Topic: April 8th - 9th: Making Memories Of Us

Ben Sullivan

Date: 2013-04-13 03:35 EST
Monday, April 8th, 2013 -- mid-morning

The phone only rang twice before somebody picked up. "Hello?" The voice wasn't unlike Jackie's, full of twang, even in just the one word.

He wishes, for a second, that it had gone on ringing for longer, or maybe that no one had picked up and he'd have to call back later.

"Hi, Mrs. Daniels, it's Ben, Jackie's--"

"Ben!" He actually pulls the phone away from his ear for a second, flinching mildly. Jackie was her mother's daughter alright. "Ben, how many times do I have t' tell y', y' call me Lula, not Mrs. Daniels. My oh my, it's good t' hear yer voice. Jackie gave me yer regrets not makin' it here fer Easter. Y' work too hard!"

Ben finds himself smiling, in spite of everything. "Yes ma'am. Lula, sorry. I'll try to make it there soon. It--"

"An' you bring Adam when y' do. Jackie's shown me pictures and he's such a handsome boy but -- d'y'feed 'im?" Ben can't help it; he's laughing, silently. "I'll fix 'im up right. Spoil that child rotten, since my own children are takin' their sweet time givin' me grandbabies! I'm gonna be dead an' gone b'fore I got one'a my own, I know it." She sounds so mournful. Ben has to take a second or three to compose himself before he can say anything.

"I'll be sure to bring Adam along next time. Soon, alright? As soon as I can get away. Listen, Lula? It was nice to talk to you, but I was calling for Beau. Is he around?"

"Y'better. And I sure do hope it's soon, Ben. We really did miss y' on Easter. Alright, now here's Beau. Don't be a stranger, Ben. You call anytime."

There's a quiet rustle as the phone gets passed off, and then the gruff voice of Jackie's father. "Hello?"

He shouldn't be this nervous. "Hi, Beau. It's Ben." And he pauses, stupidly realizing that he had no idea how to say what he needed to.

Beau doesn't sound particularly patient when he prompts, "An' yer callin' because..."

Oh. He knows the answer to this. "Because I want to marry your daughter." It's silent on the other end of the line; Ben swears he can almost feel the daggers Jackie's father must be glaring at him, even through the phone. "I--"

It's only when Ben starts to explain that Beau cuts him off. "Ben, there ain't a damn thing you can say to convince me that you're right for my daughter. Y' come here from Canada, with a good job, a career. You're-- how old are y'? I don't even know. Jackie wouldn't never say."

"Forty-nine, sir--"

"Forty-nine? You know that's the same age as her mama?" It's a rhetorical question, apparently, because Ben doesn't even have time to answer. "Y'ain't from here, y'ain't like us, an' you're her mama's age. An' for some reason y' set your sights on her, an' somehow, y' manage to get my little girl's attention--"

Ben's about to hang up, because as rude as it was, it couldn't make this worse.

"--an' I ain't never seen her so happy. An' I mean... she's real, real happy. Like she glows. My li'l girl, she always glows, but the way she does around you, it's like comparin' a flashlight to a firefly. Y' done made 'er ten times brighter, somehow."

Ben can't form words right away to respond, but eventually, "And I want to keep doing that for her, making her glow. I promised her I would. I promise you that, too. I'm going to take good care of her."

"I know y'will, son," and Ben knows that's a more casual way to address men younger than you down South, but it's one Beau's never used with him before, and Ben doesn't think it's coincidence that he's using it now. "An' if y' don't, she'll finish y'off long b'fore I get t'y'. Raised 'er right."

Ben knows that isn?t a joke, not really. ?You did, sir. You really did. Thank you,? for raising Jackie right, for entrusting his daughter to Ben.

?No, Ben. Thank you. Fer makin? my baby girl glow.?

Neither would ever admit it, but they?re both just a tiny, tiny bit choked up when the silence lingers a little too long and they both hang up almost at the same time.

Ben Sullivan

Date: 2013-04-15 23:47 EST
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 -- early evening

It's just a run of the mill greasy spoon there on the corner. Ben's actually waiting there, in a booth by the window -- hasn't gotten anything to eat, but he's making a dent in the pot of coffee he's ordered. His phone sits out on the tabletop, and even though he's gotten confirmation that he won't be here alone forever, he's still checking it idly, maybe for phantom texts that he actually hasn't gotten, or maybe just for the time.

Ford caught the door for his brothers as they arrived, holding his arm arched over their heads and scanning around the place with a curious eye. It had been a long day. Long, and they didn't have much time tonight, but they came.

After a pause long enough to flirt a paper children's menu and a handful of crayons out of the hostess, Colt followed his nose rather than his eyes towards the booth.

"What's goin' on, man?" Ford asked Ben as they approached, flirting a smile at a pretty brunette in a pink uniform whose name tag read 'Doris'.

Rhett followed, habitually frowning into the restaurant, then over Colt's shoulder into the street beyond. He rumbled something like 'thanks' to Ford as Colt passed him by to greet the hostess, and his expression eased. Upnodding Ben and following his brothers. "Evenin'," to Ben. "Hi Doris," he added on his way to the booth.

Colt grunted a greeting to Ben. Crayons were dumped on the table before him and he started coloring the hamburger on the coloring page. Somewhat inside the lines.

"Hey, guys." Friendly enough, even if Ben's smile, while still crooked, is just a touch tight. He's anxious, and to a major degree if it's showing even slightly; he's usually better at hiding it. "Thanks for coming by. I figured it'd be easier to just... Well, whatever. You guys want anything? Coffee?" He catches Doris' eye to at least get her to wait around until the brothers ordered or declined.

"Nothin' for me, thanks. Saving room for whiskey." There was a twitch of a wry smile, but it was true. First night back from patrol Rhett slept. Second night? He drank.

"Nah. I'm good. What's up that you couldn't just tell us on the phone?" Ford was the last in the booth, slumping in wearily. It had been a long day.

Ben's own smile goes a little wry for Rhett's answer, but it fades quickly when he sobers after Ford's question. He shrugs a little, though it's more like he's shrugging something off than like he's being apathetic; he shoves his phone into his coat pocket. His focus, at least, is easy, split naturally between them. "I'm going to ask Jackie to marry me. I talked to your father yesterday, got his blessing. But I wanted you all to know first. --wanted to give you guys interrogation time if you needed it, I guess."

Rhett's expression quieted at the mention of his father. He rubbed his jaw, looking over at his brothers first, then back at Ben. He figured he had the least to say, so he spoke up first: "Honestly, man, I don't know you all that well. You two been dating a long time though, right?" Before Rhett even knew what RhyDin was, he thought, but wasn't sure.

"I don't care. She hasn't talked to me in months. I don't even think she knows I'm married. But married, divorced, and married again by twenty-three is awfully classy of her." Colt replied as he picked up a green crayon for the lettuce.

His eyes ticked between his brothers, but Colt had a point and the half-apologetic shrug Ford offered Ben said as much. "I could say we'd kick your ass if you hurt her, but she'd beat us to it and I don't think you'd have one to kick when she was done." He paused a moment, and added, "She's a grown-ass woman. You don't need to ask us anything."

Rhett watched Colt for a long moment, then nodded at what Ford said. "Seconded. She knows how to take care of herself. You two make each other happy... go for it."

Ben tongues one corner of his mouth; there's a slight, almost imperceptible twitch at the corners of his eyes. But he doesn't take Colt's bait, as much as he's tempted. That was a battle he wasn't about to get into -- especially not right now. "About six months." It's really not a long time, and he knows it; his gaze drops for a second, but it lifts right away. "You're right, she would beat you to it." A little twitch of a smile before he goes on. "I wasn't really asking -- just letting you know. Family's family, and I just... I don't want to be on any of your bad sides. Taking away your baby sister, right? Just kinda wanted to put it out there, make sure there weren't any problems, talk them out if there are."

"Haven't got a problem with you, and sounds like you're who she wants," Ford said, sliding out of the booth first. "Ain't one of us ever changed Jackie Daniels' mind about anything once it was made up. And you can't take away blood." He shrugged again, but the smile resurfaced briefly. "Anyway, we had us a long day. And I don't reckon that there's anything else, unless she's pregnant or something you haven't said, I think we're gonna head on out." He glanced toward his brothers. Ford wasn't usually the one to take this kind of lead, but tonight? Apparently he was.

"Let's bounce." Colt was pocketing his crayons. Evidently he was taking them with him. It wasn't bait. It was how he felt.

"No problems," Rhett agreed. "I figure, by now... you got a fair idea what you're getting into." There was a small smile that crept onto his lips, then fell away again. "And by now you got a fair idea what to expect from her kin. There's a few lines I hope I never see crossed, and I know she's capable of seeing to that herself... but it bears saying." Rhett wasn't as fierce or passionate as either of his brothers, maybe not even half as much, but he had a protective streak and his own reasons for it. "Marrying her's not one of those lines, and I'm sure you'll mind the others. Take care now." The others were leaving, so he rose to leave with them.

Alright, if Ben had been feeling tension, it was gone now, an easier smile in its place. "No, she's not." He puts up his hands for Rhett's warning, a little faux-surrender, understanding, but that's easy too. "I know what I'm getting into, and I want to get into it. See you guys around. Thank you." A little wave for them as they made to leave.

Rhett waved over his shoulder and hurried along. "Come on," to Colt and Ford both as they made their way out. "Let's find a bar."

"Night, man. See ya. Tell her she could answer her damned messages once in a while." Ford held a hand up in parting and made the door bell ding as he pushed it open and stepped outside.

"And a dollar store where I can get a coloring book," Colt at least muttered this under his breath on the way out to avoid mocking.

( adapted with thanks from live play with Colt Daniels, Ford Daniels, and Rhett Daniels )

Ben Sullivan

Date: 2013-04-15 23:50 EST
Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 -- evening

Even though he'd gotten into a fight with Jackie just a couple of days ago about honesty, about hiding, about secrets -- it had been, in the grand scheme of things, an unresolved issue, and besides, what's he going to do? Stop going out? After dinner, he'd told her he had some work to take care of, something that he didn't think would take long, and it doesn't; he's back in an hour or so. "Hey, Jackie?" He's lingering just inside the front door; he doesn't even close it.

The fight had thankfully not put Jackie on edge. She was far too trusting of Ben to think he would go back on his word so quickly, so when he said he had work there wasn't a peep from her about it. She had been relaxing on the couch, flipping through a magazine when she heard him. "Yeah, sweetheart?" She called back but at the same time she was rising to her feet and leaving the magazine on the couch to go find him. "You were right," Smiling when she saw him. "That didn't take long at all." Though, she just now realized he was half in, half out of the house. "What're you doin'?"

"Of course I was right." He's grinning too, lopsidedly, and he shrugs a little for her question, hands in his coat pockets. "C'mere. It's nice out, sun's going down..." He ducks inside a little further, leans in the direction of the office. "Adam, you doing homework? Me and Jackie are gonna sit outside for a minute, alright?" There's a drawn out 'okaaaaay' from the office, and then his focus settles on Jackie again. He takes one step back through the door, brows lifted a little in invitation.

Jackie grinned at Ben's lack of modesty and while he called off to check on Adam she was in the coat closet pulling out her jacket to tug it on. She's left chuckling at Adam's response. "Poor thing sounds tortured." But her brows were lifted to mirror Ben's expression while she followed along after him, her grey knit boots shuffling along. "I predict us doin' this a lot, especially durin' the summer. Sunsets an' star gazin'." Her attention was captured by the horizon he spoke of, the mixture of pinks, purples, and blues from the impending night.

Poor thing was right. "And I can't even help him. Like I remember anything about grade seven math?" He's amused too, though, and the good mood lingers even after they step outside. Ben takes her hand, leads her over to the porch swing, takes a seat. "I think so too. Lots of long days together, nice nights together. I'm looking forward to that." He's looking off toward the setting sun too, letting go of her hand, but it's just to hook a couple of his fingers into her charm bracelet. It's an absent gesture -- he does it all the time -- but this time, it turns into a conversation starter. "Only one spot left. Did you notice?"

"Well, y'might want to go double check problem four with him at some point an' give it the ol' seventh grade try 'cause I helped him with that one an' I'm pretty sure I was mentally tossin' darts for an answer by the end." Her mood is just as light and her fingers curl around his hand as she follows along. "See? All that? That sounds like a good plan. And lots of bonfires, layin' out in the truck bed, an' all three of us are goin' muddin'." Obviously Jackie has been day dreaming of what this spring and summer had in store for the three of them. She settles onto the porch swing beside him, the toes of her knit boots prodding at the floor beneath them to make it sway slightly. When he addresses her bracelet she's turning her gaze down at it and beaming. "Of course I noticed and I don't know what I'm goin' to do with myself once it's full." She reached out to brush her fingertip along the collected charms. "We've made some good memories so far though, haven't we?"

"Already making plans, huh?" It's just gentle teasing, and he nudges her lightly in the ribs. He's smiling though, and his focus settles on her finally, the way the light catches in her hair, gold and more gold. It's going to be a great summer. Best one yet."

His smile softens a little when she mentions the memories, and his gaze ticks there too, for a moment: the pistol, the platform heel, the cherries, the cell phone. The tiny little bird in flight. "Really, really good memories, peaches." He lets go of the silver around her wrist, reaches into his coat pocket, pulls out a familiar looking black box. "I'm sure you'll figure out something," to do with herself, as he offers the box over to her, watching her a little more closely than he usually does during these exchanges, just a touch.

"You can't honestly tell me you haven't been makin' plans yourself?" In response to the nudge she's poking the tip of her tongue out from between her teeth at him playfully. It's his big dreams of the summer that make her expression become considerably more gentle. "I think you're right. Of course you're right." Echoing him from earlier.

"Peaches." She brushed her finger along that charm, too, distracted while he reaches into his coat. It's his prompt and the presented box that instantly gathers her attention. "Ben." Pure, delighted surprise. "I wasn't expectin' another one so soon. An' you didn't even tease me about it beforehand? You're gettin' sneakier." The box is carefully taken and there's the usual pause before she opens it. "The last one." Flickering a look and smile over to him before the lid of the box is slowly eased open.

Ben Sullivan

Date: 2013-04-15 23:55 EST
"Okay, I guess I can't tell you I haven't been making plans." If she only knew. "Of course I'm right," just a murmur. He's shrugging then, nonchalant, dismissive. That sort of aloof act she's seen him put on hundreds of times before. "I guess I am getting sneakier." If she only knew.

"Last one." He actually bites his lip, briefly (he doesn't want the nerves to show once she's looking at him again), once her attention falls to the contents of the box: silver, like the rest, a little diamond ring.

The way he's biting his lip, she's convinced he's as excited about the last charm as she is. It was so bittersweet, feeling like an accomplishment but also the end of an era. It was so dramatic of her, she knew it, but it was hard to think of what would happen now that all the little spots were to be filled.

She stares down into the box at the little ring and there it is, the second pause of this process when she attempts to piece together how this little bit of silver represents a good memory that they both want to cherish. What had happened recently, or ever, that involved a ring? A few more moments of silence ticked on before she looked up at him, smiling sheepishly and in need of assistance. "I'm havin' trouble figurin' this one out, Ben. I don't know what memory we got about a ring?"

That short silence while she tries to piece it together is excruciating, and he tries to distract himself from the nerves he feels by taking the little charm out of the box and clipping it to the single remaining empty link on her bracelet, but it doesn't really work. Maybe she's figured it out, what he's about to do, and she doesn't know how to say it's too soon-- but no, that isn't it at all. There's a quirk of a smile at his mouth when she looks up at him again, maybe something just a little off to it, but Jackie doesn't really get any time to think about it. He reaches into his coat pocket again, retrieves another little box -- different this time, though, black velvet, hinged -- and gets down on one knee in front of her. "This one." He flips up the lid of the box, and the ring inside is a lot more intricate than the simple charm: an eight petaled rose perched delicately atop the band, the band and petals all set in tiny diamonds, one larger one mounted in the center of the flower. "Marry me, Jackie." Blue-eyed gaze is steady on her face, and he doesn't move.

She just barely notes the small oddity in his smile, but her gaze follows him with his rise from the porch swing and his form sinking down to one knee. Instantly one hand was lifting, pressing over her mouth but even with it hidden it wasn't hard to figure out how it more than likely matched the wide, doe-eyed look she was wearing. Her gaze sank from his eyes, to his lips as he said those words, and down to the little black velvet box with the ring settled within it. Jackie would like to think she was in charge of her emotions, or at least she was majority of the time, but all at once they escaped her like a flood and there was nothing she could do to hold them back. Tears were already springing to her eyes causing a glossy sheen on them and she was bobbing her head up and down even before she managed to remove her hand from her mouth. She seemed to realize that shortly after and her hand was being drawn away to release her answer. "Yes, of course." The relief of the words actually made her laugh, a ridiculous sound and a sorry sight with the tears, but there was no doubt they were of happiness. "Of course I'll marry you."

He's holding his breath when her hand covers her mouth, when her eyes go wide and overbright, even when she starts nodding. It isn't until her hand drops and she says the words that he can breathe again. He doesn't say anything, though -- maybe he can't, doesn't know what to say -- just pulls the ring from the box before snapping it shut and tucking it away, takes her hand in his, slips the ring onto her finger. The sun was nearly down, the brilliance of the sunset at its peak, everything lit up gold for just that last moment before darkness starts to settle in. The rays catch in the diamonds, flash, and Ben can't help but stare there for a few heartbeats. It shouldn't surprise him, her answer -- but he can still hardly believe that this is happening. But after that pause, he moves a little closer, on both knees in front of her now, reaching up to take her face in his hands, pull her in for a kiss, a tender one while it lasts, though it's barely begun before he's murmuring against her mouth, "Love you. Adore you." It's a little sudden when he lets go of her face, but he's grabbing her hips right after, pulling her down off of the swing and into his lap while he sits right there on the floorboards. "You just made me the happiest man alive, sweetheart," as he wraps her up in a tight hug, face in the gold of her hair.

Jackie is a small mess at the moment but she's smiling all the way through it. When he takes her trembling hand in his, slides the ring into place, her fingers wrap around his for support. It was by some small miracle that she had managed to get a verbal answer out because it felt like everytime she went to say something else (not that she knew what to say) she reverted to making faint choked noises and flustered giggles. When he takes her face between his hands, her grasp shifts to settle at his wrists. She's beaming against the kiss, whispering the same sweet nothings to him in return. Repeating her answer of 'yes' and how much she loves him, too. It's with another spill of laughter that she's pulled into his lap but she tosses her arms around his neck and presses a mess of kisses to his face and temple before he tucks himself into her hair. "You're a sneak." Through a sniffle and a windchime of snickers. "I didn't see this comin' at all, Ben." She nuzzles her face against his, dropping her voice to draw it across his earlobe. "But I can't imagine bein' any other way. This is how we're supposed to be. Meant to be, aren't we?"

He doesn't even notice that her hand is shaking just that little bit. His is too, and he probably needs that support as much as she does. That one little word, yes, repeated for him -- one little word never sounded so sweet.

He's laughing too, quietly, when she throws her arms around him, attacks him with kisses. "I am a sneak," agreeing, easily. He doesn't sound sorry at all -- maybe sounds proud of it, really. But the joking tone disappears when he answers her, heartfelt for heartfelt, "Meant to be. I know it's fast, but it's right. This is how we need to be." His fingers curl into her hair, just for a second, but then he drops his hands to the curves of her hips again, pulling back just enough to see her. "I want you to be my wife. I want to take care of you, be there for you, help you grow." He lifts one hand, cups one side of her jaw in his palm, draws his thumb lightly along her cheek. "Start a family with you. It all feels right with you, Jackie. Meant to be."

Ben Sullivan

Date: 2013-04-15 23:56 EST
When he pulls back Jackie does as well so her gaze can meet his. Fingers sweep beneath her eyes for stray tears then her arm is draped over his shoulder again. "I like that, need to be." That's how it felt. Not just that it was some aligning of the stars that brought them together to make this decision, but that it really was engrained somewhere deep down inside each of them that this is who they were going to spend the rest of their life with. "An' I want you to be my husband. Because I love the man that you are an' I love the person I am when I'm with you. I want to support you through any hard times y'might come across an' just as much I want to celebrate all the good in store for us bein' with one another." Her head tipped aside into his hand, turning to press a lingering kiss into his palm. Lips stayed there even when she spoke. "We'll build a family. Build ourselves a future, Ben."

For the most part, he's done a relatively good job of keeping it together, through all the promises given, wishes and hopes and dreams confessed. It's the simple act of her turning her head, pressing her lips against his palm, that strikes him, freezes him in place, causes memories to come back, emotion to almost overwhelm him -- he has to close his eyes, duck his head a little. Even then, he's only good as long as she's quiet, because as soon as she says that, build ourselves a future, he's gathering her up in another tight hug, pressing a fierce kiss to her cheek. "Soon," forehead against her temple, murmuring against her skin, "really soon. How long do you need to plan for the wedding? I'm ready when you are."

She's well aware of the importance between them in that kiss so when he seems to go quiet following it she understands and simply hugs him through the silence between them. Even more when his hold on her tightens and his lips are pressed firmly to her cheek. Soon. He had mentioned how he knew it was so soon, but now she was so excited about their upcoming plans that she could feel the desire for soon to be now steadily rising. "Well," Thoughtfully, her head tipping back so she could catch his gaze again without releasing him. "There's a dress, a venue, invitations, food, music." She stared at him quietly like she was doing the math in her head and Jackie still looked so serious when she gave her answer that it was hard to tell if she was kidding or not. "A little over a week?"

Ben isn't completely sure if she's kidding or not, but he's learned, during these past months together, that it's better to assume she's not. He just looks at her for a few seconds, blinks, and then he cracks a smile. "Maybe play it on the safe side and make it two? Last wedding you'll ever have, so you need to make it count. I don't want you to rush getting it ready." Because two weeks was plenty of time.

Jackie still has that serious look to her but when he smiles she's doing the same in return, even if it's followed by a heavy sigh. "Two weeks is forever." But she's grinning ear to ear and nods. "I can work with two weeks. You're right, don't want to rush it." Tipping forward she pressed a kiss to his lips, unable to stop herself from smiling while she mumbles into his mouth. "I'm gonna make you real proud to have me as Mrs. Sullivan."

He actually looks just a little flustered when she sighs, says it's forever -- this is not something he's prepared to argue with her about -- but she gives in, and he's pretty sure that's a gift. His hands move to her cheeks again when she leans in to kiss him -- and then it's his turn to grin. "Mrs. Sullivan. You're really gonna change your name for me, Miss Jackie Lee Trouble Daniels?" Hard to tell if the question is serious, and he's distracted anyway, taking her left hand in both of his, focus briefly on the ring on her finger. His ring. "Jackie Lee Trouble Sullivan has a ring to it too, I suppose."

Maybe she had wanted two weeks and knew down playing that was the way to get what she wanted. Perhaps Jackie was already better at this being a wife thing than Ben had predicted. "Of course I'm goin' to change my name for you. You're Mr. Sullivan, I want to be Mrs. Sullivan." A content sigh. "It sounds so nice, doesn't it?" He lifts her left hand and rather sheepishly Jackie realizes that in all of the excitement she had looked at the ring, taken it in through a haze, but now was her first chance to actually look at the ring and take it in. A flower, it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. "An absolutely stunnin' ring." Smiling with a playful crinkle of her nose. "An' the name sounds wonderful, too." Chuckling her fingers squeezed at his hand. "Really though, Ben. It's perfect. Everythin' is perfect." She allows that feeling of bliss to sink in for all of a few seconds before blinking. "We have to tell Adam."

"It sounds very, very nice. You're gonna do the name proud." The look on his face, matches her sigh. Utterly content. He watches her study the ring, and after she says it's perfect -- that everything is, and he believes it -- he's sort of guiding her up off of his lap, getting to his feet too. He'll help her up if he beats her to stand up, but he probably won't. "Right, yeah. Let's go tell Adam." Even the idea of telling his moody almost-teenager has him grinning ear to ear, and he takes Jackie by the hand, moves the couple of steps back to the front door, pulls it open to head inside. They're barely through the door, when, "Oh my God, Dad, you were out there forever. Did you wuss out? She's gonna say yes!" From the office. Ben stops in his tracks, gives Jackie a sidelong look, brows lifted; there's a twitch at his mouth, trying not to smile. "Sure you don't want to back out? Probably I could still get my money back."

It was a joint effort with who was helping who to their feet but they're both up and she's lacing her fingers through his, smiling so wide she's convinced her cheeks run the risk of cracking. She couldn't stop it. Jackie feels like she's floating on cloud nine when she's walking in the front door, but the sudden and unexpected shout from Adam has her skidding to a halt right alongside Ben. Her free hand was up and over her mouth, so similar to when Ben had popped the question but this time around it was to muffle a burst of laughter. Plus side? Adam was not going to be very shocked by their news. Ben might be attempting to hide a smile but once Jackie's hand lowers she somehow looks even happier then she did on the porch. "No way, sweetheart. That pretty much just solidified that this is exactly where I belong."