Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it again? I don't own Lost, no matter how much I might want to! I also don't own the song "One Last Breath" by Creed, which I only borrowed for this fic.

Reviews-

Thank you to DragonRider8 and Ella Jullian. I'm happy you both liked the first chapter, and I hope you like the second one just as much. And just to let DragonRider8 know: I've decided to write that third chapter you really wanted to see!

A/N: Wow! I was absolutely shocked at the response I received on this story. Two reviews on the same day it was posted! Unbelievable! For me, that's a record.

Anyway, due to the response, I decided to write the second chapter (Kate's chapter) now. When I wrote it, it looked really long, so hopefully it will still be long when I type it up! Also, just a small warning to Skate lovers: Don't worry, there's no Sawyer bashing, but there's not really any Skate romance either, because it's a Jate fic! Sorry!

So, here's Kate's chapter! Enjoy!


Thinking, Wishing, and Waiting

At two o'clock the same morning, a couple of miles away from Jack's house, Kate laid quietly on her bunk inside of her small cell, unable to sleep and staring unblinkingly at the dull, concrete ceiling, lost in thought. Kate was so engrossed in her thoughts, in fact, that she didn't even hear the sounds of the snores from her cell mates that currently surrounded her.

Please come now I think I'm falling

I'm holding on to all I think is safe

It seems I found the road to nowhere

And I'm trying to escape

She had been in prison for almost a year now- precisely eleven months, two weeks, three days, and twelve and a half hours, not counting the minutes or seconds. Kate had given up trying to count the seconds after only fifteen minutes in prison and the minutes after about thirteen hours, deciding it was pointless to do so since she was only causing herself added frustration. If she's had a calculator, maybe she would have been more willing to continue. However, there was no calculator in sight, so that was that.

I yelled back when I heard thunder

But I'm down to one last breath

And with it let me say

Let me say

During her stay in prison, Kate had learned many lessons, the most important of which was that being incarcerated was nothing remotely alike to living on the island where she had lived for five long years along with forty-something other plane crash survivors. The only thing both could be considered similar in might be company, since dealing with some of the other convicts was almost as bad as, if not worse than, being chased by the island "security system" or being held captive by the Others. Even the food on the island was better than the slop the prison chefs tried to pass off for food in the cafeteria. And at least on the island Kate hadn't had to share her living quarters with anyone else, like the three other women she was currently sharing her cell with. On the island, Kate had gotten a tent all to herself.

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge

And I'm thinking

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

Kate missed many things about the island, but none more so than her freedom and her friends. She would give almost anything to be back there, sitting on the beach without a care in the world, just relaxing and watching the waves crash against the shoreline. Who cared if the island had polar bears, a "security system," and the Others? It was better than here. Then again, at the moment, any place was better than here.

I'm looking down now that it's over

Reflecting on all of my mistakes

I thought I found the road to somewhere

Somewhere in His grace

But the island was where she really longed to be, since it was a place that contained so many good memories. Kate remembered talking with Jack as they walked through the jungle toward the hatch or the caves. She remembered planting seeds in the garden with Sun. Listening to Charlie as he played his guitar down the beach. Sitting, with Jack, by one of the many fires under the stars.

I cried out heaven save me

But I'm down to one last breath

And with it let me say

Let me say

Jack. Jack, who Kate had so easily given her trust to on the island. Jack, who was the only guy, besides Tom, who Kate had actually felt safe with; the only guy who could get Kate to open up and show her true feelings. He somehow always knew just what to say to make her feel better, and he seemed to break down her heavily guarded defenses without even really trying. Around Jack, Kate felt free to be herself, but even more than that, she felt happy.

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge

And I' m thinking

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

Yes, there was an undeniable attraction with Sawyer too. Or there used to be. But that had been before, and Kate had long since settled things with him.

Sawyer had come to visit the first week Kate had been imprisoned, where they had talked and gotten all of their feelings out into the open. While both of them had admitted there had been something between them on the island, and Sawyer even admitted that he'd loved Kate, they made a joint decision. Sawyer and Kate had both agreed that they were better off as friends. They'd both moved on from what they had felt for one another on the island, and there were no hard feelings. Besides, both of them knew what they'd always known: Kate loved Jack. And Kate highly suspected that Sawyer had loved Ana-Lucia, at least in some way.

Sad eyes follow me

But I still believe

There's something left for me

Everything always seemed to come back to Jack. Kate once thought she had loved Tom, but what she had felt for Tom was nothing compared to what she felt for Jack. Kate now fully understood what she had known for quite awhile. She loved Jack.

So please some stay with me

'Cause I still believe

There's something left for you and me

There was only one problem. She was in prison. Jack wasn't. There was no way a relationship between them would be easy, and there was a good chance that it might not even work at all.

For you and me

For you and me

For the thousandth time, Kate couldn't help but wonder how things would have been different if she hadn't been a fugitive, but had still boarded Oceanic flight 815. If she hadn't been a fugitive, she wouldn't be in jail right now, separated from her friends and Jack. Her and Jack could have a working relationship if she hadn't been a fugitive. They would most likely be dating, maybe married already. Why did she have to make so many mistakes before the island?

Hold me now

Then, there was one more problem. For almost a year, Kate had been imprisoned, and it was slowly taking its toll. She hadn't been to the beach or eaten any good food for almost a year. She hadn't seen her friends in Australia, New York, and Florida or Sun and Jin's children in almost a year either. But most of all, for almost a year, Kate hadn't seen Jack. So far, during her prison stay, Jack had yet to visit. And Kate was starting to seriously doubt if he ever would.

I'm six feet from the edge

And I'm thinking...

Kate had three regular visitors: Sun, Sawyer, and Sayid, and they had all, at one time or another, slipped up about Jack's reason for not coming.

At the time of Sayid's last visit, Kate couldn't stand it anymore. She had to know why. Sayid was like Jack's best friend, and if anyone knew why Jack wasn't coming to visit her, it would be him. So, just as Sayid started talking about the mysterious whereabouts of Locke and Eko, whom Hurley was trying to find in order to plan a "Survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 Reunion," Kate interrupted him and asked the one question she desperately needed the answer to. That one question also happened to be the one question that Sayid hadn't been expecting at that particular moment, although he knew that Kate would eventually ask, so he slipped.

"It's very hard for Jack, Kate. Coming here- it's too painful for him at the moment. He's just not ready," Sayid related. Then, realizing he had said too much, Sayid shut his mouth, and the subject was dropped, to Kate's frustration. Once Sayid headed home, Kate was left to think about what he had said. Could seeing her really be that painful for Jack? Kate didn't exactly enjoy having everyone, especially all of her friends, see her locked up this way, but she had to see Jack eventually. Would it kill him to visit her just once?

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge

And I'm thinking

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

At Sawyer's next visit, Kate asked the question again. Unfortunately, the Southerner was even more tight-lipped about the subject than Sayid had been.

"Hell, Freckles, why should I know? If ya ask me, the good doc's just bein' stupid. He'll come 'round eventually," Sawyer told her. "Now where were we?" The subject was once again dropped, and Kate and Sawyer continued their conversation on Hurley's idea for having a sort of reunion between all of the survivors, the same reunion which Sayid had previously mentioned during his visit. Sawyer called the idea of a reunion the silliest idea he'd ever heard.

"A reunion! Well, would you fashion that! That idea took some ingenuity on Jabba's part, that did! I mean, you'd think we all went ta the same damn high school, not lived on the same damn island for five magical years!" Sawyer had proclaimed sarcastically. Kate had just continued to shake her head while trying very hard not to smile. The whole idea did seem a little outlandish and besides, how in the world was she going to be able to attend a reunion when she was stuck in jail?

Hold me now

I'm six feet from the edge

And I'm thinking

When Sun came to visit, Kate again broached the subject, asking the question for what she knew would most likely be the last time. Luckily for Kate, Sun was more sympathetic to her situation. However, she only gave almost as much information as Sawyer or Sayid had.

"I'm sorry, Kate. All I can tell you is Jack just needs some time. He has to figure some things out, and coming here would bring back too many memories for him right now. Just give him time, Kate. He'll come eventually. Besides that, I don't know what to tell you. It's really not my place to say."

That maybe six feet

Ain't so far down

Although she was becoming increasingly disappointed with the lack of answers, Kate respected Sun's view on the situation and didn't ask anything more, not wanting to press her friend for information Sun thought it wasn't her right to give.

So, even though Kate knew more than she had before about Jack's reason for not visiting her, she wished she had the complete answer, not just parts of it. However, it was beginning to sound as though the only person who could provide her with the complete reason was Jack himself, and unless he decided to visit sometime soon, it seemed like it was unlikely Kate was ever going to discover why. For now, all Kate could do was hope and pray that Jack figured things out enough to not find it too painful to come for a visit. Kate had given Jack time- almost a year's worth of time in which she had patiently waited for him. Now it was all up to Jack to see if he had used that time well. If he had, he'd come like Sun had said. If not? Kate guessed she would figure that out for herself when and if the time came.

Please come now I think I'm falling

I'm holding on to all I think is safe

Little did Kate know that she wouldn't have to figure anything out because she didn't have much longer to wait in order to see Jack.


A/N: Well, this chapter took me quite awhile to write, so I hope everyone enjoyed it! There will be one more chapter where Kate and Jack will finally see each other after almost a year apart when Jack visits, and I'm toying with the idea of having an epilogue after that. Let me know what you think, and once again, I'd love to hear what everyone thought about the chapter, so all reviews, even ones filled with criticism (as long as it's constructive) are welcome!

As always, thanks for reading!

LostObsession, a.k.a. Ana