Okay, this is just a one-shot, based during season 3, so I guess some spoilers for that. It's set as if Jack, Kate and Sawyer were rescued by Sun, Jin and Sayid on Desmond's boat, and Jack and Kate get some much needed rest.
Angel
Xxxxx

Picture Perfect

The sun was shining, a perfect metaphor for how relieved they all were. The only clouds that dotted the sky was the inevitable rain clouds visible on the other side of the island, but as dark as they were, they still weren't hovering over the sailboat. So, instead, Kate turned her back away from them, and leaned on the opposite railing.

She gazed out at the gently chopping sea, staring at the two shades of blue meeting to make the horizon. Somehow, they had been rescued from the Others' camp. They had been thrown into a cell together for two days, badly treated, but still together. Whilst they tried their best to stay positive, hope had been diminished within about thirty seconds.

But Sayid, Sun and Jin had turned up, as promised. Well, Sun had stayed on the boat, and they weren't exactly sure what had happened, but Sayid and Jin had opened the door to their cell, freeing them. They had also managed to free two children, Zack and Emma, who had been on the flight in the tail section. They were the only surviving members of the tail section.

They were lucky to be alive, and in such good condition, they all knew that. The other members of the tail section who had been taken by the Others had all been killed, through experiments or simple executions. Some, they had been told, had even died of hunger and dehydration. Jack had checked the children over, finding them extremely malnourished, but otherwise okay, and they were taken to Desmond's sailboat, on their way back to camp.

Kate hadn't slept for those two days she had been locked up with Jack and Sawyer. Sawyer had managed to, but Jack and Kate had been unable to sleep. Their two nights there became a ritual of silence, no words needed along with the sleep. But now, however, she was beginning to feel the effects of not sleeping. All of her strength left her, and she lost her balance, gripping the side of the rail tightly to try and upright herself, but failing, and dropping to her knees.

"Whoa! You okay?" A voice asked, and she wasn't at all surprised to see Jack immediately at her side, bringing her to her feet again.

She allowed him to help her, and then held onto him for a moment whilst her head was spinning. "I...I think so." She murmered, bringing one hand to her head.

"What happened?" Jack asked, checking to make sure that she hadn't hurt herself on her fall.

"I don't know." She said, slowly shaking her head to try and clear the fog that tried to pull her into unconscioussness. "I just...I don't know."

Jack looked at her with blaitant concern, which she couldn't see, but the others could. They all saw the tenderness with which he examined her, and the gentleness he kept whilst he held her upright. "Maybe you should lie down for a bit." He suggested, and Kate nodded. There was no need to argue, he was completely right.

"There's a bed down in the cabin below." Sun told them, pointing to the opening which lead down to the cabin where several days ago, they had found a heavily drunk Desmond.

Jack glanced at it, and then back to Kate. "Think you can make it down there?"

She nodded, and they started down the steps. Halfway down, she stumbled, and whilst she still had his arm around her to catch her, she reached out and clung to him to stead herself. He pulled to a hault, standing them still whilst she collected herself.

"Thanks." She said breathlessly, and released her hold on him a little.

He just smiled at her, and lead her fully into the cabin. It was still a complete wreck from when Desmond had trashed it, and broken photographs of the same blonde-haired woman who had been in the photo in the hatch littered the sides and the ground. It must have been his girlfriend, as he was pictured in some of them with his arm around her.

"Here you go..." Jack said, guiding her onto the bed. She slid onto it wordlessly, laying back into the pillow there whilst he sat on the edge of the bed beside her. He looked down at her for a moment, and whilst her eyes were closed, he noticed just how tired she really was. She had bags underneath her eyes and her whole face was pale. "You gonna be okay?" He asked her worriedly.

"Yeah." She assured him. "I just came over really weak." She explained. "All my strength just disappeared."

Her eyelids fluttered open to look up at him, and for some reason, she felt like this was an intimate moment between them. They always had moments like this, but she wasn't sure why this was one of them. Maybe it was the tiny gap between where their hands rested on the side of the bed. Maybe it was the look in his eyes whilst he gazed down at her. Or maybe it was the fact that even though he had done his job and helped her to the bed, he was still there with her, even though he didn't need to be.

"It's probably just your body recovering." He told her. "You've been through a lot, and your body has most likely been on autopilot for a while."

She nodded, but stopped when that made her feel dizzy again. "Hopefully, it will give me a warning next time." She smirked.

Jack smiled, even when she was tired, she didn't lose any of that charm that made her Kate. "Maybe." He agreed, and instinctively put his hand out, placing it on her forehead. "You're not burning up." He announced lightly.

"That's good, right?" She questioned.

"Yeah, that's good." He smiled reassuringly at her. "Ten to one, you just need need a good rest."

She nodded, surprisingly docile in her sleepy state."How long did Sayid say until we get back to camp?" She asked, her eyes closing again.

"A few hours at least." He told her. "More than enough time for you to get some sleep."

She nodded again, but her eyes snapped open when she thought of something. "How long has it been since you've slept?" She asked him.

Jack winced, and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "I think it's best that I don't answer that." He told her. Last time he had gone this long without sleep, she had drugged him.

Kate thought about something for a moment, and then shuffled sideways a bit. "Come on." She said simply.

"What?" He asked her.

She moved up a bit more, so there was enough room for him to lay down beside her. With the space beside her now empty, she patted the side, inviting him to lay there. "You need the sleep, too." She pointed out.

"Kate-"

"Just do it, Jack." She told him, before he tried to argue with her. "We both need to sleep, and this is the only bed." There was quiet, and they both realised that when they got back to camp, there was no chance of them being able to sleep when so much was still being done.

Jack hesitated for a moment, and she could see the question he was asking himself, but he still climbed fully onto the bed beside her. There was plenty of space, seeing as it was a double bed, but they still curled up tightly together as if it were a single.

After a moment, Kate let out a sigh. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" He answered.

"I'm glad you're here." She whispered to him.

Jack just smiled, not sure whether she meant 'here' in general, or 'here' as in the bed, but either one worked for him. He kissed her forehead, hearing her sigh again, and then allowed sleep to take him.

------

Up on deck, Sayid started to recognise the cliffs they were approachings as the ones near the camp on the beach. Jack and Kate hadn't resurfaced from the cabin when they had gone down hours ago, and one could only assume that they were both asleep down there.

"Someone should go wake Jack and Kate." He announced to whoever was listening. "We'll be back soon."

"I will." Sawyer volunteered, needing something to do just to keep him occupied.

He headed downstairs into the cabin, and looked around at the mess that hadn't been cleared up before spotting the people he was looking for over on the bed.

It was a double bed, but they were only occupying the outer side of it. They were both laying on their sides, curled into each other so that they were fused together. Arms were tightly wrapped around one another, lingering on the others back as they ensured that sleep would not part them. Jack's lips were still lingering on her forehead from that goodnight kiss, and Kate was burying her face comfortably into his neck.

Sawyer turned around and went back up to the deck.

"Are they awake?" Sayid asked when he got to the top of the stairs.

"No." He said simply.

"But-"

Sawyer didn't give him a chance to complete his sentance, and just dragged him, Sun and Jin downstairs. The four of them looked down at the sleeping pair, and right on time, Kate let out a tiny whimper in her sleep, edging even closer as Jack's arms tightened around her instinctively.

"You wanna wake them up?" Sawyer asked after a minute of 'aawws'. "Be my guest."

Sawyer stalked back upstairs, leaving the sleeping couple in peace, knowing that they would only hurt him badly if they knew that he was responsible for the ending of such a moment for them.

Sun, however, spotted a camera, clearly belonging to Desmond, lying on the worktop. He must have been taking photographs on his trip around the world. She turned it on, noticing that it had one picture left on it. Smiling to herself, she sneaked closer to Jack and Kate, snapping the picture of them lying together.

When they were rescued, they would definately have to get the film developed.