Quick notes: spoilers up to the moth. Nothing past because I haven't seen it yet, but I did sort of steal the whole sawyer-kate kiss from the previews, only probably with different results. I tried to get most of the main characters to have some sort of screen time but ultimately, I'm a Charlie/Jack geek, so that's sort of where my attention goes. Oh, and my computer hates me so don't kill me if the formatting kinda sucks.
Okay, quick notes over.
I.
It had been a week since the cave-in, and Kate still hadn't left Jack's side for more than thirty minutes. She would leave to go to the beach and then come back, frustrated, and try to talk Jack into coming with her. Jack would look at her, start talking about how much the caves had to offer, and then start trying to convince her to stay with him. The conversation wasn't getting very far.
"Kate, we have to be realistic. No plane is just going to swoop by overhead and see us all sitting on a beach, waving our arms around. If we want to survive, we're going to have to stop living in a dream world." Jack sighed, and stepped closer to her. "Kate, you know this is a good idea."
"I know it," Kate said. "I said it. The caves make sense."
"Then why won't you stay here?" Jack's voice was exasperated and Kate stepped outside of his reach, giving him a cool look.
"I'm not ready to accept that the rest of my life is going to be wasted away on this island. Why are you?"
Jack opened his mouth, tried to answer, and then turned away. "These caves are a good place," he said, ignoring her question.
"Oh, for Godssake," Kate said, just as exasperated, and stomped off.
Nearby, Charlie watched in some amusement. "Hey, Charlie!" a voice called to him and he turned around. Claire was making her way slowly towards him, smiling as she almost always did. "Hey. Whatcha doing?"
"Oh, watching our favorite pair of star-crossed lovers. They're a regular Romeo and Juliet, yeah?"
Claire laughed. "Yeah," she said, watching Kate walk out of sight. "She's a Gemini. I haven't had time to ask Jack yet but I'll bet the house that he's a Virgo. They might have some difficulties before they actually both acknowledge the fact that they're hot for each other."
"You know about astrology?" Charlie asked, interested. "Right on. What am I?"
"What's your birthday?"
"March 9th."
"You're a Pisces," Claire said promptly. "You're imaginative, sensitive, and kind. You probably rely on your intuition a lot, and you're very compassionate. You're a musician, right? That totally makes sense for a Pisces."
"Excellent!" Charlie said. "Doesn't make me sound like too bad of a guy. Don't Pisces have any bad traits?"
"Well, some," Claire admitted. "The tend to be escapists. And they can be secretive." She smiled lightly. "Do you have any deep secrets you're hiding from me, Charlie?
Charlie thought of his stash, burning as he and Locke looked on the night before. The withdrawals had gone down a bit but his fingers still trembled and he pushed them out of sight. "Everybody's got secrets, Claire," he said quietly and the two fell silent.
II.
Sawyer leaned back against a tree and looked appraisingly at Kate's backside as she stormed past him back on the beach. "You know, maybe you and Doctor Spectacular can find yourself a nice, cozy spot in the middle of the beach and the caves," he called out to her, smiling slowly. "You can compromise so you don't get that ole hot and bothered look you've got on right now."
Kate stopped in her tracks and turned around, glaring at him. "What exactly is it you want now?"
"Well, tell the truth, Freckles, I wouldn't mind finding that nice, cozy spot with you myself."
Kate marched back up to him and kneeled down in front of Saywer, staring at him. "Why don't you just go crawl into a corner somewhere and die, Sawyer? You're no use to anyone on this island anyway."
Sawyer's smile flickered for an instant. "Well, don't go saying things like that, darlin'," he drawled, "I'll think you don't like me."
Kate moved in closer to his face. "Stay away from me, Sawyer. Or you'll find just how much I don't like you." She got up abruptly and turned around.
"Don't be a stranger," Sawyer said as she walked away. "Sooner or later, you'll find out that I've got something you want!"
"Why don't you just leave her alone?" The voice came from behind him in the trees and Sawyer looked to see Boone standing there, staring at him in a puzzled manner. "Can't you see you're just making things worse for yourself?"
"Ah," Sawyer said, losing interest. "It's the wannabe hero himself. It must just burn you up that no one looks at you the way they look at the doctor."
"I'm not the one obsessed over Kate," Boone said, "and I don't think I'm the one aching to be Jack."
"I don't want to be no hero," Sawyer protested as Boone started to leave him to find Shannon.
"You say so," Boone said over his shoulder. "But that doesn't make you any less jealous."
III.
Michael sat on the beach cross-legged, staring worriedly out towards the waters. Nearby the waves, Walt was playing a game with Locke, who seemed to be content to take a moment away from being grand hunter of the land. Locke had obviously proven himself worthwhile on the island, finding Walt's dog, killing the boar, but Michael still didn't quite trust the old man. Something was weird in that man's head, and he sure wasn't happy about Walt bonding with him. Still, he didn't feel like confronting his son about it just yet. He wasn't in the mood for yet another argument.
Michael heard steps on the sand behind him. "Do you mind if I sit down?" The words were small, hushed, as if afraid of being overheard. Michael shrugged. "Go ahead."
Sun sat down beside Michael and stared out at the ocean, not saying anything for awhile. Ever since the incident with Sun's husband, the two had been creeping around each other, looking, meeting each other's gaze, but afraid to talk, as if there was some greater crime in it. "Your boy is very good," Sun said. "He's well brought up. Polite."
"None of my handiwork," Michael said, but for the first time since he had taken custody over the boy, Michael began to feel the stirrings of pride anyway. "His mother took care of him."
"About my husband---"
"No, no, no," Michael said, immediately shaking his head. "No, I don't even want to go into that."
"I just wanted to say thank you," Sun said regardless, ignoring Michael's protests. "For giving back the watch. I don't think there should be any more problems."
"You don't think," Michael snorted, and looked away. By the water, Walt was laughing at something that old hunter Locke had said, and Michael wondered what the two talked about, what could they be saying. Michael's eyes returned to Sun as she looked at him, waiting. She often had the look of obedience, someone in training, ever so willing to oblige and play pet, but every now and then there was something in her face that screamed independence, a willingness and a desire to be herself. He could see that look in her eyes now.
"Look. . .Sun. . .I'm just. . .that does not seem that type of guy you want to stick around with, you know what I'm saying? I mean, your husband seems to be just a little unbalanced in the head, a few marbles short of, well, whatever. I mean, why do you stay with him, anyway?"
Sun looked at him directly for a minute, her mouth open as if to answer his question, but then looked away, unable. She looked down at the beach and drew Michael's attention back to his son.
"Everybody needs something," Sun said quietly, and Michael looked back to her. Her eyes were no longer fixed on Walt, but on a flower in her hand. "Everybody needs something."