Lyrics from Shania Twain's You've Got a Way

She loved the feel of his fingers in her hair as they kissed. Firm, strong, yet so gentle, always so gentle. That sensation, combined with their kiss, made the world fall away for her. She'd never known how much she wanted him, needed him until that moment. In a sudden moment of clarity, she realized what had happened when he'd first touched her face.

She'd had one final wall up, one that she didn't even realize was there, and the sensation she felt was it finally crumbling away. Everything that was a part of her; her heart, her mind, her spirit, all of it was laid bare with nothing to protect it. Strangely enough, she wasn't afraid. She knew that Sam would never hurt her, never discount her intelligence or mock her feelings. Suddenly, she realized what Dr. Michaels had meant by her last comment to her in the hotel room in Minneapolis.

"He's yours, Katie. It may not seem like it now, but he is. You'll find each other again and when you do, neither of you will let go."

She belonged with Sam. Sam belonged with her. They were two matched halves that had found each other through a haze of tears and infinite kindness. They never should have been separated for as long as they had been.

Her reverie was broken by the sensation of Sam tracing her lips with his finger. Her eyes fluttered open and he gave her a loving smile. Looking into his eyes, she could see everything and it didn't scare her one bit. The depthless love and respect he had for her, the desire, his infinite kindness and patience; it was all there. She smiled softly and kissed his fingertip.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she replied with a small giggle.

"What're you thinking about?"

"You."

"What about me?"

"How much I love you. How wonderful you are and how lucky I am that you love me."

"I'm the lucky one, Beth. I never imagined I'd ever find someone like you that loves me the way you do."

"What do you mean?" she said curiously.

"You love me the way no one ever has before, flaws and all. You were the only woman that asked to meet Laurie and wanted to become friends with her. You were the only one that believed me when I said that we were only friends and the only one that encouraged us to continue the friendship. You don't care what I do for a living; you only want me to be happy. You support me unconditionally; you challenge me and encourage me, even when I'm being absolutely horrible to you. You're not afraid to tell me when I'm wrong or when I'm acting like a total ass. You try your best to understand what I do and why there are times when it has to come first in my life. You have this constant, unwavering love for me that I can't even begin to understand, but that I can feel whenever you touch me, talk to me or even just look at me. I'll never understand what I did to deserve it, but I'm so glad that you do. I don't know what I'd do or who I'd be without you."

"Sa-am," she said shyly as she ducked her head.

"What? It's true. I wanted to ask you if you had a lighter or some matches."

She looked at him with a questioning expression. "Yeah, I've got a stick lighter by the stove. What do you…?"

Sam began to move, so she got off his lap so he could get up. "Don't worry about it. Just stay right here. I'm not going to set anything on fire, so relax, OK?"

She stood quietly in the bedroom and wondered what he was planning. After a little bit, she decided that her feet'd had enough for one night and moved to take off her shoes.

He found the lighter she'd mentioned and got to work. He'd noticed some candles scattered around the living room and got to work lighting them all, making sure that none of them created a fire hazard. If he couldn't take her around the city, he was going to at least give her a romantic night right there in her apartment. He liked the CD that she'd put on, so he didn't ask to change it. Once he'd lit all the candles, he turned off the lights, startling Kate.

"Sam? What's going on?" She sounded nervous, and maybe a little scared.

He walked toward her with his hand out. "Dance with me, Beth," he said quietly.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she brought her hand to her mouth. "Oh, Sam…"

He took her hand and slipped an arm around her waist. "Let me guess," he said gently, "no one's ever asked you to dance before?"

"No, it's not that. It's…I can't believe you did this. It's beautiful, honey. I don't know what to say."

"All the candles are yours. I noticed them when I walked in. I'd wanted to take you around the monuments tonight, but that plan went out the window when Bonnie told me what happened. I know that being at the Dinner tonight was hard for you, so I wanted to do something special, just the two of us."

He felt Kate rest her head on his shoulder and sigh quietly. "You're so good to me, Sam."

"Nothing but the very best for my girl. You're too special to have anything less."

They slowly danced around the room, just enjoying the closeness they shared. It'd been so long since they'd done anything like this; both had been busy with work and often too wiped out at night to really enjoy each other.

Sam closed his eyes and savored the way she felt in his arms. He loved holding her, being close to her. It was like touching pure joy. He remembered the way he'd felt when he first realized she was the one he'd brought in from the snow, how he felt like he was holding every dream and wish he'd ever had in his arms. He listened to the words of the song as he tightened his hold on her.

"…You've got a way with words. You get me smiling even when it hurts. There's no way to measure what your love is worth. I can't believe the way you get through to me.

It's in the way you want me, it's in the way you hold me. The way you show me just what love's made of, it's in the way we make love.

Oh, how I adore you, like no one before you. I love you just the way you are…"

He couldn't help but think how perfectly they described Kate. She'd gotten through to him in ways no one else ever had. When they first met, she touched a part of him he didn't even know existed. Her childhood troubles made him fight to show her the good in the world and in herself, that she was worthy of love and affection, that she deserved them just as much as anyone else. She had been so shy and scared at first, but he'd given her something she'd never had before: someone willing to listen and care about her and her troubles. Even after all that she'd been through, she was still brightly innocent, like a well-sheltered child. That innocence had dazzled him and showed him that no matter how bad things were, the world could still be an inherently good place.

He'd never understood how she'd never become cynical or guarded the way you'd expect someone in her situation to be. Once she'd gotten to know him just a little bit better, she gave without reservations or expectations. He was stunned by how quickly she could put aside her own pain if she thought there was someone that needed comfort. Her odd sense of humor made him laugh, and she could hold up her end of a conversation. She was smarter than most of his classmates, and he'd been amazed at how quickly she picked things up just by listening.

He traced the edge of the bandage with his finger and felt her move. Opening his eyes, he saw her green-gold eyes looking up at him and a gentle smile on her face. Those eyes. Those eyes that had stopped him in his tracks in the middle of Raleigh-Durham Airport, that had conveyed her feelings even when she wouldn't, where he could see his future. Even now, he could see everything; their wedding, children, grandchildren, all of it, and the entire time, they were side by side. Suddenly, he realized what he needed to do.

He gave her a soft smile in return. Ever so slowly, he began to lower his head to hers. He could see her eyes flutter partially closed as he touched her face.

"My Beth," he said softly.

"My own, my Sam," she replied in a whisper.

His mouth was a fraction of an inch from hers when he threw caution and sanity to the wind.

"Marry me, Beth. Be my wife."