"There's a bedroom on this side of the main room and another through there," the woman, whose name escapes her, told Jaime and John. He was apartment hunting a week before Jaime's graduation and, for some reason she didn't fully understand, she had to go with him.

"What do you think?" John asked her.

"I'm not the one looking for an apartment," Jaime smiled as she looked around. The place was okay but it really wasn't up to her.

"Can you give us a few moments, please?" John asked the realtor, who gave him a nod and a smile before she stepped out of the room. "You think I would move somewhere you weren't comfortable? You know better."

"Still your apartment."

"Our. It's going to be our flat, not just mine," he told her.

"I don't remember being asked to move in with you," she pointed out.

"I wasn't going to ask," John said.

"What kind of idiot wants his girlfriend to move in with him without asking his girlfriend if she wants to move in with him?"

"The kind of idiot that wants to talk about it with his fiancée."

"What?" Jaime looked at him with wide eyes.

"Don't look so surprised, you had to know this was coming," he smiled. "I planned this whole thing nearly a month ago… then you got shot and I decided to wait. Plan two was Thanksgiving but Spock beat me to the punch and I didn't want to step on their moment. Plan three was to ask you tomorrow. I planned this whole romantic evening for the two of us..."

"And I just ruined it."

"Spectacularly," he chuckled. "So, now I'm left with two options. One, we could pretend this conversation never happened, go on with our day and pick a flat. Or two, I could propose right now."

"I doubt either of us could just forget this conversation," she said quietly.

"I was actually hoping you'd say that. I think I've waited too long to do this, as it is," John said before he held her face in his hands. "You'll have to forgive me for not having your ring, I don't carry it around."

"Forgiven," Jaime whispered. She could practically hear her heart beating in her chest.

"Breathe."

"Working on it."

"Jaime, I knew from the moment I met you that I was never going to meet anyone like you. I knew from the moment you talked to me that I was never going to hear anything the same. I knew from one kiss that I never wanted to kiss anyone else. I knew from the first time you said 'I love you' that I was going to love you for the rest of my life. And I know that my life will never be complete without you beside me to share it. There are many ways to be happy in this life but all I need and all I want is you. Jaime Tessa Kirk, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

"Yes," she smiled. "A million times, yes."


"We picked the loft. It's in a good spot and there's plenty of room. We're thinking about moving in right before next semester starts for you guys because John has some plan for winter break. Oh, and we're engaged," Jaime said over the phone.

"OH MY GOD!" Gaila yelled in the background.

"I'm guessing she heard all that," Jaime said to her brother.

"She did. To be honest, I figured you'd get engaged sooner," Sam said.

"Apparently, we were supposed to and my dumb ass got shot," she said with a smile. John just gave her hand a squeeze.

"Gaila wants to know what the ring looks like," her brother said.

"I have no idea. John didn't bring it with us," Jaime said.

"Ring?" John asked. She nodded. "It's a ring."

"That doesn't help," Gaila said, she must've taken Sam's phone.

"Well, too bad," Jaime chuckled.

"You're no fun." Jaime could practically see the pout on her friend's face.

"John happens to think I'm a lot of fun."

"Oh, God, you sound like me," Gaila laughed.

"I will take it as a compliment. Can I have my brother back?" Jaime asked. Gaila grumbled but she gave the phone back to Sam. "We're almost at the house, can you head her off for me?"

"I'll keep her busy," Sam chuckled.

"I don't want to know the details," she shuddered. The pair was alone at home and Jaime really didn't want a mental image of their shenanigans.

"No, no you do not," Sam told her. "Congrats, kid. We're gonna have to do something."

"That's what dad said. Talk to him," Jaime said.

"Can do. See you later," her brother said before he hung up the phone.

"I give it an hour or two before she comes looking for us," she said as they got out of the car at her parent's house.

"One can only hope."

"She just wants to fuss over the ring."

John smiled, "Then I suppose we should get it on your finger. Come on."

"It's here?" Jaime asked.

"It's in my bag, upstairs," he said as he pulled her through the house and up to her room. Jaime pulled off the big, warm cardigan that she borrowed from John as she watched him dig into one of the side pockets of his large duffle bag. "Should I propose again?"

"No. The first one was perfect," she smiled. There really wasn't a way to top that.

"Okay," John opened the jewelry box and Jaime's jaw dropped.

"That's for me?" Jaime asked.

"No, it's for Queen Elizabeth," he chuckled as he slid it on her finger. "Of course it's for you."

"It's a giant sapphire."

"It's not giant."

"It's what, two carats?"

"Two point five-eight, actually," he smiled. She looked at the cushion-cut sapphire and pave-set diamonds framed in white gold.

"John, that's giant."

"If it makes you feel better, it's smaller and less expensive than the other one," John chuckled.

"It's beautiful," she smiled. The blue was pretty and very familiar. "Almost the same color as my eyes."

"That was the point."

"Gaila's gonna freak out," Jaime laughed.

"I think I just set the bar really high for your brother."

"You think?"

"Maybe," John sighed. "I fully expected you to argue with me."

"Because it's big or because I could probably buy a house with it?"

"Both."

"I guess I'll just have to live with it," she smiled before she pressed a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. "I mean, there are worse things."

"Who are you?"

"I'm me," Jaime chuckled. "It's just… life's too short to make a fuss every time you gave me something. I'd rather be grateful that I'm here and that you love me." She softly kissed his lips. "And I am."

"What are you doing?" he smiled as she pushed his jacket over his shoulders.

"I'm going to have my way with my fiancé."

"Your doctor has not cleared you to have sex, Jim."

"True," she smiled. "But he didn't say that I couldn't have some fun."

"You're trouble."

"You know this and you love me anyway."

"You're right on both counts."


"Don't go swimming with that thing," her mom chuckled. "You'll sink to the bottom."

"Like you're one to talk, look at the rock on your engagement ring," Jaime laughed. It was a one and a half carat oval-cut diamond on a platinum band. Her mom only wears it on special occasions, like right now.

"I don't know how much it set Chris back and I really don't want to know." Her mother held Jaime's hand and looked at the ring. "It's beautiful. Not nearly as beautiful as you are but it works," Winona smiled. "You got yourself a good one. Don't ever let him go."

"That's the plan. He could've given me a ring pop and it would've mattered," Jaime smiled. "Can I tell you something really weird?"

"You can tell me anything, you know that." That's why Jaime loves her mother so damn much.

"I dreamt about him... When I was unconscious. Does that mean I'm crazy?"

"No. It's means that you're in love and that when your mind and body were in crisis, he kept you rooted in this life."

"Oh, mom. That was like a ten on the sappy meter." The two women both burst into laughter.

"What's so funny, my loves," her dad asked as they walked back to the table. The six of them -Jaime, John, Gaila, Sam and their parents- were having dinner at nice restaurant in the Embarcadero.

"Your wife is crazy," Jaime said as John held out her seat, her dad did the same for her mom.

Her dad smiled, "Of course she is. Why do you think I married her?"