A/N: Hey hey! Thanks for all the reviews!

So, I know that during this timeline the smoke monster aka Man In Black aka John Locke now I is supposed to be on Hydra Island in 2007 with Sun and La Pidus and that whole circus butttt...well, I need the smoke monster. So...yeah. I don't know what to tell you to explain how the smoke monster ends up with our Losties in 1977 without messing up the other storyline but, well, yeah. Whatever. Okay.

Jack and Kate stood there in the clearing, still embracing. Kate had stopped crying; she felt so warm and safe there with Jack. Jack seemed to understand what it meant for Kate, and he didn't for a second let her go - he wouldn't, not until she was ready. He felt whole, standing there with Kate in his arms. When he and Kate had broken up, he always felt so weighted down, so empty, so lonely.

Kate didn't want to let go, but she thought maybe Jack was getting tired of this. She took a small step back and looked into his eyes. They seemed so full and peaceful, and she could see no anger in them. That told her that she was safe, and that maybe it wasn't all her fault. "Thank you" she said silently.

Jack just nodded at her and smiled. "You gonna be okay?" He asked her.

She was about to answer, but before she could speak, a pillar of smoke burst out of the ground and shot up into the sky only a few yards away from them. It's metallic ticking and cold howling froze Kate, but only for a second before Jack pulled her away.

"Run!" He screamed at her.

"Blondie" James greeted Juliet as he walked up to where she sat in the sand. "May I join you?" He asked, wearing his usual sarcastic yet warm grin.

"You may" she smiled up st him.

"Stop staring" Miles said to Hurley as they sat at the tree line having a snack.

"Sorry dude. They're just...you know" Hurley said, taking a bite from his granola bar.

"In love?" Jin hinted to Hurley, smiling.

"Yeah, dude. That." They watched from the shade of the still trees as James handed Juliet an Apollo candy bar and the two smiled and laughed.

"Thank you" Juliet said to James as she accepted the candy bar. "Apollo candy bars. My favorite." She joked.

"Come on, lady! Gimme a break that dharma stuff's good!" He said back to her, playfully pushing on her shoulder. They laughed, relieved that maybe the worst part was over. But it hadn't even started yet.

Juliet twirled the candy bar between her hands, not really feeling like eating it. She smiled over at James again, and then they heard it. That...creature. They saw it shoot up into the sky then spiral back down, pursuing something - someone.

"Dude!" Hurley shouted, jumping up from the rock he sat on. The three men just stood there, staring at the sky where it loomed for a few short moments before it darted into the trees.

"Oh my god, Jake and Kate! They're out there, James!" Juliet said to James. They darted to the trees and into the jungle without really thinking, but they couldn't just leave Jack and Kate out there. Miles and Jin followed quickly after them, but Hurley hesitated behind before starting to run.

"Guys, guys wait up!" Hurley shouted, but to no means. The others kept running to where the sounds came from.

Jack held Kate's hand tightly as they ran through the jungle. He could run faster than her, but he didn't want to risk losing her behind him. They could hear it rustling through leaves, snapping branches, roaring as it trailed behind them. It began to rain lightly, the sound of the drops hitting the leaves adding an eerie feeling to the terror.

Kate tripped, letting go of Jack's hand. He didn't realize she was gone until he dove into the sheltering vines of a tree. His hand was still clamped shut, but Kate's hand wasn't in it. "Kate? Kate! KATE!" He yelled.

Kate quickly picked herself back up, knowing it wasn't far behind. She turned in disoriented circles, looking for which way Jack went. She didn't decide which direction to run yet, but as she saw the smoke burst through the foliage, she just ran. She sloshed over the creek and into a tree that was surrounded in vines.

Flahback

They were right behind her. Now, they weren't. She didn't see Jack or Charlie, anywhere. She could still hear it far off, roaring and howling. "JACK!" She screamed, her voice cracking. Kate couldn't bear the thought that maybe it'd get Jack, and do to him what it did to the pilot only moments before. She stood under the tree, sobbing and struggling to catch her breath.

It stomped in the distance, moving farther away from her as the thunder boomed above her. Kate closed her eyes, and remembered what Jack said to her the first time they met. She began to count out loud to herself, hoping that maybe when she was done she'd wake up from a dream. "1...2...3...4..."

End of Flashback

"...5." Kate whispered from where she crouched under the vines. She knew that Jack was safe, because the monster had circled right around the tree where Kate was, then left in the opposite direction. She wished she'd called to Jack for help when she tripped, but she figured that maybe this way he'd be safer.

"Kate!" Jack called again. The jungle was almost complete still now, with only the sound of the light rain meeting Jack's ears. He hated himself for letting Kate go. He hated himself for even making her come back to the island in the first place.

He didn't know how far he ran without her, or how far she'd run in another direction - if she'd even made it. Not knowing where she was or if she was okay was killing him. "Kate!"

Kate slumped down, leaning against the tree's vines. She covered her mouth with her hand, and started to cry. It'd been way to close that time. When she crossed the creek she could almost feel it nipping at her back, and when it circled the tree she hid in, she could picture her dead body blood covered laying on the ground. She couldn't believe it. She thought for three years that this was over, that they were safe and free. It seemed now that everything they'd believed was wrong.

"I don't hear it anymore" Juliet said to James. "Which way did it go?"

"Jack! Kate!" James yelled. "Doc!" James's voice echoed through the quiet jungle, dampened by the cool rain.

"Dudes! Thank goodness. I found you." Hurley said as he stepped into the clearing. "Where're Jack and Kate?" He asked, still out of breath.

Juliet opened her mouth to speak, but as if on cue, they heard Jack's voice. "Kate!" It cracked as it rang out through the wet leaves.

"Jack!" Juliet called out, hoping Jack could hear her. "Jack, we're over here!"

Jack could hear a faint sound replying to his calls. It became clearer as he stepped through shrubbery towards its sound. "Kate?" He hoped that maybe it was Kate answering him. He could tell it was a woman's voice, but he couldn't recognize it.

"Jack!" He heard again. This time it came from a man who Jack could recognize as James.

"James? Keep yelling" Jack said, tracing the sounds back.

"Jack!" James shouted again. Jack stepped over a fallen tree and into the clearing where James, Juliet, Jin, Hurley, and Miles were.

"Kate?" He said as he rushed into the clearing. He was disappointed when he didn't see Kate.

"Where's Kate?" James asked.

"I-I don't know" Jack said, his voice shaking.

"What do you mean you don't know? You were with her!" James said, raising his voice.

"I-"

"You guys were out here together!"

"James!" Juliet said, trying to stop the fight that was about to happen.

"You left her?" James went on.

"I let her go!" Jack wailed as he started to break down. "I...I let go..."

"Jack" Juliet said softly.

"I- I had her. I had her hand...and I let go."

A/N: sorry this one's kinda short...heh. Like I always say, maties, read and review! Wait...you already read if you're here...XD