AN: Thanks for the reviews. And to answer the most asked question, no I didn't forget about the letter. It will be addressed.

Eleven:

Kate was sitting in Castle's reserved booth along with Gates as well-wishers passed by exchanging pleasantries. She nursed her glass of wine as she glanced over at the table where her three closest friends sat. Espo appeared to be drinking heavily and arguing with Lanie while Ryan snuck glances in her direction. It was nearly an hour after they arrived when the captain rose up from her seat clanging on her glass with a spoon trying to get everyone's attention. After a few failed attempts and some shouts from others to 'quiet down' Gates began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here tonight to congratulate one of own own as she moves on to her new life as a Federal agent. Katherine Beckett was the lead detective on the team with the highest closure rate in NYPD history. While it was a team effort, her leadership speaks for itself and the fact that the feebs finally saw what we knew all along.. I'll be the first to admit that we didn't always see eye to eye, I always knew that Kate had only one goal, to get justice for the victims." Gates paused for a few seconds as the crowd cheered and whistled. She raised her hands to silence the crowd before continuing. "As memento of your time with the NYPD, I'd like to present this citation from the Chief of Detectives for your loyal service to this city." Gates offers the plaque to Kate as she extends her hand to shake.

Kate rises to her feet, touched by the speech given by her former boss. Taking the plaque in her left hand, she shakes Gates' hand and thanks her. People in the crowd start to yell for a speech. Kate sits the plaque on the table and holds up her hands to silence the group. "I'd like to thank all of you here tonight for coming. It's an honer to have worked with all of you and I will never forget my time here. Thank you." The majority of the crowd cheered and clapped as she smiled and sat back down in the booth.

Glancing over at the table where her 'friends' were sitting, she notices Ryan getting up from his seat and approaching her table. He made a feeble attempt at a smile as he stood in front of her and extended his hand. "Congratulations Beckett. Good luck with your new job." Kate rose up from her seat and tried to give him a hug. His body went rigid at her touch, clearly uncomfortable with the contact. She backed away and shook his hand as she thanked him for coming to her send-off. They stood there for several seconds of uncomfortable silence before Ryan turned and started walking away. "Goodbye Beckett." was all that he said.

She watched as he returned to the table where Lanie and Esposito were sitting. She could see that they were questioning him and no one looked happy.

Espo had been sitting here for a couple of hours now pounding back drink after drink and getting madder after each one. He looked over at the booth where she sat with his boss smiling and acting as if nothing was wrong. He might have been able to keep his mouth shut if it wasn't for the way he felt that she disrespected his partner and himself. Lanie and Ryan had both tried to get Javi to slow down, but failed. Convincing himself that he had nothing to loose, Espo got up from his chair and clanged his beer mug loudly with a shot glass.

"Listen up people!" He shouted over the noise filled room. "I'd like to propose a toast.. To Beckett, my little sister.. I'd follow her through the gates of hell if she asked me to. I'd go after a known killer without backup if she asked me to. Hell, I'd give up my career if she asked me to and I nearly did." By now the place was silent every person hanging on each word spoken. "WE were the most successful team in NYPD history. In fact, if anyone deserves the credit, it's Castle. Yet where is he? Why are we celebrating you leaving us in his bar and he's 3,000 miles away? So lift you glasses and toast our fearless leader!" He lifted an empty shot glass and mimicked tossing back a drink."

Deming nearly fell out of his seat as he watched everything happen before him. He could hardly wait to call his benefactor and tell him that not only did Beckett break all ties with her partner and team, she caused enough ill feelings that they would probably never speak to each other again. The look of pure anger on Gates face combined with the shock on Beckett's was truly something he would never forget.

A detective from vice who had no idea who Kate was, but was well on his way to inebriation, called out. "To Beckett." and tossed back his drink. Everyone there looked away from Kate and returned to their conversations and drinks.

Kate could feel the vitriol in every word Esposito spoke as he looked at her with such anger. While she had expected something like this from her former teammate, Gate's speech and Ryan's words lulled her into a false sense of comfort. Kate suddenly felt the way Castle must have felt all those years ago when he came around cops. She wasn't one of them anymore. Kate recalled the way that she would look at outsiders from other agencies when they came onto her turf. And now she was one of them.

Kate was making excuses with captain Gates about needing to leave so she could tend to the things that needed to be done before she flew to DC, when she saw Lanie approaching her from the corner of her eye. Her body involuntarily stiffened as she prepared herself for another assault. She could see that the ME had been crying. "I'm so sorry Kate. Espo was totally out of line with what he said."

Kate reaches out to take the hand of the woman that had been her best friend for a decade. The person that she shared her deepest secrets with, most of them anyway. "That's ok Lanie. I understand."

"Well I don't Kate. You were my best friend. I've known you for over ten years. I thought that I knew everything about you. In all those years of knowing you, you never once mentioned wanting to leave the NYPD. You told me that you liked your job because you were making a difference. You told me that Castle was your 'one and done'.." She gestured to the table where her former teammates sat and sighed. "Those two knuckleheads loved you like a sister. Hell, I loved you like a sister." Lanie swallowed a sob and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye stopping herself from saying any more. She gave Kate a long look as if this would be the last time she ever saw her again. "Goodbye Kate. I hope you find what you're looking for.." Lanie turned away quickly and walked back to the table where Ryan and Espo were sitting. She wouldn't let Kate see her cry.

The finality of Lanie's goodbye shook Kate to her core. She quickly rose from her seat, thanked Gates for the send-off and nearly sprinted out of the door. She ran up the stairs, taking two at a time until she was out on the street. Kate hailed a cab and was back at her apartment in twenty minutes. She collapsed on the sofa, rubbing her eyes to keep from crying. She hadn't felt this alone since her mother died.

X-X-X

Richard Castle was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel keeping time with the music as he sang along to an oldie playing on the radio. He had been cruising northward on the PCH since early this morning. Looking to his left, he sees the sun starting to begin its descent on the western horizon. Seeing that he was beginning to become low on fuel, he stops at a gas station just outside Carmel. Rick asks Suri to locate any hotels nearby and calls the first one found to check for a vacancy. He finished fueling his car and uses the GPS to guide him to the hotel. Once he was checked in, Rick decided to walk around a bit to find a place for dinner. He only had to walk a couple of blocks until he found a quaint little Italian Pizzeria boasting New York style pies. Rick was seated on the patio where he could people watch as he drank one of the specialty beers being offered. As he couldn't order by the slice like New York, Rick opted for a small house special.

It was a beautiful evening the temperature was in the low sixties with a slight breeze. For the first time in nearly a year, he truly felt as if he was all alone in the world. His mother was who knows where in the Midwest doing summer stock, his daughter was in Costa Rica, and Kate.. All he could hope for was that she was happy with her choices. He assumed that Javi, Kevin and Lanie were all helping her with her big move. Rick knew that they had thrown her send-off at the Old Haunt. Rick had offered it to captain Gates when she called to invite him. If she was surprised that he was in California, Gates never let on to it. Rick politely declined her offer and suggested that they hold it at his bar. What sealed the deal with her was the offer of free drinks and snacks for anyone who came.

Gates was surprised by Rick's generous offer and thanked him. She then surprised Castle by asking if he planned on continuing his job as a consultant with the NYPD despite Beckett's departure. The captain then went on to say that she had seen first hand how his 'out of the box' thinking had helped solve several cases and that he shouldn't let his talent go to waste. Rick was truly touched by her sincere offer. He decided that she deserved the truth. Castle explained that he had committed to help on this movie and would probably be tied up with it through the summer, but if she still felt this way in the fall he would be glad to help out as his schedule permitted.

Rick honestly couldn't see himself ever returning to the 12th precinct. He loved the job and he'd miss working with Ryan and Esposito, but there are too many memories right now. Maybe with time he'll be able to come back, but not now. His thoughts were brought back to the present when the waitress brought out his pizza. While it was very good, it wasn't a New York pizza. He drank a second beer as he ate what he could of the pizza and asked for a box to take the leftovers.

He had to admit that what he saw of Carmel he found appealing. He had thought about moving away from New York when Alexis was younger for her sake. While he could never see himself in Los Angeles, his daughter would be much closer to her mother if he lived someplace in Northern California. He could write from anywhere, but the demands of his other job dictated that he be somewhere that he would stay in the public's eye. Who would suspect that he was an operative of the CIA when nearly every move he made was a matter of public record? Besides, people saw what they wanted to see.

X-X-X

Kate woke up on her couch with a throbbing headache. She only had to look at the empty bottle on the coffee table to find the reason. She staggered into the bathroom and grabbed a handful of aspirin as she made her way to the kitchen. Taking a bottle of water from the nearly empty refrigerator, she twisted off the cap and shoved the handful of pills into her mouth, draining the bottle. She cursed as she saw that it was already 6:00 am. Returning to the bathroom, Kate turns on the shower and brushes her teeth as she waits for it to warm up.

Feeling a little more human after the aspirin and the shower, she gathered up all of her belongings in the bathroom and carried them into the bedroom. She sorted out the items into the appropriate boxes for the movers. Kate quickly dressed and decided that she could make it to the corner coffee shop before the movers were due to arrive.

Twenty minutes later, she returned to her apartment with a large expresso in hand. Today would require maximum caffeine if she were to survive it. A crew of three movers arrived about fifteen minutes later. Loading all of the boxes onto carts followed by the furniture, they worked quickly and efficiently. She glances at the kitchen counter and sees the envelope sitting there with her name on it in Castle's handwriting. She was never able to work up the nerve to open it, afraid of what it may say. She picks it up and tucks the letter into one of the boxes that will be sent to storage. Maybe one day she'll work up the courage to read it. But today wasn't the day.

Three hours later the last of her belongings were being loaded onto a cart as she signed the paperwork. All that remained are the two suitcases that Kate would be living out of while she complete her training.

Beckett took what would be her final walk through the place that had been her home for over three years. Dragging her wheeled suitcases out the door, Kate made her way to the elevator and the ride to the lobby where she would leave the key with the building superintendent. Hailing a cab, the driver helped her load her luggage into the trunk. She had one final stop before her trip to the airport. She gave the driver directions and stared out of the window in silence wondering when she would see New York again.

Twenty minutes later, the cab pulls up to her destination. Beckett instructs the driver that she will be back in ten minutes or so and he simply nods in understanding. She walks to her mother's tombstone, gently placing her hand on it. "Mom, I'm sorry for not coming here in while, but things have been pretty crazy.." She chuckled at the thought but then continues. "But then again, you knew that already. You could always see the truth. I'm leaving for Washington DC. I've got a new job with the Attorney General's office, a special task force. I'm going to get justice for you mom. I have to. I've given up everything and everyone that I care about to do this.."

She sighed and raked her fingers through her hair. "They told me that I was putting everyone I cared about at risk by staying here with them. That I had to isolate myself from them. They all hate me mom. They think that I abandoned them. I'd rather that they all stay alive hating me rather than be dead. I was warned that although Bracken and I had a truce, that wouldn't stop him from coming at me sideways through my friends and family. I threw away the man that had been there for me the last five years. You would have loved Rick, I did." Kate laughed at the irony of her last statement as she wiped a tear from her eyes.

"Maybe someday mom, after we have Bracken put away for life, I can return and beg for everyone's forgiveness. I have no idea how long this will take, but I have nothing to lose now so I don't care." She placed a kiss on her fingertips and then the tombstone. "I love you mom. Look out for dad." Kate rose to her feet on shaky legs and returned to where the cab was waiting.

One month earlier:

The whole bomb incident had left Kate shaken to her core about everything except the devotion of one Richard Castle. Part of her wanted to hold him forever while the other part wanted to smack him upside his head for putting his life at risk for her. It was a foolish act that could have cost Martha a son and Alexis a father and she would forever feel guilty for it despite the outcome. It wasn't the first time that Rick had put himself in harm's way for her and she was sure that it wouldn't be the last.

Kate sat at her desk looking at a report from a case they just closed. It was open and shut. A 'Jack shot Jill over Bill' case as Espo like to call them. Her mind kept drifting back to the image of her standing alone in the bomber's apartment knowing that she was about to die. Of all the things that she could have been thinking about at the time, the thought of never seeing Bracken brought to justice disturbed her the most.

She was interrupted from her thoughts by the ringing of her cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and saw only a number from Washington DC. She swiped her finger across the screen to answer and simply stated her last name.

"Detective Beckett, my name is Charles Cochran and I am a special agent working for the Attorney General's task force on corruption in office. I am in New York for the day and was wondering if I could speak to you about a case that we are working on?"

Kate's defenses came up immediately. 'Why would anyone think that I could help on a political corruption case?' "I'm sorry, but I'm a homicide detective and I don't know any politicians other than the mayor. Are you sure you want to talk to me?"

"Absolutely Ms Beckett." Cochran replies without hesitation. "You may be holding the key to bringing Senator William Bracken to justice.." He paused for a few seconds before continuing. "I've reserved a conference room here at 1PP. I would like to meet with you and discuss this case in detail. Can you be here by noon?"

Kate wasn't sure how to react to his question. Part of her wanted to jump at the chance to put Bracken away for all of the things that he has done. The timing of this seemed a little off to her. Curious to hear what his pitch was and how much information the agent actually had she agreed to the meeting.

"Detective Beckett, one more thing. Do not discuss this call or our meeting with anyone. I'll explain why when we meet face to face. Understand?"

Kate agreed and ended the call. Glancing at the clock on the wall in the bullpen, she sees that it is already 11:15. Ryan and Espo were meeting with the assistant DA regarding their testimony in an upcoming case and Castle was tied up with his publisher all day. Grabbing her purse and jacket, she walked to the sign-out board and wrote in 1PP. Since the tiger case, Gates had become a stickler about everyone signing out for where they were going while on the clock.

Traffic was fairly light for this time of the day and she was able to get there in fifteen minutes. She pulled her cruiser into the visitor parking area and took the elevator to the lobby. Kate identified herself to the receptionist and was told where she was to go for her meeting. A few minutes later she was sitting in one of the smaller conference rooms adjacent to the office of Federal Agency liaison.

Kate had been sitting in the empty room nervously shaking her leg and staring at the walls for what seemed like hours, but was only a couple of minutes when the door opened. In walked agent Cochran with a smile and a folder in his hand. He was a walking example of the word nondescript – average height, slightly overweight and balding. Nothing striking about his features and his poorly fitting blue suit looked like it had been slept in. He extended his hand as he approached where she was seated.

"Detective Beckett, Charlie Cochran. It's a pleasure to meet you." Kate rose from her seat and shook his hand giving him the once over as he spoke. She had worked with Federal agents in the past and his smile was less than sincere, but wrote it off to his attempt at professionalism. Kate returned a lukewarm smile as he gestured for her to return to her seat.

"Detective, I have been working on a small secret task force investigating Senator William Bracken for nearly six months. I work directly for the AG and no one under him knows anything about it. It appears that some information obtained from a Michael Smith is what prompted all of this. I believe that you know him?"

Kate's body tensed at the mention of Smith. She had only met him the one time at the hospital just before his 'death', but knew that Rick had been in contact with him for nearly a year before that. "I tried to question him once at the hospital after he had been beaten and tortured. He died before he got the chance to say anything to me."

Cochran slid an 8X10 photo of the man she knew of as Cole Maddox in front of her. He sat there silent as he watched her reaction to the photo. "The man on the photograph is named William Sanders. You may of known his as Cole Maddox. He was an ex navy seal dishonorably discharged from the military about ten years ago. Maddox was a contract assassin, his specialty was long range kills with a sniper rifle. We were able to confirm that he was killed in New York city about nine months ago when there was an explosion in a building owned by Mr Smith. From the police reports, it appears that you, a Richard Castle, and a Javier Esposito were all walking by the building just as the explosion happened.." He sat there and watched to see what type of reaction Kate had to the information.

Kate listened carefully as he spoke and tried to school her features. There was no accusation when he talked about the three of them being near the building where Maddox just happened to die in. "Yes, we were outside the building when the explosion happened. Detective Esposito called 911 as soon as he heard the blast."

"That's a strange place for the three of you to just be out for a stroll.. The information I have stated that you and Detective Esposito were under suspension at the time.. Look, I'm not here to judge. I know that Maddox was suspected of your shooting and Smith's beating." He appeared to be reading something in his folder before continuing. "What exactly is Richard Castle's role with you detective?"

The way that Cochran said 'you' instead of your team or the NYPD, implied that he thought that it was more than a professional arrangement. Kate couldn't help but feel as if her privacy was being invaded. Deciding that she would say no more than needed until she had a better idea why the agent was here, she replied. "Mr Castle has been a civilian consultant with the NYPD for the last five years. But you know that already. Why am I here exactly?"

Cochran smiles. "Direct and to the point. I like that. Well detective, it appears that when Mr Smith contacted the Attorney General before his untimely death, he said that he had passed on critical evidence that could convict the Senator. He said that he gave this evidence to you.."

Kate couldn't help but think that Cochran was a flunky working for Bracken trying to see just how much damaging evidence she actually had on him. "Smith never gave me with a damn thing.. Do you think that I'd be sitting her talking to you if I had the goods to put him away?" She paused trying to reel in her anger from what appears to be a feeble attempt to extract information from her. "So far I've been the one answering questions. Why are you here?"

Cochran listened to the anger in Kate's voice as she spoke. He knew that he was going to have to give her information if he wanted her cooperation. "Ok detective cards on the table. Sign this." He slides a piece of paper across the table to her. "It's a non-disclosure agreement that states if you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about anything that I say from this point in time forward, you will be spending more than a few years in a Federal prison. Do you understand?"

Kate scans the document quickly and everything appears to be in order before she takes the proffered pen and signs. Cochran continues. "As you know, there was an attempt on the senator's life here in New York a couple of months ago. I had been working the case for a few months before this happened. I found out that you actually saved Bracken's life. Based upon the fact that you had a confrontation with him a few months earlier, I was surprised to see you saving his life."

"I was just doing my job, nothing more."

"We know that the Senator is making a serious run at the White House. We also know that there are things in his past that if came out in public could seriously hamper his chances."

Kate fought the urge to cry out 'You've got to be shitting me!' At the way Cochran danced around the things that Bracken has been involved with.

The agent continues. "I'm here for two reasons. The first and most important is that we believe that you, your friends and family may become targets for him if he decides to tie up loose ends. Second, I feel that you would be a valuable asset on my team. You will need to sever any connections with these people to protect them. As there are too many prying eyes in the AG's office, I need to develop a plan that will get you away from everyone here and then onto my team." He paused and looked at her to see if she understood what he was asking of her.

"It may take some time to put everything together, but I need to know now if you are interested. You cannot discuss this with anyone. Do you understand?"

Kate simply nodded. She sat there and thought about everything that had been discussed. If what he said was true, all of her friends and family could be collateral damage as part of a Bracken clean-up effort. She also knew that Rick would jump head first into the fray and worry about the danger later. 'Too many innocent people had already died supporting Bracken's quest for power. It's time to end it, one way or another.' Kate thought.

"I'll do it, whatever it takes." Kate replies.

"Excellent." Cochran comments. "I'll start the process as soon as I return to Washington. You will be approached by another agent who will discuss a possible career with the Attorney General. I don't know how long it will take before he contacts you. We don't want anyone to be able to trace you to me understood?" Kate nods her head and he continues. "You will be treated like any other agent and after an appropriate period of time, I'll bring you on my task force. No one else in the AG's office will know anything about this meeting."

The agent paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "Because we know that the Senator has people everywhere, it is critical that no one knows what is happening. That includes friends, family, and significant others. It is vital to your role with this team that you sever all ties to everyone when you leave New York. The less that they know about this, the safer they are. Once all this is over and Bracken's behind bars, you can either return to the NYPD, or remain with the AG's office. It will be your choice." He started to get up from his seat and extended his hand to her as he slid a burner phone to her. "I must be going. If you need to contact me for any reason, use this phone. It's untraceable." Cochran shook her hand and walked out of the office leaving a stunned Kate Beckett in his wake.

'She's in' was all he texted on his phone as he walked out to the elevator.