"Ivy, do something else! No one knows what you mean by," Jonas waves his hands around in the air to mimic me, "this!"

I sigh. How am I supposed to know how to act out Suzy Snowflake? These charade cards are rigged to hurt my team. "I'm sorry, guys," I say when the timer buzzes. "I did my best."

"Can we pick new teams?" Jonas asks, standing up from the couch.

"You were the one who wanted Ivy on your team, Jonas," Addison says. "You did this to yourself."

Jonas huffs and plops back down in the couch. "This game is rigged." I sit down next to him, and he gives me the evil eye.

"Hey, Jonas, you might not see Ivy in months, and this is how you're going to treat her?" Mrs. Kennedy asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Jonas rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll send her an apologetic post card."

I smile and pat his knee. "I'll look forward to it."

"Can you guys stay longer?" Bethany asks, climbing next to me on the couch. "Why do you have to leave today?"

"Hey, we're not leaving yet. You still haven't performed your recital for us," I remind, squeezing Elliott's hand in mine.

Beth leaps off the couch. "You're right! I'm going to go grab my dress. Ethan, set up the music," she bosses. "Crystal, Rose, work on the lighting. Addison, my hair." She turns to Jonas and puckers her lips. "Yeah, you... you just sit there, Jo."

Jonas drops his mouth open. "Excuse me? As your manager, I expect more respect, missy."

Bethany giggles and runs upstairs to change. Addison follows closely behind to help her get ready. Elliott and his mom go to the kitchen to clean the pancake mess from breakfast this morning. I wanted to help, but Mrs. Kennedy refused to allow a guest to clean. And so Jonas Kennedy and I were left alone.

"So," Jonas starts, "you happy?"

I'm taken by surprise at the question, expecting him to yell at me for my crappy charade skills. "What?"

"Are you happy?"

I smile softly and nod. "I am."

Jonas nods and lets out a heavy sigh. "Finally!"

I laugh, "what do you mean by that?"

"We, the Kennedy's, your family, know you best. And when we saw you at Thanksgiving, you were a pitiful mess." He clicks his tongue. "But, hey, you weren't alone. Elliott was hospitalized for being so goddamn sad. The compatibility of you two!"

"Yeah, well, I'm happy now. I am. I think Elliott is too."

"I know he is, Ivy," Jonas says in a serious tone that never comes from Jonas.

"Who are we gossiping about?" Elliott asks when he runs back into the family room, plopping down on the couch next to me and resting his head on my shoulder.

I smile at Jonas before turning to Elliott and kissing his cheek. "Just some boy."

"Whoa, Jo, you got a new man?" Elliott asks his brother curiously.

Jonas shakes his head. "I'm living the bachelor life right now."

"Respect," Elliott responds.

The lights shut off in the family room, and the tune from The Nutcracker blasts through a mini stereo that Ethan holds above his head. Crystal and Rosie are standing at the light switches, flickering them on and off in a classy pattern.

Bethany comes downstairs in a ballerina dress and begins her routine. I glance over at Elliott during the performance, and he watches his sister with a warm, proud smile. I feel my heart tighten in my chest as I think about how much I love him.

After Bethany's routine, we give her a standing ovation. Elliott picks her up and dances with her for a few songs, via DJ E-dog, self-titled. I dance with the twins and Addison. We switch partners and I end up in Elliott's arms once again. We twirls me and pulls me into his chest, kissing my nose lightly. I see a forever with him.

We pack up our things after the dance party and get ready for our trip back home. Our flight leaves at about seven, and we should be back home in under two hours. I carefully fold my clothes into the suitcase, while Elliott throws his clothes in messily. I reorganize his suitcase when he goes to shower.

As I sit in the family room talking to Mrs. Kennedy about her cookie recipe, Elliott walks into the family room with two suitcases. He's bundled in an over-sized winter jacket, a hat with a fluff ball on top, and a scarf wrapped around his neck. "You ready, Ives?"

I pick up Bethany and stand up from the couch.  Mrs. Kennedy hands me my winter coat and a scarf. I throw on the coat and bend down to give Bethany a hug. She doesn't let go for a good minute. Addison is able to peel her off.

Elliott and I say our goodbyes to the kids after loading the car with our suitcases and presents from Christmas.

"Drive safely," Addison says, hugging her brother tightly. "Call us when you get back!"

"Will do, mini mom," Elliott says and kisses her cheek. He goes to his mom to hug her. "Love you guys."

I climb in the passenger's seat and click the buckle into place. Elliott closes the car door and starts the engine. The Kennedy's stand on the driveway, waving as we back out.

Elliott takes my hand in his and lifts our connected hands to kiss the back of my hand. "I love you, Ivy."

"I love you, Elliott."

I shut my eyes peacefully, resting my head on the chair. Christmas music plays on the radio and fills the car with joy. Elliott hums along, tapping his hands against the wheel.

"Elliott, you just missed the exit for the airport," I say, turning in my seat to check the road sign. He sits there with a pleased smile on his face. I raise an eyebrow. "What is this? Some kind of kidnapping?"

He laughs, "hey, just taking a little detour."

"Oh God," I mutter under my breath and slouch in the seat. "What do you have planned?"

"You actually thought all I got for you for Christmas was socks?"

I pout and glance down at the snowman socks Elliott had gotten for me. "Yeah, they're cute! I thought it was sweet."

"Ivy, you mean so much to me. I have better ways to prove that to you than buying you ugly snowman socks."

"Hey, there are better ways to prove that without needing to get me anything more than cute snowman socks."

He grins and leans over to peck my cheek.

I sit in anticipation the rest of the drive. The drive that ended up being ten extra hours long. We switched off driving roles. Whoever was in the passenger's seat got to watch The Office. I ended up only driving once, since Elliott said he'd rather listen to my laughter than watch the show. Cheesy, yes. Anything cheesy from Elliott still makes my heart tighten. That's one thing that has never changed.

"Are we there yet?" I ask, peeking one eye open after my nap.

"Just about," he says.

I look out the window and recognize that we're in Newport, Rhode Island. It's the town we went to the first day I moved into my dorm. It's the town I pictured myself living in for the rest of my life. The town where Elliott bought that house.

"Elliott," I whisper when he stops the car out in front of a pale green house. It's dark and snowing outside, but the few lights on the streets allow the house to glow. I snap my head to stare at him. I'm just about speechless. "What is this?"

"Home?" He says it with a shy smile, a lack of conviction.

I jut forward in my seat, grabbing his shirt and kissing him. He kisses back gently, his hand holding the side of my face. I almost don't want to pull back.

"Home," I repeat, trying to mask the tears threatening to spill.

*^*^

The move took under a week. Elliott and I are adjusting just fine. The commute to work is not as bad as I originally thought. I get to work in under twenty minutes each day, as does Elliott. We get to take the same train some days.

I haven't been so happy in a really long time.

"Hey, Ives, have you seen my green tie?"

"No, you can't wear the green tie!" I groan.

Elliott raises his eyebrows. "What's wrong with the green tie, babe?"

"I just... I don't like it," I sigh. "Plus, I'm wearing a blue dress, and it just doesn't mix well."

"Oh, so now we coordinate our outfits? I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of commitment, Ivy," he teases, leaning forward to kiss my lips gently.

I roll my eyes and dig in his tie drawer for a simple navy tie. "Here."

"So, how long are we staying at this thing?"

"Liott, Flynn has been planning this party for nearly a year now," I laugh. "We're staying longer than that New Year's Eve party, okay?"

"Don't blame me for that one. You're the one who wanted to leave," he says. "Because someone couldn't keep her hands to herself."

I stick out my tongue and turn to look at myself in the mirror. I hook a silver necklace around my neck and grab my bag off the dresser. "Ready?"

"No. I don't want to go. I want to stay here and watch reruns of Boy Meets World." He adjusts his tie and throws the car keys in his pocket. "I mean, what kind of party is this? A one month of the new year anniversary party?"

"It's just the alias for what this really is," I say. "And I think you need to stay there and keep Flynn calm enough so he doesn't back out."

Elliott groans. "He gets so dramatic about these things!"

"Just make sure he doesn't go on a ten mile run like what happened on Christmas."

Flynn has been trying to propose to Nora for almost a whole year now. Every time he gets too panicked and backs out. He's returned the ring three times now. Three times. I understood the first time he couldn't go through with it, but at this point I'm about to propose to my sister for him.

We get to Flynn and Nora's five minutes before the party starts, on request of my host-zilla sister Nora. She wants everything to be perfect to impress the McCleans. As soon as we step through the doors, I am pulled into the dining room to help fold napkins.

"Nora, is this really necessary? They're going to be unfolded as soon as we sit down to eat."

"Hey, less talking, more three point napkin fabric folding."

I blink twice and turn my attention back on the Youtube tutorial Nora has us all watching.

"Flynn, what the hell is that?" Elliott asks, pointing at his friend's horribly folded napkin.

Flynn throws the napkin at the wall. "Screw you, Elliott!"

Elliott shrugs. "Maybe this is karma for not going with me to Mr. Manners in the seventh grade."

"No, I don't think it is," Flynn says. "You had to do that because you spray-painted a penis on the teacher's chalkboard. Why the heck would I have gone with you?"

I laugh and look at Elliott amusedly. "You were the one who did that?"

"Yeah, you thought it was cute, huh?"

"Oh, how did you know? I could not stop thinking about the mysterious bad boy who spray-painted a penis on the teacher's chalkboard in the seventh grade!" I exclaim in a laugh.

"Excuse me?"

We stop folding immediately, turning around to look at Flynn's entire family standing at the entrance to the dining room. His mom is standing in an intimidating stance that makes me blush in embarrassment.

"Shit," Elliott whispers under his breath, a small smirk on his face.

"Mom! Dad! Charlie!" Flynn runs over to hug his family. "Hey, guys!"

Mrs. McClean has a disturbed look on her face as she eyes me. Nora stands up to greet them, as does Elliott. I'm a bit more hesitant, but I give each a hug nonetheless.

"Smooth one, Ivy," Nora mutters, squeezing my shoulder lightly. "Rest in peace."

As more people arrive, I hide in the crowd from the McCleans. Elliott finds me in the corner of the kitchen, slightly hiding behind the fridge.

"Hey, you ready to leave?"

I roll my eyes. "How's Flynn?"

"Freaking out. I don't think it'll happen tonight, Ives," he admits. "I know you want this more than either Nora or Flynn, but..."

"What? I don't want it more than them!" I argue. "I only want it if they do."

"Maybe you just want a proposal," Elliott says slowly, not meeting my gaze.

I open my mouth, unsure of how to respond. "What?"

"Maybe you're so set on Flynn and Nora getting engaged because you want to get engaged," he says gently. "But you don't think I'm ready, or maybe you don't think we're ready."

I glance around at the other people in the kitchen. "I don't think we should be talking about this here, Elliott."

"I want to marry you, Ivy."

I inhale sharply.

"I want you to be my wife," he continues. "I know we already live together, and I know we already act like a married couple. I know what I want, Ivy. I want you."

"We can't talk about this here," I repeat. "It's Flynn and Nora's night."

"I get that this isn't the proposal you always wanted," he says. "I get that. And this doesn't have to be the official thing if you don't want it to. I'm just asking in a hypothetical sense. Would you marry me?"

I stare into his eyes, our eyes finally meeting. He's holding my hand in his, and I don't even remember when he grabbed it. Elliott is asking me to marry him, to be his forever. I can't seem to wrap my head around things, around the logistics of it all. There's only one thing going through my mind right now. One word. Yes.

"Ivy?"

I snap out of my thoughts, not sure how long I was unresponsive for. "Yes, hypothetically. Yes I would marry you, Elliott."

There's no time for a reaction, as his lips smash against mine. He pulls back with an beaming smile, his cheeks red. "Hypothetically, I'm the happiest man in this room."

"Happier than that kid over there sticking his tongue in the chocolate fountain?" I ask, my arms wrapped around his neck.

"Well, I don't know if I'd say I'm that happy, but..." He smiles widely. "Pretty damn close."

"Pretty damn close," I repeat and kiss him gently, lastingly.

~~

AN:

hi.

college. it's a time. a time where I have little to no time at all, actually! I'm beyond busy and have had no chances to work on this story (aside from today!!!) I know it's a shorter chapter than most, but it's wrap up stuff now. we're in the downfall, the falling action, people!

i know it too me 5ever to post this chapter. trust me. I know this. and I can't promise anything about the final chapter being up soon. though thanksgiving break is coming up soon and I'll most likely have time then!

thanks to everyone who has been so patient and so supportive! it means so much to know that I have people on my side who love my work and are willing to wait. love love love!

who else is melting from all these iviott feels ugh <3

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