I'm gonna post this chapter because I've written it, and it's not fair to punish the people who are doing the right thing, but I've gotta say, three reviews (out of 140, which is roughtly how many hits I get in the first twenty four hours) that's pretty disappointing, especially when so many of you say you love this story and told me you wanted it to continue. I would really like to reach 400 before the end, which isn't that unreasonable, so please, please drop me a line, even if it's only a couple of words. I'm killing myself updating at this rate, so without some sort of response, I can't say that it's worth it...

I'm not trying to be bitchy, and I'm really sorry if it comes across that way, I'm just asking that you acknowledge the effort I've put in, however briefly. ;)

Chapter 46. Don't Scream

The sun went down shortly after Jack and Kevin set out, plunging them into darkness, but still, they kept walking, unwilling to admit defeat by calling it a night. Kate was out there somewhere, pregnant, and trapped as a result; after getting her into this mess, Jack felt he owed that it to her to get her out before the Others had a chance to hurt her, or steal their unborn child.

As they pushed on through the pitch-black jungle, he was relieved that he hadn't thought to ask Sayid; he might have a cooler head in a crisis, but as a result, he was unlikely to condone what they were doing. He'd probably call it a suicide mission, and in a way, he would be right, but while it was left unsaid between them, Jack knew, from their conversation earlier, that Kevin was just as prepared to accept the consequences as he was.

He had already been north west with Kate, searching for the tail, and later, north east, to the radio tower, so they agreed to head due north; not only was it the only part of the island that remained completely unexplored, but, as they soon discovered, it was protected by a sonic barrier, which only served to strengthen Jack's belief that somewhere beyond it was facility where they were holding Kate.

"Know what we're gonna do when we get there?" Kevin asked once they were on the other side, as they trudged across an open field with only the light of the moon to guide them.

"No," Jack agreed, somewhat sheepishly, realising that his plan only extended as far as Kate. "Guess I didn't think that far ahead."

"So you were just gonna go Commando on their asses and charge in there, gun blazing?" Kevin suggested, grinning as he glanced sidelong at him.

"Pretty much," Jack confessed, cringing slightly as he added, "Stupid, huh?" surprised when the other man shrugged.

"It's a solid plan, though maybe not the best one if you wanna be around to see your kid grow up," he allowed with a rueful smile, less sure of himself as he added, "Mind if I suggest a better one?"

"Sure," Jack agreed, realising that now was not the time to be petty, not when he needed all the help he could get. He was out of his depth, and he knew it. "Go ahead."

"We don't make into this a revenge trip," Kevin warned him, all seriousness now, eyeing him with a look that assured him that he saw right through him, and what he was planning to do. "We get in, get Kate, and get out before anyone realises what's happening. If we're lucky, we'll be halfway back to the beach before They even notice she's gone."

"What if she's being guarded?" Jack argued, not satisfied with any plan that prevented him from getting his message across.

Kevin grinned again, chuckling in a way that was almost affectionate. "Then, by all means, kick their asses," he agreed, and in spite of the heaviness in his heart, Jack found that he was laughing too.

"Think it's much further?" he asked when they composed themselves, and Kevin's smile turned wry as he raised his shoulder in another half shrug.

"Guess we'll find out."

Juliet left the house after uncuffing Kate, but when she crept out of the bedroom, into the foyer, she found that the door was unlocked. Her clothes were still missing, so peering out, seeing that the courtyard was empty, she let herself out in the thin, papery gown they'd been replaced with, keeping to the shadows as she edged along the outer wall. Her stomach still hurt from where the needle had pierced it, the pain creeping into her lower back, but she was determined to be on the beach, with Jack, before morning, so she pressed on, doing her best to ignore it.

Halfway to the next bank of houses, she heard voices, backing up in time to see Juliet talking to a small, bug-eyed man as they headed in the direction she'd come. The doctor appeared to be stalling, giving her time to escape, but Kate knew that it was only a matter of time before her deception was discovered, and the whole community was dispatched to look for her.

Moving as fast as her declining fitness would allow, she slipped past them, to the safety of the adjacent awning, her heart sinking as she saw how far much further she still had to go. It was at least another half a mile to the jungle, and who knew how many more after that that: there was no way she'd make it before They caught up to her and dragged her back, making it impossible for her to escape a second time.

She'd only made it as far as the third house when she heard a shout, followed by footsteps as a man came running out. All around the courtyard people were emerging, rallied by the bug-eyed man's cry; at least half of them armed with what she hoped were tranquilliser guns.

Unsure of how to get around them without being seen, she stopped, pressing her back against the side of the building as she tried to regulate her breathing, but she couldn't stop herself from letting out a muffled cry as the ache in her belly intensified, searing her insides. Closing her eyes, willing it down to a more manageable level, she gasped, panic rising inside her, as a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Don't scream," a voice whispered, close to her ear, but instead of filling her with fear, it caused her to relax, nodding, throwing her arms around its owner as soon as he released her.

"Jack," she choked out, burying her face in his chest as her eyes flooded with tears of relief. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I wish I could say the same thing," he murmured, kissing the top of her head as he held her close, as unwilling to let go of her as she was of him. "Are you okay? Did They hurt you?" He pulled back to survey her in the dim light, his eyes travelling from her face, to her belly, and back again, as if to reassure himself that everything was the same as it had been the last time he saw her.

"No," she assured him, biting her lip as another wave of pain crashed over her, making her dizzy. "They did some tests, but I'm okay."

He must have seen her flinch, because he didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? Because you don't look so good."

He moved closer, as if to examine her, his brow furrowed with concern, but she brushed his hand away. "I'm fine," she repeated, not wanting to waste any more time on what was probably nothing; a reaction to the procedure Juliet had performed.

"Okay," he agreed, looking miffed, reluctant to let it go. "We should get moving then."

Slipping an arm around her waist, which she was secretly grateful, he ushered her around the side of the building, stopping when another figure, too tall to be Sayid, appeared in front of them.

"There's about thirty of Them," a second voice informed them, and to her surprise, she recognised it as Kevin's. "They're heading out into the jungle – if we go the long way, and double back, we should miss Them." He glanced over at Kate, giving her a slight nod, and a faint grin as he said, "Hey."

Uncomfortable at being in such close proximity to the two men she'd loved; her husband, and the father of her unborn child; she returned his smile with an awkward "Hey", letting Jack support her as they followed him through the row of yards.

The pain had reached an almost unbearable crescendo, shooting down into her legs, causing her to grit her teeth against the whimper threatening to escape. She wanted to keep convincing herself that it was normal, that it would go away, but she couldn't stop thinking about what Juliet had said, about giving the little hole time to heal. She'd glossed over the list of complications, insisting that they were rare this late, but Kate knew that one of them was pre-term labour, because she hadn't found out until afterwards, and she'd worried that it was all part of the other woman's plan: the sooner she had the baby, the sooner They could claim it and send her back to the beach where she couldn't interfere with its upbringing.

She knew she should say something to Jack, but they were making good time, and she didn't want to give him an excuse to slow down. Once they were home, and they were safe, she would have the baby, but until then, she was determined to keep it inside her, where she could protect it.

She tried to keep the pace, but her legs felt like concrete; even leaning bodily on Jack, she was finding it difficult to force one foot in front of the other, leaving her no choice but to accept Kevin's help as well, bracing herself against each other their shoulders. She wanted to stop, and she could tell that Jack did too, but they were still too close, broaching the no-man's-land between the jungle and the Others' camp.

"How're you doing? Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes full of gentle concern, as they broke through the tree line, into the jungle, where the Others were still crashing around. They sounded too close for comfort, but sooner or later they were going to have to make a break for it if they wanted to return to the beach.

"Yeah," she breathed, but she couldn't seem to manage more than that, fighting back tears. It wasn't supposed to happen here, like this, with people chasing them. She was supposed to at least be free.

"Just a little further and we can take a break," Jack told her, tightening his arm around her waist, in a kind of half hug, and she nodded, too exhausted to speak.

"Is she gonna make it?" Kevin pressed, glancing over at her, his expression mirroring Jack's. "She looks like she's gonna drop."

"She'll be fine," Jack assured him, though she could tell by the way he was looking at her that he didn't believe it; he was only saying it because he knew that she was listening, and he needed her to find the strength to keep moving.

Creeping along at a snail's pace, they wove through the trees, progressing another hundred yards until a man, unheard by them until the last moment, burst out onto the path, fixing them with his gun as he cried, "Hey, I got 'em!"

But before he could supply his friends with their location, a crack rang out to Kate's left; blood bloomed across his chest as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, dead. Realising that she was no longer supported on both sides, she glanced over to see Kevin a few pace behind, lowering his own weapon.

"Nice shot," she told him shakily, collapsing into Jack now that the immediate threat was over. After all of his talk about being a coward, she was surprised to see him end another man's life so readily, but then, without a gun, he was in unfamiliar territory before. At least now he could pretend that he was just being a cop.

"Thanks." Flashing her a tight smile, he moved ahead of them, on the lookout for any more surprise attacks.

When the sounds of pursuit faded, Jack guided her to a tree stump, easing her down while Kevin swept the perimeter, crouching in front of her, her hands in both of his. "You said They ran some tests," he reminded her, his voice low and soothing. "What sort of tests? Were they like the ones They did to Claire?" He was trying to be patient, but she could hear the edge of panic in his voice as he tried to understand what was wrong with her.

"I think so," she agreed, taking a deep breath, forcing the pain back as she added, "But the woman I was with, she stuck a needle in me, to take some of the…" She closed her eyes, biting her lip as she forced herself to recall the exact term Juliet had used, so that he would know what she was talking about "…amniotic fluid." He was nodding, urging her on, so she inhaled again, letting it out in a rush as she finished: "She said there were risks, that I could go into labour, but a needle couldn't really do that, could it? Not unless she injected me with something…"

She trailed off, pleading with him to back her up on this, but he nodded grimly, shattering her hopes of making it back to camp when he tightened his grip on her hands, telling her gently, "Whoever she was, she was telling you the truth – what she did can trigger an early labour this close to term. In fact, I've been watching you since we left the Others' camp, and I'm pretty sure you're having contractions."

Next chapter: If Jack thought Aaron's birth was stressful... Will he have time to deliver the baby before the Others catch them? ;)