were heroes to Roy. They convinced Roy that it was the only way to bring some justice to these guys. Roy believed in what they were doing.

"Well, they managed to get away with it for a while. The five families even agreed to a truce because of the kidnappings. It all ended when they decided to target a mob button pusher named Joe Pulgatti. They tried to grab him in the alley outside his crew's hang out, a place called the Sons Of Palermo Club. The problem was that they didn't notice Pulgatti wasn't alone. Another crew member, Bob Armand, was there. Armand tried to help Pulgatti. He grabbed for Roy's gun and the gun went off and Armand was killed. The three were wearing ski masks so there was no identifying them.

"Apparently, Roy and the others had a plan in case something went wrong. Raglan's car was parked close by. He jumped in and was able to answer the call for the shooting. McCallister was farther way so he could show up as backup. The plan was likely to bury it as a shootout between rival mobsters. Another unsolved mob murder. They figured there would be little interest to pursue a case of one mobster killing another.

"That fell apart because it turns out Bob Armand was an undercover FBI agent. Well, now the clock is ticking. They need a suspect and an airtight case before the FBI can full take over the investigation. So, they put the whole thing Pulgatti. Between the effective frame up and Pulgatti's reputation, Joe knew he was looking at a Federal death penalty. So, he took a deal for life without parol.

"That would have been the end of it except for the fact that whole thing got the attention of a smart, ambitious, and ruthless prosecutor by the name of Bill Bracken, more well known today as the honorable Senator William H. Bracken of New York."

"I'm assuming the Senator is Sauron in this little epic."

"That he is Collin. Somehow, he had figured out what had gone on with the cops, the kidnappings, Pulgatti, and Armand. Bracken had a decision to make. There was no personal upside for him to bring all this up. The most he could do is free Pulgatti. By then, everyone had the story they liked, hero FBI agent killed by mobster. Back then, Bracken was preparing for his first run at office. Innocent of this crime or not, he was still a mobster. And that is all anyone, specially his opponents, would focus on. New Yorkers wanted people tough on crime."

"Braken also needed money. He came from humble beginnings. He was having trouble attracting money unless he could get ahead in the polls and he couldn't do that without money. So, blackmailed the cops to get the money he needed. And thus began his rise in politics.

"After that, Roy became the man we know today. Raglan and McCallister tried to drown it in a lake of booze, but Roy put it all into the job. He became the best cop he could be."

"The story doesn't end there does it, Shakespeare?" Ethan said somberly, using his favorite nickname for Rick.

"No, it doesn't. During his time in prison, Pulgatti wrote hundreds of lawyers to reopen his case. Let's not fool ourselves. Joe was a mobster. He likely has dozens of bodies to his credit. Even if Bob Armand wasn't one of them, he earned his sentence. That and his confession on file likely turned away all those attorneys.

"Some seven years later, someone answered Joe, a talented civil rights attorney working for the Justice Initiative named Johanna Beckett. She was idealist. Her motto was truth conquers all. She didn't care that Joe was a thug. She just cared about the truth.

"And Johanna Becket discovered the truth. She noticed that the alley behind the cub is blind alley. No one could of witnessed the killing of Bob Armand except for Pulgatti and the kidnappers. So, how did Raglan know Pulgatti was there. Like any experienced mobster, Joe likely bolted right after the shooting before the cops could arrive. She visits the alley multiple times. She requests Pulgatti's file from the courthouse. Then, on Saturday, January 9, 1999, she's murdered in that alley.

"It's likely that Raglan or McCallister panicked when she stared looking around. Roy was never part of the case so Johanna had no reason to talk to him, but the other two let him know as well. Bracken wants no loose ends. He hires Dick Coonan, an ex-Special Forces soldier turned hit man, to do the deed. Bracken manages to pressure Raglan into covering it up. The murder is written off as an act of random gang violence even though here money and jewelry were still on her and there were no signs of sexual assault.

"Johanna Beckett had two young law students helping her. Diane Cavanaugh was murdered in the exact same way on Sunday March 7, 1999 Near 65th and Amsterdam. Jennifer Stewart, Friday May 21, 1999 in Central Park. The same day that Diane was murdered, Scott Murray, a documents clerk at the courthouse, was also murdered. He likely processed the request for Pulgatti's file."

"And no one noticed that many people dying the same way in such a short timeframe?" Roland asked with anger clearly in his voice, "What the hell was the ME thinking?"

"The Medical Examiner Johanna Beckett's case was Dr. John Brinkley."

"That hack."

"More than that. He was coincidentally the medical examiner for all four victims. Roy says the good doctor is very compliant when his gambling debts pile on."

"Fast forward. And Roy sees history repeating itself so he came to me. Johanna Beckett's daughter could not accept Raglan's cover story. Kate Beckett decided to join the NYPD to solve the case. She graduated at top of the class and managed to get herself assigned to the 12th precinct which handled the case. Even as a uniform, she would violate regs by sneaking into the file room to read up on the case.

"That's where Roy found her one night. Her mom had not left any clues behind. Kate has never even herd of Pulgatti. So, she had no idea who she was up against. But Roy knew, and he was determined not to let it happen again. Roy was determined to protect Kate like should have protected her mother. When it became clear Kate wouldn't give up, he figured he could train her and get her ready to face Bracken. And she became an incredible student. She worked constantly and relentlessly and made detective in like world record time. Still it seems not to be enough.

"So far, Kate has made no headway with the case. Roy has managed to keep her distracted with the toughest assignments so she didn't have time. I think he's even gone along with Evelyn's attempt to play matchmaker between her and me, hoping she would move on.

"Bracken has been content with the situation so far, but he's getting concerned. The way Kate is going, she could be Lieutenant or Captain quickly. The way her career is going, this could happen just as he's making a run for the nomination. The idea of Kate Beckett being in possible command of the 12th just when he's running for President, is just too close for Bracken's comfort.

Rick let it all sink in for a bit. He wanted them to think before continuing.

"For 19 years, Bracken has been trying to bury his sins. They staid buried for a while until Johanna Beckett dug them up. He feared what would happen if the public knew. He should have taken that option. That's nothing compared to what will happen now that I know.

"I've met Bracken. We've all met men like him our entire lives. Whether they come from money or mud, they have a way of talking, a look. They think that destiny has chosen them for greatness. If someone has to die, it is the fault of their victims for messing with destiny.

"These were innocent people who's only crime was getting in the way of a sociopath's imagined destiny. They had husbands, wives, children, parents, boyfriends, and all manner of people loved them. They were good people who deserved better. Someone has to stand up for these people.

"As certain as I know anything, I know this, Bracken is not through with his body count. Years from now, he's going to run for President. And he will bury any innocent person who gets in his way. He will swing back to the belief that any life lost is for the...greater good. And I do not hold to that. So, no more innocent blood. I intend to misbehave."

"Collin?"

"All that's required for evil to triumph...I'm in."

"Ethan?"

"The headmaster used to tell me. If you can't do somethin' smart... do somethin' right."

"Roland?"

"Let justice be done though the heavens fall."

"Justin?"

"Are you kidding, this is the stuff of legends. You know I'm in. Ok, how do we do this then?"

"Like always. Like we were taught. Collin?" Rick had the outline of plan and they knew he did because he wouldn't bring them in without one. Still, he wanted to hear how they, specially Collin, would approach. The Limey was his most trusted subordinate and the one upon whose options he most relied. Rick often said that Collin was the Tecumseh Sherman to his U.S. Grant.

"If we were regular coppers," the Brit said, artificially accentuating his accent to sound more East End before shifting seriously to his regular way of speaking, "We would start with the lowest animal on the food chain, build a case against him, and then flip them for someone higher. Wash rinse repeat until we get to Bracken.

"But that method is why Bracken is still on the loose. Despite the suits and the titles, he's still a thug incapable of subtlety. He could have handled Johanna Beckett any number of ways that would have left her alive and still kept his secret. He went strait for murder. And now that he's a Senator, he's got resources beyond Dick Coonan. I read the other day that one of the biggest contributors is a military contracting company, mercenaries. Roy has already said he is considering killing this Kate Beckett so killing one or a few officers is not beyond him."

Rick kept quite and kept his body language non-committal. He wanted everyone to have their say before joining the conversation. However, the mention of Kate Beckett being killed made his stomach tie in knots. He stood up and walked over to the window with his back to the table. This wasn't uncommon so he hoped no one noticed.

"Chaos Theory," Roland piped up.

"Excuse me?"

"Chaos Theory, Rick. A butterfly flaps its wings off the coast of Africa. The movement of those air molecules cause a chain reaction of events that eventually leads to hurricane off the coast of New York."

"I know what it is, Roland. We all saw movie. I mean, what does it have to do with this?"

"Simple, we do our jobs. We study and analyze. Except, we study a few things that, like the butterfly, seems harmless. Most of it won't have anything to do with Bracken and his friends. It will be buried in with a whole lot of others. As per our mandate, we pass the information we gather onto the appropriate agencies, NYPD, DEA, FBI, DHS, Secret Service, U.S. Marshals, the New York Attorney General, the U. S. Attorney..."

"And the skipper too..." Ethan said breaking Roland's flow. They all laughed, even Roland. They all needed a break in the tension.

Roland Continued, "They investigate. Even if they get nowhere, Bracken's warning system will be triggered. Before he can even consider dealing with it, another one comes from a completely different direction. It will be an overload of any defense he has in place and cause systemic, catastrophic failure."

"On top of that, Bracken won't be able to use his standard M.O." Ethan broken with a big grin, "His go to plan is to off individuals who've caught his scent before anything can come of it. We put enough dogs on his ass and that option goes away. He won't be dealing with a lone cop or a few lawyers, he'll be dealing with departments and bureaucracies. Even he doesn't have the power to kill them all and if he kills one or two, that just brings more of lock by others.

"Like Roland said, we do this right and each little event turn into a major situation for Bracken and his friends. Even if they traced it back to us, it would look like we were just doing our jobs with no interest in them. It would make no sense to go after us anymore than it would make sense going after a fingerprint analyst, DNA tech, or CSI. In their mind, we ain't the threat. We would be the harmless little butterfly that has already set things in motion and he doesn't have time to swat. Damage done.

"And time it right," Justin picked up the conversation, "We do each of our little flaps at the right intervals, they won't have time to trace it back to us. They'll be too busy dealing with the multiple situations on their hands, and just when they think they got a handle, something else hits from another direction.

"We got all sorts of requests for analysis pending. I can think of at least half a dozen projects which we've already don which would require a through analysis of Bracken and the others without raising an eyebrow."

"Alright," Rick finally said turning from the window and taking his seat, "Looks like we have an approach. Let's get to work.


They spent the next several hours fleshing out the details into a workable plan. The sun had been up for a while when they decided to call it a night. Their staff knew that some of these meetings could run this long and would be out in the morning.

"Oh yeah Shakespeare," Ethan said enthusiastically, "Now that is a plan."

"It's perfect," Roland said getting up, "bat crap crazy, but perfect."

"Is it me," Justin yawned and stretched, "Or is this plan beyond nuts."

Again, the others in unison, "It's you!"

More general laughter.

Colin chimed in last, "It should get better when the girls are read in."

"We'll have to talk to them, individually later. I would have liked to have had them here, but nothing we do can be out of the ordinary. OK, get some sleep and we'll start fresh. Anything else."

"Alright boss," Colin said with a grin, getting up, "Go ahead and say it."

"Say what?"

"The catchline, Shakespeare."

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts."

"Not that one," Roland smirked punching him in the shoulder, "You know the one we mean."

"I'm not going to say it."

"You know you want to. I'm not unlocking that door until you do."

In Unison, "Please!"

Rick rolled his eyes and smiled. This wasn't his normal charming smile for the papers and the ladies. This was his devious smile. If he smoked, Rick would have put a cigar in his mouth.

"I love it when a plan comes together."

AGAIN: I have no ownership, rights, connection of any kind to Castle. I'm just killing time until the new season.

All reviews welcome. I only ask that you be polite and constructive. Feel free to point out grammatical, spelling, or factual errors. I do a lot of editing and reediting so sometimes cut and paste errors may slip through. Please let me know.

A/N: This chapter took a while, sorry. But's longer than normal. In fact I had to cut it off before I got out of hand. The characters of Roland and Justin are my own creations.