Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you all thought the last chapter worked. It wasn't easy to write, balancing a credible reaction to Kate's criminal past with Jack's desire to move forward in their relationship...

Chapter 18. The Right Thing To Do

"So did you and Jack have that talk yet?" Libby asked as they trudged along the coastline the following morning.

In light of the delicate situation they found themselves in with Kevin, Kate had opted to hang back while Jack walked up front with Ana; to the unsuspecting eye, their relationship appeared no different to what it had been yesterday, only this morning he kept glancing back at Kate and smiling.

"Yeah," she agreed as she met his eyes again with a coy smile, shifting her attention back to Libby when Kevin spun around to see what Jack was looking at. "I did."

Kevin frowned when her movements weren't fluid enough to keep him from noticing her guilty expression, casting a dark look at Jack as he turned back to the path ahead.

"How'd it go?" Libby pressed, witnessing this exchange without comment; Kate could just see the wheels turning in her psychologist's brain as she tried to decipher its meaning.

Kate was pretty sure that it meant Kevin no longer believed her story about Jack being just a doctor, but she pushed this thought aside as she said, "It went… well," downplaying her excitement at the unexpected turn the conversation had taken.

Libby laughed, raising her eyebrows as Jack rummaged through his backpack, trying to sneak another peak at Kate out of the corner of his eye. "That's why he hasn't been able to take his eyes off you all morning."

"You were right," Kate agreed with a shrug, sharing the other woman's grin, "sometimes people really do surprise you."

She smiled as they continued on in silence, flashing back to the way Jack had kissed her in the jungle the night before, but her happiness was short-lived when she remembered the look on Kevin's face as he watched Jack watch her. "Do you think it's a bad idea to get involved with him when I only just broke up with Kevin?" she asked, suddenly ashamed at herself for taking steps towards moving on while he was still so crushed.

"Everyone handles break ups differently, Kate," Libby said, touching her arm gently to get her to look at her. "Some people grieve… some move on. No one can tell you what you should or shouldn't be feeling – if you think this is what's right for you, then it isn't a bad idea. You have to do what makes you happy."

Turning these words over in her head, realising how much sense they made, Kate gave her a soft smile. "You're amazing, you know that? How'd you get to be so smart?"

The other woman laughed again, lifting one shoulder slightly as she explained, nonchalant, "Years of listening to other people's problems has given me a certain insight… and a massive therapy bill of my own."

"Yeah, well, if we're stuck here much longer, you should start charging," Kate told her, refusing to believe that someone as seemingly well-adjusted as Libby would ever need that much help. "You'd be the richest woman on the island."

"So what does Kevin think of all this?" Libby asked at the next lull in the conversation, giving her a tentative look.

"I don't know – I haven't told him," Kate confessed, feeling her cheeks flush with shame at how selfish and cowardly that made her look. She wanted to be honest with him, but she wasn't sure how much more honesty he could take now that he knew her secret.

"Don't you think you should?" Libby pressed, echoing her thoughts. "I know you broke up, but it's the right thing to do, especially with the three of you stranded here like this. It could get really messy otherwise."

"I know, and I want to tell him," Kate agreed, "but I need to know where all this is going first." She flushed again, with embarrassment this time, as she added, " Jack and I didn't really get a chance to talk about it last night…"

Later that night, when she asked Jack to take a walk with her into the jungle, she had every intention of raising both points with him, but this was easier said than done when they found themselves completely and utterly alone for the first time in almost twenty-four hours.

"I missed you," he breathed in between kisses when they sat down in a clearing away from the others, pulling her forward so that she was straddling his lap; it was another few minutes before she could muster the will to speak, lost in the heady rush of being in his arms. With Kevin it was always... nice; he was gentle and sweet; but this... this was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. She didn't want to stop, but the more she tried to shut them out, the louder Libby's words resounded in her head.

It is the right thing to do, she agreed.

"Jack," she tried, breaking the kiss, letting out an exasperated sigh when he shifted his lips to her throat instead of answering. It felt so good; closing her eyes, turning her head slightly to allow him better access, she wanted to give in, but she couldn't, not until things with Kevin were resolved. "Jack, I think we should tell Kevin about this – about us," she continued, sighing again when all she got was a non-committal grunt. "If there even in an 'us'."

"Mmm," he murmured in response, his face still buried in her neck.

She could feel her body temperature rising, making it difficult to concentrate so she pushed him away, gently but firmly. "Jack, are you even listening?" she asked, sliding back off of his lap so that he had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that she was trying to have a serious conversation with him. "I said we should talk to Kevin."

Releasing an exasperated sigh of his own, he ran a hand over his hair, giving her a serious look. "And we will, Kate, but it's the middle of the night. Everyone's asleep, including Kevin. Do you really want to wake him up with this?"

"No, I guess not," she agreed reluctantly, bracing her hands against his chest when he tried to draw her back in, returning her to his lap, "but I'm not comfortable with sneaking around, either, which is why we can't take this any further tonight."

He lifted his eyes to meet hers, his disappointment evident as he tried to gage how serious she was. "He broke up with you, Kate," he reminded her, but he was hesitating too now, sharing her guilt. "What you do – what we do – is none of his business."

"I know," she told him softly, cupping his jaw in her hands as he pressed a gentle kiss to his lips to placate him. "I just want to make sure we do this right. I don't want to start another relationship with lies and deceit."

He nodded, understanding, tightening his arms around her as he balanced his forehead against hers. "Okay, you win. We'll tell Kevin tomorrow, first chance we get." His serious look faded, replaced by a devilish grin as he added, "But in the mean time, I don't see any reason why I can't do this…" bringing his mouth back down to envelop hers.

Next chapter: Kate talks to Kevin about her relationship with Jack... ;)