A/N: Yes, I'm still alive and still writing this story. Unfortunately, I'm also working full time and attending school part time so I'm trying….I also started another Jate story that is different from this one – I started it when I was lacking Jate interaction in this story! I will post that one after this, but I hope to have most of it written when I do. Anyway, here is the next chapter. As usual let me know what you think, please. Reviews are my drug and I am always in the need of a fix. They pushed me to keep digging out the pen and small notepad out of my purse when I'm at McDonalds.

As usual, don't own Lost or the characters nor do I own the song "My Brother, My Brother" sung by Aaron Neville.

CHAPTER 50 - My Brother, My Brother

You are my Brother, you are my family
And it seems like only yesterday, we were running wild and free
Down the corner buying candy, or messin' 'round in the neighborhood
Hanging out with you night and day, it was good, so good
Lately I've heard you've got the weight of the world on your shoulder
Times have been rough, I can't turn the other way
My Brother, my Brother, whatcha gonna do
My Brother, my Brother, here to help you
Tell me your sorrows, tell me your fears
My Brother, my Brother, I'll always be here
I know that we are different, and we've gone our separate way
But we've got to learn to accept each other, for who we are today
I know it won't be easy, but we both have got to try
To hold onto each other, until the day we die
Nobody knows you quite the way that I do
And if you're in trouble, come to me, come to me
My Brother, my Brother, whatcha gonna do
My Brother, my Brother, I'm here to help you
Tell me your sorrows, tell me your fears
My Brother, my Brother, I'll always be here
Whatcha gonna do
I'm here to help you
Tell me
We got the same blood running through our veins, my Brother
Father is the heaven, Mother is the grave
We gotta look out for each other, my Brother
Yeah, that's what we gotta do I

* * *

The next morning as promised Jack found himself back at the house ready to join Kate and the kids in their Saturday activities. He joined them for a light breakfast where he learned that not only was Claire going in to work, but Sawyer had lined up a side job for most of the day as well.

Loading the kids in the car, the two made their way over to Emma's ballet class where a small group of parents were already forming in the lounge outside of the classroom. Emma rushed into the studio and excitedly approached her teacher pulling Jack by the hand.

"Hello, Emma." The young woman greeted the little girl cheerfully as she looked at the man next to her. "Who's this?"

"This is my daddy, Ms. Nichols." Emma told her proudly. "He came to watch me do ballet."

"Well, that's wonderful." Ms. Nichols extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Felicia Nichols."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Jack Shepard." He returned her handshake with a smile as he glanced around the studio. "Looks like you've got your hands full here."

Felicia laughed. "Oh yeah, but the girls are great. Your daughter is a sweetie and one of my best dancers."

"Oh really?" He looked down at a beaming Emma. "Well, that's nice to hear. I can't wait to see her dance."

"You know, if you'd like, you're welcomed to stay in the studio and watch, rather than looking through the window in the door." The teacher offered up. "You could sit in the corner over there."

Glancing back at Kate and Aaron Jack shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I…we have a little boy with us and I don't see him sitting still for too long. It would be disruptive."

"Are you going to watch me Daddy?" Emma's voice came up, laced with a hint of disappointment.

Bending down to her level Jack brushed at her bangs. "Of course I'm going to watch you, Angel. I'll be right out there with Mommy and Aaron watching through that window, okay?"

Nodding her head she gave him a small smile. "Okay." She said softly. Ever since her mother told her earlier that morning that Jack would be coming with them to class Emma couldn't have been more excited. She wanted to show him what she had learned and show him off to the other kids in the class.

As Felicia went around getting the girls together for class Jack made his way back over to the lounge and found Kate at a group of chairs with Aaron, who was playing an electronic game.

"Did you meet Ms. Nichols?" Kate asked as he sat down on a chair next to her.

"Yeah, she seems nice."

"She is and she's a good teacher, very patient with the kids."

Just then they were approached by two women, who appeared a little older than Kate. "Good Morning Kate." One of the women greeted.

"Shirley, Alice, hi." Kate smiled then watched as they eyed Jack. "This is Jack…Emma's father." She disclosed.

"Her father? Oh, I haven't seen you here before." Shirley, the redhead, commented as she shook his hand.

"No, this is my first time here." Jack confessed as he turned and shook Alice's hand.

"Jack's job kept him out of town for awhile." Kate piped up quickly. "He's a surgeon."

Alice's eyes grew large. "A surgeon, really? Oh, that sounds like such an exciting job."

Jack gave Kate a quick side glance. "Yeah…it can be."

"Well, your Emma is a doll. I see she got her genes from both sides of the family." Shirley commented with a smile at Jack.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, I think she looks more like Kate…right down to the freckles." He smiled over at Kate with his last comment. Giving him an embarrassed smile, she looked down at her feet.

Excusing himself from the group Jack got up and walked over to the window and looked in. Searching the group he found Emma near the front of the room following the teacher as they moved through some warm up exercises before starting the dance moves.

As he watched her push out a pointed toe and work on keeping her balance he marveled at the little girl and the idea that she was his. Fatherhood hadn't been an idea he embraced at all during his marriage to Sarah, insecure in his ability at being a good father, but that all changed the minute he had laid eyes on the pint size little angel that was currently twirling and bending trying to perfect a turn. Emma had brought out emotions and instincts he didn't realize were in him. A love so fierce and strong that he knew he could easily kill anyone who would harm her and not think twice about it. She was teaching him that he did have the capacity to be a good father…if he continued to trust his instincts.

As the children moved into another formation Emma looked over at the door and with a big grin on her little face gave Jack a wave before lining up next to another student.

"She's looks so sweet, huh?" Kate's voice filled his thoughts.

When he turned and looked he found Kate had come to his side and was watching as well. "Yeah." He agreed before turning back to the group.

"She's so excited you came to watch, Jack." Kate continued. "She was telling the other girls about how you were here in Seattle to spend time with her."

He chuckled before the sight of Emma falling on her backside made him wince.

"She's okay." Kate said quickly as they watched the teacher help Emma up with some encouraging words. "They fall all the time, but they don't get hurt."

"That's good to know."

"Truthfully, I'm more worried about next year when she's old enough to sign up for soccer." Kate told him.

"She wants to play soccer?"

"Yeah, I'm not crazy about the idea, but she watches Aaron play and she sees its fun."

"Blame yourself for that one." Jack said.

"How is it my fault?"

"You and that 'tom boy' spirit of yours. Naturally, our daughter would want to run and jump and kick…like the boys."

Turning towards him Kate put her hands on her hips. "I'll remind you that soccer isn't just a boys sport anymore. Plenty of girls are playing and they're good at it."

Jack laughed at her apparent indignation. "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying it's not surprising we may have a little 'tom boy' on our hands."

"Humpf, very funny." She turned back and glanced at the class watching them moving around once again. "I think it's more of an adventurous spirit and that…she got from both of us."

The rest of the class went smoothly and after it was over and Emma had changed into regular clothes the group made their way over to the park for Aaron's soccer game.

Arriving at the park Kate led them over to where Aaron's team was starting to gather and watched as he quickly ran over to join the other kids dressed in the same uniform.

As Jack watched all the kids running around warming up and some of the parents setting up the refreshment tables he felt a little out of place.

"A little daunting, isn't it?" Kate commented.

He smirked noticing how she could still read him so well. "Never been to one of these things."

"You'll get use to it. Just wait until tournament play…that gets a bit crazy with all the different team playing in one place and all the parents running around."

"Oh?"

She patted him on the chest, without even realizing she was doing it, "We'll have to get you a Mill Town Mustangs shirt." She teased, referring to the name of Aaron's team. "Just try to avoid Betty over there…she'll rope you into bringing in refreshments and snacks every chance she can."

Laughing Jack was interrupted by an excited Aaron who had run up to the couple. "Jack! Jack! Come watch me make a goal!" he pleaded grabbing the older man's hand and tugging.

With Emma by her side, Kate smiled and nodded her head indicating Jack should go with the little boy. Emma on the other hand had other ideas.

"How come daddy is going with him?" She asked somewhat indignant.

"Because Aaron wants to show him how he kicks a goal." Kate replied with a smile as she watched the little boy line up behind the soccer ball to kick it.

"But he's my daddy!" Emma replied with a pout.

Surprised by her reaction Kate reached down and picked up the little girl, smoothing out the front of her t-shirt. "Of course he's your daddy, Sweat Pea." She kissed the side of Emma's head. "But that doesn't mean he can't be friends with Aaron."

"And pway with Aaron?" Emma mumbled as she watched Jack high five Aaron on his practice goal.

"Well, yes, sometimes."

"I don't want him to play with Aaron!" She insisted. "He's my daddy, not Aaron's!"

Wanting to head off a potential tantrum Kate started to walk over to the snack table. "You want some juice, Doodle Bug?"

Emma shook her head no. "Down pwease." She requested.

Putting her down Kate reached for her wallet. "How about a granola bar?" she offered up as she purchased some juice and the bars.

Emma looked at the items with little interest. "Can we go home, mommy?" she asked. It looked like Cranky Emma was threatening to make an appearance.

"Not yet, baby. Aaron has to play his game, you know that. And then I thought after we could go have lunch. Wouldn't you like that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Can we leave Aaron at home?"

"No, baby, we can't leave him at home. Nobody's there." She replied firmly. She grabbed the snacks she had purchased and put them in her backpack then took Emma's hand and guided her over to the bleachers. "Let's go find somewhere to sit."

As they took their seats Kate noticed that Jack was still on the field with Aaron, chatting with one of the parents.

"Mommy, is daddy going to stay there?" Emma asked as she pointed out to the field.

"No, he'll be here in a minute." Kate said cheerfully. "Why don't you save him that seat, okay?"

Jack finally made his way off the field and to the bleachers as the teams got set to start the game. He spotted Kate, who gave him a quick wave.

"Sit here, Daddy." Emma commanded pointing to the empty space next to her.

With a grin Jack nodded and took the spot. Immediately Emma climbed up and sat on his lap laying herself against his chest. Smiling at the scene Kate handed him a granola bar and upon offering the little girl a juice bar Emma happily reached out for it. 'So much for insecurity.' Kate thought to herself as she settled back and focused on the game.

* * * *

Claire made her way back over to the nurse's station joining her co-worker, Hildy, who was busy re-filing some charts.

"Hey, do you have the chart for Mr. Ferguson in 508?" Hildy asked.

"Yeah, I do." Claire pulled out one of the charts from the three she had been carrying.

"Thanks."

Positioning herself next to the other woman, Claire flipped open one of the charts and started making some notations.

"So, any big plans for tonight with that hot guy of yours?" Hildy asked.

"Does pizza and a movie at home count?" Claire replied as she scribbled notes in the chart.

"Well, if it involves a man then it counts." Hildy told her with a smirk.

"Guess I'm ahead of the game then, since mine involves two." Claire joked, referring to Aaron.

"Some girls get all the breaks!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the low vibrating hum coming from Claire's pocket. Pulling out her cell phone she saw Sayid's name in the caller I.D.

Flipping it open she walked away from the nurse's station to a more secluded corner. "Hello?"

"Claire, hello. It's Sayid. How are you?"

"I'm fine, you?"

"I'm doing well. I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

"No, of course not." She could feel her heart start to beat a little faster as she tried to keep her voice even. "Did you find out something?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did. It took a bit of digging around, even made a trip down to Australia." He told her.

"And?" She asked anxiously.

"Well, Christian Shepard did purchase the house you and your mother lived in. He was listed in the property records as a secondary interest holder. Of course, his name never appeared on the actual land deed, which is why you never knew. He made sure it was titled to your mother."

"Okay." Claire let out a breath she was holding. "But that doesn't prove he was my father."

"No," Sayid replied coolly. "But then nothing that I turned up will prove beyond a doubt that outright. All of it is more circumstantial."

"Like what?"

"Well, phone records that showed he called your home on a regular basis for quite some time. He took more than one trip to Sydney and always alone. Plus there's the matter of the money."

"What money?" Claire asked surprised.

"About three months before you were born a set amount of money was deposited into your mother's bank account. Initially all that it included was the routing number of the account the money came from, but no name. I was finally able to track it down to a man by the name of Harvey Coleman from Los Angeles."

"I don't know anyone by that name." Claire told him. "Who is he?"

Sayid remained silent for a moment. "He was the attorney for Christian Shepard, up until his death."

Claire took in a sharp breath. All signs were pointing to the idea that Christian Shepard was her father. The same man that was Jack's father, which meant that she and Jack really were brother and sister. That Jack was actually Aaron's uncle.

"Claire?" Sayid's voice drew her attention back to the phone call.

"I'm sorry?"

"I was just saying everything we found is all circumstantial. If you want to prove this in court, you'll need a DNA test."

Claire shook her head. "I don't need to prove it in court. I need to prove it to Jack." She said softly.

"You may still need a test." He commented. "I'm not certain how Jack is going to react to this."

Neither did Claire. "Do you think he'll be really upset?" She asked a little fearful.

Sayid was silent for a moment. "I don't know for sure. I do know that things between he and his father were never easy." He said. "I can't imagine learning his father kept this deception is going to be easy."

"I guess not."

"How are you doing with this news?"

Claire remained quiet for a moment. "It feels…weird." She finally said not sure how to sum up her feelings.

"Well, I imagine that it would but at least you found the answer you were looking for." He pointed out.

'Yeah, but now what?' She thought to herself. 'How do I tell Jack?'

She heard Sayid clear his voice and realized he was waiting for her to respond.

"Thank you so much Sayid, for all your help on this." She told him sincerely.

"Anytime, and just so you know I'm sending you a report on the investigation along with the information and documents that I located."

"Okay,I appreciate that. I hope you're also sending me a bill for this."

"I do not charge my friends." Sayid told her.

"But…"

"It was a favor, Claire." He replied firmly. "Perhaps you can pay me back sometime."

Claire laughed. "Okay, I'm not sure how, but if you ever do need me, I'll be there."

"Thank you. I've got to go. Say hello to everyone for me." He replied and with a quick goodbye, the conversation was over. As Claire slipped her phone back into her pocket she made her way back to the nurses station, her mind on a man she barely know – Christian Shepard.

Later that day Claire entered her home and found the front living room empty. Kate's car was in the driveway so she knew the brunette was probably home. Ducking into her bedroom she found a napping Sawyer stretched out on the bed asleep. Smiling at the sight, she quietly went to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. With her back to the bed she stepped out of her scrubs and was standing in her underwear when she heard a soft wolf whistle.

"How about you join me for a little afternoon break?" Sawyer suggested, his southern accent in full twang.

With another important task on her mind Claire slipped a t-shirt over her head and walked over to the bed. "I thought you were asleep." She said, sitting down on the edge next to him.

"Heard you come in." He ran a finger up and down her arm. "So, you interested in that break?" He gave her a dimpled smile.

Finding it hard to resist the smile Claire thought about it briefly, the idea of delaying the inevitable a little longer almost as appealing as a bare-chested Sawyer lying under the covers.

"Tempting as that sounds," she bent down and kissed him quickly. "I probably should go check on Aaron."

"I'm sure he's fine with Freckles and Doc." Sawyer countered, slipping his hand under the hem of her shirt.

She quickly pushed his hand back and stood up. "That may be, but I haven't seen him all day and I am his mother." She reached for a pair of sweat pants and slipped them on. Figuring that she had hurt Sawyer's feeling with her rejection, she walked back over and touched his cheek gently. "How about we pick this up later tonight?" She suggested in a low voice.

A few minutes later she found the children in the kitchen with Jack and Kate giggling and chatting over bowls of ice cream. Standing at the door she watched Aaron as he talked about the soccer game in between spoonfuls of ice cream while Jack listened and commented at the appropriate times while still giving Emma his attention as well.

Aaron has really taken a liking to Jack, all without knowing they were related. She hoped that once that information came out things wouldn't change and the two would get closer. A big part of the reason she had started the search for her father was to give her son a family, some history he could hold on to as he grew up. She had been shocked to discover that Jack could be her half brother, but now as she thought more about it, the idea of having Jack Shepard, someone she already knew, liked and trusted, as a family member was a pretty good coincidence.

"Mommy, can I have more whip cream?" Emma's voice caught Claire's attention as she returned her thoughts to the scene in front of her.

"Hey, what's going on here? Claire greeted as she walked in and wrapped her arms around Aaron's small shoulders, giving him a kiss on top of his head.

"Hi Mommy!" the little boy greeted looking up at her with a big grin.

"We're having ice cream!" Emma announced cheerfully.

"I can see that." Claire replied before greeting Jack and Kate. "How was the game?"

"We won!" Aaron piped up proudly. "Three to two!" he held up fingers to represent each number.

"Aaron assisted with the winning goal." Jack added with a small wink in the little boy's direction.

"You did? Oh, sweetheart, that's great." Claire gushed and planted another kiss on the side of his head. "I'm so proud of you."

"One more win and they're in the playoffs." Kate told her friend as she picked up the empty bowls and placed them in the sink.

"Well, I'll have to make sure to come watch you in the playoffs." Claire told him cheerfully. "Sawyer too."

Nodding, Aaron looked over at Jack. "You're coming too, right Jack?"

Jack grinned, touched that the little boy wanted him there. "Of course I'll be there." He replied.

Claire was touched as well that her son had asked. Trying to gather her courage to tell him her news she busied herself pouring some iced tea in glass. Her chance came when Kate suggested Aaron and Emma go play outside.

"Gives them a chance to burn off some of that sugar." She told Jack. "They bounce off the walls it'll be your fault."

"What? Why my fault?"

"Who suggested ice cream as a treat to celebrate the soccer game victory?" Kate asked in teasing manner.

Jack grinned from across the table. "Well, whose idea was it to add chocolate syrup and whipped cream to the mix?"

Kate grinned back. "Yeah, well, if we were going to celebrate we should do it right."

Sitting down at the table Claire softly cleared her throat and interrupted their banter. "Ahum…Jack, I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Sure."

She glanced over at Kate who immediately thought she wanted some privacy, so the brunette stood up. "I'll just leave you two…"

"No! Stay!" Claire said loudly, then realized how panicked she sounded, so she quickly let out a breath. "I want you to hear this."

It took Kate a moment to figure out what 'this' was most likely about. Nodding, she sat back down. "Okay."

Interlocking her fingers Claire nervously bounced her hands on the table surface as she tried to sort her thoughts.

"Claire, what is it?" Jack asked her gently, noticing her demeanor.

"I've been looking for my father." She told him. "I didn't really know him. He wasn't around when I was growing up." She started off softly, keeping her gaze down at her hands.

Confused Jack looked over at Kate in hopes of some explanation, but only got a small smile instead.

"I met him only one time…after my mother's accident. He came to the hospital to see her…me. At the time I didn't really want much to do with him. I was mad at him for not being there for my mom and me." She fiddled with her fingers as her mind flashed back to that particular day when she had walked into her mother's hospital room and found him sitting there holding her unconscious mother's hand.

"I'm your father." He had said as if it was the most natural thing in the world…him being there.

"I didn't even know his name." She commented, part of her attention back with the memory. "All I knew was that he was an American doctor with a family back in the States…in California." She looked over at Jack. "My mother died without telling me who he was and my aunt Lindsey refused to even talk about him. Taking a long drink of her iced tea she took another deep breath. She knew that Jack was probably growing impatient with her explanation since he had no clue where all this was leading or how he was involved.

"Aunt Louise was the one that actually convinced Lindsey to send me a box of mom's papers and stuff. We were looking through them when we found a picture of my mom with this man and Kate recognized him."

"Really?" Jack turned to Kate. "You ended up knowing the guy?"

Kate shook her head. "I never met him. I just recognized him from pictures I had seen before."

Now Jack was more confused and losing some patience. "Claire, what's going on? Who is this guy?"

Claire exchanged a look with Kate who nodded encouragingly. "His name is…Christian Shepard." She finally announced.

Jack stared at her dumbfounded, not sure he had heard her right. "What?"

"We have the same father."

TBC

Coming up: Jack's reaction, of course!! And more Jate interaction.