A/N: I want to thank you all, my dear readers, for sticking with me through the entire story. It has been an emotional journey, full of ups and downs. But now, this story is complete. I hope you will all let me know what you think one last time.
Disclaimer: I am not the owner of CSI: Miami, unfortunately…
Epilogue
A year had passed since that day in the garden. And, needless to say, things had changed.
Yenna and Eric had moved in together. In Yenna's house, as was to be expected. It was, after all, Jason's safe haven.
Eric woke Jason up every morning, and got him ready for the day, while Yenna prepared breakfast for the three of them. They would eat together, and after that Eric would drive Jason to school.
Eric and Yenna would then get into his car and drive off to work. In the evening, it was Yenna who picked Jason up, because her shift ended earlier then Eric's.
Although both were content to have settled into a routine, Eric had decided that today would be a different day entirely. He had a big surprise for Yenna, and he was really nervous: what if she didn't like it?
Shaking those feelings of insecurity, he finished baking pancakes and got the strawberries and cream out of the fridge.
Looking at the clock on the wall, he noticed that it was now four thirty in the morning. He had about half an hour to finish this up, and then he would wake Yenna up. Because a special question asked for a special moment…
Walking outside, he made his way over to the table at the far end of the garden. He lit the candles that were on top of it and placed the plated and food on it. Then, he put a small, elegant vase in the middle, containing one single red rose.
When he had finished, he walked back inside and mounted the stairs, careful not to wake Jason, who was still sleeping peacefully at this early morning hour.
He sat down gently on the bed beside the one he loved, and whispered in her ear:
"Yenna, love, wake up please…"
"Hu? What's going on? It's to early…" Her voice became an incomprehensible murmur as she turned on her belly to sleep some more.
Eric smiled; he knew how mush she liked to sleep in during the weekend. And how hard is was to get her out of bed on those occasions! But he knew it was all worthwhile.
"No, love, you have to wake up now. Come on, I've got a big surprise for you…"
Yenna slowly opened her eyes, and a smile played at her lips. She lazily sat upright and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.
"What's your surprise then?"
Eric could see she was very mush awake now, and eager to see or hear what his surprise for her was.
"If you get out of bed, I'll take you there!" he said, teasing her.
So she obeyed. He covered her eyes with his hands, and led her all the way down the stairs and the kitchen.
When he had sat her down on a chair, he finally lifted his hands.
Yenna gasped: the sight in front of her was magnificent! She had long since understood that Eric was a very romantic person, but never had she dared to dream of this.
She laced her fingers through his underneath the table for a second, giving his hand a small squeeze of appreciation before starting on their delicious breakfast.
Minutes ticked by in a silence that said more than a thousand words could ever say. The sky turned from black into grey, and gradually became lighter. Until, suddenly, Eric pulled Yenna out of her seat and onto his lap.
She giggled like a schoolgirl, putting her arms around his neck and enjoying the closeness between them. But that was not all that Eric had planned for them.
When the sun peaked over the trees in the distance, he whispered in her ear:
"Can you see that? A new day has come. Full of opportunities, full of chances. Look how beautiful the sunrise is."
She was amazed at the pink, red, orange and blue that were appearing in the sky, now looking at the dawn in a different way then before.
Eric stood up and made Yenna look at him. Kneeling in the grass before her, he took a small box from his pocket and spoke:
"Yenna, I told you this was a new day, full of opportunities, full of chances. And believe me, it is. But it is also a day full of love and romance. So I have only one question for you. Will you marry me?"
Yenna was unable to say something; her throat was constricted by a whole lump of emotions. So she nodded.
For Eric, that nod was all he needed.
"What do you think Horatio and Yelena will think about all of this? Will they be okay with us marrying?" Yenna suddenly asked.
Eric smiled. Yenna had always been the one to think about another's feelings instead of enjoying the moment.
"I'm sure they'll be happy fore it. It was, after all, Horatio who made me come up to you when you sat on the beach by yourself."
Silence fell between them. He could feel Yenna gripping his hand tightly. This was enough for him to realize something was wrong. Out of the blue she said:
"Don't ever leave me, please…"
"Yenna, you know I won't ever do that! What is this all about?"
Eric had never seen her like this: insecure, cared and fragile.
"After what happened to my sister, I lost faith in men. You are the only one I've allowed to get this close to me. I know you're nothing like Peter, but a part of me still fears I might be forced to leave, or I will force you to leave me. I couldn't on without you…"
He pulled her close and stroked her hair, reassuring her and comforting her the best he could.
"I will never leave you, Yenna. I love you too much for that."
Stronger than ever after having had this conversation, they were convinced they could beat any obstacle on their path. As long as they had each other.