Second Choice
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: From a fan prompt (Castle goes to the Hamptons alone, while there he and Alexis meet divorced Jordan Shaw and her daughter. A few dinners together lead to a hookup. What happens next? COMPLETELY AU, Some Scenes and events used to enhance the story,
I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.
Also, we take MANY liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events from other Canon episodes to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.
Chapter 9
Quantico VA
6 Months Later
A/N Before you read this chapter, PLEASE remember it is not meant to follow the letter of the law for FBI procedures, it's AU and a plot point that must be made to move the story ahead. Please don't send comments about the proper procedure, read it as it was intended, fiction, to entertain. Thanks
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Rick had waited for this day, it had been a terrific struggle, much more difficult than he had ever imagined, but he persevered, well, Jordan, Mandy, and Alexis rooted him on and provided the encouragement he needed to complete the accelerated course.
Today he would receive his actual title, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and once again take the oath of office he had spoken on day one, this time the Director of the FBI would be administering it. He thought back to that day when he raised his right hand and pledged,
I Richard A. Rogers, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So, help me, God.
In less than one hour he would be taking the same oath again, except this time not as a recruit, as a full special agent of the bureau. Jordan had pulled some strings, but that was only to get him into the academy. Once there, he was judged on his performance and his merits alone, as it should be.
He could finally relax, and now wait for the pageantry to begin, the hard work behind him and because his "friend" headed the New York office, he was being assigned to her command. He didn't dare ask how many favors she had to call in, but they would be working together, that's what counted now.
He was in squad formation with the other 49 new Agents, every one of them younger than him, he had just squeaked in under the age requirement maximum by a few months as he waited for the ceremony to begin. The Director had given a very rousing speech, and now that the speeches were over it was time for the recognition of outstanding performances by recruits in the fields of academics, firearms, and physical fitness.
Rick was shocked when his name was called, not for any of the awards for top recruit, but for a special award, the Director's Leadership Award, nominated by his peers and approved by the staff and brass. The young recruit, now agent, who was introducing him was the winner of the outstanding performance in academics, Ron Horwath.
"Fellow classmates, instructors, honorable Director, we would like to recognize the winner this year of the Director's Leadership Award to former recruit, and now special agent Richard A Rogers. To many of us, he's known affectionately as Grandpa Rick, more than one of us has sought out his guidance and consultation after some trying times here, or in our personal life. He was never too busy to take time to listen, truly listen to your issue or problem, and has become known for four words no matter what was being discussed, "How can I help?"
"Rick helped many of us younger recruits deal with the stress, he wasn't a slouch and pushed us all very hard in all fields of our study, including firearms, and physical fitness, in other words, don't mess with the old man" laughter rang out through the crowd, as Rick smiled,
"When we were instructed to select a fellow recruit for this honor, it was almost unanimous, and his name was the first off most of our lips. We know that Rick has a few more miles on him than we, but we've also seen his determination to get to the truth, especially in some long, tiring scenarios at Hogan's Alley, a mock town here at the Academy.
"Many of us would want to just rush to a decision, but because it was a team decision, we all passed or failed as a team, Rick stood firm and never gave in to his physical weariness or pressure from us youngsters, his word not ours. I'm sure his mind was calling us much worse, (again laughter) so it is with pride and thankfulness I turn the stage over to our Director to present the award. Special Agent Rogers, front and center" as Ron turned, he received a pat on the back from the lead instructor, as Rick approached the podium.
Rick accepted his reward, his badge, firearm, and credentials and returned to formation. In a matter of minutes, the 16 weeks of hell was over, and he was being greeted with hugs and kisses from Alexis, Mandy, and a very proud Jordan Shaw.
"I so wish I could kiss you right now Special Agent Rogers," she said as she settled for a politically correct hug and a whisper of his reward to come later.
"I know Director Shaw, I feel the same, but we have to start it off on the right course or we'll both be in trouble." He said aloud, but what he whispered to her, made her blush,
"OK, Dad, you'll have time for that, Mandy and I are going out this weekend, Paige is having a sleepover so we'll be gone the ENTIRE weekend, if you know what I mean," Alexis smiled as both Jordan and Rick blushed,
"Come on, let's go home, too many cameras and ears out here," Rick said as they approached a discrete limo, the only difference, it was now a black Escalade, with tinted windows, looking like most other Fed mobiles.
They made their escape and made it to the loft using back roads and entering through the back entrance to the loft. No one would know he was home, not even Eduardo and that suited him fine. With the girls being gone all weekend, he had some homework to catch up with himself. Jordan had provided as many diversions as she dared, but it had been 4 weeks since they had well, he needed to feel her close to him if nothing else.
XxX
Beckett's Apartment
Same Time Frame
Kate had waited all week, it was long, slow and brutal, once again their closure rate had decreased, once again Roy had his ass handed to him, and told to fix it, and once again, Kate wondered how much longer would she remain as lead detective. Roy would have to do something, and soon, or he would be forced into early retirement.
She was looking forward to seeing Josh this weekend, he was supposed to be off, and not on call, so maybe they could take the next step in moving something forward with them. She hadn't seen Castle in almost 9 months now, and she had walled herself off to who needs him attitude. It didn't hurt that she had met the handsome young doctor, a few days after Memorial Day. The only hesitation in her going all-in was a terse, short text she had received from Doctor Henry Barnett, her college flame.
FLASHBACK ONE WEEK AFTER MEMORIAL DAY
Kate, none of my business, just talked to Dr. Davidson, one of our DOB docs, WATCH YOURSELF, things aren't what they appear to be. Don't want you to get hurt, not fun, believe me. Henry
Kate had received the text the day after meeting Josh Davidson as she was filling up her Harley with gas, he was in the next bay also filling his tank on a very expensive Harley. She had taken the bike out, something she normally never did on holiday weekends like this, but she was going out of her mind with boredom. Trying to kill time since the Demming debacle, and until she could return to work and normalcy, proved to be harder than she anticipated.
He had said hello, and she had returned his greeting, then he asked her if she knew of any good place to eat where they would allow bikes in the parking lot. He was new to the area, just transferring from Pittsburgh to New York to complete his residency in Cardiology.
Kate had to admit, she was impressed, cute, rode a Harley, and a doctor, oh what the hell is a cup of coffee at Remy's she thought. That was how he had started, a cup of coffee at a restaurant in the same booth where just weeks before she was fantasizing about what she wanted to do to and with her favorite author, and now she was with a Doctor? She pushed the thoughts and memories of Castle and the good old days from her mind as they enjoyed their conversation and coffee.
What the hell was Henry talking about she thought after their third coffee date in less than a week, he had to be mistaken. She was so caught up with the smooth talk that she failed to do something she always did with every guy she dated, except for the one-night stands that she never gave her real name to anyway, run a background check. Thorough checks often prevented the married guys and others who were worse from even getting started with her.
CURRENT TIME
Kate would admit she fell under the spell of the doctor faster than her last few relationships, she hadn't fucked a guy on the first date since, well how long was it, damn it was Henry. The doctor got to claim that prize, and much to Kate's misery, she certainly hoped he would improve with time since his macho image was far from what he delivered in the sack.
Well, he was supposed to come over tonight and bring Chinese with him, she didn't have the energy to dress for a date, and it would be a good night just to talk to discuss some things that were beginning to bother her. He had planned another trip for Doctors without Borders, without even talking to her, again, this was the third time, he had done so. Either they were a couple, or she would take Lanie up on her next invitation to get out there and mingle.
She hadn't forced him to commit to her, although he had spent a few weekends in her bed. She had never been invited to his place; he always had an excuse for why this weekend wouldn't be good. She was growing tired of the last-minute cancellations, occasionally, yes, they both were on call, but it happened more and more frequently on his side.
She drew a hot bath and laid out casual clothes for her night with Josh when her phone pinged with a text. She already knew who it was, and what was going on, but she read it anyway,
"Kate, sorry to bail last minute, patient in distress, this may be a long one, I'll call you, Sorry then the heart emoji Josh"
Well, she had her bath drawn so she wasn't wasting that, grabbing a book to read as she soaked she headed to her bathroom and was immersed in bubbles before she realized she had chosen Heat Wave, the autographed copy that she received two weeks prior to the book launch that she hadn't attended. Damn it anyway, why did it have to be this book, and why did Josh keep canceling dates on her?
She tossed the book aside and tried to enjoy the bath but was out and dressed in her night sweats and yoga pants in less than ten minutes. She ordered Chinese for one, and waited for the delivery, another night alone, what the hell sense did it make to a boyfriend if he was hardly ever was there?
She turned on her sad music tape, read one of the classics, and finally fell asleep after eating about a quarter of her food that had been delivered. She awoke to her cell phone ringing, she was on call she remembered so she sleepily reached over and answered,
"Beckett,"
Dispatch went through the description of the crime, who had been dispatched, and then asked if she wanted the address texted to her.
"Yes, please text the address, I'll be there in 35 minutes" as she glanced at the clock, 3:10 AM, another long day was beginning, just how long she had no idea.
XxX
She had grabbed her gear and microwaved her hot water for her tea as she headed out to a murder scene, a little old lady Agnes Fields had been found strangled in her apartment. Patrol officers had done a welfare check on her by request of one of her phone friends, supporting a local candidate for office. She hadn't been heard from in three days, once access was gained, they found her remains and quickly called it in for the detectives.
Espo and Ryan were already on scene when she arrived,
"What do we have guys?" she asked as she joined them,
"Not a hell of a lot Kate, a broken chain that apparently was around her neck, but nothing else is missing, rings, cash, other valuables are still in place but the place has been trashed, someone was looking for something," Ryan responded,
"How long before CSU is complete dusting for prints and processing?" Kate asked,
"They say we should have the scene in an hour or so, you want to head across the street and get coffee, not much we can do at this hour of the morning or until they are done," Espo asked,
"First good idea you've had in a while" Ryan kidded as Kate just shook her head yes. Something didn't feel right about this, she hadn't had these gut feelings in about a year, since she, hell since Castle and she worked the last case.
She tried to shove the feeling down, hell it was nothing, wasn't it? She hadn't seen him in almost 8 months, so why would he pop into her thoughts at this crime scene? She just had that sinking feeling that the other shoe hadn't dropped yet.
They drank their coffee, well Kate her tea and returned, and processed the scene. The only thing they could discover was that Agnes Fields was a widow, she had lost her husband two years ago, she also had a daughter and grandson, but notices from a funeral mass for both of them showed they passed away last year from accidental drowning, bodies were never recovered.
"Kevin, check out the son in law, see what you can find out. It appears that the boy was about four when he died, so check to see if you can verify that. You are a good catholic, start with the priest who performed the funeral mass." Kate said,
"Javi, run a background on him, see what line of work he's in, something just doesn't add up here. Who kills a little old lady, steal a key, to what? Just a thought, but check her bank records to see if she had a safety deposit box" Kate thought, remembering how her Aunt Lucy would drive to the bank 5 days in a row to place her valuable documents in a safe deposit box. When she passed, they cleaned out hundreds of Publisher's Clearing House letters telling her she had already won.
"As you wish boss," Javi replied, and both the guys took off, Kate looked at some of the pictures scattered all on the floor and knocked over from their places of honor in Mrs. Fields home. She did find one with the Son-in-law, with the little boy, he appeared to be about two, the wife didn't look too happy, but she was grasping at straws.
Until she spotted something sticking out from behind a picture frame, it was a listening device, what the hell? Who would bug a little old lady's apartment? She secured the bug and headed directly to the lab to see if it could be traced, it may be a long shot, but it was the only lead they had at the time.
XxX
A week had gone by and no leads on the murder of Mrs. Fields, or any more information about the deaths of her daughter and grandson. The background check on the son-on-law showed him to be clean, there had been a few domestic disturbance calls to his residence, but they didn't amount to any arrests or prosecutions.
He owned a munitions company, supplying explosives to the military and other government agencies, appeared to be quite solvent, hadn't re-married or no sign of current or past girlfriends, so Kate had to discount him as a potential suspect. The listening device was sold in several different outlets, so it was taking time to run down the model and serial number, and the location where it was sold.
Meanwhile across town:
Rick had the unfortunate task of accompanying his mother to New Amsterdam Bank and Trust, she was hell-bent on securing a loan for her acting school without his assistance, or co-signature. She was arguing with the bank manager about her credit rating, and the rate of interest for a reduced amount of loan she would qualify for. Rick couldn't take it, he walked away from her when she flatly refused his money or his help.
He was standing in the lobby of the bank when first one doctor in scrubs, then two more, and finally two more appeared, with what appeared to be automatic rifles stuffed down their loose-fitting clothing.
He hit speed dial for his boss, and partner, "Jordan, can't say much, but New Amsterdam Bank, 23 and Lexington looks like is about to be robbed,"
"Are you sure Rick? Get you and Martha the hell out of there now" as she heard the fake doctors yelling for everyone to get on the floor, "too late Jordan, do what you have to do, and" then the line went dead as the doctor pulled the phone from his hand and smashed it on the ground.
Jordan called the local precinct which happened to be the 54th, and then her own squad of agents and headed out to the scene. The first reports came back that it was a hostage situation, so Jordan would be the Agent in charge, she radioed for police back up in the surrounding perimeter which included the 12th precinct.
Somehow the newscast caught wind of the action and came in with a breaking alert, as Kate Beckett watched from her desk, she would know that flaming red hair, and those shoulders anywhere, they belonged to Rick and Martha,
"Guys, grab your gear, and meet me at the bank as soon as you can" Kate barked out,
"Since when do we get involved with bank heists Kate?" Kevin asked,
"Martha and Castle are inside that bank, they're part of the hostages taken"
No other words had to be said, they were all running down the stairs, Castle was one of them, they had to take care of their own.
TBC
A/N Once again as I mentioned in the intro, we are taking liberties with events and timelines from Canon to help build a more believable story. It is not an error, but by design, Thanks