This is the last chapter -- of course there's going to be big time Jate! The ending wouldn't be happy otherwise!

Chapter 38. Home

While Jack had always known that there were risks involved in sailing, he became acutely aware of them now that they had an infant on board. Since he'd first hit on the idea of using the boat to get to Bali, he'd worried that they'd get caught in a storm, but to his relief, the journey went smoothly, the weather staying fine, the wind just strong enough to fill the sails.

With fewer stopovers than he'd expected, it wasn't long before they reached Indonesia, drifting into the Banda Sea, southeast of Bali. By the time they went to bed on the final night of their voyage, they could already make out the neighbouring island of Lombok, which meant that Bali wasn't far behind.

It had taken Jack a while to readjust to the boat's rhythmic movements, but after weeks out on the open ocean, he was able to sleep through the night. Kate, on the other hand, hadn't acclimatised as well. Even though Izzy was waking less now that she was almost five months old, he heard Kate rattling around the cabin in the early hours of the morning, but when he asked her about it, she laughed and told him to go back to bed.

He'd gotten so used to her restlessness that, on the last day of their journey, he didn't even notice when she got up, waking to find the cabin still and silent, devoid of life. Pulling his jeans on over his boxers, he climbed the ladder to the deck to find her standing at the bow, watching the sunrise with Izzy strapped to her chest. She was so absorbed by her thoughts that she didn't seem to hear him approach, starting when he reached her peripheral vision.

As she turned to look at him, Jack noticed, not for the first time, how tired and wan she looked, in spite of her tranquil smile. "Are you okay?" he asked, studying her carefully, concerned by the changes her behaviour and appearance had undergone since they'd left the US. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn she was keeping something from him, but she'd promised no more secrets. "You look a little pale."

She flashed him a wary smile as she returned her eyes to the ocean. "Yeah, just tired. I'll be glad when all this travelling is over."

It was a classic Kate evasion tactic, one she'd used too many times for him to fall prey to it again. When he gave her what he thought must have been a disgruntled look, she sighed, staring down at her hands on the railing as she added, "I wasn't going to tell you until we got to Bali – I know you've been worried about Izzy, so I didn't want to add to that."

"You realise you're going to have to tell me now, or I'll worry anyway," he pointed out, frowning as he tried to anticipate her explanation. He was a doctor: if she were seriously ill, he would have noticed, wouldn't he? She'd seemed a bit run down lately, but not enough to make him think that there was cause to be alarmed.

He relaxed a little when she laughed, looking nervous, but otherwise unconcerned. "Remember the conversation we had the day we took Izzy to the beach?"

"About having another baby?" It wasn't something he was going to forget any time soon.

"Yeah, that one." Her expression turned hopeful as she waited for him to put two and two together, and realise why she was reminding him of that now.

It didn't take long for Jack to piece together what she was saying, comprehension dawning on him as he studied her pale but smiling face. "You mean…?" He had to keep his own face from breaking into a grin as he added, "You're pregnant?"

"I'm not sure yet," she confessed, checking her enthusiasm as she stared down at the railing. "It's just a feeling, but it's the same one I had with Izzy – not in Bali, but in Australia, after you left. I haven't taken a test yet – I was waiting for you. I thought you might want to be there this time."

He nodded, processing this, trying not to appear too excited just yet; he didn't want her to feel like she'd failed him if it turned out to be a false alarm. Now that she were free, they had plenty of time to try again.

When he didn't respond right away, her smile began to waver. "I know it's a little sooner than we planned, but—"

"It's great," he cut in before she could talk him out of it, turning to her with the grin he'd been trying, and failing, to suppress. "Really."

As he watched her face light up, echoing his joy, it occurred to Jack that his life couldn't get much better than it was at that moment; there was only one thing he could think of that would make it complete.

"It trumps this," he said, reaching into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out the black velvet box he'd been carrying since they'd left L.A. After scouring every jeweller within a ten-mile radius, the day before they set out, he'd finally found what he wanted, but so far, he hadn't been able to settle on the right moment to give it to her.

"I was going to do this properly," he confessed, meeting her eyes; she was watching him intently now, holding her breath as she waited for him to go on, "maybe on the beach at sunset, but I've never been good at putting my feelings into words, so I'm just going to say – I love you, Kate. The year we spent apart was the worst of my life – I never want to be away from you for that long again."

She shook off her stunned look, her lips quirking into a smile as she asked, "Are you proposing to me, Jack?"

"Are you accepting?" He raised an eyebrow at her, amused at the way she'd hijacked his proposal.

"Yeah."

Her answer was so simple, so direct, that it took him a moment to realise what had happened, and then his face broke into a grin. "Okay then," he agreed as he cracked open the box. "I guess that's that."

In the weeks leading up to his decision, Jack had looked at dozens of rings, but none had left as deep an impression on him as the one he'd eventually chosen. It consisted of a small, single diamond, suspended on a thin gold band: simple and beautiful, with an understated elegance, like Kate.

"Do you like it?" he asked as he took it out of the box, sliding it carefully onto her finger.

She turned her hand in his so that she could admire it, returning his grin, her eyes sparkling with tears as she answered, "Yeah. It's perfect, Jack – thank you." Bringing her hands up to the sides of his face, she kissed him, resting her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jack was about to pull her in for another kiss when Izzy let out a little shriek, protesting at the lack of attention she'd been receiving. "And you," he added when she reached out for him, pressing his lips softly to her fuzzy curls.

Having said everything that they wanted to say, they turned back out to sea, watching in silence as the white sands of the Balinese coastline came into view. It had been a long journey, but it was finally nearing its end. They were safe, free to start over like Jack had promised so long ago.

As the sun finished its ascent, casting a soft golden light over their surroundings, Jack took his daughter's hand, waiting until he had her attention to point out the island ahead of them. "See that, Izzy?" he said, hoping that one day she'd understand the struggle they'd gone through to find it. "We're home."

So that's it. I am planning to put an epilogue up some time in the next few days, but other than that, I'm done. If you haven't reviewed yet, please, please do so -- I would really love to make it to two hundred this time. I would also love to know what you think of the story as a whole...

And for those of you who have been reviewing as I go -- thanks. It means a lot to me.