As the dream world crumbled around them, Jack looked at the specter of his late wife. It had been years since her death. She smiles at him sweetly as her form fades,
“Jack,” She said in her sweet accent, “I know you’re scared to tell her.”
Jack responds, trying to remain calm, “Tell who? Tell what?”
“My death wasn’t your fault. You are a kind and gentle man, you have no sins so why do you let yourself suffer so much?” There was a coating of tender grief in her voice, as if she deeply hated the pain Jack was causing himself.
Jack lowered his head, “Clarice, you know that’s not true. I--”
Suddenly the broken man felt her arms around him, tears grow in his eyes and he hugs her back. Despite being nothing but an illusion there is a warmth to her.
“I want you to be happy with Mary.”
With that, Jack wakes up. The first thing he feels is someone hugging him, Mary. She was the source of the warmth Jack felt in the dream.
“Mary…” Jack said in a low voice, “Mary I--”
Mary pulls back suddenly, her eyes red from tears,
“You’re awake!” She exclaims, “Jack, I was so worried! Jake and Jane woke up a few minutes ago but you didn’t...I...I thought…” She trails off, her voice breaking.
Before she can start crying again, Jack pulls her into the hug once more. With a gentle smile he says, “Don’t worry. I’m okay.”

A few days later, after being medically examined, Jack returns home. As soon as he walks in through the door he’s caught in the arms of Mary,
“Welcome back, Jack!” She chirps.
He looks down at her and smiles warmly, he thinks about what Clarice said. He places a hand on her head and smooths her hair, his smile brightening, “It’s nice to see you again, I appreciate the welcome. I missed you.”
Mary pauses, her face red from the sudden affection, “I-I missed you too!” She squeaks, only to cause Jack to laugh. He moves over and takes off his coat, hanging it on the hanger nearby. Mary can’t help but notice how much lighter he seems, just like he used to be. She smiles sweetly and walks over,
“I’m surprised you’re in a good mood! Any reason why?” Mary playfully asks.
Jack looks over at her with a slight smile,
“Nothing really, just an old friend talked to me and gave me some advice.”
“Advice? Who told you and what did they say?”
Jack’s face reddens slightly and his heart races. His smile weakens into more of a nervous one,
“Ah nothing!”
Mary pouts, putting her fists on her hips. Jack looks at her and thinks about how adorable she looks.
“Come on I’ve known you my whole life!” Mary protests.
“Not your whole life.” Jack corrects as he starts walking to the kitchen.
“Close enough! I’m your best friend--”
“Nah that’s Vincent.” Jack says, teasing her.
“You can have two!”
Jack laughs as he opens the fridge. He lets out a comedic sigh and says,
“Fine, I’ll tell you” he starts, causing Mary to light up, “Tonight.”
Mary frowns and huffs,
“Fine.”
“We’ll go for a walk tonight at let’s say 8.”
Mary nods, Jack continues,
“Make sure to bring a coat, it’s going to be cold.”
“I’ll be fine! I like the cold.”
Jack sighs,
“You always say that.”

That night, Jack and Mary walked through the sparkling, snow decorated, city. Mary had brought a coat and despite that, she was cold.
“So when are you gonna tell me, Jack?” She asks, “The suspense is killing me!”
Jack swallows, his face reddening again.
“We’ll get there, come on let’s see if we can get some cocoa. There’s probably a shop nearby.”
Jack was right, they stumble upon a shop that just so happens to be selling nice hot cups of cocoa. Mary follows right behind him as they enter, she gets the feeling he’s trying to stall. The reason why she’s so interested is that she has had a crush on Jack since they were teenagers. She was always a hopeful woman. As Jack orders their drinks, she looks up at him and smiles. She found herself captivated by him at times, especially his eyes which were a bright red. She slips her hand gently into his, a feeling she’s used to. Jack looks at her confused,
“Mary, is something stressing you out?”
Mary and Jack would hold hands when they were nervous or scared. Though it was mostly Mary who initiated it, Jack found comfort in it too and would often lightly squeeze her hand in reassurance. Mary shakes her head,
“No, I just wanted to.”
Nonetheless, Jack still gave her a squeeze which made her smile. They grab their drinks and head out, thanking the barista as they leave.
Jack had no idea how he was going to tell her. The truth is, he had felt this way since they were little. Pretty much since he was able to feel these emotions he felt them towards her. He never acted on them though in fear of rejection then later, in fear of hurting her. He had an Enigma that ultimately killed his wife, he was worried it would happen to her too.
He found himself staring at her, reminiscing all the times she captured his heart. He remembers her holding him after the incident with his wife. How nice her hand felt in his hair and how he fell asleep in her lap. She was the only person ever to see him cry. There was also the dance, being in his old mansion, remembering his troublesome childhood, his mom, and various things. Even when he broke down and destroyed his old room there, Mary stayed by him. She wasn’t afraid of him. She didn’t pity him. He knew she loved him, but maybe not in the same way he loved her. He remembers afterwards dancing with her. She felt so warm. It was the happiest he ever felt. Mary suddenly looks at him,
“Why are you staring, do I have something on my face?” She asks.
Jack looks away,
“A-ah no you just looked very content. I like seeing you like that.” He answers before drinking his cocoa. 

Mary smiled and sipped on her drink. Jack suddenly takes a deep breath and leads her over to a bench.
“Oh we’re stopping?” Mary asks.
Jack nods as he sits down, he’s nervous. Mary sits down next to him. He looks down at their hands, still holding onto each other. His heart is pounding and he can feel butterflies in his stomach, if only he could cough them out.
“Mary, you’re really beautiful you know?” Jack says.
Mary looks at him, blushing,
“O-oh! You think so?”
“Well yeah, I mean, I tell you that a lot don’t I?”
Mary nods,
“Personally, I feel the same way about you--” she starts, “I-I mean you’re pretty handsome!”
Jack laughs,
“Thank you.”
There’s a pause, Jack takes another deep breath,
“You’re just so beautiful.”
He looks down with a smile,
“Mary, we’ve known each other since we were 5.”
Mary nods, Jack continues,
“And as we grew up I started...well feeling stuff. I never told you because I was worried.”
“Worried?”
“Worried.”
Jack pauses,
“Worried that you wouldn’t want to be friends or...well...then it became fear of hurting you. I should’ve just told you. I really should’ve. Who knows what life would be like if I did…” He trails off, “You’re amazing. You’re so nice and you seem to be the only person to understand me. You make me laugh and smile like no one else has.”
Mary looks at him expectedly, Jack stares into her eyes for a moment before looking away,
“Y-you know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. Not unless you say it.” She replies.
Jack struggles to say it, his fear of hurting her rising back up. He’s terrified. He can’t say it no matter how hard he tries. Mary gives him a reassuring smile and squeezes his hand,
“Mary, I-I...love you.” After the words leave his mouth he’s astonished. ‘I love you.” He starts tearing up from relief, “Mary, I love you. I love you so much.”
He pulls her into a tight hug,
“Oh my god, I love you. I love you!” He says, starting to cry. He’s finally able to say it. After years, he’s finally able to and never wants to stop. She hugs him back and gently rubs his back. “I love you, Mary. You make my heart skip everytime you do something adorable which is all the time. You make me so happy just being around me. I want to be the man who keeps you safe and makes you happy. I--”
“You already do.” Mary says. “You make me so happy.”
Jack smiles, understanding what she’s saying,
“You really feel the same?”
“I do.”
“Even after…?”
“I do.”
“Mary I--” He chokes on his own joy and buries his face in her shoulder.
“I love you too, Jack.”
Her response causes them both to laugh.
“Can we stay like this? Just for a bit.” Mary requests.
“Of course. As long as you like.” Jack responds.

A while later they find themselves walking back home, having also finished their drinks.
“So what now?” Jack asks.
“What do you mean?” Mary asks back.
“Mary, I just told you I love you.”
“Yeah you said it a lot~” she teases him.
He blushes, clearly embarrassed,
“Don’t worry,” Mary starts, “It was adorable.”
“So?” Jack inquires, bringing the conversation back to his initial question.
“Well what do you want to happen?” Mary responds.
“I want…” He pauses and looks up at the sky, “I want to be happy with you.”
Mary suddenly stops and it causes him to stop as well. He looks back at her.
“Did...did I say something wrong?”
She moves in closer and smiles, standing up on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“I want to be happy with you too.”
Before he can respond, her lips are against his. He relaxes, his hands resting on her hips, as he kisses back. They stay like this for a while before Mary breaks it. She rests her hand on Jack’s cheek and rubs it with her thumb. She looks up and meets his eyes with her’s, the look in his is soft,
“It’s been a while since we kissed.” She says.
Jack blushes, “Th-that’s right, we did when we were younger.”
“Yeah before you had a beard.”
Jack blushes more and his eyes widen, “I-If you don’t like it I can shave it off!”
She gives him another kiss, this one shorter and this time grabbing his tie.
“Nah, I like it~! And your sharp teeth too.”
Jack turns bright red and looks away, covering his mouth. Mary laughs and steps back. Jack seems extremely flustered and stammers for a bit,
“Th-thank...thank y...ou…” He says.
Mary laughs again then shivers suddenly and before either of them could say anything Jack takes off his coat and places it on her. She blushes and looks up at him with a smile. She grabs his arm and they walk home. Mary teases him all the way there.
As they walk into their apartment, Mary starts heading towards their bedroom,
“I can sleep on the couch tonight!” Jack says.
This causes Mary to stop and look back,
“Huh why?”
Jack starts undoing his tie, then his shirt. He tosses them to the side and Mary stares at his shirtless torso.
“Well...given what I said, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable or anything…”
Mary walks over and grabs his hand. He looks at her,
“Mary?”
She almost instantly starts dragging him to the bedroom. His eyes widen and his face turns bright red. He tried not to show it but he was admittedly a bit excited. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about doing this with her before.
“M-mary what are you--?!” He exclaims.
Mary pulls him into their bedroom, then onto the bed then under the covers. Jack’s heart is racing, she wraps her arms around him and places her head on his chest. She cuddles him with a big smile on her face.
“Aw your heart’s racing?” Mary teases.
Jack nods, 

“I-I like this though...I really like this.”
Mary lets out a yawn before snuggling into him, “Good.” She closes her eyes and Jack relaxes doing the same. He wraps an arm around her and pulls her close.
“Goodnight, I love you.” She says with a sigh.
“Goodnight, I love you too.” Jack responds.