Here it is! The final chapter. It's been a great ride I think. :) I hope you've liked reading this story as much as I loved writing it.

Epilogue: A Long Time Coming

"Alright, finished. Finally." Craig sighed, wiping his hands off on the sides of his jeans. "Little thanks to you."

Ellie rolled her eyes. "Keep complaining and see where it gets you, Manning."

Craig swung his hip into hers, nudging her a few more inches away before reaching out his arm to pull her back in. He kept his arm around her shoulder as they marveled at the newly furnished and freshly rearranged room in front of them.

"What do you think?" He asked, happy with the results of all his hard work. "Still think we should have paid extra for a professional?"

Ellie walked around the room slowly, taking in the new décor, examining each piece of work with close attention. She nodded approvingly, folding her arms across her chest as she walked back over to stand by Craig's side.

"Not bad," Ellie spoke with a flat tone.

"Gee, you're so supportive and loving. What a catch."

She smiled and leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Wonderful job, darling. A gold star and smiley face sticker for your efforts."

He laughed. "That's all I ask. Oh, I almost forgot!" He reached into a small cardboard box that had been resting on the ground behind their brand new couch. He pulled out three objects that appeared to be vintage books, but opened one of them to reveal that they were in fact those small empty storage boxes designed to look like hollowed out books. "I got a really great deal on these. Thought you might like them."

He placed two of the books on the new coffee table, holding out the third one to Ellie. "Got any ideas about where we should put this one?"

"These are great!" She reached out to grab the item from his hands. "Doesn't matter. I'm sure we'll figure something…" Her voice trailed off when she noticed that the box had some sort of weight to it. She shook it and heard something move around inside. She raised an eyebrow and opened it to unveil a smaller box, a black one, had been hiding inside. She shot Craig a confused, inquisitive look before picking up the black box and opening it, revealing a simple, elegant white gold ring sitting on a soft, small bed of satin.

"What is this?" She asked, her voice quiet.

Craig flashed one of his signature half-smiles and placed his hands on her shoulders, admiring the look of astonishment on her face as she looked at the ring in awe. "It's really been a long time coming, don't you think?"

"What? Yes? I mean, yes. It has."

He laughed. "Is that a yes to the question I just asked, or a yes to, uh, this whole proposition in general?"

"Both! Both," she responded as he reached down to retrieve the ring from her hands to slip it onto her finger.

She threw her arms around him and held on tight.

I'd like to once again thank CrashAgainstMySkin for all of her reviews and support, as well as extend a shout out to the wonderful Islanda and EllieLover19 for their reviews, and also everyone else who has read or bothered with this story at all. All of you are amazing and I thank you.

P.S.

This is the first multi-chaptered fan fic I've actually finished since 2007.