Plausible Deniability

Gates and Beckett have a chat. Just a little follow up to "Still" that I like to think would have happened at some point.

The bullpen was quiet when Victoria Gates turned off the lights to her office and closed the door. It was a Tuesday evening, and there was blessedly little going on. She would have been gone a few hours earlier if it hadn't been for some persistent paperwork from the bombing case – her second in two years – in which her best detective had nearly lost her life.

Speaking of said detective, Gates was surprised to see Beckett still at her desk, fingers crawling over the keyboard before backspacing and trying again. She had seen Ryan and Esposito take off around five, at the end of their shift, and had just assumed Beckett had followed them. That had been nearly two hours ago.

"Detective Beckett, is there any particular reason you're racking up OT on a quiet weeknight when there's no active case?"

Beckett's head snapped up, her eyes refocusing on Gates rather than the words on her screen.

"Sorry sir, I've just let this report go long enough, and I need to get it done."

"The bomb?" Gates asked quietly, quickly surmising the situation.

Kate nodded. "It's been a … difficult report to write. I think I just needed the solitude."

There was far more to it than that, and the full reality hung between them, acknowledged but unspoken. Gates had no doubt reliving that day would be very difficult for the woman who nearly saw the last minutes of her life counted down in some madman's apartment. If staying late and having some peace and quiet was what she needed, Gates was not going to quibble over a few overtime hours. Beckett had more than earned them.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it."

When Gates turned to leave, Kate felt the words begin to rise in her throat, and while she doubted the wisdom of what she was about to do, she couldn't stop herself either. "Captain?"

Gates looked back at Beckett. "Yes, Detective?"

Kate took a steadying breath before continuing. "About Castle and me – do you mind if I ask why you …" her words faltered, but Gates didn't need them to know what Beckett was asking.

"Why I didn't use your relationship as an excuse to finally get rid of him?" she finished, as her eyebrow arched knowingly.

Kate nodded but kept silent.

"Kate, I've seen a lot of unusual things in my time on the force – cops who wore the same shoes for ten years, convinced they were good luck; partners who hated each other but worked together for decades; skittish, bumbling idiots who could shoot a flea off a dog at a hundred yards. But nothing comes close to the unconventional partnership I've seen since coming here."

A smile inched its way across Kate's face. Who could deny it? Castle's presence was unprecedented and unorthodox, but the results spoke for themselves. As such, Kate could do little more than mutter, "You can say that again."

Gates took the liberty of taking a seat in Castle's customary chair. "As much as I respected Captain Montgomery as a colleague, I thought he was nuts for letting a writer tag along with his homicide team. And then I saw the precinct's closure rate drop twenty percent in my first six weeks on the job. At first I attributed it to the grieving process and my less-than-welcomed arrival, but the numbers didn't start to rebound until you can Castle returned, and they haven't stopped. You're good together, Kate, the best I've seen – not that I'd ever tell Mr. Castle that," she added slyly.

"Understood," Kate said with a conspiratorial smile. Both women were silent for a moment before Kate ventured forth one more time. "For what it's worth, thank you."

Gates met Beckett's eyes head on, warm, but still full of the iron for which she got her nickname. "In all my years with the NYPD, Detective, nothing has ever tempted me to break regulation – until you two. Just don't make me regret it."

Kate felt the weight of her captain's trust settle around her. "We won't, sir."

Gates nodded and stood to leave, but before turning away, she added, "Now finish up that report and get home to your man – I'm sure he's wondering where you are. And don't forget to bring your partner with you when you come in tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Kate replied, with the report already looking less daunting on her screen, and her heart sitting a little lighter in her chest.