Author's Notes: First season fic. No pairings. Just Claire and Kate bounding. Kate might be a tad bit out of character.
Dedication: To my two nephews, and my little niece who's on the way!
I've Got You Babe
By: LOSTrocker
Kate was weaving her way through the islanders, making sure that everyone was all right. Jack usually did this but he learned that he couldn't do all by himself. He needed help. So, when he asked Kate to assist him, she couldn't refuse. As far as she could tell, everyone was fine. She was almost done. Kate only had one more, well two more people to check on:
Claire and Aaron.
Kate found them at their usual spot. She smiled at Claire as she held Aaron in her arms, singing him a lullaby. Kate didn't want to bother her, so she tried to sneak away without getting noticed. However, a snap of a twig gave her away.
Claire quickly turned around. She was a little uneasy. She didn't like the fact there was someone out there trying to get a hold of her baby. Charlie wasn't around; he was off on an errand. She wished that he was here now.
"Who's there?" Claire demanded.
When Claire realized it was only Kate, she relaxed. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." said Kate.
"It's okay."
"Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Kate was glad to hear that. Claire had been through so much lately, she was glad the poor girl could take a break. Kate then turned her attention from Claire to the baby. "And Aaron?"
"Oh, trust me he's fine." Claire answered with a laugh. "With the set of lungs he's got... I can tell he's going to be a little trouble maker when he gets older."
Kate laughed along with Claire. She remembered when Claire didn't want the baby, but when she gave him his name, Kate knew that Claire wouldn't be able to let him go.
Claire looked at Kate. At first, the two weren't close at all. Then again, Kate hadn't been close with anyone. She had parted herself from the others, and it got worse after Sawyer named her a fugitive on the run. Now, it was different, Kate was once again back with the group. She was a big help. Claire even considered her a friend.
Claire got up and stood before her friend and asked: "Would you like to hold him?"
Kate shook her head and stepped back a little. "No."
Kate didn't mean to sound rude, it was just that she had never held a baby before. She never even had been around one before, until now. She had no idea what to do with Aaron. Unlike most women her age, Kate didn't want to have any part of becoming a mother, or a devoted wife. She knew all that was just a bunch of bull shit. Kate never understood why most girls wanted that dream so badly. What was the point of it if you were only going to get hurt in the end?
Claire did not take Kate's answer to heart. She knew why Kate gave her the answer she gave. Claire had felt the same way once. "I didn't know anything about all this mother stuff." Claire said to Kate. "My mom abandoned me when I was 13 and I didn't know my dad..."
Kate could relate to Claire's story, except she grew up with her parents. She wished she hadn't. Her mom was a drunk, as well as her dad. She watched as her parents destroyed each other, and when they were done fighting with themselves, they would lash out her. Both physically and mentally. Kate sighed and shared a little bit of her past with her friend, all though she didn't give away too many details.
"I'm sorry," Claire replied. "Parents don't know how much they can hurt us, even when they're not around..." she sighed. "You know, as crazy as this sounds, I'm glad we're on this island."
"Why?" Kate asked.
"I understand we have our problems but just think Aaron can group up and be happy here." answered Claire. She smiled and looked down at her son. "He won't have to deal with cruelness of the real world, and he'll never have to worry about not being loved." Claire looked back up at Kate as she continued. "He has a large family who loves him very much."
"Family...?"
"Yes." said Claire. "I don't know what I would have done without the help of you guys. Charlie has been a major help, as well as you, Jack, Locke, and even Walt." Claire laughed. "He came up to me not to long ago and asked if he could be Aaron's big brother. He said he always wanted to be one."
"Got to love that kid uh?" Kate asked.
"Yeah, I couldn't say no to him." replied Claire. "He was so happy. You should have seen him; he went around bragging about his new brother."
Kate laughed at that. Aaron had no idea what power he had on these people. It almost seemed as if he was bringing everyone closer together.
Claire could see a little glimpse of light in her eyes as she continued to gaze at Aaron. Claire tried one more time. "Are you sure you don't want to hold him?"
Kate didn't step away this time. She was hesitant with her answer but she finally agreed to do so. "Okay..." Claire handed Aaron to her. "I don't know how to do this..."
"Its okay." assured Claire. "Hold out your arms, and support his head."
As Claire put Aaron into Kate's arms, she started to panic. "What if I drop him?"
"You won't, I promise."
Kate relaxed when Aaron was safely in her arms. Kate smiled down at the boy as she began to rock him in her arms. He wasn't heavy at all. Infact, he was light as a feather. Kate had expected him to start crying, but he didn't. He seemed comfortable in her arms. Aaron just looked up at her with his big bright eyes and smiled.
"Aaron, this is your aunt Kate..."
Claire said to her son as Kate held him. Kate looked up at Claire and smiled. "An aunt... Really?"
"You're family now, rather you like it or not." Claire said with a laugh.
Family...
Kate liked the sound of that. She looked back down at Aaron. She vowed to herself that she would never let anything happened to him. Who ever was out there, after him, they wouldn't stand a chance. Kate had never been part of a real family. She been be damned if anyone got near him. They would have to go through her first.
FIN.