A/N: I've been flooded with ideas lately, and I can only attribute this to all of the adorable Jate moments we've had this season. :) Anyway, this is my first attempt at smut. The story takes place sometime right before impending rescue. It's divided into three parts with the first two parts containing brief flashbacks, and the third, well…it'll be M rated, so you get the idea! ;)

Big ups to 'Piddles' for the wonderful encouragement to put my smutty ideas down on paper. :D Thanks, Ali.

Nude

She was supposed to be good at this. Everyone had told her so.

"You run, I con…"

"Don't run, Kate…"

"You always want to run away, Katie…"

There was a time when she found it so easy. She would do it to prevent anyone from looking too deep into her soul; she used it to survive, to block the fear. But that all changed when a simple exchange bolstered her belief that maybe, just maybe, her days spent running from anything and everything would soon be over. When a certain someone believed in who she was in that moment, not by what she had said or who had she claimed to be.

"If that were me, I would've run for the door…"

This was who she was then. Like a wild horse unwilling to be tamed and ready to buck at anything that got too close, this was who she was for as long as she could remember. And it felt so normal to her. That instinctual 'flight' part of her was so innate, so ingrained into the way she operated day after day that when he took the opportunity to defy her own words, she was left breathless by his audacity.

"No, I don't think so. You're not running now…"

She had looked back at him in surprise. It was as if he'd lifted some gauzy veil she had cocooned herself in, and when he did, there she was – stripped and rendered speechless. She had wanted to protest, to allow the tough façade cover her up as it always did before, even with one foot halfway out the door. But all she could do was to stare back, unable to tear her gaze away as his soft brown eyes conveyed his unmistakable admiration of her strength.

And now, as she dodged the imposing trees and the branches reaching out for her along the path, she was running again, but for wholly different reasons. She was running now to stop running, to arrest herself within the folds of his arms around her, holding her tightly. She was running now to stand still with Jack.

She felt a cramp coming on, and she pursed her lips together to defy the pain. She had to get to the beach by sundown – Sayid told Jack that Lapidus would be back to pick up the last of them at sundown.

That's when she pulled him aside. It's now or never, she had told herself. She felt that she owed him an explanation, and that that would be the least she could do. As she deftly hurdled over a muddy patch, her upswept hair bobbing with every stride, the memory of their last conversation replayed itself in her head…

"I've decided to stay…"

Even as she uttered the words, she was finding it hard to appear confident about her decision in front of him.

"What?" he asked, sharply.

"I've decided to –"

"I heard what you said," he interjected. "I just…" he trailed off, as his heart sank into a pool in his stomach. He searched her face, desperate to understand her.

"Why?" His tone was flat and emotionless.

Kate bit her lower lip down hard to keep her focus from folding beneath his penetrating gaze. She wrapped her arms over her chest, as if to protect herself.

"You know what's back there for me," her tone quivered, "They know all about me, and I'm just not ready –"

"So that's it? Just like that?" he asked, exasperated.

"I'm tired of running, Jack!" she asserted, her voice rising to match his. "You don't know what I did. At least if I stay here on the island –"

"It doesn't matter, Kate!" Jack yelled, "It doesn't matter if you're here or Antarctica or wherever! If you're not…'home'…then you're still running, Kate! Don't you get it?!"

He reeled back from her, running his hand over his head, trying to regain his control. He exhaled and turned back to look at her, and she gazed back at him, the shame evident in her eyes. Jack slowly shuffled closer to her, his demeanor gentler this time.

"Look, we can deal with this," he pleaded, "We can – We can give them someone else's passport, use a fake name. We can tell the others about the plan..."

She shook her head.

"Stop it, Jack," she said, softly.

"It'll at least buy us some time before we –"

"Stop it!" she yelled, her face crumpling in pain. Jack stood silently. He pushed away the urge to say something hurtful, just to spite her and make her feel regret to make up for how pissed off he felt towards her.

"No, Kate," he said, evenly, "You stop it."

She looked back at him through her tears, startled.

He continued, "You said you're tired of running? Then stop running. The things we've done in our past…they never stay buried forever, Kate." His expression softened a bit, "We all have to pay a price, Kate, whether we like it or not. You can do this."

She shook her head, inching a bit away from him.

His jaw set in determination, "I can't just leave you here," he said with an intense look in his brown eyes that left her mesmerized, "I don't want it to end like this, Kate. I...I need you, Kate."

Kate's eyes welled up again at his admission. She took a clumsy step backwards into the sand, afraid that if Jack were to merely touch her, it would immediately break her resolve.

"No…Jack, I'm sorry," she choked out, "I have to go."

"Kate –" he reached out towards her retreating figure, but it was too late.

"Goodbye, Jack," she said miserably, walking away from his outstretched arm.

Kate made it to the foot of the jungle when she found herself turning to look back at him one last time. He hadn't followed her nor did he call out for her; he just stood there, watching her. And she watched him back for a moment, tracing his tall, lean figure that stood impassive, but his eyes, shining brightly, left her trembling at the pain she saw there. She again found her arms wrapping themselves over her chest as she turned to walk into the dense jungle.

It was funny – she could innately sense how close she was to the beach. This island had been her home for the past four months, and she knew almost every inch of it now like the back of own hand. But her love affair with this place was now over as she sprinted faster on the trail. She longed for a different kind of love – one that didn't camouflage her amidst the distracting, lush foliage she could so readily hide herself in. Neither did she long to live in a pseudo-civilization at the barracks, where one could simply erase every single moment of their life prior to the last four months, as if who she ever was and everything she ever did had never existed.

A large fern grazed her roughly on the shoulder, and she reluctantly decided to slow down her pace. The sun was fading fast, and she didn't want to stumble and fall since the trail was getting harder to discern. Hastily clamoring over a large tree that had once been rooted firmly into the ground, she swallowed to moisten her dry throat.

She could see the water's horizon line between several trees in front of her. She was here; a shallow panic penetrated her thoughts as she swiftly brushed through the clearing and onto the sandy beach – would he still be here? What if it's too late?

She looked around briskly for signs of life among the abandoned, empty tents. There was no one, and that same panic gripped her momentarily. Oh god, she thought, it's too late. She ran down to the water's edge, and then she heard it: the unmistakable sound of whirring chopper blades, sounding fainter by the second.

Rounding the corner, she stopped and gasped. It was already in mid-flight, rapidly becoming a small toy figure against the massive sky. It turned towards the horizon, showing off its tail at her as if to cruelly taunt her for what it had in its possession. Mine, it seemed to say.

In an instant, her purpose was set into motion again, No, I want him back.

"Jaaacck!!"

As always, reviews are lovely and appreciated! :)