Wish You Were Here

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: "The Stranger" was written and performed by Billy Joel and can be found on his album/CD, "The Stranger".

When Jack finally forced himself to go back to the caves, he found Kate waiting for him, leaning against a wall, watching the waterfall. On any other occasion where he hadn't just thrown a temper tantrum in front of a group of people that looked up to him as their hero, he would've made some comment about her continuous distant stare, even away from the beach. Instead, he got right to what was on his mind:

"Why didn't you tell me he was back?" Jack demanded, making Kate jump a little before turning to him calmly.

"Jack-" Kate began.

"Don't," Jack said, shaking his head.

He wasn't in the mood for lectures on his behavior or health. For once, all he wanted to do was what he was meant to do: be the doctor, but that was a problem when he saw that he had no patient.

"Where is everyone?" Jack said at this, and noticing the emptiness of the caves.

"Michael and Charlie took the man back to the beach," Kate told him, "along with some of your medical supplies. We figured both you and he could use the fresh air."

"Great," Jack muttered, "it'll be like the marshall all over again."

"Jack, don't say that-"

"Forget it," Jack said, heading out again, "I've got a patient to tend to."

Kate watched, helpless, as he left, and then left herself, taking a different path.

(Space)

"Sawyer!" Kate called, approaching Sawyer's new dwelling which was built around a stood up piece of wreckage that Sawyer was laying against.

"Well, well, well," Sawyer said, taking of his sun glasses and putting down his books, "look who came back from over the woods and far away."

Kate's eyes narrowed. This was a very different Sawyer from who she saw only a little over a half an hour ago. That Sawyer seemed at some sort of peace with himself, and seemed to be drowned in some sort of self-guilt. This was the normal, every day regular jerk.

"I just wanted to tell you to stay away from Jack," Kate said as she found her eyes trailing to the bruise that stood out on his forehead where Sayid had hit him.

Catching her, she quickly turned away, and Sawyer smiled.

"Aw, you lookin' out for him now?" Sawyer smirked.

"It's more of a two way street," Kate said, not denying it.

"Well hell," Sawyer said, "I already know you made out with him, why would I want to hang around you two anyway?"

Kate's eyes widened in horror. How could he possibly have found out?

"Anybody can look into your eyes and see that," Sawyer said, pleased with her worry, "and as for Jack? He's acting like he's feeling guilty for his father catching him down in the basement with some girl he's not supposed to be with."

Not helping but to smile, Kate had to admit that in a way, Sawyer was right about that. She had noticed Jack's change in personality the first moment she saw him after that night. It was like he was nervous, or afraid of something.

"My guess is that he's never been in a relationship that's lasted more than a week," Sawyer said, shrugging, "want to start betting on this one?"

Kate stared at him, disgusted. She had considered a relationship with Jack, of course, but she had always assumed that with the circumstances, it would be impossible, and had eventually let the thought slip. Until now. She couldn't just ignore that their was chemistry, something that she knew and the others had suspected since day one, and they certainly had a connection. And it wasn't as though Jack were a great guy, in fact, she had never met another like him. He cared for other more than himself, and was always the first to volunteer to put his neck on the line when it come to save his other. He hid his own problems for the sake of other's hopes, and often pulled it off, no matter how much he truly wanted to let go.

"He just doesn't need this right now," Kate said when she realized that Sawyer had been watching her think.

"Don't worry," Sawyer said, leaning back against the piece of wreckage, "I've already decided that a man like him wouldn't have the guts to crash a plane even if he had to."

"Then why did you do it?" Kate said, crossing her arms. "You knew Jack didn't crash the plane. Why'd you have to go and hurt him like that?"

"Let's just say I don't like people having an unfair advantage over me," Sawyer said, satisfied with his answer, though Kate wasn't.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked.

"You're the smart one," Sawyer said, lighting up a cigaret.

Kate grimaced at the smell of smoke.

"You figure it out."

(Space)

"How much longer do I need to hold him down?" Charlie asked as Jack stitched the last stitch in the survivor's arm.

"Just- a little- bit- longer-," Jack said as he held the man's arm down, "now."

Charlie sighed as he let go of where he was holding the man down.

"Thank God," Charlie muttered, turning away at the site of dry blood.

"Anything I can do?" Sayid asked, watching Jack work.

"No," Jack said as he rechecked the man's pulse, "I'm good."

"You sure?" Michael asked. "I mean-"

"I'm fine," Jack said a little more forcefully this time.

The three castaways stared at Jack as he held his head down, and then stood up, and left the tent for no apparent reason at all. Jack hadn't known what had come over him, a familiar feeling now that he had grown to hate. He hated having to feel like some kind of child all the time, throwing tantrums he couldn't control and finding himself getting teary for no reason at all. As a doctor, he knew the diagnoses would be grieving, maybe depression, something he wouldn't and didn't want to admit. Letting out a groan of frustration as he threw his head upwards and then back down, holding onto it, he didn't noticed that Sayid had followed him, and was now turning him around.

"Is something wrong, Jack?" Sayid inquired, eyebrow raised.

"Something wrong?" Jack repeated, making Sayid a little nervous at the tone of his voice, and found himself anticipating a punch at any given moment. "Other than the fact that the only man I can talk about my father's death to tried to kill me last night? My dead father that I've been seeing hallucinations of since the first week? Or the fact that I have a guy in there with a messed up leg, concussion, and no tools to work with? Or the fact that I've still got a sixteen year old girl who-"

"I'll talk to Alex," Sayid offered, interrupting him.

"What?" Jack said, taken aback.

"I know you've been coming down here everyday to talk to her," Sayid said, "I'll do it. The last thing you need is more pressure."

"No, it's fine," Jack said, shaking his head, "I didn't mean it like that."

He really hadn't. Talking to Alex was one of the few things he could actually look forward to doing. It was kind of like talking to a younger Kate which was pleasant enough. Not that he didn't enjoy talking to Kate, he loved to, when he wasn't getting one of those unknown feelings or with the feeling that no matter how much he wanted to, he could never start a relationship with her, for the sake of the others, and he hated that.

"You just go back to your job," Sayid said, to sympathetic for Jack's behalf, "I'll look after the girl."

Jack glanced over to Alex who was sitting, dressed in a pair of the faded blue jeans she had found earlier and a dark green sleeveless shirt, staring out to sea, and then glanced back towards the tent, and knew Sayid was right.

"All right," Jack agreed, and slapped Sayid on the shoulder as they went their separate ways.

(Space)

Alex was staring out into the horizon as she did day after day when a yellow lab ran up and sat down next to her, panting.

"Hey there," Alex said, rubbing behind his ears, "Vincent right?"

Of course the dog didn't answer, only curled its hind legs underneath him, and laid his head down in the sand, allowing Alex to rub his belly.

"I feel bad for you," Alex admitted, "must be horrible, being the only other being on the island that no one except on person cares about, and the others pity. Just sitting there, day after day, have nothing to do except drown yourself in memories."

Alex laughed to herself, realizing what she was doing.

"And listen to me," Alex said, amused, "I'm talking to a dog."

At the comment, Vincent jumped off and ran away towards the beach camp.

"I didn't mean it!" Alex called after the dog, and then sighed. "Great, even a stupid dog won't listen to me."

"I'll listen to you," a voice behind her offered.

Turning, Alex saw an Iraqi man whose name she couldn't recall, walking towards her.

"Oh sorry," she said quickly, embarrassed, I was just-"

"No need," the man said, smiling, "mind if I have a seat?"

Alex shook her head, grateful for the company.

"I don't believe I know your name," the man said.

"Alex," she said, and turned to him, expecting a return of names.

Instead, the man looked startled to learn this. He caught himself, after a moment, though, and held out his hand.

"Sayid," he offered.

"You look like you just saw a ghost," Alex said, excepting the shake.

"I think I might have," Sayid admitted, and noticed some sheets of paper that Alex had placed a rock over.

"Working on homework?" Sayid said, curious.

"What?" Alex looked down to where he was staring. "Oh, no, somebody else's probably. I was just bored."

She removed the rock from the papers, and showed them to Sayid, whose face showed a sign of more recognition.

"Where did you get these?" Sayid asked, his charm failing.

"Um.." Alex said, trying to remember, "I just found them. They had flow off from somewhere."

Sayid stared down in awe and disbelief at the pool of equations in front of him.

"How did you know how to solve these?" He asked her, holding out the papers.

"I guess it just came naturally," Alex said truthfully, shrugging, "I guess I'm just good at math."

That part was a lie, she knew. Math was her worst subject.

"No one's that smart," Sayid said, as if not wanting to admit his own downfall.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, wondering why he was acting that way, "it's just, I-"

"It's all right," Sayid said, standing up.

Alex watched him, unsure why he was so upset.

"I need to be somewhere," Sayid lied, and left, leaving Alex to stare after him in confusion.

(Space)

Alex sighed as she sat with her elbow rested below the white keys of the grand piano the hotel clerk in Paris had let her use. She had told him that she could play, and he didn't seem to care at all when she sat down. Now resting her head in her hand, she fingered and began to play the slow beginning melody of her favorite Billy Joel song, "The Stranger". The tune flowing through the air in octaves, she didn't notice footsteps approaching, and pretended like she didn't hear the singing that was coming towards her.

"Well we all fall in love," a male voice that she knew to well sang as he came forward, "but we disregard the danger. Though we share so many secrets-" he sat down next to her as she had stopped playing and resulted in staring into the black and white keys, "there are some we never tell."

Looking up at him, Alex's eyes were filled with exhaustion and self-pity.

"I'm sorry," Alex said softly, "about all of this."

"Hey," Adam said, straddling himself onto the piano bench, "a trip to Paris? Doesn't bother me at all."

"It's just, that dream," Alex said, taking her hand down, "it just kept coming to me and I figured there must be some meaning- and there's not."

"Hey, come on," Adam said, holding her chin in his hand, "it's all right."

She shook her head, knocking off his hand, and sighed.

"Well I know we didn't come all the way to Paris so that you could sit and play the piano," Adam said, "let's go get something to eat. I found this nice cafe down the street and-"

"I want to go home."

Adam looked at her.

"What?" He said. "We just got here yesterday. Maybe you're answer's in-"

"No, Adam," Alex said, looking down, "I want to go home. Back to New York."

She looked up at him, only to observe him quickly looking down.

"Um.." he stuttered, "that's the problem."

"What?"

"We don't have enough money to get us back to New York," Adam admitted, embarrassed.

"What?" Alex exclaimed. "How could that have happened? That show we did at the grill, that audience-"

"Didn't like me as much as I hoped," Adam said, and face fell at the sight of hers, but then he broke into a small smile. "But hey, hey, don't fret. I've got a plan to get us home."

"How?" Alex said, ready to become amused at whatever ridiculous plan he had in mind now.

"I got us a job," he said, smiling, "on a cruise ship."

"What?" Alex said, thinking of their current part time jobs. "But you know I can't sing! That's you, not me!"

"No, no," Adam said, laughing a little, "you'll be doing the same thing you always do, waiting tables."

Alex breathed a sigh of relief.

"All you have to do is wear pretty black dresses and listen to me wail my depressing lyrics," Adam said.

"Can't wait," Alex said, smiling at trying to reassure him.

Truthfully, she knew that this plan couldn't lead them anywhere, and would, most likely, do them any good.

Author's Note: School's starting back so don't expect a chapter every night. Maybe every other. I'll try. Right now, it's eleven-thirty, and I'm beat. Thanks for the reviews! I'll take what I get!

October Sky