Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own LOST

A/N: Here's the last chapter. I'm sorry it took a couple days to get it up. Fanfiction wasn't letting me.. grr Well anyways, I hope you enjoy!

The Next Day

Jack and Kate walked out of the jungle hand in hand the next morning, having spent the entire night together.

As they walked back to the beach Jack remembered something. "I want to take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"Come on." Jack said, and he led her to her grave.

"So this is my cross?"

Jack sighed. "Yeah."

Kate squeezed his hand tighter. "Let's take the cross off then ok?"

"Ok." Jack let go of her hand and carefully took the cross off and looked at it for a second. Then he put it down. "I need to give you something.

He sat down and began digging. Kate sat down beside him and watched him.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked curiously.

Jack didn't answer and finally he brought out her plane and brushed it off. "Here. I know it means a lot to you."

Kate carefully took it from him. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at it and held it in her hand. Jack watched her reaction.

She looked up at Jack. "Thank you. I thought I had lost it." She said softly.

Jack smiled and hugged her. "It was a big comfort to me when I thought you were gone."

Kate smiled. "I want to get rid of it."

"What?"

"All the memories invested in this plane, I just, I want to start again. I need to let go. I'll tell you someday all about this I promise, but now, I just need to get rid of it."

"Ok."

"Come on." Kate took Jack's hand and they both walked to the shoreline and stepped in the water.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack had sort of become attached to the plane even though he had no idea what it really meant.

"Yes." Then she threw it out and sighed.

Jack put his arm around her and they stood for a couple minutes in silence.

" I think I want to change my clothes." Kate said, looking up at Jack.

"That might be a good idea" Jack agreed and he walked her to her tent, but they didn't get there without someone noticing them.

"Is that Kate?" Charlie asked Claire in disbelief.

"What?" Claire's head whipped around to see what she was saying, and sure enough, there was Kate and Jack walking towards Kate's tent.

"Why is she wearing a dress?" Charlie asked.

"Why is she alive?" Claire asked the more important question and then she gave Charlie Aaron and then she ran over to them.

"Kate?" Claire hugged her and Kate hugged her back.

"What happened? We all thought you were dead!"

"I'm not dead.' Kate said and then she explained to Claire what had happened.

"Oh Kate. There's so much that I have to tell you! I'm so glad you're ok. It just hasn't been the same without you."

"It's really good to be home."

"Ok stop talking. Let Kate change her clothes ok?" Jack interrupted them.

Claire grinned at Jack knowingly.

"Why are you wearing a dress anyways?" Claire asked.

Kate shook her head. "It was some kind of thing with the Others."

Claire smiled and hugged her again. "That's weird. I didn't have to wear a dress. At least I don't remember it. Well I'm going to go tell everyone ok?" Claire then left to tell people and Jack decided to go get some water and give it to everyone since he hadn't done it yet that day.

Kate walked into her tent and changed her clothes. She looked all around her tent, trying to forget what had happened to her. She didn't even have any idea of how she had gotten back to this side of the island. She didn't even recall some of the things she had been through while she was with the Others. She knew she would have to find some way to deal with it though.

When she finished getting dressed, she walked out of her tent and spotted Sawyer running over to her. Then suddenly he stopped and just looked at her.

Claire had been going around telling everyone that Kate was alive and so it finally got around to Sawyer. He just had to confirm it though so he spotted Jack talking to one of the survivors so he walked over there. "Hey Doc?"

"Hey Sawyer." Jack grinned. That had to be the happiest Sawyer had seen Jack in a while.

"Is it true? Is she alive?" Sawyer's heart raced.

Jack's grin broadened. "It's true. She's in her tent changing."

Before Jack could say anything else Sawyer took off toward her tent. And then there she was, walking out of her tent. When she saw him she stopped and just looked at him.

Sawyer slowed his pace and walked towards her, not sure of how she would react. Then she started running towards him and soon they were in a warm embrace.

"We all thought you were dead Freckles!"

Kate laughed and they broke apart. "Well I'm not dead.. Here I am."

"How'd you get back?"

"I don't really know. It was really confusing. Jack found me in the middle of the jungle. I was in a white dress."

"I saw you in the white dress"

"You did?"

"Yeah. Jack and I were leaving and he just insisted that you were in this one room so we went in there and sure enough there you were. But you were dead." Sawyer swallowed, trying not to remember how he had felt. "Jack tried to resuscitate you, but it didn't work, and I had to make him leave."

"That was probably when they had given me that horrible shot. "Kate shuddered. "I'm so glad to be back, but it feels weird, you know?"

Sawyer nodded. "Yeah. It's weird to have you back. Well maybe things will start getting back to normal again. Jack hasn't been himself since we thought you died."

"Oh admit it Sawyer you missed me too." Kate smiled knowingly.

Sawyer became serious. "I missed you a bunch Freckles. Things just aren't the same without you around. Watching everyone all upset, and Jack especially, jeez he's scary when he's upset, but it was awful. Don't ever do that again." Then his face broke into a grin again, "But hey, now we've got our fruit picker back, we'll all be able to eat again."

Kate rolled her eyes." Yes I'll pick you some fruit Sawyer."

Thanks. Oh and you should know that I kept your dear doctor in line this entire time."

"Jack said you guys had been getting along. That's pretty hard to believe and I'll have to wait until I see it to totally believe it but that makes me happy. You two are good for each other."

They stood staring at each other, a mutual understanding between them.

"Hey." Jack broke their comfortable silence.

They both glanced at Jack. "Hey.'" Kate smiled.

"I see you changed." Jack said to Kate.

"I see you changed too." Sawyer said.

Jack looked down and looked back up at Sawyer. "No I didn't." He was confused.

"You're already acting all macho again." Sawyer grinned. "If I remember correctly, this time yesterday you were in a bad mood."

Jack laughed and looked away. "What can I say? Things have changed now."

"Yeah. Thankfully.' Kate said.

Jack and Sawyer both smiled at her. They were both so happy that she was back.

Just to be able to look at her again was the best thing in the world for them both.

Then Kate heard something from the jungle and there was Sun and Claire walking out of the jungle. They ran towards Kate and Sun hugged Kate.

"We thought you were dead!"

"I know." Kate smiled, getting a little tired of hearing that over and over. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great now that you are suddenly alive."

"We need to steal Kate from you fellas if you don't mind." Claire said. "Girl talk you know." Claire winked at them.

"Girl talk?" Sawyer groaned. "Leave me out. I'm glad you're back Freckles." He nodded at her and walked away.

"Ok well don't keep her for too long. I want to take her out tonight." Jack said,

Kate smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry. I won't let them take me for too long"

Sun and Claire glanced at each other.

Jack watched as Sun, Claire, and Kate walked back into the jungle again. His life had changed again in one night and this time it was for the better. Things seemed like they were looking up from this moment on and tonight he wanted to show Kate how special she really was to him.

"Oh Kate you should have seen Jack. You dying completely destroyed his world." Claire said as they walked.

"Really Kate for that first week he didn't do anything but sit there holding your plane. After that he was seemed to be ok but any little thing that reminded him of you upset him." Sun said.

"Jack told me that it really did upset him but thank you for telling me. Jack never really did show me that he cared for me as much as he did until last night."

"Jack is a great guy Kate. So you guys are together now?" Claire asked, looking knowingly at Sun.

"Jack is a great guy." Kate agreed. "Yes I think we are together."

"We're just so happy that you're here. We've missed you terribly. You really are a huge part of everyone's lives around here. " Sun said.

Later on that night Kate sat under the stars thinking about everything that had happened. It was bothering her that she couldn't remember what had really happened with the Others and what had been things they made her think were real. She didn't even know how she had gotten back. The last thing she remembered was laying on a medical table while they told her that she was going to be seeing Jack and that it really would be him. She did see him. He had been sitting by the graves last night. She remembered trying to say something to him and he looking scared of her.

She tried not to let it bother her too much though. She decided she was going to start a new life, and it was going to start by throwing that plane out in the water. It was hard to do, but she knew that if she wanted to start fresh she would have to do it. It seemed as if Jack had gotten attached to it as well.

It was weird to her how everyone had missed her so much. Kate hadn't thought that she had been that special to people. She was moved by how everyone had been telling her how Jack had been acting. It was kind of a shock to her since Jack hadn't really shown that he loved her. When they had been trapped in that room alone together with the Others, Jack kept telling her that, but she felt that it was just because of the circumstances, that if they weren't with the Others, then Jack wouldn't do anything. She was glad she had died in a way. Things had changed and she finally had a new life to start.

"Hey Kate." Jack called from behind her and Kate turned around and smiled at him.

"Dinner's ready."

Kate got up and walked towards him. Jack was the first step of her new life and she knew that if all else failed, she would have him.

"Thanks for telling me." Kate reached for his hand as they walked.

Jack just nodded.

It was weird having Kate back. But it was so wonderful. He knew things would be different and he couldn't wait. Here he was with the one person he loved the most. He knew that they both still had issues they needed to overcome but for now they would just take it one step at a time.

Jack suddenly felt the urge to grab Kate and kiss her. So he stopped her and kissed her slow and tenderly.

When they broke apart Kate laughed. "What was that for?"

"I love you." He smiled warmly at her.

Kate looked up into his eyes and was lost in how sweet they looked. "I love you too." For Kate, death wasn't the end, it was only the beginning.

A/N: The End. I hope you liked this fic. I loved writing it! I want to thank all my loyal reviewers. It means a lot to me when you review! If you have any questions you can ask me. 