Very Castle Celebrations
Chapter 46
There are twinkle lights all along the edge of the wall around the yard and even on the treehouse. A wedding canopy has been erected, in respect for Cary's parents, and chairs have been set up for guests on both sides of the aisle. The bride and her attendants will tread on woven hemp fabric instead of damp grass, sparing some very expensive shoes. One of Cary's physics professors who also has a master's in theology and is an ordained minister, will conduct an ecumenical ceremony. At the reception, set up inside the brownstone, the food will be kosher to accommodate Cary's family. Musicians who are friends with both Cary and Alexis have volunteered to provide the music.
Mother has been sweeping about, assuring herself that the flowers are perfect, and the atmosphere is suitably dramatic. Castle is sure that the last thing Alexis wants today is drama. There's been enough of that, making arrangements amenable to Cary's parents and determining how to keep the guest list down without insulting anyone. When the couple decided to have their wedding in Jackson's beloved yard, the latter problem took care of itself. There is only room for a reasonably intimate ceremony.
Jackson will be the ringbearer and has had great fun practicing. He's wearing a suit that is a tiny version of the one Castle has on. Meredith flew in from L.A. a few days ago, determined to help Alexis shop for a trousseau. She's dressed conservatively - for Meredith - so as not to distract from her daughter, at least for the length of the ceremony.
Kate will be serving as matron of honor and Buttons as Alexis' bridesmaid. Castle hadn't met Cary's best man and groomsman until the rehearsal dinner, but he likes them. They're nerdy enough to have suitable admiration for the collection of comics and memorabilia that occupies his den. The best man made a toast about the bride and groom discovering infinite dimensions to their relationship, that Castle was sure was both physics-based and clever.
Alexis has chosen to come down the aisle to the strains of the Pachelbel Canon, saving more contemporary music for the reception. Castle is willing to bet that for Kate, the hardest thing about leading her stepdaughter in her journey is slowing her long stride to match the rest of the bridal procession.
Castle can't even begin to catalog the emotions coursing through him as Alexis takes his arm to be delivered to her groom. Even if she and Cary have been living together for years, giving his daughter away in marriage is soul-shaking. It touches every hope and every fear he's ever had for her. He is working hard to banish any lingering doubts. This day should hold nothing but joy.
Professor Beckman begins the ceremony with dignity but a twinkle behind his heavy glasses. He describes how every particle in the universe has its opposite number. He goes on to give a slightly Vulcan-sounding spiel about how the almost infinite combinations possible with subatomic particles yield beauty and wonder, much as is possible when the souls of men and women join in a lifelong dance, before inviting Alexis and Cary to give their vows.
Alexis begins. "Cary you understand me the way I wasn't sure anyone I met ever could. You not only share my love of music but my sense of wonder about the world. You're open to every question and every possible answer. The breadth of your mind and your heart continue to astound me more every day. I promise to be your wife and your friend. I want to love you, grow old with you, and share my life with you for as long as the universe allows." Jackson proudly delivers the rings, and she slips a thick but plain gold band on Cary's finger.
Swallowing and drawing a deep breath, Cary continues. "Alexis, I never thought I'd meet a woman like you. From the very moment I found you searching for a place to immerse yourself in the music so dear to both of us, you had a place in my heart. The bond between us grows richer and stronger with every passing second. I want to pull reveal the machinations of the world with you, explore every possibility and embrace every hope. I want to tread the dimension of time hand in hand until the end of our days. For as long as the spark of life remains with us, I will be your support, your husband, your friend, and love you with all the force of my being." Cary slips a more petite but also plain gold band on Alexis' finger.
Professor Beckman doesn't allow any chance for objections, but merely nods at the couple to kiss and introduces them to the assembly as Mr. and Mrs. Castle-Edelman.
The last guest is gone, and the catering trucks have pulled away when Castle and Kate share a final glass of Champagne in the kitchen. Castle is still trying to process feelings sublimated during the excitement of the reception. He gave his daughter away to another man. He realizes intellectually that it was just ceremonial and that he probably couldn't have picked a better life partner for Alexis if he had conducted a worldwide search. Still, things have changed. He is no longer the most important man in his daughter's life. That spot has been taken. In his mind, she may still be his little girl, but in truth, she is a woman with a woman's view toward the future.
He is still very much a father. Raising Jackson, even with Kate, is at least as hard as raising Alexis was alone. His son's energy and curiosity know no bounds, a situation that is both exhilarating and exhausting. What the teen years will bring, he doesn't want to begin to ponder, at least not tonight. The boy's fascination with the automotive world has never waned. On his first trip to an amusement park, he wanted unlimited rides on the bumper cars. He's also an enthusiastic fan of the Speed Channel. Mercifully, Jackson sped off to dreamland in his racing car bed almost an hour before Castle and Kate found their present moment of respite.
Alexis and Cary will have their time together, the next 50 or 60 years, God willing, but on this night, Castle wants nothing more than his own wife beside him. He puts the glasses in the sink to wash in the morning and entwines his fingers with Kate for the walk to their bedroom.
The décor has changed over the years as they've acquired more things together. A collage of flotsam and jetsam gathered on Jackson's first beachcombing trip to the Hamptons, hangs over the headboard. Castle commissioned a portrait of Kate by her favorite artist, which now holds a place of honor. A photographic history of Jackson as he's grown also occupies a prominent position on the wall.
The bed is the same, except for a new smart mattress. The contents of the closets have shifted more toward comfort than fashionable flair. Castle also remodeled the adjoining bathroom to accommodate an oversized tub for Kate's beloved bubble baths. What can never be altered is the essence that infuses the room, the growing love he and Kate share. Whatever the coming years may bring, they will face that future together. Always.
Finis
My next story will also be AU, but spring from a different place and time. I want to start when Kate and Rachel recover the antidote to the toxin that poisoned Castle, in Dreamworld. There is a lot the show left out, like what Kate told Martha and Alexis and what went on during Castle's recovery. How, after all of that, Kate could have just gone back to a mostly separate and shielded existence from Castle, boggles the mind, even if it was resolved in the next episode when Kate got herself fired by the feds. Join me tomorrow for "Another Chance." Love, Sally
