A/N: I was listening to Taylor Swift's "Love Story" the other day and this little idea popped into my head. It's loosely based on the song, but didn't quite turned out how I had planned, I still thought it worked though :) Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Love Story
Jackie sighed as she sat down at the kitchen table with a photograph album in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other.
She was feeling nostalgic and, with the kids (finally) all in bed, she had a moment to indulge her feelings. She had already resigned herself to the fact that with five children it would probably only be a moment, but she would take what she could get.
Taking a sip of her wine she opened the front cover of the album and smiled as she looked at the first photograph.
We were so young, she mused as she took in the image of herself and Michael.
The photograph had been taken shortly after they had met and, even now, she couldn't believe how long ago it had been. They had been through so much together, first as friends and then as a family.
Her smile took a on a touch of sadness as she looked at the images of Jim Taggart with fond remembrance. She could remember in the early days, between the easy familiarity and the light flirtatious banter, wondering when on earth Michael was going to ask her on a date.
But he never did.
Years later he would explain that it was all down to Jim who had warned him off her and she still thought it was sweet that listening to him was one of Michael's biggest regrets.
"All of that lost time," he used to say ruefully and she would laugh and tell him that it only served to make them closer.
Her smile turned into a grin as she looked at her favourite image of them from what she termed 'before.' It had been taken at a Christmas party when they hadn't been paying attention: Michael had his arm around her shoulders as she laughed into his shoulder about something that he had said.
She had always been fond of the photo but it had quickly become a favourite after Michael confessed that it was in that moment he realised that he was in love with her.
The photos moved quickly into the beginnings of their relationship after that. She remembered with a wry smile how she had almost given up hope of ever being anything more to him than a friend…just as he decided to declare himself.
They had never looked back.
The next few photos brought nothing but smiles: their wedding, the children, family times.
All leading up to the last photo, one that hadn't been filed yet; she picked it up with a sad smile. It was photograph that had only been taken the day before: Andrew on his first day of school.
This was the reason she had been feeling nostalgic in the first place: her baby had started school.
She was still looking at the photo when Michael came home; he paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "Are you ok?" he asked, his concern apparent in his tone.
She looked up at him with a small smile, "I'm fine, just thinking."
Michael gave her a smile of his own as he came to join her at the table, he took the photo from her and looked at it with a shake of his head, "He looks so grown up," he commented.
"He's still our little boy," Jackie said, more to reassure herself than her husband.
Michael looked up at her, "Of course he is, Jackie, you know that."
She nodded and replaced the photo in the album, closing it softly. "I do, I just…it makes me feel old," she confessed.
Michael chuckled, "Well, you may feel old, Mrs. Jardine, but you are still as beautiful as the day I met you."
"Liar."
"It's true," he protested in mock offense, "and you know why? Because I love you," he told her, planting a kiss on her forehead as he stood up.
Jackie watched him set about heating up his dinner, "Thank you," she finally. He turned to look at her, confused, "For the memories," she clarified, placing a hand on the album.
Michael grinned, "It has been my pleasure," he assured her.