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Claire keeps Kate’s hand in a death grip the entire flight, half afraid that the plane will fall out of the sky again and half afraid that she’s dreaming it all. Kate runs her thumb over Claire’s knuckles, brushing the accumulated dirt and grime away; she glances across the aisle at Sawyer and he nods, his expression softening.
Miles rummages through the overhead bins once Lapidus, ever the pilot, turns the seatbelt light off. Only two blankets remain, and he offers them to Kate. She takes one, spreading it over both herself and Claire.
“Where do think we’re going?”
Miles looks to Richard, then over his shoulder towards the cockpit. “Hell if I know.”
-
Aaron runs to Kate, first, and stares wide-eyed at Claire from Kate’s arms as she runs her fingers through his hair, grown long since she last saw him.
“That’s your mom, sweetie,” she whispers in his ear as she sets him down. He clings to Kate’s sleeve, uncertain, and Kate takes his hand as she sees the tears well up in Claire’s eyes, leading him across the room.
Claire crumples, kneeling, but Kate holds still, one hand against Aaron’s back, urging him forward. He stumbles over a shoelace, and Kate can’t help but smile when Claire instinctively reaches out to catch him, pulling him forward into a shaky embrace.
Aaron’s stubby fingers cling to her shirt and once she has calmed, he pulls back to look up at her. “Does this mean I have two moms now?”
Bless the youth, Kate thinks, and smiles, and for the first time in months Jack doesn't cross her mind.
-
Their first night as a family, however makeshift, Kate trips over Claire on her way to the bathroom. She lets out a muffled curse as she hits the ground outside of Aaron’s room, and turns to see Claire curled up against the door. She starts as she comes to, flailing around in search of what Kate can only assume is the gun she left behind.
“Claire? It’s just me.” Kate pulls herself up into a crouch and scoots over to Claire, rubbing the rising bump on her elbow with one hand.
Claire relaxes, resting her head back against the wall with an audible thump. “Sorry,” she whispers, her voice hoarse from sleep.
“Claire, I want you to look at me.” She reaches out, resting a hand on Claire’s forearm, quiet until Claire turns to face her. “It’s safe here. Aaron isn’t going anywhere, I’m not going anywhere, and you’re not going anywhere.”
“I know. It’s just– It’s hard.”
“It gets easier, I promise.”
Silence comes again, and Claire jumps when the air-conditioning clicks on. She pulls her legs close, resting her arms on her knees, and bows her head. “How?”
Kate bites her lip and pulls her hand from Claire’s arm, then runs her fingers through Claire’s hair. She relaxes against her will, just like Aaron does, and Kate feels a misplaced surge of confidence. “It’s different for everyone, but I’m going to help you. And so is Aaron.”
Standing, she offers a hand to Claire and helps her to her feet before turning to return to her room. Claire catches her by the arm, pulling Kate around to face her again. “I don’t want to be alone again.”
She looks small, and lost, all the fire that she had on the Island extinguished, and Kate can’t help herself; she just wants to fix it. Slowly, not breaking eye contact, she leans forward and presses her lips to Claire’s, one hand sliding around her back, holding her, and the other brushing against her cheek.
Claire’s arms go around Kate’s waist without hesitation as she presses back, reveling in the warmth of it all. It’s not at all like kissing Charlie, and she thinks she can handle that. Kate breaks the connection to gasp for air, and Claire buries her face in the crook between Kate's neck and shoulder as her hands trail up and down Claire’s back, soothing her the only way she knows how.
When they fall asleep that night, Claire feels safe in Kate’s embrace.
-
They raise Aaron as best they can. Money is never tight, thanks to Oceanic, but Kate gets a job just the same. Claire ventures out more as the years pass, bringing a golden retriever puppy back one day for company. Kate raises an eyebrow when she first sees it, but doesn’t say anything. Claire just smiles, and wraps a bandana around his neck as a collar.
-
When Kate passes, Claire sees Sawyer for the first time in years. He wandered, he says, from California to Maine and everywhere in between, before settling in Alabama. He works as a handyman and never married. She can see Juliet behind his eyes, and pulls him into a hug.
He shakes Aaron’s hand before he leaves, and extracts a promise that he’ll keep after her.
The next time she sees his name, it’s in an obituary. She smiles.
-
They move from one life to the next and when they meet again, it’s to the sound of Charlie and the promise of Jack. When they touch, bringing Aaron into the world again, they remember, and Kate thinks they are better for it, better than those who knew only the Island.
When the time comes, she sits with Jack, and Claire sits with Charlie, Aaron in her arms.
They always had two lives.