Disclaimer: Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nani mo arimasu. I own nothing!

A/N: Hey peeps! I'm so happy; I've figured out a plan for the rest of this fic


Chapter 12

A few days later, Kate and Hailey were walking hand-in-hand along the path into the jungle. Kate had been keeping Hailey close since she had been promoted to "Mommy" status… she couldn't help but feel worried. Worried about what she wasn't quite sure… Was she worried that something would happen to Hailey if she wasn't with her? That Hailey would feel abandoned if she left her with someone else? That if she didn't have Hailey where she could see her she might just disappear, never to be found again?

Well, for whatever reason, Kate found herself panicking at even the thought of being separated from Hailey. Hailey was the best thing to come into her life in years…maybe ever, she thought.

"Morning," A male voice startled Kate out of her thoughts. She spun around to face him, reflexively clutching Hailey's hand more tightly in her own.

"Jack," Kate said, relaxing as a grin spread across her face, "You scared me."

"Oops," A playful grin flashed across his lips as he caught up with them.

"You did that just to see me jump, didn't you?" Kate glared at him.

"I would never do such a thing," Jack replied with his best poker face. Kate looked almost as if she believed him until she caught the twinkling in his eyes.

"Ow!" Jack exclaimed theatrically when Kate hit his arm. Hailey giggled at him in amusement. Jack grinned at the little girl, "Did you see that Hailey? She hit me!"

"Baby," Kate taunted cheekily, "I barely laid a finger on you!"

"Baby?!" Jack pretended to be offended, "Why I oughtta…" Jack lunged at Kate who, unprepared for this, had no time to even think of moving.

Hailey's giggles gave way to full blown hysterical laughter as Jack swept Kate up off the ground and began tickling her with gusto. Kate wriggled violently in his arms, kicking the air and laughing herself to tears as she struggled to escape his clutches.

"Ja-ack!" she squealed.

"What's that Kate?" Jack teased the woman in his arms, "Are you telling me that you're ticklish?" Jack punctuated his sentence with further tickling.

"No!" Kate claimed sounding embarrassed, still squirming to get free.

"Oh, okay then," Jack nonchalantly before swinging her over his shoulder and tickling her sides.

"O-kay…Yes… I'm tick- ticklish" Kate admitted desperately through her laughter, "Stop! I- I can't br- breathe!"

"What do you reckon Hailey? Has Kate learnt her lesson?" Jack stopped and asked Hailey. Hailey nodded, grinning in a amusement at their childish behaviour.

"Okay then," Jack said, letting a puffed Kate slip to the ground. Kate took a minute to catch her breath, stepping away from Jack.

"Thanks," Kate said before grinning at Hailey and pointedly adding, "Baby."

Kate ran for it as soon as the word left her mouth, with Jack hot on her heels and Hailey laughing after them.

-----------------------------------

"So where are you two lovely ladies headed anyway?" Jack enquired, walking alongside them whilst the width of the path allowed him to do so. Things had calmed down after Jack and Kate had declared a truce, to Hailey's disappointment.

"We're going to get some food for lunch... you now those fruit trees off the path before the caves?" Jack nodded.

"I was just heading over to the hatch to grab some medication for the beach… I'll walk with you," Jack replied.

"Someone's sick?" Kate asked, frowning in concern.

"No," Jack assured her, "I'm just stocking up to be safe."

"Oh. Good," Kate nodded to herself, walking in step with Jack and keeping and eye on Hailey who was walking a little ahead of them.

They spent the rest of the walk in a comfortable silence, each occupied with their own thoughts

"Well…" Kate broke the silence as they reached her destination, "I guess I'll see you later."

"Oh," Jack said, reluctantly remembering what he was supposed to be doing, "Right. Bye Kate."

"Bye Jack!" Hailey said smiling up at him. Jack could help the grin that spread across his face.

"Goodbye Hailey," Jack replied. He smiled at Kate once more before leaving.

-----------------------------------

Kate collected fruit from the trees and bushes while Hailey happily played nearby. Every so often, Kate would look over to check on her little charge then, finding nothing to worry about, she smiled and turned back to her work.

Hailey found plenty of things to amuse herself, as is typical of small children. She played in the dirt and built little houses out of sticks and leaves. Just as she had completed her little village, a brightly coloured butterfly landed on her arm.

"Hello!" Hailey whispered to the butterfly, "You're pretty."

She watched, entranced, as the creature fluttered its red and blue wings and flew lazily off. Hailey rose to her feet and began to follow it.

"Butterfly!" she called, "Come back butterfly!"

She followed the butterfly around trees and bushes, calling after it hopefully. In the end she had to give up her quest because the butterfly flew up into the canopy of the jungle where she had no hope of following it.

Hailey pouted in disappointment and turned around to head back to Kate. It was then she realised that the jungle looked equally thick in every direction.

"Kate?" Hailey called out, hopefully. There was no reply. "Kate?!"

Her lower lip began to tremble as she realised that she was completely and utterly was lost. Hailey looked fearfully around, suddenly feeling very alone. A twig snapped somewhere nearby.

"Mommy!" Hailey screamed.


A/N: ducks for cover