The round table discussions continues. This has some references to seasons 1-4, more to season 5 as mostly recalled by Alexis and her siblings. It also has reference to season 6, episode 1 and my take on what the rest of the season will bring.

The Castle characters are not mine and their use, or the use of any other characters, living or dead, real or imaginary and the words and opinions they may speak are my creations just for the story and should not be attributed to them.

James Rodgers Castle-White, (JRCW): The DC phase?

Alexis Harper Castle-White (AHCW): Yes. There was a case Grandma Kate and Grandpa Rick worked on concerning a pirated drone. A special unit of the Department of Justice, Attorney General's office was involved because of National Security. When the investigator saw Grandma Kate work, he was very impressed. Agent Stack told her so and he set up an interview with the group for her. She went for the interview without telling Grandpa Rick or Uncle Javi or Uncle Kevin.

JRCW: So?

Joanne Beckett Castle-Cox, (JBCC): Jim, when you were dating your wife, would you have told about a job in another city which, if you got it, would impact your relationship with her?

Jackson Beckett Castle (JBC): Even I know the answer to that.

JRCW: Oh, I get it.

AHCW: Grandpa Rick was very upset. You know that he loved Grandma Kate. It took him 4 years to get though to her. Even after they started dating, Grandpa Rick wasn't sure that Grandma Kate was all in the relationship. As the year progressed, he became more sure she was until the Erik Vaughn incident. That was a set back. Then when Grandma Kate didn't tell him about the relationship, he thought that she might have been looking for a way out. Keeping secrets is not a good thing when building a relationship.

JBCC: Well in fairness to Mom, she told me that DC job was once in a lifetime opportunity. She did love Dad, but with the DC job, she would be working on a national stage. I think she even thought that she could get information to get the person that ordered Grandma Johanna's murder.

JBC: I spoke to Dad about that once. He told me that he was really hurt by what Mom did, but he really loved her. He said that her holding that secret, even though Mom did not think she would get the job got him very scared. Remember his first marriage broke up because of infidelity and the second one broke because of lack of communication.

AHCW: I guess both Mom and Dad still had issues. Luckily, their parents were there to give them sage advice. Mom told me that in her discussion with Grandpa Jim crystalized her decision. He told her that her decision should not be based on fear of any consequences like the fear of losing Dad, or fear of resenting him later on if she stayed with him. It should be based on what she wanted now. Mom decided she needed the job.

JRCW: Kind of odd decision in light of all that had happened in the past. I mean she and Grandpa Rick had been through so much. He might have on occasion pushed her envelope, like opening up Great-Grandma Johanna's murder, but then he helped get her killer. So many times he worked with her and together they came up with the answer to the case. Uncle Javi told me that many times, they would spout the same answer at the same time.

JBC/JBCC: We heard them do it to us many times.

JRCW: Yeah, just like that. It was as if they were already married for a long time.

Alexis Harper Castle-White (AHCW): Love is very complicated. You all lived through most of my ups and downs and I did not have half the issues Mom and Dad had to work through. As I was lucky to have Dad and Mom, so to were they lucky. Grandpa Jim clarified Mom's thoughts in the same way Grams, my Grandmother clarified for Dad. Give me a second. [Alexis goes for a book on the shelf] This you know is a book Dad put together for their 10th anniversary. It is compilation of the Caskett all time quotes. Over the years they added to it till the day he died. A few days before the swing proposal, Grams had a talk with dad. Her words to Dad as they discussed what happened when he found the plane ticket to DC, went something like this."...Katherine is a bright ambitious woman and she should be interviewing for that job. You want her to put you first when neither one of you know where the relationship is going. That is as absurd as your not signing that check for Alexis' program [that is a discussion for later]. I know you, you do not hold back. Except this thing with Katherine, it took you what, 3 years to tell her how you felt, another year to act on it and now first sign of trouble, your ready to run. ...This is who she is. I know you say you love her, but darling is it possible that the reason you've held back is that somewhere deep down inside you don't think this really going to work."

James Rodgers Castle-White, (JRCW): That speech had some impact.

JBC/JBCC: We're glad it did.

AHCW: It crystalized Dad's thinking. [again from the book]

Grandma Kate- You seem so serious

Grandpa Rick- Of course I'm serious, this is the most serious thing I have ever done.

Kate- Castle I love you, but this is my shot. If I don't do this, I'll always regret it. Look if this changes anything for you, if it changes the way you feel, I'll...

Rick- Kate I'm not proposing to keep you here, or that I'm afraid I'm going to loose you, I'm proposing to you because I can't imagine my life without you, If that means when things get difficult, we have to figure them out, then I'm willing to figure them, assuming you're willing to figure them out with me.

Kate- Well in that case, Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle, yes, yes, I will marry you.

JRCW: Ah, I think I see. Given both had insecurities, both wanted to see where the relationship was going, that exchange was necessary to cement the rest of their lives together.

Jackson Beckett Castle (JBC): Yeah, I think Mom's last doubt was Dad's support of her. The fact that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her NO MATTER what she did, closed the case for Dad. He was her 'one and done.'

Joanne Beckett Castle-Cox, (JBCC): I agree. And when Dad heard Mom reaffirm her love for him and then accept his proposal any of his lingering doubts that their relationship would not last disappeared for good.

AHCW: Whatever hurdles came their way, and there were still plenty of those, they knew that they would figure them out together.

This is a short one. I have not posted for a time, moving and all, so I wanted to get this in. I plan to finish DC and how I get them back to NY.

As always your comments and critiques, good, bad or indifferent are most welcome. It helps me get better.