A/N: Had a bit of a tough weekend, struggled to get in the mood to write but going to do my best to pick away at this anyways. Also, pretty sure I've gone off my rocker and this is gonna be God knows how long. I've given up trying to figure out how many chapters are left. It's going to mostly be Abby's POV from here on, but I'll try to flip it if an opportunity comes up.

After an early breakfast and pretending to entertain Buck's rationale of why he could totally handle driving on the opposite side of the road, complete with passing tour buses on narrow roads, without any practice, Abby was seated behind the wheel and cruising through the National Park. They were going to start at the far end where she would have started yesterday, and work their way back to Killarney. Buck was glued to the window, not yet having seen nearly as much of the landscape as she had, but she didn't mind. It was kind of cute, actually. Just having him beside her brought a sense of contentment she had been missing.

Their first stop of the day was called "Ladies View" and was perhaps the most picturesque view of the day. From this lookout was a sprawling view of the Lakes of Killarney, in a vivid, green valley between mountains. She couldn't help but notice how different it felt to face this vast expanse with Buck's arms around her compared to being on top of that mountain by herself. This was the feeling of whimsy and sheer possibility that she had expected to feel that day. For the first time, she started to wonder if the reason she hadn't been able to find the vitality she sought was because she could no longer envision her future without Buck in it. But wasn't it awfully soon for that? Or was it trying to deny it that was bringing her down?

The next destination, and her hands down favourite of the day, was Torc Waterfall. It was kind of magical watching the crystal clear water cascade down the rocks right inside a dense forest. There were a series of steps leading to a higher vantage point, which they took hand in hand. They followed up the waterfall with Muckross House and Gardens, which was a stunning display of architecture and manicured landscaping, followed by the ruins of Muckross Abbey. Abby quite liked learning about the history of the buildings and places she visited, but wasn't much for documenting her trip. In fact, she was pretty sure Buck had taken more sight-seeing photos today than she had in the past 3 weeks… though to be fair, he seemed equally interested in taking photos of her. Despite typically being shy in front of the camera, she was happy to indulge him; after all, he gave so much and asked for precious little in return. The smile on his face was more than worth it. It was definitely nice to have someone to share these experiences with.

After a few more sights, they were back in Killarney for a late lunch, and then took the train to Cork. They settled on a small boutique hotel that Abby had fallen in love with the moment she saw it. It didn't have an elevator but Buck, ever the gentleman, insisting on carrying both their suitcases to the second floor. She took the opportunity to pursue an idea she had while they were on the train, and fired off a quick text.

[Text from Abby] Hey Cait, it's Abby. Don't know if you remember me, we met a couple weeks ago at the pub. I was wondering if you guys are going out again soon? My boyfriend (the firefighter) ended up coming to visit, we would love a fun night out.

Dublin was about 3 hours away from Cork, but they could go up in the evening, stay over for a night, spend a day in the city, and then come back. Her phone buzzed a minute later.

[Text from Cait] Sure I remember! And I remember that pic of your firefighter too ;). We're going out Sat night if you want to come with? Same place.

[Text from Abby] Sounds good, see you then.

There was a pretty little restaurant next door to the hotel where they went for a quiet dinner, and then they cuddled up with Molly's Game on pay-per-view.

"So what do you want to do tomorrow?" Buck asked.

"There's a historic walking tour that covers most of the highlights, or we could just grab a map and go on our own."

"Let's do the history thing, I know you like that stuff."

"Are you sure? If you think it sounds boring, we don't have to do it."

"We're doing it."

"Okay," she said with a chuckle, "also, is it okay if we go to Dublin for the night on Saturday? I met some people there and I was hoping we could meet up with them."

"Yeah, of course. Hey, was that when you were hungover?" he teased.

"Maybe."

"Well now I'm really looking forward to it."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to get drunk this time."

He didn't look convinced. "Uh huh, sure."

"Anyways, is there anything you want to do tomorrow or this week?"

"Well… kind of… but you're going to think it's silly."

"Try me."

"I saw a brochure in the lobby for a ghost walk."

"A ghost walk?"

"Yeah, I guess they like, take you to places that are supposed to be haunted, or something."

"Buck, you know ghosts aren't real, right?"

"Oh no, you're not science-ing your way out of this one. Ghosts are definitely real."

"Okay, if you say so..."

"I do. Besides, ghost stories are fun! And they're usually based on real stuff, so it's like a spooky night-time history tour."

"I'm not sure I buy that description, but it does sound interesting," she conceded, "even if we're not going to see any ghosts."

"We might, you never know."

"I suppose anything is possible."

"See, that's the spirit!"

She couldn't help but laugh.

The next day was a little grey and the forecast called for rain, but they agreed to risk it and go on the walking tour anyways. The guide was fantastic and they managed to avoid the rain… until they decided to double back to tour the inside of the City Gaol after the walk ended. They were almost there when the clouds finally opened up and the downpour began. They did their best to duck under storefront awnings and jump over puddles, but there was one open stretch with no cover they would have to tackle to make it to the door.

"Are we going to make a break for it?" she asked.

"Yeah."

But as soon as she stepped out into the rain, he grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him, catching her in a passionate kiss. She almost forgot it was raining… until he was suddenly gone, and she opened her eyes to see him sprinting towards the door and laughing. She took off after him but he easily beat her to the entrance.

She playfully slapped his arm and tried to look indignant. "What was that for?"

"Fun," he answered with a cheeky smile. Then he pulled her in close and said, "can you really blame me for wanting to kiss a beautiful woman in the rain?"

She blushed in spite of herself. "I guess not."

By the time they had finished exploring the Gaol, the rain had stopped and the sun was starting to break through the clouds. They had a late lunch at a café across the street, but then Buck said he had an errand to run and would meet her back at the hotel. It seemed a little strange, but he insisted he had to go alone because he wanted it to be a surprise. Apparently coming all the way to Ireland himself wasn't a sufficient surprise. She took her time on the way back, not sure how long he would be, but then a storefront caught her eye and she suddenly had an idea for her own little surprise. Hopefully she could find what she needed nearby.

A/N: Spoiler alert – one of them is a sexy surprise. How detailed depends how chicken I get lol.