Rating: R

Genre: Romance/Angst

Spoilers: through 'I Do'

Summary: When Jack makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Kate, she begins to realize just how much he means to her. Post 'I Do.' Jate, with some Skate

Disclaimer: Don't sue. I don't own anything.

Love Unfold

Part One: This Changes Everything

It wasn't a difficult decision.

In fact, it just might be the easiest decision he had ever made. It came to him simply and wholly, and in one breathless moment, he knew—he knew, he knew, he knew—what he must do.

It wasn't difficult, because this—the sight of her naked form cradled in Sawyers arms—changed everything. Suddenly, he knew that Kate must survive, that Kate must be happy. And if this meant Sawyer must live, so be it. If this meant he, Jack, must stay behind, then so be it. If this meant using himself, his own life, as collateral for her freedom, then so be it.

Do you get nervous? Ben asked.

Not anymore, he said.

He was not afraid. Not this time. There was a fierce, crazy energy in his blood, something that gave his hands speed and precision as he cut out the tumor, and there was a righteous anger that he never felt before coursing through his body. But there was no fear—not in the quiet, steady beating of his heart or deep within the marrow of his bones. There was only absolute certainty and the one recurrent thought of Be brave, Kate. I need you to be brave.

The surgery went remarkably well. Perhaps this was because of his heightened focus, his own force of will. Perhaps, he inwardly scoffed to himself, it was fate that Ben should live. In any case, when he made the call to Kate and she answered him in a voice thick with fear, he decided that as long as she survived, he didn't care whether or not fate had a hand in it.

…When you get safe, you radio me and you tell me that story.

She cried that she wouldn't leave without him, and he screamed at her to run, and his entire life suddenly came to this one point in time, this moment turning, spinning, poised on the apex of her choice.

And even though he didn't really believe in God, he breathed a prayer to whoever might be listening.

Please, let her be safe. Let her be happy.

There was a rush, a roar, of feeling in his ears. Not fear, not anger. He didn't have a name for it as it washed over him, silencing all other noise around him.

Let her be free.

It was something in the sound of Jack's voice—fury, desperation—that made her run. Everything inside screamed at her to stay, to find Jack, wait for Jack, save Jack, but nevertheless her feet took off into the jungle. The undergrowth tore at her skin and clothes as she dodged trees and stray branches, dragging Sawyer along with her. She held his wrist in a vice grip as he stumbled behind her, eventually bringing both of them face-first into the mud.

Breath coming ragged now, they laid on the ground for a few long moments. Kate still clutched Sawyer's wrist, afraid to let him go. A wound high on his forehead poured blood, which the pounding rain washed away from his eyes. He stared at her, his face pale and one arm wrapped around his bruised ribs. We won't make it much farther at this pace, she thought, and then glanced at her watch. Only twenty more minutes till she needed to radio Jack.

Jack, she thought. Damn you, Jack, if anything happens to you… Emotion hit her like a tidal wave, and she bit her lip, swallowing back tears.

Sawyer watched her intently and then crawled over to her. "Com'on, Freckles. Let's get out of this downpour."

Kate followed him to a cluster of trees under which they huddled and rested. Sawyer pressed delicately at the gash on his head. She wiped the rain from her face.

"Sawyer?"

"Yeah?"

"What're we going to do?"

"Don't know, Freckles. Thought you had a plan."

"The main island, our island… How far is it? Can we swim to it?"

"Depends on how good of a swimmer you are. I'm not fit to swim across a kiddie pool right now, but you might make it. You could go head, bring back help."

"I'm not leaving you!" she snapped. "I've already…"

"Left Jack," he finished. His mouth twisted into an ironic smile. "Don't feel guilty, Freckles. He told you to go. Probably just wants to be the damn hero again."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn't." She turned away from him, burying her head in her arms. Sometimes Sawyer said the one thing she didn't want or need to hear. This, she decided, is one of those times.

"I ain't trying to make you feel better. I'm trying to figure what we're going do in the next twenty minutes before we get captured and thrown back into those damn cages. Got any suggestions?"

For a moment, Kate seriously considered punching him in the face. "No, I don't have any suggestions, other than swimming that channel, in which case we won't be able to bring help for at least another day or two. That is, if we even make it across. And by that time, Jack could be…"

She shut her eyes, and for one heady moment, she remembered the expression on Jack's face the day they were captured. Bound, gagged, and kneeling on the dock, his eyes met hers with such intensity and promise that she just knew everything would be okay.

No one had ever looked at her like that before.

"We have to go back," she said softly. "We can't leave him."

"Are you crazy? They had a gun pointed at my head. I ain't going back there."

"Fine. Don't." She met Sawyer's gaze impassively. "But I am."

He grabbed her forearm. "No way in hell—"

"You're not going to stop me, Sawyer."

His grip tightened till it hurt and her fingers began to go numb. Finally, he let go and stepped back, shaking his head. "I should'a known."

"Should've known what?"

"Should'a known you couldn't let go of the doc. I thought maybe with you professing your love for me and all…" He laughed bitterly.

Kate opened her mouth to reply but found that no sound could come. After a long moment, she managed, "I didn't… Jack, he… This isn't about you and me!"

" 'Course it is."

"Whatever. Do what you want. I'm not leaving him here."

"And what are you planning to do? We don't even know where they're holding him. Even if we can get close to the Hydra, how're we supposed to find him and get him out with getting caught ourselves? We haven't got weapons, no knives or guns—"

"I don't know, all right? I don't know." She paused and clenched her fists, which were faintly trembling with anger, pent-up frustration. "I—I'll figure it out. It doesn't really matter right now. All that matters is that they've got Jack, and they're probably going to kill him after he finishes the surgery. And I can't let that happen."

Sawyer swore softly. Then he said, "So I guess we turn around."

"I thought you said—"

"You think I'm going let you go in there all by your lonesome? You'd get yourself shot, Freckles. I can't let that happen." He reached out, gently touching her face, fingers tracing the delicate arch of her jaw.

Kate smiled up at him. There's my Sawyer.

And, taking his hand, she thought, I'm coming, Jack.

"Happy Birthday, Jack."

Setting aside his copy of the morning paper, Christian Shephard smiled at his thirteen-year-old son and nodded toward the red envelope propped up in the middle of the kitchen table. Jack grinned back at him and said, "What's this?"

"A surprise."

Jack reached for the envelope and tore it open, pausing a moment before pulling out two rectangular slips of paper. He flipped them over, and his eyes widened in surprise and delight. "Red Sox tickets? This is… Thank you."

"You're welcome, son."

"But, isn't this game in Boston? How are—"

"I have a conference there next weekend. I thought you could come with, and we could catch a game at Fenway."

"But what about Mom?"

"She's not coming this time. This trip is for men only."

Jack gave a small smile, but his dark, serous eyes were unusually bright. "That would be great, Dad. I can't wait."

"Neither can I, kiddo."

The smile on Jack's face grew larger, more confident. "Think the Sox will win the series this year?" he said, repeating their time-honored joke.

Christian snorted. "No way in hell. It's fate, Jack. It's fate, and that's why the Red Sox will never win the series."

Jack watched the clock intently. Could the second hand possibly move any slower? Three more minutes…

He moved over to the operating table and inspected Ben's incision. Blood was pooling around the liver. He swabbed it and tossed the bloodied cloth away. So far, so good.

Juliet watched him intently from across the room. Her mouth pulled into a tight, hard line; her eyes followed and measured the movement of his hands. "Jack," she said, "what you're doing is… suicidal. I could've protected you, you know."

He didn't bother to answer her, didn't even bother to acknowledge her.

"And do you think they're going to let you go now? You're dangerous now. And—and some of them will want revenge."

Jack laughed—a sharp, bitter sound. "I expect they will."

"Jack, I really think you—"

"What do you want, Juliet? All this time I've been here, you've pretended to be on my side when we both know—"

"Jack!"

The radio. He scrambled for the radio. "Kate? You there?"

"Jack, I'm here."

The words washed over him like the cool, gentle waves that lapped the beach on a hot day. Thank you, he thought to no one in particular.

Her voice came again, this time a little softer, breathier. "I'm safe. We're safe."

She means Sawyer, he realized, and felt the cold grip of jealousy around his heart. He was simultaneously relieved and angry that the other man escaped unharmed. Part of him cried out that it wasn't fair, that it wasn't right, that Sawyer did not deserve Kate, that Sawyer would not protect Kate. But he shoved these thoughts into some dark corner of his mind. For Kate's sake, he would be glad Sawyer was alive and free.

Clearing his throat, he said, "All right, Kate. Tell me the story."

"It was your first solo procedure. Everything was going fine until the very end, when you accidentally tore her… what's it called?"

"Dural sac."

"Yeah, that. You were afraid, afraid that that girl was going to die, and the fear was just—just overwhelming, So you decided to let the it in. To let it in and let it do its thing, but just for five seconds. And you did. And then you sewed her up, and she was fine. And… Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not running now."

"Kate!"

Click.

"Kate!" he shouted. "Kate. Are you there?" No answer. He clenched the radio so hard his fist began to shake. Damnit, Kate, he thought. Don't do this to me.

"Jack?" Juliet leaned over the table and Ben's prone body. "Hadn't you better sew him up now? Before—before it's too late?"

"Yeah."

Jack set the radio aside and picked up a needle, his hands ever so slightly unsteady.

Even so, the movements came easy after hundreds of hours of surgery. He pulled the thread tight and finished the procedure with one swift, tight knot. Then he breathed, suddenly feeling exhaustion come down like a heavy blanket around his body.

"Done."