EPILOGUE

TWO MONTHS LATER

ST. SEBASTIANS HOSPITAL

James was pacing up and down the halls.

"Dude, for the last time calm down," Hurley said, ignoring the fact that he was gripping a bottle of water so tight it was amazing it hadn't snapped in to. "Juliet's got this."

"Were you this upset when I was giving birth?" Claire, as always, was the picture of calm.

"Hell, I didn't know what the hell what was going on in the woods until the munchkin came charging in saying you'd had a boy." James realized what he said. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Claire said. "It's been awhile. Anyway, the point is that was a lot more dangerous. We're in a flipping hospital now."

Nadia's due date was still three weeks away when her water had broke while they were having lunch at Hurley's. Considering just how calm Sayid had been in a crisis almost the entire time that they had known him, it had been almost comical how Sayid had practically jumped into the air knowing that his son was about to be born.

Jack and Juliet, understandably, had taken charge, helped immeasurably by Kate. "I had to see my best friend give birth in an unsterile environment, so you're going to get this ambulance here NOW," she had told 911.

Because this was the way their lives seemed to work, the closest hospital was St. Sebastian, the same one Jack had spent most of his early career with. Fortunately, enough time had gone by so that now people had fond memories of Jack Shephard. He'd managed to persuade them Juliet was more than qualified to help deliver this baby and that he could monitor the situation. However, he couldn't overcome the usual bureaucracy.

"I just can't understand why they wouldn't let us back there," James said, with a level of agitation that, frankly, all of his friends were finding very amusing.

"It's immediate family only, James," Sun, who'd been through this before was projecting calm. "Somehow, I doubt they'd be willing to accept that we're all related to the parents."

"I think considering everything we've been through together, it should rate," James pointed out. "'Sides, less we forget, the Jarrah family was exactly out in force when we came back from the dead in Hawaii."

That in particular had been a sore spot for many of the Oceanics. Sayid had given very few details about his family growing up, even after they came to civilization. He had mentioned his older brother with some fondness, but that was about it. Only through conversations between Nadia and Sun – who more than the rest could sympathize with having a brute for a father – had they been able to get the picture.

Ahmed Jarrah had been considering by the Iraqis as a great hero – which basically meant that he'd been considered an enforcer in putting down civilian uprisings during Saddam Hussein's rule. At home, if anything, he was even worse – frequently beating his wife and his two children. The moment he had been proudest of Sayid came when Omer had been sent out into the backyard to kill a chicken – a test of manhood. When Sayid had been able to do it and Omer had not, he had said: "At least one of my sons will be a man." Sayid had joined the Republican Guard at seventeen, not so much to honor his father, but to get away from him. He had not seen any of his family since.

All of them could sympathize with having cruel parents – Sayid hadn't been the only one in Hawaii who hadn't had any family waiting for him – but Sayid's pain had been so harsh that he'd never even tried to find out if anyone was still alive. Even the usually invasive Jack had let it go.

Michael got up. "We're going to need to be there for him," he pointed out.

"You don't think I know that?" James said softly. "Sayid the Magnificent has had doubts about this ever since he told us Nadia was pregnant. You should probably talk to him first, probably ease his mind."

"We'll talk to him, too," Jin promised, looking at Sun. "Claire?"

"Don't think it'll carry the same way as you guys, but sure," Claire promised. "Besides, Aaron's gonna love having someone else to play with."

Just then, Jack came walking through the double doors. Everybody stood up.

"It's a boy," he said, with one of those smiles that very few people had seen before they had left the island.

Everybody started embracing everybody else – except, of course, James. "And Nadia?"

"Wasn't an easy birth." He looked at his sister. "Present company excluded, of course. But she's resting now, and Juliet says she'll be fine.

Then James did something that no one on the island would've ever taken odds on, because it hadn't happened even after they'd been rescued.

Sawyer hugged Doc. Not for long, but everyone knew how big a deal this was for both men.

"It's just, y'know, every time," James was at a loss for words for once.

"Its okay, James." Jack more than understood.

"How long until we can see them?" Claire asked.

"Little while longer. But we're not going anywhere yet."

Sun looked around. "Where's Kate?" Jack had managed to pull some strings to get his wife to observe, but eventually she'd been forced out.

"She's getting some food from the vending machines," Jack's smile faded a little. "Despite my career, she still has a lot of trouble being in hospital for long periods. Not that I blame her."

A few seconds later, Kate showed up with her arms full of bags of chips and candy bars. "Sorry. I know we can afford better stuff, but we've been here awhile."

Hurley naturally ran over to help her. "It's okay. Sometimes the vending machine stuff is pretty good in these places."

"Trust me, Hugo, no one who comes here ever stops for the cuisine," James said fondly.

Hurley helped Kate hand out crackers and chips and then froze.

"You all right, Hurley?" Walt asked.

Hurley didn't answer for a moment. He was just staring at one of the candy bars in his hand.

Michael got up to help Hurley, and was clearly puzzled. "What's the matter?"

Hurley's face cleared for a moment. "That's right, you never saw them." He handed him one of the chocolate bars.

Michael was still confused. "Apollo chocolate. I still don't get it."

"They were, like, the official candy bar of the Dharma Initiative," Hurley told them. "I'd never heard of them before I came to the island. And now, they're in this hospital's vending machine?"

Now most of the others were confused. "I get why this would freak you out a little, Hugo," James said reassuringly, "but I'd heard of them before the island."

Hurley looked a little calmer. "Really?"

"They sold them at the A & P down in Memphis. 3 for a dollar, I think."

"Yeah, they've been around while. They were in the machine when I was a resident," Jack told him.

"I think they even had them for sale on the flight," Sun added.

Now Hurley seemed back to his old self. "Then I'm just a little shocked I never heard of them before. As you no doubt know, I'm kinda familiar with chocolate in all its forms."

"Well, they were kind of low budget when I bought them," James said thoughtfully. "Always thought that they were a poor man's Hershey bar. Even I would save up money rather than buy Apollo."

"Maybe Dharma got 'em at a discount," Kate said. "Anyway, once we've finished our snacks, I figure we can see how the proud father and mother are doing."

"I'll call them Desmond and Penny, let them know the good news," Jack said. "Anyone know where John is?"

At that moment, John and Helen emerged. "Sorry about that," Helen told them. "My husband insisted on getting this finished before he showed up."

"I'll be honest," Locke said quietly. "It's still not a lot of fun being in a hospital, even on a pleasant occasion."

"I get it, John, I do," Jack said. He looked at the package that John was carrying. "This what you've been working on the last few weeks?"

"Say what you will about the island, Jack, at least it was a lot easier to find a place with few distractions."

"You mean aside from the Others trying to eat us?" Hurley reminded him.

Locke smiled. "Yes, I'm aware of the irony of that statement, Hugo. What can I say? When you're in a place of religious mania, everything seems easier by comparison."

"Well, at least you're admitting it was a mania," Kate said simply

"It's easier to cure when you yourself diagnose the problem." Locke admitted. "So I understand mother and child are doing alright? How's the father holding up?"

"He's doing all right so far." Everybody stopped in their tracks as Juliet emerged, taking off her cap and rubbing her hands through her hair. "But then again, Sayid never exactly wore his heart on his sleeve."

James walked over to his wife and embraced her. "Hell of a way to come back from our honeymoon," he said gently.

"Actually, it's probably as good a way as I could hope for," Juliet said fondly. "It's always nice to give good news to a friend. Granted, I might not have wanted to get as hands on my first week back, but still…"

"I think we're all grateful you were here anyway," Jack said. "As for Sayid, he may keep up a poker face when it comes to serious matters, but he definitely wore his emotions when he cares about someone. "

James looked a little solemn, and looked at Juliet. "He's gonna need some help going forward, and since the best I can come up with is a more respectful nickname, we were going over how to help him."

"Just the fact that you know he needs help shows you're more qualified than you think, James," Locke said softly. "As for the rest, it'll probably help that this child already has a group of playmates waiting for him already."

Claire looked at Hurley. "Speaking of which, you make any progress on our project?"

Hurley looked at her. "There's always a lot of paperwork, even for something as simple a day care center. My guy tells me another two weeks and we should be ready to open."

By now, the survivors of Oceanic had gotten to the point that they knew their children could no longer remain as insular as they had been. Claire had suggested trying to form a playgroup with the survivors' children as founding members. Aaron and Ji Yeon would be in the toddler section, and they would try to spread out from there. There would be no advanced tuition, no extra security: it would just be a safe place for children – something everybody who had survived the island knew was vital for all of them.

"Okay, how many of us can go back there?" Kate asked.

"Sayid's still looking after Nadia," Juliet said firmly. "My guess is only two of us who aren't in the medical community could get away with going back there."

"You want to draw straws?" James said, half in jest. "I'm kidding. I think we all know who the first two people the new parents should see."

LLLL

Sayid looked up when Juliet knocked on the door five minutes later. "Everybody has the good news, but you have two visitors who insisted on seeing you first."

A small smile crossed Sayid's face as Claire and Sun, properly gowned, entered their suite. "Don't mind me, I just wanted to see what an actual maternity ward looked like," Claire said softly.

"I was too doped up to remember what mine looked like," Sun said.

Nadia looked up with a grin on her face. "You're bad liars. You just wanted to see what Sayid looked like when he was completely happy."

"They were at our wedding. They already knew that much," Sayid said with a fondness that neither remembered hearing that often on or off the island.

The two women walked over to Sayid, who was cradling his son. "Have you decided on a name yet?" Sun asked gently.

"We each decided to name him after someone we'd lost," Nadia told them. "To remind us. I'm naming him after my older brother, Najeev."

"And his middle name will be Boone," Sayid said quietly.

Both Claire and Sun's eyes grew moist at the mention of the first real casualty of their time on the island. "That's very noble," Claire said after swallowing.

"Can we have a moment with your husband?" Sun asked Nadia.

Sayid and Nadia exchanged the kind of glance that she realized was of the same type that she and Jin had exchanged over the years. Nadia took Najeev in her arms.

The three of them walked into the hall outside the suite. "Jack sent you to check on me, didn't he?" Sayid said gently.

"Actually, it was James," Claire told him. "The two of you have come a long way since your fighting over who was the prisoner."

"I'm still amazed he ever forgave me for sticking a knife in his vein," Sayid's smile faded. "And its things like that which make me wonder what kind of father I'll be."

"I was terrified about what kind of mother I'd be," Claire reminded Sayid. "Right up until five minutes before I gave birth, I was convinced that Aaron thought I didn't want him. Kate can testify to that."

"I felt the same way." Claire must've seemed a little surprised at Sun's words. "Because of who my father was."

"If being on that island convinced us of anything, Sayid," Claire reminded him. "It's that we have to let go of what our parents did to us. Family isn't genetic. It's who we become, and the friends we make along the way."

"And what about the things we did that weren't our parents fault?" Sayid asked.

"We have to try and let that go to," Sayid was a little shocked to see that Locke was there. "Not forget it, even though that would save us a lot of pain. See it as steps along our journey. Steps that lead you to the place that you were meant to be. And trust me, Sayid. You were meant to be a good man."

Sayid shook his head. "Nadia keeps telling me that."

"Well, then your wife is a very wise woman," Locke said."

That got a real smile from Sayid. "So what's in the package?"

"That would be a real life birthday present for your son," Locke said.

Sayid was a little surprised, and even more surprised when he saw it.

"To answer the question that's no doubt on your mind, I didn't bring this with me from the island," John told Claire. "I guess I'm just not that original when it comes to gifts."

Indeed, the gift was a handmade cradle, much like the one that Locke had built for Aaron just a few days before he was born. But Locke had clearly spent longer on it because he wanted it to look nicer. The wood was varnished, the edges were buffed, the bars were narrower. The resemblance looked much more like one you'd find at a far better furniture shop, but you could still tell that John had put a bit of his soul into it, much like the one he'd done for Claire almost three years earlier.

"Honestly John, I wouldn't have minded if you'd re-gifted," Claire said softly. "It would've been a tradition that I would've been proud to uphold."

"It never even occurred to me to bring it," Locke said sincerely. "Like so many other things on the island, it had served its purpose. And I figured for a new life, it should have a fresh start. After all, that what's we all came back for."

Sayid gave a real smile. 'It would've made more sense to bring that to our home first."

"I know," Locke admitted. "I just wanted you and Nadia to see it first. And now that I've shown it to you, I would be honored if I could meet your son."

"It's going to be a little crowded for visitors," Claire said, half in jest.

"He's not a visitor," Jack had clearly been watching for awhile. "He's a friend, and we all need more of those."

Locke looked at Jack. "You mean I've been upgraded," he said with a smile.

"I think we passed that point when I told you I believed that you were right about pretty much everything," Jack said fondly. "It's going to take awhile to make things completely right for us, but soon enough, you'll be back in the real world. Where you always belonged."

"Hey, Blondie," James said slowly. "Could you check online? I think there's a very good possibility hell has officially frozen over."

"If it didn't when you and Jack started to become besties, I don't think it ever will," Kate said with a smile.

Jack looked like he might be blushing. "Did everybody hear that?" he said, as he looked around to see that the remainder of the Oceanics had assembled a few feet behind him.

"We came to see our friend's newborn son," Jin told them.

"The Kodak moment was just a bonus," Hurley added wryly.

"In any case, I think we've all had enough Hallmark moments," James said.

"Don't count on it, James," Michael reminded him. "We're about to go into a room with a newborn. The women – especially the moms are all going to ooh and aah for three minutes, and every man is probably going to try really hard not to let the grin eat their entire face. I guess you've been spared that so far."

"Jin the protector wouldn't let me see Aaron, and they were on the other side of the world when Ji Yeon was born, " James reminded him. "So I haven't had that much experience with the after party." His smile faded.

Michael looked at James. "You okay?"

"Just thinking of something I did in my bad old days," he said quietly. "I'll tell you tonight." His smile returned. "I don't want to spoil the mood."

"I kind of thought that was your job on the island," Claire said with a smile.

"Like Buddha said," James told him with his old humor, "another of those things that I left on the island that will not be missed."

"You'd think after everything that had happened on the plane crash," Jack said slowly, "we would have been able to leave all our baggage behind. Kinda sad even after that crash it took us this long to get rid of it all."

"Why Jack," Locke said, with a trace of humor, "you almost sounded like me there."

"So I did," Jack said. "Guess you're starting to rub off on me too."

"This is a nice moment, but maybe we could all go and see Sayid's son before the kid goes through his adolescence," Kate said. When everybody looked at her, "What? You really think I could spend that much time around Sawyer and not start to have him rub off on me?"

"As a matter of fact, that's…"

"James, before you finish that sentence, please remember how handy I am with a scalpel and forceps," Juliet said sweetly.

"Let's see Sayid's kid," James said quickly, bringing his legs together like that.

Laughing and smiling, the Oceanics walked down the hall into Sayid's room.

None of them noticed a woman who had been wearing a surgical mask just a few feet away. She very quietly walked down the hall, and headed towards the back exit.

She took out a small cell phone once she was out of sight of them. "Perfectly healthy boy, five pounds, four ounces. Mother and father are doing okay."

"I told you, Rose, there was nothing to worry about," said the voice on the other end.

"Yes, you were right as always, sweetie," Rose said fondly. "And the rest of them are all doing well."

"Wish I could've made this trip," Bernard said sweetly.

"One of us needs to keep an eye on the place for now," Rose said smartly. "Don't worry, honey. You can come on the next trip."

"Can't wait to see you."

"Don't worry about that," Rose said. "We have all the time in the world."

THE END

This story is inspired by the work of Stefanie Bean and Red Bess Rackham .

This time, I'm not going to leave you hanging. There will be another story in this series. It'll be less mystical and more grounded in reality, with characters from a different fandom getting involved. It won't come for awhile – I have another series I want to work on for a bit – but I'll get back to it sometime next year. This series has become one of my great pleasures to work in, and, from what I've read, most of you like it too.

See you soon. Until then, Namaste

David