A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm so sorry about not updating for a while. The school year is almost over, so as I'm sure all of you know and experience, teachers think its their duty to make life miserable by adding extra large workloads. So that has basically been my life for the past month.

Oh, I've been meaning to ask. I've seen a lot of writers on use little lines/barriers to separate scenes in their stories. Do any of you know how to do that? I'd really like to figure that one out since I just use (SPACE) to separate mine…

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or any of the characters or ideas from the show.

Warning: This chapter contains some violent/graphic portions in the last scene that are borderline R-rated. This includes implied rape and abuse. If this bothers you, please don't read the last scene after the (SPACE) marker.

All The Right Reasons

Chapter 5: Interogation

"Jack!" Sayid called briskly, eyes traveling towards the doctor's quickly retreating form. Sayid couldn't imagine what had made Jack turn away so suddenly, but he meant to find out, "What are you doing?"

Jack came to a hasty stop, his entire frame caught up in such an intensity that he seemed utterly annoyed at Sayid's interruption.

"I need to talk to Walt," Jack responded hurriedly, his voice shaking slightly. He hardly paused before he once again made a move to go on his way.

"Can this wait until morning?" Sayid questioned, once again stopping Jack.

This time, Jack not only brought his pace to a halt, but violently turned to face Sayid. The look in Jack's eyes was one Sayid couldn't recall having ever witnessed before, particularly not in a man as peaceful as Jack Sheppard. It was a look of pure determination, yes, but it was also something else. Something much more hostile, perhaps even haunted.

"No," Jack's response was laced with venom, though it hardly showed in his face. But somehow, Sayid sensed it and shuddered at the thought. It just wasn't fitting for a man like Jack.

"What good will it do?" Sayid pressed, hoping that if he could distract Jack away from his cause, perhaps he would be more rational about it in the morning, "It's late. There's only a few hours left until morning, why not wait? He's probably asleep."

The chuckle that emerged from Jack's lips was a haunted, burdened one. His mouth twisted into a fidgety smile as he simply shook his head, continuing to chuckle, "You think anyone could be asleep after all that?" Jack's voice was almost amused as he motioned his head towards the jungle, to where Henry Gale had disappeared mere moments before.

Shaking his head and sighing in defeat, Sayid said, "I suppose you're right…"

Before more could be said, Jack had stepped away from the conversation and was heading towards the cave where Sun slept. Sayid turned away from watching Jack and moved to glance at Locke, who stood much in the same way he did, observing.

"You should follow him…" Locke suggested, only small traces of emotion present in his voice and demeanor.

Sayid nodded, "I know…"

"He hasn't been himself, lately…" Locke said quietly, eyes fixed on Sayid.

"I hardly blame him," Sayid responded in Jack's defense, finding it in his heart to understand what Jack might be suffering. Without another word, Sayid turned away from Locke and strode off to find Jack.

Back in Sun's cave, Walt found himself far too excited to stay put. He wanted to know what was going on outside. He had seen the stranger and felt almost cheated and not having recognized him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Walt had been so sure that if any of these Others had stumbled into their sight, Walt would have known them right away. He had pictured knowing a name, a face, anything. Somehow, he had been certain of that. But now he saw that he was wrong. This man, whoever he was, wasn't someone Walt could recall having ever seen before.

He sat next to Sun in the very back of the cave, their backs pressed firmly against the hard stone wall. Walt couldn't stand just sitting here, not doing anything, but Sun had his hand clasped solidly within her grasp and seemed unwilling to relinquish her hold for any reason. She seemed to be shaking slightly and Walt noted that her breathing was coming in tiny gasps. She was terrified.

Leaning forward as far as he possibly could and straining his ears to hear, Walt did his best to piece together what could be going on outside but found himself without so much as a hint. Though the night had become deadly silent since the mysterious appearance of the stranger, Walt still hadn't heard even the tiniest sound coming from Jack's cave. His curiosity was fast turning into impatience.

His fear stricken excitement reached its peak in the mere seconds it took for Walt to hear the shuffling of feet scraping against the dirt outside the cave. Someone was approaching. Within moments, Walt could see the dark outline of Jack's silhouette as he approached the cave.

Walt's heart pounded wildly in his chest as he jerked his hand swiftly from Sun's grasp, jumping to his feet. In his excitement and his need for answers, Walt took a step to rush towards Jack, but found that the man was already in front of him. He had been in a hurry. Walt's breath caught at the sight of Jack.

The exhaustion and guilt that had been so clearly etched into the lines on Jack's face only hours before was gone. It had been replaced by something else, something that left Walt feeling slightly uneasy. Nervous, even. There was a tension in the air that had come along with Jack, and somehow Walt knew that this didn't bode well for him.

"Jack-" Walt began, only to be immediately cut off by Jack.

"Walt…" Jack's voice had a terrible hint of desperation to it, perhaps something even greater than that. It sent a shiver down Walt's spine. Jack let the single word hang in the air, as if taking a brief moment to choose his words.

Stooping down to the boy's level, Jack reached out and gripped Walt's shoulders, directly meeting his gaze. Walt noticed immediately at the firm hold on his shoulders that Jack's hands were shaking.

"Listen, Walt," Jack feigned a calmness in his voice, one that was easily detected by Walt. Everything about his demeanor gave him away, "I'm going to need you to help me."

Jack paused, as though gauging Walt's reaction to his words. When the boy didn't respond or even show a change of expression, Jack briefly broke his gaze away to let it fall to the floor. The desperation had been clear in his voice. But it held a definite tone of impatience and frustration, even violence.

"I need you to tell me where they took you…" Jack questioned, gazing solemnly down at Walt, his eyes heavy. When Walt again failed to respond in any way, except perhaps to shiver slightly, Jack knelt down, bringing himself clearly down to the boy's level.

"I-" Walt began, voice faltering as he gazed unsteadily into Jack's eyes. There was a strong emotion there, but it held no pity for him. Walt swallowed hard, accepting this change, "I don't remember…"

"Try…" Jack's voice still held the tiniest shred of calm, but by the way that it shook and the look in his dark eyes, Walt knew that he was fighting a breakdown.

"But, Jack-" Walt continued, voice now in a low whimper as he gazed back at Jack in both confusion and fear. What had changed in these past few hours? Wasn't it just this same night that Jack had assured Walt without a doubt that he wasn't angry with him?

"Try!" Jack insisted, yelling suddenly and lurching menacingly towards Walt. Their faces were now inches apart as Jack stared Walt down and the boy unwillingly cowered away. Before he could move more than a step back, Jack had roughly grabbed Walt by the shoulders.

"Tell me where they are…" Jack demanded, eyes flashing dangerously in the dim firelight. Walt immediately tried to pull away, but Jack had a strong grip and was unmoved by his attempts.

"Jack, I don't-" Walt began again, his voice pleading as he whimpered to Jack, gazing fearfully up to meet his gaze. The anger that Walt found there was overwhelming, but it was the fear also that moved Walt. Jack was afraid. Through all of this sudden rage, there was fear.

"Tell me where they are!" Jack yelled roughly shoving Walt only to once again grip his shoulders and pull him back towards him with a force that shook the boy to the core. Letting out a yelp, Walt lost his footing and immediately began to slip to his knees. Jack wasted no time in strengthening his grip to violently jerk Walt back to his feet, once again at eye level with him.

"Jack!" came Sun's desperate plea, the softness that had always been present in her voice suddenly evaporating into the night. Her lips quivered as she spoke, and though it was hardly visible in the dim light, her entire frame shook.

Releasing the grip of one of his hands from Walt, Jack held it up for Sun to keep her distance, "Stay back!" he barked, pausing momentarily to be surprised at his own tone. It took him only seconds to jump right back into angry desperation, "This has to be done!"'

Before Jack could register the look of complete shock that surfaced across Sun's features or the light gasp that was uttered almost fearfully from her lips, Sun had shuffled hastily away from him and out of his reach. She wasted no time in rushing out of the cave, presumably to get help.

"Listen, Walt" Jack turned back to the boy, still slightly shaken from his encounter with Sun and the fear he had placed into her soft eyes, "If you don't remember, she'll die…"

Walt's eyes grew even wider than before, his lips parted in a silent gasp. Within an instant he could no longer register his surroundings properly. His heart pounded madly within his ears and he was conscious of every breath of air he drew in and each second that passed.

"They have her, Walt," Jack continued, seemingly unaware of the boy's state of panic and even worse, his obvious guilt, "They're going to hurt her. That man that came into the camp tonight, he said they're going to hurt her…"

Without warning, Walt went suddenly limp in Jack's grasp, tumbling to his knees as his body was racked with sobs. His face fell to the floor as a steady stream of hot tears poured from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks.

"I don't know anything!" he yelled between sobs, his throat hurting with the force behind his outburst. He continued to sob, if possible even harder than before as he lay crumbled on the floor. " I don't know anything!"

Jack still stood standing, staring down at Walt's crumbled form in slight confusion. Without warning, anger suddenly flooded through him. Though this sudden rage was not meant for Walt, that was where it went.

"You have to remember! There has to be something!" Jack yelled, enraged that he couldn't get the information he needed. With every lost second, he felt the chance at ever finding Kate slipping through his fingers. "You were with them for days, Walt! You have to know something!"

"You said you didn't blame me!" Walt sobbed, struggling in his guilt and grief to look up at Jack, forcing himself to look the man directly in the eye, "You said this wasn't my fault!"

Before Jack could respond, a shuffling of footsteps could be heard at the entrance to the caves. Within moments, Sayid's form appeared as the man ran onto the scene, heavily panting. Sun stood cowering behind him, watching Jack warily and gazing sadly at Walt as the boy continued to cry.

"Jack!" Sayid called, though there was a definite tone of anger to his voice. Sayid's eyes flashed dangerously as he took in the scene around him, briefly studying Jack. He moved towards him, looming over the other man as if in threat.

"He knows how to find them…" Jack stuttered, the reality of the situation and the truth about what he had just done suddenly beginning to dawn on him, "He knows where they're keeping her…"

"He's just a boy, Jack!" Sayid thundered, looking incredulously at Jack, "Can't you see what you're doing?"

And then it came. Everything that had happened and all that Jack had just done came tumbling back at him, falling down around him. It all became perfectly clear and with this realization came an unbelievable sense of complete horror.

It was almost against his will that Jack let his eyes drop to the floor to Walt's crumbled form. The boy had been reduced to a fit of sobs. Never had Jack seen Walt break down like this. Not after the crash, or after they had found him running in a daze of confusion through the jungle, his father still among the missing. But this, Jack had done this.

"What have I done?" was the only thing that seemed able to slip off of Jack's lips as he drifted into a state of shock at his actions. What had he done? What had he even been thinking?

Sayid continued to gaze on at Jack, as if satisfied that the man had seen the error in what he had done. This was too much for Jack. The realization that Kate was lost in the hands of these Others, that they had already hurt her and had every intention of doing worse had been a severe blow to Jack, but this was too much.

The heat of unshed tears burned in Jack's eyes as he gazed down at the boy, unable to contemplate what he had done. He knew he had done it for her, only for her, but that it was her that would be horrified if she could see him now. She would never look at him the same way again if she could see what he had done. That he had been capable of pushing a child to this point. That it had taken Sayid's force to see reason.

"Walt…" was all Jack could manage. He swallowed hard, his head spinning in a fury of emotions.

The boy's head snapped up to gaze at Jack, his hard stare boring into him. His face was wet with tears, his eyes still glazed over and wide with fear and confusion. In the time that Sayid had broken Jack away from Walt, the boy had managed to push himself as far from Jack as he could, pressing himself firmly against the nearby cave wall and looking as though he wanted nothing more than to melt into the cool stone and disappear.

Turning away from Walt to Sayid, Jack found that the other man was gazing upon him in obvious disgust. Jack couldn't blame him. Whatever pity he knew that Sayid had felt for him previously had likely been washed away by Jack's recent behavior.

Jack felt a sudden need to explain, to give reason for his actions even though deep down he knew that no reason could be good enough. He knew that in the end, it was simply his fault and that any excuse would be meaningless. But as he continued to feel the burning from Sayid's disgust and Walt's now quiet whimpers continued to fill Jack's ears, he felt an unbearable need to explain.

"It was for her…" Jack forced out, feeling himself sweat nervously as he spoke, his words coming out in ragged breaths, "All of it…I did all of it for her…"

As Jack continued to struggle with his words, he had no way of knowing if Walt was even listening or if he cared. But by the look on Sayid's face, his words meant nothing.

"And what if she could see you now?" Sayid questioned, his voice holding a definite tone of accusation and barely controlled rage, "What would Kate think Jack?"

Jack felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier with Sayid's every word. He knew that the man was asking the right questions. Thoughts of what Kate would think if she could see him now had plagued his mind the very moment Jack had realized what a terrible thing he was doing. But Jack couldn't bring himself to voice the answer aloud. Instead, he continued to throw out defenses, as if pleading.

"They have her…" Jack's voice was shaking uncontrollably with desperation, "They're going to hurt her…"

"She wouldn't want this from you Jack," Sayid's voice, though still firm, had suddenly resolved into a softer, more pitying tone.

That was all it took for Jack to snap entirely. The tears that had been burning his eyes from the moment Henry Gale had told his chilling testimony of Kate's whereabouts. In the back of his mind, Jack thought he could hear Walt begin to cry harder, but he didn't have the strength or the courage to turn and face the boy. He didn't know if he could ever look at him again after the way he had treated him.

And through the long moments that Jack first succumbed to tears, both he and Sayid were shocked into silence as Walt's crying suddenly ceased. This new silence followed by Walt's mysterious stillness made a noticeable difference in the cave, and neither of the two men could tear their eyes away from the boy.

"Walt," Sayid began, as if trying to wake him up. It was clear though that Walt was fully awake.

As the seconds passed, Walt's eyes grew wide and he though his gaze was planted firmly on something towards the mouth of the cave beyond Jack and Sayid, it was as though he were looking at nothing at all. Walt gasped suddenly, causing both men to jump slightly, staring on in confusion.

"Walt," Sayid tried again, this time kneeling down next to the boy and moving to be level with him. Blinking away his tears, his moment to breakdown long since put on hold by this sudden change in Walt, Jack follow suit, "Walt!" Sayid repeated a little more loudly, placing a firm hand on the boy's shoulder and lightly shaking him.

Walt snapped back into the present suddenly, his eyes falling back into their pools of fear. There was a sudden look of realization in his eyes and he drew himself immediately to Jack, though the fear from what had just happened was still clearly there.

"Jack…" Walt mumbled, struggling for the right words. He seemed to be in such a rush that his words were jumbled, "The rivers…in the jungle…I saw two rivers in the jungle…"

Jack's eyes grew wide as the reality of what Walt was saying began to wash over him. The memory of his time with the Others. Somehow, it was flowing back into the boy. If Walt could grasp it, if he could find a way to explain it all to Jack, then there was a chance that he could find Kate.

"Find the rivers, Jack…" Walt muttered, whimpering slightly breathing hard as he continued to stare intently at the man, a sudden coldness washing over him. He no longer shed any tears. All that remained of his breakdown from only moments ago was the redness of his cheeks and eyes, "You'll find her…"

With these final words from Walt, Jack sank to the floor beside the boy, falling from his knees to lean limply against the cave wall. Walt had moved to stare at the opposite wall, seemingly unwilling to give his attention to either of the men. He was completely silent and there was nothing to remind anyone in the room that only minutes ago Walt had lay crumbled on the floor sobbing uncontrollably. The look in his eyes now was uncaring and cold, almost haunting.

Jack sat completely still there beside Walt for several minutes. Sayid too refused to move, though his gaze never left Jack's still form. Jack was silent as he stared off into nothing. There was only one thing on his mind in these moments. Kate.

(SPACE)

Pain. That was perhaps the only sense or thought that could fully register in Kate's mind just now. Searing throughout her body, moving down her spine and extending out along each of her limbs. It was like a fire, scorching her from the inside out, its flames licking every inch of her thin frame.

The burning sensation that was racing like a fury through her frail body caused her to shake to the bone. Kate was hardly even aware of herself as she lay hunched in the dark corner of her cell, every inch of her body trembling with a vengeance.

The rough cement floor and walls that made up Kate's cell were a dark contrast to the heat that seemed to consume her entire being. They were cold and lifeless, brining chills to her demeanor and turning her skin to gooseflesh.

Her body shivered as though she were being exposed to a cold winter wind, but Kate felt the heat of pain wracking her body. Much of her form was wet with sweat, her face and eyes wet with dry tears. The once clean clothes she had been wearing upon being captured now reeked with the smell of sweat and vomit and were riddled with holes and tears.

Kate's breaths came in short, ragged gasps of exhaustion. With every breath came a sting of pain followed by a burning sensation deep within her chest. Kate was no doctor and had never known much about medicine, but she suspected a fractured rib. Kate closed her eyes tight at the thought of it, barely able to hold it in her mind. With it came a torrent of unwanted memories, ones that were far too clear and fresh.

She could still see them all standing over her. Looking at her with a twisted amusement as she lay writhing and shaking on the floor. Still feel the horror in her heart when they had grabbed her, kicked her, beat her. Many times during this encounter, Kate had been certain that she was going to die. She couldn't see how she could survive through it all. And it had only gotten worse.

Kate remembered the stalky, short man that was also in the room. She had never seen him before. He hadn't participated in anything, only watched on in an obvious state of amusement. He had the strangest smile plastered on his face. Kate would always remember that face. The face that had watched on as she was mercilessly beat and that satisfied look in his deep green eyes.

There had been another observer, one that Kate had come to know well. She had known from the moment she saw him that this bearded man was the leader. None of the others had done anything without first receiving a barked order from him. Of all of them, he had hurt her the worst. He had left her with an inner pain that she could hardly explain. A pain that she wanted nothing more than to forget, to dismiss completely from her mind. But it would never happen. Kate would always remember the man with the coarse gray beard.

She could still feel his greedy hands roaming her body, making her cringe. Still hear the roughness of his voice, how he had chuckled as he hurt her. Of all the men that had hurt her, none had brought her more terror than this one. It was as if he knew her every fear and made each one come to life.

Even now as she lay crumbled in the corner of her cell, shivering from the terror of what had been done to her, Kate could feel his hands on her. Touching her. Hurting her. Through it all, he had held a the long blade of a knife menacingly against her throat, his threat unquestionably clear. He had laughed at the fear in her eyes. Laughed as he tore at her clothes. Laughed as he beat her.

By the time he had finished, Kate lay limp and seemingly lifeless, no longer willing to fight. Her mind had been spinning in a fury of painful emotions, her eyes clouded with tears that spilled over, running down her cheeks.

She only cringed when she felt his hot breath against her face. He smelled of cigars and whisky, a smell that made her senses sting with recognition. It reminded her of Wayne.

The fight had long since been beaten and abused out of Kate. She could do nothing and hardly reacted when his face came crashing down upon hers, his greedy lips latching against her own. Kate had immediately felt the sense to be sick again. She had felt her stomach heave and her world spin. Hadn't what he had already taken from her been enough?

When he had pulled away, that twisted grin was plastered onto his smug face, taunting her through that wretched beard. As he continued to grin, the man lifted his hand, and balling it into a fist, brought it cascading down against Kate's face, colliding painfully with her lip. She felt her skin split in pain as the copper taste of blood filled her mouth and the warm liquid began to drip down her chin.

Without a word, the mad had left her and it was only then that Kate realized that they had been entirely alone throughout the whole ordeal. The other men, including the short, stalky one with the green eyes, had all disappeared.

It was then that Kate began to retch, feeling her stomach twist in disgust. She found herself suddenly sick and she rolled hastily onto her side, vomiting into the corner. Like a release, tears flowed freely from her eyes, falling like rain down her face.

Kate had hardly noticed when a group of men entered the room. Only when the door had clicked shut behind them and they had began their approach towards where she lay did Kate realize they were there. For a split second, her already thundering heart came to a stop, her breath catching painfully within her throat as she gasped. Her entire body clicked into action, leaping from her crumbled position on the floor to crouch defensively in the nearby corner, her back pressed firmly against the wall.

Like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, Kate stared wide eyed up at these men, the fear residing in her entire being reaching its peak. The faces that stared back at her couldn't have been more shocking. Before her stood three men, none of whom she had ever seen before. Each of them dressed similarly with loose fitting brown or gray pants and a white shirt.

Kate had noted right away that these men were different. If not from the way that they dressed, then by the look on their faces. Each of them gazed back at her with a wide eyed expression that wasn't unlike her own. The thundering in Kate's heart slowly began to slow down as her fear also began to fade, though it never went away entirely.

Not one of the three young men looked as though they had expected to see Kate this way. If anything, they looked slightly afraid of her. There was something there within each of their faces. A look of pity shone in their eyes, though it was masked clearly by something else. A kind of barrier that separated her from them.

Two of them had then stepped forward and gently lifted Kate to her feet. They then walked her out of the white washed room and back to the cell where Kate lay now, tired and afraid. Not knowing when they would come back for her. When they would hurt her again.

Rolling painfully onto her side, Kate clamped her eyes hastily shut, fighting off the urge to cry. In the past few hours since the ordeal, she had cried so much that she didn't think she had any tears left anyway. But even now Kate felt hot tears burning against her eyes.

Inhaling deeply and pushing back the need to cry Kate fought to let her mind drift, trying just for the chance at thinking about something else. Anything else. She didn't want to think about what had happened to her only hours ago. She didn't want to think about being captured by this unknown force. Most of all, she didn't want to think about what she might have left behind.

Licking her chapped lips, Kate's mouth was suddenly tainted with the coppery taste of blood. Tugging at the tattered neckline of her shirt, Kate lifted up the now loose and worn material up to wipe her lips. Pulling away, she saw a thick line of scarlet running along her shirt. Kate reached a shaking hand up to her mouth, letting her fingertips graze over her lips. She immediately found that they were swollen and recoiled as her fingers made contact with the bruising skin there.

Closing her eyes, Kate fought against the still vivid picture of the bearded man's weight pressed against her, his hot breath against her face as he raised his fist to hit her. Just as his fist came crashing down in her mind, she forced the thought away, wincing.

Her mind shifted to a more peaceful time, one that was only days earlier, but seemed so long ago. It drifted to a chill night, a light wind blowing that occasionally lifted her hair to dance in the wind. The cave in which she found herself was lit by the dim firelight of a torch at its mouth.

She sat next to him on a cot, his eyes dancing and his lips twisted into the tiniest of grins as he watched her. Jack. Each of them were talking, though just now Kate couldn't recall a word of it. She saw only his face, his hands, his chest. Everything about him. She saw the dark stubble on his face and the deep cinnamon of his eyes. She saw his hands fidget nervously as he spoke to her, playing idly with the hem of his red plaid over-shirt.

And as the Kate in her mind hesitantly rose from the cot and made to leave, She watched as he too leapt to his feet, his hands flying out with an almost too perfect rhythm to capture her own and with a flick of his wrist, pull her with a gentle force to the circle of his arms.

Finally, Kate watched as his lips came crashing down upon hers, kissing the lips that would later be tainted and bruised by the man that would take her. Capture her. Hurt her.

Without warning, a single tear rolled down Kate's cheek as all of these memories surfaced in her mind. It hurt when she couldn't remember every detail, when she realized that this new pain she had been put through held a new dominance in her mind.

Sniffling, she knew that Jack was what she had left behind. He would have been her future. He would have been her now. Before he had kissed her and before she had been taken, her biggest worry aside from that of fighting for survival had been of letting Jack in. Of letting him see who she was, discovering all the skeletons in her closet. She had worried about allowing herself to trust him, of letting herself believe that she deserved something as good as Jack. But now, she realized that none of those things mattered. Now, her only worry was that she might never have to worry about those things again.

And it was with that thought that Kate's single tear turned into another and that those few tears soon turned into soft crying. Within moments, Kate's cries intensified and soon she was reduced to sobs.

Kate continued to sob as there was a light buzzing noise in the room. The single energy preserving light that hung from a crude aluminum fixture above Kate's head began to flicker and within seconds went out. Just as it had done at the same time everyday that Kate had been there. It signified night, telling her that the day was over. That she should sleep. That she needed to sleep. But that she never could.

And as she sat with her knees brought up to rest against her chest, her chest heaving as her body was racked with sobs, Kate found her mind in a fury of thoughts and emotions. Above all though Kate knew as she sat shaking, one thought rang clear in her mind. Jack.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think? Probably on this chapter more than ever, I really need feedback from you guys. First off, did you think any of it was too intense for a T (PG-13) rating? Constructive criticism is always greatly appreciated, so please review guys! Next chapter is on the way, and this time I mean it!