AN: And now, the end is near and so I face the final curtain... Nah, just kidding. I have far too many ideas to end anything anytime soon. Series 5 will be with you in a couple of days so, naturally, I look forward to seeing you there. And so, onwards. I'll (hopefully) see you on series 5! Love you all!

Zest

She walked back to the tube quickly. The pram that she had left at the entrance of the library rumbled along the cobblestones in front of her. Her mind was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She walked with an aim and yet seemed to do so aimlessly. Like a zombie. Regina cooed in her pram and Rory smiled down at her. But inside, her mind was racing. She had expected this to be possible but she hadn't quite expected it to happen yet. She had even asked Stephen when he first found out she was pregnant. She remembered it. It was the new year and she was lounged across Stephens lap.

"Do you think he or she will have the gene for the sight?"

"Likely. Since both of us have it, it's highly likely to be passed down but that doesn't mean they'll have the sight. We didn't get it until a near death experience."

"I met a ghost once, Lord Williamson, you met him too, he said he was born with the sight. No near death experience required."

"I suppose it can sometimes happen like that."

"Do you think...?"

"Perhaps, since both parents have the gene, this baby may be born with the sight but we won't know that until it's older."

Screw older, she thought. I know now. Without realising how, she found herself on the tube. She really had been a zombie, managing to get where she needed without realising it. When she got off the tube again, she walked the final few minutes to Goodwin's Court, passing the streets in a blur. When she eventually got inside, she parked the pram in the office, picked up Regina and hurried up the stairs. "Stephen!"

She burst through into the living room. Stephen stood in the middle of the room, phone to his ear. He looked at her with concern. "Can I phone you back? Ok, great. Yeah, I love you too, mum." He hung up the phone and looked to Rory. "Rory, what's the matter, sweetheart?"

Rory spoke quickly. "She saw him."

Stephens eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "What?"

"Gina. She saw Alistair."

His mouth parted slightly and his eyes went wider. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. When he walked, her eyes followed. When he waved, she waved back. She saw him, Stephen. Definitely."

Stephen stood quietly. He smiled softly as he walked over to Rory. He held out his arms. Rory gently passed Regina over to him. She cooed when she was placed in her father's arms and rested her head against his shoulder. Rory smiled. She adored seeing them together. Stephen spoke with a reassuring whisper. "Let's not worry about it."

"I'm not worried, just...I don't know. I think I saw it coming but I wasn't sure."

"I had my suspicions that this might happen. After all, we both have the gene so naturally Gina would. As to why she's been born with the sight rather than with an inactive gene, my best guess would be that...because it had been activated in both of us when she was conceived, it's been active in Gina since birth rather than being dormant."

Rory smiled softly. "You're being a nerd again."

He smiled back. "You like it when I'm nerdy."

She chuckled and stepped forward for a soft kiss. Then she gave Regina a kiss on the head. "We'll just have to teach her how to live with it."

"It might be easier for her than it was for us. It was weird for us because it was a sudden change. For Gina, well, she'll never have known any different. For her, seeing ghosts will be a normal part of her life, not a strange ability she picked up as a teenager."

Rory nodded and looked at Regina. Regina smiled up at her and Rory smiled back. "True. Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Either way, she's perfect."

Stephen was looking lovingly at Rory. "Like her mother."

Rory turned her eyes to Stephen and her smile widened. "Speaking of mothers...it sounded like I interrupted a phone call."

He chuckled. "Yeah, mum phoned to wish us all a Merry Christmas."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it darling. I'll phone her back in a couple of minutes. I'll tell her that it had something to do with Gina but that everything's ok."

"I'm still really happy that you both managed to sort things out between you."

"So am I. It's nice to have a mother."

"Somewhere, your sister is smiling."

"Yeah... I know." He smiled to himself gently. "Mum said she might pop over on Boxing Day if it's ok."

"Yeah, great."

He kissed her again and rested his forehead against hers. Regina giggled between them. They both looked at her and saw her pointing out of the window behind Stephen. They looked out and saw that a light snow had begun to fall. Regina giggled at it again. "Of course," Rory said, "Gina's never seen snow before."

Stephen turned back to look at Rory with a wide smile. "Well, she's still wrapped up warm as are you, so..." He handed Regina back to Rory. "Why don't you take Gina outside to look at the snow and I'll be out once I've got my coat and scarf on."

Rory nodded. "Ok." As she left the living room, she turned back to Stephen. "Don't forget to call your mom."

"I'll do it outside."

She smiled at him again and left the living room. She left the flat and walked down the stairs, talking to Regina merrily. "Are you excited Gina? Snow is awesome. You're gonna love it." She opened the front door and stepped out onto the street. She lifted her face to the sky and felt the flakes leave cold kisses on her cheeks and nose. Regina was giggling in her arms and trying to catch the flakes. "Go on Gina! You can do it. Catch it! Yay! Huh! Where did it go? Did it melt?" She laughed as Regina giggled and hugged her close. It was nearly a year ago that she had told Stephen she was pregnant. How quickly that time had flown. She breathed the cold air deeply and then turned as she heard the front door open. Stephen stepped out with his phone to his ear. Wordlessly, he walked up to Rory and kissed her. Then he kissed Regina on the forehead. Rory looked back to Regina. "Is daddy phoning grandma?"

Stephen chuckled at them before he spoke. "Hi mum. Yeah, everything's fine...it was something to do with Gina but don't worry, everything's ok." He chuckled. "Yes, I'm sure everything's ok. Hang on, I'll put you on speaker."

He took the phone away from his ear and pressed a button. Then he held it out in his palm. "Ok, you're on speaker. Rory and Gina are here."

"Hi Diana."

Diana's voice came through the phone happily. "Hello Rory. How are you?"

"I'm great thanks. You?"

"Yes, I'm well. Thank you."

Regina cooed and Rory giggled. "Is that grandma on the phone? Say 'hi grandma!'"

Regina garbled some sounds that sounded like Rory's happy tone of voice but not like words. Diana laughed at the other end of the phone. "Very good try Gina."

Stephen chuckled. "I was just telling Rory that you wanted to come over on Boxing Day."

"Yes, I'd love to if that's ok with you both."

"Of course it is," Rory replied.

"Wonderful. I can't wait."

"Neither can I," Stephen said sincerely. "I'm looking forward to seeing you, mum."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you too. We still have so much to catch up on."

Stephen smiled and blinked back a tear. "Yeah, we do. And I'm looking forward to it."

"As am I."

Stephen cleared his throat and Rory cuddled into him. He put an arm around her. Diana spoke again. "I have to go. Your father's car just pulled up outside. I don't mind him knowing that I talk to you but, at the moment, I can't be bothered with the argument."

Stephen chuckled quietly. "I understand. Does he know you're coming over on Boxing Day?"

"He knows I want to. I'll tell him I definitely am in a few minutes."

"He won't mind?"

"It wouldn't matter if he did. It's not going to stop me."

Stephen smiled widely. "Ok, I'll see you then."

"Goodbye dear. Now, before I hang up, are you sure everything's ok?"

He thought about everything that had happened in the past year. Finding out he was going to be a father, going to Louisiana, going with Rory to her first scan, the explosion in West London that had frightened all of them, Callum proposing to Boo, seeing Regina for the first time, making amends with his mother...

Stephen looked up to the snow and then to his wife and daughter next to him, both of them smiling happily as the flakes descended on them.

"Yeah," he said honestly as he looked at his family. "Everything is perfect."