Thanks for the reviews (10!). You have been good, which is why I have shameless fluff for you as promised. I'd almost forgotten how much easier angst is to write!

That scene reminded me of WKD when I wrote it too, by the way, that and the cave argument from "House of the Rising Sun". A lot of my scenes remind me of ones from the show -- chapter 1 of "Pale Reflection" reminded me of the Charlie one from "All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues".

Speaking of which, it's been interesting (and challenging!), working with a hardcore Skater -- we don't always agree, but we've learned to put our differences aside and focus on the story... ;)

Chapter 38. On-The-Job Training

They sat in silence for a long time, adjusting to the news, until Jack slid off the rock, guiding Kate gently to her feet.

"Let's go see Claire," he said, and together, they made their way back to the campsite, to where his sister was resting outside of her tent, cradling a blue-wrapped bundle in her arms.

"How're you feeling?" he asked her, bending to take one of his nephew's tiny hands, and Kate felt a flutter of anticipation as she watched him stroke the baby's fingers lightly with his thumb.

"Good," she replied, beaming up at him. She pressed her lips together, flashing them both an embarrassed smile as she added, "Tired."

"I don't blame you," Jack agreed, dropping his nephew's fist reluctantly, his own hand flying up to scratch his head. "Do you know what you're going to call him yet?" He didn't seem to know what else to say.

"Aaron," she told him after a moment, watching her son with maternal affection. "Aaron Jack Littleton."

"Jack?" he repeated, surprised, and her smile wavered.

"That's okay, isn't it? You don't mind?"

"Mind? I'm flattered," he agreed with a laugh, looking overcome. "But are you sure you really want to do that?"

"You saved us," she said simply, seeming to remember what he'd told her the day she returned. "Twice. If you hadn't been here…"

"Someone else would have," he assured her with a modest grin, but he nodded, staring down at the sand to hide the fact that there were tears in his eyes.

"He's beautiful, Claire," Kate piped up to give him time to recover, squeezing his hand as she took in each of baby Aaron's tiny features. Already, she couldn't help wondering what their baby would look like: whether he or she would be as perfectly formed as Claire's. As cousins, they would share at least a quarter of their genes, so it didn't seem like it would be that unlikely. "He's got your eyes."

"I guess he does," Claire agreed, leaning over to study them carefully. "How weird is that?"

As she echoed Claire's grin, Kate tried to imagine a baby with her green eyes, or better yet, Jack's deep brown ones. "I hope he has yours," she whispered, bringing her free hand up to caress the skin beneath her bellybutton, and he smiled.

"Only if she gets your curls… and those cute little freckles," he added in a low murmur against her ear, making her wrinkle her nose and blush.

"I wouldn't wish them on anyone – I've hated them since I was a kid."

"I don't."

When she glanced up at him, he was drinking her in with such intensity that Kate could feel the familiar draw, but before she could lean in, Claire yawned, breaking the tension between them.

"You said the first time I saw you together, I thought you guys were married?" she asked Kate, a coy grin creeping over her features when she flushed again.

"Yeah, you did."

"Huh." Her blue eyes danced with amusement as even Jack coloured a little.

"Guess you were right," he agreed.

"I have a sixth sense for these things," she told them with a smug nod, sounding more and more like the nosy little sister Jack never thought he had, closing her eyes as another yawn ripped through her.

"You should get some rest," Jack suggested, and Kate couldn't tell if this was his honest medical opinion, or he was just trying to get her to change the subject.

"What about the baby?" she asked, her relaxed demeanour gone, as if she thought the Others would try to take her child from her the moment she let down her guard.

"We'll watch him for you," he offered almost shyly, glancing over at Kate, as if to see whether or not she was game.

"You'd do that?" Claire asked, and Kate nodded, giving her an uneasy smile as her eyes strayed down to the newborn. He was so small and breakable, like a living doll: what if she couldn't do it? What if she was just one of those women who weren't cut out for motherhood?

"Sure. We'd love to."

"Okay," Claire agreed slowly, taking her time transferring the baby into her brother's arms, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to let go of him. "Just… just let me know if he needs anything, okay?"

"He'll be fine," Jack assured her, squeezing her shoulder with a comforting smile as he settled his nephew in the crook of one arm. "You just concentrate on feeling better so that you can be there for him when you wake up."

She gave him a grateful smile, fussing with the blanket, kissing her son's tiny cheek before disappearing reluctantly behind the flaps of her tent.

"Poor kid," Jack said when she was gone, leading the way over to his own tent so that they wouldn't disturb her. "It can't be easy for her. If I ever get my hands on that son of a bitch…"

"Are you sure you want a daughter?" Kate asked, laughing at the mental image of him chasing boys off the porch when they turned up for a date. As ludicrous as it was, it was also endearing; she loved the idea of their daughter being a daddy's girl, just like she was before Wayne.

"If we stay here, the only boy we'll have to worry about is her cousin," he reminded her with a fond smile at his nephew, "So we should be okay."

Once they were settled, he broke the spell, offering Aaron to her. "You should hold him," he said, but she shook her head, afraid that she wouldn't share his magic touch. He seemed so comfortable around the baby: it made her feel young and inexperienced by comparison.

"No, he's your nephew – you bond with him," she argued, but he unfolded each of her arms gently, sliding the baby into them, and adjusting them so that he was cradled securely against her chest.

"If we were in the real world, you'd have to take classes at the hospital, right?" he said, leaning back on his hands with a self-satisfied grin when she stared at him, wide-eyed, afraid to move, in case it jolted the baby out of his agreeable mood.

"With a doll," she complained, to hide her fear, and his smile increased.

"Exactly. Think of this as on-the-job training."

She tried to act disgruntled, but the longer she held him, the more accustomed she became to his weight, and the warmth of his tiny body against hers, and before long, she felt comfortable enough shift him so that she could brush his forehead with her lips, breathing in his newborn scent.

"You're gonna be fine," Jack assured her, pushing a stray curl behind her ear as he watched her adoringly, and, forgetting to be stubborn, she grinned at him, appeased.

"Okay, you've proven your point," she agreed, tearing her eyes away from the infant as she prepared to hand him back, but he motioned for her to stay where she was.

"I'm having fun just watching you – the mother of my unborn child with my new nephew," he told her, lowering his voice suggestively as he added, "You've got that maternal glow people talk about – it's kind of sexy."

"Wait until I'm swollen and gassy and leaking in places I don't even want to think about," she said, though secretly, she couldn't wait until their baby was big enough for her to feel. She could imagine lying in her tent with Jack while he talked to it, touching her belly to coax it to respond. "We'll see how sexy you think I am then."

"I'll still think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he assured her, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he leant over Aaron's head to kiss her, and even though it was corny, she felt herself tear up, maybe because she was hormonal, or maybe, because she could see that he really believed it.

It would have been the perfect family moment, if, when they pulled back, she hadn't noticed Kevin watching them from across the beach, on the outside looking in at the life he should have had, the life she'd promised to him in her vows.

Next chapter: More angst (especially for Jack!) as Ethan returns... ;) (Oh, and I have plans for Jack and Kevin to bond later in the story...)