sans exceptions } { 14. jean-luc picard quote
[shutthefrntdoor is mine to use and abuse, and Sinclair, Castle, Ryan and Esposito are NPCs. I did some wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey with timelines, and this is set post-canon for CSI:NY.]
“Things are only impossible until they're not.”
He didn’t want it this way. Honestly, he didn’t want it at all.
Flack wasn’t looking for a promotion and he wasn’t looking to advance his career. He was happy where he was at the crime lab, and he wasn’t looking to push the envelope, because he had no reason to. He didn’t have a family to support, didn’t need the rank the way Danny or anyone else would. But no one would deny that he wasn’t on the track for it. When he made lieutenant, Montgomery always used to joke that when he retired, Flack would get his house. They would laugh about it, and Flack just figured he’d be on the street for the rest of his career. It was where he belonged in the first place-he never cared much for politics.
Then Montgomery died and everything changed.
Everyone assumed that it was going to be Iron Gates that got the promotion. She had been gunning for Montgomery’s seat ever since she had gotten the taste for it by filling in another precinct, and she was more than qualified for it. Flack wasn’t exactly looking forward to working for the woman who had cut her teeth in IAB, but he would manage. He had been through worse. Instead, he got called into a closed door meeting and told that he was being placed in charge of the twelfth. He had just been handed a command over someone who was better qualified and outranked him, but he took it regardless. Sinclair told him that he wanted it to stay Montgomery’s house. Flack was the one most likely to keep it that way. For once in his career, Flack didn’t disagree with him.
Taking over his old mentor’s command wasn’t easy, though. Sure, he was a Lieutenant, but that didn’t make it easier. Getting handed a precinct, as well as a case where one of his lead detectives had gotten shot right off the bat. But first things first, he needed to deal with the other elephant in the room.
Rick Castle.
He didn’t even want Ryan and Esposito on this case, to be honest-as far as he was concerned, everyone at the twelfth was too close to this thing. He wanted to hand it off to the crime lab, and let Mac and Jo take it from there, but he knew that if this were someone on his team, he would move mountains to find the son of a bitch that did it. Hell, he had been that guy. But Castle was a civilian and a wild card. He didn’t want to have any liabilities that he couldn’t control. However, it didn’t mean that getting rid of him was going to be easy.
“You can’t just kick me off this case.”
Flack raised an eyebrow. “Questioning my authority already, Castle? Not the way to go.”
The other man sighed heavily before sitting across from him. “I just-this is Beckett. If I was just another cop-”
“You’re not a cop,” Flack sighed. “I get it. You’re her partner. But they gunned her down at a cop funeral. I’m not taking any risks on this.”
“Look, Detective Flack. I know we don’t know each other that well. But I’m good at this. I help close cases.”
“I know you do. I know. But your Beckett’s partner, which means you’re not going to be working Beckett’s case. I’m sorry.”
“Then what can I do? I can’t just … sit here and wait for them to find the answers.”
“You do your actual job, Castle,” he sighed softly. “You go and you write a book. Or you go visit Beckett. I’m sure Ryan and Esposito will keep you in the loop, but I can’t let you work this case.”
In the end, Flack won. And in the end, the case went cold. But that didn’t mean they stopped looking.
It just meant that it was going to take a little more time.
***
Three months later, Beckett came back to the twelfth, and the process started all over again.
He didn’t expect it to be easy. He didn’t expect her to just accept him with open arms. But he did hope that it would be at least a little easier than if he had been someone completely new.
He should have known that dealing with a cop like Beckett would have been anything but easy.
There was a knock on his door, and when he looked up, he saw Beckett’s face in the doorway. He flashed her a smile before gesturing for her to come in. “Welcome back, Beckett.”
“Good to be back,” she said with a smile, before moving to sit in front of him. “It’s weird, seeing you behind that desk.”
“It’s weird being behind this desk,” he replied, leaning back in his seat. “Stopping by to make sure we haven’t forgotten about you?”
“Actually, I’m here to get my badge back,” she said, before handing over the slip of paper he had seen many times before. The psych evaluation. He took it, flipped it open to read it over, before nodding and reaching into his desk for her badge, sliding it across the table to her.
“Welcome back, Detective.”
She reached over, picking up the badge in her hand, before blinking back at him in surprise. “What about my gun?”
He should have known that that would be her next question. He should have anticipated it, but he didn’t and when she hit him with it, all he could do was cringe. “Sorry, Beckett. Not until you get requalified.”
“Requalified?”
“C’mon, Kate, you know the drill. You off the job for extended leave, they have to make sure you can still handle your firearms, especially when you’re coming off an injury. And you happened to have gotten shot.” She continued to look annoyed, and he sighed. “Do me a favor-Ryan and Esposito are about to go out on a call. You go get your partner, you get yourself requalified, and it’ll be like you were never gone.”
“You’ll let me get Castle back?” The look on her face had changed from annoyance to a mild amusement, and he smirked back at her.
“I know better than to mess with a good thing. Just keep him out of trouble, alright?”
“Flack, I can’t keep Castle out of anything, and you know it.”
“Then try. For my sake.”
She smiled, before pushing up to her feet and heading for the door. “I’ll do my best.”
Flack nodded, returning the smile before speaking up just as she was about to leave. “Good to have you back, Detective.”
“Good to be back, Lieutenant.”
1114 words
“Things are only impossible until they're not.”
He didn’t want it this way. Honestly, he didn’t want it at all.
Flack wasn’t looking for a promotion and he wasn’t looking to advance his career. He was happy where he was at the crime lab, and he wasn’t looking to push the envelope, because he had no reason to. He didn’t have a family to support, didn’t need the rank the way Danny or anyone else would. But no one would deny that he wasn’t on the track for it. When he made lieutenant, Montgomery always used to joke that when he retired, Flack would get his house. They would laugh about it, and Flack just figured he’d be on the street for the rest of his career. It was where he belonged in the first place-he never cared much for politics.
Then Montgomery died and everything changed.
Everyone assumed that it was going to be Iron Gates that got the promotion. She had been gunning for Montgomery’s seat ever since she had gotten the taste for it by filling in another precinct, and she was more than qualified for it. Flack wasn’t exactly looking forward to working for the woman who had cut her teeth in IAB, but he would manage. He had been through worse. Instead, he got called into a closed door meeting and told that he was being placed in charge of the twelfth. He had just been handed a command over someone who was better qualified and outranked him, but he took it regardless. Sinclair told him that he wanted it to stay Montgomery’s house. Flack was the one most likely to keep it that way. For once in his career, Flack didn’t disagree with him.
Taking over his old mentor’s command wasn’t easy, though. Sure, he was a Lieutenant, but that didn’t make it easier. Getting handed a precinct, as well as a case where one of his lead detectives had gotten shot right off the bat. But first things first, he needed to deal with the other elephant in the room.
Rick Castle.
He didn’t even want Ryan and Esposito on this case, to be honest-as far as he was concerned, everyone at the twelfth was too close to this thing. He wanted to hand it off to the crime lab, and let Mac and Jo take it from there, but he knew that if this were someone on his team, he would move mountains to find the son of a bitch that did it. Hell, he had been that guy. But Castle was a civilian and a wild card. He didn’t want to have any liabilities that he couldn’t control. However, it didn’t mean that getting rid of him was going to be easy.
“You can’t just kick me off this case.”
Flack raised an eyebrow. “Questioning my authority already, Castle? Not the way to go.”
The other man sighed heavily before sitting across from him. “I just-this is Beckett. If I was just another cop-”
“You’re not a cop,” Flack sighed. “I get it. You’re her partner. But they gunned her down at a cop funeral. I’m not taking any risks on this.”
“Look, Detective Flack. I know we don’t know each other that well. But I’m good at this. I help close cases.”
“I know you do. I know. But your Beckett’s partner, which means you’re not going to be working Beckett’s case. I’m sorry.”
“Then what can I do? I can’t just … sit here and wait for them to find the answers.”
“You do your actual job, Castle,” he sighed softly. “You go and you write a book. Or you go visit Beckett. I’m sure Ryan and Esposito will keep you in the loop, but I can’t let you work this case.”
In the end, Flack won. And in the end, the case went cold. But that didn’t mean they stopped looking.
It just meant that it was going to take a little more time.
***
Three months later, Beckett came back to the twelfth, and the process started all over again.
He didn’t expect it to be easy. He didn’t expect her to just accept him with open arms. But he did hope that it would be at least a little easier than if he had been someone completely new.
He should have known that dealing with a cop like Beckett would have been anything but easy.
There was a knock on his door, and when he looked up, he saw Beckett’s face in the doorway. He flashed her a smile before gesturing for her to come in. “Welcome back, Beckett.”
“Good to be back,” she said with a smile, before moving to sit in front of him. “It’s weird, seeing you behind that desk.”
“It’s weird being behind this desk,” he replied, leaning back in his seat. “Stopping by to make sure we haven’t forgotten about you?”
“Actually, I’m here to get my badge back,” she said, before handing over the slip of paper he had seen many times before. The psych evaluation. He took it, flipped it open to read it over, before nodding and reaching into his desk for her badge, sliding it across the table to her.
“Welcome back, Detective.”
She reached over, picking up the badge in her hand, before blinking back at him in surprise. “What about my gun?”
He should have known that that would be her next question. He should have anticipated it, but he didn’t and when she hit him with it, all he could do was cringe. “Sorry, Beckett. Not until you get requalified.”
“Requalified?”
“C’mon, Kate, you know the drill. You off the job for extended leave, they have to make sure you can still handle your firearms, especially when you’re coming off an injury. And you happened to have gotten shot.” She continued to look annoyed, and he sighed. “Do me a favor-Ryan and Esposito are about to go out on a call. You go get your partner, you get yourself requalified, and it’ll be like you were never gone.”
“You’ll let me get Castle back?” The look on her face had changed from annoyance to a mild amusement, and he smirked back at her.
“I know better than to mess with a good thing. Just keep him out of trouble, alright?”
“Flack, I can’t keep Castle out of anything, and you know it.”
“Then try. For my sake.”
She smiled, before pushing up to her feet and heading for the door. “I’ll do my best.”
Flack nodded, returning the smile before speaking up just as she was about to leave. “Good to have you back, Detective.”
“Good to be back, Lieutenant.”
1114 words