A/N: Hello again everyone! We've reached the finish line!

Before we get into the final chapter/epilogue, I'd like to thank everyone that's read this story! I would also like to give a huge thank you to Guest, Side1ways, winterschild11, and RainbowDiamonds for reviewing every chapter! I've loved hearing your thoughts throughout the story! :)

I hope you all enjoy!

I knew it was morning before I opened my eyes. My heart was heavy, and I didn't want to wake up to do anything.

Being sad on Christmas was awful. Everyone around me would be celebrating with laughs, smiles, and warm hugs, whereas I'd be trying to hold myself together as best as I could. Without love, nothing else mattered.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, not ready to face the day without James. He'd always made Christmas day so special, and-

Wait…

James!

I wasn't supposed to still have memories of him.

Opening my eyes, I realized I was in the living room of our old house, lying on the couch. I sat up and looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

The Christmas tree was in the corner exactly how we'd put it up, framed pictures of me and James hung on the wall, and the fireplace wasn't the fancy one from my apartment, but it was older and had ashes left in it from the logs that burned the night before.

This is impossible.

As confusion clouded my mind, a noise sounded from the other room. My heart skipped a beat.

Footsteps came down the hall before something clanked in the kitchen. A cabinet opened, followed by the refrigerator opening and shutting.

My eyes watered, and I leapt off the couch, nearly tripping on my shoes in the floor.

"Jay?" I called as I ran into the kitchen.

He flipped around, and his expression made me remember how we'd left things between us the night before. His eyes were pained, and his chin trembled. He was already dressed, wearing a red sweater and charcoal skinny jeans.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." He said before looking away. "I called my mom, and I'm going over there around noon. She was going to come over here like usual, but I didn't think you'd like that."

Tears blurred my vision.

"Is this real?" I asked, afraid to get my hopes up. "Or am I dreaming?"

James hadn't fallen in love with me in time, so the wish should've completed. I shouldn't be in our house with him.

He looked back and tilted his head. "What? Are you feeling okay? I don't-"

Before he finished his sentence, I was across the room and enclosing his body in my arms. And when his confused, hazel-eyed gaze met mine, I kissed him. I whimpered against his mouth before deepening the kiss.

His lips felt real. Soft and warm. He smelled real. Like lavender and a subtle hint of his cologne.

Pulling back, I cupped his face in my hands, staring at him like it'd been ages since I'd seen his handsome face. To me, that's what it felt like.

"I'm so sorry, Jay. For focusing too much on my work, being distant recently, missing Christmas Eve plans, and for arguing with you last night." The tears in my eyes finally fell. "Fuck, James. I'm sorry for everything. I love you so much and I never want to lose you again. I'm nothing without you."

I couldn't stop touching him. I was afraid if I let go, he'd leave me and I'd wake up in my apartment, alone and miserable.

"What do you mean again? You never lost me." He scrunched his brow. "And why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just...I just had a bad dream." I said, stroking the corner of his lips with my thumb. "But I'm awake now."

James started to smile, but stopped. "What about all the things you said last night? That you hate my traditions and are bored." His tone became hoarse and his eyes watered. "You're not happy with me."

"I was an idiot." I said, grabbing his hand. "Yeah, the promotion at work would be awesome because I know I'm the best guy for the job, but I'm tired of kissing asses and spending more time with my boss than with you."

He scoffed. "I've always said that you'll get the promotion eventually. You just need to prove it with your work, Kendall. Your ideas are out of this world amazing, and once they see that, you'll have that corner office in no time."

"I see that now." I said, smiling and squeezing his hand a little tighter. "James Diamond, you are everything right in my life, and without you, I wouldn't have anything. I wouldn't be anything but an empty shell of myself. You've never tried to change who I am. You've just taken the good parts of me and made me better." My thumb smoothed over his engagement ring. "I want to marry you and spend each day of the rest of our lives showing you just how much I love you."

His forehead creased.

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" He asked.

"I have you, Jay. I've never been better."

Then, I kissed him, pushing him against the counter. He moaned into my mouth and gripped my sides, swirling his eager tongue against mine.

Fuck, he tasted incredible. I couldn't believe I was actually with him.

Relief coursed through me, and I kissed him deeper, tangling my fingers in his hair.

It might have only been a day since I'd had sex with him, but in this reality-the real one-it had been over two weeks. Maybe even longer than that. Everything had been going wrong in our relationship: communication, bonding, and sex. For days, we'd hardly said two words to each, and when we had, we bickered.

In my quest to get everything I wanted, I'd forgotten about the one thing that mattered most.

"Will you fuck me?" James asked in a pant as I kissed down his throat and pressed more against him.

"No." I said, staring into his handsome face. "But I'll make love to you."

HIs answering smile made my heart soar.

XxX

A few hours later, James was in the dining room with his mom. He'd told her to come over to our house after all, and they were sitting at the table after Christmas dinner-that'd been more like a late lunch-visiting and catching up on each other's lives.

I had snuck off, just to get a little time to myself to think.

James and I'd had one hell of an amazing morning. I'd carried him to the bedroom and made love to him like I never had before. And then, he'd made love to me. No other time had ever been so soul-shattering.

There hadn't been a deadline hanging over my head, no drama from ex-boyfriends, or any of the other shit the other reality had shown me. It had just been me and him. Getting lost in each other and blocking out the rest of the world.

In the living room, I stared at the clock on the mantel, one that was no longer frozen or counting down the hours I had left.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said from behind me.

Turning, I looked at Nick.

"I would say I'm surprised to see you, but I'm kind of used to it now." I said, putting my hands in my hoodie pocket.

He smiled and approached the fireplace. He wore red pants, a white shirt, and red suspenders. A red knit hat was pulled over his head, and his white beard appeared a little longer than the last time I'd seen him.

"Not that I'm not thankful, but… how am I here?" I asked once he was beside me.

"You made a wish." He answered in a casual way.

"I recall making a crap load of wishes, Nick." I looked at the clock again, studying the golden swirls. "James didn't fall in love with me in time. And yet, I still woke up here." I returned my gaze to him, hoping he had an explanation. "How?"

"On that balcony, you did something remarkable, Kendall." He said, lifting a hand to rub at his beard. "All this time, you've only thought of yourself. Your needs and your wants. Sure, you realized you love James and wanted to be with him again, but you still centered it on yourself. To make your life better." His eyes flashed to me, observing me through his glasses. "But as you stood out there in the snow, you made a wish that was selfless, one where you put your needs aside and focused on James. His needs. You wished for his happiness, even if it meant your unhappiness. That, my boy, is love."

I didn't know how to respond as I absorbed his words.

"So, this was a Disney thing." I finally said, smirking. "True love broke the spell. Just not in the way I thought it would."

Nick chuckled, and it was a deep, jolly sound that shook his whole upper body. "If that helps you understand it, then yes. I'm overjoyed to see everything worked out as it should."

"Me too." I said before giving a short laugh. "Do you want your clock back? There might be another person somewhere who needs a harsh smack of reality."

"That won't be necessary." Nick looped his thumbs under his suspenders and stared at the clock. "It's yours, Kendall. Whenever you see it, you'll remember what's important in life."

I quirked a brow. "Nick… are you Santa Claus?"

As the question left my mouth, I felt stupid, but I had to know.

He smiled, and his blue eyes did that twinkling thing again. "Enjoy your life, Kendall. Love is the greatest gift of all. Now, you will never forget it. Merry Christmas."

And then he was gone… as in he fucking vanished.

"Babe?" James poked his head around the corner. "Everything okay?"

I met his stare and felt my chest swell with indescribable warmth, one that wound from my heart and down into my stomach.

"Yeah, I was just looking at your clock." I said, motioning to it on the mantel. "Do you still want me to return it?"

James walked over and wrapped his arms around me from behind, nuzzling his face into my shoulder. "No. I want to keep it. I'm sorry I was ungrateful. We both said some pretty mean things."

I draped my arms over his and swayed a bit.

He smiled against my back and moved with me.

"What are you boys up to?"

We turned to see James' mom in the entryway to the living room, smiling and holding a large mug of hot cocoa. Her brunet hair was the same shade as James' and it curled around her face.

When James let his hair grow out, it curled a bit, too. It was evident in how the pieces around his ears sprung up in little curly Q's when he hadn't had a trim in a while.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" She asked, going to sit on the cream colored, high back Victorian chair. "Get the presents. We have some unwrapping to do."

James smiled and went to the tree. He bent and grabbed a few boxes before standing back up and handing one to me and one to his mom.

Before I opened mine, I got one of his and handed it to him, kissing him on the neck after he took it.

"I love you, Jay."

He stared at me, and his eyes were full of love and wonder. "I love you, too, Ken."

No gift under the tree was as wonderful as the one I already had with James.

Thank you, Nick, I thought to myself and hoped somehow he could hear me.

I'd gotten my Christmas wish after all. It was just one I hadn't realized until now. He had given me my life back.

And I knew, without a doubt, I was right where I wanted to be.

One Year Later

"Did you remember to get the vanilla extract?" James asked over the phone.

I smiled as I drove home on Christmas Eve. "Yeah, babe. I got it."

I'd had to work today, but I'd only stayed until noon, telling Gustavo I had plans with my husband. I wasn't able to make the parade, unfortunately, because we had a meeting with a new client that morning, but James had understood.

I wasn't missing anything else, though.

"Oh! What about the flour?" A cabinet creaked open before shutting. "I just looked and I don't think we have enough."

"Will you calm down?" I said with a laugh. "I got everything we need. Breath, Jay."

A sharp exhale sounded on his end of the phone. "Okay. Sorry. When will you be home?"

"Look outside."

I pulled into the driveway and shut off the ignition.

The living room curtain opened, and James peeked out. When he saw me, he squealed over the phone and hung up as he disappeared from my sight. The front door swung open and he ran outside.

My heart leapt, as if aching to touch him, too.

I got out of the car and was wrapped in his arms seconds later. He kissed my neck and cuddled against my chest. I returned his embrace, resting my cheek on the side of his head.

His hair hung past his ears and waved in such a sexy way.

This past year, he'd decided to try a new look, and even though he looked amazing no matter what he did, I fucking loved his longer hair.

Tilting his chin, I kissed him. He tasted like chocolate, and I grinned against his mouth, knowing he must've gotten into the stash of Christmas candy.

Snow started falling, and we broke apart, staring up at it.

"I didn't know it was supposed to snow today." He said in awe, reaching forward and trying to catch snowflakes in his palm. "Did you?"

I shook my head. "Not that I'm aware of. Maybe someone made a wish for it. Christmas wishes are the most powerful, you know."

James beamed and nuzzled his nose against mine. "You're my Christmas wish, Kendall Knight. Now and always. Every day I'm with you, I fall even more in love."

Kissing him again, my heart nearly burst with love. Just when I thought I couldn't be happier, he said or did something that proved me wrong.

He helped me carry in the groceries, and we sat the bags on the kitchen counter before unloading them. It was mostly ingredients to make his mom's homemade sugar cookies, and also a few things for dinner later. And white wine.

More decorations adorned the house, and I glanced around the room, seeing green garland draped above the doorways, along with glittery red bows and mistletoe.

"You've been busy." I said, admiring his work. "You're like a little Christmas elf."

James giggled and bumped against me. "Enough making fun of me. Here." He handed me a recipe book. "Read me the first step."

For the next twenty minutes, I read him the instructions, and he made the cookie dough. I offered to help, and he'd smiled before letting me crack open one egg into the mixing bowl. We'd laughed when I cracked it too hard and caused pieces of the shell to fall in, too.

Needless to say, I went back to just reading the recipe after that.

Once the dough was wrapped in plastic foil and placed in the refrigerator to cool, I tugged him against me and kissed his jaw.

"How was work today?" He asked, gently rubbing his hands up and down my lower back. "Did the client like your pitch?"

"Yeah, she signed on with us." I said, returning his smile. "We're launching an ad campaign mid-January for her chocolate factory, using Valentine's Day as the incentive to buy."

After last Christmas, I'd gone back into work to my old job.

Jett had come onto me again, and instead of being rude to him like usual, I'd asked if he wanted to have coffee with me during the lunch break. That had allowed us to actually talk, and just like I'd come to know in the other reality, Jett was a great guy.

We'd become friends, and he stopped trying to get into my pants. I also introduced him to Logan-who was an accountant in this reality, which was why I hadn't known him well in the other one-and they'd hit it off just like I'd hoped they would.

They were approaching almost ten months of being a couple.

I'd also gotten the director of marketing job in September. It had happened by accident. Or by fate. Whichever.

There'd been a potential client who hated every pitch Gustavo had given him. The client was Mr. Henderson, the man I'd done the toy campaign for in the other reality. He was a local business owner, but he was an important asset to our company, and Gustavo wanted to reel him in like the big catch he was.

Overhearing my boss talk about it one day, I'd approached him and offered a suggestion. A huge Christmas advertisement, showcasing Mr. Henderson's unique toys as they danced to The Nutcracker. It would give us enough time to create a storyboard and get it filmed in time for the holiday season.

When Gustavo went back to the table with Mr. Henderson, he'd come out of there about half an hour later with a huge smile and a new promotion for me.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked.

"Just how amazing my life is." I answered before looking at him. "But what makes it the most amazing is having you as my husband."

We'd gotten married in the spring, and it had been the best day of my life. The location had been in the park in front of a gazebo and surrounded by our closest friends and his mom. As we'd said our vows, I had cried, which had made James tear up as well.

He'd just looked so fucking beautiful in his tux, and I'd been thankful he was mine. Having almost lost him last Christmas, I didn't take any moment with him for granted.

After the ceremony, we'd had the reception outside at twilight, under a canopy. Fairy lights had hung from some of the trees, creating an almost magical feel. And when we'd had our first dance as husbands, I had kissed him, knowing we had an incredible life ahead of us.

"So you don't regret marrying me?" James asked, pulling me out of my head.

I scrunched my face up in a playful way. "Hmm. Now that you mention it…" He slapped my arm, and I laughed. "No. I don't regret marrying you. You're my everything."

"And you're my heart." He replied, giving me a lovesick look. "Even if you're grumpy sometimes."

"I'm never grumpy." I said, raising my brows. "You're the one who turns into freaking Godzilla when you're hungry."

He rolled his eyes, but grinned when he turned his head.

When it was time to roll the dough, he took it out of the refrigerator and plopped it on the counter. He took some flour and sprinkled it on the surface before spanking the dough, which made me crack a perverted joke.

"Go away." He said with a snort. "I swear, you're worse than a teenager. I'll call you back in here after I put the cookies in the oven."

"Fine." I said before pecking a kiss to his lips. "Love you, sweet thing."

His lips twitched with a smile. "Love you, too."

Christmas music drifted from the living room, and I went that way, softly smiling when I recognized The First Noel.

Exactly one year ago, James and I had stood in this very room, fighting about stupid shit because I'd been so selfish. And I had nearly lost him because of it. So much had changed since then. I'd changed.

I wasn't just a better husband, lover, and friend to James, but I was a better person all around. Happier. I'd gotten a second chance.

My gaze landed on the clock above the fireplace, and I walked closer.

As my fingers traced the golden designs, I smiled. I'd once called it the demon clock from hell, thinking it had taken James away from me, but after the fact, I'd understood that it had helped me.

Now, it sat as a reminder in my life, just like Nick had once said it would.

"Time is not to be wasted or taken for granted, and this will always remind you that every second is a blessing."

A reminder that love was the greatest treasure of all.

Done! So, it looks like Kames got their happy ever after!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter and story in general, as well as if you happened to have any favorite parts/moments!

Again, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter/story! I had so much fun with this one, and I love you guys for reading, reviewing and just supporting me in general!

Happy Holidays everyone! And for those who celebrate it, Merry Christmas! :D

-Epically Obsessed