"It smells amazing in here," Jack called, the delicious smell hitting him the moment he walked in the door.

"Ginj man!" Aaron yelled, running towards Jack. Before Jack could take off his coat off, the boy was in his arms.

"We made Gingerbread people," Kate smiled from the kitchen.

"Yeah. Girls too," he blushed bashfully.

Jack glanced around at the decorations. Stockings were now hung and the tree set up and waiting for the ornament. In the time he'd worked, Kate and Aaron had worked to make the home a winter wonderland. He was again reminded of the life he wanted; the life he was determined to get back. He suddenly remembered something he had picked up for Kate and reached in his pocket. He wanted to wait until they were alone but seeing Kate, Aaron, this house, this life... Jack couldn't wait another moment.

"Hey buddy, guess what I have?" Jack said loud enough for Kate to hear.

"What?" Aaron's blue eyes were wide with intrigue.

Jack lifted the small green plant tied with a bright red ribbon. "This is mistletoe. When you see mistletoe, do you know what you do?" Before she could process his words, Jack grabbed her waist and spun her to face him. His other hand gripped the back of her neck as he kissed her under the mistletoe. Her first reflex was to kiss him back, her tongue reaching for his. Then, she remembered Aaron was watching.

"Jack!" She hissed and fixed her sweater to avoid eye contact. She pretended not to hear Aaron's giggles. She had been adamant not to involve Aaron in their arrangement for this exact reason; the little boy didn't understand complex relationships; he understood that his mommy and daddy kissed again. She raised an eyebrow in annoyance.

He didn't look at her. He couldn't. He had no regrets on his actions. He had promised himself he'd go at Kate's pace and not push her. But hearing her confess her love in her sleep had changed everything for him. He didn't want to wait another minute for her. He didn't just want her, he wanted her to be his wife. He wanted to sleep in her bed every night and never worry about who they're kissing in front of. He wanted his life back. "You kiss under the mistletoe," Jack continued with Aaron, trying to smooth things over before glancing back at Kate. As if on cue, Aaron ran under the mistletoe. When Kate picked him up, he offered his mom a kiss. Even in her anger, Kate could do nothing but smile at the little boy.

Aaron dug in his stocking after dinner. He put his hand there and when he felt nothing he lifted it and stared into the stocking.

"It's not Christmas yet, Goober." Kate called from the kitchen where she was cleaning up dinner. "Remember, we have to wait for Santa. We'll leave him milk and cookies."

"What are you looking for, anyway?" Jack sat next to the child on the floor, inspecting Aaron's stocking.

"Rings," Aaron said nonchalantly, sounding more like "wings" than "rings." Kate and Jack exchanged a worried (and confused) glance. Kate wiped her hands on a kitchen towel before joining them on the floor.

"What rings?" Kate asked, pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes.

"For you and daddy." Kate felt the knot in her stomach. She had made it clear to Jack that Aaron couldn't know anything before they'd made their agreement. And with one kiss, Aaron was already thinking of their wedding. She struggled to think of a way to explain to a toddler something she didn't even understand herself.

Kate scooped Aaron into her lap, giving herself a few extra seconds to scramble to think of an answer. "You know how on Halloween we dressed up but just for that one holiday?" Aaron nodded his head. "Well, Christmas and mistletoe are kind of the same. Your daddy and I kissed just for this one holiday season."

"You and daddy kiss a lot," Aaron glanced from his mom to his dad.

"You're right," Jack added. "Your mom and I still love each other—"

"Jack!" Kate hissed, her voice an angry whisper. "Baby, your dad and I will always love each other because we share you," she tried.

"The wedding?" He asked, his big blue eyes begging Jack to say yes.

"That won't be for a long time," Jack answered quickly. He ignored Kate's glare, instead focusing on his son.

"After Santa?"

"Yeah, it'll be after Santa. Come on, let's get you to bed."

"I'm not tired," Aaron yawned, unable to look at Jack without rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. Jack carried him down the hall and put him to bed while Kate prepared for bed.

"This is delicious," Jack mumbled, his mouth full of gingerbread cookies as he entered Kate's room. He hadn't realized the irony of having just bitten the gingerbread man's head off until he caught Kate's reflection in the mirror, glaring at him.

"What the fuck was that?" Kate turned on her heel, her eyes burning a hole in him. He flinched when she cursed; although Kate entered his life as a bad girl, she was usually able to get her point across without swearing.

"Relax," he tried.

"Don't tell me to relax! We had a deal! We agreed to keep Aaron out of all of this—"

"—Kate, we're beyond that..."

"Damn right we are. Nothing will ever happen between us again." She announced through clenched teeth.

Jack grabbed Kate's small waist, pulling her against his chest. "Calm down," he whispered.

"Get off me," she growled, her fist hitting his chest over and over.

"Shhh," he whispered, his hands buried in her hair as he held her against him.

He knew this feeling all too well. He remembered this same moment years ago. He had thought he lost her after Sawyer confessed to Jack that he loved Kate. And yet he had been the one to find her there in the jungle. She had been so angry and then so fragile, breaking down in his arms. That had been their first kiss, the first moment he could physically feel that connection between them. He hadn't been crazy, he had felt it since the moment he saw her come out from the tree line. And in that moment, kissing in the jungle, all his feelings for this woman were confirmed. He had loved Kate since the moment he saw her.

"This is going to break his heart," Kate finally sobbed. "We can't do this to him. Not again." He knew no words would fix the problem, nothing he could say would comfort her. Instead, just like last time, he let his lips comfort her. His kiss distracted her from the uneasiness that plagued her.

He expected her to run. Just like before. Just like always. He knew the minute he kissed Kate that she'd run. But she didn't. Not this time. She held the back of his head, her tongue desperately ran against his as quiet whimpers escaped her lips for Jack to inhale.