Kate Beckett is not afraid. She is not worried. She is not scared. She has never been one to worry about new things.
BUT Today
She is petrified out of her mind
She is walking up the steps at the 12th precinct. This is not such an unusual event. At least the stepping up toward the door of a police station in New York City Police Department part, but this is different
Today she is walking in wearing not a blue uniform, but street clothes. She is wearing a casual pair of slacks, wearing a modest blouse covered by a matching blazer. She is still wearing her Glock in a holster on her hip, it is just not visible. Her badge prominently placed in front of the weapon in case someone does see the weapon and mistakes her authorization to have it on her person.
She steps up to the desk Sargent perched higher than anyone else in the room. He looks at her with a wary eye "Can I help you?"
"Yes…Offic…er… Detective Kate Beckett reporting for duty"
"Detective Beckett huh?" her looks at her cautiously "May I see your ID and transfer?"
She pulls her brand few folio containing a badge and her photo identification "I am reporting to Captain Montgomery in homicide" she produces her printed transfer
The large man on the desk seems to change and his stern face turns a little softer as she verifies her documents. "Welcome to the 12th detective" he hands her orders back to her then points toward the elevator "4th floor. They are waiting for you"
She is still a little nervous as she walks to the doors and presses the up button. The doors open fairly quickly, and she steps inside. Taking a long slow breath, she closes her eyes and plans to begin the next phase in her life and the first day she can easily research information concerning her mother's cases
When the elevator reaches the fourth floor and the doors open, she enters the world of homicides and robberies. Once she moves only a few feet, she is challenged by a Hispanic man in a suit "Can I help you?"
"Yes. I am Kate Beckett…Detective Kate Beckett"
"DETECTIVE huh?" he too is looking at her with suspicion "ID please?"
She, again, presents her badge and photo id. He looks at it briefly then looking back up with a more accepting appearance "Detective Beckett, I am Detective Javier Esposito. Nice to meet you" and he holds out his hand
She immediately reaches out herself and returns the firm grip "I Am supposed to report to Captain Roy Montgomery"
"He is the boss. Let me take you to his office" and he turns toward the office off the main area. Once they arrive at the doorway, she notices another two men inside. She assumes the older African American is probably the captain and a younger might be another detective.
"Captain, this is our new detective" Esposito tells the boss
Beckett holds out her orders "Captain. Katherine Beckett reporting as ordered, sir"
Her stern demeaner seems to amuse all three of the men
"Detective, there is no need to be so formal. Most of the officers call me Roy when we are at work"
The other man in the office smiles "I am Kevin Ryan. Espo and I are partners"
"And now there are three partners. I am adding Kate to your team"
"Yes sir" both men speak in unison
"Now, if you two can't find a murder, go out there… "Pointing towards the bull pen "and show Katherine the ropes"
As the two men turn to leave she speaks "Kate" they stop and look at her "Call me Kate"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Dad" the voice of the young high school red head chimes through the loft "Where are you?"
"In my office" Her father answers
"Aren't we going to the play?"
Castle snaps his head up from the laptop in front of him "What Play?"
"Grams? She is in a play opening tonight"
"Pumpkin, I forgot all about it." He closes the computer then sits straight up "I just got started on my next book"
"Well, it will have to wait. You better hurry or we are going to make us late"
"On my way" he is yup and rushing toward his bedroom to get dressed
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"This is the break room" Ryan is pointing toward an open door that has the aroma of something burning coming out
"What is that disgusting smell?" she wonders out loud
Esposito answers "That is not bad today"
Then Ryan finishes "Oh it gets much worse"
"What is it?"
Both detectives answer simultaneously "COFFEE"
"I am not sure that I have ever smelled coffee like that" she points toward the machine holding two carafes filled with some type black liquid. She is not positive, but she thinks she can see a brown fog hovering over the machine "are you sure what it is?"
"No" Espo responds "When we first get here, we make fresh and it is usually ok till about this time"
"I may have to give up my only vice if that is all there is" she begins to leave the area
He looks at his watch "But if the day finishes as they usually do, we will probably get a…"
The voice of the captain comes in the door "We got a murder. This is a perfect one to get her initiated with"
Ryan mumbles under his breath "That usually means a really weird one"
"Let's go" Esposito takes the paper from Montgomery and all three walk toward their desks where the two men get their weapons out of their desks. Beckett never took hers off, and the trio head down to the garage and into a squad car
When they get to the car, Beckett gets the uncomfortable task of sitting in the back seat of the crown vic. A place normally reserved for the suspects and not a comfortable seat
"Where are we headed?" Beckett can barely ask as she is jolted by the lack of a real seat
"Broadway and Lex" Ryan answers from the driver's seat
Esposito turns back toward Beckett "dispatch said it is a vagrant shoved into a storm sewer"
"Someone opened the manhole cover and shoved a man inside?"
"No! He is shoved thru the opening at street where the water enters"
"That is barely large enough for an animal to get in. Not a full- grown man"
Beckett thinks about that for only a few seconds then realizes how disgusting her job might actually be. She remains silent for the balance of the ride looking out the window. She was hoping that she could start investigating her mother's attacks, but it appears a man in a man hole comes first
When they arrive near the crime scene, there is no place to park, so the three have to park about a block away and walk.
At the end of the walk she comes face to legs with the victim. Only the legs are visible from the opening. As the three walk up, Beckett notices an attractive African American woman wearing a jacket that has the words 'Medical Examiner" between the shoulder blades keeling down looking inside the grate making notes about the victim. Beckett is positive that she has met the woman before but is not sure when or where.
Doctor Parish"
Ryan speaks up as they walk up and that is when Kate remembers the woman and the name. This is the doctor that treated her mother in the emergency room when she was stabbed
"hi guys" she responds and turns around toward the group. She notices Kate "And who brought their girlfriend to a crime scene?"
Kate proudly pulls her 'Detective' badge from her belt "I am DETECTIVE Kate Beckett"
Dr. Parish pauses a moment" You look familiar. Have we ever met?"
"Yes, we have" Kate answers causing the two men to react
"Met her?" Esposito responds, "Met her where?"
"Dr. Parish treated my mother in the emergency room several years back"
"Really?" Kevin Ryan asks
"Yeah! I remember. Your mother was brought in with stab wounds"
"That is right"
"Wasn't she the one that was saved someone? No wait! Remember now. She said Santa Clause saved her"
Naturally, this brings laughs from Ryan and Esposito
"No, really" Kate reacts to the two "She claimed that someone in a Santa suit saved her"
"Who was it then?"
"The police never found him"
The investigator in Kevin comes out "Did they ever catch a suspect?"
Kate is now having to relive those days "Mom's savior captured the attacker, but he went to prison without ever giving up why he did it"
It appears as if Esposito would like to get a hold of the man "Where is he now? And can we talk to him"
"He was murdered in prison by another prisoner and the police never had a lead after that…or so they claim"
Lanie decides to change the subject, knowing she will revisit this with Kate at some future time "Well, we need to get back to Mr. John Doe here" pointing to the two legs sticking out of the drain. I will have a cause of death once I get him back to the morgue, but it appears he was alive when someone tried to send him to the Hudson"
About this time the original police car on scene pulls away leaving a parking space directly beside the crime scene.
Esposito turns toward Beckett. He hands her the keys to the vehicle "Go get out cruiser and bring it back here"
She knows that this is a small initiation into the squad but she takes the keys and heads back up the street
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
The town car is making the trip from the Castle loft to the theater comfortable. Rick and Alexis in the large back seat relaxing. Alexis is texting her friends telling them she is on the way to see her grams while Rick is just blankly staring out the window.
AND that is when he sees her. The woman who has been in his dreams for the last five years. She is walking down Broadway toward a car. His reaction time is slow. His brain cannot believe she is seeing her again.
He quickly gets the attention of his daughter telling her to look out the window as he is, also, desperately trying to get to the intercom to tell the driver to stop, but they have already passed her and are at the next light closer to the theatre where Martha is performing before he can get the message to the front seat.
Castle jumps out of the limousine standing on the sidewalk staring blankly in the direction she departed toward.
After several moments of just looking up an empty street, he climbs back in the car and sulks into the seat.
"I saw her again"
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"I believe you now. I saw her too…and you know what?"
He looks up to his daughter "what?"
"She is beautiful"