Maggie managed to keep the big secret and was present to witness her father marrying Kate in front of a judge in a small room at the courthouse. They enjoyed an early lunch together before taking her home to pack for her trip with her mother. They spent their wedding night at a 5-star hotel, dressed to the hilt for dinner and dancing in the ballroom before retiring to the honeymoon suite for champagne, strawberries and a night of love-making neither would forget.
They flew to San Francisco the following morning because Kate had never been and Jack had never had the pleasure of enjoying the city and its sites the few times he had been there and because it was close to where Maggie was going to be. He knew he was going to have to start letting go of Maggie again, but he was having a hard time with it partly because he wasn't sure if Stacy had her head screwed on straight, but mostly because he loved being a full-time father and had no desire to give that up.
They spent Saturday enjoying the sites and Saturday night enjoying each other, but their honeymoon would be cut short when he was awakened by his cell phone at 3 AM on Sunday morning. He saw that it was Maggie, quickly swallowed the panic that surfaced and answered the phone.
"Maggie, what's wrong?" He asked calmly.
"I want to come home daddy." She said in a soft, shaky voice, obviously on the verge of tears.
"Baby what's wrong? Let me talk to your mom." He said.
"She's not here. I'm by myself and I don't know if she's ever coming back. I'm scared daddy." Maggie told him and started crying.
"Shh sweetheart, don't cry. I'll come right now. Are you at your grandma's house?" He asked moving off the bed and looking for his clothes.
"No! Grandma isn't here, she went on a trip. I'm at a hotel. Mom left yesterday. She said she'd be right back and she didn't come back. I don't like it here by myself." She cried.
"Maggie it's okay, daddy is only about 45 minutes away. I want you to look around the room and find something with the name and address of the hotel. Can you settle down and do that sweetheart?" He said desperately, frightened for his child and so angry with Stacy that he thought his head might explode.
After a few moments Maggie finally spoke into the phone. She was a little calmer as she read the name and the address of the hotel to him, but still begging him to hurry and he needed to understand why she was so afraid.
"Maggie honey why are you so afraid? Did something happen?" Jack asked patiently as he pulled his pants on.
"People are banging on the door and yelling stuff. I'm scared daddy, what if they want to hurt me." Maggie cried.
Jack moved back onto the bed where Kate was now awake, sitting up and looking at him with questioning eyes.
"Maggie, I'm going to call the police and have them come check on you. Talk to Kate while I do that." Jack said and handed the phone to Kate.
Kate did her best to calm the child who was growing more and more hysterical with every knock on the door while Jack contacted a police station in San Jose and explained the situation. He then took the phone from Kate and talked to Maggie some more.
"Baby, the police are on their way. Just stay in the room and keep the door locked and don't open it until the police get there. I'll stay on the phone with you. Okay?" He did his best to soothe her.
"What's going on Jack?" Kate asked as she moved off the bed and began dressing as well.
"Stacy left Maggie in a hotel room by herself and she's freaking out. I've got to go and get her. You can stay here, it's okay." He said.
"I'm coming with you Jack." Kate said in a no nonsense tone and finished dressing.
He drove frantically to the hotel while Kate took over talking to Maggie so he could concentrate on the road. Kate had seen him this frightened and distressed over Maggie, but she'd never seen him as angry as he was at the moment and she hoped that Stacy wouldn't make a sudden appearance when they got there because she wasn't sure what he'd do or if she'd bother to stop him. They made the 45 minute drive in just under 30 minutes and hurried to the room where Maggie was.
When the police officer opened the door and let them in, Maggie flew into her father's arms and Kate felt her heart jump into her throat. The child was trembling and had been crying so hard her eyes were nearly swollen shut. Jack sat on the bed with her and held her close, rocking her gently and assuring her that she was safe. He noticed the bottles of pills on the table beside the bed and looked up at the police officer.
"Thank you for coming, I didn't know what else to do." Jack said.
"You did the right thing sir. The door knockers were just some kids roaming around the hallways. Do you have any idea where the child's mother might be?" The cop asked.
"No." Jack said.
"Do you want to file a missing person's report?" The cop asked.
Just as Jack was about to answer Stacy entered the room. She was dressed like she'd been out clubbing all night and reeked of cigarette smoke and alcohol.
"What's going on? Why are you here Jack?" Stacy asked.
"Kate, can you take Maggie out to the car please?" Jack asked.
Kate helped Maggie gather her things and walked her out of the hotel room, leaving Jack, the police officer and Stacy to sort things out.
"What were you thinking Stacy?" Jack asked angrily.
"What are you talking about?" Stacy asked.
"You left her all alone in this room for a day and a night with no money, no food and no fucking idea whether you were ever coming back?!" He yelled.
"What are talking about? I was only gone for a couple of hours." Stacy said.
"Stacy, do you even know what day it is?" Jack asked.
"It's Friday. I just stepped out for a couple of hours to meet an old friend at a nearby bar." Stacy said.
"Stacy, it's 4 AM and it's Sunday. You're taking all of that medication and you're drinking alcohol? " Jack asked.
"I stopped taking the meds about a month ago. I just keep the bottles around for Maggie's sake. You know, so she won't be afraid I'll go crazy on her again." Stacy explained.
Jack picks up the pill bottles and reads them doing his best to calm down and accept that he's dealing with a mentally ill individual who didn't mean to put her child in danger.
"Stacy these are antipsychotics. Were you diagnosed with a severe bi-polar disorder or a type of Schizophrenia and if so why didn't you tell me or better yet why in the hell did that judge in San Diego believe it was okay for Maggie to be in your care again?" Jack asked angrily.
"Don't you dare judge me Jack Shephard! I was only gone for a couple of hours!" Stacy yelled at him.
"I'm not doing this with you Stacy. Is it okay if I leave now? Do you need anything from me?" Jack asked the police officer.
"You do realize I'm going to have to arrest her for endangering a minor." The cop said.
"Do whatever you have to do, but she needs medical attention, needs to be back on her meds." Jack sighed.
"Are you a doctor?" The cop asked.
"Yes, I am and I should've been paying closer attention. I guess I wanted to believe my daughter was going to have her mother back in her life more than I wanted to clue into the signs that something more than depression was going on. She's sick, she needs psychiatric care, but I suspect she's going to fight you on that so good luck." Jack told him.
"Jack! Wait! You can't just leave me here!" Stacy protested.
"I'll call Mike and let him know what's going on. I'm sure he knows how to get in touch with your family. You need help Stacy and that's your problem. Keeping Maggie safe is my problem and I intend to do whatever it takes to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again." Jack told her and walked out of the room.
They drove back to their hotel in San Francisco and put Maggie to bed. Jack was angry at himself and at Stacy, so angry he wanted to end their weekend and just drive home, but Kate convinced him to let Maggie sleep while he worked on calming down. After watching him pace and mumble for about 30 minutes while rubbing his hands over the back of his head so many times she worried he might rub all the hair away, Kate sat him down on the couch in the suite and just let him hold her until calmed himself. She eventually joined Maggie in the bed and Jack dozed off on the couch. Jack woke up before Kate and Maggie and spent the quiet time rescheduling their flight for the next day so they could all three fly home together, the idea of six hour drive no longer appealing to him now that he had settled down.
He sat beside Kate on the bed and woke her gently by applying tender kisses to her shoulders and neck. She opened her eyes and looked at him, seeing the real him in his eyes again instead of the crazed, angry, guilt-ridden father and smiled.
"You okay now?" She asked.
"Yeah. She's with us and she's safe. That's all that matters. I'm going to jump in the shower. Want to join me?" He asked and kissed her.
"I'd love to, but I'd hate for her to wake up and think she got deserted in another hotel room." Kate said and kissed him back, feeling him deepen the kiss and finding herself wishing she could join him in the shower.
He pulled out of the kiss and looked into her eyes, letting his fingers glide gently over the side of her face.
"I love you Mrs. Shephard and hopefully at some point the last couple of nights we made a baby because you would be the best mother any kid could ever hope to have." He said sweetly and glanced over at Maggie who was snuggled close to Kate and still sleeping soundly.
"I hope so too and she's going to be okay Jack. She's been a little traumatized, but she's safe now and we're going to have too much fun today for her to even think about it." Kate offered with a smile.
"Yeah, I think she's going really love the trolley cars and hopefully after I get her home and tell her she can't see her mom anymore she's still going to love me." Jack sighed.
"She's going to love you no matter what Jack, you're her daddy." Kate said.
They spent a happy, fun-filled day together avoiding Maggie's questions about her mom as much as possible, flying home the next day and not allowing Maggie to speak to her mother when she called, obviously sprung from jail and as far as Jack could tell still out of her mind. Jack confiscated Maggie's cell phone, making sure the child knew she wasn't in trouble, but that she couldn't have it back until he figured out what do about Stacy calling and texting her constantly. She responded like he thought she would, she hated him and was never going to talk to him again. She was going to turn 13 in a couple of weeks and once again her world had been turned upside down and he wondered how much damage the last couple of years of her life had done.
He walked into her bedroom to tell her goodnight and she immediately turned onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. He sat on the side of the mattress and placed a gentle hand on her back.
"Maggie I'm so sorry about everything. You deserve a normal life with normal parents who live together and love each other, but you never got that and I'm sorry. Hopefully Kate and I can make a home for you that will eventually feel like maybe you're not missing out on what all children deserve." He said lifting his hand as she rolled over to look at him.
"I don't think I'm missing out on anything dad. I just wish I wasn't scared of my mom." She said as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
"I'm sorry that your mom is sick, but please remember baby that she can't help it." He said softly and wiped the tear away.
"She really can't can she?" Maggie asked.
"No honey she can't and as long as she's like this I can't let you be around her. It's not safe." Jack said.
"Is she going to die?" Maggie asked.
"Maggie, I could sit here and say all the right things, all the things a little girl needs to hear, but you're almost 13 and not a little girl anymore and you need to understand just how sick your mom is. Her mental illness won't kill her, but if she doesn't stick with a treatment and stay on her medication she could do something that could result in her death." Jack explained.
"Why did she get sick?" Maggie asked.
"It just happens to people Maggs and it's very hard for them once they do get sick. Somewhere deep inside your mom is still there and she loves you so much and she wants to get better, but she's constantly battling her brain and what it does and doesn't want and the medicines they give her probably make her feel so bad that she thinks she can beat it on her own so she goes off of the meds and it's just a vicious cycle honey. If she ever gets to place where she's not constantly battling and is no longer a danger to herself and you, I promise I will take you to visit her." Jack told her, leaning forward and kissing her on the forehead.
"Daddy, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at me." She told him.
"Why are you mad at yourself?" He asked.
"Because I don't want to see her and I don't want to talk to her. She's not mom anymore and she makes me feel really afraid and I'm a bad daughter for feeling that way." Maggie said.
"Maggs, what you are feeling is perfectly normal. Of course she scares you, she scares me, but you have to remember that the person we're both afraid of right now isn't the same person we both know and love. We'll always care about her and hope she finds her way back to us, but until then, we have to carry on without her. You can keep her in your heart sweetheart, but don't let her become an anchor, don't spend your days waiting for her to come back to you because she might not and she wouldn't want you to do that to yourself." Jack explained.
"I didn't think you loved mom." Maggie said.
"I do, but not in the same way that I love Kate. She's been a part of my life for 13 years and is the mother of my child and we've always been friends. Of course I love and care about her, just not in a romantic way. Does that make sense?" He asked.
"Yes. Dad, can I always live with you and Kate even if mom gets better?" Maggie asked.
"If that's what you want then yes, of course." He said.
"It's what I want. I want to finish getting well and then go to school and make friends and play sports again. I like being with Kate. I was so scared and sick and she made it all not seem so scary. I just wish I wasn't so mean to her when I was missing my mom." Maggie said.
"I think Kate understands things have been tough for you. She knows you didn't mean the things you said when you said them, but if you wanted to make a real effort not to do that anymore it'd be great." He said and winked at her.
"Are you going to try to have a baby again?" Maggie asked.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because I want you to and when you aren't here I'll take good care of Kate so the baby won't get sick this time." Maggie offered.
"Maggie, the baby getting sick had nothing to do with you or your feelings about it." Jack told her.
"I know, but it can't hurt to let the baby know how much it's wanted can it?" She asked.
"No, that can never hurt." Kate chimed in from the doorway and slowly approached the bed.
She leaned in and took hold of Maggie's hands, pulling her up into the seated position and then off of the bed.
"Where are we going?" Maggie asked.
"I thought you might want to come to bed with us and watch DVDs." Kate offered.
"Really? I can sleep with you guys again?" Maggie asked.
"I think it'd be okay for us to be one big happy family in the same bed for tonight, but just tonight. We can't make a baby if you're in our bed every night now can we?" Kate told her winking at her and then giggling at how uncomfortable Jack suddenly was.
It was March and the family of three, soon to be five, were happy and content. Jack hired a lawyer and made the termination of Stacy's parental rights legal, the battle she was fighting against mental illness a tough one and one she was losing a little bit more each day. Maggie hadn't seen or spoken to her mother since the night Jack pulled her out of the hotel room and after a week or so Stacy had stopped trying to contact her.
They got pregnant fast and this time with twins who were healthy and growing right on schedule, their son and daughter due to be born within the next couple of weeks. Kate was very large and very miserable and didn't move from the large, comfy recliner in the family room much. She'd taken to sleeping in it the last few weeks and Jack didn't argue, but instead made himself comfortable on the couch across the room. When Jack couldn't be with her, Maggie, true to her word, never left her side. She fixed her food, helped her to and from the bathroom and slept on the couch some nights so her dad could get a good night's sleep.
She was only left alone while Maggie was in school or when Maggie had a game. She'd insist Jack not miss the games and not just for Maggie's sake. For all their good intentions, they were driving her crazy with their constant doting and she needed a break from them.
They came through the front door earlier than expected, the storm that was rolling through having ended the game early. There were power outages all over the city as one of the most violent thunder storms in recent history continued to rumble and cause damage. Their house was still lit up though as they hurried through the door, the rain soaking them, both stopped in their tracks by Kate's frantic cries for them.
They both ran toward the bedroom where the cries were coming from, finding Kate in the middle of the bed, on her side, knees up, holding her stomach, her hair drenched with sweat and a large wet spot around her. Jack hurried to her side, knowing she was in the deep stages of labor.
"Jack they're coming, I can't stop it any longer." She cried.
"No, don't try to stop it baby, don't push, but don't try to hold them in either." He instructed in a calm, caring voice as he attempted to roll her onto her back.
"No! It hurts too much!" She cried and resisted his efforts.
"Maggie, can you please call for an ambulance?" Jack asked, still calm and slowly rolling Kate onto her back even though she was fighting him all the way.
"Why didn't you call me?" He asked trying to get her to focus on anything but the pain.
"I couldn't get to my phone, couldn't move off the bed. It all happened so fast. I went to the bathroom and was walking past the bed when a sharp pain hit and then another and then another." She told him.
"Dad, I can't get through. It keeps saying all circuits are busy and the house phone isn't working." Maggie told him.
"Keep trying Maggie and go get me the big first-aid kit and some towels." Jack told her.
"Ouch! Stop! Jack I can't!" She screamed.
"Kate, I know you're hurting and you're scared, but you have to try to calm down and do what I ask. These babies are coming and you can't stop it by holding your knees together. Now please, roll onto your back and let me get a look." He told her sternly and calmly.
Maggie entered the room with a stack of towels and the large first-aid kit. She was as calm as her father, steadily dialing the cell phone and ready to do whatever he needed her to do next.
"It's no use dad, I can't get through." Maggie sighed and set the phone down.
"Okay, I guess you and I are going to deliver these babies. I'm going to pull her up and I want you to stack the pillows behind her." Jack said as he gently pulled Kate toward him.
Maggie stacked the pillows and he laid her back gently.
"Does that help a little with the pain?" He asked.
"Yes." She grunted.
Jack found scissors in the first aid kit and began cutting Kate's cotton pants off of her while Maggie moved onto the bed and took hold of Kate's hand.
"It's going to be okay Kate. My dad is the best doctor in the world and you can squeeze my hand as hard as you need to." Maggie told her.
Jack glanced up at his daughter bravely holding Kate's hand and then back down at the task at hand. With her pants and panties finally out of his way he found he wasn't going to have to examine her, one of the babies was already on the way out.
"Okay Kate, this is it, as soon as the next contraction hits I want you to hold onto your knees and push." He instructed as he positioned her legs up and apart and placed her hands on her knees
The first baby, a girl was delivered easy, no tearing and only five pushes. He cleaned her nose and throat and wrapped her in one of the towels, watching as the second head began making its way down as Kate breathed and screamed through the contractions.
"Maggie I need you to come hold this one so I can deliver your brother." He said.
Maggie joined him at the foot of the bed and took the tiny infant into her arms, watching with amazement and a little disgust as the next baby made its entrance into the world, proving to be a more difficult delivery than his sister. He was bigger and broader and didn't come out as quick and easy as his sister, but both babies were out and Kate wasn't in need of much repair.
Kate heard the cries of her second baby and relaxed back onto the pillows, the pain completely gone and her body tired and ready to sleep. Maggie continued to watch Jack and everything he was doing, no longer disgusted but fascinated as he delivered two very large things that looked like liver.
"What is that dad?" Maggie asked.
"It's the placenta, the baby's lifeline. One for each baby and both intact which is good. Can you put the baby on the bed and go find me two bowls big enough for these?" He asked.
"What for?" Maggie asked.
"Go get me the bowls Maggie and I'll explain." Jack said as he removed the gloves from his hands, picked his babies up and placed them in Kate's arms.
"Are they okay?" Kate asked.
"They're perfect." He told her, reaching for his cell phone and dialing the number to his hospital instead of 9-1-1.
He got an answer, explained the situation and they assured him they would get in touch with the hospital in Thousand Oaks and have them send an ambulance. Maggie returned with two bowls and clean sheet.
"What's the sheet for?" Jack asked.
"We need to cover her up dad. She's probably cold." Maggie said and moved close to Kate, no longer interested in the large liver-like things her dad was carefully placing into Tupperware bowls.
"Why do I need to go to the hospital Jack?" Kate asked.
"Because you need to be checked out and the babies need to be checked out." Jack said.
"Why can't you check all of us out?" Kate asked.
"Because I'm not an obstetrician or a pediatrician. All three of you look great, but could you just humor me and let the experts verify that for us?" He asked.
"Jack, please, I just want to rest." Kate pleaded with him.
"Then rest baby. Close your eyes and rest and by this time tomorrow we'll all be home together." He told her.
"Okay, but we aren't coming home without names for them. We can't keep calling them Thing 1 and Thing 2. It's just wrong. What do you think we should name them Maggie?" Kate asked.
"Really? I can help name them?" Maggie asked excitedly.
"You helped deliver them so I think you should at the very least get to suggest what you like us to consider naming them." Kate said.
"I didn't do anything. Dad did all the work, I just held onto the baby and watched. I'm never having a baby by the way." Maggie said making both of them laugh lightly.
He found a barstool and tiredly let his body drop onto it, finding a menu shoved in front of him and mumbling a quiet 'Thank You'.
"I'd recommend you avoid the special. It's ribs and you hate ribs." The familiar voice spoke causing a big smile to spread across his face.
He looked up and there she was, as beautiful as the day he first laid eyes on her. He turned his body so that his back was to the bar, placed his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him, positioning her between his legs and kissing her passionately.
"What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Jack asked and placed a gentle hand on her slightly extended stomach.
"You haven't been home in a week. The kids miss you. I miss you." Kate told him, lying her head against his chest and enjoying the comfort of having his arms wrapped around her always brought.
"How'd you find me?" He asked.
"They told me you'd gone to have dinner. Where else would you be? You are and always will be a creature of habit Jack Shephard." She teased, pulling away from him for a moment to give Mac a hug.
"Come on, let's go find a table or a booth." He said, taking her by the hand and leading her toward the back of the restaurant.
"When are you going to be finished with this case Jack?" She asked.
"Two, three days tops and then I promise I'll take a few days off. You and kids will have my undivided attention. Speaking of which, where are they?" He asked.
"Maggie is spending the night with her friend Ashley and the twins and the baby are with Ken and Diane. They offered and I took them up on it. I think we have the worst behaved 3 year olds on the planet." Kate huffed, obviously frazzled from dealing with their three young children alone for so long.
"I'm sorry, I know they're exhausting. How's the baby? You said he was running a fever when I talked to you last night." Jack said.
"He's fine. The tooth finally poked its way through. Jack, I need you around more than two or three days here and there." She complained.
"I know and I know that when this baby comes there's no way you can handle all of it with me leaving before the sun comes up and not getting home until long after it has set. Are you going to stay with me tonight or do you have to get back?" He asked.
"I'd planned on spending the night getting reacquainted with you." She told him and smiled.
No matter how many times she experienced it, him, the sensations that coursed through her body when he pushed inside of her always took her breath away for the briefest of moments. She was so in love with this man and couldn't imagine a day when she wouldn't want this, him, all of him, filling her so perfectly. As he moved above her, the electricity building as his busy mouth tasted as much of her as he could, she was suddenly overcome with emotion and moaned loudly before pulling his face toward hers and swallowing his busy mouth in a hot, wet passionate kiss.
"I love you so much Jack, don't ever stop making love to me." She whispered and kissed him some more.
He could feel the love and adoration emitting from every pore in her body as he continued to love her, feeling her walls close around him as she climaxed not once or twice, but three different times before he lost the battle of wills and tumbled over the edge with her, spilling his seed into her three months pregnant womb and wondering if other people were lucky enough to know and feel the kind of love and stability he'd known with Kate.
They separated and then met in the center of the bed, curled up together, both sated and happily recalling how wonderful their first four years of marriage had been. Maggie was completely cured and a joy to both of them most days. With Stacy completely out of the picture and no longer toying with the girl's emotions she thrived in her new home with her two parents and younger siblings. She was an exceptionally bright girl and a big help to Kate with the kids. The twins were the center of their mother's, father's and big sister's universe and by the time they were two had become quite spoiled and when the new baby came along, not the least bit happy about it. A malfunctioning condom had left them in their current state, three months pregnant with a six month old infant, a set of three year old twins and a teenager who was ready for dad to teach her how to drive. They groaned a bit when they realized she was pregnant, but not for very long, the sadness and devastation of losing their first child always there to remind them to not take anything for granted and accept the surprise for the blessing that it truly was.
Jack's position at the hospital along with his practice kept him busy, too busy for a man with a family that needed him, but he'd been working on a deal that was going to get him home more often, a deal he wasn't sure if Kate was going to want to go along with, but one that he was ready to accept if she was okay with it.
"How do you feel about Massachusetts?" He asked.
"Why?" She asked.
"Would you want to live there if it meant I'd be home for dinner every night and most weekends?" He asked.
"Baby, I'd move to the moon if it meant I'd get to gobble you up every day." She told him and began gently nipping and kissing his chest.
"Kate, I'm serious." He chuckled and pulled her away from his chest and up to look at him.
"So am I. You're my best friend, I'd go anywhere with you. Why? Are we moving to Massachusetts?" She asked.
"We can if you want to. I've been offered a position, one that allows me to sit back and call the shots and have my minions put in the 100 hour weeks while I go home to make love to my wife." He said and kissed her.
"But?" She asked.
"But it would mean uprooting Maggie again and making her adjust to a new school and new friends." He said.
"That's true, but I bet they have some lovely private schools in that part of the country and we could entice her with the fun winter vacations we could enjoy as a family." Kate said.
"You think we should bribe our daughter into moving 3,000 miles across the country?" He asked and laughed lightly.
"Of course, she's a teenager and teenagers respond best to bribery. Everyone knows that. You might want to toss in a car to sweeten the deal." Kate teased.
"I always knew you'd make an interesting parent." He laughed.
"Do you realize that's the first time you've ever referred to Maggie as our daughter?" Kate asked.
"No I didn't, but I guess it's about time. You've been a fantastic mother to her Kate. I'm sure she wouldn't have adjusted as well as she has without you." Jack said.
"We've come a long way from that first night together as a family haven't we?" She said.
"Yes, and thankfully she's stopped asking us questions about our sex life." Jack said.
"No, she's just stopped asking you because she knows how bad it makes you squirm." Kate giggled.
"Just tell me my little girl isn't sexually active because I'm really not ready for that." Jack groaned.
"Like she'd really tell me if she were. She's only interested in our sex life Jack, not in sharing anything about her own." Kate told him.
"No, stop. Please don't even suggest that Maggie has a sex life." Jack complained.
"Well if you were to distract me with other things." She teased and giggled when he rolled her onto her back.
"What did you have in mind Mrs. Shephard?" He asked in a sexy tone and kissed her softly.
"Surprise me." She said and ran a finger down the center of his chest, moaning softly into his mouth as he drew her in for a warm, lingering kiss that not only felt like it might go on all night, but what she knew was going to go on for a lifetime, a very happy and content lifetime.
THE END
