That afternoon, the lawyer stopped by with the contract and everything was signed and sealed. It was official, baby Maxwell was to be raised by Jack and Rose and would return to Boston when he was twelve years old to be trained as the Dawson heir. But in the meantime, he would be treated the same as Lily and any children that Jack and Rose may have themselves.

The next day, Jack and Rose had Lily and Maxwell packed and ready to go. The plan was to take Lily to Coney Island, so she could take her mind off losing her parents and have a little bit of fun and then make the long trek back to Napa, California. Bradley met them in the foyer to say goodbye once again.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye again," Bradley sighed, offering his hand for Jack to shake.

"We'll return next summer. Let you see how Max is doing," Jack accepted the offer. He didn't care for Bradley much, but still, he was family. "Take care, Bradley. Don't work too hard."

Bradley just nodded and turned to Rose, who held Maxwell in her arms. "I do believe that Ruth would prefer this. You taking Maxwell."

"I do too, to be honest. I promise to take good care of him. We'll see you next summer."

Bradley nodded and watched the small family get in the car and pull out of the driveway. He had to admit, now that they were gone, the house felt empty, which was why he was going to go into the office and dive into work, so he wouldn't feel just how lonely it truly was.

...

Dear Jasmine,

It's been a few days since we had left Boston and so much has happened, that I don't know if I can put it all in a letter. Well, Jack and I find ourselves parents of sorts now. Jack's cousin Charles and Hope died in a fire and they had us down as their daughter Lily's guardians. She's ours! I still can't believe it. After the pain of losing James, we have a child to love and we don't have to give her back. She's ours. It's bitter sweet though. We lost Charles and Hope and Lily misses them so much, as do we. I've found Jack brooding a few times. Charles was like a brother to him. He's rather heartbroken, even though he's happy that Lily is a permanent fixture in our lives.

Something else has happened that I'm still in a state of disbelief over. We are raising my baby brother Maxwell. Bradley had asked us to take him since he's so busy with the family business. So not only do we have a little girl, but a newborn baby. This by no means satisfy my want to have Jack's baby. I still want that so much and someday, we will have that. But I find joy in caring for Lily and Maxwell. I love them so much and they need and love us just as we love and need them.

Right now we are in Coney Island. Jack thought that a few days here would do Lily some good. Take her mind off of losing Charles and Hope and let her have some fun and just be a child for a while. To be honest, we needed this too. I think we needed to find the joy in life again after all the loss that we had suffered. Well, I'll leave off here. I will write again soon. I'm including some twinkets and a postcard in this letter. Take care,

Love Rose

...

Rose sat on a spread blanket, beneath an umbrella, watching Jack and Lily frolick in the ocean as she fed Maxwell his bottle. She laughed as Lily splashed water at Jack who laughed and made a grab for the giggling little girl. Watching them, she felt the happiest that she's been in a good long time. Jack glanced over at her and waved, giving her a wide smile. She just smiled back, her hands too busy with Maxwell to return the wave.

It's been a busy week in Coney Island. They had gone on rides, eatten cotton candy and popcorn, enjoyed the beach and each other and walked along the boardwalk. Both Lily and Rose had proclaimed the carosel their most favorite thing of all, while Jack liked the horse racing machines. It had been a fun week and had taken Lily's mind off of her loss. It had been exactly what they had needed.

Later that evening, as they were walking back to their hotel room from having a nice dinner at one of the diners, a woman stopped them, a serene smile curving her lips.

"Oh what a nice family you have there. Your daughter looks just like you, what is her name?" The woman questioned.

Jack opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. Hope was his cousin, not his daughter and he felt bad for allowing the woman to believe that she was his daughter, but Rose answered for him.

"Her name is Lily. She's a ray of sunshine, really."

"She's adorable and your little baby looks like the both of you. I hope that you have a nice time here," The woman gushed over the sleeping Maxwell.

"Thank you, we are having a great time," Rose graciously accepted the compliment.

"We better be on our way now," Jack quietly replied. Rose looked at his expression, trying to read him, but was unable to.

"Good night then," The woman nodded and was on her way.

"She was nice," Rose chewed on her bottom lip, hoping that Jack wasn't too angry with her. She just didn't want to have to explain that Lily wasn't their daughter, but their cousin, then see that look people get when they learned that someone had died. Lily didn't need that and neither did Jack.

"She was nosey," Jack simply stated. "Nosey and presumptuous...and what is the word that you once used...uncouth."

"Gee, tell me how you really feel."

"Why did that lady think you were my daddy, cousin Jack?" Lily looked up at him with curious blue eyes.

"Because we look alike, Lily pad. Sometimes cousins do," Jack lifted her up into his arms. "Sometimes people will mistake us as father and daughter, especially with me taking care of you now."

"Does that mean that I have to forget about my daddy?"

Jack frowned and looked at Rose, who looked away, not knowing what to say.

"Of course not. You'll never forget about your daddy, and neither will I. He's your daddy and he's my cousin and we love him very much. We'll always remember him and your mommy."

"But you and Rose will be taking care of me now."

"Yes we will, but that doesn't mean that we can replace your mommy and daddy. That just means that we get to take care of you now and give you the love that your mommy and daddy would if they were still with us. But that doesn't mean that you have to forget about your mommy and daddy. It just means that you'll always have someone that loves you and will take care of you."

"Does that mean that mommy and daddy don't love me anymore now that they are in heaven?"

"No sweetie. Your mommy and daddy never stopped loving you and they never meant to leave you and go to heaven. Sometimes, there's no choice in the matter. They would be with you if they could. But they made sure that you would end up with Rose and I because we love you just like they did and we'll take care of you and work hard to make you happy, despite the circumstances. Meanwhile, they're watching over you from heaven..."

"Like guardian angels?"

"Yes. They're your guardian angels."

...

One hour later, Lily and Maxwell were fast asleep and Jack and Rose were getting ready for bed themselves. Rose watched Jack undress and felt a great deal of admiration for him. Just when she thought that she couldn't love him anymore than she already did, her love deepened.

"You were great with Lily tonight. Of course, you're always great with her," Rose smiled.

"That was hard, though. I feel so bad for her. If I could bring Charles and Hope back to life, I would. But seeing her smile for the past few days...this trip to Coney Island was worth it."

"It's hard not to smile when you're around."

"How about Maxwell. How does he seem to be adjusting? He's rather calm with you."

Rose smiled, at the thought of the baby. "He is such a good baby. Hardly ever cries. We're going to have to do some shopping when we get to Napa. Get a baby bed and supplies and..."

"I sent a telegram to the caretaker. Everything should be set up and ready for Max and Lily when we arrive."

"Good. It's funny. When we started this trip, I never thought that we'd be returning to Napa as a family...but we are."

"I know, I hadn't thought of that possibility either. It's going to be an adventure."

"One of many, I hope."

Jack smiled as they got into bed. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "Of course. We're in for so many adventures...you'll never be bored."

"I'm never bored. Not with you."

He just smiled, pulling her into another kiss. That night, as they visited the stars, they made another life to join the family that was already forming. A life that was born out of an optimistic, endearing love that would carry them through the hardest of times and the joyous of celebrations.

Years from now, when Lily and Maxwell, and their future son and daughter were grown, they would tell of their trip into the horizon and how it had not only made them stronger, but had a hand in forming their unique little family,where there was never a dull moment.

(A/N: This is the end of Into the Horizon. This story had not gone the way I had first envisioned it would, but I hope that it was enjoyable anyway.)