They left the warehouse after Jack uploaded Milton's virus again, betting that the computers he saw were connected to the Bruneri Inc. or their home systems.

He carried Kim out as she was too exhausted. The adrenaline of the fight completely depleted her and she didn't even say anything when he simply lifted her in his arms. He knew she was in shock. Seeing a dead body for the first time was truly a drastic experience and she had fought a crazed man, who wanted to drug her. Jack ignored his own worries about her opinion on him to another day. He wasn't the one who shot at the dead man, but he used him as a shield and...

He shook his head and reminded himself to be grateful that she was alive.

They brought her to the hotel, where Grant carefully examined her. Aside from some bruising and shock she was fine. It wasn't long after that she drifted into a sleep and Jack laid her out on the bed, making sure she was always in his sightline.

Grant was checking in on his friends and Jerry left to grab some food for them. Milton was working on his computer. Again. Jack stared at his friend for a while hoping to be noticed, but Milton was too engrossed in his work.

"Milton, what are you doing?" Jack felt deeply tired, but not enough to join Kim in her sleep. The stress was catching up with his body, but his mind was restless.

Milton answered, "It's a project for you. I am making a spreadsheet of the other families and Bruneri capos to determine who is most likely to to cause problems."

"First, by 'might cause problems' you mean kidnap or kill me or hurt Kim, right? And, second, a spreadsheet?"

Milton chuckled with his sarcasm, "No rest for the wicked or the mafia." Milton didn't look up because his precious spreadsheet was calling.

It turned out that Milton combined his research with Marco's and collated information into something of a matrix. Milton walked him through his analysis. Jack recognized some of the names, and knew most of the important details about them, but Milton's notes were exhaustive. He knew who needed money to support an expensive mistress, who grumbled about Massimo's rules, and who thought Caio was a spoiled brat playing at being a gangster.

"Did you do all of this in just two days?" Jack was a bit awed. He knew Milton kept tabs on the Bruneris, but Milton's knowledge was clearly more extensive than he would've expected.

"I had a fair bit of this already, and Marco helped." Milton responded modestly. "Anyway, the important thing is that we have it."

Jack was a little surprised by 'we,' but Milton was stubborn and aligned himself with Jack.

"What do you know about Hugo Pravo?" Milton asked, returning to testing his mafia knowledge.

"He is an enforcer in Atlanta...Nashville?" Jack guessed. Milton shook his head at each of the things that he said. He tried another answer, "Uh, he does something mafia related south of the Mason-Dixon line?"

Milton rolled his eyes at his hedging, "Correct only in so much as that was too vague to be wrong."

"Help me Obi-Wan. You're my only hope," implored Jack. He was mostly joking, but he was realizing that if he was going to survive while keeping Kim alive, it was going to be with Milton's help.

Milton took his request at face value and started to walk him through the various La Cosa Nostra chapters in the US. His method was very detailed, and not based on geography so much as power, available resources, and apparent leadership issues. He had already prioritized the capos likeliest to try and dethrone Massimo and Caio through underhand methods, and made sure to cover all of them in unrelenting exactitude.

Like Marco, he put Solvate at the top of the list of people likely to make a play for Don position through Jack. If others wanted to simply kill Caio, Solvate played at gaining absolute favor of Massimo. Which meant tolerating Caio and killing Jack. Even before Milton's briefing he had been inclined to agree that Solvate was a problem and that before he knew he was apparently a Bruneri himself.

Jack's one and only encounter with Solvate had been marked by violence, cruelty, and general creepiness that saw Kim hurt.

As Milton discussed the capos, their actual revenue sources, their staff, and their relationships with other capos, Jack stated to see a pattern.

"You're grouping them based on their support of Massimo versus Solvate, aren't you?" he observed.

Milton paused from his discussion of Chicago's capo, "Not just their support of Massimo, but their willingness to support his heir apparent."

Jack scrunched his nose because Milton's statement did not compute. "What does it have to do with me?"

Milton looked at him for a long time, "You could be the heir too."

The thought was shocking. So much so that Jack was slack-jawed as he stared at his friend in confusion.

"What? What does it mean? You know I want nothing to do with that life!" as he spoke Jack grew more irritated and nearly snapped at Milton.

"I know that! I'm not saying you have to become the Don. But just the mere presence of another claimant could wreak havoc on them. Those capos, who don't like Caio, could potentially align themselves with someone, who is family and-"

"No! I'm not interested in that. I want Massimo and Caio gone, it's true, but I have no interest in their empire. And if I can't have them gone, I want them to leave myself and Kim alone." Jack was adamant.

"I don't think that could happen. You cost them money, you challenged them, you knocked Caio down. Hell, you even shot him!"

"Then I'll fight them the same way as before. Dismantle and undermine them, until their syndicate is nothing more than a memory."

"It'll take time."

"They can't fight on several fronts at the same time. Let's give them a war that would distract them and they will have to leave Kim be."

Milton and Jack stared at each other. Milton blinked first.

"Fine."

"Like you said, Solvate is loyal and ambitious, so let's make sure Massimo knows what his nipote* and consiglieri were up to and how they lost to a teen and one soldier. Let all Cosa Nostra know their incompetence in keeping one hostage. Let it also be known how Bruneri's lost money in stock trading. I reintroduced your bug and sooner or later it will hit them again. Let's also hit the Pravo's business with a similar rogue code. Let's see if it causes frictions. Eventually, Massimo's or Caio's authority would be challenged. As it is, with a loss of Amato, their California operations are weakened and we know that the Triad made a play for it. I plan t sue them too. Rather my company that lost money would. Let them have multiple conflicts and see if they have enough margins to cover them all."

"You have thought it through..." Milton sounded impressed and a little bit sad.

Jack paused to consider his answer, "I planned this for a long time. At first, I just wanted revenge. I still do. But I also want to survive. I realize now that Kim and I would never be fully safe until they are gone." He stopped and looked at his friend directly, "Milton, this is serious. I already dragged you all into this mess and I know that you wanted to help me before, but this is serious. These people shoot to kill. I should have told you all the full truth before you got tangled..." He paused again to carefully chose words. "I can suspend my plans against them until we graduate and then you and your family would be out of the crosshairs-"

"And who would help you with your digital warfare? You know I am the brains of that part of operation," Milton said with some morbid humor, but Jack remained serious. Milton sighed, "I get it Jack. And I figured most of it myself long before you were ready to tell me. It is not ideal, but we've done good too. Like vigilantes. And... And I know that what you've done for Kim, you'd do for me in a heartbeat. You are like a brother to me and let's face it, your only other option for a brother is that jerk Caio and really, I think it's not even a question that I win this particular contest. So, I'm in. Let's bring them down."

They held gaze for a weighted moment and Jack nodded minutely agreeing to Milton's choice.

"I'll talk to Jerry too. He has his own family."

"And then Kim. She is in danger more than any of us connected to you."

Something in Milton's voice made Jack remember some of his readings on mafia, "Is that why you wanted it to be known that I'm a Bruneri? So, she has more protection?"

"Yeah, people know that she is your Achilles heel. But mafia at least has certain rules about wives and children..."

"Still, my father was a traitor to the Bruneris. They'll not be too choosy when it comes to getting back at me."

Suddenly a tired voice drifted from the doorway, "That's what Caio told me. That I'll be a target because of you."

Milton scrambled and rushed to give Kim a hug, fussing over her a little, "Kim, you should rest."

"I'm hungry though. All I had for two days were some measly energy bars," she said as she walked to sit next to Jack.

"Oh, Jerry's getting us some food," Milton said quickly.

"Food would be good. Although I saw a food truck outside with the bubble tea and all I could think about in the warehouse was the coconut boba drink," Kim finished quietly and Milton immediately picked up on her hint.

"On it. One coconut bubble tea coming right up," Milton said cheerfully and walked towards the door.

The endearing, soft smile Kim had as Milton left, had Jack's heart beating just a little faster. He went days without seeing her smile or knowing if he ever would again. That realization slammed him hard in the chest and caused his breath to catch in his throat. He barely registered Milton's departure from the room aside from the sounds of the door clicking shut.

Lost in the onslaught of emotion, Jack leaned in without realizing to press a soft, tender kiss to Kim's lips. His hand cradled the base of her head, fingers sliding between soft golden strands of hair as he changed their angle to deepen the kiss. When they broke apart he didn't move away, opting instead to rest his forehead against hers and embrace the feeling of finally being close to her once again. They were both slightly out of breath, lips parted and just brushing against each other with each ragged inhale.

"I love you. You have no clue how terrified I was that I would never get the chance to tell you that again, never get to show you. God, Kim, I was such a mess. I couldn't eat. I couldn't sleep. I - "

A small hand reached up to cradle his jaw, Kim's soothing yet insistent voice stopping him from going any further.

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm here now, okay? I'm here and I'm safe and I'm with you. It's all gonna be okay now."

Jack closed his eyes and leans into the palm of her hand. His eyes remained shut as he whispered his response.

"I can't imagine my life without you in it."

There was more to his words than the pain from being parted from her. He knew that she knew about his half-truths and omissions and all the danger being with him entailed. He struggled to form words to explain, to justify, to beg mercy-

"You don't have to."

She must have felt the tension still in his body because Kim quickly moved to take his face in both of her hands, slightly shifting him away from her.

"Jack, look at me."

She waited for him to do as told before continuing, gaze steadily locked onto his.

"I am not going anywhere. Well, no, we'll be going to college soon, which we also need to talk about but that's a conversation for a later date. But-" She looked down and gathered her thoughts, "At first, when Caio told me about you being a Bruneri and the things you did in Seaford against Amato, I was... shocked. But then I was surprised that I was shocked, because there were signs of it and I wish you told me the whole truth earlier. But I guess I get why you didn't. Because I don't know if I would have stayed with you if I knew all of it beforehand, but... But as I was there, with my hands tied and listening to that jerk spout off about you, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that you will come for me. That you would fight every battle and use every trick in the book. That you would return fire with fire and that you know that sometimes you have to use their methods and... My point is that I'm here now and I'm safe because you are who you are. And I accept it. I love you. All of you. You hear me?"

"Kim... You held a gun in your hand..." the sound that escaped Jack's throat was too low to be called a cry, but it was anguished and sorrowful. "I never wanted you to be touched by this kind of ugliness."

"I'm sure your parents didn't want it for you either, but the truth is life is ugly. And beautiful. And everything in between. And to me, the beautiful parts are hundred times more beautiful when I'm with you and they are worth all the ugly stuff."

The conviction in her eyes blazed with a ferocity that was only matched by his own feelings right then. He let himself get lost in it, borrowing from the strength of the incredible woman before him. And then he allowed himself to believe her.

"Okay."

Kim searched his eyes, making sure he wasn't just agreeing with her for the sake of agreeing. She must have been satisfied as a small loving smile bloomed on her lips.

"Okay. And one more thing."

"What?"

Instead of answering, she leaned forward to press a deep kiss against his mouth, letting everything she's just said poor into the action. Jack lost himself in the kiss, giving just as much as he got. When Kim pulled away, they're both breathing a little heavier than they were before.

"I love you, too. Always."

He echoed her without hesitation.

"Always."

It was in that moment that he knew how his father felt. He knew that they'd be the ones that made it all the way to the end. Through the good and the bad that was yet to come, all the trials and tribulations that life had planned for them, they were going to push through it all together. This love that he fought against and now fought for, this love was his true purpose and goal. He was cold and alone and lonely for so long, he thought that was all that was in store for him, but she brought him warmth, and light, and love, and spring. She woke him from the endless winter that was his life and he was not going back to that.

He never been more sure of anything in his life.

She was his spring and he was never letting go.

*Nipote (Italian) - grandson.

A/N: This is the end, my friends. I am forever grateful to all of you, who read and reviewed this story. Thank you for taking chance on dark Jack and his Bambola.