A/N: Well this was going to be a one shot but i got some inspiration from Can't Fight the Moonlight for this chapter. Thank you to 1LostFanand KateLillyfor encouraging me to write more.

Kate sat feeling the sand beneath her feet in the cool night air. Her beautiful eyes were filled with the stars above but her mind was not wandering among them. It was drifting between two men in a grassy clearing. She could still see them, as she had gazed out from the cover of the lush forest foliage, facing each other, arguing about her, about the love and hate she had caused. She could hear his heavy breathing and his cold sarcasm. They didn't realize their cutting words were hurting her too. Reeling from what they had said she didn't even notice the others until many hands had gripped her but by then it was too late. They pulled a dry rag tight around her mouth then dragged her away from the men scratches and grazes stinging her arms and legs and she struggled to escape, unable to cry out for help.

"Might as well give up, Kate," a deep husky southern accent, not unlike Sawyers but lacking in any charm or warmth, whispered in her ears. Then a bag was shoved over her head and her hands were bound. The speed at which this all happened surprised Kate as she lay in the dirt tossing and turning, trying to free herself from her bounds.

"Git' her up, lets move out" the voice said again with an authoritarian tone. She felt a hand grasp her arm and with no trouble pull her to her feet then shove her along. She was scared, terrified as she stumbled through the darkness with the others. The others that Russo had warned were to run from, hide from, or die from. They had her and it was like no situation she'd ever been in before. They were so strong, she had thought as she noticed the hand that was leading her hurt from the sheer grip. They must've walked for a few hours with her scuffing her feet and tripping on branches and rocks, she looked down massaging her toes remembering the burning pain she felt before she was tossed to the ground once more. A few tears had fallen from her eyes but she didn't even notice, her body stiff listening with hope to harsh voices that had sprung into the twilight air. It sounded like Jack, in a way. There was a warped condescending edge to his tone, which was so unlike him Kate wondered if it really was Jack. Then her captor spoke up.

"It's an interesting theory…" his tone matched Jacks then all of a sudden he yelled an order to the others "Light em up!" she could hear the distinct roars of many small fires bursting into the tense atmosphere.

"We got a mis-understanding Jack," his rough voice continued "Your people, my people. So listen carefully, right here there's a line, you cross that line, we go from misunderstanding to…something else" The threat was clear and simple "Now give me your weapons, turn around and go home".

Kate listened, and prayed to hear the single word she knew he'd say.

"No"

She gasped, hardly realizing she had been holding her breath, waited and to her horror Locke spoke up.

"Jack we-" he began but Jack cut him off, his voice getting louder.

"NO!"

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this" her captor spoke again leisurely as if it was a game, as if he held everyone's lives in his hands and could crush them at any moment, that everyone would do as he pleased "Bring her out Alex!" Suddenly she was yanked to her feet stumbling foreword once more. Then someone else had her. Her heart raced with panic, she was now too terrified to even cry.

"She was following you" The deep southerners accent was right next her ears, it was him "Like I said, curiosity"

The light rushed into her eyes as the bag was pulled off her head and there was Jack, Locke and Sawyer. She knew they must be angry, maybe even furious. The refection of the flames of the fire burned in Jacks eyes as he stared at her then he did a curious thing. He turned as if to walk away and Sawyer was the one to step foreword. He had a look about him, something flashing in his eyes; she thought it might be fury but blazing with it she saw…fear.

"Don't!" the southerner said freezing Sawyer in his tracks with the loud click of a gun loading. She could feel its steel mussel against the back of her head and she cringed not daring to resist. The click had brought Jack back too. He stood next to Sawyer.

"Jack the decision you gotta make right now is this; can you live with the fact that I shot this woman right in front o you?" he asked, Jacks face scowled as her captor continued "when you could have saved her life by giving up and going home?"

Kate could hear herself breathing, sniffling, and shivering. She had never felt more sorry for what she had done to Jack than now. She saw Sawyers eyes shifting between her face and the bearded man holding her prisoner.

"Now you're going to give me your guns, turn around, and walk away. S' your call Jack" he said. Out of the silence rose Sawyers voice in a harsh snarl.

"If you touch one hair on her head-"

"Shut up!" he dismissed Sawyer's comment as though Jack was the only man standing in the clearing he wanted to hear from. Jack glared on in silence.

"I'm going to count to three" a cruel smile drew the corners of his mouth up as he turned to her.

"One" she whimpered in fright staring into Jacks eyes.

"Two" Jack blinked his expression changed as if he'd woken from a nightmare.

"Stop!" the bearded man looked up. Jack took a step foreword and dropped his guns, making heavy clanking sounds on the ground.

"Now them" he ordered waving his gun at Locke and Sawyer, once again, as though they meant nothing. Locke took a step foreword adding his weapon to the pile.

"Gimme the other one too" he said in an arrogant voice, through sneering lips. Locke pulled out the gun he was hiding in his pocket and dropped it. Sawyer walked forward bending a little to drop his gun but then looked up into her captors face a familiar look in his eyes from when they first crashed; ruthless, detachment, as though he could kill.

"We ain't done Zeeke" his voice was low and vengeful then he dropped his weapon. 'Zeeke' bent down and picked up the guns then shoved her into Sawyer. She leaned against his chest and heard his heart racing, a few tears brushing off on his shirt. The torches all around faded, as did Zeeke into the inky black. She didn't even hear the sound of their footsteps as they went. She remembered Sawyer pulling the gag from her mouth as she gasped deep the fresh air. She remembered him untying her sore wrists but for some reason she was more concerned about Jack. She could barely believe that he hated her so much. She had to make it right or things just wouldn't be the same.

"Jack I-" she began but seeing his expression she felt a sense of futility envelop her.

"You alright?" He asked but there was no feeling in his voice, no care or concern. Weak all she could muster an answer cracked with the tears she had cried, her body still shaking.

"Yep" she nodded though he wasn't looking at her. He started walking away and Kate leant back on Sawyer again rubbing her wrists. She felt his face rest gently on her head briefly but he didn't say anything. The speechless trip back home had been a miserable one. She cried in silence, the dark veiling her tears. By the time the sun had rose again her tears were all but gone. But the guilt wasn't. It had eaten away at her through the night and as they drew close to the beach and caves she knew she had to try again.

"I was just trying to help Jack. When you told me not to go I just-" She spoke pleadingly focusing on the ground, he was ignoring her still "I made a mistake." He walked on.

"Hey!" she said grabbing him by the arm "Would you just talk to me for a second?" He put his hands on his hips but looked at her.

"I'm sorry" she apologized earnestly.

"Yeah. I'm sorry too," he said. The kindness in his voice had vanished, as had his trust for her.

Maybe…she'd lost him forever. Though she tried again a few times he preceded to ignore her.

"Don't beat yourself up Freckles" the tenderness in Sawyers voice had snapped her out of her thoughts about Jack as he walked away "If he'd a told me to stay behind I would have done the same damn thing"

Her mind wondered back again to the clearing. Two men. Jack and Sawyer. It was because she'd kissed him. Kissed Jack. She didn't want this – this rift between them. She had slept little through the day and when night had come, alone she had ventured down to the waters edge of the beach to sit alone and think. She was not afraid of the others, now. She had had enough fear in the last twenty-four hours to warrant a nonchalant view at any danger that might befall her. Kate had not connected with any of the other islanders like everyone else had and that pulling in her stomach was beginning to bother her again. That incessant need to run. Before Jack had been the one to anchor her down, to make her feel needed or belonging, but she was beginning to feel restless now that he had abandoned her. No doubt, she loved flirting with Sawyer and he loved to flirt with her too, perhaps the relationship they shared would become something, she remember that soft brush of his face on her head, like he was showing his concern at almost losing her. However she recalled his words, cold with icy honesty stating the way he didn't love her and when she thought he might stay with her to look after her that very morning he simply followed Jack in leaving her all alone. It made him seem distant. Maybe there was no one there for her. Maybe she was now the only one on the island that just didn't fit in. What she didn't realize was two sets of eyes had been watching her.

One dark and stormy. He paced a little gazing at her, while he felt bad; there was a sharp sting of anger and resentment toward her too. A secret longing to approach her and talk it out. It was in his nature. He hated to see people suffer. In his heart he knew he was still fond of her and though she had seemingly made her choice with the way she acted perhaps she still wanted him too. The wind whistled sorrowfully through the trees as the sand kicked up around his feet.

One light and brooding. He layback gazing at her, ignoring the soreness in his shoulder thinking about the bastard who had tried to kill her and the moment he heard the clicking sound. If he had killed her, what would it have done. He had never felt furious and scared at the same time before. He never thought such a terror for losing someone would have been so powerful. A light warm breeze blew over him and he decided, sitting up.

"Sawyer" startled, Sawyer looked up at Jack who had walked up without a sound behind him.

"Hey" he said quietly looking down avoiding Jack's gaze. They were both quiet for a minute or so, the rhythmic sound of waves washing in and out replacing their awkward silence.

"Have you asked if I've hurt her feelings yet?" Jack joked, though there was little humor in his question.

"I'm thinking about it" Sawyer answered then Jack patted him on the back and turned away.

"Tell her" Jack said pausing, some of the former softness returning "Im sorry" Sawyer nodded slowly as he stood. He walked down toward her. Kate's mind was playing with the thought of leaving. If Russo had lasted sixteen years what's to say she couldn't linger just out of everyone's way. Not so far that a rescue party would miss her, not so near that she would be reminded of the things that no longer held weights in her heart. All of a sudden Sawyer sat down next to her looking out at the stars and moon.

"Jack wanted me to tell you he's sorry," he said a little gruffly, he saw her look up at him from the corner of his eyes "Just passing on the message Freckles" Kate blinked a few times then smiled; within two short sentences he had made everything a bit better. It didn't fix anything, but it brought them all a little closer to normal. However normal was on this island.

"Thank you" She said and leant against him the great relief finally relaxing her, allowing drowsiness to set in, her last comment so uncharacteristically romantic "I like the sound of your heart"

Eventually the weight of the day's troubles, melting away Kate fell into a deep sleep. Sawyer picked her up and took her back to her tent muttering amusingly to himself:

"And here I thought you didn't know how to be sweet"