Where did everyone go? I'm starting to wonder in anyone is still actually reading this... I thought you all said you liked the tone / slow build? Just a warning, so you won't be disappointed again: there won't be a kiss in this chapter, because I'm saving that for chapter 22 (I hope!), when Jack unveils his plan. He does reminisce about meeting Kate, though. I thought I'd do a little homage to the pilot…

About James: I may not have succeeded in getting it across, but he does love Kate. He only says those things because he hates Jack, and it's the quickest way to get a rise out of him. But at the same time, I like to think that Jack is the only guy he would ever give way for, because he knows that Jack can make Kate happier than he ever could. Kate understands this, that's why she said he wasn't really a bad guy. But you're right, that's still no excuse for letting him hit her…

Please read and review, and I will get chapter 22 up as soon as I can.

Chapter 21. We Wasted So Much Time

Jack didn't try to kiss Kate right away after that, but it was a relief to know that he could, that she wouldn't see it as a violation, of her, or her trust. That she wanted it as much as he did. She didn't push him again either, though, letting their relationship progress naturally, with one exception.

They'd gone to the elementary school after dinner, where they'd met on the playground almost twenty-seven years before. Sitting beside Kate on the swing set, trailing his feet in the dirt as they watched the moon rise, Jack could remember that day with surprising clarity.

It was lunchtime, the first day of kindergarten. He was playing on the fort, when one of the other boys in their class pushed him off. He'd only fallen three feet to the ground, but there must have been something sharp buried in the sand, because he'd gashed his back open, ripping his shirt, his hand coming away bloody when he touched it to the wound.

He hadn't known what to do, so he sat there in the middle of the playground crying, until Kate came over, her look of compassion drying his tears. She'd stayed with him until a teacher came to take him to the nurse's office, admiring his stiches the next day when he returned to school. She'd even offered to beat up the kid who pushed him that day at playtime, but he'd politely declined, inviting her to play with him instead. They'd become fast friends after that, never leaving each other's sides for more than a few hours, until the day, eight years later, when Jack's mother loaded him into her Mercedes and drove him to L.A.

He was still thinking about that day, and their failed meeting, when she turned to him out of the blue and said, "I'm coming with you."

"What?" Jack snapped out of his reverie, surprised to find the adult Kate speaking these words, the same ones she'd used twenty years ago, when he'd told her that he was leaving. There was no bravado in her voice this time, though; she was serious. "Do you mean…?" The breath caught in his throat as he returned his attention to her, hardly daring to hope as he anticipated her answer.

"Yes," she said, quieter, less sure of herself now. "To L.A."

Jack could tell that she was scared, and he knew he should say something to reassure her, but he broke into a grin, unable to keep the joy from registering on his face. She'd had him on tenterhooks all week, but now… it was finally happening. She was coming home with him, to L.A., like she should have all those years ago. "When did you decide this?" he couldn't help asking, remembering the scene at the diner last night. She'd seemed so opposed to the idea then. Had their conversation in the freezer convinced her to change her mind? Or had she known then, withholding her answer to punish him like he thought?

She gave him a wry smile, saying, "Yesterday. Or at least, I handed in my notice yesterday." Pausing for a moment, she sighed, adding, "I've wanted to go back with you since before I even knew it was a possibility. That's why I came to the funeral. I guess a part of me was still hoping you hadn't forgotten." She stared at the down at the ground, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet to set her swing in motion, too embarrassed to look at him, it seemed.

Jack let go of his own chain, snatching hold of hers to steady her, so that she met his eyes questioningly. "I didn't forget, Kate," he said, once he had her full attention. "I hope you know that by now. I always meant to come back for you. If you'd given me any sign that that was what you still wanted, I would have."

"I know. And I'm sorry, sorrier than you'll ever know," she said softly. "If I could go back in time, I would have sent you those letters. I wouldn't have shut you out of my life like that."

In the moonlight, Jack could see that there were tears glistening on her cheeks now. Leaning over, he brushed them away with his fingertips, returning her sad smile as she placed her hand over his own, holding it there, against her the side of her face.

"We wasted so much time," she whispered.

Jack felt a lump rise in his own throat at these words, but he swallowed it, determined not to let past misunderstandings mar their future together. "And we won't ever get it back," he agreed, "but you're giving us a chance to make up for it."

She laughed through her tears, kissing his fingers, before letting their intertwined hands drop back down into the space between them. "You're amazing, you know that?" she said, and his heart did a little somersault in his chest. It was too soon to say, "I love you", but this was close enough.

They sat in contented silence for a while, clinging to each other's hands, neither needing any more assurance of the other's affection for now, until Jack turned to her again, asking, "When exactly did you quit? You said it was yesterday, but when?" He'd been with her for most of the day.

She let go of his hand, looking away bashfully. "Yesterday morning, when you were off sorting out that business with your father," she said, making him cringe inwardly at his lie. He'd come clean before they left; he had to. "That's why I asked you out, because I knew I was coming, so I knew it was okay to start something. I was going to tell you at dinner, but…"

Jack nodded, realising that he'd been right all along. She had been trying to punish him when she said she didn't know. She'd made a life-altering decision based on something he'd said, something he'd promised, and he'd rejected her again, to her mind at least.

"Promise me you'll just tell me when you're mad at me in future?" he asked, holding out his pinkie to her like he had when they were kids. "The last time you tried to get back at me like that, we missed out on twenty years of each other's lives. I don't want that to happen again."

She smiled, joining her pinkie with his and shaking it. "I promise."