Thanks for reviewing, Guys!!! So right now...Kate is kinda just figuring things out. It'll stop following the short quite as closely as time goes on. I can't seem to keep things past tense. So my bad if I missed a place where I accidentally switched into present.

Sometime later, I stood at the frozen donkey wheel. My legs were numb from the journey there and I felt like I could pass any at any moment. I slouched against the wall, my entire body shaking with pain and exhaustion. It was a slow death, but I knew my life was slowly leaking out of me along with the blood that now soaked what looked to be every area of my torn up clothing. I wanted to start crying again, but I knew I had to be stronger than that. "What are we doing here, Jacob?" I muttered hoarsely, bracing myself for whatever his answer was going to be.

"You're going to push that wheel and then you're going to fix things, Eve." Jacob let Jack's body rest on the cold floor beneath us. He sat down beside him in the corner and looked at me.

I laughed because it was the only response I could think of in a situation like this. "And what about the two of you?" I asked, glancing at Jacob but not being able to bring myself to look at Jack.

"It's too late for us. We're already dead. Your job is to make sure that that doesn't happen again this time." Jacob smiled and ran his hand over his hair. "This is your only chance. If you mess up, it's all over for good."

I honestly didn't understand a word he was saying to me. "So I just push that wheel and everything will work out?" I confirmed.

"Not quite," Jacob answered. "You're still going to have to make sure everything works out. Go ahead, now, push it."

I grinned in spite of myself. "This place is crazy." I pushed myself away from the wall and put my hands on the wheel. It was cold to the touch and I almost had to let go of it because I felt like my hands were going to freeze off. "I'm just going to push this and it's all going to be good." I laughed and shook my head. "This place is impossible." I shoved my full weight against the wheel, using whatever strength I felt I had. It barely budged. "You're not going to help me, are you?" I asked taking a moment to catch my breath.

"I can't really do that," Jacob commented. "I'd be breaking the rules. Push."

I threw everything I had into pushing that wheel. It started moving. I groaned and attempted to push harder until I suddenly fell forward. I expected to hit the ground, but instead I just kept falling for what seemed like forever. Then everything turned black.

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I felt a warm breeze ruffling my hair. The air brought with it the smell of salt water, smoke, and gasoline. Eyes closed, I angrily lifted my hand and smashed it down on what I expected to be a freezing, hard floor. A twig cracked under my palm and a few smalls leaves scattered from the sudden rush of air that came from my falling hand. I gasped and opened my eyes, staring up at the blue sky and waving palm leaves above me. My breath caught in my throat. These surroundings, this moment in time was all too familiar to me. I had replayed it over and over in my mind thousands of times in the past few months.

I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position, noting that my body was sore but nowhere near as intensely painful as it had been just moments before. Glancing down to examine myself, I let out a sharp cry. My clothes were no longer ripped and there was no longer any traces of blood. My wrists were red with handcuff marks that had faded ages ago. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words seemed to be able to sum up my feelings. I wasn't even sure of my feelings.

I leapt to my feet, wanting to cry out in anguish, rage, and complete and utter joy. Instead I was silent, furiously rubbing at the tears that were burning my eyes. I took a few steps to my right, feeling a tug in that general direction. I froze. I knew what was in direction. I turned and ran to the left, my mind vaguely questioning how this whole destiny thing worked. If Jack was to the right and I ran to the left…I halted and nearly fell forward as I approached a small clearing. Jack stood against a tree, trying to examine a deep cut on his side. This was impossible. It couldn't be happening. I turned to the right, getting ready to run in that direction again to see if once more I'd run into him. I was ready to take off, but his voice stopped me.

"Excuse me!"

I turned to face him, rubbing the marks on my wrist. I was hit by an intense feeling of dejavu. I couldn't count the number of times I had also replayed this very moment in my head. It may have been one of the most important instants of my pathetic life.

"Did you ever use a needle?" He asked.

There was this desperate look in his eyes. I fumbled for words. "What?" I knew what he had just said.

"Did you ever…patch a pair of jeans?" He tried again.

I had the first few sentences we ever spoke memorized. I had to fight back a smile so as not to confuse him. "I, um, I made the drapes in my apartment."

"That's fantastic," Jack replied. "Listen, do you have a second? I could use a little help now."

I wondered what it was really like to tamper with destiny, despite that I apparently already helped doing it. I got to the point where I forgot what I had said to him before and I felt like an idiot playing dumb. I knew what he needed help with. "Sure," I said softly, walking over to him.

He looked at me pleadingly and my heart went out for him. A few months ago, we didn't even know each others' names yet. We were just two simple people, in shock and waiting for someone to come and save us from wherever we had crashed. He had no idea what he was about to face. I knew what everyone on that plane was about to face.

He handed me a bottle of liquor. I didn't have a confused look on my face like the last time. I opened it and dumped half on my hands then handed it back to him before he even had to ask me to save some. "Standard black?" A small smile crept onto my face as I picked up the sewing kit.

He chuckled and nodded his head. "Standard black." He took a seat and closed his eyes, wincing and taking in a deep breath as he dumped the rest of the liquor on his wound.

The familiar feeling of nausea returned as I knelt beside him with the sewing needle. I knew he was trying not to move as I begin to stitch him up. "I might throw up on you," I warned him. I knew I wouldn't.

Jack shook his head. "You're doing fine."

His words sounded so familiar in my head. I wondered how we were able to just repeat all we had already said. "At least you're not afraid," I switched up my words but made sure to give the same general idea. Some things were so minor but I knew a story was coming that was going to be of major importance later on.

Jack smiled softly. "Well, fear's sort of an odd thing. When I was in residency my first solo procedure was a spinal surgery on a 16 year old kid, a girl. And at the end, after 13 hours, I was closing her up and I, I accidentally ripped her dural sac, shredded the base of the spine where all the nerves come together, membrane as thin as tissue. And so it ripped open and the nerves just spilled out of her like angel hair pasta, spinal fluid flowing out of her and I: and the terror was just so crazy. So real. And I knew I had to deal with it." Tears ran down his face and I still had no idea if it was from pain or the memory. But he continued with his story. " So I just made a choice. I'd let the fear in, let it take over, let it do its thing, but only for 5 seconds, that's all I was going to give it. So I started to count, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Then it was gone. I went back to work, sewed her up and she was fine."

I glanced at him, unable to say anything. Tears stung my eyes and I worked on sewing up his wound in silence. "All done," I whispered finally, tying the end of the thread in a knot then clipping it with the miniature pair of scissors that had been in the kit. I got to my feet and forced a smile at him then offered my hand down to help him up.

He smiled at me and took my hand though he pretty much got to his feet all by himself. "Thank you," he said.

I nodded my head. "We should probably go find the others," I commented. I knew people were screaming bloody murder and running for their lives back on the beach. "There's still people we can help, right?"

"I think it's all taken care of," Jack answered.

I glanced at him and took in the solemn look on his face. "Right." Those who were dead were dead and those who were alive were at least alive for now. And the marshal was lying somewhere with a piece of shrapnel in his side. I shuddered at the thought. "So, you're a doctor," I commented. "A surgeon." Hardcore spinal surgeon Jack made me smile. "We can at least check out the people who are injured."

He looked at me and nodded his head. "There's quite a few of those. Come on." He headed towards the beach with me trailing behind him like a lost puppy.

I couldn't have myself doing that anymore. Following him like that had gotten me nowhere good in the past. I quickened my speed so I was walking beside him.

"What happened to your wrists?" He questioned, glancing at them. "Did that come from the crash?"

I gave him a confused look then also glanced down at my wrists. Oh. "Yeah," I replied. There was a burning in my chest as I answered. I had already begun with the lies that had ruined our relationship quite a few times. I knew he was bound to find out I was a criminal shortly, but I wanted to savor the moments that he didn't know. Right now, I was just an innocent women who had been on the same plane as he had. Right now, he would have never believed that I had done the things I had done. I crossed my arms across my chest to hide the marks then just shoved my hands in the pockets of my pants, staring down at my feet as I walked.

He seemed to be able to sense my awkwardness. "Sorry." It sounded more to me like a question than a statement.

"It's fine." I didn't want to continue with this conversation. Not right now. We approached the beach and the sight was heart wrenching to me. I couldn't look at what was left of our plane or the bodies that had died in the crash. I could barely look at those who had survive and I knew were going to die eventually on the island. Jack led me over to where they had taken those that were injured. He spent hours working on those who needed his help. Sometime after the sun went down, he began examining the man I knew as Edward Mars. I could honestly say it was less than pleasant to see the man alive again. I didn't question about his injuries because I already knew he was going to die. "I was sitting next to him on the plane," I commented, holding a hand over my mouth.

Jack glanced up at me. "He's a US Marshall," he said.

I felt like it was accusing, but I knew it was an innocent comment. He had no idea why I had been sitting next to that man on the plane. "I know," I replied. I could have told him right then I was the prisoner he was escorting back to the US. "We talked a bit."

Jack smiled and nodded. "I talked to the person beside me too." He turned and nodded to Rose. The older, dark-skinned lady was sitting down the beach, clutching a necklace and crying. He stared at her for a moment then looked down.

"You're worried about her," I commented. "Things will work out for her."

"I hope so."

"Be an optimist," I told him. "It's the only thing to do in a situation like this." I wanted to make him believe in himself and have hope. If it was up to me, some stuff was going to change on this island. "It's what'll keep us going."

He seemed to ignore my comment as he got to his feet and brushed his hands off on his pants. "It's dark out. People have started making fires. You look like you could sit down for awhile."

I nodded my head and gave Edward one last glance. My face paled and I didn't know what was wrong with me. No part of me wanted to save the life of that man. Then I realized, that was what was wrong with me. I had undergone so many changes and I should have wanted to save him. I knew he was going to die though and I didn't care.

"You coming?" Jack had started walking toward a fire that someone had abandoned.

"Yeah." I tore my eyes away from the sight in front of me and caught up with him, walking over to the fire. I sat down beside him, realizing how much I missed these days. It was just an innocent friendship between Jack and I and I didn't even know who Sawyer was. I picked up a leaf and began examining it then bent it a bit to make it look like a plane.

Jack chuckled and held out his land, looking the leaf over when I handed it to him. "Amazing artwork," he teased. "Looks just like our plane. One hundred percent."

I rolled my eyes. I also missed his humor. "You want me to re-enact the crash with it?" I went to grab it from him, but he held it out of my reach. I grinned, remembering last time he had made the plane and explained it. "Give me that." I grabbed it from him and swatted his hand away when he tried to grab it back. "We had to have been at least 40,000 feet when it happened," I started.

"We hit an air pocket," he added.

"Hey," I stopped him. "This is my explanation." Okay, so really it was his explanation, but he didn't need to know that. "We hit an air pocket," I continued, unable to help but smirk. "Dropped maybe 200 feet." I moved the plane with my hand for emphasis. "The turbulence was…"

"I blacked out," Jack cut me off.

Changing destiny was harder than I thought it would be. I wanted to clear my throat and shoot him a look that clearly let him know I was the one supposed to be talking. He didn't know me yet though and I didn't want to come across as rude. "I didn't," I answered. "I saw the whole thing. I knew the tail was gone, but I couldn't bring myself to look back. And then the front end of the plane broke off."

"Well, it's not here on the beach," Jack commented. "And neither is the tail. We need to find out which way we came in."

"If you're thinking about finding the cockpit…" I knew it was a waste of a trip.

"If there's a chance we could find the cockpit and it's intact, we might be able to find the transceiver. We might be able to send out a signal, help the rescue party find us." Jack glanced toward the jungle.

Back then what had seemed like a wonderful idea now seemed like the stupidest thing I had ever heard in my entire life. "There's probably too much wreckage," I said. This was one trip I really didn't want any of us to have to repeat. "I mean, look at things here. If this was the cockpit, we'd probably never find the transceiver." So much for telling him to be optimistic.

"It's worth a shot though," Jack replied. "I'm going to head through the valley tomorrow; see if I can find anything."

"I'll go with you," I stated. Maybe a meeting with good ole Smokey could answer some of the questions that I had about what I was supposed to be doing with my second chance.

"I don't even know your name," Jack commented, breaking me from my thoughts.

I grinned, despite feeling rather hurt. "I'm Kate," I introduced myself.

"Jack," he responded, smiling back at me.

My smile slowly faded. I wanted to tell him that I already knew his name. I wanted to let him in on everything I knew. I wanted to tell him all about me, all about himself, all about everyone around us, every singe event, every little detail about what was about to happen to us…I wanted to tell him. Was I allowed to do that though? I hesitantly opened my mouth but the sound of screeching metal interrupted me. It might have been a sign to keep quiet. Everyone turned frantically toward the jungle. I turned too, just a bit more calmly.

"What was that?" Shannon asked.

For the first time, I was able to look at her. I could almost see her dead and I had to turn away. That was one thing I'd have to get over. I'd have to detach myself from certain people. I looked at Jack again. We got to our feet and walked toward the jungle.

"That was weird, right?" Charlie asked.

"Was that Vincent?!" Walt leapt to his feet then slowly began to head toward the jungle.

Michael got up to quickly follow him. "It's not Vincent."

I tore my eyes away from Jack. I looked over at the father and son, feeling bad for them. I knew they'd never really get the chance to connect like they should. I started thinking about how I might be able to change that when trees started moving and getting smashed down.

"Did anybody see that?" Claire took a step forward, staring wide-eyed into the jungle.

I looked over at her. I almost expected to see Aaron in her arms. First I almost expected to see him as a baby. Then I almost expected to see him as a toddler, running over to me to hold my hand. I almost expected to see my son, but then I realized he was still in his biological mother's stomach. Just as Hurley walked up to us to agree that he'd seen it too, I turned and walked away. It wasn't until my back was to them that tears began streaming down my face. I had to get away. Suddenly, I was running away from everything again.

When I was far enough away from everyone, I lowered myself to the sand and buried my face in my hands. Sobbing silently, I just couldn't believe it. I hadn't even thought about Claire being pregnant with Aaron. With her son who was very much my own son. I didn't know how I was going to deal with that. Was it worth avoiding Claire? No, because now I felt an even stronger need to protect her and the baby she was carrying. I felt like an idiot, but I leant forward and cried for my loss. I was still grieving.

I didn't know how long I sat there. It might have been two minutes or it might have been two hours. When my sobs finally subsided and I looked up again, people were beginning to settle down at the fires they had built. I got to my feet and wiped my eyes with my hands then knelt down and washed my face off with sea water in hopes of making it look less like I had been bawling my eyes out over a child who didn't even exist yet. I dried my face with my shirt then wandered back toward the campfire Jack and I had been at.

The sight of the doctor fast asleep struck me as ironic. I wondered if this was the only time he would actually sleep, unless I had to drug him again. A blanket was folded beside him and I smile and picked it up then spread it across the sand and lied down. I watched as his chest rose and fell steadily, being reminded of those nights at home when we fell asleep in each other's arms. "I still love you, Jack," I whispered, barely even able to hear myself as I said it. I rolled so my back was to him and shut my eyes.

----------

I woke up around the same time Jack did, knowing he would easily leave without me if I was still asleep. I watched as he groggily got up then headed over to some abandoned suitcases. I figured he was probably trying to find stuff we might need on the trip. I glanced down at my feet, already knowing I wasn't going to go hiking like this. I felt disgusting, knowing I was going to steal shoes from the dead. I made sure Jack wasn't watching me then walked over to the body I had taken the shoes from the last time. I didn't know why, but I double checked the size on them. I was forced to smile, knowing that the person's feet obviously had not changed.

I could feel Locke's eyes on me and I turned to look back at him. We stared at each other for a moment before he smiled at me, that orange in his mouth just as it had been last time. It wasn't a grin, but simply a gesture of comfort and understanding. Before, I had given him a slightly disgusted look and he glanced away. This time, I smile back at him. Not a crazy, Oh My Goodness I'm Stealing Shoes From Dead People!, smile; simply a polite gesture back. Instead of looking away this time, he gave a slight wave. I waved back and got to my feet, giving him one last glance before bending down to change into my new shoes then walking over toward Jack.

Sometime between waking up and getting new shoes, Charlie had joined our expedition. I still hadn't figured how he got there and Jack still seemed less than happy about it. As we started on our trip, I knew there was definitely a few things I needed to change. I walked beside the rock star, a grin on my face. "Can I ask you something?" I questioned.

Charlie looked at me, seeming to get a bit excited. "Me? I'd be thrilled. I've been waiting."

"What's it like being in Drive Shaft?" As much as I loved Drive Shaft, I honestly didn't care what it was like to actually be in the band. I used to listen to their music all the time. Before when I told him my friend Beth loved his band, that was code for I used to have an obsession with his music.

"It's great!" Charlie responded. "I mean, we're all takin' a bit of a break right now, but it's amazing. All the concerts and fans. There's nothing better than being up on that stage while a thousand screaming people are cheering you on." He pointed proudly as his ring. "Second tour of Finland."

"Hey," Jack looked back at them from several feet ahead. He was frowning.

I looked at him. "Sorry. Charlie's famous and we were just discussing his band. We've got to keep moving." I looked at Charlie, feeling a bit bad. "We'll finish talking later. Maybe we'll make Jack into a fan." I laughed, seriously doubting that would ever happen, even if I was here to change things.

"Sounds good!" Charlie replied, following me as I picked up speed to catch up to Jack.

I turned to Jack and was about to speak when all of a sudden the three of us were being pelted with raindrops. The sky grew black before we even knew what was happened. I looked at Charlie, noticing he looked a bit nervous. "This is normal," I assured him. "Day turning into night. End of the world type weather. Sucks being trapped on a tropical island without any umbrellas." We both laughed.

Jack came to a halt in front of me. Not watching where I was going, I crashed into the back of him. We were both not expecting it and he fell forward, me landing on top of him. I blushed and quickly got to my feet. "Sorry." Charlie looked amused. Jack just looked frustrated. By the time I could think of offering my hand down to help him up, he was already getting to his feet. The front of him was covered in mud and I gave him a guilty look.

"Let's do this," he said, turning away from me.

We made our way into the cockpit. It was still tilted upward and I was forced to climb it for a second time in my life. I was careful of what I grabbed onto, not wanting to touch any of the bodies. Jack helped me up and I helped Charlie.

"Let's get this trans…" Charlie's voice trailed off.

"Transceiver," Jack supplied.

"Transceiver thing and get out then," Charlie finished.

I was there for a reason totally different than the transceiver. I already knew how that mission was going to end, and I couldn't say it was going to be particularly enjoyable. As I replayed the pilot being murdered by the monster in my head, Jack was beating on a door. It flew open and a body fell out. I shrieked. I should have been expecting it that time, but it still gave me a shock.

Jack looked at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I nodded my head then quickly looked at Charlie. "You okay?"

It seemed to me like simply being noticed meant the world to him. "I'm fine. Thanks."

I turned and began to follow Jack.

"Hey, you don't have to come up here," he said, glancing back at me.

I smiled. He was already worrying too much about me. "No, I'm good," I assured him. I grabbed his hand and he helped me up. "So what does a transceiver look like?" I asked, deciding to humor him.

"Complicated walkie-talkie," he answered.

I just nod my head. I already knew that much. I glanced at the pilot. "Jack, I think this guy's still alive." I knew he wouldn't be for long. As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the pilot sucks in a deep breath. Jack is immediately by his side and before he can even ask me for a bottle of water, I'm already handing it to him. They begin talking, but I only manage to catch some of it. I know what's being said and it's too much to hear for a second time. I lean against the wall of the plane, running a hand through my hair and just waiting.

"Where's Charlie?" Jack asked finally, looking over at me.

I didn't bother to go look for him. "He stopped by the bathroom," I answered. I glanced out the door just in time to see him coming out and heading toward us. I never figured out what he was really doing in there, but I had a hint now and I felt sorry for him. I was about to talk to him when the plane started shaking. It was what I had been waiting for.

"What the hell was that?" the pilot asked when the monster stopped making noise.

"Kate." Jack motioned me toward him and I did my best to look scared. The plane shook again and I fell into his lap. His arms wrapped securely around my stomach, holding me close against him. This had been slightly new.

"What's out there?" The pilot asked.

I looked at Jack as he motioned for him to stop talking.

A shadow passed over the plane window. Jack was about to get up, but I stayed on his lap and forced him to continue sitting. My hands covered my face. I didn't want to see this again. I kept my eyes tightly shut, but I could still see everything happening in my mind. I was still watching the pilot be killed.

"What the hell just happened?!" Charlie cried at last.

The plane began to shake again and I quickly uncovered my face and grabbed the transceiver. It wasn't getting away this time. I shoved it into Jack's hands just as the plane crashed to the ground.

"We gotta go!" I cried. I jumped to my feet and sprinted out of the plane. Jack and Charlie were somewhere behind me, but I didn't worry about them, knowing they would both end up okay. I cursed as I slipped in the mud again, then I pulled myself up and wondered why the hell I was even running. I threw my hands in the hair in frustration with myself and stomped into the vine shelter I had stood in the first time I was in this position.

"Hey!" I whispered loudly. I seriously doubted the monster would hear me, but Jack and Charlie would think I was crazy if they knew I was calling it over. "Hey! You!" I felt like a fool because I had no idea how else to summon it.

Then it was in front of me. I wasn't quite afraid, more like shocked by it. I narrowed my eyes. "How about you tell me what was going on." Who was I kidding? It didn't speak. I stared into the smoke, holding my breath as images began to appear. "Oh God." I was looking into the caves. I took a step forward, tears stinging my eyes. My lips began to quiver. I was staring at myself, lying on top of Jack's body. It was just like things had originally ended, only Jacob wasn't there helping me. I was bleeding to death and Jack was already dead. I couldn't see him dead again. I couldn't see me mourning over him even as my own life left me. "J-J-Jack!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, thought I knew he was dead and couldn't hear me. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the monster zipping past me. "1. 2. 3. 4. 5." I opened my eyes and let out a breath.

Turning around, I should have known Charlie was going to be there. I forgot and was once again startled, knocking him over onto his back and landing on top of him. I could skip the whole conversation about where Jack was this time. I got to my feet and reached my hand down to help him up. He took it and pulled himself to his feet.

"I heard you shout," Charlie commented. "I heard you shout Jack. I'm Charlie, by the way."

I looked at him, feeling a tad guilty. I could tell now he had some sort of crush on me, but I didn't know what to say. Soon enough, he would find someone else he liked instead. Fortunately, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the pilot's wings. I knew that right above them would be his body. Jack was suddenly beside me and he and Charlie were discussing what was going on around us. I shove the wings into my pocket.

"Guys, how does something like that happen?" Charlie asked.

I could tell even without looking at him he was staring up at the pilot. "I don't know," I lied. "But we should keep going before it happens to us too, huh?" I began walking back toward where we had begun to make camp on the beach.

"A little moody, isn't she?" Charlie whispered, apparently thinking I was out of ear-shot.

I was dazed as we made our way back through the jungle. My thoughts flashed back to Aaron again and it took all of my energy not to cry. Fortunately, Charlie and Jack began to distract me.

"Anything?" Charlie asked for the millionth time.

Jack sighed deeply. "You keep asking if there's anything."

"Pardon me for sounding desperate," Charlie muttered, "But before the pilot was ripped from the cockpit, he did say that no one was going to find us unless we get that transceiver thing working. So, is there anything?"

"No," Jack answered simply.

"Okay." Charlie looked at his feet.

I moved to walk beside Charlie, patting him on the arm. "I'm really glad you came with us," I commented.

"Every trek needs a coward," he answered.

"Trust me, Charlie, you're anything but a coward." I smiled. It might take awhile for him to learn that, but with me around, it might not take so long after all.