Chapter 2. The New Day

Rick and Kate were sipping their coffee and picking at a pastry tray while discussing wedding ideas.

"Rick, I will not get married in space!"

Rick grinned. "Oh, come on, Kate…it would be so cool!"

"No. Now, when do you want to get married?"

"This morning?"

Kate laughed. "Me, too, but I think my Dad can't make it…and Alexis has school."

"We could write her a note…"

Kate rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't mind a winter wedding."

"Do you mean before or after Christmas?"

"Hmm. What do you think about early December? Mom's favorite holiday was Christmas and I love the time of year. What do you think?"

"Katie love, I think it's great. And definitely a fitting nod to your Mom."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Rick went over to answer it and took a shopping bag from the doorman. He handed him a tip and closed the door.

Kate watched as he sat the bag on the dining table. "What's that?"

Rick motioned her over. "I asked Eduardo to get as many papers as he could since yesterday's op should be front page news."

He pulled out the New York Times. "Yeah…here we go. 'Bracken bested by Beckett!' Oh I like that!"

Kate pulled out the Post. "Senate Scandal! Bracken a baddie!"

Rick pulled out the rest and spread them over the table. Most were variations of the same. "Oh look! Boston Globe really loves him! Senator has VP in his pocket! Although, I do like the alliterative ones better."

Kate looked at the various papers. "Why did you get all these?"

"They're for you, Kate. Proof that you did what you set out to do. Bracken is finished; you won."

She moved towards him as he opened his arms. He held her as realization hit; she had done it. Her body was wracked with sobs as she let out all of the anguish, the pain; for the first time she fully let the grief of her mother's death wash over her.

Rick held her and murmured words of love to her as she cleansed her soul. He picked her up and put her in bed, crawling beside her to hold her as she released it all. After a while he felt her relax as she fell asleep so he crawled out of bed to get some water for her and to clean up the remains of their breakfast.

A couple of hours later Kate woke up to hear one of her favorite sounds; Rick's fingers flying over the keys of his laptop. She saw the glass of water on her night stand and gratefully drank it down. She quietly walked over to the door of the study and leaned against the frame, watching him put down his thoughts.

A few minutes later he slowed down and saved what he had been working on. "Weren't you the one that used to complain how creepy it was to stare?"

"I don't remember that."

He rolled his eyes. "Convenient. So…do you feel any better?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me get it out."

"No need for thanks, Kate. I'm glad I was able to be there for you. That's all I ever wanted."

She smiled. "You are too good to me, Alex."

"That is not true, love. I think we are just right for each other."

"So what were you writing?"

"Are you sure you want spoilers? Usually you want to wait until I have a finished draft."

"Well, how about a hint?"

"Well, it's a story about onions and layers…" He winked at her.

"So, Rook is going to be letting Nikki know about his past?"

"Sort of. I mean, Rook has been working with Nikki for a while now and both of them have things in their past they have yet to share. We've gotten glimpses of Nikki's past, so it's only fair that his gets some time. I'm toying with having his past cross with Derek's just to tie the two series together."

"That might be an interesting twist. Maybe they worked together?"

Rick grinned. "Maybe. Guess we'll see."

TCOP2

The next morning saw them return to the New York field office. The other agencies were doing their prep in Washington, but Rick wanted to do most of theirs close to home. He began his day with a conference call with Dak Thorne, the Director of the FBI.

"Good morning, sir."

"Good morning, Rodgers. We've got a few things to cover today. Are you in the room alone?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Good. I would like to talk about some HR items if you would."

Rick grimaced, glad there was no video. "Of course, Sir."

Thorne laughed. "It's not as bad as you think, Rick. Let's clear up the easy part first. I will need a quick evaluation on some people."

"Who shall we start with?"

"Let's begin with SSA Shaw."

"Jordan Shaw was a major asset to the Op, sir. Her knowledge and ability to organize so effectively made things much easier."

Thorne snorted. "If I didn't know better I would have thought that the two of you compared notes. That's almost exactly what she said about you."

Rick laughed. "I knew I liked her!"

"Okay...Analyst Garcia."

"Sir, Penelope would be welcome to be on any team that I ran. She has a way to solve almost any tech issue. And I have not met many better to dig up needed data in a pinch."

"Excellent! She's on tap for a promotion and it's good to know she is a valuable asset. Next up is Agent Jareau."

"JJ is tops at being a liaison, and her instincts on profiling are very good. She has a lot of potential."

"Thanks. Now, there is another item we need to discuss and I want to be upfront about it. SSA Hotchner is about to be offered a new assignment. The Assistant Director position is opened up and we feel he would be a major asset there. If that occurs, we will have an opening to run the BAU if you're interested."

"Thank you, sir, but I'm still planning on backing off."

"I knew you would say that but I wanted to make the offer. If you do not take it I am going to offer it to SSA Shaw."

"She would be an excellent fit there."

"My thoughts exactly. Now, what to do with you."

"Me. sir? I plan to go back to assisting the NYPD and marrying my fiancée."

"Not a bad plan, Rick. What if you could do so and still carry your credentials?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have impressed the President, Rick. He would prefer that you be available in times of crisis. He has asked me to find a way to keep you available."

"Sir, I..."

"Give me a moment before you say no. I have been in touch with the NYPD chief and he waxes poetic about your time spent with the 12th precinct. He would love to hire you but the policy about fraternization would not work well for you. I have some discretionary funds available and I thought that having a liaison with one of the largest police departments in the country might not be a bad thing. What do you think?"

Rick sat for a moment. "What would the duties of this position entail?"

"Your duties would be mainly to assist the NYPD as a consultant to one of their homicide teams. Additionally, you would provide access to Bureau resources if necessary to speed things up. There are more things, but that's the largest part of it."

"Would you expect there to be much travel to Washington?"

"No...well, except in times of emergency. We would expect anyone interested to know the city very well."

"I see. And would there be a Fed gun license available for the Lead Detective in case she had to backup this liaison at times?"

Thorne chuckled. "I'm sure that would happen."

"May I have a few hours to think about it, sir? I need to speak to my partner before I make sure."

"Sounds good, Rodgers."

"Thank you, sir. I would like to return to writing as well...would that be an issue?"

"Not at all. We can even transfer your qualifications over to your new name, if needed."

"No, sir. That will not be necessary."

"Okay, son. Let me know by end of day so that I can get things moving."

"Yes, sir." He hung up the phone and headed to find Kate to get her input on the morning's revelations.

TCOP2

Kate sat chatting with Jordan as she saw Rick approach. She smiled at him as he leaned on her desk. "You look upset."

Rick shook his head. "Not upset. Just have a lot to think about. What are you two chatting about?"

Jordan grinned. "Having your babies." She winked at Kate.

Rick's jaw dropped and he stuttered his reply. "Having my what?"

Kate smirked. "Babies...you know...miniature versions of us?"

Rick looked at them and narrowed his eyes. "You two are evil."

Kate snickered. "Evil? No not me? I don't think Jordan is either."

Jordan narrowed her eyes. "I can be evil, but I'm not evil by nature."

Rick rolled his eyes. "Jordan, has Thorne talked to you at all in the past couple of days?"

"No, why?"

Rick grinned evilly. "Oh, no reason." He winked at Kate and walked away.

Jordan growled. "You know, sometimes I hate that man."

Kate laughed. "Me too. He can be a pain."

"Yeah, but he's your pain." Jordan tried to hide the little bit of jealousy she felt but failed.

Kate looked at Jordan with a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

Jordan looked down. "If he weren't yours...maybe."

"Oh, Jordan."

"No, Kate. Hopefully I'll get as lucky as you."

The two sat and quietly sipped their coffee as they both thought about what had just been revealed.

TCOP2

Roy Montgomery walked out of 1PP in a bit of a stupor. He had been called in about his part of the Bracken fiasco by IA. As he sat waiting to be called he watched two men in suits walk in; they were ushered into the new IA director's office. Ten minutes later he heard his name and was directed in there as well.

He saw a middle aged man seated at one end of a conference table and the two men he saw earlier were standing to one side. The man at the end of the table indicated a seat across from the two men. "Captain Montgomery, I'm Lieutenant Allen, head of IA. You were called in here to discuss your involvement with Detectives Raglan and McAllister but these gentlemen have something to say before we can proceed. Gentlemen?"

The man on the right nodded. "Allen, Montgomery...I have been directed here by the Attorney General. I have been authorized to grant full immunity to Roy Montgomery in exchange for his testimony against William Bracken and anyone associated with him. This is a one-time offer. Roy, if you agree, there will be no repercussions; I have that in writing from the Chief." He handed Roy a document. "Please read that and let me know your decision."

Roy sat there and read over the document, trying to understand why he was being given the opportunity. He looked up at the two men. "Why?"

The man on the left leaned forward. "Because the SAC in charge of the task force called the AG and suggested it. When the AG reviewed your record he agreed."

Roy looked back down at the document in front of him. So Rick had come up with this. It would mean that Evelyn and the girls would not have to deal with his errors of judgment and he could keep his career. He took the pen on the table and signed it before handing it back to the man.

The second man leaned forward again. "Allen, this interview is complete. All records of Captain Montgomery's dealing with Bracken are now sealed and cannot be used against him."

Allen nodded. "Good luck Roy. I didn't want to do this anyway...you are a good cop."

"Thanks." Allen shook his hand and left the room.

"Roy, we haven't been introduced. My name is Dak Thorne and I am the Director of the FBI." He looked at the AG's representative. "This is Darrin Mann of the AG's office. When I heard he was coming today, I asked to tag along. I wanted to talk to you about Rick Castle. Do you have a minute?"

As Roy got in his car to drive back to the precinct, he couldn't help but grin. What might have been a disastrous day turned out pretty good. He pulled out and headed to his office whistling.

TCOP2

Rick walked down to the coffee shop while he thought about the earlier conversation about his future. As he listed the pros and cons for being a liaison versus a consultant, he wondered if he could make a difference if he carried a gun. Surely Kate and the guys would be safer. He ordered a coffee for Kate and himself. Looking around he saw a familiar face and grinned. He paid for their coffees and walked towards her. "Hey, Jenn."

JJ smiled. "Hi, Rick. I have to head back to the BAU but wanted to say goodbye."

He sat the coffees on a nearby table and grabbed her in a hug. "I'll miss you. You have my number if you need me. And I will call you in a few weeks. I want you to meet Alexis."

She smiled. "I want to meet her, too. Will you please come to visit? I want you to meet Will and Henry."

He squeezed her. "Of course! I may take a week after I resign before I head back to shadow Kate; maybe I'll pop over and visit."

"Are you really going to resign again?"

He nodded. "Most likely. They are really trying to keep me but I don't think I could do this full time. I like helping Kate and helping the victim's families get closure."

"I can understand that. Keep me posted?"

He kissed her forehead. "I will, Jenn. Now go home and see your family!"

"Yes, sir! See you soon." He nodded and grabbed the coffees as he watched her walk away. He made his way back up to his desk and sat Kate's coffee next to her.

She smiled as she saw the cup come down. She looked over to Jordan's empty desk and then she looked at Rick. "So what did they say to have you look like that?"

He looked over at her. "We'll talk about it at home. Jenn just came and said goodbye; she's headed home. Garcia is leaving tomorrow. It will be like a ghost town by Monday and we will still have five days left."

"I'll still be here."

"Has Montgomery called you and told you when to go back?"

She looked at her phone. "No. Why?"

Rick grinned. "I was thinking..."