Kate breathed in the moist earthy air as they walked through the forest the next morning. It occurred to her that she hadn't felt this content in a while. She was glad thatshe had confided in Jack and that their tentative relationship seemed to be on the mend.

Jack walked behind her in silence, letting her set the pace and enjoy her surroundings. They were heading to the garden she and Sun had been working on. She missed her time there and was anxious to see how things had grown in her absence.

After a few brief breaks at Jack's insistence, they reached the garden, finding Sun hard at work.

"Hi Sun" Kate said as they approached. "It's looking great". Sun smiled in return, but didn't speak until she was sure that they were alone.

"It is." She looked at Kate appraisingly. "And you are looking better than before"

"I'm feeling better", Kate agreed, moving to get to work.

"But you are still very pale," Sun said, reaching for her wrist to stop her. "Sit down here," she motioned to a rock, "and I'll show you what I've been doing".

Kate looked to Jack for support, but he just smiled and motioned towards the rock. Kate tossed him a dirty look and sat down with a slight grumble. Jack couldn't help but laugh.

Sun showed them the small seedlings that were sprouting up and told them about some new seeds she had planted. As they left, Kate promised to be back soon to help.

By the time they had almost reached the pool, Kate was tired and hot. Hearing her labored breathing, Jack suggested they sit down for a while. This time she didn't object, but sank down gratefully on a rock near the waterfall. Jack knelt down in front of her, took her pulse and looked her at her carefully.

"I'm okay." She assured him. "Just hot, tired, and frustrated with myself".

"I know," Jack said, getting up and sitting next to her, "but it will get better. Just give it time". Kate nodded and reached down to run her hand through the water.

"You know," he said, watching her hand, "you couldn't ask to be in a nicer place on a hot day. How does a swim sound?"

Her eyes lit at the suggestion, and Jack's heart sped at the sight. He stood up and turned around, letting her shed her clothes, and turned back around when her heard her splash into the water.

"This is heaven," she said, facing away from him as he got in. Jack got in quietly, looking her over critically. He could only see part of her back and her shoulders, but it was enough. She'd lost more weight than he'd realized. It had to be more than recent events; she obviously hadn't been eating well for some time. He'd have to make sure she was eating enough from now on.

She sank down further and turned to look at him. "What?"

"Nothing," he smiled. "God, this really does feel good".

The floated quietly for sometime, enjoying the cool water.

"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh, nothing really."

"I doubt that's true. You haven't said a thing in ten minutes".

Kate sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was just thinking about how quickly things change. So has happened since the last couple of times I was here. I don't know. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah," she said, swimming closer "you've been just as quiet. What were you thinking about?"

"You want the truth?" he asked, looking her in the eye. She nodded.

"I've been thinking about how badly I want to kiss you right now."