Sorry it took so long for the update, but here's the next chapter! Thank you guys for all of your AWESOME reviews, I hope you like this one as much as the others! As always, thank you to Jess.. without you this chapter probably wouldn't have gotten written!

Jack fumbled with the keys in his attempt to unlock the door to his apartment, making him sigh dejectedly as the lock finally clicked and he pushed the door open. He hadn't had a very good day at work – they'd had to pull Jack out of another surgery to operate on a trauma patient, and another patient of his had died on the table. And on top of all of that, he hadn't seen Kate. He knew she'd been there, because when he got to his vehicle after his shift was done, the note was gone. But there was no indication that she had been there, no indication of how she felt about him or the note.

Leaving his shoes at the door, Jack draped his jacket over a chair and made his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and, almost as a second thought, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. He padded into the living room and sat down on his leather couch, putting his feet up on the wooden coffee table. He opened his beer and took a long sip before grabbing the remote to the stereo system. He pressed 'shuffle' and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes as the first few chords of the song began to play.

"I'm open, you're closed

Where I follow, you'll go

I worry I won't see your face

Light up again

Even the best fall down sometime

Even the wrong words seem to rhyme

Out of the doubt that fills my mind

I somehow find

You and I collide."

Jack sat lost in his own thoughts while he listened to the lyrics of the song. In fact, he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the sound of someone knocking on the door, until the sound grew so loud it almost made him jump. He opened his eyes, sat up, and put his glass down in one fluid motion. Turning down the stereo, he jogged quickly to the door, swinging it open without even looking to see who it was.

"Hey, sorry about that. Can I help you with something?" Jack asked, running his hand over his closely-cropped hair, hoping to not appear to be too flustered.

"Hey Jack," said the stranger, jolting Jack from his self-conscious thoughts. He quickly ran through his mind, trying to find a mental picture of someone he, or his mother, knew that had long blonde hair. He wasn't able to think of anyone off hand, but maybe it was someone he had met when he had first come back from the island. In that case, he definitely wouldn't have remembered them – everything was a fog, every person he met was just another face in the crowd.

"I'm sorry… do I know you?" Jack asked, shaking his head slightly and still trying to place the girl in his mind. 'Why does she look so familiar?' Jack thought, waiting for the girl to respond.

Lowering her gaze, the girl reached her hand up and slowly pulled the oversized sunglasses down her face, tucking them into the pocket of her jeans and revealing the constellations of freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. Without looking up, she reached up with her other hand and began tugging on her hair until it slowly came off, revealing a mass of unruly dark brown curls.

Without her even raising her face back up to his, he knew it was her.

"Kate," he breathed. After wanting to see her for so long and planning what he would say, he couldn't think of a single coherent thought. He just stood staring as she lifted her face back up to his, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Hey, Jack," she said, smiling shyly. He looked better than she had imagined. Seconds passed and, noticing he was still staring at her with wide eyes and an unbelieving expression, she laughed softly.

"Jack, now would be a good time to say something," she said, half-joking, with a small smile on her face. Her tone was teasing, but she was really worried. He hadn't said anything in over a minute, just stared at her like she was a ghost and was liable to disappear at any second. He had always been hard to read, but it had never bothered her – until now. She didn't know if he wasn't saying anything due to happy surprise to see her on his doorstep, or if he was trying to form words that wouldn't be too harsh in asking her to leave.

"I just.. I, you – What are you doing here?" Jack managed, still trying to wrap his mind around the whole situation.

"I was in the area and I found out your address, so I thought I'd pay a visit," Kate said, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to distract Jack from the blatant lie she had just told.

"Kate…" he said, in a tone that she had heard him use before, when he knew she was lying. How could he see through her so easily? She looked at him, her green eyes pleading with his to forget about her life of crime for just one second, so they could enjoy each other's company.

Taking her cue, he looked down and offered a sheepish grin. "Would you like to come in?" He opened the door further, allowing her a view of the interior of his house, which elicited a slight gasp from her at the enormity of it.

Smiling gratefully, Kate brushed past him and stepped inside the living room. Looking around in awe, she could hardly believe she was standing here. She knew that doctors made good money, but outside of her imagination, she had never actually been in a house like this.

The living room had cathedral-style ceilings, which were accented by the wooden beams crossing the top. The whole room was painted a warm cream color that only enhanced the glow of the wood trim and accents. In the corner was a huge floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, with pictures and some candles on the mantle. Surrounding the fireplace were a black leather couch and two leather armchairs, with glass and wood end tables.

"Not only are you an excellent spinal surgeon, but you have good taste too," Kate said, smiling over her shoulder at Jack as he closed the door.

"Ah," Jack said, grinning and coming up to stand next to her, "Why thank you! Guess I got more than just good doctor genes, huh?" He asked playfully, winking at Kate, who blushed and looked down. "So, can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll just have water," Kate said, turning and walking further into the living room as Jack walked through a door that she presumed was the way to the kitchen. She made her way to the mantle over the fireplace, eager to get a glimpse into the life of Jack that she didn't know.

There were only three pictures on the mantle, all arranged in the center. The first was a professionally taken photograph of his parents – his father in a gray suit and his mother in a fancy dress. The second was of a couple she didn't recognize – he was tall with short red hair, and she was shorter than him, her light blonde hair pulled back. They had their arms wrapped around two kids, a boy and a girl that looked like each respective parent. It looked like they were at a barbecue, maybe for the fourth of July.

Shaking her head and smiling at their enthusiastic grins, she focused on the last picture and, seeing its subject, inhaled sharply. She could hardly remember posing for the picture – it was right before they all got on the boat, after the officials had handcuffed her. They must have been feeling generous that day, because after they had gathered all of the survivors, they told them that they had a camera if they wanted to pose for a group shot. While some of them, mainly Sawyer, grumbled about taking a picture, most were eager to have a documented memory of their last minutes on the island. The survivors had all gathered together, wrapping arms around each others' shoulders and grinning like fools. Kate had stayed off to the side, sure that the guards wouldn't let her be a part of the picture, but at the last second, one of them nudged her towards the group, giving her a slight smile and an encouraging nod. She glanced back, but before she could even thank him, Jack was reaching forward and pulling her next to him in the shot. The rest was a blur – after the picture they had grabbed Kate and pulled her onto the boat, and the next thing she knew, she was running. But here, right in front of her, was the proof that it wasn't just a memory – she was standing next to Jack, behind Charlie and Claire holding Aaron, and he wasn't even looking at the camera. His head was turned, looking at her and smiling with a look of wonder on his face. Looking closer, she also noticed that his hand grasped hers tightly, already handcuffed.

She nearly jumped when she heard Jack's voice behind her, right at her ear. "That was quite the day, huh?"

Turning, she looked into his eyes and nodded. She could almost feel his hand in hers, calming her with his touch. How long had she yearned for that, thought about that? Almost every day on the island, and certainly every day since she had been on the run again. She had seen his ghost everywhere – New York, Texas, Colorado. Everywhere she went, she would be walking in a crowd and see his tall frame and short hair, only to realize it was her mind playing tricks on her. But none of that mattered, because she was here now. Hoping she wasn't as transparent as she feared, she cleared her throat and turned away from the pictures and from Jack, sitting down on one end of the couch.

"Here's your water," Jack said, handing her a bottle of cold water. She took it and nodded, putting it in her lap and staring at her hands. "So, Kate… you want to tell me why you're here?" he asked, placing one hand on the mantle and the other on his hip.

"I already told you, Jack, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pay you a visit," Kate said, meeting his gaze with defiant eyes, daring him to continue.

Sighing, he ran a hand over his forehead and dropped it to his side. "Are you still on the run, Kate?"

Her eyes automatically hardened at the words, giving only a sharp nod in response. They both knew the dangers of her even being here, let alone staying for more than one night. But she had worried so much that she was drained – it was in Jack's hands now.

He stared at her intensely, running over the options in his mind. He knew that it was dangerous for her to stay here, but what was he going to do, kick her back out on the streets? He wouldn't do that to anyone – but this wasn't just anyone, it was Kate. His Kate. He had waited so long to see her that sending her away didn't even seem fathomable, so he did the only thing that he could think of – the one thing he wanted.

"Well, I'm guessing you need a place to stay, and I know of a guest room with a comfortable bed, clean sheets, and a hot shower," he said, expressionless. He didn't know how Kate would respond after seeing her features harden so suddenly at his question. Even though he felt like letting the joy of his idea shine through to his face, he kept it under control, waiting to see Kate's response.

Erasing his fears, Kate sat up straighter and grinned ear-to-ear. "Sounds good," she said, still smiling. Maybe she had finally found the refuge she had spent so many years looking for.