Author's Note: A couple shout outs here. First to for giving me the full definition of justice. One of my favorite things about writing is doing research for stories, whether it be something as simple as looking up a definition for a word or something deeper, something that requires much more research. It's always fascinating the things you can learn through research. The second shout out goes out to my readers and reviewers, who I will always appreciate. I'm honored to embark on this journey with you all. I know the title of the chapter is "The End of a Chapter," but this isn't the end of the story, not yet anyways. We're just closing a chapter in Kate's life and moving onto a new one.

What Changes Us
Chapter 6 - The End of a Chapter

Kate let out a long sigh as she stepped into her first class of the day, simply titled Justice, coffee in hand. After months of searching and trying different flavors, she finally found her perfect blend, two pumps of sugar free vanilla in a skim latte, a discovery made just after spring break over an early evening chat with Valerie at the coffee shop. It was the perfect pick me up no matter what time of day it was, though it was especially important this morning, when she was still waking up after a long night of adventure with Rogan that ended with the two of them in his bed and no clothes.

She took her seat in a back corner of the room, watching as her classmates filed into the room, some one by one, others in small groups. The professor, an older man with graying hair, stepped into the room just as the class period started, closing the door behind him and silencing the class.

Today's topic was on the meaning of justice. Kate frowned a little as she wrote the header on her notes. The professor opened the class by asking a few students what they believed the definition of justice to be, and for the most part, the class responded with some variation of what the definition actually was.

JUSTICE, the professor wrote on the board with a piece of chalk. He followed it with six numbered lines, each with a different definition of justice following the number.

1. The quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral righteousness.

2. Rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason.

3. The moral principle determining just conduct.

4. Conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.

5. The administering of deserved punishment or reward.

Kate's writing slowed as she registered what she'd just written as her fifth bullet point. "The administering of deserved punishment or reward," she said softly to herself.

"I'm sorry, Miss Beckett," Raglan's voice echoed in her mind. The faint sound of the professor's piece of chalk scribbling on the chalkboard tried to pierce its way into her thoughts, to ground her back to the present time, but Raglan's voice was stronger. "We have no more leads on your mother's murder. All of the evidence leads us to believe it was just random gang violence."

Random gang violence. A woman who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was Raglan's definition of justice for a woman who fought tirelessly to get justice for those who had been wronged.

Now Johanna Beckett was the one being wronged. Now Johanna Beckett wasn't getting justice.

"You see," the professor said, gesturing to the chalkboard and the definitions written on it behind him. "There are many different ways to define justice, as the textbook definitions on the board show, but it's the way in which we define justice for ourselves and for others that is the most important. What one person in this class sees as justice may not be what your classmates see. We are raised in different environments and shaped by our experiences, which shape how we see justice. It is up to us, as individuals, to find the truth and serve justice, based on how our experiences have allowed us to perceive it, so that we can appropriately serve the people that we choose to serve in the capacity we choose to serve them in, whether that's as a lawyer or as someone in law enforcement."

Kate, who was only half paying attention as her professor spoke, lost in her own thoughts of her mother and the lack of justice she received in her murder, slowly looked up from her notes. There were no tears in her eyes as she did, no pain written all over her face. She was stoic, though the wheels in her mind were turning.

The truth.

All the years Kate spent with her mother, even as a child sitting in her mother's office, there was one thing she could always remember about her. Johanna Beckett always wanted to know the truth. That was all she wanted to know.

When the class ended, Kate hung back for a moment, slowly packing her things as she watched her classmates leave. As the final students left, she stood up, walking up to the professor's desk, where he was packing the last of his things into his briefcase.

"Professor?" Kate asked. He looked up. "Um, about something you said in class today, serving in the capacity we choose to serve those we're trying to get justice for. How will we know what the best way to get the truth is so we can serve justice?"

A smile formed on the professor's lips as he closed his briefcase, resting his hands on top. "By researching and investigating the case. You have to find the truth by whatever means necessary without contaminating it so it can't be used in a court of law. It's up to you to determine what the best course of action is, to determine how you reveal the facts," he said. He glanced over to the door, then back to Kate. "When the pieces start falling into the right place, you'll know you're on the right track to finding the truth and getting justice. You just have to find a place to start."

It took a moment for Kate's brain to wrap around her professor's words. "So," she said, speaking slowly. "What if a case has been closed, but you don't feel justice has been served? What if you feel like there's a missing piece to the puzzle?"

"Then you reopen it," the professor said. "Whoever got the case closed could be covering something up, and if that's the case, then they're living with the lie that they solved a case when they really didn't. That lie, that corruption, will eat them alive. Right now, they might be okay with it, but eventually, the truth will come out. The truth can only stay hidden for so long, and a missing puzzle piece doesn't stay missing forever." He glanced down to his watch. "I apologize, Miss Beckett, but I do have another class that starts soon. If you have any other questions, please feel free to come by my office hours."

Kate nodded. "Thank you, professor," she said, watching as he left the room.

Her hand went up to her neck, fingers weaving around the chain that hung around it. She slowly pulled the necklace out from underneath her shirt, hazel eyes gazing at her mother's engagement ring that glistened in the room's light.

"You can be anything you want to be, Katie."

o.o.o.o.o

The two weeks that followed spring break were like a whirlwind. If it wasn't for seeing Amanda in classes and Rogan showing up at her room, she probably would've grown distant from them. She spent much of her time in the library after her talk with her Justice professor, working on a last minute transfer application to New York University to continue her studies in criminal justice.

She was leaving her room to head to the library to send the application off when she nearly ran into Rogan, who was standing just outside of her room, hand balled up into a fist to knock on her door.

"Kit Kat," he said. "I've been trying to call you all morning."

"Sorry," she said, pushing past him and closing the door behind her. "I've been busy."

"Well, hey, maybe you can take a break from whatever it is you're doing, and we can hang out," Rogan said, jogging to catch up to her as she made her way towards the stairs. "There's this cool new bar that just opened up down the street from campus that we can go to."

Kate stopped at the foot of the stairs, turning back to face Rogan, who was still a couple steps behind her. "Sorry, but I've got stuff to do."

"Kit Kat, come on," Rogan said, jogging to cut her off just as they exited the building. "It's the weekend, and you've been working all week. You could use a little break, and it'll be fun."

"No," she said, stopping. "It won't." She adjusted her bag on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rogan, but I think we're done."

"Done?"

"Done," Kate repeated. "I'm tired of the lies, and I'm sorry, but I can't be around someone who's stealing from others. I can't risk my career before it's even started. I'm sorry, but we're over."

She stepped around him, his eyes widened as he registered the words she spoke. He turned for a moment to watch her as she walked away, a small frown on his face.

The happiness they shared could only last so long.

o.o.o.o.o

Kate let out a breath as she stepped out of the classroom, bag slung over her shoulder. She was done. She finished her freshman year at Stanford. Final grades wouldn't be posted for at least another week, but she was done. By this time tomorrow, she'd be back in New York, preparing for her summer classes at NYU.

"Kate!" Amanda called, jogging to catch up to her classmate. "Hey, you wanna grab a bite to eat? We can celebrate a bit now that exams are done!"

"I have to finish packing," Kate said.

"It can wait," Amanda replied. "Come on, let's get some food. Packing's gonna be a lot worse if you do it on an empty stomach."

Kate was about to protest, but her stomach growled in agreement with Amanda, who smiled and took Kate's hand, leading her to the stairs, out of the building, and towards a pizza place just off campus. Signage in the windows advertised the best New York pizza around, and Kate couldn't help but manage a smile. A sign just inside the building told the girls to seat themselves, so Amanda led them to a table by the window, where they could see the hustle and bustle of the street outside.

It was almost reminiscent of home, except with less people. A lot less people.

"So do you have any big plans for the summer?" Amanda asked after they ordered their food. They each ordered a glass of water and two slices of pepperoni pizza.

Kate shrugged. "Not really."

"Honestly, same," Amanda replied. "I'm so exhausted, I could probably just sleep the entire summer."

Their waiter returned with two glasses of water, setting one in front of each of them. The girls continued their small talk until their pizza was brought out to them.

"Hey, you're from New York, right?" Amanda asked. Kate nodded. "Is this actually like New York pizza?"

Kate shrugged. "Pretty much. I think there's just a certain charm authentic New York pizza has that can't be recreated."

"You'll have to bring a slice or two back for me in the fall so I can see the difference then," Amanda said with a chuckle. Kate moved her gaze away from Amanda and to the light traffic just outside of the pizzeria. "Kate?"

"I'm not coming back in the fall," she said softly, eyes still focused on the window. She was looking at nothing and everything all at once, taking in the sights of the campus from this vantage point, locking it all in her memory.

"What?"

She brought her attention back to Amanda. "I'm not coming back to Stanford next year."

"What?" Amanda repeated. She shook her head. "Why not?"

Kate took a deep breath, then sighed. "I don't think being a lawyer is the right path for me," she said.

"Why not?" Amanda asked. "You're the best in our class!"

She hesitated, searching for the best way to answer her question. Amanda still didn't know about her mother's murder, and even now, Kate still wasn't sure she had the heart to tell her. She wasn't sure she had the strength to tell her; four months passed since that fateful day Kate found out her mother was murdered, and while the wound was largely healed, some days were still easier than others. "There's someone back home that I need to get justice for," Kate said. "And I don't think I'm going to be able to do it being a lawyer. I don't think I'm going to be able to do it across the country."

"Then what are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to become a cop," she replied. "A detective, actually. Homicide."

Amanda's eyes widened. "You're… what?" she said, trying to wrap her mind around the words her friend said. "You're going to risk your life for justice?"

She felt anger rise up inside of her for a moment, but it was quickly suppressed with a reminder that Amanda didn't know why Kate was doing this. She didn't know that her mom was murdered and her death written off as random gang violence. "Yeah," Kate finally said after a moment. "I am."

"And there's no other way to do this?"

Kate shook her head, her professor's words echoing in her mind. "The truth can only stay hidden for so long," her professor told her one day after class. It was up to her to uncover it. It was up to her to find the person responsible for her mother's death and bring them to justice.

"No," Kate said. "There's no other way. This is the right thing to do."

They sat in silence until their waiter came by to pick up the empty plates and see if they wanted anything else. Amanda ordered two chocolate covered cannoli, one for each of them. Their water nodded, topping off their waters before walking away.

"Well, if you're planning on leaving," Amanda said, a smile forming on her face. "Then at least let me treat you to a little dessert."

Kate managed a smile. "Alright," she said.

"And hey, if you ever need help with whatever it is you're doing, I know we'll be across the country from each other, but I'll do my best to help you out."

o.o.o.o.o

The next morning, Kate placed a hand on the handle of her suitcase, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. She turned back to look at her room. It was bare, empty, other than the furniture already in the room, just like it was when she first arrived in this room a little over eight months ago. Her whole life for the last eight months was packed away in the bags she had with her. She stepped away from the door, her hand sliding off the handle of her suitcase and dropping to her side. Once she was in the middle of the room, she turned towards the door.

Her hand slowly went to her neck, pulling the chain underneath her plain, flowy blue t-shirt out. Her fingers wrapped around the engagement band that hung from the chain.

A little over eight months ago, Kate stood in this very spot with her parents at the door. Both of her parents.

She felt a little twinge of pain at the thought.

For the most part, the pain she felt from losing her mom was more or less gone. Some days were easier than others, but as time passed, the wound healed. It wasn't completely healed; she doubted it ever would be, but it was healing.

And now that wound tore itself right back open as she stood in the center of her room with her mother's engagement ring in her hand.

"And remember, Katie," her mom's voice echoed in her mind. Kate closed her eyes, looking up to the ceiling, biting her bottom lip to stop the tears that were pooling in her eyes from falling. "You can be anything you want to be."

They were the last words Johanna told her daughter before she and her husband left, leaving their daughter at Stanford to forge bonds with her roommates and classmates, to find the people she'd hopefully be friends with for the rest of her life. None of them likely would be; Kate cut ties with her roommates completely about halfway through the semester, only remaining amicable towards them to keep the peace, and the odds of her seeing Amanda, let alone hearing from her, again were slim.

And yet, the words stuck with Kate. They were words she heard before in high school, when her mom chaperoned a Model UN conference she attended. They were words she heard a little over eight months ago, when she was about to part ways with her parents for the better part of almost nine months, only returning home for winter break.

"I just want to be like you," Kate said softly, taking a deep, shaky breath. "I just want to find the truth. I just want to get justice for people. Just like you did."