The Other Side

Who The Hell Are These Guys?

The sound of hard plastic slapping the surface of his dining table drew Richard Castle's attention off of the latest issue of the morning paper and to the laser tag vest that now sat in front of him. "And what, pray tell, is this?" Castle asked Katherine Beckett, his girlfriend and partner in crime solving, with a raised brow.

She was New York's finest homicide detective, and him, a famous novelist turned consultant for the twelfth precincts' homicide department. Despite being a grown ass man-child, Castle's knack for creating unique scenarios and using his imagination to get inside the mind of a killer had come in handy multiple times when catching a killer. After spending a few years denying each other's feelings for one another, the happy couple finally had gotten together and were enjoying their life together.

Kate giggled, the sun shining in from the penthouse windows just right, making her greenish brown eyes sparkle majestically, making Rick's pulse spike. Kate, clad in a laser tag vest of her own, answered her boyfriend's question with a hint of mischief behind her infliction. "Welllll, I figured since Martha is gone on a retreat with her students and Alexis is off at Columbia... maybe you and I could have a little fun of our own? You know, get to know the others competitive side."

Richard took a sip of his coffee, processing the situation in front of him. "Kate, you want to play laser tag with me? Before work?"

With no words and a smile, Beckett simply handed a plastic gun over to her lover, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. Castle set his coffee back down on the table and rose from his seat. The pair stared off into each other's eyes for a moment before Richard made eye contact with the fake weapon.

"I'm in Heaven!" The man cried, accepting the toy and looking into his girlfriend's eyes, genuinely looking like he would start bawling in happiness at any second.

"And I have just the prize in mind," Beckett said with a dirty smirk as Castle finished fastening the laser tag vest to his torso. Richard went weak in the knees at Katherine's words. She noticed her effect on him and shot him a cheeky wink, savoring the adorable look on his face.

Boy this was going to be a fun morning, Castle thought to himself as he prepared for the fierce battle ahead of him.

And with a single phone call, Castle's morning was ruined. Someone had been murdered and it was their job to find out who. By the look on Beckett's face, this one was serious.

***

Beckett and Castle pulled up outside the entrance of an old apartment building cordoned off with yellow police tape. The pair met up with a smartly dressed Irish looking man that had sandy brown hair and a sharp jawline who was accompanied by a tall and bulky Spanish man with a no-nonsense look on his face. They were Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, the other two men working in the homicide department alongside Beckett.

"Are those the same clothes you wore yesterday?" Javier asked, noticing his boss and Castle hadn't changed.

"Long night," Beckett said quickly, brushing the wrinkles off of her white blouse and gray pantsuit. Truth is they had spent the night together. It really was a long night.

"Also... long night," Castle said, failing to come up with a better excuse. He rubbed the nape of his neck nervously, where he noticed the purple dress shirt he wore yesterday wasn't fully tucked in. He tidied his appearance before glancing at Kate. She rolled her eyes.

The two were together but hadn't come out about their relationship to their friends yet. It was still fresh and new, not to mention a major HR violation. If Captain Victoria Gates had found out, Castle would be kicked out of the precinct before he could even say uncle. The relationship wasn't a secret, per say, the two were just merely keeping it to themselves for now. That's what they told themselves anyway. In reality, they loved the thrill of hiding their "forbidden" romance while at work.