Ever since Denise started work and had less time with Jack and Dodger, her Sunday mornings were spent in bed with them while Chris prepared breakfast downstairs. Sometimes she'd help Chris, leaving Dodger to watch Jack, who would be comfortably secured in his rocker then placed in front of the television. Chris and Denise could still see them from where they were in the kitchen, of course. It would've been negligent of them otherwise. Sunday mornings were always Denise's favorite mornings, it was the one day she allowed herself to not think of work. Well, not think of work to the best of her abilities. She couldn't help herself if she suddenly thought of something that she needed to deal with. She tended to those sudden thoughts immediately because if she didn't, she would forget and then she would spend the whole day fixating on what she had forgotten. She would always get on Chris' nerves when she did that, bringing forth a meaningless argument that'd ruin her one day off.

Neither enjoyed arguing with the other, though their passive aggressive natures riled up plenty. The arguments never lasted long, they both agreed that three hours was the maximum time limit for any dispute. That was one hour put aside for the actual fight; one hour to take a step back, and grumble and pout; and one hour to sit and resolve, as well as think of prevention techniques for, whatever it was they'd been fighting about. So far, so good. They were still happily married and picturing growing old together. The three hour rule helped, but it was also the unconditional love they carried for each other. As bad as the disputes got, nothing could've been worst than life without the love of theirs. They'd both found coping mechanisms, something to remind them of said worst so they would take a step back from the edge.

For Chris, it was the moment he thought Denise had died in the plane crash. He thought he'd forgotten how to breathe when he heard her plane had crashed on that radio announcement. He was sure that was the end for him, that he'd never love or try to love for the rest of his time on earth. So no, as infuriating as Denise was sometimes, he swore he'd never do anything to lose her because he couldn't feel that level of hopelessness ever again. As for Denise, well- it wasn't hard to remind herself what kind of stupid she'd be if she lost the man of her dreams. Her entire life before she met him was torture, when she was just a fan whose existence he was unaware about. She had everything now: the perfect life, the perfect man. Yes, there were times when she'd see a more humane, less perfect, more everyday man version of Chris that drove her insane. But at the end of the day, it was still him and she didn't love that version of him any less. That was how one knew it was real, right? That was what marriage is, like Richard said "it's loving someone despite everything" and Chris and Denise had that together.

They also had a child together, one that was very capable of reminding his parents how much they loved each other. Jack may not have arrived at the right time, but he was always part of the plan. The two of them loved him so much that sometimes their hearts would ache watching him, and the they watched him a lot. Everything he did was so adorable. Every sound he made, his smile, the way his small hands would reach for their faces every time either of them picked him up. As much as Denise loved Sundays with her little family, it made things difficult for her to go back to work the next day. It was also difficult for Jack to let her go, crying whenever he and Chris bid her goodbye at the front door as she got into a cab.

It was because of those moments that Denise was glad Emilia was still looking for a director and not turning to her to direct. It'd been five days since Chris and Denise made their bet, but the offer was still yet to come up. They both agreed to leave it, letting things run its course. Chris wasn't allowed to hint anything at Emilia, and Denise couldn't decline the job just to win the bet, or decline the job without thinking it through. This was going to be another huge opportunity for her so it had to be taken into thorough consideration, no matter how scared or overwhelmed she was by the idea of directing her first film. Denise knew if Emilia did offer her the job, Chris would've been right about her accepting it without blinking an eye. But she also knew she'd be right about it being too much for her, she reminded herself of that so she wouldn't accept it without blinking an eye. Chris got his first directing job after years and years in the film industry which he'd admitted was overwhelming despite his experience. Denise could only imagine how overwhelming it'd be for her, a complete and total amateur.

"Jack Jack, no." Denise laughed softly at Jack, lifting him away from Dodger to sit between her legs. It has become apparent that he needed to be as far away from the sweet and gentle Dodger while he was teething. Jack could be hugging Dodger one second, and nibbling at his ear another. "How many times have I told you not to do that to Dodger, huh?" Jack babbled, falling back against her as he put his onesie covered right foot into his mouth. "And now you're a cannibal, great." She reached over and scratched Dodger's head, chuckling.

Denise looked at the clock hanging on the wall; it was 9:18AM. Chris must have been running a little behind schedule because he was usually done by 9AM. Thankfully, she'd already fed Jack; the breakfast Chris was preparing was more for the two of them. She wasn't overly hungry, but she decided to go downstairs to help him move the process along. "Downstairs, Dodger. C'mon." Denise told Dodger as she scooped Jack up. Dodger ran ahead and she followed behind, laughing as Jack's slobbery hands cupped her face.

"You're a shining star," Denise heard Chris sing a line from 'Shining Star' by Earth, Wind and Fire.

"What?" She laughed as she looked up. "Are you- Emilia," she felt her eyes narrow in confusion when she saw her producer sitting at the breakfast bar. "What are you doing here?" She asked even though she had a slight clue from the way Chris was grinning at the stack of papers in his hand. "What's um- what's going on?" She asked and Chris continued to bop from side to side, mouthing the words to 'Shining Star' as he pointed at her.

"I found you a director," Emilia told Denise, who quickly emitted a nervous laugh.

"Please tell me my director is not currently in the room," she replied as she walked over.

"She wasn't, but she just walked in." Chris smiled as he held out the contract Emilia had written up for Denise to direct. "It's a really good offer." Denise shook her head at him as he took Jack from her and she took the contract from him. "We said a thorough consideration, remember?" He reminded her and she huffed, scanning the contract.

The second Denise spotted her name beside the role of director, she choked on the air in her lungs. "This is insane, you're both insane." She shook her head, lowering the contract on the table and taking a step back. "I can't do this, I am not a director."

"Yet," Chris corrected her. "You're not a director yet. No one just magically becomes a director, Denise. You have to direct something before you become a director." Emilia nodded in agreement. "This is a good stepping stone for you, do you really think you're going to be happy just writing stuff for people? I know you, you're going to want to direct eventually."

"Eventually, yes. Not now," Denise protested, drawing sighs from both Chris and Emilia who clearly anticipated the reaction. "This is an amazing offer, Emilia, but I know myself. I am not ready to direct, I am barely holding it together with my current responsibilities. There is no way I can handle being in charge of the whole operation."

"I understand," Emilia nodded and Denise managed a small smile, ignoring the look Chris was giving her. "I'm going to leave the contract with you anyway, in case you decide to change your mind." Denise pressed her lips together, nodding. "The door is going to be open until we find a director, so sleep on it. You won't have the whole operation on your shoulders, remember that. There is a reason the credits run so long at the end of every movie, you're going to have help." Denise nodded again, picking up the contract to read what was on the pages. "I've been doing this for a while, I wouldn't offer you the job if I didn't think you could handle it."

"I know," Denise mumbled.

"Make sure she thinks about it," Emilia instructed Chris as she got to her feet; he nodded. "He's beautiful," she smiled at Jack, who smiled back. "I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully with some good news." She gave Denise's arm a light pat then took her leave.

Chris eyed Denise as she staggered over to the dining table, pulling out a chair to take a seat. Dodger followed her, resting his head on her lap. "Sweetheart," Chris walked over, sitting in the chair adjacent to hers. Denise looked up from the contract at her husband and son, they were both smiling at her. "You can do this. Whether or not you believe it, you can. You've got talent oozing out of you, you're just too afraid to admit it. Take a chance and go fulfill your dream. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I fail miserably, become a laughing stock, and never amount to anything in Hollywood?"

"You realize you're talking to the actor that had to stick a banana in his butt for his first big gig, right?" He said and she laughed. "Yeah," he nodded, chuckling. "Look at where I am now, and it all started with the banana in my butt." She reached for his hand and he smiled, squeezing her hand. "Everyone has to start somewhere, and if you fail- you fail. You're just going to have to get back up and try again, y'know?"

"You really want to win this bet, don't you?"

"The beret has been bought, yes," he nodded and she laughed. "And I really want the world to see how talented you are," he said with a more serious tone, squeezing her hand. She smiled and pulled her hand away to pick the contract back up. He got to his feet and walked over to the kitchen counter to grab a pen before he returned to her side. "This is just the beginning, I promise." He held out the pen for her; she took it, uncapping the lid. "You are going to do some amazing things."

Denise took a deep breath and signed her name on the line, "here's hoping."