He's alone in his apartment, sitting at the island in his kitchen. He leans against the counter as a bottle of scotch calls his name. A knock on the door brings him back to reality. He crosses the room, stopping at the door. He takes a deep breath, but he doesn't check the peephole. He pulls the door open. He furrows his brow, upon seeing the figure standing in his doorway.

"What are you doing here?"

He holds out a manila folder to Rick.

Richard cocks an eyebrow, "What's this?"

"You asked my daughter to marry you."

"Yes. I thought that you already knew that."

"I did."

"Would you like to come in?"

Jim shakes his head, "No."

"What are you doing here? It's after ten. Kate isn't here."

"I know, I talked to her earlier. She told me that she was at her place."

"She said she needed a little time alone."

"Richard Castle, do not let her push you away."

"Why are you here?"

"My daughter loves you. She is going to marry you."

"This is true. You don't want me to marry her?"

"I want her to be happy. If you are what makes her happy I won't stand in her way."

"But you're here, obviously to talk to me, when she's not around. Why?"

"She will do her best to push you away."

"She already has."

"She will keep trying. She usually succeeds."

"She won't succeed. I'm not going anywhere."

"She doesn't like being vulnerable. She doesn't like for anyone to see the..."

Richard cuts him off, "The broken pieces of herself that she tries to hide. I have seen them all, and I'm not going anywhere."

"There is something that you need to know about my daughter before you marry her."

"And what's that?"

"It's all in that folder."

"What is?"

"Just read it."

"Is it about her mother's murder?"

Jim shakes his head, "It has absolutely nothing to do with her mother's murder."

"So what does it have to do with?"

"It is better if you read it for yourself."

"What is going on here?"

"There are things in this life that we try to forget. Even if we briefly succeed things always have a way of coming back to the surface. There are things that she hasn't told you."

"How do you know?"

"Because she does her best to forget," Jim explains.

"Meaning?"

"She will tell you that she can't remember, when you confront her about it."

"Maybe she can't," Castle suggests.

"I don't know whether she can't remember, or she chooses not to."

"What do you mean by chooses not to?"

"I can't say with certainty that she truly cannot remember, I can only say that the medical community deems it unlikely."

"I don't understand."

"Read the file, and you will."

"Why are you giving this to me all of a sudden?"

"It isn't all of a sudden. I should go," he turns to leave.

"Wait."

Jim walks away. Castle closes, and locks the door. He makes his way into the kitchen. He pours himself a drink, and carries it into his office, along with the folder. He enters the office, closing the door behind him. He situates himself in his chair, behind his desk. He turns on the lamp, and takes a sip of his scotch.

He removes the rubber band that is wrapped around the outside of the folder. He studies the folder closely, before he opens it. The edges are worn, as if it has been handled many times. There is a stain on the front that appears to be from a coffee cup. He flips open the flap of the folder. He begins reading, in silence.

By the time he has gotten to the other flap of the folder he's polished of two drinks, and an accident report. He's preparing to re-read the material before him when his phone begins to vibrate. He looks to his right. The phone vibrates against the desk. He stares at the screen with a picture of her on it. He swallows hard, and reaches for the phone.

"Hello?" he answers.

"Are you in bed?"

"No, I'm reading."

"I'll be over in the morning. I just wanted to let you know."

"Okay."

"You sound upset, are you okay?"

"It was just something that I read. Get some rest, okay?"

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"We'll talk then. Goodnight, Kate."

"Night."

"Love you. See you in the morning."

"Love you, bye," she hangs up the phone.

He places his phone on the desk, and pushes the phone aside.

She uses her key to get into the apartment. She opens the door, and finds that it's suspiciously quiet. She closes the door, and tosses her bag on the couch. The coffee pot has yet to be used, despite the fact that it is nearly eight o'clock. She makes a beeline for the bedroom. She pushes the door open, and finds that it's empty.

"Castle?" she calls out as she makes her way towards the bathroom. She finds that the bathroom is empty as well. She leaves the room, and walks towards his office. She stops outside the closed door. She reaches for the handle, turning it quietly. She pushes the door open. She finds him sitting behind his desk, with the side of his face lying on top of a folder.

"Castle?"

He opens his eyes, and looks at her. She shoots him a questioning look.

"Late night?"

He nods as he grabs the file off his desk, and shoves it into a drawer.