Greetings! The show might have finished five years ago (FIVE) but I still watch it reguarly and miss it loads. I especially, especially, especially miss Jack and Kate. I wish more than anything we had gotten more scenes with them off-island, learning what exactly went down. Don't get me wrong, what we got to see was great - but I'm greedy. So to satisfy my urge, I had to imagine what I think was the most likely path they took, and how it all played out.

I've tried my best to work out the timeline, but if it occasionally looks a bit out-of-order, just let me know. Also this is totally work in progress - I've written about five chapters so far and it's taken me months, but I'm really enjoying it.

Hey, perhaps nobody will be interested in this, but that's cool. Or maybe some of you will enjoy it - let me know, if so. :)

Chapter One

There wasn't anyone there to meet her when they climbed off the chopper – climbed back in to the real world. This is what she had wanted, so desperately, to get back to – and for a fleeting moment she wished she wasn't back at all. She had known there would be nobody waiting to greet her with a smile – just with handcuffs. Then a hand (his hand, she knew) found the small of her back, and she heard his voice in her ear.

"You ok?"

He asked her that a lot. Sometimes, his concern irritated her – had she not proven that she could look after herself? But she appreciated it just now. She looked up at him, his eyes gazing down at her intently, his attention solely on her in the middle of all this furore – people were embracing around them, shouting, rushing past – but she found a vague feeling of stability in the midst of it all. If she had openly answered yes, she would have been lying, but she pursed her lips and nodded.

The feds would want to speak to her. They knew it; they had even discussed it, briefly. On the boat. On the chopper, too. Or, as much as Jack and Kate could properly discuss such an uncomfortable topic. And so partly to put off the moment, and partly because, for reasons Jack both heartily acknowledged and blissfully ignored, he wanted to introduce Kate to his mother, Jack guided Kate through the small throng of people to where he had left Margo standing, waiting for him to return.

"I get you back from the dead and you disappear on me again!" She was smiling at him. Beaming, in fact. Jack even managed a grin back.

Kate appeared at his side and caught Margo's attention. The three of them were all aware that Margo knew exactly who Kate was. She had seen the news. ESCAPED FUGITIVE PREVIOUSLY FEARED DEAD RETURNS TO FACE MURDER TRIAL, most of the headlines couldn't exactly avoid them. But Jack must have said something to her, because her greeting verged on warmth. She cooed over Aaron, complimented Kate, said Aaron was a gorgeous little boy. Jack stood close at her side, watching Kate as she awkwardly accepted the compliments. He was aware that he was essentially introducing a fugitive to his mother, but at the same time was fiercely happy that he was introducing Kate to his mother. A scenario he had never, really, imagined happening. Perhaps only in his wildest daydreams, in a world devoid of islands, and plane crashes, of quick-witted southerners, and of mugshots… Jack smiled at his mother, but it didn't quite reach his eyes – he knew the lies had begun. And he hated it already. It made him uneasy.

But he had to be the strong one, he had to lead them in this. He had convinced the others to go along with it, after all…

The next thirty minutes were organised chaos. Oceanic officials eventually shepherded the limited crowd away and steered the survivors to a building, where the Six were briefed on what was to happen next. They were to be taken to a hotel, to settle for the time being, while they got their affairs back in order. Oceanic were going all out on the compensation front.

The lady from the chopper asked to speak to Kate outside for a moment. Kate obliged – like she had any other choice. She headed towards Sun and gently passed Aaron over, giving him a quick kiss before she did so. "I'll be back soon, ok?"

Jack had been keeping an eye on Kate to see how she reacted to all this, but so far she hadn't met his glances. As she made her way towards the lady from Oceanic, she passed Jack, and, finally, caught his gaze. Jack knew full well she could fend for herself, but he saw the well-hidden fear in her eyes, the desire now to run, but with absolutely nowhere to run to – was she going back in to custody? Did she regret leaving the island, if all that was waiting for her was a cell? She didn't break her stride but he fell in to step behind her, stopping by a grey car.

The Oceanic official looked apologetic as she got straight to it. "Miss Austen. This will come as no surprise to you, I'm sure – there are two men in this car who need to speak to you. If you go with them now, they assure me that given… given the circumstances, you aren't going to be arrested right here, right now. But they do need to speak to you. If you-"

"Right now? You're making her go with them right now?" Jack interrupted, the tone of his voice incredulous, unfolding his arms almost as though to gesticulate in protest. His manner was brash. Kate didn't want him making a scene here... she had already spotted some well-hidden cameras.

"Mr Shephard, I know you have all been through an incredible ordeal, and believe me when I say I'm not underestimating that, but Miss Austen's situation here remains the same-"

Jack cut her off again, a humourless half-laugh leaving his lips. "We only just got back, Jesus Christ – let the woman sleep first, let her readjust-"

"Jack." This time it was Kate that interrupted. "Leave it. It's fine. I have to do this sooner or later."

"With all due respect Miss Austen, it has to happen sooner." The lady re-joined the conversation. "But as I say – they just want to speak to you for the time being. What has happened to you has been remarkable, and it does change the way… the way things will proceed from now on. If you go with them now, they've assured me they will drive you back to the hotel later on and you can start to discuss the legal proceedings with Oceanic."

Great.

"I'll go with you," Jack was saying, his hand landing on her elbow and she turned slightly towards him.

"Mr Shephard-"

"Jack, I told you. Leave it." Jack had reacted badly, but Kate had been preparing herself for this for a long time.

"I'll be right over there." The official headed back toward the other survivors.

"Kate, let me come with you." Jack said immediately.

She smiled, somehow, her irritation at Jack's brashness thinning as she saw the concern in his eyes. The reality of her situation was only now hitting home for him. At least she had known exactly what was coming. "Jack. Stop it - I'll be fine. You heard the lady – I'll be at the hotel in a couple of hours."

Jack ran his hand through his hair. Classic sign he was worried about something. "You sure you'll be ok?"

"I'll be ok." She glanced away from him, back towards the others. "You did it, huh? We're home."

Jack pursed his lips and shook his head slightly, looking back towards the chopper that they had landed on. "Not sure how much credit I can take for this."

A man got out the car beside them. "Time to go." It seemed he had a more no-nonsense approach than the lady from Oceanic.

"Guess I'll see you later." Kate felt like she was the one reassuring Jack even though it was her that was being carted off in a police car.

"Yeah. Be – good luck." He stumbled over his words. He didn't know what to say. They just got back, and they were hauling her off… already? That's not how it was supposed to be, surely? He stood there for a moment, bereft, then realised he ought to pull himself together. She was the one being carted off in the police car, after all... "Yeah. It'll be ok." He offered her a small smile, acknowledging that he knew he worried about her too much. "I'll be there, at the hotel. When you get back."

She gave him a small smile. "Don't wait up."

Without thinking too much about it, Jack took a small step towards Kate and gently, loosely, wrapped his arms around her, hugging her lightly, not sure if she would appreciate his attempt at reassurance or not. It turned out she did – she pulled him tighter to her, one hand on the back of his head, fingers scratching at the exposed skin at the top of his shirt. Jack squeezed her against him, his face, for a moment, nestled in the nape of her neck. He realised as he inhaled her that he had needed this contact perhaps more than she did. They hadn't shared many hugs – in fact, if he remembered correctly, the last time she had hugged him, she had stolen his walkie. It kind of reminded him that she could fend for herself. So he pulled away, hands lingering on her arms for a moment before the policeman opened the car door for her. Kate and Jack averted their eyes as she got in.

Then, not for the last time, he watched her drive away from him.