Epilogue

''But...we're finally home!'' Jaime protested. ''Why do I have to stay in just one room - even if it is my favorite?'' She sank down into the nursery rocker with Becca in her arms...and flashed her most adorable pout at Steve.

It didn't work. ''Just stay here in the nursery until I call you...please?'' Steve repeated. Moving quickly into the kitchen, he found that OSI 'elves' had supplied everything he'd asked for. He threw the potatoes into the oven, tossed the salad, sliced mushrooms, spread garlic butter on the bread and finally started the grill (all by himself this time) before Jaime called restlessly (but very softly) from the nursery.

''Am I allowed to take a bubble bath?'' she whispered, gently jostling Becca into a deeper stage of sleep.

''No time now. It'll just be a few more minutes.''

''Until...what?''

Steve smiled and kissed her. ''Until you get to come out of exile. Now stay here...please?''

When Jaime was finally allowed to emerge, she found a table set with her grandmother's tablecloth and Steve's grandmother's silver. Candles burned in the center, on either side of a small vase of red roses. There was a bowl of salad - with the greens torn, not cut - at each of their places. ''Happy Anniversary,'' Steve said, beaming. ''Better late than never.''

''Aw..I was gonna do this tomorrow night!'' she told him, ''Thank you...''

Steve kissed her again. ''You might hold onto that 'thank you' until you've tasted the food,'' he joked. ''And celebrating two nights in a row is perfectly acceptable.''

The steak with mushrooms (in a simple garlic butter) was delicious - and perfectly grilled. The next night, Jaime made pork tenderloin and all the trimmings and they celebrated again...both during and after dinner.

''Becca will be in good hands when I go back to work,'' Jaime sighed happily.

''Hopefully not for awhile, though,'' Steve countered. ''Oscar said he'd wait as long as he could.''

''Yeah, but you know as well as I do - and probably a lot better - how that works. 'As long as he could' might be tomorrow. So let's just enjoy tonight...''

The Austins dutifully kept up their morning coffee sessions with Mark. At the beginning of the next week (and completely unannounced), Rudy showed up along with the therapist. ''I have something to talk to you both about,'' the older doctor told them. He explained a bit about a brand-new science that revolved around a discovery a friend of his had made in England a little over a year before. ''DNA is completely unique to each individual and yet carries characteristics from both sets of their families. While one day it's hoped they'll be able to make definitive matches - to say beyond a doubt that a child has certain parents to the exclusion of all others - it's possible now to spot similarities...and the lack of similarities. In other words, to - occasionally - rule out a potential parent.''

''What are you saying, Rudy?'' Steve asked, pulling Jaime closer as he felt her leaning into him.

''We had blood samples for you and Jaime, of course. We took a sample from Becca when she was born. And...we had that sample obtained from Michael. A little over a week ago, we started running a test. We finished early this morning - and we were able to positively rule out one of the samples in this case.''

''Did you...know about this?'' Jaime asked Mark.

''Yes. I tried to prepare you for whatever the results might be - and I still don't know what those results actually are. Are you ready to hear them...whatever they might tell you...or do you need a little more time? Do you even want to hear them?''

''I know that Becca's my daughter, no matter what some fancy new test might say,'' Steve answered. ''So even though it won't change how I feel about her, yes; I'd like to know.''

''I'd...like to know too,'' Jaime agreed.

''Are you sure, Sweetheart?'' Steve asked. He could feel her beginning to tremble, just slightly.

''I'm sure,'' she confirmed. Jaime tilted her head up to kiss her husband. ''I love you,'' she said softly, before turning to Rudy. ''Okay, Rudy...I'm ready.''

''It appears that the island worked its magic on the two of you. When that little girl of yours wakes up, hug her extra-close...and know that she is an Austin!''

- - - - -

END OF EPISODE TWO