She notices that he's limping as she helps him outside. It's the same leg that he hurt in that skiing accident. She wonders once again what the hell they've done to him in their month apart; prays that they haven't tortured him.

"Is your knee acting up again?" she asks, bracing herself for the worst.

He grunts. "Tyson hit it with a baseball bat."

Her face pales at the thought. "Castle, we need to get you to a hospital."

"You should probably go too," he says softly. "It may be dark out and it could just be the glare from the street lights, but your neck still looks pretty red."

The hand not helping to support him comes up to rub at her neck. It does feel pretty sore still, but she's been trying to ignore it, trying to focus all of her energy on him. A pair of headlights draw closer to them and she realizes it's Ryan and Esposito. They park their car alongside the curb, and get out to help her with Castle.

"Glad to see you all in one piece, bro," Esposito says, slipping his arm around Castle's other side.

"Yeah, things just haven't been the same without you," Ryan adds.

He tries to help Kate with Castle's other side, but she refuses to let go. Ryan lets her stay, knowing she needs his support right now just as much as he needs hers.

"So what happened in there?" Ryan asks, opening the back door of the car instead for them to help Castle into.

"Neiman developed her own apprentice who tried to strangle me with rope," Kate starts. "But I managed to get my gun to Castle and he shot both of them."

"Are they dead?" Esposito asks, looking back up at the office building.

Castle nods as he slides into the backseat. "I'll give you my full statement at the hospital. There's a lot I need to tell you actually."

Kate climbs into the backseat after him, still clinging to his side. She lets her head fall onto his shoulder as the boys get in the front and pull away from the curb.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kate," Castle whispers. "I'm right here."

She burrows herself deeper into his side. "Still not letting go."

His arms lift up to encircle her torso. "Don't you dare let go."

She feels like she's going to start crying again, but she forces the tears not to come, to wait until they're back in the comfort of their own bed. Until they're safely home.

Twenty minutes later, Castle has been admitted to the hospital due to severe dehydration. A doctor is currently looking at his knee while another one clears Kate as being okay. There will be a rope burn on her skin for a couple of days, but it will go away and she'll be fine. No permanent damage was done.

When she gets the okay from her doctor, she joins the rest of her family in Castle's room. She heads straight to his side, slipping her hand in between his and squeezing. Martha and Alexis are on the other side of the bed, fawning over him, and Addison is standing on her other side, hugging her sideways.

"What'd the doctor say about your leg?" Kate asks, noticing the brace isn't as big as the last time.

"It's fractured. The break isn't as bad as the skiing incident," Castle tells her.

She squeezes his hand again as Ryan and Esposito appear in the doorway.

"Are you up for giving us your statement or do you want us to come back?" Ryan asks.

"No, let's get this over with," Castle sighs.

Martha gestures for the girls to join her in the hallway.

"Just come get us when you're done," she tells them from the doorway. "We'll be out in the waiting room if you need anything."

Castle nods, bidding them goodbye for now and pulling Kate to sit down on the edge of his bed. She does, her fingers still laced in between his.

"Okay, guess I should start from the beginning," Castle begins, glancing over at Kate and then back at the boys. "I was on the way to our wedding when a black escalade drove me off the road. And then this large man I had never seen before came and dragged me out of my car and put a cloth over my mouth that I'm pretty sure was doused in chloroform or something similar. Because the next thing I knew I was in this small, dark room, tied to a chair. I later came to learn that the man who kidnapped me was Kelly Neiman's apprentice. I don't really know much about who he was other than his name was Greg."

The boys nod in unison as Ryan writes down a few things, before motioning for him to continue.

"Neiman had developed her own agenda. Tyson wanted me taken, that was all him, but Neiman passed the job off to Greg. She also ordered him to kill Addison's parents, and told him not to leave any trails back to them, hence the ax and not their signature rope."

"So we were right," Kate adds softly. "They were connected."

"Yeah, but how?" Esposito asks.

"I'll get to that," Castle tells them. "Anyway, Neiman was, for whatever reason, obsessed with Kate. I don't know how she found out about Addie, but she did and she wanted to bring her into your life before she took it all away. Tyson, he wanted to kill me. He hadn't done much damage to me yet besides my leg here, but he had plans to. To him that was the only way this war between us would ever be over. But Neiman wouldn't let him. Said she needed me alive to get to Kate. And when he wouldn't listen, she lost it and killed him. I guess we'd been somewhere in Canada, but she decided to dispose of Tyson's body somewhere in New York, to try and get Kate's attention."

"So then that was Neiman we saw on that security footage," Ryan says, making another note on his notepad. "And that really is Tyson's body in the morgue."

Castle nods. "Honestly, I have no idea why she suddenly decided she wanted Kate's life so badly. But I heard her talking to Greg about how once Kate was dead she could make herself into the perfect doppelganger like she did with Lanie and Espo's lookalikes. She literally wanted to take over her life and thought no one would notice."

"You'd notice," Kate says, squeezing his hand yet again.

"Yeah I think we all would have," Castle tells her. "The woman was psychotic and I don't think she fully thought this plan through."

"All right, so Tyson took you the day of your wedding with plans to kill you to enact his own revenge. Neiman got her lackey to kill the Holdreges so she would have a daughter when she supposedly took over Beckett's life. And then Neiman killed Tyson and planted his body as bait to try and get Beckett to come to her so she could kill her and literally take her place," Ryan recaps.

"Castle, are you sure this isn't just the plotline for your next book?" Esposito asks.

"I know it sounds crazy. But I listened to the three of them argue for a month and this is what I was able to piece together. But I mean, all of them are dead now so…" Castle trails off.

"Okay fine," Esposito starts. "They all needed psychiatric help. How did Neiman and Greg end up dead?"

"Neiman managed to get Kate to come to her. I had been drugged again and didn't even realize we had ended up in her old fake office until we were leaving in your car. When the drugs started to wear off, I felt something hit my arm, and as I became more aware I realized that Kate had kicked her gun to me and Greg was trying to strangle her. I shot him in the leg, getting him to release his grip on Kate. Neiman immediately tried to fight me for control of the gun and it went off, shooting her in the chest. Greg was struggling to get up by then and so I shot him again. I did what I had to do to protect myself and the woman I should be able to call my wife right now."

Kate brushes her thumb over the back of his hand, holding eye contact with him.

"Did you see any of that happen?" Esposito asks, directing his question at Kate.

She shakes her head. "I heard it happening, but my vision was messed up from the lack of air. I heard the first gunshot, a struggle, and then two more shots. By the time my vision returned to normal, Castle was heading toward me and the other two were dead."

Esposito nods. "It's not like we're going to charge you or anything, Castle. It definitely sounds like self defense. Just needed to get the facts right for the report."

"No, no I get it," Castle assures him. "I've been part of this team for long enough to know that."

"We're gonna head back to the precinct," Ryan tells them. "Fill Gates in. Let us know if you guys need anything or you think of something else you need to tell us."

"Will do," Castle nods.

The boys leave and Martha, Alexis, and Addison come back in.

"So it's over now?" Addison asks as Martha and Alexis flock back over to Castle's other side.

"Yeah," Kate says, drawing her daughter into the circle of arms. "We're all safe now."

"It's been a hell of year," Castle says, rubbing at the back of his neck. "We solved the murder of Johanna Beckett, solved the murder of Addison's adoptive parents, and managed to finally put a stop to 3XK and his lackeys once and for all." He turns to Kate. "Can you retire yet?"

She laughs at that, dropping one of her arms from around Addison to hold his hand again.

"How about we get married instead?"

He nods. "Yes, okay that works for me."

She smiles back at him.

"Have I mentioned that I'm really glad that you're okay, yet?" Alexis asks, draping her arms around his neck. "Because I'm really glad that you're okay."

"Me too, kiddo," Martha says patting his uninjured leg.

"Me three," Addison pipes up. "I'm not willing to lose anymore family than I already have."

"Can I just say that I'm very thankful to be home? Or well at the next step to being home…I'm very thankful that all of you are here and that we're all safe. But it's late. You guys should go home and get some sleep and I'll see you tomorrow when they release me," Castle tells them. "I'll be okay here over night."

"I'll have your favorite meal waiting for you when you get home," Alexis says, giving him another hug. "I'll even have Grams hunt down that potato chip ice cream you like."

"Well excuse me," Martha says, pretending to be offended. "I'm happy to do it, but I'm right here. You could ask first."

Alexis laughs and gives her a hug as well.

"Something tells me you're not coming home with us," Addison says, looking up at Kate.

"I –" Kate starts, looking over at Castle.

"Mom, it's okay," Addison tells her. "You'll probably end up sleeping better here in a chair then you would at home in your bed alone for one more night. If you come home you'll probably end up staying awake worried all night long."

"Kate, you don't have to –" Castle starts.

"She's right," she cuts him off. "I need to stay."

He nods. "Honestly, I'm glad that you are."

They say goodnight to everyone else before Kate scoots higher up on the bed, reaching out to rub her fingers through his hair. Castle hums, letting his eyes slip closed as she massages his scalp.

"I wish this bed was big enough for the both of us," he starts. "You have no idea how badly I just want to wrap myself up in you right now."

"Oh I think I have a pretty good idea."

She trails her fingers down from his scalp and over his cheek, cupping his face. Her thumb strokes over the tiny scar he's acquired under his eye.

"I'm sorry I missed our wedding, Kate."

She shakes her head. "We'll just have another one. And this time, we won't drive separately."

Castle laughs at that, turning his head to kiss her palm.

"I know that you were off getting me that music box," she tells him. "Like the one my mom had."

"You searched my internet history? How'd you figure out my password?"

"Alexis. And I had to. I thought it might turn up a lead."

"Way to ruin my surprise."

She shifts forward on the bed and presses her lips against his. She intends for it to be a quick kiss, but his hands move to hold her there. Kate has to force herself to pull away.

"Something wrong?" Castle asks.

"If I let that kiss go any further, I would be straddling you right now."

His hands leave her face and wrap around her waist. "I'm not opposed to that."

She nudges her nose against his before sitting back. "Later, Castle. When we're home we'll more than make up for our month apart."

He sighs, letting his hands fall away from her waist. He reaches for her hands, his thumbs brushing over her knuckles.

"Kate, I – uh, I had our wedding rings on me when Greg…I don't know what happened to them."

"I have them."

"You…how?"

"Neiman sent them to me. With a note card asking if I was ready to play and the address of the office on it. The inscriptions look good."

He smiles. "Well at least she did something right."

Kate laughs a little at that. "She did two things right. She kept you alive."

Her voice breaks on alive, and the tears she's been holding back start to flow freely. He pulls her back down to him, their foreheads bumping together. She wipes at her face, staying pressed against him.

"Everything can go back to normal now, Kate. There's no one left trying to kill us and we can finally get married and go on our well deserved honeymoon."

"Nationals first," she says softly. "We have to go Addie's Nationals before we can leave for our honeymoon."

"Of course. Her parents' murder is solved. Once we're officially married, my adoption of her can finally go through. She's ours. And I'm not going to miss my kid beat that Jaclyn brat for her National Title."

Kate wipes at her face again, pulling back slightly. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asks, brushing back a stray strand of her hair.

"For letting my daughter in the way that you have. For forgiving me about not telling you about her sooner. For giving me this…family."

Castle pulls her back to him and kisses her, gently. He fists his hands into her hair as she leaves her forehead pressed against his.

"She's a great kid. Takes after her mom quite a lot, which may lead to some troublesome teenager years coming up, but we'll handle it."

She laughs, shaking her head, and sitting up straight again.

"You should have seen her this past month. I feel like with everything that's been thrown at her lately, she's been forced to grow up pretty fast. But when I needed someone, she was there for me. She was my rock when my regular rock went missing."

"Well I'm glad you two found time to bond over my disappearance."

She shoves him gently, rolling her eyes.

"I missed you, Castle. I really did."

"I missed you too. And I can't wait to be home and married and for all of this to finally be over."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."