Once In A Lifetime
by Castlefan6
Author's Note: This is totally AU. This is the continuation of Secrets Revealed, which should be read first. THIS IS BY REQUEST AND IS DEDICATED TO MY FRIEND SWORDWRITER. IT WILL NOT BE A CASKETT ENDING, BUT JORICK, Jordan, and Rick.
NOTE: The Dates have been adjusted to make this story possible.
Taking a Literary License to fill in the blanks.
I don't own Castle; I only use the characters for amusement, except the ones I create.
THIS WILL NOT BE A CASKETT ENDING
Also, we take liberties with Canon's timeline and use events to make this more believable fiction. Thanks.
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READ MY PROFILE BEFORE SENDING A PRIVATE MESSAGE
Chapter 4
12th Precinct
Two Days Later
Kate returned to work to hear a lot of buzz and gossip about who was going to replace Roy Montgomery. Many of the cops had witnessed her participation in the takedown of Bracken, and it didn't take long for the news to spread that Roy and his family had entered the Witness Protection Program (WITSEC) as part of a plea deal worked out by Richard Castle.
She was really getting tired of hearing about Rick this and Rick that, and that he would still be at the 12th if a certain lead detective had treated him halfway decently. The part that pissed her off the most was she knew the complaints about her treatment of Rick were accurate.
She couldn't deny or confirm anything said; they were all under a strict gag order until after all of the trials had been completed. The trials were set to begin next month, in Federal Court, with Senator Bracken already indicted on one hundred seventeen counts of racketeering, along with countless other charges, including murder, attempted murder, bribery, conspiracy, you would need to read the indictment to know just exactly how many additional charges the US Department of Justice was bringing against him.
The U.S. Senate had already censured him and forced him to resign. A special election to elect his successor for the remainder of his term is scheduled to be held in six weeks. The election was required by New York law because Bracken still had over half of his six-year term remaining to serve. Otherwise, the Governor could have named a new senator.
Not many people knew, and even fewer cared one iota, that Vulcan Simmons and his goons were buried on Hart Island. In New York, if a felon who was killed during a raid is not claimed after a reasonable period, the body is typically handled as an indigent burial.
The state, through its Department of Social Services, arranges for a basic burial at a cost-effective cemetery, such as Hart Island in New York. The deceased will be buried in a common grave, and there is no public memorial or viewing. The Basic Burial consisted of opening or digging the grave, using low-cost coffins, lowering the bodies into the graves, and, for fear of damage to the cemetery, a simple marker only indicating the case number of the Medical Examiner, not the name.
The final services for Simmons were much more civilized than those he had provided for many of his victims; some still had only parts of the body recovered decades after going missing. Kate thought about her mother and how she had been left in the alley like garbage; she shed no tears for these men.
Just as she had pulled out her case file for the last cold case she was working on, Commissioner Boyle, Mayor Weldon, and Rick Castle exited the elevator. As standard procedure, Roy's office had been secured and double-locked for security purposes.
Commissioner Boyle stood just outside the office door and used the telephone intercom to announce that an all-hands meeting was now in session, with attendance mandatory. She heard the usual moans, but she had a feeling they were going to announce some changes to the leadership structure due to losing so many high-ranking officers to the FBI sting.
He waited for all of the staff to gather for five minutes, and then he began to speak. "Two days ago was a sad day for the NYPD. We were forced to arrest nineteen of our own, along with Senator Bracken, working with Cold Case Czar Richard Castle and Special Senior Agent and Field Office Manager for the New York branch of the FBI, Jordan Shaw..
" I am not at liberty to disclose the facts that led to the arrests, or that some have turned State's Witness in order to receive a reduced sentence. There will be a change in command here at the 12th precinct, but it goes further, much further than that. I want to give you the leadership of the NYPD, along with His Honor, Mr. Robert Weldon, Mayor of New York City, for the official announcement of the first series of changes.
"Each of the following departments or precincts will change. It begins where it should: Internal Affairs. Three days ago, I asked for and received Captain Jonas Santos's resignation. The department will be under the command of Lieutenant Byron Kardon, and we have strongly urged him to sit for the Captain's examination in three weeks.
"We fully expect more sweeping changes now that Lieutenant Kardon has a much more unhampered hand in personnel decision-making. I think we can all agree that this is one department that needs not a tune-up but a complete rebuild, and with Lieutenant Kardon, we expect to do just that. I don't have a timetable for changes, but pay attention to your emails and bulletin boards, as we will be posting press releases with major announcements.
"We might as well state the obvious, as you can see behind me, Roy Montgomery is no longer Captain of the 12th precinct, nor a member of the NYPD. I can't say anything more than that, other than to say he was instrumental in solving his final case as a New York cop. We in leadership salute and appreciate his efforts and wish him and his entire family the very best of luck in the future.
"It is my honor and privilege to ask Roz Karpowski to come to the front of her precinct. As of 0700 hours, or 7:00 AM this morning, Roz was promoted to Captain of this, the 12th precinct. We will be taking one evening to celebrate Roz and three other new Captain's promotions soon, at the Old Haunt, where I hear we get a pretty good price on the booze."
He smiled for the first time as he waited for Roz to make her way to the front of the crowd. Beckett looked like she was going to be ill, but this was just the start of her bad news. Roz finally made it to the front and stood at attention in front of Boyle.
Frank snapped off a crisp salute and then said, "Congratulations, Roz. You have big shoes to fill, and we have every confidence that you will. Let me present you with this, the key to your office," he said, as someone removed the paper that had been hiding her name and title etched in the glass of the door. As her reports broke out in applause, Kate Beckett made the motion, but her heart or effort was not into it.
Fucking Castle, this is all his fault, it all started with the Demming debacle as he had named it, things had gone to shit ever since. This was supposed to be her promotion, Roy almost promised her, she thought and had herself nearly convinced until Lannie stepped up to her and said, "I love your Girlfriend, but you fucked up big time, you're lucky you still have the job you have, don't be blaming no one but yourself" and walked away.
She tuned out the words from Lannie and returned to listening to Boyle's speech, just noticing now that the entire event was being simulcast at the 12th, 17th, 54th, and 117th precincts, with people gathered in large groups displayed on the split screens in each location. Great, she thought, her humiliation was now known throughout the entire NYPD.
"Congratulations are also in order for our next person to be promoted, Anne Hastings has graciously agreed to assume command of the 54th precinct effective immediately. I want to say this, loud and clear. We have NOT, I have NOT done a good enough job protecting our female members of our department.
"I met with Anne and pledged my full support for her command, and will support any action she deems necessary to ensure this precinct is returned to a place EVERYONE is proud to work at. If you're part of the old' Good Ole Boys,' I suggest you update your resume or look for openings outside the NYPD.
Wait, did he say Anne Hastings was now a Captain? What the hell was he doing? Beckett remembered the day she had interviewed the young blonde detective, visiting from Boston, who was testing the waters for a relocation to New York.
She was hired and had become a rising star, at least from Roz's and Castle's perceptions, who named her lead detective the first day he assumed command of the cold case squad. Now she was going to take over the notorious 54th Precinct, one where requests for transfers had come from over 50% of the female employees. She noticed the old Captain's name in the article in the paper as one of the indicted Police Captains, but she would never have thought of Anne to replace him. She thought it couldn't get much worse, then she started listening to Boyle again, but it did, at least for her.
"Next, I would like a warm welcome to someone many of our brothers and sisters do not know, even though he is the brother of a decorated cop and Training Officer. Please let me introduce you to Lieutenant Gary Royce, who is currently serving as the second in command, since the arrest, and has been acting as the interim Captain of the 17th precinct.
"Today, we are removing that interim portion of his title, and send congratulations to Captain Gary Royce as he transitions to command of his home precinct. For those wondering, yes, Gary is the brother of Mike Royce, who retired. Even in retirement, he died in the line of service for both his hometown of New York and his adopted home of Los Angeles, California. Please take a few minutes to get to know Gary if you don't already, and just a warning, he has the same sense of humor his brother had."
Kate almost fainted. Mike Royce, his brother? No, that was impossible. Mike never mentioned a brother. Where was he all the years they worked together? Certainly not at any events Mike hosted, and sadly, even at his funeral, there was no mention of any living relatives. Boyle had to have gotten this one wrong.
"The last promotion we want to announce at this all-hands meeting should come as no surprise. Detective Javier Esposito will assume command of the empty post, relieving Rick Castle of the duties of Interim Captain he has been filling since the unexpected retirement of the former captain. Captain Esposito assumed command this morning again, at 0700 hours, or 7:00 AM, and will report to me, with a heavy dotted line of responsibility to Cold Case Czar Richard Castle.
"Please wish each of our new Captains the very best of luck. They are assuming command during a trying time for all police officers, given the number of former officers now awaiting trial. Every police officer must rebuild the trust that so many of our citizens have lost, not only in leadership but also in our rank-and-file officers.
"Please direct any questions, comments, or other matters regarding the changes we have just instituted directly to me. Thanks, and now let's go do what we are getting paid for." As he stepped down from the podium, the crowds started to disperse before the camera feed was cut off.
Kate was walking back to her desk in a state of confusion. What the hell just happened? The bombshell was that Mike had a brother, whom he had never mentioned, and now he was a Captain at the 17th Precinct? Just a short time before today, she was interviewing Anne for a position with the NYPD; today, she was the Captain at the 54th, and it got worse.
Kevin Ryan and Javi Esposito, her boys for almost four years, weren't at the 12th precinct anymore; hell, Kevin wasn't even a cop now that he was running RCE Investigations for Castle.
Javi had leapfrogged her not only in title but in reputation with the brass. She was now the problem child who had been suspended twice within the same calendar year; a third suspension within the same period would mean automatic dismissal and loss of benefits.
Rozz was now the Captain of the 12th, a position almost every cop in the place knew had been informally promised to her. She was the youngest person to become a detective in NYPD history, but that did her a lot of good now.
Anne, what the hell was that? It seemed like she had not only been promoted but given the power to clean house of the good old boys who had caused so many issues for females who were assigned there.
She had reached her desk and was working in a fog when she finally realized someone was beside her desk calling her name. It was Captain Karpowski.
"Kate, Kate, are you OK? Are you ill? Come on, snap out of it," then Roz saw her look up, as she saw Roz looking at her with concern.
"Can I help you with something, Captain?" Kate asked, unaware that she had been totally lost and in another place for the last several minutes.
"Well, for starters, I've been standing by your desk for almost ten minutes. You were lost in your thoughts or having a mini seizure—I'm not sure which—but you certainly were not here," Roz said softly so only she could hear.
"I guess I was just thinking about all of the changes, and well," Kate said, as her voice faded.
"I understand, and that's why I wanted to talk to you one-on-one in private. We need to be sure there are no issues between us. I could always count on you and your team to have my back when we were in the field. I need to have that same assurance now that I have been promoted. Everyone knows that you were the heir apparent to Roy, but things change. I'm sorry," Roz said.
"Roz, no, it's all good. I mean, everyone knows that you are frozen in rank when you receive two suspensions within the same calendar year, and three suspensions will get anyone fired. I totally understand Boyle's selection of you as Captain; you deserve it, so Congrats," Kate said as she offered her hand for a handshake.
"Thanks, Kate. I thought for sure they were going to waive that rule, and I believe Boyle considered it, but was overruled by the other two on the Leadership Team." Roz said, in a sympathetic tone,
Kate thought it was sweet for Roz to console her, but then it hit her. There were options, but two of the leadership team voted against waiving her suspensions.
"Roz, you don't have to tell me, but who are the members of the leadership team? I feel embarrassed, really. I should know that. I never paid attention to the politics, I mean, Roy, always. " Then she stopped, knowing that she was confessing that Roy had spoon-fed her information.
"It's OK, Kate, I know all too well what the situation was with you and Roy. Why it happened, I don't know, and it's really none of my business. I knew I couldn't complain about it. To whom? Then I would really get the shitty cases you didn't want." Roz said it, just a touch of anger in her voice.
"It's a long story, Roz. Someday, I hope you and I are good enough friends to have a few drinks, and I can fill in some blanks. Even though I don't know the whole story, whatever it was, it helped get Roy out of here." Kate said sadly
"Well, to answer your question, the leadership team consists of Mayor Weldon and Commissioner Boyle, and just recently, they replaced the chief of detectives with the cold case czar, Rick Castle. Mayor Weldon didn't want to try to run a branch of the City Government he knew nothing about, yet wanted someone he trusted; that's why Rick is on the team." Roz said,
"Well, that makes sense," Kate said, but she was thinking that Rick had a vote, and could have easily convinced the Mayor to go along with him; hell, Boyle was already leaning on promoting her with conditions. Damn you Castle, she thought again.
"Well, Rick has made it clear that as soon as his two-year term is up, they need to have a replacement in place. He only did it to help Weldon and keep some of his campaign promises. The rumor is that he may run for Governor, but only if he's been successful running a large city." Roz added
"That makes sense, but I'm fine now, Roz. I guess the thought of so many changes coming at once, and did you know Mike Royce had a brother?" Kate asked
"No, and we used to talk a lot. Marie was undergoing Chemo at the same time my mom was so we would compare notes. He never mentioned any relatives, I think he used to say,"
"He was the last of the Mohicans, and the bad part was he was Irish," Kate finished the sentence that she had heard Mike Royce say so often during her time with him. "So where did the brother come in? I handled Mike's funeral, and no one said a word, just some distant cousin, and mostly friends, including Gene Simmons from the KISS Band." Kate said,
"I looked him up after the announcement, well, the notification of promotion to us last night by Commissioner Boyle. I guess there was a huge family falling out, and the brothers never spoke again.
"He's his little brother, and after looking up to Mike for so long, he took it hard when he fell from grace. He was actually a Chemist when he applied to the Academy, with only one year remaining before the age limit. If he had waited another few months, he would have been rejected because of age." Boyle told us last night
"But why didn't he come forward when he saw on the news about Mike, I mean, it was carried locally for days," Kate asked,
"He was travelling through several European countries for his chemical company, they were building three new plants. He didn't find out about it till over six months later when he got home. I guess that's what inspired him to become a cop, in tribute to Mike. Now he's getting a chance to really make a difference." Roz responded,
Kate was still upset, but at least the explanation was reasonable; She would have to try to meet Lieutenant, scratch that, Captain Royce. She knew how proud Mike would be of his little brother.
TBC
A/N: I have an issue with Guests who post reviews such as the one I posted below. It was polite, BUT I warned everyone up front, so if you start to read and it's not for you, thanks for trying it—NO need to leave a review. I'm honoring a request from a friend and FIC writer, and I fully realize that this story won't be for everyone. With that said, don't waste your time. Polite or not, I will delete reviews like this and won't be influenced by negative reviews when I thoroughly explain why and how the story is going to go.
Guest Wrote
Hate when start Kate and Rick Happy ending previous story then change their entire future. Story Not for Me. Thanks
