Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

-Take a Chance on Me-

By CharliesHoodie

A/N: Sooo, I just realized this is my last chapter in this story. Kinda depressing because I've loved writing this so much. So, next chapter is the last chapter but it's going to be an awesome finish.

Guess it's ok to tell everyone now, but Kiss and I are considering a sequel that'll probably be published sometime next year. Note I said considering. We have no actual plans or idea of where the sequel will go, but with the way this story ends, there's a lot open to explore what could happen afterwards. So, enjoy this second to last chapter!

-LOST-

During the moments after Kate told him that Ana slept with Sawyer and the moment right before he started yelling at Kate, a lot of things went through his head.

For a gun? All right, so it wasn't for pleasure or anything. It was for a purpose…to kill Henry and then not even go through with it and let him go! But it's not like she did it just because she wanted to…but she could've dealt with it in another way! She didn't' have to have sex with him!

"Why would you tell me that, Kate?!" Jack nearly screamed. But he knew he wasn't going to get that great of an answer from her. But it was better than him never knowing at all.

"I just thought you should know," Kate said honestly. And Jack noticed the pain in her eyes, too, and realized how much this hurt her just like it did him.

But Jack wasn't the apologizing type. He was the give-a-sorry-look-and-turn-away type of guy. And that's exactly what he did. He stood with his back facing her, running his hand through his close-cut hair and sighing. Kate was used to this exact scenario. It was nothing new for her.

"I'm sorry," Kate said, wanting to get this over. She actually wanted to talk to Sawyer. It would give her a relief to talk to someone who would directly confront her honestly instead of turn his back to her and ignore her.

Jack said nothing in response.

"I just thought I'd let you know," she said meekly, her voice breaking slightly. As much as she was content with where she was in her relationships (despite the whole Ana and Sawyer scenario) she still couldn't stand Jack being upset at her. It still wasn't new to her, but it was one of those things that stuck with you constantly until it was resolved.

But right now, it looked like nothing was going to be resolved.

At least with him.

-Charlie and Adie's tent-

"But I never stopped loving you."

The words rung in Charlie's mind as he lay awake in his tent, staring at the tarp ceiling. It was nighttime now, and Adie was asleep, still tied up and sitting up.

All the times he had felt like she would never care about him again, he was wrong. She really had cared a lot. And the best thing of all was that she still loved him.

-The Next Morning, Sawyer's Tent-

Sawyer hadn't even dared to talk to Kate yesterday.

He had dealt with a lot of women, and he knew that the best thing to do was to give them space. But in this case, he wasn't sure how much space he should give her.

He hesitantly left his tent as he pulled a gray wife-beater over his head. The sun was just rising and the sky was full of purples and pinks and oranges. Sawyer didn't realize it until now, but he had never taken the time to look at a sunrise and see its beauty.

He took a final look at the sky and walked a little ways down the beach. He saw Charlie over at the 'kitchen', filling up water bottles. No one else was really out on the beach this early except for the occasional freak that jogged every morning.

"What're you doing up?" Sawyer asked, feeling like he had nothing better to do than talk to Charlie.

"Getting water," Charlie answered. He was quiet, but not in an upset way. It was more of a distracted way, like something else was taking up three-fourths of his mind and the other fourth was focusing on keeping up with reality.

"…Why this early?"

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep."

"What, are you an insomniac now or something?" Sawyer asked, raising an eyebrow.

Charlie didn't answer at first. "Adie and I are in love," he finally said after awhile in that dazed, little-boy-has-a-crush way. Sawyer couldn't help but roll his eyes and let out a tiny snort.

"Haven't you BEEN in love?"

"Not exactly," Charlie admitted with a slight shrug.

Sawyer was about to give up on keeping up with all the goings-on on the island. He hated to admit it, but he was a little jealous of Charlie. Yes, he was bigger than Charlie, stronger than Charlie and certainly more desirable than Charlie (in his own opinion) but he didn't like the fact that Charlie could have a completely butchered relationship and then fix it all up again and be "in love." Sawyer didn't have that gift, and he was a little ashamed to admit it.

"All right, whatever," was all he said before turning back around and heading toward his tent.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, Kate ran right into him.

He had been concentrating on nothing in particular and she had been coming out of the woods, looking down at the sand and twirling a lock of her wavy hair around her long fingers. She was obviously deep in her own thoughts and wasn't paying attention when she bumped into Sawyer, who was in a similar state.

The sight of each other caught them off guard. Sawyer muttered something to himself and started walking quickly in the direction he had originally been heading. Kate collected herself and followed him.

"James," she said, emphasizing his true name. "We really need to talk about this."

He stopped. "Maybe you should start by calling me Sawyer."

Kate closed her eyes, her long lashes fluttering. "Sawyer…can we please talk?"

"Yeah," he said gently.

They had a hard time looking at each other as they went off to a secluded part of the beach where a small bay formed, about twenty feet across. They sat on the beach. Kate started.

"Sawyer, I need to know if this means anything to you."

"Of course it does," he answered. "This…you…are the most real thing I've ever felt," he said honestly.

"Then why did you do it?" Kate asked, her voice shifting slightly. "Why would you sleep with her?"

Sawyer considered taking her hand, but decided against it. "Back then…I didn't know…I didn't think I had a chance at all with you. I never thought that…that I could do as good as you. Girls like you aren't with guys like me. That's how it works. I decided that I had some pretty wild dreams to think that 'us' could ever happen."

"I don't see why," Kate said quietly. "I always though that…that we were…" she felt embarrassed to say it. "I always thought that we were kind of perfect for each other."

Sawyer's face visibly lightened up and Kate smiled slightly.

"You really mean that?" he asked warily.

"Yes. I do. So lets try this one more time…how much does this mean to you?"

He grabbed her face and kissed her deeply. She returned it. He pulled away.

"Now, look me in the eyes and tell me that didn't tell you exactly how much you mean to me."

-Charlie and Adie's Tent-

"Hey, where were you?"

Charlie looked over at her as he came inside his tent, pushing back the loose tent flap. "I was filling up water bottles."

"This early…why?"

A blush rose in his cheeks and he looked down at the sand. "I don't know. You weren't up yet, and I was bored and it was one of those nights where you can't sleep and you have to be doing something…"

He looked up and she was smiling at him. He felt a little more confident.

Charlie sat down next to her and looked down at her thin wrists that were tied together behind her back. He frowned slightly and touched the rough ropes. "I wish they'd let me let you go…"

Adie's smile faltered. "I wish, too."

"If…if I could let you go…I'd let you go...for real. I mean, I'd let you leave and go where you wanted to." It hurt him to say it, but it was true. He felt like he loved her enough to just let her do what she wanted. But he was also felt confident that she loved him enough to say.

But when she didn't respond with something like 'I love you too much to leave, even if I got the chance' he got a little worried, and lost some of that confidence.

In fact, she didn't respond at all.

He bit his lip and squeezed her shoulder. "I'll figure out some way to get you out of this, ok? You don't deserve to be tied up like this. No one does."

-Flashback, a little more than a week ago-

"I don't understand why we need that doctor and that James man," Adie said to Peter.

"Jack and James," Peter verified. He had a long coil of thick rope he was cutting into shorter pieces and separating.

"When are we taking them?" Adie asked.

"Soon," was all Peter said. He paused. "You don't seem too happy about it."

Adie shrugged. "Why should I be?"

He stopped what he was doing. "Because it's the right thing, Adie."

Adie was staring at the rope now. "You think that's the right thing? You think tying people up against their will for your own sick purposes is the right thing?"

Peter now put down the rope. "Adie, what's wrong?" He had truly never seen her like this. He had an idea that this is how she could turn out, though: rebellious and not believing in what they did.

"Nothing's wrong," she meant it to be sarcastic, but she also didn't want to get in an argument about it so she didn't make it too hateful. She bit her lip and started to leave the room. "You," she said, referring to everyone in general, "don't deserve to be tied up like this," she said, gesturing at the coil of rope. "No one does."

-Ana's Tent-

Ana was sitting alone, reading a book that wasn't her officer manual for the first time in her life. She had never been a reader. She hadn't even read assigned books in her English class. Now she was reading Sawyer's 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret' out of pure boredom. But, in her opinion, it was actually an OK book.

Jack walked in. She lowered the book so he wouldn't see the cover, but he got a glimpse of it and scowled. "So now you're reading his books, too?"

"Jack," Ana said quietly, feeling weak for one of the first times in her life.

"No, Ana, I don't want to hear your pathetic little story. I came to tell you that this…this thing that we have is over."

"Jack!" She stood up, dropping the book to the sand.

"Everything, from the moment I met you, has been one big, huge lie!" he exclaimed. "Everything! Henry, my dad, and now Sawyer? As if my life in general hasn't been hell!"

"You don't know what hell is!" she screamed at him, clutching her fists. "You don't know what it's like to go through all the shit I've been through!"

"I guess we have similar lives, don't we?" Jack snapped, turning to leave.

"We do," Ana said a little more gently. "And that's why we need to be together."

Jack glared at her. "Sorry, Ana," he said sarcastically. "If I already have a shitty life I don't want to add another shitty one to it."

"You're going to be just like your dad!" she screamed at him as he left. "Miserable, alcoholic and twenty kids scattered around the world!"

Jack was already out of her tent, but he could hear her clearly. People were staring at him, and for the first time, he felt heat of shame and embarrassment rise in his cheeks.

Sawyer and Kate were heading back from the little bay, hand and hand. Earlier, they had been laughing and joking. But when they saw Jack and heard Ana, they fell silent.

Kate looked up at Sawyer and raised an eyebrow. Sawyer looked down at her, bit his lip and looked over at Jack who was storming across the beach.

Kate squeezed his hand. This was how she wanted it to work out.

But when you want bad things to happen to people and it happens, regret comes with it.

Even though they deserved it to a point, Kate couldn't help but feel bad. But the truth also had to be out, and now it was.

And now things were generally how they ought to be.

-Charlie and Adie's Tent-

Charlie held the rim of the water bottle to Adie's chapped lips and turned it at a slight angle so it would easily run down her throat. She tilted it more her self so more would flow through. Once she had consumed a little more than half of the bottle, Charlie pulled it away and screwed the cap back on.

"Hey," she said a little breathlessly. "I'm still thirsty."

"Sorry," Charlie said, putting the bottle aside. "But I don't want you to drink too much, or you'll get sick or something."

Adie gave him a puzzled look. "You can get sick from drinking too much water?"

"Yeah," he answered. "People drink way too much water here and they literally throw up water sometimes. It's like…over-hydrating or something. I don't know."

Adie was still a little confused, but accepted it. She leaned her head against the wood stake she was tied to and sighed. "This is getting painful."

"I know," Charlie said regretfully. "I'm going to talk to Jack about it today…maybe he's in a better mood."

Adie smirked. "Jack? In a better mood? No…"

Charlie laughed, hardly able to stop himself. Adie giggled too and it got a little harder. Charlie finally stopped, face flushed. He kissed her on her tan, slightly sun burnt forehead. "I love you."

Adie blushed. "Yeah, same to you," she said smiling.

He paused. "Can I kiss you?"

"Why do you have to ask?"

"Because you're…like…tied up and it might be a little awkward if I just start making out with you and you have no consent…I'd feel like I was molesting you or something." He blushed deeply.

Adie smiled. "Go ahead."

He leaned forward and she tilted her head to the side as their lips met. It was probably the most passionate kiss they had ever had with each other, and for Charlie, it was the most passionate kiss he had had with anyone, which was really saying something.

When they broke apart, Adie kept her eyes closed and let her head fall back against the stake. Charlie moved closer to her and ran his hand up and down her thin leg gently.

Adie opened her eyes slightly and smiled at him.

But the thing that troubled her most was that it was almost a fake smile.

And the other thing that troubled her was that she was confused.

-LOST-

A/N: Yes, even though the story is coming to a conclusion, our characters are still pretty screwed up! We'll leave it up to Kiss to tie it all up…IF it gets tied up! We'll just have to see I suppose…

I had a joyful time writing this, guys! It certainly was fun! Check out my other stories if you would. See you in another life…story…yeah.

By the way, sorry about kind of abandoning review responses, but we appreciate them so much! It's kiss's fault that we're not... that's me now. I'm a very bad updater, we should've had this finished months ago... anyway, next chapter is the last one and will have a special dedication... thanks for sticking with us! I'll have it up before June 7th, so soon.