The car ride home was so different. Everything inside him was alive again with hope. He didn't care what happened now. He would get his happy ending, no matter what.

Everything whirred by again, but who cared? Not him, with the whole world in front of him. Not him, with the girl of his dreams at home. Not him, with the girl at home finally within his grasp again. Not him, with life smiling on him now.

He got home. She was there. He was there. He wanted to take her, she wanted to go. He put up a fight. He couldn't let her go that easily. It would look inconsiderate.

But he could only see her in his mind's eye.

He couldn't wait to get back to her.

He watched them both leave, pulling out of the driveway, with a sad smile. The girl that had caused so much disruption in his life was gone, and he was free. They were all free.

"Steven!" The door burst open. "Donna told me to come, she said Sam was leaving, and I don't know-"

He kissed her.

"Steven! Tell me what's going on!" she demanded. She didn't want to let herself feel again if it wasn't going to be worth it.

"Jackie, Sam left. She had another husband, and I let them go. I had to let them go."

She nodded slowly.

"Because I am too selfish to stay away from the person that I really love," he said, smiling, and he kissed her again.

She pulled away. "She's gone?"

"Gone. She's not here, she's not my wife, she's not the thing keeping us apart anymore."

A smile- a real smile- appeared on her face.

"You know," he said. "I haven't seen you smile like that in ages," he said.

"You know," she replied. "I don't think I've seen you smile like that in ages, either."

And they kissed again.

"Jackie, I've never been good at being romantic, or with guessing at what you want me to say, or how you want me to be, but all I know is that I know that you've always been good at being what I want. What I'll always want."

He pulled put the ring.

After he'd heard the news, he'd driven the next however many miles into the city. Traffic had been horrendous, people had been screaming, but he didn't care.

He went inside the shop. He looked at the ring. The only ring in the store that he found even somewhat as gorgeous as her. He pooled all of his money, he took some money out of the bank, and he walked away with Jackie's Tiffany engagement ring.

She said yes.

Life was looking up. And she was standing there with him.