A/N If you follow me, you know I did another AU story on "Probable Cause", "Foiling the Frame." This one is less creepy and not quite so hard on our heroes. Also the method of discovering Tyson's trickery in this one is different and less bloody. It came to me when I was watching "Probable Cause" on TNT last night. Another night will pass before I post this. I remind you again of Nathan's Charity Water campaign and also of Nerd HQ. Tweet me CheerfulChemist if you need info.

Moment in Time

Probable Cause

Ryan pointed at the video. "Here's our time code for our point of sale. That's our guy." A man walked up to the jewelry counter.

"Look at his height, build, hair color," Esposito exclaimed in dismay. "That's not Kurtzman!" The customer's face appeared in profile, his left cheek visible. "That's Castle!"

"There's got to be another explanation," Beckett insisted.

"Like what?" Esposito asked.

"I don't know. It's somebody else," Beckett suggested in desperation, "somebody that looks like Castle.

Beckett was living a nightmare. The evidence found in Castle's loft, the barbed wire, the emails, it couldn't be true! After shedding her tears with Lanie, Beckett was more determined than ever to find something, anything that made sense. She stared at the video of the jewelry store on her laptop, running it over and over. She was startled when an officer from Holding tapped her on the shoulder. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle asked to see you.

"Kate!" Castle called as Beckett approached. "Kate, it was Tyson. He was here last night. He disabled the surveillance, so no one could see him or hear him. He engineered the whole thing. He was in the loft. He even saw us - together. Kate, he wants to kill me. The minute I go to the Tombs, I'll be taken out."

"Castle," Beckett said softly, not sure who she was trying to comfort more, Rick or herself, "there has to be some sign somewhere, something that he missed. We'll find it."

"Then you believe me?" Castle asked pressing his face up against the metal mesh.

"I never stopped," Beckett told him, pushing her fingers through the wire to touch his cheek. She brushed the roughness that had formed on his jaw and smiled. "I love this freckle." Beckett's eyes widened in realization. "Castle, the man's face in the video, it's the left side! If that freckle is missing I can show that it's not you! I have work to do!

"Ryan! Javi!" Beckett called as she returned to the bullpen.

Ryan and Esposito stood with Beckett in front of the screen in the tech room zooming in on the face of the figure at the counter. There was no freckle. "See!" Beckett exclaimed. "It's not Castle. Somebody used a double, and you guys know who uses doubles."

"Captain," Beckett pleaded, "just look. This is a blow up of the left side of Castle's face. This is the face on the video. It's not the same man."

"All right, Detective," Gates replied, "I'll give you that, but what about all the other evidence?"

"Planted!" Ryan interjected with uncharacteristic vociferousness. "This is what Jerry Tyson does. He uses people, things, to lay a false trail. It's a frame, Captain."

"Sir," Beckett continued. "The D.A. Has already filed charges. Castle will be arraigned and taken to the Tombs where Tyson will have someone kill him. We can't let that happen."

"You've made your point, Detectives," Gates agreed. "I'll talk to the D.A."

"A.D.A. Toni Gonzalez was skeptical. "You're asking me to delay the transfer of a murder suspect on the basis of a freckle?"

"Ms. Gonzalez," Gates told her. "I have never been Mr. Castle's greatest fan, but he does have a history with Jerry Tyson and this whole set-up, including the video, fits Jerry Tyson's M.O.. We just need more time to gather evidence."

"Captain Gates," Gonzalez replied. "I'm not sure I buy any of this, but I was the one who held the hands of Jerry Tyson's victims after this precinct let him slip through its fingers. If he is involved, I want him as much as you do. I will give you twenty-four hours to develop some new evidence."

"I'm sorry," Beckett apologized as she cuffed Castle. "This is the only way Gates would let us do this."

"It's okay," Castle told her, "not as much fun as the other night at your place, but okay."

Beckett led Castle from his cell. "Hey you remember the first time you cuffed me?" Castle asked.

Beckett smiled as she remembered. "It was at the public library, you were..."

This time, a look of realization came over Castle's face.

"What?" Beckett asked.

"Beckett, we need to go to the library, right now. I think I know how Tyson found my double."

Beckett and Castle rushed down the steps of the resource room, Castle's jacket draped over his hands to cover the cuffs. "We're looking for "Broadway Casting," he told her. "Mother used to have it around all the time." Beckett pulled issues off the shelves and flipped the pages with Castle looking on. "There!" Castle exclaimed, pointing at an ad and drawing looks from other patrons. Castle lowered his voice. "They were casting for a book party and look who they wanted: me." Beckett used her phone to take a picture of the ad.

Beckett pulled up in front of the casting agency. "Screw it!" she said, unlocking Castle's cuffs. "You can't go in there like that and I'm not leaving you in the car. For all I know, Tyson could be watching us."

The receptionist at the desk remembered the ad and gave Beckett and Castle contact information for the person who placed it and the actor who filled the role. She stared at Castle. "You know, you could do a pretty good Richard Castle yourself."

"Actually, I'm more into Jason Bateman," Castle told her, "but thanks."

Beckett called Esposito with the contact information for the person who had placed the ad, but it was a bust.

Beckett and Castle met with Paul Dyson, the barrista come faux Castle. He did look amazingly like Castle, at least from the back and sides, but his eyes were closer together and he spoke with a Boston accent that spoiled the illusion. He definitely had no freckle on his cheek. Castle really couldn't see the resemblance at all, causing Beckett to suppress a smile. Dyson identified Jerry Tyson as a producer who had told him he was making a reality show and enlisted him to buy the earrings. He had no phone number or address for Tyson, but he was able to tell Beckett the corporation name on the check. She called Esposito to run it.

Esposito reported that the corporation was owned by a Joseph Vacher, but that there was no such person. "Yes there was," Castle informed him, "he was a French serial killer. Tyson's got a sense of humor."

The evidence took on new importance when Ryan reported that Tessa's calendar showed a meeting with a J.V., and gave the address. The N.Y.P. D. descended on the house given in the address en masse. The company included Captain Gates, so Beckett handcuffed Castle again before leading him in. The evidence was spread out for all to see, the barbed wire, surveillance photos, plans of Castle's loft. Gates looked at Beckett standing with Castle. "Oh for heavens sakes, Detective!" Gates exclaimed, "uncuff the man! He obviously isn't guilty, at least not of murder. I'll call the D.A. and get the charges dropped. You two go back to the station and start the paperwork."

With all the other police in the building and under the cover of rapidly descending darkness, Beckett's and Castle's passion exploded. Their lips met as their bodies collided. Castle's hands fisted in Beckett's hair as she held his face in her hands. Heat engulfed them as Beckett was thrust against the car, Castle kissing her ever more deeply. As through a fog, Beckett heard the opening of a car door, as a uniformed unit prepared to leave. She pulled away. "Rick, we have to stop. Someone will see." Castle reluctantly stepped away from her and got into the car.

"Thank you," Castle said, as they stopped at a bridge, opened to allow a boat to pass underneath.

"For what?" Beckett asked.

"For believing in me. Given my reputation, my history, and after those emails, it would have been real easy not to."

"Well, things have never been easy between us," Beckett replied.

"Maybe that's what makes it all worth..."

Beckett and Castle were thrust toward the dash as the car was rammed from behind. Castle put a hand to his head, dazed as a trickle of blood ran down his forehead. Beckett grabbed for her gun as shots poured through the back window. "Castle, it's Tyson. Get down."

Beckett squeezed off shot after shot, even as it appeared that Tyson was down, but as she approached Tyson's car, he grabbed her. Beckett's gun skittered away. "C'mere, Castle," Tyson called out. "I've got your girl! Are you watching?" I want you to see this. After all you've done, did you think I'd let you live? I want you to watch while I take her life." Tyson edged closer to Beckett's car but Castle wasn't there.

"Over here!" Castle shouted, emptying Beckett's gun into Tyson as fast as he could pull the trigger. Tyson's body dropped into the churning waters below. Beckett ran into Castle's arms.

The divers couldn't find a body. "They won't," Castle told Beckett grimly. "Don't you see? He set this whole thing up. He wanted to be able to kill again. He needed the police to stop looking for him. He had to disappear, but it had to be public and it had to be final."

"Castle," Beckett insisted. "You shot him. He's dead."

"For now," Castle murmured to himself.

Beckett brushed back the errant strands of hair falling on Castle's brow. "Castle, we're both tired. You've got blood on your face."

"Castle smiled wanly. "So do you."

"Then how about if we get Ryan and Esposito to give us a ride back to your loft. We can both get cleaned up and go back to the precinct to finish the paperwork to make you a free man."

With Esposito at the wheel, Beckett and Castle settled into the back seat of the car. For once, Castle had absolutely no interest in calling shotgun. Beckett leaned into Castle's shoulder and their hands entwined as the car sped through the rapidly brightening day.