More thanks to smilez4eva,a.k.a.-ashley, scrawn, Oreata, Miss Krux, showmethehobbit, Freckles, suspencer, Lovely Story, Writing Squirrel, xeledhwenx, and litgal for their reviews!

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story are my own creation. Thanks again as well to Jung for his theory of synchronicity, which I use often in my stories.


The Best Friend I Ever Had…

"Jack! Who exactly is this woman that you are bringing into my house?"

"I told you, Mom, her name is Kate."

Deborah Shepard shook her head in disbelief. "Isn't that the convict from the plane?!"

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Um…"

"Jack! What has come over you lately? Why would you risk everything to help a woman you don't even know?!"

"But I do know her! I know that you think it's crazy, but we really did get to know each other well on the island."

"Have you been drinking, Jack? You're talking crazy like…" Deborah broke off and looked away.

"Like Dad, you mean?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. That was out of line. But, please, think logically about this. It makes no sense."

"I don't know what makes sense anymore, Mom. The one thing I do know, however, is that she is my friend, and if she's not welcome here then I can easily go back to my apartment."

Deborah looked aghast. "Please, Jack, don't leave me alone. I need someone to be here with me, at least until your father's funeral is over."

"Then she stays."

Deborah nodded, defeated. Jack looked at his shoes. He hated having to give his mother an ultimatum like that, but he knew that there was no other way that she would have allowed Kate to stay.

Taking a deep breath as if to gather her strength, Deborah marched into the hallway in which Kate was still standing awkwardly. "Hello, Kate. You are, of course, welcome at my house."

Kate did not miss the antipathy in her voice. Wincing slightly, she replied, "I am very grateful for that."

Deborah looked Kate over with disdain. "Of course, you'll need some new clothes. I will take you shopping first thing in the morning."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Shepard."

"Please, don't mention it. Really. Don't."

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Charlie pressed his hands against the cold bars of his cell and closed his eyes. It was his first night in prison and he felt completely useless. Claire needs my help and I'm stuck here! His fingers began tapping involuntarily. His cell mate, a big burly man, was awoken by the noise of Charlie's ring clicking against the gate. "Hey, man," he said. "Need a hit or something?"

Charlie looked down at his hand. In his dream he had quit drugs, but now… "What ya got?"

The man opened his mouth, then quickly shut it at the sound of the warden's boots pounding the floor approached. "Pase!" he called.

"Yes, sir?"

"You're out of here. We don't have time for petty one-time offenders like you, but trust me, if it happens again we won't be as nice. Stay away from that pregnant girl, okay?"

"Of course." As he was being led out, Charlie glanced back longingly at the drug-dealer.

The warden jerked Charlie forward as he barked to the corrections officers, "Here's another one getting out."

The first officer shook his head. "Darn shame. We all know that these guys are just gonna end up right back here. I'd give this one a week before we see him again."

The warden nodded. "I know. Why are we doing this?"

The second officer finally spoke up. "Hey, you never really know what'll happen. I mean, you know. It could be synchronicity."

Charlie, the warden, and the first officer all stared up at him blankly. "You know, Jung? "Everything happens for a reason"? Who knows, maybe this guy'll save someone's life or something."

Charlie still heard the other two men laughing as he stepped out into the cool night air. Everything happens for a reason, eh? Maybe. I mean, I guess I was taken out of the cell just before I turned back to drugs. That's good. And now I'll be able to go help Claire. He picked up his pace. And it's pretty coincidental that I even know her in the first place to rescue her! He broke into a run until he reached the front door of the hospital. I guess that theory thing makes a lot of sense, then.

Charlie had no clue who this Jung guy was, but he thought that he seemed like a pretty smart guy.

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After an awkward attempt at conversation and an even more awkward dinner, all three were relived when Kate expressed her exhaustion. Smiling for the first time all day, Deborah turned and addressed her son. "Jack, please show Kate to the second guest bedroom on the right."

Jack rolled his eyes. His mom always liked to make her four bedroom colonial sound like a wealthy Victorian mansion.

Noting his gesture, Deborah gave him a disproving look as she continued. "Provide her with clean sheets and show her the bathroom and other points of interest."

Jack coughed to suppress a smirk and led Kate upstairs. Once they were out of his mother's range of hearing, he chuckled. Assuming a thick British accent, he said, "And this, madam, is the fourth bedroom on the right side, which is strategically located next to the fifth pantry. Other points of interest include the second floor landing and the lovely flower arrangement hanging on the banister."

Kate nearly doubled over trying not to laugh out loud. "Shhh. Your mom may hear and get angry."

Jack's attempt at a serious only resulted in both of them laughing harder. When they finally regained composure, he showed her to a pretty room with floral decorations. Kate smiled softly. "This room reminds me of the one that I used to have when I was a little girl…"

"So you'll be comfortable here?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"Okay, then. Goodnight." Jack turned to leave when Kate called his name. Halting just outside her doorway, he turned and said, "Yes?"

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you again. You never even asked what I was arrested for or if I'm guilty, yet you took me into your home. Even though I don't know you, you are the best friend that I've ever had." Kate blushed and looked down.

Jack was touched. He opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't find the right words. Kate looked up and stepped towards him. He nearly stopped breathing. She leaned closer to him and breathed softly, taking in his scent. Slowly, his fingers reached up and stroked her cheek. She raised her head and her lips brushed his…

Suddenly, footsteps echoed on the stairs. Jack pulled back and Kate slowly closed the door. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"Night." He walked softly down the hall and closed the door to his room just before Deborah came upstairs and walked down the hallway, shaking her head in annoyance at having an unwanted guest.

Kate sighed softly to herself as she pulled off her pants and jacket and lay down. She knew that she should really take time to think and figure out this whole thing with Jack, but apparently now was not the time for that. She fell asleep almost instantaneously.

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Charlie strolled confidently into the hospital, donned in all in white. The nurses and guards all waved him in. Smiling, he stepped into the elevator and looked down at his new medical coat with the name tag that read "Dr. Ron Howard". He knew that he had been pretty lucky to have found a clean uniform sitting in the open car of a little-known resident. He had been even luckier that the secretary was a young woman who didn't recognize him at all and had no problem telling him where to find Claire Littleton. Upon exiting the elevator, he made a right and walked down a long hallway until he reached a set of locked metal doors. He glanced at the label on those doors. "The Carl Jung Mental Ward" he read. Interesting.

The door swung open and he was greeted by a nurse, who pointed out a small couch upon which sat Claire and a woman Charlie didn't recognize. He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder, declaring loudly, "Hi, Claire! Remember me, Dr. Ron Howard?"

Claire blinked in surprise, but caught on quickly. "Of course, Doctor, how could I forget?"

"Excuse me a moment, Ms., um..."

The other woman rose and strolled away. "Odd bird, no?"

"Charlie," she whispered. "You're practically in an asylum. Most people hear are odd birds. That woman, however, is one of the few who seem relatively sane. Her name is Danielle and she is just brilliant. Moreover, she believed me about the whole dream thing! She doesn't seem to trust Ethan either."

"I have a plan, Claire. I think I can get you out of here."

"Can we take Danielle, too? Please, Charlie?"

Charlie sighed. He really was having trouble dealing with his newfound responsibility and he did not feel ready to take on a new burden. "I'm sorry, but…"

"Please?" Claire glanced around and saw that no one was paying them any attention. Quickly, she leaned over and kissed Charlie on the lips. "I promise I'll help."

Stunned, Charlie nodded assent. As she beamed up at him, Charlie struggled to recall his plan. What have I gotten myself into now? He wondered.

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Kate glanced all around her, but she couldn't find anything but darkness and silence. Desperately, she clawed at the invisible walls around her until she grasped what felt like a doorknob. She turned it and pushed the door open. She found herself standing in what seemed to be a hallway. Bursts of light like electricity flashed through the hall, and Kate heard a low rumbling sound growing closer.

Whirling around, she saw a blurred shape steadily approaching. She squinted her eyes until she clearly saw a plane. It was coming at her, when suddenly it violently tore apart. Bloodcurdling screams echoed, drowned out in a series of explosions. Kate staggered back and turned away from the plane.

The hallway was no longer dark. Now, it was lined with faces. The faces that had haunted Kate her whole life sneered down at her – from that first grade bully to the two criminals that Jack had saved her from. But he was nowhere to be found now. More lights shot out and Kate realized that the burning plane was still coming towards her, faster now.

All she could do was run through the looming darkness. "Run," chanted voices she didn't know. "Run, run! You have no other choice, you will always be running!"

Kate ran as hard as she could until she felt herself be caught and held tightly in strong arms. She began to struggle and scream louder until she heard, "Kate, wake up! It's me, it's Jack."

Slowly, she stopped moving and opened her eyes. She found herself in Jack's arms in the middle of the long upstairs hallway. "It's alright," he was saying reassuringly. "You're safe, I promise."

Kate clung to him as she tried to shake off the remnants of her dream. Slowly, the fear faded, new feelings taking its place. It began to occur to her that she was here in just a tank top and underwear pressing against Jack's bare chest. A blush crept over her face and she abruptly backed away. She shivered, missing his warmth already. He looked at her, concern still etched on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a dream – I normally don't react like that to dreams."

He smiled gently. "Sometimes dreams can seem like a lot more…"

"Jack! Is something going on?" Jack and Kate jumped as Deborah's voice drifted down the hall.

"No, its okay, Mom. Good night!"

Kate took her cue. "Goodnight, Jack. Um, I'll see you in the morning."

"Right. Goodnight." She watched him turn and go back into his bedroom. As he left the hallway, the warmth and comfort seemed to go with him. Kate shivered again, this time not from the cold.

Hurriedly, she pushed open the nearest door, eager to get back into her bed and wrap the sheets around her. Turning on the light, she found herself in the bathroom. Shaking her head and flipping the light back off, Kate tried to get her bearing. The next door she opened was a closet. What is wrong with me? Kate couldn't understand why she felt so disoriented. She pulled open the next door and found another linen closet. Angrily, she shut the door. Leaning against the wall, she buried her head in her hands and tried to focus. The darkness and emptiness in the hallway were bringing back the images and voices from her dream, and she couldn't find a light to make it go away. The hall seemed to sway in front of her, seeming to stretch out endlessly. What is going on?

Tears sprang to her eyes as she opened the next door. In the dim moonlight shining through the window, she could see that it was a bedroom. It wasn't hers, but Kate was so tired and scared that any spare room would do for that night. She jumped as the door swung shut behind her, then she approached the bed, then froze as she heard breathing. She strained her eyes and saw Jack sit up, confused. "Kate? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," she whispered truthfully. "I'm sorry."

She turned to leave. "Wait. Tell me what's wrong, Kate. Please."

"That dream. It's haunting me." The tears threatened to overflow. "Jack, I'm scared. I don't want to be alone again."

"You don't have to be."

He held out his arms to her and she rushed into them instinctively. He took her under the covers with him and encircled her body with his strong arms. She nestled against him, finally feeling secure.


Okay, I know this is pretty late but I wanted to make sure I got it up on Friday. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Review and let me know.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!