AN: I wrote this a couple of years ago, somewhere in the middle of season four. This takes place after the cage scene, but before Sawyer shows any interest in Juliet. I usually write things that are pretty long, but I feel like Sawyer and Kate like to keep things short and sweet, so that's how I wrote this one-shot. You don't need to know much about the plot to understand this. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the TV show Lost.
Kate didn't even try to hide her annoyance as Sawyer walked into her tent without permission. He had just disrupted her first good night's sleep in weeks. It wasn't easy to sleep when you were on an island in the middle of nowhere, constantly trying to help protect random strangers that you're stuck with, and trying hard to hate the man you love.
"What do you want, James?" she snapped, not in the mood for his banter. It always ended with her having sex with him, anyway. Instead of answering her question, he sat down, uninvited.
" I said, what do you want, James?"
"It's nice to see you, too, Freckles." He didn't elaborate, which angered her even further.
"Look, Sawyer, I'm not in the mood for your mind games. I just want to get some sleep. So tell me what you want so you can leave."
"Whoa, whoa, Freckles! Take it easy! I was just bored so I thought I'd stop by. But if you want me to leave…"
He slowly edged his way towards the front of the tent, and Kate got the all too familiar pang in her heart that she tried so hard to suppress as he slipped away from her. In the midst of her exasperation for her incapability to hate Sawyer, she didn't even realize the strange, animal-like grunt that escaped her mouth as she clutched his arm, preventing him from going anywhere.
The fact that she knew that Sawyer didn't return her affections really wasn't helping matters, either. She once thought rude, brooding Sawyer to never be capable of love. Now, though, she wasn't quite so sure.
Sawyer looked at her smugly, only fueling her irritation.
"Seriously, Sawyer; what the hell do you want? It must be midnight."
"I heard you calling out my name and figured you wanted me."
Damn. She must have been sleep talking again. She had been having a particularly nice dream, in which she and Sawyer actually managed to get off the island.
How was she supposed to respond to that? "Umm… I was sleeping."
He raised his eyebrow. "So you were dreaming about me?"
She scowled. "I can't exactly control my sleeping habits, James. Besides, I was dreaming that we got off this island and I never had to see you again."
He scoffed, actually looking hurt for about a millisecond.
"What would you do without me, Freckles?" Oh, Sawyer. It never takes you long to bounce back, does it?
"Well, let's see: I could live a long, healthy life. I could get married and have kids…" As she continued to babble on, she noticed a possessive gleam in his eyes as she talked about getting married to another man.
"And what happens when that man finds out that you're lying to him about your identity? About the fact that you're wanted for being a criminal?"
She stared him down, hating the fact that he'd made a valid point. "Well, maybe I'd just come clean. If I was really going to marry him, it'd be because he'd love everything about me, including all of my flaws."
"I could do that," he muttered quietly. Kate probably wasn't supposed to hear that, but she did.
"What?" she asked, astonished. Ever since that night in the cage, she and Sawyer and pretended like they had never even professed their undying love to each other. Why would he start now, of all times?
They sat in silence for a long, long time before Sawyer finally spoke.
"I already do love you for who you are, flaws and all. Maybe you're just looking too hard for love to find it."
She blinked out the tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall. Sawyer really did love her.
Now that she was hearing out loud what she had already known all along, the idea of tough, sarcastic, cynical Sawyer loving her didn't sound so ridiculous, after all.
"Why are you telling me this now, Sawyer? Why not before? You told me that you only told me you loved me because you thought you were going to die."
He shook his head. "No, Kate. I told you that you only told me you loved me because you thought I was going to die. I never said anything about what I said."
She squinted her eyes, trying to take in this information. She'd worked so hard to believe what Sawyer had said was true, even though, deep down, she knew it wasn't. Now that he himself said that he had lied to her, her brain was swimming with confusion. She needed sleep.
She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep it together as James watched her with excited, nervous eyes.
"Well, Freckles? What are you waiting for? Do you love me or not?" His voice was not the careless, monotone voice that he usually spoke in whenever he talked about his past or his feelings. His voice was actually happy, for once. All Kate wanted to do was hear his voice sound like that again.
When she could stand it no longer, she all but shouted, "Of course I do!"
Sawyer bent down to kiss her, and she eagerly met him halfway. When their lips touched, it felt like she was home again. She felt safe, secure, wanted, and, above all, loved. She looked into his blue eyes, tears streaming down her face as he softly combed through her long hair with his fingers.
Their tender moment, however, was ruined when Hurley rudely opened the tent without asking if anyone was in it, not looking fazed in the least to see holding Kate protectively.
"Hey, dudes. Sorry to wake you. Have either one of you seen the toilet paper? I'm all out."
"Hurley!" Sawyer yelled, lunging for him and running after him as he made his escape. Kate shook her head as she watched their childish antics, laughing softly as Hurley tackled Sawyer to the ground. Sawyer was no match for his…err, rather large frame.
"Some things never change," she muttered to herself. Fortunately for her, though, some things can, too.