The room would have looked positively Christmas cheerful if it weren't for the evil intent that the gifts were being wrapped in along with the colorful paper. Heather and Jon took extra care making sure the three identical packages were wrapped just so with all of the creases neat and the bows on tightly with little curling ribbon to decorate them. Heather had to admit that the pictures being given to them at the airport were going to be so much more eloquent than reading them a copy of the police reports from Italy on Christmas Eve.

But now the pictures were wrapped and just waiting to be opened when the twins arrived home. Heather was still debating on if they should wait until Janna came home too, or just let her walk into a private ambush later. Maybe the former would be better. Jon wanted to be there when it happened, and he really couldn't stay away for long. The longer it took the longer he would have to stay. Maybe it would be best to wait for Janna.

Heather had to suppress a little shiver at that thought. She did not need to be thinking along those lines. He did not live here. They were friends, and that was why she was glad to have him there, no other reason. But it had been so great that day while they were out shopping for the frames. Twice he had grabbed her hand to get her attention, and for a moment, her heart had almost stopped. It was almost like being touched with electricity, and Heather thought that Jon might have felt the same way too, but she really wasn't sure. He had this odd expression, but that could mean anything. Besides, he had just ended a long-term relationship mere hours before. All of this was just imagination and stress and how incredible falling snow looked when it glistened off of his dark blonde hair.

"Well," she said quickly, standing up and grabbing the gifts. "Now we just wait for them to come home and make sure we got a camera on their little faces when they open these up." She had a bag she was planning on carrying on the plane with her, and tucked the pictures safely and securely in it. She was going to get there before them, so the whole family would be present to keep them from running. Heather had to admit that she was almost looking forward to this.

Jon got up and went into the kitchen to get some coffee. He really hoped that the kids would be able to get the necklace back. Either way, this was going to stop their little crime spree, and he had to admit, he was glad to be in on it. When they were kids, those three were such problem children. He had started to hate taking Heather home, and not because he wanted her to stay with him. He had unidentified substances dumped on him twice and them there was the time that him and Heather had made out on the back porch, and they had managed to video it. That was a tense week until Heather had found the tape and beat the crap out of both of them. And that was just the little stuff. There was plenty of sneaking out and parties and Jon knew they would have been arrested a couple of times had they not had the ability to know when the cops were about to show up and get the hell out of there. Well, this time ESP was not going to help them in the slightest.

"Want some coffee?" he yelled to Heather.

"Absolutely," she called back. Jon was amused to find himself immediately reaching for the creamer next to the coffee maker. He liked his black, but after all this time, he still knew how to make it for her. Funny how some things never fade over time.

Heather was closing up the bag when he came back in and handed her the cup of steaming liquid. She sipped it, smiling at how he had made it just how she liked it without being reminded. She was lucky to have a friend like him. Friend. Yeah. Just friends. More in the past, but they were just friends now. Really good friends at that. Really lucky. Friends. Yeah. Those incredible blue eyes of his were smiling at her.

"You remembered to add creamer," she said, trying to make it come out lightly, not wanting him to see that him standing so close, his finger grazing hers when he handed her the cup, it was all affecting her so much.

"You think I'd forget that you were all big and bad but can't take your coffee straight up?" he replied teasingly. The playfulness faded. "You're a very hard person to forget anything about."

For a second, Heather couldn't speak. The only thing that would have come out was a squeak at any rate. She was misreading that remark, she told herself quickly. You're just having a traumatic week, and he's here and being sympathetic and you're misinterpreting the sentiment behind the statement. She put her cup down on the end table by the couch, for once not caring if it left a ring on the wood.

"So…um…" she stuttered. "Next move isn't until tomorrow and we go to New York and they show up," she said. They had been so busy and now it felt weird to have to just wait.

"So," Jon said, "what do you want to do until then?"

She shrugged. "I didn't exactly make plans for tonight. Anything special come to mind for you?" God, why was he standing so close to her?

Jon didn't answer. Words weren't needed when he touched her face, nearly making her pass out right then and there. She didn't even notice him put down his coffee as he ran his fingers down her cheek, gently tilting up her chin, and then leaning over, pressing his lips against hers softly. She stiffened suddenly, and for a second he thought that she was going to push him off of her, but once they touched, there was no way he was going to be able to let her go. And then she totally melted against him, her arms wrapping around his neck, holding him as tightly as he was holding her. It had been so long since he had kissed someone like this, to the point of feeling like he was blending into her.

The feeling of Jon kissing her again was a shock to Heather. It was so familiar and still new somehow. The one thing she wanted was for it to never end, and from the way he was holding her so close to him, he didn't seem like he was planning on going anywhere for a while. The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate so naturally and easily it was scary. It was like they had never been apart at all. Apart. They had really been apart. What had she been smoking to convince herself that all there would ever be was friendship between them? They always would be friends, but this…this would always be there too. And it was time to face facts on that one.

The moment ended, and they pulled apart slightly to get a breath of air, but neither of them seemed the slightest bit interesting in getting untangled. Their eyes met, and Heather wanted to cry for all that she saw burning in his. Passion and desire, yes, but there was something else…something that might be…might be…

"Did I ever tell you when exactly I fell in love with you the first time?" she whispered.

Jon shook his head, too dazed to speak. No matter how many women he had dated, none had ever compared to this one. And there had been many nights that he had lain awake at night with a girlfriend snuggled up to him, but he was lying there wondering what life would be like if it was Heather next to his heart. That was where she belonged. God, he was so stupid to ever let her go. But still, she had never said when she had started to love him as a kid.

"Remember that time we were over at your uncle's place and there was that bad storm?" she asked.

Jon nodded, remembering it very clearly. It was the spring after they had started dating, and Jon decided to go to Utah for spring break since his parents were fighting over him yet again. Heather had been given permission to go with him. That had shocked the hell out of her considering what had happened the last time she had left home on her own, but they weren't going to question it. Then his aunt and uncle had to leave for the day, and wouldn't be back until very late that night. Him and Heather had been outside hiking, and a storm had blown over the mountains. Figures. One of the very few storms they got out there and it had to happen while they were a half-mile from home. And that was when Heather remembered that her clothes were still on the laundry line. A bottle had broken in her suitcase, covering her stuff in lotion. His aunt refused to have a dryer there since she liked the smell of things dried outside the most.

"We got back, and I was soaking wet and all of my clothes were out on the laundry line," Heather said, oblivious to the tear that snaked down her cheek. "And I couldn't wear anything of your aunt's since she was so small, so I just stole your t-shirt. Then we curled up on the couch together, all wrapped up in that blanket and I fell asleep on you. You didn't try anything with me at all right then, and most guys would have. I had told you that I wasn't ready for anything when we left, and you promised to respect that. I was cold and wet and tired, and then I woke up and I had never felt so at ease in my life when I felt you still holding me. You were still awake and all you were doing was playing with my hair. And that was when I fell in love with you."

"The first time," he said softly, echoing her words from earlier, wondering if she was meaning what she seemed to be.

"Actually, there isn't a second time," she said, emotion choking her voice. She smiled, a small laugh escaping. She couldn't help but be thrilled by the sudden disappointment in his eyes. "There can't be," she repeated, "because the first time never ended. Jon, I…"

Her words were cut off by another kiss, this time Jon almost lifting her off of the floor. Or maybe she was lifting both of them. Who knew? Who cared? For right then, they were together and that was all that mattered.

It seemed almost magical to Heather as they clung to each other. Absolutely heavenly to feel his hands and lips touching her, making her want to cry for the sheer perfection of the moment. She shrugged off the blazer she had been wearing; her head back so that he could keep kissing her neck. She had forgotten what it was like to be like this with someone. It was easy enough to be intimate with someone that attracted you and cause lust to rise, but this was more than that. Lust could be turned off in an instant. This was an all-consuming need to be with him, to hold nothing back and get everything in return.

Jon wasn't sure what had possessed him to kiss her, but the moment they did, he knew how right it was. How right they were together. Nothing had changed. Nothing that mattered at least. It was her then and it was her now and the rest of it was just something to deal with later. He had to pause for a second to catch his breath, and that was when he noticed that she had slid off her blazer. Why was she removing clothes unless…

Their eyes met, the question unspoken. "Bedroom," Heather murmured.

Jon thought that he had to be dreaming. He had dreamt about this enough; he had to be getting ready to wake up. This was real. Oh God, this was really real. "Are you sure?" he whispered, half expecting to wake up at any second and find himself alone on the couch or something.

She kissed him again, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips. "Don't make me carry you off," she warned. Whatever Jon might have said in response was lost in a passionate kiss, this time their hands starting to tug at each other's clothes as they made their way down the hall and into her room.

*********

Heather lay on her side, watching Jon sleep. He was sprawled on his stomach, somehow managing to end up in the middle of the bed and taking up all of the room. The only thing he didn't have was the entire blanket around him, but that was only because she was quicker and managed to get it around her first. Some things didn't change though. He still slept with one leg sticking out from under the sheet, just like she remembered.

Even in the dark she could still see the scars on his lower back, and on the back of his left leg. She shivered, the memory of how he got them still capable of bringing tears to her eyes. He had been up in Utah, and there was a girl that had gotten drunk at some party. She wandered off, and they were looking for her. Jon had found her, and put her on the back of the snowmobile, and went to take her back. But the girl was still to drunk to think straight. The last thing Jon remembered was her yelling about wanting to go over there, and she grabbed his lower arm, shoving it so that he turned the throttle higher, and the controls twisted.

The other rescue people had filled in the rest. They hit a tree, and both of them went flying. The girl planted her head into a large rock, breaking her neck and crushing her skull. She died a few hours later. Jon had sustained serious injuries to his back and leg. He was taken to the nearest medical facility and was in surgery for hours. One of Jon's fellow S & R people had called Heather and told her what happened, and she was on the next flight out there. The news wasn't good. He was going to live, but there was so much swelling around his spine that he was paralyzed. It might ease and he could walk again, but nobody was sure.

Heather stayed with Jon as much as possible, but they had kicked her out when they told him his prognosis. She'd come back in after the doctors and his parents left to find him staring at the ceiling, his face stony. "They said I might walk again," he snapped when Heather sat down beside him. He shook his head. "But I already know that I'm not." He was frustrated and angry and Heather had no idea what to say to him. She had seen him angry before, but never bitter like this.

"Then we'll deal with that as it comes," Heather said, taking his hand. He didn't try to shake her off, but he wasn't responsive either.

"You should probably go home," he said coldly. "You're missing school." This was supposed to just be him going up to Utah for a long weekend, and from the way things were going, it didn't look like he'd be back to school until next year. Heather had already missed almost a week. Like she cared.

His words stung, but some instinct said that she had to stay. He needed to lash out at someone, and she was there. Most of all, she would forgive him. "I can make up school," she replied softly. "I'd rather be here with you."

"Heather, I do not need to be pitied right now, okay?" he said like he was trying to restrain from yelling at her.

"Pity?" she said, a bit of shock in her tone. "You think I'm trying to pity you? If I were trying to pity you I'd be telling you that it's going to be fine and you're going to be in the Olympics in a few years and be back in school next week. This is not pity. This is staying with you. This is being willing to stick with you and deal with everything because I love you. I loved you before you left, I loved you three weeks ago when we made love, I love you today, and I plan on loving you tomorrow. So don't you dare think that I am here out of something as hollow as pity."

His fingers suddenly clinched around hers, and he finally looked at her. It wasn't anger that was tearing at him. That much was obvious. It was fear. He was scared, plain and simple. It was what he had refused to show to his parents or doctors or anyone else. Heather immediately leaned over and hugged him tightly, grateful to feel him hugging her back.

"I was lying there thinking that maybe that girl was the one that got off lucky," he said softly.

Heather pulled back; terrified that he would even say such a thing. "You're still breathing," she said. "You can still talk and think and be a person. "Maybe I'm just being selfish, but I'd rather have you paralyzed from the neck down as long as I could still talk to you and see your smile and know you were there for me than have you dead."

A tiny smile touched his lips. "Under the circumstances, that might be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me." Seriousness clouded his eyes. "I'm probably never going to walk again," he repeated.

Heather nodded, not wanting to try and be deceiving in the slightest. "Maybe. Maybe not. Just believe that I will be here for you."

He tugged her down to him and kissed her softly. "I love you. God, I'm lucky to have you."

She grinned. "With all of the crap you've learned to put up with, I guess I owe this to you. What's a little paralysis when you have to deal with all those revved up…" her words trailed off and the grin faded. Revved up genes. Paralysis.

"Heather?" Jon wanted to know what was worrying her. Had she heard something outside?

She looked up sharply. A delighted little smile formed. "Revved up genes," she said softly. Jon blinked in confusion. Her grin widened. "I got to make a call. I'll be back in a few." Before he could protest, she scampered out of the room to make a phone call to her favorite doctor aunt in LA. It took almost twenty minutes of begging and pleading after she explained the situation, but Jhondie finally agreed to do it. Then Heather went back to Jon and told him a story about her Uncle Logan and how he had been shot and it damaged his spinal cord. A simple blood transfusion had changed his life, kick starting his ability to walk, and then a specialist in Kyoto had completed the process.

Jhondie had come in from LA the next day, and while Jon's parents were gone having dinner and civilly blaming each other for the accident, Jhondie had set up the transfusion. She had warned them both a hundred times that Logan could have been a fluke, and neither of them was to get their hopes up. She also muttered a lot that she must be crazy to do this. Crazy or not, it had worked. Three weeks later, Jon took his first step on his own. Specialists that came highly recommended from Logan had helped, and Jon was able to walk back into his first class in May.

They had both wondered if his scars would disappear like Heather's did, but that never happened. He didn't complain at all though. One doesn't complain after being the recipient of a miracle. That incident had brought them so close together though. They thought they would be able to last through anything after that. But they had broken up and gone their separate ways. Heather smiled a little. Their minds had broken off the relationship, but obviously their hearts hadn't.

Heather lay there, quietly staring at his sleeping form, remembering the boy she had loved so very much and wondering whom exactly was this man in her bed. Jon stirred, his eyes opening, and then he smiled seeing her there. It was the same smile she had always loved and somehow the circle of their lives seemed to close and they were right back at the beginning where they belonged.

Jon didn't know how long Heather had been watching him sleep, and quite simply, he didn't care. She was there. That's what counted. He pulled her back to him for a long kiss before she cuddled up against him, her head resting on his shoulder. If there was ever a moment in his life that he had felt more at peace with the world, he certainly couldn't remember it. This was what he had been missing in his life. Easy enough to see now.

"So," Heather said softly, "isn't this where we're supposed to be freaking out and trying to get dressed and make excuses?" She snuggled a little closer to him.

Jon's face was pressed lightly against her hair. He breathed deeply, enjoying her sweet fragrance. "I guess claiming to be drunk is out."

"There's always the 'bad day – just happened' excuse," Heather said, looking up at him. He was being just as serious about this as she was. Good. They were both playing and knew it.

"Yeah, there is that," he said, running a finger down her cheek. "I'm a little partial to 'second chance' though."

"Hmmm…been apart for long enough to know you belong together?" Heather said, trying to sound playful, but unable to stop how her heart was accelerating at the thought. Jon was quiet for a long moment, and the sudden seriousness in his face worried her. Was she pushing things?

"I love you." He blew out a breath, and smiled a little self- depreciatingly. "I can't believe I ever thought I stopped. I didn't. I still love you Heather. And I don't think that's ever going to change."

Heather bit her lower lip lightly, trying to keep back the tears. Didn't help. They slid down her cheeks, the sheer joy in the moment overwhelming everything else in the world. So what if her family was going to be in total uproar in another day or so? Jon was back in her life. "I love you too," she managed to get out.

They kissed again, this time the heat building quickly between them. There would be more talking to come, lots more of it. There were a lot of details they were going to have to work out to make a relationship work this time. But for now, talking could wait. They had better ideas on how to celebrate their reunion.

They finally both drifted off into an exhausted slumber, still wrapped up in each other's arms. Heather only slept for a few hours at night anyways, but when she did, it was almost deep enough to be classified as a coma. And that was why when the phone rang, Jon grabbed it, more out of instinct than thought.

"Hello?" he growled. There was a long pause. The voice on the other end was roughly the equivalent wake up call as having a bucket of ice water thrown on him.

"Where's my daughter?" Zack demanded coldly.