"Well, that was a waste of a morning." Jake grumbled as he slid behind the wheel of his truck. "Didn't like a single one of those places."

"Not the whole morning was wasted." Cassandra said looking down at the ring that Jake had placed on her finger shortly after they'd left the goldsmith.

Jake grinned looking at his own ring. "Okay, not all of it. But still . . . ."

"I know. We're hardly home but I'd like, I don't know, well, something different than what we've been looking at."

Jake made a frustrated sound. "Maybe we have to look further away from the Annex? I . . ." His phone started ringing. "Oh . . . it's Baird."

"Better get that."

"Hey," he answered trying to sound like they hadn't blown off yet another day of work.

"Stone. I've been wondering if you and Cassandra were still alive."

"We're fine. We were apartment huntin'. I do remember tellin' you this."

"Yes, and I remember you also telling me you needed two hours. It's been four."

Jake winced. "Oh."

"Yes. And you didn't come in at all on Monday. What is going on with the two of you?"

"Nothin' we just got caught up in . . .Anyway Baird, I take it we have a case?"

"Something like that. Just get here."

"She hung up." Jake said looking over at Cassandra. "And she's getting as cryptic as Jenkins. How can we have something like a case?"

"I don't know. I guess today is the day we tell everyone we're engaged, huh?"

"If you're ready . . . . If you'd rather keep it our secret . . . ."

Cassandra smiled and stretched across the seat to kiss his cheek. "I'm ready. Just be prepared for Ezekiel."

Jake chuckled and turned to kiss her properly. "I'm too happy for him to have any effect on me today."

"Hmm, just don't hit him." Cassandra winked.

They entered the Annex hand in hand. A voice boomed out, "Well, there's two and three."

"Flynn!" Cassandra cried, dropping Jake's hand to run into the Librarian's arms.

"Hey, you're a sight for sore eyes." Jake grinned at Flynn from behind Cassandra.

Flynn chuckled releasing Cassandra from the hug. "The last time I saw you two, I figured peace had been declared. Now we have hand holding and apartment hunting and . . . " He took a look between the two of them. "Huh, I'll be."

"What's huh?" Baird asked coming from behind him.

Cassandra held out her left hand and Baird gasped. Ezekiel materialized from somewhere and gave a whistle. "That's a fine ring you've got there. Stone, I'm impressed."

Jake rolled his eyes at the thief and tried to reign in a chuckle at how incredibly girly Baird suddenly had become.

"That's gorgeous! When did this happen?"

"This weekend, well actually Monday morning, after we got back from visiting his sister. I . . ." Cassandra's explanation was cut off by an exclamation from Ezekiel.

"Are you wearing a ring, mate?"

Jake straightened his spine, held his left hand up so the ring was visible and stared straight at Jones. "Yes, I am."

"You guys didn't get married, did you?" Baird asked, looking from one to another.

"In many cultures," Flynn piped in. "Both the man and the woman wear engagement rings. . . ."

He looked like he was probably going to launch into a lecture but he was stopped by Jake's "Exactly!"

"We didn't get married. We wouldn't do that without having you all part of it." Cassandra said.

Jake curled his arm around Cassandra and took a deep breath. He fully expected an onslaught by Jones but . . . ."Cassandra did the proposing so it was only fair that we both got rings."

Ezekiel started laughing and Baird twisted his ear so hard that he shouted. "Ouch! That was uncalled for."

"So is whatever you are going to say. " She turned to the couple. "I think that's very you, honestly. Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations," came the voice of Jenkins from the center of the room. He smiled at Cassandra. "Though tea is my preferred libation, I do have a bottle for just such an occasion."

She gifted him with one of her brightest smiles. "Thank you, Jenkins."

Jenkins wandered into the kitchenette. Jake turned to Flynn, "So what does bring you back? Not dragons again?"

"No, no. This is strictly a research trip. Which reminds me, I should . . ." He looked over wistfully at Baird who was talking to Cassandra and keeping one eye on Jones. "Get on that."

Jake followed his look. "Stay for the bubbly at least. And just so you know," Jake winked at him. "Baird likes a late lunch."

Jake patted the Librarian's shoulder and walked over to his fiancée.

"So seriously?" Jones was asking. "You just blurted it out?"

"Pretty much." Cassandra giggled.

Jones shrugged and turned to Jake. "I bet you were gutted. No love poetry and over the top romantic gestures to be had."

Jake rolled his eyes. "It was romantic enough."

Cassandra's resulting smile and the look on Jake's face made both Baird and Jones feel like they were intruding. Baird cleared her throat.

"So, uh, have you set a date yet?"

Cassandra shook her head.

"We still have to tell our folks. Just not quite sure . . .well Cassandra's met my youngest sister but there's still the others and my father. And . . . ."

"I haven't even spoken to my family in years." Cassandra sighed. "I'm getting up the courage to call them this weekend. They don't even know I left New York."

"That's rough." Ezekiel said, his manner changing. Cassandra was a soft spot for him, the sister he never had and never knew he needed. "If you guys would rather have us as a family . . . ."

Both Baird and Jake looked at him in shock. Cassandra smiled sweetly at him.

"That was very sweet, Ezekiel. Thank you."

"That was . . ." Jake's voice broke. "Really nice Jones. Appreciate it."

"Hey, let's just not make a big deal out of this, okay?" Jones suddenly went back to his usual self. "Look, Jenkins. Maybe he found cake too. Because any excuse for cake right?"

Baird smiled. "Make sure to reserve an entire layer of your wedding cake for Jones." She nudged the young man toward Jenkins. "And you know, what Jones said goes for Flynn and I as well. Anything you need, you just ask us."

"Thank you," Cassandra smiled. "Eve. For everything."

Baird walked off and Cassandra sniffled a little. Jake pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you. And this job."

Jenkins set a tray with 6 champagne flutes and a bottle of Bollinger on the main table.

"It's not quite the Library's collection of fine wines, but I find this an excellent brand. Not that your tastes would be sophisticated enough to notice."

The others just rolled their eyes and ignored Jenkins. They'd come to know that that was how he showed affection.

"And just for you Mr. Jones, I do indeed have cake. Oddly enough."

Champagne was passed around and Baird looked over at Flynn. "Maybe a toast?"

He brightened up and she raised a finger. "On second thought, let me make the toast. " She thought for a long moment then raised her glass. "We've all come such a long way since ninjas invaded a bar in Oklahoma."

Jake laughed, putting his arm around Cassandra.

"I've watched us all struggle with this new world around us, watched you all bicker and fight, watched trust issues be resolved, watched Jake and Cassandra fall in love. I'm sure that along with the three of you being the first Librarians in training this is probably another first. But I think the Library would join us in our congratulations."

"It would." Flynn said with a smile. "May you two be the first of a long line of Librarians who found happiness here in these walls."

"I'd like to drink this, so here's to Jake and Cassandra." Ezekiel finished. "Cheers!"

"And may the Library be back and whole by the time we exchange wedding vows." Cassandra said softly.

Flynn smiled at her. "I'm hoping that wish will come true very shortly."

So it came to pass that Cassandra's wish did come true. Within a couple of days, Flynn's research had paid off. The weeks that followed were fraught with danger but eventually the Library was restored. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, it was now rooted to the Annex in Portland and no longer under the Metropolitan Library in New York. The LITs had been graduated to full Librarians, the first of hopefully many in this new Library. Charlene hadn't been too happy with the Library's sending habits in her absence but the Library and she had come to an agreement. After all, the Back Door significantly cut down on travel expenses. Flynn and Eve were now able to explore their own relationship.

And now that the hectic month was over, Jake and Cassandra could go back to planning their own future.

The End

Notes: Flynn's voice is incredibly hard for me to capture, which is why I didn't have him speak much. Imagine that the finding of the Library went pretty much like it did in Loom of Fate, except obviously the dynamic between Jake and Cassandra would be different. And possibly they wouldn't have run straight off to Lima. Although maybe they would. Putting off telling your family things when you're not sure of their reaction . . . .

This is the last chapter in Impossible for Breakfast. This is not the end of Jake and Cassandra's stories in this verse though.