Kyungsoo awoke to the distant clanging of dishes and pans. Just moments after the noise registered in his still-foggy mind, the aromas of cinnamon and bacon curled around his nose like wispy fingers beckoning him to the kitchen.

As he sat, he was glad to note that his body, while still sore, wasn't quite as locked up as he expected. He still felt like he'd been run over, but he was able to move with slightly more grace than the night before.

He was just shuffling into the dining area as his mother set down a plate heaped full of french toast, eggs and the already-acknowledged bacon.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How are you feeling this morning?" Mrs. Do was the picture of a modern June Cleaver, her immaculate appearance only slightly negated by the novelty apron she was wearing.

"Jeez, Mom. You couldn't pick the plain red apron?" Kyungsoo scrubbed his hand over his face as his father chuckled.

"Where did Naomi even get this?" Mrs. Do asked, tugging at the edge of the apron.

"Seungsoo."

"Ah, well, that explains that." Mrs. Do smiled all the way back to the kitchen.

"I think it's… cute. It's not nearly quite as bad as the one your mother got for me. That one's got a picture of Adam's body with nothing more than a stratigically-placed fig leaf..." Mr. Do peered over the edge of the local newspaper with a wry smirk.

Playing the grossed-out child, Kyungsoo covered his ears and pinched his eyes shut while chanting, "Ahhhh la la la. I get it. Just... never mind." Kyungsoo shook his head and dug into the plate of food, humming in satisfaction.

Mr. Do had once again prepared some ice packs for Kyungsoo, which he applied while he ate his breakfast. Once the food was gone, he stretched in his seat and tentatively straightened his legs. He needed to get up and moving and try to work the blood flow back into his muscles. He would need to be ambulatory if he planned to work the next day and scuttling around like a two-day post-op knee surgery patient wasn't going to cut it.

"I need to get out for a little walk-jog. You guys are welcome to hang out here. I shouldn't be more than an hour or so." Kyungsoo took his plate into the kitchen where Mrs. Do was busy washing the dishes she'd used to make breakfast.

She smiled brightly, accepting the plate and, leaning forward, whispered, "See if you can get your father to go with you. I brought his running shoes in my bag. I have a few errands I need to run and I'd appreciate having him out of my hair." She winked and turned back to the sink of dishes. Kyungsoo had no idea what his mother did while making breakfast but she had managed to fill the basin.

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded. It appeared to him that his father's semi-retirement was grating on his mother's nerves. So in order to fulfill his peace-keeping assignment, Kyungsoo grabbed the last pair of clean shorts and a T-shirt for his father.

"Hey old man, think you've still got what it takes to keep up with me?" Kyungsoo tossed the bundle of clothes toward a surprised Mr. Do. He'd only just put down the paper in time to catch the shorts, the T-shirt falling to the ground in a small heap.

"I don't have my shoes, and you're a size and a half bigger than me, if I recall correctly," Mr. Do hedged.

"No excuses, my dear," Mrs. Do sang as she dangled the relatively unused footwear in front of her husband's nose.

With a sigh, Mr. Do accepted the shoes and reluctantly made his way to the bathroom to change. Twenty minutes later Kyungsoo and Mr. Do were walking briskly along a park trail dappled with little bright spots of sun filtering through the canopy of trees.

The silence between the pair was charged. Kyungsoo was still accepting the fact that he needed his father's help to sort out his finances, as well as the new-found knowledge that his folks had never really been disappointed with him. His father seemed content to just let him stew. Though that was his usual M.O.

There was just something about Do Seungsoo Senior that drew information out of Kyungsoo like water from a faucet. It always bugged Seungoo Junior. They'd do something they shouldn't, or break something, and Kyungsoo just couldn't help but tell on himself. As he grew older, he learned to attribute that to his father's conditioning – Kyungsoo just could not tell a lie. Which was why he'd felt so compelled to tell Naomi about the y barfly incident. It must have been some kind of selective gene in the family DNA make-up though, since Seungsoo had absolutely no problem lying. Lack of said-gene was probably a good explanation as to why he was such a successful personal injury lawyer.

Usually, being physically active helped to calm Kyungsoo down and mellow his thoughts, but this current bout of exercise was doing the complete opposite. The sheer volume of his father's silence was deafening. After several more minutes of intense quiet, Kyungsoo broke. "So, Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Uh, I was wondering, well. Exactly how much is in the college fund?"

"Hmm, last statement I looked at, there was around fifty." Mr. Do glanced in Kyungsoo's direction briefly before facing forward and continuing the swift pace of their walk, his face schooled into an unreadable mask of calm.

Fifty thousand would definitely help. It wouldn't get rid of all the debt, but it would put a dent in things. He was glad that thanks to a near-full ride scholarship, Naomi's school loans had been small and were already paid off.

"And how exactly..." Jeez this conversation is awkward, Kyungsoo thought to himself.

"How do you get the money and not sound like a greedy, money-grubbing adolescent?" Mr. Do's voice was filled with humor as he spoke.

Kyungsoo let out a huff and nodded, saying, "Yeah."

Mr. Do went on to explain the particulars of accessing the money, and the conditions associated with the type of savings account it was in. The money could only be used for approved educational expenses, so he'd only be able to apply the money to his current fees and the loans he'd already taken out. Great for shaving off some of the school costs, but didn't really help when it came to the car and insurance payments.

"Tell me about your vehicle. It's a very nice piece of machinery." Mr. Do opened the proverbial door. It was now up to Kyungsoo to walk through it.

Kyungsoo gestured toward an approaching bench and steered the pair off the main path. He sighed and ran his hand through his mop of hair before speaking. "Dad, it's my dream car. The leather is so soft, and the car purrs like a kitten and handles like a dream. It's got all the bells and whistles, it's packed under the hood so it's fun to drive, but it's still sophisticated enough for a doctor. It is hands down, the sweetest ride ever. Period."

"Sounds like you really love that car."

"I do. I really love my car."

"Do you love it more than your wife?"

"Of course not! How could you even ask me something like that?" Kyungsoo's brow furrowed in irritation at the idea that he had put possessions above his wife, mainly because he was coming to realize that he'd done exactly that.

"Son, you've spoken more passionately about that car in the last five minutes than you have about Naomi during the whole time we've been here." Mr. Do leaned forward, clasping his hands as they rested on his knees.

"It's just really hard to talk about her when she's not here. I miss her. More than I ever thought I could. I have taken her for granted so badly. I don't know how I can fix it. It was like everything just fell apart over night."

"One small step at a time. I think the album was a great way to open up a safe dialogue that will allow you both to cherish the best of your marriage without bringing up too much of the hurt. Now, what I'd really like to know are some more specifics about what Naomi's been dealing with; what sent her running in the first place."

"I'll tell you what I know, but it's not much." Kyungsoo then tried to explain Naomi's struggles at work, their fights over Kyungsoo's spending habits and cost of the car. He reluctantly told his father about the run-in with Dr. Hanzo to which his father rightly muttered Idiot under his breath.

After listening patiently Mr. Do said, "So basically Naomi's biggest concern is that she feels she has to continue working in a job that is destroying her spirit in order for you to keep your car. Is that about right?"

"Well, when you put it that way it makes me sound like a piece of crap."

"And how would you describe your contribution to the state of affairs right now?" Mr. Do's voice had taken on the tenor of paternal authority coupled with a little bit of righteous indignation.

"Ughh. You're right. I've behaved like a selfish, spoiled piece of crap. Besides making me feel worse than I already do, do you have any suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact, I think I do."

When Kyungsoo and Mr. Do finally returned from their pow-wow, they were brought up short at the scene they came upon in the living room. Mrs. Do was eyebrows deep in piles of laundry, sitting on a newly-slip covered couch and surrounded by several new throw pillows.

She threw a disapproving glare at Kyungsoo as she snapped a pair of boxers flat before folding them into a neat square. "Kyungsoo, I know that Naomi took good care of you, but honestly, it looks like you haven't done laundry since she left, and I know that I taught you how to wash your own clothes."

"Ahhh, jeez Mom. You're folding my drawers?"

"Hush. I've been folding your underwear since you were in tighty-whities. Ahhh. You had the cutest little bum cheeks, running around in nothing but your underpants when you were getting potty-trained."

"Moooom, please with the trips down memory lane with me in my underwear. You shouldn't have done the laundry. I was going to get to it today."

When she leveled her disbelieving stare on him he raised his hands in an innocent plea and said, "Honest!"

She went back to folding with a half-hearted, "Mmhmm," on her lips.

"By the way, thanks for the slip cover and the pillows and stuff. I know that couch has always bugged Naomi."

"You're welcome, sweetie. Consider it a belated housewarming gift."

Kyungsoo scooped up the piles of clothing and took them into the bedroom to put them away. Once the laundry was as taken care of as it could be, Kyungsoo and Mr. Do outlined their plan to ease the financial stress on Naomi.

"And what did she say?" Asked asked Mrs. Do, needlessly straightening one of the throw pillows.

"Uh... I... I still need to call her."

"You weren't planning on doing this without first talking to her, were you?" Mrs. Do's eyes blazed with challenge as they bounced between the two men.

"No?" Kyungsoo's guilty response came out as a question more than a statement. Mr. Do simply avoided all eye-contact with his wife.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! Seungsoo, I would've expected you to remember something like that."

Mr. Do started to say something but was instantly silenced by the hand that Mrs. Do held up. "Kyungsoo, how do you expect to fix things with Naomi if you make plans like this and fail to include her in the decision making! She is your partner, honey. You cannot go behind her back on a decision this big and not expect her to be furious and hurt. You strip away any chance for her to trust you again if you do that kind of thing." Mrs. Do's passionate scolding hit its mark.

In Kyungsoo's mind, he just wanted to make things easier for Naomi. He wanted to take care of it so she wouldn't worry. What he hadn't considered was how she would feel if he took away her right to have an input in decisions that would affect them both equally.

Naomi was stirring the roux, waiting for the perfect moment when it changed from a light cream color to a nutty tan color. As soon as she saw the telltale darkening, she deftly poured the milk into the saucepan, whisking at the same time to avoid lumps. Today they were making cheese souffle and Naomi had already received praise for her mise-en-place – the set up of her work station – and her instructor, Felix Dufresne, was eyeing her technique appreciatively all the while trying to help Olivia keep her pot from boiling over.

"Là, vous voyez?" Felix's question echoed through the noisy kitchen as he held up Naomi's pot, her hands still connected to the handle and now raised at an awkward angle. A strange quiet, filled with bubbling pots and hissing from the gas stoves settled over the room. "Ziss eez ze perfect béchamel. If it doesn't look like ziss, zen you must start all over again! Très bien, Naomi." Immediately, the clanging of pans on cooktops and swishing whisks resumed.

"Merci, Chef." Naomi's face flushed more from embarrassment than from the heat coming off of the large commercial stoves they were using. She set the pot to the side to cool while she prepared the rest of the ingredients for her souffle.

Her heart was bursting with sympathy for Olivia as she heard Chef Felix saying, "Oh la la la. Non! Olivia, how iz ziss even possible? Encore. You must start over."

She then chuckled quietly as she heard Olivia mimicking Felix in her heavily Americanized accent. She'd be fine. But just in case she wasn't, Naomi quickly finished her preparation and delivered the dish to the oven to cook, then sidled up next to Olivia.

"Need a hand?" Naomi asked, glancing around surreptitiously.

"Do I ever! I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, here." Olivia's wiped her forearm across her brow and huffed an errant lock of hair from her eyes.

While Naomi quietly directed Olivia on proper technique, they chatted about the usual things. Olivia was looking forward to returning home to spend time with their grand-baby. Naomi told her about Kyungsoo's disappointing race results, but spoke hopefully about the phone conversation that followed.

"Well, it sounds like you two are on the right track," Olivia said reassuringly as she carefully slid her finished creation into the oven.

"I think so, too. I'm just a little worried about what is going to happen when I get back home. I really don't think I can go back to my old job, but I don't know how else we can make ends meet." Olivia looped her arm through Naomi's and steered her into the little courtyard that comprised the interior of the block where the school was located.

"If you could do anything, what would your dream job be?"

Being a full time mother was the first thing that popped into Naomi's head. She pressed that thought back for the moment and focused on jobs that she'd enjoy outside of the home. "Well, there's this little cupcake shop not far from our apartment. I would love to work there, but they're hardly ever hiring, and the pay would be way too low."

Olivia sat in silence for a while, rubbing a slow circle on Naomi's hand. "Don't shut the door on dreams, honey. You never know what you might find when you go after them."

The timer Naomi had clipped to her apron started beeping, ending the heart-to-heart between her and her surrogate mother figure.

Her souffle was the puffiest and most delicious out of the offerings of the entire class. Chef Felix again heaped a shameful amount of praise on Naomi's head, and while she liked cooking main dishes, she really liked making pastries better.

The next morning she awoke with that not-so-fresh feeling and cursed under her breath when she saw the spots of blood on her sheets. She really hated having such an irregular period but that was just something she dealt with as part of her condition.

She stripped the bed and hurried to the bathroom to try and rinse out as much of the stain as she could. Once she'd scrubbed most of blood out, she cleaned herself up and dressed for the day.

She was digging around in the cupboard, looking for something that resembled bleach, but couldn't remember what it was called. "Anastasie? Where is the bleach?" Naomi called down the hall toward the kitchen where Anastasie was making breakfast for the kids.

"It's on the top, the Javel," she replied.

Naomi reached up on her tip-toes and lifted the bottle down. She went back to the bathroom and stuffed the sheets and her dirty underwear clothes into the washing machine. Just as she turned it on, Anastasie knocked softly on the door jamb.

"Is everything alright?" Anastasie was leaning to the side so only half her body was visible.

"Yeah, just mes règles. If the stain doesn't come out, I'll buy new sheets. I promise!"

"Oh la la, Naomi. Don't worry about that. It happens to us all! So I have something for you. It was just delivered – overnight express! It must be important!"

"Really?" At first Naomi was a bit confused, then she remembered what Kyungsoo had said on Sunday. "Oh! Where is it!" Naomi was bouncing on the balls of her feet as Anastasie straightened up and produced the package that had been hidden outside of Naomi's view.

Naomi snatched it excitedly from Anastasie's hands and rushed into her room, tearing the package open as she went. She tipped the box over and a small, square photo album tumbled out, followed by a CD and an envelope. She opened the letter and read the brief note, her eyes already starting to tear up.

My Dearest Love,

I hope you'll enjoy taking this walk down memory lane with me. These are some of my most precious memories. And I look forward to making many, many more with you.

Yours forever and always,

Kyungsoo

"Anastasie, do you have a CD player?" Naomi whispered. Anastasie was leaning in the doorway, acutely curious about the package that had lit Naomi up from within, but also seeming to try to respect her privacy as well.

"Yeah, sure. Let me go get it for you!" Moments later, she returned with a small boombox and plugged it in. "It's from Kyungsoo?" She glanced toward the package.

Naomi nodded. She had already flipped to the first page - a picture of when they were just teenagers, a few days after their first official date – and knew she was going to be a blubbering mess when she was done looking through the book.

Anastasie gently slid the CD from Naomi's hand and placed it in the stereo. As the first few notes of the song played, Naomi could feel the emotion rising swiftly up through her chest and causing to tighten. She flipped to the next page, and the one after that. The songs – some old, some new – each held meaning to the pictures he'd chosen for this memory book.

Naomi traced her fingers over some of the embellishments for which she was sure Mayu was responsible. But what caught her attention most were the little blurbs that Kyungsoo had written in his own print.

When she finally turned to the last page, tears were streaming down her face. At some point, Anastasie must have slipped out because when Naomi reached for her phone she was alone. As she went to dial Kyungsoo's number, though, she realized that it would be the middle of the night for him. She'd have to wait until the afternoon to call Kyungsoo.

She floated through the day, distracted and supremely happy. Even Chef Felix commented on her lack of presence in the classroom, but she couldn't help it.

As soon as she was out of the building, she turned her phone back on and dialed Kyungsoo's number. She walked swiftly to the park, knowing that she would be a menace to all the other pedestrians if she were to try and have this conversation while still in motion.

"Naomi," came the smooth answer to her call.

"Oh, hon, I got the album today and it was so beautiful and amazing and I love it so much and I can't believe you and Mayu did that in such a short amount of time, but it was perfect. Just...so perfect. And those are all my favorite moments too. All of them!"

"Whoa, my beautiful. Slow down and breathe!" His soft chuckle warmed her to the very tips of her soul. "I'm glad. 'Cause I meant every single thing in there. Prepare to be wooed."

Naomi took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I'm prepared. Lay it on me."

Kyungsoo hummed for a moment and then began. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate..."

"Cheeseball," Naomi murmured.

Kyungsoo's answering laugh confirmed that he was just teasing. "I really do intend to woo you, Naomi," his voice taking on a serious quality. "I miss you. Every day, I miss you more than the day before."

"I miss you too Kyungsoo, but it's just a couple more weeks."

They both sighed at the same time and chuckled at their mutual moony-ness. "So how are you feeling now a couple days after the race?"

"My body is still sore, but I'm okay. I had a really eye-opening talk with my family. Then yesterday, Dad and I had a good talk about the car and the education fund they still have set aside for me."

Naomi's heart clenched and she grew nervous, but didn't really understand why she all-of-a-sudden felt gripped by panic.

"And what did he say?" Naomi's breaths were slow and shallow at first but as she listened to her husband explain what he and his father had discussed, she could feel her heart start to slow, and her breathing evening out. They'd really been thorough.

"So what do you think?" Kyungsoo asked, his voice full of hesitancy and trepidation.

Naomi was quiet for a moment, just wanting to make sure her voice was steady. "I think that's a great plan. I wish I could be there to help, but I'm sure whatever you decide will be fine. Do you think..."

She wasn't sure if she should ask the next question out loud, but in light of their discussion, she couldn't see a reason beyond her own worries not to ask.

"What is it, love?"

"Does this mean I can quit my job? I just can't stomach the thought of going back to work there, you know? I mean, I can find a part time job, or something. I was thinking about maybe trying that little bakery a few blocks away." Naomi tugged on a strand of hair that she'd been worrying while she listened.

"I think we'll be okay. If you get a part time job, then we should be more than fine. Maybe you can concentrate on creative writing again."

"I would really like that. Let's talk more about it when I get home, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Naomi was the happiest she'd been in years. She finally felt like herself again.

She looked forward to talking with Kyungsoo, she was slowly finding her creativity again, and she would be able to quit the job she hated. She finally felt like she could breathe. As she laid lay down to bed that night she thought back to one of her talks with Olivia.

Her first thought had been: I want to be a mother. Not: I want to have a baby.

The gravity of that reality came crashing down on her with such a force that she had to let it out. She immediately dialed Kyungsoo and as soon as he picked up she said, "I want to adopt."

"Wha...?" Came the bewildered response from her husband.

"I don't care how we bring a child into our family. I just know that I want to be a mommy by whatever means, and I want you to be a daddy. You're going to be the best father, Kyungsoo. I just know it."

"Are you sure, Naomi? There are other things we haven't tried, we can check..."

"We can explore all of those options, but I'm okay with whatever works. I'm ready."

Naomi could hear the long, shaky breath, as he exhaled. "I love you so much, Do Naomi. We'll start looking into it as soon as you get home."

"We've got a lot to do 'as soon as I get home'." Naomi's heart swelled with joy at the thought of all the plans that they were finally making for their future.

"That we do. And we have the rest of forever to do it. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Get some sleep, it's late." Kyungsoo's voice was soft and hypnotizing as they said goodbye.

Naomi closed her eyes, truly at peace.

A/N: So we're moving forward to a better place, right? Thanks so much to all of you for reading. If you enjoyed this chapter or if you hated this chapter, I'd love to know why! Drop me a line.

Translations:

Là, vous voyez? : There, you see?

Béchamel : Basic white sauce made with butter, flour, milk, and a little S&P

Très bien: Very good

Merci : Thank you

Encore : Again

mes règles : my period