Title: A Case of Him
Author: Noa
Pairing: Jack/Kate
Fandom: Lost
Theme/Lyric Code: T.22 (we're gonna be alright)
Genre: fluff, sorta... haha, yeah it's total fluff. I'm in denial
Rating: PG
Warning: Spoilers for season 2 up until 2.12, just to be safe
Summary: Oneshot.Kate's on hatch duty when Jack comes in. Seeing as they haven't spoken in a while, it looks like some apologies are in order.
WordCount: 1559
Other: The characters might be a bit ooc. It's been a while since I've wrote fanfic of any kind, so it might be a bit rusty. Or just plain bad. But I love Jate so, even if I'm the only one who gets a kick outta reading this, so be it ;-)
Written for the 40mixed community on Livejournal.
A Case of Him
Kate set the needle to play and moved back to the couch and her old crossword puzzle sitting on the coffee table. Settling in, she tried not to think of the four more hours ahead of her on Hatch duty, and focused on Joni Mitchell's lithe voice filtering through the speakers in the living room. She hadn't been alone at first, paired with Hurley for the night, he quickly begged off saying he had plans to "chill with Libby". Right, Kate thought, chill. Meanwhile, she was stuck inside the hatch with an endless supply of old science fiction novels and periodicals that no longer had any relevance to anything she cared about, whether she was stranded on an island or not. She was pretty sure, at least, that she had no use of feathering her hair.
Taking a sip of her glass of water, Kate pondered the clue for 23 across. Stranded . . . she snorted into her glass. Hmm, marooned maybe? She mentally patted herself on the back when the word fit. She was getting better at these puzzles, thankfully. They were the only thing keeping her occupied during these long shifts. Without warning, the sound of metal straining against metal caused Kate to jump and spill ice water on the puzzle book, soaking the pages and her pants. She glanced up towards the hallway leading to the entrance of the hatch and let out a breath when she saw it was only Jack entering the underground nightmare of an apartment. The way things had been lately, any unknown thing could put her on edge, and the way she saw it, there were a lot of unknowns here on the island.
Just as soon as she let herself relax, she tensed up again. She hadn't spoken to Jack since . . . since harsh words on the beach in passing a week ago. And before that? The kiss. Oh God, the kiss. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks at the thought of running again. Putting on a placid face, Kate leaned forward and placed her now empty glass on the coffee table, and forcing herself not to be angry over her ruined crossword and soaking wet lap, she turned to Jack.
He was placing his backpack on the ground next to the medical supply cabinet, his back towards her. She cleared her throat, grabbing his attention and he turned towards her.
"Oh. Kate." he said, trying hard to look like this was the first time he noticed she was in the room. She wondered if not being angry was letting him off easy, especially when he greeted her like that.
"Jack." She replied. "What are you doing?"
He gestured to the medical supplies now laid out around him. "Taking a few things back to the beach. Ana sprained her ankle."
Kate briefly wondered if she should feign sympathy, but then she realized that Jack would see through that. He always saw through her. On the record player, Joni started to sing about being to sea before. Kate wondered if Jack would ever anchor her, or just let her sail away. She wondered if she would ever let him anchor her.
She watched him awkwardly turn back to the cabinet and resume filling his bag full of supplies. Kate felt her heart tug at her a little, and resignedly stood up and slowly walked to his crouched form. If he noticed her movements, he didn't say anything as she practically had to stand right next to him before he acknowledged her presence.
"Jack," She started, wincing a bit as her voice caught in her throat. He looked back up at her, this time his face betraying how much he wished he could hide his frustration toward her. "We need to talk."
Sighing he zipped up the backpack with great aggravation, and stood up. "Yeah, we do. But I don't think now's a good time." He was so angry with her. Kate couldn't match it anymore. She was sick of this little game they kept playing. Angry for angry, spiteful for spiteful.
"Kate." She said her name dejectedly, casting a glance down to the floor.
"What?" Jack asked.
"You never say my name anymore." She hated the way she was losing the strength in her voice. She hated how he did that to her.
"Well, I wonder why, Kate?" He slung the back pack over his left shoulder, and made to move past her.
Kate moved in front of him, stopping any attempts to get away. "No, Jack, you don't get to do this. We need to talk."
"Later."
"No! Now." She grabbed his arm as he tried again to get around her small frame. He stopped and turned to her, chucking his backpack to the floor and folding his arms across his chest. Kate tried not to look at the tattoo peeking out of his tee shirt sleeve, and pushed back a memory that seemed so long ago. A sunny day on the beach. Flirting shamelessly in front of everyone. It seemed so easy then, when they weren't like this.
"Talk." He set his jaw, as if preparing for a blow.
Kate tugged at the hem of her purple tank top, vaguely aware that this was what she was wearing when they kissed in the jungle that day. Eyes still glued to the floor, she started her speech. The one she had practiced what seemed like a hundred times since that day.
"I'm . . . I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry I followed you on the trek to find Michael. I'm sorry I ruined our chances of- finding him." She paused here, choking on the words, ashamed at the thought that she could be the difference between Michael living or dying. "And I'm sorry I've been so . . . cold to you lately, but you haven't been exactly nice either."
"I wonder why?" He cut in, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Kate hated this side of him.
"That's not fair! I'm not finished yet." Kate glared at Jack, ignoring the fact that she suddenly sounded like a child and continued before he could point it out.
"I'm sorry that I ran. Okay? I wish I didn't now, but it's not like I can go back . . . " Kate turned away from him now, not wanting to see his face as she let her barriers down. "I'm sorry, Jack. I should- shouldn't have run, but it's what I do. When I'm in a situation I can't face, I run. That's the difference between us Jack. I can't count to five . . . I'm gone before I can start." Sucking in a breath and letting the tears that had been silently building up now fall freely down her freckled cheeks, she hastily wiped them away.
"Kate," His voice was softer now, as Jack reached out for her shoulder. "It's okay." And even though he said the words she'd been wanting to hear for two weeks now, she knew it wasn't.
"Jack . . . " She breathed his name, not wanting to let him in any more, but feeling like it was out of her hands. Kate looked at him now, eyes filled with regret and apology. "I was scared. I'm sorry. This island, the- it was making me crazy. You were there, and you- I was overwhelmed. I didn't mean to run, really. It was nice. The kiss." She breathed a laugh at how silly she was not to mention it before, especially now to see the brief flash of relief on Jack's face when she said that. It seemed like he needed to hear that it wasn't him, and she told him that.
"Honestly Jack," Kate took his wrist, and felt his pulse, letting a tiny smile pass over her lips. "It wasn't you. It was me." He laughed a little at her use of the old cliche, but this time it was true. "I miss you, Jack." She didn't want to whisper the last part, but it came out as just that.
"Kate." He said her name again, leaving it open. She offered him a shy smile, and as he returned it, she knew she had been forgiven.
"I'm sorry, too. For being such an ass to you this past-" He started. Kate silenced him with a hug.
"Shut up." She said playfully into his ear, briefly letting her lips rest on the crook of his neck, stubble tickling her. "It's done." They stayed like that for a long while, Kate decided. Minutes seemed to pass before they let each other go. When they did separate, she looked up at him, feeling like a teenager again, and asked hopefully, "Friends?"
"Always." Jack smiled. He picked up his backpack and headed off towards the door, pausing to turn around and find her still grinning at him. Grabbing a book off the shelf as he walked back to her, he handed a new crossword puzzle book to her. "Sorry about your other one. And your pants." He glanced down at her still wet khaki's and giggled, and she felt her face once again begin to flush. Chucking her under the chin, Jack turned once more and Kate watched him leave, grin wildly plastered to her face, book clutched in her hand, relief filtering through her body and Joni on the stereo singing about wine and still being on her feet. Kate kinda knew what that felt like.
Fin