Sorry there was such a break between these chapters. I have had Parker's written for a while, but I needed Nate's to go first. I knew what it needed to be (after all, not all of these kisses have to be romantic) but figuring out how to do it was harder than I expected. Also, they never really explained what illness Sam died of, so I am winging it here.

Thanks for reading!

It was getting dark when Nathan Ford emerged from the airport and hailed a cab. He was exhausted, physically and mentally, he realized as he climbed into the backseat and gave the driver his address. He slumped down in the seat and closed his eyes for the 45 minute ride home. He had to admit that he was wary about what he would find there. He had been gone for only a week, but more and more his wife Maggie was resenting his long absences, and he felt like their marriage was falling apart. The sad thing was that if it wasn't for their son, he wasn't sure that he would mind. He loved Maggie and he knew that Maggie loved him. He knew that. He just wasn't sure that they were in love with each other anymore.

His mind wandered back to the early days of their relationship. Nate's job involved him tracking down stolen art for IYS, and Maggie was an art expert. They made a great team and through all the adventure and excitement of their jobs, they fell in love. Nate's boss, Ian Blackpool, used to call them Nick and Nora, only instead of solving murders, they found missing art and fraud, saving Blackpool's company countless millions. Nate proposed to Maggie one night while they were in Paris, and was surprised that she said yes. He never thought that a good woman would ever love him, and he couldn't believe his luck. They were married in a small ceremony and opted to spend their honeymoon in a small cabin in the Rocky Mountains, having already traveled together to so many exotic locations.

They continued their work until a year after their wedding, when Maggie announced that she was pregnant. Nate considered the fact that he was going to be a father with excitement and a little bit of concern. He didn't have the greatest father figure himself, his own father was a criminal and serving time in prison for the mob, but he was determined to be a good Dad. When Sam was born eight months later, Nate took one look at him and knew that this tiny little baby had, in one instant, wrapped him around his tiny little finger. Now, seven years later, Sam was still the center of his universe, but his traveling had taken its toll on Maggie. She opted to take jobs as a consultant so that she could be home for Sam, and Blackpool seemed to be sending Nate out more and more. They always fought when he'd come home from some grand adventure and it was becoming increasingly hard to deal with for both of them. Then there was Sophie.

Two years ago, while searching for a stolen painting, he came across the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Unfortunately, at the time, she was trying to steal the painting that he was looking for. He tried to chase her down, but she got away. Over the next two years, they repeated this game of cat and mouse until they finally came face to face. Nate never believed in love at first site, but this beautiful petite woman with an adorable British accent made him question that belief. She invited him for a drink, while they stood there awkwardly, and he'd declined, showing her his wedding ring. This woman was captivating, but he wasn't a complete jerk, and he respected his vows. She was disappointed, but took advantage of the moment to run, and Nate let her get away. He couldn't get her out of his head, as much as he tried to.

As the taxi pulled up to his house, he paid the driver and grabbed his bag. He approached the door and took a deep breath before walking in. The first thing he saw was his sweet little seven-year-old Sam sleeping on the couch. He must have been trying to stay awake to see me, Nate thought to himself as he sat his bag down by the door. He walked in the kitchen, and found Maggie putting away clean dishes.

"I thought this was only going to be a short trip, Nate." She looked at him with sad eyes. "I expected you home three days ago."

"I thought so too, but it took longer than I expected. We found the statue, though. The owner paid someone to steal it for the insurance payout. Blackpool will be pleased."

"Your son missed you very much. I missed you too." She slumped into one of the kitchen chairs and put her head in her hands. He couldn't help but notice that she looked completely exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days.

"Well, I am home now, and hopefully will be for a while."

"Sure. Until Ian has another adventure for you to go on," she frowned. "You refuse to tell him that you need a break."

Nate sighed. "Maggie, we go through this every time. You knew this was my job before we were married. Hell, you HELPED me do my job before Sam came along. Blackpool and IYA count on me."

She looked up at him. "What about us? Shouldn't we be able to count on you too?" The tone of her voice broke his heart. It was the sound of someone whose world was falling apart. He knew that the way they'd been dealing with each other was wrong and hurtful, but he wasn't sure how to get past it.

Nate approached her and put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "I promise you. This will be the last trip for a while. I'll talk to Blackpool." He decided to change the subject. "How was my little man this week? You said on the phone that he was sick. He is better now?"

Maggie dissolved into tears. Her head slumped from her hands to the table and she began to shake. Concerned, Nate dropped to his knees next to her. "Maggie, what is it? I know things have been so messed up lately, but this is different. What happened?" He gently placed his hand on her chin, lifting her face to his. "Tell me."

She stared at him blankly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sam….." she stammered through quiet sobs. "He isn't okay, Nate. They ran some tests on Wednesday, and we found out today." She fell into another fit of sobs, unable to continue.

"Maggie!" Nate was frantic. "Please. What is wrong? Please Maggie. Please tell me." He was trying to be calm, but his heart was beating quickly and he was frantic for an answer, hoping this was an overreaction on Maggie's part.

Maggie managed to calm her sobs and look him directly in the eye. "Nate, he has Leukemia," she said flatly.

Nate's heart sank as Maggie resumed sobbing. "No, no. They must have gotten something wrong. He's such a healthy boy, and so little. He can't be sick. He just can't." Nate could feel his own tears welling up in his eyes, and he fought to push them back. To be brave for Maggie.

All she could do is cry and shake her head. "It's not a mistake, Nate. They are going to start treatment next week, but the doctor said that his prognoses is not good." She glanced up at him again. "They don't think our baby is going to live."

It was more than Nate could bare. He wrapped his arms around her and he just lost it. They both sat in their kitchen holding on to each other and falling apart for what seemed like hours. He whispered promises to her between sobs. IYA owed him….BOTH of the THEM….If there was any possible treatment, no matter how costly, he would find it and IYA would cover it. They would fight like hell, and save their little boy.

They pulled apart quickly and both of them wiped their eyes when they heard little feet moving across the floor in the living room. It was just seconds before Sam burst through the kitchen door and jumped into Nate's lap, yelling, "DADDY!" Nate wrapped his arms around his precious boy's little body and squeezed him like he hadn't seen him in ages.

"Hey little man!" he said, hoping he sounded cheery.

"I missed you so much, Daddy." Sam frowned as he buried himself in Nate's arms. "Please tell me that you aren't going to have to travel for a long time." He reached up and began planting little kisses across Nate's forehead and cheeks. "Please Daddy?"

Nate kissed his little boy back on the top of his head, and squeezed him tighter, fighting to keep himself together. "I promise you, little man. I am not going anywhere." In that moment, everything else in the world went out of Nate's head. The estrangement that he and Maggie were dealing with, his job, his Dad in jail, and his thoughts of Sophie. Nothing else in the entire world mattered more than this little boy in his arms who was happily kissing his face. They'd get him better. Nate always managed to find a way to get things done, and this would be no different.