Palm Tree Snapshots

This story was written for a challenge posted on the Lost forums. The prize for the winner was... Sawyer. But we probably meant a virtual copy of Sawyer rather than the real one. Anyway, this chapter takes place at the end of season 2.

Jack's feet hadn't begun to hurt yet. That was a good sign. He figured he must finally be getting used to hiking. He had never been the outdoor type, not even when he was a kid. And besides being on his feet for hours at a time for work, which any convenience store clerk could boast, he had never regarded exercise as much more than a necessary evil. Something he had to do to stay healthy, and then only when he was bored or frustrated. Or for self-flagellation, he admitted as he recalled the tour de stad' he'd attempted after Sarah's surgery. The tour itself hadn't gone much better than the surgery, but Desmond had been a big help. Of course, that was before he went crazy. Jack couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy for the touched Scotsman. After all, it couldn't have been easy for him all this time.

It suddenly occurred to Jack that he'd had just as rough a time as Desmond these past few months. It wasn't easy to be the leader. He turned his head around to look behind him. The people he now called his friends were trailing behind him one after the other like ducklings. Even Michael, who was supposed to be leading this expedition, was content to walk a short distance behind. As Jack watched, Hurley caught his foot on a root and almost fell on his face. Sawyer gave a snorting laugh but stifled it quickly when Kate gave him a reproachful look. An involuntary smile flashed across Jack's face. When had their faith and trust in him started to feel this good?

-

Jack's brief smile didn't escape Sawyer's notice. In fact, very little seemed to pass him by. With all the talent he had, it seemed almost ironic that he should end up a simple general store owner. But sometimes, he thought it might be better to separate himself from the "criminal arts" for a while. At least he could tell himself that he was capable of doing something else. For years now, he had felt like he was in a rut. The endless stream of marks and getaways and one-night stands was feeling less like the freedom it promised and more like a cursed life. He could pull off a tough job and feel something like a sense of accomplishment, but as the money started to run out, the urge to do it all again would drag him away like an addiction. He supposed this must be how a werewolf feels. At peace for only a few weeks at a time before the full moon rose and the next hunt began. And what could release a werewolf from his tortured existence? Only the destruction of the beast who had cursed him in the first place. Yeah, the curse of the were-con.

But over the past few months, he had noticed his thirst for revenge, as well as his urge to hunt, draining away as if a plug had been pulled out somewhere deep down inside him. The space the darkness had once occupied was quickly being filled by something else. It hit him suddenly that his eyes had been following Kate's long hair for the entire time he'd been thinking. It wasn't as if he didn't know the reason. It just surprised him every so often.

-

Kate could feel Sawyer's eyes on her, as she had many times before. Sometimes she wondered how that was possible. Without literally having eyes in the back of her head, that is. She remembered her mother saying things like that. Was she turning into her mother or something? And that was the question, wasn't it? The one she asked herself every time her soul seemed to resonate with Sawyer's. She could see Wayne's face in her mind again. She could hear him saying she was beautiful through the haze of alcohol, less than an hour before she killed him. The loathing boiled up again, like a lump in her throat and she swallowed it back down. She knew that none of this was Sawyer's fault. He cared, she could sense that, and she cared too. She just had some issues to work out. But how could she make him understand? She didn't want to have a big blowout with him like Charlie and Claire had.

She had been watching all of that with great interest. There had never been a question in her mind that they would get back together. After all, Charlie was the only father figure Aaron knew. They were a family. It didn't seem to matter that Charlie wasn't Aaron real father. At least, it never mattered to Charlie. Something told Kate that even if Claire's ex came back into the picture, Charlie would be able to handle that too. Was it a lack of love that had torn her own family apart? Or too much love maybe. Without knowing what the mistake really was, how could she avoid it? She turned slightly to look over her shoulder. Sawyer met her gaze and flashed a grin.

-

"What are you looking at?" Kate demanded.

"What? I'm not allowed to look at you?" Sawyer protested.

"That depends. What are you up to?"

"Nothin'! Why do you think I'm up to somethin'?"

"Because you always are."

"Since when?"

"I don't know. Since you were born, I guess."

"Unbelievable! Aren't you the hardened criminal here?"

Jack willed himself not to turn around. If he watched them, it would only encourage their behavior. Hurley laughing was enough to keep them going anyway.

"Jack, he's making fun of me."

"Well, hell, she's pickin' on me."

"He's annoying me."

"He's annoyin' me."

"Now he's mimicking me."

"Hey! Quiet down back there," Jack snarled over his shoulder. It was bad enough they were heading off on a dangerous mission. Now he had to deal with this?

"Yeah, quiet down."

"She's yellin' at me."

"He's looking at me."

"She's ignorin' me."

"He's breathing on me."

"Ow! She's hittin' me."

"Don't make me reach back there," Jack said as he kept walking. Maybe if he played their little game, they might just do as they were told for once. "I'll turn this group around if you don't shut up. How many times have I saved you guys from certain death? And this is the thanks I get?" He was rewarded with perfect silence from his companions. At least, for half a minute.

"I'm hungry."

"I have to pee."

"Are we there yet?"

Jack's face turned bright red. As much as he hated succumbing to the silliness in this situation, he couldn't help laughing with them.