Kate could live with many things, but settling down wasn't one of them. She always felt the need to move, to run, to hide — even after the trial, even after her crimes had been absolved and supposedly based on no real evidence, she couldn't find it in herself to stay in LA. It was too painful.

She wanted to return to Iowa to reconnect with her dying mother. She wanted to have a true, real date with James and leave the past in the past. But those painful memories always flashed behind her eyelids; she couldn't let Jack's toothy smile go quite yet.

James understood, thankfully. With the help of Claire, they'd decided to contact their deceased friends' old family members as a final closure. That would help everyone.

Now, Kate sat in the passenger seat of the car, fingers thrumming along the door handle and eyes flickering over the house. It was a nice, white-bricked home with a green lawn and large flowers adorning the hedges. The clouds sprawling over the sky in thick fingers let a cold chill hover over the ground, frost slicking the green stalks of the garden.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" James asked slowly, face drawn forward. He hesitated, then slung his elbow over the armrest, fingers fitting into Kate's palm.

She smiled softly, heart resting in her chest. "No," she admitted, flicking her chin to the side. He tilted his head. "But it's the right thing to do."

"Didn't know Jack had an ex wife," James snorted, nose scrunching. "I know it's what we should do, but is this lady even gonna want to hear anything from you, Freckles?"

Kate ignored the nickname and decided to sigh instead. "Dunno," she finally said, shrugging. "I guess we'll see. Are you sure you don't want to come in? You and Jack... I know you were close."

James paused, lip twitching. He always did that when he was thinking hard on something. "It should be you," he finally replied after a moment of shared silence. "Jack was my best friend, but you knew him better than I ever did. Both of y'all were in LA together." He turned away, body shuddering. "And me..."

Juliet. Kate hadn't liked the woman at first, especially after being captives of The Others, but she'd saved Claire, all those years ago... she'd stayed with James when Kate hadn't been there — she'd loved him when Kate couldn't. Kate appreciated Juliet, and sometimes wished things could be different. She'd always miss Jack, and there would always be that dull ache in her heart, but she loved James too.

She could accept that she wouldn't ever live up to Juliet, either.

"Hey. You can always visit her family, too." Kate frowned at his dejected expression and puffed out a breath of air. "I'd go with you."

"I know, Puddin'," James chuckled, but there was a deep-rooted pain there. "I just need some time. I ain't quite ready for that yet."

She nodded, pursing her lips. "I understand. This is hard enough, but... you knew Juliet for a long time." James had told her about their three full years spent back in time, living with the DHARMA employees. Kate had only known Jack for two short years and she already hurt — how much pain did James feel? "I hope you know I'm here for you."

James turned to look at her and his eyes sparkled with tears. "Thanks," he murmured, slowly reaching a hand up to smooth his thumb over her cheek. Kate leaned forward and let her lips rest on his, fire spreading through her veins from the touch. It was passion.

"Mm." He released their touch and caressed her wrist. "I'll be out here when you're done. Don't worry about taking too long."

"Okay." Kate breathed in, nerves spiking, and let herself out of the car. A soft drizzle of rain began to wash down on the earth, beads of water clinging to her long hair. Kate shuffled over the yard and ducked under the portico, hugging the gray jacket tighter around her body. She closed her eyes, re-opened them, and knocked.

No one answered, for a moment. She looked back to the car but was unable to see James through the tinted windows. Kate jumped when the door clicked and smoothed her arms down her sides, trying to appear as presentable and inconspicuous as possible.

Suddenly, a man stared back at her. Brown hair flopped down his forehead and curled at the tip. His face was thick and sharp, jaw twitching and brown eyes darkening.

"Hi," Kate blurted, twisting her face in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I may have the wrong address - does Sarah Wagner live here?"

He didn't reply for a moment, only narrowing his eyes. "Yeah," he finally said, "that's not her name anymore, though."

"Oh." She was confused for a moment, because Jack had never mentioned anything to her about Sarah being re-married. Awkward silence. "Can I speak to her, please?"

"Why?" His voice was low and dangerous, as if he thought she was going to strike him. "She's very sick. If you're looking to sell something, I'm not interested."

This isn't good. She's sick? With what? She held her tongue and tried to think of something passive to say. "Look, I.." He stared down at her, bristling with suspicion. "I'm an old friend of her..." Of her what? Friend? Ex? Enemy?

"An old friend?" He hesitated. "What's your name? I'll ask if she wants to see you."

"No, no—" She drew a hand over her face. "I'm sorry. I really need to see her, and, and I don't actually know her, but I need to talk to her about Jack and—"

"Jack?" The anger was back, hot and brimming. "Oh, Sarah told me everything about him. What are you here for? To scold her? Are you one of Jack's sluts, here to do his dirty work?" He sneered. "You're. Not. Welcome."

Kate was repulsed. A deep, pulsing fury writhed in her chest, teeth snapping and spit flying. "First of all," she said, voice cold and calculated, "Jack is dead. Second of all, I don't think it's your place to make decisions for your wife. I want to talk to her. I have a lot to talk about, and not all of it is about him."

The man curled his fingers, furrowing his brows. He seemed to struggle with a response before finally landing on— "Why would she care about your story? She hates Jack." A pause. "Hated."

Why? she wanted to scream, but didn't let the words come out. That wasn't the way to deal with this man. Her opinions wouldn't change Sarah's husband's. "Leave that to her," she sighed, exasperated with having to deal with this argument. "Please. Just let me talk to her."

He scrutinized her for a moment, seemingly considering his options. He eventually blew out a sigh and stepped aside, waving his hand inside. "Come in," he mumbled, slamming the door behind her. Kate jolted, wringing her hands together nervously. He looked at her and scoffed. "I'll be right back. Don't move." He turned his back and walked down the hallway, disappearing into a side room.

Kate took what little amount of time she had left here to observe the room. It was nice enough, large and homey and almost a little fancy. Still, though, there was something... off. Something that pulled and tugged in Kate's stomach and told her to run. Well... she was tired of running. This is what she had to do, and she knew it.

That didn't dispel the eerie vibe practically radiating from the walls. Little to no lights were on, only a sliver of light brightening the hallways, another flickering from the screen of the TV. There was a football game playing, a bag of chips set aside on the glass table. Kate frowned but didn't move to investigate, not really wanting to test this man's temper.

About two more minutes passed by before a door down the hallway opened, and the man walked out. "Ryan," a weak voice called from the room, and the man stiffened. "Please.... I'm sorry..."

"Just shut up," he muttered, slamming the door shut and stomping up to Kate. She shrunk back slightly and looked up at Ryan, deciding that she couldn't back down. Still, she almost wished James would've come inside with her. "You're clear to go." He scrunched his nose at her and whirled on his heel, returning to the couch and turning the football game up. Ugh...

Now, with Ryan gone, Kate quietly padded down the hallway and stared at the bedroom door, filtering her breath through her lips. It would be fine, right? Everything was going to be okay. Kate rapped softly on the wood, cringing at the harsh and deep coughs from inside. "Ry-Ryan?" a small and weak female voice called.

"No, it's..." Kate struggled to find the right words. How could she introduce herself to Sarah? "Your husband let me in. I-I wanted to speak to you, Sarah."

There was a long thread of silence. Kate rolled on her heels, desperately hoping that the answer wouldn't be No. Because... well, Kate truly did want to tie off these last loose ends and have something to look forward to for once in her life. "Come in," Sarah finally whispered, the voice hardly touching Kate's ear. She heard it, though. And thank God.

Kate slowly opened the creaking door, shifting inside of the nearly pitch black bedroom. She squinted, trying to adjust to the blankets of darkness, wondering: How the hell does she live like this? She didn't say anything for a moment, thinking of what to start with.

She heard a shift in the bed sheets and the lamp on the side table clicked on, flooding yellow light into the room. Kate's tensed shoulders smoothed and she observed the small, quaint, white-painted bedroom. "It's... it's nice in here," she said, looking over at Sarah.

She almost wished she hadn't done that.

Sarah's face was pale and deeply sunken in, dark rings apparent under her dim hazel eyes. She looked bone-thin, arms so skinny and jutted that Kate had a hard time believing this woman was even alive. Her brown hair was thick and matted, clearly hardly brushed. Sarah noticed the staring and turned her head away, self-consciously crossing her arms over her chest. "I-" Her voice fell flat. "What do you want? Who- who are you?"

There was fear in that voice, and it made Kate's heart break. Still, though, there was a thread of determination — that had to mean something, right? That had to be good. "I'm Kate Austen," she said, taking a seat in the leather chair on the wall, sitting to the left of Sarah's bed. She eyed Kate warily, chewing on her lip. "You don't know me, but..." Hesitation. "I'm an old friend of Jack Shephard's."

Sarah immediately stiffened, eyes going wide. She sat rigid for a moment, quiet, then dropped her arm on the bedside table and scooped a pill bottle up in her hands. She screwed the lid off and popped two small white pills in her mouth, swallowing them dry. Sarah set the bottle back on the table and blew out through her nose. "Jack," Sarah finally whispered, closing her eyes. "How... how is he doing?"

Kate could cry. She bent her head and ran her fingers through her hair, not missing the rings of bruise marks along Sarah's arm. "I... I'm so sorry, Sarah." She shook her head and met the other woman's gaze. "He... he's not here, anymore."

Sarah spluttered out a cough and dropped her face into her hands, shaking. "No," she mumbled through her fingers, "he's not dead, he's not dead, he's not dead-"

"I- he is, Mrs. Wagner- um- I'm sorry, I'm not sure what your husband's name is.." Kate trailed off and kicked herself for being so stupid and embarrassed. "He... he's gone." She closed her eyes and felt the pain constrict her heart, threatening to tip with tears. Just.... stay strong.

"The last time I saw him..." Sarah's voice broke and she furiously rubbed at her eyes, clearly trying not to cry. "It was after the Oceanic Six returned. He was so.. he looked terrible."

"I know." Kate's voice wavered. "I remember." The memories beat behind her eyelids, fleeting and fast but so, so sweet.

Sarah looked at her, silent for a moment. "Oh, my..." She sucked in a deep breath and leaned up slightly. "You're- yes. Yes, I remember you now. It took a moment, but.." She smiled softly and Kate tensed. Would she bring up the trial? "The Oceanic Six. You were stranded in the ocean with him, right? And the others?"

The others.... Kate nearly cried out at the thought of Sun and Jin and Sayid and Jack. They were all gone. She, James, Hurley, Aaron, Claire, Ben, and Walt were the only ones left. The last of the group. "Yeah," she mumbled, scratching her cheek. "We were together for a long time. He talked about you, sometimes."

"Not good things?" Sarah spluttered out a laugh but immediately coughed afterwards, doubling over and dropping her mouth into the palm of her hand. Kate watched, worried. Sarah eventually broke off her coughing spree and groaned. Kate saw sticky, wet blood when her hand was retracted.

"Oh, god." Kate jumped to her feet and sped forward, kneeling by the side of the bed. Sarah sighed as she inspected her palm, frowning. "Sarah- what- are you okay?"

"I.." She bit her lip and looked to the side. "I'm afraid I don't have much longer to go anymore."

Kate was quiet.

The silence prompted Sarah to continue. "I- I was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago. We don't have enough for chemo, so... here I am." She chuckled weakly.

"Sarah." Kate stared at her. She had no idea what to say. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"Yeah." The blonde-haired woman shrugged lightly and wiped away the blood with a wet cloth. Kate stood and moved back into the chair, watching closely. "I'm really only going to miss Jake... my son." She smiled. "Don't you have a son, Kate?"

Oh. Kate struggled to find words, struggling to piece her sentences together. "I- um- I- yeah, he... it's a long story, but—" She eyed Sarah warily, who curiously stared back. "Look, when the Oceanic Six returned- us- we lied about a lot. We weren't stranded on the ocean, we crashed on an island." Sarah's eyes widened. "I was never pregnant. Aaron- he wasn't mine."

"Wh- what? Then...." Sarah shook her head. "I'd always assumed he was Jack's son.. though I suppose the blonde hair should've been a giveaway."

"I helped deliver Aaron," Kate said softly, smiling at the memories. "On the island. It was a beautiful thing, really."

"That's... that's amazing." Sarah laughed quietly. "I don't understand why you would lie, though? About being his mother?"

"There were—" She cut herself off and brushed brown hair from her face. "There's so much to explain, but Claire- Aaron's real mother- disappeared in the jungle one day. We left close after that, we could never find her... to protect the people back home—" Kate scowled. Home? The island is not my home! "To protect the people back there, we lied. We lied so they could never be found, just like they asked."

Sarah shook her head softly. "I suppose I'll never understand some people. Who in God's name would want to live on an island instead of return back to their home?"

Kate frowned slightly. She understood, partly, where they came from. Before the trial — right after crashing on the island — Kate had truly imagined that place as her new home. A place she could do her life over without persecution from the law, without persecution from her mother and father. But... Jack had wanted to leave so badly, and she would have followed him to the ends of the earth and back.

Still. Did that mean she found the real world her home, or the island as her home?

"I think some people were happier there," she offered slowly, thinking, "than they ever were in their real lives. We were like a family. A group that depended on each other — that formed relationships with each other, whether they were good or bad — and I think a lot of people felt included. Like... maybe they could restart their lives, or something."

Sarah pursed her lips and shifted in the bed. "What about Jack?" Her voice was hardly audible, breathy and raspy in her throat. "He... did he like it there? On that island?"

Kate let out a mix between a laugh and a sob. "He did," she said, truly smiling with her teeth. "Of course, he wanted to go back home, but he was our leader. Our doctor. People admired him, looked up to him, and he always led us to safety. And I loved him for that."

Sarah closed her eyes and exhaled thickly, re-opening them. Glossy tears reflected back, threatening to fall. "I think you were the best thing for Jack," she grinned, beginning to sob. "I don't know what happened after I saw him last, or why he was gone for so long after, but as long as he was happy when he passed... well."

"We went back." Kate ran her fingers through her hair, trying to control her labored breathing. "All of us that had left."

"Back?" Sarah echoed incredulously. "What... why? Was it on purpose?"

"Yes. We had to save our friends that we'd left behind — God, there were so many of them — and we- we discovered a lot. It was like we were in a completely different time." Well, it had been a different year, but Kate figured time travel on a supernatural island would be too complex to explain. Sometimes even she didn't understand. "A lot happened then. Some friends died, but Jack fought to save all of us that he could." Tears trickled down her cheeks and Kate sniffled, wiping them away. "I loved him. I still do."

Sarah began to cry. "He was a good man. Really. He had his times, but..." Both women laughed pathetically. "I'm glad he was able to finally move on. Jack deserved that, he really did."

Moving on... Kate frowned slightly, glancing at the rings of bruises lacing Sarah's arm. "And you? How have you moved on?"

She hesitated, lips moving. No words came out for a moment. "Fine," Sarah decided on. "I have a son now, and he's my entire world. Ryan is... you know." She shrugged loosely.

"Sarah." Kate moved to the side of the bed and crouched down. "You don't have to live with him. You..." Both looked at the deep purple bruises and Sarah spluttered out a deep, painful cry. "You don't have to deal with his abuse. Come with us. James can come in- he was on the island, too- and stop your husband, you can take Jake and we can drive you somewhere safe, somewhere far away-"

"Stop." Sarah flinched back and bent her head down, sobbing freely. "I can't leave. I can't. It's too much and I've already tried before. He found me." Kate frowned and sat on the side of the bed. Sarah wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in Kate's shoulder, crying hysterically. "I can't. I can't. I can't."

"Okay. Okay, that's okay." Kate softly stroked Sarah's hair. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I just wanted to give you that option."

Sarah shook as she broke away from Kate. "Thank you," she whispered, "but I just... I'm going to die soon, anyway. I know it. Jake needs his dad when I'm gone. I don't think I can provide for him, and it's just.. too much..." Her hazel eyes filled with tears.

"Hey. Hey. That's fine, Sarah. Okay?" Kate lightly touched her shoulder. "Like I said, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. But I'm always here if you need something, okay?"

A knock on the door jolted both women from their conversation. Kate turned around and spotted Ryan, who was standing in the doorway, scowling. "I think it's time for you to leave," he grumbled. There was a baby crying somewhere in the other room. "Jake needs to be fed."

"I'm sorry, Kate." Sarah wrapped her hands around Kate's and pulled her attention back, at least momentarily. "Thank you for this. For telling me so much. I know we didn't have a lot of time, but I appreciate you, and I-"

"Out." Ryan narrowed his eyes.

"I'm leaving," Kate snapped back. She eyed Sarah and stood up, brushing her shirt down. "Good luck, Sarah."

"Thank you," she murmured back.

Kate glared at Ryan as she shoved past him, connecting their shoulders to pull him back as she did so. "Don't hurt her ever again," she snarled in a whisper, voice dripping with venom. They stared at each other for a moment before Kate broke off, walking down the dark hallway.

It took everything in her body not to turn back around and take Sarah with her, but she knew that wasn't a possibility. Sighing, she stepped out of the house and closed the door behind her, walking through the sheets of gray rain that pelted down on the earth. Kate found she didn't quite care about getting wet anymore.

"Hey," James said when she opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, eyeing her curiously. "You good? How'd it go?"

"It went..." Kate hesitated. "It went fine. I'm glad I did it."

James smiled. "Hey- that's great, right?" He leaned back and patted on the padded steering wheel. "Looks like it's our time to get the hell out of this place."

Kate couldn't help it and laughed. "I guess so." She grinned and fit her hand into his, feeling the adoration for James, for herself, and for Sarah. She swiped her head over her shoulder to look at the house, shoulders sagging slightly.

Kate couldn't help someone that didn't want to help themselves, and unfortunately, Sarah was too afraid to leave. Some people have to be left to their own devices, I suppose.. Her heart constricted deep within her chest, bringing that hurt.

Goodbye, Jack. Thank you for being my leader, my friend, and my lover... thank you for everything you did. I hope that wherever you are, you're happy and finally with the family you always loved. Tears welled in Kate's eyes and she brought James's fingers to her lips, kissing them softly. I will always love you, Jack. Now... it's my time to move on.