YOU'RE THE CLOSEST TO HEAVEN THAT I'LL EVER BE.

AND I DON'T WANNA GO HOME RIGHT NOW.

The blazing fire was hot and it singed her skin, but she didn't care. Her arms were covered in blisters and they stung, but this was the farthest away from the fire she wanted to go. She couldn't move, couldn't leave him, but he was too heavy to drag any further. She was afraid too, afraid that she might make it even worse if she did. Afraid of what had happened, of what was going to happen. So she stayed with him, watched over him.

There was nobody around, not a living soul to be seen or heard. She'd called for help, but all she had heard in reply was the sound of her own voice mocking her. Their cell phones had no reception and there were no houses to be seen. She thought the fire would have attracted people's attention, it could probably be seen from miles away.

Then why had nobody come?

The darkness was almost as suffocating as the black smoke from the fire. Sweat soaked her clothes and her jacket lay somewhere behind her, torn and burned. She knew they shouldn't have been drinking, should have just stayed for one more night. But they wanted some time alone, wanted to finally find some peace and be with just the two of them and nobody else. Their lives had been so busy after the rescue, they hadn't had time to breathe, to contemplate what had happened. They hadn't been able to put things in perspective, everything had been rushed, dramatic, too much.

She had already wished on day one that they'd stayed on the island and she knew he felt the same, although they hadn't said it out loud. They had let their eyes say it for them, since the press and Oceanic were constantly around them, listening in on their conversations, asking them questions that never seemed to cease.

They had been on their way back from the hotel Oceanic had put them in. They had bought a house near the beach. They wanted to fall asleep with the sound of the waves in their ears, they had said and Oceanic had arranged it all. From the moment they were allowed to leave the hotel, they did and after yet another press conference and afterparty – as they called it – and a little too much to drink, they went home. Home.

Out of nowhere, a deer had jumped in front of the car and they had slipped, hitting a tree head on. She had gotten them out of the car safely, before it exploded a few minutes later. And there they were. He was lying on the ground, his face illuminated by the flames and it made her remember the island, if only for a second.

But he didn't wake up and he had a bad cut on his head that kept bleeding. It was dark under the pale light of the stars and no moon. She couldn't see it, but she knew he was still breathing when she put her ear by his mouth and her hand on his chest. She tried not to think about it, but she didn't know how much longer she would feel that chest go up and down.

The fear was overwhelming and it crashed into her with every new flicker of flames behind her. Her hands were shaking, her eyes were filled with tears that didn't stop coming. They were streaming over her hot skin, the saltiness hurting the cuts on her cheeks. The tears dropped on her hands and onto his body. She could hear him groaning, a new sound amidst the crackling fire and the nothingness of the dark forest. He was still alive, but it scared her because he still hadn't opened his eyes, hadn't moved an inch. Unexpectedly, his voice was inside of her head.

Well… Fear's sort of an odd thing… Five seconds…That was all I was gonna give it.

So, she started to count, her voice was broken and hoarse, but she said it as loud as she could.

"One…two… three… four… five…"

The fear was still there, but she could control it now. It was still waiting to crash into her again, but she held her ground. Didn't let it get to her. She needed to be strong. For him. She needed to get him to wake up.

He needed her and she would not let him down.

She must have blacked out, because she woke up and found herself lying on top of him, her head and right hand moving up and down with his respiration. The fire was much smaller, the remains of the car blackened – as far as she could tell in the dark night – and damaged beyond repair. Her head felt heavy all of a sudden and pain seared through her as she pushed herself upright again. Her knees were scraped and bleeding and she only noticed now that she had a deep cut in her right arm. She couldn't remember where it came from.

She looked down at Jack and the whole situation seemed so abstract, like it wasn't happening at all, but yet it was alarmingly real. The roaring fire had died down. Now, it was gently crackling, like the fires on the island. It seemed so long ago. Kate tried to wake him up, opened his eyes but could only see the white of his eyes. She called out his name in despair, but the trees bounced it right back at her.

"Jack, please. Wake up. Wake up, come on, Jack! I need you…"

She was sobbing now, her whole body trembling. She'd lost control. Her hands pounded on his chest, hoping it would somehow resurrect him like that one time she'd seen Jack do it. But she wasn't a doctor and she wasn't doing it right, she wasn't thinking. Her hands were just acting on their own accord.

"Kate?"

She fell backwards on the asphalt and landed on her elbow, the pain sliced through her like a knife. But it was real. It was Jack. He was alive, he was awake… She smiled through her tears, her hands fluttering over his body, at last taking his face into her hands. She placed a gentle kiss on his dry lips and he tried to smile.

"I'm hurt…" he said and it scared Kate to hear how weak his voice was, how close she had to lean in to actually hear what he was saying.

"I'm hurt, Kate. I can't move… You need to find help."

"I tried, Jack. But there's nobody here. Nobody saw us, nobody's coming…" her voiced trailed off, she didn't want him to hear the hopelessness in her voice.

He was fighting to keep his eyes open and she told him not to give up, to keep looking at her. She knew there wasn't much time, but there was no way she could get help. There was nowhere to go. She'd never been as scared as she was now, but she tried not to show it to Jack.

"Kate… I need to you keep me awake. I need you to make sure we both stay awake. We are not gonna die here, Kate. We've been through so much together and this is just another thing we need to get through and we will."

Kate's eyes were locked with his. For a moment, she forgot she was lost. Lost in his words, lost in those eyes that were drowning in hers. Lost in the man she had loved for so long.

"Jack..."

But the sleep was too overpowering, Jack's pain was getting the upper hand. He took longer to open them again every time he closed them, but the light in his eyes remained strong.

"Jack… Don't… I love you, Jack."

A smile was on his lips as he opened his eyes again, slowly.

"I've always loved you, Kate. From the moment we met. You remember that?"

Tears were in his eyes now and it started to rain, first just little pecks, but soon it was raining hard.

"Of course I remember. I was so scared I though I was gonna run, but…"

"But you didn't, Kate. And you're still with me now."

His voice was low and hushed and the light in his eyes flickered as he closed them again. Kate let herself fall on top of Jack's motionless body and cried. Her head was throbbing, her whole body ached and it was hard to fight off the sleep. When the rain stopped, a black cloud darkened her vision. So, this is it, she thought. This is where it ends, this is where we die.

As she gave in and closed her eyes, she felt Jack's slow heartbeat and it comforted her that at least they were together.

They were too far gone to hear the sirens or see several fire trucks and ambulances speeding around the corner. They didn't hear people yelling: they're still alive! They didn't even regain consciousness when they were carried into the ambulances and driven to the hospital. They didn't realise that this was not the end.

It was just the beginning.