Thanks as usual to everyone who read and reviewed. I'm glad to see you're still so enthusiastic about this story.
Chapter 19.
Claire was in the kitchen making breakfast for Aaron when Kate came down stairs. Hurley had already left, declining Kate's offer to make him up a bed in the guest room in favour of staying with his parents.
"Will Jack be joining us for breakfast?" Claire teased her, watching her put on a fresh pot of coffee.
Kate poured herself a glass of orange juice and leant against island.
"It doesn't bother you, does it? That he stayed over?" she asked her.
Since leaving the island, they'd both been too busy putting themselves back together to even think about dating; she wondered if she should have checked with her first, even though it was still her house.
Claire shook her head. "I think the fact that we didn't grow up together helps with the ick factor."
She switched off the stove and transferred Aaron's egg into a plastic egg cup shaped like Humpty Dumpty.
"So now that you guys are back together, I guess he'll be moving in again, huh?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she shoved a slice of bread into the toaster.
Kate would be lying if she said that wasn't what she wanted, that she didn't dream about having Jack home for good.
"How would you feel if he did?" she agreed, relieved that Claire had saved her from having to figure out a way to broach the subject with her. "Not right away, but soon."
She was afraid that by appearing to put her relationship with Jack ahead of her promise to Claire, she would trigger her abandonment issues, but to her surprise, Claire actually seemed to be on board with the idea.
"It makes sense. He's gunna want to be here for the baby. It might be a bit crowded, though, with all five of us living here."
"No one's saying you have to move out, Claire," Kate assured her before she could get it into her head that she was a burden. "This is your home too. You're welcome to stay for as long as you need."
She was Jack's sister and Kate's closest friend; of course she would always have a place with them.
Claire shifted, looking uncomfortable, and Kate realised that that wasn't why she'd brought it up.
"I appreciate everything you've done for us, Kate, but maybe it's time I learned to stand on my own two feet."
Kate had been so focused on her own side of the conversation, worrying about how her words would be received, that she almost didn't notice Claire doing the same. It struck her with painful clarity that Claire wasn't asking for her permission to stay. She wanted her blessing to leave.
"You're serious about this?"
"I went to see a real estate agent while you were away," Claire admitted. "She's gunna show me a couple of places nearby. That way you can still visit Aaron whenever you want."
Kate glanced into the dining room where the little boy sat at the table, engrossed in his cartoons while he waited for Claire to bring him his food. She was going to miss seeing him every day, but Claire had a point: she couldn't keep him there forever, especially now that she was about to have a family of her own.
"I'm proud of you, Claire," she told her, forcing a smile for her benefit. "But don't forget, Jack and I are here for you if you need us."
"Thanks, but I think you guys are gonna have your hands full enough as it is," Claire reminded her, shooting a pointed look at Kate's belly, and Kate couldn't help but laugh.
It was true that by the time Aaron came into her care, he was already sleeping through the night; both she and Jack were yet to experience the trials of life with a newborn.
"We'll probably be the ones asking you for help," she agreed.
They fell into a companionable silence while Kate finished making Jack's coffee and Claire buttered the toast and sliced it into soldiers the way Kate had shown her.
"I should get moving," she said, arranging them on the plate with the egg. "Looks like we have a big day ahead of us."
Jack drifted into the kitchen just as Claire was leaving.
"What was that about?" he asked, taking the mug Kate offered him.
"Claire's moving out."
He set his coffee down, placing his hands on Kate's hips instead.
"How do you feel about that?" he pressed, searching her expression for clues.
"A little sad, she agreed, "but she's right, this is something she needs to do."
He pulled her closer, and she leant into his chest, allowing him to comfort her.
"All this time, I thought I was taking care of her, when really, she was the one taking care of me."
She didn't know how she would have survived – if she would have survived – losing him if she hadn't been so focused on Claire. They'd propped each other up until they were strong enough to stand on their own.
"I was such a mess after I found out I was pregnant, but she helped me keep it together."
Kate was still in shock as she stumbled down the hall to her and Jack's – now only her – bedroom.
Sinking onto the bed, she erupted into sobs, clamping her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.
Claire was supposed to be downstairs with Aaron, but moments later, she heard a soft tap on the door.
"Is everything okay, Kate? You were in the bathroom for over an hour."
Kate uncovered her mouth, forcing herself to take a deep, steadying breath before answering.
"I'm fine, Claire – I just need a minute."
She regretted not having the presence of mind to lock the door when Claire ignored her request for privacy and came in anyway.
"Why don't I believe you?"
She dropped onto the bed opposite Kate. "What's wrong? Is it Jack?"
His name still cut her like a knife, which was why most of the time Kate coped with his absence by pretending that he'd never existed at all. It was easier that way, but after the cruel blow fate had just dealt her, she knew she couldn't pretend anymore.
When she didn't respond, struggling to get a handle on her emotions, Claire tried again.
"I know you miss him. The whole camp knew you guys were in love with each other. We used to place bets on how long it would take you to figure it out. And anyway, Sawyer – James – told me you were involved after you got off the island."
"He did?"
Kate had always avoided the subject with him, knowing that it would only hurt him, which meant someone else must have told him. The only other people who knew were Juliet, Hurley, and Jack himself. She couldn't imagine Jack having that conversation with him, so she decided it must have been Juliet.
"Before he left. He made me promise I'd look out for you."
Kate couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud yet, so she opened her fist, revealing the object concealed there.
"Is that what you were doing in there?" Claire asked, staring at the positive pregnancy test in Kate's hand.
Kate nodded. "I bought three different brands, just to be sure."
The first two were buried at the bottom of the trash, but she held onto the last one as a reminder that it was real. She was having a baby. Jack's baby.
"How am I gonna do this without him?" she whispered, dissolving into fresh tears. "He was supposed to be here. We were supposed to do this together."
The one and only time they'd discussed it, she'd pictured them still as newly-weds, strolling hand in hand through the baby department bickering over names while they picked out furniture for the nursery.
It should have been one of the happiest days of her life – tied with the night he proposed – but now it was also one of the saddest, because she couldn't share it with him. She wished she'd recognised the signs sooner. It might not have saved him, but at least he would have known.
"Do you remember the night Aaron was born?" Claire asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"Of course," she agreed, smiling despite her tears. "How could I forget?"
"Do you remember what you said to me? You said 'You're not alone in this – we're all here for you'." I know I'm not Jack, but I'm here for you, Kate. I'll help you, just like you helped me with Aaron."
She wasn't Jack, but she was more like him than she knew. Kate reached for her hand with her free one. "Thanks, Claire."
They may not share blood like Aaron and her unborn child, or be bound together by law like they would have if Kate had married Jack, but they were family now all the same.
"You know, I always wanted a sister."
Claire wrapped her fingers around Kate's in return. "Me too."
Jack listened to Kate recount the memory with a rueful smile. "I'm sorry I wasn't here, but I'm glad Claire was."
"It doesn't matter," she told him.
Not when it was his relentless need to fix everything – especially the past – that caused their separation in the first place.
"All that does matter is that you're not gonna miss anything else."
"You bet I'm not," he agreed, and the knot in her stomach loosened on hearing that he'd taken their conversation out on the deck to heart.
"Are you hungry?" she asked him, remembering how little he'd eaten the night before. "Because we have cereal, toast, eggs..."
She was in the process of scrambling the eggs when someone knocked on the door.
Jack drifted into the living room to peer out the curtains. "That's strange."
"Who is it?" Kate asked him, joining him at the window.
She recognised the burgundy Mercedes in the drive at once. "What's your mom doing here?"
When she glanced over at Jack, she saw that he was as surprised as she was. "I didn't tell her we were back yet."
"Me either."
Jack shrugged. "I guess she must have come to see Claire then."
"What're we going to tell her? About what Hurley said?" Kate asked him as she moved to unlock the door.
"We're not telling her anything," he insisted, a sharp edge creeping into his voice.
Kate sighed, remembering how hard it was for him to withhold the truth from her last time.
"She's your mother, Jack. You don't think she has a right to know?"
"What if it was our son?" he asked, refusing to back down. "Would you wanna hear something like that?"
Kate lifted a hand to her belly, focusing on the gentle, reassuring movements inside it as she considered his question.
"No," she conceded after a moment. It was difficult enough to accept when it was Jack.
She shifted her hand to where she felt her son the strongest, massaging the area to calm him.
"So then let's keep it between us, okay?" Jack said in a softer tone now that he'd won. "It's better for her to believe it was all a mistake."
It was so like him to think of it that way, to choose to carry that burden alone so someone he loved wouldn't have to.
"Okay," she agreed, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth. "Why don't you go check on breakfast while I let her in?"
"I wasn't expecting to see you until Friday," Margo greeted Kate with a warm hug when she opened the door for her.
"We just got back in last night. I… uh… wasn't feeling well so I asked Jack to bring me home," she lied, regretting her choice of cover story when Margo looked alarmed.
"Did you make an appointment with your OB?"
"We're fine, Margo, really," she assured her, trying to allay her concern. "Jack checked us out. He said it's probably just Braxton-Hicks."
She'd been getting them on and off for the last week or so anyway, so at least this wasn't too far from the truth.
Margo winched in sympathy for her but Kate could see that she was relieved.
"Is he here?" she asked, shrugging her coat off as she stepped inside.
"We were just having breakfast if you want anything."
"I'll never say no to a cup of coffee," she agreed, following Kate into the kitchen.
Jack put the spatula down and came over to meet them, greeting his mother with a kiss on the cheek.
Margo set her purse on the island and settled herself on one of the stools while Kate went to fetch her coffee.
"How was your trip?"
"It was… good," Kate said, unsure how else to describe the experience.
There was a part of her that still couldn't believe that not only was Jack back, but that he loved her again.
Judging from his silence, Jack seemed to be at a similar loss for words.
Margo looked amused. "Only good? Is that why you're both smiling like that?"
Kate felt her face grow hot and she was sure it must have turned beat red. Surely Jack's mother didn't want to hear everything that happened?
"I don't need to know the details," Margo said as if reading their thoughts.
She turned to her son. "Just tell me, are you happy?"
He looked at Kate and smiled. "Yeah."
Margo shifted her attention to Kate. "And you?"
That question at least was easy to answer.
Kate caught Jack's eye and nodded. "Very," she agreed. "We're both very happy."
"Well, then," Margo said, beaming at each of them in turn, "that's wonderful news."
Coming up: Claire and Aaron move out, Jack moves in and becomes more proactive about recovering his lost memories, and Baby Boy Shephard will finally make his appearance. In the mean time, please let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see, including flashbacks, and I'll do my best to work it in.