Jo leaned against the rail of the Shepherd/Grey porch as she looked out at the bright stars and distant lights of Seattle. She smiled at the beauty of it and inhaled the fresh pine smell of the woods surrounding her. She felt Alex's presence more than she heard him and turned to smile at him, "Hey."

Alex grinned and shrugged out of his suit jacket, "Hey. You okay?"

She straightened up to face him and gave a grateful look as he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders and rubbed her arms to warm her, "I'm fine. Just needed a minute alone."

Alex nodded and gave her shoulders a squeeze, "Alright. I'll see you in there."

Jo caught his hand as he turned to go, "I didn't mean you needed to leave. I just wanted to get some fresh air." She gestured at the party with her free hand, "It's a little overwhelming."

Alex gave a small lopsided grin, "Yeah. They may have gone a little overboard."

Jo giggled softly, "A little? Robbins brought out fine china and had it catered. Doesn't she know us at all?"

Alex shrugged and leaned against the rail, "I suggested pizza at Joe's and she looked like I had slapped her. I guess this is the price we pay for going to the courthouse and not having a real ceremony."

Jo nodded and looked down, "It'll be real to me." She bit her lip and looked up, "Did you want to have a big ceremony? We can still do that if you'd like. We can…"

She was interrupted by him pulling her in for a sweet, intense kiss. He pulled away and looked intently at her, "I've told you a hundred times I don't care when or how we get married. We don't even have to get married. I just want to be with you."

She smiled and nodded, "Okay."

He grinned slightly, "Wanna elope right now?"

Jo laughed and smiled brightly, "Robbins will kill you."

He shrugged, "It'll be worth it." Jo gave a reserved smile that quickly disappeared. He eyed her intensely, "What's really going on, Jo?"

Jo shook her head quickly, "Nothing, it's stupid."

Alex tilted his head and held her gaze, "Try me."

Jo looked down, "It's just…at big moments of my life I always stop and think of my parents. Where they are, what they're doing. And if they ever, even just for a second, think about me." She looked up to see his surprised face, "I told you it was stupid."

Alex reached up to caress her face, "I'm sure you are thought of Jo. Probably all the time. It's not stupid."

She shook her head softly, "No. I'm marrying the only one who's ever thought about me and the only family I've ever had. That's why it pisses me off so bad to be thinking about them when I should be enjoying tonight with you."

Alex sighed, "You're not the only one."

She quirked a brow at him, "What do you mean?"

He sat down on the porch bench and rubbed his face, "I've been thinking about my mom a lot today too. How if things were different she would be here with Aaron and Amber." Jo stepped over to sit in his lap as he casually wrapped his arm around her waist, "How it would be Aaron instead of Webber giving the toast and telling embarrassing stories of me as a kid. And them meeting everyone and loving you." He looked up briefly at her face, "You're not the only one."

Jo caressed his face briefly before kissing him softly and resting her forehead on his, "Starting tomorrow at the courthouse, we can change that. So that when our kids get married we'll be around to embarrass them with humiliating stories and funny pictures and huge hugs and sappy speeches."

Alex nodded slightly as he hugged her closer and she rested her head in the crook of his neck, "That sounds like a plan to me."