Castle chugs one full bottle of water, pops two pills to help him sleep and three aspirin to stop the throbbing pain. He then sets four alarms to make sure he awakens on time. It works. He falls asleep still laughing about the great time he had being a geek with Kyle and it contributed to a blissful rest, free from nightmares.

He throws on a pair of lounge pants and short robe that hangs open. After a long stare into the refrigerator he decides to make a breakfast casserole. He doesn't feel like eating (it would look bad to vomit in the witness box) but maybe putting good smells in the house will convince his daughter all is well and help him choke down a piece of toast.

The simple act of gathering ingredients is comforting. Life is getting back to normal. It's not until he mixes the batter he's reminded the new normal doesn't mean the way things were. His wrists are already protesting. It's time to admit he has carpal tunnel syndrome and schedule an appointment. It will be a good excuse to quit writing until he gets his head on straight. He ignored the call from Milmar to update him on the negotiations with Black Pawn. That's another thing to stop dodging and deal with whatever comes.

It must be the thought of Nikki Heat that summons his muse. He hears a knock so faint that if he weren't in the kitchen and all was quiet, he would have missed it. He checks the peep hole and sees Kate chewing on her lip in worry. Castle eases the door open and ushers her inside.

"Great timing. Breakfast is almost ready to be put in the oven. You sit here and I'll have your coffee ready in a jiffy."

The whirlwind antics are comforting. He starts the coffee machine and finishes interweaving the strips of bacon on top of the egg mixture getting his fingers gooey in the process.

She's watching him closely, "You don't just make breakfast; you make a breakfast casserole. You don't just add bacon crumbles from a bag; you make an intricate design so it's pleasing to look to look at."

"Beckett, have I taught you nothing? It's all about the details!" He pops it in the oven and sets the timer.

"Even on a day like today?"

"Especially on a day like today." Hands washed; breakfast baking; coffee brewing. He searches for something else to distract them.

"Rick, no matter what happens today, can we have some time together tonight?" She rushes on, her voice close to pleading, "I'll share you with Alexis, but I need to see you. I found something in my mom's stuff that helps the case but hurts Montgomery, so we need to figure out what to do. I, um, also want to sort out - us - our... partnership." She watches him, analyzing every detail.

He deflates. Mindlessly rubs his wrist. "Are you sure you want to make that choice now? Wouldn't it be better to see if I've royally screwed things up and Bracken goes free before you force yourself to spend time with me?"

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. 'Force myself' to spend time with you? I could argue that I'm forcing you to spend time with me, but now is not the time to quibble over words. Can we spend time together this evening?"

"Quibble - good word. Yeah, I've been telling myself all morning to quit ignoring things and tune back in."

She nods, evaluates him with her eyes, and takes a few seconds to decide. Then she slowly saunters towards him. She's defiantly invaded his personal space and her hands are doing wicked things as they lightly dance over his robe. "Ricky, I should scold you for the weight you've lost, but I'm seeing this alluring hard body you've been hiding from me."

Shit. If she keeps doing that more of him is going to harden up. He gulps. "Ah, Kate, um..."

"Yes, writer man?" Her hands slip under the open robe and go for tickling instead of teasing of a sexual nature. "Not ready to for the ego stroking to move beyond telephone talk?" She smirks and backs off.

"Wow. Thanks for showing me I need to get dressed. I'll go do that - get clothes on - now. Right away." He hurries off. What the hell was that about? He takes a deep breath and commands himself to relax. Oh! That's why she did it. The teasing and flirting are normal for them and she was trying to get them both back to solid ground. Both of them need to be at their best today, and it took a bold move to accomplish that.

He preens when he reemerges from the bedroom after a quick cold shower dressed in a gray suit with the pinstripes matching the blue shirt perfectly. They both opt to skip breakfast but they take caffeine to go.

Kyle meets them at the courthouse. He offers a 'baby bird' gesture and Rick completes it with the 'feeding.' Both men grin like adolescents and it's obvious they're two of a kind. Kate is unabashedly smiling at both of them.

Several reporter approach but Castle waves them off with 'No comment at this time.' Beckett catches sight of Castle's attorney, but Rick ignores him. Maybe it's superstition, but they take the same seats as the day before and make small talk aware that people are eavesdropping. The trio reveal nothing but a confident and relaxed appearance.

The opening rituals of court hold a rapt audience. Judge Freeman takes the bench, "Now, I've got the motion to suppress evidence before me and I had to spend my evening reading. You-all are a wordy bunch of lawyers!" The courtroom snickers. "I'll forgive that for written statements but don't go trying my patience by repeating it so you can claim the spotlight or any other shenanigans. I will tolerate a brief statement of the main point of your case and we're going to plow right through this. Now let's get this horse and buggy show on the road."

The defense team has a different spokesperson today. He's the very essence of wisdom with his spectacles, white hair and sober black suit. "Mr. Gregson for the defense, your Honor. Very simply we believe a civilian acted as an agent of the police using illegally gathered evidence to pursue a personal vendetta against Senator Bracken." He pauses to let the mummers die down and elaborates, "Mr. Richard Castle has a long standing association with the NYPD. Regardless of appearing to cut ties with them, he actively participated in the planning of how to deal with a suspect who allegedly forged a note by NYPD Detective Beckett who is delusional with a personal vendetta against my client."

"Objection. Calling a decorated detective 'delusional' and stating she has a 'vendetta' are untrue and prejudicial and are purely for the media's consumption."

"Sustained. Mr. Gregson, I warned all of you about trying my patience and claiming a spotlight. I'm going to drive that point home and fine you $100. The next fine I levy will be higher and the one after that will be much higher. I've also got no qualms about having puffed up lawyers hauled out of here on contempt charges. Now carefully continue."

"Yes, um, as I was saying the evidence of this case begins with the alleged forged note. That person was never charged with a crime and was paid a large sum of money by Mr. Castle. The testimony that begins this investigation is corrupt and all evidence thereafter is fruit of the poisoned tree and inadmissible."

"Very well. The government's response?"

If opposing counsel is going for wisdom, Ms. Robinson is the embodiment of honesty in a simple dress of deep plum with a scarf of hand dyed colors. "The note in question is a forgery, not an alleged forgery with affidavits to back up the claim. The money paid by Mr. Castle was a reward offered publicly on his web site for information about any and all credible threats against Detective Beckett. Charges are pending against the suspect and will dropped only if he continues to cooperate with police. Leaving the debate of whether or not Mr. Castle is an agent of the police aside, his contribution to the plan was nothing more than offering professional guidance about 'forensic linguistics' to draw out the person behind the threat. No illegal actions have occurred to make subsequent evidence tainted."

The black robed ruler waves off the rebuttal of the defense. "The question of Mr. Castle's role as an agent of law enforcement is central to this proceeding. I'm going to get that settled right now. Please call him to the stand."

He gets a quick squeeze of Beckett's hand before he puts himself in the witness box. Years of cover-up, weeks of investigation, untold clandestine meetings, dozens of hired hands, not to mention a few hundred thousand dollars are now riding on him. It makes his sympathize with Atlas carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He glances at his personal attorney and gets an confident nod. He puts on his publicity persona and waits to play his gambit.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"Please state your name for the record."

"Regrettably, I am unable to answer that question and am invoking my 5th amendment right."

Judge Freeman shoot the witness a very annoyed look. "Don't think my warning about grandstanding, spotlight loving people who waste my time are limited to lawyers. I will not allow you make a mockery of this proceeding."

"I have the highest regard for the truth and apologize if my answer seemed flippant. I was trying to heed your implied preference for brevity, but I will not allow myself to be unwittingly trapped into perjury. Your bailiff told me to state my name. He did not specify which name. Even if he asked for my full name I could answer that my birth name is Richard Alexander Rogers or that I have legal contracts under the name of Richard Castle." What he is trying very hard not to admit or deny is that he also has identification with the name Roger Richardson and Alex Jones. Who knows what Bracken's team has uncovered. There are so very many things he's trying hard not to admit or deny.

The judge is pondering the man. Finally he settles on a way forward. "I'll accept that statement for your identity. I've heard tell that you're a writer of some sort which might explain why you're worse than legal counsel with the way you use words. Now I'm not going to let things get bogged down in the mud. I want some information about your role with the police. Are you going to answer the questions?"

"To not answer would place me in contempt. I will answer by repeatedly claiming my 5th amendment right. To some people words mean whatever they want them to mean. This has been sited in US courts before but it's strangely appropriate for me to repeat it here." Castle turns from the judge to the courtroom. Talking about fairy tales might calm the searing pain in his stomach.

"In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, Humpty Dumpty says to Alice in rather a scornful tone, 'When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.' The two literary characters discuss the value and meaning of words. Humpty Dumpty goes on to scold Alice: 'They've a temper, some of them - particularly verbs, they're the proudest - adjectives you can do anything with, but not verbs...! Impenetrability! That's what I say!'" A low snicker reveals the delight of the audience.

Castle endeavors to make his message clear, "I believe these proceeding are far too important to play word games or try underhanded maneuvers in which the purpose is to find something I've said or done wrong to throw everything out. I don't plan on being cast as the fool. I am pleading the fifth." He feels like a fraud. It's taking every ounce of energy to appear unaffected and not keel over. He wants to curl up and pretend the entire conviction isn't in jeopardy because he's been high handed in believing he could pull off underground tactics and not get caught. He feels like a coward to not man up and answer each and every question carefully, lying if necessary, but it felt reckless to gamble on word games and wrong to have Johanna Beckett's case sullied by more lies. He played his hand so now he waits.

He studies at Bracken at the defense table. The man is seriously pissed. In fact, all the defense team seems a little off their game like their preparations did not anticipate this move. Maybe his reputed large ego and reckless reputation made them confident he would enjoy the publicity of testifying. He flashes a humble smile trying to hide how he really feels and turns back to the judge.

"Very well, Mr. Castle. Let the record reflect this witness has invoked his right to be free from self-incrimination. You're excused." He turns his attention back to the lawyers. "Show of hands: anyone need a ten minute recess to plan their way around this?"

Most of the reporters and all the defense team raise their hands like eager school children. Prosecutor Robinson sits confidently, ready to move forward without delay.

Mr. Gregson stands with his arm raised but doesn't speak until the judge nods at him. "Your honor, the refusal of Mr. Castle to explain his actions leave us no recourse but to call upon a vast number of individuals to get to the truth. We need to update the witness list and times they are expected to appear and respectfully ask for an hour break."

"15 minute recess." The bang of the gavel comes down as the judge pops up and exits. Castle is already out of the room never having returned to his seat. Kate and Kyle catch up with him several minutes later at the far end of the hall.

"Castle, that was brilliant!" Beckett wants to gush, say more, but Rick is as white as a sheet and choking back a gurgle. "Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Dr. Kyle Winston takes one look at him and starts accessing. He grabs a wrist, takes his pulse, finds it fast and thready and his skin cold and clammy. "Shake your head yes or no: are you breathing okay?" He gets a yes, but a small gagging motion has Rick clamping down his jaw. "Can you leave the building with me or do you want EMTs called?" He gets a strong no and a finger points to an obscure exit.

Kate takes his hand and they start moving to the stairwell. Once they're through the doors it's quieter and Rick stops, takes a deep breath. "Sorry about that. Need some air. I'll be fine. Beckett, you need to go - back in."

"Like hell I'm leaving you." She's still got her fingers interlaced with his and her other hand on his elbow. She gets him moving again to the steps. Kyle stays behind Rick with a hand hovering above his suit jacket ready to grab it just in case as they ease down the flight of stairs. They exit on the side of the building without incident and few other people in sight.

He tries again, "Beckett, you know you're going to called to the box next. I'll try to get back up there as soon as I can."

"Hey partner. My place is by your side." He's acting better but she's still concerned.

Castle looks at Kyle to break the standoff, so he weighs in, "Kate, I'm going to stay with Rick. I'll ask to see his comic book collection just so I can make him go home and then I'll see how's he's doing. Remember I'm a MD and a shrink so I know how to deal with invincible, stubborn types. Trust me, okay?"

She does trust him but she feels like she's failing Rick - again. Like fate is driving another wedge between them every time they get closer. The trio keeps moving towards the row of taxis.

Rick addresses her concern, "It's stress. I've never had my words be this important so I just need to calm down and eat something. My stomach is in knots. Kate, I'll be okay but I'll feel worse if you're not there to testify when they call your name. As soon as you're done, text me. Let me be a wimp without trying to tough it out in front of you." He pleads with those big blue eyes.

Kyle waits. These two are both a mess but Rick needs him more than he needs to sit by Becks and distract her from flashbulbs.

"Fine. You boys go have fun with the comic books. I'll text you updates." She understands not wanting to appear weak in front of others and she trusts Kyle to look after him. Her two men are ganging up against her. Reluctantly she watches them pull away.

Dr. Winston is calm but insistent, "Since I deliberately mislead Becks, I'm asking right now to see your comic book collection but instead you're going to tell me which hospital or private clinic you use?"

"Presbyterian hospital." A trickle of blood seeping down the left side of his mouth adds urgency to the concern.

xXx

"The court calls Detective Katherine Beckett to the stand." She goes through the motions like the hundreds of other times she's testified.

"Speaking as an NYPD detective, at any time have you stopped considering Richard Castle your partner?"

"No." Silently she accuses herself of perjury. She claims their partnership, but she just abandoned him when he was obviously not feeling well.

"It is widely known that you became a law enforcement officer with the intention of solving your mother's murder. It is your life's work and since partners back each other up, it's fair to assume your partner would do anything within his power to help you. He has a lot more options since he doesn't feel constrained by the rules that govern law enforcement. Furthermore it is obvious that he is good at twists of thinking. Instead of a forged note and a giant conspiracy of murders, it is plausible you wrote the note and a common criminal was paid to play along. Handwriting analysis matches the note to your writing thus proving this is nothing more than an elaborate trap to smear Senator Bracken's reputation."

Wow. Put like that it does sound like a ridiculous tale Castle would spin. "I swear under oath I did not write that note. Regardless, this seems like a matter for the jury to decide who they believe, not a clear cut case of manufactured evidence."

"Let's approach this from a different angle. What was your and Mr. Castle's role in the investigation that lead to the arrest of my client?"

"I suggested people to be on the task force. My role was being a material witness and answering questions asked of me. I cannot speak to Mr. Castle's actions." Beckett straightens up. She is on the stand in the most important case of her entire life, and she can barely keep from reaching for her phone to text Rick.

"I'll remind you that you're under oath. You dropped out of sight while this special little task force went to work building a case against a good man with an unblemished reputation. There was lots of surveillance to do and records to search and you want us to believe you had practically no role to play?"

The bleeding honesty matches the picture she paints, "I was wasn't playing a role, I was struggling to survive after a sniper's bullet ripped through my chest. All the while I'm trying to heal I know the threat against my life continues. The people on the task force respected how badly I was hurt and tried to minimize any stress or effort required by my participation."

"Fine. You had a tough time. You stayed in the shadows and had your partner work on your behalf. Please detail the conversations you had with Richard Castle concerning Senator Bracken."

"I communicated with only a few people so no one could use a phone to track me down and try to finish me off. I spoke mostly with my father or the task force, and a few times with Detective Esposito. To answer your question about Richard Castle, we didn't talk about Bracken because I didn't know he was responsible until a few days before his arrest. The task force allowed me the symbolic role of doing background checks on people who would be making the arrests. The morning of the arrests I shared concerns with Mr. Castle that Bracken might flee the country."

Attorney Gregson turns to look at the defense team. He gets several indications to stop because this is going no where. "Your honor, we'd like to call Detective Javier Esposito to the stand."

Thank God that's over. She texts Castle. Off the stand. Went well. How are you?

Mr. Gregson immediately tries to poke holes in official version of events, "You delivered cash to a criminal who then began to help your investigation all under the direction of Mr. Castle who acts as..."

Detective Esposito interrupts, "It was not my investigation. I didn't pay off a criminal. I delivered reward money to a guy and got a receipt. I wonder if that's tax deductible for Mr. Castle?" The observers in the courtroom snicker. "I also delivered info on some forensic writing and grammar thing from the writer back to Detective Demming. It was his case."

"Reportedly there was a lot more cash in the bag than what was needed to pay off this criminal. Remember we can subpoena the bartender if necessary. Who was this money going to buy off?

"Mr. Castle said the money was for 'miscellaneous expenses' to get Beckett somewhere safe. I don't know any details. Castle said he'd keep her safe and his word is good enough for me."

"How much contact did you have with Detective Beckett?"

"I think I sent her a text a few times."

Beckett looks down as a text comes in from Rick.

- - - Kyle is being mean. Tell him to be nice to me or you'll beat him up.

She decides on a light touch. You can take him - I've seen you in action. Besides, he's a doc who vowed to do 'no harm.' You OK?

Mr. Gregson shakes his head and tries a better tactic. "What role did you play on the task force?"

"Decoy. Bumbled through looking into who was sending veiled threats to Beckett." He smiles at Bracken who scowls in return.

"Didn't they trust you to help with the important roles?"

"Most important role I had was keeping the spotlight on me. I needed people to wonder what the hell I was up to so the other guys can do the serious investigating. Playing that role kept the bad guys focused on me so they didn't have time to look elsewhere. It's a military tactic- why POWs keep tryin' to escape so it takes more soldiers to guard them and less available for battle." Espo looks rather proud of himself.

Beckett shoots him a genuine smile. She loves the roles that went against type-casting. The military man plays an energized bunny who was a decoy and wouldn't give up so he had to be monitored. Ryan plays a mouse too scared to help because he has a fiancé, but slipped away many times to lend his computer expertise. Even Martha, the seemingly scattered drama queen unleashed a small army of photographers to monitor the quarry. Castle moped around all the while taking on the main burden of digging for the dirty truth. He has been fighting demons to the point he's become a pale reflection of his former self - literally.

"Supposedly NYPD files were removed from police archives but there is no record of it. If someone did not originally remove them from the file storage area, then we must conclude they are fake. Perhaps that's why a forger was employed. In your opinion, does Mr. Castle possess the necessary understanding of the reports in NYPD files allowing him to make up fictitious records?" The defense team is certain of the answer.

Espo laughs. "I don't want to insult the man, but I am under oath, so probably not. He HATES paperwork days, avoids coming around when we're doing reports. I'm sure he knows which forms go in a file, but he has no idea about the 'right' way to fill them out. Also the man can't help but write stories instead of sticking to plain facts. I don't know who or how Castle found the files, but the man is damn good at research."

Beckett sighs. Research. That's how this all started. He was going to follow her around in the name of research. Look at where they are after all these years. She glances at her watch. It's been a while and she hasn't heard back so she texts again. How are you feeling? Answer me or I'm going to track you down.

- - - Everyone wants a piece of me - It's like I'm famous or something!

Don't evade. How are you feeling?

- - - Better. Sorry I had to go. How's it going?

Espo did great. Demming up now.

- - - Keep sending updates.

I'll skip out after lunch and join you.

- - - NO! Appearances are everything. You need to stay.

Either you're having too much fun with Kyle or you don't want to see me...

- - - Kyle is a good man. He's still with me.

I hoped you guys could be friends.

- - - We need bonding time. No girls allowed!

- - - Oops - got to go. Text before you head my way.

She goes home for lunch. She grabs the big gift bag she put together when this special item was finished and returned to her just a day ago. It's awkward to carry around, but she wants it for tonight and it's nice having a security blanket with her the rest of the day. She texts Lanie and Castle. Talks to her dad. She's restless and tries to ignore her gut instincts and focus on the legal drama.

The court case is going well. The judge is pushing to move things along. She continues to admire the case the task force put together. She can see why Bracken's team is scrambling to find a way to prove Castle's underhanded involvement. Some really key pieces of evidence end up coming through the tip line or from inmates very willing to share what they know. The chances of getting the charges dropped and using the publicity to Bracken's advantage are rapidly diminishing. It's all so very neat and tidy with multiple paths to the same result: Billy Bracken is a very bad boy.

After all these years, the heartache, the lies and obstacles, a ray of sunshine breaks through the dark cloud hanging over her life...

Motion to suppress evidence denied! The case is rock solid. Ready or not here I come.

His reply is instantaneous. The smiley face does little to counteract the message: :-) Bad food, scratchy fabric, mean nurses. I'm planning my escape: Presbyterian Hospital room 411.