Chapter 30

Jack finally found Kate in an adjacent clearing, through a thin veil of trees.

"Hey." He smiled as he made his way towards her. The crack of a branch beneath his feet caused her to jump slightly as he approached, and she turned to face him.

"Hey yourself." She returned his gesture affectionately. She reached out her arms towards him as he neared her, and they wrapped their arms warmly around each other in a tight and reassuring embrace.

"Are you alright Kate?" Jack asked her, still not letting go.

"Yeah… I was just thinking about Sawyer." She sighed, her voice faltering slightly, and he noticed that she seemed to be worried about something. "He is going to get better isn't he Jack?" She asked him.

"I won't deny that he has been, and still is very sick Kate." Jack nodded. His tone was grave and he seemed somewhat uncertain – there could after all be no guarantees. This virus was an unknown entity to them all, and there was no real telling what it might yet be capable of. Jack suspected that what they had seen of it over the past few days may have only been the tip of the iceberg – as was so often the case with many other tropical diseases.

"But there's no reason why with sufficient support and medical attention, even in this hostile environment, he cannot make a full recovery." He smiled – trying to assure himself of this fact as much as he was Kate – but she seemed to buy into his charade of false confidence.

"Good… I'm glad." She grinned, looking deep into his dark brown eyes, and he starred lovingly back at her. It seemed that neither of them could really believe the series of extraordinary circumstances that had brought them together.

"How's Locke?" She asked him.

"He's in a lot of pain." Jack explained. "But he'll live. I'm pretty sure we found him in time… things could have been a lot worse. I don't think he's bleeding internally, and so if we can manage his pain and keep him still long enough to give his body time to recover I shouldn't need to operate again – but it's good to know that if the need arises it is possible to carry out a successful surgery, and for the patient to recover – despite the risks, and all the additional stress it causes me." He smiled.

He wrapped his arms around her again, and the two stood in silence for a while – warming each other where their two bodies touched, despite the cool wind blowing. Jack made a note to cover Locke with a thin blanket when they got back to camp, but for now he was content in Kate's company – assured that John was asleep and would therefore be alright for the moment. There were after all others keeping an eye on him. They knew where Jack was and would come and get him if there was any change to his condition.

There was however one thing which still troubled Jack about his relationship with Kate. He wasn't sure that it was right to raise it with her – she appeared so content for the first time since they'd all crashed on this island – and he didn't want to be the one to spoil her happiness. But he knew that he could never give himself over to her completely unless he could be sure that it really was him that she loved.

"Kate, do you regret choosing me over Sawyer?" He asked her finally, breaking the silence that had elapsed between them.

Kate immediately turned around to look at him – disentangling herself from his embrace. She appeared shocked by his question and there was a concerned frown upon her face. "Where's all this come from?" She asked him.

Jack shrugged.

"I just need to know." He said quietly.

She smiled.

"I love you Jack." She replied softly, resting her head gently on his warm shoulder, and taking him by the hand – squeezing it hard. "Nothing is going to change that. I cannot deny that there is a connection between me and Sawyer that may never go away, and yes there is a part of me that loves him, but not in the way that I love you. I know that now, and Sawyer's just going to have to learn to accept that. I chose you Jack…" She smiled. "Sometimes I think it's been you all the time. I just don't think I realised it until recently. Does that sound corny?" She laughed.

"Maybe just a little." Jack nodded. There was a playful smile upon his face. "But I love you too Kate." He said as he planted a gentle kiss upon top of her forehead and pulled her closer to him.

He felt Kate shiver in his arms as the air grew colder, and an icy breeze caressed her bare flesh.

"It's getting late." Jack whispered. "We should be getting back to the others soon."

"No." She shook her head, taking his arms and drawing him back towards her as he pulled away slightly. "Let's stay here a while longer. The moment will be over soon enough, let's not rush anything." She implored him.

If Kate had of had her way she would have been quite happy for this moment between them to last forever – suspended in time for all eternity – but failing that she was determined to make it last for as long as possible. She couldn't recall ever being as happy in her life before as she felt now. Jack complimented her – he made her whole.

Jack glanced back briefly, through the trees, at the silent form of Locke sleeping silently under the tree they had found him under earlier. He hadn't moved in hours, but the others had built the campfire close by to try and keep him warm. It was now burning bright, and Michael and Sayid were sitting with him, talking amongst themselves as they kept a close eye.

"Yeah, sure." He smiled, and nodded – Locke was obviously in safe hands for now – and they weren't very far away.

As Kate kissed him tenderly on the lips – her skin soft and passionately supple – something told him that things would never be quite the same again – they both had something bigger to live for now – each other, and that was alright with him.

A change was taking place deep within Kate's soul too – filling her with pure joy as she realised that she was finally free. She had been running from her painful past all these years, right into the open arms of a much brighter future – she just hadn't realised it at the time.

But she didn't have to run anymore.

She still felt guilty about Sawyer – who she had come to realise really did love her in his own way – and Tom would never leave her completely – but she could now feel the pain associated with his memory washing away.

"Thank You." She whispered quietly into Jack's ear, but he failed to respond as he held her tightly to him. His silence said it all – that he would never leave her, that he needed her as much as she needed him. He loved her, and he would keep her safe and on the straight and narrow from now on. So long as they both had each other neither would ever be alone again.

Jack was safe. He was dependable. He was exactly what she needed – and in that moment Kate knew that she had made the right choice.

End.