A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

Disclaimer – I don't own Lost or any of the characters.

Chapter 1

"You're always worrying about him, Freckles." Sawyer yelled at her. "Always making sure he's okay, that's he's not pushing himself, getting enough sleep…" His words rang through Kate's mind as she walked through the jungle alone.

"That's not true!" She had argued back. "It's just that somebody once in awhile has to remind Jack not to take on everything by himself."

"So how's come it always has to be you buttercup?" he spit back. "You still got feelings for him, doncha?"

This had been an almost regular replay of their arguments over the last three weeks. When he and the others had returned from the raft trip Kate had been thrilled to see him again. She had realized how similar she and Sawyer were and decided to stop fighting her attraction for him. The initial start of their relationship had been happy though Kate insisted they kept it on the quiet side. Sawyer had figured it had something to do with Jack, but Kate just explained that she did not want to become further fuel for the island gossip. Jack had found out about them when he came up on them kissing in the jungle shortly after they had gotten together. Kate saw the look in his eyes and was surprised to see pain and disappointment flash before he turned and walked away. Sawyer had been too busy kissing her neck to even realize Jack had been there and couldn't understand why Kate abruptly pushed him away and headed back to the beach with an unexplained feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm with you" she told Sawyer when they argued again today. She had taken a step towards him and took his hand. He shook it off angrily.

"Not all of you." He replied this time. "And I'm tired of sharing. It's time for you to make up your mind, Freckles. And I mean really make up your mind." With that he had turned and walked away.

Shaking her head Kate continued through the jungle remembering Sawyer's angry look. 'He has nerve', she thought to herself accusing me of wanting to be with Jack. 'I've told him Jack and I don't have anything between us'. She remembered how happy she had been when Sawyer returned – he seemed to lift her spirits and make her forget about the tension that had built between her and Jack. She had resented his decision to carry the dynamite instead of trusting her to do it. Sun had suggested later that maybe he had done it to protect her. 'I don't need protecting' Kate had thought then "He needs to stop acting like I'm his responsibility'.

Sawyer on the other hand had no problem letting her do what she felt she needed to do. "Knock yourself out Freckles" was he usual mantra. He felt no need to hold her back when she volunteered for something. Not that she could totally fault Jack. If she was honest with herself she had to admit it was kind of nice to have somebody worry about her once in awhile. She hadn't had that since Tom. Kate smiled to herself. Jack did have his moments. Moments that, if she continued to be honest with herself, had made her stomach flit when he had come into view or the way his eyes would dance when he shared a genuine smile with her. Something he rarely did these days.

Kate sighed as she put her backpack on the ground and grabbed her water bottle for a drink. Jack was a special man unlike anyone she had met in her pre-island life. A man who at times had made her want to be the woman he saw when he looked at her.

Lost deep in thought, Kate didn't see the small spider-like creature crawling down from the tree she leaned against and start climbing down her shoulder. She didn't feel it until it bit her shoulder blade.

"Ow!" She cried out and instinctively brought her hand up to the spot and slapped what bit her away without seeing it. Immediately she felt a burning sensation start to form around the bite area. Worried about what it was that got her she bent over to pick up her backpack and felt a small rush of dizziness. 'Better get back to camp and have Jack look at it' she thought to herself. Looking around she realized she was in a part of the jungle she hadn't been to but once before previously. As her shoulder blade continued to burn Kate started walking back the way she came. A few minutes later she felt the burning and tingling start to travel down her left arm. Her fingers started tingling and then she couldn't feel her left hand. Looking down just to make sure it was still there she started running. Whatever it was that was happening to her she needed help quick.

As the tingling travel across her back and to her right shoulder she could see the beach camp. "Help" she called out hoping somebody was nearby. "Somebody help me please"

As she got closer to the jungle edge she felt another wave of dizziness come on this one much stronger. Then Sayid appeared running towards her.

"Kate!" he called out "What's wrong?"

"I don't know." She chocked out as the dizziness grew. "I think something bit me" Suddenly her legs seemed to lose their strength and turn to jell-o.

Sayid reached her just in time and grabbed her as she started to fall. "What bit you?" he asked.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get an answer to his question. Kate had passed out