"What can I do for ya Freckles?" Sawyer smirked, he was happy she had come to see him, he never got tired of her. But he knew she didn't come to chat.
"Do you have a knife?" She quickly spat out. She didn't make eye contact with him, because when she looked into his eyes, her thoughts melted.
"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't" He looked at her and then began again. "What do you need it for?"
She sighed, "I need to cut some vines." She said, as she walked inside the tent.
"Why do you need to cut vines ?"
"Because I'm making something"
"What're you makin'? "
"Do you have a knife or not!" Kate yelled.
"Do you really think I wouldn't have a knife?" He stood up and walked by her, closer than he needed to, close enough that she could feel his body heat. He bent down and opened his backpack and pulled out a knife wrapped in cloth. He unwrapped it and held it out to her. She stared at it and then slowly moved her hand to take it from him. But as soon as she got close enough to grasp it, he pulled it back to him.
"I'll let ya borrow it, if you tell me what in the hell you're makin' out there."
She rolled her eyes and said "A raft."
Sawyer just looked at her. They stood in silence for a minute until Kate spoke again. "Can I have the knife now?"
He frowned. And said "Not yet, Why are you making a raft?
"Why do you think? I'm going to go around the island and out a bit to see if there's any other islands."
"Okay, that's good enough for me. Here ya go Sweetheart." Kate put out her hand and Sawyer went to give it to her. "I assume Jackass is going with you?"
"No, he needs to stay here and watch over people." Kate replied.
"Who's going with you then?"
"No one."
"No one? So you're telling me you are going on a raft to find other islands, and you will be paddling the whole way I assume-" Kate nodded "And you don't think you need anyone to go with you?"
"I didn't say I didn't need anyone to go with me." Kate said.
"So someone is going with you then?" Sawyer asked.
"Well I haven't found anyone who wants to go."
"Well I'm sure you can find someone, there's 40-something people here"
"No actually I cant. Sayid isn't better yet, Jack needs to stay here, Charlie is going through enough stress, Michael needs to stay with his son, Boone is still off with Locke in the jungle, Hurley…I'm not even going to ask him. I cant communicate with the Koreans, and there's no way Shannon would go. So yeah, I'm goin' alone" Kate took the knife and turned around. She began to walk out but Sawyer said something.
He put his hands up in the air and said, "Are you going to ask me?"
"No, because I know what you will say."
"Try me"
Kate sighed and said "Do you want to go?" Sawyer didn't say anything.
"Well, I cant refuse that offer, didn't know you cared so much Freckles. It's a date. When are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow at sunrise"
"Well I cant wait. What should I bring?" Sawyer asked with a cheesy smile.
"I'll be getting some food tonight, so just some water"
"Yes ma'am"
Kate walked away with the knife, back to the logs she had. She tied them together tightly with the vines, and stood up the metal sheet she had gotten, for shade. She took her duffle bag and walked in to the jungle. She came out 20 minutes later with the bag piled with bananas, apples, and some type of green leafy thing that looked like cabbage. Then she put her empty bottles of water in her backpack and walked on the path to the caves. It was around 9pm when she got there, and everyone was sitting around the fire. She went straight over to the water, and filled up her bottles. Sayid limped over to her.
"Jack told me you are planning on going around the island on a raft." Sayid said. His thick middle eastern accent clouding each word.
"Yeah, so?" Kate replied, as if it were no big deal.
"I don't think it is wise for you to go alone. If you wait a few days, until I am stronger, I will go with you"
"I'm not going alone." Kate said as she put the newly filled bottles in her pack. "Sawyer is coming with me." Sayid frowned. And looked at her wondering if she was joking. He continued staring at her until she said "Don't worry Sayid, I can take care of myself. I'll be fine."
"I think it is wiser if you wait until I can go." Sayid told her.
"The tides are changing rapidly, if I wait any longer it'll be too late." Sayid nodded. "I'll be back in 3 days maximum." Just as she said that Sawyer walked into the caves, and over to the water where Sayid and Kate were standing. He bent down and filled his bottles, without saying a word. Kate went over to Jack, who overheard her conversation with Sayid, and was not happy Sawyer was coming with her.
"Kate, it is a bad decision letting Sawyer go with you. You would be better off waiting for Sayid, or if you wait until we find Claire, I'll go with you." Jack let out a small smile. "Please Kate, I don't think you should go with him. He isn't a good person."
"Jack you don't know him, he isn't as bad as he wants everyone to believe." She set down her backpack.
Jack was getting angry that she wasn't listening to him "I know enough about him to know that he isn't safe! He shot the marshal Kate! He pretended to keep the inhalers! He's dangerous!" Kate looked over to Sawyer, who was getting into an argument with Scott, or at least that's who she thought his name was.
Kate whispered, "The marshal thought I was dangerous, you don't see me causing any trouble here." Kate said sarcastically. She looked back to Jack.
Jack sighed, "This is a stupid idea Kate, and you know it. You're gonna come back here, and you'll realize that I was right!"
"Don't tell me what is right Jack, what I do is none of your business!" Kate said as she grew more angry at Jack. "You have a problem with Sawyer because you're jealous of him!" She spat back at him.
"You think I'm jealous of that guy!" Jack yelled. Everyone around the fire turned to look at them. "I was wrong about you Kate. I thought you were smart, but obviously not. You make bad decisions. That's why the marshal was taking you! That's why you were wanted by the law!" Kate looked at him. She was stunned that Jack told her secret, and she was angry and disappointed and embarrassed. She looked behind Jack to see everyone's eyes staring at her. Sawyer was looking at her too, as he stood up and put on his backpack. Her eyes welled up with tears. Everyone was judging her and would never look at her the same again.
"You're an ass Jack." She said as she tried to hold herself together. She raised her arm and smacked him in the face. She walked away looking at the ground. She wasn't ready to face everyone's criticism. Everyone stood there in shock, staring at Jack. Jack exercised his now throbbing jaw, and walked over to his stuff, where he sat down. Sawyer came up to him.
"Looks like I have her all to myself now." Sawyer told to Jack, looking pleased that there was no more competition. Jack didn't even look up to him. He knew he had ruined a his chances with ever being with Kate. But he told himself he didn't need her. That there were better people on the island for him. That there was someone who was courageous, self sacrificing, intelligent , and had no big bad secrets. Sawyer just walked away, bending down to pick up the back pack Kate had forgotten.
Kate walked through the jungle towards the beach. She walked until she was out of sight from the caves and she began running. Then came her hysterical tears. The person she trusted most on the island had betrayed her. She stopped and leaned against a tree. Her mind went back to Josh, the man she loved, the love of her life, the man she killed. She didn't want to kill him, but he was going to tell the police who and where she was. So she had to kill him. Then she thought Jason. They had robbed numerous banks and stores together, and though she didn't kill him, she shot him, and she did it because he too ratted her out to the man at the bank. Every man she had ever loved, betrayed her. She slid down the tree she was leaning on and cried. She cried until she heard footsteps coming towards her. Her first thought was that it was probably Ethan, coming to take her, like he took Claire and Charlie, then she thought maybe it was a polar bear, she didn't care if whoever it was came and killed her. She didn't care about her life anymore. When the footsteps got closer she knew it was neither Ethan nor the Polar Bear, because she could smell cigarette smoke. So she knew it was Sawyer. He was the last person she wanted to talk to. She was sure he would have something to say to make her feel worse than she already did. So she got up and continued walking to the beach. When she finally got to the beach most people were already sleeping. By morning they would all know about her and the marshal, so she wanted to leave then. She grabbed the duffel bag with the fruit, her bag with her clothes, and then she remembered she forgot the water bottles at the caves. 'Damn it' she thought she stood there for a moment wondering whether she should go back to the caves and get it, or wait for Sawyer to come back and see if he would go get it for her. Just like clockwork Sawyer stumbled out of the jungle and walked over to where Kate was standing. Without a word, he put her backpack on the raft, and put his own bag on the raft.
"What are you waiting for?" He asked. Kate looked at him surprised that he still wanted to go with her, and so they pushed out the raft. When they were in waist deep water, Sawyer climbed aboard and pulled her up. She got the makeshift paddles out of her bag and began paddling out towards the ocean. After paddling for an hour they couldn't see the island anymore, and could only see a speck of light, which was their signal fire, and they were both exhausted. Kate set down the paddle and got out a bottle of water. Sawyer did the same. The sat in silence for awhile. Kate rolled up her jacket and put it under her head and stared at the stars. Sawyer laid next to her and did the same. She turned and propped herself up with her elbow and stared into his eyes. After Jack had betrayed her and everyone knew that she was the criminal, here was Sawyer. As she stared into his eyes she saw betrayal and pain and everything she had gone through. He was right, they did have a connection.