CHAPTER 5

The next day, it was the beginning of the afternoon when Charlie took Aaron on a small walk around the camp. Claire was having a nap in her tent and had asked for him to take care of her child for awhile. Nearing the tree line, Charlie sang to the baby, who wouldn't stop crying, and heard a sound coming from the jungle. He stood there, a crying Aaron in his arms, and seconds after, Hurley came out of the jungle, right in front of him, all sweaty and looking tired.

"Hurley?"

"Dude... that was a long walk," he said, trying to catch his breath.

"Hurley you're back!" said Charlie, smiling broadly at his friend.

"The Others... they have Jack and Kate... and Sawyer... they told me that we can never go to them..."

"What're you talking about, mate? They're here!" Charlie assured, but Hurley just looked puzzled.

"Who's here?" he asked, looking around the camp.

"Jack, Kate and Sawyer!"

"Dude, that's not possible, they're with the Others..."

"Would you listen to me? Sayid rescued them with the help of the French woman's daughter. They arrived yesterday, on the boat," explained Charlie.

"No way," Hurley said. That's great, they get a boat ride back home and I had to walk all the way back home!

Claire came out of her tent and approached the two men, saying quick hello to Hurley and shushing Aaron, who was still crying. "Shhh, it' alright, Mummy's here. Charlie, could you put him to bed while I go talk to Sun?" she asked the British native.

"Sure," he answered, willing to do anything for Claire. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips, which brought a smile to Charlie's face. Hurley stared at him and asked, "Dude, what happened while I was gone?"

"Well for starters, Claire and myself are... well... together."

"That's great!" he said, giving him a tap on the back.

"Yeah, it is! Oh, and seems like Jack and Kate are together too, now," Charlie continued.

"You serious?" a wide eyed Hurley said with disbelief.

"It bloody well looks like it," said Charlie, looking toward the 'couple', who were sitting on the beach next to each other, laughing and talking. "They've been like that ever since they came back." The two men stared at Jack and Kate for awhile, before Claire's voice brought them back to reality. "Charlie! Aaron, now please?" she said from Sun's nearby tent. Charlie quickly realised he was still holding Aaron when he was supposed to be putting him to bed. "Right, got it! Sorry, Claire," he apologized and did what he had to do.

"Are you serious?" Kate said to Jack while laughing at what he had just told her. She had asked him why he and Sawyer had been talking about her, before they had gone on the mission to save Walt.

"Yes, he really thought that we... uh... you know," answered Jack, laughing along with her. It was the beginning of the afternoon and they were sitting on the beach, talking to each other, just enjoying the other's company.

"Wanna play a game?" asked Jack, looking at her with a smile on his face. She frowned, still smiling and said, "What game?"

"I don't know... twenty questions?" he suggested. She hesitated for a brief moment, not knowing if she would be willing to answer all of his questions. She was a bit afraid that he would ask her about what she had done, why the Marshall was after her. If I have to tell him what I've done, then so be it, she said to herself before answering, "Sure. I'm asking the first question. What's your full name?"

Thank god she asked me something simple, he thought. "Jack Christian Shepard," he answered. "My turn. Did you ever go to college?"

"Nope," she answered and he nodded. "These questions are too easy. When was your first kiss?" she asked him curiously.

"Uh... I was in eighth grade... we were at this beautiful park where all the neighbourhood kids would go and play in the summer."

"That's sweet. Didn't think of you as Mr. Romantic," Kate teased. He looked at her and smiled. "You'd be surprised," he told her flirtatiously. Her grin grew even bigger and she giggled softly. "You gonna ask me a question, Shepard?" she asked him, noticing he was simply looking at her.

"Were you ever married?" he asked her and she blushed slightly.

"It didn't last very long," she answered before asking him her question. "That day you brought Locke, Charlie and me to the caves, were you or were you not checking me out?"

Jack laughed as he remembered. "Yeah, I was," he answered frankly and she smiled to herself.

"I knew it!" Kate said triumphantly.

"Yeah, well, you caught me. My turn. Do you love me?" he simply asked and she looked at him, their eyes locking. Kate smiled, her face close to his, and answered, "With all my heart. Do you love me?" Jack grinned and brought his face even closer to hers. "More than anything in the world." They both slowly leaned in, closing their eyes, and their lips collided in a deep, passionate kiss. Euphoria filled their hearts as the kiss intensified, and when they pulled away, their lungs screaming for air, they rested their foreheads on one another's. Kate opened her eyes to find Jack's still closed. She smiled and said, "We're not finished playing twenty questions."

"The game can wait til later," Jack said, before his lips came crashing on hers once more, and they kissed each other with even more passion and desire.