Ok everyone this is going to be a short update I promise I'll do a longer one this weekend. This chapter has some Jate smut as well. Once again please read and review, cause if I don't get reviews then that means people aren't reading it and then there would be no reason for me to write : )

Chapter 2

Kate burst out of the hatch and looked around the jungle. She couldn't explain it but the need to find Jack was overwhelming. She figured the best path to take was to the beach. Jack said he was going to find Eko so she figured she would head there. Even though she knew she needed to find him she didn't know what she was going to say to him. She felt like she had just spent the last hour looking at a stranger inhabiting Jack's body. His eyes had been so lifeless and what was the deal with Asia and South America? Kate almost laughed at the irony of that thought. Who was she to question Jack's past? Wasn't he allowed the same amount of privacy that she felt she was entitled to? Still it irked her, Michael obviously knew something and for a man who jut shot two of his own friends to back down against Jack with barely a peep well that was pretty curious in itself.

As Kate quickly walked along the path she shuddered as she remembered Jack's conversation with Michael, Well, I guess that means you know what I'm capable of and that I don't even need this gun if I don't want to use it. Jack's voice had sounded so deadly, what was he capable of? Kate thought back to all of her time spent with Jack, the talks, the laughter, the quiet times just shared together. Kate knew Jack had demons, she could see them in his eyes but he always covered them up and they went unspoken. However, never in the time that she had been with Jack did she ever see the coldness she had just witnessed, not after she lied to him about the gun case, or when he was angry with her over the kiss she ran from and the disastrous trek for Michael. She thought it had been bad before when he ignored her but seeing him today she realized it could get worse.

She sighed, how much worse could it get she thought to herself. Ana and Libby were murdered by Michael; Jack was blaming himself and had turned into a complete stranger. Their camp was at the cusp of war with unknown enemies who always seemed to be one step ahead of them at all times, and Walt was out there somewhere. If they got him back would he still be Walt or would The Others have warped his mind somehow? As Kate pondered these thoughts she turned around a bend and saw a blur of color. Her heart stopped for a slight second when she realized it was Jack.

He was leaning on a tree hunched with his head in his hands. He didn't look to be crying but he was obviously agitated as he ran his hands through his short cropped hair. Now that he was here in front of her she somehow found herself frozen. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then she mentally counted to five.

"Jack?" she said softly approaching him slowly. Jack's head shot up and she saw right into his eyes she wanted to cry when she saw that they were as cold and lifeless as they were not too long ago.

"What do you need Kate?" He said leaning back against the tree. Kate felt his cold gaze on her and suddenly she felt like the prey to a hungry predator. She was almost afraid to move as if the movement would somehow cause him to go for her jugular. Kate wasn't used to being afraid of Jack; the whole concept was foreign to her. She wanted to say she didn't like it at all but somewhere in the part of her she was excited. It made no sense and was stupid at best but she couldn't help it. She had always been attracted to Jack from day one; she had always known he was too good for her, thought that she would ruin him. Somehow watching him in his own darkness Kate felt almost relieved, Jack was somehow on her level now they were equals in her eyes for the first time since they landed. She knew Jack would hate that line of thinking, he never made himself out to be perfect or above her, she did that on her own.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok? You took off so fast and it isn't safe for you to be out here, not if The Others are trying to hurt you." Kate said softly moving closer to him. She now stood in front of him and could feel the heat radiating off of him. It was a relief to know that not all of him was cold.

"I can take care of myself Kate" Jack said quietly. Kate noticed that his voice did not hold the harshness that it did moments ago.

"Uh yeah, according to Michael I guess it seems like you can" she startled slightly when his head jerked up to her and see saw a flash of fire in his eyes, and as quickly as it appeared it was gone, but Kate took comfort in the fact that it was there even for a short time. Jack straightened him self from the tree and stretched to his full height and towered over her but Kate refused to back down.

"Yes, I'm very good at taking care of myself" he said with a humorless smirk, his eyes lazily traveled down her body making her blood singe a little. "And I don't need anyone running through the jungle getting hurt trying to save me."

Kate took a deep breath and literally felt like she was breathing Jack, his smell, his heat she was so close to him and she wanted to touch him so bad. From the moment Michael said Jack was in danger she wanted to bury herself in him and keep him close to her.

"What is that you do need Jack?' she asked huskily surprised at her own forwardness.

Jack glanced away from her and Kate knew she had him; she was chipping away at his icy exterior and was finally making progress.

"Go away Kate" he said still avoiding her eyes.

"No" she said firmly, "Tell me Jack what is it that you need?"

It all happened so fast that Kate wasn't sure how, but she found herself pinned to the tree that Jack had just been leaning on. She became aware that what was pinning her there was the body of one Jack Shephard. She gasped as she realized that his chest was against her pressing her into the bark, one of his hands was gripping the tree while the other was behind her head keeping it was slamming into the tree. What got her completely was the fact that he had somehow inserted his leg in between hers and she found herself straddling his thigh. His face was inches from hers and the coldness that was in his eyes was replaced by a burning fire. She whimpered as he moved his leg lightly and it rubbed against her sensitive center. Hearing her whimper he pushed himself against her harder crushing her against the tree but surprisingly with no pain. Kate's body took over and without breaking eye contact she started moving against his leg, the pressure was too much and she needed relief. She whispered his name in need and he crushed his mouth against hers. Their tongues met in a crashing duel and their lips and teeth meshed together. Kate rode his leg harder and she gasped when she felt him pull her off the tree and onto his leg fully. He grabbed her by the ass and held her to him as the pressure became unbearable and Kate thrust against his leg hard and fast. Suddenly Kate felt herself cry out and go over the edge. She couldn't believe that Jack had just made her come by just letting her ride his thigh, they were both still fully clothed for god's sake.

Kate tried to catch her breath and at the same time wrap her mind around what had just happened. She felt Jack gently lean her back against the tree and start to pull away from her. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her.

"Kate" he whispered, "Let me go"

"No" Kate said tightening her hold on him. She held him so close she could feel as a sigh move through his body.

"Kate I need to find Eko and…you need to let me go" Jack said almost painfully.

Kate looked up into his eyes and saw the Jack she knew and cared for. She watched as she saw a slight flash of anguish flicker in his eyes. She felt him reach up and remove her arms around his neck. Kate started to protest but he interrupted her.

"No Kate, not now I can't. Ana and Libby are dead and it's my fault. What I need? What I want?" he said gently stroking her face as if he were stroking the flames of a fire "It doesn't matter anymore Kate. I'm sorry." With that Kate watched the lifeless cold look reenter his eyes and before she could react he was jogging down the path to the beach and out of her sight.

Kate leaned against the tree. Yes, what had happened to Libby and Ana was horrific but it wasn't Jack's fault. And there was no way in hell she would let him take the blame for it. She was also going to have a conversation with him about what had just happened here against this tree. Jack may try to be cold and aloof with her but that wouldn't bother her especially knowing now that he had a flame burning deep inside him. Nope she was far from done with Jack Shephard.

Ok so please review and let me know if I should bother continuing on with the story.