TITLE – Literature Class
AUTHOR – Sache8
RATING – G
GENRE – Pre-ship/ fluff
CHARACTER/ PAIRING – Kate/Sawyer
SUMMARY – Kate and Sawyer discuss books. Takes place loosely around the latter half of Season 2.
DISCLAIMER – LOST is the property of the people who make LOST.
"Haven't you ever read the same thing twice?"
From the base of his favorite tree, Sawyer looked up, squinting at Kate through the usual glare of the sun coming off the sand and water.
He smirked. "Seeing as how we're stuck on a partially deserted island, the odds of that went up quite a lot, wouldn't you say, Freckles?" She was slightly winded, and had clearly only paused for a breather and a quick Sawyer-taunt before resuming whatever it was she'd been doing. Her left hand was resting on her waist, and a scuffed, half-empty water bottle dangled from her right.
"What are you up to, anyway?" he added, glancing around. Kate had an industrious air, and in such cases, Jack was usually not far away. "Workin' too hard? Take it easy. It's Sunday."
"It's Tuesday," she replied automatically. She opened the water bottle and took a big guzzle.
"Ah, but how can you be sure? If I recall correctly, there was a big whoop-de-holler debate on this a few weeks back."
"It's Tuesday, Sawyer. Anyone who can count knows that," she said, wiping off her mouth and recapping the bottle. "And to answer your original question, Locke had some ideas for reinforcing the aqueduct. Plus Jack wants to add another channel to extend to the other end of the beach. He and Charlie spent most of yesterday chopping wood to get the pieces we needed; now we're dragging them into place. We could really use your help, you know."
"Hey, my end of the beach already has the fancy plumbing, sweetheart. I'm just fine, thanks." He turned his attention deliberately to the page before him, and could sense rather than see her rolling her eyes.
"So what are you reading?" she asked. To his secret satisfaction, she took a seat, exhaling and plopping against the tree next to him. He hoped Jack would come by and see. Then again… maybe he didn't.
Kate leaned forward and tilted her head until she could see the title of the thick paperback cracked open in his hands. "Pride and Prejudice?" she said, then gave a loud, disbelieving laugh and a huge grin.
"You think that's funny, Freckles?"
"Yeah, I don't know. It just doesn't seem like… you."
"It's a book, ain't it?" he said. "I think we just established that there's not a limitless supply of choices around here."
"There are new books in the hatch," she pointed out. "Well, new to us."
"Where do you think I got it, sweet cheeks?" he said with a smirk. "Besides, it's a classic."
"So what's it about?"
"You mean you ain't read it? I thought this was like every chick's favorite book."
She snorted softly. "I'm not most chicks, Sawyer."
"True."
"So what's it about?" she repeated.
"Clever little Miss Elizabeth Bennett, who catches the eye of a rich, handsome know-it-all with stilted social skills." He looked up with a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Hey, sound like anybody we know?"
She gave him a reproachful look and he grinned wider. "And?" she prompted.
"And what?"
"And what happens?"
"Well, I haven't finished it yet, have I? Right now, she's falling for this other guy, Wickham, but I don't think she should trust him."
"How do you know?"
"He's a slicker. Still," he added, catching her eye again, "maybe subconsciously she knows that too. Maybe she knows that he's way more interesting than mister stuffy-pants."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure Mister Stuffy-pants wins out in the end," Kate replied nonchalantly. "Now you mention it, I think I might have been forced to sit through part of this movie once."
"How come you never read, anyway?" he asked.
"Who says I don't?" she asked. "You've known me, what? Two months? I've been kind of busy trying to survive here, Sawyer."
"Well, what's your favorite book then?"
To his surprise, she blushed. A grin tugged at one side of his mouth as he instantly recognized a teasing point, and pounced. "What is it?" he asked.
"You'll laugh at me."
"I already am, sweetheart. You might as well tell me now."
She glared at him for a moment, then gave a sigh of defeat. "Fine. If you must know, my favorite book when I was little – and still is for sentimental purposes – was Peter Rabbit."
Sawyer had known better than to promise not to laugh before. "Peter Rabbit?" he repeated mirthfully. "Aww, widdle Katie loved bunny stories."
"As a matter of fact, yes," she replied smoothly, looking suddenly so prim as to do Miss Elizabeth Bennett good credit. "Besides, he was a thief, wasn't he?"
Still chuckling, Sawyer gave an acknowledging nod. "That's true, but a pretty bad one, if I recall. Didn't he lose his coat and shoes?"
"See, you've read it!" she exclaimed, reaching over and punching him lightly on the arm.
Pride and Prejudice still clutched in one hand, Sawyer lifted his hands. "Yeah, yeah, I confess."
"Well, he gets his coat and shoes back in the sequel, anyway," she said defensively. She took another drink of her water.
From further down the beach, the wind carried the sound of Jack calling Kate's name, and the two of them both turned their heads at the sound. Sawyer repressed a scowl. "Well, guess you'd better get back to Galahad," he said. "If you decide to go on strike, you know where to find me."
"Sometimes the rogue gets the girl too, Sawyer," she said after she'd scrambled to her feet. "Just look at Robin Hood or the Scarlett Pimpernel."
"Eh, they were big ol' softies," he retorted.
She grinned. "Hey, sound like anybody we know?" she asked. With a wink, she turned around, and Sawyer watched her until she was out of sight.
A/N: For jalen, who prompted Kate/Sawyer with a reference to bunnies. This is my first ever LOST fanfic. Likely my last too. I tend to be more of a watcher/discusser with this particular fandom. LOL
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