I'd been so excited to finish this that I didn't realize it would actually be kind of sad... I can't believe it's over! But I hope you guys enjoy the ending. It's pretty much an overload of happiness, but I think you all were probably expecting that at this point. :) Thank you so much to everyone who has ever reviewed, favorited, alerted, or even just read this story. I appreciate it so much more than I could ever express. All I can do is say "thank you" and just keep writing, hoping you enjoy the other fics, too.

Reaching into your eyes,

I can feel you crawling through my veins

Like catching the first sunrise

Mesmerized

Sometimes when I'm with you

These feelings falling like a landslide

As both of our dreams collide

~Lifehouse – "Mesmerized"

A year and a half later…

The oversized, sheer white canopy sloped up toward the sky, draping delicately over a wooden frame before billowing out on the other side. Another evenly spaced frame caught it, the pattern continuing on and on to house the small group of guests below until the material was tied in a design around a frame at each end. White lights were strung overhead, running up and down the length of the canopy, and additional lighting was hidden behind less sheer material above to keep the atmosphere dim.

Smooth parquet flooring temporarily covered the sand, but the sleek black chairs and tables with off-white tablecloths and deep maroon centerpieces were a little more her style. This was far more than she needed or even wanted, but Calleigh had to admit that it was absolutely beautiful. Eric's sisters had really outdone themselves, and she surprisingly didn't mind having her non-wedding turned into somewhat of an actual wedding.

Between the fading sun and the breezes from the ocean just twenty yards away, it was just balmy enough to be comfortable in very little without getting too cool. That worked well for her, considering her white halter dress dipped way low in back and just low enough in front. And that had evidently worked incredibly well on Eric because he hadn't taken his eyes off her all evening.

This really was perfect – so perfect she didn't even really know what to do with herself beneath all the pretty lights and among all the elated people. But Eric was so good at this, and he had his fingers threaded with hers as he navigated them through the small sea of faces. Thankfully, all of them were familiar, but she still lit up a little extra for a select few.

"Alexx," Calleigh greeted excitedly, then patiently waiting as Eric wrapped their friend into a hug. "You look amazing," she noted as she got her turn, closing her eyes for a moment as Alexx's comforting arms wrapped around her.

"That's my line, honey." Alexx clasped Calleigh's hands in hers to look her over, tilting her head slightly and smiling proudly. "You look absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you."

"Congratulations to both of you," she said, genuine eyes dancing between the two of them. "Let me know if you need help with the baby here."

"Thank you, but just have fun," Eric assured, smiling as he glanced around. "My mom has her somewhere…probably feeding her all sorts of stuff she's not supposed to have. Feel free to steal her away, though."

Laughing, Alexx nodded and squeezed their hands. "I might have to do that. She's too cute not to. See you later."

Eric laid his palm over Calleigh's bare back, finally managing a few moments away from people to return back to their table. As she lifted her wine glass to her lips, he couldn't help but let his eyes roam over her.

The dress clung to all her curves loosely enough to remain classy and then draped over her hips to fall to the floor in smooth, satiny waves. Her skin was as creamy as ever, with just a hint of sun-kissed freckles sprinkled over her shoulders from all their recent walks on the beach with Alexa. Her naturally wavy hair, which he loved, had been curled into perfect barrel curls and the top half was twisted back, leaving most of her hair to cascade down her back.

Everything was simple, but simple was more than enough for her. Alexx was right; she looked absolutely gorgeous.

When she noticed his eyes on her yet again, she slowly set her glass down and smiled. Truth be told, she'd found it just as hard to keep her eyes off him all evening. His light clothing just emphasized the beautiful caramel of his skin, and his eyes looked especially golden brown amid the combination of natural and soft, artificial light. Though his mother had begged him to shave, Calleigh adored the rough stubble littering his cheeks and chin.

Tugging at his white button-up, she drew him closer and his hands came to rest on her sides. As she pushed up onto the tips of her toes to capture his lips with hers, one of his hands moved to dive into her curls and cradle her head. Though her lips moved against his gently, there was an underlying intensity resonant of the day.

For all intents and purposes, they were already married, and they'd been a family since long before Alexa was born. That had been enough for her. She didn't really need the symbolism or the ceremony, and she definitely didn't even want the admiring eyes and awkward traditions. Their wedding had been true to that – no forced toasts or outdated rituals, no walking down the aisle to cheesy music or being given away. It had just been them – and the people who mattered.

Still, for all her apathy toward such symbolism, she was realizing that seeing that band around his finger did a little something to her. And she was pretty sure it was more than just the knowledge that she'd no longer have to shoot daggers with her eyes at women who fawned over him with Alexa in public. It was something deeper. They were finally here – had been for a while, really, which was why they hadn't been in a rush.

Tearing his lips from hers, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled as her hand reached up to rake through his short hair. This was anticlimactic in the best possible way – a wedding day without nerves, full of assuredness and long overdue.

"I want to go see her now," Calleigh whispered softly, the first to give in. Time with Alexa today had been unbearably scarce, and consisted mostly of stolen moments here and there.

Chuckling, Eric began scanning the small group. His eyes finally landed on Anna and a few members of his family, including his mother with Alexa seated on her hip. Taking Calleigh's hand in his, he led her toward their favorite person, grinning the moment her eyes found them and immediately lit up. Her little legs and arms were squirming and flailing excitedly all over the place by the time they'd come close, and Calleigh immediately scooped her into her arms.

"Mama!"

"Hi, gorgeous," she soothed, settling Alexa in against her hip. Slobbery fingers that had undoubtedly been in the toddler's mouth were curiously exploring her satiny, smooth dress, but Calleigh didn't mind at all. "You like my dress?"

She received a toothy grin in response, complete with dimpled cheeks and a scrunched button nose – more than enough to make both Calleigh and Eric melt. And then her bright hazel eyes were looking upward, following the columns of lights above.

"Lights?" she asked for clarification, pointing up.

"That's right," Calleigh assured, following her gaze. "Pretty lights."

"Pret lights…" Alexa repeated, trying out the phrase with a few mispronounced and missing letters.

As Eric leaned in to kiss their daughter's temple, Calleigh met his eyes, proudly communicating what they both knew: she was growing and learning so fast. And with the running around and babbling words came the slow disappearance of her baby features. Her cheeks were still adorably chubby, but her features were beginning to thin into more of Calleigh's heart-shaped face. Her light brown hair, a genetic compromise, was long enough to be collected into low pigtails behind her tiny ears. And hazel eyes, brown around the edges with a burst of green at the center, were taking in almost everything these days.

They were all soon distracted by the music pouring through speakers, and as several pairs of eyes landed on them expectantly, Calleigh shook her head.

"I said no awkward first dance stuff." She tilted her head accusingly at Eric, but he held his hands up defensively.

"I told them," he assured, fully aware that partaking in such plans would surely not bode well for him. Calleigh was a private person, very reserved and collected, and putting such a private, romantic moment on display for everyone to see was probably near the top of her most uncomfortable situations. After all, there were co-workers and superiors here; Eric understood that. But as the corners of his lips curved upward into a smirk she realized that, even if he had nothing to do with this, he was enjoying it.

"Ven aqui," Clorinda requested, eyes sparkling playfully as she reached for Alexa. "You have to dance, mija."

"No." Calleigh smiled sweetly and shook her head, fixing her eyes on Alexa, who was in unknowing agreement as she shook her head right along with her mother. "No, we don't. Not alone, anyway." She gently hoisted Alexa higher on her hip, content to stay right here and far, far away from the center of that empty dance floor.

Alexa, however, had much different feelings toward that word. "Dance?" she asked, wide, hopeful eyes waiting on Calleigh.

"You can dance all you want, Sweetheart." Calleigh set her on the floor below, watching as her daughter bounced her legs and swayed her little hips to a beat not at all in sync with the slow music currently filling the air.

Like most people nearby, she was so focused on Alexa's adorable antics that she hadn't noticed the not-so-subtle nonverbal urging her sister and Eric's sisters were giving Eric. And she didn't think much of his arms wrapping around her snugly until he was pulling her back, closer and closer to that still empty dance floor, and it was more than a little too late.

"Eric. No."

He'd be able to tell if she was serious – and she wasn't – so he didn't hesitate to sweep her legs out from under her and lift her into his arms. Before she knew it she was in the center of that damn floor, being spun a little as he lowered her back to solid ground and wrapped his arms around her waist once again.

"I am so going to kill you one day," she whispered even as she stepped up on the tips of her toes to secure her arms around his neck. She was doing her best to focus on him and not on the people watching with whom she'd have to resume work on a professional basis next week.

"Not today." His tone was confident and nonchalant as he swayed her softly to the music. "That wouldn't be a very good end to a wedding."

"Mmm, you'd think…" Grinning, she toyed with the hairs at the nape of his neck and he pressed his forehead to hers. "Might wanna enjoy it while it lasts." She surprised him then by tilting her chin up slightly and pressing her lips to his. Hands gliding down her back, he smiled into the kiss, letting his touch dip low to where fabric clung to the small of her back.

When she pulled away, the sound of a familiar cry distracted her and her eyes were immediately seeking Alexa. She hadn't needed to look far, though. Alexa was quite vocally protesting their absence and battling her grandmother's arms. Finally ripping away with an impatient scream, she bolted for the dance floor, for her parents, and ran toward them with frustrated tears streaming down her cheeks.

Eric squatted down and her pace quickened, eager to be in his comforting arms. Calleigh had to smile as she watched them adoringly, noting the way Alexa yanked a fistful of his shirt in an attempt to pull herself up even closer to him. He lifted her in response, cradling her against his chest and soothingly rubbing her back.

"What's wrong, Carina?" he asked as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, tears magically subsiding.

Letting her become a part of their dance, Eric held her against him with one arm and placed his free hand on Calleigh's lower back once again. She wrapped an arm around his neck once again, her other helping to support Alexa as Eric resumed their now slightly awkward dance. Oblivious to all the eyes on them, Calleigh laughed a little though her eyes were flitting over Alexa worriedly.

"She'll be okay while we're gone," Eric assured before she could ask, so in tune with those eyes.

"I know, and part of why we waited was so she'd be old enough to be without us for a few days…" It was obvious she was still trying to convince herself.

"Five days in a cabin in Colorado with only us in bed by a fireplace to stay warm will be worth it." His playful, excited eyes persuaded her, and soon she was cupping the back of his head to bring his lips back down to hers.

Finally, others were filtering on to the dance floor and Calleigh felt a little more at ease. She relaxed into him and Alexa, fingers delicately tracing her daughter's hairline as she tucked a few tendrils behind her ear. Sighing contentedly, she placed her arm back along Eric's beneath Alexa's thighs and studied the two of them.

Eric was so, so good with her, just as she knew he'd be, and yet it still kind of stole her breath away at times. So did the fact that she was here, after all she'd been through, with a family that more than made up for her dysfunctional one. While as she'd grown up her mother had become even more distant and clueless, Calleigh felt closer to Alexa every day. She was helping her grow and learn, watching her personality develop – feisty and impatient, yet gentle and innocently curious at the core. And she was still absolutely in love with it all.

It hit her again – that thought she'd been turning over in her mind for the past few months.

"Eric," she began softly, eyes dancing between his and then over Alexa again. "I want another one."

Confused, his brows furrowed for a moment until he took in her amazed, hopeful eyes and nervous smile. The widening of his surprised eyes just made her smile even broader.

"Another baby?" He was serious, with a questioning brow raised, but an amused smile was beginning to tug at the corners of his lips.

"Yeah…" Her eyes searched his, neither of them noticing they'd altogether stopped moving to the music. "I've been thinking about it for a while."

Gaze still locked with hers, he let the idea settle for a moment. Of course he wanted another baby – and soon – but the practical and rational side of him hadn't expected this so quickly. Alexa hadn't exactly been planned, and afterward Calleigh had been practically bursting at the seams to get back in the field. She'd struggled to keep up with feedings while working, and she'd all but thrown a party the day she could slink back on in to her favorite little black dress. The idea of her wanting to do it all again so soon was…surprising.

"What happened to hating to miss out on the guns and chasing bad guys?" He studied her eyes, truly leveling with her as he tried to gauge her reaction. "You haven't even been back in the field for a full year."

"I know, and I love it…" she trailed off, rolling her eyes at herself. "But it's just different now. And it feels pointless to wait if we want this, especially when we don't even know if we have time to wait… It's not like we have another ten or fifteen years."

Alexa was now asleep on his shoulder, and Calleigh watched her contentedly sleep for a moment before looking up at Eric again. She saw it in his eyes, too – the want to do it all over again, and then maybe again, but she could also tell he was worried about what she really wanted.

As he watched her, however, he took in her honest eyes and knew she'd never be rash about a potentially huge decision. She'd been thinking about this for 'a while,' apparently. Knowing Calleigh, it had probably been building up for weeks, months even, and tonight had been the boiling point. That made him smile right back at her, leaving her wondering just what he was thinking as he pulled her back to him and lowered his lips to her temple.

With his sister approaching to likely take Alexa home for the night, he simply rubbed her bare upper arm and whispered, "We'll talk about it later?"

"Okay." She nodded, leaning in to kiss Alexa goodnight – and goodbye, she realized with a sad smile. "Love you," she added just before Eric kissed Alexa, too, and gently transferred her into his sister's arms.

"Have a good time," Christina teased, eyes playfully dancing between them as she walked off.

Calleigh laughed, but her eyes were lingering thoughtfully on her daughter's retreating face. And when she turned back to Eric, he was watching her with the very same intensity.

From the elegant bathroom, Calleigh could just barely hear Eric's end of a rather entertaining conversation with his sister.

"Yes…I know…I know we're on our honeymoon, but-"

She smiled at his frustrated sigh, practically able to imagine Christina's lecture in both Spanish and English words going a mile a minute. Looking in the mirror, she drew her hair back into her hands to run her fingers through the fading curls.

Beside her reflection, the small window revealed a world that was so foreign to them: snow-covered hills that went on for miles, cold and dark yet somehow beautiful. To two people who'd lived in sunny, beachy Miami for so long, there really was nothing more romantic than several days in a secluded, snowy forest that guaranteed they'd barely step outside their bedroom.

"We are not ridiculous," she heard him defend, and finally, finally, Christina must have let him get his point across. "We just want to know if she fell asleep okay, and if you gave her the yellow blanket because…"

He paused for a moment, and Calleigh knew he must have been listening to Christina finish the sentence they'd already delivered to her at least five times. '…because she gets scared without it.'

For a brief moment, she entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, they were being a little ridiculous…and then she remembered that they were thousands of miles away from their daughter for the first time. Calling to make sure she was sleeping peacefully with her security blanket was…perfectly acceptable.

"Okay, good," he said, his chuckle a low rumble throughout the wooden cabin. "Yes, that's all. I promise. I-"

As Calleigh examined her reflection in the mirror, she heard him stop short and knew Christina had probably hung up on him. Smiling, she turned to the side, making sure the lacy designs on her simple but sexy little chemise were falling in all the right places. And they were, the design exposing skin on her lower back in behind and then revealing just enough in front to drive him wild. The rest of the material was satin and it was loose enough to flow, but it still clung to her curves and cut off high up on her thighs.

"Okay," Eric began as he moved throughout the beautiful cabin towards their master suite. "Alexa fell asleep just fine with her blanket, we aren't allowed to call for two days, the fire is going, and…wow."

He froze in the doorway as his eyes fell on her with a certain amazement, taking in the natural sexiness emanating from her that the beauty of her curves, her skin, her face all helped create. And that little gown…he blipped through his mental catalogue of her sexy little numbers, from unintentionally sexy oversized t-shirts to several very intentional little gowns, and this one was definitely not in there.

She tucked a bottle of lotion back into her make-up bag and turned around. "Hey," she uttered playfully, confidently, as she rested her palms against the counter behind her and leaned into it. "And…?" she teased, eyes sparkling, fully knowing he'd completely lost that thought.

"I…have no idea," he admitted, grinning. He focused on her delicate face for a moment before his eyes trailed downward unabashedly. "So this is new…"

"This?" She smoothed her hand over the material, unknowingly bringing that lace just the teeniest bit lower and driving him that much more crazy. "Kinda. I've been holding out on you."

He laughed, both at the thought and at the confident, teasing way she pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders. Still, just the idea of Miss Non-Tradition hoarding sexy lingerie for their honeymoon tripped him up a little. She could still completely surprise him.

The familiar tone signaling a daily alarm on her phone resonated throughout the bathroom. She turned back, shushing the phone and dutifully reaching into her make-up bag to retrieve the compact of pills. Popping it open, she paused at the feel of his chest against her back, of his arms wrapping around her small frame.

His hands slid down her arms tantalizingly slow, finally covering hers and taking the compact into his own hands. He turned it over: a brand new pack, another month of letting her wrestle with the decision in her mind…or they could give in to what they both wanted right now and be that much closer to potentially achieving it.

Eyes meeting hers in their reflection, he watched a curious smile spread across her lips and knew the answer was obvious. She was ready. They were ready, and they both wanted this more than anything.

"You really don't mind not being in the field?" He rested his head against hers, taking in the lingering sweet scent of her shampoo until the temptation of her skin became too great. Lowering his mouth to her shoulder, his lips skimmed over her skin with light kisses.

"For this?" She drew his eyes to hers in the mirror. "Not at all."

Acquiescing, she tilted her head to the side as his lips landed on her neck, studying the elated grin now highlighting his features in between kisses. Snapping the compact shut, he tossed it into the wastebasket and secured his arms around her, all too aware of the way her beautiful smile broadened.

His lips continued their journey, dancing over the sensitive skin just below her ear before she turned in his arms. Hands gliding down her sides, he gripped her thighs and eased her body up onto the counter, settling in between her legs. As he ducked down to kiss the corner of her mouth, her hands landed on either side of his face and she matched him smile for smile.

Running his fingers through her long hair, he leaned in closer to her body and brushed his lips against hers once, twice, and then a third, deeper time before pulling back slightly. His eyes were still alight with the prospect of creating a life within the next few months and she just watched him for a moment before drawing his forehead down to hers.

"What?" he asked, noticing the emotion in her eyes as she studied him.

"Nothing." She smiled, hands gliding over the muscles in his neck and then over his firm shoulders. Slipping down further, she pushed the first button on his shirt loose, followed by the next and then the next. "I just love you," she said softly, teasingly bringing her lips to his only to kiss his bottom lip lightly.

"I love you, too," he whispered, cradling her face in his hand so he could fully capture her lips with his. His free hand traveled over the silky material and down to her bare leg, grazing over her thigh slowly until he curved his hand around the back of it. The promise of more of his warm touch everywhere had her deepening the kiss, taking the bait when his tongue darted out to tease her bottom lip and parting her lips for him.

Hooking her legs around him, he gripped her thighs to pick her up and carried her toward the oversized bed by the fireplace. As he eased her down, he dotted kisses along her chest, up her neck again, and then finally took her mouth against his once more.

Calleigh sighed into the kiss, reveling in how it felt to just be, to live together now as a family without reservation. Not only did they have Alexa, but now they were making the decision together to do it all over again.

They were finally here, though that wasn't necessarily a surprise to either of them. After all, it was bound to happen sooner or later. They just preferred sooner.