Chapter thirteen: Life is but a dream

Jack strolled into his apartment, but froze in his steps as he found Kate and Sarah laughing and drinking, they both looked up to see Jack looking uncomfortable.

'Jack...hey, Kate and I were just talking about you...' Sarah said as Jack cautiously walked towards them both.

Kate climbed to her feet, 'what took you so long?'

Jack smiled at her, 'Just...work stuff...'

Sarah glanced at Kate, who glanced at back at Sarah. Jack winced, great, both of them could tell when he was lying.

Sarah picked up her cellphone as it rang, she glanced at the display, 'I have to take this...have a good night guys,' with that she headed into her room.

Jack approached Kate, she gave him a casual smile, 'work held you up?'

Jack shook his head, 'Can we not talk about it?'

Kate studied him, she nodded reluctantly.

'If that's what you want...' Jack looked down feeling grateful that Kate had dropped the subject. 'So, what do you wanna do?' she asked.

Jack turned the coffee maker on, he looked to Kate.

'Do you miss it?'

Kate studied him, 'miss what?'

Jack gave her a meaningful look, Kate paused.

'The island?'

Jack frowned, both of their eyes drifted to Sarah's door. This wasn't the place to talk about it.

'Jack...' She shook her head slightly, he nodded.

'You know what? Nevermind...we'll talk about that some other time.'

Kate smiled, relieved, she hated talking about the island. It unsettled her endlessly. She had safely locked it away into the back of her mind, and that's where she wanted to keep it.

Sarah walked out of her room, 'hey, can I get you guys a drink?' she asked as she poured herself some coffee.

Kate shook her head, smiling politely, 'no thanks, I should go, Aaron's probably home by now and the nanny's shift is almost over.'



Sarah nodded, she looked to Jack, 'how about you?'

Jack shook his head, 'I'm pretty tired, I think I'm gonna get some sleep.'

'Suit yourselves,' she replied as she settled on the table, taking a sip from her coffee.

Kate looked at Jack, she smiled, 'I'll see you later?'

Jack nodded, 'yeah,' He smiled at her.

Much to his surprised, she leaned up and kissed him softly, she gave him a sweet look as she pulled away. Jack raised an eyebrow, Kate grinned at his expression, she looked past Jack, 'Goodnight.' Sarah waved at Kate, 'Night...'

Jack watched Kate go, he stood in the empty hallway as she walked down the corridor and into the elevator.

Sarah grinned as she watched Jack's smitten expression as he watched Kate leave.

'Oh, you are SO whipped...' she chuckled.

Jack shook his head as he looked at her, you have NO idea.'

Sarah smiled wistfully, 'it's nice, you know...'

Jack raised an eyebrow at he as she explained what she meant, 'to see you happy for once. I mean, to see you happy, for real. She's nice...I didn't know brunettes were your type...'

Jack grinned, 'neither did I.'

Sarah held his gaze, 'its funny how things work out...'

Jack nodded as he headed for his bedroom. It was funny how things worked out.

Kate parked the car outside her house, she frowned as she noticed a figure standing in the window in Aaron's room. It must have been the nanny, she climbed out of the car, looking up again, the figure was gone. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

Kate hurriedly walked into the house, it must have been the nanny, who else could it be? She scolded herself for worrying so much.

'just relax,' she told herself as she walked through the downstairs hallway, 'hello?' she called.

'Mrs Austen,' the nanny replied as she emerged from the dining room.

Kate let out a relived sigh, 'where's Aaron?'

'He's asleep in his room.'



Kate nodded, 'were you just upstairs?'

The nanny shook her head, 'no...I was on my way upstairs just now...'

Before she knew it, Kate was sprinting up the stairs.

'Mrs Austen?? What's the matter...?'

'AARON?!'

Her feet pounded against the wooden floorboards as she ran towards Aaron's room.

'Aaron?!' she yelled desperately, hoping for a response.

She burst into his bedroom to find him playing with the toy plane she had hidden in her wardrobe.

She swept him up into her arms, kissing his cheek, she breathlessly cradled him, 'oh sweetie, thank god you're okay.'

Aaron frowned, 'Mommy what's the matter?'

'was someone in here just now?'

Aaron grinned, 'she's my friend.'

Kate gulped, 'what's her name?'

'Claire.'

Kate held Aaron tightly, 'mommy, you're hurting me,' Kate loosened her grip on him.

'I'm sorry sweetie, I was so worried.'

The nanny frowned, clearly confused, Kate turned to the nanny, 'has he mentioned that name before?'

The nanny nodded, 'I thought he had heard you say the name and named an imaginary friend...it's not uncommon.'

Kate gathered herself, 'You can go home now Rita.'

The nanny nodded, 'are you okay?'

Kate nodded as she rubbed her nose against Aaron's cheek, 'I'm fine, thanks.'

The nanny looked reluctant, 'okay, but if you need me, just give me a call.'

Kate smiled gratefully, 'I will.'

Kate waited for the nanny to leave before she returned to her panicked state. CLAIRE?! HOW?! How was that possible?! They had assumed she had died on the island when she went missing...Kate felt sick, the world she and Jack had so carefully built was beginning to unravel...The island was haunting them again. It wanted them back.



She picked up her cellphone.

Jack tossed and turned in his sleep as he dreamt.

Jack's dream:

Christian's dead body lay in the coffin as Jack approached it.

Jack stared at his father's body, he glanced around, Kate was holding Aaron, Aaron vanished from her arms. One by one everyone in the room began to vanish-Jack turned back to his father's body-which was sitting up-staring at him as he whispered, 'Its not over...' he aggressively reached out to Jack-Jack jumped back-

End dream:

Jack jolted awake in a cold sweat. His heart raced in his chest, he glanced at his cellphone, it was vibrating, he frowned at it.

Why was Kate calling him at this hour?

'Hello?'

'Jack-I need to see you-' her voice sounded desperate, 'its Aaron-Claire was here-he said she-' she cut off, upset, 'what shall I do?'

'Okay, calm down...okay? Kate...?'

'Okay.' She weakly replied.

He heard her sob gently over the phone, she was shaken by whatever had happened. Jack climbed out of bed, grabbing his jeans and car keys, 'I'm on my way...' he said.

End chapter thirteen:

Chapter fourteen:

Kate paced back and fourth in the living room as she glanced out of the window every now and then, looking for a sign of Jack, her heart was racing in her chest, and her cheeks were tearstained. Aaron was blissfully ignorant of Kate's distress as he slept on the couch wrapped comfily in a blanket.

Kate her hands through her hair, taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. Jack would be here any moment and he'd make it better, they'd figure it out...On seeing a jeep pull up in the driveway, Kate swung the front door wide open. Just in time to see Jack climbing out of the beach 

and jogging up the driveway, 'Kate...I came as fast as I could-what' wrong-' before he could finish asking the question, Kate had flung herself into his arms, holding him tightly.

He held her close with his steady hands, 'hey, its alright, where's Aaron?'

Kate pulled away as she cupped his face, gazing at him, glad he was here.

'He's asleep on the couch, Jack...I saw her...'

Jack looked at Kate, 'Have you been under any stress lately? Have you been sleeping enough?' Kate gave him a look, 'you told me she was dead Kate...YOU said that-'

Kate fought back tears, 'but I saw her...'

Jack took a moment before replying, 'alright, let me get Aaron, I want you two to stay at my place until we figure this out...okay?'

Kate nodded, there was no way she arguing with him. She felt scared and vulnerable, what effect would this have on Aaron? What effect would it have on their lives? Did the island really want them back...or was it telling her to be honest with Jack...? Or was it her mind playing tricks on her...?

Flashback:

Kate treaded through the jungle, Claire had gone missing again and Sun had Aaron.

'Claire...?!'

There was no response, Kate squinted through the rain, 'CLAIRE...?! Are you out here...?'

She felt her voice turning sore, her eyes scanned the jungle, they came to a halt as they landed on a shoe, an unnatural feeling set in her gut. It was telling her to leave, to run, to get out of there.

Right Now.

A mechanical whirring grabbed her attention, she was familiar with the sound, adrenaline jolted through her veins, Kate began to run on instinct. Without any sense of direction, her feet pounded through the jungle as the black smoke gained on her.

It seemed to roar and speed up as she ran faster, her legs began to ache, her foot got caught in some tangled thick vines that lay on the jungle ground. It sent her flying into a tree, she hit the trunk with a thud and fell to the floor.

Kate groaned, slightly out of it, her head stung, it felt heavy as she groggily lifted it, trying to look up, all she could see was a thick black mist, Kate squinted through it.

Her heart pounded in her chest, her leg was throbbing, she must have hurt it on her way down, she desperately scrambled to her feet, turning on her heel as she searched for a way out of the mist. The whirring sound had vanished and the jungle had fallen silent. Kate reached forwards in the dark, 

where was she?! What was happening?! She could feel the tree she had hit when she fell, so she was definitely in the same place-

'Kate...' Kate froze as the familiar soft voice caught her attention, Kate stared ahead of her, she could make out a figure in the mist, its sincere blue eyes stood out from the black fog.

'Its' taking me away-'

Kate frowned, 'Claire?!' she reached out frantically to what was once her friend, 'Claire-what're you-'

Her fingers brushed the fog, the thick air was all she grazed with her fingertips. Her outreached hand yearned for her friend, 'Claire...?!' she fought back tears, what the hell did that mean?!

'Take care of my baby,' Kate's eyes frantically searched the mist, she was gone, the mist turned thick, making Kate fall back out of the fear of being enveloped in it. Kate closed her eyes, as adrenaline raced through her veins. She counted to five, praying it would work...

On opening her eyes, she found herself peering out at the tragically beautiful island, the jungle was just as green as it was before the mist had fallen upon her and the animals were still chirping and rustling. But Claire was gone.

Kate climbed to her feet, stunned, confused and at a loss for words.

'Claire...?' she called out weakly, but her words fell upon a vacant jungle.

Back at the beach;

Jack stormed into Sun's tent, 'you let Kate go ALONE!?' he yelled.

Sun frowned, 'Jack-'

Jack stared at her, as she nodded past his shoulder, he turned on his heel, following her gaze his eyes landed on Kate.

She looked defeated and lost, he called out to her.

'Kate...?'

She looked at him, a pained expression on her face.

Jack studied her, reading her expression, 'Claire...?'

Kate shook her head slightly as tears streamed down her cheeks, Aaron began to cry in Sun's arms.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, he rubbed his head. This hurt. They had lost yet another person, another life and another friend. He let out a tortured breath as he turned to Kate, 'you okay?'

Kate tried to nod, but the sore lump in her throat wouldn't let her respond, Jack reached out to her, pulling her into his arms.



End Flashback:

Kate peered out of the window into the vacant but thick night sky as Jack drove silently. She felt safer now, knowing Jack was right here by her side. Aaron was asleep in the back seat, Jack glanced at Kate.

'You okay?'

Kate shook her head as she softly replied, 'Jack...I don't know if she's dead...'

Jack frowned, 'what are you talking about-she died on the island Kate, I know it seems crazy when you see something like that-but she died-'

'I don't know if she did.'

Jack fell silent, what did Kate mean by that...?

'You told me-'

Kate shook her head, adamant, 'no, I never TOLD you anything...I...' she trailed off.

'I'm just saying that...' her voice shook slightly, 'I don't know if she's dead.'

Jack paused as he glanced at her, 'is she alive and off the island?'

Kate shook her head again, 'it makes no sense-she can't be...we ...' she paused, feeling the guilt settling in, 'I left her behind...'

Jack didn't respond, he would usually be the first to comfort her, but his true relationship to Claire had been revealed at his father's funeral. Claire was his sister, had he left his sister behind?

'Why didn't you tell me?' He asked, his expression was ashen.

Kate looked torn, 'I thought she was dead-'

'You're not making any sense Kate.' Kate noticed the irritated tone in his voice.

'I'm sorry. I just...it was all so...' she trailed off, unable to word it.

Jack felt unsettled, should he tell Kate about the dreams he had been having lately?

They clearly had alot to talk about.

'Kate...' she glanced at him, his heart sank as he saw the vulnerable look in her eyes, he smiled softly, 'we'll talk once we're home.'

Kate nodded, she returned her tortured gaze to the window.

End chapter:



Chapter Fifteen: Shadows

Kate lay in Jack's bed, Aaron was in her arms, he was fast asleep, she could feel his warm breath on her collar bone. She glanced at the clock, Jack had left the room an hour ago to answer the phone. She wondered where he had gotten to. Carefully laying Aaron onto the bed, Kate opened the bedroom door and shut it behind her as she entered the living room in search of Jack.

Jack looked up from the couch, for a moment all he could register was Kate wearing a sweatshirt of his and her jeans. She had a worried look on her face, 'you okay?'

Jack nodded and frowned at the same time, 'uh yeah...yeah, the Richard Carter rang, he uh...his daughter...'

'Lyla?'

Jack nodded, his expression turned ashen now, 'she was murdered earlier tonight...'

Kate found herself at a loss for words, this was the last thing they needed. It was the last thing HE needed, she walked over to him with a sympathetic look on her face, Jack quickly stood up. He needed to do something, anything, he felt restless and confused.

Kate's gentle touch caught his full attention, his eyes met hers as she stroked his arm. Jack felt the world slow down as he let the events of the night sink in, Kate was haunted by the island and Lyla had been murdered on the same night he had gone to get a drink with her. He felt sick, defeated, Kate read him clearly, she pulled him into her arms, he held her close as they both silently supported eachother.

After a moment Kate spoke, 'I'm sorry,' Jack didn't answer, he pulled away.

'He asked me to come in...to step in his place for tonight so he could sort out things with the cops...'

Kate nodded, 'what did you say?'

Jack looked down, 'I wanted to say 'yes' but there's no way I was gonna lave you and Aaron here alone, so I told him to try another doctor who I can count on.'

Kate gazed at him, 'You didn't have to do that.'

Jack shook his head, 'Kate, you need me right now, and it was actually kinda selfish of me, I wanna be around you...' he said as he smiled sincerely.

Kate touched his cheek, 'we should get some sleep.'

Jack nodded, Kate pecked him on the cheek and walked into his bedroom, 'i'll be in bed.'

Jack nodded, 'I'll be there in 10 minutes...' he replied. His eyes travelled over her as she walked into his bedroom, he turned back to the phone, his heart sank. Kate didn't know he had gone for a drink with Lyla, would that complicate things? What if the cops rang?



Jack suddenly felt a chill down his spine, did Ben do this? Lyla was treading on dangerous ground...

He ran a hand through his hair as he headed for the bedroom, he lingered in the doorway as he watched Kate and Aaron curled up on his large bed together, he smiled sadly. He reached for the door handle and shut the door. Walking away from the bedroom, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

'Jack...?'

Jack stopped in his steps as he strolled down the hallway, he turned around, seeing a betrayed looking Kate.

'I thought you were staying.'

Jack looked at her, he gulped, he knew lying was no use when it came to Kate, she saw past his lies with great ease.

'I was just getting some air...'

Kate studied him, 'wanna talk about it?'

Jack looked at her, he tore his gaze away from her, god she was beautiful, even dressed in one of his sweatshirts, she still captivated him.

'I uh...I went for a drink with Lyla earlier Kate...' Kate folded her arms, a pensive look on her face as she listened.

'They found her body at the bar I left her at.'

'Why did you leave?'

'To see you.'

Kate studied him as she took it in, 'what're you saying?'

'She was researching the island...'

Kate fell silent, Jack had gone to get a drink with Lyla after he had given her his word he wouldn't drink?

Jack realised what she was thinking, 'I drank water...'

'Why did you go for drinks? You knew I was waiting-'

'Kate-'

Kate frowned, she had been left confused by Jack on the island on several occasions, and she wasn't very patient, as Jack had grown to know.



'Look, Jack...' she looked confused as she spoke, 'This...what you're doing? With your ex-wife living with you, and sneaking off to drinks-'

'I wasn't sneaking-'

'with Lyla-' Kate continued, 'What is going on in your head?' she asked bluntly.

Jack closed his eyes, 'she didn't think you were Aaron's mother Kate...' he felt his irritated tone get louder as he spoke, he was angry and offended by what she was implying, 'I had to fake a BLOODTEST for you,' he scoffed, 'to fool her into thinking Aaron is your blood-' Kate's pensive expression softened as he explained himself.

'And yeah, I went for a drink with her Kate-because I needed to know what she knew-so I could protect you and Aaron-' he let out a defeated chuckle, shaking his head, he frowned at her as he added, 'You know, its weird...after everything that happened-I never thought you'd be the one who couldn't trust me...I always thought it'd be the other way round...'

Kate stared at him for a moment, a stunned silence hung between them.

She paused, unable to believe that he had just bought up such a sensitive topic, knowing that she was a murderer and an ex-felon.

She had to ask, 'WHY would you bring that up?' His expression turned to one of guilt as he noticed the pain in her eyes, he had wanted to hurt her an instant ago, but now, he hated that he had.

'Kate...' he sighed, Kate stepped back, pulling away from him emotionally as well as physically.

'What I did, Jack...before the island...I was someone else...I wasn't the woman standing infront of you today. And you and I both know that.'

Kate turned on her heel and walked into the apartment, Jack groaned, 'great,' he muttered, this was exasperating.

End chapter Fifteen