Final chapter... Hopefully a perfect end to the story.

It felt as though all the clouds had lifted and it was the dawn of a new day. The sun shone brightly through the trees creating patterns on the opposite wall of Rick's bedroom. Kate watched, mesmerised, as the light danced with the breeze. "What are you staring at?" asked Rick, as he awoke.

"Everything. Everything is brighter, prettier, just better."

"And you're definitely happier; and just as beautiful as always, if not more so."

Kate blushed and disagreed, as she always did. "I look a state this morning. Look at my hair!"

"You look hot with your hair like that. We should make it like that a lot more often."

She giggled. "And what about your hair?" she asked.

"Mine? It's a wig. I'll get a new one," he said, a big grin on his face. He always found himself hilarious. Well, someone has to laugh at his jokes, she thought.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. Rick was really hoping that the door wouldn't open and Kate just wished that she wasn't naked under the sheet. Despite being covered, she still felt very exposed. She really should have learnt by now not to go to bed naked with Alexis in the house; it was taking a lot of adjusting to, living with Rick's daughter.

"Dad, Kate…. Don't worry, I'm not coming in." Alexis heard an audible sigh of relief. "But hurry up and get out here. I have a surprise."

They both looked at each other, searching the other one's face for clues. Neither of them had any idea what was going on. "Guess we'd better get up then," said Kate, grudgingly.

As she stood up, the sheet falling away, Rick grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed. "Not so fast." It made her jump as she hit the bed with a thud. But then he was all over her, kissing every inch of her body before finishing with her lips in a kiss that lasted at least 4 minutes. Pulling back to allow her some air, he whispered in her ear, "Happy birthday Kate!" One final peck on the lips and he got up. "We best get ready for whatever surprise Alexis has in store for you."

"God, I wish you didn't have to get dressed," she sighed as she watched him put on some boxers.

"Don't worry honey, I have a birthday surprise for you too," he pronounced, with a cheeky grin on his face. Kate was intrigued. She was about to force a hint out of him when he hurried her out of the door and into the kitchen; Alexis was stood over the cooker.

"Finally! You guys have been ages." Rick and Kate exchanged guilty looks and Alexis shook her head. "I don't even want to know."

They laughed. "So what's going on?" Rick asked.

"Breakfast. In honour of Kate's birthday, I went all out."

"Wow, a spread like this is usually reserved for days when you want something."

Alexis rolled her eyes at him. She had laid out bowls of fresh fruit salad, smiley face pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages… the whole shebang.

"This is amazing. It's just like how my mum used to do it. Thank you, Alexis; it's perfect!"

Alexis just smiled. "Come on then, eat before it gets cold!" They all sat down and devoured the whole lot. Kate thought she probably wouldn't need to eat for the rest of the day. It had been delicious though.

Rick left Kate and Alexis in the dining room chatting and escaped to the bedroom. Since Kate had pretty much moved in, majority of her clothes were in his closet. That made it a lot easier to pack her a suitcase. He packed enough for a week. He wasn't sure how long they'd stay away, but he figured the longer the better. They both deserved a break. Whilst Alexis distracted Kate, Rick snuck the suitcases out of the door and into his Ferrari, bringing it around the front ready to go.

"Time for your surprise," he whispered to her, sneaking up behind her. She jumped.

"Now?" she asked, looking between him and Alexis.

"Yes now." He turned to Alexis. "You ok then, sweetie? I'll let you know when we're coming back. If you decide to have any wild parties, just make sure you hide the evidence."

She looked at him with a 'have you met me?' face. It made him laugh. "Ok, moot point," he responded. "Well, be safe. I'll call you."

"Go, have fun. Love you!"

"Love you too."

Kate looked bewildered throughout their whole conversation. She didn't like being out of the loop. "You coming, Kate?" he urged.

"Where?"

He didn't answer; he just laughed and led her down to the car.

It wasn't until they meandered through the countryside and looked out at wide expanses of sea and sand that she suddenly realised where they were headed.

"We're going to your place in the Hamptons?" she asked.

"I told you I'd take you."

It had been many years ago, when he had offered to take her there for the Memorial Day weekend. She thought about how different things would have been if she'd said yes. Would they have gotten together? Would they still be together now? So many 'what if's. They no longer mattered. Rick and Kate had finally gotten to that place, where she hoped they would stay forever. She was just happy.

Rick's beach house was incredible. It was at least twice the size of her apartment, two storeys, private pool, hot tub, and the door opened right onto the beach. "Wow" was all she could say.

"How about a swim?" were his first words.

She laughed. "All that time spent trying to get me into a swimsuit has finally paid off."

"I was thinking I might get you out of it actually."

Kate bit her lip and he tried to judge her reaction. "Even better." She took his hand and led him out to the pool.

The house was secluded, nobody for miles around, so she lost any inhibitions she had and began to take off her clothes. "Allow me," he suggested, pulling her towards him and lifting her t-shirt over her head. He kissed her neck as his hands travelled down her sides and across her stomach, making her giggle as his light touch tickled her skin and set her nerves alight. He began to kiss down her chest, paying special attention to each of her scars; they were the proof of her strength and survival. He moved his hands to the button on her jeans, undoing them as slowly as possible, feeling her muscles tense under his touch and looking up to see the lust building in her eyes. Her impatience made him chuckle as he pulled down her jeans and she kicked them off with almighty speed. She was stood in just her underwear, waiting for him to remove his clothes. Screw it, she thought and grabbed his shirt, ripping it open to reveal his muscular chest. It baffled her why he kept it hidden; she wished he had it on show continuously.

"Hey, that was my favourite shirt," he exclaimed.

"Shut up and take off your pants," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

She rolled her eyes at him and watched as he stripped down to just his boxers. "You can lose those too," she said, just as they dropped to the floor. He hooked his thumbs under the top of her underwear, pulling her towards him. He looked her straight in the eyes and she was lost. He pressed his lips to hers, running his tongue along her bottom lip until she opened her mouth and granted him entry. As their tongues wrestled for dominance, he dropped her underwear to the floor. He broke off the kiss suddenly, and then picked her up and threw her into the pool, jumping in immediately after her. Her yelp was drowned by the sounds of crashing water. As he came back up to the surface, she hit him on the shoulder. Just as she was about to yell at him, he put his mouth back to hers and moved their bodies together through the water. In that moment, any anger was forgotten.

The sun was too hot to stay outside all day. The sky was a cloudless blue, so the sun beat down on them, and Kate could feel her shoulders start to burn. They retreated indoors where the air-conditioning kept the house at a constant 20°c, perfect after the 35°c they had spent the day in; although the pool had kept them cooler for a while.

"Woah, your shoulders are burning up," said Rick, sounding a little panicked. "Why didn't you put on sun cream?"

"I was a little distracted, if you remember."

"Oh… yeah."

Kate laughed. "I'm fine. Nothing a little after-sun won't cure."

Rick disappeared off, returning with a bottle of Aloe-Vera. "Lay down," he instructed. He squirted it over her back and shoulders and began to massage it in. The cooling gel felt amazing against her skin and Kate made appreciative noises, which inadvertently turned Rick on. He was sure she was doing it on purpose; if so, it was definitely working. He worked his hands lower down her back and her moans got louder. He was struggling to control himself; it was enough that she was half naked beneath him, grinding into him every time she moved, while he ran his hands over her silky skin. The sounds she was making were about to push him over the edge. "Shhh…" he urged, trying to calm himself down. "If you want me to get this done, you're going to need to tone down those noises." She moaned extra loud just to annoy him. "Damn it, Kate! Don't blame me when your shoulders feel like they're on fire later," he growled and flipped her over, straddling her on the day bed.

"You have no self-control," she giggled. "Not that I'm complaining. So, was this your plan for the Hamptons trip?" she asked, while he trailed open-mouthed kisses across her body.

"Having my way with you on every surface of the house? Pretty much."

Her laugh was silenced by his lips on hers; they made love on the day bed. Later, it would be the kitchen counter, the dining table, the sofa, the pool table, the shower, and finally their bed.

"This is the best birthday present ever."

"Best birthday?"

"Since my mum died, yes. Thank you, Rick."

He felt saddened by this. She hadn't had many good birthdays in 14 years. Not many good days, until he came along. "Always," he responded. It was a reflex, and it was a perfect response. She took his hand in hers and they lay there, still and silent on the bed, for an immeasurable time. Suddenly Rick turned his head to look at her lying there, peaceful and happy, and he knew that he wanted to spend every day of his life with her.

"Marry me," he whispered.

Suddenly her head whipped around to look at him. She needed to see the look on his face. Was he being serious? "What?"

"Kate, you are the love of my life. Before I met you, I never realised how empty my life was. I was shallow and immature. You bring out the best in me. You have stuck by me through the good and the bad, through my countless bad jokes and crazy theories. You have saved me more times than I can count, although I'm still convinced I've saved you more times; ok, besides the point. We have saved the world together. You are the strongest person that I know, and the hottest! You are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I have ever met. You make me happy and I love you, and that is enough for me, forever. Please, marry me."

Kate stared at Rick in shock, while his face turned from nervous, to worried, to scared. She let go of his hand and he panicked, thinking she was pulling away, but she raised her hand to his face, stroking her thumb across his forehead to smooth out the worry lines. "I love you too, and I think I'm ready to dive into it with you. No more keeping one foot out the door, just in case. There is no need for 'just in case'. Of course I'll marry you. All I want is you and me, always." After a short pause, "and for the record, there is absolutely no way that you have saved my life more times than I have saved yours. Hmmm…"

Rick chuckled. "We'll work it out later. Sorry I don't have a ring yet. It was kind of spur of the moment. I'll get you one tomorrow."

"There's no rush."

"The shops don't open for another 10 hours anyway."

"Hmmm… I wonder what we can do to fill the time?!"

"I have a few ideas…"

Kate bit her lip seductively. "So do I."

I just want to thank you all for sticking with me the whole way through... I know it's taken me a while to get here lol. And I hope you have all enjoyed the story as much as I have loved writing it. Planning on writing a book next so look out for me in the shops in a few years time, haha! And follow me on twitter " x_Hannah_x". I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story as a whole, so please review. x