Season 4

Season: 1-5, Episodes: 54, Faction: Survivors

Overview

Aaron Littleton (known to the world as Aaron Austen) was born on the Island, and was the son of Claire Littleton and Thomas; the grandson of Christian Shephard and Carole Littleton; half-nephew of Jack Shephard; and great-nephew of Lindsey. Before making a fatal mission to the Looking Glass, Charlie Pace acted like a father to Aaron, and passed on to him his family heirloom ring. Aaron was left behind by Claire in the jungle for unknown reasons when she followed his grandfather, and Aaron was passed through multiple survivors (Sawyer, Kate, Sun) until he made it to the freighter where he was then picked up by the helicopter. When the Oceanic Six made it to the mainland, Kate presented Aaron as her son to the public. For a few days, Jack read bedtime stories to Aaron, hoping to become a surrogate father before getting a message from Charlie that he wasn’t supposed to raise him. Kate then lived alone with him in California and was warned by visions of Claire, his real mother, not to take him back to the Island. Neither Charlie nor Claire used Aaron’s name when admonishing Jack and Kate. After 3 years of living with Kate, Aaron was handed over into the care of his maternal grandmother, Carole Littleton, Claire’s mother, until Claire returns to care for her son. Sometime later Aaron was reunited with both birth mother, Claire and adoptive mother, Kate.

Days 91-108

4×01 – The Beginning of the End

   

With the prospect of rescue now at hand, it seemed as if Aaron and his mother would return to some normality of life, with Sun and Claire even joking at how Sun will give birth in a hospital, while Claire didn’t. However, the uncertainty of who was on the boat dampened the joy and, after Claire learned of Charlie’s death, Aaron involuntarily sided with Locke with his mother. (“The Beginning of the End”)

4×04 – Eggtown  |  4×06 – The Other Woman  |  4×08 – Meet Kevin Johnson

Upon arriving at the Barracks, Aaron and Claire took residence in a small house, and were accompanied by Kate when she defected for a brief time. Kate found handling Aaron to be difficult, but when Claire told her motherhood was the last thing she expected she said that Kate should try motherhood someday. Aaron continued to live at the Barracks and was blissfully unaware of the danger surrounding them. (“Eggtown”) (“The Other Woman”) (“Meet Kevin Johnson”)

4×09 – The Shape of Things to Come

   

Aaron was in the care of Hurley during the mercenary attack on the barracks which saved him from the explosion of his mother’s home in which she was injured but survived (although her behavior became increasingly odd afterward) but she still acted as a mother for him.

   

After Alex’s death and witnessing The Monster attack, Sawyer decided he was taking his people back to the beach – Claire and Aaron included. (“The Shape of Things to Come”)

4×10 – Something Nice Back Home

   

Claire and Aaron were present when Karl and Rousseau’s bodies were uncovered while escaping the Mercenaries attack on the Barracks.

   

The next day, Miles tried to help Claire numerous times with Aaron; however, due to Sawyer’s mistrust in Miles, Sawyer issues Miles a ‘restraining order.’ Later, while still heading to the beach, Frank appeared from a bush warning them that Keamy was heading their way. While the group hid, Aaron let out a cry that almost led Keamy to their location. Claire managed to keep Aaron quiet long enough for Frank to convince Keamy and his team to leave before it got dark. (“Something Nice Back Home”)

4×11 – Cabin Fever

That night, Claire woke up and noticed Aaron was not by her side. To Claire’s surprise, she found her father holding Aaron. The next morning, Sawyer found Claire missing. He eventually found Aaron alone and crying, with no sign of his mother. Aaron’s grandfather, speaking on behalf of Jacob would later tell Locke that Aaron was “where he needed to be.” (“Cabin Fever”)

4×12 – There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1

   

Sawyer spent a day unsuccessfully looking for Claire. Sawyer, Miles, and Aaron made their way back to the beach. On the way there, the trio encountered Jack and Kate on their way to find the Helicopter. When Jack confirmed that Claire did not go back to the beach, Aaron started crying and continued to cry as Jack and Sawyer got into an argument.Kate eventually breaks up the fight and took Aaron into her grasp. Jack told Kate to take care of Aaron, then continued to the helicopter, followed shortly by Sawyer. (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1”)

   

Kate made her way back to the beach, along with Miles and Aaron. They arrived shortly after Sayid landed with the Zodiac Raft. Kate and Sayid decided to follow Jack and Sawyer’s trail to the helicopter. As they left, Kate puts Aaron in the care of Sun. Sun then got on the Zodiac Raft with Jin, Daniel, and four other survivors. Daniel piloted the raft back to the freighter, where Sun encountered Michael. She appeared to forgive him for his previous actions, but just then Desmond appeared shouting for Michael.Desmond lead Michael, Jin and Sun, still holding Aaron, to a room loaded with explosives. Jin then told Sun to leave and she walked out onto the deck, still holding Aaron. (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1”)

4×14 – There’s No Place Like Home, Part 3

   

As the helicopter landed on the Kahana, Sun got Aaron on-board ensuring his safety and rescue, but Kate once again took possession of him as the helicopter took off and Sun witnessed the apparent death of her husband. As the helicopter ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea, Kate took care to protect Aaron in the crash, and as the disheveled group assembled in the life raft, Kate and Hurley both ensured he was okay. Kate proclaimed his survival to be “a miracle.”

On the life raft Aaron, alongside the rest of the Oceanic Six, Desmond and Frank were eventually found and rescued by The Searcher owned and manned by Penelope Widmore. (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2”)

5×04 – The Little Prince  |  4×14 – There’s No Place Like Home, Part 3

Aaron sails with the Oceanic 6 to the island of Sumba. Two days after rescue, as the lie was slowly formed, Kate proposed to Jack that they should say Aaron was his and that she was six months pregnant at the time of her arrest in Australia. Although Jack had some reservations, he agreed after Kate told him that she wanted to care for him because she couldn’t stand to lose anyone else. Aaron, along with the rest of the Oceanic 6 sailed from The Searcher to the Island of Sumba several days later. (“The Little Prince”) (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2”)

On the mainland

4×12 – There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1

   

Sometime later, Aaron landed in Hawaii with the rest of the Oceanic Six. By this point, Kate had adapted to a maternal role in Aaron’s life as the world believed him to be her son. The attachment between the child and surrogate mother had obviously grown as, when Kate got off the transport plane and watch the rest of the Oceanic Six being reunited with their families, it became apparent that Aaron was now her only family. At the press conference, suspicions were raised about Aaron’s lineage by a reporter but Kate maintained the front that she was his mother.

Kate’s role as a mother to Aaron strengthened as she began to treat him and accept him as her own child. She attended Hurley’s birthday with him and also Christian Shephard’s memorial service. At this point, the family bonds between Christian, Jack, and Aaron were unknown. But Jack and Kate soon learned of the connection between Jack and Claire from Claire’s mother Carole, resulting in Jack distancing himself from Aaron out of guilt. In a cruel twist of irony, Carole also told Kate her son was beautiful – unaware that he was her own grandchild. (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 1”)

4×04 – Eggtown

   

In 2006, Aaron remained in the care of Kate as she underwent her trial. When the prosecution looked set to give her a life sentence, Kate’s lawyer told her he wanted to fight the case based on character and not what she did or didn’t do and would need to create sympathy from the jury; however, Kate refused to “use her son.” The prosecution’s star witness, Kate’s mother Diane, wanted nothing more than to see her grandchild but Kate refused. Nonetheless, Diane retracted her statement which resulted in Kate receiving a light penalty. Talking after the trial, Kate told Jack that she understood why he didn’t want to see her son and she returned home to Aaron, now a free woman. (“Eggtown”)

4×10 – Something Nice Back Home

   

It was later revealed that Jack did choose to see Aaron and Kate again, and the two entered a relationship. He took on a paternal role for Aaron, particularly in reading him bed time stories. Kate and Jack subsequently got engaged, but visions of his father and ominous warnings from Hurley that he “shouldn’t raise him” began to prohibit Jack’s ability to father Aaron. After he turned to pills, Kate and he got into an argument in which he yelled that Aaron isn’t even her child, something which Aaron heard as he walked in scared. As Kate comforted her son, Jack left tearing their family apart. (“Something Nice Back Home”)

4×13 – There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2

This caused a strain on the relationship between Jack and Kate. After Jack told her that they had to go back, he exclaimed it was the only way to save herself and Aaron prompting Kate to slap him. She then reprimanded him for talking about Aaron given that she is the one who has to explain to her son why Jack isn’t there anymore.

   

Kate later had a dream in which she saw Claire visiting Aaron in his bedroom holding her son’s hand. Kate was stunned to see her but Claire revealed there was a meaning for her visit – she had to tell Kate that she couldn’t bring him, presumably Aaron, back to the Island. Kate awoke, shaken, and went into Aaron’s room where she cuddled and cradled her son apologizing profusely. (“There’s No Place Like Home, Part 2”)

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