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:Thank you all for the nice reviews. I'm really sorry for the long delay, but I've had the worst case of writers block what this chapter was concerned. I've rewritten it over and over, and finally am okay with it, at least enough to finally post it here. Somehow the spark between them was missing, but I've found it and you're warned, this chapter is one of the reasons why this story is rated M!

Again, I'm really sorry that it took me so long, but I just want you to know that I will finish this story (sooner or later) and I won't leave it unfinished and open ended. So without further ado, here's the next chapter, I hope you guys like it. Please review if you do! Thank you!

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After leaving Santa Fe, they stopped in Amarillo at a motel near the highway.

Their next stop had been Oklahoma City, where they also stayed a couple days just curled up in bed of their motel room, avoiding the cold weather outside and clinging to one another for warmth.

Eventually they ended up in a small motel on the outskirts of Little Rock Arkansas, where they'd decided to stay for the last week.

It was late, James was already lying in bed, flipping through the channels and Kate had disappeared into the bathroom a little while ago.

The bathroom door flung open and Kate stepped out, dressed in her usual; just one of his shirts.

She wordlessly climbed into bed next to him and got comfortable snuggling in his arms before she pulled the blanket all the way up to her chin.

Beneath the blankets James slid his hand over her growing stomach; he didn't want to admit it to her, but it still amazed him every time he could feel the slightest movement of the baby.

She put her hand on top of his, and they stayed like that for a long time, watching a rerun of some old comedy show on TV until Kate spoke up, "I'm running out of clothes to wear."

He snorted, "You've got a whole suitcase full o' stuff."

She turned to look at him and smiled, "What I meant was, I'm running out of clothes that fit. In case you haven't noticed, that belly's been growing."

He smirked back at her, "Oh I've noticed, Freckles." He pushed the blanket down, lifted her shirt and rubbed his hand over the bare skin of the ever growing bump again, his eyes following the movement of his hand.

"I've got plenty of sweatshirts, mostly yours that fit alright and conceal it, but I can't zip up any of my jeans anymore."

He leaned in and kissed her neck, a smile on his lips, "I know, babe, I'm the one that takes them off of you every night."

She sighed at the sensation that his stubble caused on the sensitive skin of her neck but pushed him off of her to continue this conversation, "Do you realize I'm already twenty-one weeks pregnant."

He looked confused and asked, "And that means what?"

"A pregnancy lasts forty weeks, James. This pregnancy is over halfway done, so to speak."

"Really?" he pushed himself up, bracing himself onto his elbow and ran his other hand over her belly once again.

She nodded, "Really!" and leaned in closer; causing him to lie back down and he pulled her snug against him once more.

"We'll go get you some new clothes tomorrow."

"Ok." She simply replied.

The only noise in the room came from the TV until Kate finally spoke up again, "Are we crazy, James?"

Are we crazy? Crazy for thinking we can raise a kid?!

He didn't answer right away, so she lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. That's when he finally spoke, "Probably." He nodded and she nodded too before she rested her head on his chest again. "But we'll do the best we can." He added and placed a kiss against her forehead before they turned their attention back to the TV.

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The next day

James put the car in park, killed the engine and looked over at her, "I forgot how crowded these places get so close to Christmas."

"Yeah, I did too." She admitted as she unbuckled her seatbelt and watched him do the same.

He adjusted the baseball cap on his head and smiled at her, dimples on display, "Ready to do this, Freckles?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "It's a mall, James, not the green mile." And with that she opened her door and got out of the car.

The cold fall air caused her to zip up her jacket while she walked to the back of the car where she was quickly joined by him.

He adjusted his baseball hat once more, pulling it further into his face and Kate pulled her beanie out of her jacket pocket, putting it on before they walked hand in hand into the mall.

X

They had managed to get through the mall without being recognized and now they stood in the maternity store, trying their best to remain incognito.

James stood around rather aimlessly and awkwardly, while Kate began to look for shirts and pants, but she was unsure about what size to buy. After all, her belly had just started to really show and it wasn't done growing just yet.

Just then the elderly saleslady approached them both, with a friendly smile she welcomed them to her little store and offered her help if they needed any.

Kate hesitated for a brief moment, avoiding eye contact with the woman, but rather clueless she turned towards James who gave her an encouraging nod, so she cleared her throat and finally spoke up. "Actually, I could use some help finding the right size, if you wouldn't mind?"

"Of course, what size did you wear before you got pregnant, if you don't mind me asking?" The woman asked and smiled pleasantly as she stepped closer to her potential customers. But then she stopped short and a look of recognition crossed the woman's face.

And as if James could sense that Kate was ready to run, he stepped up behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing circles with this thumb trying to soothe her nerves.

Kate glanced back up at him for a brief moment, and he answered for her, "She used to wear a Small, but things are getting a bit tight these days."

The woman smiled, but was clearly still surprised to have found two of the oceanic-nine in her little store. She took a deep breath, gathered her wits and quickly pulled a few items from the racks, checked their size and held them up for the couple to see. "Well, these are all a size small, just cut to fit an expending belly. Why don't you go on and give these a try? See how they fit they fit you."

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The next morning

Kate closed her laptop and put it aside, before she turned back around and spooned a still sleeping James beside her.

"And?" he mumbled under his breath, his eyes still shut and head buried into his pillow, "What's the verdict, Freckles? Is it time to go hide out in the woods?"

She kissed his shoulder, one arm wrapped around him and she settled down behind him, "Nothing yet. So far so good I guess."

He turned around to face her and wrapped his arms around her instead, "Hell, maybe we got lucky and she didn't call the press."

Kate nuzzled her nose against his chest, "Yeah, maybe. She was really nice."

"Of course she's nice, she was trying to sell us somethin' … they're always nice when they're trying to make a sale, Sweetheart."

Kate thought about that for a moment, frowned and closed her eyes trying to catch a little bit more sleep and hoped that the little old lady hadn't tattled their baby news to the press yet.

James settled back down, trying to fall back asleep too, but the moment of silence was suddenly interrupted when Kate couldn't help herself and spoke up again. "Are we going back to LA for Christmas?"

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, "What?"

"Christmas?" She repeated. "We already missed Thanksgiving with everyone, so I was wondering if we're going back to LA for Christmas."

He propped himself up on his arm to get a better look at her face as they carried on with this conversation, "Is that what you want?"

"I would like to be there when Aaron opens his presents, but … but at the same time I don't want to be the latest headline on all those gossip rags again."

"But that's exactly what would happen, if you show up in LA looking like this." He ran his hand over her bump to emphasize his point.

"I know." She sighed and another frown appeared on her face.

He thought about it for a moment, but then decided to voice his thoughts out loud, "I know it's only been two weeks since we left LA, but maybe we oughta start thinkin' 'bout what we're gonna do for the long haul? This bun ain't gonna stay in the oven forever!"

She nodded her agreement, but asked him in return, "What do you wanna do?"

He sat all the way up now, propped himself up against the pillows and the cheap plywood headboard and scratched his head as if deep in thought.

"Freckles," he drawled, "I really don't care. I mean, if your dream house is a double-wide trailer sitting somewhere back in the holler on some country road, then that's where we'll go. But if you wanna keep bouncin' 'round from town to town, that's fine with me too!"

She smiled and sat up too, "You really mean that?"

"Don't get me wrong, puddin', I do wanna see Clementine and I know you don't wanna be too far from Aaron either, but I think we both agree LA ain't even an option anymore."

"Yeah." She nodded, but before she could say anything else he said, "What do you want, Freckles?"

She looked lost for a moment before she mustered an answer, "I'm not really sure … obviously I do want to be close enough to see the kids. I think the baby should grow up knowing his or her big sister, but I guess I'd like to be a bit secluded too, you know, maybe somewhere out in the country."

"Hold on a tick." James got out of bed, grabbed the laptop, turned it back on and brought it back to bed with him, "What's your thoughts on Arizona, Sweetheart?" He looked at her as he opened up Google maps and typed in Arizona.

"Arizona wouldn't be too bad." Kate replied and rested her head against his shoulder to look at the screen. "Maybe not all the way in Phoenix, you know, more like right on the state border somewhere, so we could go see the kids on the weekends or they could come to visit us."

"Yeah." He drawled, "Maybe we can convince Claire and Carole to meet us there. Maybe we could book like a big suite, set up a tree and spend Christmas with them that way."

"That would be so nice." Kate added content with James' idea.

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1.08 am was the time on the alarm clock when James' new phone began to ring on the nightstand beside him. He patted blindly around the nightstand until he finally found it. He squinted at the phone number displayed on the illuminated screen, but quickly answered it when he realized that the number was Cassidys.

"Yeah?" He huffed into the phone, his voice still raspy with sleep.

"Sawyer?" Came her reply to reassure herself that she had dialed the right number.

"Yeah, it's me." He answered with a hint of worry in his voice. "Is Clem alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, Clementine's fine." Cassidy quickly reassured him. "I need to talk to you about something though."

James glanced back at the clock, "It's one in the morning here, Cass. This talk couldn't have waited until the sun's up?"

"Shit." She cursed, "Sorry, I forgot about the time difference."

Kate started to steer in her sleep. "Hold on a minute, lemme go outside." James whispered and quietly climbed out of bed, trying not to wake Kate.

He put the phone down and quickly stepped into his jeans, didn't bother with a shirt but instead slipped into his jacket and pulled his boots on over his bare feet, grabbed the phone and his pack of smokes from the nightstand before he slipped out of the room.

Pulling the door closed behind him to not let the cold air into the room, he leaned against the railing, the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear while he used both his hands to light up a cigarette. "What's going on? Was the Honeymoon a letdown, that new hubby o' yours couldn't perform up to par, is that it?" He couldn't pass up a chance to tease her.

"No." she answered annoyed, "The honeymoon was great."

"Well, then, if you ain't callin' for pointers in the bedroom, what can I do you for?"

"Clem told me that you said Kate and you were coming back soon."

"Yeah, we are. We've been looking at some places online, we're thinking maybe Arizona." he took a drag.

"Oh." Cassidy replied, unsure what she was supposed to say about that.

"That's what you're draggin' me out of bed for? To talk about my movin' plans?"

"No, I actually called to tell you about my moving plans."

His eyebrows furrowed and he took another drag from his cigarette, "What the hell 'r' you talkin' 'bout?" He exhaled the smoke from his lungs.

"Clark got offered a raise, and with it comes a new position." Cassidy hesitated, "But this new position means we'll have to move soon."

"Move where exactly?"

"Tennessee."

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The next morning

Kate sat Indian style in the middle of the bed and was busy removing the price tags and size stickers from her newly acquired maternity clothes.

James sat in the armchair, his feet propped up on the ottoman, a still steaming cup of coffee in his hand that he sipped from every now and then as he watched Kate absentminded.

He was clearly thinking about the phone call he'd received from Cassidy last night, and so was Kate.

It seemed like just when they'd made plans to settle down and put up new roots somewhere, this curveball came along and neither of them had seen it coming.

These news threw a wrench in all their new plans and James barely slept after he'd gotten off the phone with his former lover.

He couldn't ask Kate to give up on Aaron and she'd never ask him to give up Clementine either. So what were they going to do now?

Kate began to fold the clothes now and stacked them up in neat little piles, equally lost in her own thoughts until she couldn't take this uncomfortable silence any longer and decided to speak up, "Penny for your thoughts."

He frowned at her and took another sip from his coffee. "Trust me, you don't wanna hear my thoughts out loud right now, pumpkin. I ain't thinkin' too fondly of you bff right now."

"That makes two of us then." She replied.

He sighed, "All that bullshit she fed me last night about how she didn't think we needed to know since we up and left anyways. We're on a damn road trip! I talked to Clem almost every night since we took off, so it ain't like we dropped off the grid or somethin'. God, … that pissed me off. That's my kid she's moving across country. I get that I can't stop her from moving anywhere, but she could've given me a heads up when she found out. She knew months ago about this promotion. She knew for fucking months and never said a god damn word!" He was livid.

"It's twenty-two hundred miles, Freckles. I looked it up. Twenty-two hundred fuckin' miles from Los Angeles to Knoxville … one way."

Kate's face fell with sorrow as she watched the helpless expression on his face while he rambled on, "Do we just pick a state somewhere in the middle?" he shrugged his shoulders, "But we both know that way we won't get to see either one of 'em much."

Kate climbed off of the bed, careful not to knock over the piles of clothing she'd just finished folding, and walked the few steps over to him. He moved his feet from the ottoman in front of him, making room for her to take a seat there, but she didn't. Instead she wordlessly took the cup of coffee from his hand and put it on the dresser sitting off to his side and then climbed into his lap, straddling him.

She smirked and he raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Whatcha –"

But his words were cut short when she framed his face in her hands and kissed him and he couldn't help but look surprised when the kiss let up, "What was that for?"

"Just trying to get you in a better mood again. Is it working?"

He smirked mischievously at her and shook his head, "Not yet, but I ain't holdin' ya' back if you wanna give it another try?"

They kissed again, slow and passionately while she let her fingers run through his hair, which was still damp from the shower he'd taken earlier.

His hands started roaming her body, slid over her hips until he cupped her ass and with a grunt against her lips tried to pull her even closer against him, but with her baby bump in the way it just didn't seem close enough.

Even through their clothes she could feel how hard he was and she couldn't help the feeling of triumph while she still kissed him passionately. She pulled away, but James didn't miss a beat and immediately began to trail kisses down her neck. Kate moaned out loud, fisted her hands in his long hair and rocked her hips against him.

He groaned at the sensation and framed her face with his hands now, demanding another kiss.

With her lips never leaving his, he could feel her hands slide down his chest, trying to get to his belt buckle. She scooted back just enough to give herself more room to work with as her nimble fingers started working on the buttons of his fly. Once undone, she slit one hand insight, past the waistband of his dark blue boxer, encircling him. Just then, James broke away from the kiss – moaned – and drew back enough to get a good look at.

Lust filled both their eyes. Kate followed the length of him, tugging at the waistband with her other hand until she got him free; while James gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. He groaned in disappointment when all it revealed was a tank top.

She smirked at him then and just when he was about to rip the tank top off of her as well, she stilled her hands on his cock and spoke up, "No, wait. Hold on."

"Hold on?" He grunted as his hands slit up and cupped both her breasts, clearly he wasn't in the mood for taking things slow.

She let go of him, bracing both her hands on his chest as she tried to push him back just a bit. He stopped his caresses and looked at her confused, "What's wrong?"

With the curtains drawn and just the two small lamps on either side of the bed, the room wasn't well lit, but he still could see the shade of red that covered her cheeks as she shook her head, "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She bit her bottom lip and hesitated before she said, "Close your eyes."

"Close my eyes?" He repeated with a questioning undertone. She nodded, pushed him back into the cushioned seat behind him again.

Ahh, she wants to be in charge. I can play that game.

"Alright." He drawled lazily at her and made a show of closing his eyes for her.

She smiled and watched him for a moment, waiting to see if he'd open them again, but even when he didn't, she couldn't help herself from warning him, "No peeking, James."

"I ain't, Freckles." He said and waited for her to make the next move, knowing this would be interesting with her in charge for a change.

Her hand encircled his cock once again and he moaned but kept his eyes closed despite the fact that she was simply teasing him with her fingers now. She wasn't stroking him anymore, but merely gliding the tip of her fingers along the length of him. Her thumb – or he presumed it was her thumb – gliding over the tip of him and began to spread the small drop of pre- cum in a mind-blowing and excruciating pace.

Her hands left him again, this time to unbutton his shirt. He smirked – his dimples showing – when she pushed open his shirt and he felt her lips and tongue tease his nipples now.

He cleared his throat, and opened his eyes, unable to deny himself the sight of her kissing a trail across his chest. But she stopped her caresses and scolded him, "I said, no peeking."

"Sorry." He mumbled, yet smiled rather shameless before he closed his eyes again, trying his best to keep still so she would continue this little game.

But instead he felt her scoot back, lifting herself off of him and he was just about to protest, when her voice filled the room once more, "Don't look, okay?"

"You're the boss." He drawled as she climbed all the way off of him, and a smirk crossed his face again as he vividly imagined her undressing right before him.

His skin tingled with anticipation, waiting for her naked body to climb back on top of his at any moment now.

"Don't look." She pleaded once more, but instead of her body all he felt were her hands tugging on the back of his knees. "Can you move a little bit forward?" She requested.

He grinned from ear to ear, "Yes, ma'am!" and did as she had asked.

He heard the flipping of a switch from across the room, but he didn't need to open his eyes to know that she'd turned all the lights off.

He missed the contact and warmth her body had provided now that he sat there with his pants and shirt undone, yet he kept his promise of not opening his eyes to see where she was at. "You gonna leave me sittin' here all by my lonesome in the dark?" he drawled, "Why don't ya' come closer again and warm me up, Sweetheart?"

"I am close." She startled him when she spoke up, her voice loud and clear and it became obvious that she was right in front of him.

"Well." He drawled again and was just about to say something else, when she pressed a finger against his lips and suddenly shushed him, "Shhhhhhh!"

He was only too happy to oblige, clearly intrigued what she was going to do next.

Would she take off his pants and shirt first? Would she run her tongue along his chest again, or let her hair fall down and tickle his skin? Would she surprise him with naughty whispers in his ear? Would she climb on and ride him fast and hard, or would she do the opposite and take her sweet time with him, sliding up and down on him slowly instead? Would she lean forward and let her hardened nipples caress his chest? Would she let him participate or touch at all? What was she going to do?

The possibilities were endless and the more he thought about what she might do to him next, the harder he got!

But before he could spend another moment thinking about it, she'd leaned over him and taken him in her mouth instead.

He moaned out loud at the sensation and couldn't stop his hands from fisting her hair.

Of all the things he'd imagined just moments ago, her pleasuring him with her beautiful mouth had never crossed his mind.

Fuck! This isn't going to last long!

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Later that day

James watched somewhat spellbound as Kate took the first bite from the slice of cheese cake that sat in front of her.

She looked up at him after noting his obvious stare, "What?"

He smirked and shook his head, "Nuttin', honey bun, just watchin' you eat."

"Well, don't." She replied and a pink hue traveled across her cheekbones once again.

"You didn't mind earlier when I watched you put things in your mouth." He couldn't pass up this opportunity to tease.

She swallowed the bite she'd just taken and didn't dare to look up again to meet his eyes, but argued none the less, "I told you – more than once – not to look."

He chuckled at her obvious discomfort, "True. True, but it ain't like you stopped when you saw me look anyways!"

She huffed clearly annoyed with him and looked up now – throwing daggers with her eyes – as she dropped the fork on her plate with a clank and pushed the remainder of her cake away from herself.

His smirk disappeared now when he realized that he'd really upset her. He leaned forward, reached across the table and took one of her hands in his before she could pull it away, his eyes searched her face, "Hey, I was just teasin'."

She frowned and looked around the small diner before meeting his eyes again, "I know, but you really think this is the place to have this kind of conversation?"

He looked around, his eyes scanning the room like she'd just done, and he admitted, "You're right, it ain't!" He pushed the plate back in front of her, "Come on now, Freckles, finish your desert so we can get out of here."

"I think I've had enough." She answered, still upset.

He bit his lip and ran a hand down his face in a half hearted attempt not to smirk at her again, but he failed miserably and she saw it and glared at him all over again.

"I'm sorry." He threw up his hands in defeat and smiled, "But you can't say shit like that, babe, you know I've got a one track mind!"

"Obviously." She answered and tried her best to not give in to the upward tuck on the corner of her lips.

Seeing that she was trying not to smile herself he reached for the fork and scooped up a piece of cake for her, holding the fork up to her mouth as if he was going to feed her himself.

Kate pulled back and let out a laugh at the smug expression on his face and snatched the fork out of his hand, "I really hate you sometimes, you know."

He leaned back in his seat and smirked at her once again, "Yeah, maybe, but we both know that feelin' ain't gonna last."

She didn't reply this time, but started eating her cake again instead … with him watching.

And as he watched, he decided that now was as good a time as ever to carry on their previous conversation. With a frown back on his face he tapped his lighter nervously on the table, "Have ya' thought at all about the whole moving dilemma?"

She looked back at him, a bit surprised at the sudden change of conversation, and nodded, "Yeah, I have."

"And?"

Now her appetite was really gone. She dropped the fork again and pushed the plate to the side, resting both her arms on the table in front of her.

The mere thought made her heart break, because she knew what they had to do. And knowing she was doing the right thing didn't ease the pain she felt at all.

Kate took a deep, steadying breath and leaned forward to take one of his hands in hers as she faked a smile for him, "I thought that … that I've never been to Knoxville. I've been told it's pretty nice there."

He instantly realized what she was trying to say with that and with his eyes locked on hers, he shook his head, "That ain't what I was trying to get at. I can't ask that of you."

"I know you wouldn't." She squeezed his hand, "But it's the right thing to do. Clementine shouldn't have to lose you again and this baby should get the chance to grow up knowing his or her big sister."

He was speechless and just stared at her in awe. How could he ever repay her for this?

"What about Aaron?" He had to voice the obvious; he simply had to make sure she had really thought this all the way through and knew what she was saying.

He could see it on her face, how she fought the urge to cry, "He doesn't remember me. Claire is his mom; to him I'm just Aunt Kate. All the things I did with him, he believes it was Claire, so ... so we have to do the right thing for Clementine. Aaron doesn't need me … but Clementine does need you."

Leave it up to the hormonal pregnant lady to be the voice of reason!

I married a god damn saint … who would've thunk it!

He could go on and argue whether or not Clementine really needed him in her life, but the truth of the matter was that he needed her. From the moment he finally got to meet his daughter, she had him wrapped around her little finger.

She was everything Kate had said she was, and then some. That was his baby girl, and he'd already left her behind once to save Kate's life, and broke her little heart in the process. How was he going to tell her that they wouldn't be able to see each other anymore?

Kate was right, they had to do right by her and if that meant moving to Tennessee, then that was just what they'd have to do!

"Thank you." He said quietly.

What else could he say?

"Maybe we can convince Mamacita to move out there with us." He tried to give her hope.

"Yeah, maybe." Kate replied, but she didn't sound very hopeful and changed the subject again, "So how far is Knoxville from here?"

He thought about it for a moment, "It's a little over five hundred miles; I reckon it would take us 'bout seven or eight hours to get there, give or take."

"Hmm." She sighed, "For some reason I thought it was closer than that."

He raised his hand and signaled the waitress to bring him the check before he looked back at Kate, "Tennessee ain't that far from here, but Knoxville just happens to be clear across the state."

From the look on her face he could tell she was thinking about something and he wondered out loud, "Why? Whatcha thinkin'?"

She slipped her arms in her jacket getting ready to leave and looked back over at him, "I'm thinkin' we should get gas and pack up tonight, so we can get on the road first thing in the morning."

He looked surprised, "You wanna get to Knoxville by tomorrow? Cass and Clem ain't movin' there until winter break starts at the school."

"I know, but the sooner we get there, the sooner we can start looking for a place to live. Christmas is less than a month away, and wouldn't it be nice to have a place to set a tree up and have Clementine come over?"

He nodded and was just about to say something when the waitress appeared and brought him the bill.

He paid and they left the diner, then carried on the conversation once they got in their car, "It would be nice to find a place that fast, but the sale of the house in LA hasn't gone through yet, and despite the fact that we've got a couple millions, we can't spend it on a house without someone wondering where the hell the money came from."

"I know." Kate replied, but had apparently already thought about that as well, "I've thought about asking Hurley to help us out."

He put the car in gear and pulled out onto the main road, "He's already fronted us the money for the lawsuit, Sweetheart. You really wanna go and hit him up again?"

"Well, sort of." She started to explain. "I've been thinking about what you said, about the whole money laundering thing and I thought, what if we just give all the money to Hurley and he gives us the money back, but officially – like he's giving it to us as a gift."

He chuckled, "So you're idea is basically sticking good old Hurley with bags of cash that he can't spend."

She smiled at what he was implying and he was partially right, "Yeah, but let's face it, he's got more money than he could ever spend and I'm sure Ben will know just what to do with that cash."

He couldn't argue with that logic.

"So, it's not like we're asking him for a hand out, we're just asking for a favor. That way the money will show up in our bank account and it'll be clear where it came from and we could actually buy something with it."

"Like a piece of land." He added.

She nodded, "Or the house right next to Clementine."

He gave her a look as if she was crazy, and shook his head, "That ain't gonna happen. I love my daughter, but putting up with Cass every day ain't in the cards."

She chuckled at his response, "She's not that bad."

"She hates my guts."

Kate shook her head, "She does not. Not anymore."

He turned the car into the gas station and pulled up to the pump, quickly got out and filled the tank, while Kate sat there in silence and thought about everything that had happened.

James got back in the car and they made their way back to their motel. Neither of them spoke at first, both sort of lost in their own thoughts, but finally Kate spoke up. "I'm gonna have to find a new doctor there too."

"Yeah, but I thought you ain't due for another check-up for a couple of weeks, right?" he asked and glanced over at her for a moment.

"I am twenty-two weeks today, and she'd told me before we left that I need to come back between my twenty-fourth and twenty-eight week to get a diabetes screening done and … some other tests I can't remember."

"Diabetes?" He repeated.

"Yeah, it's normal, everybody get's tested. It's in the baby book, I read up on it after she told me."

"Well, okay then. Let's get back to the room and give Hurley's mom a call, then pack up our stuff, make a little love and turn in early so we can hit the road at sunrise." He reached over and took her hand in his.

He smiled over at her, thinking about everything that was lying ahead of them.

They had a little over three weeks left until Christmas, and Kate wanted to have a house set up by then. Most closing times on a property took longer than that, but he wasn't going to crush her dreams of a Christmas tree and Clementine over to visit just yet.

He'd try his best to make her wish come true, starting by hunting down Hurley and begging him once again to help them out. This would be the last time, he vowed to himself – he just needed this one last favor and then they would work things out on their own. They simply had to!

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End Note: Pleaseleave a review and let me know how you liked it. Thanks for reading. And again, I'm real sorry about the long wait for this chapter. I'm working already on the new one and it will be up as soon as possible. xoxo, Skater