I don't know how I missed this the first time around when it was published but DAAAMMMMNNNM! That last little bit, I absolutely loved it! Thank you for writing this!

wonderful story

Which one of them has problems with the mundane parts of life? Well, what exactly do you call getting in a huff and ending up allowing another man to kiss you because your boyfriend said no to sex in favor of a video game? That versus having raised a kid day in and day out.

'What happens when it's just the paperwork?' That is an insanely good metaphor for the future of their relationship.

I love the comparison of their relationship to their job in the end, the exciting parts like the chase but then he doesn't like to do the paperwork

I love his catharsis. It's nice to hear him talk it out; it gives more perspective and shows how much he's grown. It gives reason to his action. I often feel like the show skews matters to make the audience more sympathetic to Beckett; it seems to often make Castle the butt-end of the joke.
I love Castle's analogy. And his breakdown of Beckett's thought process. I wish Kate could offer something in return (such as defending herself) or Castle didn't sound so defeatist. But those are the effects of improper communication, which is the hallmark of their relationship. Frustratingly cute before, and now just frustrating.
I love the new insight. Thank you.

What? That's it ?! Chez, don't do this to me! #SequelTime

It's taken me a couple of days to read this (and that never happens with your stories!) because the episode was so sad for me and I'm gutted that we've been left for the whole summer with that sadness for all of the reasons that you've used in this story. I just have to keep reminding myself that Marlowe promised to never break them up I just wish he'd let them both have a completely honest conversation like this one!

But please say you'll be writing Rick's answer and resolving this in some way? I need something to get me through the next 18/19 weeks!

This was marvelous.

My favorite part was:

"And every time I struggle back out to the side, I reach for you, your hand, and I think, this time we'll go together. And I do it again. I do it again and half-drown doing it and then I surface, but you're not there. You're still standing on the side. You've never jumped with me at all."

Kelly

I read this twice. Not because I like to hurt more than once but because it felt so right, because I hadn't considered ALL of that from his point of view and that was most interesting and heartbreakingly at the same time. It feels good to have him get it all out and confront her with it because that is the way to healing, to real communication (finally). I'm hoping you'll have another chapter so that she can do the same too, because I believe that she did jump with him some of those times and she did take some jumps all of by herself as well. But oh what a beautiful metaphor you used here, I absolutely loved it, the jumps or dives in the pool and Castle never succeeding in making a clean dive...Brillant!
What I'd like to say here too is that I admire Castle for having the courage, for having faith enough in her, in their love to take this huge risk. I mean, who proposes in the middle of a fight? Well, Andrew Marlowe's Castle does, because then it opens up all kinds of dialogues, all kinds of discussions on all of the possibilities for the future but also makes us look back on the past as well and look at it from different perspectives as you've helped us do here. And what better time than a whole summer to do that?

Oh my talk about laying it all on the line and asking the hard questions. Much as I loved how you stripped away the fat to get to the bone I do hope this isn't how the opneing scene goes of Castle season 6! I don't think my heart could cope!

Ouch! She definitely has a point. But then so does he. We don't get to see them have emotions too much. This would be a perfect scene. As always an amazing story from you. Thank you! 3

Based on everything Rick said in the story, he should have zero hesitation is telling her he'd still show up. How Kate could even ask that (even though for her she totally would ask it) is something I'll never understand about her. But, in my opinion, Rick wouldn't even blink at her last question. He once said "its not about the books anymore.", It's also not JUST about the action and crime-solving either. It's definitely mostly about Kate. Just my two cents here.

continue please?

Go Castle!