*This chapter is a flash forward for Kate, but a flash back for Beth's life. What happened directly after season 6. Read and Review!*
The plane landed safely at LAX; all passengers on board were safe and free from the Island once again. Once the hatch opened, Kate, Sawyer, Richard, Frank, Claire and Miles emerged. Reporters flooded the landing strip, and quickly crowded around the survivors. Family members ran up to the crowd. Family members of all but two: Kate and Richard. As Kate looked around, she saw a police car roll up and two men get out with guns at their sides. She had forgotten about her agreement in court not to leave her hometown for a certain amount of time until now. She knew what was coming, and it made her uneasy.
"Kate Austen, put your hands behind your head. You are now under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say or…"
"Well wait here a minute! That is not how you greet a lady…" Sawyer interjected.
"James, it's fine. Don't waste your breath." Kate gave him a faint smile and went in for a hug. She looked him in the eyes and said, "I'll see you soon, OK?"
Sawyer looked into her green eyes for a few seconds and then nodded. "You better be good, Freckles. I expect to see you soon."
And with that Kate turned to her captors, put her hands out and accepted the cuffs that were about to shackle her. She was escorted to the cop car and put into the back seat. The car drove away as she looked out the back window at the reporters who were having a field day with the survivors, especially those who were supposed to be dead from the Oceanic flight. Even with all of the commotion, all she could think about at that moment was Jack. She had left him there to die, and now she was about to be led to her own end. However long it may physically take, she was dead to herself in so many ways.
-1 week later-
Kate lay on her cot in her jail cell, where she would spend the rest of her life behind bars. There was no need for another trial. She violated protocol and accepted it without hesitation. She didn't fight it. She had no reason to fight. Aaron was back with Claire and that was all that mattered. Everything else was meaningless to her now.
There was only one thing that bothered her however. She was undergoing a violent wave of nausea and didn't know how to stop it. She had felt like this a little on the island, but not enough to notice it, especially with the stress she was under. The only explanation in her mind was that the lifestyle of jail had completely changed her eating habits, causing her to feel sick.
After a few more days of feeling awful, Kate went to see a doctor in the detention center in which she was staying. The doctor ran some tests and came back with the results.
"Ms. Austen, have you noticed any weight gain over the last month?"
"A little, but nothing overly noticeable. I figured I would gain weight after being on a deserted island." Kate responded with a little hint of sarcasm.
"Well, Ms. Austen…the lab tests have come back and it seems as though you are pregnant."
Kate's eyes shot open. This is not possible! Not in any way. I haven't slept with anyone since…
"Oh my God."
"Do you know who the father is?"
"Yes. Yes I do. However, he is no longer living." Kate teared up. She couldn't do this. Not without him. Not in jail. Not here!
"I've very sorry Ms. Austen. However, this facility has very tight rules on pregnancy. Since we don't have children centers here, once you have your child, you must give them up."
This was too much to handle at the time. All Kate wanted to do was run. Run far away where no one could find her. She should have stayed on the island, with Jack. At least then she would have been safe.
"I understand. May I choose who the child goes to?"
"Yes, of course, it is up to you."
"Thank you, doctor."
And with that, Kate began another test of her strength. She was about to become a mother. This time for real. He or she was to be hers. But now she was the horrible mother. How her child could ever forgive her, she didn't know.
-Weeks later-
"Ms. Austen, you have a visitor." An armed patrolman came to her cell, unlocked the door and led her to another holding room. In this room, there was a large wall of glass with small cubicles attached. The patrolman led her to one of the cubicles and told her to sit and wait for her visitor.
She sat and waited for a minute and then a man walked in.
"James!" She yelled out.
They both picked up the phones they were to use to communicate with each other.
"Hey Freckles. This is quite the place you have here. The orange jumpsuit really accentuates your eyes," he joked.
"James, stop it. Why are you here? How is everyone? How is Aaron?"
"Hold on, hold on. I'll tell you everything you're little heart needs to know. I just need to know one thing first," he started.
"And what is that?"
"Who is the father?"
Kate swallowed her emotions as that question rang in her ears.
"Jack. Before we came back to the island, we had one night together," she explained.
"I see…Kate, I want you to listen carefully to me… the baby will be ok, I promise. I will do everything in my power to help him or her."
"Thank you, James. That's what I needed to hear." Kate smiled. It was nice to still have friends throughout all of this.
"And Aaron, he is great. Claire has really hit it off with the kid. She was born to be a mother. All be it, maybe still a little crazy, but the shock is wearing off of her," Sawyer stated between laughs. His dimples flaring.
"I want her to take care of the baby, James. If she wants to of course. I want my child to grow up in the same environment as Aaron. I want Claire to be the aunt and for you to be the uncle. Will you do that for me, James?" Her eyes pleaded out to him.
"Anything for you beautiful. Now I want you to relax. Try not to stress too much. You want the baby to be healthy."
"Thanks, James. What would I ever do without you?"
"You'd probably be at the bottom of the Atlantic right now," He chided.
Kate gave a giggle. It was good to hear a sense of humor these days.
"So how is everything with you?"
"It's good. I've bought a house with all the settlement money I received from Oceanic airlines. I'm living close to Clair in fact. She decided to settle down in LA as well. Trying to get away from all of those Aussies, I suppose."
That was good to hear. At least they would be close to each other.
"And I've quit the business. Figured I didn't want to end up where you are now." He laughed a nervous laugh, not sure how she would take that. But she grinned back.
"No, one of us is enough," she responded.
Sawyer's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Kate, I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out of here. If not for your sake, for your child's."
"Thanks, James, but I think all hope is lost for me now. I just want to focus on Beth."
"Beth? It's a girl?"
"I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling. Call it a mother's intuition."
And then all of a sudden, the patrol came back and told them that time was up.
"Kate, remember what I told you. I'll never give up."
She nodded and then put her hand on the glass. He reached out and did the same.
"Goodbye, Sawyer."
And with that, Kate was led back to her jail cell, only to live out the next few months in fear for her unborn child.