Ok, so for those of you who already started reading the original version of "Behind the Badge," I'd like to apologize. After reviewing some of the comments and rereading my Castle chapter, I realized that it 1) didn't do Castle justice and 2) was a sucky way to start the fic. So I've gotten rid of it and made this a purely Ryan and Esposito fic.

So, just to explain, I keep wondering why Ryan and Esposito decided to become cops. We really don't know too much about either of the boys' backgrounds, and this is my attempt at filling in the blanks. All chapters were inspired by the episodes "Sucker Punch" and "Den of Thieves." Hope you enjoy, and sorry for it being a bit Ryan-centric!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still don't own Castle.