Hi folks! My first time writing for "Manifest". It's a brilliant show and I'm so pleased Netflix has saved it for a final season.

If you haven't seen the end of season 3, maybe don't read this - unless you want to be majorly spoiled.

I know there are some really hardcore shippers of Ben and Saanvi, and others who are completely against the idea of their relationship, which I do totally get. However, I happen to think they're very much kindred spirits, and even if they don't end up together, Saanvi will still be there for Ben as a supporter and a very good friend, especially now in his time of grieving.

Also, for those who would argue that Saanvi is into women and wouldn't go for Ben anyway - one of the main points of her character is that she clearly isn't limited to who she likes and wants to be with, and yes she was in love with a woman, and perhaps she will be again, but she did also allude to having feelings for Ben in season 2, so the idea is not completely far-fetched. It's very clear they both care for each other deeply, even if not romanticlally. Though I'd like to think that there is potential for Ben to find new love in his life eventually - not right away, but at some point.

Hence, I have written this story, which I hope you will enjoy.

Peace and love,
Renee.

...

They were looking down an aisle. Not the aisle of an airplane like in many other callings before. A different kind of aisle, set firmly on the ground. Beautifully adorned with flowers and ribbon. They were out in the fresh, open air. A string quartet playing a well-worn score.

People sat to the side in decorated chairs. There were no looks of terror, but many smiling faces. Smiling directly at them.

At the end of the aisle, Michaela, Olive and Eden stood to one side all dressed in flowing pale pink chiffon gowns. Zeke, Cal and Ben stood on the other, dressed in gray three piece suits with ties color matching the ladies' dresses. Ben stood at the front, he looked on with an expression of wonderment.

A priest stood waiting at the end of the aisle. His face was patient and kind. The sort of face that said there was no need to rush. They had done their waiting, and now the world would wait for them.

The bride turned and looked at her Father who smiled and kissed her cheek before going to sit with his wife in the front row.

The couple standing together at the altar turned and smiled lovingly at one another and turned to face the priest.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Benjamin Stone and Saanvi Bahl…"

…

Ben strolled briskly through the halls of Eureka's headquarters, briefly acknowledging the personel who greeted him. He was both nervous and impatient to speak to Saanvi. He didn't know what it had all meant, or if she had seen it too. Should he even ask her about it? What if she hadn't had the calling he'd had? What if she had had it but didn't want to talk about it?

Saanvi meanwhile was hard at work in the lab, her head resting on her hand as she scanned the computer to find anomalies in the blood charts she was studying. Her eyes were droopy. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep after waking from that intense and vivid calling. She'd awoken from it with her mind reeling and her heart pounding. Unable to make sense of it. Surely it wasn't a precursor of reality. The thought was absurd…wasn't it? One thing she knew was, it had been a long time since she had seen Ben Stone smile like that. Even if it was just a dream, it made her glad to see it.

It was one of the clearest callings they had ever experienced. No distortion, no muffled sounds or blurred faces. It had all looked so…real.

Ben knocked on the door to Saanvi's office before entering, then shook his head at himself. Since when did he knock on Saanvi's door?

"Um…come in?" Saanvi called out in a suspicious, confused tone.

"Oh, it's you", she breathed, looking equally relieved and panicked as Ben walked in through the door.

"Yeah…just me. Are you OK? You seem a little jittery." He shoved his hands in his pockets,feeling anxious all of a sudden.

"Yeah", Saanvi's face softened at his concern. "I'm just tired. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep again.

She turned her eyes back to her computer screen. Why had she told him that?

Ben stepped up to her desk and looked at her sideways. "Did you have a calling early this morning?"

"No! What calling? No", the doctor flapped quite uncharacteristically.

Ben wasn't buying it for a second. "Saanvi…"

She took a calming breath, trying not to get too flustered. "OK, yes I did. I wasn't sure if it was a calling or...or a dream. You…you saw it too?" She looked at him meekly.

Ben raised his eyebrows at her. "Yeah, I did. Have you…had dreams like that before?"

"Of course not", she answered a little too quickly. "It was weird, it was...scary."

"Scary?" Ben scoffed trying not to sound too offended.

Saanvi was quick to defend her statement. "Well, not the plane on fire hurtling through the sky kind of scary, but yeah...didn't it scare you?"

Ben gave her a grounded look, though he had to admit he'd been both frightened and enthralled by the vision."The callings don't predict the future, Saanvi."

"But we both had the same one."

"Yes, true. But this kind of thing is not something we wouldn't have any control over."

"I guess". Saanvi blinked. Ben could tell she was holding something back from him.

"Would you be open to that happening at some point in the future?" He asked her carefully.

"Getting married?"

Ben tilted his head, looking shy and uncertain. "Getting married to me".

Saanvi's eyes bulged in shock at his question. "Are you asking me to marry you?"

"No!" Ben answered quickly. He had to laugh, if for no other reason than to release some tension. "God, we're not even in a relationship. That would be way out of left field."

The two of them looked at each other nervously, awkwardly until Ben took a deep breath in and addressed her again. "I've been in a pretty dark place for the past few months, as you know. Perhaps this calling was simply a way of showing me that there is life ahead of all this. There's hope and a future."

Saanvi felt tears sting her eyes. Damn it. She did not want to get emotional about this, not in front of him but there were so many reasons to be overwhelmed by it all.

She shook her head, dabbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "I...I want you to be happy Ben, I really do, but I just don't know if I could ever step into Grace's shoes. It just wouldn't feel right."

Ben looked at the floor, speaking gravely. "Saanvi...Grace is gone. I'm still learning to accept that, but it is the truth. Even after all these crazy miracles that have occurred in our lives the past few years, there's nothing any of us can do to bring her back."

More tears slipped down Saanvi's face. She and Grace had been wary of each other at the start but the two of them had become good friends and reliant on each other in the end.

"Grace trusted you completely. What you did for us, what you did for Cal…She was so grateful to you. We all are."

"You don't marry someone out of gratitude, Ben. At least I couldn't."

"No. You marry someone out of love."

Her eyes cut to his in surprise as he stepped closer to her.

"Grace loved you. The kids and I, we all love you, Saanvi."

Saanvi's heart thumped wildly in her chest as Ben reached out for her hand. "This is not me asking you. This is me saying that if it does happen one day, if I do make that kind of commitment to someone again, I think we'd all be happy if it was with you."

"Ben…" She sobbed as he pulled her into his arms.

They held each other tightly for quite some moments. Ben kissed the top of Saanvi's head to give her comfort and at the same time, to reveal a little more of his feelings to her.

Slowly, they both pulled away and met each other's eyes.

Then, some force pulled them back together. Not a force they were fighting or unwilling to meet. This force they were choosing to let take over them.

They pressed their lips together tentatively. The kiss was quick, just a test to see how right it felt. For Ben, it was the most right thing he'd felt since Grace had died. For Saanvi, it was the affirmation of feelings she had been pondering about for over three years.

They pulled back from one another again and shared a gentle smile. "Still scared?" He asked her caringly but with a teasing lilt.

"Terrified", she answered honestly, though she too was only partly serious. "Can I ask you to do just one thing for me?" She asked him timidly, looking up into his eyes which had finally regained some of their sparkle.

"What is it?" He smiled softly at her.

"Lose the beard…please."

Ben laughed, his heart feeling lighter than it had in a very long time. "Yeah, OK."

Saanvi simpered, before her expression became serious. "I wasn't ever really sure that marriage was going to be on the cards for me. I guess I've always been so career-focused, and after the last disaster of a relationship, I guess I've been left a little scarred."

"Look, just because it was in the calling doesn't make it a done thing. As I said, we get to choose whether to make it real or not. I certainly wouldn't force you if it wasn't what you wanted."

"It might be", she said bravely. "It might be what I want…in the future."

He stared at her in surprise.

She met his astonished gaze. "You and I, we've just always had this connection, and it's more than 828."

Ben nodded. "Yes", he confirmed quietly.

She shook her head, releasing a breath. "The past few years have been hard and insane."

Ben nodded in agreement.

"But through it all, it was you who kept me grounded. I always felt I could trust you. Despite our ups and downs, you were always there for me to rely on." She swallowed. "I…I felt ashamed of myself for the way I thought about you at times, for the feelings that I had."

Ben raised an eyebrow, stunned by her revelation.

"But you know, you had a family and I would never have crossed that line, I respect you all too much. When Grace got pregnant with Eden, I was really happy for you, I truly was…"

"Saanvi…" Ben stopped her abruptly and she closed her mouth immediately, looking admonished, fearing she'd overstepped the mark and upset him.

But he didn't look angry, he had that far off look as if he'd just made a remarkable discovery or come to an incredible realization.

"Eden…In the calling, at the altar." He paused.

"Yeah, it looked like she was a flower girl. She looked so sweet", Saanvi smiled shakily, feeling quite emotional to be talking about the calling with him.

Ben stared at Saanvi intently. "She looked grown up. About five or six, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, but it was definitely her." Saanvi stilled, her eyes growing wide as she came to the same conclusion that Ben had. "Ben…" she croaked, reaching out for his arm to steady herself.

"I still wouldn't say it's a safe bet, but if this is what's written in our future…", Ben choked, his emotion getting the better of him.

"Then we're definitely going to beat the death date", Saanvi finished for him, tears already forming in her own eyes.

"We're going to beat it together", he promised her with sincerity in his eyes and in his voice.

Saanvi let out a whimper and reached for his face, pulling him to her and kissing him much more deeply than before. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, wanting, more than ever, to protect her.

She dropped her head down and sobbed against his chest. He held her tightly, understanding the conflicting emotions she was feeling. Relief and elation, but of course feelings of guilt and sadness that the two of them would survive while Ben's late wife had not.

"It's OK, it's OK", he whispered against her hair, then lightly kissed her temple.

He rubbed her back soothingly until she stopped crying. She squeezed his arms affectionately in thanks.

Ben cleared his throat. "It's taken me a lot of time and a lot of pain to realize that Grace wouldn't want me to stay like this, stuck in this rut. When she thought I was gone, she was strong enough to realize that she had to move on. I know that she would want me to do the same."

"She was a good woman", Saanvi said resolutely and Ben nodded. "She really was, and you know that. If there was ever anyone who could stand by my side in full acknowledgement of that, and with as much respect as I know you have - Someone who will be there for our kids, to make sure their Mom's memory is kept alive."

"I would never let Eden forget her Mom", Saanvi promised him and he smiled emotively. "I know."

"So…", he said gently, brushing a lock of her hair out of her face. "After what has been an incredibly challenging and difficult year, I'd say this could be something which deserves celebrating."

Sniffing, she nodded in agreement. They looked at each other silently for a few moments, both trying to figure out what the next step should be.

"Can I buy you breakfast?" They asked each other simultaneously, then both laughed.

"We'll figure it out", he assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the door. She inhaled a deep breath and lifted her hand to stroke his back, replying affirmatively. "Yeah, we will."