Hi, I'm back. Life got a little crazy for…well, ever, so my sincerest apologies for leaving y'all in the void. I'm calling this Epilogue Part 1 because ONE OF Y'ALL wanted to see a certain thing, so here we go!

Also random note: if you want listening music for this, the Avengers: Endgame soundtrack worked strangely well for me.

He'd been planning to ask her to marry him for months. He just never thought it'd go like this.

After plenty of failed attempts, James had finally weaseled his way onto one of the Paladins' journeys. He knew they didn't like it— well, more specifically, they didn't like the fact that he stayed onboard Green with his girlfriend. Even though the couple had been dating for well over two years now, her teammates still had a problem with anything that could even slightly resemble impropriety.

And besides, there was nothing for them to worry about anyways. It had been easy enough to make one of Green's cargo holds into a spare bedroom.

Truth be told, he was glad they weren't sharing a room, if only for the fact that Katie was far too observant.

James glanced over at the small velvet box hidden on the top shelf of his closet. 'Soon,' he kept telling himself, but there was never a good moment. They were always busy, always being called to another meeting, always attending some formal event with dignitaries.

He enjoyed it all, of course, but the little box kept taunting him every extra day it stayed up on that shelf.

Sighing, James got up from his bed. Maybe he'd get a good opportunity within the next week before they returned home.

The MFE commander made his way to the bathroom, and when he got there, he couldn't help but smile.

"Good morning," James greeted happily.

His girlfriend gave a disgruntled look. "Morning."

Laughing, he came over and gave her a quick kiss. "Still half asleep?"

"Mmhm," she replied.

James chuckled. If there was one thing this trip had taught him, it's that being married to Katie (wow, what a magical thought that was) would be so much better than just dating her.

Living with her the past few weeks had given him a glimpse at an entirely other side of her, a side that made him even more eager to wake up every day, simply because he knew he would see her first thing.

Without hesitation, James picked a brush up off the counter and positioned himself behind her. He raked it through her hair, smiling softly when she closed her eyes and leaned back against him.

"You spoil me," she mumbled.

James leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "You deserve it. You sleep okay?"

She shrugged. "Pretty well, yeah."

"Just still tired?"

"Yeah."

He nodded understandingly. Their mission had taken them into deep space, much further than the Atlas could manage. He knew how exhausting piloting Green could be for her, given the sheer amount of quintessence she had to use to cover the vast distances they traveled. It amazed him that she was still holding up, but that was his Katie— resilient as always.

James continued in his ministrations for several more minutes, humming softly as he did. Katie eventually came to. She blinked her eyes open, turned around, and went up her toes to press her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him gently, and she sighed sleepily. Gosh, this was bliss. He knew he could never not start his day like this ever again.

"Thank you," she whispered when they parted. "Did you sleep well, too?"

"Yup," he said. "Was out like a light."

Katie half-glared at him. "Lucky."

James chuckled. "Want me to check the comms while you get ready?"

She replied with a nod, and he made sure to kiss her cheek before he left the bathroom.

James found his way through the winding corridors, all the while letting his fingertips trail along the walls. A familiar presence filled his head and began to prod at his mind insistently.

You should take your chance now, my Paladin's James.

The man shook his head. "Not yet, Green, it needs to be the right time."

I believe the Earth saying is "there is no time like the present."

James chuckled. Green had been bugging him constantly the entire mission. Her curious nature was similar to that of her pilot's, and the moment he'd hidden the box, Green had sprung a thousand questions on him about what it was. And, well, suffice to say that it wasn't easy to lie to someone who was inside your head.

Reaching the cockpit, he sat down in the chair and patted the handles. "Soon, Green, I promise."

A happy purr ran through the cabin.

James grinned, then set about doing their routine morning checks. All seemed normal— no solar flares or supernovas in the vicinity to be concerned about, idle chatter ran through the intergalactic transmission system, and Hunk had sent a message saying Kosmo would be arriving soon with breakfast. All was well.

Content with his findings, James typed out a brief thank you to Hunk before he made his way back to their rooms.

Katie was standing in full Paladin armor now, even though her eyes betrayed her lack of sleep. She looked up upon hearing his footsteps. "Everything good?"

Unable to help himself, James gathered her in his arms. "Just fine, and breakfast is on its way," he hummed, swaying her gently.

Katie sighed, and her arms wound around his waist. "I can't wait for this trip to be over," she muttered. "I'm gonna sleep for a week."

"I'm sure you will," he laughed softly.

The pair fell quiet, basking in one another's presence. He had often found that long hugs helped Katie recuperate when she was stressed, and who was he to deny her of such a need?

They stayed that way for several minutes. Eventually, Katie lifted her head from his chest. "You go get ready— I'll take the controls."

"Yes, honey."

A little smile came onto her lips, and James snuck in one more peck before he went to his bedroom. He couldn't help but look back just before she disappeared down the hallway, her hand slipping behind the wall. Wonder how she would wear a ring with her armor?

There is only one way to find out, my Paladin's James.

He chuckled. "I know, I know." As soon as he entered his room, James was drawn to the closet like a magnet. He opened the door and stared at the velvet box. Maybe he had been waiting too long. Maybe he should go ahead and ask her. After all, he knew what kind of woman Katie was— she wouldn't be mad at him for not choosing some stunning place to propose to her. No, instead she would probably prefer it to be a small, intimate moment between just the two of them. He'd learned over the years that grand shows of affection didn't matter too much to her, not as much as the little things.

James took in a shuddering breath. He reached up, took the ring box off the shelf, and opened it. It was perfect, or at least he and Katie's mother thought so. He had specifically asked for her help picking it out, even though he'd been the one to make the ultimate decision.

He wondered what her parents were thinking right now. Wondered if they were confused as to why they hadn't gotten a video call with the big news yet. He'd asked them about a week before they'd left for this voyage, and surely they'd expected for him to propose by now.

And what about her team? What if they didn't approve? They'd dealt with the Lance situation gracefully enough, but he knew he was still an outsider, though the Paladins had made some attempts to close the seemingly inevitable distance. The last thing James would ever want was to make her feel like she had to choose between being a Paladin and being with him. What if marriage forced her into that? Would the Paladins ever forgive him? Her? Them?

It does not matter what anyone else thinks, my Paladin's James, Green purred wisely, bringing his anxious thoughts to a halt. It is your heart and my Paladin's that decides.

"You're right," James puffed out. Had his breathing gotten quicker? He hadn't even noticed. He groaned and rubbed his face with the hand that wasn't holding the ring box.

He knew the only reason this was difficult was because he loved her. That, and at the end of the day, he was still the shy, anxious guy who'd run into her in the hall several years ago. He knew he wanted her, more than anything. He wanted to cherish her, love her, provide for her, support her, do everything in his power to make her happy.

But this was a big decision. This was a lifelong commitment. This was…well, everything he'd always dreamed of, and somehow he was still scared he'd screw up.

"James?"

He practically jumped out of skin. "Y-Yes, honey?"

"Are you coming up to the front?" Katie's voice asked, a little fuzzy from the communicator on his nightstand. "Just picked up something on the radar— a distress signal. Shouldn't be anything bad, but we're gonna check it out."

"I'll be there in a minute," he replied. The line clicked off, and James sighed. His eyes drifted back to the ring. The single diamond sparkled up at him tauntingly.

The line clicked back on. "Oh, and James?"

He glanced up. "Uhuh?"

"I love you so much," Katie said. He could hear the smile in her tone. "Thank you for waking me up this morning— I don't know what I would do without you."

There was a moment of silence, during which a thousand thoughts and feelings ran through him. Overwhelming joy, to the point where he felt his eyes tearing up. Shame, due to letting his anxiety getting the better of him. Then finally, determination— because today was the day he was going to propose to her. No more waiting. No more worrying. She was the one, and he knew it.

"Now, hurry up before I come get you," she teased, completely oblivious to all that had just gone on in his head.

He chuckled. "I love you too, Katie. Be there soon."

James made quick work of getting dressed in his MFE armor. Once the final strap was secured, he took the ring box in his gloved hands. His heart was racing, but it was so sure. He closed the lid, then tucked it into his armor's side pouch on his hip.

His strides were long and determined as he found his way through Green to the main cabin. 'You can do this,' he told himself. 'The worst thing that could happen is she says no, which…oh crap, that would be awful, stop thinking about it!'

Desperate fingers found their way to the wall, and Green gave him the surge of encouragement he didn't know he'd needed. The little ring felt so heavy in his pouch. Was he actually about to do this? Was he really going to ask the girl of his dreams to marry him?

The resolved "yes" in his mind was cut off by a blast.

James let out a yell, his body being thrown into the wall. He managed to not hit his head on a pipe, though he wouldn't argue with the idea that perhaps Green had tossed up a protection barrier.

Disoriented as he was, James shook his head and began to get up. Another resounding hit threw him back off his feet. James groaned in pain. The interior of Green wasn't exactly a soft surface.

Then, his eyes flashed open in realization.

"Katie!" he shouted. He jumped up and ran. "Katie!"

Several more shots met their target, and it was all James could do to avoid being tossed to the floor again. Finally, he rushed into the cockpit, finding his girlfriend gritting her teeth in aggravation. Her screen was lit up in red warnings, not to mention the dozens of explosions laid out in front of them.

"Guess that something on the radar was bad after all?" he asked needlessly.

Golden eyes flicked to him. "You could say that. Space pirates."

"It's an ambush," he thought aloud. Katie just nodded.

Another blast shook the cabin. James tightened his grip on the pilot's chair. When the shaking subsided, he looked up at the new explosions with a grimace. "How are they—?"

"Our guess is motion detectors," Hunk replied over the comm.

There was a grunt, followed by Keith droning out, "No, really? I thought they just had lucky aim."

"Fantastic," Lance grumbled.

"What if we just stay still?" Allura questioned.

"Then we're sitting ducks," Keith answered. "Easier targets, if anything. Pidge, you got an idea?"

James wasn't overly fond of the silence that followed. Glancing down, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that look— that was the look Katie got when she had an idea that usually turned out really, really badly.

As though she could sense his thoughts, Katie looked up at James. She didn't take her eyes off his as she said, "I do, but none of you are gonna like it."

"I don't think liking it is an option at this point!" Lance snapped, then yelped as another blast hit him.

Keith sighed, "Whatever it is, get on it! We can only take so much more!"

Immediately, Katie turned to a panel on her armor. James watched as she began fiddling with the settings. "Hunk, give me a run down of what's firing at us."

Hunk hummed. "From my scans, there are no life forms. We're on the edge of space pirate territory, so most likely, it's an automated protection system. It's set to send out distress signals when anything gets too close, then they shoot down the people coming to help."

"Easy haul for them," Keith muttered.

"Exactly," Hunk affirmed.

Katie tapped another control knob. "Any other capabilities you've picked up on? What are they using to find us?"

"Appears to be just movement detection. Standard operating system— set for big objects like us."

"Perfect," Katie said. Finally, for the first time in a minute, she looked up at James. He was vaguely aware that she cut off the comms to the others.

"I'm going out there," she told him as she stood. "If Hunk's right, the system won't pick me up."

James was pretty sure his heart stopped. "W-What? Katie, you can't be serious!"

She didn't respond, instead choosing to walk past him out of the cabin.

He trailed after her. "Katie, what…what are you thinking?" he stammered. She was headed toward the back hatch, and he knew it. She still wouldn't respond. His panic growing, he reached for her hand, "Katie, you just— stop!"

Golden eyes whipped around to meet his. For a moment, she looked angry. But then, it faded into pleading. "James, you know I'm the only one who can do this. I haven't updated the other suits yet—"

"I don't care!" he cried. "Please, we'll think of something else. You can't go out in all of that, it's too dangerous!"

Her eyes softened. One of her armored hands came up to rest on his cheek. "James, I have to do this. The cloaking will keep me safe. They won't see me coming, and I'll disable it from the inside. You need to be here when I come back, okay? The cloaking will only last for fifteen minutes before you— mph!"

He felt like everything in him was collapsing inward. The ring in his pocket felt like a brick as he crushed his lips against hers, begging her with all he had to stay. But even with that, he knew he couldn't change her mind. No one could. She was Katie Holt for a reason. And he knew it was one of the many reasons he wanted to marry her.

Then, he felt it— the sensation he'd had the joy of receiving a select few times before during moments like these. A rush of quintessence was surging through where her fingers clutched his armor, so much that he felt his heart breaking at the strength of her love. Of course she knew the danger of the situation, she was telling him. Of course she knew the risk. And of course she didn't want to take it, not when she loved him so much, but they both knew she would. It was who she was.

The two broke apart gasping, and James could see the pain in her eyes. She released her grip on him slowly, backing away toward the hatch.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll be back before you know it, okay?"

He cursed his voice when it barely rasped out, "Okay."

Katie nodded. Her expression schooled into one of determination, and she hit the button for her helmet to form around her head.

Her eyes were on his when she said, "Do it, Green."

His heart pounded as a wall came out from a panel. It slid between them, then sealed itself tight. James' hands came to the glass.

"I love you," he whispered.

Even through his teary vision, he watched her mouth the words "I love you, too." Then, with a final button push, she vanished before his very eyes.

The hatch opened. She was sucked out into the battlefield.

It took everything in his power to not just stand there and wait. But he had a job to do. He had to be ready in case something went wrong. Or everything.

James made his way back up to the main cabin and sat down in the pilot's chair. He took the controls, then turned the comms on.

"Katie is on her way to the system now," he reported as stoically as he could.

Hunk's worried face popped up on the monitor. "Is she gonna be okay?"

James forced himself to nod. "She has her cloaking turned on. You guys need to keep the line of fire away from her, just in case we were wrong about the size threshold of detection."

"What do you think we've been doing?" Lance grumbled. "We're not getting shot around for fun or somethi—!"

"I've got her signal," Keith cut off his right hand man. "She's almost made it to the barrier. Pidge, can you hear me?"

"I can hear you," she confirmed. James' hand clenched his side pouch. "About two minutes out— I can see the control base. It's small, no heat signatures. Either drones or nobody at all, so should be easy to take down."

"Got it," Keith replied. "Lions, spread out to each corner. Keep the fight on us. James, stay in place to get her back."

"Copy."

The wait was agonizing. James honestly didn't know how he didn't lose his cool, other than the fact that he felt Green's soothing presence seeping through his fingers as they tapped on the arm rest.

"Almost there, guys."

James didn't trust himself to respond. His throat felt like it was so tight.

"Keep going, Pidge."

"Yeah, we can't hold out much longer up here!"

"…uhh, guys? Why'd they stop firing?" Hunk questioned.

James' heart rate shot up. The battle had gone quiet.

"Pidge? You okay?"

Silence.

"Is her comm off?"

"Pidge, come in!"

"Why isn't she responding?"

Something was wrong. His stomach was dropping by the second, and he closed his eyes. "Green? Talk to me, Green, what's going on?"

He felt himself being taken in deep.

When he landed in the grassy field, a bright white wall was in front of his face. It towered as high as Green, electricity threatening to spill over the top.

James wasted no time. He ran up to it and banging his fists against it. "Green! Tell me what's happening!"

"My Paladin's James, I cannot let you—"

"Yes you can!" he yelled. "Tell me what happened to her! Now!"

The wall came crashing down.

James was flooded with pain, the kind you could never describe and never wanted to experience. His head was pounding, his veins felt like they were on fire, and his heart was searing.

"Green," he panted out, groaning, "What—"

"She was shot in the chest with electricity, my Paladin's James. She is in cardiac arrest."

James gasped as he was thrown back into reality. He didn't even realize he was running to the hatch.

"Griffin! Griffin, what happened? Do you know something?"

"What's going on?"

"Hey— what are you doing?!"

He jumped out into space without a second thought. His helmet's monitor had already traced her, and he pushed his jetpack to go as fast as possible.

"JAMES!"

"I have to get her!" he snapped back.

"You're going right into the line of fire!" Keith pointed out.

James only grit his teeth. "Then draw it away again!"

He didn't bother listening as Keith started doling out commands. He could see her, just barely, floating near the edge of the control base. She was like an angel of white and green, weightless in the sea of inky black.

As he got closer, he nearly choked when he saw the sparks flying out from her suit. It had been a direct hit to her chest plate.

He had finally arrived, and as he gently cradled her little body against his, he found himself wanting to weep. He had never seen her so pale, so fragile, so lifeless before.

"I-I've got her," he informed the Paladins shakily.

"Good, now get out of there!" Keith shouted.

James nodded. He held her tight, then pushed his jetpack thrusters into overdrive. Thirty seconds into the flight back, James found himself swerving to avoid a hit.

"Commander, they're tracking you!" Allura warned.

"Heat signatures," Hunk mumbled. "Of course! That's how they found her!"

"Well they're gonna find them both if we don't get in the way," Lance said. "We gotta block those shots!"

James' grip on Katie tightened as he pushed onward. "Please, God, please let us get through this," he prayed. "I can't lose her, not now, not today."

"Company's coming!"

The MFE commander looked up just in time to see the red lion block a shot. The rest weren't far away, forming a shield for him to fly behind.

There was a weak cough over the line, and James looked down. Katie's eyes opened for half a second before they closed again.

"Hunk, start locating the closest hospital on a friendly planet," James ordered.

"On it."

Finally, after what felt like forever, James landed back in Green's hatch. The room sealed itself off, and James ripped off his helmet.

"Katie?" he asked, releasing her helmet. "Katie, come on, please say something!"

She cannot, my Paladin's James. She is too weak.

James held back a curse. "Green—"

You must hurry. She is fading. I cannot sustain her forever.

He picked her up and began running. He made it to the main cabin faster than he ever had before, pulling out the emergency cot and strapping her down onto it.

"Do you have her?" Keith asked.

"Yes," James replied. "Hunk, I need coordinates—"

"Sending them to you now."

James practically threw himself into the pilot's chair. He punched in the coordinates, and then, on instinct, he took the controls.

No one ever knew that his eyes flashed with crackling green light. No one was there to see it. All James knew was that his body filled with an energy he'd never experienced before. It was matchless, uncontainable, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd punched Green into hyperdrive.

James Griffin couldn't stop pacing. They wouldn't let him in— something about a magic healing ceremony, but he didn't care. It'd taken Captain Shiro showing up from a different planet to finally rip James away from Katie's room.

Now, they all sat in the waiting room in silence. All except for James. One hand was going through his hair, and the other was in his pouch toying with the ring box. Regret like none other was welling up inside him. He should've asked her ages ago. What if it was too late?

"James."

Brown eyes rose to meet grey.

"She's going to be okay," Captain Shiro said calmly. "Pidge is the strongest person I know. She's gotten through worse."

James swallowed hard. He nodded, even though he didn't know why. Maybe more as a comfort to them than himself.

His eyes scanned the room. All of them looked just as worried as he did. Lance looked practically sick, and Allura's foot was tapping incessantly. Hunk's face was hidden behind his hands. Keith was the only one who stared back.

His violet eyes flickered down to the pouch, and James stiffened. Keith looked back up at him. James would never know how, but he knew that Keith knew. The black Paladin gave him an approving nod.

James suddenly felt like he was going to collapse. For whatever reason, he felt like he couldn't take any more of this, and he knew his pacing wasn't helping. He began to head toward a chair.

The sound of a door opening made him whip around.

A pale blue alien in a yellow lab coat stepped out. "Paladins, the Green Paladin has recovered," it said. "She may be seen."

James started toward the door without hesitation. But then, his head turned back around to see if anyone else was coming.

Captain Shiro gave him an easy smile. "You first. We'll come after."

The MFE commander nodded and made to leave.

"And make sure you do it right."

Keith's voice had a stern note to it. James nodded once more, then walked through the door, listening as the Paladins behind him asked Keith what he'd meant.

Every step to Katie's hospital room made James' eyes grow more glassy. He half thought that he should be able to get himself together better, but he didn't have the strength to care.

The alien stopped in front of a pastel purple door. It gestured for him to go inside.

His hand was shaking as it grasped the handle.

Exhausted honey eyes fell on him immediately. She gave him a weak smile. "Hey."

The dam burst. Tears streamed down his face, and James found himself clutching onto her in a matter of seconds.

"Shhh, sweetheart," she soothed. "It's okay— I'm here…I'm here."

His entire body shuddered in her hold. He let out another sob when he felt sweet lips press into his forehead.

"I'm here, James," Katie whispered. "I'm so sorry, I—"

"Don't," he pleaded. He lifted his head from her shoulder to press a desperate kiss to her lips. "Don't apologize, please, I just…oh, Katie, I thought I lost you."

She grinned tearfully. "Don't tell me what to do."

James couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. Then his lips met hers, again, and again, and then one more time just to make sure.

Katie was giggling. "I missed you, too, silly."

He shook his head. Only she could make things feel somehow normal after all of this. James tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear, then kissed her forehead. "I missed you more."

"Unfair," she claimed. "I was unconscious for a while. You had more time to miss me than I you."

More time…time.

James felt his heart rate pick up. He had thought their time was up. He had thought they were completely out of time. And there was no time like the present to make sure he didn't waste any more of it.

"Katie…could you, uh…are you comfortable standing?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Nope, doc said no standing yet, even though I'd love to."

The MFE commander swallowed. "Well, ah…how about sitting up? On the side of the bed? Can you do that?"

Katie's eyes were glowing. "Silly James, I know you just want a proper hug. You're such a cuddle bug," she teased. "Here— let me just…" she shifted a little, slowing making her way to sitting upright. She had to move some of the IVs, but soon, she was sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs hanging over the side.

His girlfriend held her arms out wide. "Come here!"

James managed a smile, albeit a nervous one. "Could you…close your eyes? Maybe?"

One of her brows raised. "So particular. Now I just know you want a kiss," she continued joking. Regardless, she agreed to his request.

James Charles Griffin didn't know if he was breathing. All he knew was that he almost fumbled the ring box as he got it out of his pouch. Katie's nose scrunched up at the unfamiliar noise, but her eyes stayed closed.

Then, slowly, he got down on one knee.

"You can open your eyes now," he whispered.

She grinned brightly, honey eyes flashing open—

He opened the ring box for her.

Her mouth dropped instantly. One of her hands was coming up to her mouth, and the other was frozen in the air reaching out toward him.

James prayed that those were good signs.

"Katie," he started. "Ever since I saw you, I'd hoped that…I don't know, that there would be something. And there has been this something for a while now, and I was hoping to make it a different something, so…Katherine Daisy Holt, will you marry me?"

Her shoulders were shaking. There was a sniff, and suddenly, he realized that she was crying.

James blinked. "Katie? Are you—"

She nodded her head. Once. Twice. Then finally, she choked out, "Of course I will, James."

He hadn't known how terrified he was until the sensation of overwhelming relief swept through him. Though, he would admit that his hands were still shaking as he gently took the ring from the box, grasped her left hand, and slid it onto her finger.

Katie let out a sudden laugh. Before he knew it, she had grabbed his face.

Her lips were trembling as they pressed against his, and James couldn't help the tears that were filling his own eyes. He'd really thought that'd been it, but now…now…wow, they had so much more ahead of them.

Their kiss broke off quickly as Katie blubbered, "That was so dumb, that line about being a different something."

James chuckled. Nothing could wipe the smile off his face at that moment. "I was scared, okay? I didn't know if you'd say yes!"

She just shook her head and pulled him in for another kiss. They both sighed happily, allowing themselves this moment, before she pulled back again.

"You're an idiot if you actually thought I would say no to you," she told him.

"But you just said yes to this idiot," he teased. "So what does that make you?"

Katie's eyes turned soft. "Very very lucky."

James felt his heart melting. He was just about to lean in for another kiss when there was a knock at the door. The newly engaged couple turned to see the doctor.

"The other Paladins are anxiously waiting to see you," the little alien informed them. "Are you well enough for more visitors, Green Paladin?"

Katie nodded. A moment later, Captain Shiro and the rest of the Paladins entered. It only took a moment before Keith's eyes searched, found what they were looking for, then gleamed satisfactorily.

"Good, you finally did it."

Allura tossed their leader a confused look. "Did what?"

James glanced at Katie. She responded by simply holding up her hand.

The room exploded into chaos.

"I figured it'd be sooner, honestly—"

"We have to start planning the wedding now! What's your favorite cake flavor, Griffin?"

"Wait, what does this jewel mean?"

"You still aren't allowed to sleep in her room, yet!"

James and Katie rolled their eyes in tandem, because honestly, even though Lance had gotten somewhat better since the incident, the man would probably keep doing this for all of eternity. His protective streak simply refused to fade.

The conversation hadn't ceased, and if anything was only growing in volume. Finally, Katie raised a dismissive hand and waved it at them.

"Yes, we're getting married. Now if you'll excuse me, everyone turn around— I wanna kiss my fiancé again."

Lance made a gagging noise, but everyone obeyed. James chuckled just before she pulled him in.

As expected, barely a few seconds passed before someone cleared their throat.

"Are you two done?" Lance inquired.

Katie broke the kiss and huffed. "Just leave!"

The Paladins filed out as commanded, each giving a final congratulations on their way out. Captain Shiro even stopped to shake James' hand, something that the Captain probably knew held great significance for him. He wanted their approval more than anything, and it seemed that if Shiro lead, everyone else followed.

James shut the door behind the Paladins, then made his way back over to Katie's bedside. He knelt down to be on her level again. She was staring at the ring on her finger, almost in a daze. It took her a moment to realize that he was there, and when their eyes met, childish grins appeared on their faces.

"So," James said.

A mischievous twinkle lit her eyes. "So," she agreed.

They dissolved into a fit of laughter, only stopping when Katie leaned back tiredly against her bed a minute later. James got to work shifting her back around to lying down. She tossed him a grateful look, and that was when he noticed some of her former weariness was setting back in again.

James settled himself down at her side. He took one hand with his own, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You need to rest, honey. I'm sure all the excitement hasn't been good for you."

"Whose fault is that?" she quipped back, though her voice lacked its usual energy.

He smiled softly, "My bad."

"It's okay," she shrugged. Her eyes fell to the ring once more, then flicked back to him. She gave a little wink. "You had a good reason."

He nodded silently. He wasn't sure if he'd still fully comprehended what had happened that day. He'd gotten up the nerve to propose, she'd nearly died, and now they were here, still in the hospital on an alien planet, but engaged. It was almost too much to process all at once.

As always, Katie read his thoughts. One delicate hand reached up to touch his face. He was far too aware of the IVs that followed the movement.

"I'm still sorry," she whispered. "I thought I was doing the right thing and…I didn't mean to hurt you through that."

Tears were returning to his eyes. He swallowed hard. "Remember that time when—"

"You got shot on the mission?" she finished for him. James could only nod. Her eyes flashed with pain. "I know. I still think about it. And I know it'll be the same for you with this."

He nodded again, this time, his lip trembling. Katie tugged on his neck. He gave in and let himself be held by her once more.

Tears dripped down onto her hospital gown as he shuddered, "Don't ever pull a stunt like that ever again. I was scared I'd never hear your name as Katie Griffin."

One of her hands rubbed his back. "Hmm…I was thinking more along the lines of Katie Griffin-Holt?"

He pulled back to see sparkling honey eyes and a bright smile. For the thousandth time, James found himself kissing her forehead gently. He stayed there for a moment, his hands running down her arms, and his heart breaking a little as he felt all the tubes attached to her.

"Whatever you want, honey," he murmured against her skin. "Whatever you want."

Katie hummed, and he leaned back to take in her expression. "A spring wedding?" she suggested.

One of his eyebrows quirked. "That doesn't leave a lot of time to plan," he observed.

Katie gave him a meaningful look. "I'm tired of waiting," she said simply.

James understood what she was saying immediately. True to their word, the two had stayed away from the boundaries they had set from the beginning. It had always been difficult, but especially as of late, he found himself yearning for her. Even now, lying in a hospital bed looking the worst he'd ever seen her, he'd still make her truly his in a heartbeat.

Her hands cupped his face, honey eyes burning into his. "I want you," she whispered.

An all too familiar wave of desire hit him. He didn't hesitate in pressing his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. Both of them let out moans before they could stop them, and suddenly, he came to the similar conclusion that they could easily plan a wedding in just a few months.

James tore himself away from her. Her grip on his armor had been getting looser, not to mention the fact that her heart monitor had slowed. Katie fell back against her pillow, already halfway asleep.

His eyes softened. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "We'll start planning as soon as we get back," he promised.

"Mm, yeah, sounds good," Katie muttered.

"Sir?"

James turned to find an alien at the door, this one in a green lab coat. "We need to do a few more tests to ensure the healing ritual is complete," it said.

He understood. He nodded, but when he looked back at Katie, couldn't help but feel reluctant to leave. After all that had happened, leaving her side even just temporarily sounded awful.

Sleepy eyes opened to give him a stern look. "James, go. I'll be fine…besides," she raised her left hand at him to show the ring, "I have a pretty compelling reason to pull through."

James couldn't stop the sad smile on his face if he tried. He took her lifted hand and pressed a kiss to it. "I'll see you in a bit."

She smiled back. "See you soon."

He got up and made his way toward the door. He reached for the handle, but then, looked back one final time. "I love you, Katie."

His now fiancée was rolling her eyes fondly. "I love you, too, dork."

The MFE commander snickered as he left. The nurse went in immediately after, and he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of the hospital hall in a daze. That…that hadn't actually happened, right? All of this? No, this was far too strange of a day to have happened. That much couldn't have taken place within twenty-four hours.

But he looked back in the room, and there she was, staring down at her ring again as the alien took a blood sample. James watched with delight as a grin slowly grew on Katie's face. She lifted her hand, moving it side to side and admiring how the diamond glittered in the lights.

Far above cloud nine, James was able to finally make the trek back to the waiting room. The vision of Katie in a white dress flitted through his mind, and with that, James walked down the hall with a bounce in his step.

Stay tuned for the final epilogue! It's been an honor flying with you all.