Disclaimer: The show Castle and its characters are owned by ABC and are the creation of Andrew W Marlowe. I just like the show and characters so much that my imagination comes up with these other worlds for them to experience.
Commissioner Hayward's Office, One Police Plaza – One week after the Otisville case
Commissioner Hayward looks across his desk at Chief Barnes and Chief of Detectives Chavez as they share one of their regular informal coffee meetings. He notices the slightly smug look on CoD Chavez's face and while he has his suspicions on its source he decides to ask the man about it.
"What's got you looking so pleased, Joe? The clearance figures up again this month?" Hayward asks casually.
Chavez gives him a small smile as he responds, "Oh, I was just remembering the fine steak dinner the wife and I had last night courtesy of our FBI friends and in particular SAC Reynolds."
"So you cashed in your bet did you, Joe?" asks Chief Barnes seated next to him.
"Bet?" asks Hayward with an arched eyebrow.
Chavez's smile gets wider, "Reynolds bet me that Captain Beckett-Castle's Special Investigation Taskforce not only would not be able to solve their first case but that they would have to call in the FBI for help. While the feds were called in the S.I.T. solved the whole thing, including freeing those kidnapped children and uncovering that attempted sabotage at WayTech Industries all before the FBI could take over. All they ended up doing is the clean-up. He tried to worm his way out of it but in the end he paid up and my wife and I enjoyed a very tasty and expensive meal last night all on his dime."
"Yes, well while I'm glad you and your wife were able to be fed at SAC Reynolds expense, I must say that I could have barely expected such a quick resolution to the taskforce's first major case. Not to mention the significance of what they discovered in regards the sabotage at WayTech," says Haywards with his own pleasure evident in his voice.
"Yeah, Jack Clancy, rang me the other day and sang the taskforce's praises as well," adds Chief Barnes. "And that attempted sabotage has caused quite the stir in DC. It's quite a feather in Beckett-Castle's cap that her team uncovered it all before it could cause any real damage."
"Yes, pity we couldn't get representation on the federal taskforce that his taking forward the investigation into who is behind it but I at least got a commitment from the FBI Director that the S.I.T. will be kept in the loop on what they find through their FBI liaison," Hayward tells them.
"Reynolds isn't happy about that either," says a continuing smug CoD Chavez. "Apparently, the federal taskforce will have their information go straight to the S.I.T. bypassing him and his field office. My sources say that really pisses him off but they also tell me some other interesting things."
Chavez pauses for a moment before telling them in a conspiratorial tone, "They tell me that Reynolds is on the way out soon. He's going to get a sideways transfer somewhere else and part of it has been because he hasn't made a secret of how he thinks the S.I.T. should be under federal control. The Otisville case made the taskforce both some friends and enemies in DC. The DOD aren't happy that a taskforce of local cops uncovered such a major security breech on their watch. However, both the CIA and NSA were more than happy this was uncovered by our team. Funnily enough it seems the Castles have their own friends in those agencies. Apparently even some of the hierarchy at the FBI are looking with grudging respect at the S.I.T. after this which is why Reynolds previous attitude has him on the outs."
"I'm glad to hear that the taskforce has earned some respect with our federal colleagues. A case like this could have had the taskforce stepping on a lot of toes but I think the quick resolution and the uncovering something that could have had such serious ramifications for national security helped to minimise any feelings of territory being poached," says Hayward.
"Oh, there's still some hurt feelings in DC, particularly with the DOD, as I said, but as the feds have now taken over the case they feel they have control now so hopefully they'll forget all that and focus on going forward. Regardless the whole thing has made the S.I.T. and the department look very good," says a very pleased Chavez.
"It's a feather in your cap as well, David," says Chief Barnes. "You came up with the whole idea for the taskforce in the first place. Perhaps Reynolds should have bought you that steak dinner."
"Ha, no I'll leave that kind of thing to Joe here," responds Hayward pleasantly but then continues with some satisfaction. "But it is gratifying to know that this idea of mine has worked out so well. Let's just hope Captain Beckett-Castle and her team can continue as they started and keep being the asset I knew they would be."
The Upstate New York Estate of Giles Huntington
"Are you sure they will keep their mouths shut?" Giles Huntington asks the man seated in the armchair across from the one he is seated in next to the roaring fireplace in his study.
"Yes, sir," replies Harry Su, the half Caucasian half Asian head of his special projects, emphatically. "The contractors were all paid handsomely with the incarceration bonuses coming into effect to ensure their silence. That and the knowledge of what will happen to them and their families if they do talk will guarantee they won't."
"What about that hacker…..Singh? Our clients in Europe are not happy that he exposed their plan. They paid very well for that little addition to be added to those computer chips and now I'll have to pay them back because we weren't able to deliver. He's cost me and them a lot of time and money. Could he be a further risk to us?" Huntington asks pointedly.
"He knows nothing about us or the clients in Europe. He was subcontracted by the mercenaries so he knows nothing that could link to us. As to whether we can do something about him, he's now in witness protection but, as you know, we have our ways around that. If you order it I'll have him eliminated," offers Su.
Huntington thinks for a moment before answering, "No, leave him for now. As you said he knows nothing about us and if there is one mistake that Bill Bracken made is that he was a bit too quick to kill someone he deemed a threat, even if they were only a minor one. If you start leaving bodies around unnecessarily then people start asking questions and sometimes the ones asking the questions are sufficiently motivated to be a real threat themselves."
"Turns out he was right to at least try and take out that Beckett woman. If not for what she did to him ultimately and now what her and her team have done to us. It goes to show that you were right, sir, to keep an eye on both her and her husband," raised Su.
"Yes, I was right to keep those two under observation I just didn't expect them to interfere with one of my plans so soon after she gave up the idea of going into politics," comments Huntington ruefully.
He remembers the discussion he had in this very room with Carl Shelton about the political aspirations of Katherine Beckett-Castle. He'd been pleased when she'd made her decision not to run but take promotion instead. Now, in hindsight, he should have been more concerned when she took command of the tristate taskforce with her husband. As he'd always thought those two together have an uncanny knack for uncovering the truth. He's going to have to increase his monitoring of the couple to try and ensure they don't interfere with one of his plans again.
"Any luck getting a source on their taskforce?" he asks Su.
The man shakes his black haired head negatively, "Not yet, sir. None of the team members have weaknesses that we can see that we can exploit. For the moment I'm relying on our contact at 1PP and the existing contact I have in the 12th precinct but they aren't directly involved with the taskforce so they can only give me second hand information. I will continue my efforts so that what happened in Otisville doesn't happen again."
"See that you do. I would rather be warned of any actions they take that could affect my operations rather than have to take any more direct action against them. Again that will only draw attention to me. But if they do look like they are getting even a little close about knowing about me I want to know so that I can take the appropriate action," Huntington tells him sternly.
"Of, course, sir," responds Su deferentially.
"Very well, Su that will be all," he dismisses the man.
With a further deferential nod the man rises from his chair and leaves the room. As the door shuts behind his employee Huntington looks into the flames of the fire in front of him without really seeing them.
That's because his thoughts are still dwelling on Katherine Beckett-Castle and Richard Castle. He doesn't want to fixate on them like Bracken did to the woman but their recent actions have, yet again, foiled one of his projects. Embarrassingly, one that he was carrying out on behalf of some important overseas contacts. He takes no pleasure at being proven right in his instinct to keep watch on the NYPD Captain and the writer turned NYPDA Detective. If anything it just strengthens his resolve to do everything he can to make sure they don't get near one of his projects again.
As he'd thought before he has to make sure he keeps a close eye on that couple.
Outside The Old Haunt – Evening
"I'm sorry, man, but there's nothing new I can tell you," says the voice from the cell phone at Kent's ear.
"No, new leads? What about the money? All those guns and somebody had to be paying for them?" Kent asks disbelievingly at his friend on the other end of the line. As he makes his plea down the phone Kent moves aside for privacy as four young college age guys pass him on their way to the entrance of the bar nearby.
"Look, Dave. You know the whole thing was handed over to Abercrombie's team and from my buddy there he said they tried following the money but it led nowhere. Some offshore account that closed the moment you and Maloney stumbled across that meeting. There's nothing new. The guys you smoked were all ghosts. No records and all their ID's were fake. Again, my buddy said that the guns were all stolen from a National Guard Armoury a month ago but the feds have no leads on the crew that did it. You know all this before you left for your taskforce job. Since then the trail's gone cold," says Detective Paul Evans, Kent's friend from the Academy who is keeping tabs on the investigation into his partner's death for him back in New Jersey.
Kent makes a frustrated sigh and his friend continues, "I know it's hard, Dave, but you have to try and put it behind you. Maloney's gone and nothing you can do will bring him back. I'll keep tabs on the investigation and if anything new comes up I'll be sure to let you know but for now concentrate on your new job. From what I heard you guys did real good on your first case. You should be out celebrating with your new team. Concentrating on the future, not the past."
"Yeah, I know. You're right. Thanks, Paul, I owe you but do let me know if you hear anything more," Kent asks, almost pleads again, of his friend.
"Sure thing, man.….Hey, I gotta go. Next time you have a day off let me know and we'll grab a drink, but back home. I'm not paying Manhattan prices," jokes Evans.
Kent looks up at the green canopy of the bar that he is standing out the front of and responds, "Oh, don't worry about that. I've found a place here where I can get a pretty good discount. See you, Paul."
"Bye, Dave," signs off Evans.
The call done he puts his cell phone in his jacket and stands there going over his friend's words. He hasn't been able to let it go despite what his friend Paul has just said. Captain Beckett-Castle was right when he met her and when she called him out during the Otisville case. He was and still is investigating. For all the good it's doing him.
As Paul had just said there is nothing new. Nothing for him to follow. No trail from the money, the guns or the guys he killed that leads to anyone else. He is just so frustrated.
Back in his apartment, in Jersey, he's set up a case board at the back of the wardrobe in his bedroom. Every morning as he gets ready for work and the commute into Manhattan and the 12th he goes over what he's got. Unfortunately because there hasn't been anything new for a while he's memorized everything on that board and his frustration stems from that and that he can't see where to go next.
Kent looks up again at the green canopy that shelters the steps leading down to the entrance of The Old Haunt. It's the end of the week and Esposito and Ryan have brought rest of the taskforce here for some cooling down drinks after a busy week.
When they got back from Otisville the taskforce had immediately been given two separate murder cases to solve. Apparently the transition of the homicide squad from the 12th to the 15th precinct was taking longer than expected so the taskforce had been asked to take on a couple of cases that would have been under the 12th's old homicide squad's jurisdiction.
The Captain had divided the team members equally between each case, the robbery homicide of a liquor store clerk for the night's takings and the strangulation murder of a mother of two in SoHo. Now, at the end of the week, both cases are closed.
Kent had been on the team with Esposito, Ryan and Gibson that had arrested the disaffected former employee of the liquor store whose job the victim had taken. The Captain, Castle, Kaminski and Douglas had arrested the neighbour who was having an affair with the SoHo woman's husband.
They'd all worked hard to finish the cases so quickly and so Esposito and Ryan had suggested they all cool off here at the bar that Castle owns. They're mostly all inside now, winding down over some drinks. The Captain had apologised but she had some admin work to finish before she could clock off for the day and so couldn't join them. Castle had been with them for one drink but then had left saying that he had some writing he had to get to but telling them all that their drinks were at the same discount that Esposito and Ryan received.
Kent had ducked out to call his friend not soon after Castle left, when Esposito had challenged Kaminski to some one on one pool and Ryan had gone with them to cheer on his partner. Then he'd left Douglas and Gibson having a discussion over some new network TV show involving the FBI and Gibson quizzing Douglas over its accuracy or lack thereof.
He better get back to them. Try to do as his friend suggests and put his partner's death behind him. At least for one night.
As he slowly makes his way down the concrete steps he thinks, maybe he can team up with Kaminski against Esposito and Ryan at pool. Winner buys the next round.
The Old Haunt – Inside
Alexis sits in the booth next to her friends from Colombia, Melanie, Tegan, Clara and Susan. With the end of the week they all decided to go out and have a couple of drinks. Being twenty-one but all still college students trying to live off their various allowances or part-time jobs Alexis had brought them all the way here, to her Dad's bar, where they could take advantage of her family discount.
She drinks for free, of course, under the strict instructions from her Dad that she not overindulge. While she never has and never would and she knows he trusts her she wouldn't have put it past him to have given instructions to the bar staff to cut them off if her or her friends have too much.
Another appealing reason for coming here is that The Old Haunt is a safe place, having essentially become a cop bar with the number of people from the 12th and surrounding precincts that now patronize it and who know both her dad and her step-mother. None of them had felt like fending off the attentions of the usual parade of frat boys that always try to pick them up when they go out to the bars near the campus. So she'd suggested the trek here where they could drink cheaply and not be bothered.
The sight of the four young men pushing their way into the bar immediately has Alexis re-evaluating her pervious thoughts. What's worse is that she recognises them. They are all in her class and their presence here can't be a coincidence.
"What are they doing here?" Alexis asks to her friends as she indicates towards the group that, having seen the group of girls at the table are making their way over to them.
The short, dark haired Clara has the good grace to blush as she says, "Oh, they must have seen my tweet about us coming here. I recognise Jason Delaney, he's one of my followers."
"Yeah, and I recognise another one of them, Todd Johnson. I did not want to see him tonight," grumbles the brown, curly haired Tegan next to her.
Alexis knows why Tegan is grumbling. Todd asked her out once and she said yes. The date was a disaster. The guy was all hands so Tegan had turned down his offer of a second date. Unfortunately he wouldn't take no for an answer and kept showing up and arrogantly acting as if their going out again was a forgone conclusion. That was all despite the numerous times Tegan had shot him down.
He'd started showing up at so many of the same places that Tegan did that, when her friend had told her about it, Alexis had suggested to her that she report him for stalking. Avoiding running into him was another reason why Alexis suggested they come to The Old Haunt.
Before Alexis can suggest they get up and leave the group of young men have arrived and are standing in a semi-circle at the end of their table.
The one, from Tegan's description, that is Todd speaks with faux charm to the group sitting at the table, "Well, ladies, fancy seeing you all here so far from the campus. Why don't you all shift around and we'll join you."
As one the group of girls look stony faced back at the boys standing at the end of their table as Tegan responds icily, "Look, Todd, for the thousandth time I'm not interested. We're here for a quiet drinks by ourselves. If we wanted any company we would have asked for it so if you don't mind why don't you go find another table. Or better yet, another bar."
"Oh, come on, Teegs. You know you want me. Why don't we have a couple of drinks and then we can find somewhere private to get to know each other better," Todd says to Tegan with a leer.
"She said she wasn't interested, Todd. Why don't you take the hint and leave us alone," chimes in Alexis in defence of her friend.
"I'm not talking to you, red. So why don't you mind your own business," Todd turns on Alexis angrily banging his closed fist on the table in front of her making all the girls around the table flinch as the glasses of wine on their table jump from the impact.
At that two of the other guys crowd closer to the table as if to screen what is going on to the rest of the bar. The one that Clara had identified as being her twitter follower, however, is looking nervously at what is going on has stepped up to Todd, putting an arm on his shoulder as he whispers, "Hey, man, I just came here for a good time not to get heavy."
Todd shrugs off the guys arm and says, "That's what we're here for, a good time, and that's what these sluts are going to give us."
Before Alexis can let arrogant sleaze bag know exactly what she thinks of him the voice of a woman comes from behind Todd as she says, "There a problem here, gentlemen?"
The 'gentlemen' has been delivered with undisguised irony from a blond haired woman in a white blouse and black pants suit in her late twenties that Alexis can now see standing behind the group of guys. Joining the woman from the booth next to the one Alexis is sitting at is a slightly younger looking African American woman in dark jeans, red blouse and a black leather jacket.
"Stay out of this, lady. We're just joining our friends here for a night on the town," counters Todd looking the blond haired woman up and own and dismissing her as a secretary or some other office worker.
"Actually it sounded like the young ladies here didn't want anything to do with you so why don't you take the hint and leave," suggests the younger black woman.
At that Todd, a good couple of inches taller than both women, takes a step forward, into the personal space of the younger woman and hisses at her, "Why don't you leave before you get hurt."
The young black woman stares up unflinchingly at Todd as she says calmly, "I suggest you step off before you are the one to get hurt, buddy."
As the woman says that Alexis notices, as the woman's jacket moves slightly, the badge on the woman's hip. She glances at the blond woman and from where she is sitting she sees a familiar bulge under the woman's jacket. A bulge she's seen many times under Kate's when she is wearing her gun.
Not wanting there to be a scene in her Dad's bar Alexis chimes in with a warning that she honestly knows the thug standing toe to toe with the black woman will probably ignore but she has to try, "Todd, I think you should just go home. You don't want to do anything stupid here and get kicked out of school."
Todd throws a contemptuous look over his shoulder at Alexis as he says, "I said mind your own business, red. I don't care what you think."
"Look, sir," says the blond woman with an unmistakably authoritative tone who now puts her hands on her hips, opening her jacket and clearly displaying the badge on her hip. "I suggest you step back from my colleague and do as the young lady says and go home before we arrest you."
It's almost comical to Alexis as she watches Todd's eyes go wide at the sight of the gold badge on the woman's hip and the gun that now can also be seen under her jacket. Just as Todd takes a stumbling step back from the younger woman she likewise puts her hands on her hips, displaying her badge.
"Need a hand there, Douglas…Oh, hey, Little Castle," comes the familiar voice of Detective Esposito as he steps up to the group holding a pool cue. Alexis sees Detective Ryan stepping up behind him and he gives her a nod of recognition. Another tall, muscular man with short blond hair who is holding a pool cue like Detective Esposito joins them and is looking at the group of young men sternly.
"Nothing we can't handle, Espo," responds the blond woman confidently while looking contemptuously at the now shitting themselves group of college students standing in front of them.
"As I was telling Todd here, Detective Esposito, I think it is time for him and his friends to leave but they weren't listening," chimes in Alexis putting emphasis on the word Detective to let Todd know the maganitude of his mistake.
At that Ryan, now standing next to his partner, gives a slight laugh as he says, "Boy are you guys dumb. Not only are you picking a fight with a bunch of cops in a cop bar but that young woman there you're harassing." He indicates towards Alexis, "Both her father and step-mother are cops. Cops we all work with so if you guys don't want to spend the weekend in the Tombs I suggest you get the hell out of here."
Esposito gives his own contemptuous up and down appraisal of the young men in front of him before he says gruffly, "Yeah why don't you hit the bricks before your mamma's come looking for you."
This time Alexis has to stifle a giggle as the four young men almost fall over their feet in their haste to retreat from the group of police officers now almost surrounding them. Todd manages to stammer out, "Y..ye..s, sir….Y..yes, m..aam." As he and his three friends flee back out of the bar.
Passing the scrambling men on their way out a tall black haired man now joins the group standing at the end of Alexis' table and asks curiously, "What'd I miss?"
The Loft
Castle sits at the desk in his study, his eyes scanning the lines he has just written on the laptop screen in front of him. As he finishes reading he hears the sound of the front door close soon followed by the familiar clack of his wife's high heels on the hardwood floor approaching.
A moment later the beautiful sight of Kate, in her pale blue work dress, appears in the doorway. She stops there, folds her arms across her chest and rests one shoulder against the door jam.
With a small smile she asks, "Hey, get much done?"
Castle leans back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head to get the kinks out of his back after being hunched over his laptop for the last hour or so. He gives her an answering smile as he replies, "Yeah, finished a chapter. I was just going over it. Get your paperwork done?"
Nodding she responds, "Mmm, hmm. Want to join me for a wine or are you in the zone?"
"Oh, no, a wine with my lovely wife sounds just the thing. Time for a break anyway," he tells her.
"Ok, I'll get our drinks. Meet me in the living room," and with that she pushes off from the doorway, turns and disappears back into the living room.
Castle takes a moment to save the chapter he just wrote before closing the laptop and following Kate into the living room. He joins her at the kitchen island as she is pouring out two glasses of their favourite cabernet. Once a sufficient amount of the red liquid is in the glasses he snags one just as she picks up hers. Together they walk over to the couch and sit down, him in one corner and her sitting right next to him, their hips and thighs pressed together.
He looks into Kate's eyes as she does his as they clink their glasses together in salute before they both take a sip. All the while they don't break their eye contact.
Castle keenly observes Kate as she rolls the wine around her mouth for a moment to savour before swallowing it and the faint rush of blood to her cheeks as the heat of this particular wine has its usual effect on her. She sees him watching her reaction and the blush of her cheeks deepens and she breaks their eye contact as she looks down and away from a second, but only for a second. For it only takes her that long before she has regained a measure of her usual control and she is looking back up at him.
"Did you end up going for a drink with everyone?" she asks him.
"One. Gina has been on my back about being behind on my chapters since I started as an Auxiliary Detective so I didn't stay for more. Anyway, I've still got a lot of great ideas running around in my head after the Otisville case I just had to get something down," he tells her enthusiastically.
Kate reaches over with her free hand and cards it through his hair, "You always have plenty of stuff running around in that big head of yours, Castle. Sometimes I wonder how it all fits, what with your ego and all," she teases him belying the gentleness with which she is running her fingers through his hair.
"I think you appreciate that it's not only my ego that is big, Kate," he ripostes back at her with a salacious look.
One of her dazzling smiles, the one where her whole face lights up, graces her lips before she responds, "Oh, yeah. I do appreciate it."
They share a moment of silence as they each take another sip of their wines. This time Castle reaches over with his free hand to stroke her thigh next to him that has become mostly exposed as her dress has ridden up when she sat down.
Kate jerks suddenly as if she's suddenly remembered something, "Oh, babe. I heard from Deputy Chief Gates tonight after you left. Looks like the taskforce is to get a commendation for what we did in Otisville."
"That's great, Kate!" he congratulates her squeezing her thigh in emphasis. "It's no more than you deserve."
"WE deserve, babe," she counters. "Everyone worked so well together. More so than I thought would have been possible on our first case and with such different backgrounds and personalities involved. Then there's you. I don't think we would have closed the case as quickly or successfully without you."
Castle gives a huff in self-deprecation, "As you said, Kate, everyone played their part. I was just a part of the team. No different than before I got my star."
Kate gives him a sincere look, "Castle, not that you didn't before but now that you're an Auxiliary Detective you contribute so much to our cases. Like I said when you got the Poe's Pen Award, I am so very proud of you for becoming the first Auxiliary Detective. All the work you did to get there, the time you've taken from your writing and the commitment you've shown to the job since you qualified, I appreciate it all, immensely."
"I did it for you, you know, Kate," he tells her just as sincerely.
"I know and I will be forever grateful that my husband and partner in crime and life will be by my side, solving crimes for as long as we are able. Because that is what I truly want, always," Kate tells him her voice heavy with affection.
Castle reaches for her hand that is in his hair and, once their hands down in front of them and interlocked, he looks deeply into her eyes and with his own conviction and affection says, "That's what I want too, Kate. To be by your side. Always."
XXXX
A/N: There you have it. The end of the first story in this universe. Bit long for an epilogue but once I started writing a couple of these scenes I couldn't cut them down. Yes, I had to use the 'A' word to finish the story. I am conscious of trying not to overuse Caskett's signature word in what I write. I have other stories in mind in this universe which I should, hopefully, have out next year sometime. Just don't ask me when.
Thank you all very much to everyone that has read, followed, favorited and reviewed this story. It has been the most popular and well received of all the work I have done on this site so far and I am humbly grateful.
In case I don't get anything else out before the end of the year and if you do celebrate at this time of year I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. If you don't celebrate at this time of year I still offer my best wishes for the coming year.
Thanks again from Suggarush71!