Fate's Surprises

Chapter 7 - Probationary Detective Beckett

One item that Kate knew about concerning her recent promotion to Homicide Detective, was that she now needed to upgrade her wardrobe. All Homicide Detectives worked in plain clothes, so she needed to add to her personal wardrobe for new work attires, as she no longer needed to be in uniform; except for special events or ceremonies. Being a uniform and wearing the attire of a beat cop had been easy on her wardrobe. She always knew what to wear to work each day. It was a no brainer and so easy.

No longer!

She had to think now of what she would purchase for the new position. Kate needed more button-down formal shirts, several formal slacks and dress jeans. Pants suits for more formal attire such as court appearances, briefs at 1PP, and similar such events. These items also had to be mix and match so her attire would appear new and appealing with each wear and so as not to become the same outfit repeated over time. Mix and match allowed her to extend her work outfits, so they appeared to be a different style with each wear and not become the same appearance over time. Mix and match gave her dozens of looks and kept her wardrobe seemingly fresh and different each time.

Somehow when she called Castle to announce her promotion to detective with him, the topic of uniforms for detectives came up. She replied she needed to go shopping for more new work clothes items, shoes, coats, etc as detectives used plain clothes. Her wardrobe is enough just for her off hours events, but not enough for her 'plain clothes' at work to cover for a week.

Castle had volunteered to accompany her on the much-needed shopping spree. His reasons for being with her on the shopping tour, as he stated to Kate, was to care for Lily as Kate tried on various dress outfits for the new job, and also to serve as fashion critic on the dress items that she ultimately chose to buy. It was an obvious attempt by Rick to be with her and spend time together over the coming weekend. Secretly, Rick also knew that the shopping would lead to a logical reason for dinner with Kate and his daughter after the shopping is done. It was a date without appearing as a date.

So both were mutually happy to have an excuse to be together as neither wanted to appear over eager about being in each other's company. Kate accepted Rick's generous offer to be her shopping mate. It would be a non-date date, if that even made sense.

As Kate tried on various outfits, Rick could not help but admire how gorgeously beautiful and sexy her appearance with each dress item she donned. She would show Rick the outfit behaving like a fashion model on the runway, but with him as the sole male observer. The criteria for choosing a particular dress item to purchase was if it brought about a unanimous decision by her fashion judges, Lily and Rick.

Kate finally decided on some eight outfits, one for each day of the week, and then some, but these outfits also let she mix and match. This gave Kate more than seven different looks that she could show off at the precinct. When Kate went to charge for her choices, she was surprised to learned Rick had already paid for them with his own charge card.

"Rick, I will not have you pay for these purchases. I am perfectly capable of paying for them myself!"

"I know that Kate, but consider this as my promotion gift to you and besides that, I get points for my purchases. So you are helping me get points, it works out well for the both of us."

Seeing the earnest in Rick to give her a gift for becoming detective, she relented and said to him, "Well, okay, then, I appreciate the gift."

"Thank you, but the gift is not complete without a celebratory dinner later?"

"Rick Castle, is this your way of being on a date with me!", she feigned indignantly, " All this time that was your goal, admit it!"

"You got me Kate, was I that obvious?"

"Yes, but in your sly Ninja way. Still I will gladly accept the invitation to dine with you."

"Daddy may I have chocolate ice cream for dessert", his daughter asked upon hearing about the invitation for dinner.

"Yes you may Lily. As a note for future dinners after a shopping spree, I will abandon my Ninja ways and simply ask."

To his reply, she gives him a Beckett eye roll and glare. The response is one that Rick is getting to know so well.

Just then Lily speaks up, "Mommy and Daddy, I'm hungry, can we eat soon."

"Well, there is the second vote on accepting your dinner invite Rick. Our daughter needs to be feed."

Rick calls his car service and they head to a favorite restaurant where Rick had placed reservations for them. They choose Italian and Lily especially liked the spaghetti. After the dinner, they have dessert which was gelato for all of them, but chocolate for Lily. Rick and Kate finished it off with an after-dinner coffee. The dinner date ended well and when Rick took them home, as he departs, Kate gives him a good night kiss. It was a perfect ending to their shopping spree.

Bedtime

Kate gets Lily ready for bed, making sure her daughter took her bath and put on her PJ's. As she tucks in her daughter, they begin a mother-daughter talk.

"Mommy, how come Daddy Rick does not stay with us? My other friends' fathers stay with them except for Jennifer, her dad is divorced from her mommy. Are you and Daddy Rick divorced and that is why he does not stay with us?"

'Oh God', thinks Kate, this is a talk she had been avoiding with Lily.

"No, Lily, mom and Daddy Rick are not divorced. He divorced his first wife."

"Lexy's mom?"

"Yes!"

"So can he live with us now and can Lexy also? I want to have Daddy Rick and Lexy with us!"

"We are working on that Lily. Daddy Rick and mommy are just starting to see each other again so we are just starting to find out if we are right to stay together."

"Is that because Uncle Tommy wants to also stay with us?"

'Oh my God', thinks Kate, 'she's only six years old, how did she come up with that thought?'

Ignoring her surprise, she answers Lily, "Well Uncle Tommy and mom are good friends, just like with Daddy Rick, and we are trying to learn who we should stay with."

"I wanna stay with Daddy Rick and Lexy. I want to have my big sister with me. She said that we can share Daddy Rick now that she knows about me. Why did I not know about Lexy before?"

"Well mommy and Daddy Rick got separated while your father was divorcing his first wife."

"But why do people divorce?"

"Well, sometimes they change and do not want to stay together any more."

"Is that what happened with Daddy Rick's first wife and why he did not stay with us, because he was with Lexy's mom?"

"Yes that is part of it."

"I don't understand all of it mommy."

"You're still young and will only learn about it when you are older."

"Does Lexy know?"

"Your older sister is big enough now to understand these things."

"Will she teach me? That is why I want Daddy Rick and Lexy to stay with us. Lexy is my big sister and can teach me alot and together we can share daddy. Mommy, please tell Daddy to stay with us."

"We are working on it Lily."

"Can you hurry up about it?"

"Enough talk now, time for bed."

Kate kisses her daughter and stays with her till she falls asleep. Well now Kate knows her daughter's thought on why she should choose Rick as her one and done. And that thought, Lily's thought, has a lot of influence on Kate.

Equal Time

Tom Demming was not to be outdone by Castle. Upon learning of their 'shopping spree date'', he asked Kate to join him at their favorite cop bar for celebratory drinks and bar snacks after work. Tom had wanted some alone time with Kate without her daughter present. He knew Kate came as a pair with her daughter, but Tom wanted her all to himself for this date. Demming intended to use the date to explore more on Kate's feelings about them and where she wanted to go with them. He was hoping for a change from the last talk they had.

At the cop bar, he opens with asking her, "So if you don't mind me asking how are things turning out with Castle?"

"We're just trying to rediscover what we had but are not pushing it. Rick encourages me to see others, so he has no problems with us seeing each other. So for now it is not yet serious."

"Just wanted to know Kate as I too am wanting us to see where the two of us can go."

"Tom, for now, let's just be friends. I am still a bit overwhelmed with getting Rick back in my life and now with the promotion, events are moving so quickly. I just need to let things settle a bit. I still do not know what I want …with Rick, or with you ..but the promotion is a goal toward solving my mother's case. Let's just be friends for now, I have told the same to Rick."

"Just know that I too am here for you. All I ask is you to let me know if you come to a decision. Whatever it be, I will remain always as a friend."

"Thank you, Tom. I will be always honest with you as I am with Rick. Should I decide either way, you both will know."

They end their celebration and Kate heads home. Rick had Lily today as Jim was out of town this day to meet with a client from upstate. Rick had picked her up from school and then taken Lily back to the Townhouse when Kate's dad phoned him and told Rick that he'd arrived from his out of town meeting. Kate normally would catch up with Rick at the Beckett Townhouse when he watched Lily, but today with her date with Tom, she had missed Castle altogether. Kate still did not know what she wanted from her current situation, but one thing she did know, as a new homicide she would solve her mother's case on her free time. She had Montgomery's approval on that and Royce's too, as long as it did not interfere with current cases.

So for her very first case as a detective, it turned out to be a Bill shot John because of Jill. The motive being jealousy between two suitors equally intent on gaining the victim's affection. Kate could not help but draw parallels between her first case, and that of her relationship with the two men in her life, one Rick Castle and one Tom Demming. The big difference she saw in their situation was that both men in her life had not exhibited any signs of jealousy. Both were reasonable men who had been in past relationships, so this was not new to any one of them. Still, she recalls her case, both men had started out respectful of the other's relationship for the woman they both were pursuing, but things got more complicated when one got more serious and the female who had returned those feelings. The other man feeling left out developed a deep jealousy that resulted in the homicide of the other suitor. Apparently, the day before she had ended it with the one man, who took the news badly. No, Kate would not let this happen for her. She would be honest and open with both men and would them know when things changed for her. Her approach however depended largely on both men being sensible and mature men.

This case had badly disturbed Kate and she wondered about her situation with Castle and Demming. She would not let it end like her case. She would make sure the odd man out in their triangle would end it on civil terms and remain a friend. Still, her first case cut a little too close to home for her. That had her anxious now of her future with these two men vying for her affections. Could it end badly? It could, but not as badly as this her first case, it would not get that extreme. Kate would see to it that things end up well.

Despite, she asked the universe to let the future end with a good resolution to her situation! Certainly it will not turn out like her case, but she knew it could end with one of these men being hurt! Despite how they all were being considerate about the situation. Still, Kate did worry about what the future held for her, her daughter, and the man of her choice when she finally did decide who she wanted in her life as a permanent partner. Kate anxiousness of her situation was starting to grow! She knew she needed to make the hard choice the timing of that being sooner rather than later!