A/N: I meant to post this yesterday with the last chapter, but...I didn't. So without further ado, here is the (hopefully emotional) conclusion to 'Count to Five'.


It was almost 40 years to the day since they had gotten off the island. James had been dead for two years – heart problems. Richard was long gone, but peacefully in his sleep. Miles was in a home somewhere in Northern California. And Claire, feeble though she was, found herself acting as caregiver to a deteriorating Kate. Aaron was a doctor, fulfilling the unspoken wishes of both women, and was always nearby to help.

They had all been told a month prior that Kate was in the last weeks of her life, and the only thing left was to make her comfortable. There was no disease, no illness that was actively killing her. She was simply fading out. Claire and Aaron were grateful for this, as it meant minimal pain for her, thus minimal pain for them all things considered.

She found herself constantly thinking back to her days on the island, and, as she did every day, to her time spent with Jack. But now more than ever, she felt a need to relive every moment in her head, go over every word that still rang in her memory. She would get lost in it to the point where Claire and Aaron would have to jar her alert to make sure she was still all right. It was during one of these moments that she finally felt it: the end.

She was thinking back to the night Jack proposed, how she had said yes and meant it with all her heart. That night had been filled with such promise; she had fallen asleep to fantasies of their life together, of growing old together. As she enveloped herself in this dreamlike state, this sense of finality quietly emerged, like a warm presence standing in the corner, not wanting to disturb, merely to make itself known.

She opened her eyes, only now becoming aware of Aaron sitting beside her as she lay in bed. He smiled at her comfortingly and took her hand.

"Do you remember him at all?" she asked, barely in a whisper. It was all she could muster now.

For a split second, Aaron was about to ask who she meant, but he knew. She had told him every story she could remember about him from the time he was old enough to understand them. Aaron didn't speak for a long moment as he thought back on his time shared with Kate, how important she really was to him, somehow understanding that this would be the last thing he ever said to her.

"Of course I do."

Kate smiled and seemed to drift once again inside herself. Aaron thought for a moment she might be gone, but all of a sudden, with a great intake of air, she opened her eyes wide, staring ahead of her, but he could see immediately that this was not lucidity. It was as if she were dreaming, her motions almost that of a sleepwalker. Her eyes flooded with tears, fixated on something standing right in front of her that he could not see. He knew whatever it was, it was beautiful. She held her hands up as if to touch it.

"I've missed you so much," she said with a soft smile, her eyes seeming to stare into someone else's. And as they began to gently close for what he knew was the final time, he quietly realized what had just happened. He imagined what she had seen: Jack standing before her just as perfect as she remembered him. Aaron smiled at this thought, content that after all this time, after all the years she had spent struggling without him, they had finally found each other. And he knew that wherever they were, they had endless lifetimes ahead of them. Endless chances to live out the happiness they had so long been denied. It would never be too late again.


A/N: I would like to thank all of my dedicated readers, you kept the inspiration alive and helped me complete my first multi-chapter fanfiction in many years. You've reassured me that I've still got it :) I'm sure I've got at least one more Lost story up my sleeve, so if you're willing to read it, I'm more than willing to write it. Thanks again for the feedback and support!