Yay, 61 reviews! I'm glad you guys liked the almost kiss. I thought it was time to move their relationship forward, but not too far. (I promise that when they finally kiss, it'll be pretty spectacular, if I keep with the plan I've got in my head.) I know Jack's being frustrating, but I think I explain what his biggest concern is in this chapter. Why he's wary of her encouragement. Since we don't get to hear her thoughts, here, I'll just say that she doesn't understand what his problem is. She knows he still loves her, and that he's attracted to her, so really, she's hurt by the implication that he sees her as damaged goods.

We get to see Sawyer in this chapter, along with some Sana interaction, which I thought would be fun (and a nod to Jack and Ana's friendship). One of my favourite things about their relationship is that Ana doesn't take his crap the way Kate does, so I've tried to capture that here. He's such a petulant child sometimes, I think he needs someone who'll tell him he's being ridiculous, not mother him.

I hope you like the chapter. I hadn't planned on putting it in until you guys kept mentioning Sawyer, but I enjoyed writing it. As always, let me know what you think.

Chapter 18. Not Really A Bad Guy

Though he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he should have kissed Kate at the motel, Jack was determined to put the incident behind them, and enjoy the rest of their evening together. He wouldn't be in town much longer; even if he took the sick days he never seemed to use, it still added up to the same thing: they had another week, at most, unless she came with him to L.A. While there was still a chance that that might not happen, he wanted to make the most of whatever time they had left.

Kate was quiet as they walked to the centre of town, and Jack couldn't help thinking that he'd upset her somehow, though whether it was by almost kissing her, or hesitating, he wasn't sure. She was sending him mixed signals: one day she'd practically be begging him to kiss her, the next, she wouldn't let him touch her, even as a friend. It was confusing, to say the least. His biggest fear was that she was only acting in the way she thought he expected, after Wayne and James; that if he allowed himself to get caught up, he'd find out later that she was only giving him what she thought he wanted in exchange for helping her. And that was something he knew neither of the wanted. He couldn't live with himself if he took advantage of her baggage like that.

She cheered up after a few moments, seeming to come to the same conclusion he had, and would have been fine, if they hadn't run into James on Main Street. He was coming out of one of the restaurants, talking and laughing with a pretty Latino woman Jack assumed was the police officer, his arm around her waist, looking pretty cosy for a couple who'd supposedly only just started dating.

Jack felt Kate tense again beside him, at the sight of James, or his new girlfriend, he wasn't sure. He would have been content to let them go by without another confrontation, but James stopped when he saw them, the spiteful grin Jack had seen at the diner, before both of their previous encounters, lighting up his face. Jack had broken James's nose, and to his primitive mind, stolen his girlfriend, humiliating him in front of a diner full of people. It was giving the other man too much credit to think that he could walk away without incident.

"Well, well, well," James said, sidling up to them, a flesh-coloured bandage on the bridge of his nose serving as a reminder to both of the last time they'd met. "If it ain't Dr. Love. Still following her around like a damn puppy dog?"

Jack held his gaze, putting a hand on the small of Kate's back, intending to usher her away before things got ugly, but he froze when James added, "She put out for you yet? Or are you that much of a woman that you still haven't tried anything?"

All thoughts of walking away faded from Jack's mind as he took a step towards James, struggling with the urge to hit him again. His nose was still broken, but there were plenty of other bones in his face, as well as two rows of teeth, which glowed in the dusk as he grinned at Jack.

Jack felt Kate's hand on his arm, holding him back this time, her eyes signalling a silent warning. He let go of the fist he hadn't realised he'd made, preparing to back down, until James spoke again, picking up on the tension between them. "Don't worry, doc, you ain't missing much. Why do you think I started getting it elsewhere?"

Kate's hand slid from Jack's arm, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief, and he seized the opportunity to take a swing at James. He missed this time, James returning the favour, until his girlfriend caught his arm.

"Cut the crap, James," she said, "or you'll be going home alone tonight."

"What are you taking his side for?" James muttered, but when she released his arm, he dropped it obediently, glaring at Jack.

"Thanks," Jack said, stifling a grin as he tried to imagine what James's new girlfriend would do if he pulled the same crap on her that he did on Kate. Hit him right back, he decided.

Grabbing hold of the back of James's shirt to restrain him, she held out her free hand to Jack. "I'm Ana Lucia, by the way."

"Jack." He shook it warmly, feeling like a traitor, but he couldn't seem to help admiring her, even if she'd betrayed Kate. In some strange way, she seemed to be exactly what James needed. As hurt as she was about the affair, he hoped that Kate could see it too.

Ana Lucia was obviously ashamed of what she'd done, because she gave Kate a small smile, looking wary. She didn't seem like the type to apologise, but she clearly wasn't comfortable around her either, bidding them both a hasty goodnight, and taking hold of James again, shoving him in the opposite direction to the one Jack and Kate were headed in. As they moved away, Jack could hear her berating him; he found it hard to contain his laughter at the sight of James being manhandled by a woman who was arguably smaller than Kate. She definitely had him whipped; as much as he'd loved Kate, Jack couldn't imagine her silencing him with a simple threat.

When they were gone, he turned to Kate again, studying her expression to see how she was handling all of this. They hadn't talked about the break up since the day it happened; he hadn't seen her cry, or express anything other than relief, but at the same time, he didn't know if this was because she was really okay with it, or if she was just putting on a brave face. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." She smiled to reassure him, but he mustn't have looked convinced, because a moment later she added, "I mean, it's weird, seeing him with someone else, especially her. But I'm happy for him. He deserves to be with someone who can give him the life that he wants."

Jack tried not to look incredulous, but Kate picked up on his scepticism, saying, "He can be a bastard at times, but underneath it all, he's not really a bad guy. He never gave up on me, even when I pushed him away. He deserves to be with someone who'll love him the way I should have, the way he wanted me to. And she seems to, so I really am happy for him."