Originally, when I wrote the epilogue to 'Salvation' I had written so much angst beforehand that I was keen to wrap up a happy ending, hence why I jumped two years ahead in time. But I've thought recently that I short changed myself, and my readers, but not writing some of the events that happened in those two years. So this story is a collection of those moments that I should have written. I hope you enjoy them!

20th November 1994

He had been desperate to tell them from the moment that she had accepted the ring the night of Adams re-election party. His happiness that evening, knowing that she had agreed officially to be his wife, had known no bounds and when he had taken her back to her apartment, they had fallen into bed together and he had held her tightly to him, delivering the news to his children had been the next logical step in his mind.

The morning after, however, when they had woken lazily in the winter morning light, she had said that she thought they should, in fact, wait a while and he had felt the cold arms of disappointment and fear wrap themselves around him. To have her back in his heart, his arms, his bed, to believe that she wanted to take the next step with him and then have her pull back…he didn't want to push her, of course he didn't. He had done that before and it had only succeeded in driving her away and perhaps he was guilty of getting too caught up in the moment, of being too eager to get to the next step. But she had officially accepted him. She had worn his ring in public. Changing her mind now…

They had argued about it, her saying that she was worried that Peter and Pamela would think it was too soon and him countering with the fact that everyone that had been at Adam's party knew, and it would be completely wrong if the kids found out about it from anyone other than them. In the wake of that realisation, she had reluctantly agreed but he could tell that she was still unsure about it.

"What if they're really upset about it?" she asked, hovering in the corner of his living room as he prepared to go and collect them from the train station that evening. "What if all the good work you've done in building your relationship with them over all these months is ruined because we've decided to get married?"

"The kids and I are solid. You have to stop worrying about my relationship with them," he said.

"Ben, they have let me back into their lives after everything that happened…"

"And you need to stop punishing yourself for things that were not in your control."

"Of course it was within my control. I chose to leave and…"

"Evelyn…" he pulled her into his arms. "We've been over this so many times and I know you've talked about this with Liz in your sessions. You weren't in a fit state to make rational choices at that time and no…" he pulled her chin gently upwards so that she couldn't avoid his gaze, "I am not saying that you were crazy. The kids understand that and they love you as much as I do, and I promise you that they are going to be ecstatic when we tell them."

He left her then, unable to wait any longer lest he be late, and the kids wonder where he was. The station was busy, even more than usual given that it was the weekend before Thanksgiving, and after a short delay seemingly caused by a signal fault, Peter and Pamela came tumbling off the train, hauling their bags behind them, red-cheeked and full of conversation.

"How was the party?" Pamela asked, as they made their way out onto the street. "What dress did Evelyn decide to wear?"

"It was green," he replied, suddenly aware that he remembered little else about it, other than how the zip had stuck when he had been trying to remove it the previous night, so desperate had he been to make love to the woman he could now call his fiancée. "She looked really pretty."

"You didn't wear the brown jacket, did you?" Peter asked.

"No," he laughed, "I didn't. I wore a black suit and tried to look as little like a geeky professor as possible."

"I bet you still looked geeky," Peter quipped, ducking as Ben jokingly made to cuff him around the ear. "Has Evelyn gone home?"

"No, she's still at the apartment."

"Why?" Pamela asked curiously.

"Oh we…uh…just wanted to talk to you both, that's all."

"About what?"

"Let's wait until we get there, ok?" They both muttered their agreement but clearly seemed put out at being kept in the dark and he smothered a smile at their attitude. They chatted inconsequentially for the rest of the journey and when they opened the apartment door and saw Evelyn, they rushed at her, hugs and kisses exchanged all round before they both turned back to look at him expectantly.

"So?" Peter asked when nobody spoke. "What did you want to talk to us about?"

He looked over their heads at Evelyn and could still see the uncertainty in her eyes. "Well…uh…" he began, "you both know that Evelyn and I love each other, right?" They both nodded. "And that we want to be together, as a family?"

"Dad…" Peter said, in a tone that indicated that further delay in the delivery of the news was not welcome.

"Your father asked me to marry him last night and I said yes," Evelyn said, the words coming out in a rush before he could draw breath. Peter and Pamela looked at her then back at him and, for a moment, he suddenly felt a rush of the anxiety he knew Evelyn had been subjecting herself to. What if they really would be unhappy about it? What if he had read them all wrong? What if he wasn't as in tune with his own children as he had imagined himself to be?

"You're getting married?" Pamela asked.

"Yes," he said, "and we hope that's all right with you both." The words had barely left his mouth when she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and jumping on the balls of her feet with obvious excitement. Over her head, he saw Peter pause for a moment and then a smile spread across his face as he turned to embrace Evelyn.

"When are you getting married?" Pamela pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes shining. "Are you getting married in the city? Will it be before Christmas? Ooh, have you thought about doing it at the tree?!"

"Well, we haven't quite decided all that yet," he replied with a laugh as she ripped herself away from him and threw herself in turn at Evelyn. "But it's not going to be until next year at least." He paused. "Can we take it then that you're happy?"

"It's great, Dad," Peter said, moving towards him for a somewhat manly hug that he appreciated more than he could articulate. "It's really great."

XXXX

"I told you everything would be all right," he said later that evening as she put on her coat ready to return to her own apartment. "I don't think we could have had a better reaction."

"No, I guess not," she smiled up at him. "I'm sorry I made such a big deal about it."

"I understand, honestly I do," he pulled her into him. "I'm sorry if you feel I've been pushing you into things that you're not ready for."

"It's not that," she shook her head. "I guess…I guess I just still don't quite think of myself as being worthy of you, any of you. I guess I still feel as though I have a lot of making up to do for everything."

"You have nothing to make up for," he said fiercely. "You need to start believing that Evelyn. You need to start believing in yourself."

"I know," she reached up and kissed him gently. "I guess I'm still a work in progress."

"Well the finished article is going to be Mrs Stone, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her." He kissed her gently and was gratified by the way she held herself against him, melting into him, her arms going around his waist as he allowed his hands to slide down over her buttocks and pull her pelvis snugly against his own. "One thing I certainly can't wait for, is not having to say goodnight to you out here but rather knowing that you'll be sleeping in my bed every night."

"Our bed," she reminded him with a smile.

"That's right," he kissed her again. "Our bed. Yours and mine."

She stepped away from him, but he held onto her hand, almost reluctant to release her into the world. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Straight home now," he warned her playfully.

"Don't worry," she paused at the top of the stairs. "There's no-one for me but you, Ben. Not now, not ever."

He watched as she disappeared out of view and then let out a long breath, pausing for a moment to lean back against the wall before heading back inside the apartment. She had so much strength and yet, still so much fragility. But she was his, no-one else's, and he was never going to lose her again.

Never.