Secret Santa for timeloopy. Hope this is okay! Please enjoy! Also, kudos to anyone who can guess where the kid's names come from. I'll tell you at the end of the story.
. . .
"Mom?"
"Hm?"
"Can I go to the movies with Christian?"
Juliet looked up, blue eyes meeting blue. Juliet was attempting to work, her papers spread out in front of her all across the desk in the study of the home she and James had bought shortly after their escape from the madness of the island. The suburbs of Los Angeles were rather nice, once you gave them the chance.
"Please?" Rochelle, the child Juliet had given birth to what seemed like sixteen long years ago, looked at her with a pleading look. Juliet had never heard of this 'Christian', and now arched an eyebrow, her hand pausing from where she'd been writing a doctor's order across one of her papers.
"Christian who?"
Rochelle looked down, toeing the floor slightly as she fiddled with the skirt of her uniform. She had just gotten home from the private school she attended in downtown Los Angeles – only the children of doctors, lawyers, and other people with large figure paychecks got in. James usually brought her home from school, and the father and daughter had just returned not too long ago.
"Christian . . . Shephard."
The pen in Juliet's hand nearly snapped, but she managed to stay collected as she spoke, a small smile playing at her lips.
"I think you should go and ask your father."
Rochelle groaned.
"Mom please! You know what he'll say! Please just let me go!"
"Not until you ask your father."
Grumbling beneath her breath, Rochelle silently left the study. Juliet waited a moment, before getting to her feet, following quietly, the skirt of her dress swishing silently about her legs. She watched Rochelle enter the living room across the hall where she knew she'd find her father, most likely reading one of his favorite novels after a long day of working security for one of the top Cooperations in Los Angeles.
"Dad?"
James looked up at his daughter, his glasses sliding down his nose.
"What is it sweetcheeks?"
"I was wondering if I could go to the movies with a friend tonight." She said softly, her eyes easily shifting into the look of a puppy dog's. Juliet stood in the doorway, stifling a small laugh. James could hardly resist that look.
"Sure. Which friend? Jamie? You haven't been hanging out with her recently."
"Actually, it's a guy friend."
James arched an eyebrow, peering around Rochelle to look at his wife, who raised her hands.
"She already asked me and I told her to ask you." Juliet said to the look on his face. Rochelle was shifting nervously from foot to foot, long blonde curls swaying behind her back.
"Which guy friend?" He asked carefully, finally lowering his book after marking his page. He removed his glasses, leaning forward on the couch.
"Christian Shephard."
There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment, before James extended a hand, gesturing for Rochelle to come and sit beside him. She obliged, nervously perched on the edge of the couch.
"'Chelle," He began, using her pet name that Rochelle only let him get away with. "Christian Shephard is a boy you do not want to get involved with." He said seriously.
"Why not?"
"His father is a pain in the ass, and Christian is just like him." He stated. Juliet snorted in laughter and Rochelle frowned, looking offended.
"He's nice daddy! You like him when he and his parents come over for dinners or we go over there!" She protested.
"That's because then he didn't want to date my little girl."
"I wouldn't say that." Juliet warned, but it was too late.
"Daddy!" The shriek came from the staircase. Another blonde child – this one no older than six – came flying down the rest of the stairs, launching herself into her father's arms. "I thought I was your little girl?"
"You are. But you don't have to worry about boys for a long while." He assured her, pulling the girl up to sit on his lap. "Where your other half?"
"Hiding from her!" A boy – who looked exactly like the girl now cradled in James's lap – came around the corner, pointing an accusing finger at his twin sister. She stuck her tongue out at him, and Rochelle suddenly sighed, irritated.
"Can't you guys leave us alone for one second!? I'm trying to ask dad something important!" She said, glaring at her younger siblings.
"Carrie, J.J, go back upstairs." Juliet told them firmly. "Or go outside and play nicely and I'll make you macaroni for dinner." She said. The twins looked at each other, but nodded in agreement. Carrie leapt down from her father's lap and followed her brother toward the front door. Rochelle waited until it had slammed shut before she spoke.
"He even said his parents offered for you guys to come over and hang out until we get back. Please dad?"
"I'll tell you what. I'll think about it."
. . .
"Well, Jacko, looks like we've got ourselves a little problem." James said, folding his arms across his chest as he stood with Jack Shephard near the window of the doctor's rather nice apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Jack glanced at him, but his attention was solely focused on the two figures on the ground several stories below, getting into Christian's car.
"I think it's kind of cute." Kate said, coming around the corner from the kitchen, Juliet beside her, both carrying mugs of hot tea.
"I feel old." Juliet grumbled and Kate laughed as they sat down on the couch. "Eighteen years to the day we got off that island, and now our children are dating. We're old."
"It had to be a Shephard. She couldn't have gone and dated Charlie Hume, or Faraday's freak genius kid who's in college already." James muttered and Jack arched an eyebrow at him.
"What's so wrong with her dating Christian?"
"Just you wait until your little Claire is Rochelle's age and wants to date."
"Boys are icky!" The eight-year-old Claire Shephard piped up from the floor near the television where she, Carrie, and J.J were coloring in the pages of coloring books, crayons and paper spread out around them.
"Rochelle said that too when she was eight. And at ages nine, ten, eleven, and twelve. It all starts when they turn teenagers." Juliet shook her head.
"Just imagine if they get married." Kate said and there was a long silence in the room, in which Jack took the opportunity to throw a pillow off the armchair at her, James groaned, and Juliet nudged her hard in the side with her elbow.
"Don't even mention that, Freckles." James stated, shaking his head.
"We'd be grandparents." Jack said and Juliet let out something between a laugh and a groan.
"Way to make me feel even older."
"Sorry."
"All right you two. Come away from the window." Kate said, pushing the coffee table farther away from the couch so that she could sit between the table and couch on the floor. Juliet joined her, helping her clear off the top of the table as Kate pulled out a deck of cards. "James, you deal first."
At ten that night, Christian and Rochelle finally returned, although the worried parents of both figured something was wrong when Christian came in carrying Rochelle.
"Don't freak. I slipped on the stairs at the movie theater. I think I sprained my ankle." Rochelle said the instant she saw the worried looks on her parent's faces.
"See? Told you something bad would happen." James said quietly to Jack as they pushed themselves off the ground. Kate was gathering up the cards as Juliet moved forward, helping Christian lower Rochelle to the floor. Rochelle switched most of her weight onto her mother, who helped her to the couch.
"You mind looking at my ankle Dr. Shephard?" Rochelle asked with a wince.
"Not a problem." Jack flashed a grin and moved to help her as Kate and Juliet went into the kitchen. Christian sat down beside Rochelle on the couch.
"All right, you two." James began in a serious tone and they looked at him where he stood by the window. "If you're going to date, there's going to be a few ground rules."
"Dad!" Rochelle groaned.
"In by ten o'clock." He continued as if his daughter had not interrupted. "It can't interfere with school. There will be no making out in y'alls rooms with the doors closed, and I'm sure all four adults probably agree when I say none of this kissy-kissy stuff in our presences."
"And you have to let us know where you're going." Jack added, now rummaging through a drawer on a small end table, pulling out a bandage and a bobby pin before going back over to wrap Rochelle's ankle.
"Fine." Rochelle grumbled, folding her arms across her chest, clearly unhappy. Christian chuckled.
"All right by me, Mr. Ford. Does this mean I have permission to date your daughter?"
"For now."
Christian grinned, pressing a kiss to Rochelle's cheek.
"Hey! None of that in front of us!"
"Dad!" Rochelle sighed heavily.
"What?"
"Knock it off already!"
A/N: Hope it wasn't too bad. Rochelle is named after Juliet's sister Rachel, Carrie comes from James and Juliet's favorite book, and J.J stands for James Junior. Christian comes from Jack's father, and Claire from his half sister, who is still on the island in this story. Reviews are love!