It didn't take Margo long to get a plan into action. She was a little disappointed that she didn't think of bringing them back together herself but proud that Aaron did. She smiled to herself when her phone rang, the name KATE popped up.

"Kate! Thank you for calling me back… I did. The idea of you and Jack dating other people is hitting him hard. He misses spending time with both of you instead of one and then the other… Don't blame yourself… I thought maybe the four of us could go to the lake for a long weekend… it would really be good for him to see you and Jack come together… don't be silly, it's a five hour drive. It'll take all day to drive down after Aaron gets home from school, stop and get groceries, unpack everything. You and Jack can drive down together, get all the errands done and I'll come down with Aaron after school… it'll—really? Perfect. I'll talk to Jack."

Margo quickly dialed her sons number.

"Hi, honey. I just talked to Kate and we discussed going to the lake house as a family… Aaron is struggling with the idea of you and her dating. He misses spending time as a family… and Jack? Aaron said since that teacher dumped Kate she's been down. He said she hasn't laughed in days and he's heard her cry at night. Maybe you can talk to her? We decided that you and Kate will go together and get things situated. Aaron and I will drive down together when he's done with school. Perfect, just get in touch with her to iron out the details."

"Here, let me." Jack grabbed the bags out of Kate's hand. She had a white sweater and jeans, her hair in a side braid and still Jack thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"Thanks," Kate looked down, trying to conceal her blush. "If you want to take turns driving—"

"I always drive. You always sleep," he smirked. "I have it under control."

"Fine. But I'll pay for gas."

"No you won't. I got it."

"Jack—"

"I got it, Kate. I just want you to take a little nap on the way and relax the rest of the weekend." He didn't want to push about the breakup, especially so early into the trip.

It didn't take long for Kate to close her eyes and doze off the way she always did on long car rides. When her head rolled onto his shoulder, he gave the top of her head the lightest kiss.

She slept the entire ride, only waking up when Jack stopped for gas and while they shopped for groceries.

"Brings back memories," Kate whispered when she walked in the door.

"Remember the first time we were here?"

"We stayed here for days," she recalled. "Catching up on food and movies—"

"—and each other," Jack teased. "You made me stir fry with tofu."

"You ate one bite and ordered pizza!" She laughed.

"If I remember, you ate five pieces yourself!"

"Jack!" She playfully slapped his chest, "you weren't supposed to say anything."

"I've never told anyone else." He watched Kate's cheeks turn rosy and knew to change the subject. "Why don't you go unpack the bedroom stuff? I can unload the groceries; I won't need to unpack anything."

"Why wouldn't you unpack?"

"I'll be sleeping on the couch and living out of my bag."

"You don't have to do that. We've slept in the master bedroom every time we've come here. We know there will be enough room in the bed—"

"How can we be sure? We spent our nights on top of each other." He offered a wink.

"If you really want—"

"I'll sleep in the bed," Jack laughed. "You don't have to beg," he teased, making her roll her eyes. "It'll just be us for dinner; do you want to order pizza for old times sake?"

Kate nodded, unsure of what to say. She had to keep it together; this was about Aaron not them.

As they moved around the bedroom unpacking in unison, Kate's phone rang.

"It's your mom," she whispered to Jack. "Hey Margo… what? Is he okay? We'll be… Are you sure? I doubt it'll be all weekend… I really appreciate it…uh huh…you too."

"Everything okay?" Jack asked when she hung up her phone.

"Aaron is sick—"

"Let's get packed and try to hurry. It'll be a long drive—"

"No, Jack, he's going to stay with Margo…"

"We can drive back first thing in the morning," he offered.

"She said anytime this weekend. She wanted us both to relax."

"What do you want to do?" Jack asked.

"I guess let's have dinner. We can get a plan together later…"

"What happened with you and the teacher?" Jack had waited until Kate had two glasses of wine (and 3 slices of pizza.)

"I haven't had enough wine," she smiled sadly.

"You really liked him," Jack realized.

"It wasn't serious," she rolled her eyes but Jack knew there was more going on behind those green eyes.

They spent the evening on the rug in front of the fireplace, laughing and reminiscing. Jack felt the same way he had felt in the same situation on the island. He and Kate often sat in front of the fire on the sand. Kate would turn her neck slightly when she smiled at Jack. He could see the reflection of the crackling fire in her eyes.

The next thing Jack knew, they had both fallen asleep on the floor, the fire burnt out. He searched for a clock but stopped when he caught a glance out the window.

"Kate, wake up! Kate!" Jack shook her gently until she woke up.

"Is Aaron okay?" She asked, sitting upright and wide eyed.

"He's okay. Come on, come with me…"

He lead her outside to the dock behind the house. They sat quietly, admiring the sunrise. Kate leaned a little closer, her arm touching Jack's. He moved closer against her, wrapping an arm around her.

"This is beautiful," Kate whispered as she marveled at the sky.

"All of this is beautiful," Jack admitted. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to savor the moment with all of his senses. The fresh air mixed with the faint scent of Kate's perfume, the breeze left his skin chilled and wind blown except the small spot where Kate pressed into him. The sound of the water running beneath him. He never wanted that moment to end.

"Being here brings back so many memories," Kate let her cheek rest on Jack's shoulder, her body relaxing against his. "Sitting out here, stargazing and talking all night…"

"Talking?" Jack teased. "We also drank coffee and watched the sunrise while we skinny dipped."

"Those were the good 'ol days."

Jack jumped up before pulling Kate up. "What do you say? One last time?"

"One last time what?" Kate laughed incredulously. Rather than answer, Jack lifted his shirt over his arms, noticing the way Kate's eyes took him in. "Jack, you aren't—-" She stopped mid-sentence, watching as Jack slowly unbuttoned his jeans, pushing them down. He gave a sly smile, letting her know he'd noticed. He'd noticed the way her breathing grew rapid. He noticed the darkening of her eyes at the sight of him. He noticed the way she bit her bottom lip. He knew those were all signs of her arousal.

"What's it gonna be, Austen?" Jack asked, his fingers under the elastic of his boxers, toying with her.

Kate couldn't resist a smirk as she peeled off her sweater and shimmied out of her pants.

"You ready?" He asked.

"This doesn't really count as skinny dipping…" Kate kept her eyes locked with his as she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the ground. "Eyes up here," she teased.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he upped the stakes. He continued to keep their eyes locked on one another as he pushed his boxers down. Immediately, Kate let out an excited gasp as her eyes took him in. "You lost—" Jack's words turned to jumbles when she took her panties off; she stood in front of him, completely naked as she slowly unbraided her hair. She blushed as she watched him stare at her.

"If I lose, what do you win?" She pushed.

Jack moved closer, letting his hands wrap around her hips. He could feel her heart pounding and knew she wanted to be kissed. "This," he whispered into her ear. When she closed her eyes, he held her tighter and jumped into the lake, taking her with him.

"Jack!" Kate shrieked as they came up for air. She wrapped her legs around his. There was something in his smile that made Kate lose control. She cupped his face and pressed her lips into his. He put one hand on each cheek, desperately pulling her into his kiss. They stopped for a moment, marveling at each other.

"Why did the teacher break up with you?" Jack asked softly.

Kate sighed. "He said I needed to establish boundaries for Aaron's sake. That I wasn't sending him the right messages…" Kate shook her head. "I thought it was a suggestion, not an ultimatum."

"Aaron is 7, what boundaries could he possibly need?"

"Not with Aaron," her voice was barely audible "with you."

"For Aaron's sake or for his own sake?" Jack said defensively. "If it's for him, I can understand…"

"You agree with him?"

"I mean, you're wet, kissing me and wrapped around my body," he chuckled. He saw that Kate wasn't searching for jokes. "Hey, you know he's full of shit, right? Aaron is a good kid, Kate. You and I are good parents. You and I are a good team." He pulled her as close as he could. She studied his chocolate eyes and the way they seemed to plead with her to believe him. "You are a good mother. There's nothing you need to change about the way you're raising him."

Kate leaned in to kiss him, her body trembling against his. She didn't want to leave, but the morning water was chilly.

"You're cold; let's get you inside," Jack said softly. Kate offered a halfhearted nod and Jack knew she wasn't ready to let go. He grabbed her tightly, one hand underneath her and one hand around her waist as he carried her the whole way back to the pier.

Kate seemed quieter than usual and he knew she felt conflicted. He wished she could stop trying to plan every move and just go for it once in a while.

"For old times sake?" He pushed gently. "Or we'll put on pajamas and go to bed." She continued staring at the ground and he knew he just had to let her figure it out for herself. He reminded himself that even if she turned him down, he'd still be the one she woke up next to.

He'd never stopped wanting her, but for the first time he saw it as a possibility.