3

She looked off into the distance, absentmindedly rocking Aaron in her arms. Charlie strolled up and sat beside her. Claire shifted her sleeping baby into his cradle and looked to Charlie with a soft smile.

"Morning, love."

"Hey Charlie."

He didn't know what to say after that, and Claire was apparently not in the mood for talking. She leaned back against the tree and watched the breeze blow the palm fronds. Charlie studied her face for a moment, the far away look in her eyes.

"Uh, Claire?" She slowly looked to him. He shifted his gaze nervously. "What do you think about? When you stare off like that?"

She stared at him as if he hadn't spoken, and Charlie thought she really hadn't heart him, until she replied, "Everything I have to worry about, and the people I have to pray for."

Claire watched her hands in her lap.

"You know, back in London, I wasn't a very good person." She looked up to him, as if to say the thought of him not being a good person was impossible. "I was greedy and selfish and spiraling out of control. I would've hit rock bottom if I hadn't crashed here first."

Claire was looking at him with a curious expression. She blinked out of it and said, "I keep trying to decide if home was any better than this island, anyway. I didn't have anyone after Thomas left. I was going to give Aaron up for adoption."

"We're here now, love." He whispered, and slid his hands into hers. Charlie felt something in her hands.

"What's this?"

"Oh, my wish dolls." Claire chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"What're they for?"

"Well, you tell one of them a trouble you have, and put it under your pillow before you go to sleep at night. In the morning, you'll have a solution."

"Do they work?"

"I like to think someday they might. We need every edge we can get out here." She chuckled, eliciting a smile from him as well.

"So what do you tell them?"

Claire lined up the four dolls in a line on the sand and picked them up one by one, holding them up. "To this one, I say, I'm afraid the castaways might not be able to work together to survive. To this one, I say my family and friends will be sad that they don't know where I am, alive or dead. To this one, I say the families of those who perished will be destroyed when they find out." She fingered the fourth doll between her fingers, and slipped it quietly back into its pouch along with the rest, leaving its trouble known only to it and herself.

She'd been rationalizing it all day. But she just couldn't come up with an answer. She knew he was the only one who could save her from herself. From holing up inside herself and being alone forever. But in order for him to save her, she'd have to open up to him. Tell him how she felt about him and hope for the best.

Therein lies the problem.

Kate couldn't bring herself to bare her soul. It seemed unnatural, wrong for her to give herself so wholly to a man. Not only did it seem scary to let him know everything, every flaw about her, there was always the possibility that he didn't reciprocate her feelings. He could always deny her because of the many times she'd walled up her emotions when he'd asked about her. He might not want to deal with a troubled woman.

Kate stopped walking and realized her pace had gradually picked up, and she was out of breath. She also had no idea where she was. But she wasn't too worried about that fact. She could trace her footsteps back to recognizable territory.

The wind whistled loudly beyond tall shrubs in front of her, and Kate wondered what could make that sound. So, she pushed through the bushes and reeled at the sight. The toes of her shoes now hung off the edge of a sheer cliff. She made to step back, but caught her heel on the bushes. Her shoes slipped on the loose rocks at the edge of the canyon, and her weight shifted. As she fell to the right, Kate grabbed an armful of bushes. She landed on her side on the tiny ledge, and her legs slipped off so they dangled helplessly below her.

An armful of bushes Kate clutched tightly to her chest was all that separated her from a fifty foot drop to her death. Terror coursed through her, and she looked wide eyed at the drop below her. A surprised cry came from her, followed by ragged breaths, as she'd forgotten to breathe for a few seconds.

As Kate stared down at the jagged rocks which would greet her if she fell, all she could think of was the regret. There were so many things she hadn't done. So many emotions she hadn't experienced. Love and happiness were at the top of that list. Jack jumped into her thoughts. She wished she could've told him how she felt before she died. Kissed him.

"Kate!" Jack's voice called, and Kate would've smiled wistfully had she not been so terrified. She could hear his voice in her hour of death.

His face appeared through the bushes to her left. "Kate!"

"Jack!" She called breathlessly. It wasn't her imagination! Thank God Jack had come to save her. Had there been any doubt he would? He disappeared for a moment then stuck his arm out above her to grip her arm. He slowly drew her up, and with one last pull, drug her over the ledge on top of him. They collapsed behind the shrubs, safely separating them from the terrifying cliff. He tipped her to lie on her back and leaned over her with his hand next to her head, the other running over her skin on her face, over her abdomen, down her legs.

He was checking for injuries of course, but Kate let herself forget that for a moment as she felt his hands on her. Her eyelids slid shut.

"Are you hurt?" The worry in his voice was evident, as it was in his eyes when she opened hers to look up at him.

"I'm fine." Kate whispered with a thankful smile. She had gripped his shirt when he pulled her up, and held it in her fist still.

"What are you doing out here?" Jack asked softly, but still a bit chastising. Kate unfurled her fingers from the warm cotton at his chest.

"Walking. Thinking. Two things I apparently cannot do at the same time."

Jack grinned down at her. She wanted to lie there forever, but Jack stood and held his hands out for her. The sight of him standing above her, reaching down to her made Kate stop. She wanted to take a picture of him and keep it in her back pocket for a rainy day. She slid her hands into his and he pulled her to her feet.

"You have to be more careful. I can't afford to have a heart attack out here."

Kate gingerly slipped her hands from his and crossed them over her chest.

"It wasn't like I went out looking for a cliff to jump off. It sort of snuck up on me."

"Snuck? The cliff snuck up on you?" He repeated, amused. Kate grinned and felt a blush creep to her cheeks as she diverted her eyes from his brown eyes. She was weakest when those eyes of his were filled with laughter.

After their nerves have settled, they began walking back to the beach, side by side. His arm would brush against hers, and Kate would be sent into a fit of goose bumps and jitters. All she could think about was how her hand fit into his.

"How are you these days, Kate? It seems like I never see you anymore."

Because I've been avoiding you. She thought ironically, but kept the bitter smile from showing on her lips.

"I'm holding up as well as can be expected. Although Charlie and Hurley's arguing over that stupid Rubix cube is driving me nuts." Kate grinned.

"Which is but another reason why you should move to the caves." Jack took the opportunity to try reasoning with her. He was convinced she would be safer at the caves, and he wouldn't have to worry about her all the time. He'd just have to look across camp to see her, instead of having to make the long trek to the caves and think up some lame excuse for visiting the beach.

Kate scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nice try."

Jack shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

They reached the caves, and Jack flashed her a smile. "See ya around." Was his parting words, and he pressed his warm palm to the small of her back before walking away to converse with Sayid about ways to improve the camp. Kate had to force her body to turn and pick one foot up after another. She could still feel his hand on her back. It was still amazing how his touch could do that to her.

Kate suddenly felt like a kid again. A kid with a crush, she almost cringed at the thought. The slightest brush of his hand gave her tingles in all the right places. Or wrong places, depending on how she looked at it.

When she lay down to sleep that night, she cuddled herself in her flimsy airplane blanket, wrapping her arms around herself. When she closed her eyes, she could pretend he was lying next to her. She could smell his skin, feel his touch, see his deep brown eyes as he lay above her.

After a while, Kate shook off the thoughts, knowing they would get her nothing but a sleepless night and an attitude the next morning. Not to mention a broken heart. Thinking about him only made her want him more, and sooner or later she'd have to tell him. And he'd have to tell her he didn't feel that way about her.

As Kate pushed Jack from her mind, with much difficulty, she drifted into sleep. But sleep offered no solace, for in her dreams he was touching her, and she could see his body under the waterfall. When she woke with a start the next morning, Kate realized there was no escaping it.

So, I've got yet another AP class this year, but it's not going to be too bad because it's AP Literature, and, as you all know, I love to read and write. I really don't have any hard classes at all. Pre-calc worried me at first, but I have a good teacher, so it won't be all that bad. I'm a Teacher's Aid for an hour, which I love, and I make appearances on our school news program, which is run by one of my very best friends. (It's good to have connections.) Alright, assignment time. (sorry, I know you get enough of that in school.) This one'll be easy. REVIEW!

Elvenlady – No, tell your sister she's wrong, Sawyer was definitely shot in the shoulder or the side, because he jerked to the side before he fell back off the raft. Geez, I really hope he's okay. I can't wait until next week to see what happened to him!

LostWithoutLost, lostrayne, HappilyLostGirl, Kate, Merx, Antatobo, Orlando Crazy, FanofLost

Lili-Marie – I absolutely LOVED your review! Do NOT apologize for long reviews, they're my absolute FAVORITE. Let's see… what OTHER words can I CAPITALIZE. Really, thank you so much for your kind words, they're such an inspiration for me to keep writing.

Eclypse – heyyy, I'm talking to you on msn right now! Cool buuuddy!

OutofLine – feel free to sing my praises as often as you'd like. :P

Edjen – everyone who loves Lost is invited to my sleepover. So, you're IN!

As always,
Austin B.