Author's Note: To be honest, I was actually planning to have all of the action and reunion in some sort of sequel. But clearly my plan didn't work that way. Either way, I hope that you all like this chapter, as I'm sure it has some of what you've been waiting for. Leave me a review, please!

Kate stood firm in the middle of her living room, searching for something to say. She looked at Jack, who had seated himself in a chair. "Can I get you anything?"She asked. "I was going to make Spaghetti tonight if you're hungry."

"I ate on the plane."Jack replied, his tone stern. He sighed, rubbing his face. In that moment, he started to wonder if maybe flying down to see her had been a mistake. "But thanks."

Kate smiled sadly, offering a nod. "You're welcome."She said, at a loss to say much else. "So, I um...I was about to feed him."

Jack's head popped up, immediately knowing who Kate was referring to. "Is he awake?...I mean, I thought that-"

As if on cue, a cry erupted from down the hall. Kate nodded, swallowing hard. She nodded with a sigh, "I'll be right back."

Jack nodded, turning his head to watch her disappear down the hall. He turned back around, surveying the room around him. A television sat in the corner, coupled with a stereo. A baby swing was against the wall, and a blanket was thrown across the couch. Everything that would make a place feel like home was sitting in that room. He heard footsteps behind him, but couldn't bring himself to look.

"Jack."Kate called, noting how he tensed up. They'd gone without seeing each other for over a year, and now that they were in the same room, they had no idea what to say.

He nodded, already knowing what she wanted. Slowly, he stood. After taking a steadying breath, Jack turned around to face her. It took a second for everything to hit him; the reality that Kate held their child in her arms was something that felt a little overwhelming.

"This...this is Matt."Kate said, shifting her weight. She was afraid because at the moment, he wasn't saying anything. Jack was merely standing there looking at them. While she expected some sort of silence, it was the one he was giving her that caused her to feel scared. "Jack?"

"I'm sorry, it's just...this is a little-"Jack said, emotions hitting him hard. "-it's a little hard. I'm not really sure of what to say."

"Do you want to hold him?"Kate asked, already knowing the answer. When Jack nodded, Kate obliged by slowly walking towards him, and ever so softly placed Matt in his arms.

Jack stared down at the pair of brown eyes who looked up at him. Tiny hands reached up in an attempt to grab him, and a gurgle came from the baby's mouth. A smile played on Jack's lips as he struggled to find something to say. "Hey there, Matt."

It amazed Kate how gentle Jack could be with their son. She watched as he sat down, cradling Matt safely along the way. She stood silent, in awe of the connection the two already had. Guilt flooded her as she knew she could have seen it sooner. She shifted uncomfortably before finally settling herself on the couch adjacent to the chair Jack was sitting in.

"He has my eyes."Jack noted, not breaking his gaze. "I mean, it looks like it."

"He does."Kate replied, thinking of all the times she'd look at their son and know how much he reminded her of Jack.

Jack nodded, a faint smile on his face. "Hi there..."He whispered, staring so intently at the child. Jack could feel Kate staring at him, and returned his attention to her momentarily.

"Would you mind holding him for a little while? I have to get his bottle prepared, and-"

"Yeah, yeah."Jack replied immediately. "Take your time." Jack followed her with his eyes until she disappeared into the kitchen. Looking back at Matt, a thought occurred to him. He hadn't been there for more than an hour, and he already felt like he knew his son. It was the first time he was alone with him, and as Jack realized that, he couldn't help but feel the intense need to hold him. To know him. To love him.

"You can make yourself comfortable if you want..."Kate called from the kitchen, twisting on the top of Matt's bottle.

"Thanks."Jack called, knowing he couldn't ignore the offer. Though grateful, all he felt like doing in that moment was to cradle the baby in his arms. As many times as he'd gone over Kate's words; of the way she'd told him, as many times he'd gazed at the picture Juliet had sent, it never truly sank in with him until then. He was a father.

Kate walked back into the living room several minutes later, and stood several feet away simply watching them. Matt was grasping Jack's thumb tightly in a fist, and Jack was staring down at him as if he were trying to figure something out. She drew in a break before speaking. "I have his bottle."She said, tilting it slightly. "You could feed him."She said, knowing the Jack deserved that much. She didn't want to make it feel like she was pushing everything on him so quickly, but it only felt right to offer.

"Are you sure?"Jack asked, noting her nervous behavior.

"He seems comfortable with you, I wouldn't want to move him too much."She reasoned, laughing nervously.

Nodding, Jack knew that couldn't have been the real reason. They'd barely spoken since he arrived, and he knew that small talk eventually wouldn't cut it. "Then give me the bottle, I guess."

Doing as he said, Kate handed Jack the bottle before looking around the room. She hated feeling helpless, or at a loss of something to say. Jack was there in the same room with her, he'd flown all the way from California to see her. The lingering question was as to how he'd found her. Though as she watched Jack support Matt's head as he fed him, she knew the answer didn't matter. Settling for sitting on the coffee table, she watched him. "How was the flight?"Kate asked, unable to take the silence.

"We hit a little turbulence about halfway through, but everything settled out."Jack replied, somewhat relieved at the opportunity to speak. He'd rehearsed a speech; he'd gone over it several times in his head on the way to Kate. It was funny how as soon as he saw her, all the words seemed to escape him.

Kate nodded, wringing her hands together. She looked back at him before staring down at the floor. "Where are you staying?"She asked, immediately regretting it the second she did. Kate was merely trying to come up with a conversation, but of all topics she knew she'd picked an uncomfortable one.

Jack fidgeted, adjusting Matt's bottle before replying. "I actually haven't checked in yet."He said. "But there's a hotel about three blocks from here."

"Oh."Kate replied, her face falling.

Jack noticed her change in attitude, and shook his head. "You thought I was going to stay here?"

"Well, no."Kate said, stammering for an answer. "I was just curious."

"Curious."Jack repeated. "It just seemed like you were trying to say something there."

"I was trying to keep up the conversation, Jack."Kate defended, suddenly feeling hurt. While she knew she didn't exactly have a right, she couldn't help but feel like maybe Jack was being a little too harsh about the subject. "I'm sorry."She said, staring down at her feet.

Jack sighed as he watched Matt finishing his bottle. Tired from his flight, Jack wasn't in the mood to argue. Instead, he looked around for a towel in an effort to burp Matt.

Kate looked up to see Jack searching the room for something. Noting the empty bottle, she stood and walked over to the baby swing and grabbed a burping towel. She was a little alarmed when Jack offered to hand Matt back to her. While she knew he'd hand him back eventually, or at least felt like he would, to Kate it felt like suddenly he couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Kate brought Matt to her shoulder, and remained quiet until she heard a 'burp'.

For over an hour, Jack and Kate remained quiet, both exchanging small talk while Kate rocked Matt. Before long, she realized that he had fallen asleep. She smiled, momentarily forgetting everything happening around her. "He's had a busy day."She muttered. "He had a checkup, and we were over at Juliet's for lunch. We went shopping because someone keeps growing out of their clothes."

Jack seemed amused at the image of Kate sifting through racks of baby clothes, and though he knew it was all too real, Jack wished that he could have been there. "Are you going to put him down?"

Kate seemed hesitant, because she knew as soon as she did the real conversation would begin. She knew as soon as Matt was safe in his crib, she couldn't use him as a security blanket any longer. She nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Yeah. Just...I'll be right back."