Lost belongs to JJ Abrams and crew. I'm just borrowing for some non-profit fun. After Sawyer and the others return to the island, he finds Kate has finally chosen Jack. Post Exodus II. (The events that lead up to previously posted stories –Incarceration, Interim, Ineffable) Enjoy!

Lost – Infected

By Mystic

July 2005

Most of them were already on the ship. Jack stood on the shoreline with Kate. This time they looked into the jungle and not the ocean. He felt her hand release his as she pulled the soft new blanket off her son's face. The boy yawned quietly and bit down on his fingers as she rocked him gently.

"Feels like we've been here forever," Kate told him.

"Momma!" Maggie shouted from the boat behind them. It was a small raft that had been used to carry them to and from the larger boat a quarter of a mile out into the ocean. They'd had to bring belongings and the crew of the vessel wanted to study the island. They gave them all the information they had and warned them to stay away.

The quicker they left; the better.

Jack turned and nodded his head. "We're coming."

"Boat's gonna leave without you," she teased.

Kate smiled and looked up at Jack. "They caught any of them yet?"

"Claire," Jack told her with a short nod. "Found her this morning, said she didn't give them much of a fight."

"Did you…" she started.

"I warned them about Sawyer," Jack finished. They hadn't talked about Sawyer in a long time, anytime he started to, she pretended like she had something to do, getting up and walking away from him. Jack wanted her to open up, especially now. They'd already told her she was being handcuffed just inside the ship. They were putting her in the brig by herself. They told them something about standard procedure that Jack wanted to shove up their collective asses.

Kate turned and sighed as she went to the raft and climbed over the side with the help of a young man who eyed her suspiciously and kept one hand on his gun. Jack could see she noticed the gesture; her shoulders slumped as she sat inside the boat next to Maggie and Shannon. Jack sat at her side and watched her jerk as they pushed the raft out into the ocean and started up the small propeller.

Maggie jumped up and sat in his lap making googling noises at James, who snorted loudly and turned his head towards Kate's breast, clawing. "He's hungry," she told Jack.

He looked at her as if to say she knew what she had to do. Kate pulled the baby's blanket off him and covered herself as she gave the now whining boy her nipple. The young man grabbed his gun and looked shocked.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to remove the blanket," he commanded.

"Put your gun away, what the hell's wrong with you?" Jack shouted, raising a hand.

But Kate touched his shoulder and nodded her head. "It's ok Jack."

"It's not ok," he responded, watching her pull the blanket away and place it on her lap. Her cheeks burned a bright red as the man watched a moment before putting his gun back into its holster and stared out towards the ship.

It was naval ship, one that had been called out after the planes spotted them. They took the manifest from Hurley and began matching names with faces. Jack remembered how they'd looked at Kate. She'd been singing to James about cows and moons, the dishes and the spoons and they'd approached her, grabbing her roughly by the arms and yanking her up off the ground.

Everyone jumped to her defense. They'd take their chances with her free and Jack knew only because of their circumstances did they allow it. The raft slowed and they boarded the larger ship and Jack saw the man who would escort Kate. He stared at her with steel eyes, not looking at the five year old who clung to her leg knowing what was going to happen, or the infant still sucking happily on her chest. Jack took Maggie quickly and watched them cuff Kate's legs.

"Do you really need…" Jack started.

The man raised a hand, "Sir, step away from the prisoner."

Kate sniffled and pulled James off her, handing him to Jack. James shouted and then began to cry loudly as Jack patted his back softly. "I'm her husband," he pleaded. "These are her kids. Can't she just…"

The man shook his head. "Step away, please."

"She needs to feed him, it's a long trip."

Nodding his head, the man handed him a paper. "You're to report to my superior officer about a feeding schedule."

"Feeding schedule?" Jack shouted. "He's a month old, he doesn't HAVE a schedule. He gets hungry, he eats."

He turned in time to see them latch the handcuffs to her wrists before escorting her away. Maggie looked up at Jack with wide eyes. "Did momma break something big?"

Jack watched Kate turn and look at him once before going around a corner. He touched his daughter's head and glanced down at her. "Yeah, Maggie, she did."