Author's Note: Well, it has been a seriously long time since I updated, and most of you have probably forgotten that this story ever existed! But many thanks to the few of you who continued to review and encouraged me to update, especially all the Jaters at ABC. I never intended to leave Bitten unfinished, but I started a new job 6 months ago that has left me with very little time to write. We know so much more about Jack and Kate now, and it's hard to "forget" those things and continue writing them as they were when I started this story,but I hope this chapter feels congruent with those that came before. I'm also posting this chapter sans beta, as Foxygirl33 is currently living it up in Hawaii-- she's probably skinny-dipping with the Fox himself right now-- and I hated to bother her :) This chapter is dedicated to you, girl!
Kate was still for quite some time, staring out ahead of her at the empty space where Jack had been. His words echoed inside her head, and she felt slightly dizzy again, though she knew it had nothing to do with her physical condition this time.
He cares about me, she thought to herself, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. And the fact that he had just come right out and said it was just so… Jack. It hadn't been anything particularly poetic or earth-shattering, but it had been beautiful in its simplicity, in its sincerity.
His words had shed light on the possibility in their relationship; something Kate never allowed herself to linger on for long. She and Jack came from different worlds, after all--something she was painfully aware of even though he had told her from the beginning that she could start over on the island. She had never been good at getting close to people, letting them in, trusting. And when she had, she had only ended up hurt. And so she had told herself from the start that there could never be anything between them.
But whether he had meant to or not, Jack had slowly eroded the walls she had put up. And in the past few days, especially, Kate had found herself becoming more comfortable with that. Jack was a good man, she knew. And for a long time now, she hadn't allowed herself to believe that he would truly be interested in someone like her. It still seemed surreal…
Kate smiled involuntarily, still hearing his words in her head and seeing the kindness and warmth in his eyes. And, suddenly, everything seemed clear. The gentle way he had taken care of her over the past week, the way he seemed willing to overlook her past, his perpetual feuding with Sawyer…
Sawyer. Jack had said he was jealous of him, that he knew Kate and Sawyer were close. Did he believe there was something between them? Kate could admit to herself that she was confused by Sawyer at times, and that she was probably closer to him than anyone else on the island was. But, at the same time, she knew that nothing she felt for Sawyer could compare to the way Jack made her feel. She could trust Jack. She felt safe with him, accepted. Like she could truly start over…
Suddenly, Kate sat bolt upright. Had she really just laid there silently, stupidly, and let him walk away? What must he think?
Throwing off the blankets and standing as quickly as she was able, Kate made her way to the mouth of the cave. She had no idea what she would say, but she needed Jack to know that she felt the same way, that she cared about him and was willing to try to change, to try to be the kind of person who could open up, who could trust him. More importantly, she wanted to be the kind of person he could trust. All the feelings she had tried to ignore over the past month were coming back more strongly than ever, propelling her forward in spite of her weak legs.
She didn't see Jack anywhere in the caves. She wanted to call out to him, but was afraid of waking everyone. She quickened her pace and exited the caves, hoping he hadn't gone too far. She stopped short a few yards into the clearing and squinted into the darkness before her, listening for the sound of his footsteps. But all that greeted her was silence.
Sighing in defeat, Kate began to think that maybe he regretted what he had said. Maybe he didn't want to see her right now. The clarity she had felt moments before now seemed suspect, and she struggled to reign in the emotions that she had allowed to surface over the past few days. Taking a deep breath, she turned slowly, intent on making her way back into the caves.
And then there was Jack, in the shadows outside the cave entrance, the moonlight illuminating half his face as he stood watching her.
Kate stopped abruptly, both startled and relieved at the same time. He had been behind her the whole time, and she wondered at the fact that he hadn't called out to her when she had run franticly out of the caves, that he still hadn't spoken now. It was slightly unnerving, and she looked at him in anticipation, unsure whether to speak first and not trusting what would come out if she did.
She stared at him, breathing hard and trying to compose herself, but finding it difficult with his clear eyes looking so intently into hers. He was waiting for her to speak, she knew. He had said his piece and the ball was in her court now.
Slowly, she walked toward him, praying that she would think of the right thing to say. She had run after Jack on impulse without truly being prepared to find him, but it was now or never. And since she had never been good with words, Kate did the only thing she could think of.
He was leaning against the rock wall with his hands in his pockets, accenting the breadth of his shoulders. He didn't move as she approached him, except to lower his head to hold her gaze. His face was calm, but his eyes were a mixture of apprehension and restlessness. In one fluid movement, she stood on her toes and brought both her hands to his face, drawing his lips toward hers. She kissed him softly at first, wanting to convey everything she couldn't put into words. She felt him push himself forward away from the wall, and he leaned more deeply into her, opening his mouth to hers. Kate slid her hands from his face to his hardened chest, suddenly wanting to touch him everywhere, wanting his hands on her, too, but they remained in his pockets. Abruptly, he pulled away and took a small step back.
"Kate," he began breathlessly, "You have no idea how many times I've thought about this--"
"Me, too," she said quietly, her hands still on his shoulders.
"But right now, you're my patient. I'm your doctor, and we shouldn't--"
"No," she whispered, cutting him off. "Can't you just be Jack right now?"
She watched the internal struggle in his eyes for mere seconds before he was kissing her again, with a force that left her breathless. His strong hands were around her waist, pulling her closer and closer to him. But soon, the initial urgency in his lips turned to something more tender, and his hands slid slowly up her back and into her hair. His scent was intoxicating and Kate melted into the feeling of his body against hers, all the emotion of the past few days flooding back to her at once. It was overwhelming, and she was unable to stop the tears that came to her eyes.
With one final, gentle kiss, Jack pulled back to look at her. She met his eyes, which grew immediately full of concern when he noticed she had been crying.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
"Nothing," Kate answered quickly, embarrassed at her own sentimentality. "It's just that… I love you, Jack."
"I love you, too." He said it simply, without hesitation, the corners of his mouth turning up into the half smile he seemed always to reserve for her.
She leaned forward, laying her head against his chest, and he pulled her into a tight embrace, his chin resting atop her head. Kate suddenly felt exhausted and she leaned her weight more heavily against Jack, not trusting her legs to support her.
"I think we should get you back inside," Jack whispered.
Kate nodded against his chest and allowed him to guide her slowly back to the infirmary cave. Helping her back to the makeshift bed, he tucked the blanket around her, as he had grown accustomed to doing, and stood as if to leave.
"Where are you going?" Kate protested. "I was hoping you would… stay."
A short laugh escaped Jack and he shifted his eyes to the ground, but not before she caught the glimmer of amusement in them. "Under the circumstances, Kate, I really think you should just get some sleep."
A blush crept into Kate's cheeks and she laughed nervously as she realized what her question had sounded like. "I just meant, I was hoping you would sleep here. You know, like you did before."
Jack grinned at her. "I see. Well, I guess just sleeping would be okay," he said, lying down on his side so that they were face to face. "But you should know, as soon as you're feeling better, all bets are off."