Hard to believe, but he actually felt pretty comfortable in this big pile of rocks that Sophia's parents called home. And it was strange to remember that he'd once thought Perry Roberts was an idiot. Now, after knowing him for nearly a year, he had to admit that not only was Perry a pretty smart guy, but he genuinely liked the man. It was Christmas Eve, and there hadn't been even a moment's thought that Mark would be anywhere else but with Sophia and her family.

Madison and Sophia had already gone to bed, but he and Perry were lingering over a late-night game of Scrabble. Perry was a crafty bastard at it, too, and Mark had just lost a challenge to DOGGO, which had turned out to actually be a word.

"What the hell is a doggo?" Mark asked, as Perry lined up another ridiculous word.

"It's what draft-dodgers do," joked Perry, as he laid down CWM.

"Okay, that is just not a word. Challenge."

"You sure about that?" Perry wagged his eyebrows at Mark.

"Oh my God. That is the fakest word I've ever seen." Perry just smirked at him. "Seriously?" He groaned. "Fine, no challenge. But you're going to need to use that thing in a sentence. Or you're going to lose major Scrabble-cred, man."

"Thirty-four points for me. And you're lucky you didn't fall down a cwm when you were on Mars." He pronounced it 'koom'.

"Good game." Mark conceded his defeat. "Nerd." he added, sotto voce.

"Loser puts up the board." Perry gloated, as he hummed the melody to Hail to the Chief.

"Alright, alright!" Mark laughed.

"You about ready to turn in?"

"Actually." Mark began, slowly. It was now or never. "I'd kind of like your advice on something."

Perry swirled his glass of scotch, thoughtfully, ice cubes clinking. "I'm always happy to help." he said, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I'm planning to propose to Sophia."

Perry raised his eyebrows and took a drink. And then another. He stared at Mark for what felt like an hour. Finally he sighed, and said, "I guess I knew this was coming."

Mark nodded. They sat in silence for a long time.

"Mark." He paused, looking conflicted. "Can I be frank?"

Uh-oh. "Please."

"I have some concerns. And of course, it's not my decision to make. Sophia can decide for herself, what she wants to do. She always has, the good lord knows." Perry smiled; his daughter had never been one to go where she was guided. Quite the opposite. "But I don't think I'd be doing a good job as her father, if I didn't point out some potential problems, here."

Mark nodded again.

"It's been my experience," started Perry, "that relationships that get started during wartime, or other times when a person feels like they're in danger... Well, those relationships don't tend to do as well when it's peacetime. You and Sophia; you kind of got thrown together, and under other circumstances, I don't think the two of you would have ever taken a second glance at one another."

Mark couldn't really argue with that. It was disheartening to hear someone spell it out, though. He nodded.

"And then, Sophia has always been what I like to call, one of the fixers. Always wanting to help. A fine quality, really. But I've got to wonder how much of her sudden interest in you was due to that desire to be needed. To have someone who needed taking care of. Rather than the usual reasons that two young people wind up getting together. She's always been drawn to the wounded birds."

He flinched at that. This was like a nightmare. He wanted to argue with the man, and yet found himself agreeing with him.

"Wow." Mark sighed. "You raise some good points."

"I'm hoping that you two manage to work things out," Perry smiled at him, "because I think you're a hell of a good man. Heck, you already feel like family, to me. And I've never known Sophia to be happier." He grinned at Mark. "But it wouldn't be smart for you two to haul off for the sunset together without taking inventory, here. My advice would be to take it slowly, make sure you've worked these things out with her."

"Thank you." Mark stood up. "I'll think about what you've said."

Perry clapped him on the shoulder. "Good man."

x x x

"Merry Christmas," he whispered to Sophia, as he turned back the covers and slid in next to her.

"Is it after midnight?" she mumbled, still mostly asleep.

"Shh. Go back to sleep." He kissed the top of her head, as she snuggled next to him, putting her head on his chest, and doing just that. He laid awake for a long time, thinking. Listening to her breathe. Thinking about the hard truths that Perry had spoken to him. There was something about what he'd said, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He thought back to that day, after the state dinner, in the car, when Sophia had said something similar to him. Something about how he never would have asked her out, if Elaine hadn't forced him to. That was bullshit then, and bullshit now. Elaine hadn't goaded him at all; he'd undertaken asking Sophia out all on his own. He'd planned to. He'd chosen to. And she'd chosen to say yes. He hadn't made a big deal of it that day in the car. But he'd known then that it was bullshit. Elaine might have facilitated things a bit, but she'd hardly given him the idea in the first place.

And yes, he'd stepped up the timeline a bit, but he'd had a timeline. He'd always planned to pursue. Ever since he'd seen how kind and sweet she was, that first night, when they'd taken Oaiea sightseeing. By the end of the evening, he'd just felt like he was home. How could he have forgotten that?

She'd never shown the slightest bit of doubt, as he thought back on it. She was brave as fuck, to get involved with someone like him. Why had he doubted? Was it all in his head? Some weird psychological complex? What the hell was he scared of? Being alone. Being the one left behind. Okay. Now we're getting somewhere, he thought. What a self-fulfilling prophecy.

And what the hell. Perry thought Sophia was a fixer?

Then what the fuck was he? Fixing shit was his job! Fixing things was who he was; it was his very definition. He and Sophia made the perfect team. And he wasn't going to go one more minute without fixing this.

He brushed Sophia's hair aside and kissed her. He whispered, "Can you wake up for a minute?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm completely in love with you. Just wanted to let you know."

Her eyes opened, she looked at him, amused.

"I love you, too." She kissed him. "Any other brilliant observations?"

"I've got a big one, actually."

"Oh?" She looked at him through her lashes, her mouth quirked into a smile.

"Yep." He tightened his arms around her, feeling his heart pounding away like crazy.

"Care to share?"

"I want to marry you." His voice was husky.

"Okay." Her eyes were wide awake now. "I, um... wow." She looked at him again. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as the heart attack you're about to give me." His heart thudded in his chest. "Was that a yes?"

"Yes."

"Yes?!"

She laughed, and nodded again, eyes bright with unshed tears.

He kissed her, then. No more holding back; it felt like the last of the gravity slipping away.