Promises (Maddy/Mark) - 1/1

[shippergal]

Title: Promises

Pairings/Characters: Alicia, Elisabeth, Jim, Josh, Maddy, Mark, Taylor, Zoe (Maddy/Mark)

Word Count: 5,958

Rating: Teen

Spoilers: Future Fic

Summary: He has never broken a promise to his daughter, and he wasn't going to start now

A/N: Sorry, this demanded to be written (others are fluffy - I promise!) This is part of the ‘Comfort’ Series

Warning: Angst (you’ve been warned) and Fluff (I don’t think I could ever keep fluff out)

Promises

"Are you crazy?" Jim Shannon looked at his wife, who just continued to walk beside him unperturbed by his abruptness.

"All my evaluations indicates that I am sane," Elisabeth informed her husband, giving the young man - who was standing next to the rover - a bright smile, pleased to see him.

"Elisabeth!" her husband groaned. "He's dating our daughter; we're supposed to be annoyed with that." Elisabeth scoffed as she looked at her husband.

"No, you think we should be annoyed with him," she reminded. "Jim, when are you going to drop the pretence? You like him, you think he's good for Maddy and you even admitted to him that you thought he was a good kid!" Jim scoffed.

"And what did he do? He went and made out with Maddy in front of me," Jim grumbled. Elisabeth laughed.

"Oh no, dear," she touched his arm and he looked at her, "you walked in on them; they didn't sit in front of you and make out. You walked in on them and I warned you to knock the door first."

"In my house!" he barked.

"They were in the bedroom! Out of sight! You were the one who felt the need to go and interrupt them," Elisabeth reminded, holding up her hand. "And you and I did the exact same when we were in my father's house." Jim flushed.

"That was different," Jim grumbled and Elisabeth laughed.

"My father certainly didn't think so," she reminded him. "And he didn't wave a gun around either."

"I wasn't going to shoot him," he protested.

"Didn't stop Maddy and Zoe going into a sulk because you scared him off," Elisabeth sang-song as they reached the rover. "Hello Mark," she greeted warmly.

"Mrs Shannon," he greeted respectably with a tip of his nod.

"How many times must I tell you to call me Elisabeth?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Until Mr Shannon gives me permission to call you by that name," Mark replied before he turned to the father. "Mr Shannon."

"Reynolds," he glared at the kid, inwardly smirking when Mark started shifting nervously and turning to face Lt. Washington as she approached them and his wife poked him in the side, giving him a warning look when he turned to face her.

"Are you all packed?" she asked Mark, who nodded. "You're heading to Outpost 6, remember to check in."

"Yes Ma'am," Mark told her as Wash turned to the others.

"Take care of him for me?" she asked causing Mark to flush and Elisabeth to smile while Jim arched an eyebrow.

"Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" he asked.

"Of course we will," Elisabeth assured Wash who just looked between the two of them with curious amusement before she nodded and stepped back. The trio were about to enter the rover when a familiar voice called out.

"Mark!" they stopped when the saw Zoe rushing toward him with Maddy being dragged as Zoe continued to hold onto her hand.

"Zoe, slow down!" Maddy cautioned her sister.

"But Mark's leaving!" Zoe protested and Maddy rolled her eyes.

"Zoe, I think even Commander Taylor heard you. Look, they've stopped. I'm pretty sure they're not leaving now," she told her before Zoe broke hand contact and throwing herself at Mark's legs, clinging to him.

"Daddy's not making you go OTG is he?" Zoe asked, worry clear on her face. "He's just being silly, you don't have to leave!" Maddy groaned, her head falling into her head as she fought back her laughers.

"Zoe," Jim spoke up only to falter when he saw his baby girl shoot him a glare before looking up at Mark with a pleading expression.

"Please don't leave," her bottom lip trembled as her eyes filled with tears. Elisabeth covered her lips at her husband's disgruntled look while Mark unwound Zoe's arms from around his legs, kneeling down so they were eye-level.

"Zoe, I'm going with your mommy and daddy to an outpost. I'm just leaving for a little while. I'll be right back," he told her. She eyed him critically.

"Are you sure?" Zoe asked. "Cause Josh said he wouldn't be surprise if Daddy was going to try and find a way to bury you OTG."

"Remind me to ground him when I get home," Jim muttered to his wife, who fought back her laughter.

"Zoe," Maddy knelt down next to her boyfriend and sister, her hand going to Zoe's shoulder and Zoe looked at her. "Josh was just kidding," she assured her.

"…Really?" she asked and both of them nodded.

"Besides, if anyone was to harm Mark," Wash spoke up and they looked toward her, "they'd have to deal with you and me." Zoe brightened.

"Really?" she asked and Wash nodded, giving Zoe a wink.

"Sure, I'll even teach you how to throw a punch," she promised and Zoe clapped her hand in excitement.

"Yeah, that's just what I need, my daughters punching me," Jim groaned.

"Then leave the poor boy alone," Elisabeth hissed to her husband.

"Are you going to see dinosaurs?" Zoe turned back to Mark who straightened up with Maddy.

"Maybe, it will depend on how the dinosaurs feel," he told her before grinning wryly. "If they are not chasing me, I'll take pictures for you." She beamed up at him while Maddy shook her head at her boyfriend.

Mark shot Jim a nervous look over Maddy's shoulder before looking at his girlfriend. "Can I talk to you?" he asked. She nodded, grabbing his hand and pulling him around to the other side of the rover where they could have some privacy.

Jim narrowed his eyes as he watched this before he was distracted by a hand coming down on his shoulder and he turned to see Commander Nathaniel Taylor standing next to him with a curious expression.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be OTG," he told them and Wash snickered.

"Apparently little Zoe didn't want Mark to go without some assurance that he was going to come back," Wash explained. Taylor nodded, moving closer to Wash and Zoe as Jim heard a feminine moan and felt his blood freeze.

He gritted his teeth, intending to round the rover to break up the couple but he was prevented by his wife looking at him with a knowing look.

"Jim, leave them alone!" Elisabeth grabbed his arm and pulled him away. "If she wants to kiss him then it's her right." Jim just grumbled while Wash arched an eyebrow in amusement, her lips twitching as she fought to keep them straight.

"Is there a problem I should know about?" Taylor asked, looking curiously between the married couple.

"Yes…" Jim started but was interrupted by his wife.

"No, Jim is just have a little problem letting Maddy grow up and accepting Mark as the man who Maddy wants to be with," Elisabeth informed the Commander, who immediately covered his mouth to hide his smile at the disgruntled look that appeared on Jim's face.

"Mark's funny," Zoe piped up before she turned her glare on her father. "But daddy scared him away by waving his gun."

"Zoe!" Jim hissed but Zoe shrugged.

"You did and you have to apologise to him," she informed him, planting her hands on her hips. Elisabeth turned her head away at the sight of her daughter mimicking her father. She even noticed Wash had turned her head away as a smile broke free.

"He was kissing Maddy," Jim reminded and Zoe shook her head.

"You kiss mommy all the time," Zoe pointed out with a stubborn expression and Elisabeth snickered as Jim turned to her and she shrugged.

"Don't look at me," she told him. "You brought this on yourself." He turned his glare on Taylor and Wash when he heard them snicker before they cleared their throats, adopting their innocent expression but there was no hiding those glints of amusement dancing in their eyes.

They turned when they heard footsteps to see Mark and Maddy making their way over to them, holding hands. They had small smiles on their faces before Taylor took control once more.

"I don't mean to rush you guys but there is a team that has been incommunicado," he reminded them. Maddy leaned over and kissed Mark's cheek before she untangled their fingers, watching as he made his way back over to the rover with her mother following him.

She followed her father so they could have some privacy, she didn't want the others to overhear her.

"Dad…can I ask you something?" Maddy asked, catching her father by the arm. He looked down at his daughter.

"Of course you can," he assured her.

"Just…bring him back, please?" Maddy asked. Jim stared at his daughter.

"He really means that much to you?" he asked and she nodded.

"Dad…I think I love him," she let out a breathless laugh and Jim felt his heart constrict at the happiness on his daughter's face.

"Maddy…" he started and she shook her head.

"I know I'm sixteen and I'm too young but Dad, we're 18 million years into the past. I think we can kinda discard everything we know," she pointed out and he grinned briefly before he sighed.

"I'll bring him back, I promise." He watched as relief crossed his daughter's face before she flung her arms around him. He just wrapped his own around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll still need you, daddy," she promised as she lifted her head to meet his eyes and gave him a smile. "There is room for both of you in my heart." Jim chuckled, kissing her forehead before he pushed her off to the side.

"Go with your sister and make sure she doesn't try to smuggle any dinosaurs into our house," he told her and she laughed as she headed over to where her sister was currently talking to Taylor with Wash watching on with amusement.

Jim made his way over to the rover, and climbed into the front next to Mark while Elisabeth got settled in the back, making sure the medical kits were safely secured before all three of them looked toward the small group.

"Raise the gates!" Taylor shouted and the gates rose up. He looked toward the rover. "Good luck and may you make it back home." He tipped his head.

"See you later!" Zoe waved, they waved back before Mark set the rover in motion and they drove out of the gates, leaving their family behind.

~_P_~

"Where is everyone?" Jim demanded as they looked around the outpost but they couldn't find anyone. They had left their notes on the tables but none of them were anywhere to be found.

"Do you think they went on a research trip?" Mark asked. "Maybe they got stranded?"

"Huh, good point," Jim agreed. "Taylor did say the signal could be spotty around here so that could be why they haven't communicated with us."

"I'll check the notes for any indications to where they could have gone," Elisabeth told them and they nodded.

"We'll search the perimeter once more, maybe we'll get lucky and bump into them as they're coming back," Jim suggested to Mark, who nodded in agreement. Both of them went their separate ways, arranging to meet on the other side of the outpost.

Jim had been slowly patrolling the area, his gun trained in front of him for any Sixers or Dinosaurs that may try to ambush him when his radio crackled to life.

"Found them," Mark's voice came over the radio and Jim sighed. "They are coming up from the north west."

"Copy that, I'll be right over." Jim quickly manoeuvred through the trees until he spotted Mark standing in front the group of scientists they had been sent to search for. He moved closer.

"…we're sorry that we haven't been in communication. One of the rovers broke down and we didn't get any signal," the head of the group apologised.

"It's alright," Jim spoke up. "We're just glad to see you are all okay. Is anyone hurt? My wife is inside the Outpost."

"Oh thank god. Wilkinson hurt his ankle while running," the leader explained, his hand going to the scientist who was leaning against the tree, keeping his weight off the injury.

"Alright, we'll take you back to the outpost and all of you can get checked out by Dr Shannon. Mr Shannon and I will radio the base and let them know that you're all fine," Mark told them. Jim led the way, taking care to keep an eye out for anything that could ambush him, when his gut started clenching.

Jim stopped, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. He didn't like the feeling he was getting. He took a step forward and the earth erupted as there was a series of explosions. Jim took a step back, startled and he could only stare when he saw a piece of hard earth hurtling toward him.

"Watch out!" Mark slammed into Jim's side just as the ground exploded again and Jim felt a sharp pain then darkness

~_P_~

Jim groaned as he blinked open his eyes. The sun was still shining and he turned his head to see scientists running about, one of them was on the radio calling for help. He groaned as he slowly sat up, his hand going to his head and pulling it back when he felt the sticky wetness. Blood; he had hit himself when he was pushed…

Jim's head snapped to the side when he remembered Mark pushing him out of the way before he spotted the man lying on the ground a few feet away from him. He was still breathing but Jim knew that something was wrong.

"Mark?" Jim crawled over to the young man to see Mark was trying to put pressure on his stomach where he had gotten hit by shrapnel. Looking, Jim could see that it wasn't that deep but he was concerned about Mark's raspy breathing.

"You…okay?" Mark asked, coughing. Jim shook his head.

"I'm fine," Jim assured him. "Where else are you hurt?"

"I…I got hit…in the chest…" Mark rasped out, wincing as the pain worsened.

"What the hell was that?" Jim demanded as he ripped his jacket from his body.

"A bomb," Mark told him before frowning. "At least I think it was a bomb."

"Sixers?" he asked and Mark shook his head.

"I can't think where they could get bombs from. We don't have them in Terra Nova," he explained before he coughed. His eyes fluttered close but Jim patted his cheek, wakening him back up.

"Come on, don't give up on me," Jim warned him as he put pressure on the wound. "Just keep breathing."

"I'm…sorry," Mark coughed, blood spraying and he winced. "It hurts to breathe."

"I know but you gotta keep breathing, Zoe would kill me if you stopped," Jim warned him and Mark huffed out a painful laugh.

"She loves you; she'd forgive you in the end."

"Don't be so sure," Jim promised him. "Zoe likes you and I don't want my daughters sad because you won't be around for them."

"They'd still have you," Mark told him and Jim laughed.

"But they need you," he admitted. "Maddy…when we were back in 2149, she was always so shy around other people and Zoe never met anyone. You were the first one to make contact with them and you brought them out of their shells. You leave them; they'd never be the same again."

"She's strong," Mark slurred as his eyes fluttered closed.

"Hey, come on, stay awake!" Jim patted Mark's cheek and he groaned. "Talk to me."

"About…what?" he asked. "Maddy is…usually…the…rambler." Jim chuckled.

"Maddy thinks she loves you," Jim confessed and Mark looked up at him with hope in his eyes. "I need to know how you feel about her."

"I love her too," Mark promised. "Before I met her, I was pretty much living on the edge. I was putting in applications to be stationed at outposts even though I know they're dangerous. Wash was doing everything she could keep me within the colony. Meeting Maddy…not once I have ever thought about going to an outpost because I want to be here with her, to protect her." He winced as pain racked through his chest.

More blood trickled out the corner of his lips as he tried in vain to stop coughing.

"Come on," Jim muttered as he looked around for his wife. She had been inside the outpost when the explosion had gone off and he knew that she was safe but she was probably either helping someone or searching for them.

"I'm…sorry," Mark suddenly spoke up and Jim looked down at him.

"About what?" he asked, feeling his stomach clench as Mark's eyes closed. His hands, still on Mark's chest, stopped moving indicating Mark was no longer breathing and panic surged through him." Mark…" he patted his cheek but got no response. "Mark!" he slapped harder before he searched for a pulse and found none. "Don't do this to me." Jim shifted and started doing CPR. "Elisabeth!" Jim shouted as he pressed desperately on Mark's chest, trying to get his heart pumping. His blue eyes scanned the area for his wife. "ELISABETH!"

She appeared out of nowhere, blood streaked on her clothes and there was a streak on her cheek. Her dark hair was falling out of the clasp before her eyes widen when she saw who Jim was working on.

"Mark!" she shouted as she ran toward them, her feet slipping in the mud before she dropped her knees, her hands going to his mouth where she parted his lips and blew air into his lungs. When she lifted her head, her fingers went to his neck searching for a pulse.

She faltered when she couldn't find one but still gave him mouth-to-mouth in hope that they would still be able to bring him back. Tears trickled free as she felt her hope fade with each mouth-to-mouth, her heart cracking at the thought of losing someone she had come to see as another son.

"Elisabeth, don't stop," Jim ordered her and she looked at him, stunned to see her husband had tears in his eyes and tears filled hers.

"Jim…" Elisabeth started but Jim shook his head.

"Breathe!" Jim ordered, tears trickling down his cheeks.

"Jim," Elisabeth sobbed as she tried to stop him but Jim didn't listen.

"I promised my daughter I would bring you back and I have never broken a promise to her and I will be damned if you help me to break that promise!" he pulled back his fist and slammed onto Mark's chest.

Nothing. Jim felt his hope dash as he breathed raggedly. Elisabeth sobbed harder, her hands going to Mark's face. He roughly wiped his tears away. He wasn't going to give up, he promised Maddy.

"Jim…" Elisabeth looked at her husband with a heartbroken gaze and all Jim could see was his daughter in that moment, the vision of telling her that Mark was dead nearly broke him and he refused to let it.

"Damn you Reynolds! If you break Maddy's heart, I will never forgive you!" he slammed his fist once more and Mark gasped, his eyes slitting open weakly. Elisabeth let out a cry of his name as she smiled, her hand going to his hair while Jim just let out a sigh of relief.

"…sorry," he croaked out, his eyes closing once more. Jim just bent over, his hand also going to Mark's hair.

"Welcome back… Son," Jim told him, resting his forehead against Mark's while Elisabeth rested her forehead on her husband's shoulder. He was back.

"Shannon?" a familiar voice called out and Jim turned to see Wash looking around for them, fear on her face.

"Wash, over here!" Jim waved and she turned in their direction, her face going white when spotted Mark lying still between them. She ran over to them, dropping to her knees as Elisabeth shifted to allow Mark's self-claimed sister to take over.

"Mark!" her hands went to his face.

"I'm alright," Mark slurred, his eyes opening slightly. She laughed, tears falling down her cheeks before she shook her head. "Don't cry." All three adults chuckled at his protest.

"Come on, let's get you home to Maddy," Alicia told them before she pressed a kiss to Mark's forehead then rested hers against his.

~_P_~

Maddy was pacing the hallway of the hospital as she waited for the medical team to arrive with Mark. Taylor had passed on the message that while her parents were fine, Mark had been severely wounded. Fear had gripped her heart and hadn't let go since.

Her brother and sister watched her from where they were sitting on the plastic chair. Zoe had long abandoned hers for the solace of her brother's arms, needing comfort. Josh just kissed Zoe's forehead, stroking her hair while keeping an eye on his other sister, wishing he could say something to comfort them both but he couldn't. He didn't know how badly hurt Mark was.

Even though he gave Mark a tough time (not as tough as their father), he liked the guy because he made Maddy smile and Zoe was always happy, a contrast to how their lives used to be back in 2149.

Even though Mark had plenty of reasons to be annoyed with Josh, he had screwed up many times; Mark never once held judgement against Josh, understanding that there were reasons to why Josh did the stuff he did.

The two of them had talked, finding out that they had an interest in music and that helped them to bond together that Josh could find a friend in Mark. It had been a long time since he had a friend due to his friends committing suicide back in 2149.

He had confessed that he had missed his father during the two years Jim had been incarnated and how frustrated he felt that Jim had punched an officer. If he hadn't, then there would have been a good chance that he would have gotten a lighter sentence and a fine but Mark pointed out that a father's job is to protect his children, even if it meant knocking them out to stop them from harming his children.

Mark had confessed that he lost his father back in 2149 and Josh had felt so stupid for holding a grudge against his father when he should have realised that he was lucky that he still had a father and that his father had made it to Terra Nova with them.

Josh came out of his thoughts when the doors to the medical facility barged open to reveal Mark lying on the gurney. He swallowed when he saw how paled the other man looked and he felt Zoe tighten her grip on his top, whimpering at the sight of the man she had come to see as another big brother.

"Mark!" Maddy ran over to the gurney, her hand grabbing his, her free hand going to his hair.

"I'm home," he slurred, his eyes parting slightly and she half laughed, half sobbed as she kissed the back of his head before leaning down and pressing a kiss to his lips.

"Yeah, you're home," she promised him before she went with the group. Josh got up, holding Zoe close to his body as they watched the team hurry by before turning to see their parents.

"Daddy!" cried Zoe, squirming in her brother's arms, her hands outstretched. Jim took his youngest daughter into his arms, kissing the side of her head as her arms wound around his neck, holding him close.

"Mark…will he…is he?" Josh stumbled, unsure how to ask the question he desperately wanted an answer to but at the same time, dreaded it. Elisabeth understood her son, slipping an arm around his waist to pull into a hug. Jim followed suit, one hand slipping around his wife while Josh wrapped an arm around his father's waist.

"He'll be fine," Elisabeth assured them. Both of them nodded, if their mother said Mark was going to be fine; then he was going to be fine. The four of them just stayed in their embrace before a nurse came along and told the parents she needed to check them out.

Zoe slipped back into her brother's arms and both of them let out a sigh of relief, their family was still intact and the fear that had held a grip on them slowly began to fade. They were still alive and whole, that was all that mattered.

~_P_~

Mark slowly awoke, his eyes landing on the white ceiling of the hospital. He could hear the steady beeping of the machine indicating his heart was still beating. He could feel a weight next to him and he turned his head to see Maddy sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder. Tear tracks were still visible on her cheeks.

"She finally fell asleep about two hours ago," a voice spoke up and he turned to see Zoe was sitting on the end of his bed, legs crossed as she had her drawing pad resting on her knees, drawing. She lifted her dark eyes to meet his light ones. "She said that you need to quit scaring her or her heart will burst." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't want Maddy's heart to burst, kay?"

Mark smiled at the youngest member. She never failed to make him smile, even during the darkest times; she still found a reason to be bright.

"I'll try and not scare her anymore," Mark told her. Zoe just narrowed her eyes, looking at him for a few moments then she nodded, accepting it. She placed her pad to the side and crawled over to him, carefully wrapping her arms around his neck.

Mark wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her close as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"I thought we said you weren't going to get hurt anymore?" she asked and Mark grinned, kissing her forehead, remembering the conversation they had after she had seen him hurt when he and his team had been ambushed by the Sixers.

"Sorry, this one was kinda out of my control. I'll try and do better the next time," he told her.

"…Okay," she shifted her head. "But I think Miss Washington won't let you go back out. I heard her muttering about desk duty for the next two years." Mark stared at her before he rolled his eyes.

"Great," he muttered only for them to look toward the door when they heard an amused chuckle. Jim stood there with gauze on his forehead.

"You are just recovering and you want to go back out already?" he asked, moving over to them. Mark gave him a sheepish grin.

"I'm kinda hoping she's kidding about the two year desk duty," Mark explained and Jim nodded in understanding as he sat down on the plastic chair, his blue eyes going to his eldest daughter then he looked at Mark.

"I told her that you died," Jim told him before his expression turned stern. "Don't ever make me have to do that again. Telling my daughter that the man she adores died and that heartbroken look on her face is not something I want to do or see again."

"I promise," Mark swallowed nervously. Jim stared at him for a few moments longer then he nodded.

"Good and you'll have to do what you are told," Jim warned him. "Turned out the shrapnel hit a little deeper than we thought so you will be in pain for a quite a while. You also have two broken ribs…"

"How did I get broken ribs?" Mark interrupted. "I don't remember them being broken…"

"Are you a doctor?" Jim asked him and Mark frowned in confusion, shaking his head. "Then how do you know if your ribs were broken before or not?" Mark opened his mouth only to close it when he got a glare from Jim. "And you also twisted your ankle, looked like that happened when you got hit in the chest."

"Will I be on crutches?" Mark asked and Jim shrugged with a smirk.

"Depends, Elisabeth won't let you leave this place until she is satisfied that you are healing properly and the way you gave her a scare, I'm betting it'll be a few weeks before she lets you leave," Jim told him, grinning in amusement as Mark slumped down further on his bed in mortification.

"Do you think you could talk to her into letting me out early?" Mark asked with a hopeful look only for it to fade when Jim shook his head.

"Sorry but even I know when to pick my battles and this one of them I would not win any points for bringing it up." Mark nodded in understanding and Jim turned his gaze on Zoe, who seemed to freeze under it. "And for you angel, school," Jim told his daughter, getting a groan.

"Daddy…" she started but Jim shook his head.

"No 'Daddy', we had a deal. We said you could stay here until Mark woke up and when he did; you've to go back to school. School." he reminded her and she sighed before she lifted her head, kissing Mark on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," she informed him in a sulky tone before Jim stood up, picking his daughter up before setting her on the ground and picked up her drawing pad.

"See you later," Mark waved, grinning with amusement as Jim gently pushing at his daughter's back to get her moving. Zoe seemed intent on dragging her feet as much as she could.

He shook his head as he rested his head back on the pillow, his eyes going back to his sleeping girlfriend and he sighed. He hated worrying her, even know they knew his job was dangerous, it didn't stop the constant worry whenever he went OTG.

He reached out, a hand stroking her cheek, wiping away the tear tracks and her eyes fluttered open, meeting his. She smiled softly before remembrance dawned on her.

"Mark! Are you okay? Do you need a drink or pain medication?" Maddy asked as she sat up, her hands going to his cheeks.

"Maddy…" he started but was interrupted by his girlfriend rambling. He didn't quite get how her mind could function when she just woke up.

"I know you want to be all macho like and pretend you don't need medication or help but you almost got blown up by a bomb, I think we can cut the macho part…" she was interrupted when Mark grasped the back of her head, pulling her down and capturing her lips with his.

Her eyes closed immediately, melting into the kiss and parting her lips when she felt the tip of his tongue trace them. She allowed him to deepen the kiss, needing the reassurance that he was still alive and with her.

Mark groaned in pain and she pulled away from him in time to see the wince cross his face and she sighed.

"I think we should lay off the kisses," she told him. She got a bewildered look from him in return.

"What?" he demanded. "Why?" Maddy arched an eyebrow.

"Because you have broken ribs?" she reminded him. "I seriously doubt that kisses will help your recovery."

"Of course they will," Mark corrected. "Zoe says kisses have magical healing powers." He smirked as she rolled her eyes, an amused smile curving her lips.

"Yeah and Zoe also said there are vampires," she reminded. Mark pouted as his argument was countered. Maddy just shook her head. "You idiot," she scolded him without heat. "You could have been killed. Wait, you were killed!" she corrected. "Dad had to use CPR on you."

"Oh…that explains why my ribs hurt like crazy," he mumbled, shifting in his bed. "Your father has an aim." Maddy rolled her eyes.

"Mom says he gave up using CPR and started using his fist instead," she explained and Mark winced.

"I think I'm gonna have a bruise, and that explains my broken ribs." His hand went to his chest, rubbing it over his medical scrubs while Maddy looked around and frowned.

"Where's Zoe?" she asked.

"Your dad came by and took her. Apparently she was to go back to school when I woke up," he explained and Maddy laughed as she turned back to face him.

"You should have seen the look on her face when dad told her that. She was torn between wanting you to stay asleep so she doesn't have to go to school and wanting you to wake up so you can watch films and play games with her." Mark grinned.

"She scolded me for scaring you and getting hurt," Mark told her. Maddy nodded.

"She takes after mom in that department," she told him. "She even scolded dad for getting hurt too." Mark groaned as he laughed, his hand going back to his ribs and Maddy's expression showed one of sympathy and apology.

"Sorry," she apologised but Mark waved it off.

"The pain medication is taking the edge off. Just don't make me laugh too much when I'm off the meds." She grinned as she settled back down, resting her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on her forehead.

"So…any white light?" she asked, finally giving into the burning need to question what death was like.

"…Only when I'm around your father," he remarked and she snorted, turning her face into his shoulder to muffle her laugher.

"Mark!" his name came out muffled before she lifted her head, shaking it.

"What? He is scary!" Mark defended and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant when you died. There are a lot of reports of saying they seen a white light. Others it was flashback of their lives." Mark grinned.

"So we're going to use my near-death experience as a…report?" he asked.

"Not near-death. You did die," she told him with a glare. "And I'm curious to what you saw; if you saw anything."

"I saw you," he told her and she stared at him in confusion. "I saw you smiling at me and I knew that I had a reason to fight, a reason to hold on to life. I wasn't ready to leave because I didn't want to leave you behind. We still have time and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." A shy smile curled her lips.

"That's incredibly romantic," she told him and he grinned. "But it's not possible. We don't know what life holds." Mark tugged on her hands and she looked at him.

"Hey, I promised that I would never let anything happen to you, not now, not ever. Well, this time, I promise I'm sticking around as long as you'll have me," he assured her and she gave him a watery smile.

"What if I want you forever?" there was a tremble to her voice and he smiled.

"Then I'll be around forever," he promised her and she gave him breathless laugh before she kissed him.

Jim sighed from where he was watching them through the window and shook his head as a rueful smile came to his lips. 85 million years into the past and Maddy found the one guy who was a gentleman and made promises to stick around forever.

She was a lucky woman. Jim left the couple alone, seeking out his wife instead. He was ready to admit that Mark was an alright guy.

The End

Yay! Finished it and…I killed off Mark…for a brief moment (Holy Hell!) And this is the longest one I've written so far (Double Holy Hell!)