"Jack—" Sam Austen stood, holding his hand out to the doctor.

"Mister Austen," Jack offered a firm handshake.

"Thanks for calling."

"Thanks for meeting me," Jack said calmly as he sat down behind his desk. He suddenly realized he could have done a little more to tidy up his desk. Sam helped himself to a piece of hard candy in a little dish.

"That was Kate's idea," Jack explained. "She says my bedside manner sucks."

"She must be mad. She hasn't spoken to me since the restaurant. You told her?"

"Yeah, I did."

"You'll learn once you get married," he chuckled. "Marriage is on a need to know basis—"

"Not Kate and I," Jack interrupted, his tone stern.

"Why did you call me here, Jack?"

"Kate is going to call you. She made the decision on her own." He took a step closer to Sam. "I made a mistake lying to Kate and I won't do it again."

"Jack, I wasn't—"

"That's not why I say that. I'm acknowledging and regretting my actions. I'll never do it again but I'm telling you that you won't, either. I've never met anyone as strong as Kate—"

"—I know she's strong. I raised her."

"— You have no idea what she went through. All those years after you left. Those years on the run. During the plane crash and trying to survive after. I don't know how much one person can take but Kate has handled it exceptionally. Still, deep down, she's a scared little girl. I refuse to remind her of that."

"I'm her father; shouldn't I be the one giving this speech?" Sam asked. Jack couldn't tell if his expression was amusement or offense. It didn't matter to him; it needed to be said.

"I don't care who says it as long as someone is speaking up for Kate," Jack kept his voice calm but stern. "If you accept her dinner invitation, keep that in mind."

"I promise," Jack sighed that night as he set the salad bowl down. "I promise I'll be there at the dinner." His heart melted when he saw those green eyes that seemed confident on the surface but he knew hesitation was lying below. He grabbed her hand, forcing her attention. "Promise promise?" He offered.

"Promise promise," she smiled, her worries subsiding.

"Why can't I wear my dinosaur shirt?" Aaron whined as Kate tried to pick out his clothes.

"We're meeting someone special today. Don't you want to look nice?"

"Who?"

Kate stopped scouting his closet and turned to him, kneeling down. "Well, I want you to meet your Grandpa. He's my Dad." Kate swallowed hard, pushing down the lump in her throat. She had fought so hard at keeping herself closed up from Sam that she hadn't actually let the words sunk in. He was her father. Despite DNA, he was the man who raised her. More than that, he had been a big reason she not only survived but helped the others survive as well. "He's very excited to meet you, so make sure you're on your very best behavior."

"Mommy?" Aaron moved towards his mother, "I want to look nice for Grandpa." Finally, he settled on a pair of grey pants, a white button down shirt and the bow tie he insisted on wearing.

"Wow, Bud! You look nicer than I do!" Jack teased as he met the child in the living room. Jack wore khakis and a brown sweater with a collared shirt underneath.

"It's for my Grandpa!" Aaron said proudly. "I want to look nice."

"Well, you succeeded." He was interrupted by Kate swaying towards them in her white skinny jeans and hot pink cardigan.

"Look how handsome!" She called to each as she gave Aaron a small hug. "You boys look so nice!"

As she gave Jack a quick kiss, he grabbed her tiny waist and pulled her close. "Kate, you look…"

She cleared her throat reminding him of the boy. Still, a pink blush crept across her face.

"So," Jack whispered. "Are we—"

"I don't know," she whispered back, glancing behind her to make sure Aaron wasn't eavesdropping. "Is it too soon?"

"I mean…" Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"I meant, shouldn't he know if it's going to be Samuel Christian or Samantha Christian?" She said softly.

A hand subconsciously ran through his hair as he considered the options. "Or, we could kill two birds with one stone." He used his eyes to lead her towards Aaron. "We've got to tell him, Kate."

She glanced up, her eyes searching his for the validation, which he gave willingly. "Okay," she whispered. "We'll tell the family tonight." She gave him a quick peck before grabbing the keys.