Claire shook her head, moving her hand over Kate's forehead and brushing back a strand of hair. Kate's eyes were closed and she sank away from Claire's touch. "So he just… left?"

"Yeah." Kate opened her eyes, turning her head to the side. "He hates me."

"No he doesn't." Claire sat down on the bed next to Kate, who shuffled away from her.

"Yes. He wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true. Sawyer wouldn't…"

"Kate…" Claire touched Kate's arm, but Kate just pulled away.

"Look… I just… I wanna be alone."

"You sure that's such a great idea babe?"

"Claire, please." She hugged her arms tightly to herself, trying to build up her walls again. Silently, Claire stood up, knowing it would be useless to try and talk to Kate now, and walked out of the tent.

---

Sawyer fell to his knees deep in the jungle, his breathing was quick. His arms grasped for something to hold on to and he got a grip on a tree close by him. He moved from his knees to a normal sitting position, looking around the jungle at his surroundings. Everything was so quiet and the loneliness of the spot got to him as soon as his feet had stopped running.

The sounds of the jungle surrounded him as he closed his eyes, letting his head fall back onto the bark of the tree. "I'm sorry Freckles."

---

Kate moved around the tent, tearing the place apart in a search. She picked up a pillow and threw it against the tent wall, looking down to see a piece of paper lying on the bed. She reached over and grasped it in her hand, pulling it up and running her fingers along the envelope.

With baited breath, she turned the envelope, tracing the seal on the back of it with a fingernail. Sitting down on the side of the bed, she slid it open and removed the letter inside. Her breathing got ragged as she unfolded the tattered piece of paper and blinked back a few tears as she started to read it.

"Dear Mr. Sawyer…." Her eyes ran down the page as she just looked at the writing, not needing to read the words. She had them memorized. The words had stuck in her mind since the first time she read it and she had remembered every word without ever needing to touch the paper again. She knew the emotions the letter held for Sawyer all too well. They had a connection, their pasts had drawn them together, it was the way they had worked. No one else understood them the way they understood each other, and there was no way anyone else could.

Had she imagined it all? Had everything she believed that they had together been a joke to him? Had he really felt nothing for her? His eyes burned in her mind, the hatred in them, but then… he couldn't have acted that fear, he couldn't have just woken up with a need to push her away and made up an excuse, telling her that he had to leave because he was going to hurt her if he didn't.

He hadn't. Her eyes on the letter she held in her hands, she came to that conclusion. Somehow, everything went together. He hadn't been faking when he woke up, he had been faking when he left. It was something that happened too much, that was something you'd hear about or watch, but you'd never think it was going to happen to you.

He was trying to hurt her, so that in his mind he could be saving her.

With this new and sudden realization, she stood up, closing the letter and sliding it into the envelope, and grabbed a bag, stuffing in a shirt, a few pieces of fruit, and two waterbottles.

"Kate? What are you doing?" Claire walked in the door, Jack following behind with Aaron in his arms, no doubt giving him the checkup that he had promised Claire he would do every once and a while so the boy wouldn't get sick again. Both of them were looking at Kate, worried. "I came in here three hours ago and you wouldn't move, now you're running around like a crazy person. What's wrong?" Claire's eyes went to the bag. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going after Sawyer." Kate slid the bag over her shoulders and turned towards them, waiting for them to move so she could start the journey.

"What? No Kate. You can't."

"Move Claire." Kate shook her head as Claire walked over and took her arm.

"I can't let you do this Kate. What if something happens?" Claire searched her brain for a way to keep Kate there, as Jack just watched their conversation, both of them being stubborn and neither of them remembering his presence anymore.

"I can track him down Claire. I need to get him back here."

"It's too dangerous Kate."

"I'm a big girl Claire."

"What about the baby?"

"Baby?" Kate and Claire turned to Jack as he had finally spoken up. Both women were silent and Claire immediately mentally kicked herself. Kate's eyes fell when she finally spoke.

"I… uh… Sawyer…" She didn't need to say anymore, Jack got the picture. He ignored the stabbing pain he felt, telling himself he had no right to be jealous, it had been his fault he and Kate didn't work out. Finally he looked back up, shaking his head.

"Claire's right. It's too dangerous."

"Jack…"

"I'll go out and find him." Jack offered, moving closer to her. "You need to lie down and try to relax." Kate gently pushed his arm away, looking into his eyes with an apology.

"It won't work Jack. That time is over. If I don't go, he won't come back. You and I both know that. I have to do this Jack." She situated the bag on her back and pushed Jack lightly, walking past him and Claire, hearing Aaron's gurgle behind her, she couldn't turn and look at him. "I'll be fine. I'm bringing him back." Without giving them a chance to recover and argue again, Kate took off at a jog into the jungle.