AN: I've been gone for a long time, and I'm so sorry but I've had a bad case of writer's block with this story, but I'm pretty sure that's over. Thank you so much for the reviews guys, you'll are truly awesome. This chapter is dedicated to Merx as a belated b-day present, so I hope it's good enough:) I posted this last week, but I wasn't sure if anyone really noticed so I'm reposting. Thanks Orlando-crazy, and delee for reviewing!

I do not own "Lost" or the characters mentioned in this story except for my OC's, everything belongs to ABC, and I also do not own "Flying High" which belongs to Jem.

Chapter 21- Flying High

Jack concentrated on the newspaper in front of him as Kate snuggled up to him. She wrapped her arm around him, and then rested her cheek on his chest. Jack smiled to himself as he looked down at Kate's curly hair. Since they had been alone it felt as if they had gotten so much closer. Jack tilted his head backwards and slowly rolled it around his shoulders as he felt a dull ache in his back.

Kate sat up. "Tired?"

"I'm not going to sleep until you do." Jack replied. He placed down the red marker in his hands and stretched his arms outwards. A yawn escaped his throat in the process. Jack pointed to his back, "I just have this little ache in my back that's all."

"Oh, well let me help you with that. I've been told that I give an excellent massage," Kate replied with a warm smile. She pulled the covers off of Jack and then instructed him to lie down on his stomach.

"Who told you that you that you give an excellent massage?" Jack asked as he placed the newspaper down next to him. He looked back at Kate curiously as she got on top of him. "Seriously,"

"What, are you starting to get jealous because you think I give random guys massages?" Kate teased. She lifted Jack's shirt over his head and then tossed it onto a chair by the window.

"I'm not jealous I just wanted to know who told you that."

"I was kidding. I was just trying to persuade you into a massage so I had to come up with a sales pitch first, something like the massages Kate gives are better than no other," She giggled to herself. "I swear I'll have my act together in the morning there must be a lack of oxygen in this room or something because I can't stop joking around."

Jack crossed his arms and rested his chin on top of his hands. "It's okay,"

Kate placed her hands on Jack's back and then started to give Jack a massage. She glided her fingers across his muscles with expertise, relieving the stress and tension that was built up inside. Kate leaned forward and then kissed his cheek. "Someone had a busy day huh," She replied with a teasing grin. "With all the dancing, and the snowball fights I can't blame you."

"Let's make a deal," Jack sat up. He turned over and then placed his hands around Kate's waist. She let out a squeal.

"I'm ticklish there,"

"Sorry," Jack replied with a smile.

Kate got off of him and sat down on her side of the bed. She pulled her hair onto her shoulders, and then cast her emerald eyes back on Jack. "A deal?" Kate smirked. She raised an eyebrow as she stared deep into Jack's hazel eyes which were illuminated with golden light from the candles around them. The power was still out, and the room was starting to get colder. Kate shivered and snuggled up closer to Jack.

"How about we forget about the whole dance thing,"

"How do you expect me to forget that?"

"C'mon Kate,"

Kate shook her head, "It wasn't that bad Jack, It was quite sexy actually."

"Excuse me?" Jack replied with a laugh. He placed his hand underneath Kate's chin and tilted her face up towards his. "You laughed at me when I fell to the floor. I looked like one of those people that people just gawk at during weddings for having the audacity to bust a move."

"Bust a move, oh Jack." Kate grinned as she rubbed the back of his head. She was trying not to laugh, but then she thought about the 'legless chicken' maneuver that sent Jack to the floor. Before she knew it her self control had failed her and she was laughing out loud. Kate buried her face in his tee-shirt as she tried to muffle her laughter.

"You're a horrible liar," Jack said in playful disdain as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She latched into his shirt as she lifted her head up. Her cheeks were still rosy from laughing so hard, but she had managed to regain her composure slightly. "Are you okay now?"

Kate cleared her throat. "I'm good,"

"You're good," Jack repeated with an arched eyebrow.

Kate hit him playfully, "Yes Jack, I'm good. I promise I won't ever laugh at you again." She crossed her fingers behind her back, because she knew eventually he would do something to make her laugh again. Kate cupped his face in her hands and leaned forward so she could kiss him. "You can't help it, but don't worry even though I'm laughing at you, I promise it's out of love."

Jack reached for Kate's fingers and gently pried them off of his face. "How come I can't help it? I definitely don't consider myself as a funny guy."

"Because you try so hard to retain your 'doctor status' around me, and then I start goofing around at least on my better days…and you know that you can't resist but to join in."

"Well you're my fiancé I can't just sit around and watch. I feel obligated to join in, and I guess if I'm going to make a fool out of myself then there's no one else I rather it be in front of than you." Jack sensed that they were about to get into a conversation about love, but he didn't mind.

"Remember that upside down kiss?" Kate brought up randomly.

"Oh god…Kate," Jack placed his hand to his face in embarrassment. His cheeks were now a shade of bright red and a nervous smile had clouded over his face.

"I thought it was cute," Kate cooed. She smiled to herself as she gave Jack's hand a gentle squeeze as her thumb massaged his skin. "Can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything," Jack took the newspaper off of the bed, and then tossed the marker down on the floor with it. "I can finish looking at wanted ads later tonight, let's talk."

Kate bit on her lip thoughtfully. She then tilted her head to the side, and a strand of her curly auburn locks fell into her face. "This might sound a little weird, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're an amazing guy."

Jack smiled to himself. "That doesn't sound weird at all I could disagree though."

Kate laughed to herself and closed her eyes. "God, I sound so pathetic,"

"No, you don't," Jack gently tucked a strand of Kate's hair behind her ear, and then rested his hand against her cheek. Her skin was so soft to the touch. "I danced for you remember, that's the only pathetic thing I can think of tonight."

"I thought we weren't going to bring that up,"

Jack frowned, "Oh yeah, and I made that rule up too."

"Silly doctor," Kate teased in a childish voice.

Jack scratched the back of his head as he looked down. It was unbelievable how good this time alone had been for them. He had pretty considered himself a straight shooter, someone that didn't like to joke at all before he met Kate. And now here he was dancing like an idiot, and writing love poems. If that wasn't love then he wasn't sure what was. Because Kate had changed him. Maybe if he told her that, then she would feel more at ease with opening up more to him, but then again Kate already knew how he felt.

"I really loved Tom, Jack,"

Jack flinched at the mention of Tom. Kate was so happy now, and he feared that if they talked about Tom, then that would bring up thoughts about Timmy. He took in a deep breath, and prepared himself for the worst.

"Through thick and thin Tom was there for me. I had a pretty rough childhood, my mom was never there, and my…Wayne, was an ass. I hated him, and I even wished that he would die." Kate paused to wipe a tear from her eye, she didn't feel the need to tell Jack the whole story but she felt as if he deserved something. "Tom was my only escape back then, and when he died I thought that all hope was lost, because Tom was the only one that cared. I'm a fugitive you know Jack,"

Jack nodded, "I know," His tone was still soft and caring.

Kate smiled to herself as she searched Jack's hazel eyes. "Tom was still there for me as well. Most people would have turned me into the authorities, but not Tom, he was my friend to the end, and I thought after he died that not only had I lost my best-friend, but all hope as well."

Jack continued to look back at Kate in understanding, because he got her. Although, he was only running because of her, Jack could understand how lonely it could be to live life on the run and alone. Jack could only imagine how many nightmares Kate had repressed over her lifetime, and now that he was there to love her and listen she could let it out. Since Kate was so guarded the fact that she was even opening up to him meant a lot…it actually meant the world.

"When I first met you, there was something about you that reminded me of…" Kate hesitated. She exhaled and tore her eyes away from Jack's before she decided to continue. "You reminded me of Tom,"

"Is that a good or bad thing?" Jack asked cautiously.

"I'm not sure…"

Jack looked down. How could he help her get over Tom, if he reminded her of him, which meant that it was nearly impossible to help Kate get over Timmy.

"But…" She caressed his arm.

There was hope. Jack focused back on Kate. He was mesmerized by the way her skin glowed with a subtle bronze color, and the way wisps of her chocolate curls danced around her face. "But?"

"Even though you reminded me of Tom, I didn't fall in love with you because of that. You made me feel safe, and I'm not used to feeling safe, especially when I'm handcuffed to bed, and being chase by gunmen through the woods."

"You felt safe then?"

Kate nodded, "We made a pact remember. Sawyer was really rough back then, we were just his 'hostages' and we agreed to help each other out."

"I remember,"

"You didn't even question me about jumping into your car. And you even tried to talk Sawyer into letting me go, and that struck me because you didn't know anything about me."

"I didn't then, but I did fall in love with you when we were in West Virginia. I still didn't understand you because there were so many things about you that I didn't know. That's why I left."

"You came back though,"

"I did, and it was because I wasn't ready to let you go. We were all at tough times in our lives, Sawyer had people that wanted him dead and still do, I was about to propose to Sarah out of obligation, and you…"

"Had just killed one of my dearest friends, on top of other things." Kate passed Jack a weak smile. "Life was bad then, and I guess if I didn't have you then it would still look that way. And what I'm trying to say is that I'm…" Kate swallowed down a lump in her throat and then placed her hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry I just want you to know how I feel, and it's hard for me to express myself Jack. I know I've told you so many times that I love you, which is true. But 'I love you' is just words, and this…this is why I love you." Kate bit the inside of her cheek.

You can't know, oh no
you can't know
how much I think about you, no
It's making my head spin

"I never used to write before we met, I used to try and write poems for Sarah. Most of the time the poems were about how sorry I was for working too much, or missing dinner, but I couldn't write any about love." Jack let go of Kate's hand and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He sensed that there might be too much pressure on her, so he wanted to alleviate some of it by telling her how much he loved her and why. "This may sound cliché, but I seriously thought I was incapable of love. The only passion that I possessed before we met was work. I always worked, and up until then I couldn't imagine living my life any other way."

"If we were in a normal situation do you think you would go back to working as much?"

"I would work, but would I work that much, no way." Jack tilted his head to the side and looked back at his beautiful fiancé. "You make me feel alive inside, just being near you, and looking at you every morning gives me a purpose outside of working. I'm honored to be a part of your life Kate, and I want to show that everyday. You deserve flowers every morning, breakfast in bed, poems…I try my best, because I know this is real. I want to be a romantic, and I need to because I don't want to lose this."

"You're going to make me cry," Kate wiped underneath her eyes quickly, "And you know what happens when I cry. One thing leads to another and then I start acting hysterical."

"And when you go 'hysterical' I don't love any less. When I say that I love you Kate, that doesn't mean that I love one part of you. You take me for my seriousness, my dancing, and I've heard, not saying that it's true, but I've heard that I have a habit of taking charge when it's not always needed. And you accept me for that."

Looking at you
and you are looking at me
and we both know what we want
hmmm, so close to giving in

"Harlequin?" Taylor asked as she eyed the novel Sawyer was reading.

Sawyer quickly placed down the romance novel in his hands. He wasn't reading the book, but only getting to the good parts…the sex parts. Sawyer folded down his page and then tossed the book aside. He focused on Taylor, and waited for her to question him about the book.

"I thought you didn't like those kinds of books,"

"I don't, I just got some extra time on my hands, and I needed something to entertain me. But this book ain't doing the job no ways. Samantha is too much of a good girl for my liking." Sawyer yawned to himself and then crawled up to the edge of the couch. He fluffed his pillow, and then pulled the covers back so he could get underneath. "Is Chloe asleep?"

"She told me that you said you were going to take her to the park tomorrow." Taylor replied softly. She reached for a throw pillow and then brought it closer to her body.

Sawyer closed his eyes. "You shoulda told me how good Goldilocks was at Monopoly, because she kicked my ass Taylor."

Taylor smiled, "She's been playing Monopoly forever, and it's her favorite game."

Sawyer cracked open one eye. "Before we even started the game she told me that she wanted me to take her to the park…Can you believe that? The kid was already makin' demands and she hadn't even seen my skills yet."

"You make her so happy." Taylor whispered. As she thought about Sawyer's effects on their daughter she ran her hands through the braided strings that dangled from the pillow. When Sawyer left she wasn't sure how Chloe was going to handle it. Taylor loved Chloe more than anything, and she would always do everything in her power to make sure that she was happy, but lately it was Sawyer that had been bringing smiles to Chloe's face.

"Well she makes me hap…" Sawyer paused. His eyebrows furrowed low over his eyes when he realized what he was about to say. "She's a good kid, I like her,"

Taylor brought her legs onto the couch opposite Sawyers', and rested her chin against the pillow. He deserved to know the truth, Sawyer deserved to know that Chloe was his daughter, but she couldn't tell him. Taylor bit her lip as she stared into the fire that was swaying in the hearth. She sensed that Sawyer wanted to leave soon, and even though she knew life would be hard after he left, she wasn't going to keep him.

"I'm not big on thank yous, but I owe you one. Thanks…I guess for letting us stay here. You don't have to say anything, but I appreciate everything you've done for us." Sawyer then passed Taylor a shrug, "That's all I got, I'm sure Jacko could've said a better thank you, but I…"

"You're welcome Sawyer,"

Sawyer closed his mouth, and nodded in Taylor's direction. He was about to tell her that he planned on leaving. His bags were already packed and waiting for him underneath her bed. He was leaving tomorrow.

"If you're going to leave Sawyer…" Taylor closed her eyes. She didn't want him to leave. But she couldn't keep him, Sawyer had always gone wherever the wind took him, and now he needed to be somewhere else and she had to understand that. She could cry now, but she didn't want his pity. She just wanted him to remain in Chloe's life after she had been through such a great deal of trauma, but that wasn't going to happen. "If you're going to leave then you should go before Chloe wakes up."

Thoughts of Chloe drifted into Sawyer's mind. He had walked out on a lot of people his in his life, left them by the railroad tracks when they needed him the most, because he didn't like attachments. Sawyer bit down on the inside of his cheek so hard that the bitter taste of blood filled his mouth. No matter how much he cared for Taylor he had walked out on her once before, but he had yet to walk out on Chloe. It did make sense to leave before Chloe woke up…but she was just a child, and she was so happy before he came along, with Timmy and the Marshal. Sawyer squeezed his eyes shut as he mentally pictured the look of fear in Chloe's eyes the night he had been shot. How could he leave her and Taylor.

"We'll be fine Sawyer. I know it doesn't make any sense to act as if everything will go back to normal as soon as you leave because it won't, but we're strong. Chloe is an amazing child, she's so strong, and very mature beyond her years. She'll understand why you had to leave."

Sawyer sat up. His heart was racing. If he stayed then the guys after him could possibly find him and then kill them all, but if he left then he would probably never see Chloe or Taylor again.

"Sawyer, when Jack and Kate left I knew that you would eventually follow after them. I was prepared for you to leave, and I'm thankful that Chloe and I got to spend some extra time with you before you left." Taylor placed down her pillow and then stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed. If you decide to leave tonight then just let me know and we'll work out something before Chloe wakes up."

Sawyer watched as Taylor walked towards the back of the house. He sat up in the couch as he pulled the covers back. His feet were on the floor within seconds and his arms rested against his legs as he debated whether he should get up or not. Sawyer then turned to the right to glance at Chloe's room where she was sound asleep.

Feel so nice
oh yeah you feel so nice
wish I could spend the night
but I can't pay the price
oh no, no

Chloe couldn't get to sleep because every time she closed her eyes she saw Timmy. He still scared her and even though he was gone now, she still saw him every night before bed time. Chloe grabbed her covers and brought them closer to her face as she started to feel a little scared again. The safety of knowing that Sawyer was still with them eased her fears. She knew that he would leave soon, but she prayed that he would stay a little longer. Because he was incredibly awesome. Even though he didn't like cartoons he watched them with her, and one time she even managed to make him have tea time with her. Chloe opened her eyes and she looked around the room. Shadows hovered in every corner, but Sawyer would keep them away, although he tried not to care, Chloe knew that he did care.

"I know Sawyer has to leave because Jack and Kate is his family, but I don't know what I will do without him God. The shadows in my room will seem scary again, and I'll be sad…and I don't want to be sad." Chloe sat up and looked out the window. The hail was starting to fall heavier and it sounded like golf balls were pounding down on the roof.

"Please don't leave Sawyer," Chloe whispered into the dark room.

But I'm flying so high
high off the ground
when you're around
And I can feel your high
rocking me inside
it's too much to hide

Kate stared back at Jack. She had stepped out of her comfort level and filled him in on more than she had planned. Of course it all had to sound crazy to him, since she pretty much compared him to Tom. Maybe she shouldn't have opened her mouth in the first place, even if Jack deserved to know the thoughts that were racing through her head. Although Jack, reminded her of Tom in some ways, he wasn't Tom and she realized that. Kate sighed, and then looked down at the sheets between them. Her hand traced along the blue fabric and then around the red lining around the edges. She hoped that Jack would say something because the silence was driving her crazy.

Kate shivered as a cold gust of air swept from underneath the door. How lucky were they to be trapped in a motel room without power. Her teeth were now starting to chatter, so she balled up underneath the covers. The comforter wasn't providing much warmth, so she felt exposed to the bitter temperatures that had overtook their once toasty room. Kate rested her head against her pillow and watched as Jack got up. He walked into the bathroom and came out with a towel that he placed it in front of the door and then joined Kate back on the bed.

Kate closed her eyes. She shouldn't feel this way because Jack seemed to appreciate it when she opened up to him, but it was so hard.

"We had a good talk," Jack replied. He laid down on Kate's pillow and then wrapped his arm around her body. "Until the power comes on I'll keep you warm."

A smiled tugged at the corners of Kate's mouth as she reached for Jack's hand. He kissed her cheek softly and then buried his face in her hair. Kate giggled as she felt his breath tickle the back her neck. She turned over on her side to face him. "We're going to get through this right?"

"You mean are we going to survive?" Jack asked softly.

Kate nodded.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

The lights flickered on.

Kate sighed. She didn't want Jack to move away. She was comfortable like this, with his arms wrapped around her, and his body as close as possible. He made her feel so safe. Kate expected him to get up, and go back to the wanted ads that he had been focused on most of the night. "The power's back on,"

"I know," Jack scooted closer when he noticed that she had moved away. "No more work tonight for me, I'm pretty sure I have a plan for tomorrow."

"Pretty sure?"

"Sure enough," Jack smiled as Kate placed her hand over his head. Her hand moved in slow circles as her fingers sifted through his dark brown hair. He let out a sigh and then brought his head onto her lap.

Soon afterwards Jack had drifted off to sleep, leaving Kate alone to listen to the steady of hum of the heater, and the television which was turned down low. Kate reached for the remote and turned off the television. Now all she could hear was the barely audible sound of air rushing in and out of Jack's nose as he slept. Kate kissed him on top of the head. "Love you,"

Sawyer changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. The mirror in the bathroom was glaring back at him, begging for him to look at his reflection. But Sawyer didn't want to see himself, because there was no choice that was right in this situation. He couldn't stay and that was the end of the story. He opened the door, and then slowly trudged towards Taylor's room. He couldn't fix their lives, he couldn't change what had been done, and eventually Chloe would realize that he wasn't as good as she thought he was. Sawyer would rather leave before it was too late, he didn't want to put them in any additional danger, and not to mention he was starting to feel like he belonged with them. And that made him feel uncomfortable, because he didn't belong anywhere.

Sawyer stepped into Taylor's room. She was standing by the window with her back turned towards him. Her arms were wrapped around her body, and she looked so thin. So fragile like she could break in any second. Sawyer looked down with difficulty. He felt like a coward for leaving her here like this. He wanted to stay, but he couldn't. Sawyer clenched his hands so tightly that he felt as if the circulation had been cut off. He was doing the best he could to keep his act together, but it didn't help that Taylor brought out the 'human' side in him that he didn't know he possessed. Sawyer took a step forward and then he stopped when he heard a sniffle.

Taylor was crying but she was trying so hard to keep it to herself. Sawyer suspected that she didn't even know he was there. Once Sawyer managed to regain some of his composure he walked towards her. He tried to figure out a good way to say 'goodbye', but then he realized that there was no good way to tell her that he was leaving. Sawyer reached outwards and his hand rested on her shoulder. She shivered.

There was silence between them.

I know, oh yes (here)
I know that we can't
be together
but, I just like to dream
It's so strange
the way our paths have crossed
how we were brought together

Taylor turned to face him a couple of seconds later. There were no visible signs of tears on her face, but her eyes were red and puffy. She pulled her bangs casually into her eyes, "Allergies,"

Sawyer nodded.

"So…" She clasped her hands together and flashed Sawyer a warm smile. "Here's what were going to do. I'm going to give you the keys to my truck and you can take it to the bus stop, and leave it there and…" Taylor paused. She took in a deep breath, and then looked away as her bottom lip started to tremble.

Sawyer's eyebrows dropped low over his eyes. He was sorry for doing this to her. And he would be sorry for the rest of his life. Taylor gently pushed him aside as she walked across the room. Her arms were wrapped around her body again. But Sawyer knew that didn't do any good. She tried so hard to keep her composure and her strength just because she didn't want him to stay, but Sawyer knew that if he stayed then that would ease her somehow.

But why did she care so much? Why did Chloe and Taylor place him up on this shrine that he didn't deserve. His whole life was a lie, he cheated and used anyone he could in order to get ahead. He didn't deserve them because the only thing he was worthy of was misery. But they didn't deserve to be as miserable as him. After he left they should be able to go back to their quiet and happy life, where Taylor picked Chloe up every afternoon from school, and Chloe's biggest concern was finishing her homework before dinner.

This wasn't right for him to just leave like this.

Back to earth
where did you take me to
I know there's no such thing
As painless love
well it'll catch us up
and we can never win

"Here are my keys. I'll get a ride with Cecile to get my car in the morning."

Taylor reached for Sawyer's hand and placed her keys inside his palm. Sawyer closed his eyes as her hand lingered on his. When he left he would go back to his old life. Jack and Kate were out of the picture, and he didn't want to be with them any longer. They had each other, and he didn't want to be a third wheel. He would just go back to being lonely, and angry as hell at the world. Because he was comfortable with that life, when people hated him, they didn't expect a damn thing from him and he could live with that. Sawyer opened his eyes.

Taylor wasn't even looking at him, but instead at the wall she looked so lost.

Sawyer opened his mouth to say bye but the words wouldn't come out. So he was just going to leave. His eyes were now trained on the ground as he made a step towards the door. But he stopped because he couldn't just leave without saying goodbye to Taylor. Sawyer reached for her arm and pulled her towards him. "Believe me you'll be glad after I'm gone."

Taylor shook her head. She tried to ease her arm out of Sawyer's grip but he refused to let go. She feared she was going to cry again, and she was usually so good at masking her emotions. "Bye,"

Sawyer continued to stare back at her, he was feeling things that he didn't want to feel. He should leave before she fell apart in front of him because it would be better that way. Taylor didn't need him to comfort her, and he couldn't because he was in no place to tell her that it would be okay.

"I just…"

Sawyer pulled her closer to him. His hands were shaking as he took her in his arms. Let her go. Let her go. Leave, just walk away. But he couldn't because he could feel her stomach rising up and down against his. Taylor's hand was against his chest and she was trying to push him away, but he continued to hold her. His actions didn't make much sense because he knew in reality that he had to go. But yet he couldn't, at least not yet.

"I'm fine," Taylor held her hands up in the air signaling that she wanted Sawyer to let her go. "I just get a little overwhelmed sometimes, but I'm fine. We're going to be okay, and our lives will return back to…" Taylor had to turn away. She was lying, how could their lives return back to normal, her six year old daughter had witnessed a man die right in front of her eyes. Nothing would ever be the same. She didn't want to cry again, but she couldn't because Chloe was going to be devastated when she found out that Sawyer had left. "Where am I supposed to start, how do I fix this Sawyer?"

Sawyer looked down.

"It's not your problem it's mine. My goal as a parent is to make sure that my child is okay, I thought I was doing a good job of protecting her, but I wasn't ready for this…how do I make her feel safe again, when I don't even feel safe." Taylor took in a mouthful of air as a flood of tears fell down her cheeks. Sawyer was just watching her, he looked remorseful, but there was nothing he could do for her, so she had to let him go, no matter how much she needed him. "I'm sorry for falling apart like this, I just try not to think about what happened that night. I managed to block it out of my mind. But now the memories have flooded back to me and I'm forced to deal with them."

Sawyer lifted his thumb up to Taylor's cheek and he wiped away a tear. There were no words that he could say to make her feel better, but he did care. He cared way more than he wanted too. She shivered in his arms. At least for this moment he could protect her. Sawyer leaned forward and allowed his hand to drop down to her chin. A kiss couldn't solve her problems, and it sure as hell couldn't solve his, but if Sawyer believed in anything it was Taylor. Everyone had their moments of weaknesses, and this was her moment but she was so strong especially when it came to Chloe. Maybe if he told himself that enough then he would start to believe it.

"Sawyer…"

He kissed her gently. She was the only person that never judged him. He was a coward for walking away, but she would never call him out on it. Taylor had faith in him, and that scared the shit out of him because he knew that he would let her down, because that was his nature. Sawyer placed his hand on her lower back and pulled her in closer. He could taste the saltiness of her tears on her lips, and for a second he considered staying. Because she was worth staying for, but at the same time the longer he stayed the more susceptible Chloe and Taylor were to becoming targets.

But ohhh
I feel so alive
ohhh
Just wanna hold you
hold you so tight

Kate twirled her engagement ring around her finger as she flipped through the book Jack had written his proposal in. Her cheeks flushed with warmth as she read over the entries. It was amazing to read his thoughts and see how he reacted to her even when she had been all over the place. His love was truly unconditional and that made her feel good. Really good. Kate closed the book and pushed it towards the middle of the table. She brought her legs up onto the chair with her and relaxed against the heater. Warmth surged through her body as she watched Jack. The covers were halfway on him, and the rest was on the floor. He was a 'bed hog' so his legs were stretched out over the whole mattress, and he was sleeping on her pillow while his was on the floor. Kate smiled to herself. The more time they spent alone together, the harder she fell for him. He was so perfect and she couldn't wait until the day when they could stop running and be together in a normal situation. Kate tilted her head to the side and she listened to Jack snore softly. She watched him for a couple more seconds until she decided to join him because he looked so peaceful.

Kate pulled back the covers slightly and then eased Jack's leg over to the other side. She then placed his arm over by his side. "You have to share the bed with me," Kate laid down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. "Night Jack," she looked at him and for a second expected him to say goodnight but he was really knocked out. So Kate turned away from him and slept on her side.

A couple of minutes later the bed gave way on Jack's side. He turned off the lights, the television, and adjusted the heat.

Kate opened her eyes but decided against letting Jack know that she was still awake. Jack let out a sigh as he came back onto the bed slowly; he was obviously trying not to wake her. Kate looked through the corners of her eyes but she couldn't see Jack behind her because it was too dark. But she felt his arm ease around her lower torso as he reached for her hand. "Goodnight baby,"

"Night Jack," Kate mouthed as she allowed herself to drift off.