"You're so good with him," Jack whispered, shutting Aaron's door all but a crack.

"What do you mean?"

"His room, his party, the way you are with him..." Jack noticed the confused way Kate studied him and stopped.

"You've never said anything like that before," she reminded him.

"Maybe that was the problem."

Kate felt the heat go to her cheeks. She knew he was trying to butter her up but it was working. Kate was most self conscious about being a mother and Jack knew it. She couldn't be sure if Jack was buttering her up or attempting to make amends for never acknowledging it before. "I'm actually glad you're here, I wanted to—"

"Wait, let me say this," he interrupted. "I said terrible things—"

"You did."

"—I just felt—"

"I know how you felt, Jack. But—"

"But," he interjected "I was wrong. It doesn't matter to me; Aaron is my son despite..." he trailed off, unable to say the truth again. Not with Aaron in the house. The image of Aaron emerging from the hallway, confused and half asleep and the horror on Kate's face would haunt him for the rest of his days. "I realized I don't care about it."

"What?" Kate asked, stunned.

"I love you. I've always loved you. I don't care if this baby is yours, ours or adopted. I love you and I'll love any kid that you played a part in raising."

Kate felt a large lump in her throat. She knew Jack would apologize - he'd already left her apologetic voicemails - but she had never considered hearing words like he'd just spoken. A tear escaped, sliding down her cheek. "Just stop, there is no baby!"

Jack felt his world stop. He had never once considered that Kate wouldn't be successful in having a child. He moved to her side, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Listen, you'll try again. I'll make some calls at the hospital..."

"Jack just shut up!" Her voice rose, something that rarely happened. On the island, she had been one of the rational ones; he didn't think he ever heard her raise her voice on the island except to yell for help. He felt his heart sink, knowing this wouldn't end well. "I didn't know how to explain to Aaron why he had blonde hair and blue eyes," she took a deep sigh of relief, the weight of the truth finally off her shoulders.

"Why didn't you ever..." he trailed off, knowing the answer. "Because I just lost it instead of talking to you," he admitted.

"It was never about a baby. I wouldn't want..."

"Wouldn't want what?" He pushed.

"I wouldn't want to do it without you," her voice was so low she didn't know if she'd actually spoken or simply thought of the answer.

He cupped her face and kissed her, half expecting her to pull away. Instead, her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed into him. He felt his cheeks dampen from her tears, something that encouraged him even more. He needed to fix this. He needed to fix her. He needed to fix them.

When she deepened the kiss, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to the bedroom. She began unbuttoning his shirt as they moved down the hall, her hands immediately moving to his sculpted chest.

"Did you mean all those things you said?" She asked while he shut their bedroom door. She smiled at his expression; of course he had meant what he said. He unbuckled his belt as his eyes burned into her, watching the way she undressed. As he approached the bed, he grabbed a condom before hovering over her and kissing her wildly. "We don't need this," she finally whispered against his lips as her hand moved to his, tossing the unopened condom on the floor.

The end.