Still In Love

Having arrived safely in Mexico, Jack Hall has some time alone with his ex-wife Lucy as she gives him a medical check-up in the hospital, giving him time to think about the future. L/J

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or locations used in this fanfic but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssss.

A/N- I have no idea where the plot bunny for this fic came from but it just popped into my head one day and the words spilt onto the page. One-Shot.

"The new president wants to see you as soon as I've finished with you in here." Lucy Hall announced, leading her physically drained and exhausted ex-husband into a closed-off room in the hospital block.

Jack Hall groaned. "He has time for me NOW? Now when it's too late."

"Don't be like that." Lucy soothed, motioning towards the bed as she disinfected her hands over the sink. "He, like the rest of us, is willing to learn from his mistakes. Give him a chance. He wants to work with you to start putting things right immediately."

"Well – one it wasn't just a mistake – it was downright greed and obstinence." Jack huffed, pulling off his layers of Arctic clothing, stripping down to a vest top. "And two halves of the world and most of the USA has been destroyed. We can't just put things 'right'!" he exclaimed, flinging himself down on the bed.

Lucy hid a smile as she turned to face him. He hadn't changed a bit since the day they had first met at University – he was still devishly handsome, especially when he was all worked up.

"The problems don't end here." Jack Hall continued. "When all the ice and snow starts to melt it's going to play havoc with sea levels again. Barriers and dams need to start being built right now otherwise even vaster area of land are-"

"Shhh." Lucy ordered, cutting him off. "You're safe, Sam and his friends are safe – that's all the matters." she said simply.

Jack heaved a sigh, relaxed and then smiled. "That's what I've always loved about you Lucy – You always see the best in people and situations. Very reassuring."

"It comes with the job!" she laughed, cleaning the gash on Jack's forehead with a swab.

"Ouch." he winced.

"Yeah, it's quite deep, it's going to need stitches." she said, examining it closer. "How did you do this again?"

"I'm not quite sure ……………. it could be when I slipped on the ice and went skidding straight into the road sign for Manhattan." he chuckled.

"You know, I knew you'd make it. Although it sounded like madness to most people, I knew that if anyone could do it, Jack Hall would succeed. Sam's really lucky to have you as his Dad." Lucy added encouragingly as she tended to the wound.

"No he's not." Jack sighed. "I've never been there for him have I? I've always been working, researching, experimenting, striving to be the best in my field; sacrificing being there at the special moments in my son's life to research climate change and in the end it made no difference, the climate shift and second Ice Age happened anyway."

"Jack, you walked across a whole state in the worst blizzard mankind has ever seen. Most people would say you were there for Sam when he needed you." Lucy said seriously. "And you managed to convince the President in time, so three-quarters of the affected States could be evacuated. I certainly would not say your years of hard work have been for nothing."

"And now our little boy's all grown up – He has a girlfriend you know."

"Yeah. Laura." Lucy said, washing her hands. "She seems a nice girl."

"You've met her already?" Jack said, surprised. Even he had not been properly introduced to her what with everyone too tired and drained on the way home.

"Yeah, Sam brought her to me just now so I could look over her leg but I'd met her once before when she and Brian came over to study for this decathlon thing." Lucy explained as she sat down on the edge of the bed to take Jack's blood pressure. "Very smart girl. She'll keep Sam grounded and focused."

"A bit like you and me at college." chuckled Jack. "Do you remember?"

"Of course." Lucy smiled. "You were so intelligent that you never used to study and you spent all of your time playing football whilst I used to spend hours slaving away in the library to make sure I passed my medical degree. It's a wonder that we even met." Lucy laughed. There was a pause.

"I've been a bad husband haven't I?" Jack asked sadly, fixing his eyes on his ex-wife.

"We've had our good times." Lucy said looking away. "But-"

"But I was never there was I?" Jack finished off for her.

Lucy nodded silently as she got her stethoscope out and placed it on Jack's chest. "I was so in love with you Jack." she said quietly. "You were everything I wanted and I could have spent weeks just locked in a room with you saying nothing and I'd be happy but you – you always needed to be up and about do different things, researching, going different places. We just wanted two different things." she said softly.

"I'm sorry." Jack said movingly.

Lucy laughed, waving it off. "It doesn't matter now Jack. We're happy, we're friends and we have a wonderful son. Things are going alright for us." she smiled getting off the bed and clearing things away.

"Do you ever think about how things would have been if we'd stayed together?" Jack asked, interestedly, swinging his legs off the bed. His body ached all over and he felt like he could happily just spend days in bed sleeping constantly.

"Yeah, sometimes." Lucy replied off-handedly, sorting out the medical cabinet, her back to her ex-husband.

"Is there or has there ever been anyone else?"

Lucy turned round and looked at him curiously. "Why all these questions?"

Jack Hall stood up and stretched, shrugging. "I dunno, we haven't had a chance to talk much recently."

So you decide to talk about our inability to keep a marriage together?" Lucy said, laughing.

Jack smiled and she felt that all too familiar high-school melting sensation in her stomach when he looked at her like that ……….. However what he said next completely caught her off-guard.

"What if we tried things again from scratch? I'll get it right this time, I promise." he said softly taking her hands in his.

Lucy felt faint. She had dreamt about it, yes, but she never thought she would see the day when her ex-husband would come crawling back. "What brought all this on?" she asked nervously.

"These past few weeks have really been a wake up call and gave me a chance to assess what was important in my life: Books, degrees, research papers – they're not there anymore but the important things are: you're still here, Sam's still here. I was the biggest idiot ever letting you go. I want to have this chance to put things right. Please?"

Every inch of her body was dying to shout out 'Yes'. She'd never told him, never told Sam, never told anyone how she had never stopped loving the man in front of her. "I don't know Jack, maybe it's too late, maybe it'll be too hard." she said unsurely.

Dr Hall didn't say anything but just leant forward and pressed his lips against hers. Lucy melted into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. All her old feelings and desires came surging back. She felt like she was twenty-something with Jack on their graduation day.

"Think we could give it a go?" Jack asked, pressing his forehead against Lucy's.

"Yeah, I think so." she smiled, drawing him back into the kiss.

Jack felt happier than he had felt for a long long time. It felt like the weight of responsibility on his shoulders for drawing up a system to try and put the Earth's climate back to normal was lighter now he had Lucy back, to keep him grounded, focussed and happy. Suddenly everything was all right in the world as he unbuttoned Lucy's Doctor's coat.

"Oh man!" Sam exclaimed bursting into the room. He turned away and shielded his eyes with his hand. "Mum the receptionist said you were checking Dad out but I didn't think she meant like THAT!"

Laura giggled, gripping Sam's hand tightly.

Jack and Lucy sprung apart, their faces read and embarrassed. "Sam, Laura …. I, well we …" Jack coughed.

"Sam, your Dad and I are going to give things another go." Lucy stated, taking over from her bumbling husband.

Sam looked from one parent to the other and then back again. "Seriously?"

They nodded.

"Wow, that's great you guys." he enthused. "But you could have done so much better Mum!" he laughed cheekily.

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed, putting his arm around Lucy.

"Well, we just wanted to tell you that we saved you seats in the mess tent for lunch." Laura smiled.

"Yeah, see you there." Sam said, leading his girlfriend out of the door. "And don't go making me any brothers or sisters." he shouted over his shoulder.

Jack turned to Lucy and kissed her as Sam and Laura's laughter echoed down the corridor. "There wasn't anybody else was there?" he asked questioningly. Lucy just smiled.