A/N: Ok, I definitely need to start this chapter off with a big apology. I'm so sorry about how long this update has taken me. As much as I hate to make excuses for it, the biggest reason is school. Its just going to take some time for me to get back into the swing of things. Not to mention things have been more than a little hectic for me lately.

Anyway, this update is a little longer, so at least I managed that much. I hope you guys like it, because this one was really meant to give some more insight on Kate's time with the Others before Jack came onto the scene. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, never have, and I don't see myself owning it in the foreseeable future…

All The Right Reasons

Chapter 15: Revelations

"Jack, there's nothing there…" Kate's voice broke the momentary silence, a look of astonished awe written clearly on her face. She looked at Jack in question, only to find that his expression mirrored her own.

He looked incredulously at her, a kind of horror washing over his features. Jack opened his mouth as if to speak, but then lifted his palm up to eye level. He just blinked as he stared at it, finally lowering it again as he continued to shake his head, eyes wide with what looked a lot like fear.

Reaching out with his other hand, Jack tenderly brushed his fingers over his palm, immediately jerking his hand back as he winced in pain. He hissed, eyes watering from the terrible sting.

"You don't understand, Kate…" Jack pressed, face still contorted in pain as he panted heavily, eyes fluttering to brush back the stinging ache, "I can feel it…its there…"

He hissed in pain, feeling the softness of her fingers wrapping tenderly around his hand. She lifted it up so that she could see it, trying to brush away the sound of his sharp, ragged breaths and the light whimper of pain. Kate studied the skin of his palm very closely, bringing her face so close to the surface that she could make out the nearly invisible lines there. But still, nothing remotely disturbing met her eyes, and certainly no signs of a burn or wound of any kind.

"I don't see anything, Jack…" Kate confirmed, her own voice shaking as she watched the fear in his eyes turn to something like anger. She flinched as he pounded the cement floor suddenly with his other hand, cursing loudly.

"I can feel it, Kate…" Jack persisted, voice suddenly urgent with hints of anger. His eyes glinted with frustration, face contorting in a clearly visible wince as he continued to feel the throbbing pain in his hand.

"How can you feel something that's not there?" her voice shook, eyes wide with panic.

"I don't know…its just there!" his voice came out in a rasp as he let out a sharp breath in pain, gasping for air. He could see it all as plain as day. The man who held him down, Henry Gale standing before him as he pressed his hand into the flame of the candle. Every second of it was clear to him, perhaps even clearer than it had been at the time.

"Who did this to you?" Kate's voice shook, her entire frame trembling as she spoke. Her eyes were watered over, nearly swelling with unshed tears as her mind revisited the previous guilt she had felt at bringing Jack into this situation.

"Henry Gale," Jack all but spat the name, a kind of venom laced into his demeanor. Where seconds ago he had hardly been able to string two words together, he was suddenly powered by a putrid hate. It was like a winding current, racing wildly through his veins and claiming him completely.

Jack's eyes snapped suddenly in Kate's direction at the sound of her gasp. He found a kind of shock written in her eyes, etched into her features. It was like a look of utmost understanding, of unearthing something one would rather leave buried away. Soon the sound of Jack's voice became nothing more than a dim echo in her mind, ever fading until it was less than a whisper.

Kate had always heard that a person's eyes were a window to their soul, a constant of what they truly were. Her mother had told her once that you can't lie with your eyes. Staring into the pale green eyes of Henry Gale, Kate had to wonder if there was even an ounce of truth to any of it. If Henry Gale's eyes were a window to his soul, then he didn't have one because all Kate could ever see there was a vast amount of nothingness. He was calm, entirely collected when he shouldn't be, his entire demeanor far from being that of a natural human being.

Fear bit at Kate, cutting her very being cleanly in two. It wasn't a foreign feeling to her, but these most recent aspects of it were far more than she ever could have expected. She was strong, her emotions safely secured behind the equivalent of a brick wall. Never had she had trouble controlling them, bending them to her will and manipulating them for her own purpose.

Now though, Kate hardly felt alive. She felt like she was less than nothing, a useless mess of whirled emotions. Everything she had ever known, her entire life had been thrown off balance by these Others as they invaded her in every way imaginable, hurting her like she never would have believed was possible.

And now she lay before him, crumbled in a heap of tears on the cold metal floor of his office. Pickett, the one who had thrown her in, he had addressed this man as Dr. Henry Gale. She could hardly meet his eyes for more than a single second, every inch of her aching with shame as he continued to watch her. Kate couldn't bear to gaze back at his face, to see the disgust she knew would be there at seeing her brought to him like this.

"Bea!" he shouted, a frustrated bewilderment to his voice, the beginnings of a panic forming there. Kate watched a woman in her mid-forties step forward, entering Kate's limited line of view for the first time, "What is this? What happened?"

"Dr. DeGroot-" Bea began, but was immediately cut off by Henry's sharp voice.

"He did this!" Henry boomed, his voice coming out in a near snarl, eyes flaring with a sudden anger as he gazed expectantly at Bea, "I was promised a healthy subject!"

"Dr. DeGroot said she would be no worse for it," Bea replied, though it was obvious she looked anything but sure of what she was saying. There might even have been the smallest traces of pity in her depths, but Kate couldn't be sure.

"No worse? Bea, look at her!" Henry snapped, eyes falling again on Kate as he scanned over her broken form. He took in her all but shredded clothing, the obvious cuts and bruises, all of it. She was a mess. He shook his head, eyes blazing with disgust, "She is in no shape for any of the tests. Its all going to have to wait."

"Dr. DeGroot mentioned you had planned on a testing a hallucinogenic. Surely her state isn't enough to prevent-" Again Bea hardly had the chance to finish before Henry had cut in.

"She was raped, Bea!" Henry shouted, voice booming angrily. He sounded more incensed, more frustrated now even than before. His eyes flashed briefly to Kate before whipping back around, his gaze grinding back into Bea, "Do you honestly think she is in any kind of mental shape or physical condition for mind games!"

"You'll have to think of something, Dr. Gale…" there was a kind of finality to Bea's voice now, sounding completely perplexed as she spoke, "Dr. DeGroot fully expects you to have results for your debriefing tomorrow morning."

"Debriefing! He can't expect anything by granting me less than twenty-four hours!" Henry yelled, throwing the clipboard he had previously been holding. It hit the floor with a resounding crash, papers flying off it in a scattered mess, "You go back to Dr. DeGroot and you tell him that I will be evaluating the subject until I give him further notice. Only when I have determined that she is fit for testing will I progress with anything. If he has any further concerns, tell him to page me. That is all."

There was an obvious sense of finality to his words as Henry immediately turned away from Bea and moved back to his desk. Without a word he began pecking away at the computer, acting as though he was alone.

"Dr. Gale, you can't expect-" Bea began cautiously, only to be cut off by Henry.

"I said that is all!" he snapped, only turning away from his computer for a brief second. In that same instant, he punch a button on the wall to the side of his desk and the large metal door behind Bea immediately slid open. Henry stared at her expectantly and she stepped through the open door, exiting the room with an obvious sigh of frustration, shaking her head.

Kate was drawn suddenly back to the present, a new light brought to the current situation. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, what she remembered and how it all fit. Kate hardly dared to look at Jack, but knew it was a necessity as the tension loomed in the air around them, its harshness biting at her with a vengeance.

Her eyes fell onto Jack, fixing on his shaking form. His lips were chapped and slightly tinged from the cold. She took in his ragged and broken appearance, eyes immediately drifting to his right hand, the one that was clutched so protectively within the grip of his left. The hand, the burn, it all made even an ounce of sense to her now and in seeing the desperation of his condition, Kate mustered up the courage to explain.

"Jack…did you understand what he was giving you?" Kate asked after a moment, voice shaking and hesitant as she spoke. She eyed him fully now, unwilling to turn away no matter how much she knew his own eyes would burn into her, his accusing gaze too much to bear. She didn't know what he was feeling about what they had done to her, but she could guess. The disappointment, the anger and most of all the disgust had all radiated clearly in his eyes, mirrored by an obvious look of betrayal.

"Yes…no…I don't know, Kate…" Jack's own voice was harsh and ragged, coming out in little more than a cracked whisper. He sounded exhausted and utterly defeated. He shook his head even after he had stopped speaking, a kind of shame washing over him that almost masked the bitter resentment that had never left.

"They talked about a hallucinogenic," Kate said after a moment, taking a pause to gauge Jack's reaction. He hardly turned to look at her for more than a moment before his gaze once again fell to the floor, "That burn they gave you, I don't think its real…"

"Hallucinogenics don't carry on like this Kate…" Jack snapped, voice suddenly rough with bitterness. His gaze flashed up at her then, eyes blazing with an unsaid frustration.

"I don't think any of the normal rules apply with these people, Jack," Kate replied, keeping her voice in check as she tried to smooth it down and keep herself from shaking. She wouldn't let him get to her, wouldn't let his disgust in her matter. She had seen it coming from the beginning, had known it was only a matter of time.

"If this really was just a powerful hallucination, its impossible that it could have caused me any real pain. If this is a hallucinogenic, then I shouldn't be feeling anything right now, Kate…" the frustration and disbelief was clear in his voice, his stubbornness showing through most of all.

"Where's the mark, Jack? If they burned you, there should be a mark," Kate pressed on, feeling her own sense of frustration pounding in her mind. She should have known this would be far from easy.

"Well there's not, Kate!" Jack snapped, shouting furiously at Kate as his body whipped around to face her. She jumped then, unconsciously forcing herself back several feet. Her eyes were wide with shock at him and she watched as a kind of shame flashed briefly in his eyes, "Damn it, I don't know why there isn't! I don't know why I can feel it!"

"It isn't real, Jack…" her voice came out in a harsh whisper, voice timid and distant as she eyed him warily. He met her gaze, saw how wide her eyes were as she watched him and again she could see the shame in his eyes. Even if he hated her now, and a part of her was sure that he did, he still couldn't stand to be cruel to her or anyone else. That was just Jack.

(Insert Line Here)

"What is this place?" Sayid's voice was feigned calm, though beneath the collected exterior, there was a rushed worry. He gazed warily around at the mess of machines and wires, eyes falling onto the kind of contraptions he had never seen before.

"You're in the hatch, Sayid," there was a sense of pride to Locke's voice, and the beaming smile that spread across his features only furthered that conclusion.

"The hatch?" a look of pure shock was now etched into Sayid's features, a brief sense of fear flashing through his eyes for less than a second, "How is that possible?"

Sayid's eyes never fell to Locke as he spoke. Instead, he allowed his gaze to travel over each contraption in turn, studying them and trying to comprehend their purpose. Many were things he had never seen, though there were a few Sayid could recognize. Clearly, all of it was extremely outdated technology, but there was still something oddly out of place about all of it. Like there was something he was somehow missing, some kind of connection that he couldn't begin to explain. A brief vision of Danielle came to mind, flooding Sayid's thoughts and ringing in his mind like a mantra. Still, he could make no sense of it.

"Apparently there's a second entrance to the hatch," Locke explained, nodding his head towards the dark hall from which he and Sayid had entered the main computer room.

"And this Desmond, he showed you this?" Sayid was suddenly suspicious, all of the previous anxiety he had felt about the man back at the caves flooding back to him.

"Yes, Sayid, he did," Locke's voice held that same defensive tone he had often used with Jack and Sayid recognized the weakness in the man's defenses immediately. Perhaps Locke wasn't as positive of the situation as he pretended to be. Still though, Sayid watched him, never willing to trust. Locke was a man to hear out, to consider within reason, but never to trust blindly.

"And you trusted him?" Sayid's voice was slowly rising, gaining that same accusing tone he had used back at the caves. The tone that reminded him so much of Jack and his lack of faith.

Sayid had always hoped to hold a middle ground, to be a man of both science and faith. He wanted to believe in Locke, yet keep a safe distance at the same time. But this sudden responsibility, this new leadership he had to face, it made him see Jack's logic much more clearly. It made him see how much harder it was to be a man of faith when he was responsible for more than just his own life. He held in his hands the lives of many, none of which would have a choice in anything with this hatch and it was up to him to do what was best for them.

"Yes, I trusted him," the fake calm to Locke's voice was evident and Sayid took it to his advantage.

"And what would you have done had it been a trap?" The anger was now clear in Sayid's voice, the icy look flashing in his eyes bordering on rage.

"I know what you're saying, I know what you think, Sayid, but it never mattered to me," Locke was suddenly serious, that calm and beaming quality about him suddenly fading, "When I followed Desmond here, I knew there were a hundred things that could go wrong. I knew that you and Jack were probably right about the hatch, about the island, about everything, but I had to try. I couldn't just give this up. We have too much invested in this hatch, Sayid. A man died trying to get this thing open. We owe it to Boone to give this a chance."

"Even if you were right, it still gives us no reason to trust this man," Sayid held firm, that brief flicker of light fading from Locke's eyes. The man looked positively shot down, and for a moment Sayid regretted that, but there was more at stake here than a man's pride.

"You want proof, don't you brother?" that same thickly accented voice that had become all too familiar to Sayid suddenly split the air, coming seemingly from nowhere. It took Sayid several seconds of whipping his eyes around the room until his gaze finally fell on the dark outline of Desmond stepping out of the shadows of the hallway through which they had first come.

"You think you've bought yourself time, that now I'm going to trust you because you've brought us here," Sayid's tone was venomous, stinging to the furthest degree. His eyes flashed dangerously in the dim light, that protective anger residing there, "But you're wrong. You've proven nothing!"

"If I'm one of them, brother, then why am I still here?" Desmond asked with a tone that was almost amused, as though he hadn't had anything more eventful than this happen in a very long time and he was somehow enjoying every minute of it. There was a sureness about him, like this was some kind of game he was certain to win.

"Your being here proves nothing!" Sayid spat, shaking his head as his stare bore heavily down upon Desmond. He eyed the man's casual stance, took in the worn military type fatigues that somehow further proved the man's guilt in Sayid's mind, "Maybe you enjoy taking unnecessary risks. Maybe, you just don't want to live anymore. Whatever the reason, you are in no position to be trusted."

"There's something you need to see, brother, and you're going to have to trust me if you're going to see it," Desmond held a bargaining tone, staring at Sayid almost in question as he waited to see if the other man would take the bait. Sayid gazed at him for several long moments, obviously thrown off course at Desmond's offer.

"What is it?" Sayid barked, voice unusually quiet as he spoke almost ashamedly for compromising with such a man. Even considering the offer went against everything that Sayid had ever learned in the military, but there was something about what Desmond's character, something about this very hatch that made it impossible for Sayid to ignore it.

"Its called orientation," Desmond clarified, not missing the skeptical tone the other man held or overlooking Locke's silence, "A movie reel. It will tell you everything you want to know, brother."

"Where is it?" Sayid's curiosity peaked to an all time high and he felt his heart pounding madly in his chest as he ignored every instinct that screamed for him not to trust this man, not even to listen to him.

Desmond nodded to the right with his head, signaling towards what looked like an old study or an office, "Its in that room over there, brother," he spoke calmly, his lack of fear almost coming off as entirely sincere had Sayid not been professionally trained to read faces, "On the third bookshelf to the right behind Turn Of The Screw."

(Insert Line Here)

Henry Gale. The name swam around in Kate's mind with a fury, ever repeating itself like a mantra. It was like an inescapable coldness, slowly freezing her from the inside out. She felt the chill, constantly gripping at her, yanking her into its steady pull until it was all but too much for her to take.

Kate couldn't stop thinking of it, any of it, particularly not him since she saw that Jack knew. He knew. That was still a concept that was almost too much for her to grasp. In her mind, she had made countless excuses of how she would tell him one day, how a right time would come and she would be completely honest.

Only now it was completely out of her hands and only now was she able to admit to herself that in her heart, she never intended to tell him. She had never wanted him to know, never wanted him to be burdened with the knowledge of what had been done to her. Kate had never wanted to see that look of shocked disgust in his eyes, his bitter rejection of her burning behind a mask of indifference.

It was strange how in a time like the present, all she could really think of was Henry Gale. The man hadn't done this to her, hadn't done any of the terrible things that DeGroot alone had been a part of. But he had hurt her in another way, one that could almost be considered deeper, more scarring and unforgettable. She could see the obvious traces of it in Jack and knew without a doubt that he was being presented with the same treatment, the same tests that she had been plagued with during the first days when she had been in this place alone.

Hardly daring to turn her head, Kate knew without looking that Jack sat across the room, body slumped against the far wall. His frame was stretched tiredly out in front of him, broken by exhaustion. Kate could imagine his eyes most of all. They had always been the feature that most stuck out in her mind, the only thing she could trust to tell her the truth. You can't lie with your eyes.

The things she had seen in his eyes. The way he had looked at her when he had been thrown back into the room. The emptiness she had felt all those days spent alone, all her fears and everything she had known to be an inevitable had suddenly become a piercing reality when she looked in his eyes.

Kate knew now that the look in his eyes, the emotion that was etched so clearly in his features had not faded in these past hours of silence. He hadn't said a word to her since her claim about his burn being the effects of a strong hallucinogenic, but she knew that his silence hadn't been a result of that. It was because of what he now knew, because for the first time since the plane had crashed, he saw Kate the way he always should have.

Everything that Kate felt just now, the confusion and turmoil, but most of all the overwhelming and bitter sense of defeat all seemed so endless. Resting her cheek against the cold cement wall of the cell, Kate had to wonder if time could ever heal this, ever take away the burning feeling of loss and despair. A part of her wanted to believe that time could heal anything, that with time she would be made better. But deep down, she knew that was a hopeless notion, something that was never meant for her.

If this was giving up, then Kate was giving up. She was giving up on the hope of ever having a real life, of ever finding that blank slate that Jack had once insisted she had earned. If redemption was ever really something to be earned, then she had lost it twice over. Kate wondered if it was only now that Jack could see that.

Kate wondered if he could even remember that day on the beach, the day she had been certain he would step out of her life for good and never look back. He had been foolish to stay, foolish to give her that chance. If he had abandoned her that day, washed his hands of the whole thing, then he wouldn't be in this mess now. Jack wouldn't have been reduced to this broken fraction of what he once was.

The tears came before Kate could even fully acknowledge their presence or her need to let them out. It started with a single burning tear, blurring her eyes until it finally rolled down her cheek. It only took seconds for more tears to follow, dripping a harsh trail down her face. She felt sick with shame as she was suddenly choking back a sob. Tears falling in a frenzy, it was like a seam had split in Kate's defenses. In a brief moment of weakness, the walls came tumbling down in crumbled mess. No longer able to choke back the sobs, Kate gave in, starting first with a low whimper. It soon evolved into broken, desperate sobs as she continued to cry.

An eternity seemed to pass as Kate slowly drifted further into the pit of despair she felt she could hold only herself responsible for. She had only ever had herself to blame for so long. Kate was so lost by all of this, so caught up in her emotions, she didn't catch the movement from the other side of the room, didn't suspect anything until she felt first the tips of his fingers grazing over her shoulder, raking against her skin.

She flinched, a violent tremor sliding over every inch of her in an instant as she felt his arms slide around her, his right hand slipping tenderly around her shoulders to hang loosely against her hair. The other moved more insistently across her back, pushing her forward and across the small distance that separated them.

Jack could hardly explain his actions, couldn't even remember how he had come to be sitting right in front of her, pulling her into his arms. All he could feel was this incredible weight on his chest and the burden he had felt dragging him down since his encounter with Henry Gale.

He had been so intent on keeping his distance, so sure that being near her would only hurt her in the end. He hadn't known how to deal with it, with any of it. Even as a doctor, Jack had never encountered a rape victim and especially not one whose wounds were so fresh. And it had scared him, shook him to the very core to think of what had happened to her.

As he drew her rigid form to his chest, wrapping his arms gently around her, he didn't fail to miss the desperate nature of the entire exchange. Jack all but felt her sharp intake of breath as she flinched against him, unwilling at first to settle but suddenly falling limply against him. With his good hand, he tenderly caressed her back, gripping almost in a broken frustration at the hem of her shirt as he fought for control over his own desperation.

There was an intense pain storming through him, gripping him with a strength like he had never known. It stung deeply, biting at him with a constant burn. Because of his nature, Jack had felt responsible for all of the original forty eight survivors. It was like some morbid calling to failure. He couldn't help them all, just as he couldn't help her. A handful had died and she had been taken. All of it was beyond his control, so sickeningly far from his grasp, that he couldn't begin to see how he could be expected to cope with it.

Hot tears burned furiously within the confines of his eyes and they fell free just as he felt the wetness of her own tears like a scalding heat against the bare skin of his neck. Cupping the back of her head, Jack pressed her closer, tucking her head securely in the nape of his neck, resting his cheek against her hair.

The tears fell from his eyes, rolling down his cheeks as he clamped his eyes tightly closed. A bitter resentment tore through him, biting at his very being as he felt her trembling within his grasp, suddenly seeing what he hadn't seen before. He felt her fear and knew now that that fear wasn't just of them. It was of anyone and anything that came near her, it was a fear of being hurt more than she already had been.

Jack thought of how he had held her before, how she had slept in his arms just the previous night and how different this was. Because now he knew. He knew what she had been faced with and he knew what they had done to her. Her obvious terror, the open wounds that screamed in her eyes, the persistent trembling, none of it went unseen by him now.

His tears were soon accompanied by sobs, the sound of his cries now mixed with her own. Jack gripped her tighter, holding her head securely in the nape of his neck as though they might come for her any second. Slowly, their bodies rocked back and forth as both continued to cry, sobbing without relent as they had finally reached their breaking point.

Sterile. That was the first word that came to mind as Kate's eyes flickered over her surroundings, speedily taking in every inch of it as though her life depended on it. The white washed walls were stark and bright, bearing an uncomfortably clean appearance, something that altogether disturbed Kate.

It was unnatural, the structure of the room and the way it felt. And Kate did feel it. She felt the frosted texture to the air, the constant chill that consumed every inch of space, making the room feel as though it was growing smaller by the second. It was like the walls were closing in around her, consuming her.

Kate felt the filthiness of her body stick out in stark contrast to the room, everything about her seemingly exposed. She sat hunched by the wall, body shrinking down into the floor as far as possible, her best effort to hide herself away. Kate's knees were drawn protectively up to her chest, knuckles white with her vice grip there, as though it would do her any good if push came to pull. Even after all that had happened, all that had just happened, Kate still had that fight in her, even if it had been reduced to near nothing.

She wanted to escape, to disappear into this vast expanse of white, fade into the walls that suddenly seemed never ending. She wanted to feel again, wanted be alive like she hadn't been since she had been brought to this place and held captive. Most of all, she wanted to flee from his eyes, to fall out of the complexity of his gaze as his burning stare focused only on her.

Kate didn't know why Henry Gale had helped her, or how it was even possible that he cared what DeGroot had done to her. He was one of them, every bit as much as DeGroot was. He had that same air about him, that sense that screamed superiority and absence of law. There were no boundaries for these men, no wrong that they could actually commit. And yet there was something different about Henry Gale.

He had given her three days since her encounter with DeGroot, time meant to regain physical fitness. Time to recuperate. Kate wondered if he knew that no amount of time could ever heal her of what had happened, that she would never begin to forget a single second of it. That it would always be seconds away from being on her mind, solidly locked into her consciousness.

And now she was here, back in front of him and wondering why she was even alive, why they had even bothered allowing her to live. Kate couldn't help but wonder if there was still anything worth living for at all. Life seemed so meaningless to her now, so constant a reminder to who she was and what she was slowly becoming. Kate's current state of confinement had brought out a helpless feeling that she could never recall feeling before, a feeling she had never even been capable of.

Still she felt the burn of his stare, the heaviness of his gaze as he let his eyes bore into her, as though memorizing her every feature. Now and then, she had seen him scratch away at his clipboard, taking down some note or other, but for the past few minutes that had so felt like an eternity, he had been entirely still.

His gaze was penetrating and constant, a knowing glare to it. There was a smug satisfaction written beyond his emotionless features, a certain light that danced in the depths of his eyes. It was the light of excitement, perhaps even giddiness to a certain degree. It was as though Henry Gale was waiting for her to ask him, forcing her with his silence until she couldn't stand it any longer. It was as if he knew she would eventually break. And she did.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, voice shaking with a masked terror. Kate wanted so badly to hide her fear, to keep it out of his gaze so he saw only the walls she had kept firmly up around herself. The walls that seemed now to be reduced to rubble.

"You ask that as though it was only ever you that we wanted," He blinked then, the only noticeable change in his demeanor as he spoke to her for the first time since she had been brought into the room. He glanced down at his clipboard then, seemingly to dismiss her.

"Then why I am here? What the hell do you want?" the fear in her voice had yet to retreat, but it was now accompanied by an accusing tone, hindered only by the way her words shook in her throat.

"It was never about you, Kate," Henry spoke quietly, not bothering to look up at her from his clipboard as he continued to scratch down notes. Kate watched warily as a tiny smile began playing at his lips. He slowly lifted his head to look at her, eyes practically glowing as they met her stare. A chill ran down her spine as a low chuckle came from him, "You are only the solution to the problem."

"What do you want?" she all but wailed, voice breaking into a low whisper as she fought at herself not to cry. The fear was so piercing, so strong against everything else that blind terror seemed to be all that she could feel.

Again, he laughed, "What we want, what Dr. DeGroot wants, is the boy. That is why you're here, Kate," his eyes bore into her as he spoke seriously, voice holding an almost threatening tone, "But what I want Kate, now that is completely different. I want only one thing. Cooperation. And you will give me that, Kate, because of what I can give you. Protection. I can keep you from him, Kate. Dr. DeGroot will never have a chance to hurt you again."

"I don't need you," it was bluntly said, her note of defiance seemingly final, though inwardly Kate was screaming. She wanted out of this more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. The catch was that it looked like she would have to sell herself to the devil to get her way out.

"That's where you're wrong," and the smugness was back. That utter sense of knowing everything there was to know. Kate wasn't a fool. She knew that he had her. She knew that she was in no position to bargain with him and that in the end, whatever he said was the way things would be, "Right now, you think you're bad off. You think he's done his worst to you and you've got nothing left to live for. But you don't know how wrong you are, Kate. I don't agree with his tactics, but I know them well. If you think he's hurt you now, then try me, Kate. Then you'll find out what being hurt really means."

There was a brief stretch of silent, leaving Kate only to her thoughts. She felt as though she was spinning, mind lost in a whirl of emotion as she considered Henry's words. She had no doubt that he mean it, all of it, and that any pity he might have had for her would be lost if she chose to make things difficult for him.

With a stinging throb, Kate thought back on that day with DeGroot. It was still as fresh as the day it had happened and it had been the only thing on Kate's mind since. It was something she couldn't control, something she couldn't run from. The memory of it rested like a dark splotch in her mind, lurking menacingly in the shadows. It was a blackness that Kate tried to erase with every breath she took, but one that only seemed to grow with her efforts.


"I'm not a bad man, Kate. I won't harm you the way he did and if you'll let me, I'll prevent that from ever happening again," he stepped forward as he spoke, tone suddenly gentle, yet firmly serious. By the time he had finished speaking, he had kneeled down in front of her, now at eye level with her, face only inches away.

"What do you want?" her voice came out choked and shaking, hardly more than a broken whisper. As silence stretched over the room, Kate's words faded into tiny whimpers, her eyes burning with tears that she fought not to shed. That all too familiar fear was beginning to grip Kate and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"I've already answered that, Kate," he replied curtly, the dancing gleam in his eyes and the wisp of a smile across his face sending a chill down her spine, "Its simple. While you are with us, I would like to run a few small tests. I'll be honest with you, Kate. This will not be a painless process. But as I said before, what I need from you is your cooperation. The tests I will get with or without your consent."

"If you'll have your tests, then why bother with the deal?" it was obvious her nerves were getting a good hold on her as her entire body fell into a constant trembling. It was light at first, but gradually became more violent.

"My offer is as much for your benefit as it is mine," Again he took up the business tone, that same twisted smirk playing at his lips. He was so close now as he kneeled before her that she could feel his breath on her face, further pushing her into this terror filled state, "If you cooperate, my job will be made easier. It will also be less painful for you Kate, something I'm sure you would be interested in. As I said before, Kate. I can keep you from him."

"Why me?" this last question was voiced with a new tone of defeat, the finality to it obvious. Kate was giving up, but more than that, she was on the verge of giving in. He had pushed her passed her limits and he knew it. The gleaming smirk on his face was undeniable.

"Healthy subjects are hard to come by," there was a light chuckle as he spoke, lips twisting further into a grin as he spoke. His pale green eyes were fixed on Kate's own, "To be honest, Kate, you're my first subject in nearly a decade. I will have plenty of work for you. So what do you say, Kate? Do we have an understanding?"

There was a long stretch of silence. Kate attempted to press herself further back against the wall, sliding herself across the floor, but finding she could move no further. She stifled a gasp, the tears suddenly begin to fall as the reality of the situation began to sink in. This was actually happening and it was happening right now. She began whimpering, but the tiny cries soon evolved into sobs that harshly racked her body. That all too familiar fear was consuming her, becoming a more permanent part of her each time she felt it. Each day that they had her.

"He-he'll leave me alone?" she choked out between sobs, cheeks flushed with tears that continued to fall. She brought her knees up to her chest defensively, pushing herself farther back into the corner, "He won't…he won't-"

"Never again, Kate," again Gale moved closer to her, scooting across the floor as he continued to kneel, his white lab coat wrinkling beneath him. His eyes were solemn as he reached a hand forward, fingers gently brushing her cheek, "When your doctor friend hands over the boy, you'll be free. Free of DeGroot and free of me. Now what do you say, Kate?"

Kate nodded her head feebly, entire body shaking, "Yes," she said weakly, voice coming out in little more than a whisper. Her eyes darted to the floor, no longer able to stand the shining intensity of his own.

"I didn't quite catch that, Kate," and now he was mocking, lips twisted into a undeniable smirk, "You're going to have to speak up."

"Yes," she snapped curtly, falling back into a fit of sobs. Nothing else he said after that registered in her mind. Nothing else mattered. She had never felt more like she was going to die here at the hands of these terrible people.

"Good," he said sharply, drawing himself quickly to his feet. He turned away from her then, moving back to his desk where he shifted his attention back to his computer. Kate stayed unmoving in the corner, laying on the floor. Her entire body shook more violently than before, body racked with sobs.

(Insert Line Here)

Darkness. That was the first thing that registered in Jack's mind as he jerked himself awake. His eyes fluttered open, body shifting suddenly. Something had drawn Jack from his sleep, some unknown presence that now eluded him. His vision was blurred, as though lost in a fog and the pitch blackness of the room did nothing to brighten his outlook. Jack's eyes darted both ways, glancing over every inch of the room, falling over every wall and corner. Still he couldn't even see his own hand in front of his face, yet somehow he knew that something was out of place.

And just as Jack was about to nod off, ignore every pretense he felt and force himself to rest, it came again. This time it was more clear to him, meeting his ears as a familiar sound that he couldn't quite place. It was like a low, broken whistle, a light creaking noise coming from just in front of him. The noise sounded close, but how could it not in such close proximity as the cell allowed.

As though caught in a trance, Jack leaned slowly forward, ignoring the dull ache in his body or the soaring heat that raced up his back and ribs. Intent on listening, he still himself completely, willing himself not even to breathe.

The newfound silence felt heavy, falling over Jack with a forced weight. For that brief moment, the sound didn't return and Jack could almost conceive it all being in his mind. With everything that had happened, he couldn't blame himself for unrest.

Certain now that something was wrong somehow, Jack tightened his hold on Kate. He drew her closer to himself, pulling her limber form firmly to his body with an unrelinquishing hold. She stirred only for a moment, nearly unaffected by the disturbance. Jack had to fight the urge not to wake her. If there was danger, it was better that she not know, that she not get worked up over something that couldn't be controlled.

Jack felt an utter sense of protectiveness flare up within him, reaching an all new height. Never in his life had he wanted so badly not to fail. Never had he wanted to protect someone the way he wanted to protect Kate now. He wanted her safety more than he wanted his life. He knew in that moment that he would do anything for her now, anything to keep her alive and safe from these people.

The sound came again so suddenly that Jack flinched, torn wildly away from his thoughts. His body reacted by jerking violently at the sound. Only this time, it was accompanied by a kind of light. It was like a glow, tiny and dull, looking entirely distant until Jack's racing thoughts allowed him to see that it couldn't be.

Everything came together in that moment. The light grew suddenly strong, a bright beam of light now shining in Jack's face. He was blinded at first, unable to make out anything but the brilliant white light for several seconds. It seemed to last an eternity as Jack brought a trembling hand to his face, shielding his already stinging eyes from the light.

Even as his vision had cleared and he shifted his hand away from his face, Jack couldn't turn his heady fully to stare into the beam of light. It moved, shining over him and shifting as it traveled over his entire quivering form. Jack couldn't explain the shaking, couldn't begin to rationalize why he couldn't control the way his body trembled without relent.

The light was coming from beyond the thick metal door that kept them locked within the cell. At first Jack had thought the light was coming from the crack beneath the door, but now he could see that it came instead from the food slot halfway down the door. It was like a mail shoot, only it was about two feet long and over a foot in height. The metal covering had been lifted from out in the hall beyond the cell, the intruder shining a flashlight in to look at them.

Recoiling from the light, Jack turned away from it, shifting to face Kate and further pull her to him. In his mind, he could only imagine them coming to take him away, or worse Kate. What if the deal he had made with DeGroot had been some kind of joke? What if the man had never intended to keep his side of the bargain at all? Jack wouldn't let them take her; he couldn't. Not after what he had heard. Not after what he had witnessed himself. They weren't going to hurt her anymore. Jack wouldn't let them, no matter what the cost.

Squinting, Jack turned his head back to the door, letting his vision clear just enough that he could dimly make out two dark forms beyond the thick metal door. Just behind the beam of light, the forms sat hunched, huddled closely together as each peered through the food slot, looking directly at Jack and Kate.

Jack froze at the realization that they were watching him, stealing a glance down at Kate to be certain she hadn't been jerked awake herself. She was still sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling rhythmically in sleep. He was grateful for that at least, the peaceful look about her contrasting the redness of the skin around her eyes and the dry tear tracks left there.

Eyes darting back to the door, Jack was only blinded by the light for a moment. He raised a spare hand over his eyes, shielding himself to get a better view of the intruders. He could just make out the one on the left at first, the one that had the flashlight tightly gripped in his hand as he shone it in at Jack and Kate.

Jack could barely see that it was a young man and after a moment Jack recognized him as the one from the wall that day in the jungle. The one that had sounded the call after him. He looked somewhat different now. The young man no longer donned the loose white shirt and brown pants, but rather a worn military jumpsuit. Jack couldn't quite make out the logo at the breast of the jumpsuit, but he had an educated guest that it was the now all too familiar dharma symbol.

Beside the young man was another dark silhouette, this one even harder to make out in the darkness as it was further back. Judging by the smaller frame, Jack guessed it was a female, probably close to the age of the young man. Looking more closely, he could see that she had long dark hair, a deep brown most likely. He could make out little else about her as the light was too dim to fully get a view of her features.

As the two continued to look into the cell, they turned to one another, talking in low whispers. Jack couldn't begin to make out what they were saying, but kept a tight grip on Kate nonetheless. He gazed down at her, thankful that she was still asleep. He stared warily back at the two intruders, still completely puzzled by their presence.

A/N: Well, what did you guys think? I know, not a very cool ending, but I really couldn't help it. I just wanted to get something up while I've got the time. Thanks again for reading it and I'll be sure not to take so long with the next update. Please don't forget to review! The feedback really helps!