"I think we should go back," she whispered sadly. "I really need to check on Aaron."

"Yeah, yeah. Of course." Jack tried to hide his disappointment. It wasn't about the sex for him; Kate had let her guard down and without warning it had come right back.

"It's not—" Kate stammered, trying to find the right words. She wanted to check on Aaron and the sun was already up. She didn't regret anything with Jack and wanted to be with him more than anything. She just couldn't stand another minute of not knowing how Aaron was feeling. She never wanted him to feel like she wasn't there when he needed her. She'd had enough of that growing up; she would never let him feel the same.

"It's fine. Let's head back and get a few hours sleep before we head home. He turned to walk but waited for Kate. He didn't want her to feel his disappointment. He didn't want her to feel guilty. He didn't want her to think sex was all he was after. "I meant what I said," Jack said softly as they walked back "it's really okay. I respect and understand your decision."

"I appreciate that. I'm just worried about Aaron." She knew he didn't believe her and she knew it was her own fault. She'd used so many excuses to avoid dealing with him in the past. "You'll… you'll still sleep in the master?"

"Sleep in the master or sleep in bed with you?" He teased.

"Who says they're mutually exclusive?" She smirked.

Still naked, Kate began drying her hair with a towel. They'd just been skinny dipping so she thought nothing of it.

Jack, on the other hand had only gotten a glimpse in the early hours. Seeing her in all her glory in the well lit hotel room was another story. They stood watching each other for a few moments before changing into their pajamas,climbing into bed and turning off the lights.

"I can't believe we did that," Kate giggled. "I haven't felt so spontaneous in years."

"Since we were together?" He guessed.

"Is it that obvious?" Despite the light being off, she covered her face in her hands, mortified. "I never thought I'd be so uptight. I just—"

"You're a mom. You're not supposed to be spontaneous."

"It's still nice once in a while." Even in the dark, he could tell she was smiling. He didn't know how to take her; she was so relaxed and yet still closed off. Was she afraid she couldn't stop her feelings from re-emerging? Was she already over him?

"It's freezing," Jack whispered, his arms wrapped around himself.

"I'm really glad we had today," Kate whispered. "It was nice to spend time with you again."

"I'll always be around, only a call away."

He woke to find her wrapped in his arms, her body pressed against his, her body heat warming him. He left a kiss on her neck; she stirred but didn't wake. He held her a little tighter, unsure whether he'd ever get the chance again.

It wasn't until evening that they made it home.

"What are you doing home?" Aaron asked when they walked through the door.

"I was so worried," Kate whispered. "How do you feel?"

"Mom, I'm fine. Why did you come back?"

"What do you mean? We wanted to make sure you were okay," Jack explained. "We were worried sick."

"I've taken care of sick kids before," Margo snickered at Jack. "You two were supposed to be relaxing."

"You're okay then." Kate was glad Aaron was okay but disappointed that she'd rejected Jack and wasn't even needed. She still wasn't sure if he really believed that she only said no because of Aaron. She bit her lower lip, trying to stop herself from fantasizing about all the ways and times they could push each other over the edge.

"I guess you're good now," Margo said softly. "I'll get out of your hair."

"I guess I should too," Jack said weakly. "I'll call you tomorrow, Buddy."

Once it was just them, Kate sat on Aaron's bed, her hand on his forehead. "You don't feel warm," she stroked his blonde hair. "How do you feel now?"

"I feel fine, Mom."

"Was it your stomach or your head?"

"Mom," he whined.

"I just need to make sure you don't have a bug or anything…"

"Mom, I wasn't even sick!" Aaron blurted.

"What? You lied? Why would you do that?" Kate kept her voice calm. "Talk to me, Buddy. What's going on?"

"I wanted you and Dad to be together again," Aaron looked down guiltily. "I just needed you and him to be together so that you'd remember you're in love."

"So you pretended to be sick because you wanted your father and I to be alone together?"

"Just until you love him again. When the first time didn't work—"

"First time?" Kate thought for a moment. "Honey, when they found my car keys at school, did you take my keys?"

Aaron nodded, his eyes filling with tears. "I cut your tire, too." His voice began to shake and his lip quivered. "I know I'm in trouble," he sniffled, tears spilling. "But I just wanted you to be happy again!"

"Do you think I'm unhappy?" Kate asked, brushing the hair from his eyes. "I have you, of course I'm happy."

"I heard you crying, Mommy."

"Oh, honey… crying is just a temporary thing, it doesn't mean someone is unhappy," she kissed the top of his head. "I'm going to go talk to your father, explain what happened. Tomorrow, we're going to have a family discussion about all this, okay?"

Aaron nodded as he buried himself further under his covers.

"I love you, baby."

"I love you too, Mommy."

Kate left quickly after the Nanny arrived. She had to get ahold of Jack. Not only did she need to tell him what Aaron had done, she needed to explain why she'd turned him down.

"Kate? What are you—"

Kate brushed past him and into his apartment. "Jack, I need to talk to you. I…" she was pacing and practically shaking. "I didn't mean… and Aaron…"

"Slow down," Jack put one arm on each of her arms, forcing her to stop pacing.

"Aaron has been behind all of this… he's been trying to—"

"To get us back together? Yeah, he's had help…" As Jack ran a hand through his hair, Kate watching the muscles in his arms bulge.

"Help?"

"My mom," Jack shrugged. "It didn't take her long at all to interrogate me about last night."

"Jack, last night—"

"It's really okay," Jack assured her. "And honestly, it's probably for the best." He wanted Kate so bad, but he wasn't sure it was genuine. He'd always thought they belonged together; it was destiny. But it wasn't destiny, it was a series of tricks. "If we had let things go further it would have been for all the wrong reasons. I'm sorry, uh, about my mom…"

"Yeah, no… umm it's fine about your mom," she stammered, still caught off guard. Jack would have regretted sleeping with her. He was glad they hadn't slept together. Did that mean he regretted it? The idea that Jack regretted their night made her feel sick. "I told Aaron we'd all have a discussion tomorrow."

"Good thing we came back early." He didn't notice the way Kate seemed to wince at his words. He had wanted her in the moment, when his body ached for a woman's touch; but when he was thinking with his brain he didn't want her. She would have been nothing more than a booty call to him.

"Yeah, what a mistake that would have been." Kate tried to hide her sadness, glancing around to avoid eye contact. "You'll have to let me know what time works for you tomorrow; we should talk to him together."

Jack nodded, unsure how to interpret her. She hadn't wanted to stay at the lake house but when he said it she seemed wounded.

Kate nodded nervously, "okay then. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night, Jack."

Kate rushed out the door before Jack could stop her. It was only when she was in the elevator when she realized he hadn't chased after her. He hadn't cared. Kate suddenly realized that Jack had only wanted her body, something she wasn't sure he even wanted anymore. She just had to get through tomorrow and then things would go back how they were.

Jack couldn't understand Kate's behavior. She rejected him but when he reassured her about it, her feelings were hurt.

Jack tossed and turned all night, unsure what to do about Kate. He didn't know what to say, what to do, how to get the truth out of her when her walls were up.