Title: Hot Child
Author: Lazuli
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Lost is owned by that glorious bastard, J.J. Abrams. Love you, sugarplum.
Summary: A mercilessly hot day on the island inspires Shannon Rutherford to "take a day off". Swims, laziness, and hanging around the men of the island seem like a perfect way to pass the time. More importantly, she wants to know why Sayid has been avoiding her…
Chapter 10
"…In The City"
She never really understood when people felt that life moved in slow motion. To Shannon, an experienced and seasoned partier, life moved at the speed she made it, whether it be from nights of dancing at a club, to speeding through the streets of Italy in a silver Ferrari at two in the morning, to ingesting deadly amounts of alcohol and drugs. She wanted to live her life quick and hard, because she knew that the faster she made it, the faster it would be over. And so far, life wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
So when her friends always described a kiss with a man as "slow motion", she'd throw back her head and laugh hysterically. To a woman who didn't understand the concept of slowing down, this notion was almost alien. She'd knock back another rum and coke, and drunkenly order them to stop smoking so much goddamn weed, and here's a fistful of dollars, and go do another body shot of that gorgeous bartender who's been giving you the eye for the last five minutes. That'll take care of that problem.
Slow motion was for movies and old people. Not for bored, young, beautiful, rich socialites.
Imagine her surprise when all her friends turned out to be right.
Kissing Sawyer had never been part of the plan.
It all happened so slowly, that Shannon could have sworn that if she broke away that instant, everyone would be stuck in a freeze frame, their mouths gaping, their fingers pointing, and their eyes wide and shocked. She knew they had everyone's attention, what with Sawyer yelling at the top of his lungs, Kate angrily admonishing him, and Charlie abandoning his guitar and running to the beach at top speed. And most of all, she knew they were all looking at the screwed-up "love triangle" that was exploding on the shoreline. Hell, if she were an onlooker, she'd probably be as interested as the rest of them. How could you not be? It was human drama at its best.
Not to say that the feel of Sawyer's lips on hers was entirely bad. Though Shannon knew (in her stunned state) that she would most likely slit his throat as soon as they parted, she couldn't deny that the man knew what he was doing. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, then dipped it slightly into her mouth, dancing with her own.
Sawyer ran his fingers through her hair for added effect, and it suddenly occurred to her that this was the first man she'd kissed since her step-brother. What Sawyer didn't realize, was that Shannon would most likely be the last woman he would ever kiss. Ever.
Just when Shannon had gathered the nerve to push him away, she felt their bodies suddenly part, and she abruptly fell to the sand when he dropped her. Shaking her head, she whipped around and saw Sawyer being flung into the ocean headfirst, and a blur tackled him around the middle and started punching him with a frightening speed.
Sayid.
"NO!" she screamed, and struggled to get to her feet. A hand flew out of nowhere and landed on her shoulder, pinning her back to the sand. She looked up, panicking. Claire. The blonde Australian shook her head worriedly.
"Don't get in between them!" she gasped, her eyes still betraying the shock she felt at Sawyer's action. Shannon brushed off Claire's hand and jumped to her feet.
"I'm the reason they're doing this!" she yelled back, disregarding Claire's anxious attempts to hold her back, and ran after the fighting pair in the ocean. By this time, Michael, Jack, and Boone had gone after them, and were frantically trying to pull them apart. All attempts failed, and though they tried again and again, Sawyer and Sayid would rear back and attack whoever was trying to get in their way. It took a hard blow to Jack's forehead by a frenzied Sayid to stop them, and they helplessly fell back. After hitting Jack, he threw the doctor out of the way, grabbed Sawyer's hair, and brought the blonde head down on his knee, snarling. The dull knock from the impact was flinching.
Sawyer fell into the ocean, momentarily stunned. This gave Sayid enough time to launch himself onto Sawyer's back and attempt to choke him from behind. Miraculously, Sawyer gained enough clarity to jut out an elbow at the rushing man, which caught him directly in his stomach. Sayid let out a strangled cry, and clutched his stomach, his eyes shut in pain, his muscles tensed. Sawyer straightened, and wiped blood from the cut Sayid had caused on his forehead.
"Not nice," he growled, and delivered a roundhouse punch to Sayid's face. However, Sayid reared back seconds before Sawyer's knuckle would have hit his chin, and brought his arm down on Sawyer's elbow. The Southerner let out a grunt of pain, and drew his elbow close to his chest like a wounded bird. Sayid wiped his chin, his face twisted in pain and anger.
"I am not," he spit out, each word sharper than the next,"a nice man." Churning through water, he caught Sawyer off-guard, and punched him square in the chin. Sawyer went down, cursing.
"Someone's gotta stop this," Michael panted heavily, leaning over, his hands on his knees, "Christ, Jack, they're going to kill each other!" Jack could only watch them powerlessly, hoping that Sayid's cool reason would kick in.
To their surprise, Shannon raced by them and jumped headlong into the ocean towards the two skirmishing men. Sawyer knocked Sayid back with an uppercut to the chin, which caused the smaller man to be knocked to his feet, buoyed by the water. He was still for a second, and then pushed himself back up. The two men splashed through the water towards each other at full speed, eyes murderous, intentions for the worst. They both pulled back their fists and lunged at each other, when suddenly, a screaming Shannon dived between them. The three bodies hit each other with a sickening thud, and they fell into the water, creating a huge spray.
"SHANNON!" Charlie had finally had enough, and leaped over the small waves, splashing and jumping until he reached them. He reached Sawyer first, and noticing that the floating man was stirring, left him alone. Sayid had already recovered consciousness, and was trying, his eyes dazed, to reclaim his balance in the furious current. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around for the familiar blonde hair. He turned around and around, his eyes panicked. Nothing. He looked back towards the shore, to see if she had already made her way back. All he saw were confused survivors. No Shannon.
"SHANNON?" he yelled desperately. Finally, behind a descending wave, he saw a pale hand emerge from the inky black water. Charlie sucked in a breath, then pushed Sawyer out of the way and splashed towards her. He grabbed her hand and pulled. Her face broke through the surface, and Charlie's stomach plummeted to see a large gash on the side of her face. He regained his footing in the sand, and hauled her to a standing position. Shannon's eyes were closed, and she was clearly unconscious. Charlie's terror increased, and he began smacking the unhurt side of her face, pleading for a sign.
"Charlie!" he dimly heard a voice through the frenetic thoughts in his head, and his head whipped to see that Jack was wildly making his way through the small waves towards the two of them. Boone, Jin, Michael, and Hurley had already dragged Sayid and Sawyer back to shore, where they were being both treated and yelled at by Claire and Kate.
Jack finally reached them, and had pulled Shannon out of Charlie's arms with a lighting motion, and the three of them half-swam and half-ran back to shore. When they reached land, Jack threw Shannon down onto the beach and immediately tried to illicit a response.
"Shannon?" he gasped, still shaking water out of his eyes, "Shan, can you hear me?" When she didn't answer, Jack jerked his head up at the circle around him.
"Get back!" he yelled, "We need to give her air!" Jack leaned down, tilted her head up, and pressed his lips to hers, administering CPR. He reared back up, and pressed down on her chest. Nothing happened. He tried again.
A scuffling was heard outside the circle, and several people were pushed aside as Sayid burst through and fell to his knees besides Shannon.
"Is she alright?" he cried, and shook her arm, "Shannon! Shannon! Jack, what do we…." He helplessly grabbed Jack's arm, "Jack, if she dies-"
"Get off of me!" Jack screamed, and pushed him away. He pounded Shannon's chest. She didn't respond. Sayid fell back on to the sand, staring at Shannon's lifeless body. More sounds of scuffling were heard, and Boone and Sawyer burst through the same place Sayid did.
"Shannon!" Boone cried, his face pale, "Oh, Jesus Christ…"
"Is she breathing?" Sawyer demanded, "What the hell is going on?"
"Everyone calm down," Kate suddenly appeared behind Sawyer, placing a hand on his back, breathing hard, "Let Jack do his thing." She looked at Jack, who was still frantically working on Shannon, "Oh my God."
"Breathe," Claire whispered, her eyes glittering with tears. Locke came up beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder. She buried her face in the older man's shirt, shoulders heaving.
"Why isn't she doing anything?" Boone was screaming, "Why the HELL ISN'T SHE DOING ANYTHING?" Jack never responded, just kept applying pressure to Shannon's chest, and blowing air into her mouth. Boone rounded on Sayid and Sawyer.
"If she dies," Boone cried, a tear escaping at the end of his eye, "I'll kill you two, I swear it."
"She's not going to die!" Claire's voice was muffled through Locke's shirt. Sawyer was breathing heavily and still clutching his elbow, his face overcome by horror at the scene before them. Sayid was motionless, staring at Shannon. At Boone's threat, he started.
"If she dies, Boone," he whispered, his voice breaking, "You will not have to worry about killing me." Kate finally broke down and started to cry. Boone, panting heavily, looked at Sayid, who never took his eyes of Shannon. Sawyer closed his eyes and clenched his fist, bringing it to his forehead.
Jack was about to lean down and blow more air into Shannon's mouth when her eyes snapped open and she sucked in a harsh breath. He fell back, momentarily surprised. Shannon coughed, the action causing her frail body to convulse.
When she first breathed, an almost holy stillness overtook the group for a millisecond. They stared in bated silence, hoping that this wasn't a vision, or a fevered daydream. However, when she let loose that small cough, a riot broke out. Boone broke out of his trance and fell to Shannon's side, drawing her body up in a crushing hug. Her weakened arms flailed fleetingly, then mustered enough strength to deliver one small pat of reassurance to her stepbrother's back. Jack, catching his breath and wondering at his luck, finally shook out of his grateful reverie and pulled a protesting Boone away from Shannon, and, with a strength he didn't know he could still possess, managed to push both Sayid and Sawyer back.
"She needs," he gasped, "to rest." He pulled her to a sitting position, then slightly turned her body around.
"You swallowed some water," Jack said, "You need to get it out of your system," he had barely finished the sentence when Shannon leaned over and retched, seawater pouring from her mouth onto the sand. He rubbed her back encouragingly.
"Good job," he whispered, and with Hurley and Jin's help, climbed to his feet. Boone raced back to his sister's side, Claire and Charlie on the other. Sawyer and Sayid hovered above them, their feud forgotten in the wake of Shannon's near-death experience. Jack felt his doctor side rise up once again, and he staggered towards them, waving them out of the way.
"I need her up at her tent," he told them, "She still needs to be treated for that wound on her forehead, in case there's a concussion," he glanced at Sawyer and Sayid, "You better come, too." He bent down to pick up a water bottle, when he felt himself caught up in a suffocating hug.
"You saved her," Boone gasped, "Thank you." Touched, Jack patted him on the shoulder, and the younger man stepped back to help bring a weakened Shannon to her tent, followed by Charlie and Claire, who were keeping Sawyer and Sayid at bay with the icy fury of their glares. Jack turned to Hurley, who was shaking his head.
"Hell of a party," he joked, and wiped water from his eyes. Hurley only snorted, and turned away. Jack bit his lip.
"Hey," he called out, causing Hurley to stop and look back, "I meant it. Other than the stuff that just happened….it meant a lot that you did this. Thank you." Hurley let a smile break out.
"It was something, alright," he remarked, "And we're totally doing it again," he stopped for a second, "Only without the whole fighting and almost drowning thing." Jack laughed, and started walking towards Shannon's tent.
Later on…
The two men sat across from each other. Sayid rubbed a sore spot on his face gently with a plant Sun had provided. Sawyer was holding a piece of cloth to his bleeding forehead. They said nothing, they only glared.
In between them, drifting in and out of consciousness, lay Shannon.
It was almost like a silent tug of war, this heated exchange over the precious object in the middle. Only while one was nurturing unfathomable pits of anger and pure jealousy, the other was torn between letting his trademark smirk slip out, or leaping over Shannon's body to throttle the other's neck.
Sawyer settled instead for continuing to glare at Sayid, who bristled and slowly made a fist with one hand. Talk about overreacting. He knew that kissing Shannon would have SOME effect on Sayid, but he obviously underestimated the man's feelings for her. Okay, so the plan backfired, but still, they'd proven a point. Sawyer knew that if there was one thing that another man couldn't handle, it was seeing the woman he loved receive a fervent kiss from another. At the most, he expected Sayid to yell at him, or punch him just once. He hadn't expected the other man to grab him around the neck, throw him out into the ocean, and proceed to beat the ever-living crap out of him. And he had. Sawyer had a hell of a lot of pride, but even he knew when he'd been beat.Bastard. He wasn't sure he even wanted Shannon hanging around with this crazy love struck moron anyway.
A small sigh from the figure on the ground interrupted his thoughts, and he and Sayid both looked down to see Shannon's eyes open. They scrambled to their knees beside her.
"Hey," Sawyer said in a soothing voice, "You okay, darlin'?" She lifted up a hand and gingerly felt the wound on her forehead. Jack had used some bandages to cover up the huge gash, and she looked a hell of a lot better.
"Ow," she murmured, squeezing her eyes shut in pain, her hand shooting back to her side. Sayid instantly grabbed a nearby bottle of water and brought it in front of her.
"Drink," he commanded softly, his eyes reflecting the happiness he felt at her being awake, "Jack recommended that you should ingest fresh water. You took in too much seawater when you fell into the ocean." Shannon opened her eyes, and gently brought the water bottle to her lips. Sayid's hand fluttered down to her knee, where he began moving his thumb in circles around her kneecap. She finished the water bottle off, then returned it to him gratefully.
"Thanks," she panted, "God, it feels like I licked the inside of a salt shaker," Both of the men smiled. Shannon's curt tongue could only mean improvement.
Shannon took a few deep breaths, then looked at the both of them in turn.
"I'm so sorry, Shannon," Sawyer felt the words spill out from his lips, "I can't tell you…I'm so goddamn sorry."
"As am I," Sayid continued, his eyes downcast, "I attacked Sawyer for purely selfish reasons, with no thought to whether or not other people would be hurt…"
"I provoked you," Sawyer sharp voice interrupted, causing Sayid to meet his steady gaze, "It was wrong." Sayid held Sawyer's eyes.
"You did nothing wrong," he responded, "I can…understand if the two of you wish to be," he swallowed, "together. I let my feelings get in the way. I apologize."
Shannon was quiet, but at this statement, she and Sawyer looked at each other. A small smile emerged, and he felt stupid.
"This was all wrong," he felt himself saying, "I don't...not in the way you think. I mean, I like her a lot, but-"
"-But it's not right," she interjected softly. Sayid looked confused.
"I don't understand," he said, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes searching both their faces. Sawyer suddenly felt the need to absolve himself without getting Shannon in trouble.
"I don't want her," he explained to the darker man. Sayid didn't say anything, just waited with bated breath.
"I don't want her," Sawyer said, "Not like you do." With that said, he rose unsteadily to his feet, and looked at them. Shannon's face was terrified, but Sayid's was one step away from pure joy. Sawyer reached down and brushed a strand of blonde hair out of Shannon's face.
"You really are something, Sticks," he whispered, and turned to Sayid, "You're a lucky man." Sayid still looked confused.
"Why…." His voice trailed off, and his head jerked around to look at Shannon, a dawning look coming over his face, "You mean, you feel something for me?" Sawyer chuckled, turned around, and simply walked away.
It was all up to Shannon, now. She watched Sawyer walk away, then said, "Not here. There's too many people." She stood up, and tugged a somewhat dazed Sayid up along with her, wincing from her cut.
"Follow me," she said tersely, and they slowly walked into the jungle.
The jungle
Sayid and Shannon had been walking together in silence for about an hour, him supporting her in her still weakened state,with only moonlight and a small torch stolen from a campsite to guide them. She led him on a path that twisted and turned around trees, under foliage, between rocks. The area looked somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.
She halted. He stopped next to her, watching her face. It looked like she was listening for something. Sayid was about to ask what they were doing, when her face suddenly lighted up, and she darted forward a few paces to pull back a few leaves that revealed…Oh, God.
The waterfall.
As shehesitatingly made her wayover the rocks, Sayid was motionless, stuck in a blinding flashback which involved him watching an unaware Shannon bathe naked in the pool. He gulped, remembering how hot it had made him feel, and he suddenly cursed to find himself overcome with that same heat once again.
"Sayid?" She looked questioning. He pulled himself together, stepped through the leaves, and joined her on a broad, flat rock. The two of them gazed at the waterfall in front of them, taken once more with its incredible beauty. Lit by the moonlight, it was the very picture of tropical magnificence.
"Pretty, huh?" Shannon commented, "I found it while I was out looking for Boone a few weeks ago. Just kinda stumbled on it, one of those things."
"It's very beautiful," Sayid answered. He didn't dare look at her.
"It's funny," she sighed, "After I found it, I swore to myself that it would be my secret place. Somewhere Boone, or Locke, or anyone could never find me. No one was allowed but me."
Sayid felt guilty.
"But the more I came out here," she took a step forward, absorbing the scenery, "the more I realized that I wanted someone to be here to share it with me. Someone who would appreciate how…alive…this place was. How quiet and cool it was," she turned to him, her eyes alight, "How beautiful it was."
"You are beautiful," Sayid whispered almost reverently. A deep blush covered her cheeks.
"Don't say things like that," Shannon bit her lip, her nerves fraying, "Don't say things like that to me."
"Why not?" Sayid was surprised at how loud his voice seemed to get, "Shannon, you smile at me, you bat your eyes, you tell me how much you like spending time with me, and then you abandon me for a man you know I despise? And what's worse, is after you almost die by what could have been my hand, you take me to this amazing place that you've deemed you're sanctuary because I'm the one you want to share it with? And then you tell me not to reveal how I truly feel!" He stepped so close to her that he could feel her breath tickle his face. She looked surprised, almost scared.
"Please," he grabbed her arms, "Tell me why I cannot say things like this to you." Shannon stared at him with her deer-in-the-headlights look, then suddenly broke free.
"Why?" She gasped, "Why?" She stumbled backwards, "You left ME, Sayid! You abandoned me! You can't say that this is my entire fault! I spend all this time with you, and one day you decide that it's all going to stop? That the last weeks that we've spent together meant nothing," she shook her head furiously, "It hurt so bad, Sayid. It was like you got tired of me, and threw me away like a freaking doll. And what's worse is that I can't believe I got so worked up over you, that I thought you even liked me!"
"I was frightened of getting close to you," Sayid told her, his voice breaking, "But now I see that it was what I actually wanted. You. Only you." He longed to touch her, but she danced out of his reach.
"That's rich," she sneered, "Now you sound like Kate." Sayid scowled.
"You have no business speaking of Kate that way. She is a good person."
"Like hell she is," Shannon shrieked, "Like hell any of us are!" She held up her hand, as a tear slipped down her cheek.
"Let's see, we've got a former junkie rock star, a single knocked up amnesiac, a prick of a doctor with a massive savior complex, an asshole Southerner who as soon steal your money as he'd steal your virginity, a freak of nature who obviously prefers living in a jungle then living with us, a woman who just has to have every man on the island want to jump her bones, a husband and wife who can't even look at each other, an Iraqi solder who tortures people for a living," she pointed a shaking finger at him, " and me and Boone."
"You and Boone," he repeated. She laughed, but there wasn't a single trace of humor to be found.
"Me and Boone," Shannon whispered, dropping her hands to her sides, and staring at him with a lost expression in her eyes, "Who spent their last night in Sydney, Australia in the same bed."
Sayid's mind completely shut down.
"…What?" he could only stammer out. It was impossible. Shannon…and Boone. Her brother. Shannon and Boone. In the same bed.
"He's not really my brother," she swayed from side to side, "He's only my stepbrother. But he's been in love with me since we were teenagers. And I always knew it. And I used him because of it." Her face finally cracked, and tears began streaming out of her eyes and down her face. She didn't look like she cared, though.
"What kind of person," she began to ask, but stopped, "Bet you think I'm disgusting now." He could barely meet her eyes. Shannon grimaced, and held her sides like she was in pain, still crying freely.
"Boone," she whimpered, "How could I do that to him? How could I use him for something like that? It's not even about the fact that his whore of a mother stole all my father's money from me when he died, anymore. He was still my stepbrother. And it was sick and twisted, and I'm horrible. I just….I just wanted to feel close to someone. Anyone." She made like she was going to cover her face with her hands, but brought them down at the last second, and looked up at him. He was still shell-shocked from her confession, only able to stare blankly and hope that his mind caught up with the present. Illicit scenarios popped into his head: Shannon, in Boone's embrace, arching her neck back in pleasure. Shannon, spread out on a bed, with Boone's face hovering over hers. Shannon, shutting off a light, plunging the scene into darkness. What was worse, was that the face wasn't even Boone's half the time. Sometimes, it was Sawyer's.
Shannon, parting her lips, ready to bestow a kiss. This time, the lips which waited with ecstasy to receive them were his own.
The images flew past his head, and now only one remained. The crying, broken woman in front of him. The woman who stole his heart, but was fearful of giving him her own because of how black she feared she had made it. He licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.
"So you want to know why I don't want you to tell me I'm beautiful?" her voice was hoarse from the pain. He watched as she took a few cautious steps towards him, afraid that he might run off like a skittish colt.
"I don't want you to tell me I'm beautiful," it hurt him to hear her so broken, "is because it makes me happy that the plane crashed," a fresh onslaught of tears came with this declaration.
"It makes me happy that this horrible thing had to happen so that I could forget all the bad things I've done in my life, all the times I've been a bitch, all the times I've used men to get what I wanted in life…..and most of all, it made me happy that we crashed because I never would have met you," it was too much. She collapsed in front of him, plunking onto the sand, staring up at his face, pleading for his forgiveness.
In the past 24 hours, Sayid had felt his heart break more times than he could even count. But none of them, not even the image of Sawyer's kiss, could strike him the way Shannon looked right now. Cheeks streaked with tears, eyes red and bloodshot, hair tangled, and collapsed in a sobbing heap at his feet. This woman, this girl, had torn down every barrier, every wall she had ever built, and bared her soul to him. She had told him her deepest, darkest secret, and it was killing her to reveal any sorts of weakness that would make him think ill of her.
But were they so different? While Sayid had tortured people in the Guard for information, Shannon tortured people in her life because it was the only way she could feel loved.
A light burst through the dark cloud they had surrounded themselves with. Sayid felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders, and to think, it took a sobbing woman to help him. He saw spots dance in front of his eyes, and felt his forehead wrinkle. She felt the same way; she wanted him as much as he wanted her, perhaps even more. Shannon Rutherford had willingly taken a chance with her heart, and for perhaps the first time, had truly reached out to another person. He was shocked, he was touched, he was honored, but most of all, he was proud. Proud and happy that this amazing and blubbering mess before him had found the inner strength he always knew she had inside her, and that she had chosen him to reveal it to.
In that moment, Sayid knew he could fall in love with her.
Presently, the woman in question was still hovering beneath him, crying pitifully, preparing herself for an inevitable rejection. Shannon's heart was slowly crumbling into a million pieces with every passing second that he stared down at her. For awhile, she had herself convinced that nothing on Earth could be a worse feeling than losing her father or waking up next to Boone. This, however, was about a thousand times worse. The waiting, the ticking of the clock in her head, the knowledge that in about five seconds, he was going to open his mouth and tell her that she could take whatever she felt and go to hell.
"I'm sorry," she heard herself sniffle pathetically, "I'm sorry you had to hear this, I'm sorry that you had to know me, I'm just sorry, so sorry for everything." Shannon put a hand out in front of her, and used the rock to propel herself upwards so that she was facing him eye to eye.
Nothing could have prepared her for what happened afterwards.
As soon as she met his gaze, he reached down, grabbed her waist, pulled her roughly against his body, and slammed his lips down onto hers. She couldn't process it at first, didn't comprehend what was happening, didn't know why Sayid was holding her like he was afraid she would run away from him, or why he was crushing her body so close to his that she thought she wouldn't be able to breathe, and oh my God, was that his TONGUE?
Sayid brought one of his hands up to roughly grab her hair and wind it in his fist, while forcibly opening her mouth with his and shoving his tongue past her lips to mesh with hers. Her fingers were still against his back for a second, then they too reached up to bury themselves in his dark curls, pulling and tugging as she gasped and moaned, rubbing her body up and down against his. He let out a moan of his own into her mouth, hot and demanding, and she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his body. Sayid took a deep breath, and kissed Shannon again with every amount of passion he could find in his body. All the looks, all the smiles, all the laughter, all the dreams, and all the sleepless nights with his hand curled around the most intimate part of his body as he silently screamed her name….they all led up to this moment. This kiss wasn't just about lust, or love, or whatever it was they felt for each other, there was plenty of time to discuss that. This kiss was about pure possession. The need to establish a boundary, to show the world that they had claimed each other as their own, and that nothing, not even Death, could break their newfound bond.
It made them giddy, to be so full of THIS for each other. She threw back her head and laughed as he trailed hot and wet kisses down her throat, and he giggled like a child. Shifting her weight against his, he kept one eye on the path in front of him as he gently pressed her body into a tree, pushing and jerking, desperate to feel closer. Shannon responded by grabbing onto an overhead branch for more leverage to buck her hips against his. He groaned loudly at the sudden contact of her heat, and grinded into her, causing her to close her eyes and grab a hold of his hair again, forcing him to look at her.
"Stop," she breathed, almost moaning it. He rumbled against her chest, lightly licking the hollow of her neck.
"Oh, God," Shannon cried out as he grinded once more against her, "No, we have to stop now." Sayid paused, and pulled back slightly, a dazed and confused look on his face. Her own features were red, her blue eyes heated with desire, her tongue darting out to lick her lips.
"Why?" he growled sensuously, "You really want me to stop this?" He let his fingers trail down her chest, reaching for the tie in her sarong. Watching her eyes glaze over again, he gave her a cheeky grin and slipped his fingers into the front of her bikini bottom.
"Not really," she breathed, her eyes half-closed, "but…we have to." She shook her head as if clearing water, "Not like this." Sayid took a moment, and saw her rationalization.
"You're right," he gently let her down, "Unless you wish to join Claire as the first mothers of our group, it would be best to stop." She nodded gratefully, and stood next to him, awkwardly brushing off the leaves that had fallen into her hair. Sayid picked one out himself, and she smiled.
"So…yeah," she giggled, "That was pretty much the coolest answer anyone's ever given me." Sayid laughed.
"We all have bad things in our past, Shannon," he explained gently, placing a hand against her cheek and looking deep into her eyes, "But what is remarkable is how others can change our lives for the better." He played with her hair. "Just like you've made mine better." Tears welled up in her eyes.
"I don't deserve you," she choked up, and flung herself against him. He folded her into his arms.
"Yes," he kissed the top of her head, "You do."
At the beach
"Ridiculous sort of day," Charlie remarked, "Don't you think?" He leaned over and stared pointedly at Sawyer, who gave him the finger. Charlie snickered.
"Okay, Shannon," he said snidely, and stretched out on the beach, looking at the stars.
"Speaking of," he rode his train of thought, "Where did that daft bint go? You think a bit of almost drowning would have made her grateful. I didn't even get a bloody thank you for saving her life."
"I'm sure she'll erect a monument in your honor," Sawyer commented dryly, picking at his fresh bandages. Charlie rolled over and looked at him.
"Jack do those?" he asked, interested. Sawyer gave him a look.
"No, the monster did," he snapped, "Who else, moron?" Charlie scoffed and scooted over next to Sawyer.
"I gotta say," he smirked, "The look on Jack and Kate's face after we told them why you really took Shannon to the luau was absolutely priceless."
"Apparently, the thought of me as a matchmaker is a little hard to swallow," Sawyer said, "though I do say, I'm pretty sure they hold me in higher regard than they used to. Thank the Good Lord we had Claire and Hurley to back us up."
"What can I say," Charlie muttered, poking a stick into the sand, "Everyone likes a good love story."
"Yeah," Sawyer agreed sarcastically, then suddenly perked up, "Speaking of swallowing…..BOONE!" Boone heard his name being called, and left Locke's side to trot over to them.
"What do you want?" he asked, a disgusted look on his face. Sawyer grinned. The day was not lost after all.
"Where'd your sister go?" he asked playfully. Boone's eyes narrowed.
"Like I'd tell you," he spit out, "You'd probably go molest her in her sleep, you sick freak." Sawyer laughed.
"Only if you're watching, Peaches," he drawled loudly, which cause Boone's eyes to widen, and he ran back to Locke's side like a whipped dog. Charlie started uncontrollably snorting with laughter, then stopped and pointed.
"Hey, look!" he said, "There she is!" Sure enough, Shannon and Sayid had emerged from the woods.
Holding hands.
"Oh my god," Sawyer and Charlie were shocked, and stared at each other, "It really worked." As they watched, Shannon saw them out of the corner of her eye, and waved. She whispered a quick word to Sayid, then shared a lovely kiss with him. He watched her fly across the sand towards Sawyer and Charlie, then made his way to his tent, happy and content.
"We made up!" She launched herself at Sawyer and Charlie, hugging them both around their necks, squealing and laughing, "…And then we made out!" The two made faces behind her back.
"Er, that's lovely and all, Shannon, but you're choking me," Charlie managed to squeeze out. Shannon stopped and pulled back, an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry," she said, but her face lighted up again, "He's my boyfriend!" Sawyer arched his eyebrow.
"For some reason, I'm having a hard time with you using the word 'Sayid' and 'boyfriend' in the same sentence," he told her. She swatted his shoulder.
"That's for kissing me, you big dork," Shannon said, scowling, "Great idea, by the way. Only NOT."
"Hey, it worked," Sawyer raised his hands defensively, "You got the boy in the end. Congratulations." Shannon grinned once more.
"That's true," she flopped herself on to the sand between them, "Thanks, guys. I could never have done this without you. Oh, and thanks for saving me in the water, Charlie." He threw up his hands.
"Finally!" he exclaimed, and then playfully ruffled her hair, "You owe me nothing, gorgeous. Just hold on to that man of yours." She tickled him in the side, then laid her head on Sawyer's hips.
"You guys really are my best friends here," Shannon said. The two men shared a grin.
"Likewise, Buttercup," Sawyer said. Shannon sighed.
"I should really go to bed," she said, touching her wound once again and wincing, "It's been a long friggin' day, and I need rest," she propelled herself to her elbows and grinned at the others, "I'm not allowed to go sleep in Sayid's tent, because we'll probably end up-"
"No need to hear!" Sawyer stuck a finger in his ear and clamped his lips shut. Charlie yawned.
"I should get back to the caves," he said, "Claire's waiting for me. She'll expect a full play-by-play of what went down out there from you in the morning, by the way. And take it from me, it's not worth worrying a pregnant woman." He experimentally moved his arm where Claire had angrily punched him for going after Shannon in such dangerous waves. She'd burst into tears and hugged him a second after, thanking him over and over.
"Too bad we weren't in the city," Shannon said, staring at the stars, "We could totally go out for drinks right now."
"I'm afraid to see you in the city," Sawyer teased, "Breaking every heart that comes across her path."
"Dressing up like Aphrodite herself and dancing away like a bloody flamenco woman," Charlie added. Shannon ignored them both, and looked towards Sayid's tent. The fire outside was still flickering.
Consequences be damned. She thought. She still had a few condoms in her bag. She'd just have to grab it on her way over there. Her friend was right. She was going to hold onto this one with all her might.
Turning around, she looked at Charlie and Sawyer. Two men who she could never picture herself being friends with.
"So, what do you guys want to do tomorrow?"
End Chapter 10
Author's notes: Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story from the beginning to the end. It was a joy to write, and I hope you all liked it. There won't be a sequel, but I do have another Shayid fic in the works. Thank you again.
