This story is to help me with some Jate fix (LOST is still how many months away). It's about the journey of Jack and Kate coming towards each other. I'm not offering answers about the island myths cause I don't have them. They're merely there for supporting the JATE story. Please no flames as this written our of enjoyment and I hope you have fun reading it as well.
Another note: these characters do not belong to me.
It has been a month since the Oceanic 6 returned. Jack listens to a voice as he searches around the jungle.
"Redemption. You can get everyone off this island Jack. Just like you promised them long time ago."
"How?"
"Sacrifice."
Jack continues to follow the voice--running at a speed that he never knew he could run. Until suddenly, he falls forward and is now facing a pair of white tennis shoes. He slowly stands, lifts his head and meets the eyes of the elder Shephard.
"What do you want from me!" Jack yells at the man. "I was happy. And you, you son of a bitch had to take everything away from me."
"It's not about what he wants Jack." A blonde fair faced girl appears behind Jack. "It's about the island wanting something from you."
"Claire?" Jack squints his eyes at the woman.
"The island wants you son. You, a great man-" Christian Shepherd steps closer at his distraught son.
"What would the island want with me?" Jack interrupts.
"Sacrifice." Claire whispers.
Jack opens his eyes and awakens to the sound of the beach and the numerous conversations murmuring a few steps away. He leans forward and rubs the soreness of the back of his head for falling asleep against a tree. He feels the wind blow against his clean shaven face and closes his eyes as he feels the sting of the ocean wind.
"Sacrifice." Jack whispers.
He stands up and makes his way to the rest of the camp. He stops a few yards away from the crowd as he notices Sawyer sharing a joke with Kate who brightens up with a smile. Jack feels his heart drop as he realizes what he has to do.
Rushing through the crowd--and getting odd looks along the way--Jack runs towards the deepness of the jungle.
"So I guess you couldn't bear to be away from the beach." A southern drawl snaps Kate out of her trance.
Kate smiles before responding, "What do you want Sawyer?"
Kate hears him murmur something but is suddenly sidetracked by the sight of Jack looking at her and suddenly looking away. She watches his back as he pushes through the camp and runs off into the jungle.
"Jack?" She calls out but gets no response.
She moves to follow him but at the pace he was running she quickly loses sight of him. Her tracking skills take over as she follows the trails of crushed leaves and soil in hopes of catching up with him.
"What happened?" A Middle Eastern man appears behind her.
"I don't know? I saw him looking over then all of a sudden he just runs off. Sayid, you worked with Ben. You must know something about what's going on with Jack."
"I am sorry Kate but Ben never told me anything. Only that he deceived me into returning to this cursed place."
The duo continued to trek into the jungle for another hour as the sun begins to fade.
"Kate, we have to return to camp."
"No. I'm not going back without him."
"You saw him running like a madman. We won't catch up to him. All we'll do is follow his tracks while he keeps going to wherever he's going. It isn't safe to be wandering around the dark, we should go."
"Sayid, I--"
They hear a thump and a twig snap and they follow the sound. Right in the middle of the ground is the very person they are looking for.
"Jack!" Kate helps him up as he groggily rubs his head.
Sayid takes his other arm and they make their way towards the beach.
"What's going on Jack?" Sayid asks.
"I--" Jack falls to his knees just as he's about to answer and coughs up blood.
Jack runs through the trees as he searches for more answers.
"Where are you?" He whispers. "What do you want me to sacrifice?"
"Hello Jack." A familiar bald old man approaches him.
"What are you doing here Locke? Came back to the living to--"
"I know what you're trying to do--"
"I've done what this island has told me to do. I've brought everyone back. I've given up everything--"
"So the island told you to kill Richard Alpert?"
"No, only that I deliver him to the cabin. He was afraid to go in the cabin. But once he was inside, the door shut me out and I saw him turn into an old man through the window. He kept getting older until he was nothing but ash."
"I don't understand."
"The island doesn't want these people, the Others, here anymore. Once they leave the island won't let them back in anymore. But it needs them to leave."
"Why would the island want them gone?" Locke asks as he puts his hand in his pocket.
"Because you people are greedy and murderous bastards. Those people and children that were taken you experimented on them."
"We needed to learn more about the island and how we can use to help other people."
"That still does not justify murder!" Jack shouts at him.
"Those were accidents. But I guess I can't convince you of that. I do need you to reconsider Jack. Stop what you're doing."
Jack just scoffs at him.
Locke quickly punches Jack in the head. Jack tries to get up but Locke quickly grabs his feet and drags him to a nearby tree and ties Jack's feet against it.
Jack sits up but Locke pushes him back and steps on his hands to keep him from fighting back. Stifling a pained groan, Jack tries to wriggle his hands free to no avail. He watches as Locke takes out a small bottle from his pocket and places is close his face. Jack can smell it as the older man forcefully forces the liquid in his mouth. Locke places a hand over Jack's mouth to keep him from spitting it out and the other hand covers his nose to force him to swallow.
Jack finally gives in and swallows the medicine. He feels Locke's weight leave his hands and his feet unbound.
"Goodbye Jack." He hears Locke say as he leaves.
Jack groggily stands and tries to pursue his rival. He ends up falling back to the ground and lands on a twig.
Suddenly he hears someone call his name.
"Jack!?" He hears Kate yell for him as she runs toward him and helps him to his feet.
He sees another man and recognizes Sayid as he takes his other arm to help him walk.
Kate awakes alone in the middle of the night. Panic stricken, she looks around the tent and runs outside. Looking inside Jack's tent she sees Aaron cuddled up to the doctor. Kate smiles at the image and bends to pick up the boy. For the past 2 days Aaron has been sneaking inside Jack's tent in the middle of the night and Kate always awakens with panic whenever he's missing. Although, she always knows where to look first.
"Mmgh…" Aaron mumbles as his head lands on Kate's shoulder.
"Shh…it's okay." Kate kisses the top of his head as he continues his slumber.
She hears a cough behind her and watches as Jack slowly blinks his eyes open. He squints his eyes at her and hoarsely calls out,
"Kate? What's going on?"
Kate slowly sits beside him--careful not to wake Aaron.
"That's what I need to ask you. You've been out for 2 days. You ran into a jungle and we found you coughing up blood and passing out."
Jack breaks eye contact and looks up the ceiling.
Kate stands up and heads for the exit but Jack grabs her wrist.
"I'm sorry." Jack says while trying to get her to look at him.
"Don't be." Kate responds and goes back to her tent.
The next morning Kate leaves Aaron to the care of his island babysitter--Hurley. She grabs a bottled water and fills a bowl with oatmeal. She takes the meal and drink to Jack's tent and sees him slowly waking up.
"Here eat this." She hands him the bowl and bottle. "You look sick and pale--"
"Thanks." Jack sits up and takes the food from her.
Kate turns to leave but Jack's voice stops her.
"I know you hate me and it's completely my fault. But I promise you that everything will be better soon. You'll be off this island with no one haunting--"
"How Jack? How?" Kate angrily interrupts.
Jack watches her turn away from him as she wipes her tears.
"Trust me."
"I did and you hurt me."
"I know. I know I should've been better. Better for you and better for Aaron. I screwed up. But I promise you Kate, it'll be better."
Kate looks him in the eyes and finds hope in them and yet a great amount of sadness. She breaks away and turns to leave.
"Just finish your food Jack."
Kate finds Aaron playing Frisbee with Hurley and Bernard while Rose watches from the sidelines. She joins Rose and laughs as Hurley falls on his face trying to catch the disc.
"How is he?" Rose inquires while watching the boys play.
"He's better."
"You don't sound happy."
Kate faces the older woman.
"I don't know." Kate says shakily and releases a frustrated laugh. "With Sawyer, it was easier. It was fun and you know what to expect from him. I love Sawyer but…" Her thoughts searches for ways to finish the sentence."
"But you don't love him like Jack." Rose finishes for her.
"With Jack, I felt safe, happy and I don't know--feels like your heart is just beating too fast and you need to slow down."
"And your stomach makes it feel like you're falling from the sky." Rose adds.
"Yeah. But it hurts more with him." Kate looks down at her feet as she thinks about their last fight.
"Of course it's gonna hurt more hon." Rose puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The happier you are the more pain it's gonna be when that happiness goes away. It's just the way it is. If it hurts that much it just means that it's more valuable to you."
"Yeah." Kate manages to agree. "You're right."
"Of course I'm right." Rose jokingly says. "Can't get anything in this world without suffering for it."
Kate smiles at her and they continue to watch the Frisbee game in front of them.