"Aunt Allie! You fell asleep in the wrong bed!" Jack and Allie's eyes flew open and there stood a very angry looking five year old.

"Oh my god. I slept in your bed." Allie said sitting up quickly and throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. How was she going to face Hawke? She wasn't too worried about Lily, her older sister would understand but Hawke was another story completely.

Jack stretched out his own legs and felt pain shoot through him. His thigh felt hot and he was sure that beneath his pants it was probably red and swollen.

"It's okay, Allie." Jack said trying to calm her down although he was worried about facing Hawke as well. Hopefully the man would believe that nothing had happened. Allie stood up and Sarah put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

"Breakfast is ready." she said. "And you didn't wake me up with kisses this morning."

"I'm sorry, Sarah." Allie said. "Good morning, Jack." she added and then ran from the room. She saw Hawke sitting at the table looking at her over his coffee cup as she ran in her nightgown to her room and quickly shut the door.

"You have a lot of boo boos." Sarah said to Jack as he stood up and tried to keep the weight off of his throbbing leg. Jack looked down at his scarred up chest and stomach and nodded.

"Yeah. You make sure you always listen to your daddy and do what he says even when what he says gets on your nerves because he'll keep you outta trouble."

"Daddy says I'm a good girl." she replied.

"Why don't you go on out and I'll be out in a minute." Jack said nodding toward the door. Sarah happily ran out of the room and Jack shut the door to give himself privacy. He undid his pants and pulled them down, wincing at the red swollen skin around the bandages on his leg. He limped over to his dresser and pulled out the small bottle of whiskey he had stored in there. He wasn't a drinker but it was a habit to keep a thing of whiskey around for disinfecting purposes. Another lesson taught while living on horseback the last five years.

He sat down in a rocking chair in the corner and unwrapped the bandages. The cut was red and swollen but he couldn't see any signs of worse infection and he didn't have a fever so hopefully the whiskey would take care of it.

He gripped the arm of the rocking chair tightly with one hand and clenched his jaw in preparation for the pain before pouring the whiskey over his leg. It felt as if he had set himself on fire and he let out a low growl as he shook with the effort of holding back the string of curses that wanted to pour from his mouth.

He blew on his leg to cool it off and dry it before standing up and pulling his pants back up. He pulled on a shirt and ran his hands through his chin length hair to comb out the tangles. He wrapped his gun belt around his hips and slid into his brown vest before walking out of his room.

888

"Hawke, I need to talk to you about something." Jack said as he limped out to the barn after a very awkward and almost silent breakfast. Hawke looked up from the furs he was gathering for town and over at him waiting for him to continue.

"I want to look for my own place." Hawke nodded.

"That would be a good idea." he agreed. Jack held his hands up quickly.

"Now, Hawke, nothing happened last night between me and Allie. I, uh, wouldn't do that in your house cause, well, quite frankly you scare me a little bit."

"Please stop talking." Hawke said sternly as he closed his eyes and flared his nostrils. "I do not want to know what goes on between you and Allie."

"Yes sir." Jack said sticking his thumbs through his belt loops and rocking back on the heel of his good leg. "Now about getting my own place… I'll have to find some land but I was hopin' that once I do you'll help me build a cabin."

"No. You can have Lily's old cabin. It is about the same size as mine and while there is not as much land with it, it still has quite a bit."

"You mean Nathan's land and cabin?" Jack asked. Hawke nodded.

"It belongs to Lily now but she does not want it. The cabin is in rough shape but I will help you fix it."

"I'll pay you all for it just as soon as I start making money." Jack promised. He had been to Nathan's cabin once a long time ago and he liked the river and small waterfall nearby. It would be the perfect place for him to start his family.

"No you will not." Hawke said as he went back to sorting through his furs. "You are family and the cabin and land is yours. It is nearly two hours away but it still only takes about an hour to get to town from there so you will still be able to work as a blacksmith." Jack was speechless once again. For Hawke to still consider him family after what he had done to them was more than he deserved but he was thankful as hell for it.

"Thanks, Hawke. I'm really hoping to have my own family soon." Hawke nodded and flashed a rare smile.

"I knew you would be wanting your own place soon." he said.

"I'd like to ride out there tonight after work and look at the place." Jack said with a proud smile. "It'll feel good to have my own place. I've never had a place of my own before."

"You're leaving again?" Allie demanded, walking into the barn just in time to hear his last sentence. Jack turned and shook his head.

"Yeah but…"

"I should have known better than to think you'd stick around." she said angrily and then she turned on her heel and stormed away. Jack tried to follow her and she looked over her shoulder.

"Janna, bite him." she said and Janna growled low in her throat and started toward him as Allie continued down the path toward the lake.

"You bite me after I saved your life yesterday and I'll have me a brand new fur coat for this winter you worthless sack of bones." Jack warned as he laid his hand on the handle of his gun. Janna seemed to think about this for a moment and then she turned and walked away from him, going down the path that Allie had taken. Wolf just sighed and walked out of the barn as well flopping down in the sunlight and stretching himself out.

"Her temper is still just as darn bad as its always been isn't it?" Jack said. Hawke nodded.

"I warned you once that one day when you are married she will lose her temper and there will be only a pile of rubble where your cabin used to stand."

"Yeah, well, you warned me about a lot of things and when did I ever listen?" Jack asked. "I better go find her and let her know why I want my own place before she convinces herself that I'm gone for good." Jack limped out of the barn, cursing at the pain in his leg and cursing Allie for walking so damn far away.

He wasn't feeling very good and he was getting worried that the whiskey hadn't done a very good job with the infection. He found Allie at the lake tossing pebbles into the water while Janna snored away on the nearby rocks.

"I'm not leaving, Allie. I'm gonna fix up Nathan's old cabin and Hawke is gonna let me have it and all that land."

"Okay." Allie said simply. She refused to look at him because she felt extremely foolish for overreacting earlier. Having Jack back just felt too good to be true and she kept waiting for something bad to happen and him to be gone again.

"I'm not ever going anywhere again, Allie. Like I told ya before the only way you're getting rid of me is if ya bury me in a pine box."

"I guess I just jumped to conclusions." Allie replied turning to face him and biting her lip. She wrung her hands together and shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Jack replied walking toward her and wrapping his arms tight around her waist. "I have given you plenty of reasons to doubt me."

"Janna didn't bite you did she?" Allie asked pulling away and looking over at the sleeping wolf. Jack grinned and shook his head.

"She thought better of it after I reminded her that I'm the one who saved her worthless life yesterday."

"So you're gonna fix up that old cabin and move into it?" Allie asked. She felt her body tremble as his eyes turned darker and hungrier as he looked down at her face.

"I'd like to have a place where my wife and I can have some privacy." Allie's eyes widened.

"Wife?" she gasped. He nodded and took a deep breath before continuing.

"I've wanted to marry you since I was fifteen." he said matter of factly. He rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes took on a haunted look. "There's a darkness in me Allie. A darkness that keeps me up at night and scares the hell out of me." Allie saw hope come into his eyes as he smoothed some of her dark hair behind her ear. "But when I look at you I see light. You are like an angel and with you I feel like I'm gonna be okay. I want to have you with me forever."

 "Kiss me, Jack." Allie whispered. She knew she wanted to marry Jack but she wanted to feel the kind of passion his kiss would stir within her. They had kissed as kids but now she wanted to have the man he was now kiss the woman she had become.

Jack laid a gentle hand on her cheek and tilted her head up. He stared at her full pink lips and watched her tongue dart across them as she waited for his kiss. He didn't keep her waiting long. He lowered his mouth to hers and when their lips met Jack thought for sure his heart would pound right out of his chest.

Allie had never felt this kind of heat. As his lips met hers a fire started low in her body and spread throughout her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his thick blond hair as he kept one hand on her cheek but wrapped the other arm possessively around her waist and pulled her into him.

She moaned and he deepened the kiss. At first Allie was shocked by the feel of his tongue against her own but instinct took over and she matched his desire. Allie's heart was thundering in her chest and her head was spinning. She wanted more.. She wasn't exactly sure how her body could feel any more alive than it did in this moment but she knew that Jack could show her.

Neither knew how long they stayed lost in one another. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours as the birds sung around them and the gentle breeze blew Allie's skirts and sent her long dark hair swirling around Jack's head. When Jack finally pulled away his breathing was ragged and his heart was pounding. He laid his forehead against hers and took a deep breath to calm his breathing.

"Did that tell you what you needed to know, doll?" Jack asked as both of his arms circled her waist and she could feel his desire for her pressing against her stomach. She bit her lip and nodded slightly.

"Yes it did." she replied and then she noticed just how hot his forehead felt against her own. She pulled away and put her hands on his cheeks so she could pull his head down and she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. She jerked away when she realized his skin was on fire.

She looked at his blue eyes and realized they were a little glossy and he looked a little pale.

"Jack, you're sick." she gasped. Jack shook his head.

"No, I'm not. I'm nervous as hell." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I just asked you to marry me and you don't seem to want to answer."

"Your leg is infected isn't it?" Allie demanded.

"I'm fine." Jack lied even as he shifted his weight to take more of it off his injured leg.

"Don't you dare lie to me." she scolded as she stuck her finger up at his face. "Let's get you back to the cabin and lying down."

"Allie, it's just a fever." Jack said and even he realized how stupid that statement was. A fever was never just a fever. People died every day from fevers.

"Come on." Allie said. She positioned herself under his arm so he could lean some of his weight on her and though he wanted to refuse the help he could not because he suddenly felt so weak that he knew without her help he'd have a hard time making it home.

Janna stood quickly and followed them as they began to limp their way slowly back toward the cabin. They walked in silence because Jack was using every ounce of self control he had to keep from yelling out in pain as his thigh screamed in protest with every step he took.

"Hawke!" Allie called once the cabin came into view. Hawke came out of the barn quickly and immediately walked over and supported Jack, allowing Allie to step away. She was grateful because her legs had been about to break as Jack had leaned more and more of his weight against her.

"What's going on?" Lily asked stepping out of the chicken coop with an apron full of eggs.

"His leg is infected." Allie replied. "He's burning up with fever."

"Get him in the bed." Lily said to Hawke and he nodded. Once they had Jack settled into bed Lily looked down at him.

"Am I taking your pants off or cutting the leg of them away?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Jack lied hoping to get away from all the attention as everyone stared down at him. Even Sarah was standing beside the bed with a look of concern on her young face.

"Don't argue." Lily replied. Jack sighed.

"Just cut the leg, I got one more pair of pants I can wear." Years of sleeping out under the sky with a bunch of other violent, ill tempered men had taught Jack to never be caught with his pants off… or down. He supposed it was pretty stupid to go by that rule when he was safe at home but old habits were damn hard to break.

Lily shrugged and walked out of the room, coming back several seconds later with her scissors. She cut away Jack's pants leg and both she and Allie both gasped at the sight of the red, swollen wounds and the skin surrounding them.

"Jack! Why didn't you say anything?" Allie demanded. Jack shrugged.

"I've had worse pain." he replied. "And I treated the infection myself." Hawke walked over to the rocking chair and grabbed the nearly empty bottle of whiskey. He raised a brow and held it up for everyone to see.

"You poured whiskey on it?" Lily demanded.

"Calm down." Hawke interrupted. "Whiskey usually works good." Hawke walked over and looked at Jacks leg.

"It is not yellow and it smells fine." he said. Jack laid there awkwardly and looked at everybody.

"See I'm fine." he said.

"I'll be right back." Hawke said. He walked into his and Lily's bedroom and opened his mother's old chest. He dug around until he found the salve he was looking for and then he grabbed some ground Echinacea leaves as well. He carried both back into Jacks room.

"Make tea with this. It will get rid of the fever." Hawke said handing the leaves to Lily. She nodded quickly and walked out of the room. Hawke handed the salve to Allie.

"Put this on his leg. It will help fight the infection."

"Are you using injun cures on me now?" Jack asked with a weak grin. Hawke nodded.

"Obviously the firewater did not work, paleface." he replied. Jack was laughing weakly as Hawke led Sarah out of the room. Allie opened the jar of salve and quickly began spreading some over Jack's wounds, apologizing every time he would wince in pain.

"Good as new." Jack said after Allie had wrapped his leg in a fresh bandage. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned against the wall.

"Doll, you still ain't answered my question." he stated. Allie smiled teasingly as she got up in the bed and leaned against the wall next to him.

"What question was that?" she asked.

"Damn you, woman. Are ya gonna marry me or not?" Jack demanded. He didn't like feeling vulnerable and waiting on her to answer was leaving him feeling real damn vulnerable. Allie reached out and smoothed back his hair.

"Did you ask Hawke?" she asked. Jack rolled his eyes.

"I don't think he cares." Allie shrugged.

"Gavin asked him." she replied matter of factly. Jack muttered something she couldn't understand and then he looked at the open bedroom door.

"Hawke, get your big injun ass in here." he hollered and Allie's eyes widened. Hawke walked into the room with a cool, indifferent expression on his face and handed Jack the hot cup of tea in his hand.

"Drink this. It will lower the fever." he said. "It is too high and causing you to see things because my ass is not big." Allie and Jack both laughed loudly.

"You are so damn good at keeping that serious poker face all the time." Jack said.

"What did you want?" Hawke asked. Jack sat up a little straighter and made a face as he gagged on his first drink of tea.

"Jesus criminatly, Hawke! You trying to kill me with this stuff or something. This taste worse than horse manure."

"I would not know." Hawke replied. Jack glared up at Hawke and then Allie nudged him with her elbow and he nodded.

"Right, um do you care if I ask Allie to marry me?' Hawke crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at both of them.

"I expect you to. After all, you shared a bed last night." Allie let out a groan and her cheeks flushed bright red as she hid her face in her hands.

"Nothing happened." Jack said matter of factly. A smile pulled at the corner of Hawke's mouth and he nodded.

"You do not have to ask for my permission. You already know I approve." Hawke walked back out of the room and it only took several seconds before Jack and Allie heard Lily let out a happy squeal as Hawke shushed her.

"Well what do you say, doll? Are you gonna marry me? If you say no now then you're going to break your sisters heart." Allie smiled over at him and could not seem to wrap her mind around what was happening. Jack was here. Jack was in love with her. She was in love with him and he was asking her to marry him.

"Yes!" she exclaimed happily. He smiled happily, his boyish dimples deepening as his blue eyes sparkled.

"I love you, Allie, and I swear to you that I won't never take your heart for granted again." he vowed.

"I love you too." she replied. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips and then pulled away quickly and stuck out her tongue.

"That stuff does taste like horse manure." she gasped as she scrubbed at her tongue with her skirt.

"Bottoms up." Jack said with a shrug and then with a look of dread on his face he brought the cup to his lips and tossed his head back to down it all in one quick gulp.