A/N: Thanks for everything, guys. You're the greatest!


They were like impatient children whose parents had promised a trip to Disneyland. Their eyes shined in a way they never had before, as if their pupils had been replaced by the mass twinkle of diamonds. In reality, the only diamond present was the one taking up space on Stephanie's left hand, and she had spent the past hour twirling her ring around. Ted and Amy sat across the table from her and Chris, along with Amanda, and Graham was in between Chris and Stephanie, slurping pasta from his plate while Chris urged him to quiet down.

Ted had taken the news of their engagement about as well as Linda had, which incidentally, was not so well at all. He had admitted flat-out that he thought more dating time was necessary, for them to get to know one another a little better. He thought Chris and Stephanie should revisit the issue of marriage, but only after nothing less than another full year of dating. Chris mulled his father's words over in his mind, allowing the idea to bounce off every wall of his brain, and Stephanie did the same.

The pair of matching smiles they exchanged a couple minutes after Ted's proposed idea was, in essence, their answer: the wedding was still on. Stephanie's response hung on a string, and she waited patiently for it to land, for Chris to say the three-letter word she needed to hear most from his mouth. Yes. As long as he didn't write off the possibility of elopement, they could choose a venue, set the plans, hop on a plane, and get married wherever their hearts desired. There was the issue of finding someone to watch Graham long enough for them to make the trip and have a short honeymoon, wherever that may be, but there was still time to cement the plans in stone.

Ted had gotten quiet, his dinner plate sitting cold and untouched in front of him, and the sight didn't bother Stephanie the way it normally would have. That wasn't to say she no longer had compassion for Ted, but there was something about knowing she had found the love of her life that shrank all the outside issues that would have seemed like huge problems in the past. Everyday obstacles were suddenly simple hurdles she could dive right over and land from, all without even scraping her knee. While she didn't want her parents or Chris's to be unhappy, for the first time in her life, she was putting her own happiness first.

Her fingers toyed with the knuckles on Chris's right hand, and he smirked. He came close, so close she could feel his heated breath against her skin, and he flicked his tongue down the length of her neck, ending his playful assault with a smacking kiss near her collarbone. Stephanie's body quaked with laughter, and now it was his turn to whisper in her ear, only this time, his words were an answer to the unforgettable proposal she had made while they had still been over 30,000 feet in the air. "About that eloping idea you had, you pick the time, and I pick the place. Sound good?"

He pulled away to check on her expression and was met with a full-blown grin, spreading from one ear to the other. She answered him aloud, not caring whether her words were deciphered or not. She was getting married and had not a single worry in the world, aside from saying 'I do' to the man of her dreams. "It sounds perfect; you're on."

"Good," Chris said, pressing a series of light kisses to her cheek. Amanda stood, taking Caylie in her arms and politely excusing herself to the cabin so she could get some rest. Stephanie wasn't a mind-reader, but luckily, that particular skill wasn't necessary to be able to tell that dinner was getting uncomfortable for most everyone at the table, save for her, Chris, and Graham. Through Stephanie's joy, she remained who she was at her core, extending her hand and showing empathy to Ted and Amy.

"I don't want there to be tension between any of us," Stephanie told them. Her voiced cracked, so she paused to take a sip from her water glass, clearing her throat and starting again. "What I'm trying to say is that Chris and I want your blessing. Even if you don't think we're making the right decision, we feel like we are, and all we want is your support. It means a lot to us. My mom isn't really happy with our decision, because she feels like it's all happening too quickly, and I'll admit, if I had a daughter in this same situation, I might be hesitant too, but Chris and I know what we want, and all we're asking for is to be together. You don't have to give your approval of our engagement, but please just know that it would mean the world to us if you would."

"What I can't seem to wrap my mind around," Ted began, "is that if you two know you're going to be together anyway, then why not just enjoy each other's company for now and relax? I see no reason not to take it slow. If you're so sure that you're going to be together forever, no matter what happens, then why rush the marriage? That's what I can't bring myself to understand."

Amy, who had been mousy and quiet for almost the entirety of dinner, took her chance to speak up, and when she finally did, Chris was pleased to find that she spoke in their favor. "Ted, I think you may have answered your own question. They probably want to get married because they know they're going to be together for the rest of their lives. You can get to a certain point in a relationship where it sort of makes you ask yourself what in the world you're waiting for. If they feel in their hearts that this is the right decision, there's no real reason for them to wait any longer."

Ted responded to that with a deep grunt, turning away from their table to watch the outdoor snowfall. Stephanie found herself watching the pleasant winter weather out the window as well, thinking back to when she had asked everyone on the trip to Winnipeg in the first place. Her goal had been to bring everyone together and grow to be closer, but all they were doing was pushing each other away. In that instant, she wanted to be home, in her own house, with her own bed to lie in. Most of the fun had already been sucked right out of their vacation, thanks to the stresses of those who didn't approve of her engagement.

The depths of her being wanted to scoff and flip her hair at anyone who dared doubt the magic she shared with Chris, but she also couldn't fault their parents for being, well, parents. It was natural for them to worry, but it also should have been their basic instinct to love, nurture, respect, and encourage their children's happiness, as long as they weren't doing anything completely out of bounds. Marrying the man she loved at age 32 fell under that category. She and Chris had nothing to lose and everything to gain by committing to each other in life and love, and Stephanie couldn't help but feel betrayed, by Linda, Ted, and the entire situation.

Stephanie hadn't touched her food for a while, so Chris assumed she was finished eating. He reached above Graham's head and brushed a hand over her hair to grab her attention. "Do you want to go try some snowboarding?"

"I want to!" Graham said, having overheard Chris's question. Chris sent him a warm smile.

"I already know you want to go, bud. I'm just trying to see if Stephy is on board, no pun intended," he japed, turning to her. "So?"

She licked her lips and tucked her chin in her hand. Suddenly, the world didn't seem so damn bright anymore. "I think I'm going to lie down and get some rest."

"Get some rest? But we're on vacation, babe," Chris pointed out. "The entire reason we came here was to have fun and do things we don't normally get to do."

"I don't feel too good right now, but thanks for the offer. I'll be in our cabin," she said. After wiping her hands on her napkin, Stephanie rose and slipped her purse onto her shoulder, kissing Chris's cheek and Graham's as well. Her ring glinted under the overhead lights and brought an involuntary smile to Chris's face when he noticed. Stephanie rounded the table and hugged Amy, doing the same to Ted, who hugged her back, despite his visible displeasure. "Thank you for coming, Ted. You too, Amy. I really appreciate it, and I hope you guys still have a good time while you're here. I don't want to fight or stir up any bad feelings. I wish I could make you understand what I'm feeling, so maybe you would know why I said yes to Chris's proposal, but I guess we won't see eye to eye on this, so I don't know what else to say. I'm just really glad you came," she finished, cutting through the restaurant and disappearing out the door.

Chris sucked at his teeth, struggling not to say anything he might regret, but his anger was stirred into wakefulness anytime he detected a threat to Stephanie's happiness. His job was to protect her, even if that meant offering her protection from his own father. Graham left his chair and hopped onto Chris's lap, but that minimal distraction wasn't enough to contain the words his mouth begged to release. "You could be a little nicer, Dad, you know? Steph put together this entire trip so we could all have fun together, and all you're doing is making her feel bad."

"I was polite," Ted shrugged. "If I hurt her feelings, I honestly didn't mean to, and I'll apologize to her for that."

"You don't have to like our decision, but a little bit of support would be nice," Chris admitted, shaking his head and setting his fork down with a resounding clank. "I don't understand why the people who are supposed to love us the most are rooting for our relationship to fail. Why can't you just be happy for us?"

"I am happy for you, but if that means I have to gush over something I'm not entirely happy about, then we're going to have a bit of a divide here," Ted said. "I'm glad you're making the decision you feel is right for yourself, but I refuse to jump for joy at the notion of your marrying a woman you've barely known for a year. You just passed the one-year anniversary of meeting each other, and now you want to marry her? It seems like an impulse control issue to me. Or is it the financial security?"

Chris's eyes clamped shut involuntarily, and he inhaled deeply through pursed lips. He could feel the shift when Graham turned in his lap to look at him. Graham laughed, saying, "Daddy, you're breathing funny."

"Daddy's getting aggravated, that's why," Chris said. When he opened his eyes, he saw the apology written all over Ted's face in bright red ink, as if he knew he had said the wrong thing. But it was too late. "You know, Dad, there's only so much I'm going to take of your assumptions that I only want to be with Stephanie for her money. I don't know how many times I can say that I want to be with her because I love who she is. That's the truth, and if you can't believe it, then I don't know what else to tell you."

"I didn't say you were only with her for the money," Ted clarified. "I just meant that the security of financial stability for the first time in years might be playing a part in tempting you to want to marry that woman."

"That woman?" Chris repeated, barely containing a snarl. "Her name is Stephanie, and she paid a hell of a lot of money for you to come on this vacation, so the least you could do is be appreciative. Is financial stability a nice thing to have in life? Sure, but if someone came to me and took everything in my life away except for Graham and Stephanie, would I be happy? Absolutely, I would, because they're what's truly important. To hell with the money. I love her, and I'm going to marry her because of that. That is my motivation, and that's what keeps me going every day: knowing that after all I've been through, I get my happy ending with a woman I could never have even dreamed up, not even if I tried."

"You do what you want, son. You know best," Ted said, dropping his fork onto his plate and standing. He asked Amy whether she was returning to the cabin with him or not, and she flashed an apologetic look at Chris, but in the end, she followed Ted straight out of the restaurant. Chris sighed and glanced at the back of Graham's head, waiting until his son faced him.

"Looks like it's just you and me, kiddo. Let's go choose our snowboards and scale the side of that mountain," he said, pointing out the window at the sloping peak.

"I can't wait," Graham grinned. He slapped Chris a high-five and grabbed onto his hand, rushing to their long-awaited snow bliss.

The next two hours were filled with humorous spills, along with the thrill of staying on the board for longer than 10 seconds at a time, which was only a difficult skill for Graham to uphold. Still, his first time snowboarding had been an absolute success, and Chris was proud of the progress Graham had made in such a short amount of time. Graham put his all into everything he did, and in that sense, Graham reminded him of the little boy he had been in the 70's, growing up a wrestling and cartoon fan in Winnipeg. By the time they unhooked their feet from the snowboards and carried their gear back into the lodge, their noses, cheeks, and chin were bright red from the cold wind slapping at their faces.

They had protected their skin with ski masks while boarding, of course, but they removed them after leaving their boards behind in the rental shop, and that was all it took for the cold to do a number on their bare faces. The first place Chris took Graham was inside, to the snack bar, ordering a cup of mint hot chocolate for each of them. He considered choosing a drink or snack for Stephanie, but he wasn't sure she was even still awake, seeing as how he was in the middle of checking his phone and she hadn't called a single time since he saw her at dinner. The trip wasn't exactly shaping up the way Chris had imagined, but he was going to make the most of his time off with Graham.

Their Christmas break wouldn't go to waste.

When they returned to the cabin, Chris opened the door and stepped inside quietly, holding his finger to his lips as a signal to Graham that he should be quiet as well. The lights were dimmed in every direction, as far as Chris could see, but he also made out the feminine silhouette of a person sitting beside the fireplace. When she turned to the side, he caught sight of the profile, and Chris knew it wasn't Amy. It was Stephanie. She picked up a mug and took a sip from it, placing it back down on the ledge near the fireplace.

Chris thought to direct Graham to his bedroom, so he could brush his teeth and get ready for bed, but then he thought Stephanie might like to hear how snowboarding had actually gone for them, so he whispered encouragement in Graham's ear to go tell Stephanie about all the fun they had had together. Graham walked as fast as his little legs could carry him, without causing him to spill his hot chocolate, and he placed it down beside Stephanie's mug before falling into a hug. She hugged him back, and Chris turned a nearby lamp on, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the smile on her face. He couldn't come up with a thought any sadder than Stephanie sitting in the dark all by herself when all she needed was a friend, so he was glad to see that wasn't the case.

When Graham sat on the wooden floor beside Stephanie, he began untying his shoes, and Chris took that free moment as his opportunity to press his lips to Stephanie's. She kissed him back hungrily, leaving both of them gasping for air when they finally did pull away. He touched her chest, brushing his fingertips lightly down the length of her cleavage as he asked, "How was your night?"

"It was pretty good. Better than I thought it might be, actually," she said, surprising him with what came next. "Your dad and I talked while you were out."

"Do I need to go take care of business?" Chris asked. His chest puffed out, which was an automatic response when he found himself on the defensive. "If he said something to upset you, I'll go in there right now and fix it."

"No, no," Stephanie laughed, shaking her head, "it wasn't that kind of talk. It was a good one."

"Oh?" Chris asked, a hitch in his tone. Her words gave him more hope than he had experienced all day long.

"He basically told me that he takes our relationship seriously enough that he feels he can be completely honest with me."

"You mean my relationship with you?" Chris wondered.

"No, I mean my relationship with him," she clarified. Graham grabbed her left hand and began running his finger over the face of her diamond ring, just as he had done at least twice everyday since Chris had placed the ring on her finger. Chris smiled when he noticed, kissing the top of Graham's head before turning his attention back to Stephanie. "He said he wants to always be honest with me. His genuine opinion is that we're jumping the gun with marriage, but he said you told him something at dinner that struck a cord with him."

"What's that?" he asked.

"He said that just because he has doubts about how quickly we're moving doesn't mean that he can't be supportive. He actually — this is my favorite part — he asked me to breakfast tomorrow, but he wants it to just be me and him. Isn't that sweet?"

"It is sweet, actually," Chris said, raising his eyebrows and offering a nod of approval. "I love when you two spend time together, so, yeah, I'm glad if that's what he wants to do. As long as you're comfortable with the idea, then I say go to breakfast with him in the morning and have fun. I know for a fact that he loves you, no matter what his opinions are about our engagement. He may be tough to please, but he feels for you deep down, and he wants you to be happy, just like he wants me to be happy."

"I get it, sweetie, I really do. It's the same way with my parents," she said. Stephanie paused to take a sip from her mug and continued. "They may be hard on you, or hard to get through to at times, but they love you, in the end. Parents are an enigma, I swear. They're just so darn hard to figure out."

"Daddy, Stephy's a princess," Graham cut in, holding her left hand up for him to see the ring. "She really looks like one."

Stephanie rested her chin atop Graham's head, beaming. "He's been calling me a princess ever since you put this ring on my finger. He tells me I'm a pretty princess and that he's so happy his daddy gets to marry a princess. We need to put my honeybee in a cutest kids contest. He would win so fast that the other contestants' heads would spin."

"I don't mean to sound biased, but you're damn straight he would win. Cutest kid ever," Chris said, patting Graham's cheek. "We really missed Stephy while we were out there snowboarding, didn't we?"

"Yep, we missed you lots," Graham told her. "I want you to come tomorrow, because Daddy had so much fun, and I did, too. I want you to be able to go with us. And guess what, Stephy?"

"What, hon?" she asked, brushing her hand over his forehead.

"I fell down a bunch of times, but I got back up over and over again. Daddy said he was proud of me, because I wouldn't give up. You're supposed to keep going, because that's what you have to do so you can be really good at stuff," Graham rambled on. "That's why I won't give up at football, because if I want to be really good, I have to play no matter what. If I do bad, it's okay. I'll just do better next time."

"Those are words to live by. You're absolutely right, and I wasn't there to watch, but I'm proud of you, anyway," she complimented. "You never give up, no matter what you're doing. Your daddy taught you very well."

"Okay, well, I'm goin' to bed, but I'll miss you," Graham said, making Chris and Stephanie laugh.

"I'll miss you," Stephanie said in a silly voice, kissing Graham's cheek. While he hugged Chris goodnight, she added, "Sleep tight, honeybee, and remember that Daddy and I are in the room right next to yours. You can come in there if you need us during the night, okay?"

"Okay, I will, but only if I have to," Graham said.

He bolted from the room, and Chris promised to follow after him in a couple of minutes so he could tuck him into bed properly. Left to their own devices, Chris pulled Stephanie into his lap and nuzzled her neck. The day had been as bumpy as it was long, but they had gotten through it together, and each of them could honestly say they hadn't intentionally hidden the engagement news from anyone in their families, which was a feat in itself. Stephanie's family was aware, and Chris's family was aware. The reactions, overall, had been better than Chris expected, and he was pleased they hadn't been forced to suffer through any blowout arguments.

"Do you want to talk about anything?" Chris asked.

"Like what?" Stephanie said, her breath tickling his skin as she pressed her mouth against his forehead.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just trying to feel you out and see if there was anything else you needed to say," he replied. Chris rubbed both hands up and down her back, slipping them under the hem of her shirt and circling his fingertips against her bare skin. He smiled when he felt the pleasureful shiver run up her spine and reverberate throughout her body. "If you need to vent or talk, I'm here for you."

"Graham is happy for us," she stated simply.

"He is, isn't he?"

"That's what's important to me," Stephanie said. She was silent for a while after that, and Chris allowed her words to roll around in his head as he struggled to process them. He remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts, because he knew she was faced with as many questions as he was, but she broke the silence without prompting. "I care what my parents think, to an extent, but I always have that thought in the back of my mind that I can't live for them. I have to live for myself."

"You're absolutely right. We both have to live for ourselves."

"I don't want to lie to you, so I'll come out with it. Your dad made me doubt myself at dinner earlier and that was why I left so suddenly," she said. Chris nodded against the top of her head, as if she could see his movements. Her hair tickled his neck from the action, so he stopped. "He made me rethink all of my decisions and feel like I might have been making a mistake. I actually wondered if I was being completely unreasonable. But then, something amazing happened."

"What was it?"

"I looked into Graham's eyes for a few seconds, and I was transported back to the day you proposed to me. I saw his face again in my mind, the excitement he had in his eyes when he saw you down on one knee, offering me this beautiful ring," she said, twirling the piece of jewelry around on her finger. "When he talks about how excited he is that we're getting married, and he plays with my ring and calls me a princess, that's how I know I'm not making a mistake. My place in this world is with you and Graham. Isn't it funny how I needed my memories with an 8-year-old to make me realize that?"

"Children are the purest, most honest people you could ever come across, so I don't find it all that weird," Chris said, kissing her ear in the center. "If you want an honest opinion, a kid would be the one to go to. Graham's excitement about all of this is a sign. He sees how happy you make me and how happy I make you, and he wants us to keep that alive. This is going to be our family now. We can only care so much about what our parents say. They don't have to like our decision, but they should sure as hell respect it. As long as our family is okay — meaning you, me, and Graham — then our lives are complete."

"It's so exciting to even see our lives in terms of that," Stephanie said. She pulled away slightly, just enough to look Chris in the eye. "I'm so happy this is going to become our family. It's just me, you, and Graham. The thought of that almost makes me want to just run away and get married right this second."

"Who says we can't?" Chris asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Stephanie laughed, thinking surely he must be teasing her, but his gaze was unwavering, and he didn't crack a smile once. She cautiously cleared her throat, tucking some hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry...what?" she asked, still smirking a tad.

"I'm just saying that Graham's in bed, my dad and Amy are getting some sleep, and we're up by ourselves. Why can't we sneak out, get married, and call it a day?"

"We don't have our marriage license, Chris," she pointed out. Leave it to Stephanie to be the rational one.

"Can't we find one of those quickie places that will do it for us?"

"I don't think there are any shortcuts to getting a marriage license. Plus, we're not even home right now. We have to be in the US for our marriage to be recognized there. I want to marry you, and I will very soon, but let's not get carried away," she said. Stephanie slipped her right hand onto the back of his neck and held his head in place while she combed the fingers of her other hand through his hair. "I wouldn't feel right leaving Graham here, anyway. I want him to come with us, so he can be a part of the wedding. He saw your proposal, so he should get to see our marriage too, right?"

"Makes perfect sense to me."

"Also, I've been thinking about the whole eloping thing, and I know it was my idea, but..."

"It's okay, baby, you can speak your mind," Chris encouraged. "I'm not judging you."

"I was thinking maybe we should forget about that idea and scrap those plans. If we want Graham to be a part of the wedding, then our immediate family should at least have that opportunity, too. Maybe instead of eloping, we can have a super small wedding with a very restrictive guest list. None of my parents' snotty friends are getting in. Only the nice ones, like Ian and Aubrey, will be invited."

"I think that could work. To be honest, I really liked the idea of eloping, but it might be for the best if we have our parents and a few close friends there," he agreed. "However you want the wedding is how we'll go about it, because I'm marrying you no matter what. You're my girl, always and forever."

"Thanks, hon. I really appreciate your support."

"Anything for you."

"So, what was that you said earlier today?" she asked. "I pick the time for the wedding, and you pick the place?"

"That's exactly what I said," he confirmed, along with a naughty smirk. He watched her eyes as they lit a little more with each passing second. "What's going through that busy mind of yours, my beautiful, blushing bride-to-be?"

"I think I just picked the time."

"Really?" he asked. "Lay it on me, babe."

"We'll get married on Valentine's Day."