Kate felt jack's arms tense around her, as Danielle walked away. They were alone, not daring to break the silence; she stayed facing inwards to jack's chest, feeling his breathing slowing down, her head rising with each breath that he took, still throbbing from the knock that Zeke had given her. Rage burned inside of her, if she hadn't … if jack hadn't… Standing up and breaking his icy embrace, Kate started to leave.
"Where the hell do you think your going?" Jack's voice echoed in the jungle.
"Jack I cant..." Sighing she turned to face him, the anger in his eyes glared at her.
"What? You gonna run again Kate? No, not this time. Were gonna talk about it". Jack threw his backpack of his shoulder, and walked towards Kate, determination in every step, she wasn't getting away this time.
"Kate what's with you? You get yourself kidnapped once, and try to go after them again? Have you got a death wish? Can't you see what this is doing to … to me Kate?"
Kate turned to face him, ready to apologise, ready to forget the whole thing, again, but the look in his eyes, the anger, the disappointment and the … the hatred, she didn't want to forget about it.
"What s up with me jack? I don't
know! Ok, I don't know. This island, it scares the hell out of me!
It's everything I've fought against my whole life, it's why
I've always ran, and not just because I was on the run. It
symbolises responsibility, honesty and enclosure, everything you
represent too. Only for some reason YOU don't scare me, and THAT
scares me …"
"Kate, you're making no sense…"
"Jack, I get it, you hate me, because I've betrayed you, again and again I've lost your trust. I get that. But I don't get why I still need to prove myself to you … why I want to prove myself … that im not stupid I …"
"You are stupid kate" Jack said, both silencing and shocking her "You are stupid, if you honestly think that I hate you. Don't YOU get it Kate? All of this? I don't hate you, I care about you so damn much, that it hurts. It hurts because you don't NEED me to care about you. You've got your own strong will, you've got your own mind and … and you've got sawyer" Breathing in, locking eyes with Kate, his anger dropped as exhaustion took over. Every breath he took was filled with sadness and failure. "I can't put myself through this again Kate, I don't want to be second best".
Sprinting past the stream, Sayid and Locke heaved the guns onto their shoulders. Locke stopped, crouching to touch the soil.
"They went this way, but there's no more… they must be close"
"if they were close we would hear them" Sayid replied, tired of arguing with Locke about everything.
"Unless they can't talk …"
"Jack, what are you saying?" Kate
asked, genuinely confused "I havn't GOT Sawyer, sawyer and me,
were the same. We're both screwed up, I don't need to change with
Sawyer..."
"You shouldn't have to change, but for some
reason you think you should with me. Kate im the one who needs to
change. I have this need, this obsession, to …to fix people, but
all I've done on this island is fail, what if I fail you …"
"
Jack, since I first met you, I can't get over how much good you've
done, if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be alive."
"That's
not true. I couldn't save the Marshall or Joanna, or Boone, or
Shannon and now … now I can't save Michael".
"You can save me Jack … I do need
you to care for me, and I want you to, but im just … im just not
good enough."
Taking control of himself, Jack grabbed her arms,
holding her and breathing loudly. Kate stared into his dark eyes, her
heart beating faster and faster as her skin tingled with his touch.
"Don't you ever say that…" Jack whispered, his warm breath touching her skin. He looked at her hazel eyes, filling with tears. A single tear rolled down her cheek, using the tip of his thumb, he wiped it away, wishing it was that easy to wipe away the rest of her pain…and his.
Hearing the mutterings from behind him, Locke raised his gun. He didn't expect it to be the others, they wouldn't be that loud, or leave tracks, but he wanted to be safe, just in case.
"They're over here" Locke said out loud announcing it to Sayid who was going the opposite direction.
"What is the gun for?" he asked, eyeing the hardware that Sawyer had leant them.
"Just in case" Locke replied making his way further towards the centre of the conversation.
"I want to know …" Sayid began "Where you are on the issue of the army"
Locke stopped and turned around
"Is now really the time?"
"it
is as good as any"
"I guess so" Locke smiled "Well as far as im concerned Sayid, you shouldn't fix Whats not broken. They attack us, I'll be first on the front line, but at the moment ... I see no point in starting a war"
"I am glad to hear it" Sayid spoke, walking past Locke and heading towards the talking.
Kate stared up at jack, feeling his thumb on her cheek. She never wanted this feeling to end; she was so close to him. Closing her eyes, she wanted to feel that way she had before, when she had kissed him. She didn't care about afterwards; she'd cross that bridge in a minute. But right there, she wanted to feel the way Jack always made her feel, safe, loved, cared for and excited.
Jack held Kate in his arms, she closed her eyes and rested her head against him … he loved having her all to herself. In his mind sawyer's voice kept repeating his declaration of love for her, over and over, but for once, the voice was only a whisper. For at this moment, Kate was all his. Her brown curls resting on his chest, her small body pressed against him. Tilting her head with his hand he bent low and brushed her lips with his.
Kate looked up, ready to return jack's kiss, not wanting it to end, when the grass rustled. She turned her head and saw Sayid bursting through the tangle of branches. Pulling away from jack, she watched as Locke joined him,.