Disclaimer : Oh come on, guys ! Seriously ! What the hell would I be doing in nowheresville France if I owned Lost??? I'd be on some Hawaiian beach, lying next to foxy or even better, lying on top…sorry, I got a little carried out here, lol. It is not mine, I swear.

A/N: so I know it's been nearly a month since my last update but I warned you a long time ago that would be incredibly busy (I didn't even have the time to watch Further instructions yet, if you can believe it or any other episode for that matter!). Anyway, this chapter will return to our favourite couple and it's going to be from Kate's point of view. Remember chapter eleven was from Jack's point of view… it's going to be the same kind of chapter. As usual leave many reviews, you I know I luv them and I really hope you'll forgive me for my laziness but more important that you'll enjoy this chappie.

With all my love, Héla.

Chapter thirteen: At last. (Etta James)

The sun was warming our bare arms and a soft breeze was caressing our skins and hairs. He was wearing sunglasses so I couldn't see his eyes but a soft smile was still marking his handsome features, warming my heart more than the sun could and reassuring me about what was ahead of us. One of his hands was on the driving wheel while the other one was hanging loosely outside his window. He seemed so peaceful and I was glad to see him like that, after the weekend he had. He was intently watching the straight and almost empty road ahead of us and from time to time, he would turn to look at me, offering me his genuine smile. I would smile back, trying to control my emotions but failing miserably. He was too good to be true, in all the senses of the term. We were driving for an hour now but it seemed that we left two minutes ago. It was a quiet ride, not much words were spoken but it was a very comforting one. It was as if we didn't need to talk, we were happy and we both knew it. Besides, we didn't talk yet about what happened this week. Well, we did yesterday but I wouldn't qualify a conversation that took place in a hall as a serious one, especially when we knew that Sawyer, Charlie, Claire and Shannon were intently listening. Not to mention that in the heat of the moment, we kinda got ahead of ourselves. How could we not? That make out session was mind blowing. Yeah, he said he wanted to try, but did he still want it? Oh, stop being so obsessed and stupid Kate! Isn't he taking you to a romantic vacation in Santa Barbara? Isn't he smiling sweetly every time his eyes fall on you? I'm such a girl sometimes. Always worrying about stuff not worth the waste of energy.

"Have you ever been to Santa Barbara before?" he asked after a little while, making me chuckle lightly.

"I did, but it was when I was watching the TV show with my mum, when I was young." I answered making him chuckle as well.

"Well, you gonna love it." He said smiling and I felt my heart melt. He had to stop doing that.

"I'm sure I will." I said smiling.

"My parents have a beautiful house with a private beach. We're almost there; I just gotta remember how to reach it from here." He said as we passed near a beautiful and peacefully quiet beach. I looked at him with a questioning look.

"Jack Shepherd, are you telling me that you don't know the way to that house?" I asked amused.

"Of course I know the way." He said defensively and I had to fight the urge to laugh at the insecurity his eyes were showing.

"When was the last time you came here?" I asked. He frowned and focussed, trying to remember the last time he came. He mumbled something, turning his head so I couldn't see the blush that crept on his cheeks but it was too late.

"Sorry, what was that?" I asked trying to contain my laughter. He turned to look at me, annoyed. He glared at me but a small smile made his way to his face nonetheless.

"Ten." He mumbled more clearly.

"Ten years?" I asked with incredulity.

"Yes, ten damn years!" He said and I could not contain my seriousness anymore, he was just too cute when he was irritated.

"So what now?" I asked still laughing. "We keep driving around until we run out of gas?" he glared at me again but eventually joined me, laughing heartedly.

"Don't worry Kate, I'll get you there, even it's the last thing I do." He said more seriously and I smiled at the gentleness of his voice.

"I know you will." I said and he nodded.

A moment later, he parked the car in front of big blue house with white shutters. The house was perched on stilts, which accentuated the feeling of greatness of the beautiful property. Jack quickly got out and went to the trunk to take our bags. I remained in the car, still amazed by the striking house. Jack parents must be working really hard. I wondered what it was like to grow up without worrying about bills to pay and what you're going to do for the next meal.

I finally decided to get out as well. I felt a like a little girl standing next to this house and an uncomfortable feeling grew inside of my chest. Trying to ignore and push down any feelings I could have, I helped him carry the bags inside. We climbed wooden stairs that led us to a wooden veranda with a white balustrade. On the opposite side of the entrance door, where we were standing, I saw a white wooden bench that seemed comfortable and I found myself dreaming about watching the sunset on that bench, his protective arms surrounding me. I averted my eyes, feeling uncomfortable again. Why? I didn't know why but I knew it was not good.

We entered the dark house and he walked toward the windows to open the shutters. I could hear the sound of the waves crashing down the waves and it relaxed me a little. When he pulled open the first shutter, the sun emerged in the living room and it gave a peaceful and warm feeling to the room. Margo had told me that she has decorated their home and I recognised her sophisticated touch in this house as well. She had chosen light colours for the living room, almost everything was pastel, warm colour in the kitchen (the microwave was orange) and I smiled when I saw pictures of little Jackie hanging or standing all over the house. Jack was really lucky, there was so many people loving him and counting on him. Even if I knew that most of the time, it annoyed him to be considered as the leader of the group, that's who he was and deep down I envied him. I wish I could have people loving me like Jack's family and friends loved him. I guess that's what you receive when you're a good person, and Jack was clearly a good man.

He kept walking around the house, which seemed bigger in the inside than from the outside, opening windows and doors. I neared a French window, which was in the living room and watched the ocean. The sun was still up high and the waves were safely crashing down the shore, the quietness of the place at the opposite of what I was truly feeling. Jack kept on walking around the house unaware of the battle that had begun between my mind and my heart. I didn't understand why I was suddenly felt so down. Fears that I tried to forget for so long were coming back to me and all I could think about was getting out of that beautiful and painfully expensive house as fast and as soon as I could. I hated it so much! Why now? Why couldn't I have a normal life like anybody else? Why does it always have to be like this? I thought I changed, I thought that those unworthy and self-destructive feelings were gone for good. My struggling feelings brought tears to my eyes. I tried to fight them but it seemed impossible. This was too perfect, I was happy and I knew it wouldn't last. Suddenly joyful memories of the last months came rushing back to my mind and all the emotions mixed together were almost too much to handle. My life had become easy, simple; I was happy and that's what scared me out of my mind, that's why I wanted to run as far away as possible.

I couldn't believe I got so attached to these people. I couldn't believe I let them into my life. I couldn't believe that I was planning on staying with them as long as they wanted me to. What was wrong with me? How could I forget everything that happened before I came to L.A?

But then again, there was this little voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that I deserved to be happy. That voice wasn't there for a long time, I think I heard it for the first time after that magical night I had with Jack a few days ago and that's why it sounded so much like him. After all I've been through, I deserved some peace of happiness. I looked over at the ocean and I found it fascinating, appealing. I looked over my shoulder but Jack was still wandering around the house. I looked through the French window again and silently pushed it open. I stepped out of the living room and found myself on the white and wide veranda. I took off my sandal before getting down the stairs. Apparently, there were two of them because contrary to the first one we climbed a few minutes ago that lead to the front door, this one led me directly to their private beach. As my toes sank in the warm sand and a soft breeze ran through my hair, I felt a wave of calmness wash over me, and slowly appeasing my insecurities. I quietly made my way toward the shore and the heavenly quietness of this place combined with my effort to calm down, eventually succeeded to stop the silent tears from pouring down my cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked from behind me and making me jump out of my skin. I haven't heard him approach, probably too caught up in my own world. I quickly wiped my eyes and cheeks and turn to face him with a reproachful look. It soon faded when I saw the apologetic one he was giving me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said when my features softened.

"It's ok." I reassured, waving his excuse off and turning my eyes back at the water. He stood still behind me for a long moment and I could feel his eyes on me. I knew him well enough to know that he wanted to ask his previous question again but he couldn't bring himself to do it. I supposed he knew me well enough to know that I would talk when I would be ready to. Life is amazing, not to mention utterly scary. The bond that has been created between me and the man standing behind me was one of the strongest I've ever known, yet we only met three months ago.

I finally brought my eyes back to his handsome face and all the fears and the anger I was feeling toward myself vanished when I saw the deep concern in his beautiful eyes. I turned further more, so I was facing him completely and smiled sadly. I made my way toward him and fell on his open arms. He gently rocked me from side to side, whispering comforting word to my ears. I let his masculine and spicy sent invade my nostrils and calm me down more than anything. I shifted slightly and buried my face in his smooth neck and I sighed.

"I'm ok now." I finally replied and he kissed the side of my head affectionately.

"Then, I'm ok too." he whispered to my ear and I felt my heart melt like a peace of chocolate in the sun at the genuineness of his tone.

"We need to talk though." I finally gathered the courage to say. He slowly pulled away from me and he gazed deeply into my eyes, making me shudder slightly. He had the capacity to make me forget everything just by looking at me.

"Ok, you need to stop doing that." I said feeling my cheeks burning with embarrassment while he smirked, apparently content with himself. His expression sobered however and worry shown in his hazel eyes again. "And you need to stop worrying." I added taking his hand in mine and squeezing it reassuringly. I felt a lot more relax than I was five minutes ago and something was telling that his presence caused it.

"I'm trying to but hearing your girlfriend say the four cursed words on the first hour of your arrival of what's supposed to be a romantic vacancy is a little worrying, I have to admit." He said with still a faint trace of nervousness in both his eyes and voice.

"Girlfriend?" I inquired, smiling warmly at him despite my heavy mood. He smiled back, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Yes, girlfriend." He said with assurance.

"But, isn't it a little too early?" I asked, my insecurities surfacing again at the speed of light.

"You think?" he asked as we sat down on the sand.

"Well, you only stopped dating Sarah who was your girlfriend for more than five years and your fiancé a few days ago." I said emphasising the fiancé part.

"Sarah and I were over for more than a few days, we stopped loving each other, I mean romantically at least, a long time ago. We were just afraid to face the truth."

"I need to be sure." I said looking intently at him.

"Sure of what?" he asked.

"That I'm not just the rebound girl. I would hate it." I said.

"Trust me, you're not any other girl and certainly not the rebound girl." He said smiling softly.

"See, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I have a lot of issues and trust is one of them, perhaps the biggest one." I looked at him, trying to read in his rich brown eyes his emotions but they were only encouraging me to continue. I took a deep breath and began to speak again. "I want you to know were you got yourself into. It's not gonna be easy, it's gonna be hard…I mean really hard. As you already know, I had a difficult life and often more than never, my past keeps me from having a decent future. I know it's too soon to talk about the future but I really freaked out when we arrived. I guess the reality of our situation only sank in when I saw that beautiful house. All of my self-destructive feelings and insecurities overwhelmed me and I felt the urge to leave as soon as I stepped a foot in the house." I didn't realise that tears had fallen down my cheeks again. He cupped the side of my face with one of his caring hands and dried my tears.

"What self-destructive feeling?" he asked, concern choking his voice.

"Oh, you know, the usual 'he's too good for you, you don't deserve to be happy, go away' stuff." I said avoiding his eyes for the first time but he brought my face back toward his with one of fingers. He didn't say anything, instead he brought his lips to mine and reassured me with his gentle touch. I kissed him back and melted in his embrace needing comfort more than ever before. He pulled away and gazed in my eyes again with such a concern that my heart went out for him.

"I know it's not easy to get rid of you inner demons, believe me but I want you to trust me when I say that you're more than worthy." He said with a determined tone.

"I told you, I have an issue with trusting people." I insisted.

"We gonna have to work on that too but I'll make my best to gain your trust." He said taking my hand and kissing my knuckles. "I had my share of bad luck and I know what suffering is but I also know that life is like that and I know that you are strong enough to overcome whatever obstacle that comes your way."

"You think so?"

"I know so." He said and leaned over to put a light and sweet kiss on my lips. "So, we're ok?" he asked a slight hint of hope in his voice.

"We're more than ok." I said reassuringly and this time I was the one to kiss him. "Thanks." I added when we pulled away.

"There's really no need to thank me, I just want you to come and talk to me whenever you feel the need to."

"That goes both ways." I said with a smile and he nodded.

"Now how about we unpack those immense bags of yours and maybe we could finally eat something." He said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes and I slammed his upper arm playfully.

"They're not that big." I said defensively.

"Yeah, right! When I first saw them, I thought you were hiding Claire and Shannon in them." He said making me laugh. He got up and turned to look at the ocean and for a brief second I saw a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

"You missed it?" I asked, knowingly.

"A lot." He replied. "We used to come here every summer with Sawyer. Ah, the joy of youth." He said with a smile.

"Well I have a pretty bad memory of the last time I neared the ocean." I said throwing him a sideway glance and he laughed warmly.

"Oh come on now, admit it. You loved it." he said smirking.

"Dream on, buddy! If you weren't that tall I would have had my revenge right away." He laughed even more and I joined him feeling the last traces of chagrin leave me, replaced by a warm feeling in the top of my stomach caused by the sweetness of his laughter. However, I quickly regained my composure when I saw a glint of childish craziness cross his eyes.

"Uh-oh, I know that look." I said backing away as he tried to close the little gap between our bodies. He grinned widely and I turned around to run but it was too late. He had already grabbed me by the waist and looped me over one of his shoulders. He ran toward the ocean and soon enough we were under the water. Juts like the previous time we found ourselves in the arms of the other. I tried to look reproachful, I swear I did, but it was so hard considering how cute and, not to mention, sexy he looked all wet and laughing.

"You're so going to pay for this." I said looping my arms around his neck while he encircled me in his strong arms not sounding mad at all.

"Really?" he asked amused.

"Really." I said as I leaned closer and landed a soft kiss on his thin lips.

"If it's what they call punishment nowadays, then I'm all for it." he said huskily before kissing me with more passion than ever.

Two hours later, we were seating on the white wooden bench that I've noticed earlier on the veranda. We had showered, unpacked my so-called huge bags (I did not miss the occasion to point that his were just as big, if not bigger as mine), we had eaten a homemade meal that we both prepared and we were now enjoying the warm afternoon. His arms were closely encircling me and my head was lying on his chest. I sighed contently, watching the waves crashing down the shore while he put a soft kiss on the side of my head. Even if I knew that the panic attack I had earlier in the day wouldn't be the last, I also knew that I wasn't afraid of them anymore.

Jack had his friends and family, I had him.

At last my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
At last the skies above are blue
And my heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I can speak to
A dream that I could call my own
I found a thrill to press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
You smiled, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
And you are mine at last

A/N: so what do you think? Was it horrible? I don't think so but I'm not really sure either.

I'm really sorry for the late update, I hope that this chapter compensate for the free update month.

Coming next: The rest of our favourite lovebirds vacancy and don't worry, I didn't forget Boone, he'll be back soon enough. I just figured that Jate needed, deserved a chapter for themselves (especially with what's happened in the actual show…just so you know, I didn't lose faith and I'm not angry with Kate, well I was a little at first but who can blame her, certainly not me.).

So 'till next time, I send you all a bunch of kisses and please leave reviews.