AN: Thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter. Your feedback means a lot, and I really appreciate you guys. Also thanks to Jessica for betaing this chapter and future ones, and Sophie for helping me come up with ideas. This chapter is pure Jate fluff once again, so I hope no one is getting tired of the fluff yet. Sawyer isn't in this chapter once again. But I promise he will be in the next, and if everything works out then the next chapter will be next Monday, and it will be a Valentine's Day chapter…so that means more fluff.

Chapter 20- Touch

"So how are we going to pass time in here?" Jack asked as he looked up from the newspaper he was reading. His head was resting on Kate's shoulder, so he was now looking up at her as she read a magazine.

Kate smiled fondly to herself as she entertained thoughts of how they idle away the hours and amuse themselves. Instead of answering his question right away Kate leaned forward to kiss the edge of Jack's nose. "I thought you were already passing time by doing crosswords in the newspaper…old man."

Jack sat up and rested his arm against the bed as he passed Kate a sarcastic grin. "Old man? Why am I an old man now?"

Kate shrugged and playfully rolled her eyes at Jack. "Reading the newspaper late at night, falling asleep while watching C-SPAN, taking naps during the day." Kate raised her eyebrows in Jack's direction as she shook her head at him. "If I didn't love you so much then I would be bored."

"You were watching C-SPAN with me the other day…and for the record it's good to stay up to date with all that's happening in the world." Jack closed his mouth when he noticed the teasing smile that Kate was giving him. "Don't smile at me like that, because you know I have an argument."

Kate's smile widened as she reached for Jack's hands, "Are you getting mad at me? I was just kidding." She ran her hand along Jack's stomach. "You know haha, funny, trying to make you laugh."

"I'm not mad at you," Jack declared."And for the record I can have fun. You'll see if we're stuck in this room long enough." Jack looked down at Kate's hands and then massaged his thumb in circles across her skin. "You know I can be daring, adventurous, and fun under the right circumstances."

"Jack, I'm just kidding. I don't know any other guy that would get up on a roof when it's snowing dressed as Santa. I can do without the C-SPAN and the newspapers, but you keep me interested, I'm never bored especially when we're alone together."

Jack's cheeks flushed with warmth as Kate wrapped her leg around his waist. "So what are we doing?"

"We could sit around and talk, go outside and play in the snow, or we could make use of the candles and condoms you brought from the store." Kate beamed back at Jack as she playfully hit his arm. "Oh, I almost forgot that it's almost time for your nap. So I guess that I'll have to entertain myself."

"You've got to stop that Kate. I'm not boring."

"No, you're not." Kate got up and walked over to the window. It was dark outside now, but she could still see the steady snow showers descending from the skies. Kate placed her hand against the window as she looked out. The glass was cold to the touch, and covered with fog. Kate wiped away the steam as she peered out at the vacant street which was buried underneath snow, and then at a car which had been deserted down the road. Although she liked being alone with Jack in this blizzard, she felt trapped in the motel room and she wanted to get out. "It's beautiful outside, come and look Jack."

Jack walked over to Kate and then peered outside as well. "You look like you want to go outside and play in it."

Kate turned around and nodded. "I do, I want to get out of this room and get some air before we're really stuck in here."

"Well it is going to snow all day tomorrow, but tonight we can still get outside without having to be dug out." Jack thought it over and then decided to go along with Kate's idea. "Get dressed; we'll go outside if that's what you want."

Kate looked down at Jack's boxer briefs, "As long as you promise to get back in those as soon as we're finished out there."

Jack grinned, "Yeah I will, but only if you promise to get back in that." His eyes traveled up and down the sexy black lace lingerie gown that Kate was wearing. "I can't keep my eyes off of you."

Kate pulled at the elastic strap on Jack's boxers and it snapped back against his skin. "Ditto,"

Jack licked his lips, "We've been behaving very bad."

"Badly," Kate corrected.

Jack chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kate's waist. "You're correcting me now too, I think we're like an old married couple."

"I don't have a problem with that, but do you?" Kate asked as she traced her hands along the muscles in his back.

Jack brought his lips down against the soft skin along Kate's neck and then planted down soft kisses in his path. "I wrote you something while you were sleep,"

"You've been writing a lot lately," Kate whispered as she allowed the feel of Jack's soft lips against her skin to send her into the grip of ecstasy. He brought her body closer to him as his hands slid across the finely woven lace of her gown. "Were you always this big of a writer?"

Jack gently sucked on Kate's neck, inhaling her perfume and tasting the sweetness of her skin on his tongue. The more he got of her, the dizzier he started to feel so he had to pull away. "I couldn't write before we happened. I tried to because I always thought it was good for release, but the right words never came to me."

Kate smiled, "Then how come you're so good at it now?"

Jack blushed modestly, "I'm not good at it."

"Yeah, you sure know how to make a girl feel special with romantic notes and poems. It's hard to believe that you weren't born a writer." Kate stood on her tippee toes as she wrapped her arms around Jack's neck. "So when did you become such a romantic?"

Jack tucked a strand of Kate's soft russet curls behind her ear. "I'm not a romantic,"

Kate grinned, "You're such a romantic. I, on the other hand am not, but when I'm around you, I just loose my sense of reason and start acting foolish. But…" Kate kissed Jack, "It's a good kind of foolish."

Jack's skin grew warm everywhere Kate's mouth touched him. "I was never a romantic, at least not until I met you." Jack let go of Kate and then reached for his pants as he sat down on the bed. "Let's go outside mess up that snow a little, and then come back inside and…"

"Play," Kate finished with a smirk. She reached for a sweater and pulled it over her head, followed after with a pair of jeans. Kate was looking forward to playing in the snow, just because it felt good not to have a care in the world for a least one day.Jack opened the door for her, and she stepped out into the bitter night. A cold gust of air grazed her cheeks, and caused her to bite her tongue as she tried to adjust to the sudden change of temperature.

Jack rubbed his hands together in attempts to get warm, as he stood back and admired Kate. Her eyes were as big as a child's who had just seen snow for the first time, and it made him happy to see her so relaxed. Jack knew that Kate deserved this, and he was willing to do anything to make sure that Kate was distracted from facing all the problems that had plagued her before. Jack leaned forward to gather a fistful of freezing snow into his hands.

"Hey,"

Jack looked up in surprise. The snow that he had gathered dropped from his hands as he looked up to see what Kate wanted.

"Surprise!" Before he could react Kate hurled a fistful of snow at his face.

Jack stumbled backwards as the ball of snow hit him squarely in the face. "So you like to play dirty." He wiped the snow away from his eyes and then looked back at Kate. "I'll give you a five second head start."

Kate motioned for Jack to come closer. "Show me what you got, baby. I don't need a head start."

"One," Jack counted trying to ignore the fact that Kate had just called him "baby." But he was failing miserably. He smiled and then looked down.

Kate placed her hands on her hips as she stepped closer to Jack, "Two,"

Jack laughed to himself as he reached downwards for another fistful of snow, "I have good aim, and just because I love you doesn't mean you're not going to get it."

"Three," Kate counted for him.

Jack tossed the freezing ball of snow from side to side, "I see you're going to make this easier than I expected."

"Maybe," Kate gripped onto Jack's sweater and then leaned in close. She was pleased to see that he immediately stopped counting. Kate had him right where she wanted him. She brought her leg behind his cautiously and then she tripped him with one swift movement. Jack fell backwards onto the snow reaching outwards, he grabbed Kate's arm and pulled her down onto him. He was laughing hysterically, and Kate couldn't help but to laugh as well. Jack tried to get up but Kate pinned him to the ground and then reached for another handful of snow.

"Don't you…" He started to say. But before he could finish Kate stuffed the snow down his shirt.

"Kate!" He yelled.

With that she jumped up and started to run away from him. Kate knew that Jack was going to try and pay her back for the last trick she pulled. The cars outside were now completely buried underneath the snow, and Kate couldn't even tell which one was theirs'. The snow was pretty deep and it wasn't as easy to run as she had expected."Heads up!" He yelled.

Kate ducked behind a car as Jack hurled a fistful of snow at her. As she dropped down, the snow ball hit the trunk of the car, and then fell down beside her. "You've got horrible aim!" She exclaimed with a grin. Kate pulled herself upwards and then grabbed some snow in her hands. It was too cold outside for her, and not to mention her hands were freezing. "I give up,"

Jack was bending down with his back turned towards her. He turned around and then dropped the second round of snow that he was collecting to throw at her. "You better be thankful I'm a gentleman, otherwise, you wouldn't be so lucky."

Kate looked down and then smiled back at him as she tilted her head to the side. "I give up, and I guess I am lucky that you're a gentleman because you could get me right now if you wanted to."

"I know I could, but I won't." Jack crossed his arms and then looked back towards their room. "Why don't we go back inside and get warmed up?"

Kate followed Jack's eyes towards their room, and then she focused back on him. Small flecks of snow covered his face, hanging off his eyelashes, and gracing his lips and cheeks. "Actually," Kate placed her free hand behind Jack's head and then pulled his face closer to her. "I'm sorry that I threw that snow in your face, I really shouldn't have."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "You don't sound sorry."

Kate smiled back at him devilishly, "You know me too well," As he brought his lips closer to hers, Kate pulled back and then threw the snow in she held in Jack's face. She ran off laughing back to their room.

Jack ran after her.

Kate reached their room completely out of breath she pushed open the door and then ran towards the back. Jack stepped inside while still wiping the snow away from his face. He kicked off his shoes, and then narrowed his eyes back at her. "You play dirty, and I was trying to play nice, but I guess I can't do that when you're involved."

Kate expected Jack to chase after her but instead he quickly pulled off his damp clothes and placed them on top of the heater. "No chase?"

Jack shook his head, "Are you hungry? I can make us something to eat."

Kate walked over to Jack and then playfully hit him. "You're just scared to get beat up by a girl,"

Jack grinned as he pulled out a package of paper knifes and everything he needed to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "PB&J sound alright to you?"

Kate leaned against him, "Sure,"

The lights flickered in their hotel room. Both of them looked around the room and then let out a joint sigh when the power remained.

"I swear the power better not go ou…" Before Kate could finish her sentence the lights dimmed once again and then blackness took over their room.

"I think it just did." Jack responded.

An hour later all of the candles Jack had brought earlier were spread across the room. He struck the match across the box, and a spark of orange light illuminated the room. Jack looked up at Kate and then smiled.

She watched him in a trance like state, as the burning flame reflected in his light eyes, and highlighted his handsome features. "This would be really romantic if it wasn't so cold,"

Jack nodded in agreement as he started to light the candles. "Yeah, unfortunately the heat goes out with the power."

Kate stood up and walked towards Jack. She watched as he lit the last candle and then brought the match closer to her lips, with his eyes fixed on the billowing flame. "You can't blow it out?"

Jack grinned, "You blow it out."

Kate clicked her tongue. "Fine then, be difficult." She shivered as Jack placed his hand on her wrist gently. Kate looked into his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the genuine love he felt for her. His touch was teasing, and left her vulnerable with desire. And she could feel his labored breaths rush across her lips as he waited for her to blow out the match. Kate's eyes traveled around the room. Candle after candle was lit, and the flames were dancing. They were jumping so high that Kate wouldn't be surprised if a spark leapt onto the carpet.

Jack blew out the match, and then tossed it towards the trashcan.

Kate had expected him to miss, but sure enough it landed inside. She focused back on him and then gave him an impressed nod. "I'm still looking for a flaw in you."

Jack looked up towards the ceiling as he ignored Kate's last comment. "It looks like our shadows are dancing up there,"

Kate looked up as well, "It does, good thing you decided to pick up those candles, otherwise we would be in the dark. But unfortunately it's still cold in here" She flinched as a chilly gust swept underneath the door.

Jack walked towards the bathroom. Two seconds later he came out with a towel. Jack placed the towel in front of the little opening in front of the door. "Is that a little better?"

Kate nodded. "A little,"

Jack surveyed the room, looking around for any other cracks that could let cold air in. After his search turned up empty, he walked back over to Kate. Jack wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a hug. "I'll keep you warm,"

Kate closed her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and let out a small sigh as Jack kissed the top of her head. "I feel like we're dancing now."

Jack looked down at his feet which were rocking back and forth. He chuckled, and then Kate looked up at him. Her olive saucers burned with an irresistible intensity as if she had suddenly got an idea. "What are you thinking?"

"I know how we can stay warm."

Jack glanced towards the bed, and then he placed his hands underneath his chin liking the idea of going for another round. "Sure," He started to pull off his shirt, but Kate reached for his hands. Jack paused and looked back at Kate in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Not sex, Jack."

"Oh," Jack blushed.

"Bad boy,"

Jack grinned at Kate's comment. But she took him by surprise when she pulled his shirt off anyways. Jack crossed his arms. "I thought we weren't having sex?"

"We aren't."

Jack tilted his head to the side and then looked at Kate as if she were crazy, "Then baby, what are we doing?"

Kate smirked, "I love it when you call me baby, because baby sounds so funny coming from your mouth. But anyways what we're doing is getting warm, and having fun."

"What kind of fun?"

"I've always wanted to be in a blackout, but in the summer not the winter." As Kate talked she walked in a circle around Jack. "And now that we're in one, I'm trying to figure out what we can do to stay entertained and then it came to me." She paused in front of him and ran her hands along his dark brown hair ruffling it a little bit. "Remember that time in North Carolina when 'Life is a Highway' came on in the car, and you and I just went crazy? We sung off key, played imaginary instruments, and had fun."

Jack nodded fondly as he flashed back to that day. He saw Kate singing at the top of her lungs while her head rested against the seat, and her hair in her face. "How could I forget?"

"Well, we're here now all alone with nothing else to do, and I've never seen you dance before outside of the car."

Jack smile disappeared and his eyes widened when he realized where Kate was going with this. "Kate…"

"C'mon Jack, give me a sexy boxers dance!"

Jack blushed in embarrassment. He was shocked that Kate would ask him to dance of all things. First of all he didn't even like to slow dance. Jack had no rhythm, or coordination, and he was positive that he had two left feet. Jack raised his hand and then shook his head. "No Kate, I can't do that."

Kate playfully pushed him back and then placed her hands on her hips. "Why not?"

Jack looked back at Kate pleadingly. "Because I…" When no excuses came to him right away Jack had to look down. He placed his hand over his mouth as he thought.

"I'm not asking you to ballroom dance. It doesn't have to be anything fancy…just, um, something sexy."

He shook his head in Kate's direction and then gave her an "you have officially gone crazy" look. "First you ask me to dance? And then you ask me to do something sexy? Kate, I love you, but…"

"Not that much," Kate filled in with a hint of exaggerated anger. She turned away from him, "Fine, I guess I'll just get back to my magazine, and you can get back to the Business part of the newspaper." Kate stifled a yawn, "Boring,"

Jack took in a mouthful of air, and then looked around the room. God, was he really going to do this? He swallowed down a wad of nervousness in his throat. Well, there were worse things that he could do than making a complete ass out of himself. Jack placed his hand to his forehead and wiped away beads of sweat that started to form along his hairline. He was going to do it. "Fine,"

"Yes! Sexy boxer dance!" Kate squealed.

Jack shook his head, "On one condition though, I don't dance until you do. Give me a show first Kate and then I'll…" Jack thought it over, "Make a fool out of myself."

"Okay," Kate walked over to Jack and then placed her hand against his chest as she walked him towards the bed. "Don't think about what you're doing, just dance, act crazy. No one is here but us." She pushed him down to the bed, and then raised her hands above her head.

Jack watched her with his heart in his throat. Kate really didn't seem to mind dancing like this. He was nervous, because he didn't like to dance, and not to mention dancing randomly during a blackout. His clenched his jaw as he felt his hands start to grow clammy. Why again was he so tense? Jack suddenly lost his train of thought as he watched Kate shake her hips from left to right. Damn she was good at dancing too, or at least he thought she was. Jack's eyebrows furrowed low over his eyes. When exactly did she learn how to dance like that? His stomach rose up and down faster as he watched Kate move across the floor like a vision that he could've only imagined in his dreams. There were no rules to this dance she was doing. Kate was just having fun. Her brunette locks bounced around her shoulders and face freely as she spun around the floor. Kate was smiling, and she looked so radiant. Jack slowly found himself standing upwards. He didn't know why he was walking towards her, but he just couldn't sit still and watch as she danced like this.

The candlelight bounced off of her features. Soft beams of yellow light highlighted her striking mug, as she moved in and out of the shadows with grace and ease. Jack slowly approached Kate. His eyes were locked on hers. And he couldn't help but to wonder why every time he looked into he eyes he felt as if he was falling in love with her again. When she reached out to touch him, Jack looked down at her fingertips which seemed to be burning a hole into his flesh. Her laughter echoed in his ears, as a feeling of happiness that nothing in this world could shatter washed over him. Kate was laughing, and she was actually happy. Jack thrived on her happiness, so he felt good now.

However he still couldn't bring himself to dance. But Kate was holding Jack's hands tightly as she whirled around the room. He trailed after her. Jack began to grow dizzy as shades of orange and gold mixed together as they went around the room. Kate threw her arms around him and pressed her lips on his.

Jack accepted her kiss gratefully. This kiss was different from any other she had given him all day. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her lips harder against his. Jack's lips parted and Kate slipped her tongue inside of his mouth. He ran his hands through her soft curls as he tried to make her forget about his part of the deal.

"Now show me what you got,"

Jack kissed Kate again.

"Don't try to distract me with…"

Jack sampled Kate's lips once more with a feverish passion. A sense of relief washed over him as her hand dropped down and then clutched onto his side. Her legs were growing wobbly and shaking against his legs. Jack was surprised that he still had this affect on her even though they had tasted each others lips so many times already.

"Hey!" Kate exclaimed, pushing him away.

Jack looked back at her innocently with flushed cheeks, widened eyes, and parted lips still craving some more of Kate's mouth.

"You're bad, very bad. You're trying to make me forget. Start dancing, because I kept up on my part of the dare now it's your turn. This night isn't passing by any faster, so show me a good time, Jack,"

"Kate, I am a horrible dancer. I'm a doctor not a dancer." Jack asserted.

"And I'm a fugitive, but I can still move around somewhat. C'mon Jack," Kate begged as she placed her hands on his shoulders to give him a brief massage, "Loosen up, and then just do what your body feels is right."

Jack looked up towards the ceiling as Kate rubbed his shoulders for a little while longer. "Why else do you want me to dance besides passing time?"

Kate smiled, "Because I like to exploit you for my own purposes, and I'm a very bad fiancé."

Jack grinned, "Exploit me? Nice choice of words."

Kate shook her head as she looked down. "I also have another excuse, while you were reading the newspaper and watching C-SPAN, I had more chocolate than I should have and finished off the rest of your soda. So I'm kind of hyper."

"I see," Jack responded.

Kate hit him, and then pushed him towards the center of their room.

"You like manhandling me today too?" Jack said.

Kate nodded, "Can I blame that on the soda and chocolate too?" She crossed her legs and then leaned against the bed with a satisfied grin. "I'm ready whenever you are Chippendales."

"Whoa, I'm not stripping. So you can get that out of your head."

Kate laughed, "Of course you aren't."

Jack shook his head, "I'm not." He looked around the room and then a couple of seconds later the only action he managed to do was tap his leg.

Kate bit her lip to keep from laughing. "What seems to be the problem?"

"I don't have any music, and I can't just dance without any music. You're asking too much you know that."

"Well, I can't help you there. But just use your imagination and pretend that music is playing in the background. C'mon Jack!"

Jack scowled as he started to bob his head. "You're making this up to me later."

"Sure, now show me something sexy and I promise that you won't regret it." Kate leaned forwards and rested her arms against her knees. "Okay, if it makes it any easier make me want you."

Jack closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and then tried to find a way to force Dr. Jack Shepard to the back of his mind. There was no way that he could dance by himself, so he was going to find a way to get Kate on the floor with him. Jack opened his eyes and smiled back at her. He started to tap his feet, and then nod his head. Kate looked bored. Jack dropped down onto the floor and then acted as if he was playing a guitar.

Kate laughed.

Jack blushed.

"What the hell?" She said.

"You said it's okay to make a fool out of myself." Jack pushed himself upwards and then walked around the room. He moved his shoulders from side to side and slightly raised his arms, but he wasn't feeling that comfortable, so they dropped. "I can't dance and I warned you, so if you want your memories to be scared for life because of my dancing then…"

"Loosen up in your waist area, and move your arms a little bit because…"

Jack walked over to Kate and reached for her hand. He pulled her up to him and then tilted her backwards. Kate gasped and grabbed onto his back as her foot slid across the floor. "Dance with me, I can't do it on my own."

"Okay," Kate said as Jack pulled her back up. She reached for his hands and together they started to dance. Kate shook her head along with the imaginary beat that filled her mind. It felt so good to have fun, no matter how crazy this idea was, it felt good.

Jack was beside her. His body was so close, and he seemed to be loosening up as well. He still couldn't dance, but Kate was impressed that he was trying to for her. She watched as Jack did some odd move; she laughed out loud before covering her mouth. Jack fell to the floor.

Kate was laughing so hard now that she was crying. She placed her hands over her stomach as she doubled over, and then fell on the floor next to him, who was giving her a very serious glare. She stopped laughing for a second so she could hug Jack. "I wasn't laughing at you I was just…I love you Jack, don't be mad."

Jack sat up. "You were what?"

Kate pressed her face against his as she started to laugh again, "What was that move you did? I swear you looked like a chicken with its leg cut off."

Jack smiled. "I told you I couldn't dance."

Kate helped him up, "You can't, but you did look good doing whatever it was that you were doing."

Jack wrapped his arms around Kate and then pulled her down onto the bed with him, "So don't ask me to dance anymore. Because now that you've seen what I could do, you should be afraid."

Kate nodded in agreement, and clasped her hands over her stomach as she looked up at the ceiling. They were silent for a couple more minutes but Kate couldn't stop thinking about Jack's dancing. "Show me that move one more time."

"Kate," Jack sighed.

Kate wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes as she laid down on his chest. "I'm just kidding. I've had enough dancing for one night."