Hello, people! Here I am again, and took the idea Lela had on LF, and that Viggly brought to me to write a one-shot. When I started this story, a couple of days ago, I tought it would be nothing more than that, a one-shot, a one time thing. However, when I was writing it, it came to me that it could be a lot more than that. So, I decided to leave an open ending, in order to continue it in the future, if and when I have the will for it. And if you guys like it, of course. And comment. /review whore

So here it is. I hope you enjoy it!

-Lu

Playing Along

She didn't really care whether she was going to get cleaned up or not. She couldn't care less about the dirt that was covering her arms, her legs, her clothes, her face. Her hair. The hair she always fought to have just in place, her greatest beauty, as one of her girl friends had told her in high school, in a very Amy March-like way.

The hell with the hair. It was covered in dust and sweat and when she ran her fingers through it, they got stuck, making her wince in pain. Using her fingers as a comb, she tried to untangle the locks, not really seeing past the sheet of tears that was covering her eyeballs. It was too much. Just too much.

They had taken him… what? An hour ago? Two hours ago? Maybe even more. She couldn't get a grip of the time as efficiently as she usually could. Their habits were switched, and her messed up biological clock wasn't helping much either. if she wasn't outside, she probably wouldn't be able to distinguish night from day.

It couldn't have been more than two hours, she thought, as she tried to untangle the last knot in her hair. It was still day, but the sun was almost setting. Two hours, she kept thinking, as if clinging to that thought to maintain the idea that he was probably still safe and sound.

When she finished untangling her hair, Kate sat on the rock ledge that had served as a bed for her last two nights and looked at her hands. Her stomach jumped at the sight of blood in them, dry blood covering her hands and forearms, in little drops that seemed to fake the image of a night sky. For a moment, she thought she was hurt somewhere, and instinctively started searching her face and legs, hoping to find the source of the blood. A moment later, though, it hit her. That wasn't her blood. It was his blood, Sawyer's blood, from when he was lying in her arms, after Pickett hit him. She could recall the blood spilling from his forehead, his lower lip, into the arms that were holding him tight.

A deep sob took over her chest as her left hand caressed the dry blood on her right arm. In a matter of moments, she was crying profusely, not really thinking about it, but letting the energy out of her body along with the tears.

As Kate folded herself over her legs and sobbed, images of what could be happening to Sawyer came to her mind, making her cry even harder. She was imagining him being beat up again by a furious Pickett. She imagined him being dragged to some place, where they would put him on his knees and shoot the back of his head. Yes, that could be his execution, right? And that beep. What did it mean? He had started 'beeping' every time she was close or whe he was being confronted. It could be connected to his adrenaline levels, but what would that thing do besides beeping? Was it there merely to control his vital signs?

As she started thinking and asking herself those questions, Kate's tears subsided, and she seemed to have gotten her old fast-thinking, accurate self back. Sitting back against the wall, Kate picked up a small rock from the floor and started throwing it up, only to catch it seconds later. It was a mechanical movement that helped her think more clearly.

Going back to her thoughts, she started analysing their reasons more deeply. What did they want with Sawyer? Why monitoring his adrenaline rates, his heartbeat, if they were going to kill him afterwards? This thought gave her a new sensation of peace: they wouldn't do it, would they? They wouldn't be stupid enough to kill him. if there was an actual reason for them to be there, and Kate thought there was, they wouldn't kill Sawyer just like that.

As the rock got thrown a bit farther away, Kate couldn't help a smile, as she remembered his words, oh-so long ago. Allowing a small piece of laughter to escape her mouth, Kate repeated the words to herself, a bit louder that she thought she should. Me Kate, me throw rock. She said, a giggle punctuating her sentence.

"Are you talking to yourself, Kate?" she turned her head towards the cage door quickly, as the voice invaded the silence. Standing on the doorway, there was a woman, the same woman that had held her at gunpoint after Sawyer had kissed her. She was wearing a white shirt, with pale pink pants, in a look that made her look more like a housewife than a cold blood murderer. But Kate knew almost everything about this kind of disguise.

Kate got up on her feet, as the smile disappeared from her face. "It's not like I have anyone else to talk to." She replied, her tone coming out more as annoyed than as scared.

"Oh well. I'm sorry we had to take your company away from you." Juliet said with a slow, seemingly nice voice. Even though the light was almost fading, Kate could see her rolling her eyes at her. "I'm sure he'd rather be here, but some things need to be done."

Kate's stomach jumped at this statement, erasing all the theories she had managed to come up with to avoid the possibility of Sawyer's death. Why was that woman saying that? Was she trying to get her scared? She was doing a damn good job.

"Where's Sawyer?" Kate was surprised with her own voice. It was low and broken, not the strong and determined tone she had wanted it to be. Juliet stared at Kate for a moment, taking a step inside the cage. Kate took another step forward, but Juliet stopped her by raising her right hand. Inside her left hand, along with the keys to the cage lock, was a taser.

"Don't. Don't come close. Not right now, Kate." Juliet said in the same nice, calm tone, which was starting to annoy the hell out of Kate. Her face changed for a moment, as if something she had forgotten had just come to her mind again. Smiling a little, Juliet moved the keys a little bit, producing a tingling noise. "I don't think we've been properly introduced."

"You seem to know who I am quite well." Kate's response came out in a dry, arrogant tone. She was trying to get Juliet to loose it, to get angry and be mean to her. It was like a defence mechanism: she wanted to be hurt as well, she wanted Sawyer too see her get hurt, and maybe then she could try to forget the look of defeat in his eyes, when she had told him she didn't really love him. Of course she had lied, but he didn't know that. She had expected him to know, but he seemed to be in too much pain to acknowledge the truth.

"But you don't know me. I'm Juliet. I'm a doctor. And I've been with your friend Jack while Pickett and Tom were with the two of you." The mention of Jack's name sent an arrow of guilt through her. She hadn't even thought of him. She hadn't thought about Jack, suffering, being tortured, because all she could think of was Sawyer.

"Where's Jack?" she got the strength to ask, as if it were an apology.

"He's ok. Better than Sawyer, anyway. I'm not the beating type." A small smile covered Juliet's expression, as she lowered her head a little. She was giggling. Just like Jack did. They were both doctors, they were alike, they were both calm and controlled. Juliet seemed to be the perfect mate for Jack, and somehow, that seemed to take away most of Kate's sense of guilt. As Kate's silence took over the place, Juliet looked around, not talking for a few seconds. "Okay, now. I'm here to take you with me, but I'm alone, so I hope you can cooperate. I'm only taking you to the same locker room you were given the dress in. you're going to take a warm shower, there. That's all."

Kate nodded. She was too tired to try to escape, and even if she wasn't, she wouldn't leave the darn place without Sawyer. Not in a lifetime.

"I'll have the taser with me at all times, so if you try to do something, it'll be pretty easy for me to stop you." Juliet's words came out as if she was a flight attendant, mechanical and meaningless. She made a move for Kate to follow her out the cage, and then too her arm in hers. They were walking like two old ladies, minus the feeling of warmness and familiarity. Juliet's skin was cold as ice, even in that kind of hot weather.

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Juliet left Kate alone at the locker room, where a set of new clothes had been set for her. Jeans and another flowery shirt, much like the one she was using at the moment. Sitting on one of the benches, she took a deep breath and caressed the fabric of the shirt she had in her hands, as if it could bring her the answers she thought she needed.

"Where can he be?" It wasn't like the shirt would answer her question, but she couldn't help the words that escaped her mouth. She was feeling oppressed, caged, even though she was in a room that was a lot more spacey than the cage, with some treats that would make her life more comfortable. If only she wanted to be comfortable. Somehow, the feeling of physical discomfort seemed to help her stay focused, seemed to help her think. And it made her forget the sense of emotional discomfort she had.

Why? Why had she been so damn stupid, and told him she didn't love him? If he needed to remember her, later, he'd remember her for those words. She knew herself, and she knew they were alike: that sentence would have the power to erase everything good she had ever done or said for him. She was like that, and so was he. And she had the feeling he would never be able to forgive him.

Without realizing it, she said these words out loud. Smiling to herself, she got up from the bench and went over to the showers, taking off her sandals and pulling her pants up. Sitting on top of the small wall that divided the showers, she let her feet get wet as she thought about her life without Sawyer.

It would be too painful. The first weeks, at least, when she would have to get herself used to the island without him, the jungle without the perspective of their not-so-causal encounters. The waterfall without his laughter, without the dirty thoughts she knew he had when he saw her wearing nothing but her panties and the purple tank top.

The purple top. It wouldn't make much sense to wear it now, would it? She had started to associate the tank top with him when they went on that silly vendetta against the boar that seemed to have a vendetta himself, against Sawyer. She was sitting in the dark, hearing him falling asleep and feeling slightly drunk from the alcohol consumed in that 'I never' game, when she realized she was wearing the same top from when they had swam together at the waterfall. And coincidence or not (Kate thought it was not) he had returned home from his failed attempt of an epopee when she was wearing that top. She had cradled him when she was wearing that top. She had put Patsy Cline on the radio for him, when she was wearing that top. That damn shirt had witnessed a whole life of events.

"I'll miss the damn tank top." She said in a low voice, seemingly angry.

"If you're talking about the purple one, I think that would be a shame, Freckles." Kate turned her head towards the door as soon as she heard his voice, and propped herself down from the wall, landing on her feet. Turning around to take a look at him, she saw him walking slowly towards her, the same determined and cold look he had given her before. He hadn't forgotten about her stupid line. She slowly scrutinized his face as he came closer to her and closer to the light. He was still dirty. The dry blood from his lip looked dirty and slightly infected, but she didn't care. She pressed it anyway, eliciting a less than nice word from him.

"Are you okay?" it was all she could ask, her voice caught in her throat. He gave her a look of mocking satisfaction.

"Why you askin'? it's not like there's anyone here to hit me now." He walked past her, searching between the lockers, until he found number 16. Sitting on the bench right beside it, he took off his boots and started unbuttoning his shirt, when he noticed her, leaning against a locker and looking at him. he could see her inhale deeply when he took his shirt off, and there was a second when he could almost feel her cringing. He know he was being too hard on her. He also knew she was lying, before, just to hurt him. but he still wanted her to feel as bad as he had felt.

"I was lying. You know that." She stated, calmly. He raised his eyes to meet hers, and saw she was very close to tears. The revenge wasn't so sweet, now that he was watching her get hurt. And the worse part was that this thought didn't even surprise him.

"How do I know you're not lying now?" he said, and kicked himself, mentally. He was being a jerk and he knew it. Why couldn't he stop, then?

"I guess you'll have to trust me." She said, simply, turning her back on him and leaving him alone in that bench.

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When he heard the shower working, Sawyer got up on his feet and walked towards the entry of the steamy division. Kate was already in there, he could hear the water against her body, making him strangely turned on. He wasn't wearing anything under his jeans, so he thought it would be better not to take them off. At least not in that moment.

Kate was wearing only her underwear, so she could still have some physical barrier between herself and Sawyer at the moment he'd get in shower. And when he did, getting closer to her to let the hot water run down his body, she didn't take a step backwards, as she had planned. She stood right there, his right hand brushing against her hip, while reaching for the soap. She turned herself around, giving him her back as she rinsed the shampoo off her hair, leaving a perfumed trail down her body. He could barely hold himself steady as he saw the white foam wrapping around her legs, the legs he was aching to touch. Still, he knew he had to tell her something.

He put his mouth close to her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She took a deep breath before she was able to talk. And even then, she was only able to say one word. "Sawyer…"

"Shhh." He whispered, placing his hands on her hips. "I gotta tell you somethin', Freckles, but it's gotta be this way. They're monitoring us, at all time. You gotta play along." He said in the lowest tone he could achieve. Feeling her stiffen and get more alert under his hands, he kissed her neck slowly, allowing his tongue to dart out, occasionally.

"What's happening, Sawyer?" she asked, her voice slightly mellow from the feeling of having his lips on her neck and his hands roaming over her stomach.

"This guy told me…" he kissed her neck on more time "they're keeping me alive for a reason. And I think…" he stopped talking one more time as she turned around and locked her arms around his neck, letting her forehead rest against his chest. "I think it has something to do with you."

"You think…" it was her turn to talk, and it was also her turn to tease. She pulled his face down and kissed his cheek, his chin, his eyes, avoiding his mouth. He smiled as he recognized his own instincts in her. "…it has something to do with the fact that they put us together in one locker room?"

"Yeah." He nodded as she pulled back from his face and held his face between her hands, his wet hair dripping onto her own face and his eyes locked with hers. His hands here on her back, pulling her closer to his body.

"I wasn't lying when I said I loved you." She stated, matter-of-factly. He wept the drops from her face with his hand and smiled.

"I know." She smiled and looked down at his chest, finally noticing the scar that seemed to break the place where his heart should be in two. Touching it slowly, as if she was afraid to hurt him, Kate felt her eyes well up with tears one more time. What had they done to him?
"Does it hurt?" she asked, placing a slow and soft kiss on it.

"That's nothin', shortcake." He explained, before she could ask what it was. Still, the question she had in her mouth popped out.

"What have they done to you?" her voice was nothing above a whisper, but he could hear her anyway.

"They conned me." She pulled back when she heard this, a small smile taking over her face.

"What?" she asked, not actually believing what she was hearing. Sawyer sighed before starting to tell the story, as if he was already expecting some mockery.

"They told me my heart would explode if the rate got higher than 140. That's why I didn't fight back when that bastard hit me. And that's why I couldn't run away with you." Kate was smiling into his chest, and raised her eyes to meet his with a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Is that the reason you dropped that water over yourself when I was changing clothes?" she asked, placing her hands on the small of his back and applying some pressure on his dimples. She placed a quick kiss on his lips, pulling back with a smile. He caught her hips again and grabbed her butt with on hand, making her inhale deeply, a look of blunt desire in her eyes.

"Yeah. You got a problem with that?" he asked.

"Not at all." She smiled into his cheek, her arms around his neck again. "So, you think we should indulge them?"

"What do you mean, Freckles?" he asked distractedly, as he kissed her neck, now more hungrily.

"I mean giving them what they want." She pulled his head back and smiled, her eyes on his. "This." She said into his mouth as she kissed his lips fiercely. He kissed her back and pinned her up against the wall, unclasping her bra. She took it off and sent it to the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist and propping herself up against him. Sawyer kissed her breasts and she smiled as she unbuttoned his jeans and made them fall with a splash on the water that was covering the shower ground.

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Almost an hour later, they were both getting dried up near their lockers, with side smiles on their faces. Sawyer was already dressed up, while Kate was still buttoning her shirt. Damn, he thought. She looked beautiful with that thing on. Getting up from the bench, Sawyer leaned against her and she allowed him to kiss her passionately, smiling when he pulled back.

"I have to admit it, Freckles, I never thought you had all that fire in ya…" he said with a mocking smile. She pulled away from him and continued to comb her hair.

"Well, Tex, I can't believe you had never heard of that one…" she mocked him back, and they were both lost in their very own world of jokes and sex and joyful kisses, when they heard the locker room swing open.

Ben, Juliet and Alex came in, looking straight at them, as Sawyer put himself slightly in front of Kate, as if he was protecting her. Ben took a step forward and smiled.

"James, Kate… I am very pleased to tell both of you that you have just finished Phase One. Congratulations."