Fic: Weight (Kate, Claire)
Title: Weight
Rating: PG
Summary: Kate hears Claire's breath catch as her son walks closer. Tears fall down her face as she looks at him, and Kate realizes for the first time that whatever love she has for Aaron pales in comparison to the love that Claire has for him.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. At all. I wish but alas...
Author's Note: For Queen ozmissage at the lostsquee luau. She wanted The Lost Ladies. I guess I can use this for my last lostpicksix fic, too.
Aaron hides behind his Grandmother's legs.
Claire stands awkwardly next to Kate, a few hundred feet away from her mother and her son, neither of which she has seen for over three long years. She has smoothed her wild hair down, and they had bought some new clothes for her before they came.
They're scared. Though they had all, in their own ways, been waiting for this moment for a long time, it still feels sudden. No one knows what to do, who should speak or move first. It's bigger than all of them, this moment. Too big. So big they're all scared to take the first step.
Claire's mother is crying as she takes hold of Aaron's hand and walks him over to the two women. Kate as no doubt that she has explained to Aaron who Claire is. She can only hope now that this will be a smooth transition.
She looks at the little blonde boy who she had raised as her own and can't deny the pain she still feels at the thought of leaving him behind. She had no idea it was possible to love another person as much as she had loved this child. But, in the end, he wasn't hers. She can only hope with time, and age, he will forgive her, and understand that giving him up was the best possible thing that she could have done for him. Maybe if he can forgive her, if Claire can forgive her, she will one day be able to forgive herself.
Aaron walks slowly, stuck to his Grandmother's side.
Kate hears Claire's breath catch as her son walks closer. Tears fall down her face as she looks at him, and Kate realizes for the first time that whatever love she has for Aaron pales in comparison to the love that Claire has for him.
She kneels down in front of Aaron and wipes her face clean. "Hi, sweetheart," she says. "I'm your Mum." He tilts his head sideways and looks at her, inquisitive. He looks up at his Grandmother questioningly, and she nods with a smile on her face. It's the kind of tight smile that betrays how hard she is trying not to cry.
Aaron takes a few tentative steps forward. Claire holds her arms out for him, but instead of going into them, he reaches out his hand and grabs hold of her fingers. She starts to cry again, smiling and breathing in deep has he holds onto her hand and looks at her.
Kate is struggling to balance all of her feelings - accomplishment, regret, pain, sadness, completion - but she doesn't think she's doing so well. She realizes now that a part of her never really let Aaron go. Now that he is back where he belongs, back with his real mother, she can truly mourn the loss of him, and of the unconditional love that he gave her. She has lost so much, so many. She has lost friends, she has lost Jack.
It's all hitting her now, and she's amazed she's still standing.
"I should go, and let you-" She gestures away, then between the three of them, the family. She tries to walk away, unable to fight the oldest of instincts, even after all of this time, even after all that she has done and seen, and the way that she has grown.
Claire reaches up, though, and takes her hand, holds it loosely in hers. "Stay," she asks.
Kate looks at her. After what she has done to Claire, Kate is surprised. But she had made a promise; she had told Claire she would help her. She looks to Aaron, who is still holding onto Claire's hand, but is now looking up on her.
"Okay," she agrees, wrapping her fingers around Claire's hand and squeezing back. "Okay."
Rating: PG
Summary: Kate hears Claire's breath catch as her son walks closer. Tears fall down her face as she looks at him, and Kate realizes for the first time that whatever love she has for Aaron pales in comparison to the love that Claire has for him.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. At all. I wish but alas...
Author's Note: For Queen ozmissage at the lostsquee luau. She wanted The Lost Ladies. I guess I can use this for my last lostpicksix fic, too.
Aaron hides behind his Grandmother's legs.
Claire stands awkwardly next to Kate, a few hundred feet away from her mother and her son, neither of which she has seen for over three long years. She has smoothed her wild hair down, and they had bought some new clothes for her before they came.
They're scared. Though they had all, in their own ways, been waiting for this moment for a long time, it still feels sudden. No one knows what to do, who should speak or move first. It's bigger than all of them, this moment. Too big. So big they're all scared to take the first step.
Claire's mother is crying as she takes hold of Aaron's hand and walks him over to the two women. Kate as no doubt that she has explained to Aaron who Claire is. She can only hope now that this will be a smooth transition.
She looks at the little blonde boy who she had raised as her own and can't deny the pain she still feels at the thought of leaving him behind. She had no idea it was possible to love another person as much as she had loved this child. But, in the end, he wasn't hers. She can only hope with time, and age, he will forgive her, and understand that giving him up was the best possible thing that she could have done for him. Maybe if he can forgive her, if Claire can forgive her, she will one day be able to forgive herself.
Aaron walks slowly, stuck to his Grandmother's side.
Kate hears Claire's breath catch as her son walks closer. Tears fall down her face as she looks at him, and Kate realizes for the first time that whatever love she has for Aaron pales in comparison to the love that Claire has for him.
She kneels down in front of Aaron and wipes her face clean. "Hi, sweetheart," she says. "I'm your Mum." He tilts his head sideways and looks at her, inquisitive. He looks up at his Grandmother questioningly, and she nods with a smile on her face. It's the kind of tight smile that betrays how hard she is trying not to cry.
Aaron takes a few tentative steps forward. Claire holds her arms out for him, but instead of going into them, he reaches out his hand and grabs hold of her fingers. She starts to cry again, smiling and breathing in deep has he holds onto her hand and looks at her.
Kate is struggling to balance all of her feelings - accomplishment, regret, pain, sadness, completion - but she doesn't think she's doing so well. She realizes now that a part of her never really let Aaron go. Now that he is back where he belongs, back with his real mother, she can truly mourn the loss of him, and of the unconditional love that he gave her. She has lost so much, so many. She has lost friends, she has lost Jack.
It's all hitting her now, and she's amazed she's still standing.
"I should go, and let you-" She gestures away, then between the three of them, the family. She tries to walk away, unable to fight the oldest of instincts, even after all of this time, even after all that she has done and seen, and the way that she has grown.
Claire reaches up, though, and takes her hand, holds it loosely in hers. "Stay," she asks.
Kate looks at her. After what she has done to Claire, Kate is surprised. But she had made a promise; she had told Claire she would help her. She looks to Aaron, who is still holding onto Claire's hand, but is now looking up on her.
"Okay," she agrees, wrapping her fingers around Claire's hand and squeezing back. "Okay."