The Other Mother
Oct. 1st, 2008 11:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tellshannon815Title: The Other Mother
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Claire, Kate, Aaron.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up through S4 plus speculation for the return of the Oceanic 6.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Claire and Kate's first awkward meeting on the island after the Oceanic Six return.
Author's note: If you believe Claire to be dead, then guess this would be AU. I'm not entirely convinced myself that she is though.
Claire hadn't expected it to be like this.
When she'd first tried to make arrangements for her baby to be put up for adoption, they'd made it perfectly clear that she had no rights over the child once it was given away, that it would be up to the adoptive parents whether they ever told the child anything about Claire.
Claire had accepted this without question at the time. She hadn't expected that she would ever see the child again after handing it over. And she would never know what, if anything, the child would be told. It would have been easier that way. She wouldn't have to wonder if somewhere, out there, the child was wondering about the woman who gave him up.
Things hadn't gone to plan. Or maybe they had. Claire had suspected for a long time that her psychic had put her on Flight 815 deliberately so she would raise the baby herself. But she thinks differently now, ever since Dad appeared to her and told her that Aaron wasn't meant to be raised on the island, but that Claire had to stay, to remain there in order that Jacob could cure her mother, Carole, of the injuries Claire had caused all those years ago.
Aaron's not meant to be back here. Claire knows that. And she thought Kate had known it too.
But now he's back, all of them are.
Claire hadn't known how she would feel when she saw Aaron again. Mostly she feels confused, about how she's supposed to relate to him now. Because it's clear to Claire that Kate hasn't told him anything about her at all.
Aaron looks at her blankly.
And Claire feels as though she's been punched in the stomach when Aaron turns to Kate and says "Who's that, Mommy?"
Kate wasn't prepared for this moment either.
She'd thought the thing she would have to worry about at a later date was when Aaron started asking questions about his father. Kate had never been able to come up with a story for that one up to now. She still hadn't had to, but she had always been sure that one day she would.
But she'd never thought she'd have to explain Claire.
As far as Kate had been concerned, they would never go back to the island. And as far as the world had been concerned, Aaron was Kate's son. He was never going to know that he was not.
Kate hadn't even been sure if Claire was still alive, after the way she'd disappeared into the jungle. She'd wondered again after she had the vision of Claire telling her not to bring Aaron back. Hurley had kept talking about dead people, but Kate had never taken that seriously. It was only after she saw Claire that day that she thought any more of it.
But Claire isn't dead. She's here. And she's seen her son again.
In Kate's life, there has never been anyone she could truly call her own: Sam, Tom, Kevin. Aaron had been the first person she could ever feel was hers.
Until she was confronted with the reminder that he was not.
She looked at Aaron, looked at Claire, and in that moment she made a snap decision.
"Her name's Claire, sweetie." she tells Aaron.
And as Kate's eyes meet Claire's, she thinks I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Claire, Kate, Aaron.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up through S4 plus speculation for the return of the Oceanic 6.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Claire and Kate's first awkward meeting on the island after the Oceanic Six return.
Author's note: If you believe Claire to be dead, then guess this would be AU. I'm not entirely convinced myself that she is though.
Claire hadn't expected it to be like this.
When she'd first tried to make arrangements for her baby to be put up for adoption, they'd made it perfectly clear that she had no rights over the child once it was given away, that it would be up to the adoptive parents whether they ever told the child anything about Claire.
Claire had accepted this without question at the time. She hadn't expected that she would ever see the child again after handing it over. And she would never know what, if anything, the child would be told. It would have been easier that way. She wouldn't have to wonder if somewhere, out there, the child was wondering about the woman who gave him up.
Things hadn't gone to plan. Or maybe they had. Claire had suspected for a long time that her psychic had put her on Flight 815 deliberately so she would raise the baby herself. But she thinks differently now, ever since Dad appeared to her and told her that Aaron wasn't meant to be raised on the island, but that Claire had to stay, to remain there in order that Jacob could cure her mother, Carole, of the injuries Claire had caused all those years ago.
Aaron's not meant to be back here. Claire knows that. And she thought Kate had known it too.
But now he's back, all of them are.
Claire hadn't known how she would feel when she saw Aaron again. Mostly she feels confused, about how she's supposed to relate to him now. Because it's clear to Claire that Kate hasn't told him anything about her at all.
Aaron looks at her blankly.
And Claire feels as though she's been punched in the stomach when Aaron turns to Kate and says "Who's that, Mommy?"
Kate wasn't prepared for this moment either.
She'd thought the thing she would have to worry about at a later date was when Aaron started asking questions about his father. Kate had never been able to come up with a story for that one up to now. She still hadn't had to, but she had always been sure that one day she would.
But she'd never thought she'd have to explain Claire.
As far as Kate had been concerned, they would never go back to the island. And as far as the world had been concerned, Aaron was Kate's son. He was never going to know that he was not.
Kate hadn't even been sure if Claire was still alive, after the way she'd disappeared into the jungle. She'd wondered again after she had the vision of Claire telling her not to bring Aaron back. Hurley had kept talking about dead people, but Kate had never taken that seriously. It was only after she saw Claire that day that she thought any more of it.
But Claire isn't dead. She's here. And she's seen her son again.
In Kate's life, there has never been anyone she could truly call her own: Sam, Tom, Kevin. Aaron had been the first person she could ever feel was hers.
Until she was confronted with the reminder that he was not.
She looked at Aaron, looked at Claire, and in that moment she made a snap decision.
"Her name's Claire, sweetie." she tells Aaron.
And as Kate's eyes meet Claire's, she thinks I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.