Rocco was up long before the sun the following day. The house was still and so quiet it would seem no one was there if not for the scattered dishes on the counter.

He heard the bathroom door softly close from down the hallway and assumed it was Dani. Lexi was pretty sauced last night, and Dante was still up and going at it when Rocco went to bed. Strange being in a house small enough to hear each other moving around, not a bad strange either. 

Rocco worked on getting the cabin cleaned and in order and packed up a cooler as Dani got ready. He already had two thermoses of coffee ready to go, along with some energy bars for a quick start. It would be a long day and climb, but he was really looking forward to it. He scribbled a quick note for Lexi and Dante, thanking them for caring for Gavin and leaving some cash in case they wanted to go to town for lunch.

Dani emerged from the shower just as he was picking everything up. She tied her long hair back into a braid and wore a pair of black shiny leggings and a loose-fitted white tank top. As usual, her natural beauty nearly took his breath away. 

"Ready for this?" he asked with a playful smirk.

"Born ready," she replied in a cheeky tone. "But first, coffee."

"We'll have to drink it on the way. This is going to be a long climb." He thrust one of the thermoses towards her, and she took it gratefully.

"Then we better get a move on, Romano." She said in a teasing tone as she slipped out the door.

"Right behind you, Valentine." He followed behind her and had to avert his eyes from her shapely butt in those very tight pants. 

**

Several hours later, the morning was long behind them, and they were well on their way up the summit. Dani was making great pace and seemed to be enjoying herself. They chatted most of the morning and stopped for a quick lunch a while ago, only to get right back to it afterward.

They fell into silence as they continued the climb. Both were lost in their thoughts. Rocco didn't mind the quiet. It was a rarity these days with a three-year-old. It felt comfortable walking beside her, each focusing on what they were symbolically leaving behind them.

He thought about everything from the day Alyssa came storming into his life, changing it forever. He didn't regret it. Never would. She gave him the greatest gift a person could ever ask for,  and if given the chance to go back and do it again he would. He would not for one moment entertain life without Gavin in it. 

 What he did regret was the unrealistic view he had of her back then. Looking back, the memories all seemed so disingenuous now. Every seductive word spoken felt hollow in retrospect. Every passionate display is intentional and manipulated. Alyssa was always the narcissist she is now; he just had blinders on. He didn't see it then, but he did now.  

The efforts he put into it, was time he wasted, when he and Gavin should have been moving on.

Every step up the mountain felt like one more step further away from her, and it felt good. Great even. He kept forging despite the sweat beads starting to multiply on his forehead and the ache in the back of his thighs. He noticed Dani falling behind and slowed his pace so she could catch up.

"Need a break?" he asked in a breathy voice seeing her flushed cheeks and damp hairline.

"No, we're almost there." She said, looking up ahead at the summit in the distance. "Let's keep going."

He almost gave her a little quip about how impressive she was, but the seriousness in her face stopped him. She was still in her thoughts, and he didn't want to intrude on her moment.

"Okay, just let me know if you do."

It wasn't much longer before they finally reached the top. They were both physically exhausted, but they made it. Dani took a long sip from her water bottle and walked a little away from him.

He left her be and went over to his favorite spot near the edge of the cliff and looked down at the amazing view beneath him. As he sat, he reflected on the decision he'd come to as he pulled his ring off. 

He could feel his parents' presence in moments like this, which was comforting. He wondered if they'd be proud, he hoped they would. 

"I waited to do this because I was afraid you two wouldn't approve. I thought I'd let you down and wouldn't do right by Gavin if I left her."

"I know now, I was hurting him by staying. I'm glad I see that now but, I am sorry how long it took me to get there. I guess, I did now when I needed to, maybe? I don't know. I just I hope you're both proud and understand why I did this."

He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly as he let himself feel, it was a mix of relief, happiness and also a little fear of what was to come. 

 "Maybe I can be happy, now you know? Maybe that doesn't have to be selfish for me to want that." He sniffled back a few tears. "If I'm miserable, Gavin can sense that, that's not good for him. This is the right thing for him, for me, maybe even for Lys."

A gentle breeze lifted his hair, and he breathed in a serene feeling. He was at peace with his decision.

"There's a new start down there." He whispered into the wind and felt a small tear form in the corner of his eye. "A new life. A better one."

"I won't let Gavin down, not ever again." His chest hurt at that thought, that horrific hospital event still fresh in his mind.

He slipped off his wedding ring and threw it down the cliff.

It felt like he'd just taken a thousand-pound weight off.

**

Dani was shocked she was still going as they finally reached the top of the summit. She'd been so lost in her thoughts. She didn't even realize how bad her legs and feet ached until they finally came to a stop.

She swallowed nearly an entire water bottle before finally taking in the view. She could feel Rocco behind her but, she needed this moment to herself for a little longer.

It was beautiful; the tips of the tree lines looked so small from way up here. Being this close to the sky was amazing, surreal even. It was bluer then she'd ever seen it and the clouds looked so close, she felt like she could reach out and touch them if she wanted to.

Suddenly she felt something she hadn't in a very long time. She felt a presence she'd thought was gone forever.

"Jillian?" she whispered in a tiny voice, her lips trembling.

"I'm so sorry." She said she was doing her best to hold her tears back. "I know it's not my fault, but I felt like it was. I felt like I should or could have done more so Kevin didn't get to that dark place...."

She paused and bit her lip. 

"But I know it was a tragic accident. It wasn't anybody's fault." Dani confessed. "It took a long time to get that but I do now and I think Kev is starting to as well." 

"I still owe you an apology, though," Dani said, staring out a cloud, she imagined her aunt sitting on it like it was a bed, and listening. She could almost see her messy unruly curly hair sticking out of the sun she'd toss in it. The crooked smile that always filled Dani with ease. "I never said goodbye to you; Jill. I left the funeral before it was over. I was so mad. Mad at you because now I had to be in charge. How was I going to do that? And during our biggest disaster."

"Then I felt so guilty because how can I be mad at you for dying?" Dani shook her head. 

"I never mourned you, never said goodbye, and you deserved that. So I'm sorry for that. You were better than a mom; you were my best friend, you were exactly what Kev and I needed." 

She paused for a long moment, a sense of peace coming over her. She felt like her words were heard somehow; someway, she knew they were.

"So, thank you, Aunt Jillian." She whispered, her eyes again filling with tears. "I love you, and I miss you."

She paused again, pulling as much strength inside as she could. So, she could finally say it.

"Goodbye." She finally said, letting the tears come down. For a moment, she was almost sure she could feel her aunt's love embracing her.

When she turned again, she saw Rocco standing and walking towards her. She didn't bother to hide the tears still streaming down her face, and in moments she was in front of him. His forestry eyes were also swimming with tears that had leaked unto his reddened face. He pulled her into an embrace, and they stood at the top of the mountain, holding each other into their tears,  finally ran dry.

He pulled away slightly, still holding onto her arms, and their eyes locked. His gaze was smoldering her, and she suddenly felt like she would melt into a puddle right then.

"Oh no, not this again," she teased in a breathy voice.

"Not what?" He asked in an innocent tone that his eyes didn't reflect.

"Whenever you look at me like that, it feels like you're going to kiss me."

"Maybe, that's because that's all I want to do every time I look at you." He leaned closer, his hot breath warming her cheeks.

"You do?" She whispered, her voice full of emotion, a lump in her throat, and tears again filling her eyes.

"I have tried so hard not to want what I want."

"And what do you want?" she breathed out in a whisper.

"I want it to be okay that I can't tear my eyes off your beautiful face. I want to see it every day. I want you to smile at me and hear your pretty laugh because it's the best damn sound in the world. I want to hold you and never let you go." His words filled the air and seemed to time itself still as she stood there transfixed on him, his hands clasped over hers. "And most of all, I want to kiss you."

She let out a wordless sob.

"So much," his voice broke with emotion. "...and I can't because if I did. I wouldn't be a man that deserves you."

She searched her heart for the words to convince him that he did, but he spoke again before she could.

"And damnit, Valentine. I want to deserve you."

"Rocco," she sighed, the tears slipping down her cheeks. His hands softly brushed them away. In doing so, their faces became even closer.

"I want all those things, too," she confessed. "I tried too to push it down too, but I- you. I just can't."

"Fuck," he swore. He lifted his gaze from hers, and it drifted to the cloudy sky beyond them. "The hell is your problem?"

"Rocco? Are you yelling at the sky?" Despite the moment's intensity, a giggle escaped her throat, shaking his attention back to her.

"No, I'm yelling at the universe." His eyes were pained as they met hers, and her laughter died as quickly as it came. "Sends me the woman of my dreams – too late."

"It's not too late," she said in a pleading tone. "It's not. It might be complicated and messy, but- this connection. We can't walk away from this. I know right now we can't... I have to be your friend, but someday—"

"Someday." He rested each hand gently on the sides of her face; they both stopped crying and gazed deeply into each other's eyes. "If I still had a chance with you, I'd be the happiest guy in the world, but I don't expect that, Dani. To put it mildly, I'm about to go through hell, and I have no idea how long it'll be. But you-. You deserve so much more than I can give you, and that's not fair."

"I'll wait for you." She blurted out; a tinge of desperation rang in her tone, but she didn't care. This moment, felt like it was slipping by so quickly, she had to grasp it. "I don't care. I'll be there through it all, and someday, it'll be over with her, and we'll have our chance."

"I couldn't ask you to do that. I don't know how long."

"I'll wait however long it takes."

"Dani.." His eyes lit up with hope, and his soft, plump lips curled into a faint but sad smile.

"You said you need me, and so do I. I need you too," she whispered. "I know you can't be with me.. when your still hers, and it's okay. I can wait, I want to wait for you." 

"I'm not hers in any real way. The very second I can." He looked down at her lips. "I'm finally going to kiss you, and I'm never going to stop." He ran his thumb over her bottom lip before slowly pulling his hands away from her face.

She nearly swooned, her cheeks felt warmer than ever, and her heartbeat quickened.

"Rocco." She mustered up her courage to continue. "In a few short hours, we'll be back down there, and all I'll be able to be is your friend." She paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words. "Until the day comes that we can be more."

He was silent and had a hopeful look shining in his beautiful eyes as she spoke.

"But right here, right now. We are miles away from all our problems down there. This is just us and nature, and I think if we want to say fuck timing and take one selfish moment, we should."

"Fuck timing." His husky whisper sent chills up and down her body. He leaned in closer, their faces now almost touching.

"Fuck it," she repeated softly as she gently ran her thumb up and down his cheek.

Their lips met, and the heat seared through her body as he brushed his soft lips against hers, slowly and carefully as if taking his time to savor them. She ran her thumb slowly up and down his cheek as he deepened the kiss. She parted her lips for him as his tongue dominated her mouth, claiming it and soon dancing with her own as if they were old lovers. He wrapped an arm around the small of her back, pulled her up close to him, and the other hand tangled itself in her hair. She felt weightless in his arms as she melted into the kiss.

They breathed heavily when they finally parted for air, and his intense gaze nearly brought her to their knees. "Dani,' he breathed out before their lips crashed against each other one more time.

She knew this was only going to haunt and torment them both. She knew a world of chaos awaited them at the bottom of that mountain.

But for this one moment, she didn't care.