Chapter 6

"The stuffing is……"

Vince paused as he stared at his fork twirling it round in his fingers, his nose wrinkling up as he studied it closely.

"Well, it's interesting that's for sure." he concluded.

"It tastes like ketchup."

"Shane!" scolded Linda as her big blue eyes glared at him sternly.

He immediately raised his brow in surprise at his mother's reprimand. "What? I'm just saying. It tastes of ketchup."

"I've got to agree with Shane here." offered up Vince as he looked at fork once more, his eyes wide in almost in silent wonderment as he continued to examine the food that was balanced on the end of the metal prongs.

"You know Paul, you should have had something written into your wedding vows." grinned Shane as he speared his potato.

Paul turned his attention from his daughter who was sitting in her highchair at the table on his left. She let out a light screech as she tried to bounce in her seat and her chubby fists beat down excitedly on the white plastic tray in front of her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked distractedly as he smiled at his daughter and lifted the bottle she had toppled down in her efforts causing a few droplets of milk to spill and trickle.

"How about I vow to forsake all others and I vow not to let Stephanie anywhere near the kitchen." Shane teased.

Paul somehow managed to bite back his grin of amusement as he looked across the table and saw Stephanie glower in her brother's direction. He knew he shouldn't laugh. After all, she was completely stressed out over this whole dinner and trying so hard to act normal after what had happened to her in the last twenty four hours. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her further and add fuel to the fire because Stephanie wouldn't admit it, but she was extremely sensitive about her culinary skills. She seemed to think that her inability to cook meant she failed in some way despite him constantly reassuring her he really couldn't give a crap. It's wasn't like he was being starved to death in any shape or form. But it seemed to be a big deal to her and three years of marriage couldn't shake it and neither could her loss of memory it seemed. And that thought actually brought a smile to his face because any sign of anything remotely familiar in Stephanie's behaviour gave him hope that this was a temporary thing and that it was only a matter of time before he got his wife back. And just being able to hold her in his arms and hear her say the things she had when he had given her his gift this afternoon had been more than he could have ever hoped for especially after seeing how scared and confused she had been after the accident.

"Shut up Shane."

Paul rolled his eyes and chuckled softly at Stephanie's child-like retort back at her brother. Her blue eyes were practically glaring back at Shane.

"Yes Shane, leave your sister alone." scolded Linda. "Stephanie has gone to a lot of trouble today and you should be thankful instead of acting so ungrateful."

"I am thankful!"

"Well you could at least try and show it." Stephanie pouted as she dropped her fork to her plate.

Shane stared silently back at her for a moment before his lips lifted in a sarcastic sweet smile. "Thank you Stephanie." he said in a sing song voice before lifting up his wine and taking a mouthful.

"You're such an ass." she shot back but she was unable to disguise her own smile that twitched at the corner of her mouth as she began to eat once more mentally making a note to completely avoid the strange coloured stuffing at the side of her plate.

A couple of hours later the meal was over and while the rest of her family were in the living room, she and Shane were in the kitchen finishing off the dishes. Paul had suggested it be her brother's penance for upsetting her at the dinner table and after a few choice words thrown in his brother in law's direction, Shane reluctantly agreed to help out. All in all the dinner had gone well and more than that, she seemed to have pulled it off. No one seemed to have a clue that overnight, she had suddenly lost eight years of her life.

"Where do these plates go, Steph?"

Pre-occupied with wiping the counter, she turned to look at Shane with an absent expression. "The plates?"

"Yes, the plates. You know the things you eat your meal from?"

She shook her head as she playfully swatted at him with the damp cloth. "I know what they are."

"Good. So where do they go?" he grinned.

Her eyes glanced over his shoulder to scan the vast array of wooden units that surrounded them and quickly realised she had absolutely no clue where they went. Of course she couldn't tell her brother that. How could she explain her reason for her lack of knowledge of her own kitchen?! And it was Paul who had taken out the plates in the first place. If she could just remember which damn cupboard he had opened and taken them from!

"Steph? The plates!" Shane reminded her as he gestured to the white china dishes in his hands.

She licked her lips and wondered if she should reluctantly admit her defeat when the voice behind her interrupted them and saved her.

"They go in the right hand cupboard above the wine rack."

Shane nodded and smiled at Paul who wandered into the room as he raked his big hand through his long blonde strands.

"Thank you. Nice to know someone in this house knows their way around their own kitchen." he teased.

"Yeah well the plates are about the only thing I remember." he said as Shane followed his instructions to stack the plates away. "We re-arranged some stuff the other day and I still don't have a clue where the damn corkscrew is."

He lightly scratched at his chin as he pulled out a drawer and began to clumsily rummage through it. But he quickly stopped what he was doing as he felt her eyes on him, watching him. Paul lifted his head and as his gaze locked with Stephanie's he swallowed thickly, feeling a warm familiarity in that moment. So many times over the years they would be on the road, backstage in an arena or in a crowded room. But no matter how busy they were or many hundreds of people separated them, he could always find Stephanie there. He would sense her overwhelming presence or just feel her watching him from afar. That's when he would look up and their eyes would meet in a silent, shared moment. A moment where they were the only two people that existed in the world and everything else around them would fall away. And it was a moment where he was always hit with this strange notion that he must have been lost somehow without him realising it because when he looked at Stephanie he was filled with the sudden feeling that he had been found and was now completely whole again.

"I think I saw the cork screw in the living room." she told him. "It was on the sideboard next to vase of flowers."

"It was?"

She nodded her head and her eyes briefly fluttered shut as Paul crossed the short distance between them to drop a kiss in her hair allowing her heart to skip a beat as she breathed in his gentle scent.

"Baby, you are a life saver." he said softly.

His thick finger affectionately grazed her cheek and as he walked out of the room,

Stephanie leant back against the counter slightly reeling from his touch and also reeling from knowing it was actually Paul who had been the real life saver. It was almost as if he had sensed without a word passed between them that she had needed him just then. He had rescued her, strengthening this bond she swore she was beginning to feel between them. A connection that she guessed had to come from sharing her life with him and not only her life but her heart too.

"Are you okay over there?"

Stephanie nodded her head as Shane's voice lifted her from her haze and her lips curved up gently as he closed the cupboard door and walked towards her. His brown eyes seemed concerned as they observed her carefully.

"Hey, I'm sorry about all that vow stuff. You know I was only ribbing you, right." he told her as he affectionately tapped his knuckles against her arm.

"I know."

"Although I do have to say in my defence that stuffing was the most disgusting stuffing I have ever tasted in my life." Shane commented crinkling his nose up to mirror that disgust and Stephanie suddenly burst out laughing, finding humour at his facial expression and not only that, now dinner was over she had become a lot more relaxed about the whole situation.

"It was revolting, wasn't it?" she agreed. "God knows what possessed me to use ketchup of all things."

She tossed the cloth to the counter and her smile faded as she let out a soft sigh. Her hand lifted to rub at her face wearily as she looked around the brightly lit kitchen.

"Steph, are you sure you're okay?" asked Shane.

She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." she said, looking over at him and lifting her shoulder in a shrug. "It's just, I don't know. My head's been all over the place the last couple of days."

"Well you will go and crash your car."

Stephanie burst out laughing once more grateful for his comeback as she slid her arm through his and began to lead him through to the living room. "You know I'm so glad I've got you, Shane. I mean, I can always rely on your sympathy and support."

Shane grinned back and patted her left hand which rested in the crook of his elbow. As he glanced down her wedding rings glistened in the soft lighting of the hallway, briefly demanding his attention.

"So I see you got your Christmas gift." he said spotting the new addition that rested on her slender digit.

A soft smile traced Stephanie's lips as she stopped in her tracks and her fingers reached out to touch the delicate band of diamonds on her left hand.

"Do you know how nervous he was about giving you that?"

She lifted her head to look at Shane inquisitively and he grinned as he regaled her with his story.

"Paul must have asked me at least a hundred times if I thought you would like it. I swear to God I haven't seen him so nervous since the time he talked to Dad and asked for his permission to marry you."

"He asked for permission?" she asked in amazement, her eyes softening with the knowledge that Paul had done such a thing. She didn't notice Shane's brow crinkle with his confusion at her question.

"Of course he did. I thought you knew that."

Stephanie quickly realised her error and slipped her hand from his arm as she nervously raked her fingers through her chestnut strands and nodded at him reassuringly. "I....I did. I guess I forgot." she quickly explained.

But as they lingered outside the doorway to the living room, her curiosity was winning the battle over her need to be discreet about her memory loss and as she heard the gentle lilt of Paul's voice through the open door, she looked at her brother, rolling her lips together thoughtfully.

"And I suppose he would be nervous then too. Before the wedding I mean."

"Actually he wasn't. Don't you remember?" asked Shane. "Even you commented that he seemed pretty calm about the whole thing. I mean, people kept ribbing him about taking the plunge and what a commitment marriage was but he kept telling them he was getting to spend the rest of his life with you so why would he be even the least bit nervous about any of it."

Stephanie swore her heart melted in her chest as she smiled almost dreamily and stared towards the living room. "Paul really said that?"

"Yeah, he did. Look Steph, are you okay because honestly, you're acting a little weird here."

"What? You mean even weirder than usual?" she joked trying to ease the obvious concern she could see on her brother's face as he stared at her strangely. She was relieved when a slow smile began to tug at his lips.

"Okay. So maybe you're not acting that weird."

"Thanks." she grinned as she nudged his hip playfully but her smile faded as she looked at him fondly sensing that despite his upbeat tone Shane was genuinely worried about her and she supposed he had every right to be. They'd always been close and her brother always did have the uncanny knack when knowing something was up.

"But seriously, I'm okay." she assured him. "I'm just tired I guess. We were up late with Aurora's gifts and then there was the dinner and everything……"

Her voice trailed off as she lifted her hands in the air and sighed.

"Yeah well thank you. For dinner I mean." he smiled appearing to be momentarily appeased with her reply as he guided her into the fresh airy living room. "I have to admit it was better than expected."

"Yeah well I can't take all the credit." Stephanie said as her heels clicked against the polished floor and she absently smiled at her mother who was sitting on the sofa. "Paul helped with a lot of it. In fact, he practically helped with everything."

Thinking of her husband, she turned her head to look for him. He was standing over by the Christmas tree with their daughter safely cradled in his huge arms. Aurora's perfect fingers gripped the ends of his blonde hair as her big eyes stared transfixed at a silver bauble that he playfully jangled for her from the spruce branch. She was completely mesmerised and her attention only shifted when he said something to her, tapping his long finger against her nose and making her laugh out loud. It was a laugh that came all the way from the tips of her tiny fat toes and a laugh that warmed Stephanie's heart. God, she loved her beautiful laugh and more than that, she loved seeing Aurora with Paul. There was something about them interacting together that touched her in ways she just couldn't explain. It was like this huge jumble of emotions that seemed to want to hit her all at once. They were emotions that would only ever be connected to her husband and her baby daughter; her own little family.

"He's so great with her, isn't he?" she beamed proudly.

Shane smiled, nodding his head in agreement. "She's daddy's little girl, that's for sure."

"Yeah well there's nothing wrong with that." she replied turning to him and grinning as she stood on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his cheek.

"I'm just going to check on my husband and daughter."

Her footsteps were slow and deliberate not wanting to interrupt the moment Paul was sharing with the baby but it was if he knew she was there because he immediately lifted his head and smiled so warmly his whole face lit up beautifully and Stephanie felt a light fluttering in her chest.

"Hey."

"Hey." she smiled as she reached for her daughter's hand feeling her warm fingers curl around her manicured digit and grip it tightly. Aurora immediately brought it to her mouth and her lips wrapped around it as she began to suck vigorously causing Stephanie to giggle at the sensation.

"I think you're right about her teething." she surmised.

"Of course I am." Paul announced almost proudly. "I mean, you may not remember and all but I think you'll find I'm usually right about a lot of things."

His brown eyes sparkled back at her pulling her in and Stephanie chuckled.

"God, you're incorrigible." she teased as she pulled her finger from the baby's mouth. Aurora still clutched hold of it tightly as Paul looked deeply into her eyes.

"And you're beautiful." he told her softly.

The sincerity in Paul's words and the tender expression on his face made her breath catch in her throat and Stephanie pressed her lips together, swallowing thickly needing a second to find her composure. She had a feeling every little thing about this man got to her including the way he was looking at her now like she was the most important person in the world to him.

"You okay?" he asked her.

As she felt his gentle stare work its way through her, Stephanie suddenly she realised that despite everything, she was. She honestly really was. "Yeah. I'm fine." she said, smiling at him softly. "I'm absolutely fine."

Paul's deep brown eyes never left hers as his hand lifted to lightly run his fingers through her hair. Stephanie felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach, almost like bubbles were floating there.

"Hey you guys. I see mistletoe."

Paul rolled his eyes dryly at the taunt delivered behind them and briefly glanced at the green sprig that dangled just in front of them. He was the one that had hung it there just last week but was now beginning to regret that decision despite the opportunity it offered.

"Shane, get out of here." he said turning to stare at his brother in law.

"Are you saying you don't want to kiss your wife Levesque because you know mistletoe is tradition and you don't mess around with tradition!"

As Shane grinned between them, Paul shook his head and turned to Stephanie checking she was okay and wasn't feeling uncomfortable by the whole stupid situation. God knows, he didn't want her freaking out about a kiss under the mistletoe. Things may have gotten easier between them today but he knew that didn't mean she was ready for this. The closest she'd got to was a soft peck on the cheek. And despite everything inside him wanting to take her in his arms and kiss her right now, he knew he had to take this slowly for Stephanie's sake. He wasn't going to rush anything and he certainly wasn't going to let her be pushed into anything she didn't want to do.

However, Shane seemed to have other ideas.

"Here, give me the baby. We don't want to traumatise her on her very first Christmas."

Before Paul could say a word, Shane had lifted Aurora from his arms and he shook his head in amusement as he watched him carry his niece over to the sofa.

"Your brother is a pain in the ass." he commented to his wife.

"Tell me something I don't already know." she grinned back, rolling her eyes as she glanced over at him holding their baby girl.

"But look, this whole mistletoe thing," Paul began as he guided her into the corner of the room where the beautifully decorated Christmas tree blocked them from view, affording them some privacy from the rest of the family. "You don't have to do it, you know." he told her.

The twinkling lights danced across his handsome face and Stephanie was touched by the caring expression she saw as he looked back at her. She knew what Paul was doing here. He knew how freaked she had been ever since the accident and he had been so incredibly understanding and patient with her. But now, any fear she may have felt at any intimacy between them had suddenly slipped away. Instead there was this overwhelming clarity in her mind, a clarity that made her realise she was falling in love with this man all over again and right here was where she was supposed to be because quite simply and without question, she and Paul were meant to be. She knew that and more important than that, she felt it with every fibre of her being.

Fondly smiling at her husband, Stephanie took a step forward and her big blue eyes were shining with a soft tenderness as she reached for him, shyly taking hold of his hand and feeling his gentle warmth work its way into her once more.

"I know I don't have to but I want to."

Her fingers firmly slipped into his, intertwining them as she pulled him closer to her. She could feel the hard metal of his wedding band against her knuckle as she stood on her tiptoes, tilting her head to lean into him.

"I want you to kiss me, Paul." she breathed against his ear.

She turned into him and her eyes fluttered shut as their noses lightly grazed together. Her chest was dancing with anticipation as she felt his warm breath on her skin and her own breath caught in her hot throat as their mouths finally found one another.

Paul's lips gently pressed down on hers and Stephanie sighed softly as she melted into him. Her hand lifted to rest on his shoulder and her fingers touched the soft blonde strands that sat there. They lightly gripped hold of his hair, gently tugging him closer as she kissed him back. The kiss was so perfect and warm and enticing. Her body was tingling all over and her heart was racing in her chest. Yet despite the thrill, there was something else there. A familiarity she had felt when Paul had held her in his arms a few hours ago and confirmed what she already felt deep in her soul. Paul was the one and in his arms was exactly where she belonged. There was nowhere else in the world she wanted to be.

Paul's mouth parted a little wider deepening the kiss and as his tongue gently brushed over hers, that's when she felt it. This strange sensation like she was floating and her head was starting to spin. Everything was becoming black and she could feel herself getting dizzy as she was consumed by a thick darkness. Stephanie's fingers reached for Paul to try and make it stop but she was clutching at air.

And that was when she heard it. There was a distant voice calling her name and somehow she knew she had to focus on that voice. It would stop her fading into the darkness and eventually the voice became louder and closer to her. Stephanie's eyes fluttered open. She could feel the chill of the night air prickle her skin and her bottom lip was trembling.

"Stephanie, are you okay?"

Her confused blue eyes looked up at the huge man crouched down in front of her. He looked worried as he stared intently at her. She swallowed hard finding it hard to breathe as his fingers brushed away the hair that hung over her face. He looked a little younger, his hair was longer and he was freshly shaven but there was no mistaking who it was. His touch was extremely tender and so familiar to her. It was Paul.

"Can you get up? You must have slipped on some ice or something."

As he hovered over her, she realised she was lying somewhere outside and she could feel the cold wetness of the ground below her. She was also vaguely aware of the sound of music in the background as she tried to lift her head. It sounded like a party and judging by the tinsel hanging around her neck, it was a Christmas party. The red garland glittered in the bright moonlight catching her attention and she could see she was wearing her favourite dress, her black Donna Karan dress.

"Here, let me help you up."

Paul's warm fingers lightly gripped her arm. She felt the slow burn of his touch as he helped her to her feet and she stood in front of him, mesmerised by him, feeling like she'd just stepped out of this hazy wonderful dream, a dream that had somehow involved him in some way.

As she absently brushed down her dress, she could feel Paul's concerned brown eyes watching her. They seemed almost black in shadows of the night. Stephanie's facial expression softened under the weight of his stare and her heart skipped a beat somehow knowing that in that moment, she was looking straight at her future. A future that was so clear and real in her mind she had no doubt whatsoever that Paul was the happily ever after she was searching for. She didn't know how she knew that but she just did. It would only be a matter of time before they would be together.

As her lips curved up gently with that thought, Stephanie looked back at the man that she knew pretty soon would become everything to her. Paul Levesque was going to be the rest of her life.

"I knew it would be you." she whispered softly.

The End!