Author's Note: So as a warning, I had a tough time writing this chapter. I'd try writing it as angsty, and it wouldn't work right. I'd write it more on the fluffier side, and it wouldn't cooperate. So, I hope that I've found a medium that you can enjoy. Leave a review, please!


Kate returned to the living room not at all surprised to find Jack in the same place he was before. His back was stiff and turned, and it was already evident that he was tensed up. She wasn't sure what to say to make it feel any better. "Are you sure you aren't thirsty?"She asked, praying that if anything, it would give her a moment to think of what to say.

Again Jack shook his head, ensuring her that he was fine. "Thanks."

Kate nodded, a faint smile on her face. "Matt's fast asleep."She said as she walked into view. "If you don't mind, I was just going to make something to eat really quick. You could watch the TV, or come in with me. You know, make yourself comfortable."

Jack nodded, taken back a little with how calm Kate was being. He watched as she left into the kitchen before burying his face in his hands. It was going horrible, that much he knew. Sure, neither of them had really raised their voice, but what with the fact that neither had said much, it was to be expected. Standing, Jack decided to take Kate up on the offer to join her. He stopped at the wall on the way to the kitchen, catching sight of a picture. It was one similar to the one Juliet had sent him, but Matt was wearing a white and blue onesie in this particular one. Kate appeared to be sitting on the floor, and a smile was plastered on her face. To anyone else she would have appeared happy, but as Jack locked eyes with those of Kate in the picture, he thought he saw something else there. Her eyes had always been what gave her away, and though in the picture they gleamed with happiness, Jack could clearly trace what looked to be sadness there.

"That was about three weeks ago. Over at Juliet's. I had been cleaning up over there, and she came out with that camera of hers. He was awake there, too..."Kate mused, coming up behind him. "I'm heating up some rice, would you like some?"

"I thought you were making spaghetti."Jack said, not breaking his gaze with the picture.

"I was."Kate replied. "But I changed my mind. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm-"

"No, it's okay."Jack replied curtly, suddenly feeling the need to leave. The pictures, the blankets, everything that reminded him of the months he'd missed invaded Jack's thoughts, and he had to remind himself to keep his feet planted.

"Jack?"Kate asked, noticing the tension he was now carrying in his shoulders.

"I'm fine."He insisted, finally stepping into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help with?"

She pulled a container out of the fridge and after placing it into the microwave, looked back at him. "You could talk." Kate felt guilty, because she knew that in reality she was the one who needed to do the talking. However, in her mind, she couldn't start unless he helped to move the conversation along. "Sorry, I guess I'm not used to the quiet."

"I guess not."Jack replied, sighing. He rubbed his face with his hands, feeling the exhaustion ebb through every pore. "So how have you been?"

Kate looked up in surprise as she hadn't expected the question. "Good, I guess."She shrugged. "Things have been okay, but busy to say the least."

Jack nodded, his hands gently brushing against the kitchen counter. He wanted so badly to just reach out and touch her, if for nothing more than to make her realize how important this was for him. In a way he was still mad, but if what he suspected was right, she hadn't exactly had the picture perfect time, either. "I guess you could say the same for me."

The sound of the microwave beeping broke Kate's gaze from his momentarily as she moved about to fix them bowls. When she was done, she motioned for him to move with her into the living room. "It's not much, but I'm guessing it's better than any of that food on the plane."She mused, setting a bowl before him on the coffee table. She debated sitting in the chair rather than next to Jack, but realized that her move could be taken the wrong way.

Jack laughed, stirring the rice with his fork. "Three bucks for a can of soda."He mused, shaking his head.

Jack's musing reminded Kate of the fact that she hadn't offered him anything to drink. She came back from the kitchen with two bottles of water, stating that it was the only thing she had until she went shopping again. "It's not designer or anything, but I guess Zephyrhills does the job..."Kate laughed, looking at Jack nervously.

They ate in an awkward silence, both debating over what to say next. It was clear that they had to talk eventually, but neither wanted to budge. Every time one would make an attempt at conversation, the other would shrug it off. Eventually silence became their way of communicating as both tried to formulate their thoughts correctly.

Setting his bowl on the coffee table, Jack leaned back against the couch. "Thanks, Kate."

Kate nodded, swallowing her last bite. "You don't have to thank me, Jack."

Jack leaned forward again, this time resting his arms against his knees. "Why not?"He asked. "You made dinner for me when you didn't have to."

"That's true, but still..."Kate sighed, shaking her head.

"What?"Jack asked, knowing he was slowly about to cross the line that they had both been inching toward all evening.

"Nothing."Kate said before shaking her head.

"Kate."Jack called, urging her to look at him. He was sure now that she was scared, but what he wasn't sure of was the reason why. Her green eyes bore a whole into his brown ones, and he had to fight hard to swallow. "You don't have to be scared of me."

Nodding, Kate knew what he meant. "I know."

"You don't have to be scared of any of this. You know me well enough to know that I didn't come down here to cause you any kind of trouble."Jack tried reasoning with her, because if it didn't work, he wasn't sure what would.

"Then why did you come?"Kate asked, her voice wavering.

Jack clasped his hands together as he tried to formulate a response. "I needed to see everything for myself. There was a point when I couldn't just wait for another letter from you, or a phone call. Because even though talking to you was great, seeing you was something I hadn't done in a long time."

Kate closed her eyes in an attempt to will any oncoming tears away. She was strong. She didn't break down, especially in front of Jack of all people. "Are you saying that you missed me?"

"I think it's pretty obvious by now that I did."Jack replied, trying to remain serious with her but at the same time trying to lighten the mood a little. "You're a good mother, Kate. I could never second guess that."

"But you weren't here."Kate cried, desperation coating her words like a thin veil. "You didn't see what I was like after he was first born. I didn't know what to do, or what to say. I still don't know what some of the cries mean, Jack. You saw me with him, I know that...but I still-"Kate paused, shaking her head. "I still don't think I'm all that great."

"What are you talking about?"Jack asked, finding Kate's reasoning ridiculous.

"If I'm such a great mother, then why did I keep my son from his father?"Kate bit back, finally addressing the topic that had been bothering her.

Jack drew in a slow, labored breath. "You did what you thought you needed to do to prove yourself to our son. I wish you had told me, I really wish you had. But that's all in the past. There's nothing you can do about that now."

"Believe me, I know."Kate muttered, staring down at the carpet.

"That doesn't mean that you can't do something now, Kate."Jack said, parting his lips momentarily to moisten them.

"So that's what this is about?"Kate asked, standing up in surprise. "You want me to just hand over our son to you?"She continued, eyes shading with a hue of anger.

"What? No, of course not."Jack replied, standing to face her.

"Then what, Jack? What is it that you want from me here?"Kate asked in desperation. "This would be so much easier if you were completely mad at me, or if you weren't mad at all. But this...middle...I don't know what to do. One minute, you're sounding angry. The next, it's like you're saying something to make me feel better. What am I supposed to do, Jack? What am I supposed to say? Could you clue me in a little, because really, without some help, I'm not sure this will get much further."

Jack sighed, nodding his head. He had expected her to react, but the way she had without allowing him the chance to explain left him feeling on the verge of helpless. "I would never take him away from you, no matter what it is you've done to me. I was just asking to maybe be included in his growing up a little. I want to be here, Kate."Jack said, his thumb gingerly brushing the side of her arm.

"You can't just uproot your life, just like I can't leave mine."Kate replied, knowing they were reaching an impass. Despite that, she felt relief knowing that they had reached some sort of level ground. "So how do you suggest we do that?"

He rubbed his neck, praying that some of the tension would go away. What he had in mind was a hot shower, but knew that Jack knew in that moment was that getting things cleared away with Kate was more important. "I don't know."He said, at a loss to say much else. "I'm sure we'll figure something out."

"But what?"Kate asked, suddenly aware of the shivers Jack's touch caused within her. She blinked, trying to gain composure. "He's still a baby, a young one at that. It's not like we can just...fly him back and forth. Jack..."

"I told you that we'll figure something out."Jack replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze. He watched her gaze soften as he took in her features. Her lips were tighter than he'd remembered, and bore chew marks that he was sure the last year had caused. Her skin was still pale, but held a tan hue that he knew the sun had assissted her to grow. The brown hair that was now held back with a hair tie still hung loosely, something that hadn't changed about her. Just as he began to feel himself moving closer to her, Jack heard Kate clear her throat. "Well, it's getting kind of late. Do you think we could continue this later?"

Kate nodded, and though wanting to continue speaking, she knew she'd need time to think of what came next. "Tomorrow."She said when she walked with him to the door. "Jack?"She called as he began to leave.

Jack turned around, not sure of what he should expect. "Yeah?"

Kate shrugged, holding the doorframe firmly. "Thanks for stopping by."