Ok, two quick updates. Hope you guys are enjoying it. I have a couple more chapters written but just need to be typed up 'cause they're all over the place. (Haven't seen "The Hunting Party" episode yet but read that there was a lot of Jate angst. Hope it all ends well.)

Anyway, enjoy and thanks for reading.

Chapter 9

Jack and Kate walked quietly for a few minutes until they reached a place where no one would interrupt or overhear them.

"You ok?" Jack asked Kate, with sincere concern in his voice and eyes.

Kate looked up at him, with an attempt at a smile on her face, "Fine…considering…" she said, "are you ok?" she added.

Jack nodded, "…considering."

They were quiet for a moment.

Kate knew that they had come here to talk about Ethan, but all she wanted to do was explain herself to Jack. She wanted to thank him for the night before when they saw Ethan. She wanted to thank him for defending her to Ana. She wanted to thank him for helping her at the beach. She wanted to thank him for comforting her in the jungle even though he was mad. She wanted to explain why she ran. She knew all that was trivial given the Ethan situation, but what was really stopping was her fear of how Jack would react.

"Can you pick up his trail?" Jack interrupted Kate's thoughts.

"What?" Kate replied surprised, "You wan to follow him?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, what then? Let him go?" Jack said.

"Jack, you are talking about someone, who first of all we don't know who he was or where he came from, who kidnapped Claire, strangled Charlie, knocked you unconscious. Someone we killed, buried and now has come back!" Kate jumped back at him still shocked at what Jack was proposing.

"Kate, it would be far more dangerous to let him go, think about it." Jack replied calmly.

Kate was quite for a moment. "Bu it can't be just the two of us, Jack, we'd have to tell a few others to have at least some advantage." Kate consented.

Jack shook his head, "there is no one we can tell." He said.

"What? Why? How about the same people as last time?" Kate asked him.

"No, Kate. No one can handle it. Sawyer is nursing a bullet wound in his shoulder. Sayid just lost Shannon, he's too emotional. Charlie and Claire they would just freak out." Jack explained to her.

"You forgot someone. Locke." Kate said.

"No." Jack replied abruptly.

"No! He's our best tracker and hunter, Jack. Don't you think you should put the thing you have against Locke aside for a moment…", Kate said, surprised that Jack would put a personal feeling ahead of the welfare of everyone.

"It's not about my thing against him, not this time." Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked, confused.

"Nothing, forget it, we just can't tell him." Jack said, not offering Kate much explanation.

"Jack, there's something you're not telling me." Kate said, her voice calmer than before, looking directly into Jack's eyes.

You're someone to talk about secrets, Jack thought to himself without replying.

"Jack, what did Ethan say to you?" Kate asked him, sure now that there was something he was not telling her.

Jack looked down without replying, and shook his head slightly.

"Jack, I know you don't trust me right now, and that I'm possibly the last person you want to talk to." Kate explained, "but this is bigger than what happened yesterday, and we can't put everyone at risk just because…" Kate choked at the idea of mentioning their kiss and her running, "What did Ethan say?"

Jack scanned the area making sure no one was there, then looked back at Kate, "He…He said to stop pressing the button if we knew what was best for us."

Kate was flabbergasted. "What? What was that supposed to mean?" she asked.

Jack shook his head.

"That's all he said? Nothing about what it does? What about Claire? Or Walt? Did he say anything?" Kate fired her questions.

"No, that was it. You heard the rest." Jack said. "Now you see why no one can handle it."

"Ok, Jack, but still it can't be just the two of us. Plus, after last night's rain, I don't think there is a trail anymore." Kate said.

"I don't think we need to follow him. I have the feeling he will be back, same time and place as last night. I'll just need someone to know, incase…" Jack started, "I'll go again tonight, and if anything happens, then you can say that I've gone missing, without mentioning Ethan, and follow that trail." Jack explained his plan.

"You're kidding, right? You can't be serious! Tell me you have a Plan B cause that sure ain't gonna happen. I'm not gonna let you just walk out there and get yourself killed while I sit back!" Kate lashed at him.

"Kate, if wants to hurt anyone he would have done so last night. Something tells me it isn't going to get physical this time. Plus, I'll be armed." Jack tried to defend his case.

"Yeah, well guns obviously don't work on him, and you can't be sure he won't hurt you." Kate said, "Jack, please tell me you have another plan." Kate asked him, more calmly this time.

Jack nodded, "We'll need to talk to Eko first."