A/N: GRR!! I dunno what happened to the format of the last chapter, but I can NOT fix it, believe me, I have TRIED. ^0^ Bwee! This is gonna be the last 'true' chappie, and also the longest. The next will be the Epilogue! Whew, finally --;;

"So, Jack," Cliff broke the ice. "What exactly are you going to do when Sasha and Gotz get home?"

"I dunno," Jack stressed, his brow furrowing. "I guess I should just tell them the truth, ya?"

Karen nodded. "It would be for the best," she said quietly. "You have us to back you up, too,"

Cliff nodded at this, and Jack smiled slightly. "You guys are great,"

A loud knock was heard on the door. Jack sauntered over to open it. When he did, he saw it was Ann…Not Kai, as they were all almost halfway expecting.

"Hi, Jack," Ann sniffed sullenly.

"Ann," Jack said softly, and laid his hands on her shoulder. Looking up, Jack could see her eyes were red from crying. "Please, don't do this to yourself…"

Karen and Cliff hurried over. Leading her inside, Jack pushed her slowly towards Cliff. Cliff readily embraced her, and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Ann-chan…" he whispered in her ear, causing her to smile a bit.

Karen walked over gracefully, and pushed a few fallen orange strands out of Ann's face. "It's alright…" she murmured.

Jack stood where he was, feeling more than a little out of place. Cliff seemed to notice this, and walked with Ann back over to him. "Thanks for being such moral support for us all," Ann spoke up.

Jack nodded, and smiled, and said nothing…

~*~

Nervously, I stepped up the vineyard door. Glancing back, I saw Karen, Cliff, and Ann smiling reassuringly at me. A little after the 'reunion' with Ann, all had been explained, and some heated discussion had been going on.

But now, it was decided. I would for sure tell Sasha and Gotz the whole uncut truth. Reaching my hand up, I rapped on the door with a few loud and crisp knocks.

After waiting a few moments in awkward silence, I could hear noise inside, and finally the door opened. "Hello, sir," I greeted Gotz calmly.

He gave me a funny look, and then glanced behind me. "What's going on, kid?" he asked gruffly.

"We…I need to talk to you…And your wife,"

Gotz looked perplexed for a second, and then nodded. Swinging the door wider, he allowed Cliff, Ann, and I to walk past him. He stopped Karen, trying to get an explanation, but she said nothing, and just brushed by.

Motioning for us to sit down on the comfortable living room couches, he called out, "Sasha!"

"Yes, dear?" came the musical reply.

"Come down here! Something's going on!"

Small footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, and the young woman appeared. "Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, seeing all the people. "I was just tending to Kai…"

"Yah, it appears somebody broke in here or something, and beat the living shit out of Kai,"

I stirred uncomfortably, and out of the corner of my eye saw the rest of them doing so as well. "Err…Sir?"

"Speak up, boy," Gotz grunted.

"That's kind of…What we came to talk to you about…"

"Eh?" Gotz and Sasha said in unison. I had their full attention; there was no turning back now.

"So, now…" I began, extremely nervous once again. "You have to promise that no matter what I say you don't burst out shouting and everything, ok? Just keep it inside til the end, til you hear the full story…"

Gotz and Sasha exchanged glances, but nodded after a minute.

Taking a deep breath, I began to tell them everything. "From the time when we were just children, Kai and I have known one another. We were friends for awhile, but then something happened. I don't really want to go into details about that though…Anyway, ever since I arrived, he's been a real ass hole. I didn't know why at first, but then it became clear he was in love with Karen and thought I was trying to steal her away from him, or some crap like that. But then, two nights ago, Karen came running to my house, crying. It turns out Kai had approached her in her room. When he found that she didn't return his feelings; that she was in love with me, he got pissed off. He was already drunk, so the rage took him over easily. He…He beat her…" I was stammering at this point, it was kind of hard to just…say it…

Taking another breath, I continued, "Everything just overwhelmed me. Childhood memories, the fact that he dared to lay a hand on Karen…Just total insanity. So I came…And stealthily got into your house, and just attacked him…He deserved it too…And though I know it was wrong to act so rashly, I don't regret it, not one bit," I finished, suddenly feeling confident.

Gotz and Sasha were wide eyed by now. Glancing down at the rag she had apparently been wiping Kai's face down with, Sasha dropped it.

"Is…Is this true?" Gotz asked Karen incredulously. When she nodded in confirmation, Gotz's face went beet red, and he clenched, and unclenched his fists several times. He stood up, and started for the stairs. Standing up, Sasha placed a firm hand on her husband's shoulder.

"I think he's suffered enough dear," she said quietly.

"Not enough for me," Gotz grumbled, but sat back down.

"So…?" I squeaked.

"So what, kid?"

"Aren't you mad?"

"At Kai, yes; You, no…"

"Oh…"

"Why, do you want me to be mad at you or something?" Gotz snorted.

"No! I just thought…That you wouldn't believe me…Or wouldn't…care…"

"Eh?" Gotz asked in disbelief. "You thought I wouldn't care what that creep did to my daughter?"

"Well….Uh…"

"Hmph…"

"What are you going to do, Uncle?" Cliff asked brightly.

"Well, first I'm gonna give that punk a stern talking to…" Gotz began, and then sighed.

~*~

"So…Karen?" Jack asked idly, swinging his legs over the pier.

"Yes?" inquired Karen, coming out of her thoughts.

"You really want to leave still? For the city I mean?"

"I dunno," Karen sighed. "I think I could do more there…Live a more fulfilled life, but there are things I'd have to trade off…"

"You should go…" Jack muttered sullenly.

"What?" Karen said, turning to look at him in disbelief. "Are you trying to drive me away?"

"Of course not!" Jack exclaimed. "That's the last thing I want, and you know it! But…There's nothing here for you…"

"There's you…" Karen muttered inaudibly.

"What?"

"Nothing," she scowled, and stood up. "I'll see you later…" she stalked off at a near jog, across the sandy beach.

Jack twisted around to watch her go in with a confused sigh…

~*~

"But, Ann! He practically told me to just leave!" I spouted.

"…Did it occur to you he's thinking about your best interest?"

"…Yah, but still, you know what I mean…" I grumbled.

Ann snickered softly. "What, do you want to not leave now?"

"Kind of, yes," I admitted begrudgingly, thoroughly surprising Ann.

"You've grown up…" Ann said quietly.

"Look who's talking…!"

Ann smirked again, but said nothing.

"So you don't think…?"

"No!" Ann exclaimed, exasperated. Sighing, she added, "Though he may not exactly be thrilled with the idea of you leaving, he realizes, unlike most men, he doesn't own you. He wants to set you free…"

"I'm not a bird…I don't live in a cage…"

"Then go tell him…"

"What?" I asked, stupidly.

"You heard me…"

Nodding, I silently thanked Ann, and stumbled off. Jack wasn't at his ranch, as I discovered, and apparently no one in town had seen him all day. Furrowing my brow, I headed to beach.

After a lot more searching, I finally found him. He was on top of a jagged cliff, sprawled outside the entrance to a small grotto covered with seaweed, and other marine plant-life. Silently approaching him, I knelt down beside him, and touched his forehead. His eyes snapping open in surprise, he glanced at me with a look of happiness at first, but then they dulled over. "Oh…Hi…Karen…"

"Hiya," I greeted him. My face turned serious.

"Come to say your good-byes?" he sneered coldly.

"I thought you wanted me to leave?"

"Yah, well, a guy can change his mind," Jack grumbled.

Quirking a brow, I murred with a wink, "Really, now?"

"Yes…" he said gruffly, and sat up. "What do you care, anyway? You'll be leaving soon…" he finished with a despondent sigh.

"Don't put words in my mouth, Jack," I snapped, a bit miffed. "For your information, I am not leaving. Even if I was planning on leaving, I wouldn't now. I'm going to stay on this God forsaken island and make your life living hell!"

"Is that a promise?" Jack smirked, a trace of malice still on his face. "I thought you wanted to go out, get in the flow of things, make a life for yourself?"

"Only dead fish go with the flow…"

"Only dead fish go with the flow?" Jack repeated, raising his brow, surpressing a chuckle.

"Yes," I responded stiffly, pouting a bit.

"Hehe, that's an interesting take," Jack allowed himself to grin cheekily, clearly amused, his bitterness washed away like the tide that had been lapping on the shores far down below us.

I smiled wanly. "Thought you'd think so,"

"So, err…" Jack sweatdropped a bit, scratching the back of his head innocently. "Now what…?"

I turned away, stepping to the edge of the cliff, literally inches away from a horrible death, if I were to slip, that is. Not caring, I sat down, dangling my legs of the edge. Putting my arms behind me, I leaned back, gazing heavenwards, closing my eyes, after glancing quickly at Jack's brown orbs. The breeze rustled past then, and a delicate smile alighted on my face. Letting my hair get tussled, I whispered to myself, "It's nice…"

I heard a scrapping noise, and briefly looked over. Jack had plopped down next to me, and done much the same. "Mmhmm," he murred quietly, flashing me a melt-worthy smile.

Returning it, I reached up briefly, and brushed my platinum blond bangs out of my face. "So what now…?"

"I dunno," he returned, rather shyly. "I'd like to…" he trailed off abruptly.

"Like to what?" I pressed.

"I don't know…if you think it's too soon or not…But…I'd like to ask you…to marry me…" he looked at me earnestly as he turned me around to face him eyes shining.

Blushing furiously, I shook my head, barely at first, then a bit more vigorously. "Yes, I will," I tried to keep a mellow composure, but I just couldn't hide my surprise, and joy. He slipped a small gold band around my ring finger.

Then he laughed. Long, and hard. I don't believe I've ever seen someone so happy. He leaned forwards, and grabbed me, holding me tightly to his chest. Smiling, I melted in his arms, and let him scoop me up onto his lap. We stayed there, for hours. Just wasting the day away in our own little world. Our little world in which we would be trapped in forever, without a care…