Chapter 1 – Breaking Point
Jack takes a deep breath as he goes back into the hatch. This wasn't supposed to happen. People weren't supposed to start shooting each other. He was supposed to be the one to stop it.
Tears roll down his cheeks as he feels himself starting to fall apart. His knees begin to give way. The ground beneath him fades away, and then the blackness comes.
Jack strides toward his car, carrying a grocery bag. The warm California sun beats down on the hot parking lot, and he pulls out his sunglasses.
Cooking has always been a hobby of his. He remembers helping Tony, their cook, when he was young. Tony taught him to judge with all of his senses, not just his eyes. Cooking seemed to come naturally to him. He craved that search for just the right mix of ingredients and temperatures.
He stops at his car and opens the trunk. He tosses the bag in. Suddenly, someone throws him against the ground. Blinding pain shoots through his shoulder, and he barely has time to breathe or think.
"Get up!" Jack tries to focus his eyes on the person standing over him, but the sun affects his view. "Come on, man. Get the hell up!"
"What do you want from me?" Jack struggles to push himself up into a sitting position. He reaches back for his wallet, but the pain in his shoulder is too intense. Someone bends forward and hits him on the head, hard. Within seconds, everything is black.
--
Kate shudders as a cool ocean breeze surrounds her. She wants answers. Answers about the hatch, answers about Michael, but most of all, she wants answers about Jack.
"Are you okay, Kate?" Kate glances up at Claire and smiles wistfully. She can only remember what it used to feel like to be 'okay.' Was she ever okay? She shrugs, not trusting herself to speak. After all, speaking has never been her strongest point.
In her mind, Kate sees Jack slowly falling apart, and she doesn't know what to do. No words seem good enough, no touch seems powerful enough… nothing is enough.
"Kate?" Tears begin to trickle out of Kate's eyes. She doesn't remember a time in her life when someone actually cared about her. Quickly, her memory contradicts her. There were two. There was Tom, and there was the man.
"I don't know how to help him." She glances up at Claire, who moves to sit beside her. "He's too good to me. Everyone I've ever cared about got hurt because of me. I don't want to hurt him."
Confusion fills her voice. She's caught in the struggle – the struggle between faith and reason – and for the first time in her life, she thinks it might be okay to follow faith.
"You won't." Claire smiles softly and reaches out to Kate. "You won't."
"Kate! Kate!" Kate jumps up as Charlie runs toward them. "You have to get down to the hatch, now. It's Jack." Kate doesn't even stop to listen to the rest of what Charlie has to say. She runs; after all, that's what she's best at. But this time is different. This time, she has a direction.
--
"Come on. Wake up. Look at me." Jack opens his eyes. He has trouble focusing with the dim light, but the woman talking to him seems to glow in the half light. He memorizes every inch of her dark curly hair and green eyes.
He remembers when he was younger, when he played on the playground with his cousins. He wanted to be the hero. What did they always say to him? Oh, yeah. "You can't be the hero. You don't have a girlfriend, and the hero has to have a heroine." This, he thinks, this may be his heroine.
She quickly gives him a once over. Sticky blood covers her hand when she touches his head gently. She knows whoever brought him here will surely be back soon. And this time, she won't leave him to die.
"You scared me there. I thought I was gonna have to drag you out of here. We don't have much time. I've gotta get you out of here." She quickly flips open a pocket knife and rips through the thin cloths tied around his hands and feet. They both freeze when they hear someone shake a door handle. "Come on. Put your good arm around my shoulders." As gently as possible, she helps him up.
The warm air hits him as the exit the building, but the sky is dark. They walk a few blocks in silence, and then he realizes he has no idea what they're doing or where they're going. Right now, though, it doesn't matter. He never imagined that someone else could make him feel as alive as he does after saving a patient, but she does. He feels his chest constrict every time her hair brushes against his face. He feels his mind spin and his body float. He feels alive.
"I don't, I don't even know your name," he says. He glances at her and smiles. A sparkle seems to flicker in her eyes, but then it disappears as quickly as it appeared when she speaks. That's when he realizes it.
She is his heroine. And he thinks he could be her hero.
For the first time, she smiles at him. His eyes mesmerize her, and momentarily, she can't find her voice. She barely stops to let herself believe… believe that if she weren't running, he could be the one that every girl dreams about. As soon as the idea flickers in her mind, she puts it out like a candle. It's too unreasonable and impractical. She takes a deep breath and sighs.
"I'm Renee."
--
Kate races into the hatch, her heart seemingly beating out of her chest. She runs straight into Sawyer, who steps back with a disgruntled snort.
"Well, well, Freckles. All you had to do was say my name." She glares at him and considers hitting him, but she doesn't care about him, not the way she cares about Jack.
"Where is he? Where's Jack?" She turns around, looking. "Where is he?" He needs her, and this time, she's ready to be there. She tries to catch her breath as she glares at Sawyer.
"Easy now," Sawyer drawls.
"Where is Jack?" A note of desperation fills her voice, and Sawyer meets her eyes. They've reached it. The breaking point. "Please, take me to him."
"Come on. He's on the couch." Sawyer grabs her elbow and pulls her toward him. Kate pulls away and runs toward Jack. In seconds, she pushes everyone else away and grabs the wet washcloth beside him.
"Jack. Jack, come on. Wake up. Jack, it's Kate. Look at me." Kate gives Jack's shoulder a nervous shake as she wipes his face. "Jack, please, wake up."
His eyes flutter open, and Kate breathes a sigh of relief. He winces in pain as he tries to sit up, but Kate puts a hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay. Sit back. You scared me there." She searches his face, trying to see how he feels. Sometimes, he lets her in, lets her see the real pain and hurt behind his eyes. It's then that she feels it. She feels some kind of connection, but neither of them can quite finger it.
He watches her look him over and resists the temptation to smile. Suddenly, her eyes meet his, and it clicks. He can barely think or breathe, but it's there. She stares at him for a long time, and neither of them wants to be the first to say it.
"Come on, Jack. Let's take a walk."
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A/N: Done. Finally. Anyway, I'm off to go sleep more. My throat is scratchy, and my voice is practically gone. Reviews are lovely.