Hope everyone had a great Xmas! Fess up guys, who are you looking to kiss at midnight on New Years Eve? I know who I've got in mind (Looks over at muse and sighs). Anyway...on with the chapter.
"Mommy. Mommy, wake up."
Kate felt herself being shaken awake. She was first aware of a cold around her; the island was always warm, whether day or night, so the only presence of cold came from not waking up in Jack's arms. Turning on her side, she realised that he wasn't there, and looked up to see that Kaia was kneeling beside her with her hand on her shoulder. Kate could see a confused expression over her face. She propped herself up on her elbow, kissing her daughter's forehead and smoothing back her hair.
"What's wrong, baby?" She asked softly.
"Something's happening." Kaia said, at obvious unease.
"What's happening?" Kate asked her again.
"People are saying that we have to go somewhere."
Kate's worst fears came to mind. People saying that they were going somewhere. Leaving. She tried to hide her fears from Kaia, but found that her own fears were mirrored in her daughters eyes. "Where's your Dad?" She asked.
"He's outside with everyone. People are getting all their stuff, Mom. Where are they going? Are we going with them? I don't want to go anywhere. This is home." Kaia jabbered away. Kate struggled to her feet, still half asleep, and took Kaia's hand, leading her out of the cave.
Just before she reached the mouth of the cave, she bumped into Jack, who was just walking in, with Curtis in his arms. "Kate." He said, but couldn't find the words to say anymore. He didn't need to though, she could see it in his eyes.
"It's true, isn't it." She declared, searching his eyes for any lie and finding none. "We're finally being rescued."
For once, Kaia didn't question what her parents meant. She could sense their unease and just cowered beside her mother, holding on tight to Kate's leg. Jack looked down at his daughter, and seeing the helpless look on her face reminded him so much of the child Kate that he sighed, placing a hand ontop of her head and stroking her hair softly.
"Yeah," Jack said so quietly that Kate barely heard him. She run a hand through her hair and looked away for a moment, her eyes falling upon an equally confused Curtis. "It was a helicopter. They spotted the fire, and landed down on the beach." He repeated the events as if he were in shock. "Michael and Locke came down to camp with the pilots, and a few people are going back with them, and they're sending a boat to come get us." His eyes met Kate's finally. "It will be here at sunrise tomorrow." He said reproachfully.
Kate let two tears fall down and held herself against Jack, feeling her son's arms also wrap around her, as well as Kaia's against her legs. She showed no shame in crying, in letting out her fears. "This can't be happening." She sobbed. Sunrise tomorrow, was that all the time she had left with her family? Less than a day?
Jack whispered words of comfort to her as he held her, but they fell on deaf ears. All she could think about was being arrested, having her children and Jack taken away from her. There was no way of escape now, no way of running. When all her tears had passed, she pulled back from Jack, and looked up at him, then at Curtis, then at Kaia. She gave a sad smile.
"I'm going to miss this." She said. "Us, our family."
"Families are forever, Kate." Jack reminded. "It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're together."
"We're not going to be together though, are we." She pointed out. "You're going to be in a lovely house somewhere, watching them grow up, seeing them smiling. I'm going to be stuck in prison somewhere in the maximum security wing." She said with a choked laugh.
"Whatever happens," Jack began, cupping her cheek, "We will be together."
"No, we won't." She said sadly, looking down and averting her eyes when he raised her chin again.
"Kate, we will be together." He said, more forcefully this time. "I need you to believe in that."
Trying to swallow her fears, she nodded grimly. Jack, after all, was a man of his word, and if he said he was going to do something, he did it. So if he promised that they would be together, she could hold onto that thought, knowing that whatever happened, he was doing everything he could to make that notion work.
Changing the subject a little, she wiped her tears from her cheeks. "Who's going on the helicopter?" She asked, trying to show an interest in something to get her mind off of jail.
"Michael, Walt, Shannon and Sayid." He said. "They're coming back on the boat, so it won't be the last time we see them."
"They'll come back with a list of passengers." Kate recited, remembering Sawyer's words from so many years ago. "And next to my name will be a big asterix."
"With a note underneath saying 'The Most Beautiful Girl In The World.'" Jack said, trying to lighten the situation. He kissed Kate, and for a short while, her fears disappeared. He tugged her hand towards the entrance of the cave. "Come on, lets go see them off at least."
Nodding, she followed him out of the cave, her eyes meeting Claire's, who's cheery optimism of the previous day was gone, and seemed to be mirroring her own feelings. Kate let her eyes fall to the ground, and focused her attentions on the others instead. She was first greeted by Shannon.
"Kate, I'm glad you're up!" She said, enveloping her in a hug. "I couldn't have left without saying goodbye to you."
"You just get us rescued, yeah?" Kate checked, and Shannon nodded.
"It's going to be strange, going back home, isn't it?" Shannon thought allowed.
"Shannon," Kate began uncertainly, "I never really thanked you." She realised.
Shannon frowned. "For what?"
"For everything." Kate said, and Shannon caught onto the train of thought. "If they arrest me on the boat then I won't get another chance to see you most likely, and you've done so much for me." Shannon's eyes were glistening as well at the idea of losing one of her closest friends. "All those years ago, when I got turned into a child, you were there as much as Jack was. When I gave birth, you were there, and you put up with my hormones as well. You've been one of my best friends here, Shannon. Thank you."
Shannon hugged her again, silently crying. "Jack won't let you be taken away from us, Kate. We'll see each other again." They looked into each others eyes, and then Shannon laughed. "What do you say? Shopping spree followed by a girly night in watching films?"
Kate laughed as well. "Yeah, that'd be fantastic."
"We'll drag Claire and Sun along as well." Shannon planned. "Think of all the movies we've missed out on while we've been here!"
Kate said her goodbyes to Sayid, Michael and Walt as well. Walt, now nineteen, said a teary goodbye to Aaron, Kaia and Curtis, whom he had grown up alongside. Kaia had to be made entirely sure that she was going to see Walt again, and Walt promised again and again that he'd return. When the four disappeared down the path with the pilot of the helicopter, Kaia howled tears against Jack's neck. Kate just looked on in silence, leaning against Jack's shoulder while Curtis waved at those going off down the path.
Kate spent every moment watching her children that day. She wanted to be with them as much as possible, just in case she was taken away from them. Eventually, she had a moment with Kaia alone, and took this moment to have a serious conversation with her. Her and Jack had already agreed that Kaia should know what might happen just in case things went wrong.
"Kaia, sweetie, things are going to change now." She said a little awkwardly.
"We're going somewhere new, aren't we." Kaia replied.
"Yes, we're going to where me and Daddy lived before we were here."
"Is it nice?" The little girl asked.
Kate nodded. "Yeah, it's an amazing place, you'll love it. You and your brother will live in a lovely house, just like you've seen in the picture books, and your Dad's going to give you everything."
Kaia spotted Kate's mistake instantly. "And you'll be there too, right?"
Kate looked away for a moment, and then back at Kaia. She tucked her daughter's messy hair behind her ears and smiled at her. "Kaia, you have to understand something for me, Ok?" Kaia nodded. "Before we came here, I did something very bad." She said.
"Something naughty?" Kaia asked.
Kate nodded. "Something very naughty."
"Did your Mommy and Daddy tell you off?" She asked in her childish innocence.
Again Kate nodded. "But sometimes, baby, there are more important people that need to sort things out." She explained. "You see, where you are going, there are people who make sure that no one does bad things to people, and when you do something that they don't like, they come after you."
"Like the people in the trees?"
"Yeah, like the people in the trees."
"They don't like us do they?" Kaia adknowledged. "They don't like me Aaron and Curtis."
"No, baby, they don't." Kaia's face fell a little. "But thats not because of something that you did. That's because of what they do."
"Oh, ok then." She said.
Kate continued. "These people are called Policeman." She said, "Do you remember them from the stories?" She asked, and Kaia nodded. "Well, when the boat comes to get us, there might be some there. If there are, then you might not see me for a while." Kate said, and saw how helpless Kaia looked at that last comment.
"How long for?" She asked, more high pitched than before, a sign of her nervousness.
"I don't know, sweetie, but it might be a long time. Don't you worry, though, because Daddy's still going to be there to look after you."
"But who will look after Daddy if you're not here?" She asked.
Kate had to smile at her innocence and simple mind. She wished that everyone could see through the eyes of a child when it came to things like this.
"Thats what I wanted to talk to you about, Kaia." Kate explained. "If the Policeman take me away, I need you to be a brave girl, and I need you to make sure that Daddy's Ok. Can you do that for me?" She asked.
Kaia's eyes were filled with tears now, which brought Kate to tears as well.
"I don't want you to go away Mommy." She said.
"I don't want to go away either." She replied.
"Then why do you have to go?" Kaia asked. "You're a good girl now, you can stay with us."
"I wish I could, baby, and if I can, you know I will. I don't want to be away from you for a single second, but these people don't forget, and they don't forgive."
"Why not?" She asked bitterly. "They should."
"I know they should, but they can't help it, that's their job."
"But I need my Mommy." Kaia croaked.
Kate let her tears spill, but wiped them away. "I need you too, and I wish so much that this wasn't happening, but I need you to be brave for me, and to look after your father." Kaia shook her head.
"No, Mommy, you're going away." She denied.
"Kaia, please." Kate begged. "For me."
Kaia looked at Kate for a long time, and then nodded.
"Thank you." Kate said, and then took her daughter in her arms and held her tightly. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm going to do everything I can to come back. I promise."
