A/N: Guys, thanks for voting and for your awesome support!

By the time bleeding on his leg had stopped, and they trekked towards the beach, it was already mid afternoon.

"What do you think she did?" Fitz asked Jack.

Jack shrugged as he lead the way. "It's none of our business." He added, handing Fitz a clear plastic water bottle from his doctor bag.

Fitz shook his head in disbelief, yet he gratefully grabbed the bottle. "How can you not wanna know?" he took a couple of longer strides trying to catch up with the doctor. "The marshal said she was dangerous, remember?"

"Newsflash: We're lost on a tropical island...the rules of the world don't apply anymore. We're all on the same boat, here."

"Here's another newsflash for you: tigers don't usually change their stripes. " Fitz quickly retorted, then he drank half the bottle in nearly one gulp. He couldn't remember a time in his life when he'd been as thirsty as today. "You're a doctor, right? you don't stop being one just because we crashed on an island, do you? "

"Kate has been a great help, I just don't want to alienate her."

Fitz thought the doctor's response was stupid. He suspected that the reason he was willing to stick up for Kate was because he liked her...in more ways than one.

xxx

"The pilot didn't survive," Kate told Olivia with regret. "A group of us located the cockpit deep in the jungle..."

"Let me get this straight...So the plane broke in mid air, most of us in the middle section landed here on the beach... and the cockpit landed deeper in the jungle...but what about the tail section? Olivia looked up at Kate. She was getting tired of laying on her back in the same position for hours now.

Not that her conversation with Kate had been dull. On the contrary, ever since Fitz had left with Hurley, they had discussed different topics (except for Kate's criminal background). However, at this point, Olivia felt relatively comfortable in the woman's presence. One thing she had learned as an attorney was to give the accused the benefit of the doubt: 'Innocent until proven guilty.' Thus, she had decided she would make up her mind as to what kind of woman Kate was without prejudice.

Kate considered this for a moment. "We haven't found the tail section yet.. all we know is that there were no survivors in the cockpit," she stated looking out into the distance. "He did tell me one thing before he died," Kate continued telling her story, tying her long curly hair into a pony tail. "He said that about 6 hours into the flight, the radio malfunctioned so he lost communication with the ground. He decided to turn around towards Fiji.

"Wait...Fiji is not that far from Australia, right?" Olivia interrupted, squinting her eyes. Streaks of sun rays were streaming through the tent that Fitz had improvised out of bedding supported by tree branches.

"Well, we didn't make it all the way back to Fiji. His guess is that the plane traveled about a thousand miles off course, that's a little over two hours...and that's when we hit turbulence."

Olivia's heart sank. "But...does this mean that no one actually knows our location?"

Kate heaved a sigh.

"Well...how about cell phones? Chances are that at least a few survived the crash, right?" she sought Kate's gaze for confirmation.

"We've found a few...but none seem to be able to pick up signal."

"We'll just have to keep trying," the more she thought about it, the more it seemed to Olivia that it was just a matter of time before they'd be able to communicate with the rest of the world.

xxx

Fitz and Jack arrived to find Kate and Olivia deep in conversation.

After greeting Olivia, Jack immediately proceeded to tell Kate the newest developments regarding the marshal's condition and the radio transmitter and the hike to the mountains to try to get signal.

Next, Jack examined Olivia while Kate and Fitz looked on.

"I saw your mugshot...the marshal had it in his pocket," Fitz stared at Kate, not bothering to hide the scrutiny in his eyes.

Jack gave Fitz a look of disapproval.

For a second, Kate froze. "It's not...it was a mistake..." she sprinted to her feet and took a few steps back, putting physical distance between herself and the others.

"What were the charges against you?" Fitz asked point blank.

Kate looked away and Jack told her, "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to!"

Fitz furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe this guy! Not only did he like to impose his will on others but he also appeared intent on not letting anyone else step away from his agenda.

It was immediately evident to him that arrogance appeared to be Jack's deadly sin. In fact, this type of arrogance truly irritated him to no end; he couldn't stand it when others acted as though rules only applied to others.

"I'm going with Sayid to help see if we can get a signal, " Kate said with sudden urgency. Then, she glanced at Olivia before heading back into the jungle. "I hope you start feeling better soon, Liv."

"Take care," Olivia replied as a way of a good-bye.

Jack, who had been kneeling by Olivia, rose and faced Fitz. "I would say that Liv's condition isn't serious."

Although Olivia felt a clear sense of relief, she didn't like how the doctor was talking about her health condition in her presence. She would have rather him address her directly.

"So it's just temporary?" Fitz asked.

"Most likely. Although I don't have any diagnostic equipment... the only thing I can tell you for sure is that I've seen plenty of spinal injury patients...and Olivia is not one of them, so we can definitely rule that one out" he concluded with a sense of satisfaction.

xxx

Shortly afterwards, Hurley came back to tell Jack that the marshal was now conscious.

"Here, " Jack tossed Fitz a couple of water bottles from his bag. "Keep her hydrated, let me know of any changes," he added while heading off in the same direction as Kate.

Fitz turned his attention to Olivia.

He propped up the blanket she was using as a pillow in order to give her some water.

"I need to sit up," she said between sips. "I need a change of scenery."

"Ill bring a seat from the plane so she can sit and get a view of the ocean," Hurley offered, looking at Fitz. "We've been using them seats, most of them are in good condition," he said to Olivia.

Fitz appreciated Hurley's kindness.

A while later, Hurley came back with a buddy carrying a bench airplane seat in fairly good shape.

On top of the seat was a clean white sheet and a small suitcase.

"There's some clothing there for Liv that I think will fit. " Hurley said as Fitz picked up the suitcase and set it somewhere in the tent. "It must have belonged to a woman. It has toiletries, a few granola bars. Oh, I also put a couple of bottled waters, and a few snacks from the flight attendants station. Holler if you need anything else. I'll be around,"he concluded almost in one breath.

"Thank you, Hurley, that was very thoughtful of you," Olivia said with a bright friendly smile.

Once Hurley was gone, Fitz lifted Olivia and positioned her on the seat.

Olivia's spirits lifted, as she sat upright, her arms comfortably positioned on the arm rests . It almost made her forget she was paralyzed.

They talked for a while, sitting side by side, watching sea birds disappear into the vast horizon of the pacific ocean at that time of day when the sun was kind and gentle.

She smiled when she saw he'd pulled out a small container of applesauce with the Oceanic Airlines logo clearly displayed. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until that very moment.

"Now some airplane food for you," he smiled, remembering their discussion on the plane.

They were both silent for a few moments as they both considered the fact that Olivia would need to be spoon fed very much like an infant.

He scooped up some applesauce onto a plastic spoon. Then, he respectfully waited as he silently asked for her permission to bring the spoon closer to her mouth.

Olivia took a deep breath. Her eyes instantly filled with unshed tears. She didn't know what touched her the most: the realization that now she was before him in her most vulnerable state or the fact that there was this incredible connection between herself and this man wherein words seemed to be unnecessary.

"Lucky for me...I happen to like airline food..." she said after he had finished feeding her the applesauce and a granola bar.

That night, they slept together side by side under the stars.

At dawn, Olivia awoke feeling unbearably sweaty in her dressy satin top, the humidity was doing a number on her. Part of her had wanted to ask Fitz to help get into some clean clothes, but then they were both so exhausted they had fallen asleep as soon as twilight settled in.

Much to her surprise, he opened his eyes. Then, he smiled at her as he lay on his side with head tucked underneath his arm, facing her. She thought he looked divine.

"How's your leg? You think you can carry me to the ocean?" she was dying to feel the waves refreshing her skin.

"It's healing...I've got a scab, already. " he smiled. "See, I'm not wearing the shirt around my leg anymore. " he reported while attempting to lift Olivia into his arms.

"Fitz, " she whispered. "I really want to bathe in the ocean. So, you're gonna need to take my clothes off." This was no time to be prude, if she was going to bathe, it would be like the way nature intended. In addition she was dying to get out of her ridiculously tight pencil skirt which incidentally was unsuitable for island wear.

Fitz remained motionless for a few moments, as he thought about what she just said, his lips curving into a sweet smile.

As he slowly undressed her, Olivia couldn't help but feel her loins burn hot for him. Not bad, she thought, for someone who's supposed to be paralyzed! She smiled at herself, feeling better already. This was definitely a good sign...meaning that not all was lost...as there were some parts of her that were still working like clockwork.

His eyes softened at the sight of her gorgeous naked body, a rush of desire hammering through his veins.

A/N: I've changed the story description, tell me what you think. On a side note, Olitz will be standing in the sun quite a bit in this story...after all, they're on a tropical island with plenty of sunshine :D (anyway, most of you seem to like 'no Jake Ballard' part.

I also changed LoreneMichelle's suggestion a bit, but still used some of the wording. I'm still trying to decide whether to use the 'await rescue' part. I might just leave the current description as it is.

Thanks to all who answered my survey questions. You're the best!

Also, tell me how you liked this chapter :)

NOTE: Fitz and Olivia have been developing a strong, powerful connection based on friendship and trust so that when they finally make love it will be magical (see, I told ya I was a hopeless romantic, remember? )