Elizabeth sat down on the couch with Jack and Hunter once her parents and Julie left to stay the night at her house. Tom and Charlotte decided to drive home instead of staying with Jack.

Hunter leaned against her shoulder, his head nodding as he fought his sleep. "Hunter, why don't you just close your eyes?"

"I'm not tired," he insisted as he yawned again. He climbed up on her lap and laid down. "It was a perfect Christmas, right?"

"Yes, it was, sweetheart." She ran her fingers through his dark curls, watching him slowly losing the sleep battle.

"I think so too," he mumbled. "I got a Mama and a Daddy for Christmas." Elizabeth's hand froze in his hair. She looked over at Jack and couldn't help her tears.

He moved closer and kissed her gently. "Faith said the adoption would be final by end of January, right?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Yeah."

"I think we should be married before then so I can really be his Mama."

"Ok."

"How can I be so incredibly lucky?" She cried against his shoulder. Her heart hurt in the best possible way. She was completely filled with love.

She looked down at her ring, the candles and firefight catching on the diamonds. It was so beautiful and she was proud to wear it. "Jack, this ring is exquisite."

"Hunter picked it out. He said it was perfect and I agreed. As far as lucky…I think we are all very fortunate to have each other. Each of us has lost someone in one way or another. Now we are all found."

"And all because you broke the law," she teased, meeting his lips with hers.

"Now, I'm glad I did." He touched her chin, kissing her again, grateful Hunter was finally sleeping.

"I should get home. It's late."

"I'll take him upstairs."

"No, Mama," Hunter mumbled.

"Hunter James, have you been listening to our conversation?" Elizabeth scolded.

Hunter giggled and snuggled closer. "I didn't mean to."

"I guess I'll forgive you."

"Come on, bud, time for bed," Jack told him.

"I want Mama to tuck me in." Elizabeth smiled and kissed his cheeks.

"Ok, let's go, but tomorrow is a big day so you need to sleep."

Elizabeth stood and carried him upstairs.

….

Elizabeth wandered into her own home a good half hour later, smiling as she remembered her and Jack's goodbyes a few moments before. It was good that the wedding was only going to be a month away.

"So, Beth….you're pretty late," Julie said quietly from the couch.

"Julie! You scared me! I'm pretty sure I haven't had a curfew in about ten years."

Elizabeth hung her coat up and picked up Snowy who had been rubbing against her legs. "Hi, girl. Wonder if you like puppies?"

"Beth, I'm happy for you."

"Me too. I've never loved anyone more than I do those boys over there." She gave Snowy one last pet and set her on the floor. "Goodnight, Julie."

"Night." Julie sat and stared at the fire, feeling happy for her sister but wishing at the same time that she was the one getting married.

"Julie?" Elizabeth had watched her for a moment. She looked like something was bothering her. Elizabeth sat down next to her and pulled a blanket down on their laps. "Did you want to talk?"

"I don't know what to say."

"You look sad. Does it have to do with Roger?"

"Roger who?"

"Oh, you broke up?"

"Roger was never someone I was going to be in a long term relationship with. It was over before anything began." She picked a piece of imaginary lint off the blanket as she spoke. "I want what you have, Beth."

"You'll have it. You just need to be patient."

"Yeah. Patience has never been my strong suit."

Elizabeth laid her head on Julie's shoulder and stared at her ring. "Julie? Will you be my maid of honor?"

"Of course, but are you sure you don't want Abigail?"

"I'm going to ask her to cater. I want you beside me."

"Ok. I'd be honored." Elizabeth kissed her cheek and jumped up.

"Thanks, wedding is in January, by the way." Elizabeth laughed and ran upstairs to attempt to sleep, even though, she was pretty sure she would be getting very little that night.

….

Elizabeth picked up her phone and texted Jack.

"You up, Love?"

"Yeah. Can't seem to sleep."

"Me either." She hit the call button and waited for him to pick up. "Hi."

"Hey. I miss you," he admitted.

"Its been thirty minutes, Jack."

"Want to come over?"

"Yes, but we both know that wouldn't be wise."

"I suppose not."

Elizabeth pulled out a pad of paper and pen. "I asked Julie to be my maid of honor."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. Who are you going to ask to be your best man?"

"I know it's unconventional but I'm thinking my Dad."

"Oh, Jack. He would love that." She was silent for a long moment.

"Did you fall asleep, babe?"

"No, I just have a question and I didn't know how to ask it."

"Just ask. I'll answer."

"We never talk about him but what about your brother? We should see if he will come to the wedding, don't you think?"

"Yeah. I honestly don't know where he is. I know Mom keeps in touch with him though."

"Did you have a disagreement? Is that why you don't talk?"

"We did. Honestly it's been so long that I don't remember what caused it."

"Has Hunter ever met him?"

"No."

"So it's time, then."

"I guess it is." Jack sat back against his headboard and stared at the spot next to him. The spot that used to be occupied by Brenna. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes, love?"

"I think Hunter and I should move in there with you after the wedding."

"I would love that."

After they said goodnight again, Jack lay awake, engulfed by memories. He didn't want to forget them but he needed to move on to make room for new memories. Everywhere he looked, he was reminded of what Brenna wanted and what Brenna loved. Selling the house seemed the only logical thing to do at this point in order to truly start over.

He would call Flo soon to put the house on the market.

….

"Come on, Dad!" Hunter danced impatiently at the door as Jack got ready to leave.

"Hunter, I know you are excited, but please be patient. I'm tired this morning."

Jack hadn't slept more than an hour all night. His mind wouldn't shut off. He needed coffee, badly. Good thing they were headed to Abby's for breakfast. Maybe she could give him advice too.

"Ok, I'm ready."

"Yay! Let's go see Mama." Hunter ran ahead of Jack, across the yard, up Elizabeth's front steps and knocked. "Mama! It's me!" he yelled through the door.

She smiled as she opened the door. "Hunter! It is you!" She picked him up and hugged him tight. "What are you going to do today?"

"We are going to pick out my puppy, remember?"

"Oh that's right. I knew there was something we were supposed to do." She winked at Jack as he walked up.

"Shall we go?"

"Jack? Did you sleep at all?" She noticed the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes.

"Not a lot, no." He kissed her quickly and stepped back. "I just need coffee."

"I thought I heard voices. Good morning, Hunter. Morning, Jack."

"Morning, Grace," Jack greeted, stepping in briefly to kiss her cheek.

Grace noticed the look in his eyes as well. "Feeling ok?"

"Yes. I just didn't sleep well."

"Let's go!" Hunter said, now pulling both of their hands toward the door.

As they drove to Abby's, Hunter chattered about naming his puppy Bruce after Batman's alter ego. At the same time, he swung his legs back and forth, lightly kicking Jack's seat. "Hunter, can you please not kick my seat?"

Elizabeth looked at Jack and squeezed his hand, wondering what was going on to make him testy. She had never heard him snap at Hunter in that tone before.

"Sorry," a little voice from the back seat said, killing his happy mood instantly.

Jack felt horrible as soon as he said it. "I don't know if I'm up for this today."

"You promised!" Hunter yelled from the back seat. "So much for a perfect Christmas."

Elizabeth wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't get Jack to talk to her with Hunter in the car and it certainly wasn't fair to cancel Hunter's outing after he'd been promised a puppy that day.

"Jack pull over, please."

"We are almost at the restaurant, Beth."

"I don't care. Go into this parking lot. We need to talk."

"Not now." He motioned to Hunter who was pouting in the back seat.

"Please." She placed her hand on his arm and squeezed.

Elizabeth pulled her phone from her purse, plugged some ear buds in and found a cartoon on Netflix for Hunter. "Watch this movie on my phone, sweetie. Jack and I need to talk about something."

"What about Bruce?"

"One way or another, you'll get to meet Bruce, bud."

After he put the earphones in his ears and pressed play, she got out of the car and walked around, opening Jack's door.

Jack got out and leaned against the car, crossing his arms.

"What's going on, Jack?"

"Bad night."

"You seemed ok when we said goodnight."

"I need to sell the house."

"Right, so you and Hunter can move in with me."

"The house that we lived in. The one we made plans for. The one we wanted to live in with our children…as a family."

"You and Brenna."

He looked over her head at nothing, hating the way he still missed her when the woman he loved now stood here with him, wearing his ring.

"I thought I had said goodbye. I got rid of my wedding ring ages ago. I put away her pictures. I haven't thought that much about her since meeting you. Now, deciding to sell the house…"

She opened the door and unwrapped the necklace he still kept in his car from around the gear shift.

"Selling the house and this necklace, Jack, is the last two pieces of the puzzle. Trust me, I know how hard it is to let go of the one you loved. The one you thought would be with you forever." Elizabeth reached up, wiping her own tear away.

Jack gazed at the necklace in her hand. "I forgot that was even in my car. It's been there for so long."

Elizabeth leaned up against the car next him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Tell me, why did it mean so much to Brenna?"

"It was her mom's. When she died, Rosie gave it to her to keep."

"Then maybe you should give it to Rosie. I bet she'd appreciate that."

"Yeah. I think I should." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders lovingly.

"For me when it came to selling the house, it was one of the hardest things I did to say goodbye to Trevor. It was necessary though. I'm happy I did it and I'm grateful to you for helping me through it." She placed the necklace in his hand. "It's time to let her go. I'll be here to support you every step of the way."

He took in a shuddering breath and pulled her close, his tears falling into her hair. "I love you, Beth. You're amazing."

"I love you too, Jack." She moved to kiss his lips softly, reassuring him that they were okay. "Come on let's go eat and then find Bruce."

"Alright. One thing first." Jack moved to up Hunters door. He didn't even notice because he was so wrapped up in the Lego tv show Elizabeth had put on for him. Jack carefully removed Hunter's earbuds to gain his attention. "Hey bud, can we talk?"

Hunter nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry, bud. I was thinking about some complicated things last night and didn't sleep well. It made me cranky and I took it out on you. I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Daddy. I get cranky too sometimes, and you still love me."

Jack leaned in and kissed Hunter's forehead. "You're a good boy, Hunter. I'm glad you're my son."

"Me too," he giggled. "Can we still go get Bruce?"

"Yeah, wouldn't be the perfect Christmas without it right?" He tousled Hunter's hair, making him giggle. After closing the door he turned to Elizabeth who was still standing there. "I love you." His voice calm, the voice she knew well and loved. She kissed him and went to her seat.

After a good filling breakfast at Abby's Dinner, Jack was feeling much better. Selling the house would be hard, but it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to hold onto the past, he wanted what was right in front of him. A life with Hunter and Elizabeth as a family. That wouldn't change.

They pulled into the best rated shelter, outside the city. There was a large fenced in yard with dogs and shelter workers, playing in the snow.

"We're here!" Elizabeth sang out.

Hunter sat in the back fighting to undo his car seat buckles as fast as he could. "Let me out! Bruce! I'm coming."

"Hang on, buddy." Jack jumped out and released the hyper boy from the car.

Hunter took both their hands and dragged them into the building. As soon as they were inside, he dropped their hands and ran over to a gated area in the front of the shelter.

"Mama, Daddy, look at all the puppies!"

"You know what kind of dogs those are, bud?" Jack asked, kneeling next to his boy.

"The cute kind!" Hunter giggled.

"That's a beagle. It's a kind of hound," Elizabeth answered. "And you're right, they're really cute."

"Good morning! You must be Elizabeth?" A tall woman with long wavy light hair walked over with a big smile. "I'm Nancy. We spoke on the phone."

"Yes, nice to meet you." Elizabeth and Jack walked to meet her. "This is Jack and that happy little boy is Hunter."

"Well it's great to meet you! Do you know what you're looking for?"

"A young dog, puppy if there are any available," Jack responded.

"Hunter's already named the dog Bruce, so a male would be nice," Elizabeth giggled thinking about Hunter's plan.

"He seems very taken by our new residents here."

"They're adorable!"

"A family brought them in just before Christmas. There were 6 but as you can see we're down to 4 now."

"Any of these 4 spoken for?"

"Not yet. You were smart coming in early. I have a feeling in the next 2 days they'll all be resting in nice new homes. You said you were looking for a male?" They nodded. "Well 3 of those are boys. You can tell by the blue collars."

Jack looked at Elizabeth, who nodded back in agreement.

Jack took a seat on one of the chairs by the pen and pulled Hunter onto his lap. "Hunter, what do you think?"

"Do the blue collars mean those 3 are boys?"

"Smart kid. Yes it does."

"Can I meet one?" Hunter politely asked Nancy.

"Of course. Which one would you like to meet?"

Hunter pointed to the one that had more black than brown on it's fur. Nancy stepped inside the pen and picked him up.

"Hunter, come over here with me." Hunter obeyed and followed her to a little sitting area with large green and blue floor pillows. Hunter sat on one of the pillows with his legs crossed and Nancy placed the little pup in his lap. The puppy snuggled up to Hunter right away.

"How old is he?"

"9 weeks."

"Hi there. Would you like to be my Bruce?" Hunter said kissing the dog's head. "I'll take good care of you. You can live with me, Daddy, and Mama. Oh and Snowy. She's a black kitty, she can be your sister."

Jack wrapped his arm around Elizabeth, pulling her close. "Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked confused.

"Pulling me out of my funk. You saved the day. Look at him." They watched the boy bond with the little beagle.

"What do you think Hunter? Is that Bruce?" Jack asked.

"Yup. This is him." He looked up at Nancy. "Just tell them how much. He's my Christmas present." They all laughed.

While Hunter sat with Bruce, Elizabeth and Jack explained the home situation to Nancy who was understanding and was excited for the young family. They were quickly approved for adoption.

"Can we go get him a new collar? One that's just his?" Hunter asked.

"That's our next stop! He's going to need some things now that he has a home with us."

"Yeah! Like a bed, a bowl to eat and drink out of, a leash and toys!"

"Don't forget food. Dogs have special food. They don't get to eat our food."

"Why?"

"Their bellies aren't like ours. Chocolate is especially bad for them."

"Oh, okay. No eating my Oreos, Bruce. That'd be bad."

At the store, Hunter insisted on letting the pup pick out all his things. It took a lot longer, but it was fun to watch how happy Hunter was.

When all was said and done, they walked out of the store having spent a lot more money than they had expected, but didn't mind. They had a bed, a crate, food, bowls, toys, and a leash. The best part was when Hunter saw the Batman logo collar. Something both Jack and Elizabeth were surprised existed, but probably shouldn't have been. It was a good day. Hunter had suggested they even pick up a toy for Snowy so she wouldn't get jealous.

….

Later that afternoon, Hunter chose to have his hot chocolate in the kitchen which was now gated off with Bruce playing. From the couch in the living room, Jack and Elizabeth could hear so much laughter, it made their hearts melt.

"He's one happy little boy," Jack grinned.

"He is. It's wonderful." Elizabeth took another sip of her hot chocolate. She looked down at their hands, fingers woven together, her new ring glistening. "Jack, I've been thinking."

"Uh oh, about what?" he teased.

"Getting married before the adoption. If we need more time, that's okay. I just thought…"

"No Beth, I'm ready. I think you're right, we should start out as a family. You and me adopting him together."

"But this morning..."

"Letting go of that last bit caught me off guard. That's all. I'm ready for this. You and Hunter are my life, my loves. I want to marry you in January. I promise."

She stared into his handsome green eyes, seeing the genuine honesty in them. "Alright. January it is." She leaned in kissing his lips. It was a soft kiss at first. Once his hand moved up into her hair though, he pulled her in deeper, loving the taste of the hot chocolate on her lips from earlier.

They separated a moment later, remembering their little boy wasn't far away. "Yeah, it has to be January," Jack laughed, but he meant it. "I want to be going to bed with you at night, waking up with you in the morning, and everything in between." He kissed her lips one more time, soft and sweet.

"I can't wait." Elizabeth snuggled back into his embrace. She didn't want to admit it, but she was both excited and a little nervous about being a wife.

"I was thinking Bruce would stay with Hunter at your place, but you guys could start hanging out a lot more at my place."

"I like that. Poor Snowy can get used to Bruce too."

"Right, and you guys can start moving some of your stuff in slowly. As you're ready, of course."

"I'd like that."

"Hey," Hunter called out. "Where's Bruce going to stay?"

"What do you mean, bud?"

"We don't live together yet. Where does he sleep?"

Elizabeth stood up from the couch and went to sit with Hunter in the kitchen. Jack followed. "Well, sweetie, he will stay with you at Jack's. Then you guys will bring him over to my house to hang out." They decided not to tell him about them all moving in to Elizabeth's just yet. Best not to overwhelm the poor boy too much in one day.

"Okay." He smiled. "You know what? Bruce and I have something in common."

"What's that, bud? You're both messy eaters?"

"No!" he giggled. "We are both going to be adopted. That's cool."

"That it is, bud." Jack was really glad the day turned out well, even with its rough start.

"Beth, after dinner do you mind if I go see Rosie?"

"Of course not."

"Thanks. I want to give her the necklace and just talk to her again about everything. She seemed really excited about everything when she and Lee came by yesterday. I just wanna make sure. She'll always be like a sister, you know?"

"I understand that. I'm glad you guys are still in each other's lives. I don't want that to ever change. I can watch these two, you take your time."

"What's for dinner?" Hunter asked, finding the rest of the conversation to be boring adult stuff.

"Leftover Christmas dinner," Jack answered.

"Awesome! Make mine with extra mashed potatoes!"

….

After dinner, Jack kissed Hunter and Elizabeth goodbye and drove across town to Rosie's apartment. He laughed when he entered. It was a small modern apartment, but right now it looked more like Santa's village. Every inch of it was decorated for the holiday that had just happened.

"Wow, you leave any decorations for the rest of the world?" he teased.

"Funny, Jacky. I like it this way!"

"It certainly makes a statement."

They sat on the couch enjoying a cup of tea. Rosie went on and on about Christmas at Lee's folks and plans for the new year. She noticed after a bit that his mind seemed somewhere else entirely.

"Is everything okay, Jack? You seem, lost somewhere."

"I'm moving on," he stated, looking down at his tea.

"Yes, I assumed as much with you proposing to Elizabeth and all," she giggled. "I'm happy for you. Brenna would be too. You know I think she'd really like Elizabeth."

"I do too," Jack smiled a bit. "Last night, I was laying in bed and realized all that was changing and how it meant completely letting go of the past. Something I thought I had done but… not completely I guess."

"What happened?"

"I missed her. Her laugh, her smile."

"Elizabeth has those things. They're quite lovely even."

"I love her. Elizabeth, I mean."

"I know, Jack. I also can only imagine how hard it is to finally let go."

"I'm selling the house. We're going to move in with Elizabeth."

"Now that's a smart idea."

"Yeah. I also need to give you this." He pulled the necklace from its velvet bag and handed it to her.

"Mom's necklace. I gave this to Brenna after she passed. She missed our mom so much. I did too, but it seemed to hit her harder."

"I know. She loved it. Wore it all the time. I think you should have it now."

She gasped, "Thank you, Jack. Thank you for taking such good care of it too."

"My pleasure." They hugged. "You okay with all this?"

"I am. Truly. I'll be honest that there was a moment when I realized this was all happening and it made me a little sad. It reminded me that my sister really isn't coming back. But this is wonderful. I mean it."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that from you."

They were quiet for a few moments again, letting it all sink in.

"Say, how much are you thinking of selling the house for?" Rosie asked.

"Not sure. I've done a lot of work to it. I guess I'll see what the realtor says."

"Well depending on the amount, I might be interested."

"Really?"

"Yes! It's a lovely house in a nice neighborhood. I've been in this apartment for years. A change seems nice."

"Could you do that? Live in the house your sister lived in?"

"I think so."

"But I mean…"

"I know what you mean, and yes. How would you feel about it though? Would it be easier to have a complete stranger living there instead?"

"Actually, no. I kind of like that idea of it being yours. But what about Lee?"

"What about him?"

"You too seem pretty cozy. What if he proposes someday?"

"Then he can move in too. His apartment is so tiny and drab. No way I'm moving in there!" Jack laughed. "Talk it over with Elizabeth. If she's okay with it, I'm in."

"Great, I will."