AHHH! The horror of past-season writing!! So, I found this I an old notebook, read it, and said 'Eh, what the heck'. I decided to throw chappie one up. You'll immediately see that it doesn't fit S4, since it was written prior to the airing, but...bear with me, please. Oh, and leave a comment, even if it's to criticize. I love to here from you guys!
I love you. The words had rolled so easily off his tongue. Kate Austen was jealous. Accustomed to a life of secret, the free admission of such a magnitude completely astounded her. Even more confusing had been their mutual reaction to the news. Or rather, the lack of any.
Television had been a luxury she had not been permitted often as a child. Her stepfather Wayne had been lord and master over the family's single TV, and neither Kate nor her mother had ever disputed that.
There had been several occasions, however, when she had arrived home after school to an empty house. Her mother had often worked double shifts, and Wayne liked to spend his afternoons boozing around town with his buddies. Thus Kate had grown up as a latch-key kid, a privilege she was immensely grateful for. Fun was in short supply, so she took it in any form she could. Most days this meant soap operas.
She had become obsessed with them. To her, they represented something she had been denied: love. Even when she had been on the run, and during her brief marriage, she had watched them wherever possible. Tom had often joked they were her dream life. And perhaps they were. Every episode was full of excitement, drama, and love. And her current situation didn't fit.
It was hard to watch and afternoon of soaps without witnessing at least one declaration of undying love between characters. And every time, without fail, these life-changing words brought dramatic results. Kate had watched scenes of everything from a passionate kiss to something much, much more adult-rated following the confession. This had been nothing like that. There had been a smile, a shared look, and then it was back to business.
These were the thoughts running through Kate's mind as she sat on her small sander staring blankly out across the water. They had arrived back at the beach earlier that morning. Jack had started them back from the radio tower As soon as possible now that rescue was coming. Rescue.
Everyone was looking forward to it, Kate knew. That is, everyone but her. Why shouldn't they? Home to them meant warm beds, hot showers, perhaps a Starbucks. For her, return to the United States was a far different matter.
The only thing that awaited her was disgusting food, concrete floors, and those cold, iron, restricting bars that were the trademark of a prison. The crime of killing her father was already unforgivable enough. Throw in evasion of the law for the past two years, and n court in the world was going to let her off. No, the thing to do, the only thing to do when the boat took them home, was to run. She regretted having to do it, but Kate refused to have her freedom taken. She knew that it would be tough, to lose her friends, the people she had allowed herself to grow close to, the people she loved.
Jack………
She felt rather than heard or saw him. Without actually turning, she watched as he settled himself on the sand beside her.
"Okay, so you're too far ashore to be sinking, you're not in a hundred-foot-high tree picking fruits I can't even name, and your lack of weapon tells me you're not hunting. So I guess that means thinking. About the rescue?" His voice was playful, and it sent shivers up her spin. Damn him. How did he always now what she was thinking?
Well, technically, he's only half right, she reassured herself. Although that's not something I'm gonna tell him.
She didn't answer; he waited patiently. She stared at the ocean, her hands, the backpack she had carelessly dropped beside her, back at the water. Anywhere but at him. The avoidance fazed him not, but the two tears that squeezed themselves from the corners of her eyes and gently rolled down her face did. Immediately the teasing was gone, replaced by concern.
"Hey. Are you alright? The voice was so tender, the eyes so worried, that she could not help but smile. Yes, he loved her.
"I'm scared." She whispered, now blinking furiously in an effort to ward the flood of tears she knew were coming. She lost.
"Of what?" His expression was so genuinely puzzled that, just for a moment, Kate's anger flared with the idea that Jack, smart, assured, take-care-of-any-and-all-problems Jack, could possibly be that dense. It died just as quickly as it came as the realization hit him.
"Kate" The look on his face said he would do anything if only he could stop her pain. She doubted he could. She was willing to let him try though. "Kate, my family runs in pretty high circles. There might be something I can do I could at least find you a good lawyer. Maybe even..." He trailed off as her mass of dark, curled hair followed her head in small, yet very definite back-and-forth jerks."
"No, Jack. There's not a lawyer in the universe that could get me off. D' you what the reward on my head was in Sydney? 23,000! And who knows what I'm going to get for evasion of the law. No, I can't do that. As soon as we land, I'm gonna have to run." The tears were gone now, replaced by a look of one who had accepted a hard truth, and was intent on carrying it out.
"Yeah." In this single word, he managed to portray an entire array of emotions. Sadness. Resignation. Defeat. Kate risked a sideways glance. Now it was him whose dull, unseeing eyes lay on his folded hanks. Her heart softened a bit. He was scared, too.
Jack seemed to rouse a bit. His chocolate brown irises rose to meet her green ones, and she melted even further at the depth of feelings she saw there. Her gaze roamed his face, as if willing her brain to memorize every feature. She drank in every detail. That broad forehead the supposedly meant intelligence, his strong jaw covered in never-ending stubble, his close-cropped hair that she privately believed he could grow a little, but that nevertheless looked incredibly sexy, his adorable nose, his full mouth…
"Where do you think you'll go?" She was forced to turn her attention back to his eyes, where she saw a new emotion-fear.
"I don't know. I'll probably have to hang around Los Angelus. For a while, at least, until I can save some money, though God knows that'll be tough, with the cost of living and all.." He silenced her with a dismissive flick of his hands.
" Oh, you'll stay with me, that's not the problem. I've got plenty of space, and it's not-" He stopped abruptly at the familiar look of defiance that marked Kate's face. His own reddened in response.
"I mean- well, ugh- that is." She was amused at his floundering, and was even more delighted when he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. She did not, however, remove the belligerent air from around her.
Turning his gaze on her once again, Jack spoke slowly and carefully, with the air of one who knew that the arrangement of his words was crucial to their acceptance.
"If you need a place to stay, Kate, I would be happy to offer you my home. I have several empty bedrooms available." He folded his hands meekly, his eyes begging forgiveness for his transgression. She relented, and her face brook out into a huge smile.
"I really appreciate the offer, Jack. Seriously, I do. But I wouldn't feel comfortable putting you into a law-breaking situation." Her eyes danced. "How would you save people from jail?"
He opened his mouth as if to protest, but quickly snapped it shut again at the warning look she threw. Nodding sullenly, he turned from her pointedly and instead chose to watch the sunset over the reasonably placid sea. She joined him.
It was only a matter of moments before Kate felt the feather light touch on her knees she had been expecting. Drawing her eyes from the spectacular natural wonder ahead of her she was met with another, if not as extraordinary, at least equally wonderful sight. He was smiling, his expression both understanding and grateful. She grinned in return, and for a moment time stood still. Then it was broken, and in unison they faced the west, and watched the great orange disk slip below the horizon. It was beautiful moment, the kind that poems written for it and set afire hearts full of love. And so, it seemed only natural when Jack's arm gently slipped around her shoulders. And neither was surprised when her head fell against his shoulder. It was a position of total comfort.
They watched the night fall.
Alright, guys, tell me what you think. I'm planning on making it a three-shot, so around six or seven thousand words. Just enough to get a taste of Jate, to tide us over til spring. It was basically intended to be introspective, but plot action somehow crept in, so no dice. But I'm pretty happy with the overall effect; kinda a insight of character, with just a tad bit of fluff. Not to much, cause canon makes my world go round. Oh, and by the way, I've got my sister typing this, cause I'm pretty busy with RL. So if you see any structural errors, please let me know. She has alot of mistypes, and I try to catch the ones I can, but... anyways, thanks. Next chapter coming soon, unless you guys think it totally blows!