The lush green grass tickled Sophie's ankles as she walked slowly through the Wanderling Woods, the sun shining on her soft golden hair. The woods had always been a hard place to visit, but now it was different. Now it was worse, and every step Sophie took felt like it was bringing her closer to her impending doom.

Her knuckles were white from clutching a large memory log to her chest. The forest green cover blended in perfectly with Sophie's long dress, only standing out when it reached the cream-colored sash. Despite the simplicity of the book, it had taken her weeks to find.

She hadn't felt ready to return to this area of the woods ever since her last visit about a month ago. At least at the planting she hadn't had to see the appearance of the Wanderling. She had to force her legs to function as she neared the young tree standing a few meters away.

The light bark was speckled with tiny brown dots and was twisted in an almost playful way. Shaggy pale yellow leaves that somehow remained beautifully immaculate covered the short branches, and tiny ice blue blossoms were nestled between them.

Sophie sucked in a slow shaky breath as she glanced between the Wanderling and the gold engraving of a gulon on the memory log cover. This was harder than she'd expected. She had a full fifty-something years of memories to cover, wonderful memories that made the current situation so much harder to handle. Still, everyone had told her to try, that maybe it would help.

I guess there's only one way to find out.

Slowly, Sophie settled down on the grass and leaned her head against the bark of the young tree. Then she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and allowed herself to slip into her past.

Sophie's white locker was overflowing with so many gifts that she could barely close it. It amazed her how much attention she still got, despite the final battle against the Neverseen having been two whole years ago.

As she walked, Sophie brushed her hands against the walls and hallways of the Level Six wing at was hard to believe this would be her last day in the Basic Levels. She'd spent so many days here, so many fun times. She wanted to engrave this place in her memory, remember the feel of every wall, every floor, every window. She wandered around practically the entire school before turning down a wide corridor with stark white walls that gave her an odd sense of deja vu.

"You must be lost."

Then again, she'd recognize that voice anywhere.

Keefe Sencen was sprawled across a bench, clad in the silver Level Eight cape, his smirk wide as ever. The scene sparked Sophie's memory – this was where she'd first met him. She'd gotten lost on her way to the Healing Center after splashing herself in her first alchemy session, and he'd shown her the way and stayed with her until the checkup was over.

"How did you know?" she responded, using the exact same words she had on that day four years ago.

Keefe's smirk shifted into a fond smile, and he sat up to make room for her, patting the side of the bench in a beckoning gesture. For what may have been the first time in her life, Sophie couldn't think of a single reason not to join him.

"That day feels like so long ago," she said, sitting down beside him. "It's like it's from another lifetime."

"I get what you mean," Keefe nodded, scooting over in her direction. "We were both so young – and you were still our innocent little Foster, before you got all these crazy powers." He reached out to ruffle her hair.

Sophie swatted his hand away, triggering a laugh. "I can't believe you're leaving. It'll be so weird not having you here, not seeing you every day at lunch or detention."

"Well," Keefe leaned back leisurely. "You've got a year to get used to the idea."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not leaving."

"What?"

"That's right. Magnate Leto decided that, due to my, er... prolonged absences, I should redo Level Eight next year. I guess he doesn't realize that just gives me more opportunities to prank him."

"Seriously?" Sophie couldn't believe her ears.

A nod was the only response she got from the boy. A huge smile took over her face and she threw her arms around him. "I'm glad," she said softly.

"Yeah, me too." Keefe awkwardly drew out of the hug. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Sophie snorted. "You just did, idiot."

Keefe rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"What's the question?"

"Well... remember that letter I left for you? Where I said that you mean more to me than you'll ever know?"

"Yeah, that was right before you dyed my pet imp's fur without permission and ran away and ignored me for several months, correct?"

"Ouch," Keefe cringed.

"It's true!" Sophie replied.

"Yeah, I know, definitely not my finest moment. Still, what if I told you that those words mean more than you think?"

"What?"

Keefe's cheeks flushed, and he turned his face away. "Gosh, this is hard to say," he murmured. "What if... What if I told you I love you?"

Shock. Surprise. Joy. Confusion. All these emotions and more raced through Sophie as he spoke those last three words. He loves me, she thought, trying her best to process the sentence. He loves me. He loves me.

I love him.

Sophie had no clue where that thought had come from. But the more she mulled over it, the more she realized that it was true. It was hard to explain, but she felt as if her eyes were opening for the first time.

I love him.

Keefe let out a low whistle. "That's got to be the biggest mood shift I've ever felt."

"Yeah. That's probably because I just realized... I love you too."

"You- you do?" Keefe stammered. "I-I mean, of course you do! Y-yeah, I just wanted to check, because, y'know, I wanted to be sure, so-"

"Shut up," Sophie interrupted with a chuckle. She stared deeply into his ice blue eyes, and without another thought, she leaned in and kissed him.

It was a short moment. No longer than a few seconds. But it was one of the most wonderful moments Sophie had ever experienced.

"Wow, that was... wow," Keefe remarked when she drew away.

"Yeah," Sophie breathed in agreement.

"So... what now?"

"I don't know. But I guess we'll figure it out. Together?"

Keefe looked over at her with a smile. "Together."

"Close your eyes."

"Like that's gonna happen," Sophie snorted.

"Aw, come on," Keefe whined. "Why not?"

"'Cause you're just gonna squish a snowball in my face," Sophie said, gesturing around her at the snowy forest floor.

"No, I won't," Keefe argued.

"Promise?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Now close your eyes."

Sophie sighed, and couldn't help but wonder how much she'd regret this later. Even so, she let her eyelids droop closed and waited patiently. The only indication that Keefe was moving was a light tickle Sophie felt on the top of her head.

"Okay, you can open them again," she heard Keefe's voice ring out through the air.

As Sophie's eyes flew open she simultaneously reached up to her head, and dug out a tiny plant from within her hair. "Keefe, what is this?" she asked, squinting at the tiny leaves.

"You know..." Keefe prompted mysteriously.

Sophie examined the small branch, the white berries... and then she knew. "You sly little rascal," she teased. "This is mistletoe."

"Yup! And look who's standing right under it," Keefe flashed his trademark smirk, reaching into his pocket and pulling out another branch before promptly placing it on her head.

"You're ridiculous," Sophie laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Proud of it," he murmured, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. He booped her nose with his own. "Happy pointless human holiday, Foster,"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Keefe."

"And see those stars over there?" Keefe reached up and pointed to a large constellation out in the distance. "That's the Great Soup Ladle."

"That's the Big Dipper, Keefe," Sophie corrected, staring up at the shining pinpricks in the dark night sky.

"Yeah, exactly. 'Soup ladle', 'Big Dipper' – we're saying the same thing."

Sophie exhaled in sarcastic aggravation. "How on earth do you come up with these things?" she wondered aloud.

"Honestly, I have no idea," Keefe grinned, glancing over at her. "Want to hear about the Friendly Fish?"

Sophie laughed. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Aww, well now you've hurt my feelings," Keefe pouted, sticking out his lower lip. It was incredible how well he could pull off the little kid act at the age of twenty-one.

Sophie tried to suppress another laugh as she rolled onto her side in the grass so she could face him. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "How can I ever make it up to you?"

A smirk took over Keefe's face. "I can think of one option."

Sophie didn't even have to ask to know what it was. She tipped her head in his direction and pressed her lips to his, lingering for a few seconds. His mouth was slightly parched and still tasted like the abundance of candy they'd eaten earlier. The experience brought new definition to the description of a kiss as a sweet gesture.

"That's it?" Keefe whined when she drew away. "That was so short!"

Sophie chuckled. "Well, I need to breathe, don't I?"

Keefe replied with a mischievous smile. "Do you?"

"What do yo- Keefe!" Sophie gasped, laughing from the fingers tickling her sides and working their way up to her neck. "Knock it off!"

"Knock what off?" Keefe replied innocently, tickling Sophie's belly.

Sophie couldn't stop wriggling and laughing from the extremely creative form of torture. Only after ten minutes did she finally manage to shove his hands off of her. "What was that for?" she inquired, gasping for air.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sophie shook her head ruefully. Some things never change, she thought. She turned her head back towards the stars, and slowly felt herself drifting off. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was a familiar voice – her favorite voice – whispering, "I love you, Sophie Foster," into the cool spring breeze.

"This one's pretty," Sophie commented, grabbing a bright red leaf off the ground and holding it up for Keefe to inspect.

"It sure is," he replied, plucking it out from between her fingers. "And look at that – it's the last one we need!" He swiftly weaved it into a wide crown composed solely of autumn leaves, then held the crown up to Sophie. "Feel like being a queen for the rest of the day?"

"Don't you want to finally be the king of mischief?" Sophie asked back, shoving the crown in his direction.

"Why don't we flip a coin on it?" Keefe offered eagerly, pulling a wide metal coin out of one of his many pockets. Sophie had taught the custom to him a few weeks ago, and ever since then he'd been using it to solve any pointless squabble like this one.

"Sure," Sophie shrugged, taking the coin from the palm of his hand. "I call heads." She threw it up in the air, caught it, and flipped it onto her palm. "What do you think it is?"

"Tails. Obviously."

"Yeah, well I think it's heads." She uncovered the coin, squinting to make out the shape imprinted on it. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she finally read the words. She flipped it over to the other side, but they both bore the same message.

Sophie, will you marry me?

She racked her brain, trying to think. Was today April 1st or something like that? But when she turned to Keefe and saw his flushed face and fidgety hands, she decided that no, this wasn't a prank.

"Sophie Elizabeth Foster-Sencen," she spoke the thought aloud. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Oh, thank gosh!" Keefe exclaimed in relief, practically collapsing into a large pile of leaves behind him, dropping the crown to the ground.

Sophie glanced from him to the coin in her hand a few more times before joining him on the leaf-covered floor. "Did you seriously think I'd say no?"

"I guess I just wasn't sure. We've been together for five years already, and I was a bit worried that I would somehow mess everything up and you'd never speak to me again. But you said yes, so everything's good."

"She said yes?" a voice rang out from between the trees. Sophie shifted her gaze up to the source of the sound just in time to see Dex come running out from behind a bush, followed sheepishly by Fitz, Biana, Linh, and Tam.

"Oh, come on guys!" Keefe groaned, flopping onto his back. "I specifically told you not to follow us!"

"Well, to be fair, it was Tam's idea," Fitz informed them.

"And anyway, we wanted to get the good news as soon as possible," Biana added, rushing over to Sophie. "Where's the ring?"

"Oh, uh..." she glanced at Keefe, who blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered, pulling out a ring from his pocket. At close examination, Sophie spotted the words Team Foster-Keefe engraved in the silver, with tiny diamonds dotting the entire band of metal.

"This is beautiful, Keefe," she remarked as he slipped it onto her finger.

"Thanks," Keefe tried his best to hide the blush covering his face. "I am pretty great, aren't I?"

"The best," Sophie agreed. She'd almost forgotten about her friends, and by the time she remembered to look up, they had already disappeared.

"I guess they're giving us a few moments of privacy," she said, laying down at Keefe's side.

"I couldn't ask for anything more," Keefe replied, planting a kiss on the crook of her neck. "I really love you, Foster."

Sophie smiled, watching the light reflect off the wonderful ring on her finger. "I really love you too, Keefe."

A fond smile stretched across Sophie's face as she watched Keefe chase their three-year-old daughter, Alyera, around the grassy fields of their home. Typically she would have joined the game as well, but the huge bump that was her belly forbade it, so she was forced to watch from the side.

That didn't stop her heart from fluttering when Alyera let out a squeal as her father lifted her up from behind, swinging her around and blowing a small raspberry into her cheek. "Daddy!" she laughed, wriggling around in his grip.

Keefe didn't reply, instead grinning and jogging over to Sophie. He kneeled down on one knee before her, holding Alyera up like a trophy. "One adorable munchkin, as you requested, your majesty."

"Why, thank you," Keefe transferred their daughter into Sophie's hands, who traced her finger over the freckles on Alyera's face. "She's perfect."

Alyera's cheeks reddened as Sophie placed her back on the ground, and she quickly ran off, getting a head's start on the next game of tag. Keefe chuckled, straightening up and wrapping his arm around Sophie's shoulder. "That's some energy she's got," he observed.

"She's definitely her father's daughter," Sophie nodded, glancing lovingly up at her husband.

Keefe met her eyes for a second before glancing down at her pregnant belly. "I wonder how these little ones will come out," he said, rubbing his hand over her stomach.

Little ones. Plural. Three months into her pregnancy Sophie had had a checkup with Elwin, in which he'd revealed to her that she was bearing twin boys. And by now, five months later, Sophie and Keefe were already busy choosing names for the coming children.

"I'm sure they'll be just as beautiful as her," Sophie replied, motioning over to Alyera.

"Yeah, she's giving you some real competition," Keefe joked.

"Shut up, you doofus."

"Make me."

"Gladly," Sophie smiled, turning around in his arms and tilting her head up so she could kiss him. She could have stayed in that moment forever, but a young voice interrupted before it even lasted five seconds.

"Ewww," Alyera groaned, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Excuse me," Keefe smirked playfully, pulling out of Sophie's embrace. "I have a little munchkin I need to eat."

"Save her toes for me," Sophie called after him, smiling broadly. Listening to her daughter's happy squeals and giggles, she couldn't help but wish the little pieces of heaven inside her would hurry up. She couldn't wait to see what kind of adventures the Foster-Sencen family could go on with two more children in the mix.

The blanket wrapped around Sophie's shoulders didn't warm her up, the box of tissues by her side did little to dry her tears, and the hand squeezing her own barely comforted her. Every inch of her was consumed with worry. All she registered was the memory of Alyera entering her and Keefe's room a few hours prior, struggling to breathe. Ever since then their daughter had been locked up in her room with Elwin, who was pouring every elixir he could think of down her throat while Bullhorn sat curled up on her chest.

At first Keefe had tried to be optimistic, reminding Sophie that Elwin had never failed them before and that it could just be that she swallowed her water the wrong way. But then the first hour had passed and he lost some of his hope. During the second hour, he repeatedly told Sophie that Alyera would be okay. And by the third hour, he'd grown tired of staying optimistic and had joined Sophie on the couch, crying.

Sophie squeezed Keefe's hand in worry, trying to find some hope somewhere within her. Despite all the terrifying things she'd been through, this had to be the scariest. "Do you really think she'll be okay?" she whispered, her voice quivering.

"I hope so," Keefe whispered back. "I really hope so."

Squeezing his hand again, Sophie began to pray internally. She'd never believed in g-d before, but she was so desperate for her daughter to be safe that she would even believe that the earth was flat if it meant Alyera would be saved. And apparently it paid off, because moments later the door to her daughter's room flew open and Sophie was forced to untangle her hand from Keefe's to welcome their daughter into a group hug.

"Turns out this little one's allergic to mallowmelt," Elwin informed them, barely keeping a smile off his face.

Sophie and Keefe shared a glance before bursting out laughing in relief. Knowing that Alyera would be fine so long as she steered clear of mallowmelt made the stakes seem so much smaller.

Keefe reached out and ruffled their daughter's hair. "You had us worried sick, kid," he said, pulling her back into a hug.

"Well, I didn't choose to serve mallowmelt for dessert." Alyera replied.

A series of oohs echoed out through the room and Keefe raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay, so it's not all Mommy's fault for having such a strong gene-pool."

Sophie slapped his arm playfully, turning to Elwin. "Thank you so much."

"Any time," Elwin replied. "I'll expect to see her again in a few days after an alchemy accident." he winked, and then he was gone, leaving the family to resume their peaceful lives.

"CANNONBALL!" Alyera yelled, taking a running leap before jumping into the lake, pulling her legs up to her chest as she fell through the air. Water splashed in every direction when she collided with the lake's surface, dousing Sophie in a series of tiny cold droplets.

"I don't get what you're so scared of," Alyera told her mother as she resurfaced, blond hair soaking wet and golden-blue eyes shining. "It's really not that cold."

"I'd like to see you say that when you wake up tomorrow and can't stop sneezing," Sophie retorted, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"You're missing out," Raynick commented, splashing his twin brother.

Borlin didn't return the gesture. "Daddy, what if Mommy's right? What if we will catch a cold?" The child had more worry in him at eight years old than Sophie had ever had at that age, but it was still satisfying to have someone take her side.

"We'll be fine," Keefe replied. "The water's not nearly that cold. Mommy's just jealous that she didn't think to go swimming before I did."

"That's not true," Sophie argued.

"Mm hmm. Sure it's not." Keefe nodded sarcastically.

Sophie tried to fight back the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she reached out telekinetically and splashed him in the face. She wasn't sure how she'd been expecting him to react – maybe splash her back or chase her around outside the lake – but she definitely wasn't expecting him to lunge in her direction and pull her under the waves by the ankle.

Sophie resurfaced, gasping for air and smiling surreptitiously. Keefe was smirking at her, already several meters away. "Catch me if you can," he winked, diving back under the surface of the lake.

"Any one of you want to help me?" Sophie asked, turning to her kids. All three of them were grinning widely. They shook their heads in unison. Sophie sighed. Yup, she thought, They're definitely their father's children.

She took a deep breath and fully submerged herself in the water once again. After a moment she cracked her eyes open, just in time to see Keefe swimming towards her.

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Keefe pulled her close and touched his lips to hers. It was hard to hold back a gasp at the strange new experience. Kissing underwater was definitely interesting, to say the least.

And yet it still had the same effect as it did above ground, for the world around her and her children's comments melted away just as easily.

"You're sure you have everything you need?" Sophie asked for the millionth time, handing Mrs. Stinkbottom over to Keefe.

"Warm clothes, imparter, leaping crystals, monocle, and shield thingies," Keefe reviewed the list, shoving the stuffed gulon into his backpack.

Sophie huffed. "I can't believe the Black Swan are calling you away again," she said, taking his free hand in hers.

"Neither can I," Keefe sighed, shouldering his bag. "I thought we were done with all that stuff."

"I thought we were done with it when I was fourteen," Sophie confessed. "So much for that."

"At least it's a short mission," Keefe pointed out, tipping her head up to him. "Only a bit more than a day."

"They think."

"No one can be sure, Soph. This is the best guess we've got."

Sophie reached up to ruffle his hair, leaning into his chest. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Right back at you," Keefe murmured, burying his face in her hair.

Sophie wasn't sure how long they stayed there, wrapped in each other's arms. All she knew was that when Keefe finally drew away, it was too soon.

"I have to go," he whispered, brushing a strand of hair out of Sophie's face.

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I love you."

"Love you too," Keefe replied, sighing as he pulled out his glittering blue pathfinder. "Back in a jiff." He held the crystal up to the moonlight, eyeing the beam of light it cast on the ground.

"Good luck," Sophie waved to him as he glittered away, her shoulders slumping when he disappeared. She hated that he was still being called off to missions for the Black Swan, but at least the goodbyes weren't as hard as they had been at first.

She just never could have imagined that this one would be for forever.

Sophie's hand lingered on the memory log's cover as she shut it. She suddenly felt incredibly drained. Clearly transferring an entire lifetime onto paper was more taxing than she thought.

She reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes, getting to her feet. Strangely, it felt as if Keefe's Wanderling had grown at least five centimeters since she'd sat down beside it a few hours ago. Then again, that could just be her own hallucinations from spending too much time in the sun.

I... I can't do this, a voice in the back of her head whispered as she leaned down to place the memory log by the Wanderling's bark. Sophie wasn't sure where she found the strength to counter that voice, but it was soon quieted by the words I can do this repeating themselves over and over and over.

"I love you," Sophie mumbled, playing around with one of the shaggy, perfect leaves. Her eyes brimmed with tears once again as a clear image of her husband's face entered her mind – messy blond hair, mesmerizing ice blue eyes, freckles across the bridge of his nose, and that iconic smirk that shone like the sun.

A tiny ice blue blossom dropped to the ground, landing right on the gulon embossed into the memory log's cover. Sophie crouched down to pick it up, holding it in her hands for a few seconds before carefully placing it in her pocket.

"Goodbye, Keefe," she whispered, her shoulders shaking. Then she turned around and slowly walked away, reminding herself that she'd see him again someday.

Some beautiful, sunny day.