Yes, Yes, Truth updates ARE coming (if you haven't checked, it just got updated last weekend I believe)
But COME ON! I felt as a Jater I was obligated to start something up after that unbelievable finale. This is going to, like Redemption, follow from the finale until a hypothetical end of LOST. Given how much crap the show has to sort out *sigh* there is some heavy mythology in this, so we shall see how that works out lol.
Jack gasped, lurching awake, a thin layer of sweat covered his forehead and he swallowed, loosening his tie. He blinked and took in his surroundings, as Rose stared at him in concern from across the aisle. Rose…it all came back to him in a rush…and he swallowed hard, remembering that he wasn't supposed to remember. He licked his lip. And if he remembered…his face paled and he stood quickly.
"Jack?" Rose asked in concern, raising an eyebrow.
"Excuse me," Charlie said, brushing past him, the air line attendants hot on his heels. He glanced back over his shoulder in confusion, doing a double take as he saw Jack watching him curiously. He took off again as the attendants neared, shooting Jack a pleading look, and Jack frowned, following the attendants after Charlie, passing Sayid who was running his hands over his chest in shock; looking for a bullet hole. A loud scream of joy stopped them all in their tracks, as a few rows back, Sun and Jin embraced fiercely, as their neighbors stared at them oddly; they had been practically ignoring each other a few seconds ago. His breath caught in his throat as he looked around. Most of the middle section of the plane was visible from his position. He saw Boone and Shannon, both looking curiously at Sun and Jin, but apparently not recognizing Sun or Jin. Sawyer caught his eye silently, his raised eyebrow reflecting the same question that Jack was running through his own head; why did they remember?
He ran a hand over his head, startles as he felt the shorter crop of his hair. He looked up again and froze, staring as Kate's eyes met his from across the rows on the plane. He swallowed, letting out a ragged breath, as even from across the plane he could see her breath catch and tears start to form in her eyes. He felt his heart pound in his ears, and his throat tightened, feeling both a sense of relief that she remembered to, and a great selfish sense of shame that she did. He wanted her to forget him, to forget his massive failures and all he times he had hurt her. She was better off forgetting.
The attendants again called after Charlie, who made his way back towards Jack, calling for him desperately. Jack welcomed the distraction, breaking eye contact with Kate quickly, as Charlie's hands grabbed at his jacket. "Jack! You have to tell them!" Charlie plead, "I'm clean Jack," Charlie insisted. Cindy looked at him expectantly, but without recognition.
Jack offered her an awkward smile as Charlie looked at him hopefully, "Wait a bloody minute," he wondered, suddenly sounding horrified, "You are Jack right?" his eyes popped open, giant weary circles under them, and his voice rose an octave, "I didn't hallucinate about getting clean did I?" he asked looking around frantically, more confused as everywhere he turned were more familiar faces.
Jack laughed, "No Charlie, you're clean. A full three months now," he added looking to Cindy. "It must have been a bad dream," he offered.
She shifted on her feet looking irritated, "He was twitching like a junkie," she said pointedly.
Jack nodded, "He's a nervous flyer."
Charlie nodded vigorously, "Nervous, very nervous flyer," he gave an even more nervous laugh, "You've never seen a worse flyer then me," he said pointing his thumb at his chest with a smile.
Cindy looked unconvinced. "I'll watch him, promise," Jack said quietly as Charlie waited for her response, an edge of panic in his eyes.
Cindy sighed in exasperation and lurched as they hit a pocket of turbulence. The 'fasten your seat belt' sign blinked on and Jack turned back towards his seat, swallowing nervously as additional turbulence started to rock the plane. It wasn't possible was it, had he really only brought them back to start?
The radio clicked on, "Folks, this is your pilot, Frank Lepidus speaking," Jack's eyes widened-that was different. He turned back towards the cock pit and Cindy stopped him.
"Sir, you have to go back to your seat," she admonished as Charlie scrambled back to his, fumbling with the buckle.
"Right," Jack nodded, turning to make his way towards his seat. As he turned Kate again caught his eye, she was stretching her neck to see him, to know if he knew what was happening. He licked his bottom lip and started to shake his head, to tell her he didn't, when the plane lurched violently and he slammed into the ceiling with a thud. Hitting the ground, he was out cold.
The cry of "Jack!" went up across the plane, and Kate lunged, momentarily forgetting her handcuffs as she strained to reach him. She hissed at the feeling of the cuffs digging into her skin and fell back against her chair angrily, as Mars gave her an angry and confused look. "Do you know that guy or something Kate?" he challenged his expression somewhere between amused and confused as he casually pointed over his shoulder back towards Jack. She steeled her face, her old walls mending and rebuilding instantly sitting next to the Marshall. Kate watched helplessly, ignoring Mars confused and crazed glare as Sawyer came to jack's side and surveyed Jacks unconscious form.
His hand came up bloody, "I need a doctor!" he yelled, his brow furrowing in frustration, running his clean hand through his slicked back hair. He didn't look surprised when no one stepped forward.
Kate turned to Mars "Let me help," she said breathlessly, her eyes darting back to Jack. She could just make out his face in between the rows of seats, his hair shorter then she had seen in a long time, and she felt herself shiver as she saw that this Jack didn't look exhausted and haggard, even as sleep. He looked younger then she had ever seen and her throat tightened at the thought, cursing the island for beating him down so much, as yet another wave of turbulence rocked them.
"What?" Mars asked incredulously, breaking her from her thoughts, "Are you insane?" he added with a chuckle.
"You don't know everything I did on the run," she retorted evenly, staring at him, unwilling to back down. "I can help him," she added, swallowing down tears that were threatening to spill despite her best efforts. She bit the inside of her cheek angrily, she could never keep them in when it came to Jack.
Mars nodded and chuckled, reaching into his pocket for the keys, "Fine," he hissed, " Do your last good Samaritan act Kate, 'cause you and I both know," he undid the cuffs and grabbed her wrist as she stood, yanking her back to him, "that you aren't ever getting out," she yanked her wrist away and ran to Jack's side.
Sawyer blinked in surprise as she approached, but moved aside instantly, giving her room as a female flight attendant returned with a first aid kit.
"Where's he hurt?" she asked Sawyer, feeling as though she already knew the answer. Sawyer pointed silently to his side. She swallowed, her hunch still a very real possibility. She rolled up her sleeves and pulled up the layers of his cloths, revealing a familiar long and angry cut along his left side. She let out a breath, and opened the first aid kit, unable to stop the faint smile that tugged at her lips as she pulled out 'standard' black thread and washed her hands with the sanitizer the kit provided.
She thread the string through the needle like she remembered him teaching her so long ago-she swallowed-only, that hadn't happened yet had it? But she remembered it…she shook her head, time travel never made sense, and it didn't matter now anyways; they had saved everyone like Jack wanted, and she hadn't had to sacrifice him or her memories. She felt her throat tighten, remembering his face when he had seen her, he obviously wasn't so happy about the second part. She let out a ragged breath and counted to five before starting.
Her memories of him, both the beautiful and the miserable flashed through her head as she did so, and she felt a sudden flash of resentment towards him for wanting to take them away. All of them, all the memories of them together, the good and the bad made up her some of the best she had. He groaned and stirred on the ground as she neared the end of the cut. She tied the thread together and used scissors to disconnect the needle, standing slowly to her feet, again covered in his blood.
She froze as she surveyed her work. The scar looked exactly the same. Not just similar to the wound she had sewed up before, this was the exact same line. She watched as the line rose and fell with his shallow breathing, remembering all the nights he had rolled over onto his stomach fast asleep, and how she would stay up, watching his back rise and fall peacefully, feeling truly happy. She had always watched the scar carefully, almost fondly. On some nights, more then she had ever admitted to him, she had gone so far as to wonder if she had sewed herself to him that day, every stitch binding them together, and if she had one locking her fate to his. They had been to hell and back together since that day; glancing around, she realized that was now in a completely literal sense.
Mars put his hand roughly on her shoulder, digging his fingers in and half dragging her to her feet, breaking her from her focus on his breathing.
"His boo boo's all better now Kate. Wash up and get back to your seat," he said gruffly, his usual fascinated amusement with her finding its way into his voice despite its rough edge.
She swallowed and nodded, turning towards the bathroom as soon as she saw jack's eyes momentarily flutter open. She let out a small breath of relief, glad for the small confirmation that he was going to be okay, before turning and going into the planes small bathroom.
She felt her hands shake as she tried to scrub the blood off of them. Everything they had been to that had lead them to this moment seemed to crash down on her, the seemingly endless emotional and physical adrenaline rush she felt like she had been in for the past few days ending quickly, stopping her cold. She shivered uncontrollably, barely able to push the soap dispenser as more blood washed off her hands and into the sink.
They had lost Juliet. She shivered again. They had detonated a bomb. She swallowed and a slight tremor went through her. Jack. Jack had detonated a bomb she corrected herself. Or at least he had wanted to; the last thing she remembered was a flash of light. She ran a hand through her hair, surprised momentarily that it was clean and unmated. He had said he had never been more sure of anything; she staggered to her feet shakily. Anything? Her knuckles turned white as she grabbed the edge of the counter to keep her balance. She rested her head against the mirror in exhaustion. Even more sure then about them? She moved her hand to her face to wipe away a stubborn tear that had managed to trickle down her cheek. She stopped her hand, staring at the blood still on it; his blood. She tried to wipe it off on her pant leg, but it wouldn't come off; stained into her skin, into her, deep below the surface.
She shivered again. He'd been willing to forget them. More then that, he'd wanted to. And now they were back at the beginning, yes somehow they remembered everything. And she was sewing up wounds she'd already sewed up all over again. Unlike Jack had been of late, she wasn't sold on his idea of destiny, but even she could tell it meant something that he had been cut there again. She smiled softly; when Jack woke he would tell her it was because he was always destined to be cut there. Perhaps even, she was always destined to sew him up.
Mars banged loudly on the bathroom door, startling her from her thoughts, "Get out Kate," he hollered, sounding irritated. She wiped the stray tears from her eyes quickly and opened the door as Mars pulled his fist back to gang again on the door. His jaw tightened and he watched her closely as they made their way back to their seats. She glanced across the plane towards Jack. The crew was taking care of his still unconscious form, moving him gently into a chair and reclining it so he could rest.
Mars followed her line of sight and shifter uncomfortably, "He'll be fine," he grunted softly. Kate swallowed, a small smile threatening the corners of her lips as she remembered how Jack had been plowing through the jungle less then twenty four hours after the last time she had stitched up his back. "I know," she said quietly.
Later:
"Sir. Sir!" voices echoed as if coming through a tunnel and Jack groaned opening his eyes slowly.
"Where am I," he muttered as an EMT checked his pupil reaction with a flashlight.
"No sign of a concussion," he reported to his partner before turning back to Jack. "You're at LAX sir. Flight 815 just landed and we're going to take good care of you," he said calmly.
He groaned in confusion furrowing his eyebrows, "815 crashed," he muttered.
The man laughed, "After the hit you took, I'm sure it felt like that," he said with a kind smile, "You hit some intense turbulence and got knocked around quite a bit," he explained, "You're pretty lucky. A…" he checked his clip board, "Katherine Austen stitched up your back, right there on the plane. Kept you from needing a blood transfusion," the EMT explained calmly, and it all again came flooding back.
"Kate," he whispered lurching uneasily to his feet.
"Sir, we must advise you to sit down," the EMT warned, his voice carrying an edge of authority and concern.
"No," Jack shook his head, "Where is she? Where's Kate?" he demanded.
The EMT pointed towards the door and Jack spun just in time to meet Kate's eyes as Mars pushed her through the doorway and out towards a waiting police car. Fighting the waves of dizziness he felt from the blood loss, he burst into a run after them. After her.
I'm a little worried I'll admit, about how mythological based this might get, so if/when you review please let me know how much of that you want mixed in with your Jate :) but other then that, I'm extrodinarily pleased with how I see this playing out in my head. So...
8 reviews-update.
About my updates and/or lack thereof as of late. I apologize for the inconsistency, end of the year and a few minor surgeries coming up (ugh) hopefully, I will be able to work around those things and update very soon. Assuming the meds don't knock me out lol, I will have very little to do besides update soon, which is great news to me.
Enjoy.