A/N- I know, I know, I know, this took me forever to update and I am terribly sorry. I had a really bad case of writers block or a really big brain fart, but I cleared it up tonight.
I just have to say that it was really weird watching last weeks episode. I couldn't believe how close I was about the whole thing with Jack and his dad. I may have been close about Jack's past, but I have to admit, I couldn't be farther off from Kate's.
Ohwell, life goes on, you'll just have to ignore anything about Kate's past that comes up in the show.But seeing as I've already made you wait long enough, I won't keep you any longer. I hope you enjoy it.

Jack had carried Kate and her things back to the caves after she had fallen asleep, crying on his shoulder. He now sat with his back against the side of his cave with Kate's head resting on his lap. He was gently stroking her hair and her face when she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Hey there," Jack whispered to her.

"Hi," Kate whispered back.

Neither said anything for the longest time because neither knew what to say. Kate had opened up to him, she spilled her heart out, she let him see her vulnerable side and now she didn't know what else to say. What more could she say? Jack on the other hand didn't know how to voice the things he felt after hearing her confession. He didn't know how to tell her he was sorry; sorry for the things she went through; sorry for making her tell him everything.

He felt horrible for the way he treated her and for the things that had happened to her, but at the same time he felt great knowing that she trusted him enough to tell him about her past. He didn't know if that meant that she wanted to have a relationship with him or not, but even if she didn't feel the same way he did, he was happy to know that she felt something for him, whether it was trust or respect or something else, it was still something.

He knew it was hard for her to tell him the things that she did, and he knew that she was probably feeling really vulnerable at the moment, so he felt the need to ease her fears. He didn't know how he could do that or what to say to make her feel better, but he knew he had to think of something fast.

He could tell her that he didn't care about the things she had done in her past, but he didn't think she would believe him. He could voice his sympathy about the things she had gone through, but he knew that she would see it as pity and Kate was the kind of girl who didn't like being pitied. He could do a number of things but none of them seemed right.

-----

Kate held his gaze for as long as she could, trying to read his thoughts. She saw in his eyes confusion, pain, need, indecision, and what she thought and hoped was love. She wanted him to say something, anything, but he remained silent. And because the way he was looking at her was so intense, she had to look away. When she took a chance, and looked back into his eyes, his mouth opened and words started to spill out.

"I never told you the reason I had gone to pick up my dad in Australia," Jack started than continued, not waiting for her to respond. "He had gone on one of his little escapades again. He' done it from time to time before, whenever something happened that he couldn't take. This time he left because of me and what I had done."

Kate wanted to say something, to tell him that he didn't need to do what he was doing, but she knew that he needed to get things off his chest, just like she had done earlier. So she remained silent and let him continue at his own pace, she wasn't going to push him.

"It happened this one day when I had shown up late for work again. My dad, you see, was a doctor at the same hospital as me, and was also a surgeon. Anyway, I was prepping for surgery when he came in and started berating me for making him look bad by showing up late. Then he told me that he was going to perform my operation and that I was just supposed to stand there and watch. I had smelled whiskey on his breath and tried talking him out of going into the operation room and operating on the man, but he can be a very stubborn person. Kind of like you actually."

This brought a little chuckle out of Kate, but she still did not say anything, she knew he was far from being finished.

"Every person on staff in the operation room, knew that my father was intoxicated but everyone was so scared of him that they weren't about to go against him, so the procedure went on. Anyway, without going into all the details, he messed up and when he tried to fix it, he made things worse. I had tried to jump in and take over but he wouldn't have it, he even slugged me.

"When he realized that the patient was as good as dead and that he couldn't do anything to save him, he just walked out of the room without saying a single word. After he left I tried to fix the mistakes he had made but it was no use and the man died. The worst part was, it was up to me to go and tell the family the bad news.

"The man's wife had grabbed onto me and held me so close as she cried. It was then that I decided to change my life around, and that started with my father. I decided right then and there not to let him walk over me anymore. That day I went to the medical board and told them what my father had done. After I did, more people brought stories forward about him being drunk during operations, and about patients dying because of mistakes he had made that they had lied about. He had his medical license taken away that day and after he left, I quit.

"And it was because he wasn't able to practice medicine anymore, that he had run off to Australia and overdosed in an alley. It was because of me that my dad is dead now."

Kate sat up and wiped a tear away from Jack's eye. "I know that you won't believe me when I say this, but it wasn't your fault Jack."

"If it weren't for me going to the medical board and ratting on him, he would still be alive today."

"How can you be so sure? You said it yourself that he had gone on these 'escapades' before, who's to say he wouldn't have gone on one and died anyway. I know you don't want to here it but you did the right thing. Think of the people who might have had him as a doctor in the following days, weeks, months or even years. Think about the people who could have died because of more mistakes that your father might have made if he operated drunk again. You probably saved the lives of a lot of people and that is nothing to feel bad about."

"Neither is protecting your sister."

Kate paused for a moment, letting the shock of his words wear off. How could he know that she felt guilty?

"It's not so much that I feel guilty for killing him, which I do a little but, it's more about the things I did later in life. The way I would use men and the things I did with them just to get some money, it makes me sick just thinking about it. And what's worse is that I put this stereotype on all men, that they were all like my stepfather. I hated men, and only got close to them to get what I needed, I only saw them as a meal-ticket until…" she let the sentence fade, not realizing what she was about to say until the last minute. Sure they were sharing things with each other but she didn't want to ruin it by saying anything about her feelings for him.

"Until what?" Jack asked.

Kate remained silent; she didn't want to tell him the truth. He was the first man she had ever had real feelings for and she didn't know if she could take a rejection from him.

"Please Kate," Jack pleaded with her. And because of the way he said it she told him the truth.

"Until you," was all she said and she turned away from him, fearing his reaction.

-----

Jack was stunned. He had hoped she would say something along the lines of that but he truthfully didn't expect it. He was so shocked by those two little words that he didn't move or say anything for a few seconds. Then he noticed that Kate had turned away from him and was about to get up and leave. He quickly reached out and put his hand softly on her arm and held her in place. Then he placed his other hand underneath her chin and slowly turned her head so that she was facing him, but her eyes remained fixated on the ground.

"Kate," he said softly, "Please look at me."

He saw her hesitate then she slowly brought her gaze up to meet his. He saw fear in her eyes and knew that she was scared about what he would say, so he smiled and said, "I know exactly how you feel Kate. I've never really cared about anyone throughout my entire life, even though I was married at one point, though I'm not anymore. That was one of the other things I changed about my life that day.

"But ever since that day I met you on the beach, when I asked you to stitch me up and you made the joke about my color preference, I've been drawn to you. I found myself looking at you all the time and thinking about you when you weren't around. The reason I told you that you didn't have to tell me about your past that day, was because I had this perfect image of you in my mind and I didn't want to ruin it. But now that I know the truth, it just makes me love you all the more."

Jack saw the look of relief wash over her face but it was quickly replaced by something else.

"Did you just say that you love me?" Kate asked with a small smile.

"I believe I did. Does that scare you?" Jack answered.

"A little, but at the same time, it's kinda nice."

A smile crossed Jack's face as he brought up his hand and gently caressed her face. He slowly leaned forward and briefly brushed his lips against hers. He backed away, not knowing if he was moving to fast and scaring her. But when she brought her hand up to his neck and pulled him towards her, he couldn't hold back. He kissed her deeply and she responded. Little did they know that Sawyer had just walked through the bushes and seen the whole thing.

-----

After they broke apart, they sat side by side, with Jack's arm around Kate's waist and her head resting on his shoulder. Neither said a word for a long time, they just sat in a comfortable silence, content and at peace. But after a while Kate felt that the silence needed to be broken, plus she felt she could really trust Jack and she wanted to tell him everything. She didn't want there to be any more secrets between them.

"The night I left with my sister, we walked for about a mile before we got on a bus and headed north as far as we could. I didn't want to get on a bus that close to home because I thought that it would be the first place they would look. We walked for hours through the pouring rain, me carrying both of our duffle bags and Sarah just trying not to break down.

"By the time we got to the bus stop, I could barely feel me fingers or my toes, and Sarah was shivering so violently that a couple people we passed that she was having a seizure. But I paid for our bus fares and we road the bus until the driver said he was heading back into the main area of the city. We got off near the outskirts of Los Angeles and sat in a diner near the highway until we were somewhat warm.

"It was there that we talked to a trucker who was headed up to Sacramento, and he offered us a ride. He was a nice guy who was hopelessly in love with Dolly Parton, so the whole drive up, we probably listen to every song of hers that she ever did. So you can understand why I absolutely hate Dolly Parton now.

"Anyway, after he stopped in Sacramento, we said goodbye and walked along the side of the highway until we got picked up by a young couple just out of college. They were heading up the coast and took pity on us, 'cause basically we looked like crap, and even let us stay in their hotel room for the night. They took us with them the next day as well and after they got to Port Angeles we said goodbye to them as well.

"From there we snuck onto a fairy that was headed to Victoria and we found an old abandoned shack to sleep in for the night. The next morning we hitched a ride to Nanaimo and from there we snuck onto another fairy heading to Vancouver. We almost got caught that time, but this nice old man told the security guards that we were his grandchildren. He figured we were down on our luck so he took us to a restaurant and paid for our meal. From there he drove us as far as Kelowna where he lived.

"That night he took us into his home and his wife happily fed us a warm meal, washed our clothes and let us take a hot shower. They made up a bed for us in their spare bedroom and that night after Sarah had fallen asleep, they told me that his wife had seen me on the news. She told me that they were claiming that I killed had killed my father and then kidnapped my sister.

"They were so nice and caring and trustworthy that they said they weren't going to tell anyone that they had seen us. When I asked them why, they told me that they didn't believe it was true because Sarah seemed afraid of everyone but me and if the other part was true, then I probably had a very good reason for doing what I did. They thought I was a sweet girl, and not some sociopath that went around killing people for no good reason.

"Then they told me that they would offer to take care of us but that they didn't have enough time, strength or money raise two growing girls. But they told me that they new someone who could take us as far as Lethbridge. We would be on our own after that but he didn't think it would be safe for us to stay there.

"So after his friend drove us to Lethbridge, he told to stay away from the highway because he didn't want us getting picked up by someone who might recognize us and take us to the authorities.

"I was afraid of staying in the city so I took Sarah and we walked for two days, taking shelter in run down shacks or old burrows that had been abandoned. The next day a big storm came upon us, and as we were trying to find somewhere to get out of the rain, Sarah spotted a farm not that far away. We hurried towards it, and in the middle of the night, we found a way inside and buried ourselves under some hay to keep warm.

"The next day, Harry, who owned the farm, came in to feed the horses and found us curled up together and fast asleep. When he woke us up I freaked out and tried to grab Sarah and run but he got a hold of her and wouldn't let her go. I thought he was going to turn us into the police or do something worse, but somehow he managed to calm both of us down. He said he wasn't going to hurt us, he just wanted to know if we were hungry.

"He took us inside and we met his wife Sandy, and right away we felt safe. They reminded us of the elderly couple who had helped us out in Kelowna and at first they didn't seem to recognize us. The offered us food and a warm bed to sleep in if we helped out with the farm chores. Of course right away I agreed and I offered to show Sarah what to do.

"We had been there for a couple weeks, when one night, I overheard them talking about the latest news broadcast. They were talking about how they had seen Sarah and I on TV and how the police were expanding their search for me. They said how the police assumed that I had already killed Sarah and hid the body somewhere and that I was now wanted for a double homicide.

"It was than that I made my presence known and they told me that they didn't care about what I had done, that they loved both me and my sister and that they wanted to take care of us. They told me that they had known who we were ever since the day Harry found us in the barn, and that after knowing us only a couple of days, they had been looking into making false identities.

"They had found a guy that was willing to make up all the necessary papers but that it cost a lot of money only for one set. I knew what they were saying so I told them to take care of Sarah, and not to let anyone hurt her again, and then I went upstairs and packed my bag. Before I left, I wrote Sarah a letter, explaining why I had to leave, that I loved her and that I would come back and see her again, and then I slipped it under her pillow.

"As I was about to head out the door, Sandy showed up behind me with her coat on, her keys in her hand and two umbrellas. In the truck, on the way to the bus station, she told me that she didn't want to see me go, that if they had the choice, they would keep both Sarah and I and raise us like their own. She told me that her and Harry had been trying to have kids for years but were never successful, and that after meeting us and only being with us for two weeks, they had come to love both of us as if we were actually their children.

"We both started crying when she told me that it felt like she was losing a daughter so soon after finally getting one. And when we got to the bus station, she paid for my ticket to Toronto, gave me an envelope filled with cash, and hugged me so tightly as she said goodbye. Then she told me that if I ever needed anything, that I could always come back to them, that their door would always be open to me. And well I'll spare you the details of what followed after that. I'm sure you have a pretty good idea already."

Kate tried to lighten the mood with her last sentence, as Jack wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes. His heart broke for her, she had been through so much at such a young age, and yet still, here she was today, strong, caring, beautiful, spirited and independent. It was easy to see why no one suspected Kate to be the owner of the handcuffs, or even come close to knowing what was in her past. Most people on the island probably thought she was a teacher or a waitress or an executive of some kind, not a convict.

"I never told anyone that before," Kate whispered to him.

"But I thought you said you told the marshal your story, hoping he would let you go?" Jack asked confused.

"I told him everything up to the part about me taking off with Sarah. I told him that Sarah was still alive but I never told him where she was. I didn't trust anyone enough with that secret."

"What are you saying? Are you telling me you trust me? Or do you believe that none of us are making it off this island so you think it's okay that I know, because you think that I will never be able to tell anyone about it?"

"I told you because I do trust you and also because contrary to your last question, I do believe that we will make it off this island and I was hoping you would do me a favor when we do."

"Really? And what would this favor be?"

"Well seeing as if we get rescued, the first thing they are going to do is put me back in handcuffs and through me in jail. And I was hoping that you would be willing to take Sarah a message for me. You know, just let her know that I'm sorry for leaving her without saying goodbye, that I loved her very much and still do. Tell her that I never stopped thinking about her, that I thought about her everyday, wondering if she was okay and how her life was going. Tell her that she was the reason I never gave up or gave in, that I was planning to one day get enough money so that I could come and get her and that we could live together again."

"After all those years, you never went to see her?"

"I did, once. It was after I got away from the marshal. It just made me really think about her and I had to see her, plus I had stored away enough money for us to start out on our own."

"So why didn't you?"

"For a lot of reasons. The police were going to be after me even more after my little stunt and I didn't want to bring her into the kind of life I had been living. I didn't know if she would remember me after all these years, or hate me for what I had done. And I didn't want her to see the kind of person I had become."

"Do you honestly think she could ever forget you? You saved her from a horrible nightmare and took her to safety. She might have hated you for leaving her there and for never coming to see her but after seeing you again she would have forgiven you in a second."

"I know, but the biggest reason was that when I went there and saw her, she just looked so happy. I had never seen her as happy as I had seen her that day and I didn't want to ruin that. I didn't want to bring back those awful memories of so long ago, for her or for me. I could see that she had built a good life for herself without me and I didn't want to take her away from that. She had found herself a real family and a good life and I couldn't see myself being a part of it. So before she could see me, I turned around and left. I would love to be able to say that I never looked back, but I did, many times. I even found myself slightly envious of her. She was living the life that I used to before my father died. I knew it was a life I would always cherish and remember and I knew that I would never know that kind of life again."

Jack hugged Kate closer to him and kissed her on the forehead. He held her tightly as she held onto him, feeling a safeness and a kind of comfort that she had never felt before. She loved the fact that she had found someone that she could show her vulnerabilities to and know that he wouldn't think her weak. She loved how she could be totally honest with him without having to force herself to tell the truth. She loved everything about him, especially the way he was holding her at that moment.

No one knows how to say
That they're sorry
And don't worry
I'm not telling lies

Well there is chapter 8, I hope you liked it. Again I'm sorry it took so long to get here. I will try my hardest not to do it again. To all of those who care, there will be two more chapters until this fic is finished. Then maybe I will write another one, and maybe I won't, who knows. I can promise it will have a good ending, for all characters involved. Thanks to all those that are still reading this, and hope that you continue to do so. Tah tah for now.