More Jate / Jaby fluff this update, 'cause I'm still feeling depressed. Anyone else miss season one? Season two, even, or select parts? I might have to go watch my box sets again...
Chapter 25. Perfect
Handing Izzy to Kate, Jack helped Sam bring their stuff up to the apartment. They didn't have much, just a suitcase full of clothes between them, and a few boxes of things belonging to the baby: diapers, stuffed toys, blankets and baby products, as well as the pictures they'd taken in D.C.
When they'd locked up the car, Kate followed him inside with Izzy, looking around her in awe. The building wasn't the best Jack could afford, but it was definitely out of her price range; after spending time with her at Sam's, he couldn't help wondering what she'd make of the house he grew up in, if his mother ever got around to calling him again.
Sam was waiting for them in the hallway, outside his apartment; Jack couldn't help noticing that he hadn't taken his own luggage inside.
"You're not staying?" he asked. "Because you're more than welcome to – the couch is a pull out, so there's plenty of room if you want to wait until tomorrow to head back."
Sam shook his head. "I've called a cab to take me to the airport," he told them, checking his watch. "Should be here in a few minutes. I've got a lot of work to catch up on – besides, you two don't want an old geezer like me hanging around while you're setting up house."
"You're not that old," Kate said, laughing, passing Izzy to Jack so that she could hug her father goodbye. "And you're not a geezer. And we like having you around."
Sam folded her into his arms, holding her for a long moment. "You just be happy, okay?" he said.
She nodded. "I am."
"Good." Sam gave her a watery smile, squeezing her a little tighter. "I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy."
Jack could see that they were both had tears in their eyes. Before either one of them could start crying though, Sam kissed the top of her head, and released her, turning his attention on Izzy.
"And you – you take care of your mom," he told her, taking hold of one of her hands, and kissing it gently. "Make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble."
Izzy just looked at him, flashing him another gummy smile.
He laughed, and kissed the top of her head, eliciting a little squeal. "You have no idea, do you?" he said.
He hugged Kate one more time, then shook Jack's hand, picking up his luggage as the cab driver beeped his horn. "Well, I guess this is it then," he said. "Don't forget – I want plenty of pictures, and I want to know what's happening with," he lowered his voice, "you know."
Jack nodded. "We'll give you a call as soon as we figure it out." He shifted Izzy so that he could slide his free arm around Kate as her father stepped into the lift.
"Bye Daddy," she called, tearing up again.
"Bye baby. Bye Jack. Bye Izzy."
Izzy let out another squeal on hearing her name, making Kate laugh through her tears.
"You okay?" Jack asked her when Sam was gone.
She nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I just got so used to having him around."
"Maybe we can bring him down for Christmas," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "It's only a few weeks away."
She smiled, cheered by this idea. "Okay."
"Come on – I want to show you something." Jack kissed her again, releasing her so that he could take her hand.
Closing the door behind them, he led her into the apartment, giving her her first proper look. He'd unpacked a lot since Sawyer had mocked him about the décor, wanting to make the place feel homier for her and Izzy.
"Nice," she said, smiling at him as she surveyed the living room.
"It is," he agreed, "but that's not what I wanted to show you."
Grinning, he took her to the spare room, which had previously housed most of the boxes, passing the baby back to her as he pushed open the door. "I know it's not a lot, but I didn't know how long we'd be here, so I didn't want to go too crazy," he explained.
He watched her eyes travel from the bassinette, almost identical to the one she'd had at Sam's, to the fully equipped changing table, to the little chest of drawers, filling up with happy tears this time.
"It's perfect," she told him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Her voice changed to the maternal tone she reserved for the baby as she added, "Look, Izzy – look what Daddy did for you."
She stepped into the room with the baby, moving in a slow circle so that she could inspect everything. "You didn't have to buy all this stuff," she said when she realised that the drawers weren't empty, taking out a little pink summer romper with a smile.
"Yeah, I did," he told her, returning her grin. He'd never realised how much fun shopping could be until he started looking for things for Izzy. "It's hotter here than it is in D.C., so I figured we'd need to replace a lot of her clothes."
"Okay, so what about this?" she said, laughing, as she moved on to the wardrobe, pulling out a little pink dress. "Tell me you don't have a practical explanation for this."
"That? No, that was just cute," he agreed, coming up behind her to slide his arms around her waist.
She settled back against him with a contented sigh. "You're determined to make her into a real girl, aren't you?"
"If that's what she wants, then hey, I'm not complaining," he told her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "But then I do kind of have this thing for tomboys…"
She laughed, twisting in his arms. "I missed you," she murmured, lifting her face so that it brushed against his.
"I missed you too," he told her, moving in to kiss her over Izzy's head. The baby wriggled around in her hands, grabbing hold of Jack's shirt with a triumphant squeal, determined to return their attention to her.
"Did you get a baby monitor?" Kate asked, when, to her glee, they pulled away from each other. She pried Izzy's fingers off of Jack, laughing, and kissing them gently.
"On the dresser," he agreed, nodding in that general direction. "Why?"
She followed his eyes to where the two pieces sat, turning back to him with a coy smile. "Because I was kind of thinking she could sleep in here tonight…"