Thank you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 5

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since they escaped. Two weeks since she left him behind. Two weeks since she stopped being herself. She was like a robot. She did everything without thinking. But it was better that way. An empty mind instead of pain and sorrow. She liked it that way.

She kept going into the jungle and picking fruit. She kept helping Sun with her garden. Kept hunting with John. She just kept living. But she also kept going to her favorite place at night. The place where she met him and where she felt whole. She couldn't stop going there. She didn't want to.

They hadn't heard anything from the others. They didn't know whether Jack was alive or not. Everybody had stopped having faith. Everyone had resigned to the idea that Jack was dead. Everyone except her. She was the one to prevent Sayid and Locke from empting his tent in search of something useful or essential. She was the one who kept saying "When Jack comes back…" or "What would Jack think…?". She was the one who still believed in him. Believed that he would come back. But she was the only one.

Her relationship with Sawyer was not the same any more. It was awkward. Sometimes while she was sinking, looking at the ocean, he would come and wrap his arms around her and kiss the top of her head. But she wouldn't speak. She would stay there holding her breath and wishing she could just disappear.

She hated herself for what she did to him. She wished she hadn't. But she couldn't change it. Couldn't change the fact that she had hurt him. Hurt his feelings. She had given him false hope. She had made him thought that she wanted him to be something more than friend. That she loved him. But she didn't. She couldn't. There were times when she wished she could love him. Just be with him without worrying about anything or anyone else. It would be so easy.

But she couldn't.

She didn't mean to kiss him. Didn't mean to sleep with him. She still hadn't figured out why she had done it. She thought it was because of the situation that they were in. Captured, alone, him going to die. She didn't want to believe that she had done it out of pity. "He's going to die so let's give him some pleasure". No. she wanted it. But not for the same reasons he wanted it. She wasn't in love with him. She cared for him. A lot. She even loved him. But only as a friend.

It wasn't that she wasn't attractive to him. She was. But she didn't want a relationship of that kind with him. Because then she would be the same person she used to be before the crash. The bad girl who always end up with the bad boy. She didn't want that any more. She wanted to change. She had already changed. He had changed her.

Jack.

At first she was annoyed by him. Always so perfect. No mistakes. No sins. But later she understood that he wasn't perfect at all. He had flaws like everyone. Made mistakes. Hurt people. But what he did that made a difference was that he tried to fix his mistakes. To make it all right. Not because he wanted to be the hero. No. He just wanted to help. Help everyone. Help her. Even if she didn't deserve it.

But what made him so special to her was that he believed in her. Believed that somewhere deep inside her there was good. And he tried to bring it out. Sometimes he succeeded but other times she just pushed him away. She just thought that she wasn't worth his time. That he was wasting his time on something unfeasible. But he kept trying. And that's why she needed him.

She didn't know if she loved Jack. But she knew that whenever he approached her she always smiled. Always felt the butterflies in her stomach going in battle. She hated it when she lied to him or disobeyed him. But most of all she hated it when she let him down. The look on his face was unforgettable and always made her heart break. But she couldn't help it. In the end all she could be was a disappointment.

Now all she could think about was if he was okay. If he was coming back. She didn't even dare to think what Jack would say if he knew about her and Sawyer. Would he be jealous? Would he be mad at her? Would he be disgusted by her? Or would he just ignore it? Not give a damn about it? No. she couldn't think like that. For now, all that mattered was his survival. His return. When he would be back she would explain to him. She would tell him everything. But now she only could wait. Wait for him.

"Hey Kate!!!"

It was Locke.

"I'm going boar hunting. Wanna join?" he asked.

She thought about it a moment.

"Sure" she replied and went to grab her stuff.

It had been an hour since they had gone. Everything at the beach was normal. Quite. Until Charlie saw something. Someone. He tried to see who it was. And when he realized he started screaming.

"It's Jack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody turned to look. And yes. It was him. Jack.

He was walking along the beach. He looked tired. Tortured. He was looking down. Didn't even bring his head up when people started screaming and cheering. He was in his own world.

In the meantime Charlie and the rest of the people were delirious. They were yelling, laughing and celebrating. But someone was missing. Someone who'd die just to see Jack approaching. And Sun was the one to notice that Kate wasn't there. She had gone with Locke into the jungle. But she was supposed to be here by now. So where was she?

Suddenly she and Locke emerged from the jungle. Both looking exhausted and disappointed for not catching anything.

Jack was closer now. Still looking at the ground.

Sun ran quickly to Kate.

"Kate!!!!!!!!"

"What's wrong ?" she asked worried.

"Look!!!!!" she replied smiling and pointed Jack.

Kate froze. Couldn't move, couldn't do anything. Just stared at him.

He was walking slowly. Head down.

She started walking towards him. Still not speaking. Just looking at him.

They were about 10 meters apart when he looked up. He saw her and stopped walking. He was looking straight at her, million thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't stop looking at her. Couldn't move. So he just stayed there.

She was stunned too. By now tears had started running down her face but she just couldn't take her eyes off of him.

Finally something snapped at her. And she did the first thing that popped into her head. She ran to him.

After a second she was in his arms. Her hands were around his neck and his wrapped around her so tight, afraid she'd let go. But she didn't. Her face buried into his neck, crying, the only thing she could and wanted to do was hold him and never let go. They were both crying now. His hands now had settled behind her head, underneath her wild curls and hers clutching at his shirt.

Everybody else was looking at them amused. Charlie and Hurley were hugging each other, Claire was holding Aaron tears of joy streaming down her face, Sun was holding Jin's hand she too crying and generally for once everybody looked happy. Even Sawyer was happy to see him. After all, he had saved his life. Again.

After a while Jack realized that they were holding each other for a while now so he decided to break the hug. Even if he didn't want to. He pushed her back a little so that he could look into her eyes. And what he saw thrilled him. She was happy. Happy to see him. Happy to have him back. Tears were still pouring from her eyes so he just whipped them.

"Hey" he whispered.

"Hey" she replied smiling at him.

And then he looked up and saw everyone.

And suddenly everybody was around him, hugging him even kissing him. But he didn't care. God he had missed them. All of them. Even the ones who used to annoy him to death.

Kate left his side. He would talk to him later. For now all that mattered was that he was back. And that he was okay. Everything else could wait till later.

That's it… If you thing it's awful just say it… no hard feelings…