So, this is my first ever Lost fic. I couldn't get this idea out of my head, I just hope I've done Kate and Sawyer some justice... This is a non canon compliant deleted scene from Exodus.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lost or any of its associated characters.
She finds him in the jungle, slick with sweat as the sun beats down on his bare arms and back. He doesn't seem to notice her presence, so she shamelessly watches the muscles swim beneath his skin as he brings the axe down on the wood in front of him.
"You gonna stand there gawkin', Freckles?" Sawyer doesn't turn around, but she can hear the smirk in his voice. "Or you gonna come over here and wish me farewell?"
"Farewell?" Kate repeats. He stops chopping and faces her, shaking his hair back from his eyes.
"However you want to see me off," he says, and grins. "If you're stuck, I got a couple fine ideas." She rolls her eyes, but she can feel a small smile begin to spread.
"I came to wish you luck." Not farewell; she's never been good at that. Sawyer nods.
"Thanks." His eyes roam over her face curiously before he looks away again, dropping the axe and picking up his shirt. "You write a message for that bottle?" he asks, glancing back. Kate shakes her head. "Me neither," he admits, buttoning his shirt up. She lets this settle, knowing neither of them has anybody out there to read their words.
"What's the wood for?" She gestures to the log by his feet.
"Mike needs a mast. And I need to get back in his good books. Hopin' this oughta do it." He smiles, and his dimples deepen. She's going to miss him; it hits her like a wave and makes her step closer.
"What about you? You runnin' back off into the jungle?" She shrugs.
"Someone has to go." Sawyer chuckles, but the sound is warm.
"And you can't sit still." Kate stays silent, his eyes quietly daring her to deny it. Then she drops her gaze, sighing.
"I'm not used to it," she says honestly. He doesn't ask for further explanation, and she doesn't offer any. The sunlight is beginning to tingle on her skin, and as she watches it shine over the leaves she finds herself looking almost fondly at them.
"Do you really think you won't miss it?" she asks. "We've been here so long."
"It ain't Neverland, Freckles." He shakes his head, like he's clearing it of some undesired thought. "No, I ain't gonna miss the island." He looks out at the trees all the same, following her gaze. The small talk is running out. Kate tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, more nervous than she expected to be.
"Can I ask you for something?" Sawyer turns to her voice, and she realises he was waiting for her to come to the point the whole time. She's not used to being read so easily, and it makes her stomach drop a little. "If you get rescued…" she trails off. He looks at her expectantly. "Don't mention my name."
"I won't," he says. "If you make me a deal." She raises an eyebrow, and he looks openly into her eyes. She agrees, despite the tight nervousness now pooling in her chest.
"In case we do get rescued, all of us." He pauses. "Find me before you run." She lets out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding, but doesn't look away. He is not asking to know where she's going, not asking to come with her, not asking for anything, she realises, beyond seeing her one more time. This is a promise she can afford to make.
"Okay," Kate says, voice small and quiet.
"And in case we don't," Sawyer continues, eyes burning. He closes the distance between them and takes her face in his hands, kissing her roughly. He's pulled away before she has the chance to respond, and he smiles at her.
"Good luck," she says again, ignoring the tiny words she means: don't go.
"You too, Freckles." He lets her go, and she feels the words weigh down on her, unwanted. He picks up the raft's new mast, hauling it over one shoulder, and turns toward the sands she has somehow come to love.
She watches him leave.