A/N: Sorry, no new chapters yet, but here is the edited version of Chapter 4. It's a little longer, and slightly more in-depth. Bear with me while I get Chapter 5 written!

As we walk in silence, I try to keep track of our surroundings, just in case. I try to slow my pace slightly, so Kate can walk beside me and not feel pressured to keep up. Normally our strides are evenly matched, but with her in this state she is walking much slower than usual. There is still a part of me that wants to abandon her, screw all this protective crap, and go back to what I used to be; caring only for myself. Immediately, guilt courses through me. I know that I could never leave her to fend for herself, she would never survive. I smile knowing that she would vehemently protest otherwise.

Finding a small stream, we stop for water. There is colour in her cheeks, I am relieved to see, and her eyes have regained their spark. She notices me staring, and smiles coyly, 'Like what you see?'

I have to laugh at her too-obvious-to-be-serious flirting, and reply, 'Well, Freckles, for a girl who's been locked away for near two months and just drank a bottle of poison, I have to admit you're lookin' pretty damn good.' I hope that if I joke about our imprisonment, the pain will ease, but for now it remains as prominent in my heart as ever.

She smiles again at my good-natured response, and I realise how comfortable I feel in her presence. For the first time since Cassie, I find myself falling for a girl, a woman, without any warning. What started out as playful flirting has become so much more; I can only hope that she feels it in return. And this time it's for real. No cons, no cheating. Not like the last time, or the time before that.

Noticing the rain clouds beginning to gather once more overhead, I suggest we continue walking, and we fall once more into companionable silence.

Suddenly I become aware of the fact that we are not alone, and sure enough, I hear whispers, those ominous voices filling my head. Covering my ears, trying to block them out, it is not long before I realise that Kate is no longer just behind me.

'Freckles?' No response. 'Kate?'

Fear begins to creep into my thoughts. Trying to think rationally, I turn back and begin retracing my steps. Knowing that I can't track worth a damn, I growl my frustration, cursing the jungle, the island, myself for losing her. Why did I bring her with me? Locked away, she was relatively safe, at least from monsters and spirit whispers. Now she's missing and it's all my fault. I think of how much I've come to enjoy, even rely on her company; her easy banter, her cautious smile.

You let her get to you, didn't you?

Remember the last time you let a woman get under your skin?

You don't, can't feel anything for her.

I berate myself, knowing that it's true. I have come to genuinely care for her, possibly even- no, I can't let myself think that.

Hearing a rustling in the trees, I spin around, and follow the noise, keeping my hand on the stolen gun. As I come to a clearing in the jungle, I do a double take. Standing in front of me, healthy and glossy, is a horse. Kate's horse. Thinking back to the summers spent on my uncle's ranch, I remember my horse, Whisper. He was a beautiful stallion, as wild as the fields he roamed, and yet somehow he trusted me. Maybe I have a way with animals, maybe he sensed that I was the same as him. Either way, I would ride him endlessly throughout the summer, only returning when dusk fell. This horse, who Kate seems to know, might be able to lead me to her. I approach slowly, relaxed, knowing that animals can sense emotions, especially those intended to hurt. Reaching out, I touch his silky coat, and note how healthy he is, despite living on a tropical island quite unsuited to horses.

The heavens open, and the rain begins to pour as I let the horse nuzzle my shoulder, before it turns and trots into the undergrowth. Following quickly, not letting it leave my sight, the horse leads me to the bottom of a muddy bank. I look around, and when I glance over my shoulder, the horse has vanished.

Seeing a flash of white in the mud, I run over to find Kate curled up like a child. She is shaking, her eyes closed, and as I touch her she recoils. It hurts me more than I would have imagined having her shrink away from me.

'Kate?'

'No, no, don't touch me, no,' she is sobbing, her voice a hoarse whisper and childlike, and I realise she is dreaming.

'Kate, it's me, Sawyer,' I try to shake her awake, but she cries more, and I despair at what to do. 'Kate, wake up.'

'No!' She shouts unexpectedly, and this is enough. She is obviously in pain, and I can't bear seeing her hurt. Despite her protests, I take her in my arms and hold her close, sitting in the mud, stroking her hair until her breathing evens out and her eyes flutter open.

'Hey there, sweetheart,' I smile, my voice gentle and relieved, not wanting to disturb her. 'Had a surprise visit from that horse of yours out in the jungle. Hate to think what would have happened if it hadn't found me and led me to you.'

I wipe the traces of tears from her face, but she jumps as if burned. She looks at me, her face a mask of confusion. Pulling away from me, she stands up and looks around.

'A horse? I…I don't understand,' her eyes are full of fear as she eyes our surroundings. 'Where am I?'

My heart catches on a beat as her question strikes home. I would have thought she was joking, teasing, but the fear in her eyes is so real, I know she's deadly serious. I shake her shoulders, the rain making her hair stick to her cheeks. Pushing her curls away from her face, I make eye contact, unblinking.

'Freckles, Kate, we escaped, remember? Are you sure you didn't bang your head when you fell?'

She looks me in the eye, those beautiful green orbs brimming with tears of bewilderment and apprehension. She glances around, trying to take in her surroundings, before a tentative whisper falls from her lips, barely audible in the downpour.

'Who are you?'