Hey there! So, I am planning to write another multi chapter fic depending on the response I get from this chapter. I don't think I will be updating both simultaneously, honestly I doubt I have the time. But In Phuket is coming to its final chapters. So I thought if I get a good reaction to this then I can start taking it seriously, putting down some notes and ideas as I finish my other ongoing fic. So please let me know what you think! This entire fic, whether a oneshot, two shot or multi chapter fic is dedicated to the amazing Erica. Hope you like it, my dear.

Title: Not With Anyone

Rating: T

Summary: After Kate and Sawyer escaped from The Others in NIP, the Others decide to teach Jack a lesson for the stunt he pulled in surgery. Canon up until NIP.

Chapter 1: The Enemy

"STOP!" Kate yelled at the top of her lungs, pushing through the crowds that had gathered, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

She reached the center of the mob where Sayid and Locke were tying an unconscious Jack to a tree. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO HIM!" she cried as she threw herself between them, trying fruitlessly to undo the ropes that were holding him against the rough bark.

"Sawyer!" Sayid called out and the southerner was quick to grab her by the waist and pulled her away. SHe kicked against him, trying to release herself from his firm hold.

"Kate, stop. You're gonna hurt yourself!" Sawyer berated her as he set her back on the ground.

"I don't care," she hissed between gritted teeth.

Kate looked around the crowd that had gathered. She saw the faces of the people who Jack had risked his life trying to keep safe, and on those faces she saw a look that made her sick. They were looking at him with disapproval, with disgust and annoyance. She felt the nger boil through her veins. She wanted to yell at them, scold them for the thoughts she knew were going through their heads, their lack of gratitude for all that Jack had done for them infuriating her more than the fact that one of his closest friends had knocked him unconscious and was tying him to a tree.

She turned slightly to look at Juliet, who as usual was standing just outside the circle, far enough to avoid contact with anyone, far enough to avoid any questions. She gave her a look woven with anger, hatred and blame. She wanted nothing more than to grab her and force all the answers out of her.

She saw the crowd start to disperse, and saw as Sayid emerged from its center, walking over towards her with a sad look on his face. She wanted to turn away, avoid his comments, his looks, anything that he would attempt to rationalize what they just did to the man they once called their leader.

"Kate, he's a danger to himself and everyone else in camp," Sayid said, "even Jack would say we need to make sure everyone is safe no matter what the danger is or where it is coming from."

"He's not dangerous, only confused," Kate said, her voice broken and dejected.

"He attacked Charlie, unprovoked," Locke said plainly, motioning towards where a beat up Charlie sat, being cared for by Claire.

"But he's Jack," Kate sobbed, turning to look at his unconscious body, leaning like a rag doll against the tree.

"Kate, that's not Jack, not the Jack we know. You have to accept that our Jack is gone... for good," Sayid said, the hurt of losing his friend evident in his voice and eyes, as he brought a hand up to her shoulder, trying to soothe her slightly.

"Maybe we shoulda never gone back and rescued him in the first place," Sawyer mumbled quietly, but not quietly enough, the sting of the slap that landed on his cheek resonating though camp.

Six weeks earlier...

Jack struggled to open his eyes. They felt heavy, tired, as did the rest of his body. he tried to move his arms but soon realized they were bound to something. He figured as much. The last thing he remembered was the fist that landed forcefully against his jaw seconds after he had closed up Ben in surgery. He had no idea how long ago that had been, and he did not care. All that mattered was that he had made sure Kate was safe, on her way back to camp.

His mouth was dry, and he felt the sting of that blow was still fresh on his jaw. He finally managed to open his eyes to a new unfamiliar surrounding. He had gotten used to the green moldy look of his underwater cell, but this new cell was nothing like it. He looked around him, white walls and one pull down screen in front of him which reminded him of old lecture halls in dark gloomy buildings at his university. He looked down to find himself strapped down to an odd wooden chair, surrounded by wires and cables.

"Welcome back," a strange voice said and his head snapped to his left to locate the source.

His eyes landed on a middle aged woman, blonde and furious.

"Who are you?" Jack choked.

"Who I am does not matter right now, Jack," she said, her voice dripping with malice, "what matters is what you did, and the consequences we will have to endure now because of your actions."

Jack's eyes darted around the room anxiously. He knew his little stunt during surgery was not going to go unpunished. To be honest, he expected he might even be killed for it. The anxiety grew wilder in his veins. Death he had expected, the ambiguity of what was going to happen to him though was more terrifying than that.

"Where am I? What are you going to do to me?" Jack asked, the panic rising in his voice as he tried to maintain his composure.

The woman poked her head out of the room, calling to two young men to help her. She then moved to stand facing Jack, the evil grin never leaving her pale face.

The two young men came around the chair, one of them tying Jack's body tighter against it while the other moved to arrange a head piece and goggles over Jack's head. He tried to struggle against them, but his attempts were futile. His body was too weak to fight them off.

"Welcome to Room 23, Jack," she said, bending over slightly to meet Jack eye to eye.

"What is this place?" Jack snarled at her.

"Well... think of it as an interrogation room. The Dharma Initiative designed it especially to facilitate their... communication with the people whom they called "the hostiles"," she replied.

"What do you need to interrogate me for?" Jack spat angrily, "we all know I am guilty. So just go ahead and prepare the guillotine."

"Why would we want to do that, Jack?" she asked, laughing dryly.

"Isn't that you plan to do eventually? Kill me?" Jack said.

"Kill you? Why in the name of Jacob would we want to do that?" she spoke eerily, "You are far too valuable for that Jack."

She pushed herself back up, nodding her head towards the two young men and leaving her spot in front of Jack with one last grinning look towards him. The three ignored Jack's protests and attempts to break free, and as she stood with her hand on the the switch, she said one last thing before she turned the video on and left the room, "this won't hurt, Jack, don't worry. It's just a little experiment, something to help you relax and fit in comfortably."

What are the Others doing to Jack? What will happen to him next? How will he come to return to the Losties camp? Why did he attack Charlie and why did his friends tie him to a tree?

And just so that everything is clear, everything up until the end of Not In Portland happened, so yes, skex did happen. Sorry.

Ok... so? what do you think? Worth giving it a shot? Review!