Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Author's note: As noted before, this is based on my story 'How they moved on'. It plays out not too long after James and Claire are found alive!

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He took a last long look at the brown haired boy before carefully and quietly closing the bedroom door. As he made his way over to the stairs to head downstairs he simply left the book he'd read to him on one of the dressers in the hallway.

Downstairs he proceeded to clean up the dirty dishes and put away the leftover Mac and Cheese they'd had for lunch. With a quick glance at the clock on the microwave, he dried off his hands with a dish towel and decided he might have himself a little nap of his own while the kid was still out.

After all, he had the house to himself for the next couple of hours. The ladies were out and about doing … well, whatever it is they do.

He toed off his shoes and grabbed a few pillows from the loveseat before he plopped down on the couch. Turning a few times until he finally found a comfortable position on his side.

He closed his eyes and began to drift off into a dreamland … he could almost smell the ocean and feel the sand beneath him, when the door bell rang and put an abrupt end to it all.

"Son of a bitch." He cursed and glared angrily in the direction of the front door.

He got up and headed towards the front door, and opened it before they – whoever the hell this was – could ring that doorbell again and possibly wake Aaron up. He'd barely got him settled down today.

He opened the door just in time, the man's finger coming to a halt mere inches from the button.

James eyed him up and down, giving him a once over and it only took him a mere second to realize who or what this guy was and he spoke up before the man could even utter a single word, "Look, I've told y'all already, we ain't giving interviews. We ain't posing for a god damn picture and we ain't commenting on the disappearance of that other plane either, you got that. Now listen up, Clark Kent, 'cause I'm only gonna to say this one last time. If you guys don't stop coming by here, harassing Kate, Claire all hours of the day and night, y'all are going to regret it. Scribble that down on your little notepad, buddy boy!"

Self righteous and content he was about to shut the door in the man's face, but he took a step forward, blocking the door from being closed and James shot the man a menacing look, "You really don't wanna do this, grandpa'?"

"Are you done?"

"'xcuse me?" James furrowed his eyebrows in anger and confusion at the older man in front of him.

How dare he? Who is this Moron?

At that the older man squared his shoulders and puffed his chest out just a tad bit too much for James' liking.

This guy must be out of his mind if he thinks I'm gonna take mercy on him because he's older … by a lot.

The man dared to place his hand on the door to ensure James wouldn't try to close it on him again and finally spoke up, "I'm not a reporter, son."

Son? Was this guy for real?

"I'm here to see my daughter."

Completely caught off guard and dumbstruck James took a small step back and let his hand drop from the door as he scanned the man's face for any resemblance, but there wasn't any.

"Well …" he tried to gather his thoughts, "Who's your daughter?" He knew this guy couldn't be talking about Claire … because Doctor Christian Shephard met his maker quiet some time ago, that much he knew. But Kate had never mentioned him … well, or anyone for that matter.

"Katie." He cleared his throat, "Well, Kate!"

James gave the man a scrutinizing look and decided to take a hold of the door handle once again, "Kate Austen is your daughter?"

"Yes." He answered solemnly and gestured into the house, "May I talk to her?"

"Hold on just a tick there, Daddy-O. How do I know you really are who you say you are? She ain't never mentioned you. There ain't a single picture of you in this house, so …"

"If you could just go and get her, then she'll tell you who I am." He was quickly to interrupt, his patients with the younger man beginning to run thin.

"Well, she ain't here?"

"That's her car in the driveway."

The fact that he knew that the Volvo belonged to Kate didn't really mean anything in James' opinion. Every god damn reporter knew her car and that was part of the reason why they'd taken Miles' car for their girl-outing.

"It is, but like I already said, she ain't here, so maybe –."

He was interrupted again, "Here, for heaven's sake."

The man had retrieved his wallet from his back pocket and dug out his military ID before he shoved it in James' face.

James took it and gave it a once over. "Sam Austen. United States Government … son of a bitch."

Sam held out his hand and James shook it, "I'm James Ford. You can call me Jim."

"So now that that's all cleared up, do you mind if I wait for my daughter until she gets back?"

James looked rather apologetically as he handed the ID back to the man and took a step back while he opened the door further for Sam to step in. "Come on in, but I'm not sure when they'll be back."

"They?" Sam asked while James closed the front door behind him.

"Claire, Kate and Carole, they went shopping … or something." He offered as an explanation.

"Carole?" Sam gave him a confused look.

"Carole Littleton, she's Claire's mom."

"Oh." Sam gave him a nod that he understood but stood frozen in place when James realized he was waiting for him to lead the way, giving James the impression that this guy hadn't been around a whole lot … at least not in this house.

"This way." James gestured with his hand, "We can go sit out back and talk there, while the kid's still down for his nap."

"His name is Charlie, right?" Sam inquired as he headed alongside James towards the kitchen that lead out to the backyard.

"Uhm, yeah, Charlie … that's right."

Fuck! What had he gotten himself into with this guy? At least Carole was in the loop of things.

James offered him a drink and they both took a seat on the back porch in silence.

James padded the pocket on his shirt for his pack of smokes and fished one out, but asked before he lit it, "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, go ahead." Sam nodded and leaned back in the chair.

James lit his cigarette and held the pack out across the table to Sam, but he waved him off and shook his head. "No thanks! I quit a long time ago."

James took a long drag and leaned back in his chair, unable to keep his eyes off of the older man sitting across from him. "I quit too." He replied and smiled as he exhaled. "But turns out old habits are hard to break."

"I imagine they were hard to come by on a deserted island." Sam offered with a humorous expression.

"You got that right." James replied and shot him yet another grin.

"How are you adjusting … you know, to living in the real world again?" Sam asked and completely caught him off guard with this earnest question. Knocking him down from his high horse!

He lowered his gaze and held the cigarette down to the side of him as he thought about it for a long moment. The mask of confidence he'd displayed from the moment he'd opened that door was temporarily gone. "We're taking it … slow. You know, one day at a time."

"So, Claire and you are –?"

James shook his head and interrupted, "No. God, no. We're just friends, that's all … she's like, I guess she's more like a little sister to me." He took another drag before he added, "It's kind of hard to explain, we've been through a lot together." He lied … sort of!

"I can't imagine. How's Kate doing with all this?"

He had to think about his answer for a minute, trying to keep their story straight, "She's great, really. I mean, she took us all in. Trying to help us readjust to this … this life. She's a real fine Lady, your daughter." James flashed him what he hoped would pass for a grateful smile, hoping that his conning ways hadn't completely evaded him yet.

Sam nodded in understanding but the way his forehead creased in thought didn't go unnoticed by James who couldn't help himself but ask, "What?"

"I guess I'm just worried about her."

"Why's that?"

"For one, how's she doing with having little Charlie running around? I'm sure you know that she lost her son Aaron not too long ago and … well, there's not even a picture of him in the house, at least not that I could see."

Their eyes met and both nodded in agreement before James took another drag and offered a reply, "She seems to be doing fine with … Charlie. As for the pictures, maybe it's just too painful for her to look at. Everybody grieves differently." He knew why the pictures were safely tucked away, but he couldn't tell 'daddy dearest' why that was.

"You're probably right." Sam nodded. "I just wish she could catch a break." Sam sighed audibly and leaned back in his chair, "She just hasn't had an easy life, and I blame myself for a lot of it."

"What do you mean?" James' curiosity spiked to an all time high.

"After her mother and I divorced, Diane got remarried. He was a no good drunk and had quiet the temper. Well … the rest is history or so they say. I'm sure you know she was the main suspect for the longest time."

"Wayne!" James spat out before he could stop himself. "Yeah, I've heard about her trial and everything."

Liar, liar, pants on fire … the little voice in his head told him. He hadn't simply heard, he'd been watching tapings of her trial online since they'd gotten back.

He eyed Sam once more with a bit of contentment. What was this guy's deal?

"Well, she was acquitted, at least on that charge, but truth be told, I wouldn't blame her if she'd done it."

"You really mean that?" Sam asked clearly shocked by James' admission.

"I'm just going on what I've heard, Mister. Any guy who put's their hands on a woman like that …" he quieted as his mind flashed back to the image of his own mother lying in a pool of her own blood, before his eyes connected with Sam's and he gave a approving nod, "That Wayne guy clearly had it comin', that's all I'm sayin'."

Sam didn't know why he suddenly felt defensively towards this guy, who seemed to understand his daughter better than he had throughout the years. But being the soldier that he was, he fired back. "That's a bit of an odd comment, coming from someone like you." A low blow – maybe – but it was all he had, because it was all he knew about the man sitting across from him.

James hadn't seen it coming. He'd thought they were just conversing – yeah, sure, digging a bit deep with Aaron and Wayne but still – he thought they were just two guys having a talk. But now he noticed the glint in the older man's eyes as he was being sized up once more by the old timer across from him.

He should've known, should've seen it coming. He, just like Kate, couldn't just move into a nice house in the suburbs, and pretend that people didn't know who he really was. What he really was.

He dropped the burned down smoke and grinded it into the ground before he started up another one.

Did he really want to get into a pissing contest with Freckles' daddy?

He had to think about it for a long moment and choose his words wisely, "That's what this really is, isn't it? You picked up one of those tabloid rags and read that I practically moved in with your daughter." He flicked off some ash, trying his best to keep his cool, "And knowing who I am and what I used to do you think I'm here to take your pretty little girl for all she's worth. Is that it?"

"Are you?" Sam simply put the question out there.

"No." James answered forcefully, his eyes never leaving Sam's, until a noise coming from inside caught both men's attention.

Both got up at the same time and wordlessly headed towards the house when they realized that the women had arrived back home.

Sam greeted his daughter with a hug and Kate introduced him to Claire and Carole. The genuine smile on her face when she talked about her dad made James decide to simply drop the subject and let it be. He couldn't really blame the old guy for trying to protect his daughter … better late than never!

Shortly after that, Aaron woke up and joined the rest of them.

Food was ordered and delivered, and conversations were had about nothing and everything. But when Sam picked up little Charlie to bounce him on his knee like old man do, Kate left the room in a rush, hoping that no one had noticed.

James counted the seconds in his mind.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, …

He'd made it all the way to twenty before he got up from the table and when catching a few curious glances, he held up his pack of cigarettes as a form of explanation. Pretending to be heading outside to smoke, once he'd turned the corner he quietly tiptoed upstairs in search of Kate instead.

He heard her muffled sobs the moment he reached the outside of her bedroom door. He didn't knock. They'd been here, done that a few times by now and he simply slipped inside.

She turned towards him then and he saw her tear streaked face.

Wordlessly he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms and she sobbed into his shoulder.

He held her for a long moment, unable and unsure what to say to her.

"I'll never have that, James. Never." She admitted her fear after she'd calmed down some and her crying had come to an end, but she still clung to him for dear life.

James brushed her hair away from her forehead and kissed it, "Bull Pucky!" he tried to joke with her. "There are plenty of eligible bachelors out there, just waiting for someone like you. So who's to say you ain't gonna get hitched and pop out a kid or two. Who's to say you ain't gonna get to have your happily ever after, with grandpa Sammy bouncing them youngins around on his knee … it could happen!"

"Karma." She snorted in a somber tone, "That's who."

He chuckled and pulled her closer to him again and they both stood still for another long minute.

"They probably are wondering where we are." Kate said as she pulled away and wiped at her face. She looked up at him and asked, "How do I look?"

"Like shit." James answered and grinned when she rolled her eyes and gave him a hard push.

"Thanks." She snorted and turned to look at herself in the mirror, "Remind me again what women find so charming about you?" she mocked him as she ran her fingers under her eyes to fix the mascara that had begun to run and smudge with her falling tears.

He laughed at that and tucked at her arm, "You look fine, Freckles. Come on; let's get down there before Sgt. Austen goes full blown G.I. Joe on me."

She gave him a curious look, "What? What are you talking about?"

"He thinks I'm after your cash, Sweetheart."

Kate reached for his arm and stopped him before he could leave the room, "Are you serious right now?"

"It was nothing. It's no big deal." He tried to act as if it hadn't stung like it had.

"No, it kinda is, James." Kate's eyes connected with his and the earnestness he saw in them stopped him in his tracks, "You aren't that guy anymore. You haven't been that guy in a very long time … so." She frowned and looked sad all over again, "I'm really sorry my dad said that, that's all."

"What's done is done, Freckles." He sighed and took her hand to drag her out of the room with him.

As they headed back downstairs and joined their little group around the dining room table, Kate couldn't help but look at the people that meant everything to her. There was her father – deep in conversation with Carole, they both seemed to like each other. Claire was laughing with Miles about something he'd said and someone had read her mind and had put on Patsy Cline while she'd been gone. Her eyes drifted then back to James – who was sharing a piece of pie with Aaron and making a mess while doing so.

Maybe all she really needed was already right here in front of her. Maybe all they needed was just more time to cope with everything and everyone they'd lost.

Maybe … maybe Karma would give them a pass – a clean slate – to do things over, to do things right!

Just maybe, when they all got lost on an island, they really got found!

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End Note: Please leave a comment or a review if you have a minute, it would really make my day! Thanks! xoxo