Thanks for your reviews. They made me remember what my real priority is... ;)

I'm going to stop promising things, because I'm never right. I think you'll like this chapter though, even if it doesn't have Marc or Margo in it.

Finally, I really want to know about the preview for 3.13 (the Jate stuff), so one of you guys has to tell me about it when you see it!

Chapter 21. Goodbyes

Waking up with Kate the next morning, Jack was tempted to cancel his flight.

He opened his eyes just after seven to find her already awake, her body curled against his, face just inches away, watching him. "Hey," she said, a soft smile lighting up her features as she leant in to graze his lips.

"Hey," he answered, grinning back as she laid her head back down beside his.

His plane left at nine; when he saw that it was getting close to half past, he started to pull away, intending to get up, but she drew him back to her, returning his mouth to hers.

"Don't go," she murmured against him when they came up for air, trailing gentle kisses from the corner of his lips, to his jaw, down to his throat. "I'll make it worth your while if you stay."

Jack felt a familiar shiver go through him at the feel of her lips on his skin, but he was determined not to let her win that way this time. "I can't," he told her, trying feebly to push her away, but when she ignored him, he gave in to her blackmail, pulling her down on top of him so that he could kiss her again. He could feel her smiling against his lips, apparently pleased that she still had that power over him.

Things might have gone a lot further than an early morning make out session if it wasn't for Izzy, who woke up just as Kate was reaching for the hem of his t-shirt, wailing to let them know that she wanted to be picked up.

Kate froze with her hands on his sides, her guilty expression mirroring the one Jack could feel creeping onto his own face. "Guess we're going to have to wait 'till L.A. after all," she said sheepishly.

He sighed, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. "Guess so."

Echoing his sigh, she gave his lips one last peck before climbing off of him, rescuing Izzy from her bassinette, and bringing her into bed with them.

The rest of the morning was taken up with tending to the baby, and making preparations to leave, so that by the time Jack was ready to go to the airport, he and Kate still hadn't been able to steal another moment alone.

"You wanted this, remember?" Kate said, laughing, as he tried to kiss her goodbye over Izzy's head out on the driveway. The baby seemed to know that something was going on, because she'd started to fuss, squirming around so that Kate had to hold onto her with both hands.

Jack leant down to kiss her fuzzy curls, taking hold of one of her hands. "Yeah, silly me," he said, addressing the words more to the baby than to Kate.

She stopped wriggling for a moment, gurgling happily at being the centre of his attention again, until he let go, making for the driver's side of his rental car. As soon as he climbed in, she started to cry, tossing around in Kate's arms again, her face turning an angry red.

"You're gonna miss Daddy, aren't you?" he heard Kate say as he rolled down the window. "Not as much as me." Smiling at him, knowing full well that he heard her, she leaned into the car to kiss him again, then stepped back, waving him away. "Now go on, get, before I start too." She laughed as she said it, trying to keep things light between them, but he could see that she was getting teary.

"I'll see you both in a couple of days," he told her, closing the window again quickly to shut out the baby's cries. Leaving her was hard enough without hearing how much he was upsetting her by doing it.

Not wanting to prolong the experience any further, he started the engine, backing out of the driveway. As he turned out onto the street, he saw Kate mouth the words, "I love you", holding Izzy's hand as they waved goodbye together.

He waved back, watching them grow smaller in the rear view mirror until he turned the corner, more determined than ever to find a way to keep Kate from running again. What he'd told her the night before was true, he didn't have a choice, because he didn't think he could go through that again.

I've already sketched out the next chapter, so I can promise you Marc. The confrontation with Margo should follow, maybe in chapter 23...