AN: This was actually going to be a chapter of 'Internal Processing' but I decided that it should be its own work. I like the Alexis/Ashley dynamic even though we never see much of it. I hope we get more in season 4. This is based kind of off episode 5.

Disclaimer: Not mine as of yet, still working on it. The song lyrics belong to Taylor Swift.

A Careless Man's Careful Daughter

You were in college working part time waiting tables
Left a small town, never looked back
I was a flight risk with a fear of falling
Wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts

I say can you believe it?
As we're lying on the couch
The moment I could see it
Yes, yes, I can see it now

Alexis Castle grew up not really knowing her mother; her mother was the type of person to flitter in, cause a dramatic scene and flitter back out again. The only stabilising force in Alexis' life was her father; even then, his playboy lifestyle got to her sometimes. Sure, they had fun and they helped each other grow up, but when she hit seventeen, she needed something more. Enter Ashley.

Do you remember we were sitting there by the water?
You put your arm around me for the first time
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Ashley was her Ying to his Yang. They believed they could take on the world together. She did not want to become a product of her environment. She was a smart girl and wanted to make something of her life. Ashley helped her with all that and they built their relationship upon trust and respect. That foundation led to love; all the songs made sense to her.

Flash forward and we're taking on the world together
And there's a drawer of my things at your place
You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded
You say we'll never make my parents' mistakes

But we got bills to pay
We got nothing figured out
When it was hard to take
Yes, yes, this is what I thought about

College was tough for them. She was still a senior when he was in his first year and she didn't want him to resent her for his decision to stay close to home. They made it though. The five years it took for them to both come out of high school and then college made them stronger. They were sure that they were going to beat the odds.

And I remember that fight, 2:30 a.m.
As everything was slipping right out of our hands
I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street

Braced myself for the goodbye
'Cause that's all I've ever known
Then you took me by surprise
You said I'll never leave you alone

Like every couple trying to sort themselves out, Ashley and Alexis had their fair share of arguments. Some were minor and some seemed to be deal breakers. Alexis wouldn't let herself give up. She had to make it work; they had to make it work. She couldn't see her life going anywhere without him in it. Neither could Ashley.

You said I remember how we felt sitting by the water
And every time I look at you, it's like the first time
I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter
She is the best thing that's ever been mine

Hold on, make it last
Hold on, never turn back
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter
You are the best thing that's ever been mine

Do you believe it?
We're gonna make it now
I can see it
I can see it now

Alexis Castle finally married the man she had first loved. As she walked down the same aisle of the church that her father himself had remarried in for the third time, she looked at the man she was going to be with for the rest of her life. His eyes were full of love and hopefulness. Alexis had promised herself to him a long time ago, and it was now time to tell the world. Alexis and Ashley had taken on the world together and they beat the odds.

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I hope you enjoyed it. Please R & R I'd love to know what you thought of it.