Each time the doors slid open and Denise didn't walk out of the arrival hall, Chris checked his phone. He checked his notifications for missed calls and the internet for any breaking news about a plane crash. He huffed. Though he had reason to worry, he knew he was being paranoid. It was 2019, the advances in modern technology had vastly reduced the chances of planes crashing. What happened to 'Delta 423' was an unfortunate tragedy that would not strike twice within the timespan of forty-eight hours. Chris believed Denise would return to him safely because if the universe saved her once, it would save her again. But knowing what they knew, and believing what he did, they were still terrified. Chris had to stay on FaceTime until Denise fell asleep on a wet pillow. He watched her, wishing he could've been there to physically soothe her. He should've insisted she stayed in LA, or at least insisted he joined her in New York, perhaps none of it would have unfurled the way it had if they'd been together. It was hours before she fell asleep, and he barely slept a wink after he hung up. He needed to see her, hold her before he was going to get any proper sleep himself.

"Chris!" Denise's voice jerked Chris' entire body as his head shot up in search for her. He pushed past the crowd and ran to meet her halfway, catching her as she threw herself into his arms. Her touch instantly lifted the millstone around his neck. "It is so good to see you." She whispered, clutching onto him as tightly as he could.

"I love you," he whispered, pressing her head against his chest. "And I am never letting you go anywhere on your own ever again." He asserted, tightening his grip on her. Neither could let go. Denise wanted to appreciate the safety and comfort provided by Chris' arms, and he- he just wanted to appreciate her beating heart. "Where you go, I go now. If we die, we die together." They both managed light laughter. "I love you," he repeated and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too," she mumbled into his chest.

"Okay." Chris heard Luca's voice and looked up with a smile. He was hardly surprised to see Sebastian and Luca. After seeing how terrified Denise was to even sleep, it was highly unlikely they would've let her get on the plane alone. "I know the two of you have had a monster of a weekend, but you should probably continue your reunion in the privacy of your own home." She beckoned her head at the approaching hoard of paparazzi. "We should go before they bombard us with their questions."

"Yeah, we don't want news of your wedding dress on the front page yet." Sebastian added, beckoning his head at the black dress bag he was carrying. "Yeah," he chuckled at Chris' excited expression. "No chance, Evans." He said before Denise could. "This dress is staying at our apartment until the wedding, and yes, we've changed the locks."

"Yeah," Chris pinched Denise's chin in his hand, smiling. "I'm going to be too busy cherishing my bride to try and sneak a peek." She smiled and took his other hand to give it a light squeeze. "I can wait until the wedding day. After all the trouble that dress has put us through, I think I owe it to myself and you," he booped her nose and she giggled. "To wait until the wedding day. Why spoil a surprise, right?"

"Right," she kissed his cheek.

• • • • • • • •

That night, after the dinner that Chris cooked, Sebastian and Luca took Denise's wedding dress and returned to their apartment in Westwood Village. They needed sleep, the weekend had been a monster of a weekend for them too. And while they got the rest they needed, Chris and Denise opted against theirs, choosing to stay up and talk instead. Denise could've been dead, that was a fact Chris couldn't shake. Everything he'd been waiting to tell her, he had to tell her now. He had to let her know how much he cherished, loved, and needed her. Even Dodger imitated Chris' affections for Denise. He'd sensed Chris' distress the night before, so he was as happy and relieved to see Denise walk through the front door as Chris had been to see her at the airport.

"Chris?" Denise lifted her head off his chest and looked up at him.

"Yeah?" He raised his brows, gentle facials prompting a continuation.

"I'm tired," she told him and rested her head on his chest again. His arms tightened around her and he pressed his lips on the top of her head. "Can we go to sleep now?" Her eyelids were starting to get heavy. She was in Chris' arms, she knew she was safe and could now sleep with ease.

"You can," he whispered into her hair. "I think I'd like to stay up a little longer." His other hand reached for Dodger's head, stroking his soft ears. "You go to sleep, Dodger and I've got you covered." Denise lifted her head and pecked his lips before resting it back on his chest. Her eyes closed and she slowly allowed sleep to succumb her. "I love you," she heard him whisper before she drifted off.

Dodger edged himself closer, resting his head on Chris' stomach so he could be face to face with Denise. He, too, could finally sleep with ease knowing everything was back to normal. Chris stroked Dodger's head and gently patted Denise's back. He smiled, watching his two most favorite beings slept. He looked down at how peaceful the two of them looked compared to yesterday and basked in the knowledge that they all only felt that way because they were back together as a family; a family that would soon have a new member.

Chris snaked his hand around Denise's waist, gently resting it on her belly. His smile widened knowing there was a baby growing inside there. His baby. A gender didn't cross his mind when he found out she was pregnant, he'd just been happy to find out he was going to be a dad. There had been no dire want to have either a son or a daughter, but after hearing a little boy named Jack saved Denise's life- he hoped for the child inside her to be a boy. There had to be a reason she saw Jack and didn't board the plane, it didn't seem like a coincidence- it seemed like fate, just like when they met. The universe drew her away from the fatality and pulled her towards that innocent child for a reason, it was a hint- a clue that something blue was on its way.

"I hope you know I'm very excited to meet you, Jack."

Denise hadn't drifted off far when Chris started talking to the child insider her, she smiled and placed her hand over his. Chris looked down and smiled to see she'd heard him. She interlocked her fingers with his and whispered, "I hope you know he's very excited to meet you too."