Fic: Where I Stood (Kate, Jack)
Title: Where I Stood
Rating: PG
Summary: She doesn’t think about how unlikely it is that they should find themselves in the same city, on the same street, at the same time. After all that they’ve been through, she sees no point in believing in coincidences anymore.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. At all. I wish but alas...
Author's Note: For slybrunette, for the luau at lostsquee. She wanted fic inspired by music. Inspiratian and title drawn from 'Where I Stood' by Missy Higgins (lyrics).
It’s his profile she notices, an outline of him more than anything else. But his outline is one she would recognize anywhere. She doesn’t intend to approach him, it would re-open to many old wounds that had taken years to close (though never fully). She doesn’t think about how unlikely it is that they should find themselves in the same city, on the same street, at the same time. After all that they’ve been through, she sees no point in believing in coincidences anymore.
But he looks up, as if he, in some way, has sensed that she’s there, and turns his head. She won’t run from him, she can’t, so she smiles politely and he smiles back. Maybe this day was always going to come; she still isn’t ready for it. But she forces her feet to move toward him, and he turns around.
A bolt of electricity shoots up her spine, because sitting behind him, hidden from view until Jack had turned to face her, is a stroller. One of his hands rests on the handle. She keeps walking, though, and orders herself to breathe.
“Hi, Kate,” Jack says, when she finally gets to him. She hopes she doesn’t look as shocked as she feels.
“Hi,” she replies, though her voice sounds a bit thin. She coughs, to clear her throat. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good,” he answers. He looks at her as if he’s waiting for her to ask about the stroller. And, presumably, the baby inside. Does she really want to know? They can’t just stand there, ignoring the big pink elephant in the room.
“So…boy or girl?” Kate asks.
“Oh, sorry.” He turns the stroller around to face her, and inside is a sleeping baby girl, with what little blonde hair she has tied up in a pink ribbon. She looks perfect, and she makes Kate want to cry, for so many reasons.
“She’s beautiful,” she manages to say, even though the words are hard to get out. “So, what are you too doing standing on a street corner in the middle of the afternoon?”
That is when things seemed to begin feeling awkward for Jack, because he shifted on his feet a little and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. It was such an undeniably Jack thing to do that a bittersweet smile found its way across her face.
“Waiting for our coffee,” he answered. Kate looked up and, sure enough, they were in front of a Starbucks. She’d been in such a state of shock she hadn’t even noticed.
“What’s her name?” As soon as the words left Kate’s mouth, she realized they were all wrong. “The baby,” she clarified.
Jack nodded. God, this was hard. It was so painful and awkward, seeing someone you’d once loved and the new life that they had. It’s the death of possibility, of everything you’d once dreamed of having with them. She doesn’t feel comfortable at all, and yet she can’t imagine leaving yet.
“Jenny,” he answered.
“Wow.” She feels as though she is now standing in the middle of the reality of the situation. She hasn’t seen Jack in years, not since they’d gone their separate ways after all of the business with the island was over. She had always assumed that seeing Jack again would bring back memories of that, of all of the pain that they had gone through.
Instead, she is reminded of those few months that they were a family, that they had Aaron, and that they were happy. Now, Aaron is back with Claire, and Jack has his own family. It’s…hard.
“Yeah,” Jack agrees, and looking at him, she feels like his mind is wandering down the same path hers is. She feels like, at that moment, they’re both reliving the life they’d had together, and trying to adjust to the fact that it’s over now. It has been for a long time, but this, what she knows deep down will be the last time she see shim, is surely the final nail in the coffin.
“I have…I have to go,” she says. She does have somewhere she needs to be, but she thinks, if she didn’t, she would have lied. Because it’s too hard. They don’t fit into each other’s lives the way that they used to, and she can’t stay and try to pretend otherwise.
Jack nods, knowingly, and says, “Goodbye Kate.” Finality. The end. She nods in return, accepting it as best she can.
“Goodbye Jack,” she replies. She looks down at Jack’s perfect little girl and smiles, sadly. “Bye Jenny.” She gives Jack one last brave smile, before turning and walking away. She feels the urge to cry, but she doesn’t. In her heart, she knows that something has ended, and while it will take time to heal from that, she knows she will.
Behind her, Jack leans against the stroller and watches her go, until the door swings open and his attention is drawn away. He turns back briefly, to where Kate had been, but she’s gone. He sighs.
“That line was ridiculously long,” Juliet says, handing him his coffee. He takes it from her, without replying. When he turns, he sees her looking at him with a great deal of concern. “Are you okay?”
He smiles at her and nods. “Yeah,” he answers, nodding assuredly. He isn’t, really, not yet. But he will be, with time. Kate will always be a part of him, but what they had has come and gone. It’s always hard, letting someone go, especially for him. But he’s grown, changed with time. He’ll be okay, and he knows Kate well enough to know that she will be too.
He looks at his daughter, his wife, and it feels right. He feels right.
He drinks his coffee and turns the stroller back around. “Let’s go to the park,” he says. Juliet smiles and links his arm with his as they walk down the street, toward the neighborhood park.
Ending Note: I will admit this is also partially inspired by the episode of Sex & the City where Carrie sees Aidan on the street after they break up the second time. In case it sounded a little familiar.
Rating: PG
Summary: She doesn’t think about how unlikely it is that they should find themselves in the same city, on the same street, at the same time. After all that they’ve been through, she sees no point in believing in coincidences anymore.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. At all. I wish but alas...
Author's Note: For slybrunette, for the luau at lostsquee. She wanted fic inspired by music. Inspiratian and title drawn from 'Where I Stood' by Missy Higgins (lyrics).
It’s his profile she notices, an outline of him more than anything else. But his outline is one she would recognize anywhere. She doesn’t intend to approach him, it would re-open to many old wounds that had taken years to close (though never fully). She doesn’t think about how unlikely it is that they should find themselves in the same city, on the same street, at the same time. After all that they’ve been through, she sees no point in believing in coincidences anymore.
But he looks up, as if he, in some way, has sensed that she’s there, and turns his head. She won’t run from him, she can’t, so she smiles politely and he smiles back. Maybe this day was always going to come; she still isn’t ready for it. But she forces her feet to move toward him, and he turns around.
A bolt of electricity shoots up her spine, because sitting behind him, hidden from view until Jack had turned to face her, is a stroller. One of his hands rests on the handle. She keeps walking, though, and orders herself to breathe.
“Hi, Kate,” Jack says, when she finally gets to him. She hopes she doesn’t look as shocked as she feels.
“Hi,” she replies, though her voice sounds a bit thin. She coughs, to clear her throat. “How have you been?”
“Pretty good,” he answers. He looks at her as if he’s waiting for her to ask about the stroller. And, presumably, the baby inside. Does she really want to know? They can’t just stand there, ignoring the big pink elephant in the room.
“So…boy or girl?” Kate asks.
“Oh, sorry.” He turns the stroller around to face her, and inside is a sleeping baby girl, with what little blonde hair she has tied up in a pink ribbon. She looks perfect, and she makes Kate want to cry, for so many reasons.
“She’s beautiful,” she manages to say, even though the words are hard to get out. “So, what are you too doing standing on a street corner in the middle of the afternoon?”
That is when things seemed to begin feeling awkward for Jack, because he shifted on his feet a little and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. It was such an undeniably Jack thing to do that a bittersweet smile found its way across her face.
“Waiting for our coffee,” he answered. Kate looked up and, sure enough, they were in front of a Starbucks. She’d been in such a state of shock she hadn’t even noticed.
“What’s her name?” As soon as the words left Kate’s mouth, she realized they were all wrong. “The baby,” she clarified.
Jack nodded. God, this was hard. It was so painful and awkward, seeing someone you’d once loved and the new life that they had. It’s the death of possibility, of everything you’d once dreamed of having with them. She doesn’t feel comfortable at all, and yet she can’t imagine leaving yet.
“Jenny,” he answered.
“Wow.” She feels as though she is now standing in the middle of the reality of the situation. She hasn’t seen Jack in years, not since they’d gone their separate ways after all of the business with the island was over. She had always assumed that seeing Jack again would bring back memories of that, of all of the pain that they had gone through.
Instead, she is reminded of those few months that they were a family, that they had Aaron, and that they were happy. Now, Aaron is back with Claire, and Jack has his own family. It’s…hard.
“Yeah,” Jack agrees, and looking at him, she feels like his mind is wandering down the same path hers is. She feels like, at that moment, they’re both reliving the life they’d had together, and trying to adjust to the fact that it’s over now. It has been for a long time, but this, what she knows deep down will be the last time she see shim, is surely the final nail in the coffin.
“I have…I have to go,” she says. She does have somewhere she needs to be, but she thinks, if she didn’t, she would have lied. Because it’s too hard. They don’t fit into each other’s lives the way that they used to, and she can’t stay and try to pretend otherwise.
Jack nods, knowingly, and says, “Goodbye Kate.” Finality. The end. She nods in return, accepting it as best she can.
“Goodbye Jack,” she replies. She looks down at Jack’s perfect little girl and smiles, sadly. “Bye Jenny.” She gives Jack one last brave smile, before turning and walking away. She feels the urge to cry, but she doesn’t. In her heart, she knows that something has ended, and while it will take time to heal from that, she knows she will.
Behind her, Jack leans against the stroller and watches her go, until the door swings open and his attention is drawn away. He turns back briefly, to where Kate had been, but she’s gone. He sighs.
“That line was ridiculously long,” Juliet says, handing him his coffee. He takes it from her, without replying. When he turns, he sees her looking at him with a great deal of concern. “Are you okay?”
He smiles at her and nods. “Yeah,” he answers, nodding assuredly. He isn’t, really, not yet. But he will be, with time. Kate will always be a part of him, but what they had has come and gone. It’s always hard, letting someone go, especially for him. But he’s grown, changed with time. He’ll be okay, and he knows Kate well enough to know that she will be too.
He looks at his daughter, his wife, and it feels right. He feels right.
He drinks his coffee and turns the stroller back around. “Let’s go to the park,” he says. Juliet smiles and links his arm with his as they walk down the street, toward the neighborhood park.
Ending Note: I will admit this is also partially inspired by the episode of Sex & the City where Carrie sees Aidan on the street after they break up the second time. In case it sounded a little familiar.