His feet hurt but not enough to stop him. Nothing could stop him tonight. On snowy nights in Boston he'd sat outside with his cousin, Brendan. If the snow was fresh enough, the sky would still be clear with the moon smiling down and stars twinkling. They'd talk about what was up there. Throw out the most ridiculous things they could think of. Tropical worlds entirely populated with bikini clad women. Nightsider casinos as big as the entire ghetto where one could make enough money to buy a ship. Places where you could stand and see billions of stars stretched out before you and nothing more. He'd wanted so badly to see those stars up close and told his cousin so. Brendan would never have believed how close he'd actually gotten. Harper hardly believed it himself.

"What was New Year's Eve like in Boston?" Trance asked as she slipped her arms into the coat he held out for her as if she could sense his train of thought. She buttoned her coat up and tied it around the waist as he slipped into his own and pulled gloves over his hands. Six months after learning she was the avatar of a star, he still didn't know if she actually needed a jacket. Didn't matter in the long run. She had several in the closet. She w

"Cold," he replied.

"No, really? What did you do?"

He took her gloved hand in his and set off towards the gardens. There was still time before the fireworks at midnight, but he had a specific vantage point in mind. One where they might be able to pass the time alone. Thanks to Trance's love of gardens, he knew every nook and cranny in this one.

"It was nothing like here. There weren't any fireworks or fancy parties. We did our best, though. Threw whatever we could into a bonfire and brought out the best home brew we could find. Everyone shared what food they had. It was—" He opened the door. The cold took him back and he could almost smell woodsmoke in the air and hear his cousin's laughter. "It was nice."

On his last New Year's Eve on Earth he'd kissed Nora Jenkins at midnight. Had taken her to bed after, too. When the sun rose over the snowy ground the next morning he'd still been awake. He'd sat outside her shanty-home bundled up in rags with a rough blanket wrapped around his shoulders and made a promise he wouldn't see another year dawn on Earth. He'd kept that promise.

Funny how the past seemed so fuzzy around the edges now. How he almost wished, against all logic, for those moments back. The laughter and fun. The good times… Trance squeezed his hand and brought him back to the present. Her low heels clicked on the paving stones, but the snow cover dampened the noise. He'd loved nights like these on Earth, too. Everything was softer and less harsh when covered in pillows of white.

A harder squeeze now and Trance stopped. He looked to her and then followed her gaze. In the middle of a pathway, under a tree wrapped with lights and decorated with delicate icicles, Beka and Tyr stood locked in a kiss so passionate Harper was shocked there wasn't steam coming off them. His mouth dropped open in a perfect mirror of Trance's expression. She caught his gaze, pressed a finger to her lips and then pointed down a different path. They shuffled off as quickly and quietly as they could.

Boy was tomorrow going to be interesting.

Far enough away that even if Tyr could hear he might not suspect they'd seen, Trance let out the giggle. A cute, girly thing, fueled by alcohol. While he didn't know if the cold affected her or not, there was no doubt wine did. She clutched her stomach and let it out, and he joined it. The laughter came from deep within and almost boomed in the silent night.

"I can't wait to see Dylan's face," she said when she'd caught her breath again.

"I think he's going to need a stiff drink. That one's gonna come as a shock. This next year is going to be interesting." More interesting than Trance knew…

He steered her down another path that led deeper into the gardens, towards the courtyard of winter roses she loves so much; blue and silver blossoms with delicate petals. They were the only flowers naturally hardy enough to withstand the below freezing temperatures of winter on this continent. She returned to the rose garden every time they visited. Different roses in bloom every season. Their fragrance reminded him of the oil she rubbed through her braids after washing them.

The garden was out of the way and not as popular as the showier courtyards where they'd strung up themed light displays for Christmas and had left them up through New Year's. He checked his chronometer. Those gardens were probably starting to fill up now as people filtered out for the fireworks. It was going to be one hell of a show.

Trance turned towards the rose garden without prompting. He let go of her hand so she could explore her first and truest love. She bent over a blue blossom as big as his hand and breathed in deeply, then let it out with a sigh. Braids hung around her face and her skin sparkled in the moonlight. At times she was an innocent soul who put life and love above all else. Sometimes she was a warrior with fire in her eyes and a steel resolve. Always his friend, though. Soft smiles or hard eyes, she was always there. His very own goddess. How had he gotten so lucky? A perfect women.

He couldn't believe what he was about to do.

In his chest, his heart began to hum. It stuttered when to took a step towards her and his breath caught. He swallowed hard. Maybe she'd seen this moment already. She swore she didn't look into their future. Swore she lived in the moment when with him. Swore he was the reason she'd learned to take each day as it came, surprises and all. Yet he wondered if sometimes she couldn't help it. It'd be impossible for him to resist a simple little peek.

But she looked up and smiled at him, then narrowed her eyes in question. He stepped towards her and took her hands. Her gaze bore into his. Those gorgeous eyes. The first time he'd looked into her eyes he'd been sure she could read his thoughts. Even then he'd understood she was much more than she said she was. Sharp under that layer of innocence. Smart when she played dumb. It'd frustrated him. Still did when he bumped up to a boundary she wouldn't or couldn't cross.

An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, with a tail in the middle he'd once said. His riddle. One he'd never solve, but he hoped he'd have a lifetime to try.

"I love you," he said. Those were the easy words. The ones he said at least a half-a-dozen times a day.

She blinked. Her brow knitted. "I love you, too."

A low buzz of conversation hung in the air as people filtered into the gardens, yet they remained alone. No other sounds. Not even the rustling of leaves. He breathed in the perfume of roses and the freshness of snow. Tried to calm his heart and formulate words into proper sentences. This wasn't the time to let everything tumble out of his mouth in a thoughtless rush. He could make an idiot of himself any other night.

"I never thought I could love someone as much as I love you. Never thought I'd find anyone willing to put up with me for more than a couple nights, much less six months. I don't know how you do it. I'm kind of loud, and really messy…"

She laughed and it reflected in her eyes. The moon and stars were in them too.

"I'm doing this all wrong." He took a deep breath and she laughed again, gentler this time. More uncertain. She really didn't have a clue what he was on about, did she? That made two of them.

Okay. Maybe it was best to just get on with it. No preamble. He imagined the most romantic movie he could think of and reached into his pocket. As he pulled out the small box he'd stashed in their earlier he knelt down. The ground was icy. He hadn't thought that one through when he planned this out. It's not like he'd ever proposed to anyone before. At least not when sober enough to remember. Thank God for whiskey though. Without it, he might have grounded this plan before launch.

"What I want to say and am failing miserably at is, Trance, will you marry me?" Oh God. It was out there. The ring too, shining in the moonlight. He couldn't see her face. "I know marriage is a human thing and I have no idea what your customs are and I can't believe I didn't ask before I bought a ring—"

She knelt down in front of him, laughter in her eyes and a wide smile on a face framed by burgundy braids. She placed her hand on his wrist and guided his hand down so that he held the ring between them. A simple band of gold with a golden jewel in the center that sparkled as much as her. He'd chosen it because it reminded him of the radiance she carried everywhere. Had cost a pretty penny too, but some things were worth it.

"Yes."

One simple word. It crystallized between them, like their breath in the cold air.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

She'd said yes.

Holy crap!

She'd said yes.

He placed the ring box in her right hand and closed her fingers around it while he removed his gloves, then with shaking hands, he took the glove from her left hand. He tried to still them as she watched him with a look she often graced him with. Half wonder, half amusement, and damn if he didn't want to see that look every single day of his life.

Okay, now to do this without dropping the ring on the icy ground. He fumbled the box out of her hand again, took a deep breath and stilled his hands before he picked up the tiny little band. It was so small and delicate. Why was he so nervous? She'd already said yes. He slipped it on her finger, grateful for Andromeda's discreet help in sizing it. Where would he be without the amazing women in his life?

Definitely not here in the capitol city of the Commonwealth with his fiancee. He had fiancee. A woman who wanted to stay with him for the rest of his life.

Holy crap!

A whoop escaped into the air. He grabbed her by the waist and twirled her around and then kissed her, all to the music of her laughter, the best music he'd heard all night.

"I can't believe you said yes," he said, and kissed her. Her lips and cheeks were icy as she returned the kiss, but it warmed him still.

She laughed. "Why wouldn't I?"

When no words came, he kissed her again. In the background came a crackle and a boom. The world lit up in a blinding flash of blue and red. Trance pulled away, her eyes on the sky, and that innocent look of wonder on her face. The one that made her look like a kid at an amusement park, only she brought it out for all of the beautiful things in the Universe. God he loved that look. Loved her. Loved this whole damn universe and all of the things in it that made her smile.

"I always thought there should be fireworks when we kissed," he said with a wink, and she laughed again. He took her hand and rubbed his fingers over the smooth metal of the engagement ring. Then he pulled a couple of single serve bottles of champagne from his jacket pocket and popped them open by the light of another volley. He held up his. "Here's to another New Year. I have a feeling it's gonna be better than the last one."

She clanked her bottle against his. "Here's to another new beginning and the surprising paths our lives can take if we just let them go."