Living life is fun, and we've just begun.

Lee straightened his tie and smoothed his hand down it as he looked at himself in the mirror. He felt nervous, and he didn't really know why. It was an exciting thing that was happening in less than an hour, not something bad.

"You ready?" Emily asked, coming into the room. He turned to look at her in her black skirt and navy blouse. She was pulling a white cardigan over top.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" he asked.

"No," she answered. She sat on the bed and pulled on her nylons. He had to turn away or else be tempted to undo all the work she'd done to get ready.

Barney could be heard downstairs entertaining the two children. He'd come upon hearing the good news, bringing the team with him, who were currently getting ready at their hotel and going to meet them at the courthouse.

"I guess this is it," Lee commented, pulling his dress jacket over his dress shirt.

"No running off to Rio?" Emily asked, smiling.

"Too late now."

"You'd really want to give this all up?"

He went over to her and rested his hands on her legs, leaning into her.

"Not a chance," he answered, his lips brushing against hers. She smiled wider, accepting his kiss a moment later.

"You better not be playing checkers up there!" Barney hollered up the stairs.

"No, just a friendly game of chess!" Lee shouted back, making Emily start to laugh.

"We should go before we're late," she reasoned. He kissed her again before pulling her to her feet.

"We've established that I still want this," he said. "Do you still want this?"

"Of course," she answered. "I'm not abandoning my family again."

He felt relieved inside, and she pressed a hand against his chest before going to join Barney downstairs. Lee stepped out of the guest room, taking a look towards the master bedroom down the hall. He wasn't up for using that room still, but he was finally off that damn pull out and was sharing the guest room with Emily now. Maybe one day they'd be brave enough to use the master bedroom.

"Padre," Teddy said when he appeared. "I'm ready!"

Lee resisted giving Barney a look. He was responsible for Teddy calling him padre, which was apparently Italian for father. Of course, Teddy latched onto it because he thought it was "so cool."

"Yea, Pa," Barney added. "We're ready to go. What took you so long?"

"You're making me regret allowing you to come," Lee retorted. He grabbed his coat to throw on. He saw Emily was bundling Jenna and ready to go herself.

"I'm the favorite uncle," Barney declared. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Lee rolled his eyes. Since he was now considered a father, Barney had rubbed it in his face that he was now the favorite uncle of all time. Lee was going to get one of the guys to step up and fight him for it, just to be annoying.

They piled into the van, and Lee tried to stay calm as he drove. He didn't know why he felt so nervous. He'd been raising the kids for nine months now. This wasn't going to change anything, just his title. He felt Emily's hand rest on his knee, and he looked to see her giving him a reassuring look.

The others were waiting outside the courthouse when they got there. All of them looked sharp in their suits and/or dress clothes.

"There's Mom and Pop," Caesar said, hugging Emily.

"Pop," Teddy tried out.

"Don't give him anymore ideas for the term 'father,'" Lee directed.

"Far," Gunner said, smirking. "Or pappa."

"Vater," Toll joked.

"Baba," Yang chimed in.

"Athair," Tool said, unable to help himself.

"Come on," Lee groaned. Barney reached to grab his shoulder and propel him forward.

"I like all of those," Teddy said as he walked behind them.

"Oye," Lee said under his breath. Jenna reached for Toll, who gladly took her. Andy was with him and reached to tickle the girl's sides playfully, making her laugh. Emily held Lee's hand as they went up the stairs. After they all piled into the courtroom, Lee stood with Teddy in front of him, his hands on the boy's shoulders. Toll gave Emily Jenna back, and she rested the girl on her hip. Gina was standing in the corner, giving them all a big smile. Even Claire had made it and was in the other back corner. His parents had wanted to come but couldn't until his mother was cleared for traveling, but the thought was appreciated. Lee swallowed as the judge came out and sat down. He looked at them all and chuckled.

"Big turnout," he commented. "That's nice."

"Yes, sir," Lee replied.

"So," the judge said, looking at them. "Shall we get started?"

...

Emily had really hoped to not cry during the adoption finalization, but that was like asking rain not to fall. She had barely gotten through her vows to the kids, and even Teddy had teared up when she said she could never replace what they'd already had but could be second best. She couldn't stop crying after Lee spoke. She was pretty sure she heard Barney sniff pretty hard himself behind them at Lee's promise to keep the kids safe and loved until the day he died.

Once they were deemed Jenna and Teddy's parents, they signed documents and posed for a photo that Barney took while making them laugh with his antics on how not to ruin a good picture. Andy had hugged her tight and told her how proud she was of her. Then she'd nearly gotten swallowed by all the men giving her hugs and cheek kisses.

Brenda surprised them with a party, which Tool had apparently helped organize. Emily surmised Barney had somehow gotten a copy of the key to give to her to let her in to set up. After mingling for a while, she went to hide for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Hey," Lee said, closing the office door behind him and blocking off the raucous laughter. "You okay?"

"I just needed a minute," she answered. He came over to her and put his arms around her loosely.

"Big day," he commented as she rested her head on his shoulder tucked against his neck.

"It was."

"How does it feel, Mama?" he asked. She chuckled.

"Feels weird."

"I know."

"Padre?" she asked, looking up at him now. He scoffed.

"Just Barney giving the kid ideas."

"I like it," she said, smirking at him. He made a face, and she kissed him. He moved his hand to cradle the back of her head, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed with feelings for him. This was her future. Jenna and Teddy were her life. So was Lee.

He backed into the desk as she pushed him backwards. He caught her waist and kissed her harder. When she reached to loosen his tie, he pulled back.

"I really would love nothing more than to finish that," he advised, taking her hand in his, "but I feel like we probably shouldn't."

"You're right," she agreed with a slight groan.

"I won't stop you from trying again later," he said, eyes twinkling.

"We'll see," she said, moving to step away from him. He still had her hand, though, and he kissed her palm lightly.

"We got this," he said seriously. "I know we do."

"I do too."

They smiled at each other, and then she stepped out to rejoin everyone. She blended into the crowded living room before Lee sidled into the kitchen.

"Psst, Em!" Andy called, appearing and pulling her away now. "Guess what?!"

"What?" Emily asked warily.

"Nigel is ditching Miranda!"

"What?!"

"Yes! And he's going to help us restart our magazine!"

Emily stared at her, heart pounding. Was this really happening. "What?!"

"Yes!" Andy exclaimed again, grabbing her arms and jumping a little bit. "He felt so bad about the whole Craig thing, and he was sick of Miranda treating him so terribly, so he said he wants to help us! Isn't that fantastic?!"

"Yes," Emily agreed faintly. It felt too good to be true, but Andy looked serious and giddy at the same time. It was catching.

"We can talk more later, but I just had to let you know," Andy said. "What an amazing day!"

"Wonderful," Emily said, still trying to wrap her head around it. Andy beamed and then ran off to talk to Toll about something. Emily didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had her business back. She was going to be busy again and working hard on something she was passionate about.

Hot damn, she was gonna be all right.

...

"Well," Claire said upon seeing Lee. "How's it feel, Papa?"

"That's the one that's gonna stick, isn't it?" he asked, sighing.

"It suits you," she reasoned.

"Does it?" he countered. "Does it really? Do I look like a 60 something year old man?" She smirked and gave him a nudge. Then he went for a glass of water.

"Mum and Dad really wanted to come," Claire added. "Dad didn't want to leave her alone. She's mad at her doctor for not clearing her to fly yet."

"She's okay, though, right?" Lee asked, worried.

"Yes. Tired a lot, but things are looking good."

"Good."

"I'm proud of you," she said. "I hope you know that."

"I do now."

"I just know you wanted a family for so long, and I know this isn't how you wanted it, but I think Charlie wouldn't want anyone else stepping in for him."

"I keep thinking that I'm gonna screw up and let him down," Lee confessed.

"I don't think you will," she advised. "I think you'll do just fine." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Caesar came in with Teddy hanging off his back like a monkey.

"We are looking for ice cream," he announced. "You got any?"

"No idea," Lee said. He gestured for Caesar to look, and he did so gladly. Teddy was pointing as he squinted into the freezer. Once they got their treat and vamoosed, Claire left to join Andy and Emily's conversation. It was quiet, and Lee was lost in thought when the pantry door opened. Lee lifted a brow upon the sight of Tool peeking out of it. He froze at the sight of Lee.

"Oh, erm," he said, coughing. "I was just getting a snack."

"You missed all of the stuff right here," Lee said, gesturing to the bowls of chips etc. on the counter top.

"Ah, so I did."

Lee stood there, purposely embarrassing him. Tool slid out and shut the door behind him stealthily. Then he stood there for a moment.

"You just gonna leave her in there?" Lee asked casually. "That's a bit rude."

"Leave who in where?"

"Oh, honestly," Brenda said, pushing the door open. "He figured it out, silly." Lee was smirking as she swatted Tool on the shoulder.

"I thought you two were a one time thing?" he asked.

"Why not be two times?" Tool countered. Brenda pinched his tush before walking away, and he grinned widely. Lee slightly grimaced.

"You two are gonna become an item, aren't you?" he asked, and Tool shrugged.

"Maybe. So when are you gonna propose to Emily?"

Not wanting to answer, Lee walked away. Tool was cackling with laughter as he went, having known damn well that question would send him packing. He didn't want to jinx anything by talking about marriage. He definitely wanted to marry Emily, but he wanted to make sure she was in the right place for that before springing it on her.

He noticed his sister was getting ready to leave, so he went to see what was going on.

"Sorry, work," she said with a rueful smile. "It's urgent or else I'd have let someone else handle it."

"It's alright. Do what you gotta do," he replied. She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

"See you soon," she promised. He nodded and opened the door for her. When she was gone, he shut it and went to find Teddy sitting alone and watching everyone.

"What's up, little man?" he asked, sitting next to him.

"I'm just happy," Teddy answered. Lee put his arm around him and pulled him into a hug against his side.

"Good."

"This is the best Christmas gift ever. Nothing can top it," Teddy added.

"Nothing? Really?"

"Nothing," Teddy confirmed. He looked up at Lee and smiled, which made Lee ruffle the boy's hair and grin back. Jenna made her way over to them by this point and crawled up onto Lee's legs. He positioned her on his knees so she wouldn't fall off, and she let out a content sigh as she looked around the room. He was happy to see that she was recovering from the trauma bit by bit each day. He hoped it wouldn't affect her later on. Lee caught Emily's eyes across from them; she was holding a water glass pressed against her cheek while giving him a secret smile.

It struck him just how madly in love with her he was, and he never wanted to be with anyone else.

Things wound down after a while, and he was standing outside saying goodbye to Barney while Emily got the kids ready for bed. The rest of the team were in the SUV squabbling over who was sitting where.

"You've got a hell of a good thing going here," Barney commented, ignoring the cursing behind him.

"Yea," Lee agreed, grinning. "I do."

"Don't screw it up."

"Does everyone really have that little of faith in me?"

"Nah," Barney said, reaching to grab his shoulder fondly. "We just want you to have it ingrained in your brain."

"Trust me, it already is."

"Charlie would be proud," Barney added, giving his shoulder a shake lightly before letting it go. "You've got this all figured out and doing a fine job of it."

"I appreciate that."

"I'm glad you're out of the game," he finished. "You deserve a good life, Lee."

"Since when do you get sappy?" Lee asked, trying to make light of things. In reality, Barney's words were making him feel a bit emotional.

"Sometimes I have it in me," Barney replied with a shrug and a smile. "Alright, I better go before one of those idiots shoots the other." The SUV was rocking slightly from someone still trying to get the better seat.

"Good idea."

"See you soon."

"Yea." Lee lifted a hand in a farewell wave as Barney got into the driver's side.

"Unwrap the seatbelt from his neck," Barney was saying loudly before the door shut hard. Lee chuckled, picturing it now. He waved again as they drove off, and then he went inside to be with his family.

...

Emily was standing in Monica and Charlie's room just by the doorway after checking in on a sleeping Jenna. She felt a lot of different emotions as she looked around the room. It both did and didn't feel like their room anymore. Since everything in it was now packed up, it was just a room, but their memory was still there.

"Mama?"

She turned to see Teddy standing there in his pajamas. She couldn't exactly describe the feeling inside at being called that, but it no longer made her want to burst into tears.

"Yes?" she said back. He wrinkled his nose a little, smiling.

"It feels a little funny," he admitted. "After saying Auntie Em for so long."

"You know I won't be hurt if you want to keep calling me that instead."

"I know, but even though it feels a little funny, I like it," Teddy replied. "I like having another mom."

"Come here," she said, holding out a hand to him. He went to her, and she hugged him tightly. "I know I'm not going to be perfect, and I'm nowhere close to your mum, but I promise to do my best and turn you into a perfect gentleman. How's that?"

"Good." He looked up at her and smiled, and she smoothed his hair fondly. "She's still here with us anyway. Dad too." He patted his hand over his heart, and she smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely." She felt emotions at this, but it didn't overwhelm her as badly as before. She caught sight of Lee in the hallway then, and he hovered for a moment.

"You should get to bed, mister," she said now, looking back at Teddy.

"Okay." He hugged her again. "I want you to know something."

"What's that?"

"It's okay to use this room," he told her. "It won't upset me."

"Good to know," she replied. She wasn't quite ready for that yet, but maybe one day. "Alright, skedaddle." She ushered him to the door, and he gave a giggle before scampering to his room.

"Goodnight, Padre!" he called before disappearing into it. Emily pressed a hand to her mouth to hide her smirk as Lee made a face.

"Goodnight, Teddy," he replied. When the boy was out of earshot: "I actually prefer Papa to that."

Emily walked towards him and reached to catch the loop of his jeans to tug him with her. "Come on, Padre, the house isn't going to clean itself."

"Aww," he whined. "Don't we have elves for that?"

"They're on strike."

"Damn."

She gave a yelp as he suddenly scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder, going down the stairs quickly and making her exclaim. Laughing, he set her down and held her arms. She grinned before he gave her a warm, soft kiss.

Nothing could take away how happy she was in this moment. It was why she said what she said next.

"Lee?" she said during a pause. He kissed her again before answering.

"Yea?"

"Will you marry me?"

He froze, his face inches from hers. She felt panic suddenly. What had she just done? Did she seriously just propose to him right now? Was she mental? They were nowhere near ready for that!

"This is not at all how I imagined this," he stated.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly. "It just came out of me...it was way, way too soon. I..." His mouth on hers halted her midsentence. He kissed her almost a bit fiercely for a moment before stopping again.

"My answer is yes," he said, his fingers under her chin.

"It...it is?"

"Yea. I guess I had an idea of when and how to ask you, but this was so much better," he advised.

"Why's that?"

"You took the pressure off of me...I can't screw it up now," he joked. She made a face and gave him a nudge in the shoulder before letting him kiss her again.

"You could always still ask me," she tried.

"Oh no," he cut her off. "It's done now...and where's my ring? I believe the proposer is supposed to give the proposee a ring."

Emily released a groan of mock frustration, and he laughed before holding her close against him. She knew he was teasing her; it was something she loved about him.

"Wait here," he said a moment later, touching her cheek lightly before heading to the office. She stood there, wondering what he was doing. When he came back, he was holding a ring box.

"Wait," she said, feeling surprised. "Were you really going to ask me?"

"Eventually," he confessed. "Regardless, my dad wanted you to have this when it happened." He opened the box, and she released a small squeak at how pretty the ring was.

"Oh, wow," she said.

"It was my grandmother's," he told her. "She wanted me to have it, apparently, after she passed."

"What about your sister?"

"Other grandmother, another ring," he replied with a wave of his hand, and Emily made a face of understanding. "She would have really liked you, I think, if she were still alive."

"If she's anything like you or your dad, I would have liked her too," Emily agreed. He gave a small smile in return, pulling the ring out of the box. She stood there feeling a bit shaky (but in a good way) was he slipped it onto her finger.

"I love you," he said, holding her hand and meeting her eyes.

"And I love you," she replied, placing a hand on his cheek and smoothing her thumb back and forth. He smiled and held up her hand to kiss it, which made her look at the ring once more.

"Wow," she said again.

"Looks better on you than me," he teased. "So I guess I'll let you wear it...even though you asked me." She sighed dramatically, and he smiled again before kissing her gently for a moment.

"How would you have asked?" she inquired after.

"You will never know," he answered, giving her a mischievous look.

"Come ooon," she groaned. "Tell me!"

"Nope."

"Lee..."

"It's playing like a movie in here," he said, tapping his forehead. "Looks amazing."

"Lee!"

He laughed and dodged her hand grabbing him to hold him still. She chased him to the office, corning him after a moment and getting caught into a bear hug by him to stop her from pinching him. It sank in the more he held her that they had just gotten engaged. Were they crazy? Maybe, but she trusted him and had no doubt they could make this work.

They were going to raise this family together, for better or worse.

The End

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