(Untitled)

[needthepractice]

Beckett didn't consider herself much of a drinker to begin with - except in social situations, or when the case called for her to blend in. Here, on the island, there wasn't much else to do after the sun had gone down, though she often found excuses to stay late, to linger in the IPD office after everyone else had gone, finishing up on files that

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[ffyddlon]

"Late patrol. Thought I'd actually stumbled onto something for once," Gwen says, a gleam in her eye. She slumps into one of the chairs, though, and she's wearing a wry smirk. "Turns out it's just a kleptomaniac monkey, not an actual thief. I'd give anything to have a real case to sink my teeth into, even something mundane. What about you?"

[needthepractice]

"I always wondered who got stuck with those," Beckett replied, grinning slowly. She relaxed her posture, leaning back into her chair, though her fingertips still absently stroked over her badge, an unconscious reflex.

"I hate to say it, but I'll take any aspect of police work right now." She glanced to the small pile next to her, making a visible face. "Even the paperwork."

[ffyddlon]

"Yes, give me traffic forms at this point," Gwen agrees. "Maybe, if we're lucky, we can catch a bar fight in progress and break it up."

That requires them to actually go to a bar but there's at least two on the island and Gwen tilts her head, smirk on her lips.

"Want to go to the Hub, see if we can find trouble?"

[needthepractice]

"Well - " Beckett looked at the pile in front of her, and then back to Gwen. While she'd told Castle she was going to take the next hour or two to finish up on work, she hadn't exactly specified how she would be working. A purse of her lips and a sly twinkle in her gaze were probably the only confirmation Gwen needed, but she still gave the verbal answer just in case.

"Why not?"

[ffyddlon]

"Excellent. I'd say I'd buy the rounds but since they're free, there's no point, is there?"

Gwen doesn't really miss a real economy, though, except the part where the lack of money equals lack of crime. Somehow the two were inherently related and she's not the sort to do a study, but she wonders if Wales might be better off without money too.

[needthepractice]

"Well, you can deliver the first round," Beckett suggested, offering her a small smile. "How about that?"

It'd been a long time since she'd gone out for drinks with anyone other than Castle, and she'd been meaning to have another conversation with Gwen. Something told her the two of them had much more in common than the merely obvious link of law enforcement.

[ffyddlon]

"I find that fair," Gwen says, grinning and motioning for Beckett to follow. It's fun, having someone to spend her downtime with and for the first time in a long time, Gwen's not only single but without work responsibility.

It leaves a lot of idle hours, her new island life, and if she can spend a few with Beckett, it's time well spent. The other woman is a little more reserved, yeah, but she and Gwen aren't so different.

[needthepractice]

Beckett might not have been as free as Gwen was in terms of relationship status, but she wasn't about to let that stop her, not from turning down an invitation and not from the chance to spend a little more time with someone she not only respected as a peer, but admired as a fellow police officer.

The Hub wasn't far, at least not for a walk, and she fell into step beside Gwen, smiling slowly. "How is the night patrol, anyway? Who do they have you paired with again?"

[ffyddlon]

"Robb Stark? Nice fellow," Gwen says, unsure of what to say, really. He's not been trained like she was to be a PC but he seems capable enough at what he does. She's got no complaints.

"I think he's from one of the medieval places, though, seems a little old-fashioned. We don't speak much."

[needthepractice]

That was the impression Beckett had gotten too, but she kept it to herself for the time being, nodding thoughtfully.

"They reassigned me after my old partner disappeared," she explained. "It's me and Alistair now. And Duncan, who is pretty much like an honorable member, especially considering his size."

[ffyddlon]

"Don't think anything will be sneaking up on you with them as your partners," Gwen agrees, laughing. Alistair seemed friendly, what little she knew of him, and the dog would be a big advantage if things went nasty. Good partner, all told.

"So, what's your poison of choice, then? I usually drink beer but I feel like whiskey tonight."

[needthepractice]

"Not if Duncan can help it," Beckett replied. She would've admitted to being a little intimidated when she first met the animal, but Duncan was actually a big sweetheart once he learned to trust you, if somewhat overprotective. Either way, it was a good asset to have on patrols. People tended to take you somewhat more seriously.

"You know, I think I could do with a whiskey myself," she added. Drinking wasn't exactly something she chose to rein in, especially considering that she wasn't actively trying to get pregnant at the moment.

[ffyddlon]

"Excellent. The Hub it is, then," Gwen says, motioning Beckett along. "You know, apparently my first version on the island started that place up. Makes sense, with the name, but sometimes it feels like there's a ghost haunting this place and I'll never escape her. I don't think she did anything...wrong or anything but she's just not me."

[needthepractice]

"Seriously?" Beckett asked, a little intrigued and also slightly unnerved by that particular shred of truth. She wasn't quite sure how she'd feel if she would've showed up on the island a year ago only to discover that there had been another version of her earlier, before she even knew about this place to begin with. All things considered, Gwen appeared to be handling that information remarkably well.

"Isn't she, though? I mean, still you, but just - from another time and place."

[ffyddlon]

"Yes and no. From what I've gathered, I think she was married," Gwen explains, feeling damned odd explaining all this to another person who isn't Jack or Ianto or Rob. Still, Beckett was the closest thing to a best friend she had now, it only made sense she'd talk to her.

"I haven't been able to figure out much else. First-me was friends with Rob Chase and the Doctor, too."

[needthepractice]

Not all of them were names Beckett was completely familiar with, even after a little over a year on the island, but some of them sounded like people she had dealt with before, probably in a professional capacity or at least stopped to say hello to.

"I can't even imagine," she admitted, looking at Gwen with something bordering on impressed. "You seem to be dealing with all of this fairly well."