Guests were leaving, but Charlie and Stella were still dancing. Even though they had gone to so much trouble with the invitations and making sure that all the guests were going to be able to make it as it was Christmas Eve, they newly married couple only had eyes for each other. Occassionally, they would have to hold their dance for a moment, while they said their goodbyes and the kids that were there demanded hugs, but as soon as they had a chance, they were back in each others arms. The others all thought it was quite amusing, seeing Charlie so loved up and oblivious to everything else around him, but he would rather be focused entirely on her, then never have seen her at all.

Stella had previously been dancing with him to a faster song, so there was a small gap between them although this song was much slower. Truth be told, he was scared to dance with anyone else seeing as his neices had had a fun time trying to teach him a party dance they had learned, but one that had left him with a lot of bruises on his feet no doubt.

His hand was lying on Stella's waist, and the other holding her hand, whilst her free hand was resting on the top of his arm, clutching it lightly. The gap between them was small, and their bodies were skimming each others playfully as they moved to the music. For the first time that night, Charlie found himself humming along to the music that was playing. Seeing Stella's amused and impressed look, he laughed a little, and pulled her as close to him as he possibly could. He continued along with the music, finding that he never knew that he knew all of the words to this song. It was one that he had never really listened carefully to the words before, but it was one that summed up everything he was feeling at that moment.

Everytime our eyes meet,
This feeling inside me,
Is almost more than I can take.
Baby when you touch me,
I can feel how much you love me,
And it just blows me away.

I've never been this close to anyone or anything.
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams

It was a song that she had heard before, but she had never heard it so well. Hearing it straight from Charlie's mouth made it all the more special, as did the way he was looking down at her as he sung along to it. Here in his arms, she had never felt so wanted, so loved, she just wanted to stay here forever, with him.

I don't know how you do what you do,
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better.
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side,
Forever and ever.
Every little thing that you do,
Baby I'm amazed by you.

He knew that every line was true. There was nothing that she did that didn't grasp his full attention, leaving him breathless simply by standing in the same room together. Now they were married, he knew that nothing would ever take them away from each other. They were going to be happy, for once, and it made him happy just to see her with a smile on her face. He was a sucker for her smile.

The smell of your skin,
The taste of your kiss,
The way you whisper in the dark.
Your hair all around me,
Baby you surround me,
You touch every place in my heart.
Oh it feels like the first time, every time,
I wanna spend a whole night, in your eyes.

This song would hold so much more meaning to her from now on, as did every song that Charlie did this too. He had the amazing ability to turn something she hated into something she loved. She had hated him once, when her father died, but now, she couldn't imagine life without the infamous Charlie Croker.

I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better.
I wanna spend the rest of my life,
With you by my side,
Forever and ever.
Every little thing that you do,
Baby I'm amazed by you.

Every little thing that you do,
I'm so in love with you,
It just keeps getting better.
I wanna spend the rest of my life,
With you by my side
Forever and ever.
Every little thing that you do,
Oh, every little thing that you do,
Baby, I'm amazed by you.

The song finished, and they kissed, for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, but also the first. "You're going to have to stop singing to me, Charlie, or I'll expect it more often." She told him teasingly.

"If that's what you want," He told her. "Anything for you."

She smiled, and somehow found a way to bring herself closer to him by wrapping her arms around his neck. "When did you get to be so unimaginally romantic?" She asked him.

He looked at her with such love in his eyes before replying, "When I found out it was you I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

He could always win her over with a simple line, one that held so little words, but so much meaning. He could do so much to her heart that no one had ever done before, but that was only part of the reason she loved him so much.

"Charlie?" His sister's voice called over, and they broke their gaze to see Hannah waving them over. "Are you going to give your neice her dance before we go home?" She taunted.

Charlie laughed, remembering that he had promised three-month-old Ellie a dance. Hannah came over with the baby, who was suprisingly still awake, having had a long nap during all the speeches and dinner, and placed the girl in her uncle's arms. Keeping one arm around Stella and one firmly around his niece, he balanced Ellie so she was leaning against his chest, her fragile little head resting on his shoulder while she played with the collar of his shirt. Another song began playing in the background, another that Charlie knew surprisingly well, as did Stella, and this time they both sang along, while Ellie lay contently against him, looking up at her uncle and aunt with wide, aweing eyes.

From across the room, Hannah observed with Laura at the dancing couple. Laura was sitting at the table, with Meagan asleep with her head in her lap. Tommy was still running around, tauning Handsome Rob with the inside of party poppers by rolling them up in a ball and making him a wig out of them. Rob, who was by no suprise, extremely drunk, was bending down to help Tommy keep the makeshift coloured wig ontop of his head.

"He's a natural." Laura said, looking at the way Charlie handled Hannah's baby daughter. "Surprising how he's so good a father when all we've known from ours is pain." She thought aloud.

"Charlie's raised me since I was a year old," Hannah added. "He's the closest thing to a father I'll ever have." To lighten the mood a little, she nudged her elder sister in the ribs playfully. "How long do you give it before they're parents themselves?" She said, motioning towards Stella and Charlie, who both looked very at home with the tiny figure of Ellie with them.

"Not long." Laura predicted. "A few months, maybe. Won't it be good for them if they have two reasons to love Christmas for now on?"

"A wedding and a baby?" Hannah asked, contemplating the idea in her head, almost plotting. "Could happen."

"He deserves to raise his own child." Laura said, remembering how through their childhood, after their mother had died, Charlie was the only father figure they had, and he had raised them, and kept them safe from their father. "He'll be a brilliant father."

There was silence for a moment before Hannah said quietly. "He already is a brilliant father, my brilliant father."

When the song ended again, Stella laughed a little.

"What?" Charlie asked. "I don't sound that bad, do I?"

"Not that." She assured him, and nodded downwards. "Ellie."

Charlie looked down and saw that the rythmic swaying to the music seemed to have sent Ellie into a deep sleep. Where they had stopped moving, he could feel the tiny movements of her chest as she breathed slowly in and out against him. She looked like a little angel as she slept, and Charlie pressed a light kiss on the top of her head.

"You're a natural with her," Stella said softly.

"That's because she's my little niece and she loves her uncle." He said with a proud grin on his face.

"I've yet to meet a kid who doesn't love you." She reminded him.

"The only ones I care about loving me are Tommy, Meagen, Ellie, and the ones that we'll have one day." He said confidently.

Stella smiled challengingly. "And how many do you plan on having?" She asked playfully, raising one eyebrow.

"Well, judging on my plans for tonight, at least twelve, maybe more." He said back, equally playfully, but trying to sound deadly serious. They both laughed, but then quietened, remembering that Ellie was still sleeping soundly between them. "Everyone's leaving." Charlie pointed out, noticing that some people were helping to clear up.

"Maybe we should too." Stella suggested, reading his mind.

"Better get this little one back to her Mom then." Together they walked over to Hannah and Laura, and handed back Ellie to Hannah. "Fast asleep." He told her.

"How do you do it?" She asked. "I've been trying to get her to sleep for an hour!"

"Magic touch." He said. "Anyway, we're off to the hotel, we've got a plane to catch in the morning."

"All set for the honeymoon I take it?" Laura asked.

They had the honeymoon all booked and ready for Paris, two weeks of paradise, undisturbed by anyone or anything. "All packed and ready to go."

"Ring me when you get in then." Laura said, repeating the line that he usually said to her whenever she went away. "Then I know you haven't done something stupid like parachuted out of the plane in the middle of the ocean."

Charlie dropped his jaw open a little. "Would I do something stupid like that?"

All three women exchanged glances before nodding sadly. "Yeah, probably, Char." Hannah said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys."

He kissed his sisters on the cheek, and went with Stella to say goodbye to the guys, who didn't have anything to say to them that wasn't suggesting or obscene; obviously the presence of Tommy, Charlie's young nephew, didn't sway their comments to be any cleaner. After saying all their goodbyes, they called a cab, and went to the hotel they were staying in, ready for their new lives together.