[dated to Dec 28]

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron had long been in the habit of holding her cards close to her chest, never letting it show just how strongly things affected her, keeping her emotions mostly to herself. Even after so long on the island, she wasn't much prone to gossip, nor to heart-to-heart discussions, even if they happened a little more often than they used to, and even

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[captainjack]

"Hey, bao bei," he said warmly as he came in, peeling off his long great coat as soon as he was inside and ready to be settled. "You look like you're in a good mood."

[captainjack]

Jack kissed her back and was beaming as he pulled away. He had a quip on the tip of his tongue about her having him any way she wanted but he thought Logan might not appreciate the wit of it and she had just confessed to loving Xander so it was poor timing, even for a joke.

"Then it's a good thing you like me the way I am," he said. "So what now? This doesn't mean we're losing dancers, does it? You two are going to be able to keep working and everything, right?"

After Maureen had quit, Jack was understandably nervous about the dancers getting serious. He worried about Rachel, too, since she'd dropped the L word on Raylan.

[poison_lipstick]

"Oh, not a chance, we're not going anywhere," Saffron assured him, shaking her head. She definitely understood where his concern came from. "Neither of us plans to stop dancing, or even to stop giving lap dances, for that matter." Saffron knew Xander's lap dancing was few and far between, but at least it was an available service. One they couldn't afford to lose, with him being their only guy.

[captainjack]

"then that takes care of the business end of it," Jack decided. "I hope he keeps you as happy as this. It suits you."

[poison_lipstick]

Thoughts of Xander never failed to make Saffron beam, and she did just that. "I'm confident he will," she said. "He's been good to me for a while now, since long before we were ever together."

[captainjack]

"Like I said, he's a good guy," Jack repeated. He knew good guys when he met them. Once upon a time he'd have thought of Xander as an easy mark. Now he just thought of him as a good friend.

[poison_lipstick]

"We both got pretty lucky, didn't we," Saffron mused fondly. "I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that I never even considered the phrase 'love of my life' would even enter into my vocabulary, let alone be something I might contemplate saying in relation to myself."

[captainjack]

"I know just what you mean. Sometimes it hits me and I just..." He shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve something so good."

[poison_lipstick]

"I'm pretty sure I didn't do a damn thing to deserve it," Saffron replied with a soft chuckle. "Unless no crime causing any innocent deaths for close to five years counts as something."

[captainjack]

"I think it counts for a lot, bao bei," Jack replied gently. "It's a different life but it's good. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize that."

[poison_lipstick]

She smiled fondly up at Jack. "I'm pretty sure I still don't believe in fate, but you know," she remarked, "I feel a little like it was just the right amount of time for me. Like now was the perfect time for Xander and I to find each other, after I had the chance to learn."

[captainjack]

He nodded slowly, understanding perfectly just what she meant. He and Logan had talked about it at length and he couldn't agree more about things happening at just the right time.

"It's about time," he said. "You've been here long enough to deserve real happiness. Real happiness. Which means, you know, if Xander ever happens to not make you happy I will be obligated to watch while you kick his ass."

[poison_lipstick]

"And here I was expecting you to threaten to kick his ass yourself," Saffron replied with a small smirk.

[captainjack]

"I would but..." he said, smirking. He reached out and cradled the back of her head and leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"I'll help, but I know what you can do all by yourself. You almost made me feel bad for Boyd until I realized I wanted to do the same thing."

[poison_lipstick]

She leaned into the kiss and smiled. "I know," she replied. She knew Jack was there for her whenever she needed him, even if it was just to cheer from the sidelines. "Oh, I let him off easy. All I did was punch him." Hard enough to knock him off his feet, sure, but she'd wanted to do a hell of a lot worse. And she probably would have, if Baze hadn't been there to pull her back.

[captainjack]

"Yeah, I know," Jack chuckled. "I should compliment you on your restraint. So, let's get to work. What do we need today before the shift tonight?"