Hello. So this is my first time publishing anything. I am simultaneously working on another Jack and Kate AU story which I hope to get uploaded as well. This story is sort of an AU mash up of Lost, The Walking Dead and a little bit of World War Z. It will be mostly a love story, with the central characters being Jack and Kate. So, if you are looking for fic that is very heavy on zombie sci-fi action, this may not be the story for you. There will be a zombie pandemic, but my focus will be on the characters. I am new to writing, but have been so inspired by some of the great Lost stories I have stumbled across (check out my favorite Authors list, they are so great). In particular, I have to give a HUGE shout out to Erica (ForeverErica is her pen name), who essentially encouraged me to start writing. And I can't thank her enough for providing so much creative support.

She stared out from the floor to ceiling windows of their modern and too expensive high-rise apartment. She could see the Washington monument in the near distance to her left. She had to admit the apartment had a lovely view, despite her protestations to moving here. She had pleaded with her husband to buy a federal style row house in Georgetown, but to no avail. He always seemed to make the decisions. With detachment and a deep sigh, her sullen eyes skimmed across the expanse of the bedroom they shared.

He walked in and looked at her disapprovingly, "Katherine, is that what you are wearing to the cocktail reception?" Her mind still slightly clouded from her daydreaming, Kate didn't particularly care about his opinion.

She looked down at her comfortable black trousers, ivory blouse and ballet flats. It was one of her favorite outfits, she had received many compliments on this blouse with its high ruffled collar embellished with tiny jewels trim.

"That was my intention. I don't see the problem with what I'm wearing."

She watched him walk over to her closet and then re-surface holding a snug-fitting little black dress that she personally felt was a little too low-cut for her liking. It still had the tags dangling from it, the garment was something he had bought for her.

Casually, he gestured for her to take it. "Why don't you wear this? It suits you more, you know I don't care for pants. I like you to wear skirts and dresses. The Harrises will be there tonight you know. I need you to charm the Senator, I am close to being able to finalize a deal with him."

Kate felt the nausea rise up her throat, she detested Senator George Harris and the way he leered at her every lone opportunity he could find. And she hated more that her husband was aware of it and wanted to exploit it to his advantage.

She sighed, "Brian, how about I sit this one out tonight and you go alone. I have an early flight to Boston tomorrow and I don't want to be too tired-"

"What do you mean, you have a flight?"

Irked, but not surprised that he would forget something that did not involve him, she said, "I'm going to the yoga retreat at the spa in the Berkshires. Remember? I'll be there for 8 days. We already discussed this -"

Sounding more like a lecture, he reminded her "Katherine, you know how busy my travel schedule is, how do you expect to get pregnant when you are away when I am home. You need to get pregnant soon. It is expected that I have children."

Looking almost pathetically defiant, she quickly told him, "I won't be ovulating next week anyway, so it doesn't matter." Their schedules had been such that she managed to avoid him for the past few months. She had been in Chicago visiting her family for over a month and when she returned he was pulled away for a series of business trips and today they were in D.C. for a while before they would return to their home base in Atlanta.

When he used that harsh, implacable tone of voice, Kate knew that he would want to talk about this further. But she wanted to avoid the conversation at all costs, so she deftly switched the topic.

Slightly weary, she exhaled, "What shoes would you like me wear with that dress?"

She walked towards him, took the dress from his hands and headed to her changing room. Kate felt his presence in the entryway as she stood wearing only her expensive delicate black lace bra and panties. She stiffened under his watchful gaze. "What ..?"

She was enticing and there was no doubt why she had to be his wife. He quickly looked at his watch and wondered whether there would be time to take her to bed before they had to leave. There was, but he decided against it, she would be gone starting tomorrow and that would allow him to seek out the company of the women he regularly entertained behind her back. He preferred their attention anyway, their ability to meet his needs in a way that Katherine was just too shy and uptight to satisfy.

"Nothing, I was just admiring you, how absolutely exquisite and stunning you are Katherine. Isn't it natural for a man to look at his wife." There was a familiar note in Brian's voice that sent a nervous shiver up her spine.

She had noticed the look in his eyes and with a shred of uneasiness, she hastily stepped into the dress. Kate swallowed hard, she wasn't in the mood for that. Then again she never seemed to be in that mood anymore.

With a pleased grin, he waved her over, "Come here, I will zip up the dress for you." She let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Oh, and you are going to have to remove the bra. I can see the straps. I don't think the dress is meant to be worn with one," he coolly informed her before turning on his heel.

With a look of disapproval apparent on her face, Kate stared at her reflection in the full length mirror. Most people would say she looked stunning in the expensive black silk dress, but she felt uncomfortable and bare. Her naturally curly brown hair was blown straight with the ends curled such that they would lightly bounce as she moved.

She was in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her make up when he rushed in. She saw the grave look on his face and knew something was very wrong, "Are you okay, Brian?"

"There is no time to explain, but you have two minutes to pack a bag before we go up to the roof where a helicopter will pick us up."

Eyes widened and mouth agape, she exclaimed "A helicopter? What are you talking about-"

"Katherine, NOW!" He stormed off to his dresser and grabbed whatever was in reach.

She ran to her closet and found the packed designer leather travel bag she had ready for her trip tomorrow. At the last second, she stuffed a few extra pairs of pants, a sweater and comfortable shoes into the bag.

She re-surfaced from the closet and saw him waiting for her. They walked to the door and she grabbed her sporty black leather jacket and threw it on. She headed to the direction of the elevator, but he told her to take the stairs. They quickly climbed the two floors and reached the roof. That is when they took in the sight. There were numerous helicopters flying overhead and she could hear countless sirens blaring from below. She looked to the horizon and saw there were plumes of smoke jutting across the city's landscape. With eyes looking desperate, she shouted, "Brian, what's happening out there? Are we under attack?"

Her hair then began to whip from a violent gust of air and they looked up above to see a military helicopter prepare to descend. They stepped back as they waited for the Navy Seahawk to touch ground and once it did the cabin door slid open and a helmeted soldier extended his arm and beckoned them to come, "Senator Blake? Hurry, come on aboard! C'mon!"

They sprinted in its direction and Kate could hear the clicking of her ridiculous strappy high-heeled sandals. As they approached, a strong arm extended out, grabbed her hand and helped her climb in. Sitting already in the cabin was a couple and their child who appeared to be 8 -9 years old. Kate nodded in their direction as she found an empty seat. Once they were in the air, Kate had a chance to take in the scene below her - cars were overturned, fires burning in all directions, swarms of people running everywhere.

To no one in particular, Kate shouted, "What is happening out there? Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

The co-pilot donning aviator sunglasses, looked over his shoulder, "Ma'am, we're en route to USS Truman, it's ten miles off shore. You and the Senator will be debriefed once we get you there."

Kate continued to stare at the city below and wondered how it was even possible for it to spiral into a state of utter chaos so quickly. She reached into her purse looking for her cell phone. She needed to text her sister in Chicago and let her know that she was okay. She began to type, but she heard a sharp microphoned voice, this time it was the pilot that spoke.

"Ma'am, kindly disengage from using your mobile phone. Its signal can interfere with the GPS."

She rolled her eyes, slightly peeved, a bit embarrassed at being seemingly reprimanded and called out by the stern pilot for no real reason. She KNEW it was a myth that it would interfere with the navigation system.

She shouted over the loud noise of the roaring engine, "Sorry. I just wanted to contact my sister, before we're too far away from shore and let her know that…." She trailed off as she noticed that he didn't seem to be listening to or care about her weak apology.

Fifteen minutes later, they landed on the mid-sized navy carrier and Kate noticed that they were received by two officers, a female and male, each of their uniforms read CAPT H. Stanhope and CMDR G. Stanhope.

Captain Shephard quickly stepped off the aircraft and extended his arms to lift the child out. Kate saw him a draw a warm smile at the little girl as he placed her onto the deck.

The woman addressed the pilots, "Captain Shephard and Captain Grimes, we're relieving you from the next tour. You need to escort the Senator to the bridge. Vice Admiral Gault has requested to speak to him."

Kate watched them exchange some commands before turning their attention back to her and Brian. The taller man, the pilot, asked them to follow him. As they walked, he removed his helmet and placed the gloves in it.

Kate tried to keep up with his long strides, but was too preoccupied tugging down the hem of the black dress that seemed to keep riding up as she walked. She followed him and Brian through the weathertight door that led to a set of stairs and they began to climb the grated metal staircase. On the fifth step, Kate felt herself nearly tumble forward. Her heel had managed to get stuck in the grate. She bent down and tried to lift her left foot, but it was still jammed. The co-pilot was immediately behind her, patiently waiting for her to resolve her situation. She cursed Brian under her breath for selecting these impractical shoes and dress.

She heard a quiet voice that she now noticed was tinted with a subtle southern lilt, "Ma'am, can I assist you?"

She turned around and looked into his kind-looking blue eyes and saw that they did not bear any expression of irritation or mockery. "No. I think I have it." She aggressively twisted the heel and it still would not budge. She let out a small embarrassed laugh before she watched him place his gloved hand on her shapely ankle and gently raise it from the narrow gap.

Appreciatively, she nervously laughed, "Thank you. I was on my way to a party, if I had known the world was coming to an end, I would have worn different shoes…"

He smiled back at her as he took her travel bag from her grasp, "Ma'am, no explanation required."

They walked in silence to a small room where her husband and Captain Shephard were standing. Kate was about to talk to Brian when a door opened and a decorated senior looking officer walked in.

"Senator Blake? Vice Admiral Gault. Please join me in the control room. We have received some information that we need to discuss."

Kate began to follow, but Brian abruptly turned around, "Katherine, this is highly sensitive information. I am going to have to ask you wait here."

Her irritation was apparent as she found an empty chair and flung herself into it. She sat for a minute before feeling the beads of sweat form on her back and neck. It was warm in the tight quarters and the sweat built from their quick walk seemed to be catching up to her now. She looked up at the two men standing stiffly, staring straight ahead on each side of the door, they both wore zippered one piece flight suits, combat boots and some type of bullet proof vest. The taller one, Shephard, had short cropped brown hair and brown eyes. He was also handsome like the other one she observed. She removed her jacket and placed it neatly next to her.

She looked down at her feet and frowned as she bent over to begin the irksome task of unstrapping the complicated sandals. Once she was done, she flipped her head back and stared at the two soldiers by the door. Their eyes simultaneously averting their gaze to the wall above her head. For a second she wondered what they had just been looking at and then she looked down at herself and saw the gap of her low-cut dress. 'Of course', she thought. I hope those two creeps enjoyed their cheap thrill. She threw them a disapproving and reproachful glare, clearly letting them know that she knew exactly what they had been staring at. With a curiously defiant gesture of pride, Kate stood up and headed to the corner of the room to unceremoniously dump her $700.00 shoes into the trash bin.

She sat back in her seat, unzipped her bag and pulled out a pair of brightly colored running sneakers. As she was tying the second shoe, her husband walked in. She jumped from her chair and looked at him expectantly.

"Katherine, I have been requested to leave immediately. I need to meet with officials to address the current crisis."

Confused and growing increasingly impatient she asked, "Brian, what exactly is happening out there? Where are we going?"

He stiffly placed his hands on her shoulders as he uncompromisingly told her, "Katherine, I cannot take you with me. It is too dangerous, you need to stay here where it is safe-"

Kate cried, "You can't possibly be serious! You can't leave me here. Alone. You can't leave me with THEM!" She raised her arm and looked towards the two men at the door as she finished her outburst. Not even bothering to feign any tact, he flatly addressed her. "Katherine, I am leaving you in fine hands, you will be amongst our nation's bravest and finest men and women. When I get a better sense of what the predicament is, I will try to send for you."

Kate tried to say something then, but instead she simply stared at the man. The man that was supposed to be her husband. He dropped a brief peck on her forehead followed by a prompt good bye before he was escorted by some officer.

Numb with shock, she plunked back down into her seat and stared up at the two standing pilots whose faces remained expressionless as they looked ahead. As she dreaded, Kate could not help the tears that quickly welled up. But she fiercely blinked her eyes to clear them. The abuse she was heaping on Brian mentally gave her the strength to look at the soldiers and inquire, "Where do I go now?"

The vice admiral addressed the two captains, "Please escort Mrs. Blake to the lower deck." He then turned to face her, " You'll be assigned sleeping quarters and given a brief orientation."

During their walk across the deck, Rick made some idle talk with Kate, perhaps it was his own way to try to console her. He felt badly for this young woman and could only imagine what she was feeling. Kate looked over Rick's shoulder and saw Shephard carefully eyeing her. But she was unable to discern what he was actually thinking, his somber demeanor almost impenetrable. Bustle and confusion swarmed around them. The deck was virtual chaos, soldiers in a hurry running in every direction, helicopters flying overhead.

Rick turned to Jack as they left Kate to stand in line, "Damn, I've seen some heartless things in my time, but THAT was cold. Did you see the way he just up and left her?"

Jack shrugged neither agreeing or disagreeing. He had seen plenty of her type over the years. While they were at the Naval Academy, the two of them had escorted spoiled, vapid debutantes to cotillions and other sorts of balls. Yes. He had plenty of experience with the 'Katherine Blakes of this world and he just didn't find them to be a sympathetic bunch.

"Jack, how much older do you think the Senator is than her? Fifteen, twenty years?"

"No idea Rick. Never was good at that sort of thing - guessing ages," he answered matter-of-factly as he stared moodily ahead.

Rick laughed at his old friend. Jack's manner could be described as stiff at times, not even allowing himself to partake in light banter. But that didn't stop Rick from probing, "You know, she caught us peeking down her dress. Not too long ago I'd never been busted doing that. I guess after getting married, I'm now an amateur. What's your excuse?"

With a wry smile, Jack shook his head recalling her icy reaction, "She definitely noticed and she was PISSED."

Rick was waiting for Jack to comment, but when he didn't he felt compelled to make the observation, "Did you happen to notice how outrageously hot she was? How does a man like him land a woman that looks like her?"

Jack raised his eyebrow at his friend, "Last time I checked, your wife was on board-" Rick quickly interrupted, "Yeah and I stand by the fact that my wife is the most gorgeous and intelligent woman on this planet. But that one? I'm just sayin' man, you gotta be blind not to notice that girl."

Jack didn't respond, but he agreed. She is devastatingly beautiful in a way that he felt was perhaps just … too much. And from his experience that could be problematic.

Author's note: So for those that may not be familiar with the name, Brian Blake is the real name of the "Governor" in The Walking Dead. I've made him a U.S. senator for this story.