Disclaimer: I don't own Lost...and that's probably a good thing.
"Almost as if I what, Jack?." Realizing she wasn't going to get a response Kate turned to leave.
"BOAT!" yelled Hurley, a ways down the beach.
It was true, quickly approaching in the distance was a white object that could be nothing other than a rescue boat.
"YES! we're saved!" Echoed an ecstatic Charlie, who was now hugging an equally excited Claire in his joy.
Kate and Jack watched as all of the survivors, the people that had played a major part in their lives for the past few months, the people that had become family, rushed out into the water waving their arms frantically. The boat was no doubt headed their way, but they were all so overjoyed at this spectacular turn of events that they tried to flag it down anyways.
Shannon was crying tears of pure joy in Sayid's arms, while Michael was finally able to look Walt in the eyes and say "We're going home."
Kate watched as Sawyer ran into the water, hugging the first person he saw, which just so happened to be Jin. It didn't matter that the two weren't on the best of terms. All that mattered was that all of the survivors were finally going home.
Kate looked down at the sand and tried to burry her feet in it, as was her old habit. She couldn't believe this day had come. She couldn't deny that she wasn't at least happy for the others. She was overjoyed that they would all get to go home, back to their normal lives, back to life. However, she also couldn't deny that she wasn't jealous of them all. They got to go back to civilization, while she was put into jail for who knew how long.
Kate hadn't noticed Jack, standing only a few feet away. Jack hadn't run down to the water's edge with everyone else. He hadn't yelled in joy at their triumph over the island. In fact, Jack had stayed right where he was. At the first mention of a boat Jack's thoughts had immediately turned to Kate. He knew what this meant for her. Jack, also, had not seen this day coming. He had grown used to life on the island. Jack was use to his daily routine of helping and treating the sick. He was used to surviving on little food and water, and for a second it occurred to Jack that he didn't want that to change.
Jack looked over at Kate as she starred at the sand. He knew he had to say something to her before he lost his chance forever.
Kate looked up slowly as she felt Jack put his hand in hers. She saw the same fear in his eyes that she knew he could see in hers. Jack squeezed Kate's hand comfortingly.
"I've never been that great at good byes," Kate whispered, shifting her gaze back to the sand.
"Do you want this to be good bye Kate?"
"No Jack, of course not, but you know just as well as I do that as soon as those rescuers reach the shore they are going to cuff me and throw me in jail."
"It's going to be okay Kate."
"No Jack, it's not going to be okay. I don't understand why everyone is always trying to tell me that. My life will never be normal. I'm..." Kate was cut off by Jack.
"Kate...look at me," Jack lifted Kate's chin until her eyes we locked on his. "Kate, did you do anything wrong?"
"No, I've told you all this before. But they have perfect evidence against me there's no way that I..."
"Kate, did you do anything wrong?"
"No."
"Then this isn't good bye. I'll be seeing you again, you can trust me." Kate looked into Jack's eyes as he said this and she knew he was serious. But it was to much for her, she couldn't let him do this.
"Jack, I can't let you spend your life trying to get me out of jail. You deserve something better than me. You deserve your life, and a normal one at that."
"A couple months ago we crashed on this island. We didn't know each other, we didn't know who to trust, we didn't know how to survive for god's sake! Our days were filled with the challenges of finding food and water and our nights were spent trying to keep everyone safe from some unknown monster in the jungle. Basically our lives were like a living hell. And im not about to let the one good thing that happened to me be taken out of my life forever." Jack finished, out of breath, amazed at everything that had just come out of his mouth.
Kate couldn't help but smile at Jack.. Hearing him say that made her feel like, for the first time in her life, she mattered. If she were gone there would be someone who might actually miss her.
Kate saw the guards coming for her. Jack saw them too. He pulled Kate into a hug and just before the guards reached them he whispered "wait for me, I'm going to find you," in her ear.
Kate just nodded in response. She knew that he meant for her to stay wherever she was put. He didn't want her to runoff like she usually did. It was going to be hard for Kate: to give up her life on the run. To stay in one place, relying on one person's words. But for once Kate felt that she could do it, because that one person was Jack.
As the guards grabbed Kate and pulled her back towards the boat she looked back at Jack., standing there alone on the beach.
Jack watched as Kate was taken away. The last thing he saw was her forming the word "Jack" on her lips. Then she was gone.