Thanks for the reviews. I just wanna remind everyone that I put a note in the summary as soon as I introduced spoilers from "The Economist" (Germany, Elsa, and Sayid having a classified job) and "Ji Yeon" (Sun and Jin living in Korea and Ji Yeon), so you were warned. Everything else is made up...;)

Chapter 31. The Talk

"So I hear you're moving in with Jack," Kate's father greeted her later that evening when she kissed his cheek and dropped into the chair by the bed.

Jack had offered to take J.J. straight to the parents' room; it was the first chance they'd had to discuss him alone.

She knew she hadn't mentioned it, which meant Jack must have during their 'private' chat. "Eventually," she agreed, afraid to sound too eager in case her father thought she was abandoning him in spite of everything he'd done for her and J.J. "I'm still gonna be there to take care of you when you get home."

She was so prepared for another warning speech that she was surprised when he argued, "Nonsense," his expression grave, stubborn, refusing to let her win this time. "I'll be fine on my own. And if I do need you for anything, you'll only be a phone call away."

He placed his hand over hers on the bed. "You have to do what's right for your boy, Katie, and that's being with his father – I see that now. I'm sorry I didn't before."

They were the words she'd been praying for since the night Jack reentered her life; squeezing back, she flashed him a tiny smile to let him know how much she appreciated hearing them now.

"I can never get him to admit it, but he's so good with him," she told him, remembering the day in the bar when Jack insisted that he was a lousy dad, just like his own. "Sometimes I even get jealous, because it doesn't seem to come as naturally to me as it does to him."

"Maybe, maybe not," her father agreed, letting go of her hand, "but you're still his mom. He needs both of you – that's why I think this is for the best. You need to get used to sharing him."

"That's exactly what Jack said," she admitted with a bashful grin, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted of her shoulders now that she knew he was going to be okay with it. She'd worked so hard to rebuild her relationship with her father – her real father; the last thing she wanted to do was destroy it again.

"I'll say this for him – he's a smart man. And he's got good taste," he teased her, chuckling when her cheeks flushed pink, and she ducked her head, embarrassed by the compliment.

They could have added good timing to the list when he entered the room just as they had lapsed into a comfortable silence, juggling J.J. with one arm as he closed the door in that effortless way she was so envious of.

"How's my boy?" her father asked, turning his attention on them as he held his arms out for his grandson.

"Still a little cranky," Jack confessed as he handed him over, pulling up a chair next to Kate's. "I think he needs another nap."

"He's had a busy couple of days," her father assured them, rubbing between his shoulder blades to settle him. He bent over him, putting his face close to his, as if speaking solely to him. "He's been to places I even haven't gotten around to visiting, haven't you little guy?" When J.J. stopped whimpering to look at him, he smiled, ruffling the curls at the back of his neck as he kissed his dark head.

"It's just a shame he won't remember them," Kate pointed out, expecting everyone to agree, but her father glanced up at her, surprised.

"Why not? You've got those passes – you can make sure he doesn't forget. God knows everyone here could use a vacation."

"Maybe," she agreed, even though she knew Jack wanted to go back to Sydney, and seeming to pick up on her reluctance to make any more concrete plans, her father chose that moment to change the subject.

"So you have the flash drive – what's next?" he asked, directing the question to Jack, who looked pleased at having his opinion sought when he could have gotten the information from Kate.

"We get copies to as many people as we can before the Hanso Foundation finds out," he explained, his confidence faltering when a broad grin crept over her father's features. "What? What would you do?"

There was a moment of tension, during which Kate was afraid her father was going to play the Sergeant card and outrank him, before he shook his head. "That's a good, solid plan, Jack. They teach you that in medical school?"

Jack laughed good-naturedly at her father's playful teasing, and Kate could tell that he was pleased at earning his approval, not just where she was concerned, but in general. If things had gone the other way, she knew he would have started having second thoughts about their relationship. "I don't think I need to tell you how fast you pick this stuff up when your life depends on it."

"No, I don't suppose you do," her father agreed, his light eyes twinkling with amusement.

Glancing from one to the other, noting their smiles, Kate could feel the unspoken agreement hanging in the air between them. "Okay," she piped up, "is someone gonna tell me what's with you two?"

When her father raised an eyebrow at Jack, taking his cue from him, she added, "Jack, why did you tell my dad we were moving in together?"

"He wanted to know how serious it was," he explained with a shrug, shooting him a helpless look. "She's been like this all day."

"I'm still here, you know," she reminded them, rolling her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh when her father came to his rescue.

"Why don't you give it a rest, honey?" he warned her, his tone firm, though he couldn't seem to keep the smirk off his face. "Let the man have his secrets. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

At this rate, their son would be in college before that happened; if she had to drop it, she wasn't going to do it without making her displeasure known. "You know," she told Jack, doing her best to sound wounded, "I really hope the next kid we have is a girl, because I'm gonna need someone on my side, especially if you're gonna get J.J. in on it too."

"Next kid?" her father repeated with a sharp look at Jack, and watching his expression become wary, Kate laughed at the realisation that this was one conversation he hadn't been game to share. "I hope you don't plan on getting my daughter pregnant again anytime soon, son, otherwise I may have to take back what I said about you being smart."

"And you…" he continued, rounding on her, and she felt her own grin fade. "You told me you were being careful this time – the last thing you need right now is another surprise."

"We are," she assured him quickly, careful not to look at Jack, though she was sure he must have flushed the same deep crimson. They were too old to be getting this talk from her father. "I just meant we talked about it, and we'd like it if we could give J.J. a little sister some day."

"In that case," he agreed with soft chuckle, letting them off the hook, "I hope when that day comes, you'll still let me babysit."

Next chapter: It's Hurley Time! (I think I'm gonna call it that too!) ;)