"Your mother? Why's that bad?" asked Claire.
"My mother and I..don't have the best relationship." replied Jack, not wanting to get into the details. Kate could sense this, so before Claire could press the issue, she asked her own question.
"What did she want?" She could tell that whatever she said had upset Jack.
"She's having a memorial service for my father. He died, right before the plane crash. Anyway, she wants me to come, and I just don't know.." he trailed off.
Kate could tell that this was hard for him, and she tried to think of what to do to help. "I'll go with you."
"What?" asked Jack, taken aback.
"It's obviously going to be hard for you, and it will be better if you have someone with you. It's okay if you don't want me to," she replied.
"No, actually that would be great", said Jack, smiling at her.
"Okay, when is it?" she asked.
"Sunday."
"Sunday? It's already Thursday! She just told you now?" exclaimed Kate. What if Jack had plans that day? His mother seemed pretty inconsiderate.
"We don't talk much" replied Jack simply. He decided to change the subject. "Well, I have to go get some food if Claire's going to be staying with me. You two don't mind if I step out for a while, do you?"
"No, actually I was just going to talk to Kate about something", said Claire. Kate cringed, but Jack didn't see her.
"Okay", said Jack. He knew they had to catch up. The minute he left, Claire started in on Kate.
"What's this about not loving Sawyer? You were living with him, weren't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, well, it's a long story." Kate said.
"Aaron's asleep upstairs. I've got nothing but time", said Claire.
Kate sighed. With a some more promting from Claire she began to tell the story.
"Well, you know that I lived with Sawyer after the island", she began.
Claire nodded, "And I assumed you were together."
"We were", Kate said, earning a confused look from Claire.
Kate took a deep breath. Should she tell Claire everything? Should she tell her she loved Jack? That she used Sawyer? She didn't want to, but she felt the need to tell someone.
"I lived with Sawyer after we came back because I wanted to love him. I wanted to, but I couldn't, because I loved someone else." Kate started. Claire's eyes widened. "Jack", Kate continued, "I thought I loved him after I kissed him the first time. I wasn't so sure about it then, but I was when he made the rescue call. I couldn't stand the thought of never seeing him again. I kissed him, but I took it back and I ran away. I went back to Sawyer and I tried to love him instead." Kate had tears slowly streaming down her face now. "I told Jack I loved Sawyer! I lied to him and I hurt him!" She practically yelled the last part. She had hurt Jack so bad, and she was angry at herself.
Claire got out of her seat and hugged Kate. "Why?" was all she asked.
"Claire, I was a fugitive. I ruin everything and everyone I get close too. I couldn't do that to Jack. He's too good for me." She sobbed.
"Kate, no one is too good for you", Claire told her. "Jack loves you-"
"No he doesn't", Kat cut in. "He told me he did, but now he doesn't. How could he love me after what I did to him?"
"Kate, he's confused. He doesn't understand you, and he may not know it, but he loves you. I know it, Sun and Jin know it. Hurley even knows it", she laughed. "Jack hasn't been the same since we got back. The only time I've seen him truly happy is when you're name comes up in a conversation." she paused. "If you really love him, you need to tell him."
Kate was silent. Should she tell Jack she loved him? That she had never stopped?
"I can't", she said softly.
Claire didn't want to get in the middle of Jack and Kate's problems. However, she knew they both loved each other, and they were both too stubborn to admit it.
"If you don't, I will", said Claire.
Kate's eyes widened, "No, Claire."
"Kate, I love both of you, you know that. If I thought for one second that Jack didn't love you back, I would tell you to move on, but he does love you. If I have to force you two to see that, I will" Claire responded. Claire knew she would never tell Jack herself, but Kate didn't have to know that.
Kate sighed. "Fine. I'll tell him. After the memorial service, I'll tell him."
Claire smiled. "Okay. Now we need to figure out what to do with Sawyer".
At the mention of Sawyer's name, Kate felt the guilt come back. Luckily, she was spared talking about it because Jack chose that moment to walk through the door. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, and hoped Jack hadn't noticed them.
"I'm back. Do you two think you could help me unload the groceries?" he asked. Kate and Claire nodded and got up to help him. The whole time they were together, Kate could see that Claire's eyes were glued to the two of them.
The next few days went by suprisinly fast. Kate saw Jack often at the hospital, but they usually didn't have much time to talk. Just the occasional smile and 'hello'. She spent alot of time in Sawyer's room, to make up for not being there before. Or maybe it was to get rid of some of her guilt. Maybe it was both.
Sunday was here and Kate had gone shopping the day before. Jack had said that the service would be semi-formal, so she had bought a dress. She thought she looked ridiculous in it, but then she was used to seeing herself in jeans and a t-shirt.
She was sitting on the couch waiting for Jack to pick her up, and trying to keep her dress looking nice. He had said he'd be there by noon at the latest, and it was quarter past. She was about to call him to make sure everything was alright, when she heard a knock at the door.
"Sorry", said Jack when she answered, "Aaron was having a tantrum so I helped Claire before I came. It took a little longer than I expected."
"It's okay", said Kate. The less time she had to spend at the service the better. From what Jack had told her, his mother wasn't very nice. Kate had a feeling she wouldn't be fond of an ex-fugitive.
"You look great," said Jack. Kate blushed. If anyone else had said that she would have brushed it off, but from Jack it was different.
"Thanks, so do you", she replied.
"Well, I guess we should go", Jack told her, looking at his watch. Kate nodded.
As they stepped out the door, Kate remembered the previous Thursday. She had promised Claire that she would tell Jack about her feelings. She had dreaded it all week, but it had slipped her mind this morning. Now that she remembered, it was all she could think about.
Took a little while to update, sorry about that. Anyway, I only got a few reviews last time. Please, if you are reading, take the time to leave a review. It motivates me to write more, which will lead to faster updates:)
Next chapter: How will Jack's mother react to Kate? Will Kate tell Jack she loves him?
