I can't thank all of you enough for all of the lovely reviews! I've never gotten this many in only three chapters and I hope you all enjoy the final chapter! :)
"And I - I'm on my way home."
"You're what?"
"It shouldn't be long. I'm on a boat and - Kate?" He stopped once he no longer heard her soft breathing on the other line, "Damn it."
Desmond, who was previously staring over the edge of the boat and at the dark blue of the ocean, glanced over, causing Jack to clear up, "The battery's dead."
The brit let out a troubled sigh and brought his hand to his forehead, "I'm sorry, sister." He apologized, aiming his words at Juliet, "I got a bit carried away speaking with Penn. Ye didn't get a chance to contact yer boyfriend."
She gave a weak smile, "It's fine, Desmond. I wouldn't even know what number to call. He could be anywhere by now."
She turned away from the group, not wanting to say more, but Jack placed the phone down and stood beside her.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Kate can tell us where he is." He assured her, "And until you find him, you can stay with us in L.A."
Juliet gave a polite smile, but shook her head, "Thank you for the offer, but I can't accept it."
Jack paused a moment, debating whether or not to argue with her, and ultimately asked, "Where are you going to go?"
"Ben said if we followed the bearings then we'd end up close to Florida." She explained, "My sister's in Miami, I've been away from home for nearly six years. As much as I'm dying to see James..." She trailed off, "He would want me to see her before I do anything else."
Jack nodded slowly, not wanting to disrespect her choice, before stating, "I'm getting on the first flight back to L.A. I'll give you my number and if you need help getting in contact with Sawyer, give me a call."
"Thank you, Jack." She replied honestly, "For everything."
James sauntered out of the house and over to the driveway where his rent-a-car was parked, shielding his eyes from the blazing sun as he swung open the passenger side door.
"I've been sitting in the car for two hours, man." Miles groaned out dramatically as he sat up in his seat, "What the hell's going on in there?"
"We're drinkin' scotch an' havin' a shindig." He deadpanned, "Whaddaya think we're doin'? Told Rachel the whole story an' she let me meet her kid."
"I get you wanna get to know her and everything..." Miles huffed, "but can you do it when I'm not waiting in a car that's hot as hell?
"Yer the one who insisted on comin', sunshine." He pointed out, "Anywho, just came out here ta' tell ya' I'mma stay the night - Rachel's got a guest room - so I'll see ya' in the mornin'. "
Miles raised his eyebrows, "What do you expect me to do until then?"
"I dunno. Go downtown an' get somethin' to eat, book a hotel room."
Miles looked up in thought, then asked, "That Rachel chick got any chow in there?"
"No. You ain't comin' in an' botherin' the poor gal." James shook his head, "Go find somewhere else ta' stay."
"Come on." He urged, not wanting to go through the hassle of finding a hotel, "She's spent all day with you. I'll be a breath of fresh air."
"It ain't happenin'."
"Uno." Miles stated proudly a few hours later, displaying the single card in his hand to James, Julian, and Rachel.
"Oh no!" Julian squealed, "He's gonna win."
"He didn't win yet, kiddo." James observed, wagging his finger at the child, "An' I ain't no loser so the three of ya' better watch out."
Julian smiled before tilting his head and asking, "You play this game lots, mister?"
"Nah, my first time." He admitted, and the child recoiled in shock and proceeded to ask, "What did you play when you were little?"
"Never played no games as a kid. But me an' yer aunt Juliet were big Twister fans back in the seven -" He corrected himself, "Back in the day."
His eyes lit up, "I have that game! We can play after this."
"Now Julian, I'm sure Miles and Uncle James have better things to do than keep you entertained all night." Rachel stated and James furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Uncle James? How the hell could she so comfortable that she allowed her only son to refer to him as uncle? The concept rattled his brain, although after all of the stories Juliet had told him and being in her house for a mere three hours, she undoubtedly already felt like a sister to him.
"If the kid wants ta' get beat a few hundred times, who am I ta' stop 'em?" He answered with wholehearted smile, and Rachel grinned back.
"You're so good with him. How did you learn to - " She paused once she heard a faint knock on the door, "Hold that thought. Let me get the door."
"Take yer time, mama bear."
With that she got up, and as she made her way towards the door, Miles glanced over at James and mouthed 'she's hot'. James rolled his eyes in response and was about to comment when he suddenly heard screams coming from the other room.
"Oh my god!" He distinctly heard Rachel's voice gasp. What came next was a symphony of whimpering, sobbing, and squeals, followed by one unmistakable word, "Juliet..."
He was out of his seat in a flash, nearly knocking Julian down as he dashed past him and towards the front door. There was no way, it was an impossibility, she was gone - but every doubt flew out of his brain once he spotted blonde hair and pale arms wrapped around Rachel's neck in a tearful embrace.
"I've so sorry, Rach. I'm sorry." He heard her familair, soft voice speak through sobs, "I've missed you."
"Son of a bitch." He suddenly choked out as he attempted to wrap his brain around the situation, "Juliet."
Her head jolted towards the sound of his voice and she gulped back additional tears as their eyes met from across the hall.
"James." She blinked in amazement, moving away from her sister, "I - what are you doing here?"
"Jules. Jules you -" He stumbled over in a daze and cupped her face in his hands, letting his thumb repeatedly graze her cheek, "Yer actually here. Yer alive."
"Hurley brought me back." She whispered, her cheeks already streaked with tears, and although the words made absolutely no goddamn sense to him, it was a good enough explanation for now - she was in his arms again; in that moment, that was all that mattered.
He held back his chain of questions as she leaned her forehead against his, and chose to whisper, "Ya' got no clue how much I missed you."
He let his gaze fall from her beaming blue eyes to her soft lips and in one swift motion, he pressed his mouth up against hers and she let out a delighted moan. The taste of her vanilla enveloped lips mixed with the salt of their tears somehow made the kiss even more heavenly and he had to fight to keep whatever self-control he had left.
Then, after a multitude of kisses, they eventually parted to regain their breath and he growled against her skin, "I love ya' so much."
She grinned, happier than she's ever been, "I love you, back."
Kate fished out her unfinished photo album from underneath her bed and closed her eyes as she blew the currently clinging dust off the cover.
She gingerly flipped open the book and a cluster of pictures fell onto her lap. She swiftly swooped the photos up and her eyes watered as she examined each one: a group shot of the Halloween they spent together - Aaron had dressed as a mini version of Jack, who had simply wore his work scrubs, and Kate completed the the theme as a nurse.
Another, of her birthday, where Jack attempted to make her favorite breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes. She came downstairs that morning to find him and Aaron covered in batter, both wearing grins, and bolted for her camera.
"He made such a great parent." She whispered out as she rubbed her fingers over the photo.
"Not as great as you."
She whipped her head around to find Jack standing in the doorway, hands in his pockets and lips parted, and let out an audible gasp. She tried to force her legs to move, so that she could run into the arms of the man she loved more than anything, but found herself frozen to the floor.
However, it didn't make much of a difference, for he was over in a flash, kneeling beside her on the carpet and wrapping his arms around her as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck.
Neither said a word as they eventually pulled apart, and in an instant they were engulfed in a frenzy of passionate kisses. Jack nibbled on her lip and the sensation brought chills throughout her body, and although she had never felt more alive in her life, she gently pushed him away.
He cocked his head at her sudden movement and his brown eyes bore into her own as she licked her lips, readying to speak.
"How are you here?" She finally breathed out, pushing a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.
He gave a small smile and answered simply, "Claire let me in. I'm guessing you didn't hear me knock."
"No. I mean...I thought I'd never see you again." She allowed the tears to fall freely from her eyes, "When we left...you were bleeding so badly, you were - I thought you were dead. How are you here?"
He placed his hand on her thigh, "Nothing is irreversible."
She let out an unbelieving laugh. Was it only a few short days ago that she had said those very words to him? It felt like an eternity.
He then rose to his feet and brushed off his jeans before reaching out a hand for her to grab. She took it without thinking, and after he had helped her up, she kept the grip on his hand.
"I'm pregnant." She found herself blurting out after a brief silence and he raised his eyebrows in shock.
"You're...?" He blinked before breaking into a grin, "That's fantastic."
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"Of course." He assured her, wrapping his arms around her once again and breathing in her scent. He lingered in the position for a moment before breaking away and motioning for her to sit beside him on the edge of the bed.
"I know we've tried this before and it didn't work out..." He begun, scratching the back of his neck, "But this time I won't let anything ruin this - ruin us. I love you, Kate." He paused and although he didn't have a ring, he knew the sentiment was what mattered, "Will you marry me?"
She took a deep breath in, trying not to shed anymore tears, but found herself unable to accomplish the task.
"Yes." She replied softly, "Of course I will. Yes."
His eyes met hers and he asked slowly, "Are you sure?"
Her tears shimmered against her skin as her mouth spread into a smile, and she nodded, "I love you, Jack."