Bleugh! I despise Jack. So if anyone who loves that self-righteous prick happens to be reading this story, boy are you barking up the wrong tree!

This takes place while Sawyer is still recovering from his bullet wound in the hatch.

Disclaimer: Blah-di-blah-blah I do not own lost

Jack. Hardworking, kind, thoughtful, loyal. He was everything she had ever wanted since the earliest days of her childhood…

Sawyer. Selfish, cunning, arrogant, deadly. He was all that she could not stand, all that she despised…

Yet somehow she found herself strung between these two men, she knew who she should pick… yet somehow…

Somehow she just couldn't decide…

"Freckles!" she didn't even look around to see who it was. She could recognize that southerner drawl anywhere.

"Sawyer," she said simply, "what do you want."

"I just wanted to see how you were, sugar,"

"You sure there aren't any ulterior motives," she joked.

"Now what makes you think that?" she still hadn't turned around but she could imagine the look of mock indignation on his sun browned face.

"Hmm let me think…" Unable to resist, she finally turned around to face him.

She screamed, the noise echoing round the forest. Sawyer was still there standing, but he was changed… horribly changed. His clothes were rags, hanging loosely around him, his face and hair was streaked with mud and dried blood. His skin was burnt and open wounds could be seen across his face, neck and chest. But worse… worst of all were his eyes. His usually sparkling green eyes were rolled back in their sockets, showing only the whites.

"Why did you kill me?" the words came dry and rasping from his mouth, but they weren't in his voice.

She screamed again as he disappeared, leaving someone else standing in his place, someone she never thought she would see again.

Her father.

"Kate!" a distant voice was calling her, "Kate wake up! WAKE UP!"

She felt her hands grappling at the figure before her, her breaths came out as gasping sobs. Her eyes tore open and she plunged back towards the bunk bed. Strong hands reached out and held her so that she would not fall. She looked up to see who it was.

Jack.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"People who are 'fine' don't usually start screaming and thrashing around in their sleep,"

"I'm… what?" Kate tried comprehend what he had said. She brought a finger to her forehead, feeling beads of cold sweat under her hand, "I didn't…" she trailed off, confused.

"What did you dream about," Jack tried to soothe her with that 'oh so calm and understanding' voice.

"Dream?" she furrowed her brow in concentration, "I don't remember…"

"It's okay, Kate, you can tell me," he clearly didn't believe her.

"I really don't know!" it was true, all she remembered was Sawyer's even breathing from the bunk below her, then suddenly Jack calling out to her.

The doctor had an all knowing look in his eye and Kate could tell he didn't believe a word she had said. Anger and hurt flared up in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm very happy that you seem to know me better than I do, Jack," she spat, sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Kate, but I'm just trying to help…"

"Always trying to 'help', aren't you!" she bellowed, "Well I don't need your fucking help!" and on that pleasant note, she stormed from the hatch, back into the jungle.

And so ends my first, very short chapter of my new story. Don't worry everyone, there will be some Skate very soon and some pain for Jack… Mwahahahah!

Miaow for now.