A/N: It's been a while since I posted anything, and I had this saved on my computer for quite some time, at least two years. Now that I have finished college, I may have some time to write this story and not leave it hanging for several months, hopefully.
This story takes place a few months before the start of Castle, so he will not be in the beginning of this story. Kate may seem a little bitchy at parts, but she'll relax a bit once my OC starts to befriend her a bit and gets through those walls she has up. I think that's all I need to touch on, and don't worry, there will be Caskett... eventually.
Reporting for Duty, Sir!
It was Lacie's first day at the 12th precinct. She was super stoked about finally becoming a detective. She's been working towards this for several years now, and all the hard work has finally paid off. As soon as her alarm went off, in record time, she was out of bed and in the shower. She got dressed as quick as she could and made herself a fast breakfast. She wanted to get out of her apartment so she could get there on time.
Just as she was about to head out the door, she decided to check the time on her cell phone to make sure she was still early and found out that she only had ten minutes left to get there. She stared at her phone confused, and said, "What the hell!? I got up an extra hour earlier than usual, so why is it so late."
She looked at the digital clock in her kitchen and saw it was an hour earlier than what her phone said. It took a few seconds before realization hit her; she had completely forgotten about the small power surge that went through the neighborhood a couple of nights ago and she hadn't fixed any of her clocks after that. She quickly scribbled on a Post-It note to make sure she would change her clocks to the correct time when she gets home, so she's not late again.
She sped down her apartment stairs, and jumped into her car, before she headed to the 12th precinct. Lacie surely hoped that traffic wouldn't be too bad today, and that she'd be able to make it to her first day on the job on time.
Kate walked into work groggily and set her things on her desk. There's been so many cases popping up left and right, she felt like she has only gotten about three hours of sleep each night. She headed into the break room to grab herself a cup of coffee and made it as swiftly as she could. Once she was done, and took a sip of the warm drink, she was already feeling slightly rejuvenated and ready to go.
She walked out of the break room with a small smile on her face, carrying her cup of freshly brewed coffee with her. Only seconds passed before that smile quickly turned into a frown. A woman, only a couple of years younger than her, bumped into her as she made her way back to her desk. Kate's coffee spilled down the front of her blouse, and part of her jacket. The cup shattered on the floor, and the younger woman looked at Kate with wide eyes.
"Oh my god! I am so, so, sorry… I didn't… I wasn't… I'm so sorry," Lacie said as she tried to help the woman she ran into.
Kate steadied the girl's hand, which had a rolled-up napkin in it, and said, "It's fine…"
Lacie pulled her hand back slowly and said, "I am truly sorry for this… I can pay for dry cleaning, or I'll buy you a new outfit…"
"No, it's fine."
"Are you sure? I mean I…"
"Detective Carver, you're late," Captain Montgomery said as he stood at the door of his office.
"I'm sorry… Traffic was a nightmare."
"Just don't make a habit of it. In my office."
He walked into his office, and Lacie looked back at the woman who was shedding her jacket and placing it on her desk. Kate saw the woman watching her and said, "Go ahead, it's fine."
Lacie nodded and walked towards the captain's office. She was only there for a few minutes, and she's already made a complete fool of herself. I guess things usually never go as planned, especially when you're trying to make a good impression.
Kate rummaged through one of her drawers and found the extra shirt she was keeping just in case something like this would happen. She quickly went to change her shirt, and when she came back, Esposito and Ryan were standing by her desk.
"Have a little accident?" Esposito chuckled.
She gave him a smirk and said, "The new girl bumped into me."
"New girl?" Ryan asked.
"Yep, she's in with Montgomery as we speak."
"Oh, that's who's in there…"
"Is she hot?" Espo asked.
"Seriously, Javi!?" Ryan asked.
"What!? It's just a question."
"She's… She's cute, I guess," Kate replied.
"Just cute…"
Kate shrugged and said, "She still looks fresh out of high school to be honest."
"Hmm… interesting."
Just then, Captain Montgomery and the new girl walked out of his office, and all eyes went to them. He shook the girl's hand, and then walked her over to the three other detectives that were currently hanging at Beckett's desk.
"I'd like everyone to meet our newest member of the 12th precinct, Detective Lacie Carver," Captain Montgomery said.
"Hi," Lacie said.
"Hi," they mumbled.
Captain Montgomery motioned to each person, as he introduced them to their new co-worker, "This is Detective Javier Esposito… This is Detective Kevin Ryan… And the woman you ran into earlier, is Detective Katherine Beckett."
"Nice to meet you all," Lacie said.
"You as well," they said.
"Well, I'll let you guys get to work, and get to know each other. I'm sure we'll be getting in a case soon judging by how the last several days have gone," Captain Montgomery said.
"Will do sir," Kate said.
He nodded to them all, before he walked back to his office to do some work.
"So Lacie, how long have you've been a cop?" Javier asked the new girl.
"About six years now. Just got promoted to detective a couple of weeks ago," she answered.
"Well, we'll be happy to show you the ropes, and get you acquainted with the 12th."
"Yeah, the 12th is like a big, semi-happy, kind of family," Kevin said with a small smile.
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"In the meantime, we all have work to do, and I'm sure you have some of your own paperwork to get done. So, let's get to it," Kate said.
"Fine," Kevin and Javier grumbled as they went to their desks unwillingly.
"So, this is my desk?" Lacie asked as she looked at the desk in front of Beckett's.
"Yeah, you can take that one," Kate said, barely acknowledging the girl as she rummaged around her own desk.
"Uh… Okay."
Lacie felt a little awkward as she turned around from the other woman's desk. She started to organize her own desk, so everything she needed was right where she wanted it. Once she completed that task, she logged into her new computer, and worked on some forms she needed to complete before the end of the week. Not even an hour went by, before a new case came in.
Captain Montgomery came out of his office and said, "We have a new case. A female guest was found dead in her motel room in the upper Eastside. I need you guys to get over there, and see what you can figure out," he turned to detective Beckett and said, "And Detective Beckett, take Lacie with you and show her the ropes."
"Yes, sir," Kate said, willing to oblige her captain's orders.
They all got ready to head over to the motel where the murder took place, but Lacie was feeling a little uneasy about the whole thing. It wasn't even the fact that it's the first case she gets to solve as a detective, but it was because of the cold shoulder she was getting from her new colleague, Detective Beckett. Lacie hoped she'd be able to break whatever ice there is between the two of them during the duration of the case, but she has a feeling it'll be much harder than the case they're about to solve.