Temporarilymisplaced - Glad you're giving it a chance. Jacob will have many appearances. =]
Lostcandy - Ah, the case. Fortunately there are minor things that will be much easier for Kate now. x]

Wow, so...I either lost my reviewers due to a slow day, a very boring chapter and/or a controversial subject, or ALL of you really did go on vacation! I shoulda went to camp this week while everyone is gone!
Fortunately, as long as I have at least 1 review per chapter...this fic will go on until the end! But uh...I would like plenty of reviews, thx. I see how many alert lists I'm on. ^.-

Here's the second part. Enjoy!

My mind was swimming and I didn't have time for his. Sawyer had taken off in the jungle and I was left struggling to get my shoes on as fast as I could. In a way, chasing after him again seemed rather pointless. I had taken the plane and burned it after Jack had asked me to marry him. I needed something solid and reliable right now though. Not even Jack could fit that.

Part of me was focused on Charlie's memorial being held at the beach and how I should be there instead of chasing down Sawyer or having conversations with Jacob - who I currently despised. I killed him and I couldn't even bring myself to go to his funeral. It made me utterly disgusted with myself.

The other part of me was focused on Jacob and his nonsense. He did have a point though. If that was his version of God, how could I possibly believe he was God? Even after all that happened on the island, I couldn't wrap my mind around his version of how the Earth was made. It's not like I believe first there was nothing then nothing exploded in the middle of space to make Earth. I didn't really believe anything because it wasn't important to me. - What he said about the convenience store struck something in me. I had no clue what he was talking about but I felt like I should. I shook it off as a feeling similar to the one I had when I thought I might die. I was curious about good and evil though; about black and white. I didn't carry that stone around in my pocket simply to help gravity keep me on Earth.

"Damnit, Sawyer." I couldn't run very fast because every part of my body ached. I also knew he thought of this as some kind of game and if I took off after him I'd only be increasing the fun on his part. So, I walked at a decent speed toward the beach. When I got there, I wasn't surprised to see waves washing several things out to sea. People should have been more careful about where they put their stuff.

"Where were you today, Kate?" Jack came jogging up to me. He looked concerned, but he also looked rather angry. "You just wander off into the jungle after what happened to Claire and Charlie? After what happened to you?"

I stopped and glanced at him then sighed. "I'm fine, Jack. It wasn't like I was alone. Sawyer was with me." I paused. "Speaking of Sawyer, have you seen him?"

"I thought you just said he was with you," Jack stated.

"He was," I replied. "But he took off." I glanced up and down the beach then looked at Jack. "Before the marshal died, his wallet was lying on the floor. Do you know what happened to it?"

"What does that have to do with…"

"I just need something out of it." I shifted from one foot to the other, ignoring the need to sit down.

"Out of the marshal's wallet?" Jack confirmed.

I nodded my head a bit impatiently. "Yes."

"I picked it up sometime after he died," Jack said. "It's somewhere in the cave. I don't see what you would need out of…Hey." He grabbed my good arm and pulled me back as I began to walk away. "Don't go through everything, Kate. We can find it later when I'm not busy."

"It's not like I'm going to make a mess," I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him. I hated when he treated me like I was a little kid. "I have things to do right now anyway." I pulled away from him and made my way over to Sawyer's shelter, not bothering to glance back.

Sawyer appeared to be asleep, the case between his knees. I stood in the door way. "I'll make you an offer for it," I said, trying to play things his way.

His eyes opened. "What do you have to offer me?" he asked.

I paused to think then shrugged my shoulders. "Name something and I'll tell you if I can get it for you. You're not the only one with a stash, James. I have my fair share hidden away too."

"Tell me your hiding place and I'll give you the case."

I smiled. "Nice try. I won't tell you where everything is. I don't have cigarettes or porn either."

"Damn, Girl, you don't got much, do ya?" He shifted so he was sitting up and repositioned the case beside him. "Wouldn't have happened to have found some alcohol in any of those suitcases you stole from, huh?" He paused. "Earlier you were callin' me disgusting for…"

"I found some beer in one of them," I stated. "That work for you? Only a few cans."

He leaned back and grinned. "Freckles, you bring me beer and I'll trade you whatever the hell you want."

"Deal?"

"Deal."

----------

"Please. Please. Please." I had taken apart nearly half the pantry was now putting it back together and still searching. I couldn't take back what I said, but there didn't appear to be any beer -or any sort of alcohol for that matter- in the hatch. Either Desmond had drank it all or there was never any to begin with.

"Sometimes it's better to ask around if you need something."

I jumped and placed my hand on my chest then spun around to face Jacob. "You scared me." My eyes traveled to the two cans of Dharma Beer he was holding - one in each hand. I glanced up at him and smirked. "I thought God was against drinking."

"I never said I was God." He placed the cans on the shelf then walked out of the pantry.

"Jacob?" This walking away from me was beginning to become a habit I was not fond of. I started to follow him but doubled back for the beer again before jogging from the pantry. "Hey!" I rounded the corner and smacked into Desmond, nearly dropping the cans.

"Kate, did you…" He glanced at the beer in my hands. "Where did you get that?"

I internally panicked. "Gotta go! I'm late!" I jogged away.

"Late?" He called after me. "What could you possibly be late for on an island?!"

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"Dharma Beer?" Sawyer examined the beer can carefully. "Freckles, what the hell is this?"

"Beer." I grinned triumphantly. "It's a generic brand, but you really weren't all that specific."

"I really wasn't all that specific," he muttered under his breath. "Well, when you said beer, I thought you meant somethin' I actually heard of before!"

"A deal's a deal, James, now hand over the case." I grabbed for it but he grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him.

"Ya brought two of 'em. Ya ain't gonna stick around and have a drink with me?" He let go of my arm again.

I smiled. "Sorry. I'm not much of a beer drinker," I lied. I grabbed the case and walked away from him with a grin on my face. Jacob was almost like having my own personal Easy Button.

"You ain't even gonna tell me what's inside?!" He called after me.

----------

"What are you looking for in the wallet, Kate?" Jack pulled it out of a pile of things. "What's in the case?"

"I was going to tell you about it earlier but you were a little busy." I walked outside our cave and took a seat against the wall. I glanced around, satisfied when I didn't see anyone. I waited until Jack took a seat beside me. "There's guns in here," I said. "Guns, ammo, and something of mine."

"Something of yours?" He opened the wallet and retrieved the key before taking the case from me. "You wanna tell me what it is?"

"It's nothing important, Jack." It wasn't that I felt compelled to lie, but I honestly didn't see why it was any of his business. "You should be more worried about the weapons." I watched as he opened it, rubbing my hands up and down the legs of my jeans. I had never expected to see my only connection to Tom again. It seemed to take forever for him to open the case and begin going through the things. My eyes were glued to the envelope labeled 'Personal Effects'.

"This what you wanted?" It was the last thing he took out of the case, almost like he left it in there the whole time just to torture me. He opened it and pulled out a green-wrapped package then handed it to me.

I took it from him gently. It felt lighter than I remembered. I pulled open the tape and unwrapped it only to reveal more green paper inside the package. My eyes burned with tears as I just stared at it.

Jack was staring too. I could feel the pity radiating off of him. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

I suddenly felt very alone. I didn't have Tom and I really didn't even have Jack. I knew he was asking about the package, but I wanted him to love me again so much I felt compelled to give him some sort of truth. "I killed Charlie," I whispered.

"What?" He got to his feet, taken aback. "What are you talking about, Kate?"

"He was lying on the ground. I was swinging back and forth holding the knife with my feet, trying to stab Ethan." It sounded like a really poor plan now that I said it out loud. "It slipped." It also sounded more real now that I said it out loud. "Jack, I'm sorry." I pressed my hands to my eyes as I got my emotions under control. Silence. "Jack?" I lifted my head to find he had disappeared into the cave.

"He needed to know, Kate." Jacob approached me from the side and grabbed my hand. He placed the toy plane on my palm and curled my fingers around it.

I didn't bother calling after him as he left again. I realized that was pointless. After a few deep breaths, I got to my feet. I was about to walk inside when Jack came back out with my stuff. "Jack, what are you doing?" I asked. "It was an accident!"

"All the stuff I have to worry about here, Kate," he said. "We're crashed on an island. God knows when rescue will come. You're a distraction. You move into my cave and distract me and then you go and kill one of us."

"Jack, I…" I stared at him, my mouth half open in disgust. "You asked me to move here!"

"Yeah, well, it was a mistake. It's not like you're my wife. You're not even my girlfriend." He dropped my things at my feet. He turned to leave then spun around again. "What the hell were you thinking trying to stab Ethan while holding a knife with your feet with Charlie there?!"

The first part of what he said hit a nerve and I burst into tears. "I wasn't thinking!" I yelled back then lowered my voice. "I was scared…Jack, please." I felt sick and the quiet sobs that were starting to escape me didn't make it any better. I hung my head as my shoulders began to shake. "I want to go home."

"This is your home now," Jack replied. "The beach is your home now." He walked back inside his cave, leaving me to cry.