Lost belongs to JJ Abrams and crew, I'm just borrowing for some non-profitable fun. Kate's toy plane goes missing and she sets out to find it. Enjoy

Lost – DC3
By Mystic
April 22nd 2005

Kate knew she should have become suspicious the second she realized the zippers on her bag weren't where she left them. They lay several inches from one another, creating an opening. Approaching her pack, she glanced around the beach, seeing people going about their business. Some laughed and it made her all the more worried. Falling onto her knees softly on the sand, Kate touched one of the zippers, flicking the metal piece with a finger.

She opened the bag and began searching through her things. Her shirts were slightly moist and disheveled within the bag, as were her bra and panties. Pulling the clothing out, Kate concentrated on the mess left within the bag. Her hands rummaged through seashells and bracelets and hair bands frantically.

"My plane," she whispered, her eyebrows lowering as she emptied the bag out in front of her. It was gone. Her head whipped up and searched the shoreline. Kate refilled her bag and pulled it onto her shoulders and went tearing into the jungle. There was only one person who knew about her plane, only one person who might take it specifically. But Kate didn't know why he would. Her legs started to move faster through the thick cover and she burst into the caves looking about frantically.

"Where's Jack?" She asked no one. Several people looked in her direction though, they seemed worried. She didn't blame them, every time someone came looking for Jack; it means someone else was hurt.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, emerging from behind a bush with Hurley not far behind. The duo made their way to either side of her and she shook her head at them.

"Where's Jack?" This time her voice roared angrily and she looked from Charlie to Hurley, each taking a step away from her as she did.

They pointed into the bushes ahead of her. "Went for a walk, 'bout ten minutes ago," Charlie offered and she ran off into the trees, feeling one slap her painfully on the cheek in retribution. Kate stomped along the path, seeing him ahead. He was wearing one of his lighter plaid shirts, the brown and white one she liked, and she eased her breath, tried to chase the red from her face as she closed the distance between them quietly.

"Hey," Jack greeted, turning to find her behind him. She stopped, taken by how he seemed to feel her there. Kate wasn't used to people acknowledging her presence without her making it known. He smiled widely and she found herself returning the gesture, but her lips froze and fell and he took notice, slowing his pace and finally stopping to look at her. "What's wrong, Kate?"

"Where is it?" She asked, staring at the ground, wiping her sweaty hands on her thighs.

"Where is what?" He responded, sounding confused and just a pinch amused.

Kate's eyes found his. "My plane, Jack, where's my plane?"

Closing his eyes, Jack raised his head towards the sun and then swung it back down looking annoyed. "You talking about the little toy plane you felt the need to lie to me about?" She clenched her jaw and nodded. "I don't know, Kate, last I saw, it was in your hands."

"It's missing," she told him flatly.

"And you think I'd steal it?" His voice rose in volume and pitch and his eyes darkened. "Why would I do that Kate? Hm? Ask yourself, why would I want to steal your plane?"

"I don't know!" She shouted at him. Then she turned away, putting a hand to her upper lip before throwing it into the air and letting it drop at her side. "I just know you're the only person who knows about it."

Jack put his hands on his waist. "I didn't take your plane, Kate."

She crossed her arms over her chest and stared off into the jungle, in the direction of the beach. Her mind raced through any other possibilities, but she came up short. Even when Jack rose a hand and she knew who he'd tell her to check. Kate shook her head as he started to talk again.

"What?" Jack asked, sounding frustrated.

"He wouldn't." She told him.

"Think about this. Who likes to steal things? Sawyer." He thrust his forefinger in the air. "Who likes to play games with the people on this island? Sawyer." A second finger joined the first. "And who has a school boy's crush on you? Sawyer."

"He doesn't." Kate looked at Jack with fire in her eyes. "He wouldn't do it. Not my stuff."

"Why the hell not?" Jack laughed.

She turned away from him and went back through the jungle, feeling the need to prove him wrong. She heard him following, as if he felt the need to vindicate himself. Kate pushed forward the palm frond that blocked her view of the beach and let it slap back in Jack's face. The man let out a breath and then snorted, continuing to follow her to the tent that had two blue flaps down for walls and two rolled up, allowing sunlight and beach breeze into Sawyer's little abode.

Kate stepped into the shady area and she gave Sawyer's sleeping form a gentle kick in the thigh. He jerked up in the make-shift bed and she saw his hand reach for a large bamboo rod at his side. Her insides told her to laugh at him, scared of a return visit from a boar, but she didn't.

"Sawyer, you been through my stuff?" She asked boldly. Jack stood behind her, just outside of the tent.

Wincing at the daylight, Sawyer smiled up at the duo. "What'd I do to deserve this?" He waved an arm at the two. "Double trouble landing in my tent before noon. Seems almost cruel, don't you think?"

"I'm not playing games, Sawyer, have you been through my stuff?" Kate balled her fists and then stretched them, planting her hands at her waist. She watched the man on the ground lower his head slightly, then push off the ground to stand inches from her face.

"Gimme one good reason to go through your stuff."

"It's what you do, Sawyer," Jack answered.

He flipped his hair and turned his eyes to the other man. "I asked the lady."

Kate stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "It's what you do, Sawyer."

Sawyer gave her the evil eye now. "That what you think of me?"

"Just tell me, Sawyer, did you go through my stuff?"

"No," he spat, staring at her until she backed out of the tent.

Kate felt her lungs collapse inside her because she believed him. If Jack didn't have it and Sawyer didn't have it, who would have taken it? There weren't any other answers. At some point she might have thought Boone would have been bold enough to, but he'd only do it if he thought she was hiding something and he was trying to be the big hero. Kate rubbed the back of her left hand across her forehead and looked over, seeing Jack at her side.

"Are you sure you didn't misplace it?" Jack asked softly.

She stared at him in response.

Jack threw his hands up. "Who else would want to take it?"

Kate kicked off her boots and threw her backpack hard onto the ground, wincing when she heard something inside squish. But fruit juice on her clothes didn't bother her, they could just be washed. Her back end hit the sand roughly and Jack stood at her side as she stared out at the ocean. "It was all I had left of him."

The words escaped before she could trap them inside. Her eyes watered, but she held her breath, holding the tears with it. She'd managed to live without it before, she could do it again. Jack sat next to her and she registered his closeness, the small jerk of his arm as it wanted to come across her shoulders. She wanted him to, but she knew he wouldn't. Something always held him away.

"It'll turn up," Jack told her.

Kate nodded, but her heart didn't believe him. She smiled up at him quickly before lowering her head and staring at the sand.

Jack wrapped his arms around his knees. "Why don't you want to tell me about him?"

"Why don't you want to tell me about your wife?" Kate countered quickly, glancing up at him to gauge his reaction. His face froze in a look of sadness Kate knew all too well. She turned away, feeling ashamed.

"How did you know?" Jack asked softly.

Kate bit her bottom lip. "You talk in your sleep."

"And you're a liar," Jack told her. "How did you know?" He repeated, waiting for an answer.

She shrugged. "I took a guess."

"Pretty good guess."

"I'm good at guessing," she smirked, but wiped it away quickly. "My past isn't something I like to talk about."

"So I gather." Jack smiled.

Kate shrugged her shoulders again. "Must be some reason you haven't told me you were married."

"It wasn't a good experience." He paused. "Got married for the wrong reasons." Jack stared up at the sky. "Didn't last very long."

Laughing, Kate watched the same area of out in front of them.

"What's so funny?" Jack asked, his attention focused on her.

Kate leaned back on her palms. "I just find it amusing that when you avoid the details it's alright, but when I avoid them for the same reasons, I'm being a jerk."

"I never said you were a jerk," he pointed out.

"No, but I got yelled at." She rolled her eyes.

Jack nodded his head. "Well, you were lying to me. You didn't have to lie. I know you were being transported by the Marshall, all you had to tell me was that he had your 'Personal Effects' in his briefcase and I wouldn't have questioned it."

Kate glanced at him.

"I'd have been curious," Jack said with a laugh.

She started to answer when she saw Walt bounding up to them, Vincent running beside him. "Hey guys," the boy said slightly out of breath.

"What's up, Walt?" Jack asked.

Holding out his hand, Walt displayed the small toy plane Kate had been searching for. "Was looking for Charlie and Claire, you seen 'em?"

"Where did you get that?" Kate asked, sitting up straight.

Walt rolled it over in his hand. "Vincent was playing with it. I thought maybe Claire and Charlie would like it for the baby."

Kate stood. "That's mine," she said, her voice wavering.

Handing it over, Walt watched the way she lifted it from his palm delicately and held it tightly in both hands. He saw her eyes brim with unshed tears and she mouthed a 'thank you'. Kate threw a glance at Jack, started to speak and stopped, then sprinted into the jungle. She didn't like for people to see her cry.

"I didn't know Kate had a kid," Walt told Jack with a shrug before making his way back to camp, Vincent running ahead of him. Jack shook his head a moment, starting to laugh at the boy's words, but his lips formed a frown. He didn't really know who the plane belonged to either.

Finis