A/N: I updated early because I love y'all as much as you love this story/me (?)
First off thanks to all the reviews. You guys responded like mad! Seriously I went to class and out to supper and like 3 hours later I had 19 emails of reviews and favorites and stuff. Thanks so much. I'm so glad you like the stoary and I hope you'll be happy to hear that we aren't even close to being done. I'm that this story entertains a lot of you and makes your day and other nice comments. I feel exactly the same way about writing it and getting reviews. And thanks for those who recommended it to other people. Free advertising is something you just can't buy.
What I can tell you is that major conflicts are definitely coming up in the story, Sawyer is going to be featured a little more with angst included (WINK WINK! loudest winks ever) and Claire's sickness comes into play in the next chapter.
Left Behind Chapter 10 My Baby
Jack watches her as she turns further in his arms and slings an arm around his neck, her eyes squint playfully through her fatigue and the corners of her lips turn up into a smile, "What?"
He takes a deep breath in and wishes he didn't wait so long to tell her. He knows Kate is going to be upset, she has every right to. The Others violated her body and toyed with her mind, making her feel guilt and fear for things that aren't her fault. The only thing that keeps him from going after the Others is Kate's safety, he doesn't want to abandon her.
"The baby Kate," he pauses and glances down at his hands on her stomach it's the closest he comes to bonding with the baby for now. Her arm grows tighter around his neck as she shuffles up to sit straight. "Sawyer's not the father of the baby."
She rolls her green eyes at him, playing his truths off as a joke, "Yeah, okay Jack."
When she turns her head away, he gently turns it back with his fingers on her chin, "Kate, I'm serious."
"Jack," she sighs at him and pulls away so she can face him, but the movement separates them and he's anxious because he doesn't know if she intentionally wants them to be apart. She raises her one knee up and drapes her arm over it. He knows she's hesitant to tell him anything about Sawyer or about when she thinks the baby was conceived. Maybe some part of him wants her to feel the same tortured feeling he gets from her lies and that's why he waited so long to tell her.
"Kate," he speaks before she can offer him any kind of reciprocation that his knowledge to her next sentence was true, "When the Other's took us, when they wanted me to do Ben's surgery, they took you for another reason."
The expression of fatigue erases from her face and it's obvious that she knows what he's going to tell her isn't going to be good, "What are talking about?"
"The Other's were having trouble with women carrying full term in pregnancy," he turns away from her, he has to or else her face will haunt him until the day he dies, "No one was volunteering, so they picked you."
"No," she pushed away from him with her feet against the window seat, "No Jack, Sawyer and I—"
"Juliet artificially inseminated you," the words are rickety. He hates Juliet, he wants to, but every time he tries he remembers their last walk in the jungle. Remembers how the soil smelt after the light morning rain, remember how her smile was bright and the sunlight was golden. He remembers how she was gone in less than five minutes after the Others formed a firing squad. He can't hate her.
When he chances a look at Kate, she's pushed herself into the corner of the wall. Her lower lip is trembling and her eyes glassy, "No," she shakes her head so hard that a few strands of her hair fall free from the bun on top of her head, "you're lying."
Jack expects her to say it, but it still stabs his heart and makes his body turn cold. He keeps his composure; he has to because she needs to know the truth. With small, precise words he speaks, his voice abrupt but calm, "I have proof."
He does have proof. He found it over two hours ago, but the actual black ink on white paper evidence didn't affect him until this very moment. He can hear her sobs, quick bursts of condensed anguish and moves from the seat to retrieve the crumpled and over read piece of paper. When he hands the paper to her, he has to look away. All of the tears she's crying are because of him and it makes his stomach hurt.
He hears the paper crumple and her sniffle once, "that's just the overview of the pregnancy," he's sitting as far opposite of her as he can because he knows she's heartbroken. He wants to comfort her, but he knows she'll push him away, and he can't take that right now. "There's a full log of everything they know or," he pauses glances to Kate. Her eyes cut right through him, "what they did."
Jack watches as she reads over the paper, every few seconds new tears slide down her cheek and land on blue jeans fastened to her with a belt. Her hand falls with the paper and knocks off the wood; she raises her hand to wipe her cheek, but drops it when it's only halfway up. "Why did they do this to me?"
Kate drops her head so she can still read the paper while she cries. Her tears hit the paper with tiny taps that sound as loud as atomic bombs to Jack. She turns back to face him again, voice struggling to overcome the tears, "Why is you name on this?"
"I'm," he stops and shakily sighs, "I'm the father, Kate."
He doesn't want to watch her reaction, doesn't want her to question, or assume he had anything to do with the forced pregnancy. But the words he just spoke fill him with so much pride.
"What?" her curiosity gets the better of her, as it always does and she rereads the page again, just like he did. Just like he'll do when she gives him the paper back. Just like he will until he's holding the squabbling newborn in his arms. "How?"
"Juliet used our blood. I don't know how, exactly," he's ashamed. He wishes he had all the details lined up for her, but he doesn't quite understand it himself.
Kate stands, leaving the sheet of paper on the window seat, "I," she shakes her head and rubs at her eyes, "I need to be alone for a little while."
Jack bits his lower lip and nods his head; he knows it's harder for her than him. He wants to be with her, tell her that this may be the best thing to ever happen to him and blow off her claims that he's insane. But overall he just wants her to be happy so he lets her go.
He smiles through tears as he watches her waddle from the room. It's his baby. There's no shred of doubt now. If Juliet's technique is true to Ben's word, even if they don't make it off this island in two months, she'll still be alive. The baby will still be kicking and they'll be thinking of baby names.
Jack grabs the piece of paper again, his eyes reading over his typed name underneath the category 'biological material'. His smile broadens, he can't help it.
The next time he glances out the window, the sky has turned a hazy gray with hints of orange and a promise of rain. He's spent the whole afternoon in the small office, reading over the sheet of paper and several others trying to find a cause or a solution, should Juliet's theory be flawed. With a sigh he runs his hand through his hair and decides that five hours is long enough.
He leaves the house; one very close to Claire's and isn't surprised to find all the blinds drawn. She hasn't been too social lately, but with good reason. He doesn't want to think about it right now, "one problem at a time," he tells himself.
The house that Hurley claims belongs to Jack and Kate is in clear view, the yellow siding contrasting against the angry sky. Thunder crashes overhead and he thinks that he'll try the phone tonight; the calls strangely go through clearer in inclement weather.
As his foot touches the first stair a voice calls out to him. Without a shred of surprise Jack turns around to find Sawyer standing a few feet away, "you gotta get her off of the island."
Jack stiffly nods, "I'm trying too."
Sawyer begins to take a few steps forward, his voice increases in hostility, "well you gotta try harder." The exchange between them is tense and awkward. A silence grows between them, almost as fierce as the oncoming storm, "how's my baby?"
Jack doesn't know why Sawyer says it. Maybe to show that he is interested in the baby's safety because he thinks they share genetics. Maybe he's bragging because he thinks it will piss Jack off. Jack climbs the three stairs first, not offering an immediate answer until he's only a few feet from the door and he's had a chance to ruminate with his rage. He turns back to Sawyer who's standing at the bottom of the porch and simply states, "you're not the father."
Sawyer rolls his eyes and his eyebrows crease, "look I know I ain't been around for it so far but—"
"No," Jack shakes his head. With a shadow of a smile he elaborates, "You're not the genetic father."
Before Sawyer can ask questions that Jack is sure accompany the expression of confusion, he moves into the house and shuts the door behind him, this time he remembers to lock it. He kicks off his shoes, that clatter to the hardwood and notices the weather has shrouded the living room in an eerie darkness. By the time he's entering the bedroom rain is hitting the house.
The little light from outside that enters through the window outlines Kate's sleeping form. The white sheets resting just below her shoulders, wrinkles especially evident at her stomach that looks like a mountain growing out of the bed. He contemplates waking her, but decides against it and is about to leave the room when a loud crash of thunder shakes the room.
He stands in place for a few seconds more until her voice calls out to him, "Jack?"
"I'm here," he informs and crosses the room in record time. When he reaches her, she's turned on her side, a tiny bit of her stomach hanging over the lip of the bed. He crouches down before her, "how are you feeling."
"I'm done thinking," her voice is dream filled and almost inaudible over the rain dancing on the window. Her hand reaches for his and she brings them both to land on her protrusion, "I'm glad you're the father."
"You mean besides some random guy," he jokes because he has too. The room, the rain, Kate with a look of pure delight on her face in the twilight. Her hair spread across the pillows and their hands on her stomach. The sheet covering their baby. Their baby.
She loses the smile in a split second and Jack's afraid he said something to upset her, but she still tightly holds his hand. He stares into her eyes, tired but glowing in the dimness of the room, "I mean instead of Sawyer."
Jack doesn't know what to say, so he kisses her. Her lips are soft and full against his and he thinks at this moment that he could dedicate his life to them. To Kate and their child, to keeping them safe, happy and loved.
Kate pulls away smiling and tugs on his shirt to get his attention, "come lie down."
After kissing her again, he moves to the other side of the bed and reclines next to her. Soon they're fitted against each other, her head on his shoulder and her stomach resting atop his chest so he can feel any kicks that may come.
The End
KIDDING! A HA HA! I LOVE IT! Serves you right for not reading the A/N. I don't do them for me people.
Next Chapter - Locke comes a courting and we find out what's up with Claire and Aaron and what the real threat is. Plus there's pancakes. Have a pancake