A/N: Gonna be mostly fluff left now guys, hope you're all down with that lol. I feel like you probably are. Really, who doesn't like fluff? I mean, to be honest, it's hard for me to write it, cuz I'm more of an angsty person in general lol, but reading it is always good for a smile. I'm charting this for one full chapter left and a short epilogue, but as we know, I'm a terrible estimator.

They chose a bigger hotel in Cork this time so there would be a business centre with computers. After dinner in the hotel restaurant, Buck started the apartment search while Abby went to work on booking a flight. At one point she disappeared with her phone for a while, but she hadn't said anything, so he assumed she would be back. She was, of course, but looked disappointed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She flopped down on the seat beside him. "Well, the good news is, I got on your flight with the same connection. The bad news is, I can only sit with you from here to London; they don't have 2 seats together anywhere from Heathrow to LAX."

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yeah. They do have wifi on that flight though, so I guess I can always message you from 10 rows back."

He laughed. "At least it's only 11 hours and 10 rows apart; better than days and thousands of miles."

"This is true."

"I think I've narrowed it down to my top 6 apartments, available immediately, in the area and budget we decided on. Have a look and let me know what you think. I'm going to go call the station and see when my next shift is."

"Okay."

He was relieved to find out he work until late on the day after they were set to arrive home. He wanted to make sure Abby was settling in okay before he up and left. The last thing he wanted was for her to regret coming back with him. By the time he returned to the computer, she had further narrowed down his list of potential apartments.

"I sent messages to these 4, I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, for sure."

"I figure my work isn't expecting me back yet, so I should have lots of time to go look. Or do you want me to try and schedule viewings for your day off?"

"Doesn't matter to me. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." Oh God, he was officially whipped, wasn't he?

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go for it. The sooner we pick a place, the sooner I get to come home to you."

She smiled warmly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The next morning marked their last full day in Ireland, and after a late breakfast, they were off to Blarney. They had been up late just talking about getting their new place and her plans for what she wanted to change in her life. She was surprised to find she was actually becoming a little excited about the prospect of going home. Matt really had been right: she had been making the whole thing more difficult than it needed to be. She was still going to find her footing again, but she didn't have to be alone to do that. Though she didn't get what she expected out of it, she didn't regret making the trip, because she knew she would definitely have regretted not coming. She needed to fulfill this dream of her mom's, and she needed to remember what it was like to be an adventurous jetsetter. That would always be part of who she is, and she has made a vow to herself to take at least a small trip once a year. But what she really discovered was how lonely she had become, even though she was never physically alone.

Part of how you see yourself is what's reflected by the people around you, and she had all but isolated herself from everyone but her mother. When the only reflection of herself was, for so long, one that wasn't sure how old she was or, sometimes, even who she was, it's no surprise she didn't know how to see herself. She wasn't sure how she would have gotten through without Buck, and she was so grateful he had refused to let her push him away. She realized now that she not only needed to reconnect with herself, but with the people around her. Life – both the good and the bad – is so much richer when you have people to share it with. Just trying to avoid getting hurt isn't really living. Some people may come and go, but others will stay, and somehow she'll survive it all. She made it through the first 42 years, and if she creates a support system, she'll get through the rest too. And the first step was to embrace the support she still has.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she caught Buck watching her with a smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just thinking how happy I am that I don't have to say goodbye to you tomorrow. The first time was one of the hardest goodbyes I've ever said."

She smiled sadly. "Me too. Let's not do that again."

"Sounds good to me."

"So, do you know where we're going today?"

"Well, you asked the ticket guy which bus went to Blarney, so I'm guessing that's where we're going."

"Oh… then I guess you know what we're going to see, too."

"Nope."

"Really? You never heard about the Blarney Stone?"

"Can't say I have."

"Legend has it that if you kiss the stone, you get the 'gift of gab', meaning eloquence."

"Huh. I should probably look into that. I'm not really a well-spoken guy, if you hadn't noticed."

"Your mouth has other talents," she teased.

"Abby Clark," he said in a low voice, "are you coming on to me in public?"

"And I'm not even drunk this time."

He laughed and pulled her in for a quick kiss as the bus came to a stop.

They decided to save the castle and the stone for the end of the day, figuring everyone else would head there first. And they were right; the majority of the crowd headed straight for the main attraction and the walking trails were relatively quiet. It was actually kind of romantic, walking through woods hand in hand, and sitting by the lake together. He had brought up the idea of going camping once, and she had balked at the thought of mosquito bites and sleeping on hard ground, but now she thought perhaps she would let him take her. Maybe there was a certain appeal to being alone out in nature. She still liked the sound of an RV better than a tent, but she could give it a go.

After stopping for fresh scones at the Stable Yard Café, they finally made their way to the castle. There was still a small line formed at what she assumed was the Blarney Stone, though it wasn't quite what she expected.

"Wait, why is that person upside down?" Buck asked.

"I don't know," she answered honestly, "I guess that's how you reach the stone; you have to lean back and hold the bars like that."

"Huh. Weird. Are you going to kiss it?"

"After God knows how many strangers have kissed it already today? No. Why, are you?"

"Nah," he said, casually wrapping his arms around her, "I'd much rather kiss you upside down."

Before she could process what he just said, he dipped her backwards and claimed her lips. She gasped and flung her arms around his neck to maintain her balance and he seized the chance to deepen the kiss. Caught off guard, she completely forgot where they were and allowed herself to get lost in the moment… until a couple whistles and catcalls rang out. Leave it to Buck to almost literally sweep her off her feet in front of a bunch of tourists. She blushed furiously when he released her and playfully slapped his arm.

"What?" he asked with a laugh.

"What? Really?"

"I can't help it! You know, if you didn't look so damn good all the time and didn't say naughty things to me on the bus, maybe I'd have better self-control."

"Shut up."

"So I take it I'm not to kiss you at the airport tomorrow either?"

She looked at him incredulously. "We're on the same flight."

"So? I still won't see you for 11 hours."

"Fine. But keep it PG."

"You sure? We could join the mile high club."

She was laughing now. "No!"

"Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Come on, let's go catch the bus. You want to talk to me about that, you have to buy me dinner first."

"Does that mean it's a maybe?"

"I wouldn't hold my breath."

A/N: Before you ask, that is NOT happening lol. Should I consider adding the camping thing to my fic list though? I've never been camping (like, aside from camping in my friend's backyard when I was like 10), but I feel like it must be easier to bs that than a whole country I haven't been to lol.