Title: Not Now or Ever
Pairing: Sawyer and Kate
Warnings: Brief language, violence
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST, its character, the island, the monster, etc. etc.
A/N: I've actually had this story sitting around for a really long time. I started writing this during the winter hiatus of season 2 and this opening chapter was my take on the spoilers for The 23rd Psalm of the Skate haircut scene so I know it's a bit outdated but I just started writing it again. This is a light start to a somewhat heavy fic in the end. Well, enough of me babbling. Please read and comment! Comments are a writer's best friend. :D

Not Now or Ever

Chapter 1

"You gonna get this show on the road, Freckles or what?"

Kate was brought out of her reverie by the sardonic drawl of a man with shoulder length, straw-colored hair who was sitting on a rock, apparently extremely annoyed. His sapphire-like eyes flashed dangerously at her direction and she could feel the weight of his stare fall over her like one of those heavy lead covers the doctors placed on you when you took an x-ray. Kate's fingers twitched and when she did she remembered what exactly she was about to do.

In her hand she held a pair of shears that she found in the wreckage of the plane, the ones used to shave the wool off sheep during the spring. A smile crept over her lips as the man's eyes fell over the instrument in her hand. He eyed them nervously, which was a rarely seen emotion from this man.

Kate fingered the clippers. "Yeah." she said with a hint of her amusement. "Just tell me when you're ready, Sawyer."

Sawyer cringed. "Alright, alright. Let's get this over with already."

"Okay," With that, Kate flicked the switch of the shears and took a step forward. But before she could get the blade into Sawyer's hair, he drew back, hands raised.

"Just remember," he growled. "Just 'cause you and me are an item doesn't mean I won't do something drastic if this whole 'shave off my hair' thing ain't gonna work out, sweetheart."

Kate smirked. "Got it, Sawyer." She moved forward again, raising her clippers to Sawyer's head. But, again, he pulled away.

"And you better not make it too short." he said. "I don't wanna look like a damn jarhead." Then he raised his eyes to look past Kate. "Or like that fool, for that matter."

Kate turned to glance behind her and saw Jack striding over with a ridiculous grin on his face.

"Well, howdy. St.Jack Hospital not giving you a workout today, Doc?" Sawyer called out, slipping into his sarcastic mode.

Jack shook his head. "Nah. It's been pretty quiet lately." He walked over and stopped right in front of Sawyer. "So I thought I'd pay you a little visit at the barber." The doctor's eyes glinted in the mid-day light.

"Har-har-har. Didn't know you were funny." grunted Sawyer.

Kate was beginning to grow a little impatient. "Are you done yet, Sawyer? Because you can stall all you want but I'm not going to leave 'til your hair is gone." She put a heavy emphasis on the word 'gone' to scare Sawyer.

"Hey! What'd I say 'bout my hair?"

"I know, I know." Kate sighed. "Jeez. Can't take a joke, can you?"

"Sorry to break your heart."

Kate rolled her eyes and turned on the shears again. Before Sawyer could object any further, she put the blade to his hair and ran it through.

"OW!" yelled Sawyer when Kate slightly pulled on his head. "Golly, woman! Take it easy, will you?"

"Quit bring a baby, Sawyer. I barely tugged it."

Sawyer opened his mouth to respond but decided not to. The longer I keep quiet, the sooner this'll be over, he thought. And so he sat there, face slowly turning from its regular tanned color to a deep crimson. God, he was humiliated. Why did he agree to this anyway? So what if he and Kate were together? He didn't actually sign up for the torment. Gradually, he could feel the hair on his head deteriorate as Kate ran that shear through it. He groaned out loud.

Kate heard this and let out a small chuckle.

"You enjoying yourself, Freckles?" Sawyer asked, even more annoyed now than ever.

"Oh yeah," came the response.

Sawyer turned to look at Jack. He was leaning against a tree, the lop-sided grin still on his face. Sawyer's eyes narrowed. "Isn't there something more productive you could be doing right about now? Like, say, trying to rid the world of evil?"

Jack shrugged. "Today's drama was limited."

"Whatever you say, Kal-el."

Then with one last stroke of the razor, Kate pronounced herself finished. Hesitantly, Sawyer raised a hand to his head. Instead of the long, silky hair that he once had, his hand now came in contact with a short, soft tuft.

"My...where...you..." He wasn't even able to form a complete sentence.

Kate, who had taken a step back to admire her handy work, produced a mirror from behind her back. Snatching it from her, Sawyer stared at his reflection. That was, if he could call it his reflection. He barely even recognized the man. The last time he saw himself with short hair was probably 8 years ago and that was just a wild guess.

He tore his gaze from the mirror and stared, horrified, at Kate.

"Damn! It's all GONE!"

But Kate just grinned. "Relax, Sawyer. It's not all gone."

Sawyer heard a snort and snapped his head around to Jack. The doctor was apparently trying to hold back his laughter but it wasn't going to work. He burst out laughing and turned away from the amusing sight. Sawyer cast a look of pure loathing at Jack's back and heaved himself heavily to his feet. Then he shot an icy glance at Kate, who just returned it with a teasing smile of her own.

"Why is everything that happens to me bullshit?" he muttered under his breath as he trudged away to his tent.