Disclaimer: I don't own Lost because if I did, third season would have been really really really different.

A/N: I know how shocking!!! A second update in less than a week, how great am I, seriously. This one's for Ida, I hope you'll be ok… so here it goes; chapter 14 of Finding Forever (Geez! I can't believe we're already here!). The song is Dear life from Anthony Hamilton from the Step Up soundtrack (a great movie with yet another hot guy hehehe) it really is a lovely song, you should check it out. Enough with me, let's get this show on the road and, as usual enjoy, and review…

Chapter fourteen: Dear life.

A few hours later...

"Kate, please… we're gonna be late." Jack complained for what seemed like the tenth time this evening. Still in the prospect of making this week the best she ever had, he decided to take Kate in a fancy and nice restaurant for their first official date. His nervousness was driving him crazy and the fact that she had spent the last hour in the bathroom was not helping his mood.

"I'll be out in a sec." he heard her reply sweetly.

"Yeah, well you've been repeating the same thing for the last half hour, so excuse me if I don't quite believe you." He said sardonically. "Women…" he mumbled to himself turning around to look at the clock again.

"I heard that." She said and he turn around to see her standing in the frame of the door a mild reproachful look crossing her beautiful green eyes but smiling nonetheless. He let his eyes travel up, down and up her body and felt as if his legs might slump from underneath him. The world stopped turning for the second time this week. She was wearing a figure-hugging strapless knee length black dress that fitted her feminine curve perfectly. She had held her hair in a classy chignon. After a few minutes of contemplation and a certain amount of censured images crossing his mind, he eventually realised that he was starring but he could not bring himself to look away. It seemed that every time she wore a dress his brain would go on pause and he would lose his capacity of doing the simplest things like speaking or even moving. She smiled to herself as she saw him struggling to keep his calm.

"You look beautiful." He finally said softly, looking intently in her eyes.

"Thank you. You're not half bad yourself." She said smiling cheekily. In reality, he was utterly gorgeous but she could not say that now, could she? He was wearing a deep black shirt with a white linen pant and a black leather belt. He had left the three first buttons open freeing his neck and collarbone from the pressure and teasing her. The contrast between the colour of his subtly tanned skin and the darkness of shirt was driving her literally crazy and she seemed to have just as much trouble keeping her calm as he did.

"Shall we?" he asked smiling genuinely and holding his arm to her. She smiled back and looped her arm around his.

"Let's go." She said.

As the sun shined, down on me,
I know with you in love is where I wonna be,
Oooh sometimes, I go on through life,
thinking that love is something that's not meant for me,

An hour later, they were having a sumptuous dinner on the terrace of the restaurant, giving them a beautiful sight of the ocean.

"This place is amazing." She said taking a sip of her cocktail her eyes travelling around her, shining with a gentle excitement, like a child in a toy store. "It must have been a real girl catcher." she said giggling and he smiled mysteriously. "What?" she asked sensing he was hiding something.

"What what?" he asked trying to look innocent.

"What's with the smile?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him. He looked at her steadily and realisation hit her.

"I'm the first woman you bring here?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, I told you that I haven't been here for ten years." He said shrugging.

"Still…" she said smiling shyly. "I'm flattered." He smiled sweetly at her and she averted her eyes, looking at her food.

"So how long has it been?" he asked trying to make conversation. She looked up alarmed.

"What?" she asked her eyes widening, misunderstanding his question.

"How long has it been since you last dated someone?" he asked more precisely chuckling at the outraged look she was giving him five seconds ago. Her features sobered a little. "What did you think I was asking?" he asked trying to look innocent.

"That was so mean mister!" she said narrowing her eyes reproachfully and he laughed.

"What?" he asked again, trying to hide an amused smile but failing completely.

"Oh you know what." She replied and he laughed heartedly. "You didn't answer the question though." He said after his laughter had subsided.

"Because you don't deserve it." she replied lightly and he smiled cheekily at her. They looked at each other for a while and she finally surrendered under his deep gaze.

"It's been a while." She said vaguely and he chuckled.

"Oh I loved it when your specific." He said his tone full of sarcasm and she laughed. "You know," he said more seriously, "if you want this to work, you've gotta give me something to work with." He said simply. His tone was not reproachful or bitter, it was soft and caring. She nodded.

"I know." She paused and he wondered if she was really searching through her memories or if she was just trying to give a dramatic effect to the whole thing. Even though he would not let it show, he was a little anxious about her answer, after all he was a man…

"Well the last time I've been out with a guy was two months ago." she finally said just as he sipped in his glass of water. He chocked.

"What?" he asked after coughing loudly and catching his breath.

"Two months." She repeated. "Why? Is there something wrong?" she asked looking a little confused. He took a deep breath and kept the icy, bitter and jealous retort he wanted to say from coming out of his mouth.

"No, I guess." He said still unsure. "It's just that I didn't know about it."

"Yeah, well except from Claire and Shannon nobody did." She explained.

"You're telling me that these two are actually capable of keeping a secret?" he asked lightly making her laugh. "Uh-uh, impossible. I can't believe you." And she laughed even more.

"Well, since it wasn't in anybody's interest, I understand why they kept their mouths shut." She said.

"How do you mean?" he asked frowning, intrigued.

"Well, I went out with this guy… what's his name again? Oh yeah, Tyler and I only went out once. They must have thought that it could have ruined our chances of being together if they said anything." She said and he nodded in understanding.

"Well I don't think so but thank them for sparing my feelings."

"Well, at the time it wouldn't have mattered, would it? I mean you were with Sara and really in love so my love life wasn't something you were worried about." She said before taking a bite of her vegetarian lasagne. She expected him to respond but he remained silent and more than that, he avoided her eyes, apparently embarrassed.

"Jack?" she chided softly.

"I don't think it would have been a nice thing to hear, as far as I was concerned." He reluctantly said.

"I see." She said smiling a little, nodding in understanding. Her heart skipped a little beat at the idea. "I guess I wasn't the only one daydreaming then?" she asked with a smirk and he chuckled.

"How wrong is it, seriously? I mean I was engaged to someone who I supposedly loved and the simple idea of you going out with someone else bothers me more than Sara actually cheating on me." He said chuckling. However, she did not smile, her expression froze and she looked at him, eyes wide open. "Ok, breathe." He teased. "This isn't a declaration, so stop panicking."

"Easier said than done." She said sighing.

"Right maybe we should talk about it. I mean I'm ready for that talk, if you are." He said taking her hand and caressing her palm with his thumb and she instantly relaxed at the feeling on his warm hand.

"I am but not now not here, let's just keep that for later." She suggested and he nodded. They finished dinner, enjoying each other's company. Jack paid for the expensive meal and they soon left the restaurant. He had suggested a walk along the beach and she agreed. They were walking side by side, small smiles on both of their faces. She had taken off her high heels and he joined her. They walked barefoot, letting the slightly cool sand cover their toes.

"Thank you, Jack. It was very pleasant." She said with a content sigh, taking his hand in hers. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it.

"My pleasure." He said looking down in her eyes. She tiptoed, he bent down and they shared a sensual kiss, under the moon light. They drew apart and resumed walking, rather silently, yet content. After a little while, she stopped and urged him to seat down in the sand next to her. He obliged and as soon as he was comfortably seating, she put her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm perfect." She replied with another content sigh.

"Not that I'm complaining, of course." He said with a smirk letting go of his transient state of concern.

"Ok let's get it over with." She said determinately, looking up at him. "The talk, I mean." She added when he looked at her confused.

"Oh."

"You go first." She said, making him smile warmly.

"Ok… um" he hesitated. "Well, first of all, I really think we should take things slow." He admitted. She sighed relieved that he was the one who said it. "I mean, let's face it, our lives are kinda chaotic and will certainly be for a little while." He added and she nodded against his shoulder.

"Damaged goods, both of us." She said making him smile again.

"Yeah, I guess we can say that. I want you to know that I will probably need a little more time before I get completely over Sara. I mean even if she hurt me, she was a big part of my life for the last five years."

"I get it. It's hard to get away from your past." She completed for him and he nodded. "Look, if you need a little bit more time I understand, I can wait." She said looking up in his rich hazel eyes. He shifted a little and planted a sweet peck to her lips.

"Don't worry; I think I can manage both." He said with a smile.

"You're sure?" she asked still uncertain.

"I am." He confirmed.

"Good. So we take thing slow but what does it mean?" he looked at her questioningly. "My last real boyfriend was Tom." She explained with a sad tone and he put his arm around her shoulders, scooping her closer to him.

"Well it means that we simply go slowly, we do not rush into things and we talk to each other about what might bother us." He explained softly, whispering in her ear. He put a soft kiss to the side of her head.

"Basically, no sex before we're both ready." she teased and he laughed.

"Basically? Yeah." He said chuckling and she joined him.

"Awwww, too bad." She said pouting.

"Well, if you insist…" he said and she laughed.

"More seriously, though, you're right we will take things slow and see how this will turn out."

"OK." He agreed. "There is a little problem though." He said.

"What is it?" she asked frowning.

"Our beloved friends. They're going to be real pains in the ass."

"Tell me about it. I can hear from here! 'I told you so!'" she said imitating Shannon. He laughed. "'Is jack a good kisser?'" she carried on.

"Well, Shannon, from all people should know that." He informed her and her head snapped up. "It's all Sawyer's doing," he quickly explained but she frowned even more at his explanation "we were playing truth or dare and just to piss Sayid off he dared Shannon to kiss me… really kiss me." He insisted.

"I can't believe she never told me about it." She mumbled angrily. She silenced her with another passionate kiss that left her breathless.

"So, am I a good kisser?" he asked with a warm smile.

"Well, I'm afraid, I'm gonna need another taste before giving a final judgement." She said and he obliged.

"So we're good?" he asked.

"We're good, just as long as I'm not some rebound girl, I'll be alright." She said.

"I promise you, Kate that I really want to be with you and it's not some kind of revenge against Sarah or a way to pass time. Even though I tried to fight them, these feelings were there for a long time." He said cupping her face in his hands before placing a reassuring and soft kiss on her lips.

"I believe you." She said when they parted.

They stayed in each other arms for a long time, enjoying the warm breeze before returning to the house around midnight. They both quickly changed into their pyjamas and settled in the living room to watch a late diffusion of Casablanca. He watched her fight sleep for half an hour before giving up and falling asleep, her head in his lap. He turned the TV off and making sure he did not wake her up, he scooted her effortlessly in his arms. He took her to her bedroom. Earlier that afternoon, they had agreed that it would be best if they did not share a room this soon in their relationship. He delicately put her on the bed and put the bedclothes over her small figure. He gently kissed her forehead and prepared to leave the room when he heard her stir.

"Hey." He said softly turning around to look at her, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked sleepily and smiling.

"Well, I was thinking about going to bed." He said smiling a little. She looked at him intently and a smile spread on her beautiful face. She held up her hand to him and he came back closer to take it.

"Stay with me." She asked. He looked unsure for a moment but his hesitation was soon gone when he looked in her sparkling green eyes.

"Well, I can't refuse such an offer." He said softly and climbed in bed, facing her. He kept his hand in hers and before either of them realised it, they were asleep.

Sometimes in life,
You run across a love unknown,
Without a reason, it feels like you, belong.
Hold on Dear Life,
Don't go off running from what's new,
I became somebody, through loving you.

The next two days passed by rather quickly. As promised, Jack made everything that he could to make these days unforgettable. He showed her around, cooked for her, talked to her, made her laugh, kissed with more passion than anybody showed her in her entire life. It was better than a dream because it was real. On the third day, they decided to call Claire just to reassure their friends.

"I'm glad Boone was with them. It's been a while." She said after she hung up.

"Yeah, he was rather busy lately. I guess we'll see him more once Shannon's wedding will be behind us." He said.

"God, I can't believe it's less than a month before that day." She said a dreamy expression in her eyes.

"Tell me about it. I have to look for a new roommate." he said. "Not that I actually need help to pay the rent, it's just that it's gonna be so empty without him there." He said rather sadly. She took his hand in his and kissed his cheek. There was nothing to say, letting go of a friend was always difficult.

"We'll still see each other, a lot. Shannon won't be able to stay away from Claire for too long." He said making her giggle.

"Yeah and I'm sure they'll have another reason to drop by." She added with a smile and he kissed her. "Nobody can get enough of Miss Austen." She said with a self-satisfied smirk and he laughed.

"I'm not gonna argue with that." He said before kissing her upturn lips. They spend the rest of the day lying next to each other in the sand, enjoying the warm sunny day.

Later that afternoon, Kate was cooking dinner and Jack was taking pictures of the view when his cell phone went off…


Warm was the sun, that covered my body so.
Reminded me of you, as I'd first known.
Those were tha days, tha days, that changed my life, and made me new,
I became somebody, through loving you.

A/N: here it is!!! Chapter 14! Yay!!!! I had a lot of fun writing it. Actually, it was the easiest chapter I've wrote so far. I hope you enjoyed the Jate, they're sweet, aren't they. I guess you know what next chapter will be about, uh. Well, we need a little drama, don't you think?

Please, tell me what you thought! Until then I send you all my love, because I do love you.

Héla.