Chapter 6

It was morning when, awoken by a zipping sound, Sawyer opened his eyes.

A few feet away, Kate was on her knees, staring at an open suitcase. She wasn't moving, and he could tell she was thinking about the person it had belonged to. While he personally would have no problem taking stuff from a dead person (they didn't need it anymore, right?), he understood why Kate couldn't do it.

He began to sit up, but every inch of his body hurt from his fall. His muscles were also sore from all the walking they had done the previous day and he couldn't help grunting in pain. Kate turned her head to look at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"I feel like I've been run over by a bus, but aside from that I'm good," he replied flippantly.

Seeing he was alright, Kate pensively gazed at the suitcase again.

"I'll take care of the luggage, Freckles," he told her lightly. "Why don't you go and find us some breakfast?"

"I saw some passion fruit just outside the caves," she said, clearly relieved. "I'll go get some," she decided, getting up.

Sawyer mimicked her, groaning some more as he did.

"Need a hand, old-timer?" Kate mocked him as she passed by him to exit the caves.

"Funny," he retorted, unable to quite mask his grin.

Now alone, Sawyer walked over to the suitcases, thinking about the previous night. He had been no fool to Kate's seduction game, but had gone along with it, figuring no harm could come of it since he wasn't planning on telling her anything. Being touched that gently had actually been a balm to his scarred soul and his guard had gone down a little. But then the mention of his mother had felt like a punch in his gut and he had burst out in anger.

Both their emotions had been so close to the surface that, to his own surprise, he had ended up telling her his name. He hadn't planned on doing that, but, caught in the moment, he had. What was going on with him? She showed a little interest in him and suddenly he felt like pouring his heart out to her?

He sighed. What a couple they made, two murderers looking for a shoulder to cry on, for someone to like them in spite of what they'd done.

Pathetic.

Vowing not to reveal anything else about him to Kate, Sawyer pushed these thoughts aside and began looking through the wreckage in search of two backpacks. One for each of them. Fortunately, he quickly found a couple of decent ones. That done, he crouched near the suitcase Kate had left open and began sorting things out.

He stuffed all he could inside his. Soap, clothes, books, dirty magazines… Maybe they'd never find other survivors, but if they did he figured all this stuff was better in his possession than in someone else's, wasn't it?

For Kate, he found toiletries and girly magazines, but it wasn't until he opened the last suitcase that he found clothes that could fit her. Some pants, t-shirts… even a pair of good walking shoes, which he set out aside for her to try on. He grinned widely when he discovered a red lace babydoll and put it inside her bag, chuckling as he imagined the look on her face when she found it. Maybe she'd even wear it for him one day? Well, a man could always dream, couldn't he?

Satisfied with himself, he was zipping the bag up when he heard a scream and a big thud coming from outside the caves.

"Kate!" he yelled, hurrying in her direction.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her lying down on the jungle floor, not moving. He rushed to her side and knelt down.

"Kate, are you okay?" he said urgently, checking her out. There was no blood apparent, but it didn't mean she wasn't hurt, especially if she had fallen down from that big tree hovering over them. She must have climbed up the tree to grab the passion fruit from the vines ascending high on the rock, he figured.

"Kate!" he repeated, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, not knowing what to do. In a repeat of their first meeting by the waterfall, Kate's eyes fluttered open at that moment.

"Are you okay?!"

Kate stared at him for what seemed like an eternity before she replied feebly:

"Yes, I… I'm fine… but… who are you?"

Sawyer froze upon hearing her words. He was about to abandon himself to panic when he noticed a twinkle of amusement in Kate's eyes. She was toying with him, being the experienced conman he was, he could tell. The hell if he was going to let her get away with it, he decided, repressing a smile.

"Don't you remember me? I'm Jim, your husband… Let's see if I can jog your memory," he said before leaning in to kiss a suddenly wide-eyed Kate.

"Hey!" she gasped as she turned her head to the side, causing his lips to brush her cheek. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Gotcha," he replied with a smug grin, not pulling back. "You shouldn't play with the master, Freckles."

"Get off me, James," she countered.

The mention of his first name stunned him for a split second, but he quickly recovered. Coming from Kate's luscious lips, it actually didn't sound half-bad.

"Are you sure, Freckles?" he drawled.

He saw a hesitation in her eyes before she gazed at his lips. The whole thing barely lasted a second, but he was trained to see that kind of thing. As his terrified brain urged him to get the hell off her, something equally strong inside of him kept him from moving. He felt frozen until she spoke again.

"Yes, I'm sure," she finally breathed out before pushing him off her and proceeding to slowly get up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sawyer asked her, his concern returning as he saw her wince in pain.

"Yeah, I am," she told him more firmly than before. "I got the wind knocked out of me when I fell, that's all."

Sawyer glanced up to the branch she had most likely fallen from and then looked down to the ground. Just two inches from where her head had rested was a rock. Retrospectively worried, he tried to shake off the thought that she'd almost died and picked up the few passion fruit that had fallen near them.

"Well, Jane, let's eat those and get on our way," he told Kate, who nodded in approval.

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They were now nearing the black smoke and Kate was beginning to experience a familiar feeling of anguish in the pit of her stomach. Since telling Sawyer about her past and seeing how he didn't seem to judge her for it, she had felt more carefree than she had for a long, long time. But now that the time might be near when she'd have to face other people, anxiety was creeping up on her. What if Sawyer told someone she was a fugitive? She had to ask him what he intended to do and try to change his mind if she needed to.

Now.

She stopped walking abruptly and Sawyer bumped into her as she turned to face him. Swiftly, he put his arms around her in order to keep her from falling to the ground.

"Well, hello there," he drawled seductively.

But Kate didn't react the way he'd have expected her to. She didn't even smile and, sensing she had something serious to say, he let go of her.

"What is it, Freckles?"

"James… I…" she began, locking her hesitant eyes onto his wondering ones, "There's something I need to know before we get to the beach."

"Ask away, Sugar pop," he replied with fake nonchalance, but his eyes telling a whole other story.

The moment to come would be a defining one and it took Kate a couple of seconds before she had the courage to speak.

"If we do find other survivors… Will you…" Kate paused and took a deep breath. "Will you tell them that I'm a murderer?"

She couldn't look at him for a second, but when she did, she saw in his eyes a brief glimpse of hurt and she prayed she hadn't just ruined everything by doubting him.

"Don't worry, Freckles, your secret is safe with me," he finally replied, his intense gaze on her, and immediately Kate knew she could trust him. In his own way, he'd given her his word.

They were still standing very close and Kate was so relieved and thankful that, on an impulse, she leaned in and kissed him lightly. Then, realising what she'd just done, she proceeded to pull back but, instantly, she felt Sawyer's hands around her mid-section, holding her firmly in place.

While her pulse quickened, their eyes locked, but right at this moment they heard noises coming from the bushes near them. In a flash, they separated and drew their guns. They stood there, unmoving, until a short man emerged in front of them.

"Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, alarmed. "Don't shoot! I'm… just… I'm Charlie! I'm a survivor of flight 815!"

Kate and Sawyer exchanged a look and they put their guns back in their waistbands, prompting the man to let out a relieved sigh.

"Who are you?" Charlie wanted to know.

"We were on the plane, too. I'm Kate and this is-"

"Sawyer," he cut her, gazing at her meaningfully. She got the hint and frankly she wasn't surprised he'd shut himself up again. They had bonded over the last two days, revealing things about themselves they wouldn't have if placed in a different situation. But now they weren't alone anymore and it changed everything.

"Are you alone?" Kate asked Charlie.

"There's over 40 of us down at the beach," he replied, gesturing behind him. "Come with me, I'll take you to Jack."

"Who's Jack?" Sawyer wondered.

"He's the doctor," Charlie explained. "He's sort of our leader."

"A doctor… great," Kate heard Sawyer mumble as they followed Charlie to the beach.