The steep, rocky incline of the mountain trail was brutal, the crisp, freezing air of the New Year's morning biting at our cheeks as the horizon began to glow with the very first light of dawn.

"Seriously, who camps on a mountain on the first day of the New Year? Come on now, you're killing me," Agnus huffed loudly from the back of the pack, leaning heavily against his hiking gear.

"Do that to me after our wedding and I'm cuffing you to bed,"Serena muttered, adjusting her tactical backpack without missing a beat, her midnight deep blue hair catching the early dawn light.

"Who do you take me for? I'm not Eli. Though I don't mind the cuffing part, little moth,"Agnus winked, a cocky, self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

Serena stopped, turning to give him a pointed glare with her piercing, pitch-black eyes, her black-nailed fingers clenching her walking stick. "Kinky bastard."

"Yours truly," Agnus grinned, bowing playfully.

Landon sighed heavily from a few steps ahead, running a hand through his hair. "Seriously, get a room, already."

"I would. But she doesn't want me," Agnus shrugged, feigning a heartbroken pout.

"Agnus!" Serena snapped, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she reached forward and sharply slapped the back of his head.

"Ow! See? Abuse. Pure spousal abuse even before marriage"Agnus whined, though his warm chocolate brown eyes were dancing with pure amusement as he looked at his fierce fiancée.

Elysium, who was riding securely on Eli's broad shoulders at the front of the line, let out a bright, ringing laugh. "Tío Agnus is truly so funny, Mamá!"

"Tío Agnus is a child, little star"I laughed softly, my hand securely laced in Eli's as he pulled me effortlessly up the last steep rock step.

"I'm a child? How dare you call me that! Here I was thinking you were on my side, Celine"Agnus said feigning mock offense.

Eli let out a low, amused chuckle, his arm immediately wrapping around my waist to hold me close against his side, his thumb stroking my hip in that familiar, deeply protective rhythm.

"We're here," He announced, his deep voice carrying over the mountain wind.

With one final push indeed, the entire group scrambled up onto the wide, flat summit just as the sun finally crested over the mountain peaks. The entire world below us was suddenly bathed in a blinding, glorious sea of golden sunlight, burning away the shadows of the old year.

To be honest, this was a fantastic idea. Nothing better than beginning a new year on top of a mountain staring over at the world from high up in the sky, the adrenaline of it all, the adventure and cool breeze of it all made it worth it.

Elysium cheered, slipping down from Eli's shoulders to stand between us, holding both of our hands as we stared into the bright, brilliant new dawn. We were whole, we were together, and happily living our lives exactly like we wanted.

"My back is broken. Yep definitely" Agnus huffed sitting down on the rocky ground.

Landon rolled his grey eyes and threw a bottle of water at him. "Seriously you're not even 60 yet and you're complaining like an old man"

"So? Just because I'm 30 doesn't mean I can't break my back doing stunts like this" Agnus grumbled.

Serena snorted "For a 30 year old man, you surely do behave like a kid"

"You're marrying said kid next week." Agnus retorted, making Serena scowl.

"Not my choice. If I had it my way, you would be six feet underground before our wedding day" Serena responded.

Agnus raised an eyebrow. "Always threatening me with murder and yet I'm still alive"

"You haven't been left alone with me for 24 hours yet" Serena smiled wickedly.

Agnus blinked, actually speechless.

I chuckled, shaking my head at the two of them as I sat down next to Eli and Elysium. "Seriously, why don't you both try to get along?"I asked softly.

"You seriously think it's possible to get along with this guy? He's arrogant, a real prick and obsessed with himself" Serena scoffed, flipping her hair sassily.

"Oh please, you look like a goth barbie or a voodoo witch who's plotting the murder of everyone in the middle of the night. And you're obsessed with yourself too. Seriously, who has so many pictures of themselves in bikinis?"Agnus responded, making everyone pause.

Serena turned bright red, her eyes narrowing into slits. "You..hacked into my phone?"

Agnus paused, grimacing as he realised what he said. "No.."

"Pedazo de mierda, ya verás: en cuanto nos quedemos a solas, te voy a destripar. Al estilo de una bruja vudú."Serena snapped in a string of Spanish curses.

Agnus paled.

(Translation : You piece of shit, just you wait: as soon as we're alone, I'm going to rip your guts out. Voodoo-witch style.)

"Okay, stop both of you. We have Elysium here with us and it's supposed to be a memorable moment together" I said, giving both of them a pointed look.

Serena's lips turned into a thin line but she remained quiet.

Agnus rubbed the back of his neck and nodded quietly too.

Seeing these two suddenly quiet was almost surreal but I didn't want our first day of the new year to be filled with curses thrown at each other. This was a new beginning and an opportunity to build new memories together.

I intended to make the most of it, today.

Eli pulled out the steaming hot chocolate from the thermos and poured a cup for everyone, passing it around as Elysium added rows of marshmallows to his.

I chuckled and added a few to my own as Serena filled hers with rows of marshmallows too.

Agnus raised a brow but thankfully made no comment.

"To Friendship, to Family and to a bright future together. Feliz año nuevo!(Happy New Year!)" Elysium said cheerfully.

We all lifted our cups and cheered "To Friendship, To Family and to a bright future together. Feliz año nuevo!"

We sat huddled together on the rocky ground, the heat from our empty tin mugs of hot chocolate lingering on our palms as the golden morning sun fully washed over the mountain peaks. The crisp, freezing air didn't even bother us anymore. The warmth of the family around us was more than enough.

Elysium suddenly grinned, a mischievous spark in his hazelnut brown eyes as he pulled out his speaker. "Okay, the view is great, but it needs a soundtrack."

Before Eli could playfully groan, the iconic, infectious reggaeton beat of J Balvin's Ay Vamos suddenly blasted from the speaker, echoing vibrantly over the mountain wind.

"Oh, now we're talking!" Agnus cheered, immediately dropping his hiking gear and moving his hips in a terrible, exaggerated dance that made Serena instantly cover her face in mock embarrassment, though a bright laugh escaped her lips.

Elysium's face lit up with pure joy as Eli laughed. I didn't hesitate for a second, grabbing Elysium's hands and pulling him into a fun, rhythmic step right there on the top of the mountain.

Elysium threw his head back laughing, completely in his element as he loudly sang along to the chorus with perfect pronunciation "Si nos peleamos, nos arreglamos, nos mantenemos en esa pero nos amamos..."

I watched them all, the tight knot of stress that had lived in our chest last year completely dissolving into the thin mountain air. I caught Landon's eye from across us. He was watching Elysium with a soft, peaceful smile I had never seen on his face before.

Even Eli who was leaning against a rock, nodding his head to the heavy bass line had a rare, relaxed grin gracing his lips as Agnus grabbed his shoulder to force him into a dance step.

I chuckled and twirled away from Elysium, my hand instantly reaching out and locking around Eli's wrist. "Come on, Mi Sol!(My Sun!) You can't just stand there like a statue on New Year's Day!"

Eli let out a low, deep rumble of laughter, letting me pull him into my orbit. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pressing a warm kiss against my temple as we both started swaying to the music, vibing seamlessly with our chaotic, beautiful family singing happily around us.

The lyrics echoed our own chaotic journey - we fought, we faced the shadows, but above all, we loved fiercely.

As the sun climbed higher, painting the entire world in brilliant, blinding gold, I leaned back against Eli's chest comfortably, staring up at him with a soft gaze filled with love and affection.

The shadows of the past were completely gone. The future was bright, loud, and entirely ours now.

"For Eternity" I vowed softly.

"For Eternity" He vowed back staring at me with pure devotion, adoration and eternal love.

The End.