A/N: We're near the end, only an epilogue after this. Thanks for all of the support. The usual disclaimer still applies.

She tried to focus on breathing more slowly and deeply but it wasn't working out as well as she hoped. Kate Beckett was nervous and after sneaking peeks at Rick who just smiled back at her she gave up and grabbed his hand. She didn't like seeming needy but she just felt better with some physical contact and already her heart was beginning to slow down. It was weird but she hadn't been this nervous when they faced Bracken and his thugs to get the evidence against him. This was in no way a life threatening situation but it was just hard for her to remain calm.

She reminded herself that she had chosen Dr. Burke herself from a list provided by the NYPD and after a lot of research. He was very experienced in dealing with the stress in a police officer's life, came highly recommended and was recognized as one of the preeminent therapists in all of the state of New York. Trying to focus on that didn't help a bit though as all she could think about was what they'd have to discuss. She was going to be so bad at this.

"Dr. Burke will see you now."

She startled but tried to stifle it and the receptionist was kind enough to pretend not to notice. She let Rick set the pace as she really wasn't that anxious to start. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it, she did. She wanted to be able to be a better girlfriend and eventually a wife. She wanted the one and done that she had thought about since she was a girl. She just wished that seeing a therapist wasn't necessary but she was afraid that it was.

Although Rick seemed a little distracted when they first entered the office and met Dr. Burke, he went first being the gentleman that he is. She managed to calm herself down and participated as needed, especially when she eagerly seconded their objective of having a strong relationship. She became less focused on herself when Rick revealed the loneliness of his childhood and about how he had learned to distance himself from others. Suddenly, holding hands was her trying to offer him support instead of the other way around.

Unfortunately, the moment she had dreaded was there and she needed to reveal what her concerns were. Talking about her mother's murder was easier than before, somehow having the answers had helped but it also made it easier that Dr. Burke was well aware of the case because of all of the headlines that story had generated. Listening to Rick bare his soul and his hand in hers, helped her talk about her more personal issues although she did falter a couple of times.

She was relieved when Dr. Burke expressed little concern about their relationship based on what he had just seen and heard. He did recommend individual sessions though and she got the distinct impression that she'd end up in his office a lot more than Rick. It wasn't exactly a shock but it was disappointing. Because of all of the meetings and paperwork the Bracken case was still generating, she hadn't been able to take off the whole day and they had to head back to the precinct. She was glad that Rick had no overt reaction to her silence while she drove them back, she just had a lot to process. Actually, it looked like he had a lot to process as well, he was thinking hard about something.

When they entered the bullpen, she saw her captain talking to someone unfamiliar, probably another in the long line of feds they had to deal with lately. She saw Gates make note of her presence and she got the feeling that she wanted to talk to her. Since they were still in the middle of their discussion she just continued to her desk while Rick said something about making coffee and proceeded on into the break room.

A few minutes later she saw the discussion break up out of the corner of her eye and the Captain started to approach her desk as the stranger left. She didn't pretend to be unaware as she looked up and greeted Gates.

"How did it go, Detective?"

Great, now she was curious about her sessions with her shrink. "It went well, Sir. Did you need me for something?"

"No, I just wanted to share something with you and your… partner."

She caught the hesitation but she appreciated that Gates finally seemed to be acknowledging how she viewed her professional association with Castle. It was relief to see her boyfriend approaching with two cups and a quizzical look at the Captain, which she didn't dare react to.

"Ah, there you are Mr. Castle. I was just telling your partner that I had news. It seems that although Simmons is cooperating, he also seems intent on building an insanity defense for himself. The DA is a little frustrated and feels forced to minimize his testimony. He won't make a credible witness with some of the nonsense he's claiming."

Rick exchanged a curious but subdued look with her and she decided that they really needed to hear more. "What sort of nonsense would that be, Sir?"

"He claims to have been kidnapped by a man who can leap up to and between buildings while carrying someone else and that he has a female accomplice. It also involves masks and voice distorters, the whole thing is rather bizarre. They'll still use the recordings he brought, they help on the conspiracy, drug and tax evasion charges. He still wants the deal with the DA so he is cooperating otherwise."

Kate carefully avoided looking at Rick before answering. "I've heard a lot of stories that they come up with to avoid prosecution but I'll admit that is one of the stranger ones."

"I'll let you get back to your paperwork then, I have plenty of my own." Gates nodded to Kate and then Rick and quickly returned to her office.

She pretended to focus on her paperwork while keeping an eye on the Captain until she had entered her office and sat down. She then looked at Rick and saw him looking at her with a slight smirk. She gave him a pretend glare back that at least diminished the smirk although traces remained. She rolled her eyes and gave him a brief smirk back before really returning her focus to her report.

She was brought out of her concentration when Rick asked a question. "Did you ever look inside the big elephant?"

She gave him a stunned look but then followed his line of sight to the elephants adorning her desk. At least she now knew where the elephant came in. "What do you mean? If they can be opened, it's news to me."

"I can see the crease where it opens."

She gave him a curious look and watched him take the elephants and begin trying to pull apart the largest of them. He had great strength to go along with his great vision so she began to become concerned. On the other hand, he already knew what they meant to her so she didn't want to make it sound like she thought he was careless so she kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly it popped open and a piece came flying at her and bounced to a stop right in front of her. She opened her mouth to admonish him but stopped when she looked down to see a microcassette. She stared at it dumbfounded for a few seconds until she raised her head to look at an equally surprised Rick and she finally realized her mouth was still hanging open and she closed it before speaking again.

"Do you have a way to play it?"

"I think so but if I threw it out, I'll get another."

She nodded and tried to slip the tape in her purse as unobtrusively as possible. Since they knew that the recording they'd been looking for was made by Montgomery, she wasn't sure she wanted to share it with anyone. They could decide that once they listened to it – together.