So glad you all liked Jack's plan. I was thinking, and it's probably for the best that they left Bali the first time -- if they hadn't, they still wouldn't have any money, and everyone would think they were dead, so they never would have been able to make amends with their families...

I'm wrapping everything up now, so if there's any loose ends you want to address, let me know, and I'll try to incorporate them...

Chapter 36. A Truce

When Jack pulled into his space in front of their building a while later, there was a red Mercedes parked beside Sam's rental.

"That's my Mom's car," he told Kate as he climbed out to inspect the plates, mystified as to what business his mother could possibly have with him. The last time he'd seen her, she'd more or less thrown his ultimatum back at him, forcing him to choose between his relationship with her, and the one he had with Kate.

He hadn't wanted to, but backed into a corner, he'd made his decision.

That was over a week ago; she hadn't been in contact with him since.

"She probably heard we were fleeing the country, and came to talk you out of it," Kate said bitterly, looking apprehensive as she got out, following him in the direction of their apartment. "Although I'm sure she wouldn't mind me being on the other side of the world, so long as you got Izzy."

She tried to make it sound like a feeble attempt at humour, but Jack could tell there was an underlying note of seriousness to what she was saying, so he pulled her to a stop, turning to face her. "Hey," he said, nudging her chin gently with his knuckles, forcing her to look at him, "she's in our home now – if she has a problem with you, she can leave."

She gave him a wary smile as she started walking again. "Whatever you say, Jack."

"I mean it, Kate," he told her, taking hold of her wrist to stop her again. "You were right – I should have defended you the other night. I can't do anything about that now, but if she starts on you again… You're my family now, as much as she is. If she wants a relationship with me and Izzy, she's going to have to get used to that."

She nodded, her expression still a little dubious, but he could see that there was gratitude mixed in there too now. She wanted to believe him, she almost did, but first, she needed him to prove that he wasn't going to abandon her this time.

"I won't let her insult you again, I promise," he told her to reaffirm what he'd said, sliding his arm around her waist to reassure her as they headed up to their floor.

The hall was empty when they reached their apartment, so Jack unlocked the door, pausing at the sound of two familiar, but incongruous, voices coming from the kitchen. Raising a quizzical eyebrow at Kate, he started towards them with her on his heels, stepping into the room to find his mother at the table, drinking coffee with Sam, Izzy settled comfortably on her lap.

"Jack," she said, aborting the conversation abruptly, seemingly startled by his sudden appearance. She collected herself, adding, with her usual poise, "I hope you don't mind that I decided to drop by."

Offering him a weak smile, her gaze shifted to Kate, her expression softening only slightly from what it had been the other night at dinner. "Your father was just showing me the pictures he took of Isobelle while you were staying with him, Kate," she explained, doing her best to adopt a friendly tone, though her voice was still unconvincingly cold. "I told him he has to send me copies. She's such an attractive baby – I can't wait for my friends to see her."

Looking Margo, to her father, and back again, Kate returned her smile with something more akin to a grimace; Jack could almost see the gears turning in her head as she searched his mother's words for hidden jabs.

There were none that Jack could recognise – in fact, her words were probably the nicest she'd ever spoken to Kate – but after her display the other night, he wasn't convinced that his mother was capable of changing her mind so completely, so he cleared his throat, giving her a pointed look. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Mom?"

"Of course, Jack," she said kindly, feigning ignorance, putting on a show for Sam he was pretty sure. "What did you want to talk about?"

"In the living room," he added, ignoring her, his voice firm enough to make her take notice this time.

Her lips curled into a disgruntled scowl as she nodded, rising to her feet, passing the baby to Kate as she followed him out of the room.

Once they were alone, Jack gestured for her to sit down, lowering his voice so that Kate and her father couldn't hear him. "What's going on Mom?" he asked when she was seated on the edge of the couch. "The last time I saw you, you pretty much told me you were going to disinherit me if I kept seeing Kate, and now you're hanging out with her dad?"

"I wasn't "hanging out" with her father – I was just being polite, since you didn't bother to inform me that you had company." Returning to his original question now that that had been established, she explained, "It's Christmas – I wanted to see my son," as if it were unreasonable for him to even ask. She couldn't seem to resist having another go at him as she added, "Especially since he was too busy gallivanting around the world, pretending to have been killed in a plane crash to even send me a card last year."

They'd had this conversation before, countless times since he returned to L.A. "I told you, Mom – it was complicated," he reminded her with a sigh, wishing that she would just forgive him already so that they could both get on with their lives. Since he'd never been able to offer her much of an excuse, though, he was pretty sure that that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Complicated like you moving to Bali?" she returned, shocking him into silence. He was still trying to figure out how to break that piece of news to her, in light of everything she'd said about him running away from his responsibilities.

Off his startled look, she added, "Imagine my surprise when I heard it from a complete stranger – a man I'd never even heard of before today. I know we haven't always gotten along, Jack, but I didn't think you hated me that much. You must really want to get away from me if you're moving halfway around the world to do it."

Hearing these words, Jack was reminded of why he hadn't wanted to tell her in the first place. "Me moving to Bali has nothing to do with you," he corrected her, sighing as he realised that she'd effectively back him into another corner. He would have to tell her the whole truth now, or she would think he was just trying to spare her feelings by arguing.

"Then what does it have to do with?" she asked, right one cue. "The medical facilities in there are practically third world – you're clearly not going to advance your career."

"If the hospitals are as bad as you say, then maybe they need me," he said feebly, stalling for time as he tried to come up with an answer that didn't sink Kate's standing with her even further. If she'd disliked her when she thought she was a gold-digging social climber, how much more would she hate her when she learned she was a fugitive?

"Maybe," Margo allowed, "but that's not why you're going, is it?" She gave him a hard, no-nonsense look as she added, "I know this sudden, spur of the moment decision has something to do with Kate. You didn't want to leave the country a few weeks ago."

Jack took a deep breath, steeling himself for her reaction. "We're moving to Bali because Indonesia doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US," he admitted finally, massaging his forehead with one hand.

He waited a moment, then looked up at her, watching her mouth fall open in surprise.

"Why would that…? Oh…" she trailed off as she realised what it was that he was hinting at. "Please tell me this woman isn't another one of your projects, Jack."

"Of course not," he snapped, angered by her description, not just of his relationship with Kate, but Sarah as well. He never consciously set out to bestow pity on anyone, least of all the women he loved. "But she's in trouble, and this is the only way I can think of to get her out of it."

His mother inhaled sharply at his use of the word "trouble", giving him a reproachful look. "What sort of trouble?" she asked, softening slightly as she added, "Marc's a lawyer – you didn't think to consult him?"

"It was his idea. He doesn't want to risk of a conviction."

She paused for a moment, considering this. Jack was surprised that she was able to remain so calm given that he'd just told her he was bringing a wanted criminal into her previously respectable family. "What are the charges?" she asked. When he didn't answer right away, she repeated the question, more insistently this time. "What are the charges, Jack? I'm your mother, I have a right to know what it is you're getting yourself mixed up in."

"Murder. She's wanted for murder." Jack closed his eyes, waiting for her to start berating him, but she didn't.

When he opened them again, he could see the little vein bulging in her forehead as she suppressed her outrage, offering him the chance to provide a more substantial explanation.

"Sam's not her biological father," he went on, hoping to alleviate Kate's guilt a little in her mind, "her real father was a drunk named Wayne. He used to beat up her mother, and I think—" he heard his voice waver a little as he was forced to dredge up something he'd been trying to forget "—she won't tell me – but I think he hurt her too. A couple of years ago, when she found out the truth, she blew up her parents' house while he was asleep inside."

"Jack…"

"I know," he cut in, playing devil's advocate as he added, "I'm a fool for getting involved, but she's not a bad person, Mom. She doesn't deserve to go to jail. I just wish there was some way you could see what I see – some way you could see how great she is."

She was silent for a disconcertingly long moment, staring at the carpet, considering what he'd said. "I'm not sure I'll ever understand why," she began finally, looking up at him, choosing each word carefully as if afraid of alienating him further, "when you could have any woman you wanted, you chose this one, but I can see that you really believe that, so I won't stand in your way anymore.

"I can't promise you that I'll like her, but I will respect her, if that's what takes to preserve our relationship. Contrary to what you might think, Jack, I do want what's best for you – I always have. I want you to be happy – you just have to give me some time."