January 2011
"Mommy!" Ramona peeked her head around the corner of the bedroom, her eyes as wide as saucers as she stared at Kate, her little mouth hanging open, before darting back into the living room.
Kate raised her eyebrows at her daughter's retreating back before meeting Rick's gaze over the bed as she buttoned her shirt. "I don't know why she's so wound up today. It's not like today's the first day I've been in a uniform."
Rick grinned back at her, his clear blue eyes dancing. "She knows today is different, though. And so do you- I mean, you can't tell me you're not excited, that you don't feel it."
"Fine," Kate admitted, her smile stretching her cheeks. "Yeah. I'm excited. And still a little shocked, actually. When they sent me to Brooklyn for my ten week training after the academy I had kind of resigned myself to being assigned there."
"It never occurred to you that Montgomery would pull a few strings to get you into his precinct?" Rick laughed, and she shook her head.
"Honestly? No. I mean, obviously having him as a character reference expedited the process in the first place, but I figured that was it, I'd go where I was assigned, pay my dues like everyone else, and work my way forward."
Rick shrugged, the easy gesture in synchronicity with his attitude toward the whole thing; from the day she'd applied to the NYPD he'd been quietly - and sometimes not so quietly - confident of her chances of success at every turn.
He stepped around the bed, coming to meet her on her side, and, placing his hands on her waist, he slid them up, his fingers deft as he fastened the last of the buttons on her shirt with a soft sigh.
"I don't usually help you get dressed," he complained, "I prefer it the other way around."
"For the record, I do too," she teased, letting a smile inch onto her face as she looked over his shoulder into the mirror at her reflection. Her hair - so much longer than it had been a year ago - was pulled back and pinned in place. Her uniform was freshly pressed, the blue a refreshing change after the gray she'd been wearing for the last six months as a recruit at the Academy.
"Mommy!" Ramona ran back into the bedroom. "I come with you?"
Kate rolled her eyes at her daughter, fighting back the chuckle that was threatening to break free. "You, my little monkey, are going to daycare. And then, at the end of the day, Grandpa is going to pick you up and bring you back here, okay?"
Ramona attempted a pout, but it turned into a giggle as Rick lifted her up, tickling her.
"Down, put me down!" she shrieked, and Rick did so, grinning as Ramona laughed, looking up at Kate. "You police today?" she asked, and Kate dipped her head, catching a last look at herself in her uniform before picking her daughter up and turning to make her way toward the door.
She was a cop today.
"Officer Beckett." Captain Montgomery's voice boomed across the bullpen as soon as she stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor, and Kate jerked her head up, meeting his eyes. She was here. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her limbs singing as she made her way across the room.
"Good morning, Sir," she said, and he held his office door open, ushering her inside.
"Take a seat."
She watched as he closed the door behind them, taking light steps to his own chair, his dark eyes fixed on hers as he sat down.
"First day on the job," he mused, and he held his gaze on her for a beat longer before he relaxed, a smile making its way onto his face.
"Yes, Sir," she agreed. "And I wanted to thank you. For offering me a position at the Twelfth."
He nodded, his head angling toward the bullpen and she followed his gaze to the bustle visible through the window. From the first moment she'd set foot in this place she'd felt a rightness settle in her soul; now it was truly hers.
Montgomery was silent a moment longer, and he reached for a picture on his desk, his hands grasping the frame before shifting it so she could see it.
"These are my girls," he began. "When I started on the Force… times were different." He lifted a shoulder in the semblance of a shrug. "You don't care about that. But when I started, I didn't have kids. I don't think-" He paused, turning the photograph back around and staring at the image of his kids. "I didn't have children when I started here, and life for a beat cop was tough back then. Really tough. And sometimes- there are times in a cop's career when you get swept up in things, and you try to make the best of it, and there are times when you have a chance, a real opportunity, to change the path we're on."
He exhaled, looking up and smiling at Kate.
"I do this job for my kids, Beckett. I come here every day to fight to make their city - their world - a better place. And sometimes life throws us a second chance."
Kate nodded. She had a second chance indeed. Already the corporate setting of her days in the law firm - power suits and demanding senior partners - seemed a world away. The precinct - abhorrent coffee and all - was a breath of fresh air.
"I'm aware of your history, Beckett, but you know that already. I asked for you because I know you want homicide, and I wanted you to have the chance to work with the best." He pointed to the team outside. Ryan's eyes were glued to his computer screen, and Esposito was in deep discussion with two of the officers she'd gotten to know over the last few months. "And they're the best."
"Thank you, Sir."
He regarded her across the desk, his mouth drawn in a tight line. "You're not the first person driven to become a cop because of a personal reason, and you won't be the last. Just make sure you don't get lost in this. Don't forget the big picture."
She dipped her head in acquiescence. "No, I won't." She wouldn't. But every day in the academy had been a step closer to working on her mother's case, and she wasn't going to stop now that she was beginning to figure out which questions to ask and what files to access.
"Looking into an old case because we know who didn't do it is different to an active investigation," Montgomery continued. "Since Dick Coonan disappeared into thin air, I've had Ryan and Esposito run a few leads, but it's not the same as a fresh case."
Kate focused on her hands folded in her lap, before bringing her eyes up to Montgomery. She knew this. Ryan and Esposito had kept her up to date on the lack of leads over the last six months. "Yes, Sir."
His expression softened, the trace of a smile finding its way into his lips. "I'm not saying never, Beckett. I'm saying I understand your situation, your history. I know you have a daughter, and a relationship with Castle. One day, you might find yourself in a position to look into your mother's death. And when that day comes, you need to remember someone has worked very hard to keep this under wraps for a decade. And you need to remember you have a little girl you need to come home to."
He stretched the kinks out of his neck, standing and offering his hand over the desk.
Beckett stood, taking it, his strong fingers closing over her smaller ones. "Thank you, Sir."
"Welcome to the Twelfth Precinct, Officer Beckett." Montgomery looked out of his office window again, pointing at Esposito who was leaning over Ryan's desk, their eyes narrowing at whatever they were seeing on the screen. "Looks like they got something. Go with them, see what you can do. Your writer didn't come in today? Didn't want to step on your toes, I guess." Her captain walked over to the office door, swinging it open for her and nodding toward the boys. "Go make Castle jealous."
Kate let herself into her empty apartment. Weariness seeped from her bones, her body falling against the back of her door, and, closing her eyes, she allowed herself to breathe - really breathe - for the first time in five days. Her first week at the Twelfth had been a whirlwind as she'd rushed headlong into life as a rookie cop, figuring out how to balance her priorities.
Sleep had not been one of the top ten.
Coffee, her daughter, and more coffee had made the list. Likewise, researching, listening, learning, observing and - to her dismay - paperwork had been at the forefront of her days.
She missed Rick.
He'd kept a low profile all week in an attempt to give her space to ease into her new role, only coming into the precinct once - with coffee - to prowl around, pressing the boys for updates while throwing her smoldering looks across the bullpen as she'd attempted to keep a straight face and keep her focus on the report she had been tasked with.
While Ryan had interviewed witnesses at the scene of the crime she'd stood at the police tape, checking IDs and holding the press at bay, wishing she, too, had clearance to be on the other side of the yellow line.
While Lanie had wrinkled her nose and given an assessment of cause of death, time of death, and an opinion on both, she'd swung her leg over the edge of a dumpster, joining another officer to look through the trash for wallets and IDs.
While Esposito had taken a suspect into interrogation and scared the living daylights out of him, talking him around to a confession, she'd pressed her nose up against the one-way glass, staring in hungrily.
Without exception, she'd loved every second of every long day.
And now she was home - her daughter at Gabe's for the first time in two weeks - longing for a warm bath, a glass of wine, and her boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.
"Officer Beckett!" Rick's low voice startled her and she snapped her eyes open, struggling to focus in the dimly lit room. Damn. So much for cop reflexes; she'd had no idea he was here. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he continued, walking from her kitchen toward her, and she forced herself to stand up straighter, supporting her own body weight instead of listing against the door.
"Hey." Her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek, taking her hand and tugging her toward the sofa.
"You okay?" he asked, and she nodded.
"I thought you were coming over at seven."
"Kate, it's already past eight."
"Oh." She felt her cheeks warm. "I guess I got distracted. It was the first chance I had to stay back all week since I didn't have to get Ramona."
He raised his eyebrows at her in mock indignation. "And you didn't call me? I miss the precinct too, you know."
"Next time," she promised him, sinking down onto the couch and grinning. "And, oh! Castle, you would have loved the case we caught today."
"Oh yeah?" He took the few steps back to her kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of white, which he poured into two waiting glasses before carrying them over and handing one to her.
"Yeah. A hairdresser murdered his client because the client talked too much."
"The client talked too- huh!" Rick shook his head in disbelief. "Isn't it usually the other way round?"
"Not this time, apparently."
"Tell me the murder weapon was a pair of scissors!"
Kate smirked. "It was."
"And you didn't call me? Kate!" Her name was a whine on his lips and she snorted.
"Sorry."
"No you're not," he complained, and she laughed. She stretched back, sinking into the cushions, pulling her feet up onto the sofa and tucking her legs beneath her. She took a sip of her wine before leaning forward and setting it down on the coffee table, her hand resting on Rick's broad chest.
She stared at the man beside her, taking him in. Her writer. From the moment he'd met her, he'd demanded more from her, pushed her every step of the way, believing in her ability to become something more than what she'd been settling for. He'd bulldozed his way through walls she hadn't known she'd had, and he'd charmed her daughter, and her father, offering his own family in kind.
The dream she'd let go of as a nineteen year old was hers for the taking again, and she had Richard Castle to thank for that; his cajoling combined with her own determination had made her relentless in her quest to be admitted to the academy, forcing her to figure out who she was, and what she wanted - and needed - out of life.
She sure as hell wasn't a lawyer. No. She was a mother. And she was an officer of the NYPD, the future Detective Katherine Beckett.
And on this couch right now, cuddled up with her successful mystery writer, wannabe-cop, sometimes NYPD consultant… she was home.
A/N: And that's a wrap for my Castle Ficathon, summer 2014! It was fun playing in the Castle-verse playground yet again! Thank you to Kylie and Jamie for their beta-goodness! And thank you guys for reading! Thanks Lou and Berkie for running the Ficathon. If you haven't already, I'd suggest checking out the other Ficathon entries, especially the wonderful fics I've had a hand in beta-ing... Lost in Bright City Lights by Kylie, The Day You Walked Away by Jamie, Empty Space by Trish, The Light of the Moon by Katherine, and also Too Soon by Alana. You won't be sorry!