"Isn't that too small?" Damien frowned in confusion, perplexed as to why Ella was grabbing such a small dress for Melissa. As far as Damien knew, Melissa was tiny, especially in comparison to him, but she couldn't possibly be that small. She was one year old.

"Erica said this is her size. Besides, I think it will fit." Ella murmured, too entranced in picking out the outfit as she browsed the store. "Oh, I love this." Ella quietly cooed, looking at a pair of white, tiny, cloth booties.

"I thought you said you wanted to get her these?" Damien was extremely perplexed now. Why was he holding onto three different outfits and one pair of shoes if that wasn't what they were getting? He just couldn't understand, no matter how many times he visited the store with Ella. His mom was the same way, though. Must be a woman thing, he thought.

"Yes, babe. Those are for her." Ella murmured, still holding the other white, clothed shoes. Ella, without even looking at Damien, explained, "these are for me."

Damien continued to stare. Her? There wasn't a way that she could be pregnant.

"Would you guys like a basket?" A sales-lady approached, an eager smile on her face as she how many things Damien was holding onto.

If only she knew that they were probably going to put about half of those things back, Damien thought as he accepted the basket politely.

"Are you expecting?" The lady continued, slyly looking at Ella's stomach. Her eyes expressed confusion when she saw that Ella wasn't really showing anything. Well, not that Ella could really show her flat stomach since it was winter, and she had on a thick and long, light pink coat.

"Oh, no. It's a gift." Ella cleared her throat, a bit uncomfortable since she was with Damien. Even though they had been dating for over a year and a half, they still wanted to enjoy their time together as a couple. Ella was still young, and Damien showed no signs of wanting to rush to anything.

"Oh, alright. Be sure to let us know if you need anything!" The sales-lady kind smiled, noticing how she was not needed, and left. She had done her part by asking.

Damien simply put the things he was carrying into the basket and followed Ella obediently. After all, he was the one who insisted coming with her to the shop even when she promised it would be quick and that it wasn't necessary.

"So just this?" Damien asked a couple of minutes later once Ella was finished browsing and was picking a final outfit.

"Yeah. I don't want those tights either." Ella took some clothes back, placing them in their corresponding places as they walked back to the checkout area.

"You know, you could give those to the worker. They'll put them back in their place." Damien grumbled when Ella kept letting go of his hand to put the items back.

"I know, but this is nicer." Ella responded, going back to him as he stood, waiting.

"Remind again why you're taking those shoes." Damien was quick to hold Ella's hands in one of his while he paid, ignoring the adorable glare Ella was sending his way. Instead, he kissed her temple while waiting for the woman behind the desk to bag their items.

"For myself. They're really cute." Ella took her hands back when Damien let them go, using one of his to grab the shopping bag as they walked back their car.

Ella's statement left Damien thinking. What would she look like if she were really pregnant? However, as quickly as that image came into mind, Damien shook it out. No. Ella was too young. Besides, he himself didn't know just yet if he wanted to become a father. It would be hard for him having to protect such tiny little things in such a cruel world. He didn't want that responsibility. He could be a terrible father, and he didn't want the responsibility of letting down Ella or those future kids.

"Aren't you going to unlock the car?" Ella brought him out of his revere once they were at her side, Damien's hand at the car handle but it not yet opening.

"Right." Damien unlocked it, helping Ella in even when she fussed she was fine.

The car ride to Fransisco and Erica's home was filled with idle chit-chat as well as talk about Damien's work. It had only been about three months since he had officially closed the Parker case, and even though that was a long time, it was actually quite a speedy trail since Damien worked hard and was a workaholic as well as the fact that he had serious help from a little, raven-haired beauty.

"Dama!" Melissa came walking and stumbling as fast as those little legs of hers could carry her until she crashed into Damien's arms. Standing upright to his towering height, Melissa tightly clung to Damien, giggling loudly when Damien kissed her cheek.

"She scared me when she screamed." Erica showed up seconds later, panting as she caught her breath from having to chase the little toddler.

"I don't understand why she likes you better than me." Sam scowled, looking at Melissa with a bit of fascination.

Damien, smug, looked away. He couldn't hide the fact that he was happy how Ella's family had accepted him a little faster than Sam, but that was mostly the jealousy speaking. While Damien knew that he was Ella's and that Ella was his, it still kind of make him feel a certain way whenever Ella laughed heartily at something Sam said or whenever they were in a deep, one on one conversation. Ella did notice though, and she did put more distance between them as to make Damien feel more comfortable. She wouldn't deny that she would probably feel the same way if Damien was like that with Selena.

"Is it snowing outside?" Stefanie asked from the kitchen table, snacking on some jello that had been prepared for Melissa.

"Is it?" Ella frowned, looking out the window as she also grabbed a jello cup.

"Wait! Dinner is ready. Don't eat too many sweets!" Erica scolded her younger sister-in-laws, rushing to go back into the kitchen to finish preparing the food.

"Let me go help before she kicks us all out." Stefanie handed her jello cup to Ella.

"I should help too." Ella gave both jello cups to Sam, who was the only one that had his hands free since Damien was still holding a babbling Melissa and Fransisco was fixing some of the presents that Melissa would try to open later.

Later, as soon as the girls had finished setting up the table, everyone settled down to eat. Melissa sat in a high chair right beside Ella, who had been kind enough to feed Melissa while Ella too, had her meal.

"Let me FaceTime Mamá. I know she said she wanted to see her." Ella excused herself as she pulled out her cell phone, calling her mom who picked up shortly after. "Here she is!"

"Ay, mira, Theo! Esta lindisima!" Elizabeth gushed, cooing at a smiley Melissa. (Aw, look, Theo! She's beautiful!)

"Isa, say hi to nana." Ella turned the camera so that her mom could see the toddler better while Fransisco brought out the cake.

"Somebody slap the back of Fransisco's head for me. I've been calling that brat for hours!" Elizabeth suddenly burst when she saw Fransisco.

"Mamá, wait. Listen," Fransisco began to earnestly and rapidly explain his situation, even going as far as to take Ella's phone to face his mom as he explained.

"Wow. I didn't think anyone intimidated Fransisco." Sam commented, laughing upon seeing how hurriedly the doctor was explaining everything.

"Nah. That's almost nothing in comparison to how he gets when Erica is mad, mad." Stef picked at a piece of fruit. That girl could eat for ages and still be slim.

"That makes me curious, though." Sam turned his attention to Damien, who had stayed relatively quiet unless it was to talk to Ella or when he was spoken to by Fransisco or Erica. "What's the biggest argument you've had with Ella?"

"This again?" Ella scoffed quietly, shaking her head as she played with Isa, her niece. "What about you? When are you going to get settled down? You're turning thirty next year, Sam." Ella teased.

"Hey! Need I remind you that your boo over there is like... what? Forty-five?"

"Quit that." Stef threw a grape at Sam.

"No food fights." Erica panned, not even bothering to look at the kids. To her, Stef was still considered a kid at the tender age of twenty. The young and almost blonde girl had just recently turned twenty, still very young.

"Okay!" Fransisco returned, handing Ella her phone back. "Let's get this show on the road."

Everyone settled across the table, multiple phone recording as Fransisco lit up the big, number one candle that was placed in the middle of the cake. Ella made sure that her parents could see Isa while everyone sang and while the baby blew out the candle.

"Toque final," Stef swiped some icing off the side of the cake before booping Melissa's tiny nose, the little girl laughing loudly once everyone began to chuckle. (Final touch)

"You guys need to hurry and come for Christmas already." Timotheo sighed, already missing his kids and grandchild from seeing the heartwarming scene.

Damien, alarmed that the fact that Ella would most likely be leaving again in December, paid incredible focus to what they were talking about. Lucky for him, Italian was a sister language of Spanish, so he could catch onto most words said in their mother language.

Once Melissa had opened her gifts and gone off to bed, everyone helped clean up, and Ella decided that it was time to call it a day and head back to her house.

"Are you going back to Spain this Christmas?" Damien asked after starting his drive back to drop her off.

Ella nodded, humming out a yes. She was much too drained of energy to really do much more.

"I thought you said you guys spent one Christmas there and one Christmas here. You left last year." Damien would remember; it was an excruciatingly long month.

"That was the plan, but Papá hurt his leg a few weeks ago and Mamá recently pulled a muscle in her arm, so we decided that it would be best if we traveled there. Fransisco says making them carry their own bags could strain their ligaments and leave them worse off." Ella explained, yawning.

"Oh." Damien was disappointed. He didn't really want her to leave again, nor did he want to spend Christmas away from her. In fact, he was hoping that he could surprise her with some tickets to a warm get-away with just her.

"Are your parents planning something big this year?" Ella wondered, hoping that maybe this year, Damien could accompany her and her siblings for the holiday. She wasn't too sure how for the idea he was, though.

"Probably the same, annual party." Damien held in his sigh. He knew that Ella's desire for him to be able to connect with his family was big, but he couldn't help that it just wasn't like that. He loved his parents, nothing would take that away, but he doubted that he would ever get along with them like Ella got along with hers.

"What's with that tone?" Ella quirked, opening her eyes to study Damien. Since last year, he still hadn't opened up about what exactly had happened that made him almost break down.

"Honestly, Ella," Damien released the sigh he had been holding.

"What?" Ella gently prodded, aware that Damien was keeping something from her.

"Selena is... she seems to think that you're a phase. She, from that meaningless promise we made decades ago, still thinks it'll turn out that way." Damien explained.

As much as it hurt him to admit that the person who he had considered such a close and dear friend was now the person that was making him so frustrated and helpless.

"How do we know it's not?" Ella tenderly teased, sending him a playful wink when Damien snapped his attention to her hurriedly. "We'll prove that it isn't within time. She'll grow and she'll learn. We all do." Ella promised, reaching to grab Damien's hand once they were parked in her driveway. "For now... just remember what we have. After all, it is our relationship and no one can really meddle unless we allow them to, so just let her words go in one ear and out the other."

Damien gazed at her, once again, calmed and soothed by her encouraging words and dazzling yet familiar, warm smile.

"I love you," Damien whispered quietly in the dark car that was only illuminated by the dashboard.

"I love you," Ella quietly repeated under his lips, surrendering to their shared and warm love.