Charlie hummed the first few bars of the song as he fiddled with his guitar, trying to get it in tune. The more time they spent on the island the more frequently he found his guitar to be out of tune. He was worried the salt air may be eating away at the strings. If they broke, he was screwed. He plucked one very carefully, listening to the pitch. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction and began strumming.

"What day is it?

And in what month

This clock never seemed so alive…"

Charlie smiled as he sang. This had been his favorite song since as long as he could remember. It was one of those songs with the strange quality of having the ability to cheer him up, no matter how down he was feeling. Just what the doctor ordered.

"I can't keep up

And I can't back down

I've been losing so much time"

He had at first warmed to the song when he had noticed how similar it was to his own life, almost like it was describing it. Even more so, since they had landed on the island and he had become acquainted with the pretty blonde lass who he fell more and more in love with every day.

"Cause it's you and me

And all of the people

With nothing to do

And nothing to lose…"

The song was like a reflection; a perfect, whole image of his life before and after the crash. God knows he needed cheering up more than usual lately, and with Jack hoarding every last drop of alcohol on this island for medical emergencies, this song seemed to do just as well.

"How did you know?" He heard a soft voice say behind him. He stopped singing and turned around. Claire smiled as she sat down next to him, tucking her skirt underneath her. "That's my favorite song."

"It is?" Charlie asked, a wide grin creeping across his face. Coincidence? I think not! Claire noticed him smiling at her.

"What is it?" She asked. Charlie shrugged, grin remaining plastered firmly to his face.

"Nothing, it's just… well, that's my favorite song too." He replied

"Really?" Claire asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Since as long as I can remember. Especially now that -" Charlie bit his tongue. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. He'd have to be more careful. He settled for an awkward, lopsided grin. "Well, how about that, eh?"

Claire giggled. She had a pretty good idea of what Charlie had just stopped himself from giving away. It was no secret that he was falling for her, only he thought it was. She was glad, too, because she was falling for him as well. That was no secret either, not to her at least. And soon it wouldn't be a secret to Charlie, either.

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"We need to talk to Jack." Sayid announced as he and Kate entered the cave. There were few people still remaining inside, once most of them realized they could actually leave, there was no stopping them.

"You can try." Sawyer's familiar drawl echoed from the back of the cave where he was reading a book. His uneven glasses gave his appearance a not-so-subtle comical quality. "But he don't seem to be in a very chatty mood."

Kate and Sayid followed Sawyer's gaze across to the other side of the cave where Jack lay, still firmly out cold. In the hour or so that he had been lying there, he had managed to slip down the wall a lot from the upright position he had been put there in. Now only his head rested against the wall, and he looked dreadfully uncomfortable.

It was easy to see how Kate was speechless with shock; Jack was in a terrible state. His hair was matted with blood that ran down one side of his face. He was covered with cuts and bruises. His clothes were ripped and also soaked in blood. Most of his front was caked in mud which had dried and cracked. And to top it all off, his arms had been roughly pulled behind his back and tied together at the wrists using thick rope.

"Wh- What's wrong with him?" Kate asked shakily.

"How should I know?" Sawyer replied, shrugging as if it was of no importance. "I wasn't here. But if Fred and Wilma over there know what they're talking about…" He trailed off and cast a glance over at Charlie and Claire, who were deep in a serious-looking discussion. "Oh boy, you're gonna love this one."

"What is wrong with him, Sawyer?" Kate asked again, more forcefully this time.

"Patience, girl. Rushin' things ain't gonna get you nowhere." He grinned smugly up at Kate. "You should know that."

"I see your fingernails have healed nicely." Sayid took a threatening step towards Sawyer, speaking to the southerner for the first time since entering the caves.

"Woah, Ali, don't have a fit." Sawyer drawled, doing his best to sound unperturbed by the Iraqi's threat. He smiled, as if suddenly remembering a certain pleasant detail. "Only place that'll get you is the psych ward with good ole St. Jack."

There was a pause, in which Kate and Sayid struggled to process what they had just heard. Finally, Kate broke it.

"What did you say?" She asked quietly.

"Yep, that's right. Apparently, JackO had some kinda fit out in the jungle." Sawyer replied, not bothering to hide that he was clearly taking pleasure in the way Kate's eyes began to resemble dinner plates. "Guess he finally cracked, huh? About time too, I was wondering how long -"

Sawyer stopped abruptly as Sayid's hand darted back to the hilt of his knife. Kate forced down the lump in her throat.

"Is he…" She couldn't even say it; her throat got all choked up every time she tried. She desperately looked to Sawyer for an answer, who just smiled. It was like he was mocking her, but she didn't let him see the rage that built up inside of her.

"Calm your nerves, Sweet Cheeks." He answered, leaning back against the wall. Did Jack's life really mean nothing to him? "From what I hear, he's still alive and kicking."

Kate's rage was immediately dismissed as relief flooded through her like a dam breaking. She didn't even hear Sawyer mutter 'Pity' under his breath.

"Why is he restrained?" She finally asked.

"Ah, that's the best part." Sawyer said, eager to spoil her improved mood, his cat-like grin returning to his face in an instant. "He went into some kinda mad rage, started attacking the poor hunters that found him."

Kate's face fell, and the relief was gone once again, replaced this time by shock. Could that be true? Surely, Sawyer was lying. Did they really think Jack was dangerous? How could he be? Jack was… well, maybe not the nicest or quietest person she'd ever met, but he was dedicated to his work of saving lives, why would he want to hurt one?

"What else do you know?" Sayid asked, the unspoken threat still lingering in his voice.

"Nuthin'." Sawyer replied, and Sayid began to take another step closer. "Hey, hey, don't go all Hulk on me, Abu. That's the truth, an' you're lucky I know that much."

Sayid didn't move, but neither did he move his hand from the hilt of his knife.

"He's telling the truth." Kate said, surprising all three of them, and after a few seconds, Sayid reluctantly stepped back.

Sawyer inclined his head slightly with raised brows, the silent message of 'I told you so' ringing in all their ears, then returned to his book. As far as he was concerned, the conversation was over.

Kate sighed in exasperation and stormed out of the cave in the direction of the jungle, but Sayid raced after her and caught her by the arm.

"That is not a good idea." He said matter-of-factly. "After what happened to Jack, no one should be out in the jungle. And certainly not alone."

"We don't know what happened to Jack, Sayid." Kate argued, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "This is Sawyer; he can't be trusted, especially not with something as important as this. For all we know, he could be making the whole thing up."

"It's not worth the risk." Sayid replied simply.

After a minute, Kate relented and turned away from the jungle. She felt a tickle on her cheek and reached up to brush it away. It was at this point that Kate became aware of the stream of hot tears running down each cheek.

And no wonder. What had she felt when she saw Jack crumpled on the cave floor, lifeless and bloody? Nothing, she realized with a start. Absolutely nothing. She had trained herself to withhold her emotions from the world, and keep the waterworks for when no one was looking.

But even the strongest of dams spring a leak, and that leak can quickly lead to the whole dam breaking under the pressure. Kate realized this as she allowed herself to fall into Sayid's comforting embrace, fat tears now rushing freely down her cheeks. She didn't even care that Sayid had seen her crying. She didn't even care that he might tell Shannon (which, as a result, would spread the word around camp like wildfire in less than an hour). All she really cared about at the moment was that somehow, Jack would be okay. He had to be.