Chapter 2: Reuniting

"Hi," said Kate after a few moments of silence. "Wow…I didn't expect to see you…here…"

"Yeah," said Jack looking down and then back up and her, catching her eyes made his heart flutter, he had fallen in love with Kate even though she had been with Sawyer, and he thought he had gotten over her. Maybe he hadn't… "How are you?"

"I'm good," said Kate smiling at him. He smiled back, Kate felt as if she had just taken the big drop on a roller coaster. "How are you?"

"Very good," said Jack nodding while he smiled. "I was working at the USC hospital and decided I wanted to work somewhere with a bit more meaning…and you are here…?"

"Because I need to get a job," said Kate simply. She smiled in mingled embarrassment and shock, "Speaking of which I need to get back to work, but maybe we could eat lunch…together."

"Of course," said Jack checking his watch. "I have lunch around noon so I'll meet you down in the cafeteria, sound good?"

"Sounds great," said Kate.

Why had she done that? She had asked Jack to meet her for lunch. She was engaged; she was going to marry Sawyer. She should have been polite to Jack and then have told him that she was engaged and that she would see him around. But she wanted to talk to him; she wanted to see how he was. Something inside of her had taken over; she had no control over it. She wanted to speak with Jack…

"Hey," said Jack sitting down across from her at the table all the way in the back of the cafeteria. They had almost identical lunches; each had a salad with only tomatoes and cucumbers, a turkey sandwich and a diet coke. "I almost couldn't find you."

"Sorry," said Kate smiling up at him, "Save any lives today?"

"Only a few," said Jack with a laugh.

Kate could not stop smiling at him. He was flirting with her, she didn't think that he was doing it intentionally, but he was…and she was almost flirting back with him…almost.

"Typical you," said Kate. She had mentioned the island. Not directly, but almost…that was something she would never do with Sawyer, "You saved many lives on the island."

"I saved more then you would know about," said Jack suddenly. Kate looked away from tears were forming in her eyes. She batted them away quickly and looked back at him. He looked sad. "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate of me."

"It's okay," said Kate shrugging, "I know I was rude…I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Jack said. He put down his fork and looked at her, their comfortable lunch, as friends had grown increasingly uncomfortable. "So how have you been?"

"Pretty good," said Kate. Jack frowned slightly. Oh he wanted details did he? "Well I got back and got sentence to three years in a minimum security prison, severed my time, and now I am living in L.A. and…am engaged…"

"To Sawyer?" asked Jack quickly.

"Yes," said Kate.

"I'm happy for you," said Jack. The words pained him, he was not sure if he had meant them. "Care to hear about my life?"

"Of course," said Kate with a little half-smile.

"Well I started working right after we got back at USC, got bored with it and hear I am," said Jack, "That is pretty much it, had to beg my mother's forgiveness so I could be accepted back into the family and she has taken it upon herself to hook me up with the richest and bitchest women in the city."

"Oh very nice," said Kate laughing, "The bitchest women?"

"You would not believe me if I told you about them," said Jack sitting back in his chair, the tension was becoming friendlier again.

"We have fifteen more minutes," said Kate looking up at the clock above her head, "And there is always tomorrow…"


"Jack?" asked Claire her mouth slightly agape.

"Yeah," said Kate pacing back and forth around the kitchen. "He just appeared today. And then we had lunch it was nice."

"Nice?" asked Claire, "Kate you are engaged to another man!"

"I'm not sleeping with him, Claire," snapped Kate.

"No," said Claire sarcastically, "You just being buddy-buddy with a man that Sawyer hates to the core. That's not that bad…really."

"You are making me feel like I am cheating on Sawyer," said Kate frustrated. "And I am not."

"But I know how you felt about Jack," said Claire sounding exasperated.

"Felt," said Kate sitting down, "Felt. Past tense…."

"It better stay past tense," said Claire, "You and Sawyer have worked so hard at making your relationship work, don't forget that and do something stupid."

"I'm not going to do something stupid," said Kate shaking her head, "I won't."


"Hey," said Kate walking through the door. Sawyer was in the kitchen cooking away. "You're cooking?"

"Don't look so surprised," said Sawyer giving Kate a kiss. Kate jumped up on the counter top and began swinging her legs back and forth. "How was work?"

"Work?" asked Kate. She looked over to her left and the to her right and then to Sawyer, "Work was good. Just the normal."

She felt a pang of guilt erupt through her, but she knew Sawyer would overreact. And it was just lunch, there was no need for a huge explosion over something so simple.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" asked Sawyer looking over at her, he could tell there was something plaguing her mind.

"No," said Kate shaking her head, "I'm good…really."

To be continued…