Chapter Twenty-Five: "…and an old rocking chair."

Shot of Andie and Sawyer walking through the jungle. Andie is constantly looking up at the trees around them.

Sawyer: Ain't you gonna tell me what we're doing out here?
Andie: When I find it, yes.
Sawyer: Find what?

Andie suddenly stops, points to a tree and smiles.

Andie: That.
Sawyer (sarcastic): A big ass tree. Wow.
Andie: Not just a big ass tree. It's a gum tree.
Sawyer: Say what?
Andie: Since Australia is the closest country to this island, I thought we might get lucky and there'd be one of these around somewhere. And I was right.
Sawyer: I'm still not following.
Andie: I'm sick of waking up covered in sand. Then I heard Claire humming this song. "Give me a home among the gum trees." And I thought; yes, I can do that.
Sawyer: You wanna live in a tree?
Andie: No, I want to make a house out of my tent. I want to make walls.
Sawyer: Out of bark.
Andie: Exactly; there you go!
Sawyer: You're serious?
Andie: Look, Sawyer, not all of us have a fancy piece of plane wreckage with tarp thrown over it to live under. If I want walls, I'm gonna have to make them. And there is bark all over this joint.

She gestures to the island.

Sawyer: So what do you need me for?
Andie: Muscles. Duh.

She turns and smiles at him.

Andie: Come on; let's keep moving.

Andie continues into the jungle. Sawyer follows. As he follows her, she removes a hair tie from her pocket and starts to put it up in a ponytail. Sawyer watches her; leading into…

FLASHBACK.

Shot of Sawyer watching Andie. She's putting her hair up in a ponytail in a café where she's sitting at a table with Danny. Sawyer is watching from behind at the corner of the bar. Sawyer watches the two of them speak. Then Andie suddenly gets up and walks out. Sawyer moves over to sit with Danny.

Sawyer: How'd it go?
Danny: As well as I thought. Andie learned all she knows about kicking-ass from Gordy so she feels like she owes him. But she also reckons he would leave her hanging if he could make a buck from it.
Sawyer: He's a con, that's what we do.
Danny: Yeah, but she don't know that. And we gotta keep that from her. She's just gonna think he's taken off without a word of warning. That's all she can know.
Sawyer: Fine. This has to get done. Andie's smart; she's gonna know you're up to something. And she can't know I had anything to do with it.

Danny nods slowly. Then he looks at Sawyer.

Danny: She got to you, didn't she?

Sawyer looks back at him.

Danny: She got to me, too. Something about her...she's like...an angel

Danny raises his glass and then finishes his drink in one swallow.

Danny: So, you got the money?
Sawyer: Gordy's sticking it in an off-shore account tomorrow.
Danny: He called me yesterday asking if you were for real. He figured you'd fallen in love. Apparently it's happened once before. Cassidy?
Sawyer: I ain't in love.
Danny: And I told him as much.

Danny takes out his wallet and leaves some cash on the table for the bill.

Danny: I tell ya, Sawyer, I've never gone to these lengths to protect a girl before.
Sawyer (quietly): Yeah...
Danny: Until tomorrow.
Sawyer: Sure.

Danny leaves. Sawyer doesn't watch him go. Close up on his face ends flashback.

END OF FLASHBACK.

Shot back to the island.

Shot of Andie pulling bark carefully off a tree in a large sheet. Sawyer helps her.

Sawyer: So tell me, darlin', how do you think you're gonna make walls from this?
Andie: There're miles of that long grass near the beach. Bark is easy enough to sew together; especially when it's damp. Then I'll just lean it against the trees my tent is tied to and voila, my very own beach house.
Sawyer: What's next? Banana leaf curtains?
Andie: Y'know I wouldn't be mocking someone who very soon will be having killer beach house parties. You might not get invited.

Sawyer laughs about to say something, but the shrubs in the distance start moving. He stops and walks toward them. Andie chucks the bark on the ground and watches him.

Andie: What is it?
Sawyer: Ssh!

He moves even closer.

Suddenly there is a loud roar, the smoke monsters roar, and it crashes through the trees right in front of them. Sawyer turns to Andie.

Sawyer: Run!

Andie looks somewhat frozen. Sawyer grabs her hand as he runs past her and they take off in the other direction.

Flash to black. The monster roar screeches over the blackness.

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