Title: This Time

Pairing: Jate, some Skate

Rating: T

Summary: Jack knows what happened between Kate and Sawyer, and now that they are all back to the camp with Juliet, things are more tense then ever. But when Kate goes missing, there is only one person who can save her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost, its characters or plot. It all belongs to J.J. Abrams, ABC, etc.

Chapter 1

Kate wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, brushing aside the curls that had freed themselves from her ponytail. Today had been one of the hottest days they had on the island and she was beginning to regret her decision to venture out into the jungle in search of unpicked fruit trees. The survivors had been eating more fruit than usual lately, picking the nearby trees clean. This worried Kate, as the farther out she had to travel for new sources of fruit, the more frequent and dangerous her hike was becoming. Normally, she didn't mind being alone, but after her time with the others… Well, she didn't want to accidentally run into them anytime soon, that was for sure.

She smiled when she reached her destination, an undiscovered fruit paradise an hours walk from the beach. Taking off her backpack, she stopped and looked around, taking in the tall trees and lush foliage. She opened it and grabbed her water bottle, disappointedly realizing she had already drank half of her water on the trek here. She put it back, trying to save the rest for her trip back.

She sighed and headed towards the nearest mango tree. As she started her climb up, she thought about Jack, the doctor who had haunted her dreams and avoided her in reality. Ever since Jack's return with Juliet, there had been much tension between the previously close duo, creating a distance between them that made them akin to strangers. They no longer joked around or talked, their only interaction reduced to secret glances and uncomfortable small talk. It seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. On occasion, it even seemed as if he hated her and was disgusted by her mere existence. She knew it was because he had seen her and Sawyer on camera, but didn't know what to do to fix things. As much as she wanted Jack, she wanted him to be happy, and knew that she couldn't possibly make him happy. Not with her baggage, her failures, her fears. She wasn't what he needed, so she left things as they were, hoping that time would mend the wounds that she inflicted. She would never let him know that she didn't love Sawyer, and would continue her charade, despite the fact that it was killing her.

Sawyer was another story, however. He was fun, understood her, and had no expectations in terms of their relationship, or so she thought. She knew he cared about her, assuming their closeness was nothing more than an intimate friendship. During their time together, she learned that he had a daughter, and had loved someone back in the real world, although they were not together, or even on speaking terms. So she let things with him carry on, ignorant that it was she that haunted his dreams, and that he would settle for whatever she would give him. And Sawyer would never tell her how he truly felt, that he would risk his life for her, and that he could envision a life with her, settled down with a couple of kids and a dog, maybe even a white picket fence.

Reaching out, she grabbed a mango, plucking it from the stem. She quickly put it in the sack which hung to her side, repeating the procedure for the next ten minutes until it was full, then started to climb back down the tree to unload the fruit. She climbed back up, settling into a routine, and thankful for something to keep her busy. However, still thinking about how she messed everything up with Jack, she soon became so lost in thought that she hadn't noticed the trees being knocked down, and heard the groaning of the monster when it was too late.

As soon as she heard it, Kate's head jerked up and her brown eyes widened in fear. She dropped her bag and practically slid down the length of the tree, scraping the insides of her arms and her palms in the process. Ignoring the pain, she reached the bottom, grabbed her backpack, and ran through the jungle, praying she would find somewhere to hide.

Kate's feet pounded against the hard earth as she ran. Running was what she did best, literally and figuratively. Practice makes perfect and she was thankful she had always tried to stay in shape, especially during her most recent time in Australia. Hearing the screeches of the monster get closer, she looked back. She barely had time to scream before she was snatched up. Sharp claw like appendages tore into her right side, just under her ribs. Hot, searing pain spread through her body, pain she had never felt before. As quickly as she was grabbed, she was let go and thrown. The second her head hit something hard, she blacked out, her last thought of how she would never get the chance to fix things with Jack.