685. Chapter 685

After After Hours

Episode 5.08

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: Chase me through the Bronx and I still won't claim to own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kate asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

"No. Of course I'm not sure. I'm a writer, trained to consider worst case scenarios." Castle looked around to make sure only Kate was in hearing distance. "This looks like nothing but worst case scenarios."

"Maybe you could concentrate more on happy endings?"

"With my mom?" Castle scoffed.

"I never should have told Martha."

"Really? You think you could have kept something from her? Or your dad? They both wanted a blow by blow description of our little adventure with Leo, the sociopathic murderer. You told them that you told me over the phone when I was with Dolan that we should all four do something we enjoyed, like go to a baseball game. That's what tipped me off that something was wrong."

"And Martha immediately thought it was such a wonderful idea. She insisted that we all go to a game together." Kate shook her head slowly. "I know we agreed about this two different worlds thing for us, we do make it work. But Dad and your mom have been getting along so well, I just hate to think what'll happen if tonight is a disaster. Martha doesn't sound like she has ever had much of an actual interest in baseball, and if she gets bored and…." She stopped, not wanting to think about what might happen.

"Luckily, my dear Detective Beckett, this is not about baseball tonight." Castle said, grinning.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "And when is a baseball game not about baseball?"

"My mother wants me and a certain remarkable detective to stay together. She knows how much both you and your dad love baseball, so she wants to know a little about it to get closer to you and subtly push the two of us closer and closer together."

"Subtly? Martha?"

Castle shrugged. "It's a relative term, I suppose."

Martha called from upstairs. "I'm all dressed. Are you ready for me?"

"As ready as we'll ever be." Castle said under his breath.

Kate glared at him. "We're ready, Martha." She whispered to Rick. "Why has she been so closed mouthed about what she's wearing tonight?"

Before Rick could reply, Martha walked onto the stairs, struck a pose and cried, "Ta da!"

She had on black sequined shoes, white sequined pants, a sequined Yankee's jersey and a sequined blue baseball cap with the NY logo in white sequins. "What do you think?"

"It's amazing." Kate said quickly, before Rick could say anything. "Were did you get it?"

"A dear friend of mine, Holly Morton, is doing a revival of Damn Yankees off Broadway. She loaned me this. It's practically my size, too."

"If I need to find you in the crowd, it won't be hard." Castle said.

Kate glared at him, but Martha was busy arranging her hat.

"We should go pick up my dad." Kate hoped to keep Rick from making any comments on Martha's game attire.

Rick had gone to everyone he knew and offered all kinds of cash and other favors to get seats right behind the Yankees dugout. Jim went over the rules of baseball with Martha, although Rick listened carefully also, and Jim promised to explain anything she didn't understand.

"If there's anything you need to know, just ask, babe." Kate whispered to Rick.

"Oh, there is so much I want to know about you."

"About baseball." She giggled.

In the second inning, a Yankee stole second base. "Stealing? That can't be legal, Jim. Or if it is they should call it something else."

"They've called it stealing for over a hundred years, Martha." Jim went on to explain different types of steals: the straight steal, the delayed steal, the timed double steal, and the various squeeze plays since they also involved stealing a base.

"Why can't you steal first base?" Martha asked.

Before Jim could answer, Castle spoke up. "You can steal first base. It happened in 2013 in a game between the Cubs and the Brewers. Segura, a Brewer was on second and Braun was on first. Segura broke for third and Braun ran to second. But the Cubs pitcher threw the ball to the shortstop. Segura was chased back to second just as Braun arrived. Segura thought he'd been tagged out and headed back to his dugout, which was by first base. However, the umpire had called Braun out. Segura had made it back to second before he was tagged and was safe, and since you can't have two base runners on the same base, it was Braun who was out. The Brewer's first base coach told Segura to stop and stand on first base. No one tried to tag Segura and he was eventually ruled to have stolen first base."

Both Kate and Jim looked at Rick in shock, Kate especially. "I thought you knew nothing about baseball, babe."

"I'm always interested in odd things."

"Me too. Mainly you." Kate teased, then kissed him.

Castle looked around. "Where's the Kiss Cam when you need it?"

"Who needs a camera?" Kate said in a low, sexy voice. "Especially when there's a baseball expert around."

"Keep that up and I'll tell you all about the Cleveland Spiders and their unbreakable baseball record."

Before Kate could ask further, a bench clearing brawl erupted and by the time it was over, she'd forgotten about it.

As the game went on, Jim, and Kate, explained to the Castles, the infield fly rule, a 6-3-2 double play, a balk and why the foul pole was in fair territory.

The highlight of the game for Castle came in the fifth inning. A soaring foul ball sailed towards the Yankee's dugout and beyond. Kate, who had brought her glove, stood up, leaned back, leaned to her left, then lunged and missed the ball, but fell into Castle's lap.

"That was magnificent! Spectacular." He enthused, then kissed her.

"Castle, I missed the ball."

He kissed her again. "Who cares about the ball? Look what I caught."

That night, after the game, Rick and Kate got ready for bed. As she slid in next to him, she put her hand on his chest. "Okay, I know you're dying to tell me. Who were the Cleveland Spiders and what is their unbreakable baseball record?"

Castle smirked. "I knew you'd want to know. Perhaps you could encourage me to tell you?"

She reached for his ear and he moved away. "Okay. Before the start of the 1899 baseball season, the owners of the Spiders also bought the St. Louis Browns, something that wouldn't be allowed today. Figuring they could make more money with the Browns, they sent their good players to St. Louis and hired, well, a bunch of stiffs to play in Cleveland. The Cleveland fans stayed away in droves. Since baseball in those days made their money just from the gate receipts, the other teams couldn't even cover their travel and hotel expenses playing in Cleveland, so they insisted Cleveland play their games on the road. Cleveland went 20 and 134, including 101 road losses. Since teams now play 162 games, half at home and half on the road, no team could possibly lose more than 81 road games, unless the season was expanded to 204 games which would mean year round baseball and that'll never happen. And so the long defunct Spiders have a record no one will ever touch."

"Perhaps we can go for our own record for touching." Kate said.