I had Christian by my side.. The whole day had passed in discussions, with my father and Amelia slowly finding their way to some conversation that filled my heart. On the other hand, apparently all my mother needed was to have papa by her side. And nothing more mattered to her. It was her that told Jack where I was, and probably instructed him to bring me back home alive.. The night had fallen now, and it effortlessly consumed every inch of the sky with its blankness. I seemed to be seeking some get-away because the whole day, I hadn't exchanged a normal word with Christian. It was all still tensed, of course. My father had just found out about the two of us, and despite Christian's claims that he accepted it, we still had to be careful.. But he was there now, sitting on the roof beside me.. His scent gave peace to my soul, the warmth of his body soothed every worry my mind suffered, and for the first time in so long, my heart found a steady rhythm. I moved closer to him, closed my eyes and felt him cold me tight against his chest.. "I thought I lost you in that house.." I left a kiss on the side of his jaw, feeling him pull me closer. "I was so scared," "Shh, it's all over now. Everyone is fine," My head was leaned against his shoulder, my eyes closed when he left a kiss over my hair.. "Are you?" I looked up at him just to see those dark eyes scan my face in concern. I nodded my head, just to find him lean down and leave another one of those butterfly kisses right over my cheekbone, the arch of my brow.. "That's all that matters to me." "What happens now? What did my father say about— well, us?" I was aware of the curiosity in my eyes, one to which his eyes smiled. "Nothing particular, but I believe he approved.. Somewhat," I felt the slow exhale leave his chest, how he was no longer stiff while holding me, as for we had both found peace in each other's arms.. "As of now.. Now, I must return.. There are people waiting for my next command." I knew it would come to that.. Of course he had to return. Despite my father's approval of the two of us, or at least his choice not to stay in our way, Christian didn't belong in Moondale. But he belonged with me.. I had to make sure he knew that. I could still remember that one time we sat exactly on that spot on the roof, right outside my window.. If only I knew it would end there, on that same spot, I never would've moved. But it wasn't the end. He couldn't just leave, I had barely seen him after everything that happened. "Do you have to?" I asked, close to him, following the sharp lines on his face, the high cheekbones that gave him all that intimidation everyone feared, the darkness in his eyes I loved so much.. "Well, there's no urgency, but I cannot stay here either." "And Amelia?" "She's already getting ready to go back to Annabelle. Dimitri was talking to her on the phone when I left the study," There was a slight smile on his face to the mention of Annabelle. I wanted to meet the little girl.. Amelia did everything for her, we all did it to protect those we loved. "Will I meet her some day?" I was running a finger down his chest before I looked up at him, just to feel him take my hand in his and bring it up to his lips.. The slow kiss he left on my palm melted my heart. "Whenever you wish.." He mumbled against my skin, kissing the tip of my finger, then the other and pulling me closer.. "But you know, I look at my brother, holding little Annie, and— I want that, Lana. I want that with you. A little mini you, as fierce as you are—" He was saying.. Saying something.. Words I was aware of in that moment, yet my brain refused to fully register. Or perhaps I did, just the picture they created in my head left me leaning closer to him, cutting him off before he could finish with a kiss I seemed to be seeking with every inch of my soul. His lips parted and took mine in that familiar way, yet there was some meaning into that.. It was a conversation through that kiss, something deep and hungry and promising.. It was a kiss that demanded and claimed, him me, and the other way around.. It was one that meant not an end, but a beginning of something I failed to understand, yet wished with every part of my body.. "Come with me," He breathed when we pulled away, speaking against my lips, holding me pinned against him in a way that I could feel his heart when he said those words.. "Marry me." I was looking back at dark eyes, eyes that held a vow, that held the despair that was reflected back in mine.. Those words he said had me holding my breath, waking up something in my chest that had my heart thumping, that had my hands tingling when I wrapped them behind his neck and pulled him to myself once again. And that next kiss I left on his lips was the promising kind, the kind that left no space between our bodies, no air in our lungs. I heard the rasp of his breath in that kiss as our lips shifted, the groan that came from his throat and left my body on fire.. I could— I could lay on that roof on top of him and kiss him all night long, I thought.. There was a slight smile that stretched his lips, before he left another soft kiss on my chin, on the side of my face, until his lips brushed my ear. "Is that a yes?" Since there were no words I could find in that moment, no other answer than a breathless yes, I decided to nod my head, to look him in the eyes and let him read mine.. I decided to run my fingers through his hair, pull him closer, and say words against his lips that I could no longer hold to myself. "I love you," "I love you too, Lana Morpher."