Title: Postcards

Characters: Jack/Kate

Rating: PG 13

Summary: Set post s5. Jack's plan works, and they land safely in LA. But Kate has to run, and Jack has to help her.

Note: It's four parts. Posting the first three together because I am that awesome ;)

Part One: The Airport

September 22, 2004

He glances towards her once during the flight, and she looks back at him. She holds his gaze. This one look is enough to say all that is needed to be said. She is going to run. He is going to help her.

LAX is busy, as usual. She is the last one to get off the plane. Security measures will not have her strolling off casually. He waits for her, though. He goes through some paperwork and is given orders how to claim his father's coffin. He waits. He watches his friends, most now strangers, make their way through the exists. He sees Hurley's mom welcome her son with her trademark hug and smile. His father awkwardly stands behind, until Hurley pulls him into the family group hug. He watches Sayid slip out quickly and into a cab. He notices Michael and Walt argue as they walk right next to him, oblivious to his presence.

He sees Claire, a very pregnant and frightened Claire, go through her pocket for change, as she steps into the line of public phones and dials a number off of a crumpled old paper. He notices her frustration as no one picks up, and senses her fear multiply. He knows he will have to do something. But not now.

Kate waits impatiently as Mars coordinates with airport security. She hears the words "extremely dangerous" for what must be the hundredth time, and she swears under her breathe.

I feels like hours before she is off the plane. She has to wait another thirty minutes as another set of administrative procedures have to be completed. She sees Sun and Jin standing at a distance, talking quietly, and for the first time in a long while, she is terrified. Sun gives her a small nod and Jin smiles sympathetically.

She nudges Mars and says she has to use the ladies' room. He grumbles under his breath something about already going on the plane, but still he motions to when of the female security personnel to take her. The security guard shoves her into the stall and warns her about the one minute rule.

"Are you gonna watch me? I have a shy bladder," Kate retorts as the other woman continues to stand.

She scoffs and shuts the door, "you're down to 45 seconds."

Kate swallows the lump in her throat and waits before she says "do you have...ummm... lady products?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" the guard cuffs Kate to a pipe before she walks out hurriedly.

Sun sneaks out of the stall next to Kate and hands her a tweezers, "that's all I have, sorry."

"It's ok, it'll work... Sun... Thank you so much," Kate says working on the cuffs.

"Jack's waiting for you outside. He says you know where..." Sun says and looks to Kate who silently confirms that she does, "good luck, Kate," Sun whispers and quickly makes an exit making sure no one can see her.

The window is high and small, but Kate has been through worse. She reminds herself of the duct in the hatch and thinks at least no one is shooting at her this time, not yet.

She makes it to where Jack is waiting without anyone noticing her. Jack is standing there nervously with his hands in his pockets; he doesn't see her as she almost runs into him. He holds onto her elbows to steady her and her hands are on his chest as she catches her breath, and she realizes his heart is beating as fast as hers.

"Please tell me you two weren't thinking this escape plan of yours is gonna work?" a voice speaks roughly from behind them.

His voice is startling, yet oddly comforting.

"Sawyer...what're you doing here?" Jack asks the man walking up behind him.

"I'm helping you both not get arrested. You're too pretty for jail, doc," Sawyer replies, his voice somewhere between anger and genuine concern, "do you even have a real plan? Or were you hoping to just drive off into the sunset and disappear in Obviousville, Mexico?"

Kate swallows hard and looks to Jack. They really hadn't thought about the whole plan.

"ok, here's what we do..."

Part Two: The Con

The plan was simple. Kate was to steal a car and make sure she gets caught on one of the security cameras. She was then to drive around a couple of blocks and into an abandoned building where Jack and Sawyer were waiting.

"What are you going to do now, Sawyer?" Jack asked as they sat awkwardly in the dark underground parking waiting for Kate.

"You really wanna do small talk now?" Sawyer replied, and Jack nodded apologetically.

A few minutes passed by before Sawyer spoke again, " I was thinking I'd go on a road trip across the country, maybe meet my daughter somewhere along the way... I thought I'd try Florida for a while. Heard there's a great security company in Miami," Sawyer said, his voice slightly cracking by the end.

"Sawyer...I'm really sorry,"

They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Kate came into the parking.

"Was everything ok?" Jack asked her, jumping out of his car.

"Yes, did you get everything?" Kate asked him and he led her to the trunk.

Both cars were out of the building five minutes later and drove in opposite directions.

The car Kate stole was found at around midnight. It was found abandoned off the main road a few miles away from the Mexican border. The police report said they also found the clothes the fugitive was wearing in the trunk. They also found a used bottle of blonde hair dye and an empty box of blue contact lenses. They also found a handful of cut wavy brown hair.

Jack and Kate watched the report in his apartment. They sat in his living room. They watched the news nervously as the chief of police explained how they were now looking for a blue eyed woman, with short blond hair heading towards Mexico.

Kate laughed despite the situation, "how on earth did Sawyer get the hair?"

"Don't ask," Jack chuckled.

His mother had called him as they were driving back to his apartment. She berated him for being late, for not calling and of course reminded him that his father's death was his fault. He had given her a half hearted excuse about being delayed with paper work at the airport and promised to be there first thing in the morning. He was not sure she believed him. he was not sure it mattered either way.

They sat on his couch for another hour or so. Not really talking, or doing much else. Kate sat with her head on his chest and her arm across his stomach, as Jack entwined his fingers with hers and his other fingers played absentmindedly with her hair.

Neither wanted to do anything because they didn't want to do anything for the last time. Neither said anything because they knew they eventually and inevitably had to say good bye and neither was ready for that.

Part Three: The Goodbye

He broke the silence first. He brought his thumb soft to her cheek and pushed away from him to look at her face. He took her face in both of his hands.

"I love you,"

His lips were on hers before she could tell him she loved him too. Softly at first, but the kiss grew more urgent, more passionate, more desperate. If he wasn't going to let her say the words back, she was going to show him how much she loved him. She pulled him on top of her as she brought them to lie down. Moans were mixing with tears as they both knew this was their first time in this life time, and for all they know their last. She thought about the last time she was in his apartment, and how their love making was mixed with anger and desperation and how different yet similar it felt this time.

He finally released her lips from their breathtaking captivity, to move his down her body as his fingers had found their job of undressing her. She did not hesitate to bring her lips to his ear; she nibbled on his earlobe and whispered,

"I love you too,"

He was left in just his underwear as he lifted off the couch and carried her into the bedroom, "I know."

They woke up a few hours later, their tired sweaty body tangled with the sheets on his bed. He kissed her slowly and got up. "Stay. Don't leave before I come back," he pleaded.

It was his father's funeral today. She wished she could be with him. She also wished she could leave when he was away. That would make it so much easier. But she knew he would need her when he came back, and she knew she would stay.

The funeral was harder without her there. His mother was not as easy to handle this time around. His father's colleagues all seemed to blame Jack. So did all his parents' country club friends. For a minute, Jack wished the plane had never landed back in LA.

He was not sure she would stay until he came back. If he were to be honest with himself, he knew if she left while he was gone, it would be easier than saying good bye to her.

But she did stay. She tried to watch the news for a while, but that was pointless. She dialed Hurley's number three times, but never stayed on the phone long enough to wait for an answer. She tried Sun's cell phone, but she got someone with no knowledge of the English language somewhere in Korea. She reminded herself to let Jack know about that phone call.

Jack walked in with pizza at around seven. He set it down on the kitchen table and went back to her in the living room.

"I got pizza,"

"You shouldn't have,"

He looked at her quizzically and sat down on the coffee table across from her.

She took his hands in hers, "please, Jack, let's not try to pretend that it's normal. It just makes it harder," she choked, the tears streaming freely down her face. Her puffy eyes told him she'd spent the day crying.

He kissed the back of her hands. And felt his own tears beginning to fall.

She put her hands on his face and caressed his stubbled face gently, "promise me one thing," she whispered.

He nodded, as she came down from the couch to kneel between his legs, her fingers now running through his short cropped hair, reminding her how much she missed his hair being longer. His hand was softly running along her arm, and she spoke softly and confidently, "promise me you'll make sure Claire makes the right decision about Aaron."

She kissed quickly, swallowing her sobs, and he pulled her to him to make sure she does not stop their last kiss to early.

It was longer than what she'd planned, but it was over sooner than either of them wished it would be. And before he knew it, she was on her feet and at the door. With one last glance, but not another word she walked out. And he lost her again.

Thanks for reading. Review if you get the chance :)