A/N- Tahtnks again to everyone who reviewed. This chapter is longer, not by much, so I'm sorry. To Smilez4eva, I agree with you, I loved that scene. Anyway, this chapter goes into their pasts a little. The italic part is their dreams, but you are all smart enough to have figured that out. So without further adou, here is chapter 3.

It seemed to both Kate and Sawyer, that God must have a sense of humor, because the world was such an ironic place, at least when it came to their lives.

As Kate sat, staring out at the depressing landscape before her, she couldn't help but think that the dreary weather was rather fitting at the moment. She felt like shit. The last few days had not only been physically draining, but they had been mentally and emotionally draining as well. With everything that had happened after the crash, she barely had time to rest let alone contemplate anything.

When she had been sitting on the plane, wrists sore from the handcuffs, all she could think about was how to get away from the marshal, and not wanting to go to jail. Then the plane crashed and the marshal had died and there didn't seem to be any hope of a rescue any time soon. It would seem that her problems were solved, that she should be happy. But trading one prison for another wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Granted, here she was able to move about freely, make her own choices about where she slept and what she ate, but she was still stuck in a place she didn't want to be.

She had always been good at coning men, but the one man she couldn't con, the one man she had ever fallen for, had left her just like her father had. The worst part was, on the island, she couldn't run from him or her problems. She had to face them, and she would have to face him too. And if their next encounter went anything like the last one, she didn't know what she would do. But she would worry about that later, right now she was too tired to think about anything. And slowly, to the soothing sound of the rain, she drifted off to sleep.

The little girl woke to the sun shining through her bedroom window. It was her birthday today. And her daddy was going to get her a pony. He had tried to keep it a secret from her, but she was just too smart and too cute, to keep the secret for long. And when he told her that she was going to get the pony they had looked at a month ago, her eyes had lit up with so much happiness that he could have sworn she just found the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. It was the last time that he, or anybody, would see that look in her eyes again. Not until 17 years later would that look grace her eyes, and when it did, no one would realize just how much it truly meant.

The little girl got out of bed and made her way downstairs knowing that her daddy would have already been up for a couple hours doing the everyday chores he always did. But when she got downstairs there was a note waiting for her on the fridge.

Happy Birthday Freckles,
I'm sorry I'm not there, but I had to go see a man about a horse. All the animals were fed, Rosie was milked, and Nova was let outside. I didn't have enough time to put hay in Aslan's stall before I left. If you didn't mind doing that one small thing, I'm sure Aslan will be much more comfortable when I bring him home. I should be back at 10:00am. Then we can start your birthday celebrations. Love Daddy.

Seeing that it was already 9:00am, the little girl quickly ate breakfast and headed off to the barn. It took her about half an hour to fork the hay into Aslan's stall, but she had made a few things to put inside it, so she ran back to the house to get them. She finished setting everything up shortly after 10:00am and was more exited then she thought possible. Every girl wanted a pony for Christmas or for her Birthday, but they rarely ever got one. All of her friends from school were jealous and wanted to come over as soon as she got him. She couldn't be any happier than she was today. But after 11:00am came and went, with no sign of her father, she started to lose a little of her excitement. She desperately wanted to see her new pony, and find out what was taking her father so long.

At 5:00pm, the little girl still hadn't seen her father. She had called Mr. Hanson, the man who was selling her daddy Aslan, but he said that her daddy never showed up that morning. After that, the little girl started to get worried. Where had her daddy gone? Why wasn't he here with her? What was going on? She ran over to the big oak tree beside the barn and began climbing. She had climbed this tree many times before to watch the sun set or to watch for her friends when they came. Today though, she climbed to watch the road for her daddy's truck.

She sat down on the platform her daddy had put up there for her and waited. After a short while, rain started to spit down on her head but she did not move. The temperature dropped and the rain came down harder, and still she did not move. The sun dipped below the mountains, the wind became stronger, the temperature decreased even more, and the rain began to come down in sheets, but the little girl didn't move. She was waiting for her daddy to return, and some say, she will always be waiting.

Sawyer took a chance and glanced over at Kate. The tears had dried on her cheeks and she looked to be sleeping. The world was a cruel, cruel place. He had to be stuck, on an island, with the most amazing woman he had ever met, but he couldn't be with her. He wouldn't let himself be with her, plus there was the fact that she was so obviously in love with the hero. But it didn't matter, because even if she liked him and not the doctor, he didn't deserve her. Not after what he had become.

Sawyer grew up hating a man for destroying his life, and then grew up to be the very man he despised. The world was a cruel place indeed. When he was pulling off the scam, he was happy and pleased with himself, not thinking about the Sawyer from his past. He hadn't thought about the man in years. But then why did he pick the name Sawyer this time around? He didn't know but one thing was for sure, everything was going smoothly and perfectly. It was going exactly as planned, until the little boy walked in. When the boy stepped into the room, that day so many years ago, was replayed all over again in Sawyer's mind. And when Sawyer came back to the present and looked into the eyes of the boy, he couldn't believe what he was about to do. He felt the pain all over again as if it just happened, and knew he couldn't follow through with his plan.

He remembered throwing the money on the floor, the screaming from the parents, wondering what he was doing, what was going on. He remembered the little boy. The questioning look in his eyes, and the fear evident in his voice. But the worst thing was the way the boy looked at Sawyer. It was that look that made Sawyer's eyes swell up when he read the letter. Whenever he read it, he couldn't help but picture that little boy, with that look in his eyes, handing the same letter to him. He loathed what he had become, and so should everyone else.

Sawyer looked over at Kate again and saw her shivering despite the humid weather. She was such a mystery, and he longed to get to know her better, but he wouldn't dare. She was right, he didn't have anyone or anything left to live for, and that was the way it should be. But maybe, just maybe, that could change. Maybe he could change, maybe he could start over. And what better place than here, and now, with her.

He took one last look at Kate then turned over onto his side and fell asleep.

He walked into the bar, and took a look around. It was like all the other bars he'd been to. Dirty, cheap, full of smoke and rough looking men. So far he had struck out, but something about the place, and the looks he got from the men, made him think that his luck might change. He made his way up to the bar and sat down.

The bartender saw him and slowly made his way over. "What can I get for ya kid?"

"Just a beer thanks," he replied.

"I don't know Paul, he don't look old enough to me," said a man a couple seats to his left, to the bartender. Then he turned to him, "Are you even out of high school yet son?"

"What's it matter to you?" he responded.

"Wow, we got a feisty one here Paul," said the man to the bartender, a grin spreading across his face.

"Leave the kid alone Nick," chided Paul as he placed a beer in front of him.

"Well come on Paul, this doesn't exactly look like the kind of place someone like him would usually hang out in, now does it?"

"I couldn't care less; all I care about is gettin' paid."

He pulled out a ten from his wallet and placed it on the bar as he picked up his glass and took a swig. He couldn't just come right out and say what he wanted; he had learned that the hard way. So he just sat there drinking his beer, waiting for his chance.

"Well you might not care, but I do. So come on son, spit it out. What you doin' in this place?"

"I came for a beer," was all he said.

"But why this bar? I'm sure you could have found one more your type just down the street."

"It looked pretty from outside," was his response.

"Sure it did. Come on, we're all friends here, you can tell us."

He looked over at the man for the first time, but couldn't see his face because it was hidden behind shadows and long hair. Nick got up from his seat, with his own beer in hand, and took the seat next to him. It was then, that he was able to see his face. He almost choked on the swig of beer he just took, as he recognized who was sitting right beside him. It was him, it was him. He started to reach for the letter, in the breast pocket of his coat, when he stopped. He realized that it would not be enough, to just hand him the letter then walk away. This man would probably just read the letter, throw it in the garbage, and then laugh about it to his friends later on. It would not have the affect he hoped for. He was young when he wrote it, and was also naive to think a man like him would be heartbroken over what he had done so many years ago. No, he would have to make him pay for what he did. And only then, would he give this man the letter.

"Come on son, spill it."

"Well," he said, "I need some money real bad, and I was hoping someone here would know someone I could talk to about maybe getting a loan."

But my dreams, they aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

So there is the end of chapter 3. I hoped you liked it and that it was long enough for those of you who wanted it longer. I'm going to be busy for the next few days so I don't know when I'll be able to update again. Please don't hate me, I promise I won't keep you waiting that long.