Chapter Four: Tangled Web

"You told him your real name?" demanded Shannon the next morning.

Kate sighed, having known that her roommate would react like this.

"What? Cooper expects me to use a fake one," she said.

"But it's not fake. Maggie's fake! Kate's real!" she exclaimed. Kate shrugged.

"Cooper doesn't know that."

Shannon studied her friend, sitting at the kitchen table, a smile playing around her lips.

"God, you actually like him."

Kate shrugged.

"Maybe. It doesn't matter," she said.

"It matters a lot."

Kate stood up abruptly as the phone rang, and then forced herself to walk slowly toward it. She knew Shannon would bring it back to haunt her if she ran for the phone every time it rang.

"Hello?" she said casually into it after the third ring.

"Kate?" came a voice. Kate smiled, liking the sound of her name coming from his mouth.

"Yeah, who's this?" she asked.

"Jack Shephard."

"What's up?"

Once again, she could almost hear him smiling.

"I know it's last minute, but I was wondering if you wanted to go out tomorrow night," he said. Kate paused, pretending to consider.

"Where?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. He laughed.

"What, you're the only one who's allowed to have mysteries? I'll pick you up at seven. Dress code is far from casual, but I'm sure you're up for the challenge."

She paused.

"You don't know where I live," she protested.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to tell me."

"You're going in that?"

Kate frowned and glanced down at her outfit when Shannon called out to her from the depths of their apartment.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"You don't look like Maggie," explained Shannon. Kate took in Shannon's appearance: the blonde was wearing a long black evening gown, diamonds in her ears, stilettos that made her even more tall, her legs even longer. She looked perfect, immaculate. Kate suspected that Shannon had always looked like this, even before it had been her occupation.

"I'm not supposed to be Maggie," she said patiently. "Jack liked me as Kate."

Kate's hair was up, and she was wearing a fairly simple green dress. Her face, as it had been for the previous two nights, was almost free of makeup.

"You look nice," said Shannon kindly, offering her a reassuring smile as the doorbell rang and Kate left, unwilling to buzz him up to their messy apartment and her gorgeous blonde roommate.

Jack was waiting in the small, enclosed foyer of their building. He grinned when he saw her.

"Hey. You look beautiful," he said.

"Thanks," she said nervously, noting the fact that he was wearing a tux.

"We're going to a fund raiser at the hospital," he explained. She nodded, forcing herself to hide her true feelings on the subject of fund raisers, benefits, fancy sit down dinners in general. She'd attended far too many.

"Great," she said, following him out the front door.

"I know, not very first date friendly. I've got to go, my Dad used to be the Chief of Surgery," explained Jack. Kate's face went slightly whiter. "Neither is meeting the parents, apparently? Don't worry. The reason I've got to go is that he can't."

Kate nodded, relieved. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had to Meet the Parents. The very prospect terrified her.

They arrived at a large, elegant hall, filled with many people who seemed rich and confident to Kate. She was reminded of her first time working as an Escort, and also of many of the times that had followed. She found herself hoping desperately that she wouldn't run into anyone she knew.

They were seated at a table with four other people, Doctors whom Jack seemed very familiar with. Kate noted nervously that all the Doctors and their wives were considerably older than her.

"This is Kate," said Jack eventually, after cordialities had been exchanged. Kate smiled, glad that Jack had not introduced her with a qualifier, such as his date, or his girlfriend. Let them figure it out.

"Hi," she said, nodding as he introduced her to his colleagues. She relaxed as he slid his arm around her shoulders and they listened to them chatter about their jobs, their lives, and the charity they'd gathered to support.

Kate made it through the meal, having long before figured out which fork to use for what. Jack successfully managed to evade any questions that came their way about their relationship and her life, and halfway through she relaxed and began to enjoy herself, and began to feel that she was on her first Real date in over a year.

After desert their plates were cleared away. Kate raised her eyebrows when Jack stood up and offered her his hand.

"What, are we leaving?" she asked in surprise. Jack laughed.

"No. We're dancing, come on," he said, pulling her up by the hand. She followed him to a cleared off space in the centre of the room where many other couples were already gathering.

"You dance?" she asked in surprise.

He smiled as he placed one hand on her waist, and kept the one he held already.

"You really don't know what to do, do you?" he asked in interest, as her other hand stayed by her side. Reluctantly, she shook her head. "Put it on my shoulder. And just follow along."

Kate watched their feet for a moment as she got used to the music, but then relaxed and looked up to meet his eyes. He was still smiling.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. He nodded.

"I'm glad. I think my friends liked you." Kate had surprised herself by liking them, as well.

"You have good friends."

"Maybe I can meet your friends sometime soon?" he pressed. She laughed as he twirled her around and then back into his arms.

"Maybe," she said, refusing to commit herself.

"Okay. That's as good as I'm going to get, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded.

"Probably."

Kate watched as he smiled at her, knowing she was already enthralling him, that he was falling for her and that she was letting him.

"Come out with me this weekend? I have to go someplace, and I think I'd have more with with you there," he said.

"Where?"

"What, you're the only one who gets to be mysterious?" he asked.

"Fine. Not like this again, though?" she asked.

"Not remotely. It's more of a day time thing," explained Jack. She nodded.

"I'll be there," she promised."

As he said goodnight to her outside her building Jack tried to kiss her, and she almost let him.

After she'd already gone upstairs and thrown herself onto her bed, still dressed in her nice clothes, she realized it the reason why. She hadn't let him kiss her because she'd wanted him to kiss her. She was hoping, desperately, that he'd lose interest and make her task impossible. Already she was beginning to care.

On her answering machine was a message from Anthony Cooper, requesting a meeting. She called his secretary and scheduled one, hoping that this one would be no worse than the last.

Author's note: Thanks for your reviews, guys! In case you were wondering, more characters will be introduced as we go along, in particular Claire, Charlie, and Sayid.