Here's the next chapter, obviously. Thanx for the reviews.
Orlando-crazy – soz, but hehe!
CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88 – yeah I aint keen for her either!
Wahinetoa – lol! Well happy xmas neways!
Crookedview – chapter's just for you!
Enjoy! Lolz xXx Tiana
After what seemed like an hour, Jack sat up, reflecting Kate, with his knees drawn up a bit, and his arms balancing off them. The area of the beach they were on was secluded. He didn't look at her as he spoke.
'I thought you said that we should talk.' He smiled.
Kate relaxed a bit at his humour; at least he wasn't going to snap her head off. 'Yeah. Yeah…' she faded.
Jack knew exactly what was on her mind. How could he not? It was on his mind too. But he didn't know what to say. She had came to you, he told himself, she wants to talk about it. She SAID so.
'Why did you run?' he started off. He had turned his head left to look at her. She looked gorgeous, with the wind rustling her hair behind her back.
It was the main question going through his head. He knew she was surprised by the kiss, he was too, but she wanted it, he could just feel it; she had wanted it.
Kate continued to look ahead into the horizon. Her eyebrows had furrowed as she thought. She had thought about this earlier. And she could only still come up with the same answer.
'I really don't know.' She said. 'Natural reflex?' she had said this as if she was asking herself, Jack could tell.
'Reflex? Reflex from what?' Jack queried. She was surprised at how the same phrase said by Jack as the Marshall could sound different. Jack's much gentler. He cares.
'I don't know.' She repeated. She hadn't turned her head at all. She couldn't bear to see that look on Jack's face. One of hurt and guilt. But what Jack had said next caused her head to snap right around to him.
'From me?'
'No! Never.' She had snapped out quicker than anything in her life. 'Never.'
'Then? Kate, I know you have a lot of secrets,' he had said this so softly, that Kate had turned her head back again and downwards. 'Who doesn't? But I need to know this Kate. It's not only you now. This includes me too.'
Kate sighed. It hurt her to know how much she was hurting Jack. She had no choice. I have to tell him. I want to tell him.
'Before you found me, I had ran from the hatch. Sawyer had… he …um…' she stuttered. She didn't know how to put this. Kate knew Jack wouldn't take it well. But it wasn't what it seemed, was it? I'll make him understand.
'What about Sawyer? Were you there when he fell?' Jack had totally forgot about Sawyer, and how he had fallen off of the bed. He was slightly annoyed to hear his name in his conversation, especially after what he had murmured in his sleep. I love her. Jack still shuddered at the thought of him telling Kate that.
'Yeah. No. Kinda, I guess,' her eyebrows were furrowed again. Jack could tell what was coming was not going to please him.
'I was with him before, and then he stirred. And he just… gra- … grabbed me. I didn't know why or what was happening, so I just ran.'
'He WHAT?' Jack exclaimed. He kept his voice down, but Kate could just tell that he wanted to yell and shout. His hands were in tight fists, with a handful of sand inside, she assumed. He really cares. 'Where? I mean, where did he grab you?'
Kate was close to tears now. But she held them back. She wasn't going to cry, not now. She has to let Jack know that it wasn't Sawyer's fault. Kate opened her mouth to speak, but she felt as if speaking would cause all the tears to flow free. So she lifted her right hand and stroked her neck. She had seen before that it had been red. It must've gone down now. Otherwise Jack would have wanted to check it out.
'It wasn't his fault.' Kate had finally managed to say.
'How could you say that?' Jack asked. I can't believe she's still defending him. Jack carefully lifted his hand and placed it over hers on her neck. He took her hand and stroked her neck, to check if she was ok. Of course she wasn't, she had been strangled!
Kate was lost again. She couldn't think about what she was saying. All she could think about was Jack's hand against her neck. The feel of it just seemed to take away the pain.
'That's why you ran into the jungle. Why did you run from me?' Jack continued. He knew what she was thinking, he felt it too. But he needed to know why she had ran. How had Sawyer caused Kate to run from me?
Kate had snapped out of her daze. 'Because you… you had came after me.' Her voice had a hint of uncertainty in it. As if she was just realising right now, that this was it, this was why she had ran, herself.
She looked at Jack now, and saw the confusion on his face. 'You came after me. No-one's ever came after me. You cared. You didn't let me go when I turned away. You didn't care that… that… I made a mistake.' She had started to stutter, but she had to let him know.
Jack was still stroking her neck, but now it was at the back of her neck. He wanted to urge her to go on, but he didn't want to push her.
'Then I… kissed you. And I thought I had blown it. You came after me, and I kissed you. I didn't know what to do. So I ran.' As the memory came back to her, Kate found that she could no longer hold the tears back.
She covered her face with her hands and leaned into her knees. 'I'm sorry' she whispered. Why hadn't he said anything? Kate hadn't realised that Jack was still stroking her neck until after he had stopped, right after she had apologised.
'Hey. Hey, don't be. Kate?' Jack responded. This time he put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. His other hand went around her in front and his right hand was placed on her cheek. He stroked it with so much softness, it was like the wind.
'Don't be sorry.' Jack had murmured into her hair. He rested his chin on her head, while she ceased crying and sat with her head on Jacks shoulder and his arms around her. 'Don't be sorry. It took two.'
Kate sat up now. She hadn't entirely sure what she had heard. So she was surprised when Jack reached out to stroke her cheek again, and pulled her closer in to kiss her.
That's it for now. R&R If you're lucky (which I'm guessing you will be) I'll update tomorrow. Lolz
xXx Tiana