At least this item didn't fall on her head

[new_ophelia]

Something dawned on Kate the other day as she was coaxing Sam into the ocean. It's been five years since she was beamed here. Five years since Jack found her on the beach and they made this ridiculous place a home. Every time another anniversary like that passes, it knocks her for a loop. Not like it used to, not even close. But there's always a

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[weusedtoshine]

He stands in the doorway and watches her watching the movie. He hears what she tells Sam. He watches it and, looking at the guy in the movie, he can see where Sam came from, but, mostly, right then, he's worried about Kate

"Hey," he says, leaning on the back of the couch. For a moment, he's unsure if he's got a place here.

[new_ophelia]

"Hey," she murmurs, reaching up for his hand. She's absolutely knocked for a loop but she knows, she knows more than anything that Baze is here and with her and that needs to be the priority right now. "Just started playing. I think it's from after he left."

[weusedtoshine]

She reaches for him and he takes her hand, threading their fingers together and squeezing as he leans on the back of the couch, eyes still fixed on the screen. He reaches down to tousle Sam's hair with his free hand.

"You doing okay?"

[new_ophelia]

"Yeah," she breathes, as Sam beams up at Baze before turning back to his books.

"Yeah, it's just...he doesn't recognize him. It's weird. And I don't know if this means he doesn't remember us or if he's just back home and moved on. It's...I don't know? I'm sorry. It's weird."

[polly_okeefe]

I came into the rec room and spotted Kate and Sam looking at the screen. I was startled to see Jack Crew up there. Was this a... no. He'd been an actor back home. Maybe this was one of his movies. I mean his movies, not the guy who supposedly played him. But Kate seems to be smiling, and Sam looks interested. This looks sweet--

Then Sam says 'no'.

Ow.

Without another thought, I came over and sat on the arm of the sofa. I gave Kate's shoulder a pat and a squeeze. "Hey."

[new_ophelia]

"Hey," Kate says distractedly, turning her attention back to the screen. Sam gives Polly a short wave before taking the book reading into his own, somewhat illiterate hands. "It's Jack."

[polly_okeefe]

"I see that," I said, quietly. "Doing okay?"

[new_ophelia]

"I'm better than I would have thought," she finally decides, running a hand through Sam's curls. "It's strange. To have him not know who Jack is. It's expected but it's still strange."

[legendarymadman]

"I knew he could do it," says Geoffrey from behind her, with obviously mixed emotions. Pride for Jack, sadness for Kate, and this strange sense of loss of his own, both for Jack and for a glimpse of the life he himself might have been leading in another time and place. "We did a good job with him."

[new_ophelia]

"Yeah," she breathes, glad that it's Geoffrey. That she can let herself be a little sad. "Yeah, he's really good. He wanted this movie so badly. It's so strange. That he's off making movies."

[legendarymadman]

And even stranger to realise that maybe he always was, that maybe this Jack never knew life on the island. Never knew his child. "Maybe you're off making movies too," says Geoffrey. "Somewhere."

[new_ophelia]

"Without Sam," she sighs, pulling him in tight, much to his chagrin. "Not sure which is worse, you know? Him remembering and missing us or not having any idea."

[bennet_beauty]

Jane watched worriedly while the two of them regarded the movie. She had not been there for terribly long, but it was long enough that she heard the exchange and felt a severe pain plaguing her at the thought of young Sam not recalling his father. After all, Lydia was in the same position (though, was it worse? She recalled Carwood as the only father she had ever had). "He is a very handsome man, just as I recall him," Jane spoke, gently.

[new_ophelia]

"Hey," Kate breathes, smiling up at Jane. "Thanks. It just started playing. I think it's from after he left. I knew Sam wouldn't recognize him but it's so strange."

[bennet_beauty]

Jane took several more steps inside, gesturing to the nearest seat. "Do you mind if I stay?" she asked, not wishing to intrude on their personal time. Jane erred on the side of caution to a degree when she did so almost overly so.

[new_ophelia]

"No, of course not," she says, gesturing for her to sit. "Hey, so is it still weird for you to be able to watch movies? I mean, considering when you came from?"

[dishabille_mal]

Very little, wet footsteps announced Olivia's presence. She was naked and her hair was sticking up in one giant impressive cowlick.

"Hi," she said.

"Small Gods," Maladicta was swearing, out in the hallway.

"Wie zum Teufel kann sie laufen die schnell mit den Beinen die kurze," she muttered in clipped, brisk Uberwaldean.

"Hi Sam. Hi Kate. Olivia." She wrapped a towel around the little girl. Shenlong's sizeable direwolf nose poked over the back of the couch and down as he angled it against Sam's hair to sniff a hello. It occurred to Maladicta, not for the first time, that chaos and bedlam followed her wherever she went.

"Sorry for the rude interruption."

[new_ophelia]

"No, no it's okay," Kate insists, still distracted by the screen as she turns to smile up at the pack. Sam lets out a delighted shriek and scrambles around to grab at the wolf's face, proclaiming, "Doggy!"

"Hey, hi. I'm sorry. It's just..." She gestures up at the movie.

[dishabille_mal]

"No apologies, we're the tornad- Oh," Maladicta said, looking at the screen. She felt a sudden sharp pang of equal parts loss and guilt.

When was the last time she'd really thought about Jack?

Maladicta sat, letting her naked daughter escape the towel to go clamber about with Sam, and sank next to Kate on the couch.

"This- Had he done this, before he was here? He looks..."

[new_ophelia]

Sam scrambles down to play, as his mother is not being any fun at the moment.

"No, this is after," she answers, rubbing at her eyes. "He was reading this script before he came here. This has to be after he came back or...fuck, an alternate version I don't know?"