Author's Note: First and foremost, I'd like to wish a belated happy birthday to my fandom bff Cara. This wasn't the original piece I'd planned for your present but I hope that you like it. :)
Now, I took this sort of from the ten songs/ten drabbles prompt, but I tweaked it for my own uses. Basically, the songs that are used here are taken for the most part from a Jate fanmix I made a while back. I doubt they all stick to word count and they're not supposed to, haha.
In any case, I tried finding all errors but if you find any, they are my own. Thanks for reading!
"Crashed"-Daughtry
Jack winced, leaning forward in the sand as he struggled to gain his bearings. After wandering away from the beach he tried to block out the sounds of people still shouting, trying to understand the situation they found themselves in.
He turned, assessing the wound on his side. Exactly when he'd got it in the crash he couldn't be sure, but as a doctor he knew it needed to be stitched up as soon as possible. Just as he was thinking how difficult an angle it would be to try and stitch it up, he heard the sound of someone moving through the trees.
The sight of a brunette woman holding her wrists caught his sight and he had to fight the urge to sigh in relief. He didn't even know her yet, the woman in the white shirt with green eyes, but she came along just when he needed her, and for now that was what mattered.
"Excuse me, d'you ever use a needle?"
"Little House"-The Fray
She's was retreating into herself, keeping answers to a minimum. He knew better than to push and prod, because the last time he did they ended up fighting about it and they didn't speak to each other for several days.
But it's different now, right? She's a free woman and they're together and happy. Except that he saw it in her eyes; the need to move, or to flee. Jack knew it would happen eventually, but it doesn't stop him from wanting to help her stay.
On the island it was different. She wasn't Kate Austen the murderer or the wounded girl who sought revenge. Here on the mainland there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't get stared at in public, or whispered about. Whether they knew the true story or not didn't matter, whether she had been found guilty or not didn't matter. Those moments started happening less and less, but something still seemed off about her. Different even.
She wanted so badly to leave, and he just hoped that if she did she'd trust him enough to let him help her.
"You okay?" Jack asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they stood out on the front porch. He'd just come home from the hospital and had yet to go inside, so his jacket was draped over his arm and his shirt sleeves were rolled up.
Kate turned to him, eyes shining in the pale orange glow of sunset. "Yeah. Why?"
He wanted to tell her about the little things that had been building up over the past several weeks, but a part of him wanted to keep everything perfect for just a while longer. "No reason," he said, planting a kiss against her temple.
"Wires"-Athlete
The bruises on his face made her wince as she opened the door to his hospital room. The steady beeping of machines reminded her of what had happened. She wrapped her arms around her waist and walked quietly to the bed. "Jack," Kate whispered as tears clouded her vision.
The bandage on his neck was further evidence of the accident. When he didn't say anything or move, she sobbed and settled into the chair beside him. "I shouldn't have said anything. It was stupid, I was…"
To think that after surviving the plane crash and the subsequent things that happened because of it, that a car accident due to an argument with her could be the thing to bring him down was just too much to bear. After she'd woken up, their car wedged somewhere between the road and a ditch, she'd tried so hard to wake him, ignoring the pain of the glass that had pierced her skin. All that mattered was trying to call for help, trying to make sure he was okay. If she was honest, she barely even remembered what it was they'd been arguing about in the first place.
"You have to be okay, Jack. You just have to, okay?" Kate said, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. She tried ignoring the tape that held a wire to the back of his hand as she grabbed it, lacing her fingers through his. "Aaron needs you. I need you."
Memories flashed and she listened to the steady beeping of the machines. Things that felt like ages ago played through her mind; running across the island, kissing him for the first time, being rescued, celebrating their first Christmas together. Things that mattered so much to the both of them; things that wouldn't matter anymore if he wouldn't wake up.
Something shifted so subtly she barely noticed it. His lips moved, his tongue darting through to moisten chapped lips. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, his eyelids started to open. "Kate."
"All We Are"-OneRepublic
"So this is really it, huh?" Jack asked, his voice wavering. He ran his hands over the smooth café table, pausing as his picked at the straw wrapped beside his cup. Kate had asked him to meet him there. Apparently doing something like this in public was easier than doing it alone.
Kate nodded, tears shining in her eyes. "It has to be."
"I just-" Jack paused, hating himself for not seeing it coming any sooner. They had been breaking at the seams for a while but he'd ignored it, hoping that things would get better by themselves. "Aaron. How are you gonna break it to him?"
She gazed out the window, ignoring the stare she knew was coming from him. He had a way of seeing through her, of knowing when something was wrong even if she didn't say anything, and felt a pang of guilt at knowing how much leaving was going to hurt him. "I'm telling him when I get home tonight. I'm sure he'll understand."
"He's just a kid," Jack replied, voice coming out louder than he'd intended. He looked up and watched as a young couple a few tables over wasn't even trying to hide their watching them. "I love him, you know. I love you-"
"Jack, don't," her voice is nothing more than a harsh whisper as she glances down at her hands, hesitating before slipping the ring he'd given her off. "Please don't make this harder than it already is."
Numb, he watched as she slowly slid the ring across the table in his direction. He wanted to scream, to yell, or at the least do something that made their situation better. He thought of the look on her face when he'd asked her to marry him. The sheer happiness when she said yes felt so completely distant to the feelings surrounding them in that moment. Gingerly, he picked up the ring, cradling it carefully before reaching across the table and dropping it in her palm. "Keep it," he said, pushing his chair back. He stood, awkwardly shifting his weight as he shoved his hands into his jacket. "I guess this is goodbye, huh?"
"For now. I told you, Jack. I just…I think we just need some time."
He shook his head before turning to walk away, wishing that time was all they needed.
"Best I Ever Had"-Gary Allan
Kate was on the plane, staring out the window as she watched the island slip farther away. The trees started looking like little miniature toys and eventually all she could see was the blue of the ocean. Biting her lip, she wrapped an arm tight around her middle and willed herself to stay in control.
Leaving Jack behind was the last thing she wanted to do. Knowing that Hurley would be there to keep him company for however long he lived made things somewhat better, but she still wished that she'd stayed.
"Tell me I'm gonna see you again."
The words she said echoed in her mind, haunting her like a sad song that she couldn't forget. Even after telling him the truth—that she loved him—there was still a lingering part of her that wanted the moment to last longer than it had. She wanted to pretend that they would land and Jack would come soon after, and things could actually be happy again like they used to be, but saying something like that out loud would be lying.
It would take time, she knew that much, but she hoped that eventually she could be happy.
The need for sleep started tugging at her eyelids, pleading that she pay attention, and as much as she tried fighting it, she let out a quiet yawn. Just as she was drifting off, she heard the sound of a familiar voice, one she knew would follow her regardless of where she went. He had always been the one she'd gone to for comfort, the one who meant home whether she said so or not, and she knew that would never change.
"Set the Fire to the Third Bar"-Snow Patrol
He struggled through the jungle, leaning against different trees along the way. His breath grew more ragged with each step and he knew the end was coming, but he couldn't help but push further along.
Lying on the ground provided some semblance of comfort and when Vincent came to lay down next to him he felt more at peace. Truthfully, he didn't have to guess; he was a doctor, so he knew what was about to happen.
The sky was a clear blue overhead and just as the pain started taking over, Jack saw the plane flying overhead. He smiled widely, at last letting the tears flood his eyes. Miles up, she was safe…they all were, and wasn't that the point?
He had done what he was supposed to do, and at last he could rest.
"Cannonball"-Damien Rice
The morning light was dim as Jack crept into the kitchen, buttoning up his shirt as he spotted Kate sitting crossed legged with a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. He froze, a smile crossing his features as he watched her. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and one of the straps from her tank top was dangerously close to slipping from her shoulder. Not a trace of make-up was on her skin and he thought that was something that made her even more beautiful.
This was all so new. After he'd agreed to meet her, things started happening so fast and before he knew it he had a drawer at her house and then an entire side of the closet, and now there was no way he'd ever want to leave unless she asked him to.
He'd fallen for her long before, that he knew, but time and complications from the island along with real world concerns had gotten in the way. They were in a good place, a place he didn't want to ever let go of.
Suddenly, she jumped before turning in his direction, her freckled smile lighting up the room. "Hey, you off to work?"
Jack walked over, kissing her cheek before planting another on her lips. He was safe. He was home.
"Passenger"-OneRepublic
"I've missed you so much."
He was lost, hurt, and confused. Any other night, he might've turned away from the woman who claimed to know him from somewhere else, and yet there was a feeling he had just by standing close to her that he couldn't shake. When she touched his face he felt something akin to electricity jolting through him, waking him up as if from a dream.
They'd…they'd been something, hadn't they? It wasn't possible, Jack knew that of course, and yet the look on the woman's face made it feel that much more real. Nothing he could have dreamed could have matched the feeling that moment was giving him.
She was right when she said he didn't understand what was going on. He felt stuck, numb and awakened all at the same time, so when she asked him to go with her he couldn't help but feel compelled to agree.
"Rainy Zurich"-The Fray
It was storming outside, and as hard as he tried Jack couldn't sleep. He curled up against Kate, relishing the fact it was his first night off in several weeks.
Kate nestled into his side and Jack pulled her close. He turned slightly, watching as her chest slowly rose and fell, a steady rhythm that comforted him. Lightning flashed, casting bright light across her face. He watched as she crinkled her nose, furrowing her brow in a look of confusion. The fact that even in sleep she could be so focused was something that didn't escape him.
"Jack…" she murmured, hair falling into her face. Something between a whimper and a wince left her lips and she started moving, kicking out her legs.
The fact that she was having a nightmare slowly settled in on him. He knew better than anyone how much she hated being vulnerable, let alone when she herself couldn't help it. "Hey, it's okay. I got you," he kept repeating over and over until at last she settled in.
He wasn't sure how long he lay there, propped up on one elbow and rubbing small circles on her back, but by the time he felt himself getting sleepy, the worried look on Kate's face was erased and the rain had stopped.
"The End"-Pearl Jam
Surrounded by everyone in the church, Jack knew it had been worth it. All of the waiting and wondering, and being confused about what exactly was going on. When the reality of what was going on settled in, he didn't know what to think. He wasn't entirely sure that he understood it then, sitting in the pew with Kate at his side.
Kate; the one who had never given up, the one who had a hand in waking him up to what was going on. His touchstone, his constant if he would ever have one, and he knew she was the closest he'd ever get.
Saying they had a difficult relationship at times would be an understatement, Jack knew that much, but they were both there and that was what mattered.
They might have been leaving, but they were leaving together. He wouldn't have it any other way.