A/N: This is my first Skate story ever. Actually it's my first and probably my only Lost story ever. I always pictured Kate's and Sawyer's future post-island to be like this, but for some unknown reason, I never wrote it before. Here it is now, in the hope it will stop haunting me night and day :)
The sound of fast, headlong typing on the laptop resounded loudly, echoing in the silence of the late Thursday night. Kate checked the clock. It was past 1:00am and Sawyer was clearly still up. So late, again. She stretched an arm, lazily, trying to overcome the pressing need for sleep, and reached for her night-gown. She turned towards the door and noticed the very feeble light outside. Certainly the desk lamp in the study. With slow, silent steps, she walked towards the light and stopped on the doorstep, leaning against the doorpost with a light smile. Sitting at the desk, lost in his job, Sawyer didn't seem to have acknowledged her presence. Not until she took a few steps in and stood beside him.
"It's late," she whispered softly, as she peeped discreetly at the words appearing in quick sequence on the screen and recognized in them a familiar, yet long lost memory.
"I know," Sawyer answered, his deep voice reverberating in the quietness. "I just want to finish this chapter," he said, as he looked up at her with a light smile and a knowing, mischievous look. A look she knew very well. "You don't want me to stop in the thick of it, Freckles, do you?"
Kate shook her head. The words cage and floral dress caught her attention in a pleasant, yet somewhat wistful way. More than four years had passed from that day. So many things had happened. So many things had changed. So many people had entered her life, for a brief moment, for a few years. All of them had left an indelible mark, either in a good or negative way. But she was happy that the one person that entered to stay was Sawyer. With all they'd been through, with all the people they left behind, that got lost along the way, she often – more often than what she wished to – found herself thinking about Aaron. She wondered how he was doing, if he was happy, if he would still ask for her, if he missed her like she missed him.
"You know that we could find him if you want…" Sawyer asked, knowing the special affection Kate always had for that little kid.
Still, Kate knew it would be wrong. She had left him. And she had left him with the only person who had the right to raise him, aside from his legit mother. She didn't say anything, she didn't need to, for Sawyer already knew the answer. She walked behind him and leaned forward, gently circling his shoulders. She breathed deeply in the light, yet still persistent trace of his cologne. It was such an enjoyable feeling. She rested against his head, reading the words as he started to type again. "I can't believe you are really writing this," she commented, not hiding a hint of pride. They all moved on. In one way or another, they all moved on with their lives. At least in the appearance. Because leaving behind what happened on that island was something they might never succeed into. All of them tried to forget those events in their own way. All of them were still trying to fight old demons, nightmares, sense of guilt, regrets. Sawyer had found his own special way. He was putting all those feelings, all those memories - both the good and bad ones - into words. Some memories were painful, some others left a smile on their face. Still, they had both realized that it was of help to read them together. It was an effective and somewhat therapeutic way to relive those moments, then close them in the black and white pages of a book.
"Writing the book or writing us having sex?" He joked.
Kate smiled and rolled her eyes. "Cut it out and come back to bed, Mr. Pulitzer," she made fun of him, then started to walk back to the bedroom, confident that he'd catch the invitation. Indeed, she heard the light click of the lamp switch and the sound of Sawyer's bare feet getting closer with quick steps in the now complete darkness of their home.