"Live in the Moment"
One-shot Jack/Kate.
So I have problems sleeping, and at 4 AM last night I got to thinking and this is what happened. Please read and review, just a little confrontation after the kiss. Hope you guys like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost. Believe me if I did, this would have happened by now.
He sat on the shore of the island, staring off into the vast openness that the ocean laid before him. He had been there for atleast an hour, he concluded.
Jack was lost in thought, he rested his chin in one hand as the other one fingered through the sand. He was thinking about Kate, the kiss they had shared earlier. But the good memory of the kiss was chased by her sudden running, the way she had nursed Sawyer back to health, and about Sawyer's damn confession of love. In the hour he had sat here he had attempted to push these thoughts away, to stop thinking all together. But as soon as he managed to shake his minds of the thoughts floating through him, they rushed back even more painful than before.
Jack laughed at himself, he was a spinal surgeon. A 'hardcore' spinal surgeon, he had performed amazing operations, made life changing decisions, but one woman was ripping him apart. Only Kate, Jack decided, could do that.
He took a deep breath and lifted himself out of the sand he had nested himself in. He continued to play the dialouge he had planned in his head, as he began to ask for Kate. After a few inquisitions he found her deeply at work at one of her favorite hobbies. She was 6 feet above him climbing a tree. He watched silently as she gracefully picked fruit off the leaf covered branches and placed it in her bag. She jumped down from the tree, landing safely, and Jack called out her name.
Kate recognized the voice, she didn't need to turn around. She bit her lip and spoke softly, "I don't feel like talking Jack." She began digging through her bag, checking on the fruit she had just picked, anything to keep her from having to look Jack in the eyes.
Jack answered back, his voice serious but not overbearing, "Well I need to talk to you."
Kate quit digging through her bag and turned around, finally meeting his eyes. She quickly looked to the ground as she quietly answered, "I'm sorry about earlier, Jack."
"Why did you run away?" He answered, as sternly as before. She met his eyes again, they were flamed with emotion, and she looked away immediately once again, ashamed.
For a while Kate didn't answer. She chewed at her lip and continued to stare at the ground, fighting back a small tear from running down her cheek. It was a losing battle.
"Kate..." Jack started, much softer than before. The stern voice he spoke with earlier was gone.
"I ran because It's all I know how to do Jack" she spat, she met his eyes now and did not look away, she knew they needed to talk. Kate couldn't hide anything from Jack, she knew it. Jack could read her better than anyone, and vise versa.
Jack was quiet for a while, then he let out long sigh. She began rifiling through her bag again, she could not take awkward silence. He reached his hand forward and lightly took her chin in his hands, interuptting her. Instinctly, Kate started to back away, to not let her self once again be controlled by her emotions, but she gave in. She stood limp as Jack lifted her chin so her eyes were level with his. Unable to keep her tears back any longer, they began falling down her cheek one by one. Slightly smiling, Jack wiped them away. He took a deep breath then opened his mouth, and prayed his vocal chords decided to work. "I love you, Kate" he said softly.
Kate snapped back to being her emotionally gaurded self, she turned and began to walk away. "Please don't do this Jack" she said softly, as she tried to indescretely brush away the new tears falling down her face.
"Why not?" Jack snapped, reaching out and grabbing her hand. She whipped around, about to jerk herself away, then she caught herself. Old habits are hard to break. Instead, she stood there looking at him, they had to talk, she continued to tell herself. She couldn't run from this.
"I'm scared Jack." she said, looking out towards the jungle. "I'm scared to admit my feelings for you." Hearing herself say it out loud scared her, but she bit her lip and kept her feet firmly planted into the soil, no running this time, atleast not now.
"Why?" Jack whispered, barely audible.
"Because there's not going to be a happy ending for us Jack!" she said, her voice rising in volume after each word. Jack stood there limply, trying to think of a reply, but too many thoughts were floating around in his head, he couldn't settle on just one. "Come on Jack" she said softly, looking into his eyes, seeing the pain there. The pain she had involuntarily caused. "I'm a criminal, a felon. I'm on the run. What are we going to get off this island then happily ride off into the sunset!"
"Kate.." Jack managed to mutter, but she talked over him.
"I ran because it's what I have to do. I have to run. We can't have a normal relationship because the minute someone comes to rescue us I either have to go to jail or start running again. I don't want to hurt you, Jack."
"I love you, Kate" he repeated, it was the only thought he could grasp in his mind, the only thought that was bouncing around in there that he knew was completely true.
"Sometimes love isn't enough." Kate whispered, her legs began telling her to run again.
"What are you talking about? Of course it is." Jack spoke up now, the thoughts in his head seeming to collect themselves into one clear idea. "You're talking about if we get off this island. Dammit Kate we don't know if we're getting off and you know that! Don't you know how to live in the moment? That 'seize the day' crap. We're here now Kate, stuck. And we don't know for how long. You can't run from this island Kate!" He paused for a little while, she stood there her eyes fixated on the ground. He began to continue again, softer now. "There are freaking polar bears mauling people, we just buried Shannon, Boone is dead, Claire has been kidnapped, this island is messed up Kate and we all know it. We found a freaking hatch in the ground! That french woman has been here for 16 years Kate, are you going to sit around and wait for 16 years?" He paused again and ran his hand over his hair.
Kate still stared at the ground, tears coming down her cheek, faster now. Jack was right and she knew it.
He reached out for her arm, and this time she didn't fight back. She succumbed to his embrace and buried her head into his chest. He lightly rubbed his hand up and down her back as she continued to sob. Through the tears, Jack heard a muffled "I love you too."
He smiled and they continued to stand there. The turmoil of the island surrounded them, polar bears raged in the distance and strange whispers circled elsewhere, but here Kate stood in Jack's embrace. She had decided to live in the moment.
Yep nice sappy happy ending I can't help myself I'm a sucker for Jate! Please review, I have another longer fic in mind so good reviews with this one could encourage me to actually write!