In the crisp fall morning, Jack loaded up his truck with his and Harper's luggage. As he looked back up to the house, he noticed his daughter texting away on her cell phone.

"You know that phone was primarily meant for emergencies right?"

"You didn't make that clear when you gave it to me."

"A grave oversight on my part then. Who are you texting anyway?"

"Dylan."

"You're kidding. We're picking him and Elizabeth up in five minutes. What topic can't wait till then?"

"Music. I'm asking him to bring his Cary Brothers CD and he wanted my to grab Jason Aldean."

"Okay. Just rap it up, please."

"Got it."

Shaking his head Jack pulled out his phone. "Our kids are crazy. Did you really have to give Dylan a phone?"

"You gave Harper one first. What was I supposed to do? lol."

"Kids…"

"Indeed. I miss you."

"Miss you too. I'll be there in just a bit."

"Perfect."

"Dad, what are you doing?" Harper stood up on her tiptoes to see his phone screen. "Seriously? You're going to see her in like two minutes."

"Watch that sass, missy." Jack grabbed his daughter, giving her a playful tickle and hug. "I'm gonna miss you, Honey Bee."

"Same here. This is good though, right? Seeing Mom?"

"Yeah, sweetie. It's good what she's doing. Moving on and including you in it. It's all good. Aren't you excited?"

"I guess. It will be nice to see her again. I don't know if this is true or not, but she said she took the week off so we could do stuff."

"She mentioned that. She's really looking forward to spending time with you."

Closing the back of the truck up, Jack and Harper climbed in and headed down the street toward Elizabeth's cottage.

Down the street Dylan reclined on the couch surrounded by most of their luggage for the trip. He listened as his mom ran around the house tossing the last few things she needed in the last open suitcase.

"You don't pack light, do you, Mom?"

"Hush you." She grinned. "Though I guess you might be right."

"Yup. Look here, I've got one small bag and my backpack. You have a big purse, and two suitcases."

"Okay, oh, wise one," she teased. "Jack will be here any moment. What do you suggest?"

"Close the suitcase and let it be. I'm sure you have all the important stuff by now."

"Good point." She did as her son suggested and headed to the downstairs bathroom.

While he waited, Dylan read a few more pages of his book. He'd be finished with it before the trip was over. That was okay. His mom had already gotten him the next book in the wizarding world series.

The sound of tires on the stone drive caught his attention and he slipped the book back in his bag.

"Mom! They're here."

"Okay! I'll be right out."

Dylan rolled his eyes. He could see his mom standing in front of the downstairs bath mirror messing with her hair again and again. "I'm sure your hair is fine. Besides, that's not where Jack stares anyway."

"Dylan!" she gasped, making him laugh aloud.

"It's your eyes, Mom. They're his favorite, right? You know, "Blue Eyes"?"

"Oh, right."

"What did you think I was talking about?"

"I honestly have no idea," she laughed. "You all set?" He nodded. "Oh! I forgot one thing!"

"Really?" He huffed as she darted back up the stairs.

There was a knock on the door as Jack entered. "Ready to hit the road?"

"Hey, Jack!" Dyan ran up to give him a fist bump. "I'm ready. Can't say the same for Mom."

"I can hear you, young man." Elizabeth was coming back down the stairs with a sketch book in her hands. She slipped it into her purse. "Ready!"

"Alright." Jack leaned in, giving Elizabeth a tender kiss on the lips. "Your chariot awaits."

"Jack," Elizabeth whispered. "What about no PDA in front of the kids?"

"Oh…"

"It's alright, Mom. I've seen it before and the way you two are, we might as well get used to it."

"Oh yeah?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"Yup. Harper and I discussed it. Just try to keep it PG, alright?"

"So much sass," Elizabeth shook her head but was grinning.

After a quick coffee and donut stop they were on their way to Boston. It was an hour and a half drive. No one seemed to mind though. The kids both put in their headphones, sharing songs back and forth while Jack and Elizabeth held hands and chatted through the morning traffic.

They arrived at Logan International with time to spare. Harper had an early flight to Atlanta. They'd wait till she was off and then Jack would fly out to DC with Elizabeth and Dylan after that.

Once they'd all checked in and made their way through security, they husseled over to Harper's gate. Jack checked in with the gate agent, letting them know who Harper was and that she was traveling unaccompanied. A flight attendant came over shortly after to introduce herself and assured Jack that they'd make sure Harper would have someone in Atlanta to help her get where she needed to be. That made him feel a whole lot better.

Before too long the gate agent was announcing boarding for the flight to Atlanta. Harper stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder as Dylan walked up, giving her a brotherly hug.

"See ya later, Harp."

"See ya. Good luck with your dad."

"Thanks. Good luck with your mom."

"Thanks. Text me if you need to talk, okay?"

"Same."

Jack and Elizabeth watched, their hearts melting at the friendship between their kids.

As Elizabeth walked over, she hugged Harper tight. "You have a good time."

"Thanks, Elizabeth. Take care of my dad. I think he's worried about me."

"That what parents do. But yes, I'll take care of him."

Last but most certainly not least, Jack embraced his daughter, kissing the top of her straight blonde hair.

"Love you, Honey Bee."

"Love you too, Dad." Jack held her tighter. "Dad, it's barely even a week. It's going to be fine."

"I know. I know."

She looked over her shoulder at Dylan and his mom talking. "Look out for them, okay? I don't trust that Ray guy."

Jack pulled back to look her in the eyes. "I don't either. I'll keep them safe."

"Good. They're like family or something now, you know? I can't explain it, but they are."

"That's good to hear you say. Still, we won't rush anything."

"Good. I mean, I'm cool with everything right now as it is but if I come back and you tell me you're married or something, I might freak out."

Jack laughed. "Don't worry, we'll discuss every change as it comes. Besides, I'd never get married without you right by my side."

"Cool." They called zone three next. "That's me. Love you, Dad."

"I love you more."

Jack watched as his little girl disappeared down the tunnel toward her plane. When she was long out of sight, he turned around. Elizabeth was waiting there for him. He walked right into her loving embrace.

"You okay, babe?" Elizabeth asked warmly.

"Yeah." He gave a small smile. "Oddly enough this is the first holiday I've spent without her. I guess I gotta get use to it, huh? I mean, her mom deserves a chance."

"I know it's not the same, but I'm here." She gave him a light kiss.

He smiled. "It makes a huge difference. Come on. Let's get to our gate. DC awaits."

The short flight to DC was uneventful. Just how Elizabeth liked it. She sat in between Dylan and Jack, running over all the details of the next few days in her head, praying this wasn't a huge mistake.

Once they'd collected their bags, Jack rented a car for the week and drove to check into their room at the Embassy Suites. It was a nice suite with a small kitchen and a breakfast bar, a living room and one bedroom.

Jack and Dylan planned to sleep on the two couches in the living room so Elizabeth could have the bedroom to herself.

Dylan left the room to go check out the pool while Jack and Elizabeth got settled.

"I made reservations at a place in Chinatown that is just amazing for Thanksgiving and I figure tomorrow morning we can do some sightseeing once we drop Dylan off at his friends."

"Sounds good to me. It's about lunch time now, I thought for today maybe we could see if there was anything Dylan wanted to show me around here."

"He'd love that. I bet I know where he'll want to take you but we can ask him when he gets back."

Elizabeth knew her son well. Dylan practically dragged them out the door to his favorite restaurant, the Hard Rock Cafe. The whole time they dug into their fries and cheeseburgers, Dylan talked Jack's ear off about the Spy Museum and how cool it was.

That evening, after a day of traveling and walking around the Spy Museum, Dylan laid on one of the couches in the hotel asleep while a movie played on the TV, his stomach full of Mediterranean take-out. Elizabeth rose from her spot on the opposite couch next to Jack and grabbed a blanket, draping it over her son.

"I love watching him sleep. He always looked so adorable. Especially as a baby."

"I bet. I'm the same way with Harp."

"How's she doing?" Elizabeth asked as she curled back up next to Jack.

"Good. She's been texting me. Derek, Ashley's fiance, seems nice and they went out to a seafood place for dinner. They're at a condo right now that they're renting and I guess Harp is going house hunting with them tomorrow. One of the places has a pool."

"Oh wow."

"Yeah." Jack looked a bit sad.

"She loves you. Remember that."

"I know. How can I compete with a pool?"

"We live on the Cape. She has a whole ocean at her disposal."

"True." Jack laughed. "I like this. Cuddling up with you like this."

"This is nice. We can do a lot of this tomorrow."

"What time are we dropping Dylan off?"

"After breakfast would be fine. Dylan's excited to see Andrew. You'll get to see the old neighborhood we lived in."

"Ah. Nice. What will we do after?" He leaned in, kissing just below her ear.

"Whatever… you want…" Talking was becoming hard as Jack continued showing her his affections.

"Good, I've got some ideas." His lips trailed down her neck then back up to her lips.

Elizabeth pulled back with a giggle. With her hands flat on his chest she said, "Whatever you want within reason."

"Now you tell me," he pouted.

"Jack Thornton," she laughed. "You know what kind of woman I am."

"I do, trust me. I won't try anything too forward. Scouts honor."

"Were you ever a boy scout?"

"No." Jack grinned.

"So your word means nothing," she sassed, biting her bottom lip.

"I'd tickle you senseless but your son is sleeping right over there,"

"I guess you'll have to restrain yourself then."

"More than you know."

"On that note," she kissed him and rose to her feet. "I'm off to bed."

Jack watched her perfectly curved figure as she walked away. "Goodnight, Blue Eyes. I love you."

"Goodnight, Jack, I love you too."

After breakfast at the hotel's restaurant, they climbed into the rental car and headed down to their old neighborhood. Both Elizabeth and Dylan could feel the pits of their stomachs as they drove down the familiar street. So many old feelings coming back, most of which were not pleasant.

Dylan's mood perked up as they pulled up to his friend's large stone rowhouse.

"There's Drew!" He was out of the car as soon as it stopped and headed to his friend who was waiting on the steps.

Elizabeth parked the car and she and Jack stepped out and walked toward the boys.

"This is a nice brownstone," Jack commented. "You lived in one like this?"

"Yup. It was almost identical actually. Just two streets over."

The door of the home opened and a tall athletically built man stepped out.

"Beth! Dylan!"

"Hi, Charles."

Jack felt his stomach twinge with jealousy as he watched Elizabeth hug the man he now knew as Charles. He stood there looking all upper crust with his pressed pants and tailored button down. Not a look Jack had ever pulled off in his life.

Elizabeth stepped back to Jack's side, taking his hand. "Charles, I'd like you to meet Jack Thornton. We were best friends growing up and welll, we've reconnected and have been seeing each other for a couple months now."

"Hi, Jack." Charles extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Dylan said goodbye to his mom and Jack and headed inside with his friend.

"Jack, Charles was a good friend to Dylan and I back when we lived here."

"Not good enough," Charles sighed.

"Charles…" Elizabeth reached out her hand, placing it on his arm.

He looked over at Jack and began explaining. "I still think I should have done more. I worked with Ray back then. I knew he could be a jerk at work with some people but I had no idea what was going on at home. If I had known, I would have gotten them out of there sooner."

"But you didn't know." Elizabeth interrupted. "It's not your fault. You had enough on your plate then anyway. And when I showed up on your doorstep that last horrible night, with Dylan asleep in the back seat, you took us in and kept us safe while I figured it all out. I can't tell you how appreciative I was and still am."

"Well, you're welcome. Anything for you guys." He smiled. "Enough about the past. The present seems to be agreeing with you." He pointed to her and Jack.

"I am very happy right now." She gazed up at Jack as she spoke. "Second time's the charm, I guess."

"That's great." Charles looked back to make sure the kids had indeed gone inside. "Actually, one more mention of the past. I was wondering… how's Vi doing?"

Elizabeth grinned. "She good. You should email her sometime."

"I don't know what I'd say. Not after all these years."

"Something like "Hello", might be a good start."

"I, um. Yeah sure. I'll look into it." Charles laughed. He shifted nervously, making Jack wonder about the story behind him and Elizabeth's older sister. "Well you two enjoy yourselves tonight. Drew's been really looking forward to this. We've got a night of pizza, video games and movies ahead of us."

"Perfect. Thanks, Charles."

"Of course! See you tomorrow!"

Elizabeth led Jack back to the car. They climbed inside and began plotting where to go next. They decided to ditch the car back at the hotel and walk and take the train around to see the different monuments around the city. It had been years since Jack had been to DC and was really looking forward to this.

As they sat on the train on the way to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Jack decided to revisit something that had been on his mind since they left Charles' house.

"Charles seems nice."

"He is."

"You knew him from Ray's work?"

"And church, yeah. His wife and I were friends too."

"How does he know Vi?"

Elizabeth smiled. "They went to undergrad together. Charles had a huge crush on her but in the end she chose Lionel."

"Cooper's dad?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "Real winner that one turned out to be. Leaving her like that."

"What about Charles' wife?"

"Her name was Elise. Great woman. She died of cancer a few years back."

"Oh man. Poor guy. That must have been unbearable for him and Andrew."

"Yeah. Charles loved her with his whole heart. He and I kept in touch when I first moved home. That's when he started asking about Vi again."

"Huh. What do you think?"

"Personally, I think they'd be great together. Just have to get them in the same place again. Maybe old sparks might flare again. But I don't see her leaving the Cape and Charles' work and life is in DC."

"If you think it's worth it, maybe we can find a way. Old love has been known to spark in the Cape before." He brought her hand to his lips.

"That it has."

The day had been perfect. The best in a long time, in Elizabeth's mind. They toured the city hand in hand, shared a nice bottle of wine while enjoying a romantic lunch at a french bistro, and after more sightseeing they enjoyed dinner at one of DC's most historic restaurants, Old Ebbitt Grill. Elizabeth had always loved this place with its history and original architecture.

"How's your dinner?" she asked Jack.

"Perfect. This place is so cool. Look at those old lamps on the wall, its like they're gas lit."

"Those are original."

"No way."

"Yup. This is Washington's oldest "saloon" and was founded in 1856."

"I feel like I'm about to get a history lesson."

"You are." She giggled. "According to the legend, the namesake, William Ebbitt was an innkeeper and housed many of the big names in American history like presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, even Theodore Roosevelt."

"Very cool."

"It is. This isn't the original location either. It moved a couple times. The last time, the venue moved from around the corner to right here. This particular building was once an old historic theater."

"I can see it. I can see why you liked living here."

"Yeah. It's a fun city. I didn't get out as much the last few years I lived here. Ray didn't trust me on my own." She laughed, but there was still pain in her eyes as she took a sip of her drink.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything I did that led to you ending up with that neanderthal. If I had just told you how I felt back then and fought for you, we…"

"We wouldn't have Harper or Dylan. Jack, I thought we got past this. I don't blame you for anything in our past. I'm just so completely grateful we have a future now." She took his hand in hers. "I love you, Jack. I'm not looking back anymore."

"I love you, Elizabeth. I'm so grateful you walked back into my life."

When the plates were empty, they ordered dessert to go and headed to one of Elizabeth's other favorite DC spots. They sat high on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, looking out at the reflection pool. In the distance they could see the Washington Monument. Everything was lit up under the starry fall night.

"Perfect day, perfect evening," Elizabeth whispered as she rested her head against Jack's strong shoulder.

"You got that right." He kissed the top of her head. "Want another bite of the chocolate mousse?"

"I don't think I could eat another thing, but thank you."

Jack stuffed the last bite in his mouth. "Oh, yeah, this was good."

Elizabeth giggled. Later as they sat there, she asked, "Do you think Harper would want to come visit here?"

"Maybe someday. There are a number of museums I know she'd love."

"I'd love to show her around. If she wanted."

"You're so good with her."

"And you're good with Dylan. Did you see them yesterday? They seem so close."

"They are. Should make things easier."

"What things?"

"Moving forward someday. The four of us, as a family." Jack looked down at her trying to gauge her reaction to his comment.

"I like that. Us, a family."

"It will happen, Blue Eyes. I know it."

"Yeah? What do you see when you look at our future?"

Jack smiled. This was something he had thought a lot about over the past couple months. "I see us living on the Cape. Maybe at my place. There's enough room for all of us and we could always add more if needed."

"Why would we need more room?" Elizabeth asked coyly.

"I don't know. Maybe for another child. Or a dog."

"Another child or a dog. Okay, got it."

"What do you think?"

"About the dog or having another kid?"

"Either."

Elizabeth sat up and turned to face Jack. "Well, I know Dylan really wants a dog so I'm all for that. As far as having another child…" Her gaze shifted from Jack out to the reflection pool beyond them. "I think… with you in my life, I'm up for anything."

"That's exactly how I feel." He took both her hands in his and brought them to his lips.

"You know, the more I think about it, the better doing the trip to Florida together sounds. Have you mentioned it to Harper?"

"Not yet. I wanted to make sure you and Dylan were both okay with it first."

"We are. I talked with Dylan and he liked that idea a lot. Though he asked that we let them roam around a little on their own. He reminded me that they are almost teenagers and we are raising them right."

Jack laughed. "Smart boy. I'm okay with it. Though we should plan to meet up for meals and things like fireworks."

"Agreed."

It was nearly 11:00 by the time they returned to their room. Both were exhausted but at peace from the day. While Elizabeth showered, Jack sat on the couch watching a hockey game. Trying to do anything but think about his beautiful, amazing love in the shower like she was. The game did nothing to distract him. Neither did the two movies he tried.

After the water turned off, Elizabeth towel dried her hair and put it up in a messy bun. She grabbed an old t-shirt she'd stolen from Jack recently and pulled it on with a short pair of cotton shorts.

"Hey." she said from the doorway to her room. "I had a thought."

"A good one, I hope."

"I think so."

He turned off the TV and tossed the remote on the other end of the couch. "I'm listening."

"Well, it's just you and me here tonight." She spoke softly as she walked towards him. "I was thinking, maybe you don't need to sleep on the couch."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Taking his hand she pulled him up to stand in front of her. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still me and I think certain things belong in marriage alone but… I thought maybe, just maybe, we could hold each other tonight?"

Jack grinned from ear to ear. "I'd love nothing more."

"Good." With that, Elizabeth led Jack back to the room. Pulling the covers back she slipped into the king sized bed, Jack sliding in behind her.

He groaned with delight at the feel of her body so close to his. This was the perfect ending to the perfect day. As they laid together, Jack began to wonder just how much longer he could wait before asking her that life changing question.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

She giggled, "I know. I love you too. Sweet dreams, Jack."

"Oh they will be."