It was a cold December night when Kate felt her first contraction. Kate gasped from the sharp pain, she didn't expect for it to be happening so fast.

Jack was sleeping next to her. She tapped him on his arm. He didn't budge. Kate gripped his shoulder, a little harder this time.

His eyes fluttered open, but he was still groggy. She whispered into his ear, "Jack, you are about to become a father!"

"What?"

"You heard me."

He jumped out of the bed and immediately started hunting around for a pair of boxer shorts. As Kate got up, she felt another sharp pain seize her, this time sucking the air from her lungs. Kate began to dress as speedily as she could.

It was finally happening and Kate had to admit she was ready. For the past month, her belly felt large and her breasts so heavy she didn't even want to leave the apartment and show herself to anyone.

Jack was supportive, of course, always assuring her that she beautiful and desirable. And, in bed, he was always demonstrating to her how her body made him crazy with passion.

With heavy eyelids, Jack approached her and gave her a feathery kiss on her lips, "All set to go?"

She took his hand, smiled and nodded. Kate could catch a hint of nervousness on his face, something that was very uncharacteristic for him. But it was still so sweet and endearing to see him vulnerable. The two of them held hands as they walked the few blocks to the hospital. Jack leaned over into her hair, "Hey. Don't be nervous, our baby will have three doctors - "

Kate giggled, "If your dad gets what he wants there will be four in the delivery room."

Jack's eyes popped and he yelped, "No! Absolutely not. He'll just get in the way. And, it will be uncomfortable for him to see you, uhm, your …."

Kate chuckled at his stammering over the mention of her genitalia, "Uncomfortable for him or for you?" Jack ran his hand through his hair, "For all of us. Not to mention, my dad has a way of sucking the air out of the room. He will take over and probably name our kid."

Sixteen hours later, at 4:42 pm, on December 23rd, David Henry Shephard was born and weighed in at 8 lbs 15 oz.

Jack was there, holding her hand throughout and doing his best to be a good patient and not hover over the OBGYN. It was Jack who cut the umbilical cord and handed their bloody and messy baby to her. Despite the indescribable exhaustion from hours of pushing and crying, Kate still managed to breathe in awe at the tiny bundle in her arms, "He's so perfect."

Kate squinted as she examined his perfect little red body, long limbs and then the thick, unruly mullet of dark locks. Kate gently shook her head: with her riot of curls and Jack's carpet thick hair, did their child ever stand a chance at not inheriting this mess?

She also watched how David balled up his little fists and stubbornly screamed and kicked. He certainly didn't like being poked or told what to do.

Kate was in love.

Finally, after the doctor and nurse examined the infant and performed the standard test, Jack held their son.

His eyes were shining with pride and filled with tears as he studied the most perfect thing he had ever seen. He looked at Kate and kneeled over to give her a kiss on her damp brow. His voice cracked, "He's beautiful."

With a hint of relief, Kate began to cry … again. During the pregnancy, Jack never admitted it outright to Kate, but she could tell he was hoping for a girl because he was so afraid to have a son. Fearful that he would follow Christian's footsteps and repeat the vicious Shephard father/son cycle.

Kate overheard Jack, tearfully, whisper to their son, "My dad used to say to me that … that I didn't have what it takes. I spent my whole life carrying that around with me. I don't ever want you to feel that way. I will always love you, no matter what you do. In my eyes you can never fail."

Jack dropped a soft kiss on David's head and Kate cried then. A moment later, Jack brought David over and rested him on her chest. Kate adjusted her gown and offered a nipple, which her baby sucked at greedily.

Kate's eyes were closed, finally allowing herself to enjoy the sensation of Jack's mouth working between her thighs. At first, she had made protesting murmurs when Jack pulled away from her lips and started to go down on her….

Even though David was almost five months now, they found themselves still struggling to rekindle their love life. Kate had lost her pregnancy weight and then some, but she still felt self-conscious - certain body parts that used to be smaller and more taut hadn't yet bounced back.

It didn't help either, that Kate always felt tired and cranky from lack of sleep and normal routine.

Jack was exhausted too between the hospital and the baby, but it didn't stop him from making sexual overtures, from trying to coax Kate back into their bedroom routine. And despite the series of gentle rejections to his advances, he always remained considerate and knew Kate well enough to know when to let it go.

But, tonight, Kate's protests were halfhearted. Jack sensed it in her body language, the way she responded to his kisses and hands, the way she opened her legs to him.

She wanted him.

Jack concentrated on what he was doing and relished the sounds of Kate breathing faster, feeling her hips move against his mouth and her half-hearted attempts to stifle the whimpers.

Jack was so turned on and her moans were some form of validation to him as a man. He was still her lover and not just the father of her child.

He worked his tongue harder and looked up at Kate.

She was so beautiful.

He lifted his head, "Do you like that? Kate, tell me what else you want, baby." Kate raised her chin, her eyes blurry, her body on fire, her words were heavy, "Yeah. I - I don't know. Don't stop, you're amazing."

Jack looked up at her, the way her chest arched upward, "I want you to come -"

Kate grabbed the back of his head, "I will, just … keep going."

His mouth attacked her again, his tongue digging deeply and —

— then the sound of David's piercing wail bounced off the walls of their bedroom.

Jack groaned, but decided to ignore it. He was going to make his wife shudder from an orgasm tonight if it killed him. Kate tapped him on the shoulder, "Jack -"

His voice was muffled, but Kate heard him. "Ignore the baby. Just focus on us, Kate."

She agreed, nodded and closed her eyes, trying to get back to that exquisite place she remembered so well, the place where she would scream out his name in climax.

Another shrill of a cry.

Now she felt her breasts tingle, get tight and uncomfortably hard. Kate recognized that familiar sensation all too well. David's crying was making her let down her milk and now she would be leaking.

Shit!

A few seconds later, David was now full-on crying and Kate's biological nurturing instincts were kicking in and she knew their intimate moment was over.

Kate nudged her husband, "Jack. Jack … the baby."

Jack tried to ignore her and worked his mouth harder, sucking, stroking, his fingers pressing down.

"Jack. Stop!"

Reluctantly and with a frustrated growl, Jack pulled away and then sat up on his calves. He gave a couple of quick strokes to his uncomfortable erection, trying to find some relief. His face was glistening from lust and their shared heat, but he still managed to look defeated.

Kate sat up and stroked his hair, "It's okay, babe. Later. I promise. I'll make it up to you."

Jack frowned, nodded and gave her a quick kiss to her temple. "This kid is gonna kill me." He smiled though, and Kate could tell that he was thinking about David.

Kate chuckled and began to lift herself off the bed.

He lifted up his hand and gently placed it across her chest, "Stay Kate. I'll get him."

She watched Jack slide pajama bottoms on and then go into the bathroom. She heard the sink run for a minute before he emerged.

He winked at her, "I love you, baby"

"I love you too, Jack."

Jack came back to their bedroom, gently cradling a very much howling David. "I think he's hungry."

Kate groaned, "He's always hungry."

With a sigh and a yawn, Kate reached out and then brought the bundle to her left breast. David latched on and the room was finally quiet, but for the gentle suctioning sounds.

Jack lifted the duvet and climbed into bed. He wrapped his arm around both of them.

He sighed and mused, "I think the kid is psychic."

Kate giggled, "What?"

"This is the third time David cockblocked me."

Kate playfully swatted at his chest, "Stop."

"I'm serious. David wants you all to himself and he knows when I'm touching your beautiful breasts."

They both laughed and then shared a deep kiss.

"On his twenty-first birthday, I'll take him to Vegas, We'll use his psychic abilities to make us rich."

Kate raised her eyebrow, "Oh yeah? And what will we do with all those millions the two of you will win?"

Jack sighed and leaned back into the pillows. He paused for a few seconds with his eyes closed and then he smiled, "I'll buy the two of us an island in the middle of the Pacific."

Kate's eyes rolled, "Nothing but sand, sun and ocean... You would get bored and hate it. You always need to fix things, Jack."

"No, I wouldn't. You and I would FINALLY be alone and we could make love anytime we wanted. No interruptions. Just you and me. Skinny-dipping in a lagoon with a waterfall, picking mangos, living on the beach or …. maybe in some caves. I would make sure to keep you nude all the time, just like a goddess, like Eve in the Garden of Eden …."

Kate chuckled and gave him a gentle bite on his shoulder, "Okay Jack, that sounds pretty amazing. Although, the whole caveman-keeping-me-nude thing sounds a little sexist."

Jack let out a hearty laugh and it jostled the baby. Jack palmed David's head to soothe him, and whispered, "Sorry kiddo."

Then Jack dropped his head and kissed the crown of his son's head. Kate adjusted and switched David to her other breast.

Kate's eyes watered as she looked at her husband, she was overcome with this feeling of love and …. fate. Jack was always meant for her. She knew it.

A/N - I hope you all enjoyed this. I wrote this in a few hours and had so much fun doing it.

I felt so overwhelmingly inspired and realized how I much I miss them - THIS version of Jack and Kate.

If you read this, please leave a note and let me know that you did. It would mean the WORLD to me.