Chapter 11 : I Meant It

Jack and Kate were standing behind Alex in the dim hallway. Alex was creeping along the wall in front of them looking around corners making sure that none of the men were skipping their dinners. Kate's heart was beating fast as Alex inched up the corner. She then pointed to a door on the other side of the hallway. Kate out reached her head so she could see the door. Alex then ran for the door. Jack was just about to leave the corner when a door slammed from the opposite side of the hallway. Jack pushed Kate against the wall.

"I can't believe you could forget something like that." A voice came. There were two sets of footprints coming down the hallway.

"Yeah, well. You know me." The other voice said. Kate heard the jingling of keys and a door swung open. Both men disappeared into the room. Jack turned and looked at Kate. She had her hands wrapped in the hem of his shirt. She could feel the blood escape from her head. He nodded and heard Alex shuffling from the other side of the hallway.

"Psst." She said. Kate looked over at Alex who was waving them over. Jack bolted for the door and Kate quickly followed. They ran through the door and Alex closed it behind them.

"Okay," Alex said. She walked over to the other side of the room where there was a grate on the wall.

"You are going to go through this. It will lead you outside the camp." Alex said as she started to pry at the gate.

"That's it?" Jack asked. Alex continued to heave as she nodded. Kate looked around.

"What about Sawyer?" Kate asked. Alex pulled the gate free.

"Don't worry. He is already out." Alex said. "I let him out after rounds. He's got tight security." She then pointed towards the hole.

"I hope you guys will be okay." Alex said. Kate went forward and patted her on the shoulder.

"Thank you Alex." she said. Alex nodded.

"How is Claire?" she asked. Kate smiled.

"She's great." Alex smiled.

"Okay I have to go." And with that Alex slipt out of the room. Kate turned towards Jack who was hovering over the hole.

"You first." Jack said. "So I can replace the grate afterwards." Kate nodded and slipped into the hole. She waited as Jack also went in and replaced the grate over the hole the best he could.

"Ready?" Jack asked. Kate let out a small laugh.

"Whenever you are." she replied and they started their way through the dark and cramped tunnel.

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"Could you people pull any faster?" Sawyer's voice came from the inside of the hatch. Sayid laughed but didn't answer. He could hear Hurley laughing from behind him.

"Should we stop and see what he does?" Sayid asked. Hurley laughed again but continued to pull.

"No way dude. He'd explode on us man." Hurley answered. With one last tug Sawyer came into view and his arm game up over the ledge. He pulled himself up and over. He stood.

"Why thank you solider." He said as he saluted Sayid and turned to leave. Sayid stood in front of him.

"Where do you think you are going?" Sawyer stopped and laughed.

"Why?" Sawyer asked. Sayid just blinked.

"You need to help us with Charlie." Sayid said. Sawyer exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes. He picked up the rope and threw it into the hole.

"Come on. Let's go prissy boy." Sawyer yelled as Hurley and Sayid lined up behind him.

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"How many fingers now?" Jack asked. Kate looked up at his hands with an annoyed look on her face.

"Fifty?" She said. Jack laughed and put his hand down.

"I was serious." Jack said. Kate laughed.

"I'm fine Jack." Kate said. Jack shook his head.

"You were semi unconscious earlier today." Kate smiled.

"Well I'm not now." Kate said. She put out her hands and felt the warmth of the fire. Most of the other castaways were already asleep and Kate also felt very tired as well. She gave a large yawn.

"Tired?" Jack asked. Kate nodded.

"Yeah a bit." she said. "A lot has sure gone on in the last week or two." Jack hunched forward and rested on his knees.

"Yeah. Michael coming back, Libby and Ana Lucia dying, being captured... quite an interesting trip." Jack said. He turned to look at Kate who was fiddling with the sand.

"What are you thinking?" Jack asked. Kate looked up with familiarization.

"What are you thinking right now." Jack asked. Kate smiled as she remembered the day she had asked Jack that very question.

"You want the truthful answer to that question?" Kate asked.

"Yes I do." Jack said. Kate smiled and looked up at the darkened sky.

"I was thinking about what happened the night that we found Michael." Kate said. Jack closed his eyes as he remembered that night.

"You yelled for hours." Kate said. Jack laughed and opened his eyes.

"That really hurt my throat." he said. Kate laughed. Jack stopped as he remembered the little part of him and Kate. He also realized that Kate had remembered too. She looked at him and took a deep breath.

"Did you mean what you said to me?" She asked. Jack looked at her.

"When..?" Jack said. Kate rolled her eyes.

"When I.. when I said I was sorry for kissing you, and you said I'm not." Kate said. She looked away embarrassed. Jack smiled but looked hard at Kate.

"Yeah." Jack said. "I meant it." Kate nodded.

"That's good to know." She quickly started to get up.

"I'm going to go to bed now." Jack realized that Kate was trying to escape the situation, she was always like that. But that was one of the many qualities he liked about her.

"I know you would like to leave, I understand." She looked up at Jack embarrassed.

"But, you need some help." Jack said. He helped Kate up and she quickly grabbed his shoulder.

"Thanks." she said. Jack couldn't do anything but smile.