Author's Note: This story comes from just a little idea I had a while back. I hope you like it. I don't really plan for this to be a series, but I may make it one if there is enough interest in the story. Please review, and as always, enjoy. ~Pepper

Two eyes peeked out of a bunch of dried branches, which was probably the only sign of life for miles. The enemy was nowhere to be seen, which caused the rebel warrior much alarm. As far as she knew, he could be anywhere, preparing to strike her down and kill her where she stood, all in the name of Voltar. Haha, Voltar, that so-called superpower would never get its hands on the omniverse! Not so long as she was alive and strong, and able to fight alongside the rebels in their quest to take down the enemy. She had to fight for her freedom, and she would get it.

"You will never defeat me, young one." A voice sounded from behind her, followed by a deep, throaty laugh. She stiffened, then turned her body ever so slowly, her eyes falling upon the Voltarian that had been chasing her all this way. He was on her trail since she left her home, and now they were face to face, locked in deadly combat. "You best run while you still can."

"Never!" The young rebel growled, her weapon at the ready. "To run would be a mark of shame."

"Tell me," replied the Voltarian, "is it better to die honorably?" A smirk graced his lips as he raised his gun. "Or live as a coward?" The rebel was momentarily blinded by a green flash of light, which she took a bit too long to register as her opponent's lazer beam. She got onto her knees and crawled through the dust until she was on the other side of him, the shot narrowly missing her leg.

"It's not my place to ponder morals." She replied, smiling to herself as the Voltarian looked around, confused as to where she had gone. "But I do know that this is not a day to die!" She managed to shoot her opponent square in the chest as he turned to face her, but even this was not enough to do him in. The damage he suffered was minimal, and he let the rebel know this by giving her another laugh.

"Fool! You will never..."

Both the rebel and the Voltarian paused as an unfamiliar sound reached their ears. Who was this intruder? Did he not know better than to walk in on someone else's fight? The pair exchanged quizzical glances with one another, in silent agreement that they were allies until they found out what had caused the disturbance...

''''''''''''''''''

"Detective Beckett?"

Kate opened her mouth to speak, but was unable to form any words. How often did they do this lazer tag thing? This was already the second time she'd walked in on Castle and Alexis when they were suited up in flashing blue armor, each wielding very complicated looking guns. "Sorry." She managed after a moment, shaking her head. She extended her hand, which was currently holding a brown jacket. "You left this at the precinct."

Castle smiled as he took it. He hadn't even known that he left it there, and even if he had, he never would have expected her to return it to him. Especially not this late at night, and especially not on a Friday. She definitely had better, more important things to do than return his coat. "Thank you. Would you like to come in?"

"Oh no, but thank you." Beckett smiled a bit awkwardly, looking in between the two of them. Now that she thought about it, the scene was kind of cute. Castle and his daughter had such a wonderful relationship; that was evident the first time she'd seen them together. It was the kind of relationship she wished she'd still had with her dad. "You two look like you're busy."

Alexis piped up before her father could protest. "We're battling for control of the omniverse." She glanced at her dad, a wicked grin on her face. She was not going to let this opportunity pass by. "You should join in. If you're not too busy, that is."

"Oh, yes! Voltar could use the help keeping the rebels at bay."

"You mean, the rebels could use the help keeping the Voltarians at bay." She turned back to Kate, giving her a kind smile. "What do you say, Detective?"

Beckett thought for a moment, looking at their pleading expressions. She couldn't Imagine how ridiculous she would look in one of those blue flashing outfits. Then she wondered if it would even matter. Why was she so insistent on keeping up appearances, when acting silly really didn't Castle much harm? He had fun, real, genuine fun. And she usually spent her nights at home, eating leftovers out of Chinese takeout boxes. So why not? Nodding, Beckett heaved a little sigh. "Sure." She answered. "So long as the boys at the precinct don't hear about this. What do I do?"

Alexis smiled as she ushered her into the room and her father went to retrieve an extra gun and armor. "It's easy. You hit him, and stop him from hitting you. You're on my team."

"I have a feeling your dad won't be so happy about that."

The girl shrugged, watching as Castle returned and helped their guest into her armor. This was definitely going to be quite the sight. She still couldn't believe that Detective Beckett had even agreed to join in with their little fight, but she couldn't say that it didn't make her incredibly happy. Her father had changed since the two of them started working together. He had always been a happy-go-lucky sort of man, always cheerful (except when it came to trying to take over the omniverse), and always smiling. But when Beckett and the rest of the precinct gang came into his life, it was like all that joy that he naturally carried with him was multiplied by a hundred. Or more. She'd never seen him quite so happy, and she was determined to make sure that this would never fade away.

"Ready?" Alexis waited for a signal from her opponent and her new team member, then shut off the lights when she received a nod. Immediately, she and Kate were behind the couch, using the piece of furniture as a sort of fort, something to shield them from the Voltarian's blows.

''''''''''''''''''''

They fought.

The lazer beams went every which way, bouncing off the ground, the rocks, and the occasional plant, but it was rare that one of the actual warriors was hit. Having a lot of practice, the Voltarian was rather skilled at deflecting blows, but he still couldn't compare to the rebels. The young one, who was small and fast on her feet, was easily able to dive behind rocks and trees other objects that would protect her. And the older rebel, though much less experienced, was obviously trained well by her superiors. She could easily defend herself, and was not at all afraid of facing her enemy.

"You are cowardly, Voltarian." She called, as she stood in the open, waiting to face her foe. Her partner had long since been hit, and was taking time to nurse her wounds. The elder rebel slowly circled the area, keeping her eyes peeled for movement. Her opponent was very good at hiding himself.

At last! There came a rustle from one of the trees, and she turned quickly, catching a blur of movement to he right. She advanced, but took only a few steps as the Voltarian came out into the open. "You've done well, my friend." He said slowly, letting his eyes roam her form. On the outside, she seemed delicate, but he knew better than to judge her by her outward appearance.

"As have you." They stared at each other for a long while, until the man lunged forward, shooting a beam straight toward the rebel's chest. The dodged the attack and countered with one of her own, refusing to go down without a fight. This same pattern continued for quite some time. There were flashes of green light everywhere, and both found it quite hard to focus on the other when there was such a flurry of motion around them. However, the rebel did manage to get the upper hand in the end, and she served her enemy with a fatal blow. He fell to the ground, breathing heavily.

"You may have won, but the omniverse still belongs to Voltar."

The rebel smirked, about to say something witty, but she was caught off guard by a sudden pain. She looked down at herself and soon noticed a large burn mark on her abdomen. She'd been hit. She crumpled to the ground beside her foe, taking a few, final gasps. "You... you..."

The Voltarian stood, laughing at his fallen enemy. "I have defeated you."

"""""""""

Rick and Kate both were laughing as the former extended a hand, helping the detective up. She could not believe how much fun the night had been, and though she cursed herself for admitting it, she didn't really want it to stop. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd enjoyed herself this much. "Thanks, Castle." A smile graced her lips. "That was really great."

Alexis soon joined the group, slipping an arm around her father's waist as he placed one around her shoulder. She looked up at their guest and smiled brightly. This really had worked in their favor. Her dad was happy, and Kate seemed to be happy too. "That was the best game of lazer tag I think I've ever had." She watched as her father nodded in agreement. "Even if we did lose."

Kate laughed merrily. "Don't worry. The Voltarians won't be as lucky next time."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. She certainly would like there to be a next time, but something just didn't feel right about it. Then again, something didn't feel right about having this much fun and then returning to the same old boring Beckett the next morning.

"I hope there will be a next time, Detective." Alexis's words pulled her out of her thoughts and her smile returned. She couldn't promise she'd come back and join the battle again, but she did know that something amazing had just happened to her. She felt more open, freer, as if she now knew that one day she'd wake up and she wouldn't have to be so uptight.

"Call me Kate."

And with that, she wished everyone a fond farewell and headed home.