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: I want to start out by saying that I've decided that this would in fact be the last chapter of this story. However, I have another continuation story in mind and even started working on the first chapter already! So rest assured, this is not 'the end' for them just yet! ;)
That being said, I really hope you guys like it enough to leave me a few words at the end. I'm a bit unsure of this chapter and how well the different aspects of it 'flow' together.
P.S. HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
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The following morning
Joshua Thompson got out of his car and took a few quick steps over to the other man who was already waiting for him.
Ben turned and wordlessly greeted him with just a nod as they both shook hands.
"The sale finalized yesterday. Everything's in order, Mr. Linus." Thompson started the conversation.
"Good, very good." Ben nodded and a small smile formed on his face reflecting his contentment with the outcome. "Did Ford give you any trouble?"
Josh Thompson shook his head, "No, not really. He was suspicious – rightfully so – about the low asking price of the property, so he went and hired two different companies to do the house inspection, but of course they found nothing to be wrong."
Ben nodded once more, seemingly pleased with how everything had worked out, "Well, Mr. Reyes will be glad to hear that and he'll have the rest of the money wired today." He stepped a bit closer and held out his hand for Thompson to shake once more, "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Thompson."
They shook hands and Thompson replied, "Likewise, Mr. Linus."
But just as Ben was turning to walk the few steps back to his own car, Thompson's curiosity got the better of him and he spoke up, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"
Ben stopped and turned his attention back to him, but before he could even answer, Thompson had already spoken up once more, "If Mr. Reyes wanted to help the Fords with getting a new home here in Tennessee, why didn't he simply buy it for them or give them the money to buy it with? Why all the secrecy?"
"Because he didn't want the Fords to think they owed him anything."
Thompson contemplated that answer for a brief moment and seemingly content with it he nodded his head once more towards Ben before he turned around and headed for his own car now.
Ben climbed into his car, fished his cell phone out of the inside pocket of his jacket and made a quick call to inform Hurley of the news.
XX
At the same time back at their house
Kate had just finished taping off the last bit around the doorframe and also the light switch while James carried the big can of paint inside the room.
His eyes traveled along the baseboard and the window frame, noting that everything had been taped off and that the hardwood floor was also covered in clear plastic sheets for protection from possible spills or drips. "Alright, girl, guess it's time for you to split."
Her head snapped around in record speed and she stared at him with confusion written all over her face, "What are you talking about?"
He knew she'd question him, he'd counted on it, and his answer was well prepared, "Those paint fumes are bad for the squirt."
Her eyebrows furrowed as if she doubted him for just a split second, but then her facial features softened and the crinkle between her eyes disappeared as the truth behind his statement sunk in, "Really?"
"Really." He replied before he added, "I read it in the book, but it even says so on the side of the can."
She glanced at the gallon size can that he'd just sat down on the floor but didn't bother checking the label for herself, "Well, what am I suppose to do then while you're up here painting?"
It was sort of absurd how incredibly dependent she'd grown to his company, like she didn't know what to do with herself anymore if he wasn't right there with her.
"Freckles, there's tons of stuff to do before Miles and your dad get here with all of our stuff."
For some reason her mind just came up blank and she couldn't form a single coherent thought of what she could possibly accomplish all on her own. "Like what?"
"Hell, I don't know?! Maybe, get some groceries." he answered, "We've got barely anythin' in the house. We need to completely restock the pantry, the fridge, the freezer. We also need dishwasher tabs, laundry soap. In general gettin' some cleanin' supplies would be good. Oh, and get some toiletries too."
"Okay." She nodded. She could do that. She could keep busy restocking the house with the necessities.
"And tonight, while the paint is drying up here, we can crash in front of the fireplace downstairs."
"Maybe." She smiled now, stepped up closer to him and leaned in for a quick kiss.
X
Kate hurriedly pushed the shopping cart across the parking lot of the local supermarket. It was cold out and she wanted to get back to the house, to the warmth of her new home, as soon as possible.
As she began to stow everything away into the trunk of her car, she wondered once again how far James had gotten with painting the upstairs bedrooms.
The main concern right now was the master bedroom and the room further down the hall that they'd designated for Clementine.
The bedroom adjacent to their bedroom would eventually be the nursery, but since they didn't know the sex of the baby yet they were still undecided on the color scheme.
She remembered that right after she'd revealed her pregnancy to their friends, every one – Claire, Carole and Cassidy – had suggested to go with a neutral color like yellow instead. However James and her had decided to simply wait for now to think about it some more, but he had promised her that they'd begin to 'tackle' the nursery once the holidays were over.
Kate closed the trunk of the car and pushed the cart over to its designated spot before she hurried back and quickly got in behind the wheel.
She started the car and rubbed her hands together to generate some heat on her cold skin when her phone started playing her ringtone.
She riffled through her purse in search of the culprit but looked rather disappointed when she saw that it wasn't James who was calling her but it was Cassidy instead.
Holding the phone in her hand she stared at the screen for a long moment before she finally let out an audible sigh and decided for the first time in over a week to answer the call and listen to what Cassidy had to say.
"Kate?" Cassidy's voice sounded small. She was clearly surprised that Kate had actually answered.
"Yeah, it's me." Kate quickly replied.
"I didn't think you were going to answer." Cassidy admitted out loud.
"I wasn't sure if I should." Kate replied equally truthful.
A moment of silence passed before Cassidy decided to speak up, "So listen. I feel like I should explain … you know, explain how things happened like they did."
Kate couldn't help but roll her eyes at that obviously knowing that Cassidy couldn't see her. She already had a rebuttal in the back of her mind for anything Cassidy could possibly throw her way, but for the time being, she decided to bite her tongue and hear her out. "Well, I can't wait to hear it." She answered with a sarcastic undertone that couldn't be missed by her friend on the other end of the line.
Cassidy cleared her throat and was clearly taken aback by the almost hostile tone she heard in Kate's voice, but decided that she'd seize the moment and spill the beans now that she'd finally managed to get her on the phone,
"First off, there had been talks about this promotion for several months, but nothing was confirmed until recently. So, yeah, we knew that this promotion could possibly happen and we knew that it would mean that we'd have to move to Knoxville, but nothing had been put in writing and nothing was for sure.
Every time I thought about telling you that this might happen, that this could be a possibility, something else happened that turned your life upside down. First James was found dead in that cabin, then you find out he's not really dead … the whole scandal with that woman in Vegas and not to forget your pregnancy news, so since I didn't know anything for sure I decided to keep you from worrying about one more thing and kept it to myself."
"You should've told me anyways." Kate was quick to interrupt, "If you knew it might happen, then you should've told us about it. I mean, it was you who was mad at James for faking his own death and causing Clementine so much pain, but then you turn around and without so much as a warning tell us that you'll move her with you to Tennessee over winter break. That wasn't fair, Cassidy."
"I know." Cassidy answered apologetically, "The thing is, this whole time that we were in limbo and were wondering if he'd get the promotion or not, we'd both agreed that we wouldn't move in the middle of the school year. The plan had been that if he'd gotten the new position, Clark would move on out to Knoxville by himself and Clementine and I would follow him as soon as the school year was over. But when his boss actually gave us the news – during our honeymoon – neither one of us wanted to separate. I mean, we'd just gotten married and … well, that's when I decided that I didn't want to wait until summer break to move and as soon as we'd come to that decision, that's when I called James to tell him." Cassidy paused for a moment before she added, "I just wanted to be there with him, start fresh with him in a new town. You can understand that, don't you?"
Kate closed her eyes and sighed. How could she hold this grudge against Cassidy when all she'd wanted was the same thing she herself had been wishing for over the last week? She didn't know what to say to that.
Cassidy spoke up when she realized that Kate wasn't going to talk, "I get why you're mad."
"Do you?" Kate suddenly spoke up, traces of anger bubbled up inside her.
"I do." Cassidy quickly replied, "It's because of Aaron. You left LA thinking that you'd be back after this road trip and now everything is just … everything's changed. And … well, I don't know what else to say other than that I'm really sorry."
A long moment of silence followed Cassidy's apology before Kate finally decided to speak up, "Okay."
"Okay?" Cassidy repeated rather skeptical.
"Yeah." Kate replied. "Okay. I understand."
"You do?" Cassidy asked because she wasn't convinced by the cool tone of Kate's voice.
"I understand that you didn't want to tell me when all this other stuff was going on, but I still wish that you had told me anyways. And in the future … I hope that in the future you will tell us right away even if it isn't a done deal yet … if it's something that concerns all of us, then all of us should know about it."
"You got it." Cassidy agreed. "Thanks for hearing me out."
Kate wasn't sure what to say to that. 'You're welcome' didn't seem like the right response, so instead she said, "I'm sorry too, for avoiding your calls all week."
Cassidy chuckled relieved, "You were killing me."
"Good." Kate replied and her face contoured into a smile, "I was really mad, guess the message came across."
"Oh it did. Don't ever do that again."
"I won't if you won't."
"Deal." Cassidy offered.
"Deal." Kate agreed. "Listen, I've got the trunk full of groceries that I need to get home."
"Yeah, Sawyer told Clementine you guys found a house already."
"Yeah, we did."
"I'm glad. Well, I'll let you go now and we'll talk some more later. Clementine can't wait to see you guys."
Kate nodded before she actually spoke into the phone, "Yeah, we'll see you soon."
"Bye."
"Bye. Give Clementine a kiss from us."
"I will."
XXX
A couple days later
The house was completely dark; the only source of light was the full moon that shone in through the windows along with the soft orange glow that illuminated the family room from the stone fireplace that was lit.
They were tangled up in sheets and blankets, lying on top of an air mattress in the middle of the family room. Kate's head rested on his bare chest and he played with strands of her curls, while they both listened to the wind blowing through the trees outside and the fire crackling in the fireplace a couple of feet away from them.
They were both about to drift off to sleep when the sound of cars pulling up outside caused them both to look up.
The headlights shone into the windows that were still missing curtains and caused Kate to sit all the way up while she clutched the blanket to her bare chest.
"Son of a bitch." James exclaimed and swung his legs over the side of the mattress, rushed to his feet in all his naked glory and gathered his clothes off of the floor around them.
Kate reached for her clothes as well and managed to put them on in record speed. She had just freed her long curls from the collar of one of his oversized sweatshirts when a loud knock at the door startled her. "Who do you think it is?"
James looked over at her and saw the worried expression on her face, "No idea, Sweetheart."
Another loud knock followed and without turning on the lights James walked towards the front door while he still fastened the last remaining buttons on his shirt.
Always and forever on guard, Kate reached for one of the fireplace tools she'd bought just the day before and followed barefoot right behind him.
He glanced back at her and saw the tool in her hand, making a mental note that he'd get her a gun to feel safer out here near the woods.
They both reached the door when another loud knock made the solid hardwood door vibrate before them.
"Who's there?" James asked as he reached blindly behind him and Kate wordlessly handed him the black wrought iron pick.
"It's me, you dimwit, would you open up already, I've gotta take a leak."
"Miles?" James screeched out as his fingers started working the chain lock before he unlocked the deadbolt and pulled the door open.
Son of a bitch!
He pulled him into a hug, big heavy pats on his back and a big goofy smile on his face, "What the hell 'r' ya' doin' here? Didn't expect you 'till tomorrow."
"Yeah, well, we took a vote and decided to keep on going." Kate stepped forward and hugged him as well, "Good to see you, Miles."
"Good to see you too." He replied while James craned his neck and looked passed his old friend, "Where's the Sarge?"
"I think he's helping Claire and Carole haul all their stuff in."
"What?" Kate gasped in surprise, "Claire came too, with Aaron?" She pushed passed both men and was just about to step off of the porch, when Claire rounded the corner of the moving truck and came into their line of view.
Miles disappeared in search of the bathroom, while James smiled gratefully as he watched Kate and Claire whispering their greeting and embracing each other on the front porch, a sleeping five year old smothered somewhere in between them.
With tears glistening in her eyes Kate tried to take Aaron out of Claire's arms, but Claire shook her head, "He's too heavy for you now."
Kate nodded and led the way while Claire wordlessly followed her inside the house.
James squeezed Claire's arm as she passed by him and they nodded at each other in greeting, trying not to wake up the sleeping child in her arms.
Then he quickly pulled his shoes on and went back outside just as Miles reappeared beside him and they both went to help Carole and Sam bring their luggage inside.
X
It was close to midnight when everyone was finally settled in.
Thanks to the foresight on Sam's and Miles' part when they were loading up the moving trucks the day before yesterday, they had loaded up the mattresses last, and the boxes that had been labeled 'bedding' along with them. Just in case they would arrive here late in the day or evening.
So now Sam was asleep on Clementine's twin size mattress on the floor of one of the spare rooms. Claire, Aaron and Carole shared the queen size air mattress that was now also in one of the upstairs bedrooms. And Miles had gotten comfortable on the brand new brown leather sofa that had been delivered to the house less than twelve hours ago.
James closed their bedroom door behind him and quietly locked it, before he turned his attention back to Kate who was already lying in their makeshift bed. Their bed consisted also of just their mattress, since the box spring was still somewhere on the moving truck, but this was just as comfortable –if not more so – than the air mattress they had been sleeping on since the day they had gotten the keys to this place. Their place.
He quickly pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it aside before he undid his fly and dropped his jeans in a heap on the floor before stepping out of them too.
The room was dark, just the moonlight that filtered in through the window but he still saw her watching him from her position on the mattress. He smirked at her when he reached into the waistband of his boxers and dropped them as well, and that's when she spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper, "What are you doing?"
"Goin' to bed, Freckles." He crawled under the blanket beside her and had her pulled snug against his naked self before she could even think of a reply.
His lips kissed a trail down her neck while his hand hiked up the oversized shirt she'd chosen for a nightgown in search for her warm skin.
"We can't." she whispered against his ear and tucked the shirt back down passed her hips, undoing any progress his hand had already made.
"Why the hell not?" He whispered back, his lips right by her ear now and the puff of air that followed when he exhaled caused a tingling sensation down her spine.
She could feel her resolve faltering as his hand snaked once again under her shirt and dipped into the waistband of her panties now, his fingertips seductively stroking back and forth over her already tingling skin, impatiently waiting for her to give him the green light.
"Well," she pushed against his chest with both her hands to put some distance between his lips and her ear, he looked back at her with disappointment but listened to hear her out.
Her voice so low, he had to hold his breath so he could hear her, "Everyone's here. My dad, Carole, Claire and Aaron are just a couple rooms away."
"So?" He tried to shrug his shoulders at her while lying on his side, his fingers still trailing her waistband, "Ain't like the bedframe's gonna squeak and rattle while we're at it. And the headboard ain't gonna be bangin' against the wall all night long either." He whispered his reply.
He raised his eyebrows in an unspoken challenge but before she could think of anything to reply, he'd already leaned into her and whispered right into her ear, "I can keep quiet, how 'bout you, Freckles?"
XXX
Kate squinted before she blinked a few times so that her eyes could adjust to the sunlight that lit up her entire bedroom.
"What time is it?" She mumbled into her pillow as she gave in the urge and closed her eyes once more.
But when James didn't answer she rolled onto her back with her hands reaching over to his side and came to realize that she was all alone in bed.
She pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed sleepily at her eyes before she stretched her arms up overhead and let out an audible yawn.
Kate reached for her cell phone that was lying on the ground, unplugged the charging cable and stared at the screen and to her surprise it was almost nine thirty already.
She climbed all the way out of bed now and was just about to slip into the bathroom when the beautiful sight of the lake glistening in the early morning sun caught her attention instead.
With the sheet wrapped around her naked self she stepped up to the glass French doors that lead out to their balcony but she was smart enough not to open them. As pretty as it looked, she knew the sunshine streaming into her room was just a faux source of heat and the warmth she felt right now would vanish within seconds if she would dare to pull the doors open wide.
Just then Aaron came into her line of view, all bundled up in a heavy coat, gloves and a hat, chased by his grandmother as he ran laughing and giggling towards the tree line.
Kate simply stood there for a long moment and took in the scene that played out in front of her with a smile on her face. One hand clutched the sheet to her body while the other ran a soothing hand over her baby bump.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this completely at peace.
X
With her hair pulled back into a bun, she tentatively held her hand under the stream to see if it was warm enough yet to step under it. Disappointed that after several minutes it was still only lukewarm she quickly stepped inside and gasped for air at the almost cold water that rushed down her body.
She made quick work lathering up the raspberry scented body wash all over herself, rinsed off in record time before she turned the water off and rubbed herself dry with her towel in an attempt to warm back up again before she got dressed.
X
Dressed in a pair of maternity jeans and one of James' plaid button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up passed her elbows; she finally made her way downstairs.
As far as she could see, there were boxes scattered throughout the entire first floor of the house, some opened, some not. A cold breeze rushed through the room due to the open patio doors and just when Kate was about to close them back up, Miles and James stepped into view, both carrying yet another large and seemingly heavy box.
"Sleeping Beauty's finally awake." Miles announced when he spotted her while he awkwardly stepped backwards into the house, trying not to trip over anything while he held onto the big box.
Kate rolled her eyes at him before she returned her attention to her husband, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Freckles." He drawled, then grunted when Miles and he slowly sat the oversized cardboard box down and wiped his hands on his jeans, "I got up, took a shower, got dressed and it wasn't like I was being quiet about it. So I figured if all the ruckus I made didn't wake ya' then you clearly needed a little more shut eye. So … thought I'd let you sleep in for a change."
She folded her arms over her chest, somewhat unsure if she ought to be grateful or not, but before she could say anything James already spoke up again, "But, since you're up now, do you mind running into town and get us some grub?"
"I can make breakfast." She simply replied, "I've bought enough eggs and bacon to feed a small army."
"Yeah, well, can't use the kitchen, Martha. Claire's in there unpacking and washing all the dishes right now."
"Washing dishes? Why is she washing the dishes?"
He shrugged and leaned into her – his hands resting on her hips for the briefest of moments – then gave her a quick peck on the lips, "Go talk it out with her." With his attention back on Miles, "Now that she's up, we can start taking stuff upstairs."
"Yay." Miles mocked excitement before he added in his normal tone of voice, "Remind me again why the hell I volunteered for this."
"Because you didn't wanna spend Christmas all alone in your shitty little apartment, that's why." James added before they both headed right back outside and Kate quickly headed for the kitchen herself.
X
"Mice?" She repeated what Claire had said as she looked down into a cardboard box that had been chewed through on one bottom corner and sure enough she saw mouse droppings everywhere.
Claire turned from her spot by the sink with a soap dripping frying pan in her hand. "Chewed through four boxes, so I thought I just wash them all, just to be safe."
"Yeah." Kate looked slightly disgusted and grateful all the same, "Thank you, but you didn't need to wash so many by hand. We can just run them all through the dishwasher."
"I know, but I figured while the dishwasher's running, I can get some of them done the old fashion way." Claire replied with a smile and dried her hands off with a kitchen towel as she turned her full attention towards her friend. "I see you went shopping." She nodded towards the blue jeans Kate was wearing.
Kate laughed, "Yeah" and lifted the front of her shirt to reveal the foot wide, stretchy, dark blue front panel of her jeans that contoured perfectly around her still growing stomach.
"That's hot." Claire mocked in a playful tone of voice and both women laughed out loud as Kate smoothed down her shirt once more.
"Wanna take a break and run into town with me to get breakfast?"
Claire looked around the kitchen as if she had to think about it for a moment but then nodded her agreement, "Yeah sure." Her eyes casted a critical look at her own hands, "My hands are all pruney already and besides, it seems like we haven't talked face to face in forever."
"Good." Kate said, "Let's go then, before everyone starves to death."
XX
Kate and Claire were still in town picking up some much needed food.
Carole was still playing outside with Aaron, trying her best to keep the little guy busy and tire him out enough that he'd take an afternoon nap later on without too much of a fight.
James and Miles were upstairs, keeping busy putting beds back together, setting up dressers and moving all the boxes that read 'bedroom' or 'bathroom' to the second floor.
However Sam Austen was working by himself in the office.
He pushed the heavy box closer towards the massive dark-stained wooden shelf that covered one entire wall of the room. Instead of using the pocketknife to cut the flap open, he simply peeled at the corners of the tape, not wanting to risk cutting into the cover of a book or worse, a picture album.
All on his own, with no distractions, he made rather quick work lining up the books in the same order he had found them inside the box, when he came across the first leather bound picture album.
It wasn't really curiosity, nor was it ill will that led him to open the album up in the first place. He wasn't that type of a man, he had no secret agenda. He was just a father, who'd stumbled across a photo album that he presumed held pictures of his daughter, so naturally he wanted to take a look.
But what he found was something he couldn't have imagined even if he'd tried.
The first few pages were just covered with baby pictures. Over and over, page after page, the same blue eyes stared contently back at him and Sam couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart at the missed opportunity.
How he still carried so much regret with him, day in and day out, that his own pride and stupidity had kept him from meeting his first grandson all those years ago.
Still, with every turned page the child seemingly grew older and the smile on Sam Austen's face grew wider.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he turned the last page and closed the album in front of him. There were no words to describe how sorry he was for having missed out on all these moments. Missed out on holding this little bundle that had – judging from those pictures – brought so much joy to Kate's life.
With a heavy heart he carefully picked a suited spot on the bookshelf beside him and reached back into the cardboard box to retrieve yet another picture album. This one was also leather bound; expensive looking like the last one, but the two weren't identical.
He carefully ran his hand over the smooth brown leather cover and wondered for a moment if he even wanted to see more than he already had. Because he knew that consequently he'd simply be left with a vivid image in his mind of all the things he'd never gotten to do with his grandson.
He never even knew me, never knew he had a Grandpa'!
Willing to accept the possible heartache, he flipped open this album as well and carefully studied the faces of the boy and his daughter in each photograph. Seeing them so happily together brought him both equal amounts of joy and pain.
But as he turned more and more pages, the boy in his daughter's arms grew older and taller with each picture before him.
Sam stared at the last couple of pages of the picture album, his eyes flicking back and forth between the pictures and he shook his head in disbelieve and confusion.
His eyebrows drew together, the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes deepened more than ever as he stared at the photographs in concentration.
He knew what he saw. He knew what was right there in front of him, but he didn't believe it. He simply couldn't believe it.
His mind raced with possible scenarios, but none of them made any sense at all. He just couldn't possibly think of a reason why his supposedly dead grandson Aaron Austen was the spitting image of Charlie Littleton!
It's impossible!
Just then, the door to the office opened and James stepped inside, "Hey Sarge, think you can give us a hand upstairs for a minute?"
Sam looked up and met the younger man's eyes with a look that James couldn't quite decipher. But then James noted the picture album that was still open and clutched in the other man's hand and his face sunk with the realization that Sam must have stumbled across something he didn't really know how to explain.
Sam saw the look on James' face falter and came to realize that he must've known all along.
"What the hell is this?" His angry voice echoed in the small room as he stepped forward and shoved the picture album almost violently against James' chest.
Before James could come up with any kind of a response, Sam had already spoken up again, his hand shook as he pointed a finger at Aaron in the photograph before them, "Why does my Grandson look exactly like little Charlie?"
James averted his eyes from the older man and pretended to study the older picture in great detail himself, but Sam Austen wasn't fooled at all. "Look me in the eye, James, and tell me that that little boy out there is not my grandson."
That he could do!
James lifted his eyes from the photo and dared to look Sam right in the eye, "He's not your grandson."
Even more confused than he was to begin with, Sam took a weary step backwards and shook his head, "What?"
James closed the photo album in his hands and looked back, "I said he's not your grandson."
Sam came a bit closer again, pulled the album out of James' hands and his fingers hastily tried to find the newer photo's towards the back once more, "They look the same. Other then the hair color, they look identical. How dare you stand there and tell me that that isn't him? I wasn't born yesterday, son! How dare you lie to my face?" His voice was loud and mean.
When James had first appeared in Kate's life Sam had been suspicious to say the least, since the tabloids had described in detail what kind of low life James had been prior to crashing on that fateful day in September 2004.
But time and frequent visits had eased the older man's worries and by the time Kate and James had gone from being just friends to suddenly announcing their engagement, he'd been nothing but supportive of their relationship.
Needless to say he was heartbroken for his daughter, when they had been under the assumption that James had died in that cabin fire at Big Sur, but also overjoyed with her when he'd been found alive down in Mexico.
And just when life was starting to look on the up and up again for his little girl, the lawsuit came along and trying to settle out of court, it had subsequently wiped them both clean. Pretty much all of James' money was gone and almost all of Kate's too. As much as he'd come to accept his son-in-law, he was suddenly suspicious once more, because it somehow seemed that the never ending drama in Kate's life had begun once James had appeared.
So for Sam Austen, it wasn't a far stretch to believe that this somehow also had something to do with James after all, "Did you do this? Did you have anything to do with this? Is this somehow one of your scams?"
James closed the picture album once more and put it down on the shelf next to him, trying his best to contain the rush of anger coursing through him now. "Now hold on just a minute, old man, there's an explanation for all of this."
He was unsure what he should tell his father-in-law. Unsure if Kate would be okay with him trying to explain anything at all. But the more James thought about the alternative of Kate being confronted by Sam, the more he came to the conclusion that he'd have to explain what happened himself. And he'd have to do it right now, before Kate got back.
"Really? There's an explanation for this?" Sam questioned him with obvious doubt in his voice, "How the hell can you explain to me why my grandson is now living with Claire and Carole under a false name? How in the world can any of that make sense?"
With a heavy sigh, he looked around the room for a moment, but afraid that Kate would show up at any minute, he looked back at Sam and made a suggestion, "Let's go for a walk, 'cause it's sorta a long story, alright?"
Sam was fuming; he was in no mood to take a walk. He felt deceived, he felt lied to and most of all he had suddenly come to the conclusion that both Claire and James must've somehow conned his daughter out of giving up her only son. He didn't know why or mostly how, but he knew that Charlie was in fact Aaron and he wanted answers now. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I want answers. I deserve answers." He shouted once more.
James began to lose his temper now too, his voice not quite as loud as Sam's but loud enough to convey his obvious frustration, "If you want answers then you're gonna have to come with me."
A stare down of sorts between the two men before Sam grudgingly agreed. They both pulled on their winter jackets and stepped out back.
As soon as the cold winter air hit his face, James reached inside his jacket for the smokes he kept in his pocket and quickly fished one out and lit it. The nicotine made him calm down almost instantly, but he knew it wasn't going to save him from having to think of something to say real soon.
Neither of them spoke but rather stared at Aaron and Carole throwing a big bouncy ball back and forth, both their cheeks and noses were already bright red from the cold December wind.
Once they'd reached the tree line, James cleared his throat, still not entirely sure how to explain something like that to someone who wasn't there to experience it all with them.
Hearing the words jumble around in his own head right now made him realize just how incredibly crazy it all sounded. Wishing he'd been there when Carole had been brought into their inner circle, just so he'd have a script of sorts about how to even get this conversation started.
He casted one last look back at the house and the lake and Carole playing with Aaron before they both stepped deeper into the forest and he turned his full attention back to Kate's father that had kept an close eye on him since they'd left the house.
He took a long drag from his cigarette and savored the taste for as long as he could before he let the smoke escape through his nostrils and mouth; the white smoke was even more visible in the nippy winter air.
"Some of this is gonna sound crazy as hell, and I'm fully aware of that, Sarge, but you just gotta hear me out."
Sam averted his eyes and for the first time looked on up ahead of them as if he was contemplating his options, "Alright." He agreed with doubt and reluctance in his voice, yet a whole lot calmer then just moments ago. "Go on."
"It all started with the plane crash. Claire and I didn't somehow drift off in a different direction. That was all a lie. We all, Jack Shephard, Sun Kwon, Sayid Jarrah, Hurley, Kate, Claire and I were stranded on the same damn island since day one. Not just us, but a bunch of other folks too …"
XXX
Miles lifted the heavy boxes from the dining table and Claire wiped it down with a wet rag when Kate stepped back into the house looking utterly confused, "I can't find them. Carole said she saw them walking off into the forest a while back."
"Barely knocked up and already losing your tracking skills." Miles teased her before he shook his head, "I was upstairs waiting for them to come back to move that big old oak dresser to the other room, and they just decide to take a damn break."
Kate stepped up and helped Claire set the food out they had just brought home, when Claire noted the worried expression on her face. She offered a halfhearted explanation, "Maybe they saw a deer or something? You know how your dad always talks about taken James hunting with him?"
She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Miles who didn't really seem to buy into that possibility either, "It's just weird that they'd just disappear like that without saying a word and knowing that we'd be back with the food any time now."
Claire nodded and looked helplessly for Miles who was also at a loss for words.
X
Everyone was already seated and eating when they heard the back door being opened and shortly after James and Sam came into view.
Kate couldn't help herself from scanning both their faces for any clue's but there were none to be found, so instead she spoke up somewhat accusingly, "Where were you?" her eyes moved from James to her father and back.
James looked back at the older man once more and Sam spoke up, "We took a break and scoped out your little forest back there. See if it's worth a hunting trip one of these days."
Kate looked back at Claire as if to say, 'guess you were right', but it all still seemed a bit suspicious.
But before she could scold them for being late, Miles spoke up. "Well, next time you decide to take a stroll down the valley, how about letting a guy know? I waited upstairs like an idiot." Miles glared at James from his spot at the table.
"Shit man, I forgot all about you." James gave a sorry excuse.
"Apparently." Miles replied before he decided to turn his full attention back to the breakfast sandwich in front of him.
James pulled off his jacket and tossed it over one of the boxes that sat a few steps away from him before he leaned down and gave Kate a quick kiss on the lips.
He sat down in the empty chair beside her and Sam took a seat across from him.
Kate ran her knuckles over his rosy cheeks, "You're freezing."
James ignored Kate's words and instead began to unwrap his food when he noticed the coffee mugs on the table. His attention turned to Kate, "You found the coffee maker?"
Kate nodded towards Claire, "No, Claire did." And before he could ask, she spoke up again, "I go get you some." Her eyes fell on her father, "Dad, you want some too?"
Sam looked up from his food, "Yeah, sure. Thank you, honey."
But just as Kate had disappeared into the kitchen, without an explanation James pushed his chair back and followed right behind her.
When he stepped into the room, Kate had already pulled two clean mugs from the dishwasher. She turned and saw him step up beside her just as she was about to pour the coffee, but he wordlessly reached for the glass coffee carafe and put it back on the heating plate of the coffee machine.
"What's going on?" Kate looked at him confused.
He stepped closer to her, his hands went down to her waist and he pulled her snug against him, because he was never entirely sure how she would take this and if she'd bolt out of here.
She could see it in his eyes that something was wrong, something was worrying him and in return she began to worry, "What happened, James?"
"He knows." He almost whispered, his eyes never leaving hers.
"He knows what?" Kate asked in return, her voice low so that they wouldn't be overheard as she looked up at him confused.
"He was unpacking the books in the office, came across one of your old photo albums."
A flash of realization crossed her face and he saw the fear of rejection in her eyes, "So, he knows … about Aaron?"
James nodded and when she looked away and tears started to well up in her eyes he framed her face with his big calloused hands to force her to look back up at him instead, "It's done, Freckles, there's no reason to cry."
She looked away and wiped at her tears, "He must think I'm nothing but a liar." His hands traveled back down to her waist; keeping her close … he hated it when she withdrew from him.
"That's not true, Sweetheart, and you know it. I told him the whole god damn story. I told him everything."
"Everything?" she looked back up at him.
"Well, not everything everything. I left the really crazy shit out – like smoke monsters, time travel and brainwashing Aaron! But he knows enough to realize that you only did what you did to keep Aaron safe."
She nodded but clearly wasn't satisfied with the situation.
"Trust me, Freckles. He's not mad at you, he's not mad at all anymore."
"But he was mad."
"'course he was mad. He'd just found out that the little kid in the yard was his grandson at one point. But he knows the truth now and … it's all good."
She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, "I should've been the one to tell him. He should've heard it all from me."
"Probably." He agreed, "But I didn't wanna get you all worked up trying to explain the island and all the crazy shit that had happened … you getting all upset can't be good for you and the squirt, you know?!"
She frowned, but wrapped her arms around him for comfort which he gladly provided by pulling her tightly against his chest, his chin resting on top of her head, "At least you won't have to lie to him anymore 'bout any of this. Ain't that a relief?"
She thought about it for a moment as she calmed down again, "Yeah, I guess it is."
She nodded and looked up at him, "No more lies."
XXX
A few days later
Aaron ran up ahead of them, all bundled up in his little boots, winter coat, the wool cap that covered his ears and the gloves to keep his little hands warm.
Kate and James were equally bundled up – sans the gloves – and he reached for her hand just to tuck both their intertwined fingers into the pocket of his own jacket for warmth.
It was still early in the day and even though the sun was out, it was cold enough that both could see their breath every time they exhaled.
They walked through the woods by their house at a leisurely pace since Aaron stopped every couple of feet to pick up a stick or a big orange leaf or something equally interesting to the mind of a five year old boy.
The house was finally finished, there was no reason to hurry and rush back inside any time soon.
Every single box had been unpacked, every piece of furniture they wanted to keep had found a permanent spot within the home, and their old dining room set was currently sitting in the generously sized mud room until they found someone that would take it off of their hands. Everyone had agreed that it was too modern and didn't really fit in with the log cabin charm,but it still was simply too nice to just chop up into firewood.
"Less than a month and 2009 is officially over." James stated as they headed deeper into the woods, he patted his pocket for his cigarettes, but then he remembered his promise to Claire not to smoke in front of Aaron any more.
"Yeah, it went by real fast, didn't it?" She glanced up at him walking beside her before her focus was back on the little boy walking just a couple of feet ahead of them.
He nodded, "Yeah, but only when we were together. Time's draggin' when we're apart, ain't it Freckles?"
"It is." She agreed and leaned her head against his shoulder playfully, "Good thing we won't have to be apart anymore."
He turned his head to plant a kiss on her forehead, "Couple more days and my little girl will be in town too."
Kate smiled, "It's gonna be nice to have everyone together again." She looked up at James with hopeful eyes, "Maybe we can talk Cassidy in letting her stay with us until they unpacked and set up their house. You think she'd go for that?"
He smirked and looked down at her, "She might if you lay on the guilt some more."
Kate smirked back up at him and he saw the mischievous look sparkle in her eyes, "I think I can manage that."
"I bet."
They walked on in silence for a little while, taking in the beautiful scenery that surrounded them while watching Aaron stuff all kind of things into the pockets of his coat. Sticks, stones and some sort of foliage. Claire would probably not be amused later on, but that's what Uncle and Aunts are good for … they were supposed to be fun to be around and not as strict as mom.
Then they began to talk about all the places they'd visited this year.
Their short visit to Tunisia and hopefully their last departure from the island for the rest of their lives. Then their sightseeing trip in Paris, and the lock that adorned their names fastened onto the 'love bridge'!
James remembered how good the food and beer had been in Germany and Kate mentioned how surprised she'd been by Germany's beautiful country side, which they'd also gotten to see.
And then there was Spain. Despite their bad encounter with Mr. Salvatore it was also one of the highlights of their way back home. Nothing could take away from the memories of the breathtaking view over the ocean from their hotel or the mix of salt and sun in the air that very much reminded them both once again of the island they'd left behind them.
All of these places held memories that they would forever carry with them.
X
Lost in conversation they must've walked a good two or three miles when the trees became sparser and they saw a clearing coming up ahead of them with a big wired fence. It was the neighboring cattle ranch's property line.
Just then Aaron took off running and James called out to him to get him to slow down and wait up for them, but Aaron didn't listen and squeaked out in delight, "Horsey, look Auntie Kate, it's a real horsey."
James let go of Kate's hand and in a few quick strides he'd managed to catch up to Aaron and scooped him up into his arms, "Listen up, MacGyver, you can't take off like that."
Aaron craned his little head around to look back at the horse once more, when James' eyes finally flickered up to see what the kid was so obsessed about.
"Son of a …" the word died down on his lips since Aaron was right there in his arms. James turned his head and took in Kate's awestruck expression just a few feet away, "Is that?"
It couldn't be!
Kate looked back at him, "It looks like it, doesn't it?" She shook her head, "But that's impossible."
Kate stepped closer and James followed her, the horse responded by moving closer towards the fence as well. Close enough for Kate to touch and pet its head.
The horse looked identical to the one that she'd last seen in the jungle on the island.
"Can I touch it too?" Aaron asked and James stepped close enough for Aaron to do just that, but when the horse turned his attention to Aaron, the little boy got scared. Instead of petting the horse, Aaron buried his head into James' shoulder and wrapped his arms around James' neck.
He ran a soothing hand up and down Aaron's back, "Hey now, buddy boy, no need to get scared."
Kate took in the scene and not for the first time could envision how James would be with their own child in the near future.
"He's nice." Kate tried to reassure him as she softly ran a hand along the horse's neck. "But you don't have to touch him if you don't want to, Goober."
Aaron hesitantly turned his head and gave the horse another look, "Okay." His voice was small and he simply looked on contently as Kate petted the horse instead of him.
They stood like that for a long time, until James glanced down at his watch. "We should probably start heading back, little man. Your grandma said she'd have lunch ready real soon."
Aaron nodded, "I'm hungry."
"Me too." James replied and looked over at Kate, "What about you, Freckles?"
"I'm always hungry these days." She admitted and smiled back at them.
James sat Aaron down and reached for Kate's hand instead, "Come on now. I'm sure it ain't the last we've seen of that old horse."
Kate fell into step beside him and craned her neck to look back at the animal one more time, "He sure looks the same."
"I'm sure there's tons of black horses runnin' 'round these neck o' the woods, Sweetheart."
Kate nodded, "Yeah, I know, but it still took me by surprise."
"You ain't the only one."
They stepped up beside Aaron who had just picked up another stick and James held out his hand for the little boy to take, "Come on, we've gotta hurry up now or your grandma's gonna give all of us a whippin'."
Aaron secured his spot in between both of them and took Kate's hand as well, lifting his feet off of the ground every so often so he'd be carried.
He suddenly craned his neck and looked up at James, "Uncle James, what's a whippin'?"
James and Kate looked at each other, her eyes silently scolding him and she answered before James could, "It's nothing, Goober. Nothing you'll ever have to worry about."
Forty-five minutes later they could see their home way off in the distance and Aaron broke free of both their hands and took off running.
Without the boy to separate them, James reached for her hand once more as they stepped out of the forest and into the clearing that led down to their new home.
"It's nice to finally have a place to call home, isn't it, James?"
"Yeah." He sighed, his eyes never leaving Aaron heading for the back door.
He pulled his hand out of hers, wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead and pulled her closer to his side as they kept on walking.
His other hand dug deep into the pocket of his jeans and his fingers traced the ring with its small stone, but once again he couldn't bring himself to reveal it to her. The hurt and pain he'd caused her was still too fresh and vivid in his mind.
Not enough water under that bridge yet!
One day … one day he'd have enough courage to give it to her and tell her how it had found its way back into his hands after all this time. But that day wasn't here just yet!
"Do you think she likes it here?" Kate spoke up when they got closer to the house and he didn't have to ask who she meant.
He nodded, "Yeah, I think she does. I mean, no paparazzi camping out around your house. Grocery shopping and nobody gives a rat's ass what the hell's in your cart. Aaron bein' able to run around outside. What's not to like?"
"Then you need to help me talking her into moving out here with us." Kate pleaded.
"I'll give it my best try. I can lay on the southern charm real thick, darlin'!" he gave her his trademark smirk that showed off his dimples.
"Yeah, why don't you." Kate replied with a smirk that matched his own.
X
Aaron had already disappeared inside by the time James and Kate stepped up onto the porch to head inside through the back door.
Kate reached for the door handle, when James turned back around and gave the expanse of land and lake before him one lingering look.
His mind once more on all the hurdles they had to overcome to finally be at this place, not just in the physical sense, but all the growing up both of them had done since leaving the island behind them.
The two outlaws … how far they had come!
He stopped conning and she stopped running!
Who would've thunk it!
He glanced back at Kate, his smile widened the longer his eyes took her in just standing there.
Kate smiled back at the love she saw in his eyes reflecting back at her and dropped her hand from the door knob down to her stomach instead.
She smiled, yet could feel her cheeks blushing under the scrutiny of his intense stare, "What?"
"We sure took the long way to get here, didn't we, Freckles?"
He stepped closer and pulled her into his arms, a sudden calm in his voice,
"We sure took the long way home!"
X
You don't need another human being to make your life complete, but let's be honest.
Having your wounds kissed by someone who doesn't see them as disasters in your soul but cracks to put their love into is the most calming thing in this world."
Emery Allen
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End Note: I hope it wasn't too fluffy for you all. I think the next story will be more fluff then drama and I'm hoping some of you will stick around to see how it will all play out! So thank you all for reading and if you have a minute, please leave a review. xoxo, Skater