"Come on, come on!" he urged her, not letting go of her hand.
Sawyer didn't have to tell her twice. Kate evidently knew full well that her life depended on how long she could keep on running at that pace. But they had been dashing through the jungle for quite a while now and he was very aware that they wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer. He couldn't see them when he looked behind, but it didn't mean they weren't there.
His legs were starting to burn, his smoker's lungs were about to explode. He kept on tripping over roots and rocks, but there was no way in hell he was going to stop and let them take her again. Not when he had seen the fear and despair in her eyes as Tom-the-Other-formerly-known-as-Zeke had closed the cage door after her. She had run a long time to avoid finding herself behind bars, and now her worst fears had come true. That's why he had done everything he could to get her out of there.
And he had succeeded.
For now.
Everything would depend on the next few minutes. Should one of them fall or reach their exhaustion point, they were lost, maybe for good. They might be separated forever. The thought was unbearable to him, so he forced himself to think of a plan, and fast.
But nothing came to his mind. They were two unarmed people in a jungle they didn't know, pursued by a dozen, maybe by a hundred crazy bastards who seemed to be straight out of a Pittsburg suburb instead of living on a frigging island in the middle of nowhere.
Damn.
Kate was beginning to slow down, he noticed, now having to pull her to make sure she'd keep on following him. If they couldn't defend themselves, there was no other option left but to hide. But where? Those freaks knew this place like the back of their hands, while he had never set foot on this part of the… Wait. This big rock… That clearing… He HAD been here before!
"That way! Hang on!" he exclaimed, now running with renewed energy until they arrived in front of a half-hidden door. Quickly, Sawyer opened it and pushed Kate inside before entering the dark room, too. He closed the door behind them, securing it as much as he could. Satisfied, he turned to Kate, who was standing close to him, panting against the stone wall. She waited for her breathing to slow down a bit to ask:
"How do you know about this place?"
"Ana and her buddies took us here before we set out to our camp," he explained.
"You were hurt," she just stated in reply, apparently saddened at the memory.
Sawyer, not used to be cared for, just shrugged.
"Well now I'm all good."
Kate flashed him a weak smile before letting herself slide down to the ground. She had the same look on her face she had had back in that cage, and once more Sawyer resolved to cheer her up.
He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her, comforting her just like he had after Ana and Libby's deaths. Kate didn't resist. Glancing at her, he realised just how different she looked in that dress they had made her wear. Kate had pretty much always projected the image of a strong, fearless woman. But dressed like that, with her hair down... Sawyer was seeing a whole other Kate. She suddenly seemed so fragile, all he wanted in the world was to protect her. Yes, for once in his life, he was acting in total selflessness.
"Don't worry Freckles, we'll find a way to get out of this nightmare. We'll get off this damn island, I promise you that much," he said with determination.
For a short moment she didn't reply, but then whispered:
"It'll be worse for me back there."
Sawyer sighed internally. He had said the wrong thing, reminding her that no matter where she was, she'd never be free.
"The marshal is dead, Kate. We'll find a way," he told her, trying to sound more sure of himself than he really was. It would be tricky, but if she let him help her, then maybe there was a chance they could get new IDs and let the Feds forget about them.
Kate must have believed in his reassuring words, because she rested her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around herself. He could tell she was scared and he held her protectively, hoping he was doing a good job in making her feel better. That was not something he had a lot of practice at, but he knew, surprisingly, he had succeeded at it before. He had had proof of that when they had first found each other again after waking up at the Others' mercy.
The emotions he had experienced then had been overwhelming; his need to protect her blinding him from anything else. He had gladly given her his hard-earned food, but for a second he had been scared of her reaction to his offer. He had had the irrational fear that she would mock him. But she hadn't said a word, only thanked him with her eyes, and he had been relieved. She got him perfectly, like no one had before her. No one.
From that moment on, he had known there was no way of denying to himself that he was desperately in love with her. At long last, he had let himself fall for her, and now the intensity of his feelings scared him to death. What if she didn't return those feelings? Was she thinking about Jack right now, still back at the Other's camp?
Kate suddenly lifted her head to look at him and in her eyes he saw something that told him that Jack couldn't be further away from her mind at the moment.
It made him happy but a bit uncomfortable, so he asked gently:
"You cold?"
"Yeah..." she nodded.
"I think there were blankets over there... wait a sec."
Reluctantly untangling himself from her, Sawyer stood up and went in search for blankets. When he found two, he took them back to Kate and wrapped one around her, leaving the other at their feet.
Kate looked at him gratefully as he sat back down next to her.
"Thanks..."
"You're welcome, Freckles."
They exchanged a grin and she settled back in his arms. For a minute or two they didn't speak and Sawyer almost dozed off. Sleep had been scarce lately... But Kate's voice suddenly caused him to open his eyes and he found her looking intensely at him.
"Back there..." she began hesitantly, "I think I would have given everything up to be able to sit like this with you... To actually touch you," she admitted.
Only a few days ago, the old Sawyer would have probably have chosen this moment to let out one of his infamous witty one-liners.
But not now.
Kate's eyes were staring at him way too tenderly, way too seriously for him to break the mood.
His silence must have encouraged her, because she freed her right hand from the blanket and slowly proceeded to stroke his stubbly cheek.
"Your presence has been very comforting to me, Sawyer… for longer than you know… more than you realise."
He looked away, unsure how to act, but Kate didn't let him wonder too long. She pressed her lips on his and a second later they found themselves kissing ardently. Sawyer almost felt dizzy from the sensation, his heart beating furiously. Kate was kissing him and this time there was nobody to stop them.
"I'm starting to like the taste of those fish biscuits," she chuckled when they finally had to breathe.
He grinned in response, before leaning in for another, hungry kiss. Their growing need was becoming evident and, soon, Sawyer felt her undoing his shirt's buttons and taking it off.
In response, he slowly pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders. But before he could go any further, she murmured:
"Wait."
Grabbing the blanket she had just abandoned, Kate spread it out on the ground and waited for Sawyer to join her.
They didn't waste any time getting back to business and shortly after that Kate's dress lay on the floor. At that moment, Sawyer wished the room hadn't been so dark; the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was naked in front of him and all he wanted at that moment was to know her, to touch her, to memorize every single detail about her.
He reached out, wrapped his arms around her, and held her. Skin to skin, she felt so tiny in his embrace that Sawyer felt a wave of emotion washing over him. Never in his life had he experienced such a strong feeling and suddenly the only thing that mattered to him was her. She was his, and he would protect her from everything, even if it meant the end of him.
"Kate," he began, his voice husky and low. She raised her eyes to meet his and he continued, "I love you."
The words had come out so easily, so naturally, he couldn't believe he had actually said them. But he sure didn't regret them, especially as Kate whispered in reply:
"I love you too."
The biggest smile ever spread on his face. Kate LOVED him. She still didn't know about everything he had done in his life; but she knew who he was better than anybody ever had. They were of the same kind and he thanked the universe for letting him find her.
His heart about to burst from the love he felt for her, Sawyer lowered her down to the ground. He was about to make love for the first time, to be with the woman who had saved him, and nothing was going to stop them.
The Others, the whole world for that matter, would have to wait for a few hours. Because from now on, there would be no more running on their part.
THE END