2 months later – New Year's Eve

"For fuck's sake Seb, didn't anyone ever teach you how to tie a tie?" Natalie said, slapping his hands out of the way with exasperation.

"When would I have ever needed to?" he grumbled, his own irritation coming out as he conceded defeat against the unassuming strip of cloth around his neck.

"Uh, high school graduation?"

"Wore my hoodie."

"Job interview?"

"I freelance."

"Fucking...prom?"

"Do you even know me?"

"Yoba save this boy," she sighed, tightening the knot and stepping back to make sure it was even. After a few subtle adjustments – smoothing his collar, pushing his hair back out of his eyes, plucking a stray bit of lint from his jacket – she nodded in approval. Despite his obvious discomfort and shitty posture, Sebastian cleaned up reasonably well. Estelle should talk him into ditching the hoodie more often.

"Congratulations Seb! Despite the odds, you actually managed to look passable," she decreed with a smirk.

"Great. Thanks," he replied flatly. "Remind me why you're up my ass instead of Estelle's?"

"Because Estelle knows how to dress her damn self, unlike you fools," Natalie said matter-of-factly, turning to help Sam with his own tie – that he'd inadvertently turned into a noose. "I'll be leaving in a minute though. The girls are packed into Haley's house for hair and makeup and I need to get in on that."

Sam tilted his head in confusion. "But...don't you already have makeup on?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Obviously I'm already done, but do you know how many women in this town don't know a concealer from a highlighter? Haley can't make everyone look wedding-ready by herself you know."

"Oh. Right," Sam said, nodding like he understood what the hell she was talking about. He was adorable like that. "Want us to come?"

Natalie shook her head decisively. "No offense, but you'd seriously just be in the way. Besides, Seb isn't allowed to see Estelle yet."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Because! Hush."

The guys exchanged a look but neither argued, and Natalie finished Sam's tie. When she stepped back to check him out all dressed up, she had to wage an internal war to keep from ripping his clothes back off again. The clean lines, the fitted pants, the contrast of a crisp suit and his messy hair...Sam looked downright edible.

They'd better hurry this ceremony up, 'cause Nat had about 3 weeks worth of pent-up ravaging to do to that man.

For now she settled for just kissing him stupid. Natalie was pleased to see that dazed, heavy-lidded look on his face when she finally pulled away – and even more pleased to see that her smudge-proof lipstick had lived up to its claims.

"See you soon," she murmured, running her thumb over his bottom lip before turning to grab her stuff. Sebastian was standing next to her bag, idly checking his phone to avoid the blatant make out session happening in front of him.

"Good luck dude," she said with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing hard. The two of them had their ups and downs, but she genuinely wished the best for him. He was a good guy, and he made Estelle happy, which was all she could really ask for in the end.

He returned the hug awkwardly, as was expected. "Um...thanks," he mumbled, a touch of color coming to his cheeks.

With that Natalie scooped up her bag and headed out towards town. Between Emily's custom outfits and her and Haley's combined cosmetology skills, this was gonna be the sexiest fuckin' wedding Pelican Town had ever seen.

Estelle stared at her reflection for a long moment, admiring the dress Emily had made for her. She'd hand tailored everything for the wedding, which was absolutely insane but...well, that was Emily in a nutshell. It had been a while since she'd dressed up, and even longer since she'd worn anything even a fraction so elegant. The dress was long and graceful, accentuating her form without being tight or garish, and the material was thick enough to keep her warm through the lingering winter chill. It was seriously gorgeous. Despite her oddities, Emily had so much talent, and such a big heart to share it so freely.

Wasn't that the case with most people in Pelican Town though? They all had their talents, and they all let them shine. Haley was photographing the wedding, Evelyn had made the floral arrangements, Gus was cooking up enough food to feed an army, Robin built a trellis and the kids scoured the town for crocus flowers to wind around it. Everyone found something they could do to help, and asked nothing in return. It was truly amazing.

Estelle looked around the room, taking in each of the women applying lipstick, curling hair, tugging up pantyhose, laughing and smiling and just living and breathing their community. It brought her back to her first days in this town, when she was so taken aback by how everyone here seemed to really give a shit about their neighbors, that incredible culture shock she'd gone through.

Now she was part of the community herself. People gave a shit about her. Despite all the struggles, the tears, the heartbreak...she'd made it.

She'd made it.

The door swung open, bringing with it a cold chill that had Haley screeching for it to be closed. Natalie strolled in unbothered, blowing Haley a kiss before setting her bag down and crossing the room towards Estelle.

She gave her a once over as she approached. "Damn girl. Try not to make the rest of us look too shitty, yeah?"

Estelle rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'll do my best. How are the guys?"

"As hopeless as expected. I straightened them out though, no worries." She glanced around the room and frowned.

"What is it?" Estelle asked, turning to follow her gaze.

Natalie shook her head. "Nothing. I just thought Caroline would be here. I saw her cutting through town carrying a dress and..." she paused, raising her eyebrows. "Wait. Do you think...would Abigail seriously show up?"

Even after all this time, hearing her name made Estelle cringe inwardly. It was like a reflex, so ingrained that she couldn't shut it off even if she wanted to. And she did want to, come to think of it. That bitterness wasn't healthy to carry around, and Abigail was nothing to her anymore. She didn't come around, she didn't call, she didn't so much as glance in Sebastian's direction these days. It was like she didn't exist.

And even if she did...it wouldn't matter. Estelle knew that now. Their time in Zuzu had given them the chance to heal, and since coming back to Pelican Town their bond was stronger than ever. She knew without a doubt that he was hers just as completely as she was his, and Yoba himself couldn't come between them.

But even though she knew Abigail was no threat, that didn't mean she had to like the bitch or anything.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Estelle said, pursing her lips in distaste. "I don't think she even has a sense of shame."

"I kind of admire that actually," Nat said. Estelle shot her a look and she shrugged. "I mean she's obviously walking garbage, but the concept of doing whatever you want and fuck what people think about it? Sounds like goals to be honest."

"Most of us call that sociopathy."

"Eh, to-may-to, to-mah-to," Nat said with a grin. "Anyway, pretty sure I just saw Marnie pick up a bronzer so I'm going to go play damage control."

"Good luck with that," Estelle laughed, twisting open a tube of mascara and turning back to the mirror. The methodical application of makeup was soothing, and helped her shake off the unwanted negative feelings that talking about Abigail had left her with. It didn't matter if Abigail came or not. It wasn't like she was going to ruin the wedding or anything.

...right?

Natalie fidgeted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs as she impatiently waited for the ceremony to begin. She was excited of course, and was enjoying the catch up time with Sam, but she couldn't help but wish they'd just hurry the hell up. She spent 4 hours this morning sitting on a bus, and her capacity for stillness was thoroughly depleted.

Still, everything was beautiful. They'd gone with purple and green, which sounded horrific from Estelle's description on the phone but actually looked really nice in person. Bright bouquets of crocus flowers, chairs tied with pretty ribbon, the elegant white archway Robin had put together – it was incredibly simple, but it worked. Simple fit them better anyway.

Natalie looked around the square, eyeing up the rest of the villagers as she waited. She knew all the women looked damn good – she'd made sure of that herself – but it was a pleasant surprise that even the guys managed to pull themselves together for the occasion. Emily's expert tailoring had certainly helped, but they'd put in their own efforts too. Shane put a razor to his scruff. Harvey fixed his hair. Clint scrubbed the ever-present grime out from under his fingernails. It was a rare and beautiful thing all around.

She'd kind of missed this pack of bumpkins. Some of them were weird or creepy, sure, but you'll have that anywhere. For the most part they were a good group of people. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to live here in the long-term.

She'd been considering it a lot lately. Summer would be here before you know it, and with it came the end of her internship, and the limbo her living situation was currently in. She was going to have to make some concrete decisions about her future, which was something Natalie was not particularly used to doing. If she was totally honest with herself, it scared her a little.

Zuzu was fun, but she was already getting bored with the common diversions. Rent was sky-high for any neighborhood worth living in, and while her opportunities might be greater in the city, she could definitely find work remotely. Sam would move to be with her wherever she decided to go, she knew that, but she also knew he didn't want to leave Vince while their dad was still actively serving. He'd be beyond thrilled if she decided to come back to Pelican Town for good. So would Estelle...hell, maybe even Seb.

It was something to think about, anyway.

"Smile, bitch!" Haley said, appearing out of nowhere and sticking her camera in their faces. Shaking off her train of thought, Natalie leaned into Sam, throwing her fingers up in a V and grinning. Haley snickered and snapped the photo before dropping her arms with an agitated grimace.

"I'm freezing my tits off," she complained. "Who gets married in the fucking winter anyway?"

As if summoned by Haley's annoyance, the wedding march began to play, signaling the start of the ceremony. They all stood, turning to watch the bride slowly make her way down the aisle.

"Leah, apparently," Estelle replied wryly.

Sebastian stared down at his food, idly pushing a roasted hazelnut across his plate in an attempt to ignore the conversation taking place around him. They'd set up the big tables for the reception, the ones they used for the Feast of the Winter Star, and as a result their little group of four had to share. He didn't mind sitting with Jodi and Vince, or Maru and Penny, or his mom…

Demetrius, on the other hand.

Sebastian hadn't spoken to his step-father since that fateful day he moved out. He hadn't even been in the same room as him. Mom had invited him and Estelle over for dinner when they got back from Zuzu, but Sebastian had declined, simply because Demetrius would be there. He'd endured more than his share of forced "family" meals with that prick. He wasn't going to go through it again now that he had a choice.

Today, he didn't have a choice. And he hated it. He hated how one man could fuck up his mood so badly, could shove him back into that familiar trap of anger and rejection that he'd been working so hard to overcome.

He took comfort in the fact that at least Demetrius seemed to be having a shitty time as well. Sebastian could only imagine what was going on in his head, being stuck at a table with his lesbian daughter and her girlfriend, his unwanted step-son and the girl he'd blacklisted. Still, the smattering of satisfaction he got from Demetrius' discomfort wasn't worth having to endure his presence for any length of time.

"What do you think, Seb?"

Estelle's voice dragged him back to reality, the way she always did when he was trapped in his own head. He was usually thankful for it, but right now sulking seemed like a better idea.

"Huh?"

She smiled and shook her head, and he glanced around at the faces of his friends and family all looking at him with varying degrees of amusement. Only Penny was looking away, still refusing to make eye contact with him since the night he unfortunately saw her topless. As if that could be any more awkward.

"Mom's just giving you guys shit about her imaginary grandchildren again," Maru explained, rolling her eyes.

"I am not! I was just saying what a coincidence it is that I was 23 when you were born Sebby," Robin argued with feigned innocence and a healthy dose of suggestive undertones.

"Oh leave them be Robin," Jodi said, shooting her friend an admonishing look.

"Like you wouldn't be excited if Sammy had a baby," Robin retorted.

Sam immediately choked on his drink, Joja Cola shooting out of his nose and onto the tablecloth in front of him. Natalie yelped and jumped away from the soda-explosion, like the caring girlfriend she was. Penny and Jodi rushed to give him napkins, while everyone else howled with laughter. Despite his melancholy, even Sebastian couldn't help but smirk at the red-faced, sticky mess Sam had become. The two of them always delighted in the others' mortification.

Sam's near death at the hands of Joja Corp. managed to kill off the baby talk around the table, thankfully, and not long afterwards the meal ended and everyone went their separate ways. Jodi and Robin left to help Gus with the cleanup, Vince talked Sam into helping him catch a rare Pokemon by the graveyard, and all the girls hit the dance floor. To Sebastian's absolute dismay, by the time everyone dispersed the only ones left at the table were him and Demetrius.

He made up his mind to follow Vince and Sam, but before he could stand Demetrius caught him off guard.

"Here. This is for you."

Sebastian watched in confusion as a small, wrapped package slid down the table towards him. His eyes narrowed, looking from the box to Demetrius.

"Why?"

Demetrius snorted. "Well that's a strange question. I expected 'What is it?' or 'No thank you', not 'Why?'."

"Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint," Sebastian muttered bitterly.

"I'm not disappointed. Open it."

Sebastian was tempted to refuse. He didn't understand what Demetrius was trying to pull, and he didn't want anything from him. But curiosity got the better of him - he couldn't remember the last time Demetrius had given him anything - and despite his best intentions, he found himself reaching out to tear the grey paper off the package.

Out of all the things Sebastian was expecting, the fourth expansion pack for Solarion Chronicles was at the bottom of the list. Demetrius has never shown interest in Sebastian's hobbies, so it was a complete surprise that he even knew Seb played this game. Not to mention...

"How did you get this?" he asked in disbelief. "It doesn't come out for another month."

"I went to college with one of the designers," Demetrius said with a shrug. "To be honest I was shocked to find out how much math that game required. Dan slept through Calc every day."

Sebastian didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. After a moment Demetrius spoke again.

"I know I'm not..." he began, sighing heavily before starting over. "I know I haven't been the best father to you over the years, Sebastian. I won't try to explain or justify it, and I know whatever I say isn't going to make up for it."

"I just wanted to let you know that I see how you've grown over the last several months, and that I'm proud of you."

Sebastian's gut reaction was to snap off with some snarky comment or angry rebuttal. Not the best father was an understatement, and proud? Demetrius hadn't earned the right to be proud. This was all such a fucking joke.

Except...somehow, it wasn't. There wasn't the typical dismissal behind his words, the judgment or resentment or derogatory bullshit. He wasn't speaking to Sebastian like an unfortunate mistake, a waste of time. He was speaking to him like… like a person.

Sebastian didn't know how to process that. It went against everything he had been taught, all the defense mechanisms he'd built over his life. He had no idea how to react to any of this.

"Okay."

It was the best he could do, but it was enough. The corner of Demetrius' mouth curved up almost imperceptibly.

"You should come over for dinner one day. It would make your mother happy," he said, standing. "And...you're welcome to bring Estelle, if you'd like."

Sebastian stared at him for a long moment before responding. "I'll think about it."

Demetrius nodded. Without another word he turned and left, leaving a thoroughly conflicted Sebastian in his wake.

After a series of inane pop songs that Sebastian would rather carve his own eardrums out than listen to again, the music switched over to a soft piano, and those on the dance floor began to pair up or drag their respective partners out from the sidelines. Leah and Elliott, obviously. Maru and Penny. Emily and...Shane?

Huh.

"Crazy right?" Estelle said, plopping down in the seat next to him and following his gaze towards the unlikely couple. "He started walking her home from work a few weeks ago, and now all of a sudden they're a thing."

"Yeah, I did not see that coming at all."

"They're cute though. She's good for him," Estelle said, smiling warmly at Shane. Sebastian still didn't fully understand what Estelle saw in that douche, and apparently the feeling was mutual. Neither of them particularly liked each other, but they were cordial for Estelle's sake.

Estelle slipped her hand into his. "You know, you still owe me a dance," she said, her smile taking a teasing edge as she changed the subject.

"I do?"

"Yep. You turned me down at the Flower Dance like ten times."

"Of course you remember that," he said, frowning as he thought back to that night. He'd felt so awkward, so totally out of his depth. Thrilled by her attention but unsure how to react to it, and so afraid of looking like an idiot that he'd shut her down rather than risk his own embarrassment.

"Girls never forget rejection," Estelle warned. "Make it up to me now?"

On the list of things Sebastian enjoyed doing, dancing fell somewhere between digging out a splinter and participating in organized sports. Still, he knew there was no way he could deny her.

"Fine," he grumbled, heaving a sigh as he stood. Estelle's eyes lit up, clearly not having expected him to agree, and he had to suppress a smile to keep up the grumpy facade. He wouldn't admit it, but that look alone was worth it.

She led him to the edge of the dance floor, far enough from the other couples to make it seem almost private, and slid her free hand up his chest to wrap loosely around the back of his neck. He placed his hand on the small of her back, pulling her close enough that when her body began to sway to the right, his followed naturally. Some guys might take offense to the woman leading, but all Sebastian could feel was relief. At least one of them knew what the hell they were doing.

"See? Not so bad, right?" Estelle said, gazing up at him with those gorgeous emerald eyes that still managed to take his breath away.

"It's marginally less awful than I imagined," he admitted.

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "I'll take it," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I love you," she murmured softly against his skin, and he shivered.

Yoba, he hoped he never got used to that.

"I love you too."

Eventually the song ended, and Sebastian was surprised to find that part of him wished it would have lasted longer. Though not a big enough part to stick around once the beat picked up. He could manage to sway back and forth with her, but anything beyond that was way outside of his skill set. Estelle was on her own with that scene.

Luckily for him, he didn't have to feel bad about leaving her alone. Natalie had come over almost as soon as the song ended, dragging her off to take photos with Leah and the other girls. Sebastian returned to his seat at the end of one of the dining tables, across from where Sam was stuffing his face with a third – fourth? – serving of cake.

"How are you not fat?" Sebastian asked dryly, eyeing up the stack of used paper plates next to him.

"Dunno," Sam replied around the mouthful of food. "How are you not wheezing all the time?"

"Hey, I quit smoking. Mostly."

"Well, I can't exactly quit eating you know," he said, popping the last bite into his mouth with relish. "So, how was your first dance since middle school?"

"Fine."

"Did you tell her it was your first dance since middle school?"

"No."

"I bet she could tell."

"I hate you."

Sam snickered, polishing off the rest of his drink and standing up. "I'm gonna grab some more of those cheesy pretzel bites. Want anything?"

He declined, and Sam left for the buffet. Pulling out his cell phone, Sebastian opened up the game Estelle had downloaded a few days ago – some brick-breaking puzzler with brightly colored magical creatures all over the place. She'd been trolling him by loading a game featuring literal rainbows and unicorns, but the joke was on her – he was totally addicted. Something about aiming up a shot and watching the bouncing ball clear a seemingly impossible number of bricks was just so satisfying.

He was so engrossed in his game that he didn't notice anyone approaching until she was standing over him, casting a shadow on the screen. Sebastian jerked back in surprise, feeling his gut sink the moment he heard her laughter.

"We stop talking for a few months and you regress into a teenage girl. Nice," Abigail teased. There didn't seem to be malice behind her tone, but that didn't really matter anymore. He had no reason or desire to talk to her, and he didn't make a secret of it.

"Why are you here?" he said, tone clipped as he glanced around the square for sign of Estelle – or worse, Natalie. The absolute last thing he needed was for them to think he was cozying back up to Abigail. He knew Estelle would believe him when he explained the situation, but he didn't want a sliver of doubt to ever cross her mind again.

Abigail pursed her lips, the humor fading from her face when it became apparent that he wasn't going to play along. "Just figured I'd say goodbye. I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

He already knew that. Jodi had mentioned a few weeks ago that Abby would be moving back to school come spring semester. Honestly, all he could feel about that was relief. She hadn't tried anything over the two months they'd been home, but it would be better for everyone if she wasn't around. Eliminate the constant reminder of all the hurt she'd caused.

He didn't say anything in response, and after a moment she sighed and turned to leave. As soon as she took her first step, however, he impulsively called out to her. The question just burst out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop it.

"Do you regret it?"

Abigail paused and turned around slowly, one side of her mouth pulled up in a smirk. "Nope. My mom is embarrassed enough that she's paying for my apartment. If I'd have known this would be my ticket out of this shithole, I'd have done it a long time ago."

"And fuck everyone you hurt along the way?"

She shrugged, her total lack of concern evident on her face. "Meh. You learned how to stick up for yourself, didn't you?"

His brow narrowed, opening his mouth to argue – but he couldn't. As fucked up as that logic was, she had a point.

She laughed once, pleased by his silent affirmation. "So you're welcome. Anyway, bye."

"...bye."

Sebastian watched her walk away with a complicated expression on his face. He was glad she was leaving – it gave him concrete closure to that chapter of his life, it removed a source of bitterness for Estelle, and it was what she wanted all along. But despite it being a win from all sides, he couldn't help but feel a touch of...something. Regret, maybe?

No, not regret. Bittersweet nostalgia, more like. A sense of loss – not painful, but still leaving him feeling a bit hollow. Abby had been a cornerstone of his life for so long. Now she was gone.

"What'd she want?" Sam asked warily, setting his loaded plate down on the table and sliding into the seat next to Sebastian.

Sebastian shook his head, turning away from Abigail's retreating form and snagging a pretzel from Sam's plate. "Nothing important."

Estelle had never been to a wedding before, and she was pleased to find that it was a lot more fun than she'd expected. The ceremony was beautiful – Leah looked incredible, and Elliott read a gorgeous poem that had half the town misty-eyed. The best part though was the relaxed, casual vibe of the reception. There was great food, there was champagne, there was dancing. Aside from the formal dress, it could have easily passed for a town festival rather than a wedding reception.

Estelle kept busy, flitting around the square, socializing with all of her favorite people. Eventually she found herself leaning against the wall of the saloon, bullshitting with Haley while she switched the film out of her camera.

"Why do you use film anyway?" Natalie asked. "Digital cameras are so much easier."

Haley shrugged, popping a new roll in and winding it up. "I just like it better. There's something about having the physical image, developing it with your own hands… makes it more real. An actual memory, not just data on an SD card."

Nat raised an eyebrow. "That was surprisingly deep Hay."

"Right?" she agreed, laughing as she peered at the dance floor through her viewfinder. A second later she snorted, slamming her finger down on the shutter. "Annnnd I just got a photo of Shane dabbing."

"You did not," Estelle said in disbelief, head whipping around to see for herself.

Unfortunately, what she saw was not Shane being an idiot. It was Abigail, walking in their direction with that infuriating smirk of hers.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me..." Natalie muttered angrily under her breath, noticing her as well. She took a half step in front of Estelle while Haley looked between the three of them with interest.

"Cute dress Abs! Shame it's too small for you," Natalie said brightly as Abigail stopped in front of them.

"Yeah, it's hard actually having tits," Abigail shot back.

Natalie's grin widened. "You've been practicing your comebacks! I'm so proud of you, for real."

Abigail scoffed. "That's great. But I'm not here for you."

Natalie's shoulders squared, and Estelle could tell she was seconds away from dropping the taunts and getting serious. Except it wasn't her fight. Estelle needed to deal with this herself.

"It's fine Nat," Estelle said, putting her hand on her sister's shoulder and stepping around her to level a hard gaze on Abigail. "I'm here. Talk."

"I see Sebastian's been rubbing off on you. Can't string more than 3 words together at a time," Abigail said, snickering.

She paused for a reaction, and pouted a bit when Estelle didn't rise to the bait. "Fine, be like that. Just came over to say congrats, that's all."

"For?"

"Winning, obviously."

"Winning…?"

Abigail rolled her eyes, shifting her weight to place one hand on her hip. "Yoba, you're dense. You got Sebastian, you got the town, and I'm leaving tomorrow. You won."

Estelle felt vaguely sick to her stomach. The idea that all the pain Abigail had caused was nothing more than a joke, a momentary diversion, something to "win"… it was nauseating.

"It wasn't a game to me."

Abigail laughed once, bitterly. "Life is a game Estelle. You win or you lose. That's it."

"That's a pretty shitty world view," she said, thoroughly done with this conversation. "So why did you really come over? It wasn't to congratulate me."

"Eh, mostly to piss off your guard dog," she replied, smirking as she met Natalie's glare. "Anyway, thanks for making things interesting around here. Hope I never see you again."

"Sentiment returned."

With that, Abigail smiled and walked away. To be honest, Estelle had been half expecting some kind of apology, or sob story, or a last ditch attempt at reconciliation. She was actually relieved that it wasn't anything like that, that it was just Abigail being Abigail. No strings, no new feelings marring their mutual dislike. Instead, she just watched that girl walk out of her life for good.

It felt amazing.

"Are you playing that unicorn game again?" Estelle teased, looking over in time to catch a sparkling rainbow shooting across Sebastian's phone.

"You did this to me," he reminded her, watching his score tally before cursing under his breath and restarting the level.

She clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. "Yeah, but it's a wedding Seb! No games at a wedding."

"Says who?"

"Says civilization."

He glanced up at her through his bangs, an amused smirk on his face. "You're saying civilization will collapse if I collect digital rainbows during a wedding reception?"

"Yes," she said, fighting to maintain a serious expression as she nodded firmly.

He chuckled but gave in, clicking his phone display off and straightening up. "Right. Well in that case...want to go for a walk? I feel like I've been sitting here all day."

"You pretty much have," Estelle pointed out. "But sure, a walk sounds good."

Sebastian took her hand and they set off, chatting happily as they strolled through town together. They talked about the ceremony, and the ridiculous shit their neighbors got into over the course of the day. They talked about the band, and the new gig Sam had lined up in a few weeks. They laughed and teased, and just enjoyed the company of the person they loved.

Neither of them seemed to have a destination in mind, and Estelle was so wrapped up in their conversation that she didn't fully realize where they were headed until her feet sank into sand. The sea air was still crisp, the breeze off the water colder than it was back in town, and Sebastian laid his jacket over her shoulders as they sat at the edge of the pier together.

The conversation gave way to a comfortable silence as they watched the last of the winter fog rolling out to sea, making way for the calm, blue skies of spring. Estelle wondered if Sebastian was sad to see it go. Winter was dark, cold, quiet – basically his jam.

Though to be fair, summer had the best thunderstorms, and they both appreciated a good thunderstorm. When they weren't, you know, burning her farm down.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have a surprise for you," Estelle said as the thoughts of her farm suddenly jogged her memory.

She dug around in her bag and pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it several times before handing it to Sebastian. His brows furrowed as he skimmed the text, unsure what exactly he was looking at.

"It's the transfer paperwork for the house," she clarified. "Lewis told me it just came in from the governor's office last week, signed and sealed. Congrats Seb, you officially own half a farm."

"The shittier half though. That detail might not be on the paperwork, but it's implied," she added, nudging him with her shoulder when he didn't reply.

Sebastian chuckled, kissing her forehead before folding the paper and handing it back. "Sorry, I'm just...didn't know what to say," he admitted. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," she replied, her smile softening. She understood his quiet contemplation. While they'd been living together for months, having the deed in both of their names felt like so much more somehow. They owned a house together. It was theirs.

"You know...I actually have a surprise for you too," Sebastian began hesitantly after a few moments of silence.

Estelle looked up curiously as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box about the size of her palm. He flipped it around in his hand twice before taking a deep breath and holding it out to her.

"I don't know if this is the right moment, or if it's something you're even interested in, but..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as she lifted the lid.

Estelle's eyes went wide, her breath catching when she saw what was inside. Nestled safely against a velvet cushion lay a brilliant blue seashell, its pearlescent finish reflecting the glow of the setting sun like fire on the water. She'd seen these before – in her mother's memory box, and around Leah's neck today.

A mermaid pendant.

Estelle's gaze snapped up to Sebastian's face, her heart melting at the bashful, hopeful smile playing at his lips. That sideways smile she fell in love with so long ago.

"So um… will you marry me?"

A teary laugh made its way around the lump in her throat as she nodded emphatically, throwing her arms around his neck. He grinned and pulled her onto his lap, pressing his lips to hers in the sweetest kiss she'd ever had.

When they finally broke apart, Sebastian reached for the box again. "That was a yes, right?" he teased, clasping the delicate silver chain around her neck.

"That was most definitely a yes," she murmured, bringing her lips to his again.

Estelle lazily rocked on her porch swing, cradling a cup of coffee as the warm spring breeze tousled her hair. Today marked the one year anniversary of her arrival in Pelican Town. A battered husk of a person moving into a dilapidated shack on an overgrown mess of land. By all accounts she shouldn't be here right now. She should have succumbed to one of her innumerable failures, or her vices, or the dangers she threw herself into. Everyone should have given up on her. She should have given up on herself.

But she didn't. Against all odds, she had made it. And she wasn't alone.

A lot can happen in a year. A desperate refuge can become a home. A broken girl can mend. A boy lost to darkness can find a light. And if they're lucky, they can do it together.

Estelle touched the shell at her neck and smiled.

A/N: After about 100k more words than I originally planned for, I almost can't believe it's over. Thank you so much to everyone who has gone through this journey with me! Your comments and support have been absolutely incredible, and meant so much to me over these last few months. Whether you've been following this story from the start or just binged it today, I'm so grateful to have you as a reader. Thank you.

I hope you've all enjoyed it. :)

edit: I'm working on an alternate ending to this fic! It's called "Finding the Light" and will take place from Spirit's Eve on. Other spinoffs/one-shots set in this universe will also be added, all with the "Finding..." naming convention, so please check them out if you want to see more Estelle & Co. :)