Sawyer had never run as fast in his life. Looking back, he had no idea why he had been so far out in the jungle in the first place. He remembered being with Sayid and Jack, he remembered Kate bursting out of the trees to them, out of breath. He remembered her frantically telling him something, but at that point he only needed to hear the word, 'Ana', and he was off.
Jack had glanced at him, waiting for a comment, but there was no time. Sawyer had crashed instinctively through the trees, back to the beach. He had been vaguely aware of Jack sprinting slightly behind him. It must have only about two minutes, but it might have well have been two weeks, to Sawyer. He just couldn't get there quick enough.
The first thing he had seen when he got to the beach was Charlie, looking slightly bewildered.
"Where the hell is she?" Sawyer had demanded immediately. Charlie answered him obediently, and pointed to a shelter a little further than Sawyer would have liked down the beach. He had cursed softly under his breath and torn across the sand, Jack and Kate at his heels.
Sun and Claire were in the tent, and both had looked terribly flustered. Sawyer could relate; seeing the state Ana was in, not many people would have particularly wanted to be stuck in there with her either.
"Oh, thank the lord, the mighty hunter had decided to return!" She had growled sarcastically, then glared at him and muttered, "Asshole."
The others in the tent shared glances, but Sawyer ignored it all, and knelt down at Ana's side. He'd touched her hand, and she'd grabbed his tightly, squeezing until Sawyer was sure he heard a crack. He didn't flinch, though. He never would.
"If you had missed it…" She'd muttered, her eyes narrowed at him.
"I wouldn't." He'd replied smoothly. If only she knew. How much he'd hate himself if he hadn't been here, how much he had been looking forward to this moment for over eight months. He'd never admit all this, though. Not even to her, who knew all his secrets.
The next hour was one Sawyer would never forget, no matter how long he lived. The pain in his hand only increased, and during the sixty minutes his ears received almost the same amount of injury. It seemed to ease her pain slightly to remind him exactly who's fault it was she was in this position, but he'd become pretty tough-skinned over the past year and a half, so it had mostly bounced off him. He'd flashed a grin at her and told her to hold on, it'd be over soon. You'll be fine.
"I'm not scared." She'd said in return, then moaned loudly, digging her nails into the back of his hand. He had closed his eyes for a moment, then smiled at her again.
"'Course you're not, Sugar."
An hour of insults, screams, moans, and words of encouragement. Still, one of Sawyer's favourite hours ever.
She'd finally released his bruised hand so he could hold her. Sawyer had never held anything as small. Jack, Kate, and the others had left them alone, but Sawyer hadn't seen them leave. His eyes had been fixed on the form in his arms. Her dark, curly hair. The full, beautiful lips. One other person in the world was this gorgeous, and right then, that person was telling Sawyer to move closer, hurry, she wanted to see her too, dammit!
"Ana," Sawyer had breathed, finally tearing his gaze away from the bundle in his arms. "Ana," He'd murmured again.
"Yeah, Sawyer. Come here."
Sawyer remembered carefully, oh so carefully, turning his body to lie next to Ana. He'd passed her the product of the past hour slowly. She'd gazed down at her face, utterly silent for almost a whole minute. The image was still fixed in Sawyer's mind today, framed and stored for rainy days.
"Ana,"
She'd looked up, brown eyes shining. She'd gazed deep into his blue ones, conveying so much without words. Thank you. I love you. Don't worry, baby. We're gonna be fine.
A noise from Ana's arms had startled them both. A pair of eyes reflected from Sawyer's own looked back at them, flicking between them both suspiciously.
From the corner of his eye Sawyer had seen a smile break out on Ana's face, and he'd glanced up at her, grinning widely.
"You're cryin'"
"I'm not." Ana had told him fiercely, her voice breaking. He'd wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest.
"It's alright, baby."
Ana had bit her lip in a way Sawyer normally wouldn't have been able to resist kissing, but then it had been different. They'd sat, gazing, for so long he'd lost track of time. Their daughter. She was perfect. Sawyer could tell from the moment he saw her, she would be more like Ana than he ever could have wished for. He'd known that he never wanted anyone to come near his baby, ever, especially that little Joshua Shephard. He'd reached down and gently touched his daughter's head, stroking a soft curl slowly. Her eyelids drooped, and closed. Ana had made a small noise, then quickly turned and buried her head in Sawyer's shoulder. He wasn't going to see her tears, not yet. He'd gently removed her from Ana's arms and laid her on the bed between them. Ana glanced down at her and sighed quietly.
"Sawyer… she's perfect."
Sawyer had nodded and kissed the top of Ana's head. He knew that. This was perfect. Every second he spent looking at the beautiful women lying with him, his heart swelled a little more. This was his family. And there was nothing else he could ever wish for.