Entwined Together

Summery: Jack and Kate meet one night in a bar, one going through a divorce, the other just killed her father. Somehow their lives become entwined, and they discover they aren't as different as they thought. Takes place as if there wasn't a crash.

Chapter One: The Meeting


Jack Shepard felt horrible. He probably looked horrible too, as he stumbled out of his car. A couple days after Sarah had left, he had tried his hardest to push her out of his mind. Tried convincing himself that she wasn't worth his time if she didn't think he was worth hers. He always found a thin line back to her with whatever he concentrated on.

The few people he had bothered to tell had attempted to convince him into therapy, but Jack had politely declined. He knew he was fine. This feeling was perfectly normal for those whose spouses cheated on them.

He had driven himself everywhere that was still open in a futile attempt to occupy his mind on anything else besides his ex-wife. Everywhere he went was either closed or didn't distract him enough to feel better.

In the end, he went to the last place he ever expected himself to end up. A bar.

At first he didn't think he would ever get out of his car. Afraid of what he might come face to face with if he went inside. He didn't want to become the man who used alcohol as the solution to all their problems.

But in the end his need to dull the pain was too strong, and he pushed himself out of his car and took one step at a time to the bar he had driven so madly to find.

Inside wasn't too shabby. It looked as though the employees at least attempted to make it clean. Wearily, Jack made his way to the counter in front of the bartender, who was looking at him as though he understood everything that was going through his mind.

"What'll it be?" he asked in a gruff voice. He had a dusty white towel draped over his shoulder, and his dark blue muscle t-shirt was went on one side, obviously the result of spilled beer earlier on in the evening.

"Mint Julep," Jack muttered quietly.

"Mint Julep it is." The bartender turned to prepare Jack's drink.

The bartender handed Jack his drink in silence, but couldn't keep quiet for long.

"So what's your story?" the man asked, leaning against the bar as if he had every right to know.

"My what?" Jack asked irritably after taking a sip.

"What brings you here? Everyone that shows up after seven has a reason, and I'm willing to bet that you're no exception."

"Just something I'm trying to forget," Jack answered in defeat.

Though Jack didn't see, the bartender cracked a nasty smile. "Woman troubles, eh?" Jack looked up in surprise, frowning slightly, but the other man just chuckled. "It's written all over your face. Normally a nice looking man such as yourself wouldn't be caught in here unless it was because of a woman one way or another."

Jack shrugged, trying to find the right words to explain. "We're going through with the divorce, and our hearing or whatever the hell it's called is in a couple days and I…"

"Hey, you don't need to explain it to me. I've been there before already," the man admitted in his gruff voice, then turned to help another customer.

Jack sat drinking his mint julep in silence.


Kate Austen knew she needed to get off of the streets soon. She had been running the whole day, and was getting tired and hungry. Everything that her father had told her, confessed to her, had finally caught up with her, and she needed to let it go.

Every few miles or so she would find her face staring back at her from a poster hanging from a shop window, or a telephone pole, declaring that she was possibly armed and very dangerous. There was no reward as of yet, something that Kate silently thanked.

She had been searching for someplace to crash until dawn, someplace where she could grab a bite to eat since she hadn't eaten since that morning. She didn't have that much money left, only about two twenties, give or take a few dollars. A restaurant was out of the question. So was a nice hotel. But that was okay. She was perfectly fine with eating at a cheap little diner then paying for a room at some sleazy motel.

The only problem was that there didn't seem to be any places like that around. As Kate looked around at her surroundings, she concluded that she had entered some sort of semi-rich community. Frustrated, she had considered turning back and take her chances on walking for a few more hours in the hopes that she would find a place better suited for her, but her common sense told her that there wasn't any use.

So she had no choice but to continue down her already chosen path. Maybe she would get lucky and find some money lying in the street so that she could at least pass as a normal woman who lived here in style.

But she had no such luck. What she found instead was a bar. Uncle John's Bar, to be exact. Kate wasn't usually one for drinking, but she figured that she could blend in there. Should she be recognized there, she knew that the people who went to bars wouldn't turn her in. Not if there was no reward.

When she walked in, she was a bit surprised to find that there weren't that many people inside. She found it odd since it was a Friday night. But she walked over to the bar instead, two seats away from a man with brown hair, staring into his empty cup, looking as bad as she felt.

The bartender walked over to her slowly, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "Well, what can I get you, darlin'?" he sneered, his arms resting on the counter, leering over her.

"Could I just get some water, please?" she asked, trying to keep the disgust out of her voice.

"Water?" the man looked disappointed in her answer, but complied nonetheless.

The cup wasn't large. Only a bit bigger than a shot glass. Kate downed it with one sip, then signaled for the bartender to bring her another one. "For you, anything," he sneered as he refilled her cup.

Kate rolled her eyes, not bothering to keep her disgust hidden this time. "You know, I get off in half an hour. If you stick around, then maybe you and me could…" he didn't bother to finish the sentence. He reached around and grabbed Kate's arm before it even registered to her what he was doing.

"Hey, what are you…?" she demanded, caught off guard. The man tried to pull her to him, clearly looking for a kiss. Kate tried to pull out of his grasp, but he was too strong for her.

But an unexpected voice interrupted. Unexpected and angry. "Hey, leave her alone!" the other man sitting at the bar was now coming to Kate's defense, giving the sleazy bartender a punch in the eye.

Taken aback, the man released his grip on Kate's arm, and she gratefully took it back, turning to look at the man who had come to her aid. The man wasn't finished, however. He had thrown another punch to the man in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The bartender gasped for air, but the man wasn't finished yet. He kept striking the man, looking as though he was caught in his own little world.

"Hey. Hey! That's enough!" Kate snapped.

The man looked up, and seeing Kate's stunned face, did as she did. He walked over to her, an awkward expression on his face.

"Sorry. I just…I saw him and you…" he stuttered, apparently at a loss for words.

Kate shrugged. "It happens. Thank you, by the way," she replied, giving him a sincerely grateful smile.

"I'm Jack," the man offered, holding out his right hand.

Kate hesitated. Should she give him one of her aliases? There was always the chance that he had seen her face on America's Most Wanted. But then again, she was probably never going to see him again. So….

"Kate," she breathed, extending her own hand.

Jack took it, and they shook, looking into each other's eyes before they pulled away.

"Well, I need to get going," Kate told him, doing her best to sound apologetic that they couldn't stay and talk a little while longer. Truth was, she couldn't tell him much about herself without exposing herself.

"Do you need a place to stay? My house isn't that far," Jack declared.

"No, I have…" but what exactly she did have was something Kate herself didn't know.

"Really, it's no trouble. Just for one night. It can't be any better than any hotel around here. I could get you something to eat too," Jack offered, sounding a tad hopeful.

Kate's stomach let out a groan when he mentioned the word food. She had forgotten just how hungry she had been only a few moments before. They met each other's eye, and shared a laugh.

"I guess that wouldn't hurt. But only one night, I don't want to be a burden," she relented, though she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay only one night. She had only known this man for a few minutes, and already it felt as if they had known each other forever.

Jack laughed. "It's a deal. And for the record," he added, making Kate stop and look back at him, "you won't be a burden."

And with that they walked out of the bar, got into Jack's black Mercedes, and drove away.


A/N: I hope that wasn't too terrible. And I couldn't help myself with Jack's car. I can just see him drive a Mercedes! Please let me know what you think, and I promise I haven't given up with Fragments of Faith!