"Hey," Jess sighed as he reached the lowest of the metal stairs of their house, having heard Celeste come home through the kitchen door a minute ago. Celeste was in the kitchen, unpacking two bags of groceries while Jess had been to pick up Evie that day.

Evie was upstairs with Doula who'd decided to yet again go through Jess' CD collection looking for 'amazing dinosauruses' as she called them, old but good bands which none of her friends knew of - Pulp, Sleeper, Miike Snow, Camera Obscura and Kasabian, just to name a few of the softer selection he had and she seemed to enjoy. Currently the stereo upstairs was blasting Meese's 'Out of the Rubble'. Doula was definitely searching for herself, wanting to be different - both in books and music, much like Jess once had, and it was interesting for both Jess and Celeste to observe. This actually seemed kind ahead of time, at her age most girls wanted to just blend in. But she didn't. It was fun to attempt to make predictions about what she'd do next - start experimenting with makeup, goth-punk clothes or take the cheerleading route, the latter seeming much less likely than the former - but who knew.

Celeste had just had a full day at the Inn Annex, the reception desk, a job which she really didn't enjoy much. It was fine, but it didn't offer her anything other than a steady income. She didn't mind doing it - she was grateful for Lorelai providing her with the latter and at least the company was good, her getting along really well with both Michel and Sarah, much to the other's surprise. She wasn't quitting her dayjob anytime soon, but she had to admit that she was kind of looking forward to the training she was to undergo for the sex-ed teaching position, as a means of doing something different, something meaningful, having gotten the job without any competition. She was excited and terrified at the same time, considering how things had turned out with G. She still sometimes thought about her, wondering if she'd ever talk to her again.

"How was your day?" Jess asked, giving her two cheek kisses and one on the lips in greeting, stroking her back. He continued to help her unpack the vegetables.

"It was okay, Michel kept talking about how her mother was coming over, he's really excited. And we got some inquiries for summer weddings already. Looks like it's going to be a busy season," she replied, trying to show some enthusiasm, but didn't really sound it, recapping her day. "How was Evie today?" she asked with more interest. These days the question meant, more than anything, whether Evie had gone to the potty at daycare on her own and whether she had laundry to do if she hadn't. She'd hoped that raising Evie on mostly cloth diapers, and the kid actually feeling the wetness on her skin would make her want to use the potty sooner as some theories suggested. And while she did know that expecting it from a 2 year old was probably quite early, at least in the States, she was a firm believer in getting her started early. Hence she only really used diapers on Evie during the night and in the car these days, standing her ground.

"She did, actually," Jess replied in relief. He didn't really care, there didn't seem to be any rush, but since she did of course he was a little proud. "Twice actually, the third time she was a little late. But she tried," he added.

"Good," she replied. Little by little, Evie was getting it. Thankfully Hattie at the daycare was very understanding in that sense, not taking the more convenient route by simply putting single-use diapers on the kids and going by parent's requests. And from Celeste and Jess this mostly meant having a lot of spare clothes to take back and forth to the daycare.

But Jess didn't really want to talk about their daughter's bathroom capabilities.

"Any word from Natalie?" Jess asked, wanting to know if she'd heard back from the lawyer, as he leaned against the kitchen counter, having finished with the groceries.

"I got the confirmation that the estates are indeed in my name, Odette's that is," she sighed. It was almost like she didn't know the person. "As far as they could see there wasn't anything else - no stock, bonds or anything like that. Just the two properties which apparently have no outstanding debt or such. The land tax and communal expenses, estimations of them, are paid for until 2080. So by that she thinks the advance payment was made for a lifetime. Unless there are significant changes in taxation principles, that's that," she summed up, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Celeste looked tired, her skin tone was dull and pale, as were her lips. If he didn't know any better, she almost looked like she was getting the flu or something.

Essentially the property was hers. The main obstacles with these properties would only arise if she wanted to do any transactions with the places or if someone decided to demand her to do repairs or pay for any type of damages - possible leaky pipes or what not. Technically if she went to ask her mother, she'd probably just hand her the keys, enabling her to use them, but she really didn't feel like doing it, feeling like that was confessing she'd want or need something from them. It was about pride, keeping her back straight, sticking by what she'd set out to do - exclude her from her controlling family. She just didn't trust there wouldn't be any strings attached to this.

"So it was definitely done with some intention then, not just some random tax scheme," Jess noted, making the logical conclusion. The fact that the transfer to her name hadn't been recent seemed to him as good news - at least it wasn't just some scheme they'd made happen recently, even if publishing the information had been that.

"But I don't understand why they hid it from me all these years. There's definitely my signature on those transfer documents from 1998, just after I graduated," Celeste explained with a sigh. Natalie had sent over photographs of the original documents and she'd discovered without a doubt her very own round and loopy signature she'd used when she was in her teens on the documents.

Jess shrugged.

"Well see what Emily learns. I just hope they won't take it like an attack or… like sending in a spy or something," Celeste added.

"Yeah," Jess sighed, stroking her back again. "Hey, are you feeling alright? You look a bit off," Jess asked, worriedly.

"It's been a long day, I don't know… I'm just tired," she replied. Jess knew well enough that she was stressed, besides the holidays had been kind of intense.

"Why don't you rest, I'll make dinner. Doula is with Evie," Jess suggested.

"Thanks," she said, kissing him, and headed up the stairs.

When Jess came to get her, half an hour later, he found her fast asleep on their bed, still wearing her jeans. Unable to not worry, he simply let her sleep, kissing her forehead. There was really little other than rest she could do in this case, things being as confusing as they were, only adding to the mental battles she was still having in the background.

For the past couple of hours Charlie had sat at the helm in silence, watching the rocky and bare coastline that alternated between forest and sandy beaches change to one more and more inhabited one as they went on, having sailed past Newcastle, Gosford and then approaching Sydney. It was bittersweet - the end of a wonderful, yet too short, adventure.

The last few nights they'd barely wanted to sleep, but had anyway, because they were dead tired. It had been a hot and sweaty journey, the scent of salt, sea and sunscreen scattering all false shame about how they were in their most natural form - tired, joyous or pissed at the other for something insignificant such as drinking the last cold beer without replacing it in the fridge or forgetting one's charger in a coffee shop in Port Macquarie. They'd spent an uncounted number of hours talking, or not talking, helping, supporting and listening.

As they approached Sydney on New Years Eve, being right on schedule, half a day early, in fact, Finn felt like all he wanted to do was turn around and keep going.

"There she is, what a beauty, eh?" Finn noted, trying to master some enthusiasm, as the Sydney Opera House came into full view. The Sydney harbour was incredibly busy, their tiny catamaran already having seen a navy fleet head out, several gigantic cruise ships, ferries, numerous sailboats and small vessels.

Charlie snapped a photo of the opera house with her phone.

"It feels kind of pointless taking a photo of something that is so photographed," Charlie chuckled weakly.

"Come on, let's take one with you and the building instead," Finn suggested, checking whether this was a good moment. They were barely moving, Finn keeping just enough lookout so they wouldn't get in anyone's way at that point. Charlie posed, slightly uncomfortably.

"I'd much rather take one with you," she gave up after the first shot, despite Finn insisting she try a few more poses.

"Come here," he relented, and held out his hand to guide her next to him, switching the camera into selfie mode. He was just about to take the photo, but then instead of leaving it as a typical selfie with faces side by side he swiftly turned her chin towards him and kissed her, capturing the kiss on photo instead. As the kiss broke, Charlie smiled at him sneakily, absolutely adoring all these tiny ways he kept surprising her with. Whether it was the paragliding off a hill towards the ocean, arranging Charlie to cuddle and feed a baby koala in Port Macquarie sanctuary and then later showing her the photo of the koala she'd rescued the night they'd met who was doing a lot better already, catching their dinner from the ocean or knowing numerous hilarious scripts and poems by heart.

"Now I remember you mentioning something about a concert," Charlie recalled, cheekily. Finn had blurted in the midst of their argument a few days ago, somewhere in between professing his love and asking her to come to New York with him that he had a whole evening planned for New Years Eve in Sydney.

"Yes, and there is," Finn replied a little mysteriously. "But I was actually thinking we might go check into our room first, get cleaned and dressed up properly," he suggested smugly.

Charlie rolled her eyes - of course Finn had a plan for this, both of them feeling a little tire having to shower quickly on the boat whenever they needed to.

"The place is just by the bridge," he gestured onwards to the Sydney Harbour Bridge they were already motoring towards.

"I guess, I'll go pack then," she smiled, and went below deck. Charlie was having an inner battle with herself - it was just so easy to get swept out by Finn and everything he was offering. Without really asking, she knew that the hotel was going to be amazing, making the last few days special, romantic - it was everything one could dream of. She just hadn't figured out what was truly stopping her from embracing it.

The hotel was amazing - one of the boutique versions of Finn's family hotels, built right on the water and enabling them to leave the catamaran right off their mooring, having it cleaned before the evening, which it definitely needed.

They had the Admiral Suite, in its modern maritime decor, it's large egg-shaped bathtub overlooking the bay being one of it's focal points. But the hotel room really was just the beginning of surprises, having a bottle of Prosecco waiting with a selection of fruit and macaroons. In the closet there stood three dresses, all in Charlie's size, and some smart casual sets for Finn to wear.

"This is too much, Finn," Charlie sighed, sinking down onto the bed.

Finn observed her from the balcony doorway, noting her not just being humble about it.

"Why? Is it so horrible that I show you how I feel?" he sank down on the bed next to her.

"You're just making it really hard…," she said, sniffling.

"Make what hard?" Finn asked, a little naively.

"For me to decline your offer to come to New York, "Charlie admitted. It wasn't about how much he was splurging on her - but just how thoughtful he was - how he remembered details like her dress size, her taste in wines, how she didn't like waking up at the sunrise or how he let her see him at his most vulnerable moments, truly feeling his love.

Finn felt a sharp tinge in his chest at the sound of her. Had she made up her mind?

"I should be making a plan that is based on me, but I just don't know… I've done this before - set my life according to someone else," she sighed, wiping away a single tear that had just formed. "I'm just scared. I'm scared I'll end up hurt and alone again…," Charlie confessed. She wanted to repay him for everything by telling him 'yes' but there was just something stopping her.

"I told you my suggestion was selfish. I can't, I shouldn't, expect you to just jump if it doesn't feel right. I'd do anything to make it to feel right, if I knew what it was…," Finn confessed.

Charlie just wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder for a few minutes. This really wasn't how she'd wanted the evening to begin. He simply stroked her back for a minute or two, assuring her. "Nothing is broken if you don't, or at least not right away. We'll figure it out," he said, needing to hear those words himself, needing to convince himself that plan B wasn't horrible.

While she showered, insisting that she just needed to snap out of it and they should just go and enjoy their evening, Finn went through the scenario in his head considering what moving to Montreal would actually mean to him practically speaking. He knew he was adaptable, for a brief second even the thought of just showing up with a Husky puppy in a few weeks time popped into his mind. Surely, he'd find some work - they had Marriot holdings in Montreal, twenty five of them, in fact, if he counted residence inns which they had several of alongside fancier hotels, even if that meant bumping some executive to another city. But he was never really the manager type. Could he learn for her? Could he accept that as his path? His French sucked, and he'd truly miss his friends, but as he briefly considered going to Logan's in near future, he knew he'd have some painful ghost to deal with there. Maybe not going back there as often, was the easier way to do this? It was not like many of his friends had a lot of free time these days - they all had lives and wives of their own.

Charlie emerged from the bathroom, her hair already blow dried and a thin linen towel wrapped around her.

"You look serious," Charlie replied hesitantly, seeing him sitting pretty much where she had been twenty minutes ago.

"Just thinking..," he replied. He wasn't quite ready to out right say it, not wanting her to get her hopes up, but he was feeling pretty desperate.

"Really - let's just enjoy today, okay?" she said, moving close to him wrapping his head in her arms and let it rest on her stomach.

"You know this towel is just the perfect length," he asked after a minute, noting it's rather limited length.

"Perfect length for what?" Charlie looked at him, feeling amused.

"Just short enough to be the perfect tease," he replied, slipping his hands underneath it's sides around her hips, stroking her ass.

Charlie laughed, her head falling back. She wasn't sure if he was really fine, she wasn't ready to deal with more seriousness at that momen, aready feeling guilty for bringing his mood down, despite everything he'd done.

"And I honestly think they should consider making them about this short," he added jokingly, raising the hem of the towel by an inch or so, exposing her mound and causing her mouth to curve into a crooked smile.

"You're so naughty," Charlie scolded him playfully, raising one of her eyebrows slightly. "I'll end up showering all over again," she noted, shaking her head knowing it was futile.

"What I am is hungry," Finn smirked and slipped down between her legs and let his tongue lick over her clit while his fingers gently caressed the sides of her lower lips, gaining confidence.

For a good few minutes Charlie held onto the towel, almost without noticing she was doing it, until Finn eventually pulled it from her fist, making her giggle, and then suddenly murmured with appreciation as Finn created a vacuum around her clit.

Finn could feel her juices flowing as he continued his ministrations, his two-day unshaven stubble against her inner thighs adding to the excitement despite the initial tickle.

"You have way too many articles of clothes on," Charlie exhaled, noting the unequalness of things, as she ran her fingers through his slightly salty hair.

"And you should just go nude like all the time," Finn noted, removing his mouth from her labia, taking in the gorgeous sight in front of him.

Charlie blushed a little, not even sure why she was having this reaction now of all times. But to Finn this was no doubt cute and he waited no longer, grabbing his shirt from the back of his neck and pulling it off, and then kissing her while he was working on getting his shorts off.

Charlie kissed his neck, not minding it's muskyness and saltyness one bit, and explored his shaft idly before positioning his member horizontally so it'd just rub against her clit and labia. They were perfectly equal height for this, every gentle, and less gentle, movement of the hips making them crave each other even more.

They were standing pretty close to the bed, hence after one more vigorous attempt to tease her even more, Finn fell down on the bed, pulling her along with him. She straddled him, feeling his hot, throbbing, member almost at her entrance. Charlie kissed him once more, murmuring, "I love you," and kissed him again.

Finn had never truly experienced the power of those words during sex, the two of them still being a little careful not to overuse it, feeling like he couldn't wait another single second to be inside of her, thrusting upwards and causing a loud gasp from her. He stared into her eyes as he slowly continued to move, arms wrapped around her while she draped on his shoulders. She could feel rhythmic tightening within her - she was clenching her muscles as they rocked.

Finn just shook his head in disbelief - it was the first time she'd done that, but it felt really good, almost too good. Taking the risk of resetting his impending orgasm, but enabling him to keep going a little while longer, he turned them around, Charlie letting out a slight yelp in surprise.

"I'll move for you…," Finn said, before entering her again, no longer speaking about sex, hoping it wouldn't scare her - maybe she just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment and that was what all this was about? - he then suddenly thought.

Charlie just looked in his eyes for a moment, taking in his devoted gaze. She kissed him again, gently at first, the kiss quickly turning into something much more urgent.

"I need you," she begged, with pleading eyes, clenching onto his shoulder, leaving little doubt what she needed from him at that moment.

He took her with deep deliberate thrusts, seeing her inch closer to her climax with each move, rubbing her juices that were splattered all over her thighs and mound by now around her clit in a circular motion.

It was so far from the craving of another body just to push one over the edge - it was souls, minds and somewhere in the midst of those also the physical bodies connecting. It was about being in sync, like neither had ever really been before. One climaxed after the other - or who really knew - there may have been several, the two almost completely losing themselves in each other, almost blacking out as a result of one of the most intense experiences either had ever had.

They just laid there, panting, not speaking, just communicating by a few appreciative smiles. Charlie wasn't ready to respond to his words, hence it wasn't spoken about in that moment, the lack of blood in his brain not really insisting on it either right there.

It was five hours later, having showered, dressed, Charlie in a gorgeous dark blue wrap dress and Finn in his go-to vest-suit, having dined and walked along the Hickson Road Reserve for a while, before they headed back for the boat and Finn steered the boat across the river in the darkness, only really noting a row of boardwalk lights lit and a number of people fussing around with something Charlie couldn't quite make out at first sight.

It was when Charlie noticed the cellos, when she realized that this must've been the concert he had planned.

"I hope the fireworks won't start too early," Finn added apologetically, and then switched on the mood lights on the boat before heading over to anchor the boat right there. Finn grabbed some pillows from below deck, texting on the go that they were ready.

No more than two minutes later one by one torches began to light on the shore, illuminating the six person band, their instruments and sound system. What they played wasn't at all characteristic of the simple, fun and carefree Finn she knew. The band whom Finn had introduced to her as Balmorhea, was acoustic, a little serious, but joyous at the same time. While in the beginning it had started out as a private concert, little by little people who'd been walking around in the boardwalk began to stand closer and listen, enjoying the music. There were even a few boars that slowed their pace in passing.

Finn had wrapped his arm around Charlie, her head searching for his shoulder as if it was a safe haven. It was a wonderful journey in music, the perfect finish to their sea voyage.

The band finished mere minutes before the first fireworks were shot, illuminating the night sky around them, then taking up the entire Sydney Harbour Bridge as it did traditionally. It felt euphoric, Charlie's arms holding Finn around his chest.

As the fireworks were settling down, Finn got a better look at her again, seeing her in tears again.

"Hey, don't cry - we're happy, the city is happy…," he urged, wanting her to enjoy it.

He observed her taking a deep breath.

"Finn, I'll move, okay? What's one more jump in the deep end, right? Isn't this already it?" she whimpered through laughter, trying to hold back. It was deeply scary for her, trusting him like that and trusting herself to make the right call. But if he was really willing to do it for her, she should be willing too, right - it was him who had more to lose. She would do this for him and her.

Finn had never felt so relieved and happy in his life, letting out a loud scream over the river around them, getting Charlie to switch her tears to laughter too.

"I love you," he said, kissing her with a deep and a little sloppy, celebratory, kiss.

Having calmed a little, still unwilling to lose contact with her, he added, "I actually got you a little something," pulling a jewlery box out of his pocket. "And don't panic - it's not... that..," he commented, seeing a slight look of panic beginning to form. The jewlery box was very similar to that of a ring, but inside was s small pearl on a light gold chain. It was fragile, beautiful and no doubt meaninguful.

"So you'll always remember our voyage - no matter what," he assured, kissing her again.