Kate stepped into her house and she could hear some noise coming from the kitchen. As she entered the sunny room at the back of the house, she saw her dad brewing some coffee.
"Hi Dad."
Her father jumped as if she had stuck him with an electric prod. "Oh. You startled me, honey. I didn't hear you come in."
"Sorry." She offered an apologetic look before giving him a hug.
"I wasn't expecting you this early. You had mentioned that you were coming around lunchtime."
Sheepishly, Kate looked down at her feet, "I couldn't sleep." She then went over to the cabinet to retrieve two coffee mugs and and the creamer from the fridge.
Sam took a place in one of the stools at the kitchen island and watched his daughter pour them some coffee. He noticed that her back and shoulders looked tense, "So Katie, are you gonna tell your old man why you're really here so early?"
Mid-movement Kate stopped. Gently, she then placed the carafe back into the coffee maker and turned to face him. His eyes were glued on hers … waiting. With a deep swallow, she started, "Ummmm… I'm seeing someone. I mean, I have a boyfriend."
Sam released an exhale of relief, "Is that it? Just a boyfriend? I have to tell you, sweetheart. You had me thinking the worst for a second." His daughter was approaching twenty years old, she was bound to have a boyfriend sooner or later. He just considered himself blessed that he managed to avoid the drama and issue of sex for as long as he did. He spoke to his friends and he was simply shocked at the stories they detailed about what teenagers were engaging in - how fast and aggressive they were. Suddenly, he was wishing Aunt Joan was here, so she could have the sex talk and make sure that Kate was being careful. But he looked at Kate and sighed. Of course she was being careful, this was Kate.
It felt surprisingly good to finally get it out in the open. Once Shannon and her other friends had found out that she was dating Jack, there was a period of time that she was teased relentlessly or prodded to provide intimate details about Jack. The more silent she was on the topic, the more curious they were and vocal with ribald jokes and comments.
Sam raised his arm and waved her over, "Come and sit down next to me."
With the filled mugs in hand she settled into the stool next to him, the steamy aroma of the coffee filled her nostrils. Sam offered a gentle smile, "So you're seeing a young man. That's nice Katie. Are you gonna tell me his name?"
"His name is Jack."
"Jack?" Sam played with the sound of the name again before smiling, "Jack? That's a solid name-"
He noticed the anxious look on her face, "Why do I sense there is a 'but' or something else you want to tell me Katie?"
"He's older-"
Sam leaned against the backrest of the stool, "Oh. I see-"
Kate quickly blurted, "He's a second year med student at UCLA."
Sam continued to read his daughter's face because he simply wasn't seeing what she was so obviously nervous about until he thought about it some more, "How much older Katie?"
"Just about seven years."
Sam's shoulders dropped in relief, she had him fearing that it was more like fifteen or more, "Okay. That's not so bad." If anything, it was to be expected, Kate was always mature for her age, and men tended to be immature, so it made sense actually. "So when do I get to meet 'Jack'?"
Trying to feign a graceful and relaxed manner, Kate answered, "You already have."
"What?"
"At Claire's graduation party, I introduced you to her older brother, remember?"
A smirk played on Sam's face. Of course he did.
He was nervous, he couldn't believe it … but he was. Kate had finally decided to open up to her father about their relationship last week and according to her, Sam seemed perfectly fine with it - so much, in fact, that he insisted that Jack come over for dinner the following Sunday. So, now he was in his car about five minutes away from the Austen home. He drummed his fingertips against the steering wheel while his car was stopped at a red-light, he ran the 'timeline' of their relationship through his head again, the one he and Kate were supposed to use with Sam … which was different than the one he used with Claire. The 'lies' were getting more complex and he was beginning to wonder how long they could pull it off.
Six months ago
Claire had angrily called him three more times while he was en route to her dormitory at USC. Kate had warned him that Claire would likely be upset with their relationship … that it was a potential sore spot for her because of her history with female classmates having ulterior motives in befriending her. He assured Kate that he would fix this and the she didn't need to worry because everything would be straightened out. As he framed this thoughts, he knew who he sounded exactly like. As he pulled into the parking spot, he sucked in a deep breath readying himself to face an angry tidal wave of emotion contained in a five-foot, two-inch frame. He was accustomed to listening to her breathless girlish chatter, but he knew this would be different .
Claire was waiting outside the entrance, she was dressed in all black and her hair looked styled, giving him the impression that she had other plans for the evening. Jack stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets with one hand palming the car keys, watching every flicker of her expression.
She gave him a baffled, troubled look, but then her blue eyes darkened.
His voice was dry, "Claire-"
"I don't believe this Jack!" Claire stormed with her arms folded across her chest, her eyes narrowed and accusatory.
Jack lifted his palms up at her, "Hey. Now listen Claire. Kate and I meant to tell you. We really did. It was never our intention to be sneaky or do something behind your back."
Her eyes watered, "Jack, you can get any woman you want. Why are you dating MY friend? Or was it Kate, did she come onto you? Was she pretending to be my friend all this time-"
Jack interrupted her, "No. Kate was and is still your friend. And I AM the one that asked her out, Claire. Me."
Claire paced back and forth while shaking her head in disapproval and then she stopped, "I don't get it. How did it even start?"
Claire watched him run his hand over the back of his head before his eyes met hers again, "This year, I spotted Kate on campus, we spoke for a minute and I invited her to join me for a cup of coffee. And she said yes. A few weeks later I bumped into her again and we had coffee. But that time, I asked Kate for her phone number because I wanted to ask her out. Kate said no. But I looked it up and called her anyway. And she finally said yes. So if you want to be angry, be angry with me. I'm the one that pursued the relationship, Claire. Not Kate. And you should know that I care about her … very much."
"I feel like people always hide things from me, Jack. Mom never let me know that I had a brother and she made me think I didn't have a dad until she got sick. Christian would come to visit, but she never said he was my father, he was just a 'friend'. And then I come here and kids want to be my mate because I'm related to you. So they can get better grades and …. " She trailed off while looking over his shoulder into the distance.
Jack cleared his throat, not anticipating that the conversation would turn into something deeper, "I understand where you're coming from. Dad deceived me too. All those years he kept you a secret. And I hate being lied to, I'm sorry that it felt that way to you."
She was uncertain what to make of Jack's revelation about his relationship with Kate, but he looked contrite. She was still trying to comprehend why he would be interested in Kate in the first place. What did they have in common? He seemed sincere, and even though it was awkward - the idea of her friend sleeping with her brother … well she rather not think about it.
Oddly she was feeling calmer, she expected to hate her brother and Kate. And yet she didn't. She thought about Jack and how he seemed more happy than she could ever recall him being.
Claire shrugged her shoulders, and offered a small smile "Don't expect us to double date."
Jack put his hand on her upper arm and chuckled, "Deal."
And just like that, he thought, he diverted a small crisis in a fashion that his father would be proud of. He shuddered.
Jack pulled up in front of the Austen residence and approached the door. He hesitated a second before ringing the doorbell. Seconds later, Kate emerged at the door wearing her usual wide toothy smile as she invited him in. She was bare foot, wearing a pretty green dress topped off with a cardigan and had her hair pulled back into a low thick ponytail. Instinctually, a smile crept across his face, his nervousness easing momentarily. Jack entered leaving behind a fresh drift of his recognizable scent of shampoo and soap.
Kate looked at his full hands, "Flowers and wine?"
Sheepishly he handed them to her, "Yeah, the flowers are for you and I got red and white wine for the meal. I wasn't sure what we were having for dinner …."
"Pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots and string beans. No California salads or rabbit food served here. Why don't you take a seat on the couch while I get you something to drink." She paused for a second, trapping her bottom lip in between her teeth, "Jack? Thank you for the beautiful flowers, I love peonies." She then bent her nose to inhale the bouquet. He watched her eyes close fleetingly and a smile escape her lips.
His eyes were riveted on her as she walked towards the kitchen, and he enjoyed watching her every movement. He wondered if it was even normal for a man his age to feel so anxious about meeting a girlfriend's father. A few minutes later Kate emerged with Sam in tow. Jack immediately stood up, wiping his slightly sweaty palms on the front of his trousers so he would be ready to extend his hand in greeting. Sam offered a friendly smile and reached out for the obligatory handshake.
"Hello Jack. Nice to see you again. Hope all is well with your father and sister."
"Good to see you too, Mr. Austen. Claire and my father are doing well, thanks for asking. Thank you for inviting me over for dinner. Can I do anything to help you out?"
"We've got everything under control. But please call me Sam and you're our guest, so kick up your feet and relax." Sam then turned to his daughter, "Katie, dinner'll be ready in a few minutes, why don't you show Jack around, while I head back into the kitchen."
As he turned around he called out to his daughter, "Katie, make sure to let Jack know where he can find the facilities." Kate smiled at her father's unwavering attention to the practicalities - it was an army thing.
"Okay Dad."
Kate quirked her eyebrow, "Do you want a tour?"
"Sure, why not?"
As per her father's instruction, she pointed out the ground floor powder room before taking him upstairs. Kate switched on the light just before they entered her bedroom. He scanned around the space, taking notice of the small details and he couldn't shake the notion that this felt so intimate. They had been together for over a year and a half and he had yet to see this personal facet of Kate. The room was pretty, tasteful and simple - with light grey walls and framed artwork hanging on them. The bed had a white fabric covered headboard and white bedding with yellow and turquoise blue accents. He strode over to the dresser and lifted up a framed childhood photo of Kate and her brother.
Jack chuckled, "You were Wonder Woman for halloween-"
"Yeah and Henry was Spiderman. But I was so annoyed, I told him he had to be a superhero from DC comics and not Marvel. God, I was such a control freak." Kate backed away then and turned to face her bed. Jack came up behind her and put his arm about her shoulders.
"Hey. Are you okay?"
"Yes. You know how memories are… how they have a way of creeping up on you-"
"I sure do."
Kate sighed heavily and leaned her head against his shoulder. Suddenly feeling the need to pursue lighter thoughts, she smirked before flirtatiously telling him, "You know in a few weeks, my dad is gonna be out of town …." She turned to look up at him.
"Oh yeah?" He asked quietly but with a distinct frisky look in his eyes.
"So if you want to … you know …." Kate's eyes then traveled to her bed and his followed along.
"Christen your mattress?" He guessed while grinning at her.
Kate smiled at the adorable way he bit his bottom lip, "Yeah, more or less."
He leaned into her to brush a light kiss against her half-opened mouth, "Kate. I say more rather than less … lots more."
The three sat at the dining table off the kitchen. Kate had already placed Jack's new bouquet in a low vase in the center.
"Katie-"
She immediately stood up and rolled her eyes at Jack, "I'm getting the salt … Dad." Her gesture making it clear to him that this was a common occurrence.
Kate returned with the salt and pepper shakers in hand.
"Thanks honey."
"So ... Kate tells me that you are finishing medical school in three years. I wasn't even aware that was possible. You must be studying around the clock." Sam asked, marveling that anyone could be that smart and driven to accomplish that feat.
Jack exhaled, "Yes. There are days I think I bit off more than I could chew, though. But I'm just eager to finish up school and start practicing."
"Do you know what field of medicine you want to enter?"
"Probably, neurosurgery-"
"So you'll follow in your father's footsteps … maybe you two will hang up a shingle together." Sam smiled, half jokingly.
Jack shook his head, "We'll see, I hope to do my residency elsewhere. I don't think working for my dad is probably the best idea. Ummm … we have distinct views on a lot of things." Jack said before taking another bite of his meal.
Sam gave a wry look to Kate before turning back to Jack, with a grin he asked, "Are you considering doing your residency in New York?"
Kate sat up straight, a mortified look coming across her face, "Dad!" Jack coughed on his mouthful of food and reached for the glass of water in front of him. Sam let out a gentle laugh as we watched Jack swallow a hard gulp of the water, "Son, you don't have to answer me. I got the reaction I wanted from my daughter."
"Seriously, Dad?" Kate grumbled.
"Kate, this is the first young man you've ever brought home for dinner, did you really expect me to not have a little fun with you?"
With a twinkle of mischief in his eye, Sam then looked to Jack, "Kate was never the boy crazy type, her little nose was always buried in a book, ever since she learned how to read when she was four years old. Kate was always analyzing everything, always questioning me and everyone. Did she ever tell you about the time she ran away from home when she was nine? The only thing she packed in her knapsack was her pet guinea pig. What was his name again?"
A blush creeped across her cheeks and she shook her head helplessly from side to side, "His name was Herman." She bowed her face, trying to hide her embarrassment, "Okay, I'm beginning to regret all this now …."
Jack quietly watched the two of them interact. He worked hard to keep in the laugh that was begging to come out. The father and daughter banter that ensued was endearing and funny to observe. He noticed the manner in which they completed each other's thoughts and sentences. Jack's brows then furrowed together as if deep in thought. It was the sort of relationship he never had with his father, their's was more defined by Christian's high expectations, punctuated by Jack's invariable propensity to disappoint. As he continued to watch them, Jack's heart and stomach slowly sunk, any hopes he had of convincing Kate to stay in L.A. to finish her undergraduate degree vanished. He knew she would always follow Sam … and understandably so.
"Dinner was delicious Mr. Austen-"
"Please call me Sam." He reminded Jack.
Jack let out a small laugh, "Thank you, Sam, for the great meal."
Jack stood carrying his plate, ready to help with the dishes, but Sam stopped him, "Please Jack. Sit down I've got this covered. I insist."
Kate hastily stood, to begin clearing the table, "Dad, I'm going to do it, okay? You've already done enough."
"Katie-"
"Dad, I'm doing it. That's final."
"Kid's stubborn, Jack." Sam warned.
From the kitchen sink Kate called out, "I heard that. And where do you think I inherited that trait from, huh?"
Sam turned to Jack, "Do you watch football by any chance?"
With a smile, Jack answered, "You bet I do."
"Great, how about we grab a few beers and head into the family room to watch the game?"
Before Jack followed Sam out of the kitchen, he turned to look at Kate, they shared a glance and he mouthed the words I love you.
At about 9:00 pm, Sam left Jack and Kate sitting alone on the sofa. Before heading upstairs to turn in, he invited Jack to come back for dinner in three weeks, which Jack graciously accepted.
Looking down at her lap, Kate smiled sweetly at Jack's habit of holding her hand and comparing it to his own size. His hand was much larger than her own and he enjoyed that.
"Your dad's a real nice guy."
Tucking her hair behind her ear, her face reddened, "Oh, sure he is. Especially, when he's cracking jokes all evening at my expense."
Jack's voice softened, "He loves you. And the two of you are …." Jack paused searching for the right description for them, "A dynamic duo."
Kate chuckled, "Well, we've had a lot of time to work on our routine."
With his knuckles, Jack lightly rapped on the door to Kate's dorm room. It was left slightly ajar so he pushed it open. When he stepped he found a guy lying on Kate's bed, resting comfortably on his elbows with a book and laptop spread across his lap. Kate was seated and hunched at her desk, with the same textbook open.
At seeing Jack, the boy immediately sat up, looking uneasy. Kate's head perked up over her shoulder and she released a wide smile, she then quickly looked at her watch, "Hi Jack. I'm sorry, I lost track of time." She stood from her chair, then walked to him, leaning up on her toes to brush a light kiss on his lips. "Jack, this is Craig, he's my political science study partner. We're preparing for next week's final." Jack raised his brow skeptically as he looked over Kate's shoulder and gave a sober nod to Craig, who clearly looked disappointed with Jack's intrusion.
Craig quickly gathered his things, and with lovestruck eyes asked Kate, "Let's get together later to finish this up, okay?" Before hurrying off, he looked at Jack, "Nice to meet you man."
Jack walked over to the door and locked it behind Craig before turning to look at Kate. He smiled tightly, "I don't think Craig was too enthused to see me."
She twirled her hair on a finger as she wrote one last note, "Huh?"
He made a face. "I think your study partner was hoping for more than just a cram session on poli sci with you, Kate."
Kate released a throaty laugh, "What are you talking about Jack?"
He emitted a gusty sigh, he wasn't in the mood to remind her of her obliviousness when it came to the attention she received from the opposite sex.
A bit distractedly, Jack looked around, "When is Alex coming back?"
A knowing grin played across her face, "Alex went to visit her mom for the weekend."
"Is that right?" His eyes darkened as he traced a finger along her sculpted jawline to her full lips. Kate watched the way his eyes focused on her mouth while he playfully nudged her a few steps until the backs of her knees hit the side of her mattress. They were touching from their thighs up to their chests. In an act of slow seduction that made her legs quiver, he slowly began to unbutton her shirt. Kate lifted her forehead from his collarbone and coaxed a tangled kiss from him while he continued to steadily remove her clothes. On her narrow bed, he began placing soft and hard kisses over every inch of her before working up her body and senses with his agile hands. They both came hard, still holding tight to each other, ready to do it all over again and again.
Jack felt his phone vibrate and looked at the screen to read a text from Kate:
Meet me at Glendon's? Celebrating end of finals with Alex and some friends. oxoxoxo
Jack smiled as he thumbed his response into the keypad:
Be there in about an hour. Love you.
Jack proceeded straight towards the back of the local UCLA bar, bypassing the large screen TVs where recaps of the Bruins football season were unfolding overhead. Time was flying by and he began to dread the next few months and the countdown to when she would be moving to New York City. He tried to not dwell on it, he'd rather focus on the present, on the here, on the now ... with Kate.
Jack scanned around looking for Kate's familiar face and stopped when he saw her in the back of the crowded and loud bar folded over the billiard table with cue in hand. He smiled at the way she had one eye squinted shut, the tip of her tongue poking through her mouth to, presumably, help her better focus on her shot. She was terrible at pool, but it didn't stop her from trying hard to win. Alex was standing beside her. He then noticed a few drunk looking males standing close behind them, grinning and pointing at the girls unbeknownst to them. Their gazes clearly honed in on Kate's behind.
In a bold gesture that took Jack by surprise, one of them, the guy that was just slightly shorter than Jack, leaned over Kate. Jack stood still for a second, wanting to observe how Kate would react and how the scene would play out. Jack watched the man slide his hand onto her hip while his face reached out close enough for his nose to touch just behind her ear. She stood up sharply, her features red and blazing anger as she drew a swift elbow into his chest.
The man backed away laughing, but Kate saw no humor in it. Jack then strode over to where Kate and Alex stood, an angry energy emanating from him like heat. He momentarily let his glare set on the guy that got a little too close to Kate.
"Hey."
Kate smiled at hearing his voice and turned to face him with a big smile on her face. Jack leaned over and kissed her several times on the cheek.
"Hey."
Looking over her shoulder, Jack again fixed a suspicious eye on the man, who was now meeting Jack's resentful gaze. He took a couple of teetering steps towards Jack, "You got a problem with me, man?"
Jack could see that he was drunk and decided to just ignore him, "No, I don't have a problem."
Kate's eyes widened and the hair stood on her neck from the tension between Jack and this student, the way they eyed each other with expectant hostility.
"I saw you looking at me-"
Impatient now, Jack nudged Kate to the side, "Listen, why don't you take your eyes and your hands and put them somewhere else." The words came in a quiet menacing voice.
Sensing where this was going, the uneasy silence between them, Kate placed her palm flat on Jack's chest, "Hey. How about we get going? Huh?" Jack nodded and they turned to leave.
"Yo. Your girl's got a sweet little ass on her-"
Hearing those words, Jack swung around and lunged head first into violence. Jack abruptly lobbed a swift blow into the guy's face, using such force that he could hear some bone crack. The guy crumpled to his knees holding onto his bloodied nose, while his friends jumped forward ready to fling punches.
"Stop it!" Kate screamed as she saw them move towards Jack and place a mean jab in Jack's gut. A second later, a trio of large muscled bouncers plucked her away as they descended upon Jack and the other guys dragging them outside by the backs of their collars. Kate and Alex immediately pushed through the crowd following the direction of the bar's security.
Once the girls finally made it outside, they witnessed Jack and the other brawlers being cuffed and escorted into the backseats of a pair of police vehicles.
Kate ran up to the car, "Jack!"
He turned his head over his shoulder and stiffly told her, "Kate. Go home." She watched as the policer officer placed his hand firmly on the back of Jack's head nudging him inside.
Hours later, Jack was still seated on a hard slab of cement, shoulders slumped forward, elbows resting on his knees while his hands cupped his head. He stared down at his feet and occasionally rubbed the back of his neck.
The rolling, clanking sound of the heavy row of metal bars opening made Jack lift his head to see a guard beckon him out.
"Shephard. Someone posted your bail."
Thank god. Silverman got his message.
Taking a deep breath he stood up. He went to the station window to pick up a ziploc baggie containing his wallet, keys and iPhone that were taken into custody after he was booked. He followed the police officer out into the waiting room and stopped cold in his tracks, frozen by the icy glare of a pair of hard blue eyes.
"Son."
Fuck.
Author's note: Hey guys. So sorry for the delay in getting this update out. I really meant to have it done last week, but I got caught up with life. All your reviews have made me so happy and are rejuvenating. Those kind words make all the hours spent writing so worth it. Please keep letting me know whether you want me to continue!
At this point I am continuing this fan-fic only because some sweet people have kindly asked me to. But if there is not enough expressed interest, I will stop writing this story. I literally spend nearly every moment of my limited free time writing and it's exhausting.
So, I've received a few PMs about this story, in particular, why I chose to tackle a sticky subject like this. Well, for one, I knew it would be challenging to pull it off. I was definitely walking a fine line, but I think I managed to make it work. On Lost, I always felt like there was an air of inevitability between Jack and Kate - Kate was always destined for Jack. But the Island and bigger forces pushed and pulled them apart. So I've tried to capture that feeling here, that Jack and Kate are fated, but their circumstances, age difference and life experiences are tugging at them.