"Hey." Kate greeted Claire as she sat down beside her in the sand.
"Hey…you lost your little follower?" Claire asked with a smile.
"Jack's watching her." Kate shrugged.
"So…she's Jack's kid?" Claire asked in amazement. Kate nodded. "I didn't even know he had a kid…has he been hiding her? I'm sure I would have noticed…"
"No, he hasn't been hiding her. I didn't know he had a daughter either…to be honest, neither did he, until very recently." Kate smiled and shook her head.
"Was her mother on the plane?" Claire asked innocently.
"Yeah." Kate nodded, and drew her knees up to her chest.
"So what happened? Did she just decide to dump the kid with him, this morning…did he only just find out?" Claire asked trying to understand the situation.
Kate felt mildly offended by Claire until she remembered that Claire didn't know the full story, and didn't know that Jade was her daughter too.
"Yes he did just find out…but she definitely did not dump Jade on him…" Kate bit her lip, telling the truth was slightly harder than she'd thought.
"So who is her mother? And what the hell happened?" Claire asked. Kate looked down to the sand, and consciously battled with her thoughts.
"It's kind of complicated…" Kate looked up towards Jack, who was standing quite a way a way in a more secluded part of the beach, where less people would bother him. She watched him as he bent down, and then straightened up, with Jade in his arms. "Complicated…yeah…but…I…I'm her mother." Kate confessed and turned to Claire to watch her reaction. A range of emotions passed over Claire's face as she turned to stare Kate in the face.
"You're kidding me?" She asked.
"Hmm, I really don't think so Claire." Kate replied after a moment.
"But I thought…you didn't know Jack before the crash…" Claire started.
"I didn't." Kate turned back to watch Jack as best she could, given the distance.
"But…didn't you say?" Claire asked.
"Jack is Jade's father Claire…I know it sounds completely crazy and impossible but he is…and not like Charlie's Aaron's dad. Jack's her biological father…" Kate sighed.
"Right." Claire followed Kate's eyes towards Jack. "Kate…you do realise we've only been here a couple of months…"
"Yes." Kate sighed. "Jack and I hadn't met before the crash, before he asked me to stitch up his back. We're not together…and she hasn't been conceived…yet." Kate tilted her head to the side, realising how completely crazy this must all sound to someone who didn't have that connection with Jade, and who hadn't looked at her, really closely. There was some of Kate, and some of Jack there. Whilst it was obvious to them, perhaps it was less so to others.
"What do you mean, yet? She can't be here if she hasn't been conceived yet. Kate what the hell is going on?" Claire asked, utterly confused.
"If you'd told me that yesterday…" Kate frowned, "I really would have believed you. But Claire, she is here…and she is our daughter, and I don't know what's going on, or what happened…but she is here…" Kate shook her head and smiled slightly.
"Yesterday, I didn't know who she was, and now…I feel like we've got such a connection." She sighed heavily. "I woke up in the night, because I heard a child crying…only it wasn't Aaron – it was Jade. I was incredibly freaked out, believe me. She was just crying in the corner because she couldn't find her rabbit. And she asked me where it was, she called me Mommy…I was confused and thought I was dreaming, so I played along for a while…and then I looked closely at her…and I just…I knew." Kate looked to Claire. "I recognise myself in her. And then she asked where her Daddy was, if he was still at the hospital." Kate laughed. "I kind of figured, if it was anyone on this island, it would be Jack. If not, I was clueless. So I took a risk, she was still asleep, like the rest of the island when I went to Jack and woke him up. I told him what happened. And he was confused to at first…and then, he's just been so sweet, and kind…he's great." Kate shook her head.
"Apparently we live in New York. And I've always wanted to go, but neither of us have or did live there. It's crazy and impossible but…my god, I'm telling you Claire, that is our kid. It's kind of scary. I hate not knowing everything about her…but she's amazing. She really is."
"I…I really don't know what to say Kate." Claire admitted, taking in everything Kate had told her.
"No, I didn't expect that you would. I just thought you should know, especially because of the way she introduced herself." Kate smiled proudly. "People are going to ask, and besides the truth, we don't know what to say."
"Maybe it's the island." Claire suggested.
"Maybe…if it is the island, what do you think it's trying to say?" Kate asked, interested in Claire's thoughts.
Claire smiled. "That you and Jack need to get together…and soon."
Kate laughed. "You think so, huh?" Claire nodded. "Right well…I should…" Kate stood up and gestured to Jack and Jade.
"Sure, go get back to your family Kate." Claire smiled.
"Thanks Claire." Kate said as she walked back down the beach, a smile on her face. Her family. She'd never thought she'd have her own family, and definitely not here. But she did, she really did. It was Jack, and Jade, and her.
"Hi." Kate said smiling slightly awkwardly at Jack.
"Hey." He smiled and then called out to Jade.
"Mommy!" She grinned and ran up to Kate. She grabbed Kate's hand and pulled her a few meters away. "Look, me and Daddy built a sand castle!"
"You did, huh?" Kate rested her hand on her daughter's head. "It's really good, Jade."
"So you like it?" Jade asked innocently.
"Of course I do." Kate smiled. "Very much."
"YAY!" Jade squealed and jumped up and down in front of Jack. "She liked it, she liked it!"
"I told you she would." Jack reminded her. Jade nodded and turned back to Kate.
"Mommy?"
"Yes hon?"
"Do you know what?" She asked, smiling.
"No, what?" Kate smiled and pulled the girl into a hug.
"Daddy said…" She started and then leant closer to Kate's ear and whispers, "that if he could…he'd let you live in a castle, because he thinks you deserve it. And he said you're his queen, and I'm a princess." She smiled.
"Daddy said that?" Kate asked, slightly surprised.
"Daddy said you'd say that too." She stated and nodded in response.
Kate smiled and looked up at Jack. "I'm impressed." She muttered. "So, have you had fun?" She asked after a while.
"Yeah!" Jade said happily and looked up at Jack.
"What about you?" Kate asked.
"I had fun too…we had fun." Jack replied.
"I like the sea." Jade said, wanting to be part of their conversation.
"I know you do, babe, you looked very happy." Kate told her.
"Can we see the sea more often?" Jade asked smiling sweetly, and Kate just nodded and smiled at her. "Please Daddy?" Jade said giving her father the pout.
"We'll try." This earned Jack a wide grin from the three year old and an excited clap.
Noticing Jade bouncing up and down, Kate turned to her.
"Jade, have you spent more than two seconds today standing still?" Kate asked her.
Jade sat down in the sand, and squinted up at her mother as she really considered the idea.
"No…" She finally decided, as she shifted in the sand and knelt up, still looking at Kate.
"Didn't think so…Aren't you tired yet?" Kate asked her again.
"Nope!" She said jumping up from her position, and started to run in a circle around Jack and Kate.
"Hey kid, slow down." Kate sighed. "You're making me exhausted just watching you."
At this Jack laughed, thinking of how alike Jade and Kate were. Kate, like Jade, rarely stood or sat still for long periods of time, and was itching to go on every available hike.
"What?" Kate asked him.
"Nothing." Jack mused. "It's just you, Kate can't-sit-still-must-move Austen is getting exhausted watching a three old…"
Kate shook her head and poked her tongue out at him, causing him to laugh.
"Are you going to tell me, Jade made you, again?" He asked her.
She rolled her eyes. "Of course I am Jack." Kate said smiling coyly.
"You think you're so innocent…" He said sitting beside her, as Jade continued to run about in front of them.
"Are you saying I'm not?" Kate smirked at him.
"You're terrible." Jack laughed.
"Aww, I'm touched you think that." She smiled. "I'm glad you said that now…I mean, here I was, thinking you wanted me to be your queen so that we could live in a castle…"
Jack blushed. "She told you that?"
"Of course she did Jack." Kate shook her head. "You really can't trust a three year old to keep your secrets."
"I guess not." He shrugged.
"So, you want to live in a castle?"
"Hey, I was talking to a three year old…" Jack defended himself. "You're not going to let this go are you?"
"Nope." She smirked.
"Besides, that's not what I said." Jack said, as Kate started laughing.
"I know, it's wrong of me to tease you…Do you really think I deserve that?" She asked him honestly.
"You deserve the best Kate." He admitted.
"I'm not so sure." Kate shook her head.
"You do."
"I never knew you could be so sweet." Kate leant her head on her hand as she looked sideways at him. "So me, your queen, huh?"
"Oh well…you know. If she's my princess…" Jack trailed off smiling at her, knowing that's not what either of them meant.
"Sure, Jack." Kate shook her head at him.
"I'm hungry!" Jade announced standing in front of Kate and Jack. "Can we eat now?" She asked placing her hands on her hips, with her head cocked to one side.
