A/N: ...and by 'short epilogue' I mean longer than most of the chapters in this story. This is the end, my friends! Love to all for reading. It would be a treat to know what you thought of it all.

On the day of the wedding, Hurley said he wanted to hire James as his personal 'bullshit detector'. Hurley had a lot of money, and with every bank account came a frightening number of ways in which people could take advantage of him. He wanted a close friend in the position, someone he could trust implicitly.

"You really trust me?" James asked. He gave Hurley a skeptical look. "I'd think you of all people should know not to..."

"Hey, man. You've got Juliet to answer to now. We all know who wears the jumpsuit in that relationship." Hurley smiled impishly. "Not to mention you've got a daughter, and a baby mama..."

"Oh, Hugo. You know just how to manipulate me."

"Seriously, though. Let's just call it 'using your god-given talents for good'. And do you know anyone else who would pay you this much without asking for a resume?"

"You've always been a little crazy, ain'tcha?"

"Oh. There are a few stories I could tell."

James watched Hurley's chubby cheeks get rounder as he smiled a mysteriously wise smile. Damn, they were both so different than when they'd first met.

"You'll think about it though, right?" said Hurley, softening the pitch. "I don't want to be swindled."

The confession, spoken so honestly, sounded like the innocent Hurley that James had met on the island.

"Who would know more about how to avoid being swindled than a professional swindler?" Hurley asked.

"Ex." James said quickly.

"Ex-swindler." said Hurley. "Sorry." he added sheepishly. James shook his head slightly, letting Hurley know he wasn't - he couldn't be - upset with him. He understood what Hurley meant. The big guy spoke the truth.

It was either that or manage a Chicken Shack.

Four months after the wedding, Cassidy and Kate took their business idea and presented it to some investors. The presentation was made a little less stressful since the investors were close friends. In some ways they were as close as family.

The lights came on in Sun's living room. Jack blinked, adjusting to the new illumination, and watched Kate on the other side of the room. She fiddled with the laptop that held the visual presentation, and she brought up the introductory slide so she and Cassidy would be ready to answer any questions. When Kate finally glanced over at him, Jack was wearing one of those proud smiles that made Kate feel embarrassed, happy and loved all at the same time. She smiled sheepishly and shook her head. Jack had already agreed to give her as much start up money as she wanted, but Kate, along with Cassidy, had insisted on giving them the full presentation. They didn't just want money thrown at them. They wanted to know that the idea would work.

Sun sat down next to Jack and smiled at the presenters. "I'm impressed." she said.

"Do you like the name?" Cassidy asked. "Does it work?"

Sun's smile widened at the woman's straight forward approach. Cassidy didn't want compliments, she wanted feedback. Sun, chairperson of the Paik Industries board of directors, could appreciate that. So she turned her attention to the slide that Kate called up and studied it with a critical eye.

"Support For Single Moms." Sun read out loud. "I do like it. Though it might be better to have an acronym that forms a simple word, one that could be spoken."

Cassidy nodded. "Write that down." she stage-whispered to Kate.

"And maybe..." Sun thought for a moment. "Maybe there is some way to convey the other facets of the program. There are so many good ideas here, I don't want it to be seen as a one-dimensional charity or a handout. The community-building concept, the idea of a support network..."

"We don't want to exclude two-parent households." Cassidy cut in excitedly, seeing where Sun was headed.

"Exactly!" said Sun. "There is a wealth of resources we could tap into. The focus will remain on the women and children that most need the support-"

"But we need to highlight the community, the network." Cassidy finished. She looked over at Kate with a big smile. If Sun was on board, they must have been doing something right.

"You boys have anything to add?" Kate asked, directing her question to Jack, and to Hurley who sat on the other side of the room.

"This might sound like a cop out," Hurley warned. "But I agree with everything Sun is saying. You ladies are on the right track. We just have to get the word out."

Kate looked to Jack, raising her eyebrows when he hesitated.

"You know I'm already on board." he said. He got a look from Cassidy as well, which made him laugh. "You care a lot about this." he told them. "In my experience, that means all the details will come together."

The most important thing would be to get the message out, to connect with the women they wanted to help and let them know that help was there. They needed grants, sponsors, and most importantly they needed locations - and they knew just where to start.

After a lot of soul searching - and realizing that she had too much experience and too much passion to give up on her life's work - Juliet found a free clinic that was in need of a strong, compassionate and open-minded doctor. It serviced women and teenage girls who could not afford health care, or just needed a safe place to go. It was about giving them the power to choose what they wanted to do and where they would do it.

A seventeen-year-old girl arrived for her appointment a few minutes early, and was invited to wait in the examination room until Dr. Carlson was ready to see her. Her name was Layla and she'd seen Juliet once before, when she'd had a pregnancy scare. It turned out that she had not been pregnant after all, but Juliet urged her to come back for a follow up, if only for emotional support and advice.

"Layla?" Juliet's soft voice came through the closed door after a polite knock. She found her patient sitting on the exam table, swinging her crossed ankles and smiling shyly. "Hi." Juliet greeted her warmly, happy to see her back in the office. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," said Layla. "I just thought I should get a normal check-up."

Juliet nodded. "Good." she said with a smile.

"Um..." Layla hesitated. "I have a new boyfriend too, so...I wanted to ask about birth control."

"Okay..." Juliet nodded again, stalling as she took a seat in a swivel chair next to the table.

"It's good to be proactive, right?"

"Right." Juliet agreed. "I'm glad you're thinking ahead this time."

Layla chuckled silently at the friendly twinkle in Juliet's eye. She'd been quite a mess the last time Juliet saw her. The clinic was one of the few places Layla felt truly safe and respected.

"Is he a good guy?" Juliet asked as she turned to a computer station and called up Layla's information. Juliet took it as a good sign when Layla smiled. She even blushed a little.

"Yeah. He's the sweetest."

Juliet's smile brightened. "Good." She twisted in her seat, eyes lingering on the computer screen as her lower body turned to Layla. Her white coat fell open, at an angle that revealed the true shape of her stomach.

"Dr. Carlson?"

Juliet turned to her patient with an expectant look. Layla looked surprised.

"I'm gonna feel stupid if you're not," the younger girl began. "But...are you pregnant?"

"Oh." Juliet glanced down at her small but growing belly. Her hand went to cover it, an automatic protective gesture.

"Sorry." Layla said, still sheepish.

"No, it's fine." Juliet assured her.

"I won't tell anyone, if it's a secret." said Layla.

Juliet realized she was now the one with the shy, guarded smile. "It's not a secret." she said. "I just haven't told many people yet. I guess I won't be able to hide it for much longer, will I?"

"You shouldn't hide it," said Layla. The right side of her mouth curved up in a shy half smile. "It's cute."

Juliet's smile widened. To her relief, James had said the same thing. He actually found it quite sexy.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Layla asked.

"Not yet." Juliet answered her patient. "But we find out very soon."

The following week, Juliet sat in her doctor's office with James by her side, her growing belly exposed for an ultrasound.

"Juliet, I'm surprised you aren't doing this yourself."

The doctor winked at his patient, and Juliet chuckled softly to herself.

"James needs me to hold his hand." she joked.

"You ain't lyin', Blondie." James muttered, shifting nervously in his chair. Juliet reached for him, and she felt his large hand close around hers.

She watched the screen, both she and the other doctor in the room knowing she'd be able to figure it out for herself.

"You want to tell him, or should I?" her doctor asked. His sly smile didn't go unnoticed by James, but James couldn't tell what it meant. Juliet turned to look over her shoulder at him, beaming a proud smile his way. James was holding his breath; he'd love his baby no matter what, but this was his first time experiencing all the other firsts of having a baby. He never thought he'd get to this place but here he was nonetheless, squeezing his wife's hand, waiting for her to tell him.

"It's a boy." she said.

"Oh, thank you Jesus." James breathed out, only half joking.

"You said what?" Cassidy shot an amused look at James. He'd just arrived at Cassidy's house with Juliet. They were all gathering to celebrate baby news among other things, and she knew James well enough to be slightly offended.

"What's the matter, James?" Rachel asked in a winking tone when she heard the story. "Too much estrogen in your life?"

James chuckled and prepared a sarcastic remark. Julian chose that moment to run into the room, imaginary guns blazing. He made gunshot noises as he bolted toward James, the only grown man in the house. As Julian rushed at him, James scooped him up and held him under one arm like a tiny sack of potatoes. Julian went limp, enjoying the game.

"Is Aaron here yet?" James asked the room. "I've got an army to build."

After receiving warm hugs from Cassidy and Rachel (they touched her belly too, but it was all right - they were family), Juliet went to the kitchen with the food they'd brought for the party. She found Kate there, alone as she usually liked to be when there were crowds gathering. Though this wasn't Clementine's birthday party; Kate was definitely a part of this little community, their unconventional extended family, and she spent a lot less time brooding than she used to.

"Hey." Kate said when she saw Juliet.

"Hey." Juliet replied. There was only a distant shadow of the akwardness they used to experience with each other. They hesitated, and then realized they both hesitated. Their shy smiles widened, and Kate moved toward her friend.

"Congratulations." she said, wrapping her arms lightly around Juliet's shoulders.

"Thanks." said Juliet, accepting the hug and wrapping an arm around the smaller woman's waist.

"A boy, huh?" Kate moved back and took the bags from Juliet's other hand. "Was he relieved?"

"In a joking, but not really joking sort of way..." Juliet nodded. "Yeah."

Kate laughed. "He is ridiculously outnumbered."

"I have to keep telling him - Jin, Miles and Hurley don't count." Juliet deadpanned before she smiled.

Kate drew a breath, and she almost remarked how it was a miracle they were all together again. With Juliet, she didn't have to say it. She knew.

"Did Jack say whether he was coming...?" Juliet asked instead.

Kate nodded. "He's working now, but he'll be by later."

"That's great." Juliet said, soft and supportive. Even more than Kate, Jack seemed to be having trouble coming back to the group.

"He has to," Kate remarked with a shrug. "He's bringing the champagne."

Jack popped open the bottle soon after he arrived. After making sure everyone of age that was not pregnant had a glass, Cassidy shushed the room. She had something important to say.

"Obviously, we wouldn't be gathered here right now unless things were going really well for us. First of all, in case you got here later, James and Juliet found out today that they're having a boy."

Sun's face lit up and she looked to the blonde couple with an excited grin. Jin was by her side, with Hurley next to him.

Jack's reaction was more subdued. There was a distant sadness in him, but when Juliet dared to look at him to gauge his reaction, she could see he really was happy for them.

"I won't say who in polite company," said Hurley. "But I believe a few of you owe me some money."

Kate looked over at James, who was seated on the couch with Juliet, Clementine wedged snugly in between them.

"Please tell me that's not why you were relieved." Kate asked of him.

"You think I'd bet against my son?" James asked, wounded.

"But that's not the only good news!" Cassidy interrupted before they got any further off track. She let the collective laughter subside before she continued. "Kate and I really want to thank everyone for believing in us and forking over the cash to help us start on this little journey. Our grants have all come through and I think we'll be self-sustaining much sooner than we thought. Now, um...I've gotten to know a lot of you through Kate, and through James. I still don't believe half of what ya'll supposedly went through, but it says a lot that you're all here together, still friends and family after all of it."

The impact of Cassidy's words was multiplied for Kate when she felt Jack's hand on her lower back. She looked up at him, thanking him wordlessly for being there. Then she reached behind her back and pulled his arm the rest of the way around her waist so she could wrap her arms around him too.

"Okay," said Cassidy after the room's moment of silent reflection. "I guess that's all I needed to say."

Sun raised her glass to Cassidy and Rachel. "To single mothers." she said with a smile, turning to include Claire as well.

"And married ones." Rachel smiled back at Sun.

"To all the women in our lives." Jin added.

"And the boys too!" Clementine chimed in, too excited about her little brother to think of anything but.

"Yeah, boys!" Julian agreed from the living room floor, where he was wrangling toy cars and lettered blocks for Aaron and Ji-Yeon's less dextrous hands.

"I love these kids." Miles declared. He was sitting on the floor with them, picking up wherever Julian needed help.

Everyone took a sip, some longer than others, and the party resumed with the din of smaller conversations. Juliet touched her stomach absent-mindedly, feeling Clementine's fingers brushing her own. Sometimes, big sister would reach over and pat her little brother gently, protectively.

"Is he kicking yet?" James asked his daughter. Not yet, she reported. James told her to keep checking, because you never knew when it might happen.

Juliet looked over at James, and they caught each other's gaze. There was no doubt about it. This new child was going to be loved.