Kate was perched high in a tree, straddling the wide sloping trunk, picking fruit and putting it in a bag on her shoulder. She always felt better up where she could see everything – or everything that the thick jungle would allow. She could collect her thoughts while she reached for the round fruit and tried not to fall. Her thoughts these days were hanging in a net, still trying to make sense of Jack's surprising answer to the statement it had taken days for her to muster the courage to bring up.

She heard some rustling below and froze, on alert even though no one had seen the monster for many days. What she had seen of it on different occasions was enough to always put her on her guard.

Her heart leaped into her throat, but not in fear. Jack walked into the clearing below her tree, unaware of her presence above. She took a deep breath, for courage, and to call out "Hey!" as she expertly hit him on the left shoulder blade with a mango.

"Ow!" exclaimed Jack, turning around and looking up. "OK, so you do have good aim," he said with a quick smile.

He picked up the mango, split it open with his thumbs, and took a bite. Kate shimmied down the tree branch and dropped to the ground.

"Where are you headed?" she asked. She took the fruit from his hand and took a bite herself.

"Hey, that's mine," he said teasingly, taking it back and taking another bite, his mouth lingering on the spot Kate took her bite from.

"But I picked it," she laughed.

"I'm headed to the caves to get that galley cart I used for medical supplies. We could use it down at the beach for things."

"Just as long as it won't be looted by Sawyer," said Kate.

"I've got Sawyer under control," said Jack with a little laugh. "I could use some help rolling it back there, though."

They start out down the footworn path to the caves. "This path is already starting to get overgrown," observed Kate.

They continued in silence. In a short time they arrived at the shade of the caves, made cooler by the small waterfall. They went to the pool below it and refilled their water bottles. The rolling cart was in its familiar place, near the area that had been used as a makeshift infirmary. They walked over to it.

Jack paused, looking around. "You know, people just kind of abandoned the caves since the hatch opened up. But this is still a great shelter."

"This place gives me the creeps," said Kate. "You know, I just visualize Boone here….and," she said quietly, looking down, placing her palm reflexively on his chest, "it's where I almost lost you, Jack."

Suddenly her reluctance to settle into the caves made sense to Jack. He turned to her and gently cupped her face in his hands. "You won't lose me, Kate…not as long as I can help it." He bent and kissed her, first gently, then deeper as she put her arms around his neck. Their embrace grew stronger and he enveloped her in his arms.

It seemed an eternity as both of them drank in the taste of each other that had been on their minds, pushed back into secret recesses of consciousness, for so many days. When they again faced each other, Kate wore a look of contentment, not consternation, and brushed his lips again lightly with hers.

"Are you gonna run?" asked Jack, half joking. Half of him wasn't sure, even though Kate still had her arms around his neck.

"You…didn't come after me," said Kate, turning away. "The way you looked at me, I thought I had done something to offend you."

"It was…you were ..." started Jack, haltingly, taking her arm, "You were all over Sawyer. I didn't know what was going on with you."

Now Kate turned back to Jack, her face bearing a look of confusion as she considered something she hadn't before. "Sawyer needed my help to come through the fever. I thought he needed me, anyway. I guess he got better and found he doesn't need anybody. He conned me for the guns as much as he conned Locke."

"So this is your second choice," said Jack ruefully.

"No - that's not it," she protested, "You know I've always had your back. It's just… you shut me out sometimes and I can't break through."

"I'm sorry," said Jack, looking truly sorry this time. "I guess I'm not much for sharing what I'm going through. But I finally figured something out." He put his arms around her waist. "Even with all the crap going on here, in the hatch, living under threat, I'm not the same when you're not around me. I need you, Kate. I...want you." He bent and gently kissed her again. Kate responded in turn. They took their time, knowing they had all the time in the world, for the world as they now knew it was theirs alone.