"Just breathe, honey," Alan murmured.

Ellie sat in the passenger seat of the car with the door open and her feet planted on the ground, crouched over and taking slow, deep breaths. This was not how Alan planned for their day together to go.

It was spring break for the university, and with Ethan now experienced enough and Maddie old enough, there was no problem leaving the two of them alone for the whole day. And after talking to Ethan about Valentine's Day, Alan realized that he should do more romantic things for Ellie. Alan was retired now, so what was stopping him from making the effort? Absolutely nothing. So here he was, trying to make the effort. He had spent the last couple of weeks planning a whole day for him and Ellie, starting with breakfast out at the diner they liked with the good coffee and greasy eggs that Ellie loved, followed by a day exploring in the hills that surrounded Saratoga.

The only problem was that the greasy eggs and good coffee mixed with Alan driving them around the narrow, winding roads had made Ellie sick. She'd started out chatting away happily, excited for this little adventure of theirs and commenting on all the beautiful sights on the beautiful early spring California day. And then she'd gone quiet. And when Alan asked if she was alright, she responded by telling him to drive a little more gently and stop talking to her.

They'd arrived at their destination and Ellie opened the door to gulp the fresh air and double over to cure her stomach. Alan got out of the car to stand by her, blocking the direct sunlight from her and gently rubbing her back. "Any better?" he asked softly.

She let out another slow breath. "I think so. I'm gonna need some water, but I should be fine."

Alan checked his watch and saw that they were running a couple of minutes late for their reservation. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem. It was still relatively early in the day. But eleven o'clock wasn't unreasonable for a winetasting.

Ellie looked up. "I'm sorry, Alan," she said a little pathetically.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for, Ellie. You don't feel good. It happens to the best of us," he said comfortingly.

She glared slightly. "Everyone except you," she grumbled.

Alan had to admit she had a point. He'd never gotten any kind of motion sick in his life. He'd never gotten food poisoning or any kind of irritable bowel or anything. Nothing disagreed with him. At least not food or drink. He'd gotten a nasty flu a few years ago, before he and Ellie reconnected, and there was that scary pneumonia back in '96, but otherwise, he'd never really gotten sick. Injured, sure. But not sick. Ellie usually wasn't so fragile either, but Alan did have to remind himself that even she wasn't invulnerable.

Ellie grabbed the front of Alan's belt for balance and hauled herself up. He grabbed her elbow to help her after he jerked away from her touch in surprise. It wasn't exactly usual for her to put her hand there. Not in public, at least. Not anywhere outside the privacy of their bedroom. Or the office. Or wine cellar. Or car. Or…

"Alright, let's go. I don't want to spoil the day," Ellie said in annoyance, mercifully interrupting Alan's thoughts.

He put his arm around her waist as they walked up the gravel path and kissed her temple. "You couldn't ever spoil anything," he assured her.

Ellie smiled, so Alan felt pleased he'd cheered her up a little bit.

They approached a smiling woman about their age at the check-in desk. "Hi, welcome to Ridge. Have you visited us before?"

"I've had a lot of your wine, but this is our first visit," Alan replied. He didn't tell Ellie that he'd already joined their wine club. The wine was incredible and the winery itself was only ten minutes up the hill. Though if Ellie kept getting sick like this, Alan didn't know how often they'd come up here.

"Well, I'm glad you know us, and we're happy to have you here. Can I get the name on your reservation?" the woman asked.

"Alan Grant," he answered.

"Perfect, I've got you right here. And I see you are a wine club member, so both tastings are complimentary. If you follow the signs, you're going to head right up those stairs to the upper deck, and Diana is going to take care of you."

They thanked her and followed where she pointed to the stairs and the upper deck. It was a huge wooden patio with umbrellas and wicker sofas and high-top tables made from wine barrels.

"Wow, look at this place," Alan said, gazing around at the huge succulents and decoratively placed boulders. It was obviously very manicured and perhaps a bit artificial, but it didn't feel stuffy like Alan always worried the famous, fancy wineries would be. Maybe some of them were up in Napa and Sonoma, but Santa Clara County was a little less stuffy. At least when it came to wine.

"Alan," Ellie hissed in annoyance.

"What?"

"You already joined the wine club?"

"You know the wine is good, Ellie, and it's so close to home," he pointed out.

She sighed. "It's your retirement hobby and your money," she replied resignedly.

He almost responded to say something about how when they got married, California law would dictate that it was their money, but the words fell out of his head.

When they got to the top of the stairs, they could see out across the patio to the low wooden fence beyond. They were at the top of the ridge, which is how the winery got its name. And all of the valley below was visible. The sky was clear and the sun was bright but not too hot, and the big city and the rural hills and the sprawling suburbs were all right there. It was absolutely incredible.

"Wow," Ellie breathed.

"Yeah," Alan agreed.

"Hi guys, why don't we get you seated over here so we don't have to take you away from the view?"

They turned to see a younger woman with long, dark braided hair greet them. "Are you Diana?" Ellie asked.

"I am. I'll be your tasting host today. If you want to take a seat at that table right there, I can get you some glasses and pour you some of our rosé."

Alan and Ellie both sat down at the table with that great view. From over here, they could also see the rows of wine grapes planted on the hillsides. "I bet they get great sun and wind over here," Alan commented.

Ellie smiled.

"What?"

"I'm just so amazed at how you've taken to all this. I love seeing you so focused," she said. "It reminds me of our early days when you'd get so single-minded and excited about a dig."

Alan had to admit that it was a similar feeling for him. Learning about wine, the growing techniques and the tasting nuances, had been very much a process of discovery not unlike his career in paleontology. But Alan did get a hint of what Ellie was insinuating with her words. "I'm trading one obsession for another," he translated.

"That isn't what I said," she countered. Ellie reached across the table and took Alan's hand. "I meant what I said. I love seeing you passionate about things. It's what made me fall in love with you all those years ago and it's what makes me know every day that you're still the same wonderful Alan Grant that I love now. Then and now and always," she vowed.

There was something about this place. This view and the way Ellie looked at it and the way she looked at him, the way he felt being here with her. "Hey Ellie," he began.

"Yeah?"

"Could this be your dream?"

Her jaw dropped. They hadn't talked about her dream in a while, not since Maddie was born. Alan had worried that Ellie's dream of getting married to him on a hillside had gotten derailed by the new dream of raising their granddaughter, and he hoped she'd prove him wrong.

Ellie looked out over the valley again and then back to Alan. She had tears shining in her eyes. She nodded.

Diana came back with glasses and a bottle of wine. "Okay, here we go."

"Before you tell us about the wine, can I ask you a couple questions?" Alan interjected.

"Sure."

"First, would it be possible to get some water? The windy road after a big breakfast wasn't exactly very settling," he said delicately.

"Absolutely, there's cups and a pitcher on the bar whenever you need it."

"Great, thanks. And my other question: do you host weddings here?"