After a breakfast discussion about inviting the family to dinner to share Kate's decision to retire, the morning at home and at work had been routine. Kate left the 12th at 1 pm to meet Rick and Lily for lunch at Remy's. Rick and Lily were waiting at a table when she arrived. The magic of the baby lightened her day, and Kate felt even more confident about her decision to resign.
"Bye, Princess. I'll see you and Daddy at home." Kate snuggles Lily close and kisses her brow. Lily is not happy to be placed back in her stroller, until Rick plops Lily's favorite elephant in her lap and hands her a pacifier. Lily pops the passy in her mouth and squeezes her small, gray toy. Rick places a fuzzy blanket over Lily, before he kisses Kate goodbye.
"I sent Charlie out for the car, when I paid the bill. Did you even notice him when you passed him on your way to us?"
Kate looks around Remy's, "No. Where was he sitting?"
"He was at the counter. I paid his tab, when I paid ours. We can drop you off at 1 PP on our way home. If you want." Rick is maneuvering the stroller through Remy's as he talks.
"I'll take my car. It's an official visit, and I can park at 1 PP in reserved parking for ranked officers. I'll drop my resignation off with the Chief of D's office, after I talk with Gates. I'll need to come back to the precinct after that. I should be home on time, unless…well you know the drill."
"That I do, Captain. That I do." They walk out of Remy's together looking around for the town car. Charlie pulls into a loading zone a few car lengths away. Charlie opens the back door of the town car, and Rick starts the process of loading Lily into her car seat. Kate pushes the stroller to Charlie, who is waiting at the open trunk.
"Hi, Charlie. I'd chat, but it's cold out here."
"Don't I know it, Captain," Charlie chuckles. "Will you be riding with us?"
"I have my own transpo. Thanks for keeping our little one warm and safe."
"She's always a pleasure."
Rick is waiting next to the almost-closed car door. He gives Kate a hug and whispers in her ear, "See you at home, Gorgeous."
Kate laughs, "Silly man. Take my baby home." Rick settles into the car and Kate closes the door. She gives Charlie a wave and heads for her car. The drive to 1 PP is it's normal aggravation. Kate arrives at Gates' office in time to visit the ladies' room and take a deep breath. She only waits a moment with Gates' assistant, before Victoria comes out to greet her.
After Kate and Gates exchange the usual pleasantries, Gates gets the ball rolling, "Now that we've established that our families are fine, why did you want to see me today?"
Kate withdraws her letter of resignation from her bag and hands it to Gates. "I wanted to show this to you, before I give it to the Chief of D's."
Gates opens the unsealed envelope and reads the letter. Her expression changes from curious to surprise for just a moment, before her face resumes its calm demeanor. "I'm frankly surprised that you've made this decision, Kate. Are you certain about this? I doubt the department will let you return a second time." She hands the letter back to Kate.
"Rick suggested I ask for a leave of absence. I told him that probably wouldn't be an option. Then he requested I discuss this with Dr. Burke, before I made it official."
"I'm assuming you've spoken with Dr. Burke already."
"Yes, I have. It helped me organize my thoughts. My experiences as a cop haven't fallen within the normal range. I've been in dangerous situations more than the average. I've been shot and almost died twice. Now that I have Lily, I'm not willing to push my luck. Most members of the force also don't have a millionaire for a spouse."
Gates chuckled, "As many books as that man sells, I'm betting it's multimillionaire."
"Yes, you're right about that. Since money is not an obstacle, I…" Kate takes a deep breath and starts again, "My Mother's dedication to her job got her killed. I was 19. Her death changed my plans for my future. I don't regret becoming a cop, but it wasn't a career I would have considered, if she hadn't been murdered. Rick raised Alexis essentially on his own. She is a remarkable testament to what a wonderful father he is, but he shouldn't have to do it alone again. Lily is my child, too. I want to be there with him for all her firsts, as well as all her bumps, and temper tantrums. I want another child. I don't want to leave my child without a mother."
Gates lets the silence linger a moment, "I've never been shot. I've known officers who have gone down in the line. It's hard on their families. It appears to me, you've given this a great deal of thought. You've discussed it with your husband and your therapist.
Did you want me to argue against your decision?"
"I wanted to let you know in advance, because you are my friend. The Chief of D's will almost certainly tell you about the letter. I didn't want you to be blindsided by this."
"Thank you. I hope we will remain friends after you leave the NYPD. You'll need to add a specific date that you want your last day to be."
"That is one thing you can help me with. What do you recommend?"
Beckett and Gates discuss the regulations, what is best for the 12th and for Kate. Kate fills in the blank space she had left for the date. While Gates makes Kate a copy of the final version of the resignation letter, Kate sends a quick text to Rick: "Meeting with Gates went well. Handing in letter today. Luv U"
Victoria hands Kate the 2 letters, "Do you need an envelope?"
"I have one in my bag. I want to thank you for all the advice and support you've given me about being a Captain. I'm sorry I only used it for such a short time."
"You've been an asset to the NYPD for many years, Kate. Don't be a stranger."
Gates lifts her arms in offer of a hug, and Kate steps into it. It feels good to have Gates as a friend; instead of the adversary she was when they met. "Thanks, Victoria. We'll have lunch soon. I'm sure Rick will drive me crazy at some point."
"I don't doubt that. I'll look forward to that, especially if you bring your little one."
"I'd like that." Kate navigates the hallways to the Chief of Detectives' office. She doesn't have an appointment, and her plan was to drop the letter off with his secretary. She's relieved that he's unavailable, because she truly didn't want to talk to him.
The remainder of her afternoon is calmly normal with paperwork and more paperwork. Tweets and pictures from Rick occasionally interrupt the tedium. Lily clinging to the sofa while standing with a brilliant smile is Kate's favorite of the photos. Rick captions the photo, "She pulled herself up." Kate's reply is simple and heartfelt, "Wish I was there." Rick's response is meant to soothe, "Soon."
When end of shift arrives, Kate buttons her coat and walks toward the elevator. She responds to good night greetings and counts herself lucky that no one interrupts her from departure for the night. Her drive through the cleared streets is slow and uneventful, and she parks in the underground garage of her Broome Street building.
With her happy-to-be-home mood, she opens the door to the loft and calls out to Rick, "Ricky, I'm home." Her call is answered by a chuckle and a shriek. The owner of the shriek crawls swiftly to Kate babbling rapidly, "Mamamama, hi, hi, hi, Mamamama."
Kate is positioning herself to lift Lily from the floor, when Rick calls out, "Wait! See if she can pull herself up."
Kate watches Lily crawling as fast as her little body can move. Lily stops, leans back on her haunches, smiles, and looks up at Kate, "Hi, hi, hi."
Kate leans down to her daughter, "Hello, my baby. Did you miss me?"
Lily nods her head. She resumes her crawl and arrives at Kate's feet. Instead of sitting and reaching for Kate in a bid to be picked up, Lily grabs the fabric of Kate's pants. She scoots her feet under her diaper covered butt and pulls her little body up. Her little hands reposition ever so slightly to aid her in her attempt to stand. Kate listens to Lily's undecipherable chatter. Kate is bent almost in half, so she can hold a protective hand behind Lily's back. When Lily reaches a standing position, she shrieks with joy and lets go of Kate's pants legs. Kate's hands prevent Lily from falling, and she shifts her hold to pick up her daughter. "Look at you! You pulled yourself up. Miss Tiger Lily is getting so big." Kate finishes her praise with hugs and kisses for her baby.
Rick has joined his girls near the front closet. He leans in to kiss his wife and baby, "Welcome home, Love. Let me take the munchkin, so you can get out of your coat and boots."
"Go to Daddy, Baby. Mommy needs to put away her coat." Lily leans out to Rick, and Kate passes her to him.
"Good job, Miss Lily. We're so proud of you. You'll be standing up in no time, won't you?" Rick praises Lily and distracts her while Kate puts her coat and boots in the closet. Lily is babbling to her Dad, and she pats his chest or his cheek to punctuate her words; words he pretends to understand. "Yes, yes. You did great. Do you want to crawl now, or do you want Mommy to take you?"
Lily looks around for Kate, "Mamamama!" Rick chuckles and passes her to Kate.
The family enjoys the hours of their evening. While finishing the dinner prep, Rick confirms that he spoke with Alexis and the parents. All three will be joining them for dinner the next evening. "Alexis was the most curious about the Thursday night choice for a dinner. We usually do these on a weekend. Our parents are both just happy for a chance to see the baby. Mother plans to arrive early to play with the baby. Your Dad will be here as soon as he can after his last appointment. Alexis was a bit more vague about an arrival time. I think she had plans, but is willing to change them."
"Maybe we should have told them before our work family, but I wanted a definite date set before telling them."
"Makes perfect sense, my love. Now if you'll corral the munchkin in her high chair, we can eat. I for one am starving."
A normal, happy routine of dinner, play, bath, a story and rocking her baby fills Kate with a calm happiness. This is what she is resigning her captaincy for, this joy and love.
After Lily is asleep, her parents share glasses of red wine close together on the sofa. "Tell me about your meeting with Gates."
"She was surprised and supportive. She made a crack about my husband being a multimillionaire."
Rick preens for a moment, "If she only knew how multi."
Kate responds with a kiss, following that with a smack to his chest, "Check the ego, old man. No one needs to know how multi, if we want to avoid kidnappers or constant requests for money."
"I know, Honey, I know. I kept Alexis safe until…. Anyway. When do Lily and I get you all to ourselves?"
"Sorry, Babe. Didn't mean to dredge up bad memories. My copy of the letter is in my bag." Kate apologizes with a kiss that Rick deepens and follows with kisses to Kate's neck. "Babe" kiss "let me get my letter" kiss "so we can" kiss "move this to the bedroom." A firm kiss to Rick's lips is followed by Kate's rise from the sofa. She returns minutes later with the letter and hands it to Rick.
He reads the letter and bursts into laughter, "Seriously, your last day is March 9th? The anniversary of the day we met is your last day? Nine years to the day! Wow. The Universe comes full circle."
"I thought you'd get a kick out of that. It's a Friday and 30 days from today. Gates helped me decipher the regulations. It's the earliest date that meets the 30-day criteria and is the last day I'd work of the pay period. The coincidence struck me as fate." Rick laughs again, but Kate continues. "Yeah, I know you've opened my mind to crazy theories. You're my one and done, Babe."
Rick interrupts her with kisses. "I see the date as an affirmation that you've made the right decision. We can have a party at the Old Haunt that night and celebrate with the precinct, our friends and family. What do you think?"
"I think…" Kate kisses her husband, "that we should have our own celebration right now and plan a party for March 9, 2018."
"You, Captain Beckett, have the best thoughts." Rick surprises Kate, when he lifts her from the sofa bridal style. Her shriek of surprise is quieted by his kiss.
"Planning to carry me to bed, Handsome?"
"Yes, Gorgeous. That is just the beginning of the plan I have for tonight."
"Get moving, Mister. Get moving."
They laugh and kiss their way to their bedroom.
A/N: Looking at the 2018 calendar and my timeline for the story, I realized that 3/9/2018 could be Kate's last day at the 12th. I know she told Espo and Ryan that she was going to submit her resignation on the following Monday, but I let her discussion with Gates change things around so it fell on 3/9. It was something I couldn't pass up, once I realized it could fit my timeline. I'm planning for 2 more chapters and an epilogue. (fingers crossed)