Winter arrived quietly.
The first snow covered the garden outside the house, turning the old oak tree into a silhouette of white branches against the gray morning sky.
Emily stood on the porch with Atlas, watching the puppy leap excitedly through the snow.
Victoria laughed from the doorway.
"I think she's discovered winter."
Emily smiled.
"I think she's discovered everything."
Atlas raced back, dropping a stick at Victoria's feet before running off again.
Victoria shook her head.
"I've officially been replaced."
Emily slipped her hand into Victoria's.
"Not a chance."
A few days before Christmas, Walker invited them to dinner at his apartment.
Gabriel and Father Michael were already there.
The evening was simple.
Homemade food.
Old stories.
Too much dessert.
For the first time, they weren't discussing investigations or criminal organizations.
They were simply friends.
As everyone prepared to leave, Walker stopped Victoria near the door.
"You know," he said, "I misjudged you."
Victoria smiled.
"You had good reasons."
"Maybe."
Walker extended his hand.
"But thank you... for saving my agents."
Victoria shook it.
"It was the right thing to do."
Walker nodded.
"I know."
Driving home through the falling snow, neither Emily nor Victoria spoke for a while.
The radio played softly in the background.
Emily looked out at the quiet landscape.
"I never thought life could be this peaceful."
Victoria glanced at her.
"I've been thinking about something."
Emily smiled.
"That usually means you're planning something."
"A little."
The next morning, Victoria slipped out of the house before sunrise.
She drove back into the city.
An hour later, she stepped into a small jewelry boutique.
She wasn't looking for the most expensive ring.
She was looking for the right one.
After almost an hour, she found it.
Simple.
Elegant.
A platinum band with a single oval diamond.
It reminded her of Emily.
Strong without needing to be loud.
Timeless without trying to impress.
Victoria smiled to herself.
"This is the one."
That evening, Emily found Victoria sitting beneath the old oak tree.
Snowflakes drifted gently around them.
"You've been out here a while."
Victoria looked up.
"I was thinking about my father."
Emily sat beside her.
"What do you think he'd say now?"
Victoria smiled softly.
"I think he'd tell me that I finally chose the right life."
Emily leaned against her shoulder.
"I agree."
Atlas curled up between them, already asleep.
For a long moment, neither woman spoke.
The silence felt warm despite the cold.
Victoria slipped her hand into her coat pocket.
She felt the small velvet box hidden there.
Not yet, she thought.
Soon.
Very soon.
She looked at Emily, who was smiling at the snow-covered river.
Without realizing it, Emily had become everything Victoria had once believed she would never deserve.
And Victoria made herself one silent promise.
When the time was right...
She would ask the most important question of her life.
The answer, she hoped, would change both of their futures forever.