314. Chapter 314

After Suicide Squeeze

Episode 2.15

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: He hits it high, he hits it deep, he….doesn't own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

Castle must have arrived at the precinct and fairly recently, Beckett decided, as the coffee on her desk was still hot. She looked around and saw Castle coming back from the break room.

"Good morning, Detective." He said cheerfully.

"You're awfully chipper this morning. What's the occasion?"

"I'm always chipper in the mornings. Especially since my morning starts at a reasonable hour and not in the middle of the night, like some peoples' I could mention."

Kate, who had been up at three AM, gave Castle a mild glare. "If you're trying to piss me off, you're succeeding. Keep it up."

Castle returned her glare with a smile. "So, how would you like to go to a baseball game?"

"Castle! Are you asking me out on a date?"

A look of wariness came over his face briefly, then the smile returned, if a bit forced now. "Of course not. I'm not in a mood to get beaten up this early in the morning."

Kate was a tiny bit surprised at his reply, as she had thought that the shooting of Dick Coonan and their impromptu dinner at Remy's had brought them a little closer together.

Castle, however, kept talking. "I was in the break room talking to someone from the Yankees' front office. Maggie Vega wants us to come to a game on Friday night. We'll be in the owner's suite with her and Lara and whoever else is there."

"The owner's suite?" Kate asked, impressed. "Really? It's been a while since Cano Vega's murder."

"They said she's had a lot to deal with, what with Cano's murder and Lara. But she really does want us to come."

"Oh, I'll be there. A chance to see the Yankees play from the owner's suite? I wouldn't miss that for the world." Something occurred to Kate. "Isn't that an inter-league game?"

"The LA Dodgers. Joe Torre will be coming back to Yankee Stadium."

Kate frowned. "I hope they don't boo him."

"If anyone does, you can arrest them."

Kate decided to ignore the remark, she was so happy at a chance to go to a Yankees' game and sit in the owner's suite. A thought occurred to her. "What's the dress code for the owner's suite?"

Castle shrugged. "What you're wearing now would be fine, I'm sure. I'm planning to wear a sport coat with no tie, so anything along those lines should be fine. And it's not like the Fashion Police would kick us out of Yankee Stadium."

Kate looked down. She was wearing light grey slacks, a light blue sweater and a brown leather jacket. "Okay."

As soon as she was home, she called her father who demanded that she give him a full account of the game and the suite. She agreed.

When Friday arrived, Castle knocked on her door. She had agreed to let him pick her up and take her to the game. After all, it's silly for us to pay for two cabs when we're going to the same place. She thought.

Castle looked her over when she opened the door. She had on black pants, a white sweater, a beige suede jacket and had added a Yankees cap. Castle was dressed equally informally: Jeans, a light blue shirt and a dark blue sport coat. "You look spectacular." He told her.

"Thank you. You're looking good yourself."

Castle offered her his arm and she took it. Once they reached the street, there was a surprise for her. "Really? A limo? We're just going to a ball game."

"We're going to a game and sitting in the owner's suite. That demands a bit more than a cab."

The limo took them to a part of the stadium that Kate had never seen. "Are you sure this is right?" She asked Castle.

The limo driver heard her. "You bet. This is the VIP lot. You'll go straight to the suite from here."

As soon as they exited the limo, a young woman approached them. "Mr. Castle? Detective Beckett? Hi, I'm Carolyn. I'll be escorting you to the suite. This way please."

They walked down a short walkway to an elevator. As they waited for the elevator, Castle asked a question. "Who's going to be here with us tonight?"

"Aside from Mrs. Vega and Ms. Blanco, just some business acquaintances of the Steinbrenner brothers." Carolyn rattled off their names.

Castle nodded. "I don't know any of them, but I know of them. Just your run of the mill New York billionaires."

"Castle! Don't exaggerate." Kate said softly.

"Oh, he's not exaggerating." Carolyn said with a laugh. "They're all billionaires."

Although not showing it, Kate felt just a bit intimidated. I've faced down the super rich before, but I've never had to mix with them socially. She looked over at Castle who didn't seem to have a care in the world. If it doesn't bother Castle, I'm not going to let it bother me.

The elevator whisked them to the owner's suite and Carolyn escorted them in. Maggie Vega welcomed them warmly, but Lara was still a bit shy.

"She's a bit shy because of her English, although it's much improved."

Maggie introduced Castle and Beckett to the other guests. There were a dozen men there and half that number of women. The men were all of a type: Expensive clothing, expensive jewelry, expensive haircuts and expensive cologne. The women were either trophy wives in their thirties, or girlfriends who were much younger. The women were all as expensively dressed and coiffed as the men. She noticed that several of the men were looking at her in a manner she didn't like.

As Castle went to the bar for their drinks, Maggie Vega pulled Kate to the side. "Detective Beckett…"

"Please, call me Kate." She said quickly.

"Okay, I'm Maggie. I hope you don't mind me asking Mr. Castle here tonight."

Kate was confused. "Why would I mind?"

"He's just a writer following you around, and he was there during the investigation, but you're the detective. You solved Cano's murder. I hope you don't mind."

Kate blushed slightly, then looked to make sure Castle couldn't hear her. "Actually, Castle has been doing more than just following me around. He's…basically, he's my partner. He does as much work on our cases as I do and is as responsible for their success as I am."

"Interesting. You know, I read the Nikki Heat book since I met the two of you. It's quite good." It was Maggie's turn to blush. "Are you two, you know, together?"

Kate shook her head. "No. We're friends, of course, but we just work together."

Castle came back with the drinks, cutting short the conversation. Castle led Beckett to the leather easy chairs. The crowd roared as the Yankees took the field at the top of the first inning. As the game progressed, Kate was surprised at how much Castle knew about baseball.

"Where did all of this baseball knowledge come from, Castle? I know Derrick Storm never had any cases involving baseball."

"From Jennifer McLane, a fellow author with Black Pawn. She writes two series of baseball themed mysteries. One is set in the period 1890 to 1910 and the other is set in the 1950s. I learned a lot from her."

"I bet you did." Kate said teasingly.

"In fact, shortly after we first met, she stripped me naked in front of a couple of dozen people."

"I'm sure you enjoyed that." Kate was not happy with where the conversation was going.

"I don't remember. I was eight months old at the time." Castle laughed at the expression on Beckett's face. "She went to high school with my mom. Mom was acting in a play she'd written, sadly an unsuccessful play, but in the middle of rehearsal one night, I needed my diaper changed. She took my clothes off and changed it in front of the whole cast and crew. I haven't been ashamed of my body since."

Kate smiled at him. "I'm sure you haven't."

"But she knows all there is to know about baseball and I learned a lot from her, and to love the game as well. I'm sure you'd like her, Kate."

"Any woman who had to change Richard Castle's diaper in public has my sympathy."

The game was tight, with neither team able to score more than one run in the early to middle innings. At the end of the sixth inning, Kate excused herself to use the ladies room. When she came back, she could overhear Maggie talking to Castle. Both were facing away from her.

"I'm very impressed with Heat Wave, especially after seeing Kate in action. You call her your muse. Is she really as good as Nikki Heat?"

Castle shook his head, which Kate found upset her. But Castle went on. "I'm afraid my writing has failed me there. Beckett is ten times as good as Nikki. Try as a might, I just can't write Nikki as passionate, and fiercely intelligent, as caring, as determined, and…as extraordinary as Beckett."

Kate was about to step forward to thank Castle for that when Maggie asked another question. "She said you're not together, but I've seen the way you look at her. Are you going to tell me that you don't want more of a relationship?"

As Castle opened his mouth to reply, Derek Jeter hit a three run home run into the right field seats. Castle's answer was lost in the roar of the crowd. He and Maggie rushed to see what had happened. Kate followed them.

"You missed it, Beckett." Castle said. "The Captain hit one out with two aboard."

Kate said nothing.

The Dodgers' bullpen melt down continued and the Yankees won six to one.

Kate was waiting for Castle to finish saying goodbye to Maggie and Lara when she felt a hand settle on her hip. "Castle…" She began, turning toward him quickly. But it wasn't Castle. It was one of the billionaires. The one with the youngest looking girlfriend. Kate had guessed she wasn't out of high school yet. She took his hand off of her hip. "Don't touch me." She said softly.

He laughed. "Don't play hard to get, honey. I know why you came here. It wasn't to hang around with some third rate author." His hand went back to her hip.

She pushed her coat aside to show her badge. "You do know I'm a cop?"

His hand moved farther up her body. "I've never had a cop before."

Kate was about to arrest him for assaulting an officer when she felt his hand move off of her.

"And you won't." Castle said, moving the man's hand away from Kate. "Ready to go, sweetie?"

Before Kate could say anything, Castle's hand was in the small of her back, propelling her to the door. "Thanks a lot, Maggie. Nice to see you again, Lara." He called out loudly.

Once at the elevator, Kate pushed Castle's hand away. "I can take care of myself, Castle. Don't call me sweetie and keep your hands off of me."

Castle sighed. "Okay, Beckett. Go back in there and arrest him. Humiliate him in public. Tomorrow he'll have a dozen law firms suing you, the NYPD, the city, the Yankees, me, and probably Derek Jeter. And that'll just be for starters. You'll spend the next year in court fighting him. But go right ahead and arrest him."

Kate glared at Castle, then shook her head. "I apologize. I'm mad at him, not you Castle."

As the elevator door opened, Kate suddenly grabbed Castle's arm and nestled her head against his shoulder. Castle saw the billionaire and his teenaged girlfriend headed for the elevator. As the door closed, Kate said, loudly enough for everyone to hear, "He has no idea what being with a cop is like, does he, lover."

Once the elevator was headed down, they both burst out laughing.

Later that night as she lay in bed, Kate wondered. What did Castle say to Maggie about wanting more of a relationship with me?