Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 or Chapter 2. Also, the song "My Sacrifice" doesn't belong to me but to Creed.

Reviews- Thank you to MagicSwede1965, DragonRider8, J. Svensson, CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88, Orlando-crazy, nikki-da-latina, and Ann for their reviews!

A/N: I know I said that Kate & Jack would meet in the third chapter, but when I typed it up, the third chapter was really long and seemed to go better by itself, so this chapter, the fourth chapter, is actually the chapter in which Kate and Jack really finally meet. They met in the last chapter too, but we haven't gotten to the good part yet.

This chapter, like the last one, is dedicated to all of the reviewers, especially DragonRider8, who was the first one to tell me she wanted to see a chapter where Jack and Kate would meet and to CrAzYhOrSeGiRl88, who, like me, thinks Creed is amazing. Enjoy!


A Revealing Reunion

Kate couldn't believe Jack was standing there in front of her. For a second, she had wondered whether she was dreaming. Ever since the first week she was imprisoned, when she had waited for Jack to visit her every day, only to be disappointed when he didn't show, Kate had often had dreams of walking into the visitation room and seeing Jack standing there, waiting for her. However, she quickly pushed the thought aside as Keith nodded to Jack and her and then left the room. She wasn't dreaming. This was real.

Struggling with her thoughts and feelings, Kate tried to collect herself and walked hesitantly toward Jack. She realized with a start that she had so many questions she wanted to ask him now that he was here. Why had he come? More importantly, why had he come now, of all times? She had just started to accept that Jack wasn't going to visit her; she had just promised herself that if Jack didn't show up soon, she would give up on him and move on. Or at least try to move on. Why had he finally decided to come after all this time? It had been almost a year. Where had he been when she was scared and alone and had needed someone to talk to? Sun and Sayid had both said that it was too painful for Jack to come, that he needed to work some things out. So, why had he suddenly found it okay to see her? And what things had he needed to work out in the first place?

Jack couldn't help but stare as Kate walked slowly over to the metal table he stood beside. So far he was unable to detect any big differences, at least not in her appearance. Kate looked almost exactly as Jack remembered her. Sure, she was somewhat thinner and maybe a little more tired, but besides that, Kate looked just as beautiful to him as she had been on the island.

It seemed to take forever just for Kate to cross the small distance from the door to the table. Jack wished he could somehow see what she was thinking and know what she was feeling. He searched her eyes, hoping to find some sign of her reaction to seeing him, but apparently Kate had not lost her ability to hide her emotions when she wanted to, because he wasn't able to determine anything. Jack only hoped she wasn't too mad at him. He knew she had every right to be, but if she would just listen to what he had to say, maybe she would understand better.

At last, Kate had reached her destination, and now the only thing separating her from Jack was the small, metal table and the pair of chairs waiting to be occupied. Feeling as though he should say something, anything, Jack took a deep breath and spoke. "Kate."

Kate looked at him, glad, at least, that he had been the first to speak. "Hello, Jack," she replied softly.

Hello my friend, we meet again

It's been awhile, where should we begin?

Feels like forever

Jack looked away, nervous. She hadn't smiled or given any indication that she was happy to see him, but she had said hello. That had to be something, right?

There was a heavy silence, and Jack cleared his throat. "So...should we?" he asked, breaking the silence and motioning to the chairs. "I think that would be a good idea," Kate returned. Both sat down, entirely too aware of how close they were and of the awkwardness between them.

"I'd ask how you are, but I guess it's kind of obvious," Jack joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah," Kate agreed, recognizing the tactic. Typical Jack, trying to make light of a situation to cover how he was feeling. It was clear that Jack was nervous, almost as nervous as she was. Still, Kate wasn't going to help him avoid whatever he had come here to talk about.

Within my heart are memories

Of perfect love that you gave to me

Oh, I remember

Taking a deep breath, Jack tried to steady his nerves, and then prepared to talk seriously. "Listen, Kate, I know you must be wondering why I'm here-" Kate quickly interrupted, starting to get fed up with dancing around the issue. She wanted answers to her questions. Truthful answers. And she wanted them now.

When you are with me, I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

"Actually, yes. I am wondering why you're here, Jack. Do you know it's been almost a year since I've been here? You haven't visited, you haven't called, and you haven't written. In fact, you've made no effort to contact me until today. So, what's changed, Jack? Would you mind telling me why you're suddenly ready to see me?" Kate said, voice steadily rising.

Jack made a move to speak, but Kate cut him off. "I'm sorry if I seem a little frustrated and angry here, Jack, but you have to understand. I spent almost a year waiting for you to visit me. I would wake up in the morning and hope that today would be the day you would finally come, only to be disappointed when you didn't show up. And everyday would be the same, Jack. I'd wait for you, you wouldn't come, and I'd be left alone. Finally, I just started to give up and accept the fact that you weren't coming. And then, just when I'm beginning to stop hoping you would come, you decide to show up. So tell me, Jack, why are you here? Why now, after you've waited for almost a year, did you decide to come? What's changed, Jack? Please, just tell me what's changed." Kate's voice broke at the end, tears gathered in her eyes, and she looked away, not wanting to see Jack's face as the words sunk in. She knew he probably had no idea how much he'd hurt her, and she also knew that Jack had not intended on hurting her in the first place. But he had, and that was what mattered. Jack had hurt her. Maybe not intentionally, but he had hurt her all the same.

Above all the others we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

My sacrifice

Jack closed his eyes, trying to block out the sight of tears in Kate's eyes and the hurt that had shown on her face. He hadn't known how much pain he had caused her by not coming sooner. Not even what Sayid, Sun, and Sawyer had told him could of prepared him for this. None of them had given Jack any reason to suspect that his actions had caused Kate so much pain.

'I'm such a stupid idiot!' Jack berated himself. 'I knew I should have come sooner! Now look what I've done!' he thought. 'If only I hadn't been such a coward!'

Kate probably thought he hadn't come because he didn't want to see her. Jack could only imagine what she must be feeling. Why hadn't he visited her sooner? His reasons seemed so foolish and pathetic now. How was he going to explain? How was he going to make Kate understand that he had never meant to hurt her?

We've seen our share of ups and downs

Oh how quickly life can turn around

In an instant

Gathering his courage, Jack began, his voice thick with barely contained emotion. "I'm sorry Kate. I know I should have come sooner, and I don't really have any excuse. It was never my intention to hurt you."

Kate looked at Jack. She was no longer angry; she just wanted him to explain, so she could try and understand his reasoning, his thoughts. "I know you never meant to hurt me, Jack," Kate told him, looking into his eyes. Her statement seemed to relieve some of his fears, and he looked a little less troubled. "I just want to understand why." Jack glanced away and sighed.

If feels so good to reunite

Within yourself and within your mind

Let's find peace there

"It's stupid. At the time, it made sense, but now..." Jack trailed off, guilty and frustrated with himself while Kate looked on, commiserating with him.

"It can't be that stupid," Kate replied. Jack looked at her, questioning. "Well, it kept you from visiting me for almost a year, didn't it?"

"I guess," Jack admitted. "Still, it seems stupid now."

"Just tell me, Jack. You know I won't judge you or anything. I promise," Kate countered. Jack hesitated and then nodded. "Alright. I do owe you an explanation."

When you are with me, I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

"I just kept thinking of everything we had on the island, of what could have been if we hadn't been rescued or if-" Kate interrupted. "If I wasn't in prison," she finished. Jack nodded and continued. "And I knew that once I saw you, I'd have to face all of the memories and possibilities. For awhile, I was too afraid of having to face you, so..." Jack looked away, ashamed.

"So, you avoided it altogether?" Kate supplied. Jack nodded. "Pretty much." He looked back at her. "I know, I'm an idiot. You must think I'm a coward," he stated.

"I don't know about an idiot, but you're not a coward. Everyone is afraid of facing something sometime, Jack, even you. Being afraid of one thing doesn't make you a coward. Now, if you were afraid of everything...then, you could say you were a coward," said Kate with a hint of a smile. She thought of how all of the survivors had looked to Jack to lead them on the island. Kate had to admit that even she had counted on Jack at first. He had seemed to be the most logical leader, what with him being the only doctor on the island. They had all considered Jack to be their fearless leader, their savior, the one person on the island who had all of the answers. The hero. Many of them had gone so far as to believe Jack was a perfect leader, an all-around good guy.

Above all the others we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

My sacrifice

Kate was one of the few people who, after awhile, had seen and understood Jack for what he really was: a human being. Jack didn't have all of the answers. He wasn't fearless. Was Jack a good guy? Yes. Was he perfect? No. Jack made mistakes just like the rest of them. Besides, Kate doubted whether anyone was really completely perfect anyway. However, just because Jack wasn't perfect, or didn't have all of the answers, or wasn't fearless, didn't mean he wasn't a hero. Because in Kate's mind, in all of the survivors' minds, Jack was and would forever remain a hero. Without him, they probably never would have survived for five years on the island. He had given them guidance and tried to keep them safe. Sure, he couldn't save or protect everybody, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he had tried.

I just want to say hello again

I just want to say hello again

Jack had tried so hard to keep everyone safe, to save everyone. Kate remembered how Jack blamed himself for not saving Joanna, the woman that had drowned during their first week on the island. He had been so upset, so mad at himself. Then, when Boone had died, Jack had been even angrier. He had thought he should have been able to save Boone, that there should have been something more he could have done. In fact, Jack had been so torn up over Boone's death, he had refused to rest even though he was exhausted. Kate was so worried about him she had slipped sleeping pills into his drink. She remembered Jack hadn't been too happy about that.

When you are with me, I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

Kate's thoughts were interrupted by Jack talking. "Well, I'm glad you don't think I'm a coward." He looked more relieved. "I still shouldn't have avoided you, though. I really am sorry, Kate." Jack gave her a half smile, looking somewhat sheepish.

"I forgive you, Jack. I understand why you didn't come. Actually, I've been having a lot of the same thoughts lately, about what could have been. I could see why you might want to avoid some memories," Kate acknowledged.

Above all the others we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

"Thank you for understanding. I was worried that you wouldn't," Jack replied. The awkwardness had returned, and there was a long silence.

"I still don't understand one thing, Jack," Kate started, breaking the silence. Jack looked at her questioningly. "If you never came to visit before because you wanted to avoid the memories, then you must have somehow gotten past your fear of confronting everything since you're here. So, how did you do it?" she asked.

And Jack began, "Well, it started last night, or more this morning..." He told Kate about working at the hospital, the six car pile up, the woman with the striking resemblance to her. "She could have been your twin, Kate. I tried so hard to save her, but her injuries were just too serious, and when she died...I swear, it was like I saw you there, on that operating table. It was like I was looking at you dead. And...I don't know. The whole thing kind of made me realize that it was stupid, not seeing you, because that woman could have been you, and then I would never have gotten to explain to you or tell you..."

'Cause when you are with me, I'm free

I'm careless, I believe

Kate wanted to ask what he would never have gotten to tell her, but he had already moved on, telling her about how he had driven home and passed by the prison, how he had thought about the times they had shared on the island, the memories. And then Jack was sharing how he had suddenly decided that he was being stupid, that he needed to face his fears, to stop being a coward, to visit her. "And I knew I had to tell you, to let you know, before something happens to you like what happened to that woman, because life's too short and if I didn't, I would regret it for the rest of my life..." Jack paused, and Kate looked at him. "Tell me what, Jack?"

Jack locked eyes with her, and then he spoke the four words Kate most wanted to hear and would never forget. "I love you, Kate."

Above all the others we'll fly

This brings tears to my eyes

Tears flooded Kate's eyes, and for a moment Jack was terrified he had upset her and she didn't feel the same way. That was, until, a huge smile lit up Kate's face. She stood up quickly, and Jack was on his feet in an instant, still concerned she was going to run. (Although Jack couldn't imagine why she would run after she smiled, on the other hand, she had run after kissing him for the first time and he wasn't willing to take a chance.) He was pleasantly surprised, however, when she stepped around the table and launched herself at him, catching him in a tight embrace. (A/N: Remember, she still has handcuffs on, but she can wrap her arms around his neck.) Jack relaxed, relieved, at least, that she hadn't rejected his confession, and he was even more surprised when Kate pulled away slightly, looked him directly in the eye, and said, quite clearly, "I love you too, Jack."

My sacrifice

My sacrifice

And that was when Jack returned Kate's smile, leaned down, and gently kissed her there, in the visitation room of the prison, in front of some twenty or so strangers consisting of other visitors, inmates, and guards, who promptly cheered, whistled, and clapped for the happy couple.

I just want to say hello again

I just want to say hello again

My sacrifice


A/N: I hope it wasn't too sappy! This chapter was especially difficult for me to write, knowing it was going to be the last real chapter before the epilogue, which I already have planned out in my head but I haven't written down yet. I'll probably have the epilogue done by tomorrow so I can post it before I leave to go on vacation on the 14th, this Friday. I don't know yet if I'm going to use a song in it, although I probably will if I find a good one. Anyway, I hope everyone was satisfied with the chapter, and reviews filled with constructive criticism, thoughts, compliments, questions, etc. are greatly appreciated!

As always, thanks for reading!

LostObsession, a.k.a. Ana