Summary: When they get rescued, how do Kate's friends react when she gets caught finally?
Disclaimer: How many people would like to own Lost? ((raises hand)) How many of us do own it? ((lowers hand))
A joy had surged through the camp when a survivor had sped around, yelling, "They came! They finally came!" But Kate was one of the few, perhaps the only one, who didn't feel it. Where was the happiness that was supposed to rush through her body at light speed?
The Island was one of the few places that she could really call home; really feel in her element. And now, once again, it was going, going, gone. Just like everything else had. She knew better then to say, "It's not fair!" because that would just be a cliché, and she had more then enough of those. As everyone attacked the path, wanting to be the first to see it, the supposedly glorious boat, she hung back.
Kate pretended that she had lost something, too valuable to be left behind, and as the last of the people filed down the path, an agonizing sob could be heard throughout the forest. But the sound was soon forgotten as screams of delight filled the beach.
Jack held back, he wanted to exchange phone numbers and addresses with a couple close friends that he had made. His piercing brown eyes scanned the crowd for any sign of Kate, but nothing stood out to him. A familiar voice yelled out to him, "What the bloody hell are you doing down there, mate?" And Jack smiled as Charlie waved madly at him, Claire close at hand, clutching her baby boy.
"It'll be just a minute. I have to see someone before I go." He called back up to the rock star.
"Well hurry the hell up, and get your bloody ass over here!" and with that, Charlie was again once lost in the throng of people on the boat already.
Jack was now concerned as the marshals asked around for a Ms. Kate Austin.
"Wait," he replied, "You haven't seen her?" A terror filled Jack's voice. She was still here on the island somewhere, and they would leave without Kate if she didn't find her way to the beach soon.
"Sir, she's alive?" The marshal spoke in surprise. By the look on his face, he expected her to be long gone.
"Of course she's alive!" Jack shot back, "What makes you think she isn't?" Kate and him had talked about this before. She had to agree to turn herself in, so there'd be no more running.
"Have you seen her recently?" The escort pressed on, hungry for answers.
But Jack didn't answer; he was already barreling past, and making his way to the caves.
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Kate quickly wiped away her tears; she didn't want anyone to know she had been crying. So far, no one had caught her, and before, they had made it a game. Whoever caught her shedding tears first was to get a bottle of aspirin from Jack, and a tube of suntan lotion from Sawyer. For weeks on end, Kate had been stalked, and, to her surprise, she was enjoying pulling their strings. But once it dawned on the survivors that she wasn't going to open up anytime soon, they had eventually dispersed, and the bet was soon forgotten.
Sighing, she got up, and checked herself in the old mirror in Jack's cave. Her eyes were still puffy and red, and the Lord knew she wasn't going to leave until they had returned to normal. Settling down on the airline cushions, Kate stared up at the ceiling of the cave, remembering how many rainy afternoons she had spent in the cave herself.
A couple minutes later, a noise was heard, but she didn't lift her head to see who it was. Knowing the situation, it was probably the marshals, and Kate was going to spend her last minutes of freedom in peace. A pair of hands soon covered her eyes, and the soothing voice of Jack came to her ears, sounding like music. "I'll give you three guesses." And even she could feel him faintly smile at her as he removed his hands.
"Hey there stranger." She spoke in a monotone voice, she couldn't help it.
"Fancy you being here." Jack replied, "In my cave."
"Not yours anymore." Again, the monotone sound. She sighed, wiping away a stray tear.
"Hey, I win." He smiled at her, but his eyes weren't included. They were too busy searching hers, seeing if anything was remotely the matter with her.
"And here I thought everyone forgot." Kate forced a laugh, and turned her head towards him. He could already see something was up, because the beautiful twinkle that was always accompanying her eyes was missing. "How's everyone handling, that, lo and behold, someone saw a boat?"
Jack laughed, and it too sounded more forced then natural. "Boat's here, Kate. It's time to go home."
And that's when Kate really felt it. The feeling of hope that had so long evaded her was back, and it nearly killed her. "But, what if I said that this was my home?" Her voice cracked halfway through the sentence, and every word after that got lower and lower so that Jack could barely hear that last of the sentence.
"What if I said home is where the heart is?" Jack countered. He knew it was cliché-ish sounding, but it was true.
"And what if possibly my heart was here?" Kate asked, her hands motioning about the Island.
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A while later, Kate and Jack made their way down the beach. The boat was still there, floating on the water. Survivors milled about it, as if they had never been on the island, and a certain kind of swagger was included in their walk, one that showed that no one could be happier then them at the this moment.
Marshals flew forward, swarming over Kate. Jack was pushed aside, and watched as they wrestled Kate to the ground. A quiet click could be heard as the handcuffs were snapped on the woman, but everyone heard it. They all paused and too watched as their best friend, the fugitive they had come to know so well, was finally getting what she had coming to her.
All fell silent as the men let Jack get on the boat first, declaring that the criminal had to get on last. Penetrating eyes held their stare on Kate as she was led onboard, and forced to board the elevator.
Kate's reflection was mirrored off the shiny paneling in the small room as they plunged many decks below, and she couldn't help but smile at herself. She had finally become what she had always wanted to be. A woman who could proudly say that she had indeed made it through thick and thin, that she had loved and been loved, and she could always have friends that she could depend on in times of need.
The police officers emotionlessly pushed Kate into a room, locking the door behind her. She could hear them talking as she positioned herself against the wooden piece, and knew that two people would always be positioned outside of her door at all time, that Kate was to be accompanied everywhere she went, and that someone had to keep an eye on her at all times. Feeling like a child again, she pulled away from the gateway to freedom, and walked slowly to the small porthole window. Nothing but deep blue sea met Kate's eyes, excluding the occasional fish that fluttered past.
Sighing, she too moved away from the window, and her jade eyes fell on the bed. It had been a long time since she had felt the comfort of a mattress, a couple years at least. But Kate didn't want to touch it, because then she'd know it'd all be true. She'd finally have to admit she'd be going back to civilization, but a single jail cell would become her home, not an apartment or house. Pulling the blanket and pillow off the bed, she folded them up and sat them on the chair, for those would be her bedding later, and the floor her mattress.
Kate smiled at the one picture on the wall; it somehow made her feel a tinge better. Why, she had no idea, but the picture did it all for her. A knock was heard at the door, along with a official sounding voice, "A Mr. Sawyer is here to see you, ma'am." At least they had enough manners to call her that.
"Let him in." She answered, a cold harsh tone replacing her usual soft one.
The door opened and Sawyer sauntered in. "Hey there, Freckles." He smirked, "One hell of a security system ya got out there."
"Shut up, Sawyer." Kate couldn't help but smile. At least someone had enough sense to visit her, despite the man positioned in the corner of the room.
"So, how's the life treatin' ya?" He looked around, taking in the small room.
"You should know." She answered him, "You've probably lived it before."
A grin flew across his face, "That's true."
"So, how's everyone upstairs?"
"All askin' bout you." He replied back, his eyes bore into hers. "Want to know what ya did."
"Awww, I love them, too." A sarcastic voice was brought up, yet the smile still hadn't disappeared.
"Doc says hi." He quietly changed the subject, "He says he's gonna be down here tonight, checkin' up on his girl."
Kate blushed slightly, she knew the subject of her and Jack was still tender, and neither wanted to admit that they liked each other just yet.
"Well, I'd better get back. Party's just gettin' started up there." He motioned to the above decks.
"Bye, Sawyer." She said, the smile fading. The visit had just begun, yet it had just ended. She turned around, and started to walk across the room.
"Hey, Freckles?" Sawyer's southern accent came again.
Kate turned around, her eyes once again cold. "What now, Sawyer?"
"Give 'em Marshals hell for me, will ya?" He grinned, the dimples forging little creases in his cheekbone.
Kate laughed, "Sure thing, boss." And for a small second, Sawyer swore he could see the twinkle again.
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Charlie sighed as he saw the barren door down the hall, the two men positioned in front of it. Whatever Kate had done must have been bad, because they had declared her unsafe upstairs, and if anyone saw her, they were to alert the marshals or the captain. To be honest, he was scared of the new Kate. No one knew what she was capable of, but when Sawyer had leaked out her secret, people had gotten a pretty good idea. Instantly, almost at the speed of sound, Kate had been outcasted, labeled. Jack tried to defend her as best as he could, but in the end he just quieted down, deeming the subject pointless. But he had called everyone a hypocrite and a stereo-typer before he left, and that had brought some, very few, people to their senses.
Walking past the door quickly, he claimed he was looking for the bathroom. The man simply pointed a big, beefy finger down the hall, and then grunted.
"Thanks." Charlie rushed past the room, promising himself he'd visit later.
Jack sat at a table, most of it abandoned, twirling the ice in his cup. His finger had grown numb, but he didn't care, his mind was on other things. He knew with a few simple questions, he could find Kate within 5 minutes, but something held him back, something told him that she wanted to be alone. Sighing, he drew his finger away from the cup and stared intently out the window.
The Island was just a speck upon the horizon now, and Jack couldn't help but feel bad. For almost a year and a half that Island had been their home, and everyone was proud of the lifestyle they had created; now to most of them, it seemed ridiculous and silly. But not to Jack. He knew that everyone would soon fall back into the same routine they had before the crash, but not him. As much as he was glad to be off the dreaded thing, he was missing it; the action, the adventure, the suspense. He missed getting up every morning, not knowing what was going to happen that day. He missed making his rounds between the caves and the beach. But most of all, he missed Kate.
When she smiled, and it was rare not to catch a glimpse of her not, it was a whole new world for Jack, a whole new culture to study. When Kate was around, he felt more daring, and found himself doing things he would be caught dead even thinking about in his previous life. Kate was his ticket out; the only problem now was that he was out.
Kate flipped on and off the light switch, amazed that she had made it this long with out electricity. But what really surprised her was that she preferred them off, letting only the ocean provide her light. She began to feel the boat sway again, and a clap of thunder could be heard overhead, even under the water. She noticed the water much more rigid, more liable to move as the wind reformed it above. The same could be said of the survivors: They were the water, the wind was civilization.
Positioning herself on the floor of the room, Kate stared up at the dark ceiling, the steel rafters looking scarier then they actually were. Seeing the clock ticking it's time, Kate knew that if they were back on the Island they'd be gathering around the fire, casually talking about their day so far while stuffing their face with boar and mango. Maybe even a banana if they were lucky enough to come across any.
Jack would come down from the caves to check up on everything, and every time he's make sure he'd pass by her tent last as it gave them more talking time. The subject of conversation would be solely picked on what the weather was like. Cloudy, it was time to speak up about their lives in the real world; raining, they'd talk about the Island itself. If it was sunny, it was about the food/water/shelter situation, and windy they'd talk want to talk about the survivors. Kate knew it was weird, but it was a routine they were both comfortable with. Besides, they'd find out about each other eventually as time waned on.
Aaron would be sobbing for his mother, who coincidentally would be at the caves, leaving Charlie to try and calm him down. Sawyer would scream at the little infant, and miraculously the baby would quiet down. Shannon would sigh with relief, but not give up her search for Sayid, who would be in the woods with Locke, examining the hatch. The hatch. They never had managed to find out what it led to, only the darkness evaded it. And now they never would. The Coast Guard would be called out to examine the Island, only to find it had moved on, to where they wouldn't know. Kate knew in her heart that they would never come across it again; it would only be used when someone else needed it as badly as they did. And they too would be rescued, forced away from their temporary home, just like now.
The sun would be high in the sky as Jack and a couple others would drag away another body off to the so-called graveyard. They, the survivors, knew that this life wouldn't last forever, and the proof was showing by the numbers. 23 buried in the graveyard, 4 lost out to sea, and 2 to the monster. 21 people were left on the Island, and the aspirin would be running out fast. Lines would form outside Jack's cave, people complaining of stomachaches, headaches, even heartaches. Jack had laughed at the latter, and gave them the best advice he could. And then he'd repeat a quote he's learned long ago: "Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh." It said that even though you were crying now, sooner of later you would have to laugh.
Kate was brought out of her reverie as a knock came at the door once more.
"Ms. Austin, you are allowed one hour out of your room, accompanied by guards of course." A man's voice came through it.
Kate raised her head and soon scampered up. The wooden piece opened up once again, and Kate nearly flew out of the room. The guards led her to the elevator, and once again Kate caught sight of her reflection. Only one thing was different: She was smiling.
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As Kate walked across the room, she could hear hushed whispers, and occasionally a snippet of conversation. She knew it was about her; anything worth mentioning was about her. She hated being the center of attention, let the limelight fall on someone else for a while.
Claire was trying to dance with Jack, anything to make him feel better, Aaron in her arms, but it was proving to be harder then she expected, because A) Jack plainly didn't want to dance, B) Aaron was getting fussier by the moment, and C) Charlie was shooting her glares every time he caught her eye, only because it was him who wanted to dance.
"Jack, you have a visitor." Claire quietly stated, pointing over his shoulder.
Jack only shrugged, "I don't really feel much like talking."
"No, believe me, you'll want to talk to her." Claire protested.
'Her?' Jack thought, and then it dawned on him. "Where is she?"
"Right behind you, dork." Another voice cut into the conversation.
Jack whipped around, and instantly a smile graced his lips, one he only reserved for Kate.
Kate gave him a half smile back, "It's raining." She said softly.
Jack nodded and walked back to his chair, but first pulled out a seat for Kate. "I think we have to talk more then about the Island, Kate."
"I know." Her smile faltered as she felt the presence of the two marshals grow closer.
Both tried to ignore the fact of this, but both knew that they couldn't talk about anything serious; it could be used against Kate in court.
An hour later, the marshals started to say "Time is up." But halfway through the sentence, Kate held up her hand. The marshal abruptly stopped, and Kate got up from the chair.
"Catch ya later, Jack." She said it so casually that Jack almost took it for granted.
Jack got up too. "Can I walk you to your room?" He asked, a slightly boyish grin on his face.
Kate laughed quietly, and nodded.
The walk downstairs was silent, and neither wanted to break it. An occasional grunt came from the marshals, and every so often Jack and Kate stole a glace from each other. One of the escorts flipped on the light to illuminate to the hallway. Kate had seen it, but Jack was horrified. Cobwebs sat in the rafters, and the portholes were so dirty that you could barely look out them. A small grey doorway was the one way out, save the elevator and the stairway at the other end of the hallway, and Jack came to terms that this was the fugitive's room as they paused outside it.
"Guess this is where we say our goodbyes, Jack." Again the soft voice came, and the man nodded.
"Yeah, guess so." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"To be honest, I never believed in goodbyes." She said, stalling for time.
Jack was glad she didn't, "Yeah, me either." He gave her a smile.
"Then it's settled. No goodbyes." She gave a feeble attempt at a laugh.
"No goodbyes." He echoed.
"Means we'll have to see other again." She proposed.
"Of course. It'd be wrong if we didn't." Jack replied.
"I'd imagine they'd let me out around dinner." She stated, "Talk then?"
Jack nodded as the marshals unlocked the door, and pushed her back inside. Giving a slight wave, he turned around and headed back up to his room, feeling a whole lot better then before.
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The next morning, Jack rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. Giving a squawk of surprise, he stared around, his eyes wide. It hadn't been a dream, and they were really going home. Pushing the bedcovers off, he got up and drew back the curtains from the window, and smiled. They weren't on the Island anymore.
A couple minutes later, he heard a yelp down a couple doors, and then a loud "Bloody hell!". Jack laughed, he now knew that Charlie was up, probably along with Claire and Aaron. As the next half hour passed by, Jack could hear multiple doors opening and closing, padded feet clapping down the hallway, along with excited conversation.
Jack sighed as he stared at the empty spot in his bed. If only things had been different, the woman he loved would have been there, sleeping peacefully. Some people, namely Shannon and Sawyer had complained that the beds were too small, but Jack had given his one look and decided it was huge. He never knew how big and looming a mattress could be until last night; and now it would haunt him until it got filled in.
His door sagged as it got pounded on by numerous people, all yelling shouting, "Come on, Jack! Let's get some breakfast!" But Jack didn't want to answer, he didn't really feel like eating. The same feeling met him last night, and Kate had asked him if he was okay. He had nodded and pushed the thought into the back of his head, he had other more important matters to attend to.
Kate had talked and talked, probably the most she ever spoke in her life, and every time a marshal had come near to tell her it was time to go back, she had replied by holding up a piece of pizza and claimed she wasn't done eating yet. The officer would retreat back, and Kate would drop the piece almost disgustedly, and go back to talking to Jack. She had done this for more then an hour before the escorts caught on that if she had it her way, she would never be done eating.
Jack had started to say 'goodbye' out of habit, but Kate had put a finger to his lips, and smiled. "No goodbyes, remember?" She had asked. Jack smiled and countered by saying, "I'll see you later." Then the marshals had clipped back on the handcuffs and once again Jack had walked to kate to her room.
Now Jack watched his own door, cringing every time it got knocked on; to them it was a nice gesture, to him it was torture. And as he thought about everything that had happened on that little piece of hell that had made it to the surface of the Ocean, he realized that Kate was right: Home reallyis where the heart is.
Fin.