Chapter 4 - Separation of Powers

The first draft of the Constitution was the only topic that bounced around the campfires that night. Were there enough checks on the Supervisor's power? Did the Council have too much control over the people? Debates were being held all over the beach and the caves.

Kate, however, sat alone. A solitary shadow just close enough to the people to hear their dull murmurs, but far enough away to feel separated, and not to be bothered. So she thought, anyway.

"Care for some company?"

Kate's heart skipped when she felt a presence behind her. But it slowed when she recognized Sawyer's southern drawl that had driven her crazy gruffly whispering her name a few days before.

"Why not." She answered, less than enthusiastic. He sat close beside her in silence for a moment, before absently wandering a fingertip across her thigh.

"Come with me?" Sawyer asked, half hopeful, half seductive. Kate just stared out to sea. He was inviting her to feel the explosion of emotions she'd felt with him before, and she had no feelings. She wasn't excited to be with him. The numbness was returning. And it frightened her.

So, desperate to regain some of the feeling in her heart, Kate stood, and let Sawyer lead her to his tent.

They breathed heavily in unison, momentarily weakened. He placed a kiss on her shoulder before rolling off her onto his back. She made a sound of contented weariness and turned her head to watch the side of his face. His eyes were closed as his chest rose and fell shallower and more even.

"Don't fall asleep." Kate begged in a whisper.

"Mm…" Was his only answer. She rolled to her side and touched his face. As she watched his features in the waning light, Kate acknowledged a swelling feeling inside her. She felt as if she'd burst from it. It was that feeling that drew the smile on her lips as she watched his handsome face, and it was that feeling that told her she'd never have to worry about anything ever again.

"Talk to me. Tell me anything." Kate begged again, with such a childish appeal he slowly fluttered opened his brown eyes with a grin.

"Okay," Jack whispered back, "what do you want to know?"

"What?"

Kate's eyes snapped open to see Sawyer's face above her, his blonde hair falling around her. She sat up suddenly, nearly knocking heads with him.

"What do you mean, what?" She snapped.

"You said Jack's name!" Sawyer boomed incredulously, almost angry.

"Oh God. I fell asleep." Kate said to herself in horror as she climbed over Sawyer out of his cot to hastily throw her clothes back on. "How could I have fallen asleep? I can't believe I stayed here." She mumbled.

"Well, you haven't exactly been getting a lot of sleep lately, anyway." He drawled with an impish grin. Kate glared at him as she straightened her hair and yanked her shoes on. Without so much as a goodbye, she warily peeked out of his tent and quickly made her way back to her own place on the beach. She wanted to crawl under a rock and die that very instant. She felt as if everyone was watching her, everyone knew her dirty little secret. But not everyone had as sharp of an eye as John Locke, whose gaze followed her figure curiously as he absentmindedly sharpened one of his many knives.

Sawyer's rough kisses didn't haunt her that day. Her skin didn't tingle when she thought of his hands on her body.

Nothing she did would help the hopeless feeling she felt. Kate just didn't have any more strength. She'd fought off dying inside for so long that it'd drained her. She quickly stood from her shelter to sprint into the jungle. Deep within the protection of the foliage, she collapsed onto the ground. Sobs racked her small body, and tears pent up for far too long fell onto the moist earth.

Kate lay on her back, left over tears drizzling into her hair. Her breaths came in ragged and were expelled in soft moans of fear and self pity. She didn't want her soul to die. She wanted to feel happiness again; contentment. Over and over again, she pled to any higher power, God or Allah to let her be happy.

"Oh God, oh God, please." Her whimpers blended into the soft rustling of wind through the palms. "Please, God." Kate repeated. "Oh God, please. Oh Jack..."

"This structured government was really a brilliant notion." John Locke commented as he crouched next to Jack at the caves. The doctor had just sent away his most recent patient, and was returning his tools to their respective places.

"Yeah, I think it'll be good, too. Sayid and Hurley really brainstormed the idea, though." Jack replied, glancing at the older man as he bustled about his ER.

"When the people have some direction, they'll stop attacking each other for fear of repercussion." Locke summed, mostly to himself. "But you know, without a decisive leader to instill confidence and direction, this thing won't work."

"Well, we'll hold elections and let the people determine which leader is most decisive."

Locke nodded, and stared out into the camp. He looked back to Jack and flashed an enigmatic smile as he stood. He turned away slowly and began to walk away. As he did so, he said, "A ship in the harbor is safe, Jack. But that is not what ships are for."

Jack watched him until he was out of sight. What a strange thing to say, he thought.

"Kit, you're being ridiculous, and if you stopped for a second, you'd realize it!" Cole heaved, but threw his hands heavenward in a silent prayer for assistance when his little sister just glared at him over her shoulder.

"You've been pissed off non-stop for days. It can't be good for your health." He continued gravely.

"My health is fine, mother. Sawyer took my bag, and I am NOT supporting this stupid Constitution Jack is trying to force down our throats." Kit spat, spinning away from her seething toward the ocean to her brother.

"You have no proof Sawyer took your bag and Jack is doing this Constitution for the good of all of us! Kit," Cole laughed mirthlessly at his sister's immaturity. "you just need to grow up!"

Kit's jaw dropped and Cole sighed, realizing his mistake. "I need to grow up?" She repeated, voice quivering with pent rage. "Cole, who cooked your dinners for a year after Mary left? Who washed your face and fed you with a spoon when you couldn't function? I know what I'm doing, just like I knew what I had to do then! So next time you tell me to grow up, just remember who took care of you when you were helpless!" She stormed toward her tent, taking the time to flip him off when he tried to call her back. Cole watched her until she ducked out of sight, something piercing his heart that he had never felt before. They'd had fights before, on account of both their stubborn wills, but this felt...different. He couldn't help but be a little frightened at the anger and disappointment he saw in his sister's eyes. She was angry at him. He put that disappointment in her eyes. Why couldn't he just believe what she seemed to somehow know?

Cole sat heavily in the sand. Realizing just how alone he felt, Cole Powers thought that for the very first time, his sister had really left him.

She thought about it hard. She thought about it for a very long time. And Kit Powers realized how far she'd pushed herself away from everyone. How her stupid pride and temper had ruined everything once again. Cole was right, he always had been, and Kit had a sneaking suspicion that he always would be. Kit had to take steps to fix this, but baby steps were all she could handle. After all, she couldn't change her nature all in one day. So she decided to cave on one, and only one,point of her argument.

"I say yes." Kit said from behind Kate, who had been sitting on a large rock on the opposite side of camp as Sawyer. Kate turned her head slowly to see the defiant young woman looking out to sea, where she herself had been staring for the past hour or so.

"Yes what?" She asked, confused.

"Yes to the Constitution. I think it's got everything we need." Kit replied, tilting her chin slightly upward. As if agreeing to the document Jack helped write would be giving up her feud with him.

"Oh, right. The Constitution." Kate mumbled, looking back out to the water.

"You know, you're making it kind of hard for us citizens to give you our votes." Kit said lightly, her voice softening from the bold and fiery to understanding and soothing. Kate saw a lot of herself in the young woman, which was probably whyKit could see that she was upset.Kate looked around herself, a lone beacon among twenty feet of jagged rocks on all sides.

"Yeah, I suppose." She dared to chuckle.

"You know, if something's bothering you, I've been told I'm a good listener." Kit offered hopefully. The young woman's concern for her touched Kate's heart. She smiled.

"Thanks Kit, but I'm fine. Really." She reassured when Kit clearly didn't believe.

"Well, suit yourself. How about comin back to relative civilization with me and tallying some beach dwellers' votes?"

"Why not." Kate replied with a sigh after a pause. Sitting out on the rocks feeling sorry for herself certainly wouldn't help anything.

Kate had written down Kit's vote, as well as the additional five castaways' votes who'd approached her since she returned to camp.

"Kate?" Sun alerted the other woman to her presence timidly as she approached. Just hearing her made Kate smile wistfully. Every time she saw Sun and her husband together, her heart ached. To feel so much for someone, and have the feeling reciprocated was something Kate couldn't dream of having.

"Hey Sun."

"You've been quiet today." She observed.

"I have." Kate agreed blandly.

"Would you like to talk?"

Kate smiled at her. Was it really that obvious that she was in dire need of help? "No, thanks. Sweet of you to offer, though, really." That's Oscar material, she thought sardonically. Sun was quiet for a moment, then spoke thoughtfully.

"There is a Korean word "Han" for which there is no direct English translation. It is a state of mind, of soul, a sadness so deep that no tears will come, and yet one in which hope remains. You must find that hope within yourself, Kate. Believe that there is hope for what you want."

Kate slowly turned her gaze to the small woman who sat next to her in the sand. She was smoothing her skirt down over her thighs. After a moment of silence, Sun looked up to find Kate trying to figure out just what went on behind those dark eyes. Sun gave a reassuring smile.

"Jin and I will vote yes for the Constitution."

Kate nodded dumbly, and Sun was gone.

The sun had just begun to touch the horizon when the last vote finally came in. It was cast by Shannon, who'd apparently spent a good portion of the day debating with anyone who'd giveher the attention. Jack had counted, but Sayid recounted to be sure and looked up from the notebook with a faint smile.

"It is unanimous. The Constitution will be implemented."

A victorious shout was heard from Charlie, and a few chuckled at his enthusiasm.

Jack briefly described the offices and duties to them. The Council would pass bills and keep the Supervisor in check, the Board would try cases brought to them by the citizens. The Supervisor would act as President and write bills and keep domestic peace.

"We'll meet tomorrow and decide who'll run for offices." Jack declared, and the citizens dispersed, talking excitedly amongst themselves.

Jack was debating running for an office as he piled wood on the signal fire, which a large number of citizens refused to let die down. Why he was taking care of it instead of letting those citizens stoke it up was obvious to many, and to himself, though he refused to acknowledge the childish desire to be on the same part of the island as Kate for a few minutes longer.

"You should let Jolie take care of that. She's the one that made a big deal out of keeping it burning." Kate said as she sauntered out of the darkness into the ring of light thrown by the signal fire. Jack looked over his shoulder at her and turned back to the fire so she wouldn't see him smile at her presence.

"I know I should." He murmured.

"Then why don't you?" Jack nearly jumped at the nearness of her voice, but just turned to see her not a foot away, watching him. He swallowed hard and continued placing logs on the fire, if only for something for his hands to do rather than brush across her face, and tuck the hair behind her ear.

He shrugged, "I'm here, I might as well."

Kate let the subject lie, biting her tongue from begging him to stop doing the jobs others should be doing, because then he'd know her weakness. He'd know how much she cared for and was concerned about him.

"Are you going to run for Supervisor?"

"I don't know yet. I was just thinking about it, actually." He responded, thankful for the change of subject.

"You should. You'd be good at it."

Jack chuckled sarcastically, "Kit Powers certainly doesn't think so." Kate smiled at mention of the rambunctious woman.

"Kit Powers gets out of control sometimes. She just said that to get to you because she was mad." Kate explained apologetically. Jack set one more log on the fire and turned to study her for a moment. He'd meant to say something, but sight of her in the glow cast by the crackling fire coupled with the breeze that blew her hair to caress her shoulders and face left little room in his mind for anything else.

Kate tilted her head in consideration of the man in front of her. It may have been her mind playing tricks on her, the vicious yearning for some genuine human connection making her see things that weren't really there, but Jack's eyes held an amazement she'd never seen before. Her cheeks heated, and for an instant her mind went back to the dream she'd had, while lying next to Sawyer. She'd dreamt of him. Of lying next to him in the afterglow of love making. And she'd been happy.

"Why don't you run?" He asked suddenly, the sound of his low voice in the silence nearly making her jump. Why don't I run? Because of you. Kate thought for a moment, before realizing he meant run for Supervisor.

"Me?" She asked incredulously, and Jack just grinned an impish grin that seemed to take the stress of running an island of 40 people away, if only for a moment, and nodded.

"Why not? You're smart, you know what has to be done…most of the time. Though you do have a mild death wish." Kate blushed at the former compliment.

"I couldn't handle that kind of pressure. I'm not as strong as you are." The light in Jack's face faded, and the smile ran away from his face. Kate wondered on the sudden change as Jack turned back to the fire.

"I'm not as strong as you all think I am." He said quietly, and Kate stepped closer next to him. The wind blew his scent over her, and she breathed deeply.

"Then why didn't you let Jolie stoke the fire?"

"Because I wanted to be near you for a while." He whispered into the fire, and Kate felt as if she'd been kicked in the gut. Jack looked to her, and her face must have shown it, because he laughed in nervous embarrassment. "Goodnight, Kate. I hope you run for an office." He turned to her to say, and brushed her shoulder with his as he passed her. Kate closed her eyes upon the touch, squeezing them tight.

Thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! I got back from a 4 day cheerleading camp yesterday, and I'm still trying to regain some of my strength lol. So I won't write those cute little acknowledgements that I usually do, and forgive me for that, but I just wanted to get a chapter out to you before I go zonk out for another thirteen hours of delicious sleep.

So, about this cheer camp that stole me away from you for a while, it was 120 degree weather. Nuf said. And I was doing flips and lifting people above my head and all the things cheerleaders do. It was rough, but our team is crazy and we all bonded and had fun. So, all's well that ends well, as I like to say, and now I'm back to reality. Here's another chapter, and it looks like Kate is leaning more toward Jack, doesn't it?

-Austin B.