A/N: Well I guess I've once again proved how unreliable I am with fan fiction. I'm so sorry guys! I really didn't mean for it to take this long and as always I have an excuse, but I still wish I could devote more time to this. I'm really going to try, I promise!

Anyway, plot wise this is a pretty important chapter so I hope you guys read it. The action is really going to start picking up in this story from this point on, so I hope you enjoy that and continue with my fic!

Disclaimer: I still don't own it…

All The Right Reasons

Chapter 4: The Messenger

Guilt. Walt could feel the putrid emotion flaring through every fiber of his being. It was like a shadow, constantly following him. Connected to him. So much so that it was entirely a part of him. Guilt for Kate. For his dad. For Sawyer and Jin, two men he couldn't recall having ever seen before, but was told sailed away with his dad on a raft to find help.

It had been no more than four days since Walt had found Shannon and Sayid in the jungle. Since he had been rescued from some terrible force that he couldn't remember. He had heard Shannon call it the Others. He didn't know what that could mean, but he knew that they were some kind of threat. Something bad. Something dangerous. He knew most of all though, if purely by assumption that these Others, whatever they were, wanted him.

Walt could remember almost nothing about any of the other survivors that claimed to have known him for a month since the crash. The crash he couldn't recall having ever experienced, let alone survived. The things that he did remember were odd little bits. Nothing important really. Just tiny fragments of daily life.

The clearest memory was of the older bald man. The one he had heard called John, but remembered as Mr. Locke from what memory he had of him.

"See this knot Walt? I want you to aim for it, right there. Focus on it, alright? Picture it in your mind's eye. You know what that is, right? The mind's eye?"

"Like a picture in your head or something…"

"That's right. Now do it again. But see it. See it before you do it. Visualize the path. See it. Just see it…"

Walt remembered gripping a knife in his hand, the smoothly polished handle resting firmly against his now sweating palms. He remembered the feeling of pure determination. Of will. But then he remembered seeing it. Like a real picture or even a vision, like it was actually happening. He remembered actually seeing himself throwing the knife and with amazing accuracy, slicing directly into the knot.

And out of nowhere, that vision materializing. Becoming as real as anything. As his mind wandered, yet stuck firmly to his utmost concentration, Walt released the knife from his grip, expertly throwing it at his target and sinking it in with a victorious thunk.

"Yes!"

"I knew you had it in you, Walt…"

"It was weird. I actually saw it. Like in my mind or something, like it was real…"

"Who's to say it wasn't?"

A small smile flickered at the edge of Walt's mouth, but it only lasted for a moment. It didn't take long for the reason for Walt's uneasiness to come back to him. It was like a plague. Something he just couldn't shake no matter how much he wanted to. The worst part of it all, was that Walt could never be sure just how much of this was his fault. His last memory was boarding the plane with his dad, and even that memory wasn't a clear one.

Sighing, Walt sank back farther into the lumpy cushions of the airline seat he was lounging in. After he had been found in the jungle and examined for injuries, Jack had given the chair to Walt as a makeshift bed, explaining that he and his dad had stayed out on the beach and their camp was long since picked over.

Jack had allowed Walt to stay with him in the medical cave because it was much larger than the others and had plenty of room for an extra occupant. Besides, Walt knew from Jack's frequent glances that he had also intended to check up on him quite often and that it was just easier to keep him within his site.

Just as Walt's thoughts were beginning to stray again, he could hear a shuffling sound towards the mouth of the cave. Soon, it became more defined and Walt recognized it as the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Walt…"he immediately recognized Jack's voice as his dark form appeared at the entrance to the cave. He was still too far away for Walt to make out the expression on Jack's face, but Walt could detect a surprised tone in Jack's voice, "What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep…" Walt gave a mumbled reply, letting his eyes drop to the floor in fear of meeting the man's gaze as he entered the cave. Soon, Jack's form became clear as he stepped into the dim firelight of the cave, nearing Walt's makeshift bed.

Silence loomed around them. Walt barely caught Jack's response as he couldn't bring himself to look him in the eye, but out of the corner of Walt's vision, he saw Jack nod ever so slightly. He heard Jack sigh heavily before moving away and walking over to his own cot further back in the cave. As the metal frame of the cot squeaked with friction, Walt let out a small breath of relief, knowing he no long had Jack's heavy gaze on him.

Shifting his form on the airline seat, Walt turned his head to look at Jack. He saw him sitting up on his cot, his entire frame leaning forward against his knees. He had his head buried in his hands, rubbing his temple.

It was as he watched Jack and saw the weariness in his every movement, that Walt knew that he couldn't go on like this. The guilt was too much as it was now.

"Jack?" Walt asked, forcing himself not to break his gaze from where Jack sat. He watched as Jack jerked his head up, his hands falling down into his lap as he quickly turned to look at Walt. It was almost too much, the pained look that radiated from Jack's eyes. The hurt that was written in his features.

"You blame me…don't you…" Walt said, his eyes immediately falling to the floor. He couldn't stand to see the disappointed look on Jack's face any longer.

If Walt had kept Jack in his gaze, he would have seen the look of complete shock that came over Jack's face as what Walt had said registered in his mind. He would have seen the disbelief in Jack's eyes and the way that within seconds, Jack had clicked into action.

"Wait, what?" Jack asked, the shock clear in his tone.

"For Kate…you blame me for Kate…" Walt said, lifting his gaze ever so slightly, but still unwilling to meet Jack's eyes. Without even looking at Jack, he could feel the man tense up at the stinging mention of Kate's name.

Jack's voice cracked as he attempted to answer, his lips twisting to emit a light chuckle, though it was far from an amused one. He shook his head, bringing his gaze to the floor. He was silent for several moments before again lifting his head to speak to Walt, "You really think that?"

Walt just stared at Jack in response. Jack sighed, lifting a nervous hand up to run it through his short cropped hair, "Its not your fault, Walt…none of this was…"

"How do you know?" Walt asked, though from the look he got, he knew that wasn't a question Jack knew the answer to.

"Because it wouldn't be fair…" Jack said after a moment, once again bringing his gaze to stare heavily at Walt, his eyes bearing into him, "It wouldn't be fair for me to blame you…"

"A lot of things aren't fair…" Walt persisted, unmoved by Jack's attempt to soothe him.

Walt didn't have to look at Jack to know the man didn't have an answer to that either. He knew that he couldn't. Maybe now Jack would see that Walt really was to blame. Maybe now he'd know. At least then he'd treat Walt the way he deserved for what happened to Kate. Maybe then he'd hate him like he should.

After several long moments, Jack again spoke up, this time his voice carrying an even greater burden, "Listen Walt…" Jack said quietly, though his voice held a definite tone, "I don't blame you. What happened to Kate wasn't your fault. There was nothing you could have done to make it any different."

"But Shannon says they just want me," Walt replied, curious to how Jack could excuse that one, "She said that's why they hurt Kate…"

Jack suddenly became more tense, flinching at Walt's mention of Kate's mysterious disappearance, "None of us knows what happened to her, Walt. We don't even know if the Others exist…"

Walt shook his head, defiant of Jack's disbelief in the Others, "Shannon says she heard them. She said Sayid did too."

There was no mistaking the look of surprise on Jack's face as he began to consider what Walt was saying. Obviously, this was news to him, "She doesn't know what she's talking about. She doesn't know anymore about the Others than the rest of us."

Walt had nothing to say in response to Jack's words. Maybe Jack really didn't blame him. He was obviously upset about everything, but it didn't look like he held it against Walt.

"Its late…" Jack said after a while, breaking his gaze away from the floor to look at Walt, "You should get some sleep."

Sighing, Walt nodded, though he doubted sleep would come any easier now than it had before. He met Jack's gaze briefly, his lips twisting into a small smile. Jack returned the grin, though Walt could tell it was masking the pain that he really felt. He knew that Jack didn't really have anything to smile about just now.

Walt shifted back around in the airline sit, shuffling his body until he was somewhat comfortable. He heart the cot squeak as Jack lay down, stretching his frame against it. The cot screeched and squealed as Jack continued to shift his body around, finally settling on his side, facing the cave wall.

As the room fell silent, Walt leaned back into the airline seat. Several moments passed and Walt felt exhaustion begin to consume him. Despite the turmoil that was still a constant pressure in his mind, Walk slowly began to drift off into a fitful sleep.

Several hours later, Walt found himself being jerked suddenly from sleep. His eyes snapped open and he felt his heart beating rapidly within his chest. Almost immediately, Walt began searching his surroundings, gasping for breath. What had woke him up so suddenly? He thought he might have heard something, some sort of sound that was out of place. But now there was nothing. No sign of a disturbance.

Calming down, Walt began to catch his breath. Perhaps it hadn't been anything after all. It was probably just a dream, he thought to himself. Nothing more than that.

Shifting in the airline seat, Walt turned to look at Jack. He was still there, his form spread out over the cot as he faced the wall sleeping silently. Walt watched as Jack's chest rose and fell rhythmically in his sleep. He was surprised that Jack had managed to sleep at all, but just by the looks of him, maybe it wasn't so hard to believe after all. Even now as he slept, Jack had visible bags under his eyes from exhaustion. Walt had no doubt that the man had gone the entire four days of searching for Kate without sleeping for so much as a few minutes.

Just as Walt began to shift around in his seat to try to go back to sleep, he heard it. It was the same sound that had woke him up, but more than that, it was the same sound that had plagued him that night in the jungle before he had stumbled upon Shannon and Sayid. It was like a faint whisper. One that was more in the mind than actually there in the distance.

Walt jerked up from his seat, nearly leaping to his feet from sudden fear. He didn't know how, but he just knew that the whispering he had heard in the jungle and the whispers he heard now in some way belonged with the Others.

Panic swept through Walt at that thought. What if they were here? What if they had come back for him?

"Walt.."

What had been undecipherable mumblings suddenly became clear. Walt jumped at the eerie sound of his name. He knew then that it was indeed the voice from the jungle.

"Walt…"

Again came the whispers. Walt gasped, suddenly fearful. They chanted his name. The sound set shivers up his spine, shaking his very being. With each passing second, the whispers grew louder and more clear. It was as if the owner of the voice was drawing nearer by the moment.

"Jack," Walt croaked, voice hoarse. There was no response as Jack continued to sleep, softly snoring, "Jack…" Walt tried again, once again receiving no response.

Desperate, Walt began considering getting up from his seat to go wake Jack. He knew he had to get Jack, but every bone in his body told him not to get up. Not to be noticed. He had no memory of these Others. He had no idea what they could do to him or to anyone else. He didn't even know if they could be seen. After all, nothing he had ever heard of possessed such a voice as these whispers. It was so utterly inhuman.

"Jack!" Walt hissed, still not getting an answer. Fingers gripping the armrests at his side in frustration, Walt slowly began to slide out of his seat. He slithered along the fabric of the airline seat, as though he was trying to melt into the ground. Once he was on the cave floor, he slowly crept along, staying in the shadows. By now, the whispers had stopped, but his fear had not gone with them. If anything, their absence frightened him even more.

Reaching the cot where Jack lay, Walt let out a small breath of relief. His heart was pounding without relent in his chest and he fought hard to keep control of his breathing. Reaching out a hand, Walt gripped Jack's shoulder to shake him awake, "Jack…" Walt said, voice insistent.

Jack's eyes snapped open immediately, the sudden shock and confusion shining with a vengeance in his eyes. He caught his breath suddenly, obviously caught in fear at being jerked awake so unexpectedly.

"Walt…" Jack whispered in surprise and confusion, any scrap of sleep gone from his demeanor.

Walt immediately cut Jack off in a rushed whisper, "There's someone out there…"

He could see the wheels turning in Jack's mind, but his consideration on the matter only lasted for a brief few moments before he snapped into action.

Throwing his legs over the side of the cot, Jack swiftly pulled himself to his feet. Every muscle in his body tensed, as if on edge. Taking a step away from Walt, Jack silently crept towards the suitcases filled with medical supplies that were strewed throughout the cave.

Without hesitating, Jack reached behind one of the cases and lifted a long, thick piece of metal that had been sharpened at the end. Since he always kept the guns locked safely in the Marshall's case, the only weapon Jack always had at hand was this scrap metal spear.

"Stay here," Jack whispered urgently to Walt, looking him briefly in the eye before turning away. He knew that he had to act quickly.

Gripping the cold metal, Jack slowly crept towards the front of the cave. He could feel his pulse pounding in his head as his heart beat relentlessly in his chest. In the back of Jack's mind, the Others, the Others, was repeatedly voiced. Could it be? If Jack was honest, it was the first thing he thought of. And when did I ever admit they were even real, Jack asked himself. Maybe he had secretly assumed it all along.

Jack moved along the wall, his steps becoming farther apart the closer he got to the mouth of the cave. Soon, he knew what Walt had heard. It came quietly at first, but soon became a constant pressure in the back of his mind. The noise was hushed, yet had a blaring, unforgettable tone at the same time. Unexplainable, but the closest word Jack could think to describe it with was a whisper.

A constant flow of whispers. That was all that it was. They were tiny mumblings and murmurs, none that he could make out a single word of. With each whisper, Jack felt a chill run down his spine, raising the hairs on the back of his neck. He thought to yell for help, for he had no idea what he was up against. In his heart, he knew it was somehow tied with the Others. But until tonight, he had never known what they might be. What they could do.

Taking in a deep breath, Jack gazed steadily out at the camp. Before him lay the center of the caves. The only visible light came from the tiny flickering embers of each of the small fire pits scattered about the clearing.

Glancing to both sides, and shifting his gaze to travel over every inch of the caves, Jack could see no disturbance. The whispers had suddenly fell silent, and even when they had been blaring in Jack's mind, they somehow held no location. It was as if they were tied to nothing. As if they only existed in the imagination.

Jack stepped cautiously away from the mouth of the cave and out into the open air of the caves. With every step, his eyes darted to each side, careful to catch any sudden movements. Still, he could see nothing.

Breathing hard, the air felt thick all around Jack. Though he could not begin to explain how, he knew that someone or something was there. Something was wrong, out of place. He knew that Walt truly had heard something, probably the very same thing Jack had heard.

It was like an aura around the caves, Jack decided. As though everything was untouchable, unreal. The air around Jack now was so thick, he was sure that it was bearing a weight down on his shoulders. There was no doubt in Jack's mind that something was terribly wrong. As the fear coursed like wildfire through Jack's veins, he knew that he couldn't do this alone.

Just as Jack came to this conclusion, a new sound met his ears. It was like a shuffling of feet, physical movement somewhere in the camp. This sound was more tangible, more real and it immediately washed away all hesitation in Jack's mind.

"Sayid!" Jack shouted at the top of his lungs. For that brief moment after his yell, when all was silent, Jack felt an unexplainable certainty that he was going to die. Like a flash it was there, and just as suddenly it was gone. Within little more than an instant, Jack had come back to his senses, spinning around towards the sound. "Locke! Sayid!"

He was shocked at what he saw. A lone figure stood no more than ten yards away, just before the trail to the hatch began. The bulky, shadowy figure was clearly that of a man. Jack was so surprised by this discovery that he took a rushed step back, mouth dropping open. He could have sworn that the unknown man's lips twisted into a vicious smile, though because of the shadows, Jack couldn't be sure.

"Jack!" he heard Sayid's rushed call and the sound of approaching footsteps. Sayid was moving towards where Jack stood at a run. And in that moment when Jack turned away from the lone figure to face Sayid, the caves came alive. Jack's call to Sayid had managed to wake everyone and they were all coming to see what the commotion was.

Without a word, Sayid came to a stop at Jack's side. His eyes immediately fell upon the stranger, and grew wide in response. Looking up towards Jack, the other man only mirrored his confusion.

As the other survivors filed out into the open, gasps could be heard left and right. The caves were suddenly filled with whispers and mumblings of surprise and shock. Sayid knew that he had to take action.

Jack was momentarily baffled as Sayid gave him a quick glance before reaching to his back and pulling out one of the few 9 millimeters that had been in the Marshall's case. It took Jack only a moment to realize that Sayid had never returned the gun to him after their journey to search for Kate.

Before Jack could register in his mind what was happening, Sayid had broke off after the man at a run, gun pointed towards the ground. Jack immediately followed, tightly gripping the metal bar that now seemed rather useless. The man made no move to defend himself as Sayid none too gently knocked him to the ground.

By the time Jack reached the scene, Sayid had the stranger laying flat in the dirt, standing over him with the gun pointed down in his face. Still, the man did not move or even speak a single word or plea in his own defense. Jack approached Sayid, who stood firmly over the man, a murderous fire alight in his dark eyes. Within seconds, Locke too came on the scene at a run, panting as he stopped beside Jack.

"Who-" Locke began, still trying to catch his breath, his eyes wide in surprise at seeing the unknown man.

"We don't know…" Jack said simply, having a hard time registering it all himself. Locke had asked a good question. Who was this man?

"Sayid, what-" Locke voiced, taking a step toward the other man, but was immediately cut off as Sayid held up a shaking hand.

"Stay back!" he said sternly, his eyes never leaving the man he held at gunpoint, though the stranger had yet to show any sign of hostility. Keeping his aim fixed on the man, Sayid turned to look at Jack, "We need to question him," he said seriously, eyes bearing down on Jack.

For a brief moment, Jack turned to look back at his cave. As he had suspected, Walt stood at the mouth of the cave. He was leaning against the cave wall, eyes wide at the chaos that had broken out in the camp. Hesitating only for a moment, Jack replied, "Lets take him back to my cave. We can question him there."

Nodding, Sayid looked to Locke and then back to Jack, "Help me with him," he said, taking a step away from the man, though the aim of his gun did not waver for a moment.

The man seemed not to notice any of this, for his demeanor was just as calm as it had been before. As Jack and Locke stepped towards him, each cautiously reaching to pull him to his feet, he finally broke his silence, holding up a hand, "I'll go quietly," he said calmly, looking completely unfazed by this whole event.

"On your feet!" Sayid growled dangerously, indicating with the gun for him to rise. Letting out what sounded like a sigh of annoyance, the man lifted himself to his feet, stopping briefly to brush the dirt off of his loose fitting brown pants.

It was then, as Jack finally saw the man in full light that he really took notice of his appearance. He wasn't a particularly tall man, but he had a short, stalky build. His face was pale and gaunt, rounded out in shape and held several scars. His hair was light and thin, almost stringy looking in texture.

This man, whoever he was, may have had a somewhat comical appearance if not for his eyes. No, his eyes were anything but comical. They were a pale gray with tiny, almost invisible flecks of green. It was not the color though, but the emotionless quality of his eyes that made them stand out so menacingly in the pale moonlight.

Jack broke away his eyes as Sayid pressed the gun firmly into the man's back, "Move," he ordered, grinding the barrel firmly into the small of the man's back.

Jack turned briefly away from the scene to look at the gathering crowd at the caves. Nearly all of the survivors had been pulled out of sleep by the commotion. Shaking his head, Jack raised a hand as if to dismiss them, "Go back to your caves!" he shouted, all the while waving at them to move on, "There's nothing more to see!"

Hesitantly, the crowd slowly began to disperse. Though most of them returned to their caves, Jack was certain none would find anymore sleep tonight. After Kate's disappearance and the recent talk of the Others, Jack knew that was had happened tonight would be too much for all of them.

Upon reaching his cave, Jack immediately went to Walt. The boy stood frozen at the entrance to the cave, eyes wide in fear. Reaching out a hand, Jack let it rest on Walt's shoulder. Walt's head immediately snapped up to look at him, breathing hard. His eyes were wide and helpless, almost pleading with Jack, though he didn't know why.

"Walt," Jack said firmly, looking him directly in the eye. He lifted a hand to point in the direction of the dispersing crowd, "Go stay with Sun for the night."

"But-" Walt began to protest, much to Jack's surprise, but Jack immediately shook his head.

"Go," he repeated, steadfast. Sighing, though it was clear the boy was still scared out of his mind, Walt turned away from Jack and made his way over to Sun, following her into the cave she had once shared with Jin.

Once Jack was sure Walt was safe with Sun, he quickly made his way into his own cave, trailing after Locke and Sayid. His eyes fell upon the pair immediately. Locke sat on Jack's makeshift bed while Sayid stood farther back in the cave, stooped over the hunched form of what had to be their captive.

The man was leaning almost leisurely against the cave wall, his legs stretched out across the dirt floor. His hands were firmly bound behind his back and he stared almost emotionlessly up at Sayid. If there was one thing in this man's eyes, Jack thought grimly, then it would have to be amusement.

Sayid's eyes only broke away from the man briefly to fall on Jack as he entered the cave. Nodding, he turned immediately back to the stranger.

"Who are you?" Sayid questioned, though on many levels it sounded much more like a demand.

The man was stony silent for a moment, lips twisting into somewhat of a smirk.

"That isn't important…" he replied smugly, eyes never leaving Sayid's dark orbs.

Jack half expected Sayid to jump at the man, scream at him at the very least, but was surprised when Sayid simply contained his fury. The man's demeanor hardly changed for any more than a brief second.

"You are in no position to decide what is important and what is not," Sayid said calmly. Perhaps a little too calmly, Jack thought to himself.

"Is that a threat, Sayid?" the man asked, his lips twisting into a knowing grin.

Jack could hardly contain his surprise and knew without even glancing and Locke that the older man felt the same. Sayid however, showed little reaction to the stranger's words, as though unwilling to take his bait. But Jack knew different. He knew that somewhere beyond that indifferent exterior, Sayid's mind was reeling.

"That depends," Sayid continued, as though unfazed, "Answer the question. Who are you?"

Sighing, as though incredibly impatient, the man replied, "My name is Henry Gale."

Sayid nodded and turned briefly to look at Jack. Though he couldn't gauge the other man's reaction to this stranger's response, Sayid thought he might know what could be going through Jack's mind. He knew that Jack was likely questioning if this man had anything to do with Kate's disappearance.

But Sayid had no way of knowing that he was wrong. Jack had yet to connect Kate's disappearance to this man. It was as if he had settled on some form of denial. He refused to admit that even if the Others did exist, that they could possibly have been the reason for Kate's disappearance. Because that was just unacceptable. If they had her, if they hurt her, then it was far beyond his control. But if she was simply lost, out there somewhere on her own, then perhaps there was still a chance.

"How long have you been here?" Sayid asked, eyes bearing menacingly down on the man. He knew that if it came down to it and this Henry Gale didn't cooperate, then he would have to resort to some of his old tactics. He knew also that Jack might never let that happen.

"Longer than you have," he replied tersely, glaring venom at Sayid. Despite the pure, untainted hate that Sayid could see beyond the man's eyes, he could also see a bone-chilling sort of amusement as well.

"Precisely how long?" Sayid added quickly, as though unchallenged by this man's game.

The man simply sighed, as though incredibly burdened, then shook his head in a false pity. His eyes fell briefly away from Sayid and to the floor of the cave and as soon as he know longer stared at the man, his lips twisted into the tiniest of grins. With the grin came a softly amused chuckle.

Enraged, Sayid bolted to the floor, immediately landing on his knees just in front of the man. Gale hardly had time to react before Sayid had grabbed his chin roughly in his hands and none too gently jerked his face up to look him in the eye.

"Answer my question!" Sayid growled dangerously, his face now mere inches from Gale's. The man's pale green eyes bore no fear as he looked on at Sayid, completely unmoved by this sudden turn of violence.

"Sayid!" Jack called, eyes flashing.

Sayid did not turn to face Jack, but rather continued to stare on at Gale, his eyes bearing into the other man's orbs, "Stay out of this Jack…" he warned, though only Gale could see the dangerous glint in Sayid's dark eyes.

"You're asking the wrong questions…" Gale's voice came seemingly from nowhere and in little more than a faint whisper. Sayid glared in disbelief at the man, his chin still gripped firmly in Sayid's hand. Gale simply smiled as best he could given Sayid's grip.

Sayid said not a word. Instead, he roughly threw Gale back against the wall, inwardly cursing. Getting further into Gale's face, Sayid continued, "I'm giving you one last chance to answer my question…"

"Or what, Sayid?" Gale asked boldly, lips twisting in a far too amused grin, "Will you do to me what you did to the southerner? Torture me, Sayid?"

In response, Sayid was silent. He simply continued to stare at the man, almost in disbelief at his daring.

"What are the right questions?" Locke asked after a moment, moving to stand closer to Sayid. Though he couldn't see it for he only looked at Gale, Sayid was glaring in frustration at Locke's intrusion and only had to wonder how long it would be before Jack chimed in.

To all of their surprise, Gale turned his head to look at Jack. His ghostly pale green eyes bore into Jack's own brown ones, staring him down. This single second felt as though it lasted forever, laced with a terrible, looming tension before Gale finally spoke, "Jack knows the right questions," he replied, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth, "Don't you, Jack?"

And then all eyes were on Jack, staring at him as if in wonder. What was it he knew? And how could he know anymore than they did. If they had expected to see some miraculous sense of realization fall over Jack, then they were sorely disappointed, for he looked on at Gale, as puzzled as the other two men in the room. In truth, the question left his lips perhaps even without him knowing.

"Where's Kate?" the question loomed for eternal moments in the air as it left Jack's lips. His throat caught immediately at the shock of having voiced it and that was when his sense of denial immediately began to crumble. He just knew.

"Now we're getting somewhere…" Gale replied, a little too smugly for Sayid's liking. It was as if the stranger had had control over the interrogation the whole time, something that Sayid had never experienced before.

"Where is she?" Jack's voice had switched almost immediately into a dangerous tone that wasn't far from the one Sayid had been using, "What have you done with her!"

"She means something to you, doesn't she Jack?" Gale goaded, watching as Jack's anger became more and more apparent in his face.

"Damn it, where is she!" he was furious now, eyes alight with rage. As if anticipating his next action, Locke hastily grabbed Jack by the shoulders, pulling him back to prevent him from attacking the man. Henry Gale just laughed.

"We have something of yours, don't we Jack?" Gale continued to press Jack, his amusement only growing, his eyes as sickly pale as ever, "And you want her back. Well you have something of ours too, Jack and we want it."

"What do you want?" Jack asked, fighting to keep his voice from breaking. He wanted to be strong, to be firm, but in a moment like this, he hardly knew how.

"The boy," Gale said quickly, the most immediate answer he had managed to give that night, "We want the boy…"

None of them had to question what Gale meant when he said 'we'. They all knew well that he was referring to the Others. He was boldly saying that they did exist. That he was one of them. The idea made Jack's blood run cold.

Jack almost had to ask who it was Gale meant. Who was the boy? And then he knew. It could only be one person. Walt.

"Walt…" Locke echoed Jack's thoughts, his voice holding an edge of worry.

"He's just a boy…" Jack voiced in shock, even anger, "What could you want with him?"

Before Gale could answer, he was sharply cut off by Sayid, "It doesn't matter what he wants with Walt," Sayid said calmly, voice dangerously low, "He's lying."

"Its simple," Gale persisted, as if completely ignoring Sayid's accusation, "Bring us the boy, and Kate's all yours. You have forty-eight hours, exactly two days to do this. When the time is up, she's going to die, regardless."

"Don't you lay a finger on her!" Jack yelled defensively, once again having to be held back by Locke.

"Jack, stop!" Locke yelled, trying to calm Jack down as he held him back.

"No! He has her!" Jack yelled, fighting to pull away from Locke, "He has her, damn it!"

"Quiet!" Sayid yelled over the chaos, the noise finally slowing down as the attention fell onto him, "This man is obviously lying. We have no way of knowing these Others exist, let alone that he's truly one of them…"

"They have Kate!" Jack protested, staring at Sayid in disbelief.

"We can't know that," Sayid responded, not backing down, "What if he's lying?"

"And if I'm not, then she'll die," Gale chimed in, knowing exactly what to say to set Jack off, "Could you live with that, Jack?"

"Don't listen to him, Jack," Sayid said calmly, hoping to talk sense into Jack.

But Jack's eyes were glued firmly to Gale's form, watering over with unshed tears as a haunted look spread over his face. No matter what Sayid said, this man had Jack's attention.

"You know, she calls for you Jack…" Gale began again, the smile on his face becoming more sick with each passing moment, "When they touch her, beat her. Even when she's asleep, she calls for you…"

Jack was stony silent, his form suddenly gone almost rigid. He froze where he stood, slinking down and moving away from his violent stance. The blood was rushing from his face as he turned deadly white, feeling as though he might pass out.

"That's enough!" Sayid yelled, moving forward and laying a clenched fist against Gale's jaw with every ounce of force he had.

"Sayid, no!" Locke yelled, immediately rushing towards Sayid to pull him back. By the time he had been pulled under control, he had punched and kicked the other man until Gale lay sprawled out on his back, helpless to defend himself. His eyes were wild at the pain, his lips still twisted into that demented smirk.

Gale lay panting, though grinning as though he were victorious, "It's alright," He assured them, his eyes flashing from Locke to Jack, who stood motionless, watching the scene unfold with haunted eyes, "Let him do what he wants to me. But rest assured, anything that I suffer will be done twice as badly to her."

And before Jack could react, Sayid was once again yelling, "He's lying!"

Sayid leapt from Locke's hold, roughly tackling Gale to the ground once more. He shoved the other man against the wall, repeatedly punching him in the face and chest with all that he had.

And through it all, Gale still managed to shout out, "Every bruise, Jack, she'll be paid back two fold!"

It didn't take anymore than that. With a strangled yell, Jack broke into a run towards Sayid. Diving through the air, he hastily tackled Sayid, shoving him off of Gale and pinning him to the ground. The Iraqi immediately fought back, belting Jack in the jaw and yelling, "Let me go, Jack! I'm doing what must be done!"

Panting, Jack continued to hold him to the ground, pressing all of his weight into pinning down Sayid's arms at his side so that he couldn't strike back.

"You won't let him, Jack…" Gale said, feigning a weakness in his voice while never losing the ghastly grin that hadn't ceased since they had discovered him invading their camp, "You know I'm the only way you'll ever see her again…"

As Sayid continued to struggle, Jack clenched his fist and punched him hard, catching him across the eye. He pulled his arm back and repeated the motion, striking Sayid two more times before the man finally calmed down. Soon, he had ceased to struggle beneath Jack's hold. Both men sat frozen in the same position, each gasping for air and heavily panting.

Jack looked down to meet Sayid's eyes. The look he received was not cold, but surprisingly understanding. As if in silent agreement, Sayid nodded and Jack rolled off of him, relinquishing his hold. Each man rose to his feet, both still panting from the previous violence.

"He's lying…" Sayid persisted calmly between breaths, looking almost sympathetically at Jack.

"I can't risk it," Jack replied firmly, gazing directly into Sayid's dark eyes.

"And what is your plan? To give them the boy?" Sayid questioned, as if accusing Jack.

"No," Jack replied defensively, "We won't give them anything."

"Then what?" Sayid asked skeptically.

"We let him go," Jack responded as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. At Sayid's puzzled look, he continued, "If they don't get him back soon, they'll hurt her…"

Sighing, Sayid simply nodded. After several moments, he turned away from jack and back to the hunched, now severely bruised form of Henry Gale, "Get up," he said firmly, eyes flashing dangerously.

Gale struggled in vain to rise on his own, but with his new wounds and his hands firmly bound behind his back, the task was an impossible one. Locke quickly stepped forward and helped to lift him to his feet. Sayid motioned with the gun for him to exit the cave and step outside. As Gale walked, Sayid moved along behind him, gun pressed firmly against the man's back.

Jack followed them outside and watched as Sayid led Gale to the trail that led out into the jungle.

"I'm going to cut your binds," Sayid said calmly as they stopped by the trail, "When you're free, you are going to run as fast as you can down that path and go back to wherever it is you came from. If I find you anywhere near here again, I'm going to shoot you. Do you understand?"

As always, Gale simply smiled in response. Sighing, Sayid pulled a knife out of his back pocket and swiftly cut the ropes that bound Gale's wrists. The man immediately began to shake the now loose bonds free from his hands. He took only a short moment to rub the soreness in his wrists before he turned away from the caves and took off running down the path, just as he had been instructed.

Jack watched as Gale disappeared into the vast amount of trees just off the path before them. At this late hour of the night with no more than the moon to give off light, he easily disappeared into the looming shadows of the jungle.

And all Jack seemed to be able to think was that this man was running back to them, back to Kate. He knew where she was. He could get to her, harm her if he wanted to. And he had had his threats. The hands at Jack's side immediately clenched into fists, gripping tighter with every passing moment. He could feel the white hot anger coursing through his veins, almost as if it were an all too natural emotion. Like it had always been a part of him, simply waiting to break through his usually calm demeanor.

With a sigh, Jack turned away from the trail and took a step to head back towards the caves. He stopped only briefly to glance back at the jungle, as though it would reveal some desired secret to him. Just as he had before, he saw only a seemingly endless sea of trees, all blowing rhythmically with the chill night wind.

And in that single instant, that tiny fraction of a moment in time, it came to Jack. He had to find the Others. He had to find them at all costs, even if it meant his life. He would die trying. Because he had to get her back. What he had become, even in her short absence, it wasn't something he could be proud of and it certainly wasn't a leader. He had become virtually helpless without her, the realization of his wildest fear of loss becoming all too real to him. And in that instant, he knew without a doubt that he needed her. That he would do anything that he could to find her.

Realization hit Jack suddenly like a ton of bricks. Walt. Walt had been with the Others. Somewhere, buried deep in his memory, lay the key to finding Kate. Jack knew in that instant that he had to talk to Walt, had to somehow force his memory and all that he knew of the Others to come to the surface.

A/N: Well? What did you guys think? As always, your feedback is really appreciated because it really helps me see what areas I need to start adding more to and so on. So thanks for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from all of you!