Author's Notes: Here it is! The moment you've all been waiting for! =) The last chapter for Bk2. I'm almost sad to see it end. It has come to my attention that fanfiction writers are not to use space in our entries to respond to reviews. So from now on, the shout out space is simply me acknowledging that I have read your reviews. =) So if you want me to actually respond to a review, please sign in if you have an account or leave me some way of contacting you.

Shoutouts! Jinney, ImpactPrincess, AnimalHART, Awesome, dayZdukes, Sweethalo90, and Mrs. Review. =)

Oh! and I was browsing deviant art and guess what I found. Fanart for Our Days in Paradise! =D you will find it at inyuji's account. http : / / inyuji . deviantart . com / gallery / # / d363y93 (remove spaces) I thank you for the art! And I'm glad my story doesn't make you cringe. ;)

Don't own anything but Mags.

Chapter 10

We returned to the Dino Plateau and Buck's tree house. I forgot how much I missed it. Buck had obviously reverted to living like a single male. Things were a bit of a mess. After a little teasing and a lot of cleaning things looked a whole lot better. However the one place that was untouched by Buck's lone inhabitance was my tree branch and hammock.

Something had been added though. A reminder to the both of us before we entered the tree house. The pineapple's grave. The first couple of times, it hurt to see the marker that Buck had erected. As time went by though, I found a solace in sitting there and chatting to her - as if she was still around. I talked to her about a lot of things. Like what I had done, where I had gone after her death. I didn't tell her about what Buck said to me though. I don't think I was ready to do that yet.

Maggie stretched in her hammock and yawned. It was, yet again, another day. She sat up so she could reach over and push back the leaves acting like curtains. Morning on the Dino Plateau. She loved it. The sounds and the smells and the sight. Taking a deep breath she let it out in a contented sigh.

Maggie rolled over to the edge of the hammock and jumped down to the branch below her. A large wooden bowl with water in it sat on one end of the branch. She walked over to it and splashed some water on her face. Using a large leaf as a towel, Maggie dabbed at her face. Awake and still a little damp, she looked around her, running her claws through her fur to detangle any knots. Finished grooming herself, Maggie's hazel eyes glanced at her bandage to make sure that it was still secure. She had not stopped wearing the leaf bandage. Buck - thankfully - never asked her to keep it off. Leaving it off would just make her feel uncomfortable.

Satisfied that everything was in order concerning her appearance, Maggie climbed down to the main room. "Buck?" she called, looking around. No sign of him. She stuck her lip out in a pout. "If he's gone off patrolling again without me -" Maggie shook her head and lifted her arms in resignation. Her stomach grumbled, pleading to be fed. The she-weasel poked around the tree house for something edible. A smile crept along her face when she found a bowl of fruit that was predominately made up of peaches. "I guess I can forgive you this time, Buck." She mumbled while picking up the bowl and heading outside to enjoy the morning.

Maggie plopped down next to the grave marker and leaned against the tree trunk. "Well, Buck's run off again." She announced to the silent fruit underneath the ground. She took a slow bite out of her breakfast and shrugged. "I know he'll be back but it wouldn't have hurt him to tell me where he was going." Maggie smiled and changed to subject to some dinosaur eggs she and Buck saw the other day. She finished eating her breakfast and looked around the clearing. Her eyes landed on some flowers on a bush nearby. "Aren't those lovely!" she exclaimed as she hurried over to pick some.

She returned to her spot and laid the flower out over the patch of earth beside her. "These are for you." Maggie stated reverently. With a small smile she lifted one of the flowers and twirled it by the stem between her claws. "I know I've never mentioned it but - I'm sure Buck might have told you by now -" A sigh escaped her lips. Maggie looked up at nothing in particular, trying to get her thoughts in order before she broached the topic she had been avoiding to address. Sill staring off into her thoughts, she began again. "While Buck and I were staying in my cave I noticed something different. I mean, the way Buck was treating me or looking at me."

Maggie glanced out of the corner of her eye at the bouquet she had laid out. "He wasn't acting the same he had when we were just friends - just partners in action. It kind of seemed like the way he treated you." Biting her lip, she stared intently at the flower's petals. "I will admit that I wanted that attention the first time I met him - but I think now that I was still a little shocked with Nick's betrayal so maybe I really didn't. But when Buck started giving me that attention I felt - happy, scared, and like I was betraying you. I was and still am so confused." With a weary sigh, Maggie shook her head. "Then there was the whole disaster with Rudy. It may or may not have been the best timing but after I told Buck all about Nick - he said he," in a whisper she finally said, "loved me."

Silence descended on the clearing. Maggie's ears twitched at the sounds of the dinosaurs calling to each other on the plateau. Everything seemed so calm right now. "I didn't know what to say." She began again in a timid voice. "I like him. I do. He's my friend and probably my only friend other than you. He's been nothing but a gentleman since I've met him. He understands me and doesn't try to change me. We both have our eccentricities but we complement each other in our oddness." Maggie felt like she was rambling out of control. "I know I have a crush on him but how do I know I love him? When do you know you love someone?" Once again, silence stretched after her question.

"I heard someone ask that question once of a mated animal." The female weasel spoke up, fingering the petals on the flower she held. "I think I remember most of her answer. She said something about - that person, if you love them, will be your best friend. And you think about them all the time. You can't wait to talk to them or see them. You miss them when they're not there. You talk about him with your friends and family all the time. The thought about spending the rest of your life with him excites you and you can't wait to do so." Maggie tilted her head to the side to contemplate what she just said. So did she love Buck?

Buck sailed over the ground, grinning around his knife. While flying through the air, holding onto a vine, Buck looked down at the world blurring below him. He was finishing up his patrol of the area. No sign of Rudy. For once, Buck wasn't disappointed with that. He could return to his tree house and see what Maggie was up to. His ears drooped a little bit. It had been a long time since they returned to the Plateau. She still hadn't said anything about his declaration. He knew he couldn't pressure her into anything. He didn't want to pressure her into anything. Buck just wanted an answer.

The tree house coming into view, Buck dropped from his vine and landed expertly on all fours. Standing up, he looked around at the bushes and trees to see if any dinos were lying in wait for him. Coast was clear. Slinging his knife over his shoulder, Buck made to walk into the clearing but stopped at the sound of Maggie's voice. Twisting his ears, he tried to catch what she was saying. He knew she spent some time talking to his deceased mate and he hadn't been - eavesdropping per say. He would call it walking in during a conversation but never letting anyone know he was listening.

Maggie sighed. "I love him." Buck's puzzled expression turned into an all out grin. Before he could run out into the clearing, she said, "I love him not." His grin was replaced by a frown and hurt confusion. Maggie continued talking. "I love him." Pause. "I love him not." Buck's curiosity got the best of him so he cautiously peered around a bush at the female weasel.

She was sitting by the pineapple's grave that was now littered with flowers. In Maggie's paw was a flower with several petals missing. Only three petals remained and Maggie was reaching to pluck another petal from its place. "I love him." she said, tossing the petal to the side. Buck tilted his head. What was she doing? Maggie sighed and lifted her arms in frustration. "This is silly." She turned to look at the stone marker beside her. "If I was honest with myself I'd say he is all the things I've described! Buck is my best friend. I do think about him all the time. I always enjoy talking to him. I anticipate the moment he returns from his patrols so I can talk to him and see him and go on another adventure with him. When he's not around I miss him so much - it's all I can do to keep myself from going out looking for him. You know that I talk about him all the time. I would love to spend the rest of my life with him!" Buck felt himself swell up with anticipation and happiness. Maggie shook her head and tossed the flower aside. "I don't need flower petals to tell me if I love him or if I don't. Because I do love him."

Buck stepped out from behind the bushes and stuck his knife into the dirt. The sound of his knife hitting the dirt, made Maggie's ears twitch back in Buck's direction. She turned to look up at him, an expression of shock on her face. Buck stood staring at her, unsure whether he should hug her or wait for her to come to him. Maggie stood slowly and rubbed her bandaged arm with her other paw. She had a feeling he overheard her. Looking down at her feet she said, "I meant it. Every word of it." Taking a deep breath for courage, she looked up into Buck's blue eye. "I do love you, Buck."

A smile spread across Buck's face and he decided he should make the first move. "I love you too, Mags." He was slightly startled when she started walking shyly toward him to meet halfway.

"I like it when you call me Margaret." Maggie stated, shivering slightly from Buck's gentle caress of her chin.

"I like calling you Margaret." Buck grinned. He leaned forward so that his breath mixed with hers. "In fact, Margaret, I love your name."

She smiled cheekily. "So do you want me to call you Buckminster?"

"You do, an' I'll have ta teach ya a lesson, Mags." Buck chuckled playfully growling as well.

"I think I'd be willing to learn." Maggie answered back. She smiled again at the sound of Buck's chuckle but soon forgot everything when he finally closed the marginal space between them. If this was what kissing the mate you loved felt like, Maggie was sure she would never grow tired of it. The only word that came to mind was, Paradise.

That is the end of Book 2! Book 3 will begin in the near future. =)