Stand by Me
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: By Request. Picks up where Better Part of Valor ends. Please read that before beginning this fic. We see the changes to the lives of a number of our favorite characters, including a few weddings, and other life events. This is for Kim, AKA txgal2015, another of my loyal readers I appreciate so much.
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 8
U.S. Federal Court
1:14 PM Same Day
/_/
A hush fell over the entire courtroom as the Jury Forman's words echoed throughout the gallery. "Have you reached a verdict, his response "We have your honor"
Would the bailiff hand the ballot to me please, I remind everyone, this is a court of law, I will not tolerate outbursts by either side. YOU will respect the law in my courtroom, or spend time in jail," Judge Forsythe barked looking over his dark-rimmed glasses at first the defense, then the prosecution, and finally scanning the small number of visitors allowed in the courtroom.
William Bracken was angry, but seeing the Detective, well Captain now, with her writer husband next to the Fed pissed him off even more. He knew that he had been sold down the river by the deals offered to many of his former associates. Hell, even Vulcan Simmons had turned on him to get 30 years, what kind of deal was that at his age? Better than dying by lethal injection he supposed.
After reading the verdict, the judge handed it to the clerk of the court, and said, "The clerk will now read for the official record the verdict of the defendant, William H. Bracken, again a warning for everyone to respect the court." Judge Forsythe said.
The clerk began to read the verdict, "We the jury, in the case of The State of New York versus William H Bracken, find the defendant as to count one, Conspiracy to commit Capital Murder, GUILTY, your honor,
As to the charge of First-Degree Murder, providing cash payments to a professional killer of one person so named as Johanna Beckett, Guilty, your honor,
As to the charge of bribery, theft in pubic office, and intimidation or attempted intimidation of a witness in a capital murder case, guilty on all counts your honor, "
A hush fell over the courtroom as Kate squeezed Rick's hand, and Jordan had her arm around her, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
Judge Forsythe, turned to the jury, "Is this the verdict of every member of the jury, reached by your own accord, without intimidation, or prejudice, say yes if this is the verdict of each of you,"
A chorus of "yes, and yes your honor was heard" as Judge Forsythe observed the faces of every jury member.
"The court wishes to extend our heartfelt Thank you, to the members of this jury, for your service today, and throughout the proceedings, we realize the multitude of changes did not make this task easier. The good news is that this concludes your service to the court, you are dismissed.
"The court will consider the pleas entered by the defense before judgment is passed, Court is adjourned until 10:00 AM Monday morning, at which time sentence shall be handed down. Bailiff, please return the prisoner to his secure holding cell until we resume these proceedings.
"This court stands adjourned until Monday morning at 10:00 AM, Court is Adjourned" and slam went the gavel, as tears began to fall from Kate's eyes as soon as Bracken was out of sight. She wouldn't give the bastard the privilege of seeing one tear.
The family, Rick, Kate, Jim, Jordan, Tom, and even Brianna who had hold of Kates's hand patting it gently climbed into the limo and went to an undisclosed private location for lunch. Rick, had once again, had the place investigated and cleared for any threats of retribution, or danger. His family, well-extended family meant far too much to him.
Kate didn't realize it at first but they were at the backroom of Mama Cito's, one of Alexis's favorite restaurants, where they all could finally begin to breathe again. Guilty, guilty, guilty, the word was music to her ears, regardless of the punishment, Bracken was now a convicted felon. That part perhaps would bother him as much as the prison sentence he was about to receive since he was always so imaged conscious.
All had agreed, leave the court talk behind, they all needed a break from the daily grind. The important thing to remember was he was found guilty, end of the story. Kate looked up at her husband who was watching her so attentively,
"Hey, you OK Babe?" She asked, "You've put so much attention on taking care of everyone else, who is taking care of you? I know I haven't been much use lately, and I'm sorry. I know this wasn't what you signed up for when you said I Do" Kate said softly,
"What makes you think that wife when I said I do, that meant I put you first, ahead of everything and everyone, and right now, is a breather for you. You've been running this marathon, for years by yourself with inside opposition, so now that it's over, well, almost, it's time for you to start thinking what you WANT to do with the rest of your life." Rick said softly,
"Rick, I know you understand, hell you're about the only one that did, but now that Bracken has been taken down, I think I want to start thinking about having our own little prince or princesses, for real now." She said, blushing, and tipping her head down,
He gently raised her face with his finger for her to see his big smile, his eyes twinkling, and after a brief kiss, he whispered, "That's the best news I've had in years, I can't wait to start practicing with you as soon as we get home" he blushed, this time it was she who kissed him gently as the food arrived.
XxX
KBC Enterprises
Same Time Frame
Gina had become more frustrated by the day, each number she called on her list had already heard about her demotion, and well frankly weren't interested in her in any way. The biggest insult came from a writer who had left shortly after Gina arrived to start his own boutique publishing business,
"Gina, Gina, Gina, some things never change. I know you have to be desperate to call me, after what you told me as I left Black Pawn. "You're a hack writer, and will be a hack publisher, so don't say I didn't tell you so" so how bad are things over there?" Rupert Davis, a prick if there ever was one by anyone's description asked with joy in his voice.
"What makes you think things are bad here Rupert? I thought about looking around for a change since Uncle Paul retired," she responded,
"You know you used to be able to lie better than that Gina, everyone knows the new owners fired Paul and his two golf buddies, and demoted you to an editor, so how's it feel to go from the gold coast to the swamp? He asked, enjoying every minute of his opportunity to get back at Gina for her barbed comments to him.
"Fuck You, still the hack I see, Gina spat back" at him with an evil tone,
"Well, at least I'm not offering to fuck anyone in town to get a new job, guess the four-year warranty on Castle's investment in your boobs must have run out, you seem to be sagging and you're not as young as the guys want now?" he threw back at her, she slammed the phone down, wondering if there were any truth to his words.
Rick had paid for her breast augmentation for her birthday present the year before they were married but he seldom took advantage of the opportunity to have a play date with them. When she asked why he told her flat out, "it was hard to kiss the lips of the woman who chewed his ass out all the time", much less advance to the play state like they once did.
The marriage went downhill from there until, well until she cheated on him with a younger writer and got caught. All that proceeded after that was court-ordered counseling, and finally, what she knew was coming all along, she was served with divorce papers. The divorce was ugly on many fronts, hell even Georgette was pissed at her, and her Uncle was more afraid they were going to lose his writing, so she was on her own without support from any of her remaining family.
She finally had reached the end of any potential opportunities with other companies, so she did what she always swore she would never do, call her Uncle Paul for help when she got home that evening.
Sitting on her couch, nursing her Mai Tai, or was it her third, she finally got the courage to call the number she dreaded to do. He answered the call on the third ring,
"Hey, Gina, what do I owe the pleasure of this call, as if I didn't know?" He said, with a laugh in his voice,
"What's that supposed to mean Uncle Paul, can't a niece call her Uncle just to say hi?" She replied,
"In most families yes, in our family, NOPE, never gonna happen so what do you need Gina? Has Kate Beckett Castle bought out the remainder of your 60 days and fired you yet?" He asked, almost with a smirk in his voice,
"Kate Beckett Caste? What the fuck does she have to do with Black Pawn, and how long have you known who the new owners were?"
"First things first, I never said a word, I have a severance package that also includes a non-disclosure agreement, but if you were to guess which writer that Black Pawn published did indeed purchase the company for his new wife to try to convince her to leave police work, I wouldn't be able to say anything.
"It's a matter of public record now, as the sale has been recorded and Black Pawn name dissolved except for using the verbiage, KBC Enterprises, formerly known as Black Pawn publishing in legal documents and contracts."
"Are you telling me that Rick Castle, my ex-husband Richard Castle, purchased Black Pawn from my blood uncle, who knew what he would do once the sale was final, and you didn't say a word to me?" Gina was screaming into the phone at this point, downing the remainder of her drink in one swift swallow.
"I'm not saying anything, I'm bound by the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement). I am speaking to my niece who perhaps has figured out who her new boss is going to be. Perhaps she understands who actually now owns the business formerly known as Black Pawn, now to be referred to as KBC Enterprises.
"I don't envy your position, Gina, you tried to fuck Rick over in court after doing it in your own bed, and now his new wife is PERHAPS the new head honcho at the place you work, wonder what she thinks about you. Oh, I got a few calls from the sources you've been trying to latch on to, they are all aware you're in no position to bargain." He said, softening at the very end,
"Well, how about you Uncle Paul, you could seed me the money to start my own firm, and you know I have the talents to attract writers, so what do you say?" She finally got the request out, as bad as it felt to have to ask him for help,
"Well, just a couple of problems with that, first, if they traced me to your company, I could be sued, as well as you, we both have non-compete clauses that we insisted on in contracts for the writers, the damn lawyers included the same clause for us, since they used one template.
"Secondly, you're older now, and there's a lot of younger ladies out there eager for the business, and you know what I mean. You're a good editor WHEN you work, but you fell in love with the lifestyle, without the work. If by some means you manage to keep your job at KBC I would suggest you do as you're told and try to earn a promotion, not sleep your way to it. That ship sailed, when you divorced Rick, so Good Luck, I have to go" and the phone clicked off.
XxX
Undisclosed Federal Prison
Intake Area Conference Room B-17
Same Day
Bracken had been taken to an undisclosed Federal Prison, for intake, and processing. Part of the intake process was the decision if the convicted felon was to file an appeal, lawyers were on hand if he could not afford or choose to use different attorneys for his petition for appeal.
"Prisoner 845905 entering conference room B-17" came over the radios on each prison guard's shoulder, as Bracken, still shacked as he had been in court stumbled through the doorway and sat unceremoniously in a hard folding metal chair. The guard that had accompanied him made sure the cameras were working, BUT they did have to disconnect the sound feed, since Attorney-Client privilege still was his right, as they planned to appeal the verdict.
He had fired the original legal team; well, the truth was they had left without even submitting their final invoice just to be rid of the stain of the trial and the facts that had been disclosed. He had requested a new attorney, Carl Meadows, the third, esquire. No one, not one soul knew why he had requested this young attorney, or why he even flew across the country from California to meet with him.
Once they were seated at the conference room table, and the shackles had been locked into place on the table, the young attorney waited patiently until he was sure all the doors to the conference room had been closed, then he looked at his newest client,
"It's been a long-time kid, thanks for coming," Bracken said, as his attorney put a finger to his lips and did a portable scan of bugs and check of listening devices. When he was satisfied, he sat down, and cleared his voice,
"Hi Dad, why did you ask for me, you know your ass is grass, and what's a California Civil Rights attorney supposed to do to save your ass, I reviewed the evidence and you would need the ghost of Jesus to save your ass now."
"Well, I wasn't sure if you would come, well now that your Mom and I are"
"Dad, if I was going to disown you, I would have done it when I figured out that you had my biological father killed to clear your path to Mom. I always wondered did you act alone, or did she supply you some help?
"One minute my father was beating the hell out of her, the next thing I knew we were moving into your big fancy house and you married Mom. Tell me how long was she fucking you when my father was still alive?" Carl asked,
"It's more complicated than that Carl, I mean your Mom worked for me, and yes I saw the bruises, but we didn't plan on it happening it just did. Your mom isn't a whore, she tried to keep it together with your father but the drugs and alcohol came first, even to the point where physical violence entered the picture to get the money for his fix." Bracken said for the first time sounding like a human,
"Look, Dad, I know you loved Mom, hell I didn't want to be adopted, I didn't want to change my name but you still paid for the best schools, the best clothes. I wanted for nothing, and as I got older, I figured it out, but I always had the suspicion that Mom was involved." Carl said,
"Well, she wasn't, I arranged for the accident, that way she would get his life insurance before he lost everything because he snorted it up his nose, and well, you were a bonus. Your mom married me because she had no other option at the time, I think she grew to care about me.
"I don't blame her for divorcing me, and splitting from the country, I'm sure I deserve it," Bracken admitted,
"She knows you too well Dad, she called me and asked if she should liquidate everything just in case you beat these charges. She's hoping you could make your way to a non-extradition country where she's still waiting for you if you got the opportunity.
"I told her not to get her hopes up too high, for either. You're her drug, just as my father had his, this time I hope it doesn't kill you both.
Bracken's face showed some hope for the first time since all of this caved in on him, "Your mom's waiting for me, just in case?"
"Yeah, I told her, not to plan on any reunion soon, if ever. I'll be lucky to keep you off death row, on appeal," He said,
"Oh no son, I don't plan on appeal, that would be a waste of time, as you so eloquently stated without saying it directly," Bracken said,
"Well, if you don't plan on appeal, why did you want to see me? I mean I traveled across the country and am prepared to argue points of law, although I have to say the prosecution was extremely careful not to allow any loopholes." Carl asked,
"I need you to take care of one last task, no questions, if you don't know you can't be forced to tell or lie. I have a safe deposit box in New Amsterdam Bank, it's under your name and the code is your birth year." Bracken said,
"You want me to go to New Amsterdam, retrieve the contents of a safety deposit box then what?" Carl asked,
"You'll find the contents, it's two envelopes one for you that says instructions, the other, is to be given to the man you contact and let know that you have rented a new box at the same bank. Once you do that, call your mother, tell her that I still love her, she's the only one I ever did besides you.
"Then get your ass back to California, file the paperwork with the court that you won't take my appeal as soon as you leave here today, and Carl, just as with your father, please no questions. This is how it has to be; I have an automatic stay of 30 days before they ship me to whatever Federal Prison the judge decides, it's going to be administrative segregation no matter where I go." Bracken said, resolved to his fate now that he had seen his son, well stepson, but he had raised him since he was 7 years old.
"Dad, what do I tell Mom, you know she's waiting, I mean what"
"Tell her to move on with her life, but be careful, there are more men like me than she thinks. You keep an eye on anyone she starts to get close to, OK?"
"If this is what you want Dad, I can drop the rejection letter for selection of defense on appeal off on my way out, then take care of the bank. I should be in California by tomorrow night, so knowing you, timing is critical. I'll take care of the contact as soon as I leave here. I'm sorry this is goodbye, and I can't say it properly, but"
"Hey you never did like anyone hugging or kissing on you, that hasn't changed, just tell your Mom, I'm sorry, I promised her forever, and well"
"She'll understand, Good luck, whatever you decide to do, Goodbye Dad" as the young good-looking attorney had just signed the form letter to drop off on his way out of the prison, seeing his step-father for perhaps the last time.
TBC