- ALMOST 10 MONTHS LATER -

The fire was crackling quietly in the hearth, a warm glow shining brighter than the candlelight that gently illuminated the large room, laughter and talking drowning out the sound of the phonograph sat in the corner playing music.

Snow was falling beyond the windows, it had been for days now. Cars sat covered in the driveway, any fresh tire tracks or footprints had vanished and the water in the fountain had frozen over.

It was nightfall, the family full from a huge meal prepared by a team of chefs and served to them alongside endless glasses of champagne and rich wines from France. The feeling of unity and solidarity was strong, smiles on everybody's faces at the long table as they joined together for the first time.

Arthur and John were playing with their children while their wives talked and drank wine by the fire, Polly walking over to join them with a new bottle she'd retrieved from the  cellar moments before.

Thomas was sat with Finn and Ada, laughing as he poured the boy his first ever glass of whiskey, the child's reaction to his first sip amusing his older brother and sister.

Kaia was perched on the settee beside her father, Bonnie to her other side, wrapped in his blanket with his head resting against a cushion. He had made a full recovery and was out of the hospital by the end of March. A living miracle, the town called him.

"I got you both something else, another gift." Kaia reached underneath the green tree in the corner of the room, picking up two small red boxes tied with gold ribbon.

She handed the one with Bonnie's name on to him, and the other to her father. Clasping her hands together, she flickered her gaze between both of them as they began to pull the ribbon loose, tearing at the wrapping paper.

"It's beautiful." Aberama said with a small laugh, picking the ring out of the box and holding it up in front of his eyes, twisting it around in the light.

She looked over at Bonnie who was sliding the golden signet ring onto his right thumb, holding his hand out to inspect how he looked with his new piece.

"Didn't steal this, did you?" He asked with a smirk.

Kaia rolled her eyes, unclasping her hands and showing the same ring sitting on her right thumb.

"The engraving, a 'G'," Aberama looked at his daughter with a proud glint in his eyes, running his finger over the embossing on the face of the ring.

"I wanted us all to have something to keep us together, something to remind us of each other, even if we aren't under the same roof anymore."

Kaia had moved in with Tommy in September of that year. Once Bonnie had been discharged from hospital and was back on his feet, she knew that it was the right next step for her to leave her family home. She wasn't a little girl anymore, nor was she having one night stands and running from commitment. She was a woman, a strong one at that, with her heart full of love for one man in particular.

"Come here, darling."

Aberama pulled his daughter in for a hug, the gift touching his heart in a new way. It had hurt him to see Kaia leave their family home, completely shifting the dynamic of their everyday life, but after seeing how happy she was living with Thomas, he slowly began to grow into the same happiness.

"At least we know our gifts won't be stolen anymore." Bonnie said, hugging his sister in thanks and kissing the top of her head.

Bonnie was incredibly proud of Kaia, not that he'd ever tell her to her face. Over the past year, life's events had brought them closer together than they'd ever been. Kaia had changed from an irritatingly intelligent and headstrong little sister into a successful women, reminding Bonnie of the few memories he had of his mother more and more every day.

"Give it a rest, Bonnie, the joke is old now. I happen to love my watch, anyway." Aberama grinned and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the wristwatch Kaia had given him for his birthday last year.

The three of them sat together for a while, sharing old stories about their past Christmas'. Kaia was happy her family was back together, her mind not being able to help itself from imagining what that day would've been like had she been the only surviving member of the Gold family.

She didn't believe in God or angels, but she did believe that her mother was watching over them, whether it was in the glow of a sunset or whisper in a breeze, the three of them knew she was there, looking out for her family from wherever she was. Kaia especially took peace in that.

She eventually emptied her glass, rising to her feet and wandering into the kitchen in search of another bottle. There were empty plates everywhere and wrapping paper strewn across the tables and chairs, mistletoe hung from every beam in the ceiling. The house may have been huge, but it felt cosy. Giving it a homely feel was something Kaia felt strongly about when she took up Tommy's offer of moving in with him, adding personal touches to each room as the months passed.

"Looking for this?"

Kaia jumped out of her skin, resting her hand over her thumping heart when Thomas appeared behind her, a bottle of champagne in his hand and a smirk on his face. His shirt was stained on the collar with red wine and his waistcoat was undone at the first button, his pocket watch hanging down his chest and his sleeves cuffed at his upper arm. His eyes were hazy, as were everybody's after the amount of alcohol they had consumed that Christmas Day, but Kaia still thought they were beautiful.

"Thank you." She said, gently taking the bottle from his hands and placing it down on the table as he snaked his arms around her waist, resting his forehead on hers.

"Come with me," he whispered, placing a delicate kiss on her lips before pulling her by the hand outside into the snow, grabbing a fur coat from the hook by the door and resting it over her shoulders as they made their way over to the horses.

The stables were lit by gas lamps in the darkness, tinsel and mistletoe hung from the roof which was Kaia's request, the whole estate must be Christmassey, she'd said to Thomas, not just the inside of the house.

"Have you had a nice day?" He asked, his arms around her torso as he stood tall behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder as the watched the horses before them.

"I've had a lovely day, every day is lovely with you."

He chuckled, kissing her neck. The air was bitterly cold, the wind feeling like needles prickling his skin with every breeze that whistled through the skeletal trees that lined the pathway down to the paddock, but he didn't mind.

"Can I tell you something?" He mumbled, his arms squeezing her body.

She simply nodded, resting her hands on top of his own to warm them.

"I knew I'd marry you as soon as I set eyes on you, Kaia. When you walked into the Garrison with that red lipstick on and your high heels, the suit and the coat, that stare you gave me when I confronted you, fuck," he laughed to himself, "I knew straight away that you were the one, you had me before you'd even looked into my eyes."

Kaia smiled softly as his words, his breath tickling her skin. Thomas had always been a man of very few words, or so she'd thought. Since moving in with him, it was as if he would never run out of things to say to her, endless complements and proclaims of his love, the way he was so enchanted by her simply being. Kaia thought she knew Thomas, and she did to a certain degree, but she slowly realised that there was so much more to him than she'd ever have the chance to discover in this lifetime and the next.

"You want to marry me?" She said, blushing, even though he couldn't see her face.

He drew in a breath, "I do. How about it?"

Kaia froze, slowly turning her body, still wrapped in his arms, to face him. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile, his hands gripping her waist as he gazed between her eyes and her lips.

She couldn't speak. Kaia always had an answer for everything, everybody knew that, but Thomas had left her speechless. He cleared his throat before lowering himself down onto one knee in the snow, reaching into the pocket of his trousers and pulling out a small velvet box.

"Tommy get up! The snow will soak you through!" She gasped, her heart beating louder than she ever remembered it beating before in her life.

"You've been on your knees plenty of times for me, Kaia, allow me, just this once."

She flushed hot all of a sudden, his eyes warming her down to her bones as she bit down on her lip to stop herself from smiling as he gazed up at her in the glow of the early evening moon.

"I know it's only been a year, and for most people they wait a little longer than that, but I don't want to wait any more. I intend to spend the rest of my life with you, Kaia, I've never known a love that's had me in its grasp quite the way your love has. I know we're meant to be, so what do you say? Will you marry me, Kaia Gold?"

Kaia thought her heart was about to burst out of her chest as she listened to Tommy speak, snowflakes settling on his hair and his skin, sparkling like something magical, which to her, he was.

"I will, of course I will," she laughed with tears in her eyes, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet before perching on her tip toes and kissing his lips.

"Hey," he whispered, one hand holding her face inches away from his own, "Did you notice a you're a pearl short on your necklace?"

Kaia furrowed her brows, reaching up to her neck and running her fingers across her mother's necklace, quickly counting the number on the chain.

"One is missing." She gasped, her eyes wide.

Tommy flicked open the velvet box in his other hand, revealing a pearl sat upon a thin gold band. Her mother's pearl.

She began to feel herself shake as Tommy took her left hand inside his own, sliding the ring onto her finger before kissing her knuckles.

"Tommy, I can't believe this..." she whispered weakly, laughing as tears of happiness fell down her cheeks, "I love you more than words can say."

Tommy smiled, holding his fiancée in his arms as the snow fell around them. They glanced to the side, seeing the faces of their two families huddled in the window, watching with proud grins.

"And I love you," he said, wiping the tears from her skin with his thumb, "Our winters won't be so bleak anymore, Kaia."

- THE END -

an;;
ahh stop not me SOBBING :((( I think Kaia might possibly be my fave OC I've written and I'm so proud of everything. I really hope you enjoyed this story, I'd love to hear any thoughts, please let me know any feedback!!
keep an eye out for updates on new stories too, I'll be writing frequently as always so tons more content is coming soon!
lots of love
-champagnepoetry-