Slow review day... That's okay, though, I'm gonna update anyway because the other fic I mentioned, the one SassieLostie and I are working on together, is doing well and I'm in a good mood. It's called "Pale Reflection" for those of you who haven't seen it yet, and it's going to be very, very cool... ;)

Chapter 35. Claire's Memories

When Kate left her tent the following morning, Jack was sitting with Libby outside hers, conferring with her over breakfast, but he stopped long enough to greet her with a distracted kiss.

"You two look pretty cosy," she said as she settled in the sand beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest. She felt an irrational stab of jealousy as she noted the way he listened intently to the psychologist's every word, just like he did with Sayid and Ana. It was like their opinions were the only ones that mattered, all because they had a profession attached to them. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were planning something."

Remembering that Libby was with her when she took the pregnancy test, her jealousy turned to fear as she wondered if she'd mentioned the baby to him, even in passing, but when she glanced over at her, Libby shook her head, miming locking her lips and throwing away the key.

"Libby thinks she can help Claire get her memory back," Jack told her, oblivious to this gesture as his gaze travelled from Kate, back to the psychologist, acknowledging her with a warm smile, which she returned without missing a beat.

"If I can get her to remember how she felt when she was with the Others, that should be enough to transport her back there," Libby explained for Kate's benefit, and Jack nodded. She shrugged, seeming to note Kate's scepticism as she added, "A kind of sensory version of hypnotic regression therapy, only I won't be using actual hypnosis."

"And you think it'll work?" Kate asked, directing her question more at Jack, than at Libby; somehow the idea seemed a little whimsical for his taste.

"It's worth a shot," he agreed, looking as unsure of this process as she felt, and she realised that he'd only made the transition from man of hard science to one of faith because someone he cared about was involved. He needed to believe that there was something they could do.

Claire didn't look too enthusiastic when they explained it to her, seeming to prefer to let sleeping dogs lie, but she caved once Jack pointed out that without knowing what had happened to her, they couldn't be sure that the Others hadn't harmed her baby.

"So how do we do this?" she asked nervously as she propped herself up on pile of airplane cushions in front of Libby. "Do I have to hold your hands or something?"

Libby laughed when the younger woman stretched her palms out awkwardly for her to grasp, shaking her head. "I'm not a psychic, Claire. All I'm gonna do is show you how access the stuff you've repressed. It's already there – you just have to see it."

Swallowing hard, cringing as if anticipating a physical blow, Claire retracted her hands, but before she could tuck them both into her lap, Jack crouched down beside her and took one in his, squeezing it with a reassuring smile. "You can do this, Claire," he said, and Kate smiled too, enjoying watching him play the protective big brother. It was almost paternal, this new side of him; for the first time, she found herself getting excited at the idea of having a baby with him.

Claire nodded, meeting his smile with a feeble grimace, before turning her attention back to Libby.

"I want you to close your eyes, and think about where you were before Kate found you in the jungle," the psychologist said in a voice so slow and even that it made Kate feel tired.

Claire did as she was told, her expression strained as she concentrated on remembering, letting out a little whimper when Libby asked, "Are you there?"

"Yes," she agreed, and Kate saw Jack tense when she looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"What do you see?" Libby prompted gently, ignoring the way he motioned for her to stop. Shifting her position so that she was standing behind him, Kate squeezed his shoulder, shaking her head at him when he gave her a helpless look, seeming to regret his decision to subject her to this. They had to know what they were dealing with, and why, and right now, Claire was the only one who could tell them.

"Walls… and light… green light," she went on, reacting to something only she was aware of. "I'm in a room with machines… and there's a man – I think he's a doctor."

"What makes you think he's a doctor, Claire?"

"He's wearing a white coat, and he wants to do some tests – on the baby," Claire continued, whimpering again, and Jack's face contorted with fury, but this time, Kate couldn't find it in herself to comfort him.

Instead, she felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs as she realised that that was why Claire, of all of their people, had been taken: because they needed her, because she was pregnant. She could feel herself shaking, with fear, outrage, disgust, but she forced herself to remain silent, letting Libby do her job.

"What sort of tests?" she asked, her eyes meeting Kate's briefly, as if the same thought had occurred to her too. "Can you describe them to me?"

"He took some blood, and he… he injected me with something. He said it was good for the baby."

Kate exchanged another worried glance with Libby, her insides knotting with fear, not just for Claire's baby, but for her own. Jack looked ready to explode.

"Did you see what it was?"

"No."

"Where did he put the needle, Claire?"

"In my tummy. It hurt a lot."

"Did it hurt afterwards or make you feel sick?"

"No."

"Is that all he did?"

"No. He showed me the baby."

"On a sonogram?"

"Yes."

Kate let out the breath she was holding, but she found that couldn't relax. None of it made any sense: if Their intentions were as honourable as Claire's story would suggest, why bother kidnapping her in the first place? If they wanted to help her, why not ask?

"Can you tell me anything else about the place They took you, Claire?" Libby pressed, changing tactics now that it was apparent that Claire's knowledge of what They'd done to her was limited.

"There was a room with a crib," she went on, sounding only slightly less distressed. "The man – Ethan – said it was for the baby. He said they'd take care of it if I gave it to them."

"They wanted your baby?" Kate cut in now that they were finally getting somewhere, her voice laced with panic as she wondered whether They were really going to wait for her to give it up. What she wanted to know more than anything was whether Claire's baby was special, or they just needed a baby, any baby.

Her voice seemed to break the spell: Claire's eyes flew open, and she stared at her in alarm. "The girl who helped me get away, she said they were going to cut him out of me," she confessed, fully alert now; as Jack stooped to comfort her, telling her what a good job she'd done, Kate could see Libby watching her, but she was afraid to look at her, afraid that if she did, she would start crying too.

"You okay?" she asked quietly, coming up beside her, and Kate let out a shaky breath, nodding, not wanting Jack to see how upset she was.

"Yeah," she agreed, forcing a smile, as her straightened up, turning to them with a serious look.

"I want to go there," he said, his jaw set, determined. "Her memory's still patchy, but she gave me directions to where she thinks it should be." When neither of them said anything, he added, defending his decision, "It's the only way we're gonna find out why they're doing this."

He looked like he expected Kate, at least, to try to talk him out of it, but instead, she said, "I'm coming with you," matching his resolve as a maternal instinct she hadn't even known she possessed rose up inside of her. She wasn't going to wait for Them to take her like Claire, to poison her baby, and cut it out of her against her will.

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head. "You heard what They did to Claire. These people are sick – I don't want them anywhere near you."

"Jack—" she complained, but he cut her off before she even had time to figure out what she was going to say.

"Kate, I'd feel better if you sat this one out. This isn't like the radio tower."

His refusal was making her desperate: the only way she could protect herself and her child was if she knew what they were up against. "Jack, please – I just… I need to help."

Unnerved by something in her tone, he stopped arguing, searching her expression, and she thought he'd figured out why this was so personal for her, but he just sighed, running his fingers over his hair as he resigned himself to the fact that she wasn't going to be left behind.

"I'm going to go talk to Sayid," he said, turning away from her. "Come find us when you're ready to go."

Now you see why it's not gonna be easy for Kate to tell Jack. He's not exactly gonna be thrilled that she's a target too now.

Next chapter: Jack, Kate and Sayid visit the medical station... ;)