Posting Bail {Kate}

[Jack Shephard]

God, grant me the Serenity not to get arrested in this jail...

The line was long. An hour and a half before the line had moved even an inch. This was what he hated about Los Angeles. The crime However, some people had let him go forward, regonising him from the paper that had just came out. He was one of the Oceanic Survivors. Usually he wouldn't accept such wonder and adoration, however, his headache was pounding. He wanted to get this over with. As Jack came up to the window, he automatically heard the smack smack smacking of the woman's gum. "Hi. I'd like to post bail for Katherine Austen."

"Speak up, sir."

Jack leaned forward, the smack smack smack of the gum making his head pound through the circular microphone that seemed to be ten decibles too high. His voice held a slightly annoyed "I'd like to post BAIL for KATHERINE AUSTEN."

The woman clicked on the keys of her computer, and Jack brought a hand to his forehead to try to stem the pain. "Ms. Austen's bail is set at 250,000 dollars."

"Fine. That's fine. You take debit?" The woman nodded and Jack pulled out his wallet, putting the card in the small metal valley. In return, the woman handed him a stack of papers.

"Fill these out." The woman told him, but paused, looking at him, "So did you really crash on that island and live there for three months?"

Jack felt himself smirk, glancing at the woman as he heard the smack smack smack of her gum. The smirk was annoyed, hung over and just a little bit angry. "No. I'm the grand prize winner of Survivor."

"What was that?"

"I said, 'Yes, I did.'"

Jack finished filling out the paperwork, and pushed it back under the glass. "So, 250 grand, right?"

"That's right. She'll be out soon Doctor Shephard." The woman handed Jack back his card and motioned to the seats. Jack nodded and sighed out, moving to pocket his card and sit down in the seat. His head still pounded, and Jack brought both hands up to rest his aching forehead in them.

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, but he heard a sound, and looked up, seeing Kate walking towards the barred gate to be released. A happy smile spread on his face, and Jack was on his feet before he even realised it, walking towards Kate. She looked tired, but fine. As the guard brought her out, Jack smiled happily and sighed out, relieved. "Hey, Kate." he told her, instantly feeling better by just seeing her up and walking around. He had been in jail before, of course, however he hadn't been in there for murder.

"How are you? They treated you alright?"

[kateausten]

Even as the seconds went by, Kate felt her stomach turn she should of went with James. They could be God knew where by now, yet there she sat behind bars, the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. Kevin was heart broken- she knew she’d shattered him. That wasn’t her intention by any mean – instead, Kate had tried to do the opposite , she didn’t want him hurt… She hadn’t wanted him to get fired or in trouble for potentially harboring a criminal.. Maybe in some way it had been selfish of her to leave him hanging there on a moment – but for her there was no other alternatives. That is how it had to be.

As these four walls seem to close around her, Kate found herself only able to think of the island, and the people that had lived on it with her for the past few months. Aside from the others, struggling to survive and the deaths that they’d encountered… The island was perfect. By no means did they have five star accommodations, but life on the island just seemed to work. There she didn’t have to worry about who knew her past or what she’d done… There she didn’t feel like she was on the run.. Those people hadn’t judged her. Those people knew her for what she was.

In so many ways she wished it was still the sand under her feet, the breeze surrounding her and instead of the bars that held her back from freedom… Kate wished it was the tarp of Jack’s tent. With a deep breath her eyes fluttered closed as her head rested against the hard cement wall. There was hardly any natural light in this room which was a definite extreme from the island. “C’mon Princess.” A gruff voice growled. Eyes shooting open Kate’s gaze fell on the large, burley prison guard. Ever since Kevin had left- He was definitely trying to piss her off and get on every nerve he could. “What?” She questioned, her nose scrunched in disgust at the nickname she’d been given. “Some one posted your bail. Seems some one likes yah.” He teased , hastily unlocking her cell.

It wasn’t her intention but Kate had pretty much sprung up from the steal bed and was on her feet in half a second. “Looks like we won’t have our date after all.” He grinned – slight malice in his tone. Shivers ran up her spine as she pushed past him- his hand instantly shot around her upper arm. “You ain’t outta here yet princess.” He made her sick. As the two walked in silence down the hall way Kate swallowed deep wondering why it seemed like it was going on forever, and not only that, but WHO had posted her bail. WHO had actually enough money to post it? The only person still alive would have been Hurley? And that was only if the rumors on the island were true.

Kate ran her fingers together instantly feeling that her hands had become clammy while a cold feeling hanging deeply inside her. “See yah later.” The guard laughed coldly pushing her through the doors into the waiting room. The bright light instantly attacked her eyes causing them to squint until they had adjusted. It was amazing how incredibly dark the hall had been. Rubbing her eyes Kate looked around instantly spotting the assumed reason she was now a free woman.

“… Jack?” Kate asked, before she broke into a sprint and wrapped her arms around his neck. He was exactly the face she needed to see right now, and for a moment , her mind was clear with her thoughts only based around him. “But how did you?” She asked her face buried into his neck fighting back tears of thanks. “I…. Thank you..”

[Jack Shephard]

Jack let out a grunt of air as Kate nearly launched herself at him. A laugh escaped his lips, and he wrapped his arms around her, his headache and hung over feeling now completely gone for the moment that he was in her arms. He brought a hand up, pressing it against the back of her head before he saw the way the guard was looking at her, and them, a rude and predatory smirk, and Jack thought instantly of all the ways he could hurt the man and make it look like an accident. Jack's thoughts of vengance for the man's smirk shifted as he heard Kate speak.

It had all been an amusing string of coincidences that had lead him to have enough money to pay for Kate's bail. Of course, he hadn't been exactly lacking in the funds before the crash, even though Sarah had insisted on high numbers on the divorce agreement. "You're welcome." he told her with a smile, pulling back slightly before he glanced at the guard again. "C'mon." he told her, and lead her towards the entrence of the jail. She asked how he had gotten the money, and he laughed slightly. "Oh, uh," he started, shaking his head. "That's funny, actually. I called the hospital last night. After, you know, we got in." he started as they walked to the entrence. "And it turns out that because they thought I was dead, they paid out my vacation and sick time, posting it to my account. Annd," Jack drew the word out slightly, bringing a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck, "since I worked hours that would drop a regular person, and I hardly took vacations, it added up to a heafty sum. And Sarah doesn't have access to my accounts anymore. Her share gets deposited...so I suddenlly came back and found I had money I didn't when I left." It was true, two-hundred and fifty thousand dollars wasn't exactly pocket change, but he wasn't exactly going to be missing it either.

"I think my mom chipped in a bit to my accounts, too when I told her I was bailing you out. She had to after the fucking A-Bomb she dropped on me." Even just thinking about it made Jack's head spin, he knew that he needed to talk to Claire. He needed to get Kate fresh clothes and he needed to talk to Claire. Shaking the thoughts from his brain, Jack pushed his hand onto the door as they came up onto it, continuing to speak as he did.

"And besides, you're worth it--"

"Jack, tell us about your sister!"

"Doctor Shephard! Doctor Shephard tell us about Kate!"

"Ms. Austen, did you do the crimes they claim you did?"

"Jack, 250 grand's alot of bills to pop down. Were you a couple on the island--"

"When's the marriage, kids?!"

Jack blinked as flashbulbs and questions were bombarded at him at rapid pace, and immediatly brought a hand up, pulling Kate to him as he tried to weave his way through the throngs of reporters until he came upon his jeep. The yells of 'Jack! Kate!' echoed around him, and he fumbled for the keys, shoving them into the lock. He wrenched the door open and pushed Kate in, slamming the door behind her. He rushed to the driver's side, and got in, eyes slightly wide as he looked at Kate. Jack quickly turned on the jeep and started to drive. A laugh escaped his lips, a relieved one as he moved one hand to rub his face.

"That was insane."

[kateausten]

The feel of Jack pressed against her … It was something she feared she’d left behind on the island, it was something she felt wouldn’t happen here…That nothing would be the same. But was she wrong about absolutely everything? Kate inhaled his scent for a moment until they reluctantly pulled a part. It was good to see such a welcoming face. Nodding Kate followed not expecting a hundred media members to be outside. In her cell, it had been quiet aside from the asshole guard who pestered her.

“Well, that’s something nice to come back to, wasn’t it?” Kate laughed lightly as she tried to keep her footing. “Thank you… I’ll pay you back. Every penny.” She began honestly, every intention was there, and when she got the money, she’d be paying him back. “How is everyone doing… How are you doing?”How is Sawyer doing? All of the questions remained on her mind, some stuck to her tongue afraid to lunge from her lips into the air. Kate was about to open her mouth as Jack began And besides, you’re worth it—. Her eyes shot to him at the exact moment he opened the door. Flashes of bulbs and the screams of the reporters and paparazzi busted into the air.

"Jack, tell us about your sister!" Sister? Were these people on crack? Or did Jack fail to mention such issues on the island?

"Doctor Shephard! Doctor Shephard tell us about Kate!" What did these people need to know? Though, maybe it would be interesting to hear Jack’s info on her.

"Ms. Austen, did you do the crimes they claim you did?" “I… Uh-“ What could she say? Her words would be spun around cut up, spliced, exaggerated, and really… They’d be made into exactly what these people wanted to hear regardless of what she wanted. Kate bent her head down as she shielded her face from the camera.

"Jack, 250 grand's alot of bills to pop down. Were you a couple on the island--" . . .

"When's the marriage, kids?!" . . .


The only good thing about all of this was how close she was to Jack, and how protected she felt. Before she knew it Jack had opened the door and pushed Kate in. A sigh of relief filled the car as Jack ran over to the other side. Kate took this time to adjust herself and pull on the seat belt. Jack bolted in and jammed the keys in as soon as possible. It was like he was moving at super speed. “Insane doesn’t cut it.” She breathed.

[Jack Shephard]

Jack found himself laughing as he glanced in the rear-view mirror, seeing the reporters with their cameras, flashing the back of his truck as it drove away. He brought a hand up, rubbing nervously at his head before he shook it. "That was...I don't think I've ever had that much attention. Even when I was at Saint Sebastian's." he told her, and focused on driving silently. However, the fact that the reporters already knew about Claire, even before he himself knew about it himself, before his own mother knew...Claire...Claire en eeded to know.

And he still had to go to the funeral home. A sigh esacped his lips as he stopped at a red light. He moved to rub his face. "Um, Kate, I uh, I wanted to ask you something." he told her, looking from the red light to Kate's face. "A-And you don't have to if you don't want to, but, um...I have to go to the funeral home today. And--" His brows narrowed slightly in thought. "And I really don't want to go alone. With everything that's happened, I just--" he shook his head slightly. "I don't know if I'd be able to deal with it right now by myself." At one point, three months ago, Jack had been ready to deal with it himself. He had been ready and willing to bury his father because that's what he needed to do. And he still needed to bury his father, yet without a body...

"There's, um...there's something else I wanted to ask you."

My father had an affair in Australia 20 something years ago and now I've found out that Claire's my sister. Claire's my sister, Kate. How the hell do I tell her?

"The news papers, they...they said something. That, of course, my father was on the plane being transported to Los Angeles but...but they also said that I had another family member on the plane. A sister." A honk made him jolt slightly, and he glared in his rear-view and then at the green light. He started to drive once more. "They're saying Claire's my sister, Kate. I-I mean...how the hell do I tell her something like that? I don't even--I don't even believe it myself and yet...and yet somehow, it makes sense." He looked over at her for some kind of answer, or reassurance and saw the shock on her face. Jack scoffed at the irony of it all. "Believe me, I already got the burn from my mother. I think unless I find some way to explain it or convince her that I didn't know, I'm out of the will." It wasn't a time for jokes, but Jack couldn't find anything else to say to it. What else was there to say?

"I don't know what to say to her..." Jack said almost shocked. Usually he had an answer for everything. A word on everything and yet when faced with that fact that he had to tell Claire that he was in fact her brother, or at least half brother, Jack had no words. "Didn't they say when we got back home everything was supposed to be easier?"

[kateausten]

“I thought you’d be used to all eyes on you.” Kate laughed trying to ease the situation. She always knew she would fail as a celebrity. The tabloids, reporters , paparazzi, none of it was for her. The spot light was the most critical eye and really she wanted nothing of it. How could some one enjoy people stalking them 24-7, being photographed all the time – It wasn’t a life style she wanted to lead. It wasn’t a lifestyle she thought anyone should be forced to lead. Lightly sighing to herself Kate shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the head rest. It was considererably softer then her cell bed had been.

To be in his presence again, well that made her feel better instantly. Yet for him to bail her out and spend the large amount of money… That showed her he cared a lot more then she thought. When Jack spoke her eyes opened as she turned her head to look at him. Surprisingly he looked much more tired and worn down then she had ever seen him on the island. “Yeah?” Kate replied giving him the okay to ask. “You had a sister on the plane?” Leaning forward a little bit surprise over took her face. Had it been some one that had died in the crash? Had it been some one who had been taken by the others? “Who?” Curiosity had gotten the better of her.

“Claire?” She questioned in disbelief as her eye brows furled up. “But.. She’s-“ She was Australian… They didn’t even look –that- much alike. Well, they did a little but honestly, Claire? It was enough to baffle her mind that she had a hard time imagining how Jack was feeling. “I… Wow.” That was a shocker. “Hasn’t Claire seen the papers or anything? I mean…” She was speechless. Kate attempted to offer a reassuring smile. “Wow Jack… We’re gonna get through this.” Lightly she placed her hand on top of his and gave it a light squeeze. “They said that, but some how- I never believed them.”

[Jack Shephard]

Jack found himself laughing as Kate said that he'd be used to people having all eyes on him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm completely used to it." he told her, shaking his head slightly, until he looked over at her, remembering when she had said she was going to pay him back. Every penny. "Kate," he told her, glancing at her as he drove. "Kate, I don't want you to think that you have to pay me back." he told her. "I don't want you to pay me back. I told you I'd bail you out and that's what I did. So don't think about giving me a cent."

However, the mood turned as Kate questioned about Jack's newfound sister. "Somehow in the back of my mind, it makes sense. He was gone alot, he used to go for months and then not tell us...I think when I was probably 15 or so is when Claire was born."

However, he felt her warm hand on his, the uneasy feeling slowly melted away, and he turned his hand up, feeling his fingers slip between hers. "You don't know how much that means to me." he told her honestly, and then shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I don't know if she knows, I havn't talked to her..."

Jack saw the funeral home in the distance, and he pulled the truck into the parking lot. He swallowed slightly, moving to turn the truck off as he sat, staring at the brick building. "I was...I was so ready to do this at one point. It was the entire reason I got on the flight in the first place, because I needed to do it..." he took in a breath and let it out in a slow sigh. "And now...I don't have a body. How do you have a funeral when you don't have a body?" he asked her, looking over at Kate as she sat in the passenger seat. His fingers curled around hers unconciously. "I really don't know if I can do this."