"God, she's beautiful." Jack thought, unable to tear his eyes away from her as she walked toward his car.

Kate was wearing jeans and a teal blouse that perfectly matched her eyes. Nothing formal, just comfortable and casual for an afternoon outing. He looked good too, in jeans, a dark-toned t-shirt, and a brown leather jacket that matched his shoes. Nothing too formal, but quite attractive.

Jack still wasn't used to seeing Kate dressed this way. He had met her in a completely different context from the "real world" where they were now and still pictured her in a t-shirt, comfortable cargo pants, hiking boots. The , and a backpack on her shoulders was, of course, included in that completed the cherished mental image.

Kate opened the door and climbed into the passenger seat, then looked up to greet Jack by way of a shy, almost bashful greeting, who . He was already watching her with a smile that lit up his face. The thump in her heart rang loudly in her ears.

"Hey, Jack." Kate greeted.

"God, he looks so handsome." She immediately thought while letting her eyes linger adoringly over his face.

"Hey, Kate." Jack replied, finding himself staring at her perhaps longer than he should have. At this point, he found it hard to keep his breath steady when he was near her.

"Nice jacket." Kate said, easily flirting with him, eyeing the garment he filled out well.

Jack looked down at his jacket with a light laugh, preparing a comment that might embarrass him be embarassing enough to admit. "You like it? Then I guess I won't be taking it off anytime soon." he said, meeting Kate's gaze again.

He met her gaze again, smiling warmly at the blush that brightened her cheeks. She laughed, lowering her eyes as he put the key into the ignition.

Jack started the engine and, as they began to drive away asked to break the tension, "Are you ready?"

"Where are we going?"

"To a quiet place I like to go to when I need to clear my head and think."

"So, you're taking me to Jack Shephard's secret lair. Island hero by day, doctor by night." She teased, glancing at him as he let another laugh loose. She really loved his laugh.

He could tell was happy their comfort level hadn't changed very much Kate was making jokes again, which he thought was a good sign of how things might go that day—or at least that was what he hoped. He thought maybe it was true, that Kate might have the same eagerness as he did for this meeting night out together.

"Don't sell yourself short. You didn't do so badly yourself." Jack flirted back, turning to meet her eyes again, his expression teasing but serious. "We made a great team on the island." he said, his voice almost a whisper.

His voice was barely above a whisper, and she could feel her cheeks continue to burn.

Jack refocused on the road, turning the wheel to navigate a corner. The tension in the air began to dissipate as the urban landscape passed by the windows. The skyscrapers of Los Angeles stood tall on the horizon, bathed in the last rays of the sun. The car was filled with a comfortable silence, broken only by the hum of the city and the engine's sound.

Kate took a few seconds to think about her next words, wanting the conversation to remain natural and sincere.

"Jack, I…"

"Kate, listen." He interrupted, placing his hand on hers. "I haven't handled some things well, and in the process, I've screwed things up with you."

Jack paused before continuing, "You don't deserve the jerk I've been lately. So, I want to apologize and try to explain what's been going on with me, so we can make this work."

"Whatever it is we're going to make work." he thought. Even if Kate rejected him, he wasn't willing to lose her. In the worst case, if Kate had no intention of being in a romantic relationship with him, he was determined to do whatever it took to repair their friendship. Kate was simply too important in his life to let her go.

Kate looked at him, surprised, feeling the warmth of his hand on hers. As had rarely happened between them, Jack was taking the initiative to put things on the table and was beginning to face them directly. She knew that this type of conversation didn't come easily to either of them, and for a moment, she felt relieved that she wasn't the one who had to speak first. She could hear in his words that he was willing to talk and to resolve things between them.

She simply smiled at him timidly and nodded.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the tallest building in downtown Los Angeles. The elevator took them to the top floor, where a receptionist kindly invited them in. The place was a cozy café located on the terrace of the building, offering a breathtaking view of Los Angeles from above. At that hour, the sun was starting to set, casting soft, golden rays all around.

Once inside, they agreed to choose a table a bit off to the side so they could talk quietly and waited for their order privately. While they waited, a fleeting thought crossed Jack's mind, exciting and worrying him at the same time.

"Is this our first date?" He wondered. He had been so immersed in his concerns and finding solutions that he hadn't stopped to think that this was indeed their first date. Despite sharing several dinners by the campfire and long conversations before bed, he now realized that he had never had the chance to take her on a real date, something he would have done if they had been in "normal conditions" asked her to partake in with him. They were so distracted with surviving without the constant threat of imminent death from a smoke monster, polar bears, or hostile people wanting to kill them. Jack understood that he wanted to do something special for her. He didn't want this day to go to waste.

"Make it count." He told himself.

This would likely be his only chance to do something that would surprise her.

Kate looked at Jack and found him with a furrowed brow and a distant gaze, as if something was worrying or overwhelming him. At that moment, she would have given anything to know what was going through Jack's mind, so she simply asked: went for it.

"Why the serious face?" She asked, mimicking his frown to tease him.

Jack looked up, his eyes wide as if he were coming back to reality.

"Sorry?" He asked, embarrassed. He realized he hadn't heard a word Kate had said.

"What are you thinking about? You seem a bit worried."

"Nothing, it's just that…"

"That…" Kate interrupted, letting him know she didn't want any beating around the bush. Jack sighed before continuing,

"I told you on the way here that I owed you an explanation and an apology." He began to explain.

Kate nodded for him to continue.

Jack unconsciously adjusted his seat, giving himself a moment before speaking. Kate knew his body language and saw he was a bit uncomfortable, so she reached out to touch his hand, letting him know he could trust her.

For a moment, she remembered the day Jack was hours away from taking the submarine off the island and decided to say goodbye to her. That time, Jack He was seemed distant, and she wasn't getting the answers she needed from him, so she had tried to approach the conversation from another angle and had taken his hands in hers. This had worked to lower his defenses, and seconds later, Jack, with sad eyes and a sorrowful tone, had confessed that the others would let him go home.

The warm contact between them seemed to help, so after a few seconds, Jack continued, "I don't know how to tell you this, so I think I'll just say it."

He took a deep breath and added, "Do you remember the day of my father's funeral?"

"Of course."

"Do you remember the woman who approached me at the end of the ceremony?"

"I remember her, yes." Kate nodded again.

"She was Claire's mother." Jack said in a tone serious enough to make her understand this was unexpected news.

"Claire's mother?" Kate replied, raising her voice slightly in surprise. "What was Aaron's grandmother doing there?"

Jack saw Kate begin to panic. Her expression changed, and her voice broke for a moment. Jack moved closer to Kate, looked directly into her eyes, and squeezed her hand to reassure her. Somehow, this gesture gave him peace and made him nervous at the same time. Now they were much closer, so he lowered his voice.

"Calm down, Kate. She didn't come for Aaron. She doesn't even know he exists. Carole still thinks Claire died with her baby in that crash."

"Okay." Kate said in a calmer tone after Jack's explanation. "So why was she there?"

"She was looking for me."

Kate took a few seconds to understand what Jack was telling her and asked, "Why?"

"She traveled from Australia to tell me that my father had a mistress and that many years ago, he had a daughter." Jack paused for a moment to see Kate's reaction to what he was telling her. She seemed intrigued and worried.

"You have a sister." Kate said, affirming what Jack was trying to explain. She had noticed he seemed a bit overwhelmed as he told the story. "But I don't understand what Claire's mother has to do with this."

Jack nodded and continued, "Well… Carole was my father's mistress."

Hearing this, Kate looked confused and shocked at the same time. Her eyebrows raised, and she brought a hand to her mouth to cover her surprise. She had to take a couple of seconds to process this news. And then she realized.

"Wait. If Claire is your sister, then Aaro…" Kate stopped there, and looked squarely into Jack's eyes with so much sorrow, he knew that she knew how difficult this must be for him.

"Aaron is my nephew, Kate." Jack interrupted to finish the sentence.

Kate looked into his eyes. She could see confusion, fear, sadness, and happiness all at once. They were still close, and from the outside, it was clear they were in the middle of an intimate conversation. Kate quickly squeezed his hand tightly, signaling she understood the situation. Jack couldn't help but let a tear fall, relieved to shed the weight of keeping this secret and its implications. this secret with someone he knew could trust.

Jack continued, "When I found out, I couldn't stop thinking about how to deal with it this situation. I was getting involved in Aaron's upbringing with you, and maybe Aaron would start seeing me as a father soon. But, I'm his uncle."

The Word "Father" hung in the air between them, laden with the weight of unspoken emotions. To Kate, it implied that Jack was also starting to see himself as her partner.

"And then... I panicked." He continued. "Panicked that one day Claire's mother would find out that Aaron is her grandson and try to take him away. Panicked about seeing you lose Aaron and being powerless to stop it. Then came the guilt of leaving Claire, my sister, on that island and having to lie and pretend she's dead when she isn't. The mere thought of remembering that I left her and the others on the island sometimes consumes me and drags me to very dark places." Jack added, his desperation and helplessness evident.

For the first time, everything was truly out of his control. He continued, "I thought that by distancing myself from Aaron, I could avoid thinking about it, but the truth is, it made everything worse."

Jack fixed his gaze on Kate. His eyes moist brimming with pain and sadness, reflected his torment. "Because distancing myself from him means meant I would have to distance myself from you too." He said, as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"And... I don't want to live my life without you, Kate."

Jack's words resonated deeply in Kate's heart. She knew him well and could imagine how profoundly such news would affect him. He was the kind of person who took care of his people. Taking care of others was what he did best and why he stayed up day and night to keep his friends safe. She too found it hard to live her life in peace knowing she had to pretend that everyone was dead, but she tried and fought every day to stay sane for Aaron's sake. That boy, her son, needed her.

Kates grip on Jacks hand tightened as she absorbed the full impact of this revelation. She could see the turmoil in his eyes, a storm of feelings that he was struggling to articulate not only feel, but bring to words.

"Jack." She said softly, her voice filled with compassion. "I cant imagine how hard this must have been for you to keep inside. Youve been carrying this all alone?"

Jack nodded, his gaze dropping to their intertwined hands. "I didnt know how to tell you. I didnt know how to handle it myself. But I knew I couldnt keep it from you any longer. Not when it affects Aaron…and us."

Kates heart swelled with empathy. She reached out with her free hand, gently cupping Jacks cheek and guiding his eyes back to hers. "Youre not alone, Jack. Well figure this out together. Okay?"

Jack nodded while another tear rolled down his face.

Kate gently took his hand and lifted it to guide it to her face. She felt the warmth of his hand on her cheek and broke down. She closed her eyes to feel his longed-for touch, one she had imagined so many times in his absence. Then, a tear of sadness also slipped down her face, and with it, Jack finally understood that his absence had not only been torture for him, but also for her.

Delicately, Jack wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb and lifted her chin so she would open her eyes and look at him. He smiled happily at feeling that he was finally reconnecting with her soul.

"You told me on that boat that you had always been with me. And it's true, you healed my wounds, supported me, and trusted me always, even when everyone else doubted me. Even so, you had my back, you were always with me. And and you were, you were always there for me Kate, through everything. And the second when you needed support during the trial, I wasn't there for you as I should have been. I should have been there for both of you." Jack said, playing with one of Kate's curls, smoothing it between his fingertips right before he tucked it gently behind her ear.

"I'm sorry, Kate, I really am." He added, unable to take his eyes off her lips and her green eyes. "I won't leave you again, I promise." He finished as their faces drew closer and closer.

"Ahem... excuse the interruption." said the waiter approaching The waiter stood near, but far enough from their table to allow them the privacy their body language desperately wanted. He waited expertly to present their table with the food and drinks they had ordered earlier.

Jack and Kate pulled apart regretfully, somewhat surprised and embarrassed, the emotional tension at that moment was undeniable.

Kate had endured the worst months of her life, not counting, of course, the four months she had spent on the island. Surviving the trial and avoiding a life sentence in prison—along with the worry of not knowing what would happen to Aaron if it came to that—had become a difficult situation to handle. She had no family to turn to. Her mother had simply made bad decisions and had never been on her side. Kate only had Jack and Aaron. They were the ones who had become her family once they had managed to escape the island. This was the situation for a while, until Jack had decided to take distance himself as well. Kate really missed him. Perhaps more than she had ever missed anyone.

Throughout the process of leaving the island and returning to the real world, Jack had been with her, offering his unconditional support. They quickly grew close in a way that was very different from what they had experienced on the island. She had strong feelings for him and trusted him more than anyone else, but for different reasons, their relationship was always full of tension. Despite their strong feelings for each other, their relationship was complicated, and they often made decisions that drove them further apart.

Off the island, they had managed to leave all those circumstances behind and find each other again. During the first few months, Jack—in his own shy, tender, and patient way—had given her signs that he still loved her, and she, dropping her guard and tough demeanor, allowed him to be part of her life. They spent months getting to know each other again in this new context. Jack had introduced her to his mother, his grandfather, and the rest of the Shepard family, who welcomed her as one of their own. She could could say they were "dating" and supporting each other through this process. Then, Jack decided to pull away for reasons she had not been able to understand until now. Why had the only person who seemed to know and understand her left? Had he met someone else? She wondered.

Now that Jack had told her the truth, she could put herself in his shoes and understand the anguish and torment he was experiencing. He simply hadn't been able to cope with it all. She couldn't judge him; she herself often ran away from situations where she felt trapped. At least that was the case until she met Jack. And just as Jack had been the one person who had never judged her, Kate decided that Jack deserved a better chance to be with her.

"So, what do we do now?" Kate asked.

Jack understood her question on two levels and wondered, "Does she mean, 'What do we do about our relationship now?' or 'What do we literally do next?' Should I suggest going somewhere else?" Jack cleared his throat as a distraction while he thought of his answer. He didn't want them to return home soon and have everything end there, so he looked for a way to spend more time with her.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asked, and quickly realized it could be interpreted suggestively, so he explained himself, "I mean... would you like to take a walk in the park before going home?"

Kate took a few seconds to reply, just to see how nervous and endearing he looked asking that question.

"I'd love to."shesmiled.