A/N: Hi! I'm still alive. And I'm sooooo unbelievably sorry that this took so long to post. I've been massive amounts of sick all month (technically, its February now, so I guess all last month). I've had some sort of weird virus/not quite pneumonia thing that I'm convinced is related to that disease from Outbreak, though my doctor didn't quite agree with me. I tend to be a melodramatic patient. But anyway, I'm beginning to feel better. Of course, the best medicine is plenty of reviews! And of course, the return of Lost next Wednesday. Until then, may this tide you over…

This chapter doesn't sway too much from the script, but next chapter I add my own things and after that it gets much more angsty. The next two chapters are kinda fluffy though.

VilePaper- thanks, that was a very sweet review and it was very helpful. I actually am trying to sway a little more from the script and actual events of each episode but it gets more natural to do in some of the upcoming episodes. These few episodes just set up all of these Jate moments that I needed to take advantage of but some episodes later on have no Jate whatsoever, so those will be all me.

Andrea35- I love using the word delicious too! Lol. I'm still trying to decide what to do about Shannon. She's my favorite character on the show (I think she's the most real, let's face it, she did what everyone would do after a plane crash. I don't think I could do like the others and start hunting and searching for cockpits and what not). I still need to think about that one. Luckily, I have time. Thanks for reviewing!

jate4me- Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

g3i0a4- I promise the angst is coming. This chapter and the next chapter are fluffier but after that its chock full of angst. I prefer angst too; I just need time to get them there.

Ella Jullian- Thanks for the review! It was a hard choice, but I figured a Skate kiss just didn't fit in.

Strizzy- Thanks! I'm glad you liked it and it means a lot that you took the time to let me know!

AnnPatrick- Yeah, I didn't want a floppity Kate. This story is purely Jate, I hate when Skate and Jate are mixed together, it gets me all confused. Thanks for your kind words!

ravensfan52- Thanks for your review! Sawyer will go back and forth between being an ass and being a sweetie, just like on the show. But there's a little Sawyer redemption later on in this chapter, don't you worry!

Hellmouth20- I completely agree. Those producers just want to leave us all bald after all that hair tugging. It drives me crazy when you can cut the sexual tension on your television with a knife! Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like it.


Chapter 3- Solitary

'Hippocratic Oath, Hippocratic oath' Jack kept repeating in his mind.

He looked down at his patient. Sawyer. The man who tried to steal a make out session from his girlfriend. The man who near killed a girl because he felt the need to withhold information. The man who did nothing for the rest of the group.

'Hippocratic oath, Hippocratic oath' he repeated again.

Still, oath or no oath, he ripped the bandage off of Sawyer's arms a little harder than he should have.

"Ow! Easy, Jackass" Sawyer snapped.

"You want it easy, quit moaning. I got to change these bandages" he said with a hint of a smirk.

"Yeah, well, try not taking my skin off with them" Sawyer grumbled. "How'd I score the house call, Dr. Quinn? Trying to ease your conscience?"

"My conscience is fine, thanks" said Jack with a roll of his eyes.

"Of course, what have you got to feel guilty about? I mean, you just let that damn Arab torture me. Stood by and watched. Now you figure you'll patch me up and buy you a ticket into heaven? Only reason you're here…"

"I'm here because no one else wants anything to do with you!" Jack snapped, quickly losing his patience with Sawyer.

Sawyer was silent for a moment before a malicious smirk settled on his face.

"She does" he said in a pointed tone, his eyes narrowing.

Deciding that he had heard enough comments from Sawyer today, particularly ones about Kate, Jack threw down the bandages and gathered his things.

"Change your own bandages" he said as he stood up and left Sawyer's tent, leaving him alone again.

Jack walked along the shore, his backpack on his back, lost in thought. When was Sawyer going to get it? Kate made her choice, and she chose him. Jack didn't want to spend the rest of his life fighting with the man. But he wasn't going to lose Kate either. He was falling hard for her and was getting more attached than he cared to be. When you get attached, people hurt you. He had learned that all of his life. But with Kate, he couldn't help but form that attachment. Nor could he bear to not form it either. He kept walking when he ran across the girl who was invading his thoughts. Kate was looking out at the ocean, her bare feet in the sand and her brown curls being whipped around by the wind. Jack put his backpack down and went to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. She was tense, but she automatically loosened up a bit when Jack held her.

"Looking for someone, or just admiring the view?" he asked softly in her ear

"It's been two days since Sayid took off on his own. I keep looking up thinking I'm gonna see him coming back" she said with a sigh.

"He'll come back when he's found what he's looking for… the French Transmission" Jack said, desperate to comfort his girlfriend although he knew what he was saying was a lie.

"He wasn't looking for anything. He left because of what happened, because of what he did" she told him.

"It was an accident" Jack maintained.

"Well, accidents happen when you torture people, Jack" she snapped.

"Sayid's a trained soldier, Kate. He can take care of himself" he said as he dropped his arms quickly from her waist, gave her a tense nod, and started to walk away.

"Wait! Come back, I'm sorry" she said, grabbing his hand.

Jack sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face but put his bag down again and rewrapped his arms around her thin frame.

"No, you had a point. But I did what I felt was necessary" he said to her as reached up and pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"I know you don't like Sawyer, but I do know where he's coming from. We just need to give him a chance. And I know that you did what you felt was necessary and that you feel bad about it, and I'm sorry I said what I said" Kate apologized.

"Don't worry about it" he said as he cupped her face in his hand, tilted her head up, and kissed her gently on the lips.

"What are you up to for the rest of the day?" Kate asked in a sultry voice.

"I'll be back at the caves, I've got a slew of hypochondriacs coming in, plus I'm sure someone's going to wind up getting appendicitis today, or the bubonic plague, or something like that" he said sarcastically with a sigh.

"Just give 'em a band aid for the plague" said Kate with a smile. "Stay with me instead"

"I wish I could. You know that" he said, her smile catching on.

"I'll walk back to the caves with you; I need to refill some water bottles anyway"

"A walk in the jungle with you? Alone? How'd I get so lucky?" he teased.

"Hey, watch it" she said, lightly slapping his chest as he laughed and took her hand.

He waited for her to put her shoes back on before the two started on the trail through the jungle holding hands and smiling as a sulking Sawyer watched them walk away.


Kate looked up briefly when they heard someone yell "Ew! Get him out of there! He's drinking our water", and met Jack's glance as they both rolled their eyes.

Kate was filling up the water bottles as Jack tended to Sullivan, one of the islands biggest hypochondriacs. Jack applied a poultice to his back as Sullivan whined. Hurley walked over with some food and handed a mango to Jack.

"What's going on out there?" Jack asked him, motioning with his head.

"Uh ... you know; the usual. People yelling at each other over nothing" said Hurley with a sigh.

There was peace in their little area for a second and Jack was able to watch Kate as she filled the bottles. He wanted to be able to throw her against the wall and have his way with her, but they both decided to take the relationship slowly. Besides, Hurley, Sun, and Sullivan were around, and he wasn't so sure if they'd appreciate it. Sensing that the doctor's attention was not on him anymore, Sullivan cleared his throat with an obnoxious cough.

"Doc, what do you think this is…this…this, uh, this rash? It's bad, right? Like some kind of a tropical disease?"

"It's hives" said Jack in a bored tone and Kate stifled a smirk.

"What's that? Is that like poison ivy?" asked the nervous man, ringing his hands.

"It's a common rash, sometimes brought on by heat and stress" said Jack as though he was a med school textbook.

"Okay" said Sullivan in an unsure voice.

"Just try to relax. It'll clear up" Jack assured him, trying to remind himself about the importance of bedside matter, even when your patient was a crazy guy who constantly had various inflections, most of which were all made up in his head.

"Right" said Sullivan as Jack got up.

"Try to keep your mind off it"

"Okay" said Sullivan as he too stood up.

Sun looked sympathetically at Jack and walked over to show Sullivan something that he could put on his back.

"What is that? Is that like aloe? Isn't that for sunburn or something?" Sullivan whined and even Sun rolled her eyes at the man.

"Thanks Sun" Jack thanked her and Sun left, as Sullivan trailed after her, whining about something.

"'Try to keep your mind off it'?" Hurley asked Jack incredulously. "What else has that guy got to do but stress?" he scoffed.

"I have enough on my plate without having to treat hypochondriacs" Jack said in a tense tone, and Kate walked over and put her hand on his back to calm him down before sitting next to him and taking his mango out of his hand to steal a bite.

"Yeah, well, that's like my point, man. We're all fried. I mean, have you taken a look at everybody out there? Everybody's way tense. Dude, I'm just saying, it'd be sweet if we could have ... I don't know, something to do" Hurley mused.

"We're surviving here, Hurley. And that's my main concern- keeping us alive. Things could be worse" Jack told him.

Hurley was quiet for moment, seemingly lost in thought.

"How?!" he asked, and Kate burst out laughing.

"Sorry" she said, still laughing, as Jack glared at her.

She kissed the tip of his nose as he still glared, and when that didn't work, she got up and left, still laughing, as Jack glared playfully after her.


Soon after Kate went back to the beach with the water and Hurley left on a mystery mission, Jack went for a walk and decided to collect some fire wood. But he needed some time to think as well. He just didn't know what to do. As the only doctor on this island, everyone came to him with all of their problems. He felt spread a little thin, and he knew he needed a break. He laughed a little. He never took breaks. Not even when he was in the real world, where things like sabbatical and paid vacations existed. At least he had Kate to keep him sane. She really was the light in all of the darkness. Without her, he definitely would have snapped and beat Sullivan to death already with a big stick.

When Jack returned to the cave site, he saw Hurley still running around.

"Hurley, uh…" he started

"Hold on, man. I'm busy" Hurley said, brushing him off.

He walked past Jack and took a bamboo pole from Mike's arms.

"Hey…" Michael started.

"Hurley, what are you doing?" Jack asked him.

Hurley stopped by the cave doors and turned around, a possessed smile on his face. He pointed mischievously at Jack, chuckled deviously, and left. Jack and Michael shared a perplexed look, both confused.

"Don't look at me man" Michael said. "As far as I know, he either had a recent head injury or was bitten by a radioactive spider"

"Could happen on this island" Jack mumbled before walking away, still confused.


A few hours later, Michael was going over the plans for the caves with Jack, showing him his drawings.

"See, this junction here… reroutes some of the spring's water flow into a couple of suspended basins. Pop in some holes, you got showers. This way you keep the drinking water separate" he explained.

"This is… you drew this?" he asked, clearly impressed.

I was an artist in a previous life" Mike said wistfully.

"I thought you were in construction" Jack commented.

"I am. I mean, you know, I was. Long story" said Michael, and Jack knew not to press.

"Hey, Jack!" yelled a voice, and they both turned around to see Charlie heading towards them. "Hurley's all worked up about something. Said we should come see it"

Charlie led them through the jungle to the valley. They saw Hurley standing there, a huge smile on his face.

"Welcome! ... to the first and ... hopefully, last ...Island Open!" exclaimed Hurley in an excited voice, his arms spread wide.

Jack looked past him and saw that he was standing in front of a bamboo pole with a strip of shirt used as a flag tied to the top of it. Two golf bags were next to him. The three newcomers stared at him, gaping. "What…?" started Jack.

"It's two holes for now, three par, and no waiting" Hurley explained.

"Hurley, you built a golf course?" Jack asked, still in shock.

"Rich idiots fly to tropical islands all the time to whack balls around!" Hurley said with a big smile.

"All the stuff we got to deal with, man, this is what you've been wasting your time on?" asked an exasperated Michael.

"Dudes, listen. Our lives suck. Everyone's nerves are stretched to the max. I mean, we're lost on an island, running from boars and monsters ...freakin' polar bears!" Hurley explained.

"Polar bears?" questioned Michael.

"You didn't hear about the polar bear?" scoffed Charlie as though it was an everyday occurrence.

"Look, all I'm saying is if we're stuck here, then just surviving's not gonna cut it. We need some kind of relief, you know? We need some way that we can ... you know, have fun. That's right, fun. Or else we're just gonna go crazy waiting for the next bad thing to happen" Hurley rationalized.

Jack looked at Michael, and Michael looked back at him. The two looked around for a moment, unsure of what to do.


Three and a half minutes later…

Jack and Michael bent their heads down and spoke in deep thought, Michael shaking his head as Jack looked out past him, lost in thought.

"This is a problem, man" said Michael gravely.

"Yeah" said Jack with a nod.

"I mean, I know what I'd do, but ... it's gonna be your call" Michael told him.

Jack nodded again and Michael and he looked at the object on the ground as he made his decision.

"Okay" said Jack with a tense sigh. "Give me a 7-iron" he said turning to Michael

"Got it" said Michael, grabbing the club from the bag and handing it to him.

Jack looked up and rolled his eyes in a good-natured manner.

"Hey!" he yelled out with a chuckle.

At the other end of the course, standing by the hole, Hurley and Charlie were dancing around like they were on crack, trying to hex him.

"Heads up over there!" Jack yelled.

"No chance!"

"Don't blow it!"

"You won't get anywhere near us!" they taunted.

Jack smiled and prepared to take the shot. He pulled back the club, and just as he was about to bring it down, someone yelled "Hey! Doc!"

Jack stopped in mid swing and both he and Michael turned around to see Sullivan walking towards them.

"Hey, there you are! Somebody said you went this way" he moaned as Jack motioned at Hurley and Charlie. "Listen, that rash of mine is starting to spread. It's like the size of a grapefr…What are you guys doing?" he asked as he looked around

"Uh ..." Jack trailed off, feeling oddly like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Are you playing golf?" Sullivan whined.

"Yeah" Jack said, hanging his head in shame.

"Can I play?" asked Sullivan, a smile on his face.


Back at the beach, Kate was dropping off some firewood that she had collected. She looked over and saw Shannon tanning on the beach, instantly jealous. If only she had the ability to just laze around all day. Shannon's brother came up to her and the two made some snide comments to each other before something really caught Kate's attention.

"Someone at the caves built a golf course" Boone was saying

"Are you high?" asked his sister with a smile.

"Seriously, a golf course. Apparently Jack's playing with them right now" he told her.

"Jack?" asked Kate with a disbelieving snort "is golfing?"

"That's what I hear" Boone responded, laughing at Kate's shocked look. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go check this out" he said with a shrug as he got up and Shannon followed suit.

'Interesting' thought Kate with a smile, knowing she would have to see this for herself to believe it.

She dropped the firewood in the sand and started following the others when of course, Sawyer interrupted. She looked and saw him leaning against a part of the plane, sulking and being his general brooding self.

"Doctor playing golf. Whew! Boy howdy, now I've heard everything. What's next, cop eating a donut?" he snarked.

"If you want to come, you should just say" she told him with a smile.

"I think I'll pass on that, Freckles. Not big on crowds. And let's face it; crowd's not too hot on me, either"

Kate's face got softer and she instantly felt bad for Sawyer, something she knew neither he nor Jack ever wanted her to do.

"One outcast to another, I'd think about making more of an effort" she said as she continued walking.

She was pretty much out of Sawyer's ear shot when she vaguely heard him yell "Duly noted" and she couldn't help the little laugh that escaped. But now, she was starting to realize there was a chance she wasn't quite an outcast anymore.


Jack felt the adrenaline pumping as he swung the club and he paused in his follow-through to watch the ball go flying into the hole.

"Ahh!" groaned Charlie as Jack smirked at him.

"Dude, I think you stuck it" Hurley said.

"Lucky, lucky" Charlie scoffed.

Kate watched from the crowd and as the other castaways started clapping for Jack's shot, she couldn't help but speak up, thrilled that Jack looked so happy.

"This thing have a Ladies' tee?" she said with a smile, her excitement multiplying when Jack gave her a huge smile in return.

"Hey" he said, bending his head down to give her a hello kiss.

"Hey" she said back, pleased that he was willing to do that in front of the crowd; she thought he wouldn't want to show any signs of affection in front of them.

But he actually took her hand and they walked a few steps, getting away from the crowd.

"When'd you show up?" he asked her.

"A while ago. I almost didn't recognize you. You're smiling" she teased, tracing his upturned lips with her finger.

"I have to watch that" he said in response. "Besides, I smile around you. Just not other people"

Kate gave him a smirk and a kiss in return.

"So how'd you come up with this?" she asked him, motioning to the course.

"Wasn't me. It was all Hurley. I've been going crazy trying to make everyone feel safe. I haven't been sleeping because I want everyone to feel safe. He builds a golf course, and everyone feels safe" said Jack, almost bitterly.

"You make me feel safe" Kate whispered to him.

Jacks cheeks got a little red but he was pleased with her comment. He started to play with a piece of her hair and Kate smiled happily. She was glad to see him more relaxed and less tense, so she couldn't care whose idea it was, as long as it calmed down. Still, it was hard for Jack. She knew that he had a hero complex and he took it hard when he couldn't help people. But he helped her, and she wanted him to know that he was needed, and not just by her.

"Ah, crap" yelled Hurley. "Do-over" he announced as if daring someone to challenge him.

"It's a Mulligan. Mulligan. It's a gentleman's sport. You got to get the words right. Mulligan" snapped Charlie.

Jack met Kate's eyes and shook his head and the two laughed. Suddenly, it hit Jack. It wasn't just about surviving anymore. He squeezed Kate's hand and went back to mocking Hurley with everyone else.


"What is he doing?" asked Kate as she and Jack took their attention from each others lips and instead focused on the golf game.

Charlie was crouched on the floor, his face in the grass, as he tried to perfectly align his ball on the ground putting his face near the grass to check

"Guys, please" he said in response to the snickers he was getting, "I've never made par on a course before" he said as he stood up; finally ready to take his shot. "Aah! No!" as the ball didn't go in and everyone laughed (good-naturedly of course)

"Ah, dude, you were robbed" cried Hurley.

"Bollocks! See that?" Charlie protested, but Michael only rubbed his hands together with glee and glanced at Jack.

"Okay, Jack, it's up to you. Sink this; you get to wear the blazer"

"No pressure" Kate called out to him as he took the club and Jack sarcastically thanked her.

"Yeah, no pressure" mumbled Charlie

"Five bucks says he sinks it" Hurley suddenly stepped in.

"Mate, you betting against me?" Charlie asked in a mock hurt tone.

"Sorry, dude, but you're a duffer like me" Hurley said with a laugh.

"Make it ten and you're on" Boone added in.

"I don't have any cash, but I'll bet my dinner on the Doc" added Sullivan from the side lines.

Jack smiled and pointed at Sullivan. It was nice not to want to brutally murder the guy.

"I got two tubes of sunscreen and a flashlight says he chokes" came a voice from the crowds, and everyone turned to look at who spoke.

Sawyer was standing on the outskirts of the group, obviously having just arrived. Everyone was quiet and Jack and Kate both tried to smile at Sawyer. Boone just glared at him, and Sawyer tried to smile in an obvious attempt to make an effort.

"I'll take that action" said Kate finally with a strained smile.

"Betting against your boyfriend?" Sawyer asked with a smirk.

"Alright, fine. I've got a weeks supply of fruit saying otherwise" she said with a smile, knowing she never could bet against Jack anyway.

Men and their egos.

"I'm in on that too" said Boone to Sawyer as he tried to make an effort as well.

"You just bet on Jack, Dumbass" snapped Shannon.

"We need the sunscreen, Princess" he snapped back.

Sawyer just smiled as Jack shot the ball, sinking it right into the hole. Everyone either groaned or cheered based on their bet and Kate gave him a big hug and a kiss in all of her excitement.

"I'll take my sunscreen now. And that flashlight better still have the batteries" she said with a smile as she turned to Sawyer while still in Jack's arms.

"We said nothing about batteries Freckles" said Sawyer with a smile.

"Mhmm" said Kate, shaking her head at him but the smile was still on her face.


"I'm going now. You can come with me or not" said Kate that night to Jack as they stood outside of the caves.

"You know I need to stay here" he stressed.

"Alright… but its going to be a very lonely night here for you"

"Lonely night for you too" he shot back. "Only the ocean to keep you company down at the beach"

"And Sawyer" she said with a smile.

He grabbed her up again and pulled her back into the caves.

"Jack?! What are you doing?" she shrieked as she laughed.

"It's a cave. So I'm being a cave man"

"You're going to kidnap me to get me to stay here with you tonight?" she asked him.

"If need be" he said, finally putting her down but keeping his arms around her.

"Alright" she said with a sigh, finally giving in.

"Maybe we should move all of your stuff from your tent to the caves" Jack mused aloud.

"Don't push your luck" Kate warned, holding out a finger.


"Jack?" she questioned late that night as she was lying in his arms, half asleep.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking down at her, just able to make out her features in the dark.

"I'm kinda glad I got on that plane" she said in a sleepy tone.

"Me too" he whispered, kissing her on the head and pulling her closer.


A/N: Remember to review! They work better than chicken soup for me!

Next chapter: Raised by Another

Charlie and Jack butt heads over Claire and it comes down to Kate to sort things out. Expect a little CC and a nice "Jate Escape".