Thank you for all your comments! Here's the second chapter. I apologize for the long wait but I've had a hectic time so I wasn't able to sit down in silence and type.
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Chapter two: You and me on a hike

"On a hike? What are you talking about? Whe-" Kate started but Jack cut her off quickly.

"You're going to take me to that bunker," Jack explained seriously and looked at Kate. She swallowed and couldn't quite get why he wanted this. She had already told him and if they went there, he'd see that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Jack, I don't think that's such a good idea…" Kate tried but knew that it was a waste of time. Jack had already started walking and was on his way to get the backpack ready. She followed him quickly, trying to keep the same pace as him.

"Why not?" Jack asked bluntly, not really caring about her opinion even if it really mattered to him. He was waiting for an explanation but took the silence as a 'no explanation, take my suggestion'. But not this time, he needed to see this bunker with his own eyes.

Jack got into his tent, getting his backpack and packed it with the supplies needed. From afar, John Locke had seen them and he was making his way over to them and as Jack got out of his tent, fully packed and ready, Locke looked at them and they looked back at him, wondering what he wanted.

"I'm going with you… to wherever you're going," Locke said, holding his backpack.

Jack shook his head stubbornly and determined. No one except him, Kate and Claire needed to know about the bunker – the last of them Locke.

"No you're not," Jack said seriously and moved his eyes to Kate. "Come on, let's go," he said as they slowly started walking away from him.

"You'll need me, Jack," Locke said with the kind of voice that made Jack stop and turn around and take a few steps toward him. "I can track,"

"John, you don't know where we're going. Besides, Kate can find it," Jack said without a slight of doubt in his voice and it made Kate's heart skip a beat. He did believe in her still. "We're going, but we're going alone!" Jack made the final point clear.

Locke nodded, retreating as Jack walked back to Kate. He walked past her and started walking against the jungle, Kate following him. They walked into the yet clammy jungle. The ground was still wet from the rain the day before.

In the middle of everything, Jack stopped walking as he realised that he had no idea where they were going. Kate stopped too, looking at him and waiting for him to turn around and tell her why he was stopping. She was breathing deeply and as Jack turned around, he could see that she hadn't gotten any sleep lately.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked, chuckling and trying to hide the worry in his voice.

"Uhm, this way I think," Kate said, walking past him and leading him onto another path. She looked around at the surroundings, waiting for something to catch her eye that looked familiar to her from before. She saw a tree that looked familiar and she knew that they were on the right trail.

They had walked for a while and Kate's breathing had gotten heavier than before. Who was he to lurk her out on a hike – another hike – when she was so tired that she could barely breathe? Had he really been too selfish to think about her? Jack shook his head to himself, watching her from behind. Even when she was weary she was beautiful.

"You tired?" Jack broke the silence and stopped walking. "We can take a re-"

"I'm fine, Jack," Kate cut him off also stopping, looking reassuringly at him. "Really, I'm great," she said, ready to start walking again but he was too quick for her and he grabbed her arm gently, holding her back.

"No, Kate, you're tired and you're weary…" Jack said seriously, looking at her. "I'm a doctor, I can see when people aren't fine," he let her go as he spoke, keeping her gaze.

Kate looked down, shrugging a little. She didn't want to give up; she wanted to act as strong as possible in front of him. Show him that she didn't really need him as much as she in reality did. He was the one she could talk to if something was wrong – Kate could talk to him about anything in the world. Jack would find a way to make her happy, he always had.

But now he was too close to knowing what she felt and she always pulled back when that happened. Kate had no intention of letting this be a moment of exception.

"I'm fine," Kate said with a trembling voice as she started to walk again. She could hear Jack heave a deep and defeated yet worried sigh.

Jack didn't know where this sudden affection and worrying came from. Just a day before he had been cold and denunciating against her. Yet, he had the urge to fix everything he saw as broken and Kate was broken to him. But he didn't just have feelings for her because of her being broken in his eyes. That was actually nothing of it. He knew that the only one who could fix her was herself.

Kate suddenly stopped, looking around. They were close. Yet she didn't know how close they were but she recognized this place very well.

"What?" Jack asked, walking up to her, searching her face.

"It's around here somewhere," Kate said, walking again. "I swear, it's here!"

"Just calm down, alright? I believe you," Jack answered, following her every step.

For one moment, Jack looked back and as he did that, Kate tripped on a branch and fell down a small height. Jack reacted to the sudden sound and ran to her, his doctor instincts taking over him. He got down onto his knees and pulled her up against him, examining her.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, not remembering what had happened. She could only feel the weariness and nothing else. Kate hardly remembered what she was doing out in the jungle – with Jack.

"Jack?" Kate asked almost surprised. "W-What happened?"

"I think you fell," Jack said and saw that she was going to rise. "Kate, I think you should lie down for a while," he said seriously and worriedly.

Kate didn't listen to him and rose even though her head was hurting and the dizziness was taking over her. She swallowed and looked at him, confused and taken aback.

"What were we doing out here?" Kate asked but saw that look at his face. "Oh, we were looking for a bunker, right?" Kate said as she started to slowly remember.

He got up and brushed off his knees and nodded slowly. Jack was just about to walk over to her and examine her more, but he stopped as he saw the bunker doors in front of him. Kate turned her head and saw the place she had been at earlier and she smiled slightly.

"They kept her there?" Jack asked, meaning Claire as he walked towards the bunker.

"Apparently they did…" Kate said with a shaky voice. He turned to look at her; he could not help but to feel worried. "Jack, I'm fine, I just tripped," she reassured him.

Yeah, tripped. That's why you blacked out. Jack thought to himself and kept his focus on the bunker since she seemed to rather want that.

TBC