Title: Pale Reflection
Rating: T
Summary: When a near-death experience leaves Kate acting uncharacteristically aggressive, Sawyer begins to suspect that her 'return from the dead' is anything but a miracle. Jate Skate

A/n: Just so you know, this fic is written by me, but Athena Alexandria and I have been brainstorming this story-line for a while, and she is as large a part of it as I am. :D This is based off of the Phoenix/Jean story line in X-Men 3, only me and Athena Alexandria have Lost-i-sized it. xD It's not a total crossover, seeing as we don't use the characters or powers or anything like that, but many scenes are similar. And just so you know, you don't have to have seen the movie, to understand I, or like it to enjoy the fic, it's very different. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kate swung her backpack over her shoulder and trudged through the jungle, at a slightly slower pace than usual. She stopped for a moment, a sharp pain shooting through her vaguely sweaty forehead, a dizzy feeling interrupting her. She rubbed her temple gently and shook her head, pausing another moment, before continuing on, deeper into the jungle.

Before long, she found what she was looking for. A mango tree, ripe with fruit. It was deep enough into the jungle, that the survivors hadn't touched it much. She smiled as she looked up, taking a few steps towards it, when she tripped over a hidden root, falling flat on her face. With a groan, she lifted herself up, moving a strand of stray hair out of her face, when she heard a loud rustle in the bushes behind her. She clambered up; turning to see a smirking Sawyer emerge, and lean against a tree trunk, his arms crossed over his chest, looking very amused by the situation.

"Nice face-plant, Twinkletoes." He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes, brushing the dirt off of her jeans and shirt. "You followin me again?"

"Unless you can gimme somethin better ta do, yes." He said wryly, his blue eyes sparkling.

She sighed, putting a hand to her temple again, looking down momentarily. "Leave me alone, Sawyer."

"The way I see it, I've been doin that too much. Either that, or you been avoidin me…" He let his words trail off, as he continued to search her eyes for an explanation. Something that looked similar to worry was hidden deep in them.

She turned away, taking her backpack off of her shoulder. "Why would I do that?"

"You tell me…the Doc's noticed it too."

Kate glanced up quickly at the last part, but didn't turn. She began picking up mangoes that had fallen to the ground, gently placing them in her backpack, and virtually ignoring the Southerner's presence. After about five minutes of silence, Kate looked back at him.

"Are you just gonna stand there and check me out, or do you wanna help?" She smiled teasingly.

"Now, Freckles, that first one's downright tempting…but bein the Southern gentleman I am, I think I'll hafta go with the second." He grinned devilishly, stepping forward and picking up a stray mango, handing it to her, purposely letting his fingers brush hers more than they needed to.

Kate noticed, but chose to ignore it, rolling her eyes again as she went back to her task. Suddenly, she stumbled, starting to fall, but catching herself the last second. She seemed a little surprised, but didn't say a word, as she set her backpack onto the ground.

"Ya alright, Freckles?"

"I'm fine."

"Then what was that all about?"

"I slipped."

"You weren't walkin." He said firmly, stepping closer.

"I'm fine, James." Kate turned to face him, looking him straight in the eye.

"Freckles, you don't look so good…" He commented after a long moment. She had bags under her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed. "You been sleepin alright?"

"I'm feel fine, Sawyer. Can we not talk about me anymore?"

He nodded reluctantly, dropping the topic. "Sorry. I just-"

As he spoke, Kate took a shaky step forward, then fell to the ground without warning.

"Kate!" Sawyer caught her upper body before she hit the ground completely, and gently lowered her to the dirt. "Freckles? Kate, look at me." He talked to her frantically, brushing the hair out of her face, and shaking her shoulders. "Kate!" Finally, he put his ear to her chest, and waited a few seconds. There was nothing. "No, no, no…don't you die on me…Hold on." He mumbled, lifting her into his arms in one, swift, motion, as he began racing through the jungle.

---------

Minutes later, Sawyer burst through the trees and onto the beach, his lungs burning, his arms heavy, as he searched frantically for the man that he was looking for. "Jack!" All eyes were on him now, but he paid no attention. Finally, he relaxed, as his vision locked with the doctor's. "Jack!"

His legs started pumping once again, so quickly, that he was half-afraid that he'd trip himself. Still, he kept himself moving, until Jack met him halfway, and led the way to his tent.

"She's not breathin, Doc." He gasped out, as they lay her on the makeshift bed in Jack's tent.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Jack shouted, quickly checking her pulse as he spoke.

"We-we were just talkin…"

"People don't just collapse mid-sentence for no reason, Sawyer." He said, tipping her head back slightly.

"Then I'm guessin it wasn't fer no reason." He snarled, then paused. "…How's she doin?"

"She's not breathing, Sawyer. Now stop asking me-"

"She gonna be alright, Doc?"

"I don't know!" Before Sawyer could ask anymore, pointless questions, he pressed his mouth to Kate's, blowing his own air into her lungs.

Sawyer stood back, a fear filling him that he had never known before. He watched in silence, as Jack performed CPR for what seemed like hours. In actuality, it was only about a minute. "Jack, is she-"

"Shut up." Jack snapped, as he pulled his mouth from her lips once again, pushing against her chest. This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not yet…He couldn't lose her like this. "C'mon, Kate, c'mon. Don't leave me, you can't leave me now." He nearly growled as he worked. He went back down again, his own breath short from trying to resuscitate her, but he refused to give up.

"Jack…"

He was ignored.

"Doc?" He choked out the soft-spoken word, as Jack continued to try to revive Kate. "Jack." He said, this time louder and more firmly. The doctor ignored him, still refusing to believe what was now dawning on the Southerner. "Jack, she's gone...Jack! Listen ta me!" Tears were shimmering in his blue eyes as he grabbed the frantic doctor's shoulder and pulled him back sharply. "Doc, look at me!"

"What?" He yelled, turning to reveal tears in his hazel eyes.

"She-Jack…She's gone." His voice broke, his chest starting to heave.

"No." Jack shook his head. "No, not yet." He said, and went back to Kate.

"Jack, she's dead!" Sawyer yanked him back, almost savagely, from her limp body. "Ya gotta stop!"

Jack's body fell hard against the sand, as Sawyer dragged him a few feet away.

"No, no she's not." He whimpered, standing up.

"She's gone." Sawyer breathed, as if unable to say anything else. "She's gone."

Jack looked back at her, one last time, and it was as if what the Southerner had been saying, finally sunk in. It was just so quick, so unexpected…it wasn't fair. "She's-" He gripped Sawyer's arm tight, as if to keep from slipping to the ground.

"I know." Sawyer choked, pulling Jack closer, until they were half leaning on each other. "She's gone…"

A/n: So, how was that for a first chap? I'm happy with how it turned out anyway. :) Please take a few seconds to review and tell us what you think! We'd really, really appreciate it and it'll probably make us update faster. :D Thx!