Dinner went on without any interruptions or negative comments. It was as if nothing had happened, although the conversation was directed toward Ryan and his new love. Lauren didn't mind and neither did Speed.

Lauren sobered up once she had food in her stomach. Dominic sat quiet most of the time. This was his first real Christmas dinner, and the food was amazing. Daphne had told him she would fix him up all the leftovers he wanted. Angela and Brad chimed in every now and then when they weren't busy cutting up food for the children or giving little signs of affection to one another.

Lauren and Speed helped her parents clear off the table while everyone else set up the living room for present time. Speed picked up one of the plates just as Lauren walked up beside him. He turned to face her and smiled. Lauren almost melted. His smile always got her. Her knees and arms went weak. She loved everything about him. Speed cocked his head to the side and whispered in Lauren's ear, "I know I said this earlier, but you look beautiful tonight… I love you." He kissed the side of her cheek and grabbed the remaining plates from the table, taking them to the sink.

"Is that all mom, dad?" Lauren said as she hugged Speed.

"No-" Daphne began.

"Yes, Lauren, that is all. We've got it from here," Roger said taking a wet plate from his wife's hands and drying it. Lauren grabbed a hold of Speed's hand and led him into the living room.

Angela noticed Lauren and Speed mosey in hand-in-hand. A silly grin slowly crept to her face. She hadn't seen her sister this happy in a very long time. Now she had to convince their parents. "Lauren, we put all yours and Tim's presents on the loveseat before mom and dad came in and dominated it. I made sure they were sitting next to Brad and me," Angela said. Lauren thanked her sister.

Speed noticed there were a few presents for him. "You guys didn't have to get me anything. I don't even know how you knew I was coming in the first place," he said getting comfortable with Lauren on the oversized loveseat.

"I know. I was so shocked when I saw I had five presents for me," Dominic interrupted.

Lauren snuggled up against Speed's side, and rested her head on his chest as Roger and Daphne entered the living room. Lauren wrapped her arms around Speed's waist and asked, "Can I have a kiss?" She was smiling from ear to ear.

"Sure, but you don't have to ask." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He kissed her again and again and again.

Daphne watched them until Margaret grabbed a small pillow and chucked it at them. "Get a room you two," she said laughing. Lauren made a goofy face and stuck out her tongue at her best friend.

"Mommy, when can we open presents?" Aubrey asked as she climbed onto her mother's lap. Daphne and Roger took their seats on the sofa.

"Right now sweetheart. We were waiting for grandpa and grandma."

"YAY!" Aubrey shouted.

Angela looked over at Lauren, and noticed the envelope she had found when she was passing out the presents. Angela knew this was the first one that should be opened. Margaret, being Lauren's best friend knew somewhat of the contents of the envelope.

"How about we start with Lauren and Tim? How about you give Tim that envelope?" Angela said.

Lauren looked back at her sister confused. "What envelope? I gave Tim his presents this morning."

"No you didn't, because Angela found one in the bag you brought. It has 'Tim' written on it," Ryan said pointing to the cream colored envelope sitting on the arm of the loveseat. Lauren looked and immediately recognized what it was. She had been looking all over her apartment for this. She never thought of looking in the bag of presents. This was only for Speed's eyes.

"Um… no. This isn't for anyone else's eyes. This wasn't supposed to be in the bag. I lost it a few days ago. It must have fallen in the bag," Lauren said grabbing it and slipping it into the crack of the seat cushion. Speed looked down at her. He was curious. He wasn't sure what was in that letter, but he could feel it was something personal and heartfelt.

"I have a feeling I know what it's about, and I think you should read it here, in front of everyone," Angela said nodding in the direction of her parents.

"How do you know what's in here? I didn't even-" It was then Lauren realized Margaret must have said something to her while they passed out the gifts. She looked over at her best friend and gave her a 'you are so dead' look. Margaret just shrugged her shoulders, because she felt the same way, so did Ryan, Brad, and Dominic.

"So get going and open it and read it," Angela said.

"Angela! Come on!" Lauren protested.

"No. You're going to read it. So get going."Lauren sighed. She knew she wasn't going to win this argument. Speed kept his eyes on Lauren with anticipation.

Lauren began to read the letter, "Tim, where do I even begin? I have so much to say. I've never really done anything like this. I guess I'll start with the first day we met. I remember getting butterflies in my stomach when you looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes. You were like my school girl crush, but those feelings turned into something real. I began to see you as a best friend. I'm not going to lie, and say I was I wasn't heartbroken when you told me that dating a co-worker was a rule of yours, because I was. I could see you and me become us. You made me feel like… like I mattered. Time went on, and I accepted your rule." Lauren's eyes began to fill with tears. She continued, "Fast forward to now. The year I felt like I knew my place in life. Our friendship had grown so much. We were in a good place. Work was incredible. I get to spend my day with some pretty awesome people, including you. We got to meet Dominic, a kid who touched my heart. His case made me realize even more how precious life is. It was by far my favorite investigation. Look at him now. He's turning his life around, and is doing well. Dominic should be an inspiration to all kids."

"Lauren, please. You're the one who should be the inspiration. Without you and Tim I would probably be in jail wasting my life away," Dominic said his voice thick with emotion.

Lauren thanked him and continued with her letter to Speed. "But life took a drastic turn in September. It was the day we almost lost you." She paused a moment to steady herself. "It was just like any other day at work, but as the day went on, the case progressed, a few things came up, and I had to leave. You later called and said you and Horatio were heading to McCauley Jewelers. I said I would be there. Everything after that was a blur. One minute you were standing near Horatio then next you were on the floor." The tears began to spill our from Lauren's eyes; a few tears escaped Speed's eyes. He reached out his hand and grabbed Lauren's and gave it a little squeeze.

Breathing in a sharp breath, Lauren continued, "Someone had fired off a round hitting you just a above the heart." Lauren wiped the many tears off her cheek smearing every last bit of makeup she had on; her hands began to shake. "I remember firing off a few rounds killing the man who had shot you… Angela, do I have to read this?" Lauren asked emotional.

Her sister responded firmly and said, "Yes." She was successfully holding back her tears, but didn't know how long that would last. The letter her sister had written to Speed was both sweet and heartbreaking.

"All right, where was I?" Lauren searched for her place and continued, "I remember firing off a few rounds killing the man who had shot you. I couldn't remember where or what Horatio was doing. All I could focus on was you… seeing you struggle to breathe and being unable to move. I froze-" She stopped and let out a small sob. "Before I knew it, Horatio was doing everything he could. He even managed to call for rescue. There was so much blood I didn't think you were going to make it. I remember holding your hand and making sure you stayed still. If it hadn't been for Horatio, you wouldn't be here. If I would have just gone with him, you wouldn't have been shot, and you wouldn't have almost died. I've never told anyone about feeling responsible for what happened to you, not even Horatio."

Speed's voice cracked and he said, "Lauren, stop. It wasn't your fault, all right. I was going to come with Horatio anyway." Lauren shook her head and cried even harder. Speed pulled her in tight hug, and whispered in her ear, "Lauren, please, it's not your fault, okay."

Angela, Brad, Ryan, Margaret, and Dominic all had tears streaming down their cheeks. Lauren's niece and nephews were a little confused and didn't know what to think. Roger and Daphne surprisingly had tears forming in their eyes, but Daphne was shielding her face. She didn't want anyone to see her.

"I prayed every moment of every day that God would keep you here with me. I didn't want you to leave me. I never want you to leave me. When you opened your eyes and looked at me, I became the happiest girl in the world. I was even happier when you came home. God had answered my prayers. I could go on, but I think you already know where this is going. I love you, Timothy James Speedle. It took you almost dying to realize what we have, but we have each other now. I'm never letting you go. I love you. You make me feel beautiful. You love me the best when I'm a mess. You love me when I'm my own worst enemy. There isno me without you. You are my rock and my hero. With you by my side I truly feel like I can face the world. There aren't enough words to describe how much I love you. Love always, your girl." Lauren sniffed and again wiped the tears away.

She folded up the letter and slipped it back into the envelope and handed it to, Speed. He gently took it and set the heartfelt letter on the arm of the loveseat. Speed stood up and held out his hand for Lauren to take. Lauren took it and he pulled her into another hug. "Thank you." was all he could say. His emotions had gotten the best of him. Lauren started crying again into his shoulder. "I love you, babe." Speed would thank her later on that night.

"I love you," Lauren said just above a whisper.

The living room filled with silence. No one knew what to say, and everyone had tears in their eyes. Daphne got up and left the room. She didn't want anyone to see her crying. Angela looked over at her mother. Having Lauren read the letter in front of her was the right choice.

Everyone took fifteen minutes to gather themselves before reconvening in the living room. Lauren and Speed took their seat back on the loveseat. Daphne nor Roger seemed to mind.

"How about we start with Aubrey, youngest to oldest," Angela said dabbing the corner of her eyes with a tissue.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Aubrey asked climbing on her mother's lap.

"Yeah baby, I'm fine. Come on let's open your first gift from grandma and grandpa."

Speed looked down at Lauren as she adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. The letter she had written to him was incredible. Speed knew right then and there, only after a few weeks of dating, Lauren was the one. She was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

His thoughts were broken when he heard Lauren laugh at Aubrey. The expression on the little girl's face when she saw that she had gotten a new doll was priceless. Speed wrapped his arms around Lauren's waist, and pulled her even closer to him; he planted a kiss on her cheek. She looked up at him, smiled, and kissed him soundly on the lips a few times. No one seemed to notice, they were all watching Angela and Brad's kids tear open their gifts.

Two hours later, all the presents had been opened. Angela and Brad had gotten Lauren an unbelievable amount of gifts. Angela said since they weren't able to be in Florida for her birthday they wanted to make up for it. Well, they sure did. Brad and Angela ended up getting her a lens for her DSLR camera, a lens coffee mug, a gift card to her favorite photography store, and a few other photography goodies. Margaret, Dominic, and Speed got the standard gift basket the Wolfe family hands out to new guests, an assortment of gift cards and a few other different things depending on whether or not you're a male or female.

After dessert, everyone started to pack up their gifts and leftovers. Almost everyone had to get up early and head to work. Andrew and Jayden were half asleep as they helped their father pack up the car, and Aubrey was fast asleep in Lauren's arms. Angela walked by and said cheerfully, "You're doing great with her and the boys. Best aunt ever award."

"Yeah, well I'm they're only aunt. Brad has all brothers," Lauren joked.

"True. But still you're her favorite. You're going to be a great mom one of these days, whenever that happens." Angela leaned in close to Lauren's ear and whispered, "I hope it's with, Tim. I can tell he's it. I see the way you two are. I've never seen you this happy before."

A smile spread a crossed Lauren's face, and a sparkle appeared in her eye. Lauren looked at Speed. He was talking with the boys. Ryan was probably discussing a case. "Yeah, he's pretty awesome isn't he?" Lauren made eye contact with him and he immediately walked over to her.

"You guys talking about me?" he asked with the smile.

"Of course. The sister needs all the details," Angela said taking Aubrey from Lauren's arms. "But I assure you, it's all good." Angela turned and left the couple to themselves.

Speed leaned down and captured Lauren's lips with his. "You ready?" He kissed her again.

"Yep. I think we got everything in the car. Dominic got his things. I just need to say goodbye to everyone."

Speed pulled her close to him, and whispered in her ear, "Well, let's hurry up. We can pick up where we left off this morning." Lauren giggled and kissed him.

"All right then let's go. Dominic you got everything?" Lauren asked.

"Yeah, I put it all in the backseat of your car. I'm all set to go," Dominic said.

The goodbyes were nothing but the usual. Lauren was glad her father shook Speed's hand, and her mother gave him a hug before leaving.

"Lauren, thank you for having me over your parents place. You didn't have to," Dominic said to Lauren after five minutes of being on the road.

"It's not a problem, Dom. I'm just sorry you had to see the ugly side of things with my parents," Lauren said keeping her eyes on the road.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Lauren. Your parents love you. I can see that. They're just having a hard time with things it looks like."

Lauren sighed. "Yeah, well love is a funny thing."

"You can say that again."

"There are all different pathways of love…" Speed said trailing off.

The End