Angsty Jate
Title: Touching
Pairing: Jack/Kate
Rating: G
Summary: Set sort of sometime past I Do, a different (angsty) take on what happens after Kate gets back to the beach.
A/N: Don't read if you want happy Jate, as you shall not find it here.
The only thing that Kate could think about when Jack finally came back, was how much she wanted to touch him.
In fact, it had been the only thing she’d thought about for almost three weeks now. As soon as she knew she couldn’t, she wanted to. All the time.
Kate would dream about touching him. She’d walk onto an empty beach with a sunset streaking across the sky above a calm ocean, and he’d be standing on the shore with his back to her. Kate would walk forward, and reach out, her fingers clutching his shirt sleeve, sliding across his chest, over his cheeks, and he’d wrap her up in those strong arms and they’d just touch.
That would be on a good day.
The bad days, she’d go to him, but the faster she ran, the further away he got. Even if it seemed she could reach him, as soon as she stretched her arm out he’d be miles away, and she’d wake up with tears on her cheeks and her fingers itching for him.
It was like a physical ache, sometimes. The time she spent with the Others and the three days her and Sawyer spent getting back to camp she was okay, because she had other things to keep her busy. It was once they got back, and she was trying to fall back into some kind of routine, when it began to hurt. She wanted to touch Jack, feel him, with her, alive. Memories of holding his hand, hugging him, or just brushing past him, resurfaced painfully and urged her to relive them, and she couldn’t.
Nothing else would satisfy her, either. She’d touch other people to try and ease the aching - mostly Sawyer, because he didn’t protest if she wanted to hold onto him - but she knew there was no use. Jack was one of a kind, one in a million, and only one could fix her then.
---
Jack stumbled onto the beach out of the trees, into the middle of a group of people who stared in amazement before yelling for help, and running to Jack’s aid as he collapsed.
He was taken to his old tent and laid down, but no one really knew what to do. He was the only one who would, in this situation. So they left him be, hoping that it was just dehydration and after they gave him water, he’d be fine.
No one even thought to tell Kate. He didn't get up for a day and no one told her until he was walking around.
Her eyes widened and she ran towards him, but slowed and just stood near him for a moment when she got there, then reached out and touched his arm, tears welling in her eyes.
She didn’t want to look at his face, because she knew that he knew, and she knew that he wouldn’t feel the same anymore. So she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, just feeling him near her while she could, before everything changed irreversibly.
She cried, and he tried to say something, and she told him to shut up. Sayid and a few others came and attempted to talk to Jack, but she glared at them until they left, and they were alone.
Kate stayed, caught up in Jack, for as long as she could. When Jack eventually began to shift uncomfortably within her grip, she loosened it and backed away.
Kate was still afraid of what she’d see in Jack’s eyes if she met them, so she didn’t. She hesitantly turned, and without thinking, ran to the other end of the beach, away from him. She didn’t look back.
Pairing: Jack/Kate
Rating: G
Summary: Set sort of sometime past I Do, a different (angsty) take on what happens after Kate gets back to the beach.
A/N: Don't read if you want happy Jate, as you shall not find it here.
The only thing that Kate could think about when Jack finally came back, was how much she wanted to touch him.
In fact, it had been the only thing she’d thought about for almost three weeks now. As soon as she knew she couldn’t, she wanted to. All the time.
Kate would dream about touching him. She’d walk onto an empty beach with a sunset streaking across the sky above a calm ocean, and he’d be standing on the shore with his back to her. Kate would walk forward, and reach out, her fingers clutching his shirt sleeve, sliding across his chest, over his cheeks, and he’d wrap her up in those strong arms and they’d just touch.
That would be on a good day.
The bad days, she’d go to him, but the faster she ran, the further away he got. Even if it seemed she could reach him, as soon as she stretched her arm out he’d be miles away, and she’d wake up with tears on her cheeks and her fingers itching for him.
It was like a physical ache, sometimes. The time she spent with the Others and the three days her and Sawyer spent getting back to camp she was okay, because she had other things to keep her busy. It was once they got back, and she was trying to fall back into some kind of routine, when it began to hurt. She wanted to touch Jack, feel him, with her, alive. Memories of holding his hand, hugging him, or just brushing past him, resurfaced painfully and urged her to relive them, and she couldn’t.
Nothing else would satisfy her, either. She’d touch other people to try and ease the aching - mostly Sawyer, because he didn’t protest if she wanted to hold onto him - but she knew there was no use. Jack was one of a kind, one in a million, and only one could fix her then.
---
Jack stumbled onto the beach out of the trees, into the middle of a group of people who stared in amazement before yelling for help, and running to Jack’s aid as he collapsed.
He was taken to his old tent and laid down, but no one really knew what to do. He was the only one who would, in this situation. So they left him be, hoping that it was just dehydration and after they gave him water, he’d be fine.
No one even thought to tell Kate. He didn't get up for a day and no one told her until he was walking around.
Her eyes widened and she ran towards him, but slowed and just stood near him for a moment when she got there, then reached out and touched his arm, tears welling in her eyes.
She didn’t want to look at his face, because she knew that he knew, and she knew that he wouldn’t feel the same anymore. So she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest, just feeling him near her while she could, before everything changed irreversibly.
She cried, and he tried to say something, and she told him to shut up. Sayid and a few others came and attempted to talk to Jack, but she glared at them until they left, and they were alone.
Kate stayed, caught up in Jack, for as long as she could. When Jack eventually began to shift uncomfortably within her grip, she loosened it and backed away.
Kate was still afraid of what she’d see in Jack’s eyes if she met them, so she didn’t. She hesitantly turned, and without thinking, ran to the other end of the beach, away from him. She didn’t look back.