Beckett watched the tracers and their students as they jumped over tubes, climbed walls and balanced on wooden beams. Her memories floated back to climbing the scaffolding of the Times Square billboards and the flipping, flying sprints they did between the loft and 42nd street...

"Penny for your thoughts?" Castle saw the expression on his girlfriend's face and was starting to grow curious as to its cause.

Beckett was barely stirred out of her memories by the sound of her partner's voice. "Hmmm?"

"You're smiling like, well, like you're thinking about me..."

It wasn't hard for Beckett to roll her eyes at that comment even though the smile never left her face. "You have no *idea* what I'm thinking about, Castle..."

A tall, rail-thin young man with a wild mop of curly blond hair approached the pair. "You two interested in parkour classes?"

"Not really," Beckett replied, turning her attention to the new person in their conversation. She introduced herself, "Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. This is Richard Castle. We need to talk to Dave Grenholm."

"That's me," the tall man acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"

Beckett got down to business immediately. "We're investigating the death of Alex Masterson, and we'd like to ask you a few questions about your relationship with him."

Dave's face fell at the mention of Alex's name. "Yeah, I heard about it yesterday. He is...was my best friend. We opened this place together."

"Jeremy Parkinson told us you guys were both in the running for the same job on 'Follow the Money'?" asked Castle.

Dave saw where they were going immediately. "I recommended Alex for the job, detective. We threw a party for him here when he got it. I was *happy* for him."

Every one of her senses confirmed to Beckett that Dave Grenholm was completely sincere. "Is there anyone you can think of who wouldn't have been as happy to see Alex successful?" she asked him.

"Not really. Everybody who talked to me loved Alex, but they wouldn't have come to me if they didn't." Dave's eyes widened just slightly as he thought of an idea to help the investigation. "Hey, we're having a Dark Angel party tonight at my friend's place. All of Alex's friends are going to be there. You guys should come. I'll introduce you around...someone might know something they didn't feel comfortable coming to me about when Alex was alive."

"Dark Angels?" asked Castle.

"I know, the name's terrible," replied Dave. "But no one can think of anything better to call them, so until someone has a better idea..."

"Them?"

"Yeah. The past couple of nights some of the guys here have been seeing these three tracers around town. They dress in all black and never say a word; they just do some of the craziest tricks you'll ever see in your life. On the top of high rises, no less..."

Castle seemed like he was too consumed by his own curiosity to notice the color drain from his partner's face. He asked, "Did anyone get pictures or video? I'd love to see it..."

"But that's just it," Dave cut him off, "That's what makes the whole story so weird. Someone tried to take video of them the first night to put it on YouTube...but their camera broke. Three more people tried last night...and *all* their cameras broke. I'd have thought they were just some urban legend except I think I might have seen them run the buildings on my block last night..."

We're an urban legend already? thought Beckett. Out loud she asked, "Are people trying to *imitate* these guys?" Beckett surprised herself at how well she could keep the shock out of her voice.

Dave's eyes widened even as he considered the possibility. "No one on my crew, that's for sure. That's part of the reason for the party tonight: I want to get everyone together to be entertained but also to remind my people that trying to imitate that these guys themselves is a one-way ticket to an early grave."

Even through her own concerns, Beckett could tell that Castle was unable to resist the temptation to check out what would have otherwise sounded like a totally harmless mystery. "We'll be there!" Castle declared with enthusiasm. "What time?"

"9 o'clock, these guys only seem to come out after dark," replied Dave. He gave Beckett and Castle his address, which Beckett dutifully wrote down.

Castle was practically bouncing out of his shoes as they ended the interview and left the gym. "Can you believe it? We're going to see an actual urban legend tonight! It's like getting an invitation to go down into the sewers to go gator hunting. But Dave was right, though, Dark Angels is a lousy name..."

"Castle..." Beckett tried to interrupt her partner, but her voice was so quiet it was impossible for Castle to hear over his ramblings.

Sure enough, Castle was unstoppable. "I mean c'mon, it sounds too much like that show in the 90's with Jessica Alba. Oooh, what about urban ninjas? Yeah, that sounds much cooler. I mean, we could get you guys those full face masks like they used to wear in Ja..."

Frustrated, Beckett grabbed her partner by the shoulders and pinned him against the passenger side of the car. She got his attention, "Castle!" Then, through gritted teeth, Beckett finally admitted, "I can't go to the party tonight to see the Dark Angels because *we're* the Dark Angels...Me, Ryan, and Esposito."

She had been expecting shock, surprise, even anger from Castle when she finally told him. What she hadn't expected; what hurt her much more was the sadness and disappointment she saw in his eyes. His voice broke at barely above a whisper. "Kate, get in the car, please?"

When the couple got in the car, Castle finally allowed himself a small smile. "I know about the Dark Angels, Kate. Well, more like I guessed."

Beckett's eyes widened in surprise. "You know? How?"

"Just now, when Dave Grenholm mentioned that no one could get pictures or video of the Dark Angels. I guessed that meant the tracers he was talking about had to be you three."

"Why did that mean he had to be talking about us..." A memory from just after the battle in Times Square floated to the front of her mind. "Repair that we have damaged, return the world to its balance and shield us from those who might wish us to be harmed?"

"I cast that every morning, now," Castle replied with a wink and a far more mischievous smile. "Mostly I do it so there's no possibility of footage of 'Richard Castle, Wizard' showing up on TMZ, but hey, I'm glad to see it's working for you guys, too..." It was then that Castle's face returned to the look of sadness and disappointment Beckett had seen outside the car. "You guys went out on a run last night, Kate. You didn't go out with Lanie. Why did you feel you needed to lie to me?"

Beckett leaned back against the head rest of her car seat and sighed. "I don't know. It was Esposito's idea. At first I was hesitant because of the risks of getting caught, but then I just started thinking about you on a deadline, Gates on our backs and that endless pile of cases we've been having to deal with lately. It's been so long since I did something just for me that I...I couldn't say no."

"I get that, honey," Castle soothed, "I do...remember how miserable I was getting before we told my mother about the Guardians? And I don't mind the whole Dark Angels thing. I kinda think it's cool, to be honest."

That wasn't the answer Beckett was expecting, either. "Really?"

"Are you kidding? I'm now officially dating Black Widow. What's cooler than that?" Castle leaned over and met his girlfriend's lips in a gentle kiss to *prove* to Beckett that he wasn't mad. "But you still haven't told me why you *lied* to me."

"I was terrified we were going to get caught," repeated Beckett. "I guess I figured the fewer people who knew about it, the safer we were."

Castle responded with a gentle, patient sigh. "Kate, *you're* the one who's always reminding me how important it is for us to be honest with the people we're closest to. I can't protect you if I don't know what's going on."

"You're absolutely right, Rick," Kate admitted, "I'm sorry." She met her boyfriend in a more intimate kiss of apology, then asked him as their lips parted, "So what are we going to do about this party tonight?"

"Well Kelly," Castle replied with a smile, "Let's go talk to Jill and Sabrina and figure it out."

Beckett rolled her eyes at the terrible Charlie's Angels reference. This Dark Angels thing is going to get old *quick*...

Ryan and Esposito approached their boss as they got off the elevator. They wanted to see what she and Castle got out of Dave Grenholm. Beckett, though, cut them off before they could ask. "Don't you guys have some paperwork you need to catch up on?"

"Paperwork," Ryan repeated, reading his fellow Guardian's intention immediately. "Got it."

The two men returned to their desks and pulled out their own thick files of never-ending reports. Once everyone looked like they were quietly occupied, Ryan connected the four minds together so they could talk in true privacy. What's up, guys?

Castle spoke up quickly through the mind-link. Guys, your...evening exercise routines have started to attract attention.

Ryan had to fight to keep his eyes from showing his surprise. The lowest point on our runs has been the roof of your building...who could be watching us from up *there*?

It's New York City, Castle replied. Unless you're at the top of the Empire State Building there's a chance someone's in an apartment *above* you...and that someone could be watching. Grenholm has been hearing rumors about you guys.

Esposito fought the growing knot in his stomach. By *name*?

No, thank God, replied Beckett, but that's only because Castle's been inadvertently covering our asses.

It didn't sound like anyone was close enough to recognize you guys...that's why the Dark Angel nickname, Castle added. The spell just kept them from getting you guys on YouTube.

Wait, what spell? asked Ryan.

Beckett replied, The spell he used to re-set everything after the battle with Lóng zhǔ.

I cast it every morning in the hopes of keeping my ruggedly handsome face off of TMZ, Castle added with a mental chuckle.

Beckett continued, Well, lucky for us it's also broken the cameras of anyone who's tried to film us. Apparently that's enough to get us urban legend status over two days.

They're calling us the Dark Angels, huh? Cool, commented Esposito.

Yeah, well Grenholm is having a Dark Angel party tonight, and he invited me and Castle so we can get an idea if Masterson had any enemies at the parkour school that he didn't know about it, Beckett told the team. Any suggestions? I can't be in two places at once.

I'm going either way, declared Castle.

You should go too, Beckett, insisted Ryan. They won't care if there's just two of us.

Okay then, Beckett agreed, Castle and I will go to the party and see what we can find. When should we expect you guys?

Party starts at 9? asked Ryan.

Beckett sent Ryan and Esposito the address through the mind-link. Esposito ran through the best possible route from the loft in his mind...which sent his mental rehearsal of the route through everyone else's minds as he did it. Castle was the first one to respond to the sensation. Esposito, I approve.

The rest of the team started to wish there was a way to communicate an eye roll through the mind link.