So this is the last chapter. I tried to include the one request I got for a certain setting for jex. Also, read the A/N at the end for a preview of possible upcoming fics and one-shots.

Epilogue.

The house in Santa Monica wasn't too big. But it was near the ocean, like Kate had begged for it to be. It was within a half hour of Margo's. It was only a twenty-minute drive to the hospital. Every morning Kate woke up first and saw the ocean just over Jack's naked shoulder. She knew this was what home was supposed to feel like.

On this particular morning the cold November air made the floorboards like ice. Kate tiptoed hurriedly towards Paul's bedroom, painted green, and peeked in at him over his crib. He was sound asleep, the dark wisps of his hair flat against his forehead, his tiny fist curled tight around the ear of a stuffed dog Kate had bought for him for his first birthday.

She ran a tender finger down his chubby cheek, scooping a tiny bubble of drool away from his mouth and smiling.

Kate crept out towards the kitchen just as the coffee maker grinded to life. It was 6:30 in the morning. Early. But it was Saturday, and Jack didn't have work. She grabbed a banana and thought about taking advantage of the morning together in bed while Paul was still asleep. She nibbled on the piece of fruit and thought about the errands she had to run.

The grocery store—she needed ingredients for dinner tonight. The jeweler's—she had to get her engagement ring resized to suit her petite fingers. The park—she'd promised Paul, even if he'd probably forgotten. And the boutique downtown—she wanted to pick up something special to surprise Jack with something special for the night.

She was so absorbed in mapping her day that she jumped when she felt a pair of strong, warm arms encircle her waist and lodge her back against a firm, bare chest.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." Jack whispered into her hair, and she settled. The flight instinct in her might have weakened, but sometimes it lingered, when she heard an unexpected knock on the door or someone looked at her curiously at the store.

She huffed a laugh, dropping her banana on the counter and smoothing her hands over his bare arms. "It's okay. I thought you'd be sleeping in on your day off."

"And miss the privacy? I don't think so."

Kate smiled, turning in his arms. "You always liked it in the mornings."

Jack's eyebrows rose humorously, "Me? You're the one who's already up."

She rolled her eyes, nudging him. "I was checking on Paul."

"Oh, don't you use our son as an excuse. That's pathetic."

She smiled bashfully, pressing closer to Jack so that their bodies were flush and she felt him take in a sharp breath.

"Maybe I was thinking about it…"

He nodded appreciatively. "Mm. Now you're talking." He began, pressing closer and kissing for the first time that morning, long and slow, drugging until Kate had to pull away for air.

His mouth only moved to the spot below her earlobe that made her spine tingle. She let out a whimper and in one fluid movement he picked her up and set her back down on the counter top.

She yelped. "It's cold!" She whined, trying to wriggle away from his grip on her hips.

He only laughed. "You should have worn real pajamas, instead of stealing a pair of my boxers."

"I like your boxers."

"I like them too. On you they're okay. On me, they're even—"

But Kate cut him off with a firm kiss on the lips making his mouth smile into hers when he felt her tongue peek out and pry at his lips, trying their best to gain entrance.

Jack let his hands run down her sides until his fingers curled around the hem of her thin t-shirt and whipped it up over her head, making little goose bumps prickle up all over her.

He let his mouth drift over her shoulders and collar bone, the column of her neck, and back to her mouth, effectively warming her until her chill was gone and all she felt was a steady heat rising in her stomach and in her cheeks.

She let her hands slip away from Jack's neck and slide down his chest, fingers tangling in the hair they found there and finally coming to rest on the front of his long pajama bottoms.

He moved further in between her legs, as much as the counter permitted and held her closer, wrapping her up and pulling her nearer until their bare chests were flushed and he groaned at the feel.

"This is the first time on the counter." He whispered, making her huff into his mouth.

"Are you keeping a scorebook somewhere?"

"I've got a bet going with Marc." Jack teased, fingers sliding inside the sides of her shorts and trying to wrestle them down.

"Well, if you want to win we've got a lot of work cut out for ourselves. There's the balcony," Kate said softly, punctuating each thought with a kiss against his chest, "and the laundry room, and the car…"

Jack groaned at the thought and finally got her shorts down, just as Kate's feet toed down Jack's bottoms and then they were naked, flushed, and breathing as hard and as quietly as they could in the kitchen, with the sun just peaking over the ocean.

"I'm not sure this is sanitary." Kate whispered.

"I don't care."

Jack tugged her close and in one quick thrust filled her, making her shout and bite into his shoulder. Once she caught her breath, and Jack his, they waited to hear the sounds of Paul calling out, trying to be rescued from his crib. But Kate's shout hadn't woken him.

She could feel Jack throbbing inside of her and Jack could feel her tightness making him see stars. Then he started moving and she let out a squeak when he picked up the pace and her hips started meeting his. She could feel his warm breath puff against her neck where his head was buried, and she only squeezed her arms his neck even tighter.

When they finished, Jack helped her hop off the counter and redressed her, slowly, like a child, and set about making breakfast, still shirtless. She watched him move with ease, still young at heart, despite the years, and she almost had to catch her breath at how things had changed.

"Momma!" A cry came from the bedroom just as Jack set the pancakes on the table.

"I'll get him," Kate smiled, traipsing towards Paul's bedroom and watched her boy pull himself up on the rail of the crib and clap his hands when he saw her.

"Hey, baby boy, you hungry for breakfast?"

Paul, who had only mastered a few of the basic words, only gabbed gibberish as Kate went about changing his diaper.

"You're getting so big, you know that?" She nuzzled him as she set him into his high chair. Paul only banged joyfully on the tray in front of him, enjoying the noise the erupted.

"A little drummer boy, huh?" Jack mused, settling beside Kate at the table and shooting her a private little smile that only she seemed to understand. His thank you, his gratitude, his love, his contentment.

"I was thinking, you know…" Kate began cautiously, "I was thinking about something kind of important."

Jack looked up from his mouthful of pancakes and looked worried. "About what?"

She nearly laughed at how puffed out his cheeks were with food, mouth coated in a thin layer of syrup. She leaned forward and kissed him, tasting the sticky sweetness on her lips. He looked dazed.

"I want another baby."

Jack nearly choked. "Really?"

She paused a moment, eyeing Paul. "Yeah, I do. I've wanted another one for a long time."

Jack smiled, swallowing a big gulp of his breakfast and drawing her onto his lap, kissing her soundly until her hands wound around his neck. She could feel him begin to harden beneath the thin material of their pajamas.

She pulled away reluctantly and looked over at Paul who had started smashing his Cheerios with his little fist, then picking up the crumbs and stuffing them unceremoniously into his mouth.

"He's pretty perfect."

Jack laughed. "Just wait until he's a teenager and tells us we're ruining his life."

Kate groaned. "Will we ever get that old?"

Jack shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. As long as it's with you. And ten more babies."

"Ten? You're dreaming."

"Ah, you say that now but once you get another you'll want more and more. And I don't mind putting in the hours to making sure you stay barefoot and pregnant until we've got twenty little monsters running the place."

She rolled her eyes and rested her head on Jack's chest. "We could use a few more babies. Make your mom happy."

He soothed a hand down her hair. "It'd make me happy. Even happier. Too happy even."

She smacked his chest playfully but turned to look in his eyes seriously. "I'm so glad I'm doing this with you. Living this life, in this house, with our son, all with you."

He gulped, kissing her nose. "Me too. You don't even know."

Kate smiled, shrugging and grabbing a piece of pancake with her fingers, sticky with syrup, and slipping it past Jack's lips. "I know what you mean."

upcoming one-shot: instead of Kate and Juliet being handcuffed together in "Left Behind" it's Kate and Jack handcuffed and left behind to fend for themselves.

possible upcoming fic: a series of vignettes about off-island future jack and kate and all their problems, etc.

possible upcoming long term fic: AU, kate is a waitress at jack's country club, they meet just as jack and sarah's marriage is disolving

okay! so those are my ideas. let me know what you think, what you want to see, what you want to come first, your reactions to the whole story as a whole and these new ideas! coming sooon...

thanks for hanging in there!