Disclaimer: I do not own LOST or any of its characters, though I wish I did.
Title: Trying to Move On
By: The Pirate Illusionist
A/N: Sequel to Things Seem to Change. This story has Charlie/Claire with Jack(Don't worry Kate will be in flashbacks!) and Sayid/Shannon.
The rain pattered down on the busy streets of Los Angeles. Everything was drenched, from car seats whose owners left the windows open to the people who were walking the street. This didn't matter to Jack Shepard. He was safely inside of his own home, just waking up to a baby's cry. Nikki was now at least seven months old and could scream like a banshee. Jack groaned as his eyelids flickered open. He rubbed them and looked at the clock by his bed. It read eight in the morning. Nikki had had a good night, so that meant he would have to change her diaper and get her a bottle. The screaming continued and he rolled out of bed. He walked to his daughter's nearby room and held her close.
"It's ok, Nick," he whispered to her.
Nikki cooed as he changed her diaper. He carried her down stairs and warmed up a bottle. As he fed her, he wished that Kate was there. Then, he wouldn't have to do this alone. Nikki would grow up and have no mother and he didn't want that. He really didn't know what to do about it. His thoughts drifted to the island as sat down with his daughter.
"Look, Jack. The baby will come before you finish that hut," a pregnant Kate said.
Jack held in his hands a salvaged hammer and some nails. The sun beat down on the island, making him sweat. He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry, Kate. It'll be done. I'm just a busy man."
"You can't make time for this?"
"I'm the only doctor."
"Well, you should have let me build my own hut."
"I can't have that while you are pregnant. You should take it easy. You could hurt our child."
"Okay, if the hut isn't done, where will the baby live?"
"The doctor's tent."
She laughed. "I want our baby to have something better than that."
The baby would have something better than that if she was only alive. These thought always plagued his mind. Sighing, he put the bottle down and burped Nikki. He wondered how everyone else was getting along. The phone started to ring and he answered.
"Hello? Jack Shepard speaking," he said.
"It' Walt," a child's voice came from the other end.
"Walt? What do you need?"
"Can I come and stay?"
"I thought you were living with your step-father."
"Bryan put me in a foster home. My foster dad said he would fly me over to your house if you let me stay there. I don't like it here. It's horrible. You were the only one I could find in the phone book."
Jack thought over it. "Sure you can come stay."
"Okay. I'll be there and a day or so," Walt said and he hung up.
Jack put the phone down slowly. He thought about calling Charlie but he didn't know the time zones over there. He put Nikki in a bouncy chair and logged onto the computer. He looked up Charlie's phone number and came up with Liam's instead. He grabbed the phone as Nikki waved her fists in the air. He dialed the number and it started to ring.
"Hello," a tired voice came from the other line.
"Charlie?" Jack asked.
"Jack! How are you, man?"
"Okay. Just wanting to talk to someone from the island. Walt had just called me."
"Really, why?"
"Needs a place to stay."
"Oh."
"How are you?"
"Could be better."
"How's Claire."
"I have no clue," Charlie muttered.
"Why don't you know?"
"She's not here."
"Why?"
"Her mum took her seven months ago. We haven't seen each other since and haven't planned the wedding yet."
"Oh. I'm so sorry. You should probably go find her."
"Yeah, I know. I thought she would call me if she wanted me. I guess not."
"She probably just doesn't have a chance to."
"Yeah. Well...I think I'll do that. Thanks, Jack."
"No problem, Charlie."
They started to talk about the island and all sorts of things. Their talks drifted to Sayid and wondering how him and Shannon were. Soon, Charlie thanked Jack again and said he had to go. Jack put down the phone and looked at Nikki who had fallen asleep. He smiled at the little baby and thought about calling Sayid and Shannon but he thought it best just to watch some TV for now. He would call them later when he had something to talk about. He just hoped that they were getting along much better than him and Charlie.
A/N: This chapter is just the set up. Next chapter will set up for Sayid and Shannon probably. Or maybe Claire.I'm not sure yet. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. R&R!
