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-Chapter 10-
The Shore of Destiny

Kate wades in knee deep water of a small inlet somewhere on the coast of California. She likes this beach because it's reminiscent of the Island. The trees are tropical and the shore is covered in formations of smooth table top boulders. Except for a small cluster of recreational boats just off shore, the place is quiet and isolated.

She rolls the message tightly and seals it inside the bottle. A nearby river feeds into the harbor, creating a steady current. She places it in the water and watches it slowly drift

Further.

And further.

And further away.

Until disappearing from sight.

And there she stands waiting, and believing; that somehow, Jack survived that dreadful day.

She watches the waves for a moment, then looks to the small cluster of boats anchored just off shore. There's a white sailboat within the cluster which looks vaguely familiar. A man with long brown hair walks to the stern and waves both hands in the air. "Aye! Over here!" he yells in a thick Scottish accent.

Kate's heart skips a beat. Desmond? she says to herself. Kate wades a little deeper to get a better look.

Desmond chuckles and keeps waving. "Over here!"

Kate looks to her right and sees a woman and a little boy run out into the water together. "Daddy, Daddy!" little Charlie yells. "You made it, Des!" yells Penny. Desmond dives off the boat and swims toward his family, unaware that Kate is wading in the waters close by.

Kate nervously looks back to the boat, scanning for signs of anyone else on board. "Please," she whispers. Several long seconds go by without seeing any movement. "Oh no," she says, her voice cracking. Her worst fears are confirmed. A tear streaks down her cheek. Her breathing becomes faster, as if air can no longer fill her lungs. The burning sensation spreads below her ribs, pressing painfully against her heart. She gasps, finally able to breathe but sobbing uncontrollably. She presses her hands against her cheeks to hide her face.

Then suddenly, a familiar voice calls out from the shore behind her.

"Kate?" Jack stands, soaking wet from his swim to shore. "Is that you?" he asks.

Kate looks back; her tear filled eyes unable to distinguish his face. "Jack?" she whispers, barely exhaling to form words. Jack wades into the water to come near. She rubs her eyes to clear the tears. "Jack!" she says, her voice gaining volume. She wants to run to him, but her knees weaken.

Jack wades faster then grabs her hands to keep her from falling. "Hey," he says, somewhat casually. She lunges forward to embrace him. "Jack!" her cries muffled into the comfort of his shoulder.

Jack returns the affection and hugs her tightly. "Hey, it's Ok. I'm here."

She catches her breath. The stinging sensation within her chest fades, replenished with the warmth of Jack's presence. "You're alive," she says. She lifts up his shirt and feels the area which was once wounded.

"Ya. I know," he says, smiling. "I had to come back, to you."

She gazes back in his eyes, still in shock. "It's been almost a year. What took you so long?" she asks.

"Ben recruited me," he replies.

"Recruited?" she says. She raises her eyebrows, expecting more explanation. "Sounds important."

"I had to stay, Kate. Otherwise, even more would have died," he says, sparing Kate the gruesome medical details of the people he saved. Jack looks down the beach and waves to Desmond and Penny. "Desmond was my only ride home, until Ben could get another submarine. I'm lucky he waited so long for me."

Kate smiles. "I waited for you too, Jack."

Jack smirks, anticipating the moment. "I know," he says. He reaches into his pocket and unfolds the message.

"What is this?" Kate's eyes widen as she recognizes her own handwriting. Her expression becomes more shocking each line she reads. She looks back to the ocean; her message in a bottle now far from view. "But how is this possible?" she asks, looking into Jack's eyes.

"I don't know, Kate," he says, shaking his head. "After coming to the Island, I've learned a lot of things are possible."

Kate moves close again for a hug, and moves her hands around to squeeze Jack's arms. "Are you really real, Jack?"

"Ya," he chuckles, but also perplexed. He leans back to look into her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, is this moment even real?"

Jack shrugs his shoulders. "What else could it be?"

"You found my message, all the way across the ocean that I just now sent in a bottle from this shore," she says, stepping back and holding up the note. "What if you really died on the Island?"

"What?" asks Jack, shrugging off her suggestion as ridiculous.

"What if we both died, and right now we're only existing in some kind of dream we created?"

Jack thinks back to his experience in the afterlife. It was a world that seemed real, until he awoke to the realization of who Kate and the rest of his friends really were. He squeezes her arms, and then his own just to make sure. "I really don't know Kate," he says. "But there's only one way to find out."

Jack runs his fingers through her hair, tucking layers of curls behind her ears. He leans closer; the motion of each breath taken shared between them. She closes her eyes and feels the tingling of his brow against her nose. Their lips touch. The sky behind them suddenly brightens as the evening clouds shift away, revealing the entire sun sitting high on the horizon. The sands and waters surrounding them glisten in the light, becoming brighter.

And brighter.

And brighter.

And,

:)The End!:)

And so this story ends. Wow. Can't believe it. I will surely miss writing this. I'm hoping many of you were pleasantly surprised by this final chapter, as I skipped over all the details of what could have possibly happened with Jack being on the Island while Kate patiently waited. Because in the end, what does it matter? No matter what characters or scenes introduced, this story was meant for Jack and Kate being together all along.

I want to thank so many of you for joining me on this journey. Erica, SoFeelingTheLove, Kodiack, Yas. Your comments were very encouraging, and inspired me to keep going.

Erica, I hope you're still around since I wrote way passed the four chapters I originally intended :)

As a little sidenote, the very "bright" ending of this story is open to interpretation, and by no means has to mean that it absolutely was the afterlife. I personally like to believe, that Jack coming back alive and keeping Kate from waiting was real! And that it was just the sun getting brighter! -bobt