DISCLAIMER: do I really need to repeat myself?

A/N 1: I handed my assessment in on Monday and spent the rest of the week writing this. My assessment was to write my autobiography. It's a good thing that I only had 13 years and 10 months to write about, otherwise I'd still be working on it!

A/N 2: I'd just like to say…THE SOCCEROOS BEAT CROATIA!(Actually, it was a tie, BUT WE GO ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!)

Oh, and…HARRY KEWELL'S GOAL WAS BLOODY BRILLIANT!

Sorry, I just needed to get that out of my system!

A/N 3: to prevent any confusion, the first song ('Leave Me Alone') is how Kate is trying to feel (basically it's her in denial) and the second song ('Speechless') is how she really feels. Both songs are by The Veronicas

A/N 4: Get ready, this is a long chapter…

THE TRUTH AT LAST

Kate woke up early again as usual. Once again she couldn't clear her head so she went over to Charlie's tent, borrowed his guitar and left a note saying that she would return it. She walked further along the beach, sat down by the water and started to play and sing softly, completely oblivious to the fact that Jack was standing in the trees just a few metres behind her.

I'm getting tired of you pushing me 'round
Dragging me down
Making a sound because you wanna
I guess that's why I like messing with you
Putting you through
A lesson or two, because I'm gonna
Before I go my own way
I just gotta say

Leave me alone
Get out of my face
I'm tired and low
And feeling so misplaced
Time for you to go
Cuz I know I'm better off on my own, oh
Leave me alone

This isn't gonna work
Don't call me on the phone
Because I'm all out of words
I'll face the unknown
Thinking about all the ways that I've grown
Oh, Leave me alone

There was the time I thought you were the one
Having some fun
Getting it done
What an illusion
'Cause you were trying to take control of me
That couldn't be, I need to be free of this confusion
Don't give me a guilt trip, because I'm so over it

Leave me alone
Get out of my face
I'm tired and low
And feeling so misplaced
Time for you to go
Cuz I know I'm better off on my own, oh
Leave me alone

This isn't gonna work
Don't call me on the phone
Because I'm all out of words
I'll face the unknown
Thinking about all the ways that I've grown
Oh, leave me alone

Don't turn around and don't look back
I see right through all your selfless acts

Oh

Leave me alone
Get out of my face
I'm tired and low
And feeling so misplaced
Time for you to go
Cuz I know I'm better off on my own, oh
Leave me alone

This isn't gonna work
Don't call me on the phone
Because I'm all out of words
I'll face the unknown
Thinking about all the ways that I've grown
Oh, leave me alone

If you win your love

I'll feel better on my own

Leave me alone

Kate strummed a final time and looked up to see Vincent sitting in front of her. He gave a loud bark and she laughed softly and scratched him behind his ears.

"I really am better off alone," she said sadly to him, and sighed, "The only thing wrong with that it that I hate being alone."

The golden retriever barked once more and she laughed again sadly, "Ok then, maybe I should sing about how I really feel."

So Kate began to pluck a tune and this time sang a different song;

Feels like I have always known you
And I swear I dreamt about you
All those endless nights I was alone
It's like I've spent forever searching
Now I know that it was worth it
With you it feels like I am finally home

Falling head over heels
Thought I knew how it feels
But with you it's like the first day of my life

Cuz you leave me speechless
When you talk to me
You leave me breathless
The way you look at me
You manage to disarm me
My soul is shining through
Can't help but surrender
My everything to you

I thought I could resist you
I thought that I was strong
Somehow you were different from what I've known
I didn't see you coming
You took me by surprise and
You stole my heart before I could say no

Falling head over heels
Thought I knew how it feels
But with you it's like the first day of my life

You leave me speechless
When you talk to me
You leave me breathless
The way you look at me
You manage to disarm me
My soul is shining through
I can't help but surrender
Oh no
My everything to you

You leave me speechless
(the way you smile, the way you touch my face)
You leave me breathless
(it's something that you do I can't explain)
I run a million miles just to hear you say my name
Baby

You leave me speechless
You leave me breathless
The way you look at me
You manage to disarm me
My soul is shining through
I can't help but surrender
My everything to you

From the trees, Jack saw Kate wipe her eyes with the back of her hand and he realised that she was crying. He went to take a step forwards, but he snapped a twig. He saw Kate's shoulders tense up and he knew that she knew he was there. He walked over to her and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"No and neither is this one," snapped Kate getting up, but Jack grabbed her wrist and practically begged,

"Please, just hear me out, I promise I won't ask questions."

Kate eyed him suspiciously but then sat down. Jack sighed with relief and started;

"I've done nothing but pester you about your life and I now realise that I haven't even told you about my life, which really isn't fair, so I'm going to tell you a bit about my life, but don't feel like you need to talk afterwards, I'll understand if you still don't want to talk."

Kate just stared out towards the ocean and nodded her head slightly. Jack took a deep breath and continued;

"I used to be almost a completely different person. My bedside manner sucked. I was always impatient and never made promises because I didn't want to give my patients false hope. Then one day a woman who was in a car crash came into surgery. She asked if she would ever walk again and I told her, rather bluntly, that she wouldn't and she started to cry. Then my dad, who was Chief of Surgery, took me aside and told me off for upsetting the patient. I said I didn't want to give her false hope. He replied by telling me that there is always hope and that it didn't have to be false. (A/N: I think that's what he said, I can't remember) So I went back in there and prepared for surgery. She suddenly whispered something about wanting to dance at her wedding and then I leant over and promised her that I would fix her,"

Jack suddenly laughed and continued.

"All of the other doctors and nurses were shocked at me being so nice to a patient. The looks on their faces was priceless. Anyway, we go into surgery and at the end I thought that I had failed her, that I hadn't been able to fix her like I promised, but by some miracle, Sarah was able to walk again. Anyway, about a week later, after she had gone home, she calls me and asks if I would like to go out to dinner and I accepted. One thing lead to another and we started going out. After about a year we were getting married. Then, after about two years of marriage, Sarah suddenly announces that she had been having an affair and that she was leaving. Then things only got worse. Dad started drinking a lot and one day he operated on a patient when he was completely wasted. When I realised that, I stepped in and informed him that I was going to finish the surgery, but by then it was too late. The patient died and the husband decided to sue us. When I saw Dad lying to everyone on the Hospital Board, I stood up and asked if I could revise my statement and I told the court that he was obviously incapacitated during the operation. I ruined my own father. The father who taught me how to be a good doctor, no matter how harsh his methods of doing so were. We didn't talk for two months, and then I got a call from my Mum saying that Dad had taken a sort of 'vacation' to clear his mind and that she wanted me to bring him home. About three days after I arrived in Sydney, I found out that my father had died. I was bringing his body back home when, you guessed it, Craphole Island!"

Jack went quiet and glanced over to Kate who was still looking out into the ocean, but her expression was different this time. It was softer and more sympathetic.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and when Jack realised that she wasn't going to say anything he went to get up, but suddenly;

"I wasn't always like this. I had hopes and dreams just like everyone else. I never even liked running. In fact I never wanted to leave Iowa, but all that changed when Wayne came along. He was always scared of Luke. He was careful never to hit me or Ma in front of him. I think it had to do with Luke being twice his size and a karate black belt. Anyway, after Luke left he would hit me and Ma almost everyday and force Ma to…anyway, then I started running away. Sometimes I'd get as far as the next city, but the first time I didn't get very far, only next door to…"

She broke off awkwardly, took a deep breath and continued.

"To Tom's house. Daddy and Luke lived four hours away in the city and Ma worked long hours so Tom was all I had. He was a year younger than Luke and about two years older than me. When I was thirteen we started dating. His parents never liked me because of Wayne; the whole town knew he was a drunk and a real son of a bitch. When we got older and he was getting ready to go to college his Mum kept telling me that I wasn't good enough for him, that I would never be good enough, for him or anyone else, ever. But Tom told me that I was all he needed and I believed him."

Kate's voice had gotten all chocked up and Jack noticed that tears were threatening to spill.

"His Mother was right. Anyway, after he left I had no one. Luke had run away to travel the world. Daddy had left. Ma defended Wayne. And Wayne…well Wayne was Wayne. When I was nineteen I had decided to make Daddy a scrapbook for his birthday. He was in the army, I told you that didn't I? Anyway, I found an old photo of him in Korea. According to the date on the back he had been there for about a year and didn't come home until four months before I was born."

Kate went quiet and waited for Jack to realise what this meant. When she continued her voice was all choked up.

"When I realised that Wayne was my real father, I was disgusted. I realised that if he was a part of me then I would never be good, I would never have anything good in me. One night when Ma was working and Wayne was out getting wasted I set up a gas leak in the house and I rigged it so that when he got home the house would blow. When he got there I helped him into his bed and left, but it happened sooner than I thought and I was nearly caught in the blast."

She went quiet and Jack wanted to comfort her but knew that she had to do this without interruption.

Kate continued;

"My own Mother turned me in. It was night time and raining when the Marshall was escorting me to the police, so he didn't see the horse on the road until the last second. He swerved and we crashed into a telegraph pole. He was knocked unconscious so I grabbed the keys to both the handcuffs and his car, pushed him out and drove off. I was on the run for about two years when I decided to contact my Dad because I was lonely. His superior officer found out and he got demoted. He got sent out into a shoot-out where he was shot and killed. Another death on my hands. About a year after that I got a letter from Tom saying that Ma had gotten cancer and was at the hospital he worked at. I met up with him and found out that he had gotten married and had a son. I snuck in with his help but when Ma saw me she called for help. I ran out into the car park with Tom. I asked him to give me his keys and he did. I got into the driver's seat and he got into the passengers. I told him to get out but he refused. He begged me to turn myself in but I didn't. The police shot at me, but missed me. When I got away I looked over and Tom was…he was…they shot him instead of me. I stayed there crying until I heard the sirens, then I saw his favourite childhood toy sitting in the backseat."

At this point Kate pulled the toy aeroplane out of her pocket and continued;

"I almost grabbed it before I ran, but I didn't have time. Ma died about two moths later, alone and hating me."

Jack was about to say something when Kate kept going.

"Then, about two years after that, I was so lonely that I decided to call the Marshal at his house. All I needed was someone to talk to. I started to taunt him about how I was free, and then he told me that he had Tom's plane in New Mexico. So I got myself caught on purpose, I hung around long enough to find out which bank and which safety deposit box, and then I stole the key from him when he wasn't looking, and when I got away I came up with a plan. Before I knew it I had seduced some loser into organising an armed robbery at the bank with two other idiots just so I could get the plane. But, during the robbery things started to get out of hand and he was about to shoot the manager, even though we agreed that no one was going to get hurt. So I grabbed a gun off of his friend, who was standing next to me. I shot the son of a bitch in the leg, grabbed his gun and shot the other two losers as well. I only hurt them enough so that they wouldn't be able to do anything. Anyway, then I asked the manager to open the safety deposit box and I ran with the plane. But when the Marshall caught me in Australia, he got it back and locked it in that case."

Kate finally broke down and cried. She hadn't cried for years before coming to the island, and those times she had cried on the island, she been trying to hold back, but this time she just let it go and many years worth of guilt, pain and fear finally came out. Jack put his arms around her and held her close, and after her sobbing had settled down a bit he said to her…

A/N: I know, I'm evil, but I needed to wrap up the chapter and I didn't know how, so I just left it on a cliffhanger.

Now I'm just gonna go run and hide before the angry mob with torches and pitchforks arrives, demanding that I post the next chapter!

ANOTHER A/N: Good luck for the Socceroos' game against Italy tomorrow morning. I really hope we win!