A/N: Well, for once I don't have to start off a chapter by apologizing for a lack of updates. I'd say I got this one out pretty quick, considering how long it usually takes me. I guess that's just the benefits of summer vacation.

A quick note to all of you who've been asking when Kate and Jack will be reunited. Let me just say that it's very soon. In fact, at the moment, we're looking at within two chapters. Just a little spoiler to keep you guys reading!

I also think this is a good time for me to just say that pretty much everything in this story so far and everything that is to come was formulated in my mind early on during season 2. I'm saying this because I've noticed a lot of similarities in the last few episodes of this season that will show up later. Believe me, you'll see what I mean. Yes, there's also a lot of things like dialogue and episode titles that I do take purposefully from the show, just to kind of point out where I'm supposed to be at certain points. Its also because this fic does parallel some of the episodes of season 2, particularly in the first half. So yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I'm not wrapping this story around all the recent events of the show, it just happened to pan out that way.

Anyways, I hope you guys keep reading and enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own it anymore than the last time I posted…


All The Right Reasons

Chapter 7: Collision

Previously:

"Jack?" the voice muttered gruffly in obvious shock. He could hardly believe what he was hearing, his heart racing in surprise.

As Jack's vision cleared, the first face he could make out was that of the woman who had voiced his name. He saw first her jet black hair that hung loosely around her face, and the blackness of a tank top before the haziness cleared enough for him to see the deep brown of her eyes and for the most stunning realization to take place in his mind.

"Ana!" he breathed in shock, eyes widening as the other forms hovering over him became clear.

Immediately Jack fought against the pain to lift himself up. Strong hands met his struggle within seconds, forcefully pinning him back down to the moist jungle floor. Jack heard a light, barely audible whimper emit from his lips against his will, face soaked with sweat.

"You must not get up," a strong voice urged, his hands not moving from Jack's chest, "It is possible that you have a concussion…"

The man didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to. His every word was spoke with a calm forcefulness that is unlike anything Jack could place. It was peaceful, yet stirringly powerful at the same time.

Jack blinked furiously, breathing hard. The light was so sudden and so bright. His eyes could hardly adjust, so that all he saw of the man that held him firmly to the ground was a dark silhouette. Jack flinched suddenly as he felt smaller hands run hastily over his chest, lingering here and there as though searching for something. He groaned at the pain of it, every inch of him feeling as though it was ablaze with fire.

"There's no bullet wound," Ana Lucia confirmed with some satisfaction after checking Jack over.

"Could've fooled me…" Jack muttered in a broken whisper, voice shaking as he continued to pant. His lips twisted into a stressed smile as he shook his head lightly, a stinging pain present as he did.

"Be still," the man that held him commanded, voice booming with authority.

"I'm fine…" Jack began, voice cracking from the pain and his lack of air, "There's no concussion…"

Again Jack attempted to sit up, but again he was forced painfully back down to the dirt.

"You cannot know that…" the man went on, just as forcefully as before.

"Let him be, Eko," Ana Lucia spoke up, looking down at Jack within concern harboring in her deep hazel eyes, "He's a doctor."

There was an instant of recognition in Eko's eyes before he pulled his hands away from Jack, inching back to give him space to move as he pleased.

Clenching his teeth, Jack lifted himself up into a sitting position, a pain like he had never known soaring through every inch of his body. It felt almost as if his bones were splintering off within him. Gasping, Jack clamped his eyes tightly shut and took a moment to regain control.

When he opened his eyes, Jack felt for a moment as if the world was spinning, his vision coming to him in a haze. After several seconds, his sight cleared and he could see those who stood around him. He saw for the first time the man who had tried to hold him down. He was a tall, stalky and well built man with dark skin. Jack knew right away that this had been the first voice he had heard after he fell. It had been the one that called out to the others.

Beside Eko and hovering over him was the young Latino woman he had recognized. Ana Lucia. If there was ever a face that he never thought he would see again, it was hers. The shock of seeing her sitting before him now was almost bewildering to Jack. It was foreign. How was she alive?

It was then that Jack began to notice the other forms standing around him. A young blonde woman who was visibly shaken by what had happened. Beside her stood an older man who was lightly rubbing her shoulders and attempting to calm her down. His eyes were as soft as his demeanor, the pale gray color of them meeting Jack's eyes with concern.

Looking around him, Jack realized that he was laying at the bottom of a ravine, the wetness around him coming from the nearly nonexistent stream at the ravine's base. Pain shot through his body as he began to pull himself shakily to his feet, praying that he hadn't hurt himself too badly. Jack was certain that he had nothing like a concussion, but it was still possible that he had come out of the fall with a broken bone.

Jack flinched as he stood, hardly able to hide the grimace on his face from the pain of standing. He clasped his eyes shut briefly, feeling relief wash over him when he felt the stinging pain that had spread through the length of his body slowly begin to subside.

His could feel the eyes of the rest of the people around him. They were watching him, as if in wonder. Perhaps they were considering what had nearly happened, the fact that Jack had almost been shot, even killed. Now that he thought about it, Jack realized that this was the first time such a thought had crossed his mind. It had indeed been close. Too close.

There was a shuffling sound coming from the top of the ravine, just beyond Jack's sight. He jerked his head suddenly to the direction it had come and noticed from the corner of his eyes that Ana Lucia and Eko were equally alert.

The sound came again, this time much closer. Jack reached instinctively for his gun, but found that it was missing. He cursed inwardly, realizing that he must have lost it in the fall. He knew that now it would be nearly impossible to find it in the dark and that he would have to come looking for it again in the light. It was much too valuable to lose. And just now, Jack was all the more aware of its loss.

Jack stole a glance towards Ana and found that she had her gun drawn and pointed expertly in front of her. Her hands were visibly shaking, and there was a fury in her eyes that momentarily caused Jack to catch his breath. Hate was written over every inch of her face, radiating from her eyes. Jack knew then that Ana Lucia was familiar with the Others.

After a few moments of strained silence, two forms could be seen along the top of the ravine. Jack had never felt more unshielded in his life as he stood before these two unidentifiable figures without any weapon or anything to protect himself with.

"Ana!" the larger of the two figures yelled. Jack watched as the man walked along the top of the ravine, movements tentative, as though afraid. The other figure walked beside him, and Jack couldn't help but detect something painfully familiar in the man's voice.

Taking a quick glance over to Ana, Jack watched as she emitted an obvious sigh of relief, the relaxing the muscles in her arms and shoulders as she slowly lowered her gun, though she left her finger firmly against the trigger.

"We're down here!" she called up to the two figures, body still tense as she watched them clumsily make their way down the steep hill.

Another voice accompanied that of the first figure as they made their way down to the group. This second voice, also obviously that of a man, sounded at first to be nothing more than gibberish, but Jack soon recognized it to be Korean. Jack thought immediately of Jin, but immediately dismissed it. It was impossible. Jin was on the raft with Michael and Sawyer. But then they had found Walt back here on the island.

"What happened to you guys?" the first voice called as the two men made their way down the hill, "Did you find any of them?" His voice held an almost desperate tone.

It was then, as the two men reached the bottom of the ravine and stepped into the dim rays of moonlight and the stream of light provided by the flashlight that Jack realized who they were. If Jack had been shocked at the sight of Ana Lucia, then if it was even possible he was more surprised at seeing Michael and Jin approaching.

"What the…" Michael breathed, his eyes wide in shock, "Jack…?" Beside Michael, Jin was muttering something in Korean, looking equally shocked at Jack's presence.

"Michael…Jin…" Jack choked out, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

"What're you doing out here, Jack?" Michael questioned, walking hastily forward to clap Jack on the back, eyes wide. There was an undeniable tone of relief to Michael's voice, but there was something else there as well. It was like a nervous hesitation. Something was wrong.

"Later…" Jack responded under his breath so that only Michael could hear as he took a step back. He turned back to look at the others who were watching them in bewilderment.

"You guys just left the cowboy?" Ana Lucia asked in what sounded like an amused disbelief. She began to approach where they stood as she spoke. There was a bitter smirk written clearly in her features as she reached a nervous hand up to slick a thick strand of hair from her face.

"We left him just at the top of the hill," Michael explained, pointing with a shaky hand. Jack shot Michael a look of confusion.

"Cowboy?" he asked in confusion, voice hoarse.

"She means Sawyer," Michael responded, face grim, "He was shot…"

Jack's expression immediately turned to that of concern, "He's not…?" Jack's voice shook ever so slightly as he voiced the question, hardly able to really wrap his mind around the idea that Sawyer might be dead.

"No…" Michael said immediately, voice still shaking from nerves, "No…he's alive, but he's in bad shape. He needs a doctor, man. We were bringing him back to you."

"Take me to him," Jack said hurriedly, mind jumping to all the possibilities that might lay ahead. Without another look behind him at Ana and the others, Jack followed Michael and Jin back up the hill. Every step he took brought a shooting pain up from the tips of his toes to lace through his rib cage and explode across his chest and back. Jack groaned at the pain of it.

"You okay, man?" Michael asked as he hastily looked Jack over, eyes puzzled. He came to a quick stop.

"Yeah…" Jack replied quickly, looking passed Michael rather than directly at him, "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just take me to him." His voice was ragged, his breaths coming in short rasps as each intake of air brought a stinging sensation to Jack's chest.

They continued on at a steady pace until they reached the top of the hill, stopping as they reached a still form lying on the ground. Looking closely, Jack saw that the form was Sawyer, lying unconscious atop a makeshift stretcher.

Jack dropped to his knees beside Sawyer and immediately placed two fingers across his temple, feeling for a pulse. There was a faint trace of a heartbeat, but it was nowhere near where it should be. Dipping his head down closer to Sawyer's still form, Jack listened for breathing, and found that Sawyer was taking in tiny breaths of air, though he seemed to be fighting to do so.

"How is he?" Michael asked as he hovered over Jack, watching intently as Sawyer was examined.

"It's not good…" Jack said grimly, voice occupied as he continued to check Sawyer over, mentally running through all the possible complications. A gunshot wound had been the very thing that he had hoped to never encounter on the island, knowing how slim the chances of survival would be for the victim. They just didn't have the right supplies to handle it.

"You think he'll make it?" Michael continued to question Jack, voice shaking slightly.

"I don't know…" Jack answered as best he could, having no real idea where his opinion stood on Sawyer's chances. Jack stood up suddenly, stepping several paces back from Sawyer's caught, "We need to get him back to the caves. There's nothing I can do for him out here."

Michael simply nodded, swallowing hard. He motioned to Jin and the two men stepped forward to take either side of the makeshift stretcher in hand. They stooped down, lifting it up to carry it away.

"Jack!" Ana Lucia called from the base of the ravine as she and the others began making their way up, "How far to your camp?"

"Not too far, but we have to hurry," Jack said, nodding towards Sawyer's unconscious form, "I don't know how much longer he can make it out here…"

"That bad?" she questioned, casting an almost compassionate gaze at Sawyer before hastily shifting it back to an icy stare.

Jack simply nodded and motioned for Michael and Jin to take the lead. He moved on with them, walking beside the stretcher they carried between them. Ana was soon to follow, falling into step alongside Jack. Eko and the other two, a man and a woman, that Jack hadn't caught the names of brought up the rear.

It was as the first rays of light appeared along the cliffs beyond the caves, sliding over the vast forest of trees that surrounded the area that Jack returned to the caves with the newfound survivors. It took only moments for the ever growing rays of light to wash over the caves, completely illuminating the area with the morning's light.

"Sayid!" Jack called out to the seemingly empty caves, knowing that he at least would still be awake and intent on watching over the others.

Jack had been right, for immediately Sayid appeared at the entrance of one of the caves, hands gripped tightly to the handle of one of the nine millimeters, his fingers pressed securely to the trigger. Sayid's eyes were wide with what first came as shock, but soon shifted into confusion.

"What is this?" Sayid voiced in confusion as he immediately rushed over to where Jack was leading Michael and Jin with the stretcher into the caves, "Michael!" Sayid yelled in bewilderment, hardly believing what he was seeing, "Jin!"

"Sayid, I need you to get me some water…get me a lot of it!" Jack said firmly, motioning his hands towards the stretcher. Sayid opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again, looking absolutely puzzled.

"But…who-?" Sayid began, looking confusedly at the new arrivals, staring suspiciously at those he didn't recognize. He locked eyes briefly with Ana Lucia, gazing into her deep brown orbs with what could only be distress.

"Now!" Jack shouted, eyes commanding Sayid to just leave it for now. He quickly turned his attention back to Michael and Jin, moving hurriedly to usher them into the cave where he kept all of the medical supplies.

"Jack!" Jack cringed as he heard Charlie shouting his name. The younger man came bolting into the cave after Jack, a look of panic written clearly in his features, "What is all this! What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Not now, Charlie!" Jack brushed off the other man's questions, unable to answer them just now. His attention did now waver from Sawyer's unconscious form.

"But-" Charlie persisted, eyes wide in amazement at Jack's reluctance to answer.

"I said not now!" Jack barked, wasting only a fraction of a second to turn and flash a look of warning at Charlie. The man immediately backed down, taking several steps back to give Jack space.

After a moment of silence, Charlie once again gained the courage to speak up, "Look…Jack…" he ventured carefully, though Jack made no sign of having heard him, "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, Charlie…there isn't…" Jack muttered as he continued to examine Sawyer, not bothering to tear his eyes away from what he was doing.

"We need to move him onto the cot," Jack said to Michael, who seemed to be watching everything that was happening as though he was in a daze. He immediately snapped back into reality at the sound of Jack calling his name, and stooped down to help Jack lift Sawyer gently onto the cot.

Just as they got Sawyer settled, Sayid came running through the cave entrance with an armful of freshly filled water bottles, "I have the water!" he called to Jack, "Where would you like it?"

"Right here," Jack motioned hastily to the spot on the floor beside him. Jack once again reaching down to brush his fingers over Sawyer's forehead, slicking away the man's sweat soaked hair that stuck there, "He's burning up. We're going to need to use this water to cool him down…"

Reaching down, Jack grabbed one of the water bottles Sayid had brought him and lifted it into the light. He hastily unscrewed the top and began pouring it steadily over Sawyer's face and upper body. His heart raced when he noted that Sawyer had no reaction to the water being poured on him. That meant that he was in the furthest stages of infection, possibly worse if he wasn't treated soon.

When the bottle was emptied, Jack immediately moved his fingers to Sawyer's plaid cotton shirt. He quickly fumbled with the buttons, pulling it off of him none too gently. Michael watched him in confusion for a moment before assisting him in pulling the shirt away from Sawyer's sweat drenched body.

Jack tossed a bottle of water over to Michael, "Pour that over his chest," Jack instructed as he unscrewed the cap of another bottle to do the same. As the water washed over Sawyer's chest and face, drizzling down his arms, he began to show more signs of life. Jack noted that his breaths became more noticeable and defined. After several minutes, he began to groan, low and quiet at first, but soon became full and desperate.

"What's wrong with him, man?" Michael asked, eyes wide with worry at Sawyer's groans.

"It's a delayed reaction to the water," Jack responded, trying to be unmoved by Sawyer groaning in pain. Soon the man began to shift his body uncomfortable, flinching as they continued to water him down.

"Charlie!" Jack called without looking behind him to even see if the man was still there. He sighed from a small relief when he heard Charlie respond.

"Yeah!" Charlie voiced hurriedly, rushing to Jack's side, "Yeah, what can I do?"

"I need you to go through the medical stash," Jack turned around briefly to meet Charlie's eyes, as though trying to relay the importance of what he was asking him to do, "There should be a bottle of Ofloxacin…"

"Ofloxacin…" Charlie echoed, looking absolutely fearful as he continued to listen to Jack's instructions.

"Ofloxacin…little white pills," Jack repeated, making sure that Charlie understood completely, "Bring the alcohol and some gauze patches."

As soon as Jack had finished relaying the instructions to Charlie, he turned his full attention back to Sawyer. He was dimly aware that a small crowd had begun to form just outside the cave, each of the survivors wanting to know what all the commotion could be about this time. He knew that everyone was on edge after the events of the previous night.

"Jack!" Charlie came running back into the cave, "Here…I found what you asked for…"

"Just set it there," Jack said with a false calm, pointing to an empty space to his right.

His attention was pulled immediately back to Sawyer as the man let out a particularly loud cry of pain, groaning and clutching at his shoulder. Sawyer's body began to convulse in pain, his face contorted from the agony of it as he continued to groan and whimper. His body began to shake uncontrollably all over, his breaths coming in harsh gasps as he fought for air.

"What's going on, man!" Michael asked in panic, looking to Jack for some kind of answer and growing even more worried when he got none, "Why's he shaking!"

Jack sighed, eyes fluttering wide with fear as he watched Sawyer's body fall into a panic, "He's septic," Jack said grimly, knowing how much worse this set Sawyer's chances, "The infection's gotten into the bloodstream…"

"What the hell does that mean!" Michael asked in confusion, seeing only that Sawyer was shaking uncontrollably and drifting into some kind of fit.

"It means that if the antibiotics don't bring his fever down, he'll go into shock," Jack replied, reaching for the bottle of medicine that Charlie had brought him. Unscrewing the cap, Jack poured two of the capsules into his palm, "Here, hold him up," Jack instructed to Michael, who quickly obliged.

Michael gently eased his hands up under Sawyer's bare back and lifted him up by his shoulders as carefully as he could. With his spare hand, he propped up the pillows from the cot behind Sawyer's back, propping him firmly up as Jack had asked.

Reaching out a hand, Jack lightly tipped back Sawyer's head and popped the pills into his mouth, doing his best to hold the man down as he continued to shake. If he was going to swallow the pills, then he had to be stable.

"Can you hand me the water?" Jack asked as Michael immediately jumped to grab a bottle of water. He handed it to Jack in a hurry, who hastily poured it down Sawyer's throat to help the pills go down.

Sawyer began coughing violently, all the while continuing to shake and convulse. Acting quickly, Jack pressed a hand firmly against the base of Sawyer's throat, hoping that he would just take the pills, "Swallow it…come on, swallow it…" Jack whispered gently, hoping that it would work.

After several moments more of fighting against Jack's hold and continuing to cough up the water and pills, Sawyer finally relented and swallowed the pills, his body falling limply back onto the cushions. His face was ghostly pale, his thin wisps of blonde hair sticking to his forehead from the sweat. His body was drenched in sweat, completely limp from the exhaustion of fighting off the medication.

Sighing in relief, Jack let himself fall back away from Sawyer, sinking to lay back on the floor. His eyes drifted closed for several moments, though he was acutely aware that both Charlie and Michael were watching him intently, wondering what came next.

"What now?" Michael asked, just as Jack had known he would. The man's voice was tentative, as if wondering what Sawyer's sudden stillness could mean.

"We wait…" Jack voiced tiredly, feeling his body beginning to give into the exhaustion he felt. He hadn't had a decent night's sleep since Kate had been taken nearly a week and a half earlier, nor had he bothered to properly feed himself. The pain from his recent fall was still coursing through his body, alighting each and every muscle. Jack didn't know how much more of this fast pace of events he could take.

Both Michael and Charlie were silent in response, neither really knowing what to make of Jack's words. They didn't seem entirely negative, though they were anything but positive. The truth was, they really would just have to wait and see what happened, watch Sawyer either improve or decline in health, before they would know anything for certain.

As Jack lounged against the cot where Sawyer lay, his mind began to drift to a peculiar discovery he had made while examining Sawyer's wound. He glanced over at Michael, deciding that perhaps he could help him, "There was no exit wound…" Jack muttered plainly, as though lost in thought.

Michael jerked his head up, turning to look puzzled at Jack, "What?"

"The wound," Jack explained, nodding his head toward Sawyer's still form, "There was no bullet in his shoulder, but no exit wound. Any idea what might have happened to the bullet?"

Michael's eyes registered his understanding as he nodded his head, suddenly looking sick at the realization of what Jack was asking, "He pulled it out…" Michael answered grimly, looking to gauge Jack's reaction, "When we were on the raft, he pulled it out with his bare hands…"

Jack's eyes grew wide in amazement, wondering how Sawyer had managed to do something so painful without any anesthetic. It was definitely something he could respect the man for, knowing how terrible it must have been.

"How did he get shot?" Jack continued curiously, eyes falling away from Michael to land on the cave wall, as though distracting himself in the shadows.

A look of sheer pain crossed over Michael's features, settling deep within his eyes. For a moment he looked hesitant, but then he spoke up in a broken tone, "We were on the raft…" he began to explain, eyes falling immediately to the floor, "A boat came up on the radar Sayid set up for us. We sent up the flare, and they came and found us. It was them…"

"The others?" Jack questioned tentatively, as though completely shocked at what he was hearing. These people had a boat? That sent a torrent of unpleasant thoughts to mind.

"Yeah…them…" Michael nodded his head before continuing, "They took him right out of my arms, Jack. They took my boy…Sawyer tried to stop them, but he got shot. And now they've got my son…"

Jack's eyes were suddenly wide as he looked at Michael in amazement, a new realization washing over him, "Wait, Michael…" Jack stuttered, hardly able to wrap his mind around what was happening, "You don't…you don't know…"

He ran a nervous hand through his hair, letting his fingers drift lightly over his face as he tried to find the right words, the best way to tell Michael what the father didn't know about his son. Michael sat silently before Jack, obviously struggling not to speak, as though waiting to hear whatever it was Jack had to say.

"He's here…" Jack said as calmly as possible, voice shaking slightly, "None of us knew how, but he's here…"

Michael didn't say a word as a look of complete and utter shock washed over his face, claiming his every feature. His eyes grew wide in amazement, disbelief, Jack didn't know what. Too many emotions crossed over the other man's face, shining brightly from his dark eyes. Jack hardly knew what to say or do before Michael had jumped up from the ground to his feet, bolting out of the cave.

Unsure of what to do, Jack struggled to pull himself up. He briefly reached out a hand to grip the cave wall, steadying himself slowly as he ran after Michael. Just as he exited the cave, he saw the man right away. He was standing towards the center of the caves, right beside the waterfall where they filled the water bottles everyday. He had stopped, dead in the center, unmoving.

Jack followed Michael's line of sight and knew immediately what the man was looking at. There, just outside on of the caves, Walt sat next to sun on a rock, his knees pulled up protectively to his chest. Beside him lay Vincent, the boy's fingers lightly traveling over the dog's head, scratching behind his ears.

It was as though Jack could feel the tension and the joy all loomed into one as Michael let out a breath of air, his heart practically stopping at the sight of his son. Michael's lips twisted into the most relieved smile Jack had ever seen, his eyes dancing at seeing Walt.

"Walt!" Michael called out, his voice shaking from the pure joy that Jack knew he felt.

Walt's head snapped up at the sound of his name, and as his eyes landed on Michael, Jack saw a look that mirrored that of the boy's father. Disbelief, amazement and something so surreal that Jack could hardly describe it.

"Dad!" Walt's yell came even as he was scrambling to get up from where he sat, his legs seeming to protest as he rushed over to his father. Michael didn't hesitate for more than a fraction of a moment as he met the boy half way.

Jack watched as Walt leapt at Michael, all the while the man throwing his arms around the boy, drawing him closely to his chest. Jack could see tears glistening in Michael's eyes as a few stubborn drops rolled down his cheeks as he let his hands run over Walt's face and shoulders, feeling him and knowing that he was real. That this was real and he was actually there. Alive.

Father and son continued to embrace, as though hardly able to believe that what they were experiencing was real. The guilt that each of them had felt over the past week and a half at wondering what had become of the other, and if they could have done anything to stop what had happened slowly washed away in these moments when they felt that the other was okay.

Michael whimpered as he continued to grip Walt tightly, the tears now rolling steadily from his eyes. He pulled back for a moment, just to look into his son's face, to see his eyes and to make everything more real, "You okay?" he asked, voice shaking and coming out in a harsh whisper.

"Yeah," Walt responded, his face too wet with tears.

"Its going to be okay now…" Michael seemed to be assuring himself as much as he was trying to reassure his son, "I've got you back and we're going to be okay…"

Jack was caught up in the moment, as if in a daze watching Michael and Walt that he hardly noticed any of the others around him who were also watching. It wasn't until he felt a hand brush across his shoulder, lightly squeezing his arm that he was pulled out of his reverie.

Glancing to his side, Jack saw that the hand that rested on his arm belonged to Ana Lucia. She stood beside him, watching the reunion between Michael and Walt with interest. Jack noticed that there was something else behind the deep cinnamon of her eyes. A look of longing or desperation perhaps, maybe even a need. He couldn't quite place it, though somehow it looked vaguely familiar.

"The boy's lucky…" Ana commented after a moment, turning to find that Jack's eyes were already on her. Her lips twisted into a small smile, meeting his gaze, "Not one of the ones they took from us ever came back…"

"How many did you lose?" Jack questioned, eyeing her with interest. Until this very moment, he was unsure just how much this woman and those that had been with her even knew about the Others.

"Too many," she muttered gruffly, flashing him a grim smile while she shook her head. In that moment, she released her grip on his arm and allowed it to fall back to her side, "At first it seemed like they took off with whoever they could get their hands on, but they had an agenda…"

"Agenda?" Jack questioned, hardly sure what she could mean by that.

"Yeah…" Ana Lucia said bitterly, breaking her gaze away from Jack's hard stare for just a moment before turning back to him to continue, "They came into our camp one night and I caught one of them. Killed him," she explained, a harsh tone of bleak satisfaction, "Turns out he had a list. A list with names on it. The names of specific people in our camp that they wanted…"

Jack felt his breath catch in his throat, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. Could the Others have been planning all of this. Did they specifically want Kate? But why? What could they possibly want from her.

"But…why?" Jack asked after a moment, clearly puzzled as a look of pain flashed through his eyes, "Why Kate? Why did they want her?"

"Why did they want the kids?" Ana responded with a question of her own, raising an eyebrow, "There's no rhyme and no reason for who they take, Jack. They just do it."

"Then why have the list?" Jack asked, voice shaking slightly. He wasn't sure if it scared him more that they had Kate for a reason or that it might have been an irrational act.

"Could be a scare tactic to get us thinking…" Ana suggested, though it was clear that she didn't have any better guess than Jack did.

Jack sighed, covering his face with his hands as he allowed a look of completely overwhelmed stress take control of his features. He didn't know what to do, only that he had to do something. He had to go back after Kate, but how did he intend to get her back? That wasn't something that had even crossed his mind when he had left the caves the night before. He hadn't though about it even for a second. Now though, with the afternoon light shining down in his eyes, the humidity of the jungle bringing moisture to his skin, the more rational side of Jack began to take the lead.

"So Jack…" Ana attempted to break the silence, a clear note of curiosity present in her voice, "You never did say why you were out so far last night…"

Jack looked back at Ana with what he wanted to be a blank expression, but in reality, his eyes flashed with a sudden pain. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to discuss Kate with her.

"Does it matter?" he questioned her feebly, eyes darting away as he blinked furiously to avoid her stare.

"I think it does," Ana replied, taking a step closer to Jack and forcing him to look at her. When he met her eyes, he saw that she held a look of firm understanding in her dark orbs. It was as if she knew, though Jack was sure that was impossible.

Sighing when Jack did nothing more than fall into her gaze in silence, Ana spoke up after several moments, "Who'd they take from you, Jack?"

His discomfort at her question was obvious, but she continued to hold him relentlessly under her gaze. When he finally spoke up, his voice broke into a harsh whisper with emotion, "Her name was Kate…"Jack muttered weakly, tearing his eyes away from Ana as he stared intently at the ground, "No…" he continued after a moment, this time his voice much more stable as he gained a hold over himself, " Her name is Kate. She's alive…I know she is…"

Ana gazed at Jack with what was probably the closest thing to sympathy that she could muster. It was much the same as the way she had looked at him the day of the crash in the airport bar when he had spoken of his father. Like she understood. Like she had been there too. But with it came a bitter resentment, as though she was still caught up in a bitter reverie of her own.

As if sensing Jack's uneasiness at the topic, Ana cleared her throat and looked away, giving him a moment to compose himself. Looking back his way, she smiled almost sullenly at him, an awkward look of discomfort in her own eyes.

"So…" She began uneasily, voice gruff, "How's the cowboy?"

"Stable," Jack answered after a moment, looking thoughtful as he considered Sawyer's condition, "For now.." he added, almost as an after thought.

Ana nodded and Jack couldn't tell how she might feel about it. He wasn't even sure if she had ever spoken a word to Sawyer seeing as the man had been unconscious when Jack had stumbled upon the group.

"He gonna make it?" she continued after a moment, nervously sweeping her stringy black hair from her face.

"I don't know," Jack responded honestly, voicing his uncertainty. At this point, Sawyer could make a complete recovery. At the same time, he could also make a rapid decline, even die from the wound.

"He better make it…" her voice was bitter, as though holding utmost resentment, "We cut through the jungle to save time to get him back here and we lost a girl. Her life better be worth something."

"I'm doing what I can…" Jack spoke up almost defensively, his fists clenching subconsciously at his sides.

"Never said you weren't," Ana muttered darkly, as though the fact that she had just insulted him didn't matter at all, "I'm just saying we've lost too many…"

"So have we…" Jack replied, now looking at her in a sort of defiance, the peace they had had only moments before shattering bit by bit as she continued to speak.

"Not like us," she all but growled, eyeing him with a bitter glare against her dark orbs, "When we crashed, there were nearly as many of us as there are of you. You're looking at all that's left." Ana motioned around the caves to where the other newly found survivors stood, the ones who had been with Ana.

There was a long stretch of silence before Ana spoke up again, the steely tone her voice had possessed before still present, "That's the funny thing about you people…" She began, shaking her head as she flashed a dour grin, "You're just not scared enough."

"Not scared enough?" Jack questioned, staring in disbelief at Ana. His voice held a rising tone, a newfound anger beginning to burn within. Shaking his head and let out a breath in attempt to control his emotion, Jack awaited her response.

"Everyone around here actually thinks they're safe…" She responded as though the obvious anger in his voice was meaningless to her. She chuckled gruffly, her eyes flashing with the same bitter pain that Jack had witnessed before.

"Trust me Ana," Jack spoke heatedly, eyes bearing into her own with a burning gaze, "No one thinks we're safe…"

"Oh really?" Ana questioned in mock defiance, her features actually displaying some amusement, "So how was she taken, Jack? Where was Kate when they snatched her?"

Jack felt his heart stop as he gazed on at Ana, eyes burning into her as his temper flared. He clamed his eyes tightly closed, hardly able to restrain himself from shouting, from lashing out at this woman for talking like it was nothing. For acting like it didn't matter that Kate was gone. It took Jack several moments after counting to five to cool down. In those moments, he managed to calm himself enough to give her an answer.

"She was in the jungle, on the way to find Locke," Jack explained, unable to force himself to look her in the eye. He could feel her gaze hot upon him, as though daring him to contest her.

"Bingo," Without even looking at her, Jack could feel the sneer in her voice, see the satisfied smile that was splayed across her twisted features, "She was in the jungle. Even after everything you say you guys have been through, she was walking alone through the jungle."

"Tell me, Jack, did it ever cross your mind that you guys just waltz around here in the jungle like you're on a trip to the mini mart to buy milk? Like its no big deal, like these bastards you hear whispering in the trees can't get you," Her voice was almost mocking. It was defiant and laced with bitterness and it made Jack want to yell, to tell her that she was wrong. But in the back of his mind, Jack knew that she wasn't wrong. She was absolutely right, " Well let me tell you something, Jack. They took her. And do you know why they took her? Because every last one of you thinks you're safe. You just aren't scared enough, Jack."

A/N: So, what'd you guys think? Don't forget to leave a review because I really do value your opinion. I should have another chapter up fairly soon now that I'm on summer break. Oh, and in answer to some other questions I've been getting, I'm going to be somewhat vague about what the deal is with the Others for at least the first half of this fic. There's definitely going to be some key information given in the last half, and then I'm going to reveal everything in the sequal. And no, the Others in this fic will (to the best of my knowledge) not follow the path the show takes.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! I love hearing from you guys!