Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Least of all Lost.

A.N: Final part. Please review! ENJOY!

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Jack had never seen Claire so angry. Her blue eyes burned on him, and he had to look away, even though he didn't quite know what he had done. She sat down next to him where he sat on his regular spot on the beach, shoving a water bottle into his hand and a big slice of mango into his other.

"I'm not leaving until you eat." She said, her teeth clenched, her face determined. He took a bite of the mango, mostly to make sure he didn't anger her further. She seemed a little more pleased, even though her brow was still creased, and her eyes still furious.

"I spent last night comforting Kate." She said, as if he was meant to feel guilty. He shrugged, sipping the water, trying to pretend he didn't hurt at the thought. "I'm not sure what happened back at the Others's camp, Jack, but…" Jack felt his temper flare, in anticipation of the lecture he knew was coming.

"She slept with Sawyer." He said, and he could see the rage in Claire's eyes die down a little. "She loved him and I got him killed." He threw the mango into the water, saw her eyes follow it when it flew through the air. "I… I care for her so much, and I killed the man she loved." He felt Claire's thin arm sneak around him, trying her best to comfort him.

"Will you listen to me if I tell you what's happened since she came back?" She asked quietly, and he broke their contact. He looked out over the ocean, not sure he wanted to know how Kate had been. Claire, however, didn't wait for him to answer. "She and Sayid and Locke went out to get you back. They came back the same night, Sayid was carrying her. She was worn out, dehydrated and she had barely eaten since you left camp with Hurley and Michael. She made me and Charlie help her make your crosses the next day." Claire smiled a sad smile. "We could barely get a word out of her. Other from telling us which pieces of wood to use for Sawyer's cross, she didn't say anything." He wanted to ask why they had made Sawyer's cross and not his, but he supposed that maybe Claire had just mixed them up. "Jack, it doesn't matter what she did with Sawyer back on that island. It was your cross she slept by that first night; it was your name she screamed in her nightmares; it was your death she couldn't get over."

"You're lying!" He said, scurrying to his feet. He started walking away from her; angrily stalking his way back to his tent. She caught up with him easily, grabbing his arm to make him stop. He did so reluctantly, barely aware of that the entire camp was watching them. "Just leave me alone!"

"She loves you." Claire tried, her voice only for him to hear. He swallowed to get rid of the lump in his throat, shaking his head in denial, because it was so much easier this way. It was so much easier to just give into the despair and the numbness inside; so much easier to die than to face the fact that she might actually have some feelings for him.

"Shut up!" He yelled, scaring her, "Shut up and leave me the hell alone!" She backed down, head hanging in defeat. She moved to say something but the look in his eyes told her not to. He turned away from her, stalking into the jungle. The underbrush tore at the legs of his jeans, and the sharp leaves cut his arms and cheeks. He was surprised to find Kate standing only a few meters into the jungle. Her arms hang loosely by her sides, her hair in a messy pony tail. They stared at each other for a long while, not moving, not talking.

"You love Sawyer?" He said, but it wasn't a statement, it was a question. She didn't react, he reached out to touch her, to shake some sense into her, but she moved further away, appearing 15 feet further into the jungle. "Kate?" he stumbled after her, and she kept disappearing as he moved to touch her. He took off after her in a wild chase, deeper and deeper, trying to catch up. Trying to find the answer to his question. He never saw the vine before his foot caught on it and he fell, seeing Kate stop a few meters in front of him. She looked at him, and he reached his hand out to her for help. Then it all went black.

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When he woke up it was so dark he had to blink a few times just to make sure his eyes were actually open. A hand was running through his hair, four perfect fingers grazing against his scalp softly. He closed his eyes again, anxiety rising in his chest, hoping she didn't notice that he was awake.

"What happened back there?" She asked, her voice a mere whisper almost disappearing in the light wind, and the pops from the fire. "What did they do to you that made you this way?" He wasn't entirely sure that she actually expected an answer, he wasn't even sure that she knew he was awake now. Her hand continued to thread through his hair slowly. He forced himself not to shiver at the contact. Her thumb brushed easily over his forehead and he winced and drew back visibly as she touched something sore. He sat up, his hand going to his forehead. It was a cut, edgy as if made by a stone, it wasn't very deep, and he supposed that it wouldn't need stitches.

"You're up." She commented flatly, indicating that she had indeed known. "You feel okay?" He nodded, swallowing hard. She held out a bottle of water and he accepted it, taking a good sip. "You know, this wouldn't have happened if you had taken care of yourself." She said, the worry clear in her voice. He thought bitterly that she was wrong; it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't hurt her by killing Sawyer.

"You know, you don't have to be here. I'll be just fine." He said gruffly, drinking some more water. He gestured for the opening of his tent, but she just shook her head in exasperation and stayed where she was.

"What did they do to you?" She asked, clearly concerned. He met her gaze; she was so close their legs were touching and he could feel the faint smell of shampoo that he had long since learned was hers. She reached out to take his hand, he looked at their hands entwined, wanting to let go, but not being able to. Her hand squeezed his, and he looked up to meet her gaze. There were tears in her eyes again, and he felt confused. "Did they hurt you?" He thought of the scars on his back, white and sore; he thought of the marks from needles on his arms, memories of having been injected far too many times. He knew there were marks on his chest too, shallow cuts from Pickett's knife; other marks, on his chest and abdomen, from their tazers. He bent his head, unable to lie to her. She ripped up his shirt, her fingers running over his chest angrily, feeling all the scars. He pulled her hand away.

"It's nothing, Kate." Her gaze was white-hot when it centered on his face again, and he buttoned the shirt back up.

"How can you say that's nothing Jack?" She reached out for him again, but he pretended not to notice and moved a little further from her, his leg cold where they no longer touched. "They tortured you, didn't they?" Her voice was dark and quiet, her eyes burned with a hatred he had never seen in them before. He tore his gaze from hers and she took that as a yes, cursing their captors loudly.

"I'm alright now, Kate." He said, and she stopped swearing mid-word. She looked at him oddly, shaking her head softly. She clearly didn't agree, but he didn't know if it even bothered him that she was right.

"Then why won't you eat? Why do you just sit there watching the stupid ocean?" Her arms crossed and un-crossed over her chest, studying him. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I killed the man you loved…" He started, the only explanation he could give her without telling her his feelings, and making a complete fool of himself. She shook her head again, interrupting him.

"I didn't love Sawyer. I never loved Sawyer." She said slowly, and he met her gaze. "Look, I can't explain why I did what I did, and I mean, I can't deny that there was always…" She paused, searching for the right word. "…attraction between us, but we were never more than friends."

"But you had sex with him." He found that despite the confusion he felt inside, his words were hard and bitter, accusing against her honesty. She sighed deeply, shrugging exasperatedly.

"Yes, Jack. We had sex." The words were harsh coming from her mouth, and he realized that it was the first time she had actually said it to his face. "I don't know what you want me to say. I cared for Sawyer a lot, and I was torn between him and you. You both kept drawing me in and then pushing me away, and I didn't know what to think. Since I kissed you, you've been so withdrawn, you wouldn't let me in, and I was lonely Jack. I know it's my own doing, but I didn't know how to make it undone. I could see that you both cared for me, and I cared for both of you an awful lot…" She trailed off, and he met her gaze, wondering if 'cared' still was in past tense when it came to him. Her hand reached out for his; hesitating in the air between before coming back to rest in her lap. "Sawyer practically told me he loved me…" She said quietly. "I thought that I might love him too… and then after seeing you there were so many feelings. Having sex was… I mean, it seemed like a good way to find out what I really felt. He wanted to, and I… I really needed to know." She lowered her gaze, and he looked away from her. His eyes trailed back to her hands in her lap, they were twisting nervously, rubbing against each other. He looked up at her when she started speaking again, her face wet with tears, her voice thick with emotion.

"I used him." She wiped at her tears. "And I felt so bad afterwards… there were no feelings. I just… I just felt like I had betrayed you." Jack felt his head go light, there were so many implications in that sentence that he didn't know what to make of it. She broke into a hysteric fit of crying and he scooted over, hesitating a little before putting his arm around her in a friendly gesture. She stiffened a little, before burying her head in his chest, awfully more intimate than Jack had intended.

"At least…" She choked out. "…at least he died thinking I loved him. Maybe…" She took a deep breath to try to stop the sobs. "…maybe he got to be happy." Jack pulled her closer, rocking her slightly in her arms, like one does a little child. He swallowed hard, leaning his head down to kiss her hair lightly.

"Hey, it's okay." He said softly, hand tangled up in her hair, smoothing out the curls lovingly. "I'm sure he's somewhere better." He felt her nod against his chest, her messy hair tickling his throat. "I'm sure he knows how much you miss and care for him." She nodded again, just once. They sat there for a long while, the fire behind them fading slowly. It felt good to have her in his arms, it felt good to know that she didn't blame him, and most of all didn't love Sawyer. He didn't know where it left them; him and her, but he knew, at least, that he could make things a little better.

"I didn't mean for him to die." He said slowly, needing her to know, still. "I never even meant to kill Ben, it… it was a miscalculation." She nodded against his chest before meeting his gaze. "I thought they would let the both of you go." He admitted. "I couldn't bear the thought that they might hurt you to get to me, and I wanted you back here, where you would be safe."

"I know." She said simply, holding onto his gaze. "It wasn't your fault Jack." She smiled at him a little, and he returned it, pulling her closer again. She nuzzled her head underneath his head, her breath warm on his chest. He closed his eyes. To hear her say that it wasn't his fault, that she didn't blame him, lifted something heavy off his chest.

"Jack?" She said after what seemed like hours. She didn't move from his chest, but her arm came up to rest on his shoulder, clinging closer to him. She sounded sleepy as she continued, "As much as I wanted both of you to come back unscathed; if I could only have one of you back, I'm glad that it's you." His hold on her tightened, and he pressed another kiss into her hair. He felt tears form in his eyes, but instead of fighting against them, he just let them come, holding Kate tight. "I love you." She whispered silently, loud enough for him to hear. She turned in his arms, and their eyes met. Smiling at her through his tears, Jack pulled her closer, onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he could feel her relax; free from all the guilt and all her emotions after such a long time. He planted a kiss below her exposed ear, and he felt her shiver.

"I love you too Kate."

He woke up the next morning, finding Kate still pressed against his chest and he knew, without any doubt, that things would be better now. So incredibly much better.

Fin

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