Chapter Text
Halsin hadn’t been home, but his house was unlocked, so Tav took the cookies inside and left them on the table, hoping that an animal wouldn’t eat them all before he got home. She also couldn’t find any paper to leave a note saying who they were from. But it sounded like Karlach was planning to visit him soon, so she could pass along Tav’s gratitude.
It began snowing again as Tav walked home. When she arrived, Karlach wasn’t home yet, but much to her delight, Astarion was there.
“Darling, you are finally here!” he said, but only gave her a hug and a chaste peck on the cheek due to the audience.
“I was out delivering cookies,” she replied.
“I heard! Your parents told me that you were delivering cookies to someone special,” Astarion said.
Tav filled him in on the basics of her encounter a couple of days ago, then started looking through the basket of goodies that Astarion had brought for her and her parents.
“This looks wonderful, Astarion! Thank you!” Tav said. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked her parents, who were diligently working on a special dinner.
“No. Why don’t you and Astarion just go and visit? I’m sure you’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” her father said.
“Okay. Thanks! Let me know if you need anything,” she said before walking with Astarion into the living room.
Their visit was sweet and fruitful. Much later, Karlach returned home kicking snow off of her boots and brushing more of it off her pants. As soon as she came in the door, Astarion’s eyes got wide.
“You didn’t tell me that Karlach was home!” he chided.
“I wanted to surprise you,” Tav grinned.
“Come here!” Karlach said, and pulled him into an embrace. “Glad to see you!” she said. “Snow’s getting pretty deep. I need to go get changed.” She looked at her pants again, which were damp up to mid-thigh from wading back in the icy fluff. “Astarion, you might not be able to go home tonight,” she winked.
“When you’re done, Karlach, come join us at the table. We’re ready for dinner,” Tav’s mother announced.
Tav and Astarion entered the kitchen to find the room illumined by candlelight. There were steaming dishes spread across the table and five place settings. On one of the places, the goblet was centered on the plate. Astarion, remembering place settings here from years before, approached that spot and peeked within to find a rich, red fluid.
“You remembered,” he said.
“Of course we remembered,” Tav’s mother assured him. “There’s more when that’s gone.”
Karlach returned to the room, and they all sat down and enjoyed their meal. Tav’s heart was filled near to bursting as she looked around the table at all of the wonderful people she was surrounded by. If her hands were not both occupied - one with a fork, the other one held lovingly by Astarion, she would have pinched herself.
After dinner, everyone helped clean up and then moved to the living room to visit for the rest of the night. Astarion never did make a move to leave, so Karlach went to the door and checked the weather for him.
“Looks like you’re gonna have to stay tonight, Astarion. That snow’d be up to your chest!” she announced.
“Oh, what a pity,” he said, then continued his visiting.
The following morning, they woke to a ground covered in the most amazing Midwinter snow any of them had ever seen. Each of them relished spending the day safe and cozy with loved ones. They ate, played some games, ate more, Tav and Karlach went out and played in the snow for a while then came in and had hot drinks, and had a peaceful dinner where they each shared something they loved about the others at the table and something they were looking forward to in the upcoming year. The day was more perfect than Tav could have ever imagined.
As the others were heading off to bed that night, Astarion pulled Tav aside.
“Could I talk to you?” he asked.
“Yes,” Tav replied.
He took one of her hands in his. “You have been on my mind every day since we ended things ten years ago. I wasn’t ready for you then - I didn’t deserve you at the time. I had so much work to do on myself and with my siblings,” he said, then paused. “But now - now I am ready. I could never be truly worth of a person as incredible as yourself,” he said sincerely, then quickly added added, “but no one else could either! This may be too soon. If it is, just let me know. I’ll not speak of it again - until next week, at least. But I have to know… would you marry me?”
Tav took a sharp breath, truly not expecting that the perfect individual in front of her would want to commit his life to her. She looked at him, his gorgeous face sincere, his glorious eyes wide and attentive.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He slid a shimmering ring onto her finger, pulled her body up against his, and kissed her slowly and sweetly, many times.
‘Midwinter miracles really do exist,’ Tav thought.