187. Chapter 187

Chapter 187

Kate said nothing about her new assignment to anyone at the twelfth. Protocol would keep her quiet in that regard until she had official word from someone at 1PP. Therefore, she simply took stock of the time left and set about organizing tasks that needed to be accomplished in the remaining time. After a few days of list making, squeezed in among her reports and other daily requirements, she began to work on some of the items on her lists.

A little over a week later, Deputy Chief Alvarez called her. "Good morning, Beckett. Alvarez here."

"Good morning, Deputy Chief. Are we still on the schedule mentioned in the meeting last week?"

"Yes. We had to do a little negotiating; but when our concerns became clear, it was smoother sailing."

"I'm sure that wasn't easy on either side."

"No, it wasn't, but Captain Lautrec has the required paperwork for the retirement date we suggested, and your change of command should be July first."

"And when can I tell people here at the twelfth without stepping on any toes?"

"I'd say at least a week. Give Lautrec time to decide how to talk to his people first."

"Yes, Sir. I understand. I'd like to visit the twenty-seventh sometime in the first half of June to get an idea of what to expect. You've done the negotiating. Would that be acceptable?"

"By then, I think so. The early retirement offer took Lautrec completely by surprise. Early June should be acceptable. He's a good man, Beckett; and for the most part, he's been a good captain."

"I'll be aware of that in talking to him," she promised. "I should probably also mention that I'm arranging to take a week of vacation time with my family the third week of June. It looks like this new assignment may keep me tied to the city indefinitely after that."

"That's probably a safe assumption…at least at the beginning."

"I've already started working toward a change of command here. Do I have a replacement yet?"

"We've spoken to several possible candidates, but in view of your request, we're going to talk to Captain O'Conner tomorrow. And I wanted to ask your reasoning in recommending Malicot be sent elsewhere rather than moving him up at the twelfth."

"I believe either he or Lorins would do well wherever they were assigned. Neither of them is motivated solely by ambition. I had to mention the captain's exam to them and stir some interest before they thought about it. Both are motivated by what they can offer the job. They work well with the people both above and below their rank, and they're both perceptive enough about the people around them to know when something is out of character…and interested enough to look for a reason. They know protocol, can consistently handle the paperwork the job involves, present themselves well to community groups and honestly care about working with them. In my opinion, that's who we need in a captain's office."

"Well said. But if they seem so equal in your eyes, why Malicot rather than Lorins?"

"Lorins' husband has a job that provides a good income. They live in Manhattan, and they have no children. Malicot and his wife have a young child and another one due at the end of the summer. The raise in pay would be helpful…and they already live in The Bronx. He would be closer to the precinct in case of emergency. I think he would run things very much the way I do, and I think O'Conner did as well; so there would be a feeling of continuity at the fifty-first. But Malicot is strong enough to implement his own ideas, too. O'Conner and I have similar values and similar personalities, and I think he would provide a smooth transition and keep up the standards at the twelfth."

"That was a well prepared answer," Alvarez said with a chuckle. "Did you have that written out for whenever someone asked?"

"No. Sorry. Sometimes I feel strongly enough I may seem to be overstepping my bounds; but I think what we leave behind is as important as what we try to build." There was a little pause before she added mischievously, "And you haven't heard the last recommendation for Lorins yet."

Alvarez laughed easily. "As I said, we're interviewing O'Conner tomorrow. I'll look for those things you mentioned. And we'll talk to Malicot, too."

"All I can ask, Sir. Thank you."

"I'll let you get back to work, Beckett. I'll be in touch when I can tell you more."

Alvarez ended the call, and Beckett got back to work putting her lists in priority order.

xxxxx

When Kate came home after work, Castle came to meet her when the door opened. "Hey. What's up? You have that look again. You have actual news this time, don't you? Not speculation."

She wrapped her arms around him and as he did the same for her, she told him, "I'll move to the twenty-seventh on July first. Can we plan a family trip to the beach house the third week of June? It looks like that will be my last chance for a week away after Jamie is out of school. I might get a weekend or two later in the summer, but I'm not going to count on that too much. Once I'm at the new precinct, it's likely to take a lot of time and effort for a while."

"Would a glass of wine help?"

"In a minute. Right now, this helps more." After a long moment, she asked, "Why don't I hear our children?"

"Because you just missed Alexis and JD," he answered, "They came and asked if they could take them to dinner and then to the play place where Jamie had his birthday party. So we have a couple of hours to ourselves, maybe a little more. I ordered our dinner as soon as I got the text that you were on your way home."

Folding her arms across his chest and resting her head on them, she turned her face to his for a kiss and asked playfully, "Any chance you might be interested in dinner, a little fooling around in the shower, and a lot more fooling around in the bed?"

"Ooooo, Mrs. Castle. I like the way you think." The doorbell rang, and he said, "And our plan begins." He went to the door, tipped the delivery guy, and found Kate was already putting plates on the table. "A little anxious, are we?" he teased.

"Just helping with the plan," she answered, feigning innocence.

"That innocent look doesn't fool me for a minute. I know you too well."

"Then put dinner on the table, and let's get this show on the road," she answered with a big smile.

He put the delivery bag on the table, and they took out the containers and filled their plates. "I can tell that you're going to miss time at the beach with us, but that was limited to two or three full weeks and some weekends in the summer, anyway. How do you feel about taking on the job itself?" he asked.

"A mixture of hating to leave the twelfth and some excitement for taking on a new challenge. The twelfth felt like home. There were problems here and there, but for the most part, the stress came from outside the precinct. The new job is likely to provide stress from both, but if I'm going to accomplish those lofty ideals I gave you as a reason for finishing my twenty years, I need to be somewhere that never had Roy at the helm to set its course. This job pushes me to make what he did count. I may not be happy with the job for a while, but maybe it's where I need to be. And it feels good that the big guns at 1PP are giving two women a say in turning around the twenty-seventh."

"Which brings us full circle to where Mommy always provides a good role model for our children. A woman in charge and very good at it." Giving her a far past flirtatious look, he asked, "Want to be in charge of our plan?"

Giving the look right back, she answered, "No. I've been in charge of enough today. Your turn."

"No problem. Hurry up. Eat."

While the children were gone, their parents indulged in a shower that was simultaneously relaxing and stimulating, followed by time in bed that left two sated and satisfied adult Castles.

"I really want to do that again," the man in charge said, his breath still a little ragged. "But we don't have time to get away with it. We should have time for another quick shower, though…and maybe a little creative washing and drying off."

"I'll be right behind you."

Castle reached to pull her close and kissed her deeply, and she growled in frustration.

"Shower," he said. "We can pick up where we left off when the kids are in bed."

"Deal"

When the loft door opened to a rush of four people, all of whom they acknowledged as their children, Kate was wearing yoga pants and a T-shirt and clearing the table…a task which hadn't found its way into the original plan. Castle was wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt and helping. They both stopped to hug their children and thank Alexis and JD for entertaining the little ones.

"I think we had as much fun as they did," JD told them.

"And I think we wore them out for you," Alexis added.

"And thank you for that, too," Castle answered as Jo and Jamie were animatedly telling Kate about what they did while they were out with their siblings.

Alexis and JD went home a few minutes after they brought the children back, and Castle got in on the playtime report before he and Kate read to them and tucked them in. He turned to his wife outside Jamie's room and asked, "So do you want to be in charge this time?"

"Giving him the smile he loved, mischievous with a little bit of tongue showing from behind her teeth, she only said, "Yes," and then she took his hand and pulled him to the bedroom.

xxxxx

The following day, Malicot told Beckett he needed time off for an interview at 1PP.

About an hour before shift end the last week in May, Beckett called all of her lieutenants to the conference room, and they came in looking both confused and concerned.

Once everyone was seated, she told them with a smile, "I know I don't do this very often, but don't look at me like that. The world isn't about to end or anything. I do need to talk to you, though. There will be a mass email later today, but you're free to talk after this meeting if you see fit."

"So what has us all here?" Lorins asked.

"I'm being transferred to the twenty-seventh at the end of next month."

A small chorus of disappointed voices and questions of when and why followed the announcement,

"Wow. Why would they do that?" Bolton asked. "I have a friend there, and if he isn't exaggerating, you're going to have your work cut out for you. He's been thinking about asking for a transfer, so I guess I can tell him he'll be okay to stay put. Ooooh. I get it. We have to give you up because the brass is sending you to fix that precinct."

"The reason isn't what we're here to discuss. It's an order, so I'm transferring. I received word this morning that, on July first, I will take command of the twenty-seventh. Captain O'Conner from the fifty-first will take command of the twelfth, aaaaand…" There was a dramatic pause before she said, "Malicot will take command of the fifty-first. Everyone at the table burst into applause and words of congratulations for a surprised Lieutenant Malicot.

"You want to give us a speech or something, Malicot?" Beckett teased.

"I don't know what to say…except "Thank you." After a small pause, he said, "So this is official…for real? I can go home and tell my wife and everything?"

"Yeah. It's real. I have all the paperwork for you. I asked to be the one to tell you. Congratulations. Your team is between cases right now, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. You can even leave early…right now if you want. Go home and tell your wife."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Get out of here. I don't want to see your face before tomorrow." He left with another round of applause, a room full of laughter and calls of congratulations following him.

"You've heard the entire reason for the meeting. But I also need you to know that I plan to be out of town during the third week of June. A new precinct to learn is likely to keep me close to the city for a good while, so family summer vacation time is probably now or never. I may need to call on some of you to cover some duties while I'm gone, but I'll do my best to make it minimal."

"No problem," Bolton said. "I think I can speak for everyone to say whatever you need, just ask. We probably won't have you back at the twelfth again, so consider it a going away gift." Sounds of agreement came from around the table.

"I appreciate that. It does feel like leaving home again." After a resigned sigh, she stood. "Back to work. Thank you."

Beckett went back to her desk, did one more reread of the email that would go to everyone at the precinct, and hit send. Then she sat back in her chair and picked up her to-do list.

xxxxx

The week before her family's trip to the beach, Beckett made an appointment to see Captain Lautrec at the twenty-seventh. She walked into the precinct and stated her name and her business there to the officer manning security that day.

"Sergeant Chambers, Captain Beckett to see Captain Lautrec."

"Good morning, Captain Beckett, I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you, Officer Tobin," she said, extending her hand, and he shook it.

"Tobin will take you right up, Ma'am," Chambers told her. She shook his hand, too. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other in a couple of weeks."

"Yes, Ma'am, we probably will."

"This way, Captain," Tobin said, leading her to the elevator.

"Have you been at the twenty-seventh long?" she asked as the elevator moved up.

"About a year, Ma'am."

"When I've been here a while, I'll convince you that conversation can happen without a Ma'am in every other sentence I hear," she told him with a smile.

"Yes, Ma'am," he answered and they both smiled.

"Captain Lautrec's office is just to your left," he said as he led her within sight of the Captain's office.

"Captain Lautrec," she said as she reached the open door.

"Captain Beckett, I assume," he answered.

"Yes, Sir."

"Come in. I expect you have questions for me."

"I do. And, if you have time, I'd appreciate a tour while I'm here."

"I imagine you're aware of the circumstances that are bringing you here earlier than I had intended."

"I have limited information."

"I should start with an apology. I knew things weren't going as well as they used to, but until the deputy chief called me in to discuss early retirement, I hadn't realized how long it had been and how much worse things were. I'm leaving you with a mess to clean up. It isn't a valid reason, but my wife passed away unexpectedly last year. We had plans for retirement and were looking forward to it. I kept myself and the precinct together for a while. My lieutenants helped a lot right after her death; and before long, I just let them keep doing it. I'm aware you were a detective at the twelfth, so I'm sure you know Deputy Inspector Gates. She would come and discuss the need for improvement, and I'd pull it together for a while and then backslide again…"

"Everyone grieves differently, Captain. My mother was murdered when I was nineteen, and my father turned to drink for a while. I went from pre-law at Stanford to criminal justice at NYU so I could go to the academy, become a detective, and obsess over finding who killed her. My father finally went to rehab several years later and has been sober ever since; and my husband helped me regain some equilibrium. I understand the kind of toll grief can take."

"Thank you for that," he answered. ""But I'm still sorry you have as much work ahead of you as you do to restore the twenty-seventh."

"And I'm sorry for your loss. Do you have children?"

"A son and a daughter…and three grandchildren, ages two, five, and eight."

"Will you spend retirement spoiling them?"

"That would be an improvement over what I've been doing. What do they say about grandchildren…spoil them and then give them back?"

"That's what my children's grandparents do. But we're lucky to have them close and to have them take an interest."

"Would I have to learn to play those video games?"

Kate laughed. "Probably."

"Maybe the oldest one would teach me."

"He? She? Would probably love to."

"The older two are boys. Then there's an adorable , rascally little girl." They both smiled. "But you didn't come in today to hear about my troubles or my children and grandchildren. How can I help you? Would you like to start with the tour or the questions?"

"Why don't we start with the tour? That might generate more questions."

They both stood, and Lautrec showed her through all the floors, maintenance areas, storage, parking, etc. included, introducing her to people they encountered near the bullpens as they moved around. Some of them were friendly, others ranged from wary to sullen. He took her to the break room on the homicide floor for coffee, and then they returned to his office.

He answered her questions, including which lieutenants she could probably count on. She thanked him, and stood to leave.

"Captain Beckett, if you think of anything I can help you with, either between now and my retirement or afterward, please call. I owe you that."

"Thank you, Captain Lautrec. I will."

Leaving the precinct, she called out, "Thanks, Chambers, Tobin," as she walked through the entrance.

xxxxx

The family came to pick her up after work on Friday; and she took Jo while Castle took Jamie's hand, and they left the precinct heading for the Hamptons. After stopping for dinner on the way, they reached the Hamptons a little before dark. Their bags were dropped by the door, shoes were left on the back porch, and they ran for the ocean, played in the water for a little while, and eventually took their walk to dry off. By the time they got back to the house, it was dark and they were still a bit damp; but they were all smiling.

Other family members joined them over the weekend, but by Monday, the four Castles had the house to themselves. Mornings were spent on the shore, playing in the water or the sand; Jo had a nap in the afternoon and then they would spend time in the pool or find things to do in town…trips to the farmers' market, a movie, a park, ice cream, a petting zoo, sometimes dinner out. At night, after their activities in town, they played with their children in the pool or took walks on the beach, wearing them out sufficiently to put them to bed a little early and allowing the parents' to enjoy their own private, personal activities afterward.

By the time the week was over, the whole family was relaxed and happy about everything except the fact that they had to go home.

"We have to go home today, Jamie," Castle explained a second time.

"Why?"

"Because Mommy has to be at work tomorrow."

"Oh," he answered dejectedly.

"But we can come back soon," Castle amended.

"With Mommy?"

"I don't know when I can come back with you, Munchkin," Kate told him, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs. Mommy is being transferred to a new precinct. That's sort of like…like you having to go to a new school. That means I have to get used to a new building, get to know new people to work with, figure out who does their jobs well and who doesn't… Everything will be new, and I'll have a lot of work to do to figure out the best way to get things done. I can't stay here another whole week, but I might be able to come on a couple of weekends before the summer is over."

"But I like being here. And it's more fun when you're here, too."

"And I like being here as much as you do. But it doesn't mean you can't come back with Daddy, and have other people in the family here. You can still come and have fun. But right now we need to go home."

"Okay."

"Would you check your room and Jo's one more time. We don't want to get halfway home and realize we forgot something important like Bear or Elephant, do we?"

Jamie went off on his task, and they convinced Jo it was time to put her toys away. Jamie came downstairs with Jo's bunny T-shirt, one of her favorites. He knew Bear was with his backpack, and Jo grabbed Elephant when Castle picked her up to take her to the car.

On the way home, they sang and told stories before both children fell asleep about thirty minutes before they arrived in the parking lot at the loft.

Even feeling drowsy, when Jamie saw Eduardo in the lobby, he went far enough in that direction to say hello. When his name was mentioned, Jo wriggled to get down from Castle's arms and ran over to hug the doorman around the legs. Looking up with a smile, she said, "Hi, Mister 'Duardo." The man bent down and picked her up, asking, "Did you have fun at the beach, Miss Jo?"

She nodded and said, "Played in the water and the pool and had ice cream."

"That does sound like fun."

"We walked on the beach and went to a petting zoo, too," Jamie added, not to be left out.

"I'll take her, Eduardo. Thanks for accommodating our babies," Kate said.

Two young voices immediately raised in protest, saying, "Not babies." It had become a running argument in their household.

Handing Jo over to her mother, Eduardo chuckled and said, "I'll let you handle that."

The family spent the rest of the day being lazy. They ordered dinner and watched a couple of movies before the children's bedtime. Then Castle and Kate played one of their favorite sci-fi movies, watching the good parts and making out during the less interesting parts, eventually falling asleep on the sofa. Kate woke him up around midnight, recommending they be nice to their backs and move to the bed.

xxxxx

During the next week, Kate did everything she needed to do to at work be ready for both sides of a change of command, and spent as much time with the children as she could. She asked Martha if she and John would babysit one evening so she could take Castle to dinner at a nice restaurant. So that night, she dressed up for Castle, took him to dinner… calling him her eye-candy, then brought him home and lavished him with her personal attention, behind a closed, locked door.

Then suddenly it was Sunday, and she had one more day at the twelfth. Her office needed to be cleared of only a few more things, and the next day would take her into new job adventure.