Note: Hey, it was a one-shot, but a couple of people said about extending it, so i'm giving it a shot! Hope it's okay, thanks for reviews and will really appreciate it if you review now :)

Disclaimer: Lost Jack, Kate none belongs to me, just borrowing

She could barely move as she watched Jack empty the contents of the gun, flicking out one bullet at a time. He had stood there with her for what seemed like hours, arms wrapped around her, comforting words spoken, and then all he would do is let go, and turn to the offending gun, scattering bullets on the floor.

'You shouldn't be wasting them like that.' She tried to reason.

'I have to Kate.' He replied, failing to look back at her.

Was he mad? Was that all a ploy to stop her? Was he lying, did Juliet send him? She brushed the chocolate curls back from her face, and took a little step back from him. Jack must have been watching her from the corner of his eye, as his face snapped up to look at her, the minute her foot moved a millimetre from the ground.

'I'm on suicide watch now.' She said coldly, more a statement than an actual question.

'You want the laces from my shoes in case I strangle myself in the night?!' She continued angrily, parking herself back on the floor, and starting to remove the black laces a little. She let out a growl, and slid the lace through the last loophole, only to find Jack's strong hands covering hers.

'That's taking it too far.'

She laughed, but not amused, and pointed to the empty gun and the scattered bullets.

'That's taking it too far.' She retorted.

'It's a long way back to the beach.' Was all he replied, and somehow that got up her face more than anything else.

'So you think I'm going to ransack you and shoot myself on the way home?'

She thought back on her sentence. Home. She called the beach home now?

He said nothing, only shook his head, and headed back to the now empty gun, and placing it in the back of his jeans.

'We better get started, or the camp will start looking for us.' He began walking forward, and Kate began to catch up with him.

'You. Jack. The camp will start looking for you.' She corrected, and sped ahead of him, not caring weather or not he was still with her.

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They'd been walking half an hour in silence. Not companionable silence, just raw, awkward, unavoidable silence. If it wasn't for the constant stream of footsteps behind her, she would have assumed he had left her.

As she attempted to speed up the unbearable trail home, she found herself dizzy. The jungle felt strangling and at the same time, it felt like she wasn't really there. She felt detached. She tried to lean against a tree, only to misjudge and almost collapse to the floor. She stared to the mass of dirt, leaves and branches, trying to steady her gaze on something. Anything.

'Kate!' She heard a yell echoing to her ears, and she couldn't tell if he was far away and her hearing was impeccable or he was close and she wasn't registering. She felt someone turn her around, and she felt the gaze of Jack Shepherd beaming down on her.

'What's the matter?' She heard him panicking. 'Hey!'

She felt a hand on her cheek as he tried to rouse her attention, she crossed her legs and took a comfortable seat, more than when she was almost retching on the ground, and focused on his face, seeing he had turned to his Doctor ways, checking her over for injuries of signs of anything else. The hand didn't stray from her face, as his other began to root in his backpack for something. Next she knew, he had a bottle to her face, and was unscrewing the lid. Water.

'You're dehydrated Kate.' He didn't sound very convinced at his statement. 'You're dehydrated, starved and exhausted. You're body is shutting down.'

His hand settled on her lip, pressing slightly in quite an intimate gesture.

'Drink.'

She felt the liquid fall down her throat, but all she was registering was the hand upon her face, and the concerned eyes flickering between hers and her mouth to make sure she was swallowing the water. She felt his finger's caress her paled cheek as she finished the bottle. Once she had finished he placed the bottle on the floor and his free hand appeared on her forehead.

'We're staying here.' He said forcefully, and as stubborn as she believed she was, there was no way she was going to argue. She shifted a little and began to lower her head to the ground, only to find Jack's thigh instead.

'You need to keep you're head elevated.'

She tried to nod, only she managed to do it halfway, then decided that the effort was too much, and laid her head down. Hand's once again gripped around her waist and hoisted her up, and laid her across his body, her head against his chest, her legs strewn on his.

'I need to keep an eye on you.'

She heard, but all that registered was Jack stroking her hair, moving the stray pieces away from her face, his arm snaked around her waist, keeping her there.

'Now there's a line Sawyer would be proud of.' She joked, and she heard a slight chuckle above her, she realised Jack's head was resting on top of hers.

'Why did you do it Kate?' He asked her. 'Why did you try and do it?'

She felt the event crashing back to her and she pressed her head harder against his chest.

'Because I had nothing left.'

She found herself gripping to Jack's shirt again, shifting her body against him. If she wasn't so exhausted, she probably would never sleep tonight.

'If you'd done… if you had… Neither would I'

She moved her head back to look at him, the dizziness a sacrifice that didn't bother her right now.

'You mean that?'

The stare with complete conviction meant more to her than any words he could have said.

'Thank you' She whispered.

'You're welcome.' He replied to her, and a resolve to keep her at a distance must have broken, as a soft kiss pressed against the top of her head.

She stayed this way for a few minutes, thoughts flowing, words echoing, events streaming through her mind. She cleared her throat, and began.

'What you said… was that real or did you say it to get me to drop the gun?'

And she waited for her answer.