A/N: Another old one from me :) Hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to claim ownership I can't...

Interlude

I follow him not long after he takes off into the jungle. His tracks aren't hard to find but I take my time, knowing he needs to work off some of his anger. It's been a couple of traumatic days, especially for him and not for the first time since we crashed here I wish he would just stop. Stop caring about everyone else and just think about himself for a moment.

I find the bandage he'd wrapped around his arm and my heart starts beating a little faster, but suddenly I hear the trashing of someone approaching fast, and Jack comes stumbling out of the trees, his chest heaving with fatigue and a dark look to his eyes.

When he spots me, his eyes flashes with annoyance, "Kate, what are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you" I explain, already frustrated. Like he didn't know I'd follow him.

"Well… You found me" he mutters, continuing ahead of me.

"You need to come back" I tell him, as I almost stumble after him.

"Not without Locke" he replies evenly, determination evident in his voce.

I try and reason with him, "You haven't slept, you gave Boone your own blood-"

"Locke lied." He tells me still forging ahead, as if that was reason enough for him to ignore the condition he's in.

"Well now you're-"

"He lied Kate!" He almost shouts as he finally turns and stops moving. I come to a stop myself, not knowing what to say to make it better for him.

He takes a step closer to me, the anger radiating off him "Boone did not fall off any cliff. His leg was crushed and I based my medical treatment on his lie!" he stares at me a moment, the devastation and frustration clear in his eyes. He turns around again for a moment and I know it's selfish of me, of all of us, but we need him to be strong right now.

So I follow him and tell him the truth, knowing he won't be able to ignore my plea, "People are scared and upset, they don't know what's going on."

He finally stops moving and I know I have his attention. He doesn't look at me, just stares into the jungle, breathing deeply.

"We need you to come back Jack… please." At this he finally looks at me, his haunted look making my eyes burn. Even in his darkest hour, he cares. The need to make sure everyone's okay beats his own need for answers and I know he'll come with me.

He looks to the ground, a defeated sigh escaping him and when he moves again I'm afraid he's falling, but instead he sits down on a fallen tree, his backpack sliding to the jungle floor with a thud that resonates around us. His head hangs low and he seems even too exhausted to bring his hands up to support it. My heart cries out for him, and the tears I've been keeping at bay since last night threaten to spill. I swallow against my own pain and approach him, slowly almost as if he was a scared animal.

I kneel before him, my hands landing on his knees as I try to get him to look at me. In the few weeks we've spent on this island, we've gone through hell together, but I've never seen him like this. He's been strong, stubborn and unwavering, never allowing himself a vulnerable moment. But everyone has a breaking point and I'm afraid this is his. Not that I blame him… He's very much allowed this moment of weakness.

When he finally looks at me I have to catch my breath at the sorrow in his eyes and I'm reminded that there's still so much I don't know about him. We're practically strangers and yet there's a part of me that feels like I've known him forever. And I feel guilty at the fact that I'm happy he's letting himself be vulnerable with me; letting me share this with him, when I know it's so hard.

I desperately want to comfort him, but I have no idea what to say. So instead I let my hands travel up his arms to his neck and face. Normally he'd tense as much as I when we're this close, but he just keeps staring at me, his eyes searching mine. I smooth away the tears under his eyes with my thumbs, letting one hand stay on his cheek, the other wrapping around his neck. I stroke the back of his head softly and I'm surprised at how soft his cropped hair is.

I give him a weak smile, unable to keep a few tears from falling. He closes his eyes and as if it was the most natural thing in the world I lean forward enveloping him in my arms and his head comes to rest on my shoulder. He lets out a shaky breath and I feel his hesitation but after a moment his own arms wrap around me. Relief surges through me and I hold him a little tighter in response. Neither of us says a word and as I continue to cling to him I wonder if I'm doing this for Jack… or for myself.