A/N: Hey everyone! I'm incredibly sorry that I haven't updated…I know I've mentioned it to some of you, but I've been really busy since mid-December with my class movie and that's what's kept me from working on my fanfic. Literally every second of my free time has been put into that movie and just so you know, it turned out to be a huge success. We (the Junior class at my school) won pretty much all the awards at the viewing, all except Best Movie, which is pretty much rigged so the Seniors always win. I was really proud of everyone involved, and enjoyed being a part of it myself.

Anyway, enough rambling. I finally have a new chapter written and I really hope you enjoy it and once again I'm so sorry it took this long to post it…

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognize. In fact, I'm pretty sure the only thing I own in this chapter is Mark…lol…pretty pathetic…

All The Right Reasons

Chapter 3: The Hunting Party

The walk back to the caves felt like an eternity to Jack. It felt as though time itself was slipping through his fingers, running out. Before long, Jack could see the swirling wisps of smoke rising into the air from the caves. He could now see the silhouettes of people just over the brush, hear the bustling sounds of the other survivors going about their day. As they stepped through the remaining trees, Jack began to sense that there was a commotion at the caves. Like a looming tension. They know, he thought grimly, body tensing up at the thought of the task ahead of him.

"Jack!" Charlie's voice immediately met Jack's ears as he stepped into the camp.

Jack looked up to see Charlie's lanky form bounding towards him, "Jack!"

"Did you find her? Is she okay?" Charlie asked hurriedly, eyes wide in concern. Jack felt a knot begin forming in his throat, the dread in the back of his mind resurfacing, "What happened?"

"I don't know…" Jack's eyes fell to the floor, glistening with still unshed tears. Tears of frustration. Anger. Loss.

Charlie's eyes widened at Jack's response, obviously wondering just what it meant. Sayid quickly stepped forward, moving to stand by Jack.

"What?" Charlie asked, astonished, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"We don't know where she is or what's happened," Sayid said, dark eyes boring into Charlie. His voice was calm, almost hushed, as though he didn't want to stir up the other survivors. They would panic if they knew. But even as Sayid spoke, he knew that this wasn't something they could keep from the others. They had to know. Sayid could feel the tension in the air even as he spoke.

Charlie was silent for a moment, letting Sayid's words sink in. One of them was missing. Gone. And they didn't know what had happened to her or even where to look. Charlie found his mind racing back to what had happened to Claire. Even now, nearly two weeks later, it was still a mystery to them. But now another one of them has disappeared and the circumstances were all too familiar.

"What are we going to tell them?" Charlie asked, voice rushed.

At Charlie's words, Jack was suddenly aware of everyone around him. It was as though everything had stopped, that normal life at the caves had come to a brief pause. The air was laced with tension and Jack knew that everyone had to be worried out of their minds, whether they had any idea what had happened or knew nothing at all. The feeling in the air was enough to bring on a panic.

As much as Jack didn't want deal with everyone, he knew that he had to tell the other survivors what he knew. They had a right to know. The sooner he explained the situation, the sooner they could send out search parties to find Kate. And finding Kate was just about the only thought he could firmly grasp in his mind just now.

Looking out at them all, it was more than tempting to just turn away, to run back into the jungle and not look back, searching for Kate alone. But Jack knew that would accomplish nothing. Feeling their eyes burning into him, Jack finally spoke up.

"Kate's missing…" Jack said simply, voice almost cracking as he spoke. Closing his eyes tight for a fraction of a second, Jack fought to regain his bearings, struggling with himself and all that he felt.

A low rumble of excited conversation, along with several gasps from the crowd of survivors immediately filled the air. Jack felt his pulse race as he took in their reaction, knowing what they must be thinking.

"But we're going to find her…" Jack continued after a long pause, struggling to keep the emotion from his voice. It was hard, acting like this wasn't affecting him. Like it wasn't hurting him, "We need to form a search party. We can head out as soon as possible."

"Wait, you're actually going back out there?" Shannon asked skeptically, eyeing Sayid rather than Jack, who had made the statement, "What about them?"

"I'm not just going to leave her!" Jack nearly shouted, eyes blazing. For the first time, his feelings on all that had happened were obvious, if the other survivors hadn't guessed already. Voice choked, Jack continued, "We aren't just going to leave her…" This time, his voice was softer, laced with the worry he felt.

"Jack…" came Charlie's voice from somewhere behind Shannon. Jack watched as he stepped through the crowd, pushing his way into view, "I'm coming with you. To find Kate I mean…"Charlie's pale blue eyes shone with determination and what Jack could've sworn was sympathy directed at him, "I want to help…"

"Alright…"Jack said, lowering his gaze and fixing it on the ground. He kept it there for a few moments, unable to continue seeing the way everyone was looking at him. With sadness. Pity. It was as if they knew. As if they had always known. The things he felt for her and the panic that was sweeping through his mind now that he was faced with her loss, "I'm going to need at least two others." Jack spoke once again to the crowd, eyes traveling over each of their faces.

Sayid immediately stepped forward, "I'll go," he said calmly, nodding towards Jack. Jack met his gaze for a moment, silently thanking him for all of his support.

"I'll go too, Jack," came Locke's voice from across the caves. He already had a pack slung over his shoulders and a knife at his side. Jack simply nodded to him, hand unconsciously twisting into a fist at his side. Jack was sure that until he found Kate, in the back of his mind, there would always be room for blaming Locke for what had happened to her.

Jack now stood at the front of the crowd with Charlie, Locke and Sayid. He turned to face Charlie and Sayid, "Grab a couple of water bottles and anything else you think you'll need. We're leaving in half an hour."

Without another word, Jack turned to walk away from them, heading towards the jungle, "Wait, Jack!" Charlie called out, taking a step in Jack's direction, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the gun case," Jack said quietly, eyeing Charlie solemnly. The younger man didn't say a word, only watched silently as Jack continued on his way.

By the time Jack made it back to the caves, Charlie, Sayid and Locke were standing in a small circle, waiting. Sayid and Locke had packs slung over their shoulders, but Charlie wasn't visibly carrying any supplies.

"Jack!" came a voice Jack couldn't place from across the caves as he was approaching Charlie, Locke and Sayid. Jack stopped and turned toward the voice, finding that it belonged to the young man he had yelled at earlier. The one that had fallen asleep during guard duty the previous night. Mark, Jack remembered Sayid telling him the man's name was.

Jack met the younger man's eyes, face expressionless. For a moment, Mark hesitated, not knowing how to interpret the look on Jack's face. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, but shut it sheepishly. "Listen, Jack…" Mark began finally, unable to meet the older man's eyes, "I-I'm sorry about what happened…what I did…and I want to help, find her I mean. I want to go with you…"

For several moments, Jack just continued to stare at the younger man, as if sizing him up. Jack hardly knew him. In fact, he didn't know him at all. The only time he had spoken to him had been just two hours ago, right before he had run off on the trail to the hatch to look for Kate. It hadn't been an encounter Jack was proud of.

Mark finally met Jack's eyes, and Jack could see right away that there was an obvious look of grief in those eyes. He truly felt guilty for falling asleep, Jack decided. And that was when Jack knew that he had no right to tell the boy to stay behind. He had as much of a right to go as Jack himself did. If not for Kate, than at least for his own redemption.

"Yeah…" Jack replied after a moment, nervously reaching up to brush his fingers over his short cropped hair, "Yeah, you can come," Mark's face lifted for a split second, a small smile of relief tugging at the young man's lips, "Grab your things." Mark raced off immediately to get anything he might need for the trip.

As soon as Mark made it back to the group, a small school backpack slung over his shoulders, the group headed out into the jungle. None of them knew what they might find or what they were heading into. All of them hoped to find Kate alive, but each of them had their doubts.

(SPACE)

A chill ran eerily down Kate's spine as she tumbled to the floor, thrown roughly back into her cell. The exposed skin of her arms and face immediately met the stinging cold of the concrete floor, knocking the wind out of her from sheer surprise at the sudden sensation. Gasping for air, Kate gingerly attempted to sit up, the tender muscles in her neck and shoulders immediately burning in pain.

Panting, Kate tilted her head to each side, examining the room. It was pitch black, the only light coming from beneath the crack in the bottom of the cell door. That tiny ray of light exposed only a few dim shadows along the far wall and the frame of the door. Feeling her way along the wall, Kate discovered that it was made of steel, its cool surface biting against her already frozen finger tips.

Kate was dripping wet, not having been given anything to dry herself with after her experience in the tank. Her mind still reeled, unable to comprehend anything that had happened. She had no way of knowing how long they had kept her submerged in the icy water, but it had felt as though it had been an eternity. The water had been so cold that she had become painfully numb within less than a minute, her body chilled to the bone and shivering. And then the harsh blasts of water and the demands over the tiny intercom just over her head. It had felt like thousands of tiny needles puncturing her skin, pricking her from head to toe until she felt as though she would pass out. And she nearly had. After a while, Kate's body had ceased to fight, relinquishing any sort of struggle it had previously been putting up against the tank.

Even now, Kate was still shivering, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the fear. She had never felt so alone or afraid in her life, and that was saying something for a one-time convict who had lived a good portion of her life on the run. The places she had been and the things she had seen, it took a lot to get a single tear from Kate. But this was different. It was inhuman. It was heartless. Most of all, it was pure torture.

"The boy…Where is the boy?"

That question rang with a vengeance in the core of Kate's mind, threatening to push her over the edge. It was like an idle hum at the very base of her consciousness, growing ever louder as the minutes passed by. It had been the only question they had asked her and it left Kate wondering what it might mean.

And then, after what could have been hours, Kate wasn't sure anymore. She remembered Walt. None of them had known for certain, but Jack at least had suspected that Walt's mysterious appearance and his severe case of amnesia were due to some kind of interaction with whoever it was that had taken Claire. By now, Kate had become more than certain that whoever these people were that held her captive now, they were the very same that had taken Claire. They were Ethan's people. The Others.

Kate closed her eyes, lashes brushing against her cheeks. Jack. How long had she been kept here? Hours? A day perhaps? Time was a blur to Kate now, but that wasn't what plagued her mind just now. She couldn't have been here any longer than a day, though the pains that currently racked her mind and body told a different story. And yet already, her mind came back to him. To Jack.

Jack. Kate's eyes welled up with unshed tears as thoughts of Jack plagued her mind. What was he thinking right now? Did he know that she had been taken? Kate had no way of knowing if Jack had any idea that she was even gone. If Locke hadn't returned to the caves yet, then no one would have any idea that anything had happened to her. If the trail got old, assuming there even was one, then it would be nearly impossible to find her if it wasn't impossible already.

But somehow, Kate knew that she was going to be okay. She would have to be okay. Jack would find her. For reasons she couldn't explain, Kate was sure of that fact. There was no room in her mind for doubt. Jack was going to find her. He was going to come for her and all of this would be over.

And as these thoughts of utter certainty passed through Kate's mind, she had to wonder how she had come to so completely trust this man who was practically a stranger to her. How had she come to need him so badly in such a short time. Sitting here in this cell, Kate could only describe it as being like a fish out of water. It was as if she couldn't breathe.

Kate had spent many years of her life on the run, never able to trust anyone. Not even her own mother. But now, just when she was in the most unsure situation she had ever been in, she found that she could fully put her trust into a man that she had only just met little more than a month ago. It didn't make any sense, yet at the same time, it made perfect sense.

Without warning, the tears that Kate had been fighting back suddenly broke free. They began rolling steadily down her cheeks, sobs racking her chest. When had she become so helpless, so dependent on someone other than herself? Forty-five days ago, a voice deep within said meekly as she continued to cry, sobbing silently to herself.

Kate was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard a shuffling of feet just outside her cell door. Jerking her head up, eyes alert, Kate found herself unconsciously pushing her body back as far as she could go, pressing herself up against the cold steel wall. Clamping her eyes tightly shut, she said a silent prayer that they weren't coming back for her. She didn't know how much longer she could stand any of this and she hadn't even been held here for more than a day.

"1, 2, 3.…"Kate began to count out loud in a strained whisper as her voice began to quiver and her body shake, "4...5..."

(SPACE)

The sky, once a blue as pure and clear as the ocean surrounding the island, began to melt into faded shades of pink and orange. Sunset. Only a tinge of its original blue was left as the sun slowly sank beyond the mountains and cliffs that scattered over the island, dipping out of sight. Before long, the skies were void of any color and had vanished into an oblivion of black.

Glancing up at the now darkening sky, Sayid knew that they would have no choice but to stop and make camp. It would be foolish to continue their search in the dark on this unfamiliar and obviously unsafe terrain. Who knew what might be out in this jungle, particularly at night when it would be harder to see their surroundings? No, Sayid knew that it was time for a break. His concern though, was with Jack.

Ever since he had witnessed Jack's breakdown at the hatch, Sayid felt a sense of compassion for the man. Kate's abduction had obviously struck some deep chord within him, and Sayid hardly had to wonder why. The two had been very close for as long as Sayid could remember. Almost directly after the crash, even amongst all the chaos. Jack had fought to gain order amongst the survivors and Kate had been at his side every step of the way. Even when they had fought. And Sayid knew they had their fights.

Now that Kate had gone missing, that constant support Jack had up until this point was gone and Sayid knew that the man had to be feeling utterly helpless. He didn't blame him. But what worried Sayid now was Jack's devotion to finding her. He was more than determined, Sayid knew. Jack hadn't allowed them to stop once since they had set out from the caves, and it had been an entire day. Sayid knew that Jack would have no intention of stopping now.

"Jack!" Sayid called ahead, bringing the group to a stop.

Sayid watched as Jack hesitated in his footing briefly, as if deciding to even stop to hear Sayid's request. In the end though, Jack halted and turned to face Sayid, eyes radiating with impatience and something else. Pain, perhaps frustration. "We need to make camp."

"We haven't found her yet, " Jack said simply, though his eyes bore down with a hidden rage, Sayid guessed it wasn't directed at him.

"Its getting dark," Sayid insisted, meeting Jack's accusing gaze. He knew Jack wasn't thinking rationally and that just now the man couldn't think rationally, but Sayid wasn't going to risk the lives of the entire search party, "We're on unfamiliar terrain. It would be foolishness to keep going under these conditions."

"I don't care," Jack replied, breathing hard. Sayid could see the struggle in the other man's eyes, knew the frustration and ultimately the fear that resided there.

"Sayid's right, Jack…" Locke chimed in, seeing an argument building, "It'd be a lot smarter to make camp. We've been at it all day and we could use a rest."

"And what, John?" Jack snapped angrily, turning on Locke, "Are we just going to give up on her?"

"We aren't giving up on anyone," Sayid's voice projected over Jack's, though his tone was calm, "We'll continue looking for Kate in the morning."

Jack's eyes bore into Sayid, fixed on him as he absentmindedly fiddled with the strap of his backpack. He was nervous. All of them could see it. They all knew what he must be thinking, no fearing, with every lost moment that Kate was still missing.

Heaving a long sigh, Jack brought his free hand up to run through his short cropped hair, drawing it down over his face as if deep in thought. Finally, as the others continued to watch him with concern, Jack swung his pack from his shoulders and let it drop to the ground where he stood. He wouldn't meet any of their eyes.

It was with a look of pure defeat that Jack let himself sink to the ground beside his pack, body leaning against it. He was exhausted, though he would never admit that, not even to himself. He sat in a tortured silence as Sayid, Locke, Charlie and Mark shuffled around in the small clearing, gathering wood for a fire and making camp. Jack knew that he ought to get up and help them, to break out of this spell he was in. But that was easier said than done.

With every moment that passed, Jack unknowingly became more sure that they would never find her. That all of this would be for nothing.

Later that night, Jack refused to give into the seemingly endless exhaustion that had been pulling at him for days. He sat in front of the still burning fire, knees drawn up against his chest, lounging back on his pack. His eyes were fixed on the crackling fire before him, flames dancing against the shadows of his face.

Sayid lay sprawled out several feet away, snoring softly as he slept. Locke and Mark also lay nearby, sleeping soundly. Jack had to wonder how they could do it. How they could manage to sleep so peacefully, as if they had nothing to worry about. Nothing to keep them awake.

"I want to tell you what I did, why he was after me…"

Almost against his will, Kate's voice echoed with a vengeance in his mind as he continued to stare at the fire. Jack remembered that conversation well, when she had offered to tell him what she had done, why the marshal was after her.

"I don't want to know. It doesn't matter, Kate, who we were - what we did before this, before the crash. It doesn't really…three days ago we all died. We should all be able to start over…"

Jack hadn't let her tell him. He had claimed that he didn't want to know, that he didn't need to know. But that hadn't been true and it hadn't been fair to either of them. Jack had realized since then that Kate had needed to tell him and that at the time, he had only been thinking about himself.

He could count on his fingers all of the fights and the tension filled moments that his refusal to hear her confession had caused. More than anything, Jack regretted that now. Maybe if he hadn't been so held back by what she had or hadn't done, they could've had more time together. Real time, not the moments they had spent against each other.

"I want the truth, just this once. What is it?"

"It belonged to the man I loved…"

"The truth…"

Jack had needed to know, his voice laced with desperation. Her voice had quavered with a flash of sincerity, but that hadn't been enough for him. She hadn't told him what he had wanted to hear. He had responded with frustration, the anger inside him slowly rising to the surface.

"It belonged to the man I loved…"

"Stop lying and tell me the truth!"

"I'm not. It belonged to the man I killed…"

As Jack sat before the fire, he could feel a new wave of tears burning at his eyes, fighting to be free. Out of all the things that Jack could remember about Kate, the memory of opening the silver gun case for the first time came to him the strongest. Though it had been weeks since that had happened, it was clearer in Jack's mind than even their kiss. That was what stung the most just now.

Jack closed his eyes, pressing his body further back against his pack. He held his breath, as if afraid to disturb such a tender memory. He could feel the softness of her lips upon his as he had brought his face crashing down upon her own. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his face. His fingers tingled with the still fresh memory of running his hands through her dark hair, the thick, silky texture feeling cool against his skin.

He shuddered as he remembered the warmth of her arms around his neck, her fingers delicately cupping his face, running smoothly over the stubble on his chin. He remembered the sweet taste of her kiss, and the passion of it all. How it had made him feel.

Most of all, he could still see the look in her eyes when they had broke apart. He had almost expected her to shrink away, as if in retreat, like she usually did in the moments he had gotten too close. In the moments she had let down her walls. Instead, he saw a simmering fire flash across her gaze. Her eyes became suddenly and uncharacteristically soft as she closed them for a moment, lashes brushing against her cheek.

And with that memory, it was as if she were still in his arms this very moment as he lay before the crackling fire. A phantom weight pressed against his chest and it was only when a log shifted in the fire, setting off a loud series of cracks and sparks that Jack was pulled out of this reverie.

Sighing, Jack buried his face in his hands, lightly massaging his face. After a long moment, Jack ran his hands over his face to move nervously through his hair. Everything was so uncertain. Jack didn't know if he could handle it anymore, but he knew that he had to. He had to hold it together long enough to find Kate. And he would find her. Despite the impossibility of it all, he knew that he would find her.

As the first rays of the sun appeared faintly over the distant mountains, sliding over the tree line and into the clearing, Jack alone was wide awake. He hadn't slept at all that night. He hadn't even wanted to sleep. Not when things were so dire, with Kate's life on the line.

Before long, the sun appeared completely over the horizon, the darkness slowly vanishing into the break of day. Watching the sun rise, its light washing rhythmically over the jungle, it crossed Jack's mind that the second day of searching for Kate had come.

Hearing the sound of shuffling, Jack jerked his head to his right, toward the noise, to find that Sayid was awake. The man had risen to his feet and was stretching, muscles soar from sleeping out on the uneven jungle floor.

Locke and Mark had soon began to stir, Jack noticed and only Charlie still slept. As Locke rose to his feet to move over to Jack and Sayid, he nudged Charlie awake with his foot. Charlie immediately jerked awake, startled.

"What?" he asked sleepily, lazily sitting up.

"Get up," Locke said simply, walking past him, "We need to head out."

"Right," Charlie said quickly, breaking out of his lazy state. He hastily pulled himself to his feet and bounded over to where the rest of the group stood.

"We have a long day ahead of us," Sayid said after a moment, eyeing each of them individually, "We'd best get started."

Jack was silent as they each began to pick up camp, readying themselves for heading out once more. Without a word, Jack pulled a bottle of water from his pack and took several long gulps, nearly emptying it. Refreshed, Jack put the bottle back in his pack and moved to look towards the rocky cliffs in the distance.

Beyond those cliffs lay the ocean, Jack knew. The distant side of the island that none of them had dared venture to. Already, the search party had moved farther into the dense expanse of jungle that covered the island than any of them had ever dared. They had entered what Rousseau had called the Dark Territory yesterday and had yet to move out of it.

If they didn't run into any trouble, or find Kate early on, Jack knew that they were sure to reach the other side of the island by nightfall. For reasons Jack couldn't explain, he dreaded reaching the other side of the island. Maybe it was a symbol of defeat, having covered all the ground that they could, but Jack knew that he never wanted to have to reach the other shore.

"Which way are we heading?" Charlie asked as they all began pulling on their packs.

"East," Sayid replied, taking a long drink from his water bottle. Swallowing, he pointed to their left, "Beyond those cliffs lies the ocean."

"And that's where we're going?" Charlie asked, gazing skeptically towards the cliffs.

"Yes," Sayid replied simply, turning away from Charlie before the man could bombard him with anymore questions, "If we leave now, we can reach the other side of the island by nightfall."

"Lets go then," Locke replied, voice holding a slightly upbeat tone that made Jack want to belt him hard in the face.

With that, the group moved out with Jack in the lead. Sayid, Locke, Charlie and Mark all followed silently behind him. They had all been walking on eggshells around him since Kate had gone missing. Though they all hoped that Kate would be found alive and well, each of them secretly doubted they would have such luck. It was with that attitude that each of them watched Jack now, wondering just how he would take it when they inevitably had to turn back.

The day passed by far too quickly for Jack. Throughout the day, as he watched the sun move ever so slowly in its axis across the sky, he found himself wishing it would simply stop. That it would give them more time. But it never slowed down. If anything, time began to slip faster and faster out of Jack's hands. And as they moved past the cliffs and to the approaching shore without a single trace of Kate or what might have happened to her, Jack felt a stinging sense of dread began to build up inside himself.

Before long, the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, the sky fading into brilliant splashes of blue and pink. To Jack's dread, the sun was setting on the second day of searching, his hope becoming that much thinner. As he watched the light of day begin to lazily fade along with the sun, Jack could faintly hear the sound of water in the distance. It was the sound of waves crashing against the rocks and the shore of the island.

The sound of the waves grew steadily as the sun continued to fade over the horizon. Soon, Jack found himself treading on hardened, dirt like sand rather than the dense foliage and soil of the jungle or the gravel and rocky ground of the cliffs. Next came the distinct smell of salt. When it filled Jack's nostrils, he cringed, knowing they were close.

Within an hour, they had reached the beach, the sound of the waves crashing loudly present. Jack was the first to stumble from the thick trees of the jungle to the open, sandy expanse of the shore. The darkness that the dense trees of the jungle had provided now vanished into the open sky of the beach, the whole expanse lit by the pale light of the moon.

For several long moments, Jack stood silent and still, the toe of his boots digging into the sand. His eyes fell onto the ocean as its waves crashed against the shore, nearing where he stood because of the high tide.

"Damn…"Jack choked out, voice no more than a hoarse whisper. He clamped his eyes shut, unable to stare at the menacing waves of the ocean any longer. He brought his hands up to cover his face, burying it there. He could feel the eyes of the others in the search party. They stood several yards behind him, still at the edge of the jungle.

"Goddamn it!" Jack yelled, jerking his head out of his arms and clenching his fists. Without warning, Jack let out another yell of frustration, roughly moving forward and kicking up sand.

After a few moments, he had reached the shore. And as the waves lapped up around his ankles, he could feel the icy cold chill of the water moving past him, then rushing back into the sea. "No…"he said softly, voice broken and dejected, "No!" he yelled, stomping hard at the water as he continued to yell in frustration.

"Jack!" he heard Charlie's voice first, calling from the line of trees several yards behind him. He soon heard Sayid and Locke calling his name, running towards him. "Jack! Jack…" Charlie called his name, softer this time as he reached him. Panting, Charlie reached his side, "Calm down, mate…"

"Calm down?" Jack asked, his lips twisting into a sarcastic, frustrated smile as he began to laugh bitterly, "You want me to calm down? She's still out there Charlie. We've looked all over this damn island, and she's still out there…"

"Its not over, Jack…" Charlie supplied, looking to the other three for support, "Not till we've found her…"

"We'll find her…" Jack agreed, breathing heavily as he was beginning to calm down, "We're going to find her…"

"No, Jack…" Sayid said quietly from beside Charlie. It was the meekest tone Jack had ever heard coming from the ex-soldier, "We can't keep doing this…"

Jack immediately turned to face Sayid, meeting the other man's eyes with a suddenly cold stare. He watched as Sayid acknowledged this, swallowing hard before turning back to Charlie.

"What? You can't be serious!" Charlie exclaimed, looking at Sayid as though he were insane, "We can't just leave her out there…"

"Its been two days. We've all seen what's out there. What are the chances of her surviving, alone out here?" Sayid questioned, knowing how harsh it was, but also knowing that it had to be said.

"I am not giving up on her, Sayid!" Jack nearly yelled, taking a step towards the other man. His eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight.

"Jack, you know as well as I do that she never had a chance," Sayid said, voice grim as he met Jack's eyes, not moving his gaze for several moments.

"You're wrong…"Jack said, looking down at the sand as the water continued to lap around his ankles. He found himself suddenly calm, the anger fleeing to be replaced by the same hopeless feeling that he knew was driving Sayid, "She's alive…"

For a long moment all of them were silent. The only sound to be heard was the light wind blowing against the trees and the waves crashing against the shore. Finally, Locke broke the silence.

"They've taken her…" Locke said after a moment, hardly looking surprised when the other four men jerked their heads up, surprised. His voice was matter of fact, as though he had known all along.

Jack, Mark and Sayid each looked shocked at Locke's claim, but only Charlie looked suddenly angry.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but it had bloody well not be the Others!" Charlie growled angrily, glaring steadily at Locke.

"How else do you explain it, Charlie?" Locke asked calmly, not looking remotely moved by Charlie's outburst.

"There are no Others!" Charlie yelled, eyes flashing angrily.

"Charlie's right, John," Sayid said quickly, hoping to calm Charlie down, "We don't have any proof these Others exist."

"Why do you think we haven't found Kate?" Locke asked, looking in turn from Charlie to Sayid and finally to Jack, noting the pain and fear in the other man's eyes, "If she's dead, why haven't we found a body?" Locke watched Jack cringe at this suggestion, "Or at least a trace of some kind of accident? There was nothing. Not a single disturbance. Nothing that could've provided us with a trail."

"You're out of your bloody mind!" Charlie muttered, refusing to believe anything Locke said, "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"You can think what you want to Charlie, but deep down you see that I'm right," Locke responded, voice nonchalant.

"What are we gonna do?" Mark asked, the first time he had spoken up during this entire exchange. His voice shook slightly, obviously nervous to join the fight.

"We're going to go back to the caves," Sayid said quickly, "If Locke is right about these Others, then there's nothing we can do."

"No…" Jack finally spoke up, his voice defeated, "If there's a chance she's alive, then we can't just give up on her. We have to find her…"

"Without a trail, we have no hope of finding her," Sayid said sternly, eyes softening as soon as he looked at Jack's exhausted form. The man didn't look up at him, but instead gazed out to sea, as if completely lost, "I'm sorry, Jack…" Sayid said sympathetically.

Jack didn't say another word to any of them. Instead, he silently let himself sink to the ground, landing on the soft sand. Closing his eyes, Jack shoved the tip of his boots into the sand, digging into it. Within moments, the surf had come up around his ankles, tickling his sides with cold.

In the back of his mind, Jack could hear Sayid calling his name, trying to get his attention, but he didn't respond. He just sat silently in the surf with his knees pulled up against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs letting the water lap up around his ankles. His thoughts were in a million places, his mind in a whirling fury and he just sat in silence, letting himself sink into the shore with every new wave.

A/N: Well, what did you think? I hoped you guys liked it…This time I really promise I'll have the next chapter up sooner. Now I've got the time to work on it, so it should be up pretty fast. I'll really be encouraged if I get feedback, so please review. Thanks!