Well guys, here we are. We have made it to the end and you have miraculously stuck by me until then. I'm not even sure how I held your attention for this long or even how you didn't lose interest in this story, but I'm grateful I did, I'm grateful you didn't and I honestly can't even express my appreciation for how welcoming you've been to me and my crazy ideas. I'm going to try; if there ever was a time for you to review a chapter, it would be this one. I would like to personally thank each one of you with a review reply, so make sure you do so. I can't review-reply guests, though, so if you're going to review as a guest, this is where we part ways haha. THANK YOU so incredibly much. I can't express what your amazing feedback means to me.

Special shout-out to TheVelvetDusk- your reviews flooded my inbox this morning and I loved every single one of them. As you said, a review is a review, and I really don't think I'll ever get tired of reading people's input, their comments, their feelings etc. Seriously. I treasure it each time. So thank you incredibly much for your support and your readership and stay tuned! I have another story in the planning stage currently and though I'm not exactly sure when it'll be out, I know it will. Keep an eye out for me; I'll be around. Until then, see ya real soon!

The chapter title comes from "The Gambler" by Fun. because I haven't used it in a while and I had to end where it all began. I love you all and I hope you don't hate me for the ending. My exit music, please!

so just take my hand, you know that i will never leave your side

"Wow, you ladies are making a mess in here."

Toby's eyes trace the pile of sprinkles on the counter, the flour nearly everywhere and the sticky substance on the stove. The kitchen is a disaster and there's no way this isn't killing Spencer's OCD. Grace, however, looks entirely content, pouring M&Ms into a bowl of sticky batter. It's Christmas Eve and she has been waiting to bake cookies for Santa Claus for weeks now. There's a sugary aroma filling their house as Spencer pulls a batch from the oven. The Christmas tree in the living room is twinkling and bright and snow is falling gently on the ground outside. Toby's never seen their house so cheery and festive and honestly, it's a glorious sight.

"You have to make messes sometimes, daddy," Grace tells him. "That's how you know you did a good job."

Spencer laughs. "That's a good philosophy."

"I don't think Santa really needs all these cookies," Toby says.

Grace asks, alarmed, "Why not?"

"Well have you seen him lately?" Toby teases. "He can barely stretch his jacket over that stomach of his."

"Daddy," Grace laughs. "He needs a big belly so he can shake it like a bowl full of jelly!"

"Yeah, Toby, everybody knows that," Spencer jokes and he shoots her a look. "You watch what you say. Make fun of our cookies and you don't get any."

"Oh, well that's not fair," He counters. "They smell so good."

"You can't have them!" Grace shrieks. "They're for Santa!"

"Santa's going to eat all of these?"

"No," Grace rolls her eyes and Toby does a double take, wondering if he'd ever seen her do that before. "He's going to bring some home to Mrs. Claus, too. And maybe the reindeer will like them."

"The reindeer will definitely like them," Spencer agrees. "Especially the sugar cookies. Are you ready to cut them out?"

"Yeah!" Grace squeals and the two switch places, Spencer handing her daughter a slew of cookie cutters.

"Go wild, kid!"

She does and takes her job very seriously, only placing the best cuts of batter onto the cookie trays. When all is said and done, they have three-dozen Christmas cookies and they certainly do not need that many, but all of their hard work pays off. It takes a good half hour to scrub the kitchen down and when they've finished, Spencer decides she doesn't want to cook and dirty it up again. So instead, they order Chinese food and listen to Christmas carols and check the Santa Tracker on the Weather Channel, learning he's in London. After a bath, Grace sets out a plate of cookies for jolly old St. Nick and Toby helps her pour a glass of milk for him to wash it down. They tuck her into bed and tell her to try and get some sleep, although her excitement may render this impossible. For a bedtime story, they of course read from "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," as it is deemed fitting.

"He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work," Toby reads softly. "And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk."

"And laying his finger aside of his nose," Spencer continues. "And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!"

"He sprang to his sleigh, to his team, gave a whistle," Toby concludes. "And away they all flew like the down of a thistle."

"But I heard him exclaim," Spencer smiles. "'Ere he drove out of sight…"

"Happy Christmas to all," Grace fills in sleepily. "And to all, a good night."

As her parents go to tuck her blankets more firmly around her, Grace realizes this is a farewell of sorts and will do anything to put off her bedtime. She pleads, "One more story!"

"I think one's good enough for tonight," Toby tells her but she's unsatisfied.

"Then let me read one!" Grace then barters. "I can do One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish! Or I can do If You Give A Mouse A Cookie! Or-"

"Grace, you can read to us tomorrow," Spencer promises. "Right now it's bedtime."

"But," Grace pouts, her lower lip trembling. "But..."

"No buts," Spencer shakes her head. "And don't give me that pouting puppy face."

Grace crosses her arms dramatically, adding to the effect, and Toby chuckles. Spencer doesn't. She's seen it before; her husband, family and friends will all claim that Grace is a mini-Spencer, especially in looks. But that pout is a signifying factor in measuring Grace's sadness and when she's upset, she looks exactly like her father. Spencer eyes her now, eyes that perfected trembling lip and accompanying whine, and knows that her daughter's putting on an act in an effort to buy her some time. But still, she can't help but see Toby in Grace's exaggerated frown and glossy eyes and if it wasn't completely contrived, it would undo her just as Toby's pain always does.

"Knock it off, babe," Spencer warns. "Santa's still watching, remember? It's not too late for him to turn around and bring your gifts to someone else."

Grace's frown inverts slowly and she says, "I can read to you tomorrow."

Spencer nods. "I would like that."

"Maybe Santa will bring you some new books," Toby suggests. "Hopefully something that isn't Dr. Seuss. I'm getting sick of him."

They both kiss her goodnight, warning, "Santa doesn't come if you're not asleep, Gracie!"

"I know!"

"Get some rest, baby. We'll see what tomorrow brings."

"I will!"

They close her bedroom door behind them and Toby says teasingly, "For the record, I find her pouting puppy face to be pretty cute."

"She looks like you when she's sad," Spencer informs him. "I don't like it."

"You don't like it?" Toby laughs. "That's just great. Come on, Spence. She can't look like you all the time."

"That's not why I don't like it," She frowns. "I hate seeing you upset and now I have to see it twice."

"Well, you don't have to see it at all, at least not now," Toby assures her. "She's ecstatic; now we just need to wait until she passes out."

For all her excitement, Grace falls asleep pretty quickly and thus, her parents are able to get to work rather efficiently. They do everything in their power to create the magic of Christmastime; filling the stockings, stacking the presents beneath the tree and of course, scarfing down the cookies and drinking the glass of milk, leaving the glass and plate of crumbs behind. Toby even leaves a note for Grace in his most majestic handwriting and Spencer puts a reindeer hoof print at the bottom (it's a stamp she'd bought at a craft store years ago and she never thought she'd actually have a use for it). They too turn in for bed and know that Grace will be awakening in the wee hours of the morning in her elated surprise.

They're correct; it's barely six a.m. and the sun is just starting to rise when Grace bounds into their bedroom clutching the note from Santa. "Mom! Dad! Look what Santa left me! He loved the cookies and said I was really good this year! Look, he even got a reindeer to sign it!"

Spencer chuckles. "Good morning to you, too, Grace."

"Yeah," Toby yawns. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," She returns distractedly. "Come on! Let's go downstairs! Come on!"

They follow their eager little girl sleepily and delight in all her excitement. She enjoys the candy and the little trinkets they've placed in her stocking and when Toby brings her breakfast, she only eats half before bouncing and squealing and pleading to open her presents. They allow it; Christmas carols are flowing through the house and each time she opens a new present, she treats it as though it's the greatest thing she's ever been given. Toby and Spencer know exactly how that feels; since the day they'd had little Grace, their lives had been enriched and changed ultimately for the better. She tears through her final gift and when she realizes it's the second half of something she already has, she nearly has a coronary. Running up the stairs, Graces calls back that she must reunite the two and her parents are left in the mess of wrapping paper and bows.

"Well, that was a successful Christmas, I think," Toby chuckles, returning from the kitchen with a trash bag. "Seriously, she's never been that happy."

"I know," Spencer agrees. "She's great. She deserves it."

"True," Toby nods. "What time is dinner at your parents' tonight, again? I'm thinking a nap might be in order for all of us."

Spencer laughs. "A nap always sounds good. Dinner's at seven, so we have plenty of time."

There's a lull as the two stuff more and more wrapping paper into the trash. When they've finished, Spencer says, "I actually have a present for you."

He frowns. "We said we weren't doing gifts this year!"

"I know, but I couldn't help myself," Spencer informs him. "I had to."

"Spencer, you're going to make me look bad," He says. "I didn't get you anything."

"I wasn't expecting you to," She shakes her head. "Trust me, it was kind of last minute and I'm the one that broke the rules, so…"

"Alright," He begrudgingly accepts it. "Okay. Where is it?"

"In the garage," Spencer says, standing and tugging on his hand. "Come on."

They cross the room, pulling open the heavy door and heading into the chilly garage. Before them rests that infamous tan Chevy truck with a big red bow on the hood. Toby asks in confusion, "It's my truck…?"

"Yes," Spencer grins. "Guess who got it to run again?"

His eyes widen and he exclaims, "No you didn't!"

"Yes I did!"

"No you didn't!" He shouts. "How?"

"A friend of my dad's is some kind of mechanic miracle worker, I don't know," Spencer shakes her head. "The details really aren't important, but I know how much you love this thing, so-"

"Not as much as I love you," He responds truthfully and kisses her to prove it. "Thank you. Seriously."

"You're welcome," She grins. "But there's more inside."

"I mean, honestly, I never thought I'd drive this thing again," Toby goes on. "It was making all kinds of awful sounds and then the HT leads were worn completely thin… Seriously, you are so great."

"There's more inside, though."

"I don't think people understand that this is more than just a truck for me," Toby ignores her pleading. "It's a symbol, really. It means the world to me because you gave it to me and now you're the one that fixed it! It's the damn circle of life."

"Toby," She says urgently, stopping his rant. "There's more inside."

"Oh my god, I heard you," Toby shoots back, pulling open the driver's side door. "I was getting sentimental; is that a crime? I doubt anything in here could top-"

He falls silent when he notices what's atop the dashboard. It's a pregnancy test, a red ribbon tied across the thin tubing, and it's positive. Toby's mouth drops open and he says, "Oh my god."

"Merry Christmas," Spencer puts in. "Sometime in July, our three becomes four."

"You're pregnant," He says and when she nods in confirmation, his face breaks into a grin. "You're pregnant!"

He slams the door shut and lifts her into his arms, spinning and kissing her over and over. God, he's never been happier; every time he says this, Spencer will do or say something and he has to retract his statement. Every day with her continues to prove him wrong about the limits of his own happiness and each time he thinks he can't possibly love her anymore, he does. They're going to have another baby; Grace will be a great big sister and Spencer had already proved to be an amazing mother. He's excited; he's thrilled. And honestly, this is far better than the truck being fixed. He loves the truck, sure, and he'd be pretty lost without it. But it's nothing compared to the feeling he gets when he's with his family.

"So you're excited, then?" Spencer teases breathlessly and Toby laughs.

"Well, I'm concerned, because at one point that was covered in urine and now it's in my car," Toby nods towards the pregnancy test and Spencer laughs out loud. "But of course I'm excited. I'm so excited!"

"Grace doesn't know yet," Spencer admits. "And I don't want to tell my family just yet, either."

"That's okay," Toby smiles. "It'll be our little secret."

"Okay," Spencer grins back. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Toby tells her and presses his lips against hers once more.

Words will never be enough to convey just how much they mean to one another, but that's just the thing; they don't need to be. Toby and Spencer have, by now, mastered the art of telling each other they loved one another through their everyday actions. It's in the way she laughs or the way he smiles or the way they kiss. It's in their every gesture; every flick of the eyebrow, every loving gaze, every tug of the hand. It's even in the way they fight, because they've fought for just about everything, but they've never fought harder than when it's for each other. And that's what matters; they won't give up on one another because they never have. When love comes this strong, it's not going to come without its ups and downs. But they've seen it all; they've gone through hell and back together and have come out the other side. And honestly? They're stronger because of it.

The good, the bad, the ugly; they aren't going to go away. But Toby and Spencer will get through it all, hand in hand.