A/N: Aw, come on, admit it, you knew he'd be back.

Chapter Seventeen:

Darlin', You Had Best Believe Me

Link smiled a little sheepishly. "Hey, darlin'."

"Link…" She could only say his name. Tears of joy and love and possibly anger—no, definitely anger—welled up from deep inside her.

"Mom, Dad?" she said quietly. "Could you give Link and me a moment alone, please?"

Edna reluctantly went upstairs with Wilbur. "It's just like a soap opera," she said. "Of course, women in Tracy's delicate state are always a little emotional about reunions…"

"But he's only been gone for, what, six hours?" Wilbur asked, confused.

Tracy ignored them and reached her arms out to Link as if to hug him. A relieved smile widened over his face and he spread his arms wide, stepping in to close the space between them. And, when he was close enough…

THWAP!

He pulled away, gingerly rubbing his face where she had slapped him. "I guess I deserved that."

"Darned right you did!" Tracy stage-whispered so her mother (who was doubtless listening at the air vent upstairs) wouldn't hear. "How could you just leave like that? Without saying goodbye, without… without thinking of anyone but yourself!" Hot furious tears ran down her cheeks in rivers. "It was selfish and childish and cowardly and stupid—anything could have happened to you and I wouldn't have known about it…" She stopped and turned away, too upset to even look at him anymore.

Suddenly, the thing that she most wanted and least expected to happen … actually happened.

Tracy felt arms around her waist and wet, ragged breath in her ear. "I'm sorry," Link whispered hoarsely. She suddenly realized that he was crying. "You're right."

He spun her around to face him. "It was selfish, and cowardly, and everything else you said it was. I wasn't thinking of you… I was barely thinking at all. I… I got scared. And I should've stayed here and told you about it instead of running away from home.

You were right about everything… almost," he continued.

He took her face in his hands and stroked it gently. "I do love you… more than anything or anybody. And if I have ever made you think I felt otherwise… I don't deserve you."

Tracy could tell that Link was trying his best to hold back his tears, but one slipped out. It trickled down his cheek, subdued slightly by a thin layer of stubble. She delicately brushed it away.

"Just… don't let it happen again."

"Never," he promised her fervidly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "Oh, God, I'm just so glad you're home!" And she kissed him.

The kiss was long and deep, filled with passion and joy and love, with a little bit of apology mixed in for good measure.

Suddenly, Tracy heard a throat clearing behind her. She reluctantly separated herself from Link until she was just holding his hand, and then turned around.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Tracy's father asked, grinning.

"No," Link answered cheerfully. "I'm just saying hello to my amazing wife." He pecked Tracy on the lips and, in an unexpected and touching show of affection, then crouched down to lightly kiss her belly.

Edna and Wilbur smiled knowingly at each other. "So," Tracy's mother boomed, "like I was saying before: who wants hot chocolate?"

"I'd love some," Link said, not taking his eyes off of Tracy for a second.

"Me too." I'm such a pushover, Tracy thought privately. But he's home, and he loves me, and he loves the baby… or at least he close to loves it. That's all I need.

"You sure you don't want a shot of maple syrup in yours, darlin'?" He put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her playfully.

She smiled and leaned into him. "I'm sure." She looked up at his face. "I love you."

He kissed her nose. "I love you too."

PENNY'S POV

"I just don't believe it." Penny was amazed by the spectacle before her.

"I know," Seaweed murmured.

Penny had come back from the competition on Monday, 2nd place trophy in hand, to find the Turnblad residence empty … except for Tracy's parents, who told her that Link had taken Tracy back to their apartment. (They also mentioned something about egg foo yung, but Penny dismissed that as Mrs. Turnblad being hungry.) After calling Tracy to make sure everything was okay and resisting a very powerful urge to tell Link off over the phone, she had called Seaweed to get some much-need alone-together time with him. He had surprised her by suggesting that they go somewhere other than one of their respective apartments, and somehow they had ended up on their backs in a clearing on the outskirts of Baltimore, looking up at the stars.

"I never imagined there could be so many," she whispered, afraid that she might break something if she spoke too loudly.

"Beautiful," Seaweed proclaimed softly. She looked over at him, and realized he wasn't looking at the sky, but at her. She blushed and was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know," she said after a while, "with Link back, and Tracy happy, and me and you together here in this gorgeous place… everything just feels… perfect."

He rolled over in the grass and drew her closer to him, so their foreheads touched.

"It does now."

The stars watched them silently as they kissed.

A/N (again): The next few chapters (just to let you know) are going to be a little bit like really long drabbles (if that isn't a complete oxymoron): they'll detail important events to come, but there won't be any real subplot or anything. :( Sorry. It's mostly because this story is yelling at me to end it, but I've gotta get a few things done first.

Speaking of which… this next chapter is going to be fairly important, so I'm going to need to take a little longer on it than I have on the last few chapters. :)