Hello everybody!
I've been missing for A WHILE, I know.
But real life is getting crazy, with my little one turning two years old in June, the move to a new bigger house, and the job, which ain't easy, too.
So, I've decided to upload a very peculiar chapter, I wanted it to be the epilogue of the long one-shots-mess that this fiction turned out to be; but seeing that it's the only chapter already written, here it goes.
It's almost a crossover, actually.
Since I love LOST, I decided to put two of my favorite OTPs together and try to pour out my feelings about them.
!SPOILER ALERT!
1. If you've never watched LOST, please know in advance that this chapter ISN'T SPOILER FREE.
2. If you have the intention to ever watch LOST, please don't read this chapter.
3. If you've watched LOST, I hope you enjoy this.
4. If you're neither a fan of LOST nor willing to watch it, well…I hope you enjoy this anyway!
Have fun!
POST FINALE
September 22, 2004
Rachel was waiting for Ross to come back home. Emma was already asleep, tired for the long day spent at Sandra's house.
It was half past eight. Ross never got home so late, so she was definitely starting to worry.
Just as she was reaching for her phone, intending to call Monica and find out if she knew something about her brother, the door opened.
Rachel sighed in relief.
"Hi sweetie." Ross said, entering, almost breathless, but oblivious to his girlfriend's concern.
"Hey! Where have you been, I was worried!" she confessed, giving him a fast peck on the lips.
"I got caught up with Henry and I lost track of time; I'm sorry, Rach."
"Did you eat something?" Rachel knew that Henry was Ross's most important colleague at the University. If he asked for his help with anything, Ross always compelled.
"Yeah, I got a sandwich while we were grading papers. Where's Ems?"
"Sleeping."
"Already?!" Ross questioned her, incredulous.
"Yeah, she was exhausted. My mother took her to visit my father."
"Really?" Ross asked, smiling at her. He knew that Rachel secretly hoped that her parents would get back together. After what had happened with the two of them, she thought anything was possible.
"So…we've got the whole night for us." She grinned, placing her hands around Ross's neck.
"Actually…"
"What?" she asked, knowing that Ross wouldn't usually resist her charm.
"There's this new TV show I really wanted to watch…"
Not only her mouth, even Rachel's eyes were giggling.
"What?"
"Nothing, it's just that your nerd side must still get the upper hand on the horny one, if you come and say no to a long night of sex." She laughed at him.
Ross chuckled along with her, "I'm sorry sweetie…tonight the first episode of LOST airs…I'd love watching it, it's like every person I know is talking about it!"
"Really?" Rachel wondered, a bit surprised.
"Yeah…we could watch it together, actually."
Rachel moved back from him and walked towards the couch, looking for the TV guide.
"I don't know, what's it about? It's not another series about dinosaurs, is it?" she complained, skimming through the pages of the guide.
"No" Ross answered, annoyed. "It's a new show created by J.J. Abrams."
"Oh god, him? Again?"
"Hey, Alias is awesome!"
"Yeah, it is, if you like spy action dramas."
"Come on, I know you love watching Alias. You have heart eyes every time Michael Vartan pops up on the screen."
"Who wouldn't?" Rachel smiled, thinking about the actor. "I'm still waiting for Vaughn and Sydney to get back together, for real."
Pleased with himself, Ross smiled at her, "So, are you with me? All I know so far is that LOST talks about a plane crash and a group of survivors who end up on a mysterious island."
Rachel thought about it, "Ok. I'll watch the Pilot. If I like it, we keep watching it together."
Ross closed his fist in sign of victory. They sat on the couch together, ready to watch the show.
§§§
"Ok, the doctor is going to be the absolute hero of the show." Rachel sentenced.
Ross looked at her with suspect, he knew her too well, "You like him, uh?"
Rachel smiled back at her fiancé, "He has it, doesn't he? Black hair, dark eyes, tall…" Ross eventually realized where she was going with this, "Good, generous."
"He's a doctor." He interjected her, causing Rachel to scoff.
"He's an M.D.!" She observed.
Ross glared at her, then he focused on the show. "I don't know, there's something missing."
"What?" Rachel asked.
"A woman."
As if on cue, a beautiful actress with brown curly hair and green eyes appeared on the screen.
Ross and Rachel shared a knowing look.
"Who's this?" Ross wondered.
"Careful…" Rachel warned him.
Ross chuckled, "No, seriously, I've never seen this actress before."
"She might be at her first important role." Rachel pointed out.
§§§
KATE: You don't seem afraid at all. I don't understand that.
JACK: Well, fear's sort of an odd thing. When I was in residency, my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a 16-year-old kid, a girl. And at the end, after 13 hours, I was closing her up and I, I accidentally ripped her dural sac. Shredded the base of the spine where all the nerves come together, membrane as thin as tissue. And so it ripped open. And the nerves just spilled out of her like angel hair pasta, spinal fluid flowing out of her and I … And the terror was just so … crazy. So real. And I knew I had to deal with it. (He's crying). So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for five seconds, that's all I was going to give it. So I started to count: One, two, three, four, five. Then it was gone. I went back to work, sewed her up and she was fine.
KATE: If that had been me, I think I would have run for the door.
JACK: No, I don't think that's true. You're not running now.
After Jack's captivating monologue, Ross and Rachel eventually looked at each other.
They were both thinking the same thing; they WOULD keep watching this show together.
"50 bucks that these two are going to be endgame." Ross said, feeling an immediate connection to the characters on the screen.
"I raise the bet to 100, saying that a third wheel will cause trouble."
"You're on." Ross squeezed Rachel's hand.
§§§
On the screen, Kate was running in the jungle.
Rachel was terrified by what had just happened to the pilot, who'd been caught by a horrible creature.
"Oh my god! Did the monster go away?" she asked Ross, still keeping her fingers on her eyes.
"Yeah honey, it looks like it's gone."
"And now?"
Kate was hiding behind a group of bamboo trees.
KATE: "J-J-J...Jaaaack! One! Two! Three! Four! Five!"
"Oh…she's so sweet." Rachel commented. "She's doing exactly what he told her before…"
CHARLIE: What is...
JACK: It's the pilot.
As Kate looked joyfully at Jack, even Ross and Rachel looked at each other, smiling, again.
"See? Looks like love is in the air." Ross affirmed.
KATE: Did you see it?
JACK: No. It was right behind me, but... I dove into the bushes.
CHARLIE: Guys? How does something like that happen?
A huge title with the word "LOST" appeared on the screen, making them know that the episode was over.
Rachel jokingly patted Ross's leg as she stood up, "I know you're excited now, but remember this; the main relationships are always winding, complex, painful…at times even ruined by cheating."
Ross noticed her voice taking on a low tone.
With a regretful look in his eyes, he stood up too, grabbing her arm to make her turn to face him.
"But in the end, true love always wins." He reminded her.
Rachel smiled back at him. She sighed, letting Ross's arms envelope her.
"Yes." She answered, kissing him, lovingly. "I know it does." She murmured, resting her head on his neck.
November 30, 2005
KATE: Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am not as perfect as you! I'm sorry that I'm not as good!
JACK: Okay, what's going on with you?
KATE: Just forget it.
Rachel couldn't blink, holding her breath while watching the weekly episode of LOST.
She silently observed Jack grabbing Kate's arm.
JACK: No, don't walk away from me.
KATE: Let go of me. Just...
JACK: No. Kate. Kate, Kate, Kate.
KATE: Don't! I've got...
Then Kate started to cry, and Jack hugged her, gently murmuring soothing words.
JACK: It's okay. It's okay.
KATE: Please, this place is crazy - it's just - I can't - it's driving me nuts.
JACK: I know. It's okay. It's alright. It's alright.
Almost unexpectedly, Kate kissed Jack, finally giving up to her feelings for him.
Rachel had tears in her eyes.
"I can't believe they finally kissed. I've been waiting so long for this!"
Ross's mind was clearly elsewhere, "Yeah, the first kiss is always memorable."
Rachel looked at him lovingly, then she noticed Kate running away from Jack with one eye.
"That girl is so troubled; I'm starting to think this relationship won't end well."
Ross shook his head, "I think we are living proof that even the most tormented stories can have a happy ending, aren't we?"
Rachel flashed a reassured smile at him, "You're right."
November 8, 2006
Ross was holding Rachel's hand in his, playing with the wedding ban – as usual.
Since they had gotten married a few months before, toying with her ring had become his favorite hobby. Maybe because he was still in disbelief for the fact that they had finally broken the spell and said I do.
Jack was facing Kate for the first time in a while, separated from her by a glass.
JACK: Hey. You Ok?
KATE: Yeah. You?
JACK: Yeah, I'm great.
They were visibly holding back their emotion to see each other.
JACK: Where are they keeping you?
KATE: Outside. In a cage.
"Well, this is a powerful scene." Ross whispered.
"Yeah…" Rachel agreed. "It looks like…that wall of glass might explode, such is the strength of their feelings…like they would break it in a second, if they could, only to touch each other again."
JACK: How did they get you to ask me?! What did they offer you?!
KATE: Jack, please! Nothing!
JACK: Then what are you doing here?!
KATE: They're gonna kill Sawyer!
§§§
"Mmm…I've got a terrible feeling about this episode." Ross said.
"Why?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know, this whole Kate and Sawyer thing, with the kiss, they are so close…I'm afraid that he's going to win her over."
Rachel wasn't usually as pessimist as her husband, but she had to change her mind when Kate and Sawyer slept together a few minutes later.
"I can't believe she's betraying Jack like that." Ross stated with disappointment, mostly for Kate's behavior.
"I'm not sure I'm liking this turn of events. And why making Jack see them together through the camera? This is horrible!" Rachel snapped.
She felt for Jack.
She had been there. Many years have passed, sure, but at times that wound still hurt.
As if reading her mind, Ross reassured her, "Remember that even the best couples deal with moments of separation. Sometimes, even when they are meant for each other."
Rachel shot him a sad smile, "I know…" she squeezed his hand in hers. "But I like happy endings. If Kate and Jack aren't meant to be, then I'm not gonna watch LOST anymore."
"Me neither." Ross agreed.
"Look at you, all mushy! I thought you watched LOST because there are lots of mysterious paranormal things."
"Come on, you know I'm the hopeless romantic." Ross made her laugh.
"I know." She giggled.
§§§
JACK: You remember what I told you on the beach? The day of the crash. You remember what story I told you when you were stitching me up? DO YOU REMEMBER IT?
Kate struggled to answer straight away to a very angry Jack.
KATE: YES! Yes, I remember!
JACK: When you get safe, you radio me, and you tell that story.
KATE: Jack, please.
JACK: If I don't get a call from you in the next hour, I'm going to know something went wrong, and HE DIES!
KATE: I can't leave without you!
JACK: Yes, you are. Go!
KATE: Jack! I can't!
JACK: Go, now!
KATE: I can't!
JACK: Kate, dammit, RUN!
Rachel had an astonished and yet gleeful look.
"See? I'm sure she won't leave without Jack!" Rachel grinned, turning the TV off.
Rachel stood up, ready to go to their bedroom, but Ross was still deep in thought.
"What if that had happened between us?" he asked her, out of the blue.
Ross was thinking about the whole Paris ordeal. How he had almost lost her.
So, Rachel smiled tenderly to reassure him, just like he had done earlier in the evening.
"Honey…it didn't." she replied with a soft voice.
Rachel had gotten off the plane.
"I thought I was the Kate, and you were the Jack." Ross remarked.
"It depends." Rachel nodded with resolution, squeezing her eyes before kissing him.
"Had you found yourself in Kate's shoes…you would have chosen me over any other man?" he asked her, full of curiosity.
Rachel scoffed, "Ross, I had a bunch of boyfriends before and after you, none of them was ever meaningful enough to make me even not thinking about you! On the other hand…"
"What?"
"Well, you did. And we both know how it ended…" Rachel waved her hand in the air to prove her point.
Their thoughts instantly went to Emily.
And London.
"I Ross, take thee, Rachel…" he repeated, like a mantra.
They shared a good laugh.
May 1, 2008
JULIET: And, uh, how are you gonna watch, flat on your back with my hand in your abdominal cavity?
JACK: We can use a mirror. Kate can hold it.
JULIET: If someone's going to be in there, shouldn't it be someone with medical experience? Bernard's a dentist –
JACK: No, I want it to be Kate.
JULIET: Okay.
"Yesssss!" Rachel yelled.
"What?" Ross laughed at her overreaction.
"He finally kicked Juliet out! God I HATED see them kiss the other week, this whole triangle is pissing me off! Jack loves Kate, no one else!"
Ross was intrigued by her hatred for the poor Juliet.
"So, let me guess…if we are like Jack and Kate, then Juliet is like…an Emily?"
Rachel was caught off guard by his statement.
"Nooo…" she tried and dissimulate. "Maybe…just like a Julie."
Ross chuckled in delight.
§§§
Later, the episode entertained them with a pivotal moment in Kate and Jack's relationship.
JACK: The other night, when I was reading to Aaron, you said...that I was a natural. Do you really... do you really think that I'm good at this?
KATE: Yeah. You're good at this.
Jack paused, looking at Kate in awe.
JACK: Will you marry me?
Rachel gasped as she watched Jack removing a small box from his pocket and open it.
On the screen, Kate gasped just like Rachel, tears immediately forming in her eyes.
KATE: Yes.
Kate laughed with joy while Jack put the ring on her finger.
KATE: Of course I will. Yes!
The two of them kissed and hug.
Ross was feeling emotional, too.
"You know; this reminds me of something." He said to Rachel.
"Yeah…"
Ross's proposal had been so genuine, sudden and romantic.
As soon as Rachel had moved in, the two of them had been looking through the items of their respective boxes, reliving past memories (both bad and good).
Ross had then proposed to her with his grandmother's ring.
§§§
Their mood changed drastically by the end of the episode, though.
JACK: Where were you today?
Kate kneeled in fron of Jack.
KATE: I'm gonna ask you... to trust me. Trust me. Just leave it be.
JACK: Where were you?
KATE: Jack, don't.
JACK: No, I heard you on the phone last night. Who were you talking to?
KATE: Just let it go.
Kate started to walk away.
JACK: No, no, I wanna know.
KATE: No, Jack.
JACK: I wanna know where you were. I wanna know who you were with.
KATE: It doesn't matter, Jack. Please.
JACK: No, tell me. Tell me!
Kate sighed in resignation.
KATE: I was doing something for him.
JACK: For who?
KATE: For Sawyer. I made him a promise. It...
JACK: What?
KATE: It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with us.
JACK: Then why won't you tell me?
KATE: Because—because he wouldn't want me to.
Ross took Rachel's hand in his, knowing that this wasn't going nowhere good.
JACK: But he's not here, is he? No. No, he made his choice. He chose to stay. I'm the one who came back. I'm the one who's here. I'm the one who saved you.
KATE: Jack. You can't—you can't do this. If you have problems, you need to figure them out. All right? 'Cause I can't have you like this around my son.
JACK: Your son? You're not even related to him!
Kate gasped and so did Rachel, as soon as the two of them noticed the little Aaron awake.
Jack left the house and Kate cried with desperation.
"Honey…that's all in the past now." Ross said, without even looking at her.
After a fight like the one Kate and Jack just had, he didn't need to look at his wife to know what she was probably thinking about.
In fact, he was remembering the exact same terrible night.
"You mean the future." Rachel replied slyly to Ross.
She was clearly referring herself to the flash forwards of LOST, but Ross enjoyed so much when she tried and act like a nerd, quoting movies that he loved in their everyday life.
"Well, I wasn't talking about LOST, this time." Ross admitted.
"I know…" Rachel nodded slowly.
She gave him a soft peck on the lips just to make sure that the sadness was, indeed, all in the past.
They held each other tight.
February 18, 2009
JACK: Kate? What are you doing here?
KATE: Are you still going back to the Island?
JACK: Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.
KATE: Then I'm going with you.
JACK: Kate... what happened? Where's Aaron? Where—
KATE: No, don't ask questions. If you want me to go with you... you'll never ask me that question again. You will never ask me about Aaron. Do you understand, Jack?
JACK: Yes.
KATE: Thank you.
Jack and Kate kissed with such a passion, that Ross and Rachel were caught off guard.
"She's doing this for all the wrong reasons." Ross expressed his thoughts with a sigh.
"Maybe…but as I told you before, when a girl asks for some sympathy sex, just do it."
Ross looked at her with incredulity, "You're still on this? I couldn't take advantage of you like that, you were vulnerable!"
"Jack did it with Kate!" Rachel yelled.
Ross chuckled, "Sweetie, that's a TV show!"
Rachel smiled, "Anyway, I told you they were still in love. Remember, they broke up for a reason, but love was never an issue."
Ross focused his thoughts on his personal life. He nodded, making sure that Rachel was looking at him, "You're right. Love was never an issue."
They gazed at each other with a look full of affection and respect.
"I guess Jack never forgot her." Ross said, his attention back at the screen.
Rachel nodded, "Neither did Kate, even if she struggles in showing her true feelings."
She leaned her head on Ross's shoulder.
May 23, 2010
Rachel had been crying for a while. The last episode of LOST felt like the end of an era.
JACK: Okay. Kate...you gotta go. Get Claire on that plane.
KATE: Tell me I'm gonna see you again.
Jack shook his head and the two of them kissed.
KATE: I love you.
JACK: I love you.
"I can't believe that after six years they must say goodbye." She whispered through the tears. "They exchanged I love yous, and now what? Damn it, Jacob!"
"I thought you liked Jacob." Ross made her notice.
"The fact that I find him charming doesn't mean that I like his character. And now that he asked Jack to sacrifice his freedom, I HATE him!" Rachel explained, crying as she watched Jack stepped away from Kate.
"Honey, please…" Ross soothed her.
"I can't help it, Ross…this was too much."
"Well, I want to understand what's going on in the flash sideways. They're finally remembering who they really are, but they keep talking about going away. Going where? Back on the island?"
"No idea."
§§§
Later in the episode, Jack and Kate finally met in the flash sideways.
JACK: I'm sorry, where do I remember you from?
KATE: I stole your pen.
JACK: What?
KATE: Uh... Oceanic 815, from Sydney? I bumped into you coming out of the bathroom, and I stole your pen.
JACK: And that's how I know you?
KATE: No... that's not how you know me.
Kate walked closer to Jack and put her hands on his face. Jack saw flashes of Kate on the island.
KATE: I missed you so much.
Jack had another flashback of their first kiss on the island. He backed away, confusion evident on his face.
KATE: Are you okay?
JACK: What is happening to me? Wh-who are you? I don't-
KATE: I know; you don't understand Jack. But if you come with me... you will.
"Oh my god…" Rachel sighed, still shaken.
Ross's eyes softened, too.
"So, was it worth it to wait in the flash sideways?"
"Totally." Rachel nodded with conviction. "This scene was wonderful."
"I still don't get it, though. Kate said that she missed Jack, what did she mean?"
Rachel shrugged, "I don't know either, but I'm glad I don't know how she feels, this time. I can hardly imagine how forgetting you would make me feel."
Ross smiled, "Thank god we live in the real world and not in the LOST universe."
"And yet, I spent years without you. And I couldn't make you understand how much I truly missed you."
Ross focused on her.
"After our break up…I missed you, immensely. I wouldn't admit it, though. When I finally gave up, in Montaulk…it felt like a liberation. I eventually confessed my true feelings, I told you that I still loved you and…"
Ross grabbed her hand and squeezed it with gratitude.
"And you made me breathe again."
Rachel just sighed.
KATE: Do you know where we are?
JACK: This is where I was gonna have my father's funeral. He died, in Australia.
KATE: I'm sorry.
JACK: Why did you bring me here?
KATE: Because this is where you were gonna have your father's funeral. You can go in around back.
JACK: Wait, where you going?
KATE: Inside. I'll be waiting for you there, once you're ready.
JACK: Ready for what?
KATE: To leave.
"God, Matthew Fox is such a good actor!" Rachel said. "Whenever he speaks like that, he always gets me."
"I must say I like her, too. But maybe I'm just too involved because they are a gorgeous couple!"
"In fact, Evangeline Lilly said that she always supported Jack and Kate as endgame!"
Ross smiled, "Here you go, gossip queen in action!"
Rachel chuckled, "I am not! I just watched a video of her interview at the Comic-Con!"
Ross was intrigued, "You're so sexy when you act like a nerd."
Jack was entering the church. He reached a room with a coffin in it.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Ross commented.
On the screen, Jack touched the coffin and, as soon as he did, he saw flashes of himself on the island. Astonished, he touched it again, and a whole bunch of flashes of his time on the island with his friends and Kate appeared in his mind.
Ross and Rachel were holding hands, very touched by the scene.
"What's going on?" Rachel wondered.
"I don't know…" Ross answered.
When Christian appeared in the room, he finally gave out the solution to the mystery.
JACK: I don't understand...you died.
CHRISTIAN: Yeah. Yes I did...
JACK: Then how are you here right now?
CHRISTIAN: How are you here?
JACK: I died too...
Ross and Rachel were amazed. Their mouths were open in shock.
"Oh God…They weren't dead since the beginning, were they?" Rachel asked.
JACK: They're all...they're all dead?
CHRISTIAN: Everyone dies sometime, kiddo. Some of them before you, some...long after you.
JACK: But why are they all here now?
CHRISTIAN: Well there is no "now" here.
JACK: Where are we, dad?
CHRISTIAN: This is the place that you...that you all made together, so that you could find one another. The most...important part of your life, was the time that you spent with these people. That's why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone Jack. You needed all of them, and they needed you.
"Here you go…" Ross was now relieved and glad for this turn of events. "This is awesome!"
"Yeah, but it's also terrible, isn't it? Now that they finally know everything, they are all dead?"
Jack entered the church and he found all of his friends waiting for him.
Rachel was crying unashamedly, because in the meantime Jack was also dying on the island because of his wound.
"You see?" Ross explained. "Jack dies here…but the others survived and moved on with their lives. That's why Kate was missing Jack. He'd been dead and she had to live her life without him."
Rachel nodded with a sniff.
A huge light was enveloping the characters for the last time. And on the island, Jack closed his eye.
"Wow, just as it started in the Pilot…" Ross reminded her. "Brilliant."
Rachel wiped the tears from her face, "I think this might be one of the best endings I've ever seen…even if it's so sad."
"You're right…"
They waited for the end credits before speaking again.
"So…Kate went on with her life without Jack?"
"That's what it seems like." Ross nodded.
"You know what I think?" she said with resolution. "Maybe during their last night together back in season 5, she got pregnant. Maybe she had a little piece of Jack with herself."
"But…wouldn't a child be with them in this limbo, if they had a baby together?" Ross asked her.
"I have no idea. But I hope Kate had a happy life without Jack. If something like that had happened to me…I think I wouldn't have made it."
"You can't be serious…"
"I'm very serious." Rachel admitted. "If I ever lost you…what would I do?"
Ross was starting to get too emotional. He took her hand in his, "Promise me…whatever happens…we'll be together until the end. Loving each other, growing our girls and Ben with affection…until our last breath."
Rachel smiled tenderly at him, "I promise."
"Whatever happens?" he asked again.
Rachel nodded. "Whatever happens."
They almost kissed, but they were interrupted by a baby crying in the other room.
Rachel smiled, "Whose turn is it?"
"Both?" Ross replied, hopefully.
Their second daughter, Isabella, was born two months before.
She was as cute as Emma and she was usually a very lovely and quiet baby.
When they reached her room, she was screaming and moving her tiny arms and legs to catch their attention.
"Shall we keep her sleeping with us, tonight?" he asked Rachel, betraying his usual weakness for his youngest child.
Rachel agreed, "Seems like a good idea, honey."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
While rewatching LOST after years, I eventually noticed that my OTP (Jack and Kate) shares many similarities with Roschel. I mean, it's such a twisted relationship!
Both couples went through trouble and fights, there's also an obvious love triangle with Sawyer (even if I don't consider the Joey-Rachel-Ross such a problematic triangle, I mostly pretend it never happened).
But I'm sure of one thing: Kate and Jack were endgame since day 1, and Sawyer was just a bump in the road (and he's soooo much better with Juliet, they are a great couple!)
I also wanted to tell you that when I mention Ross's proposal to Rachel, I'm clearly quoting my own fan fiction "Boxes and Drawers".