Thanks for the reviews. I didn't get much time over the weekend with Mother's Day and so on, and to be honest, I was feeling a little burnt out, but I'm back now with the promised fluff.
For those of you who asked, despite the lack of interest in "Regret" I am planning a third part to round out the trilogy tentatively called "Forgiveness" (to give you an idea of what it's about!) set some time after the airport flashforward... ;)
Chapter 10.
When Kate woke in his arms the next morning, Jack was still asleep, a tiny smile playing at the corners of his lips. She still wasn't sure why he'd decided to give her another chance after she was so dismissive of him, but she was determined not to screw it up by taking him for granted this time.
With his next breath, he released a barely audible sigh, reflexively drawing her closer, and as she watched him she realised that she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him so relaxed and content.
Overcome with love and affection for him, she lifted her head to place a soft kiss against his jaw, nuzzling the side of his throat until he began to stir beneath her.
She wanted to be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes, so she propped herself on her side, leaning over him while he blinked, adjusting to the light.
"Hi," she whispered, feeling shy around him for the first time since he'd appeared on her doorstep more than a year before.
She still didn't know what to expect from him or their relationship, although if the ease he'd fallen back into bed with her was any indication, he seemed more than happy to pick up where they'd left off.
Which was good because she didn't think she could handle starting over again.
"Hi," he returned with an affectionate smile, cupping her face in his hands and pulling her down to kiss her.
"I'm so glad you came back, Jack," she told him when they broke for air, resting her forehead against his. "I missed you so much."
"Me too," he agreed, kissing her again, longer and more deeply this time.
When he released her, she curled back against him with her cheek on his bare chest, listening to the steady throb of his heart. "I never wanna fight like that again."
"So you're really okay with this? With taking a step back?" he checked, combing his fingers through her hair.
"I don't wanna stop trying," she confessed when it occurred to her that he was talking about the promise she'd made to him on Claire's porch, feeling slightly guilty that she hadn't given up on the idea of getting pregnant, "but I think you're right, we need to focus on us for a while."
To her relief he seemed satisfied with this answer, brushing the top of her head with his lips. "So what d'you wanna do today?"
"You're not going into work?" she asked him, tilting her head up to look at him, surprised. He hadn't missed shift in over a month, since the miscarriage.
"I don't have any surgeries scheduled until tomorrow so I'm taking the day off," he agreed, his voice dropping to a low murmur as he added, "Right now, I just wanna be with my fiancé."
Touched by his words, she flashed him a teary grin, bringing her mouth gently back to his. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
"I have an idea," he said after a moment. "Let's get married."
"It's gonna take more than a few hours to pull a wedding together, Jack," she teased him, chuckling as she settled back into him. "We could start making plans…"
Just the thought of taking steps to make it official sent a thrill of happiness through her. She'd tried so hard to make them a family that she'd almost forgotten there were other ways to strengthen their commitment.
The smile faded from her lips, replaced by a stunned look when he shifted onto his side so that he was facing her. "I'm serious, Kate," he insisted. "We've been talking about it forever. Let's just do it. Let's go to City Hall and sign the papers. I don't need a big ceremony – after everything we've been through to get here, all I want is to finally be able to call you my wife."
As soon as he said it, she realised that she didn't want to wait either. They'd waited too long already. "Okay," she agreed, sitting up, a slow grin breaking over her face when she saw how excited he was. "Okay, let's do it."
"Maybe we should call someone – you know, to be our witness," Kate said once the City Clerk's office had issued them with a marriage licence and they were sitting on a bench outside one of the chambers waiting for a judge. "It seems a little impersonal to get someone we don't know to do it."
"I could get my mom to come down," Jack suggested, but his sigh told her that he didn't really want her there, not when she still blamed him for his father's death. "Or Hurley."
While she knew that it was out of respect for her feelings, she couldn't help noticing his obvious omission. "I was actually thinking we should ask Claire," she told him, mustering a reassuring smile for his benefit when he hesitated. "She's your sister, Jack – she should be here."
The tension in his shoulders ebbed away and she knew he was relieved that she wasn't going to put up a protest, but he still shot her a tentative look. "You're sure? Because I meant what I said – it doesn't have to be her."
She was still apprehensive about seeing her – part of her was tempted to tell him that she'd changed her mind – but she figured she couldn't avoid her forever, not if she was marrying her brother.
"I'm sure," she agreed, dropping a swift peck against his lips. She reached into the pocket of his coat, drawing out his cell and pressing it into his hand. "Now call her."
She was sure Claire would be alone; her throat constricted painfully when she appeared leading Aaron along through the crowd.
He was dressed neatly in a blue polo shirt and dark slacks that Kate herself had bought for him; at three, he was already beginning to look less like a baby and more like a little boy. He was growing up so fast. She was sure he must be at least five inches taller than he was that last evening at Claire's.
She was so used to him hurling himself into her arms that she was surprised when he stopped in front of them, his hand still in Claire's.
"We're not too late are we?" Claire asked with a nervous glance at Kate. Kate forced herself to smile. "We got here as quickly as we could."
"You're right on time," Jack told her, reaching down the scruff his nephew's hair. "Hey Buddy."
"Hi Uncle Jack," Aaron said, laughing and squirming out of his grip.
When his gaze fell on Kate, he eyed her with a serious expression, furrowing his brow in concentration. "Mommy Claire says you're not my mommy anymore – she is," he told her, earning himself a mortified look from Claire. "She says I have to call you Aunty Kate now."
She knew it was true – she was only pretending to be his mother – but that didn't stop her heart from breaking a little. She realised then how Claire must have felt that night at dinner when he insisted she wasn't really his mommy.
"I'm sorry, Kate, I just—" she began, looking guilty, but Kate cut her off.
"It's fine, really," she assured her, swallowing her hurt as she returned her attention to Aaron. There was no sense in confusing him any more than they had too.
"Your mommy's right, sweet pea," she agreed, cringing at how wrong the word felt. She knelt so that she was at his level, holding her arms out to him. "But d'you think I could still have a hug?"
She grinned when he let go of Claire, wrapping his little arms around her and squeezing. "I may not be your mommy anymore, but I will always love you," she told him, stroking his hair as she hugged him back. "I want you to remember that, okay?"
He nodded solemnly and for a moment she was afraid he was going to cry. "Okay Mo… Aunty Kate."
"You gonna be all right?" Jack asked her when she stepped back, returning to his side.
"Yeah," she agreed with a watery smile, resting her head on his shoulder as he slid his arm around her.
Just then the door opened and the clerk who'd been handling them reappeared. "Mr. Shephard? Ms. Austen? We're ready for you."
I could go through all the details of the ceremony but I feel like that would be boring, especially since I've already written one very similar to this! That's not really the important part... ;)
Next chapter: Kate comes down with something and Jack is convinced it's more than a stomach bug... ;)