Chapter Three:
Castle sat in the squad car, thinking back over the last seven frustrating days. This case had been nothing but a series of dead ends and iron clad alibis. Why couldn't they just figure out who the killer was so he could go out with Beckett? And why did he get a knot in his stomach every time he thought about that? This upcoming date had caused the famous playboy Richard Castle more angst than a sixteen-year old on prom night.
Beckett glanced over at her partner and noticing the concentration etched on his face. She had been pleasantly surprised by Castle's behavior in the last week. Despite Esposito constantly waving his index finger in the air while mouthing 'one chance, bro' and Ryan hugging his body and shivering anytime a lead dried up, Castle had refused to be baited into discussing the date. The date. Why did those simple words cause her to feel so anxious? She forced herself to stop thinking about it, deciding to instead focus on discussing the case with Castle. Nice and safe, she told herself.
"Care to share what's on your mind? I'm open to any of your crazy ideas."
Castle looked amused. "Actually, I wasn't thinking about the case."
"Oh." Kate couldn't help but sound mildly interested.
"If you must know, I was thinking about your rules."
"My rules?" He had not mentioned them since she had rattled them off on that busy street corner. Should she dare go there with him now? Her stomach churned. This isn't safe, she warned herself. But curiosity got the best of her.
"OK, Castle, since you've been so compliant and we're alone, I'll indulge you. What about my rules?"
He turned eagerly towards her, his eyes bright with mischief. "I'm in need of some clarification, that's all. You mentioned that our date would involve first base only. But in baseball, if a runner gets to first base and sees an opportunity, he tries to steal second. They teach that concept in Little League."
"Castle." She was clearly annoyed.
"Hey, it's your analogy. I'm just suggesting that we should consider abiding by the time-honored traditions of our national pastime."
Kate regretted letting him start this conversation." If you try to steal second base, you'll be thrown out easily. And I will see that the throw is aimed at your thick skull, or maybe even lower!"
He pouted. "So no stealing second, I understand, commissioner." But this was Castle and he wasn't done.
"But even if you're slow-footed and weigh more than CC Sabathia, when you get on first base, you take some type of lead. At least a few steps off of the bag. Should we call your Dad for a ruling?"
Beckett tried not to smile. "He even remembers my Dad loves baseball," she mused.
"There will be no calling my Dad." She tried to sound firm.
"He likes me, you know." Castle smirked when he saw the look of astonishment on Kate's face. How did Castle know that her Dad adored him?
"He'd probably rule in my favor on taking leads. It's a guy thing." He added smugly.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Kate fought to get back control of the conversation. "Castle, I'll make this simple for your sophomoric little mind: during this date, one foot must remain on the first base at all times. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Detective." He suddenly broke into an evil grin. "But I bet you won't believe how far my reach is!" He rolled down the window and stretched his arm out to the side as far as it would go.
He was absolutely exasperating! "Roll up the window, Castle. And remember, you may have a long reach, but I carry a gun."
OK, OK" he sighed, temporarily out of 'baseball-themed' wit. "We play it your way, since you own the bat and ball. And the gun thing, of course." He was silent for approximately thirty seconds and then it came to him - one last bit of sarcasm to irritate Beckett.
He stretched his arms, faked a yawn and added in a monotonous tone, "But if you ask me, your rules could make for a pretty darn boring day at the old ball yard."
One of the many images from Page Six of Rick Castle with some young eye candy on his arm flashed through Kate's mind, causing her mood to turn surly.
"Maybe a date with me sounds so boring because all of your trysts with those clueless, dim-witted models end with grand slams." God, those pictures annoyed her!
"You are not boring. And I'll have you know that Miss February had a Ph. D., "he huffed at her.
"Really, from which catalog?" she shot back.
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted them. "Beckett…you're kidding! Great work! OK…we're on our way!"
She looked over at Castle. "Your hunch was right. Ryan and Esposito got a lead tracking down the ex-boyfriend. They're taking him to the station and it looks like he's ready to talk. This just might be the break we've been waiting for."
"I knew it was him!" Castle pumped his fist.
They rode back to the station in content, albeit frosty silence, their verbal sparring match completed. But as usual, this latest exchange had left them both surging with adrenaline and tingling with unspoken anticipation.
'Opening day' was almost here.