"Did you get a good shot?" Naomi leaned over to look at the small screen on Mayu's digital camera as she bounced a sleeping Ichiro in the carrier strapped to her front.

"As good as I could, considering all the elbows I had to throw to keep my spot." Mayu had camped out since two a.m. for her spot at the finish line of the marathon. Though, if anyone could maintain a presence and not get bullied out of her two-foot-square of prime real estate it was Mayu. She handed the camera to Naomi and took a swig of water. Mayu had jogged almost six blocks around all of the cordoned-off spaces to join her sister-in-law at the designated family meeting area.

Naomi was bouncing on her toes, looking over all the other heads and bodies that were milling around their corner, trying to spot her husband. One by one the rest of the family congregated at the meeting place, just in time to see Kyungsoo emerge from the restricted areas reserved for racers only.

Each family member had taken up a post somewhere along the race course to shout encouragements and well wishes as Kyungsoo ran by. Naomi and Ichiro had been stationed at the halfway point. As Kyungsoo approached, Naomi began waving her arm like a crazy person, all the while keeping the other arm wrapped around the tiny infant she carried like a momma kangaroo. Kyungsoo's answering grin as he jogged by made all the standing and waiting worth it.

Kyungsoo was specific in his destination as he turned the corner around the water station. He strode toward his family and right into Naomi's waiting arms, careful not to squish the baby in his enthusiasm.

"So what was your official time?" Seungsoo asked.

"Two hours and fifty eight minutes," Kyungsoo responded with a grin. "And I couldn't have done it without the most wonderful wife in the whole world." He brushed his hand over Naomi's cheek and leaned in for a kiss.

She ignored the fact that he was still dripping copious amounts of sweat and wrapped one hand behind his neck, drawing him in closer. The salt on his lips combined, not unpleasantly, with whatever energy supplement he'd most recently ingested. But that really was quite secondary in her mind as she moved her lips with his. He had succeeded. This goal that had been looming, and at one point been so divisive in their relationship, had been achieved; though to Naomi, it felt more like their personal Goliath had been vanquished.

Naomi had been worried, after he resumed his training schedule, that it would interfere with reestablishing the foundations of their marriage; her fears had been unnecessary. He always made sure to schedule his training around the times when she and Ichiro were either asleep or when his mother was with her. He'd shown her with his actions how his priorities had changed and that she was once again at the top of that list.

Everyone took turns congratulating Kyungsoo and giving him hugs and slaps on the back. It was clear he was exhausted, but he was also radiantly happy. As they started to move toward the parking area, Naomi felt a little tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Mayu's husband wearing a rueful expression and holding the hand of her very bouncy niece, Libby.

"Mind if I take over Ichiro duties? Libby has been dying to walk with Auntie Naomi, and you've been hoggin' my nephew all morning." He winked and made his own pouty face as Libby continued to bounce on her toes and plead with a look that was only partly inherited from her mother. She guessed that Mayu had seen what a physical toll the day had taken on her and told Jasper to come relieve her of the extra burden.

"You have taught the young one well." Naomi playfully narrowed her gaze at Mayu. "How can anyone possibly refuse those eyes? She's gonna be lethal when she grows up," Naomi said as she carefully transferred Ichiro in his carrier to his uncle's chest.

He simply shook his head and asked, "What do you mean when she grows up? She's lethal now!"

"I know, right?" responded Mayu, her voice full of pride as she fell in step next to her husband. It was fun to watch Mayu coo over baby Ichiro, naomi mused as she swung Libby's hand back and forth.

Kyungsoo slowed his step until Naomi had caught up to him. She reached for his hand and laced their fingers together as they continued to walk to the parking area. Libby was, for once, oddly quiet, allowing the grownups to converse a little.

"How are you feeling?" Kyungsoo asked with a gentle squeeze to Naomi's hand.

"A little bit tired. I'll be glad to lay down when we get back to the hotel." Naomi was about nine weeks post-partum. She'd been incredibly lucky with her recovery so far. She'd had no issues with her incision healing. Her bleeding was minimal, and the swelling and baby weight was slowly melting away. She'd struggled for a few weeks with what she guessed was probably a mixture of post-partum depression and feelings of depression brought on by the circumstances of the hysterectomy.

"Mommy says, I don't have a nap enna more." Libby looked up, pleased that she'd found a way to contribute to the conversation.

It didn't take much encouragement for Naomi to seek help from a counselor and support group for new moms. Once she was able to get out and about – about four weeks after her surgery – she began attending a weekly meeting with several other moms at the local community recreation center.

At first, Mrs. Do would attend with her and help with packing Ichiro and all his gear into and out of the car. But at her eight-week checkup, she'd been given the go ahead to start lifting and resuming regular activities.

Once the Do family walked back to the cars, Mayu and Naomi swapped their respective children back.

"I'm ready for a nap myself," Kyungsoo groaned, stretching his arms. "Doctor Wi did say you were cleared for all your regular activities right?" He asked with a sideways look toward Naomi.

"What kind of nap are you thinking of?" Naomi cocked an eyebrow in question as she buckled the baby into his car seat.

Kyungsoo hung his head sheepishly but never lost the impish grin on his face. "The kind where Mom and Dad watch Ichiro in their room?"

"Huh. I'll need to feed him when we get back, but maybe we can see if they'd be willing to watch him for a bit. Though, you really need a shower."

"I think I might need some help with that," he whispered. His smile shifted from impish to devilish as he waggled his eyebrows. "See there's this spot on my back that I just can't reach…" his voice trailed off suggestively as they climbed in and buckled up.

"I might be able to help with that." Naomi winked as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Kyungsoo's jaw.

15 years later

"Mommy? Is it sparkly enough?"

Naomi strolled over to the long, glass pastry display case and looked it over with a discriminating eye. Her daughter, Aimee, looked up, face full of hope and eagerness to please.

"Hmmm. I don't know. Did you do your very best?" Naomi noticed a couple of smudges, but would never demean the hard work that Aimee had put in.

"Yes, Mommy. My very, very bestest." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and smiled.

Naomi cupped her daughter's coffee-colored cheek and looked deeply into the characteristic almond-shaped eyes and said, "Then it's perfect. Go put the cleaner away and throw the rag into the laundry basket."

"Okay, Mommy," she said, all enthusiasm and energy. Naomi heard a clang and winced as she imagined the pile of cupcake tins clattering to the floor.

"I'm okay," came the quick reply, the sounds of tins being restacked on the shelf right behind it.

Aimee loved helping in Naomi's pastry shop, Délicieuse, and was truly her mother's shadow. She was smart and talented and worked every day to live beyond the label of disabled. Naomi constantly marveled at the manner in which Aimee came to be a part of their family.

Ichiro was just starting pre-school and even though she knew it wouldn't be physically possible for her to have another child, she still felt the familiar desire to mother a baby. She began volunteering in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units at the hospital. And that is where she met Aimee for the first time.

She'd been working at the hospital for about six months when she first encountered Aimee. She'd received her assignment from the volunteer coordinator and was a little confused when she was sent to the pediatric ICU; she usually spent most of her time in the NICU. The feeling that fate had somehow been involved in her assignment, smacked her hard in the chest as soon as she saw the baby who would eventually become her daughter. She'd been brought in with a severe case of RSV, and had an oxygen cannula taped under her nose. The nurse mentioned under her breath that she'd probably contracted the illness from one of the other six children in her foster home.

Naomi moved closer to the bassinet and peered down at the little girl. She was smaller than what a two-month-old should be, a soft halo of dark brown, tightly spiraled curls crowned her perfectly round head. Her eyes, also a deep chocolate brown, slanted up at the corners while her tongue protruded just slightly from her pouted lips. Her skin was like creamy, white fudge pudding, and without a single blemish. Ichiro had been covered in baby zits for his first couple of months, she remembered.

Naomi ran her fingers over the name card on the bassinet - Rim A. was all it said. The nurse pressed a bottle of formula into Naomi's hand and explained that she'd been the first born in a set of twins but that Baby B, her brother hadn't survived the delivery. Naomi's heart was breaking into pieces and at the same time being reformed to hold a space for Baby A. In all her experience volunteering, she'd never felt such an attachment to one of the babies like she did with A.

The baby began coughing - a full body experience for an infant - her feet and arms contracting tightly into her body as she struggled to breathe. Instinctively, Naomi reached out and lifted A into her arms and began soothing and feeding the child. Once the bottle had been finished and A was sleeping soundly, Naomi excused herself and immediately called her husband.

"There's a little girl in there who needs us," she said as soon as Kyungsoo walked up to her.

"What?"

"A foster child being treated for RSV. She's only two months old, and I...I can't explain it, hon. I just feel it so strongly, right here," she said rubbing her chest, "that she's meant to be part of our family."

"Well, then I think I need to meet this special little lady." Kyungsoo, freshly scrubbed, gowned, and masked was admitted into the PICU.

Naomi's heart pounded in her chest as she watched Kyungsoo gently his fingers over A's soft hair and down her plump cheek. He had to feel this connection. He just had to.

"Are you sure, babe? There are a lot of potential complications for children with Down syndrome." He wasn't discouraging. More like just making sure she knew that the road probably wouldn't be smooth.

"I'm sure. She belongs with us."

It took hours of classes, home studies, and visitations. But every single day and month they had to wait was worth it when Baby A officially become Do Aimee.

While she was out of the room, Naomi took a napkin and quickly wiped off the few spots that Aimee had missed and waited. She came back out and turned off the lights in the back room, a wide grin on her face. "Do you think Daddy will like my cupcakes?"

"Doesn't he always?" Naomi asked with a teasing tone as she picked up the little box of cakes. It wasn't anyone's birthday or anniversary. Aimee just loved making special treats for her daddy and big brother Ichiro.

"Mhmm," she hummed in agreement. Her eyes darted all around taking in the familiar scenery. She and Naomi walked this way frequently. The air was warm and smelled of rain, maybe even a thunder storm, which fascinated Aimee. She'd sit by the window and try to identify shapes in the lightning.

Afternoon was quickly waning as they passed a park that Aimee had made her latest subject in a detailed series of paintings and drawings. She slowed and observed the smaller children playing on the jungle gym and slide. Naomi could see her mentally cataloguing the tableau and was sure that she'd see a similar rendering by tomorrow or the next day at the latest.

Their home was in sight when Aimee took off running down the sidewalk. Naomi glanced up to see that Ichiro had just barely beaten them home from track practice. His sandy dark brown hair was soaked with sweat and he still had his duffle bag slung around his back as he put his bike away. Her shouts gave him just enough warning to turn around. She went hurtling into Ichiro's outstretched arms and Naomi felt her heart fill to near bursting with love and pride. He swung his little sister in a big circle and patiently listened to all of the stories she had to tell.

Naomi followed the siblings into the house, passing them in the foyer to get started on dinner. She was laughing quietly over a cutting board full of vegetables when Kyungsoo walked in the side door from the garage.

"Hey, good lookin'. What's so funny?" he asked, planting a kiss on the side of her neck.

"Aimee. She just asked Ichiro if he farted. When he said no, she told him, 'Well, you stink. Whatever you do, don't fall into the shower and get clean or anything.'"

Kyungsoo bowed his head, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "Where does she come up with this stuff?"

"I have no idea," she replied, tipping her head up for a more thorough kiss. "Oh and she's been talking about Zach, again."

"What? I thought she was done with all that nonsense," he grumbled as he peeked into the blue and white polka-dotted box. He grinned and began rubbing his stomach as he went in search of his daughter. "Where's my princess? Are those Aimee cupcakes I see in the kitchen?"

"DADDY!" She screeched as she skidded around the corner and into Kyungsoo's arms. "I made one for everybody. Even Ichiro, but if he still stinks he's not gonna get one."

"Well, sweetheart, he stinks because he's a teenage boy and boys are gross. Best to stay far, far away from all boys. Because they're stinky and gross and full of germs."

"But not Zach. He's my friend." She was so innocent as she looked up into her father's eyes.

Kyungsoo pulled her toward him and wrapped his arms around her in the biggest bear hug a daddy could give. "Especially Zach," he mumbled low enough that she couldn't hear.

Later that evening, Kyungso joined Naomi and Aimee right in the middle of their hair ritual. It had taken Naomi a long time to learn all of the tricks and products for taking proper care of Aimee's hair. She smiled as he watched her carefully pick, separate, and braid their daughter's hair in preparation for her big day.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Kyungsoo handed Naomi a soft, fabric covered rubber band, marveling at how deftly she could wind it around the end of Aimee's plait. He could see that his little girl wanted to bounce right out of her seat, but after years of having her hair done, she knew that sitting still would get the process finished a whole lot quicker.

"I think it will be even better than last year." She smiled with a wicked twinkle in her eye. "Especially 'cause Zach is gonna be there, too."

Kyungsoo was barely able to suppress a groan, but Aimee could see the pained expression and it didn't help at all that Naomi was snickering quietly in the background. Kyungsoo chose the deflection and redirection tactic to get the conversation back on track.

"Are you nervous? 5000 meters is a lot longer than 3000." Kyungsoo wanted to make sure that Aimee had realistic expectations of her performance the next day. She was participating in the Special Olympics games for the second time and was going to be running in several of the longer distance track races, though it was her first 5K for competition.

"No, Daddy. I'm not nervous. We do those all the time. Like when Mommy and me got to wear the pink shirts and the pink tutus," she said with a giggle. "That was fun."

It made him want to puff up his chest with pride to hear the enthusiasm his daughter had for running. Once Naomi had recovered from Ichiro's birth, she started joining Kyungsoo on some of his shorter runs. Slowly, she'd progressed and was happy to say that she'd run the Victoria Marathon with Kyungsoo when Ichiro was three, just before they adopted Aimee. While she was proud that she'd completed the marathon, she decided that it really wasn't her cup of tea. But it was an activity that she enjoyed on a more limited basis.

It was only natural that both of their children followed their example. Ichiro tried cross country for a while but found that he preferred the explosive nature of sprinting and relays. His strong upper torso and well-developed thighs and calves were proof of his dedication to sprinting.

Aimee, though, took after her father. She could just run and run without batting an eyelash. And so that's what they did as a family. They ran. Most recently, she and Naomi had completed a 5K run in honor of cancer awareness month.

The next day, Aimee positively glowed with the attention from her family. Everyone had come to celebrate her success. She'd come in first place in the 800-meter event, and third place in the 5k. Gramma and Grampa Do showered her with praise and all of her cousins crowded around to look at her medals.

After the initial frenzy of congratulations, the group began to dissipate. Kyungsoo was in discussion with Mr. Do about the success of his newest venture: A low cost clinic for families without insurance. He'd already received a federal grant and was working on a proposal to a private fund. The family practice he'd started almost eight years ago was thriving. Naomi had breathed a sigh of relief once the office was making money. Now years later, they both felt the need to return some of the wealth that they'd been blessed with back to their community.

Naomi, while still standing next to Kyungsoo and holding his hand, was in another world, talking with Mayu about potential new cupcake flavors. "Maple Bacon, Mayu? Really?"

"Trust me on this one, Naomi. Don't you love dredging your bacon through a puddle of maple syrup? Put that on top of an apple spice cake and voila!" Mayu's eyes were glazed over as she imagined the treat. Naomi's eyes, however, focused on an entirely different scene.

Twenty feet away, Zach and Aimee were talking. Zach, who also had Down syndrome, had run in some of the shorter distances events. It appeared that he was congratulating her on her races. They gave each other an awkward, but innocent hug, and that's when the inevitable happened.

Naomi's whole frame stiffened. Kyungsoo must have felt it through their joined hands and turned at the worst moment possible. Zach whispered something in Aimee's ear, causing her to giggle and scrunch her neck shyly. But then she nodded and before anyone could do or say anything to redirect them, the two tweens hinged toward each other at the hips, lips puckered, hands clamped firmly behind their own backs and kissed.

Kyungsoo's growl was quiet, but powerful as it rumbled through his chest. What on earth was his baby girl doing kissing a boy? He felt Naomi's hand squeeze and pull back on his arm. He hadn't even realized that he'd started toward the young pair. He was only partially mollified to see that Aimee had now crinkled her nose and was saying, "Ew!" as she wiped off. Zach had covered his face with both hands and was laughing.

When he asked her later, why she let Zach kiss her, she simply replied, "He's my best friend. And you always say that Mommy is your best friend, and you guys kiss alllllll the time."

He couldn't argue with that fact. And he wouldn't feel sorry that his children could see how much he loved their mother. But that didn't mean he was okay with his eleven-year-old daughter kissing boys.

"It's good that he's your friend, but it's important to make sure the kisses you give to others are special. Don't hand them out like pretzels. Save them until you're a little more grown up, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, pumpkin."

As he and Naomi closed up the house for the night, he kept going back to what Aimee had said. Naomi was still his very best friend and had been for almost twenty-five years. He was completely lost in thought when he felt her arms circle around his waist. He opened his stance and drew her to him closely, enjoying the familiar feel of their connection.

"Are you still worried about Zach? I'm pretty sure it's just a curiosity phase," she said, her words muffled by his shirt. "Besides, I think she thought it was pretty gross." Naomi peered up into his eyes, her chin resting on his chest, a faint smile gracing her lips.

"No. Well, yes. I'm worried about her growing up. I'm scared that some punk will try to take advantage of her. She's so sweet and trusting; I just never want anything to hurt her. But no, that's not what I was thinking about."

"Hmmm. Then what were you thinking about?" She turned her cheek to his chest and nuzzled impossibly further into his embrace.

"I was just thinking about us. About how grateful I am that we've been able to get through all of the crap we have, and still be as strong together as we are." He paused and squeezed her a bit tighter when he said, "I'm just really glad that you came back to me."

He leaned away and gently dragged his hands through Naomi's hair and around the back of her neck, brushing his thumbs over the apples of her cheeks. The glistening in her eyes told of the emotion that filled her from head to toe. The way her arms wrapped around his neck spoke of her still ardent desire for the connection they'd shared since their teenage years; a connection that had been tested and stretched, strengthened and matured, until it became a life sustaining force between them.

He tipped his head down and caressed her lips with his own, lavishing her with all the love in his heart. Eagerly, she responded, her lips sliding together with his as they kissed in the middle of the dimmed kitchen.

"Always," she whispered. Always.

E ♦ N ♦ D

Translations and Epic Author's Note:

Délicieuse: Delicious

Aimee: Beloved

I just want to thank all of you who have read and commented, even when Kyungsoo and Naomi were being horrible jerks to each other. Thanks for giving this story a chance. I have so appreciated all of the thoughts you've shared with me.

Idk what the next project will be. I plan to have a new story completed before I begin posting.

I am also still mulling over ideas for another romance; maybe another drama with Sehun x OC. Who knows what ideas might pop on my brain?

Again, THANK YOU for all of your support.

"Always..." Any Hunger Games fans out there and know where this is from? Eh? Eh? ^^ (Team Peeta all the waaa-aaay~~)