Fruit Picking, Doors, and Screams

Title: Fruit Picking, Doors, and Screams

By: SawyersGirl4Ever

Rated: T

Summary: When Kate goes off with Jack for the day, Sawyer thinks she is cheating on him. What will he do when he finds out what they were really doing in the jungle?

Status: This will be three chapters.

Author's Note: This takes place in season three, as if Jack and Juliet came back to the beach at the same time as Kate and Sawyer after being captured by the Others. A little bit AU.

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or any of the characters

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Chapter 1

"Mornin' Freckles," Sawyer said softly as he rolled over to face Kate. She smiled up at him. She'd been spending the night in his tent ever since they got back from the other island three weeks ago. Kate told him it was because she didn't want to be alone, but it was really because she didn't want to let him out of her sight. After all he'd been through during their captivity, she couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to him again. Seeing Pickett pointing the gun to Sawyer's head had caused her to scream that she would do anything as long as he didn't kill Sawyer. No one knew better than she did how it felt to believe that the man she had finally allowed herself to love would be taken away forever. And she wasn't about to let him come that close to dying again. To that extent, they had been almost inseparable since returning to the beach.

Kate put her hand up and brushed the hair out of his eyes. "You need another haircut." She smiled a coy smile, similar to the previous time she'd told him the same thing.

Sawyer slid his arms around her and pulled her to him, gently grazing his lips against hers. "Don't think so, Freckles. Last time you damn near cut my ear off."

"Well if you held still like I told you to…"

Kate was interrupted by Sawyer's lips crushing hers. She gladly opened her mouth to allow his tongue entrance. Before long, their morning ritual was in full force. They both enjoyed making love in the morning, before going out to face whatever the island had in store for them during the day.

Kate rolled over onto Sawyer and sat up, straddling his hips. Sawyer gazed up into her emerald eyes, the reflection of love in them mirrored in his own. He slowly moved his hands up underneath her small tank top, lifting it over her head in one smooth practiced move. Kate leaned down and pressed her soft lips to his. This is what unconditional love feels like, she thought. Sawyer's thoughts mimicked hers exactly. It didn't matter to either of them what the other had done in the past. They both knew they had changed, and how much they were loved now. Sawyer ran his fingers through Kate's hair as their tongues fought for dominance. Two strong willed souls, neither giving up, but both giving in.

They were so preoccupied with each other that neither of them heard the shuffling footsteps outside the tent, or the tent flap being pulled back, or the gasp that was emitted from the person standing in the doorway. "Ah-hum." Nothing. The man cleared his throat again, louder this time. "AH-HUM."

Kate sat up, startled, crossing her arms over her chest. "Jack."

"Ever think of knockin', Jackass?" Sawyer asked as he sat up, putting one arm around Kate, pulling her toward him, and pulling the tattered blanket up around her with the other.

"Well, I would Sawyer, but your door is a bit flimsy."

"Gonna have to get that fixed so this don't happen again," he muttered.

"You'll have time to do that today because I'm stealing Kate away for a while."

"What the hell you talkin' about, Doc?" Sawyer asked, glaring at Jack. Kate looked at Jack questioningly.

"The trees around here, they've been pretty much picked clean of fruit. We're running low. When the hatch imploded, all the food was destroyed. We don't know how often these Dharma people make food drops. So we need to hike out into the jungle, find more fruit. Kate's the best tree climber here," Jack explained.

Kate and Sawyer both looked at him suspiciously. "You actually want me to go with you, on a hike in the jungle?"

"Somehow I don't see Hurley climbing banana trees, Kate."

Kate smiled. She looked at Sawyer. She was feeling a little restless. She'd been hanging out on the beach with Sawyer most of the time since being back. There'd been the occasional trip to the caves for fresh water now that the hatch was gone. They'd even gone back to "their" waterfall one afternoon. She'd visited with Sun and Claire a few times, but mostly, she spent her days reading to Sawyer (since he hadn't been able to find any other glasses that were close enough to his prescription), playing backgammon with Sawyer, and playing cards with Sawyer and Hurley. She'd even taught Sawyer to play golf, and he had managed to do better than both Hurley and Charlie. Of course he still couldn't compare to Jack. Must be all those Wednesday's spent on the course back in the real world Kate had told him, trying to make him feel better.

But this was a hike. Now that they were safely back on their island, she was getting the urge to explore. Maybe Sawyer was right, and tigers don't change their stripes after all. She was born to run, but the difference was that this time she wasn't running away from anything. She was happy with Sawyer, but damn, she craved a little bit of adventure.

Sawyer could see the spark in her eyes. He knew how she hated sitting still, staying in one place. He'd seen her pacing in her cage when they were captured. One night, when she thought he was asleep, he had watched her, counting her steps. Five thousand six hundred and seventy two. More than a mile she had walked back and forth from end to end in her cage before finally lying down. She was a tiger, but now she was his tiger. "You go ahead, Freckles," Sawyer said. "I'll just stay here on the beach. Maybe work with Jin on his English lessons."

Sawyer had been teaching Jin to speak English. Well, Sawyer's version of it anyway. Jin was proficient with nicknames and cursing, although no one knew if he was aware that Lardo and Hobbit aren't actually Hurley's and Charlie's real names. And the day that he had a whole net full of fish, and the net slipped out of his hand and all the fish swam away, the first thing out of his mouth was "Son of a bitch!" Sun just happened to be walking by at the time and heard him. She had told Sawyer in no uncertain terms to teach Jin only good words, because she didn't want Jin saying anything bad in front of the baby after it was born.

"But Sawyer, I don't think I should leave –" Kate began, but he cut her off.

"I'll be fine, Freckles. You ain't foolin' me. I know you been staying on the beach 'cause of me. If it was up to you, you'd be out there climbing every tree in the damn jungle. I ain't too fond of you goin' out there alone, but Jacko here'll take care of ya, so you go. Have fun."

Sawyer and Jack were beginning to get along most of the time now. Unbeknownst to Sawyer or Kate, Jack had seen Kate lying naked in Sawyer's arms on the monitors over on Other Island, and he had realized that she was happy. Given his own feelings for her, he had decided to operate on Ben, making a deal with him to let them all go free. When Ben died on the table, Juliet admitted that she had poisoned his IV because she also wanted to get away. Jack and Juliet had run out of the operating room and found Pickett preparing to execute Sawyer while another of Ben's guards held a gun to Kate's head. When neither put their gun down at Juliet's command, she had immediately shot them both. Then all four of them had escaped on the sailboat that the Others had taken the day Sun shot Pickett's wife. Juliet was now living on the beach with them. Kate had given her tent to her since she was staying with Sawyer, and Juliet and Jack seemed to be getting closer by the day. Juliet had informed them that without Ben, the Others would probably never show up again, but Kate wasn't sure if she believed her, and therefore still didn't want to leave Sawyer alone, even though Juliet had assured her that it was only Pickett who actually wanted Sawyer dead, as revenge for his wife's death.

Kate smiled at Sawyer with a sparkle in her eyes. "I love you," she said as she stood up with the blanket around her. "I'll get dressed and meet you at your tent in about five minutes, Jack."

"Fine," Jack said, turning to go.

"Hey, Doc," Sawyer called. "Keep her safe."

"I always do." Jack walked out of the tent.

"You sure you'll be ok?" Kate asked Sawyer as she put her water bottle in her backpack.

"I'll be fine, Freckles. You're only going to be gone a few hours. Now get out, go have some fun." He couldn't believe he was giving her permission to go have fun with Jack of all people. He trusted Kate, and since Jack had helped them escape and was seemingly beginning a relationship with Juliet, he felt more at ease when they spent time together. Maybe this island does cause miracles to happen he decided.

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"So Jack, what's this about picking fruit? There were four bins full when I was in the food tent last night."

"Oh, we're not going to pick fruit, Kate."

Kate looked at Jack quizzically. "Then… what…?"

"Follow me," he stated and walked towards the treeline.

Kate picked up her backpack and followed Jack into the jungle. After walking silently for about ten minutes, curiosity was getting the better of her and she finally asked, "So why are we really out here, Jack?"

"You'll see," he replied calmly.

Kate rolled her eyes at him. Then she stopped dead in her tracks. She spoke sternly. "Jack!" Jack stopped and turned to face her. "The last time I followed you without knowing where we were going, we got captured, caged, and tortured. I'm not moving until you tell me where we're going, and why."

"Fine. Here's the story…" Jack began.

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There will be two more chapters. Good? Bad? Please review:)