"Hey," she greeted. "So, that your bedroom now?" she asked, peering behind him at the cushions on the floor.
Jack glanced behind him and then turned back to Kate. "Something like that."
Kate gave him a smile and nodded a little. "So, Sawyer wants to go back to the beach."
"Yeah? Well Sawyer can just go to hell," Jack told her.
"He's walking around on his own now and he seems stronger and he really wants to go back to the beach," Kate said.
"Why?" Jack asked. Okay, so the hatch was a tad overcrowded at the minute and he really wouldn't object to getting some air himself right now but surely this place was better than the beach. Jack was never a fan of the beach. He was never really a fan of any beach. You just got hot and sticky in the sun and ended up with sand absolutely everywhere which was really no fun at all.
"Best guess, he wants to protect what's his," Kate replied. "His stash is still there. And his shelter."
Jack nodded. "Well he's not going anywhere right now."
"You gonna be the one to tell him that?" Kate asked.
Jack looked at her and sighed at her expression. "Apparently so."
"Do you think he's strong enough to go back?" Kate questioned.
"If I thought he was strong enough I'd let him go and get the hell out of my way, Kate," Jack replied.
"So you're still worried about him," she acknowledged.
Jack looked at her. "Are you worried about him?"
Kate shrugged. "I just want to make sure he's okay," she replied. "He's not the kind of guy who knows a lot about taking care of himself, he needs someone to look out for him before he ends up dead."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Jack said, giving her a pointed look. "Maybe I should get them together and they can look out for each other."
Kate gave him a look. "Certain people are better off alone," she said. "Certain people really don't need the hassle."
Jack nodded. "Yeah, I used to think like that."
Kate gave him a smile. "So, you gonna do something about Sawyer before he realises we're both out of the way and bolts?"
"Sure," Jack replied wearily. He walked through to the living quarters, Kate close on his heels. He found Sawyer in his bunk but now on top of the covers and fully dressed.
"Ah, shucks, Freckles call you in here to talk some sense into me?" Sawyer asked as Jack approached. He then turned his attention to Kate. "Didn't know you were such a tattletale."
"Morning, Sawyer," Jack offered, taking a seat by the bed.
"Morning, Doc," Sawyer smiled back. "Now if you could just go ahead and sign my discharge slip I'll be out of your hair."
"You're not going anywhere, Sawyer," Jack told him shortly.
"You gonna stop me, Doc?" Sawyer dared.
"I will drug you and tie you to that bed if I have to," Jack stated.
"That right?" Sawyer asked, a glint in his eye. "The pretty boy might me into your kinks but I can tell ya, I sure ain't. Besides, don't want him comin' in here and bitch slappin' me in some jealous rage."
"That'll be the least of your problems if you keep this up, believe me," Jack said.
"You gonna tell me what I got I store or you just gonna continue bein' a little tease?" Sawyer asked, a suggestive edge in his voice that was really winding Jack up.
"Why you in such a rush to get out of here?" Jack asked him.
"Just want to get back home," Sawyer replied.
"Home?" Jack asked, shaking his head a little.
"Or the closest thing to it right about now," Sawyer replied, looking irritated. "The goddamn shelter you deficient idiot."
"Worried about your stash?" Jack asked. "Worried we might have raided it while you were gone or just taken it all together? What would you have to bargain with then? I don't think you'd have half as much leverage without those supplies. In fact I don't think you'd have any."
Jack took great pleasure in the way Sawyer's eyes narrowed. Sure, their bickering was stupid and immature but he was winning right now so he was quite enjoying it for once.
"You been in my stuff, Jackie Boy?" Sawyer asked, trying to sound cool.
"What's to say it's your stuff anymore?" Jack asked. "You just left it sitting on that beach. As far as we knew you were never coming back. The second you stepped onto that raft your stash was fair game."
Sawyer glared at him and tried to sit up. Jack put his hand on his good shoulder and pushed him back into the bunk.
"Jack, you're supposed to be getting him to stay there," Kate pointed out, coming up behind him.
"He's gonna stay," Jack told her, not taking his eyes off Sawyer's. "If he doesn't then he'll never get his things back."
Sawyer glared at him but laid back in the bunk, holding his hands up in mock surrender. Jack gave him a little nod and then got up, exiting the room. Kate followed.
"You don't have his stuff, do you?" Kate asked.
"No," Jack replied. "But he doesn't that."
Kate smiled at him and shook her head. "He's gonna be pissed when he finds out."
"He understands the game," Jack told her. "Remember Shannon's inhalers?"
Kate nodded, a far off look in her eyes. "Yeah," she replied distantly.
Jack looked at her. "Was it a good kiss?"
Kate looked at him. "What?" she asked, clearly not expecting the question.
"The kiss," Jack said. "Was it good?"
Kate just looked at him for so long that Jack thought she wasn't even going to bother answering him. "You the island matchmaker now?" she asked finally.
Jack shrugged. "You seen Boone?"
"He was in the lab earlier," Kate replied.
"Thanks," he said, heading in that direction. He walked up to the doorway but stopped when he saw Boone sat at the computer and Locke standing by his side, leaning against the desk.
"So have you seen the others?" Boone asked. "Cos other than Eko who seems to hide in the shadows and give you looks like he can see inside your skull, none of the other people seem to come here."
Locke nodded. "Well, there's Bernard," he said. "Rose's husband."
"Right," Boone agreed. "She kept saying he was alive."
"You see, Boone, sometimes faith pays off," Locke told him.
"Yeah, I guess it does," Boone replied, looking distant. Jack wondered what he was thinking about.
"Then there's Libby," Locke continued. "Quiet girl, seems nice enough. Had a bit of a raw deal out there. They all have by all accounts."
"Yeah," Boone said, refocusing. "I'm glad we ended up on this beach."
"And you know Ana-Lucia of course," Locke said pointedly. A little too pointedly, Jack thought.
"Yeah," Boone said again, his expression instantly darkening as his mind seemed to be going to less than happy places. This apparently had no effect on Locke - what did? - but for Jack it was too uncomfortable.
"Hey," he said, stepping into the room and trying to appear casual and not like the eavesdropper he clearly was.
Boone looked up at him and smiled. "Hey."
Locke straightened himself up and turned around. "Morning, Jack," he greeted. "I was just heading out for a while."
"No you weren't, you were just in the middle of a conversation," Jack corrected.
"So you were listening," Locke observed.
Dammit, Jack couldn't even go two sentences without giving the game away.
"Well, regardless, I have plenty of things I can be getting on with," Locke continued. He gave Boone a nod and then started out of the room.
"John," Jack said, stopping him in his tracks but he wasn't quite sure why.
"Yes, Jack?" Locke inquired, turning around to face him again.
Jack looked at him and wondered what the hell it was he wanted to say. His problem with Locke wasn't as big as it used to be, especially since losing Sun forced him to acknowledge how close he really was to losing Boone. And Locke did bring Boone back after the fall. He also lied and nearly let him die though so Jack was having a few mixed feelings. He didn't trust Locke as far as he could throw him but he also realised that he should cut the guy some slack. Maybe only a little though. He could keep a close eye on him without persecuting him at every turn.
"Did you want something, Jack?" Locke asked.
"Yeah," Jack replied, shaking himself out of it. "I just... Thanks, I guess."
"You're welcome," Locke said. "Now what is it you're thanking me for?"
Jack looked at him. He wasn't quite sure himself if he was honest. "I don't trust you," he began. "Not really, not entirely. But you have done some good things for the group and you have kept us fed. For the main part, when you weren't off on secret missions, that is. And you brought Boone back to me in one piece. More of less. After the Beechcraft thing."
Locke nodded. "Just doing my part to contribute, Jack."
"We're still not friends," Jack told him, feeling like a grade schooler. "We're not okay."
Locke nodded again. He looked at Jack for another moment and then left the room. Jack found himself sighing with relief. He walked over to Boone.
"I'm kind of proud of you," Boone told him, smiling a little.
Jack smiled back. "I'm still not really okay with you spending time with him," he said. "Not on your own." Boone looked as if he was about to object. "But you're a grown up and you can make your own decisions, I'm not going to stand here and forbid you or anything like that. Just watch your back, okay? Cos I can't always watch it for you."
Boone nodded at him. "Okay."
Jack sighed again and sat down on the desk beside Boone. "You're still upset with Ana-Lucia?" he asked.
Boone looked up at him. "Did you just forgive Locke to make me forgive Ana-Lucia?" he asked, looking pretty pissed off.
"I didn't forgive Locke," Jack replied. "And I'm not trying to get you to forgive Ana-Lucia."
"Then why did you bring her up?" Boone asked.
Jack shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "Making conversation."
Boone looked down again. "If she was on the beach with us do you think you would have ended up with her?"
Shit, Jack thought, how the hell was he supposed to answer that? It was a possibility, of course it was, but so was him and Kate and that never spanned out. And at the end of the day it was just a drink. Jack never tried to get her number and he never tried to find her on the plane. He had other things on his mind, she was just a distraction, a bit of scenery in the airport bar. But if they'd have met again so soon afterwards then maybe they would have bonded over their link to civilisation.
"When I first met you, when you were giving CPR to Rose, I thought you must be an idiot," Jack began. Boone shot him a look to say he better seriously be going somewhere with this. "And then you offered to get pens and you kind of went off the scale," Jack continued while Boone continued to glare at him. "And you brought the pens to me when all I wanted to do was be alone but the look on your face was just... There was something there. I felt something. And I didn't know what it was. And then once I worked out what it was I pretended it wasn't real. And do you know what keeps me up at night?" Jack asked as he looked down at Boone who was gazing back at him, his expression completely softened now. "I think, what if we never met? What if none of this ever happened? Because as much as I hate this place I really..."
Jack stopped himself. He wasn't sure if he was ready to go there yet. Feeling it was one thing but saying it was something completely different. And he didn't really doubt that Boone felt it back, or that he'd return the sentiment in a heartbeat, but once you said those three little words then everything changed and it would never be able to go back to the way it was.
"Me too," Boone offered.
Jack smiled at him. See, less than a heartbeat. And it was all just a bunch of words anyway. They knew, that's what mattered.