Chapter 10

Hey guys I come bringing the next update which shall see jack getting help from an unexpected person, I won't say anymore!! hehe!! Once again thank you guys for the lovely reviews and i'm sorry that I got you guys worried and all, but I can assure you that kate and jack will make it out of this!! Promise and without further interruption here it is.

Enjoy

He spent the rest of the night in her tent, alternating from reading the letter over and over again and then dozing off and giving into his exhaustion. It was a few hours later that he was awoken by not only the light of the new day, but a voice calling out for him from outside the tent. Every fibre in him wanted to go look for her last night but he still remembered what she had asked of him and was forced to respect her wishes because he didn't wanna loose her any further than he already had, so with that he gave up and gave in to the sadness and grief that now lurked within his breaking heart.

"Jack are you in there?" sayid announced loudly through the small crease in through kate's tent. In response all he got was a slight moan that was mixed with low pitched yes. After that he came out of the tent and was suddenly faced with the whole camp ready to embark on what he had planned they would do yesterday, yesterday he suddenly remembered, the memories of what happened and the pain he had caused her, all coming back to him now. The thought was enough to spring tears to his eyes again but he couldn't afford to break down now, not in front of everyone, so he just told them that they would leave in a few minutes while trying to avert his gaze from the crowd to try and push the tears back. To his good luck they agreed wordlessly and allowed their leader to retreat to his own tent to retrieve his pack and any other supplies they may have needed along the way.

Juliet on the other hand was the only one who seemed to notice a sudden change in the doctor while he stood in front of the crowd looking pained and virtually lifeless and she knew without a doubt that something was up and come to think of it she hadn't even seen kate around at all today so she wondered with genuine concern over what had happened last night after he left her tent. So with that she chose to follow him to his tent and see if he was okay.

"Hey jack" juliet called out to his slightly slouching and gloomy like figure. At first he just ignored her but she was adamant on getting his attention so with that she quickened her pace and grabbed hold of his arm in a last attempt to get his attention and what she saw when he finally faced her, was enough to break her completely. Never had she seen him so defeated and lifeless and she knew right away what or who it was that was doing this to him.

"What happened jack?" she asked while sub-consciously stroking the side of his face and in response, all he did was flinch away like something had just burned and scarred the side of his face, and with that he just wordlessly went into his tent to continue with what he was going to do in the first place. However juliet failed to give up on her friend and boldly followed him inside, adamant on finding out what happened last night.

As he walked into his dingy tent, he tried to put his mind on what he needed, but the one thing he did need was not here, the one thing he did need was out there somewhere hurting just like he was now and that hurt didn't seem to subside when he was suddenly aware of juliet's presence.

"What do you want?" jack stressed in a pained voice while still keeping his back to her in a slouched position.

"I want to know what happened to my friend!" juliet replied, her voice more urgent and demanding and all she saw and got in response was a deep sigh coming from jack and when she saw him covering his face with his hands to finally allow the tears to fall, she took it upon herself as a natural reflex to comfort him just like any friend would and to her good luck he didn't back down this time, instead he just succumbed into the comforting embrace she offered him to soothe some of the pain away. The feeling of jack now literally sobbing in her arms was enough to spring tears to her own eyes and from that moment onwards, she knew that she had to make things right here because this was happening because of her, she was the one who caused him to feel this pain. So with that she spent a few more minutes soothing him and when he finally pulled away from her, he told her what had happened last night and when he was done he gave her a slight smile of thanks for being there for him in his time of need and with that he slung his backpack over his slouching shoulder and dragged his feet out of the tent, hoping to find Naomi's boat but not really happy and sure that rescue was what his heart really desired for anymore.

Juliet however was planning things in her head. Thinking of possible places where kate might have gone and then suddenly it hit her, like it should have in the first place. There was only one place where she would go, one place where it made her realize how she really felt about jack for the first time, and with that confirmation in mind juliet quickly slipped away from the group and trekked in towards the direction of the immense and thickening jungle on a mission.

(Meanwhile)

The only thing that was on her mind was him, and it was driving her crazy the whole journey here and the fact that she just so happened to stumble on this place once again, didn't make it any better. She looked once more upon her surroundings and smiled at how familiar it all felt. She thought back to the first time she stumbled upon this place and what happened as result of it.

(Flashback)

So many thoughts were going through her head and there were slowly making her even more crazy than she already was at the moment. Why was this happening and why here and now? She asked herself and as soon as the thought passed through her mind, she suddenly became aware of some slight movement coming through the bushes that stood behind her. At first she never willed herself to look upon what lurked behind her even though she felt something familiar within her upon it's presence, but she didn't want to give in so easily so she waited for the figure to uncover itself before her and when she saw who it was, she felt more afraid and uneasy than ever, because she didn't want him to see her like this, so emotionally broken, mentally and physically.

"Kate, what the hell are you doing out here? What happened in the hatch, Kate? Why'd you leave? I come back, I find Sawyer just lying on the ground. You just took off." he said looking at her scared and uneasy form with nothing but curiosity showing in his eyes.

"Is he okay?" kate asked him as soon as he finished the last word of his sentence, suddenly remembering the injured man she had been forced to abandon in the hatch.

"Yes, Kate, he's fine." jack answered her with emphasis but he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy for her constant concern in him. What was it about him? He asked himself. What was it that made him a better man and a better choice?

"I'm sorry." she said surprising him and getting up to go someplace where she could be alone with her thoughts, although she was suddenly stopped by what happened next.

"Are you?" jack replied surprising her in some ways but she was quite annoyed to a certain extent for having to explain herself to him yet again.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I am not as perfect as you. I'm sorry that I'm not as good." she replied and with each word her anger increased along with the tone of her voice. While pointing at him in nothing but a stern manner to somehow get through to him.

"Okay, what's going on with you? " jack silently replied holding his hands up at his sides in retreat when she finally finished., genuinely concerned and slightly scared of what was suddenly going on with her.

"Just forget it." kate said walking away, considering this conversation to be over but once again she was stopped in her tracks by him grasping her arm tightly this time, not willing to let her go until he found out what was going on with her.

"No, don't walk away from me" jack said while grasping her arm tightly within his forceful and demanding grip, in an effort to get some answers cause he was sick of having to live in the dark.

"Let go of me. Just.." she said warning him at first but when he failed to let go, so did her confidence and with that she just reverted to pleading him to just let go while attempting to push herself physically away from the embrace he was about to engage her in.

"Kate, Kate, Kate." jack kept on saying while trying to get a hold on her now frantic moving hands that were hitting at his chest now in an effort to break free from him.

"Don't! I've got.." she pleaded with him one last time while allowing her emotions to finally surface and get the better of her.

"It's okay. It's okay." jack replied in a much calmer and soothing tone while pulling her further into him in an effort to take the pain and fear she was feeling away by firstly placing his arms protectively around her and then sub-consciously itching his fingers slowly up her tank top to soothe the spots that he hoped would calm her frantic and now shaking body down. For the next few minutes she just moulded into the sensation of his hands on her skin, but unfortunately it didn't seem to erase the memory of what she had witnessed today and with that she just broke down completely within his arms and when she composed herself enough to speak, she simply pulled away, still not willing to look into his deep brown affectionate gaze which was completely focused and willing for her to simply meet them and see what was there.

"Please, this place is crazy. It's just…I can't…it's driving me nuts." she managed to get out while still trying to control the tears that had once again gathered in her eyes, ready to fall. Jack however watched her this whole time, knowing that there was something inside she was trying to fight and knowing that she was slowly giving into it and he refused to let her sink into the craziness, so with that he grasped hold of her shoulders and leaned his face closer to hers in an effort to not only get her to talk to him, but to look at him while he was doing it.

"I know. It's okay. It's alright. It's alright." jack kept on saying to her and when he said it the fourth time she gradually looked up innocently into his deep brown and concerned gaze and within that moment she felt everything else wash away, except the man standing in front of her, the man who had always been there for her, to the very extent of keeping her secret and she took comfort in that, so in an effort to swim in that comfort he offered, she slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips to his in an affirming kiss. Marvelling at the softness of his lips on hers and how right it felt to her and with that she attempted to deepen it further, to taste more of him even though he just froze in shock and surprise in return of what was happening, but as she progressed the kiss, he felt himself slowly giving into the sudden sensation she was causing deep within him and when he attempted to deepen the kiss with the same intensity, she surprisingly pulled away and wordlessly looked at him once again in nothing but fear and uncertainty and then turned around and took off disappearing into the woods, ignoring his calls.

(End of Flashback)

Till this day she could still remember how everything felt in that one kiss and even though they had kissed after that, nothing compared to the first time and how it felt. These kind of memories somehow consoled her and gave her hope in the fact that maybe there was still a chance for them, but as the thought passed her mind, she was once again alerted to a shuffling in the bushes in the very same place behind her and for a minute she hoped it was him but her heart suddenly got replaced by hope to that of hate when she saw who was standing right in front of her.

"Hey kate! Can we talk?" juliet asked adorning a wary but nervous expression, knowing that she was literally the last person the brunette wanted to see, but she was adamant on fixing things here so with that she just stood right in front of the brunette's way forcing her to give her a chance to explain and after some pleading and convincing, kate finally gave in and sat herself on the log she was sitting on previously.

"Look kate I know how you feel about me and I especially know how you feel when jack's name is used in the same sentence with mine but I just…" she paused while trying to push away the hurt of having to give him up and let go and when she composed herself enough to speak, she went on with what she wanted to say and cutting right to the chase.

"He loves you kate. He has for all this time, even when he saw you and sawyer on the monitors, even when we kissed yesterday, all he was thinking about the whole time was you kate. It was always you." juliet admitted while trying to push her own tears back.

"Really, because it looked like he was a more than willing participant when he was with you last night" kate said and with that she made the move to get up but juliet stopped her once again.

"Yeah well if you stayed a little bit longer, you would have seen him pull away with horror and then go on to tell me that he really didn't feel the same way as I did for him." she said in a stern manner as a last ditch effort to get through to her and to her good luck the brunette's barrier seemed to be breaking down judging by the tears that had now gathered in her green emerald eyes.

"Just tell me this kate, can you see yourself without him five years from now?" juliet asked the brunette, making her seriously think of what she meant. Could she really live without him? Kate asked herself. Could she live without seeing his beautiful face or lie comfortably and safely in his arms when they went to sleep and when they woke up in the morning or even when they were making love? In response her mind answered her simply and clearly and when she raised her head to look at the now smiling blonde, all she said was "Go" and with that kate slung her backpack over her shoulder and ran back with one destination in mind and one person to see.

Hey guys so there it is. So what do you think??