rachelcleverly asked:
How did Alexis and Martha find out about you and Castle?
How do you feel about the 'break up' of Esposito and Ryan?
Is Lanie happy about your relationship with Castle?
Where do you see yourself in 20 years from now?
How do you feel now that you are finally with the man you love?

You responded:
(1)
Castle and I decided that after all we had put them through over the years, that it was only fair for Martha and Alexis to hear about it from the two of us; and as we certainly didn't want to upset them further by having the story leaked through the mindless gossip of the tabloids, we did so over a home cooked dinner at Castle's two days after we got together.
We both know that throughout the past four years we have made decisions that have hurt not only each other, but Castle's family as well, and neither of us was willing to add the start of our relationship to that list.

In all honesty, I had prepared myself for the worst possible outcome; to be told that it was too late, that I had caused them too much pain, that I wasn't deserving of such a great man's love, but I couldn't have been more wrong in my fears.
Martha and Alexis have welcomed our relationship with nothing but grace and goodwill, and I am so grateful for the kindness that they have shown me. I know, of course, that I have a lot to make up for; that I need to earn back their trust and friendship, and I am truly thankful to Martha and Alexis for allowing me to do so.
I don't just want to be a part of Castle's life; I want to be a part of his family, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

(2)
I feel terrible that I allowed my own selfish desire for revenge to not only put the people whom I care about in danger, but that the poison of the case seeped into their decisions and caused such a huge rift in their relationship.
I owe my life to both Ryan and Esposito, and I am so very grateful for all that they have done to help me whilst I battled with the demons of my Mother's case, but I will always regret that they were put into those situations because of me. It wasn't their fight, it was mine; and the support that they gave me is a testament to the wonderful men that they are.

True friendship is a force that I believe to be indestructible, especially those that are formed through a job like ours, and I know that Ryan and Esposito will find a way to move past the tension that currently lies between them. Neither one of them has ever been willing to give up on the people whom they love, and they aren't about to start now.
It will take time, it will take patience, and it will take a lot of understanding from the both of them, but Ryan and Esposito's partnership isn't over, and nor is their friendship.

(3)
In a word, yes!

Lanie has, in the way that only best friends are allowed, been pestering me to admit to my love for Castle from almost the very second that he walked into the precinct.
Even in those first few weeks when I could hardly stand to be around Castle for more than an hour, she was convinced that my dislike of him stemmed more from sexual tension then actual annoyances. And later, when we became friends, when we truly became partners, Lanie saw that as a sign of things to come, a hint in the right direction.
Every step of the way, Lanie has been there; cheering us on and determined to prove that we truly were made for each other all along.

It means so much to us both to know that Lanie has always been on our side, that she has never wavered in her support of our relationship. And now, we cannot wait for her to share within the happiness and the love that Castle and I have found with each other, to be there for the best of times that are yet to come.

(4)
Twenty years is almost too scary to think of; all the possibilities, all that could happen not only to me, but to the world as a whole. But, sometimes scary is exactly what we need; it keeps us dreaming, it keeps us filled with hopes for a future that still seems so incredibly far away.

Castle and I will have been married for a very long time, one of those couples who have been together for so long that they start to look a little like each other, who love each other more than anyone can comprehend; who look into each other's eyes, kiss each other good morning, and feel like newlyweds all over again.
He will still bring me a cup of coffee every morning, and I will still be trying to keep him under control with the occasional pinch on the ear. We'll be happy, and we'll be loved, and we will be living the life that we have both always dreamed of.

Alexis will be all grown up; top of the career ladder, loving husband, perhaps even a beautiful little baby of her own. The world is truly at her fingertips, and I know that she will accomplish everything that she has ever dreamed of, and more.
Her life will be her own, but she and Castle will always have a special bond, and they will hardly make it a day without at least speaking over the phone. And, of course, the laser tag battle will still be going strong!

Our own children will be quickly following in Alexis' footsteps, finishing high school and leaving for college. Castle and I will be lost without them, but we'll know that it was always inevitable, that you have to let your children go out into the big wide world and discover all of its wonders for themselves.

The 12th won't quite be the 12th anymore; through the years we will steadily move on to different jobs, we'll be offered promotions that are too good to refuse, or maybe even early retirement.
But, whatever happens, I hope that we always remain friends. That even in 50 years time we'll all still be together, sat out on the front porch playing poker for custard creams and reminiscing on the good old days!

You never know what life has in store for you until you get there, and I know that my day dreams might always remain just that; but that is how I would like our lives to turn out, and that is what I am going to strive for.

(5)
I am, for perhaps the first time in my adult life, truly happy. The entire world is bright and shiny with the pure wonder of being utterly in love, and I feel as if nothing could ever take this feeling away. That no matter what happens, and no matter how terrible things become, Castle and I will make it through to the other side. Because together, we are truly capable of anything.

I used to fear love; its strength and the power that it holds over us. I saw love as something terrible, something destructive, something terrifying. I looked only at the broken hearts and the tear stained faces, and I let those be my warning to stay away. I didn't allow myself to feel love, not really, not in the way that you should. I wasn't ready to face the love that I felt for Castle, I wasn't ready to lose control; so I blocked it out, I ran away, and I told myself that it was for the best, that I was protecting us both.
But now I see how wrong I was, how foolish and cowardly my heart used to be. Love isn't our enemy, it's our saviour. It is what makes the broken hearts and the tear stained faces bearable, it keeps you going even when every cell in your body is screaming out at you to stop, to give up.
Love is, in its most pure of forms, the very essence of life.

To be continued..

I apologise for not updating this sooner - I had intended to have this written yesterday, but was too nervous about my AS results to sit still long enough to do so. (I got an A in English Lit and a B in Biology & General Studies ..I have to retake a module in both Maths and Chem, but I did well enough to get into year 13. Yay!)
But, moving back to the story, I hope to have any questions that I am yet to answer finished and uploaded this evening :)

Please let me know what you thought?
& send in any questions that you have for Beckett (by review or message, either way is fine).

Thank you very much for reading,
Katie