Castle and Beckett wake up together and it's almost as perfect as we all imagined. Castle is scared it was just a dream, but then Beckett walks in, wearing only an oxford shirt, and carrying two mugs of coffee. She hands one to Castle and perches on the edge of the bed. And they discuss the night they just had. Castle references the line that Beckett whispered to him in the first season, where she insinuated that he had "no idea" what sex with her was like. He smiles and admits to her that indeed, he had "no idea". Except now he does!
Alexis' graduation party got a tad out of hand, so she called Martha to come pick her up. She tried her dad first but he was, um, otherwise engaged. Martha yells Castle's name right as he and Beckett are about to start round two. Shocked, he and Beckett fall off the bed, and he orders Beckett to get in his closet. She is less than pleased.
He then goes out to the kitchen to attend to Alexis, which Beckett sneaks out his front door. It takes a moment though because she almost forgets her bra. But she slips out the door just in time! And Martha and Alexis are none the wiser.
Meanwhile Gates and Ryan are trying to figure out who shot Beckett. Ryan is low on assistance though, because everyone is attending to Senator William Bracken and the VP Richmond who are visiting. Apparently they need a massive security detail because people are not happy with them.
Castle goes to Beckett's apartment to apologize, and once again they almost sleep together. But once again they get interrupted. Are we even going to see a kiss this episode?! It's knocking on the door, but luckily it's not Martha stalking them (as a paranoid Castle suggests) but instead Ryan. Beckett tries to force Castle into her closet, but he tells her it's different...they're both dressed this time so Ryan won't suspect anything!
He wants their help identifying the man in the wedding photograph that Maddox, the shooter, stole. Ryan got a copy of it from the negatives. Castle immediately identifies it as a photo of the man who was keeping Beckett safe by blackmailing them with a stolen police file.
Castle and Beckett figure out who the man was: he worked at a law firm in the 1980s and his name is Michael Smith.
They go to his apartment, but Maddox beat them to it. And he tortured Michael Smith, forcing him to reveal the location of the file. He made two copies, and Maddox has burned the first. It becomes a race to find the second copy of the file.
Maddox is still alive and whispers "86" as he is being wheeled away, and Castle encourages Beckett to search the apartment until they find a reference to 86. Beckett really just wants it to be over, and wants to give up, but Castle won't let her because he knows she won't be safe until they solve the case for real. They find a file that mentions 86, it's a property that Michael Smith owns.
They go to the building, but Maddox has beat them there. He corners them and takes Beckett's gun (must be her off duty piece, since her police gun was taken by Gates). Castle and Beckett have their hands tied behind their backs and are locked in a room. Castle tells Beckett that if they die at least they had "last night", he also adds that they should have "done it four years ago". Right as he's saying that, Esposito bursts into the room.
He used an old army buddy to track down Maddox. He hands Beckett a gun and they go to confront Maddox. He has just found the safe, and is looking at the file, his gun on the floor, when they enter. They tell him to drop it, but he has a hidden piece in his jacket. Beckett yells at him to hand her the file, and he reaches for it to cover him reaching for his gun.
But lifting the file triggers a bomb! Esposito, Beckett, and Castle jump behind the wall, shielding themselves from the blast. Castle actually shields Beckett with his body, which is pretty damn adorable.
The file, of course, is in shreds. Gates shows up and questions what they were doing at the crime scene, but Castle insists, with the others' support, that they just happened to be walking by.
Espoito, Beckett and Castle all meet in an apartment to try to figure out the rest of the case. They're startled by a knock on the door, but it turns out it's just Ryan.
Ryan has brought them all the fragments of the blown up police file, and they put just enough pieces together to find an account number. They search the number in the Federal database, and it turns out the account belonged to Senator Bracken. He discovered that the cops (including Montgomery) were holding mobsters for ransom, and ended up taking a cut from them. He used it to fund his first congressional campaign. Because he's planning on running for President, he cannot let this information get out, and is paying people to kill off his loose ends.
When Beckett and Castle go to see Smith in the hospital he confirms all of their assumptions, but refuses to testify. He says that he believes his one chance of survival is to run away and never come back. He suggests that Beckett do the same.
Castle offers to help Beckett run away, and she hugs him to thank him, but they both agree that they need to end it.
We cut to a morning scene. Castle and Beckett have clearly slept together again, and she looks at him sleeping in bed as she straps on her gun. She then heads out to confront Bracken.
Castle snaps awake and realizes she's gone. He calls Ryan and Esposito and they are terrified that Beckett has gone to murder Bracken. Even when he's desperate to find her Castle keeps their relationship a secret!
Beckett manages to sneak past all the security (having the inside edge with the NYPD is helpful in cases like this) and slips a cell into Bracken's pocket. She calls him up and threatens him, drawing him into a back room. There she tells him she has the file, recites the number that they found as proof, and tells him she will keep it a secret provided that he doesn't hurt anyone close to her. He agrees to the deal. She then strikes him in the face, to leave a scar reminding him of their deal.
Castle, Esposito and Ryan find Kate just as she is walking away from Bracken. She's holding a gun and Castle is terrified, asking her if she shot him. She tells him she didn't, and they see Bracken slink out of the room, bleeding from a small cut on his face. Castle and Beckett exchange a brief, reassuring glance.
Beckett asks Gates for her job back, and Gates admits that she knows a little more than she's let on before. She doesn't really know what's going on, but she does suspect that Beckett has been honoring Montgomery's memory. She tells her she hopes someday they'll be as close. Maybe there's hope for Gates yet!
Beckett goes into the hallway to meet Castle, and they walk toward the elevator together. He asks if she has her job back, and she says no, not yet. She has to wait till her suspension is over (the same suspension that Esposito has). Castle asks her what she's going to do in the mean time. And just as the elevator door closes Beckett grabs Castle...well, you know where!
All in all a relatively satisfying episode. And from next week's promo it looks like we're going to have more sex (maybe a kiss this time?!) and a lot of fun sneaking around. Yay!
