Hey guys! I actually wrote this chapter a few days ago and was on the brink of posting it, but somehow this seemed like a better idea, so I scrapped the whole thing and rewrote it. Here it is:

"It's so hot," Jack moaned, tossing and turning.

Aster looked up from his novel and grinned. Jack was lying on the couch in Aster's apartment. The heat wave was still on and going strong, and Jack was barely coping. He was lying on the couch wearing just a pair of boxers and a tank top.

"Quit complaining," he said softly. "Back home, the temperatures were a lot higher than this in summer."

"Yeah, but that's the Australian summer," Jack replied. "Australians like it hot." He glanced at Aster, and added, "And I like hot Australians."

"Like me?"

"No, you're ugly." Jack grinned sweetly.

Aster pounced, and Jack squeaked as he was pinned under his boyfriend's body.

"Say that again?" Aster threatened, a smile on his face.

"You're the most handsome guy I've ever seen," Jack breathed.

Aster leaned down and kissed Jack, and Jack kissed him back, cupping Aster's face in his hands.

It was a while before they got back to the topic of Australian summers, and by then they were a lot sweatier.

"I have an idea!" Jack exclaimed. "Let's go on holiday to Australia!"

Aster looked over. "What?"

"You heard me! How does Australia sound?" Jack turned his face imploringly towards Aster's. "I've never been out of the US before. The furthest I've been from Burgess is New York, and that was only once."

"Um – " Aster scratched his head. "Well, I don't know, Jack."

"Is it because you're busy with work?"

"No, no, it's not that." Aster sighed. "It's just – well, Jack, I haven't been back to Australia since I left."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Fifteen years."

Jack whistled, and Aster nodded. "Yeah. It's been that long."

"And you haven't made contact with your parents or anyone you knew back there?"

"No. I left my old life behind when I came to America. I left and I didn't look back."

Jack was quiet. Then he said, "It's okay. I think I understand why you don't want to go back. Forget I ever asked."

They lapsed into silence, and Jack snuggled into Aster's side. They were both lying on the couch, and Aster wrapped an arm around his smaller boyfriend. His mind was whirring.

Australia. He hadn't thought about Australia for years now. He'd lived in the US so long that he didn't think of Australia as home anymore. It wasn't the country – it was the people he'd left behind. The thought of going back and facing his parents again was scarier than he cared to admit.

And yet, the prospect of taking Jack on holiday to visit the country of his birth was enticing. Firstly, it would be a chance for the two of them to get away and spend more time together, which was always a plus. He'd heard Tooth say once that a couple was only really a couple if they went on holiday together. But more than that, he wanted to show Jack his roots. Where he came from. How that had shaped him as a person.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Pack your bags. We're going to Australia."

"Really?"

"You bet."

~~Page Break~~

Aster and Jack spent the next month planning and packing while Aster finished off work on a few cases. Jack went out to apply for a passport (having never needed one before) and then for an Australian visa.

Tooth helped with the logistics of the trip. She and Aster spent hours buying tickets and securing accommodation and transport from Burgess all the way to Aster's hometown on the coast of Queensland. She was a bit of a control freak, but Aster didn't mind that. He needed all the help he could get. It wasn't easy for him, after all, planning a trip like this to go back to his roots.

It did warm his heart to see how excited Jack was. He went and bought sun cream and trunks for both of them, as well as a bunch of other touristy things. He even bought a guidebook, to Aster's consternation.

"Your guidebook's right here." Aster gestured to himself.

"Shush, I'm reading," Jack said, flipping the page. Aster rolled his eyes and went back to work.

Finally, the big day arrived. Aster and Jack piled their luggage into the boot of Tooth's car. She was practically hopping up and down with excitement.

"Don't forget to message me every day on Facebook," she sang as she got behind the wheel and started to drive. "And send a postcard too, while you're at it. You two are so lucky!"

North was in Russia and couldn't come to see them off, but he'd sent his best wishes. Sandy, on the other hand, was seated next to Tooth in the passenger seat. As Aster and Jack piled into the back of the car, he turned and gave them a thumbs-up.

Tooth drove them to Logan International Airport in Boston, about a one-and-a-half hour drive from Burgess. There, she and Sandy helped Aster and Jack unload their luggage onto the sidewalk.

Be careful, Sandy signed. Don't get run over by kangaroos.

"I'll try not to," Jack laughed.

"Look after him, Aster," Tooth said, "or I'll head over there myself and beat the crap out of you."

"Easy, girl," Aster laughed, holding his hands up.

Tooth embraced the both of them, while the ever-formal Sandy shook hands with them. Then, they got back into Tooth's car and pulled away. Aster and Jack waved till they were out of sight, back on their way to Burgess.

Aster glanced at Jack. It was clear that the flight and the journey so far away from home was starting to get to Jack, judging from the nervous expression on his face. Aster took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "It'll be okay," he promised.

Jack offered Aster a timid smile. Then, they turned and headed into the airport.

~~Page Break~~

The American Airlines flight from Boston to Los Angeles took over five hours. As they were taking off, Aster noticed how Jack's hand was squeezing the armrest, his knuckles turning white.

"It's going to be okay," he promised Jack.

"We're in a flying tube of metal," Jack hissed in response. "Anything could go wrong."

Remembering that he'd had the same fears about flying his first time, Aster chose to be quiet. Eventually, Jack calmed down and got used to being in a flying tube of metal where anything could go wrong.

They had a five-hour layover in Los Angeles, during which they explored the airport. Jack was excited about being in California for the first time, even if all he could do was admire the airport. They visited all the shops, but didn't buy anything. It felt like they'd only just landed when they found themselves boarding another plane – this time, United Airlines, and this time, to Sydney, Australia.

This flight was a lot less enjoyable. It took fifteen hours. Aster did manage to get some sleep, but Jack didn't, at least not for the majority of the flight. He was tossing and turning, but somehow couldn't sleep at all. Besides, every time the aircraft hit a patch of turbulence, he would panic, certain that they would all plunge to their deaths in the Pacific Ocean.

When the captain finally announced that they were beginning their descent into Sydney, both Aster and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Jack got more and more excited, and kept glancing out of the window. It was nighttime in Sydney, but he sucked in a breath when the plane finally descended below the clouds and he saw the city lights below him.

It was then that he turned to Aster with shining eyes. "Hello, Australia," he whispered.

Aster smiled back. "I'm home."

To any Australian readers: I apologize in advance for describing Australia incorrectly. I've never been to Australia myself and have no idea what it's like. I do have friends who have been there though, and they tell me it's a beautiful country. I'll do my best to describe it based on what I've heard :) Other than that, please leave me a few reviews!