Kate Beckett was disciplined and put on probation for her various infractions of federal and state law during the LokSat case. The NYPD didn't want to lose her entirely, and she was told the only reason she was given another chance was the outstanding nature of her previous service.

The psych evaluation was the last step in the probationary process, and the eighth session she'd had with Dr. Burke since the showdown in the CIA building. Of course, she could tell Burke very little about that incident, as it was classified - but she could and did talk about her relationship with her team, and with her husband.

"I made some bad choices," she admitted over the course of their meetings. "Castle was there for me, through everything, even once he found out how far I'd gone to push him away. He told me, when he found out what I'd been up to, that - that I was broken. That I needed my obsession."

Castle had been right, she thought. The demon she thought was gone was only lurking, and the moment she heard its siren song she had seized on it as a familiar weapon. For so long she had been the point man in her own battles, that she'd only belatedly recalled the formidable force that was her lover - and just how valuable he was in any skirmish.

She would never have survived this long without him. Certainly not against such determined, amoral enemies. Whatever came now, she would not face it without Rick beside her.

Now Carter Burke sat across from her, smiling his enigmatic smile, and said, "I plan to sign off on your psych eval, Kate, so once you pass your firearms requalification, you'll be cleared for reinstatement. If that's what you want."

Kate smiled back. He knew her well enough by now to guess that going forward with the NYPD was not the only option she was considering. She thanked him and they shook hands, and he wished her success in whatever path she chose.

Rick was loitering on the sidewalk when Kate came out of the building; he caught her up in his arms and swung her around in a hug.

"So?" he inquired once she was back on the ground. "All clear, I presume?"

"All clear," she told him. "You'd know right away if it wasn't. You read me too well, Castle."

"Not well enough to guess the other thing." He took her hand as they turned to walk down the street. "I'm never going to live that down. My Spidey sense must be on the fritz."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," she grinned. "You're not the first man to be blindsided with the news his wife is pregnant."

"If you want to know the truth, I'm still kind of knocked out, twenty-four hours later." He looked down at her hopefully. "I think I might need some ice cream to help my recovery. You might need some, too."

Kate gave him a nudge and a smile and said, "Precinct first. Ice cream after."

Her business with the NYPD would not take long.

###fin###