Famous Last Words

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: "A Home" is from the Dixie Chicks album Home, and I'm looking up the writer/composer.

Not a night goes by

I don't dream of wandering

Through the home that might have been

And I listened to my pride

When my heart cried out for you

Now every day I wake again

In a house that might have been

A home

Later that evening, Kate was enjoying the southern sun in the backyard of Sawyer's house, which was complete with a river that ran through the interior of the neighborhood.

"Some things never change," Sawyer said from behind her.

She turned from where she was sitting in the growing grass, to find Sawyer approaching her with his usual cocky smile.

"I was wondering when you'd come after me," Kate replied, turning back to the river.

"Well Jack's no longer here to do the dirty work," Sawyer said, "someone had to."

Whether or not the commit was meant to amuse, it didn't work, and Sawyer caught her smile fading. Sitting down next to her, he picked at a piece of grass that stood just a little bit higher than the others.

"Why'd you leave him anyway?"

Kate looked at him, puzzled.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Kate watched as Sawyer tore the strand of grass out of the ground and fingered it.

"I was afraid," Kate lied, looking away.

"Of Jack?" Sawyer said, amused.

"Of what would happen."

"Oh," Sawyer said plainly, "well that explains things."

Kate was about to reply when she noticed a stone that stuck out of a pile of dried mud.

"What's this?" She asked playfully, taking the stone as Sawyer made a grab for it. "Alana hearts James." She turned to him. "How sweet."

The words and symbols were permanently engraved by someone's pocket knife, though from what she had seen of Sawyer's writing, there was no way it was his inscription.

"Who is she?" Kate asked, smiling in amusement.

Sawyer grabbed the stone from her, making Kate lose her balance a bit. She looked at him and he cooled down by rubbing his fingers against the smooth granite.

"Who was she?" Sawyer corrected dully. "Just a friend."

Sighing, he threw the stone into the river, and as she watched the waters ripple in effect, and Kate realized that once again, she felt sorry for him.

"Want another drink?" Sawyer offered at last.

"Not really but I'm sure you do," said Kate.

"Mind another ride?" Sawyer said.

"You out all ready?"

"No, but I will be after this."

"Fine," Kate said, and dusted off her pants as she stood up, with help from Sawyer.

(Space)

Staying with Sawyer wasn't as bad as Kate thought it would be, though a lunch and dinner didn't really count as 'staying', she was slowly working her way to throwing the fact into Sawyer's face that she homeless, jobless, and had come all the way down south in a place where she was considered a stranger. And Sawyer was beginning to see that. She thought.

While alone with Kate, Sawyer had no one show off for, and his company was almost..well..pleasant. She hadn't been able to get much out of him, but she did find out that he had had a steady job at a car dealership before the crash, a job that he was fighting to get back, though he had enough to bail Kate and himself out of jail, if that ever had to be the case. He claimed it was only stashed away in the bank. The girl he had 'been with' before the crash had apparently not missed him all that much, and was currently in Hawaii with some friend of her cousins.

And in return she told him an equal share of her past, though no more than she ever let Jack in on. Kate, for one, couldn't ever recall a 'steady job' unless you counted waiting tables at night clubs, and most of her old boyfriends were either sweeping foreign countries, or binding time in jail, so she let Sawyer do most of the talking.

Sawyer had actually been thoughtful when he had taken her out, never even pushing the subject of leaving Jack. He bought her dinner at a small country diner where they got all the attention they wanted from the waiter, which wasn't much. Now, on the ride home, the radio played softly as the night drew around them in stripes of pink and purple across the sky, and Kate was just beginning to think that things were too good to be true when Sawyer jabbed his finger on the radio dial, turning the country station off.

"Hey!" Kate cried. "And I was just getting used to that!"

"Yeah?" Sawyer said, agitated. "Well it's getting on my nerves."

"Why?" Kate inquired. "It applies to you?"

Sawyer just huffed and looked out the window, before he immediately noticed something was wrong. The atmosphere was grayer than it should've been. Groups of people were crowded along the road from nearby homes, and a distant wailing was overheard. It didn't take long for the worry to build up in both Kate and Sawyer, though it was Sawyer who expressed it first.

"What the hell?" He muttered as he pulled his truck over to the side of the road.

"Sawyer-" Kate began, but didn't get anything else out as Sawyer threw open the door and ran out into the yard, Kate right behind him, and she was about to ask what was wrong before she saw her answer, "oh God."

What was left of Sawyer's house stood before them in ruins of ashes and smoke. Invisible exhaust slowly made its journey from the wreckage to the heavens, though first having to go through the obstacle of dodging masses of sprinkled water that chased after them.

"Sawyer-" Kate began again sympathetically, but this time was interrupted by one of the fireman.

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to step away," he yelled over the hose.

"Like hell!" Sawyer yelled in protest.

"Sir, unless you know the whereabouts of the owner-"

"I am the owner!" Sawyer shouted.

"Oh," the fireman blinked, "oh. I'm sorry sir, but um..the police over there? They were wanting to ask some questions-"

Sawyer didn't give the fireman an opportunity to finish as he swirled around, stomping back towards the car.

"Sawyer!" Kate exclaimed, following him, "Sawyer, you've got to go back there and-"

Sitting up from where he had collapsed against the side of the Ford, Sawyer glared at her.

"I don't got to do anything," he said, slinging open the driver's side door.

"Where are you going?" Kate demanded, trying to catch him before he started up the engine.

"To find Jack."

(Space)

The next day, Kate found herself once again in LA, and surprised to find that Sawyer had taken note as to exactly where Jack lived, as if he was ready to plot revenge at any given point. The point was given.

"I still don't see why you're doing this!" Kate said as she fought to keep up with Sawyer as he hastily walked down the hall of Jack's apartment building. "Why would Jack just follow you home and then set it on fire?"

"I don't know," Sawyer said, "why don't you ask him?"

Before Kate could stop him, Sawyer was pounded Jack's door, and Kate swallowed as she heard the soft patter of feet against carpet, and the door creaked as someone opened it. That some one was, of course, Jack.

"I thought you left two days ago," Jack said.

Kate immediately felt her throat swell at the sound of Jack's exhausted, worn out voice. She tried to clear it as she felt gravity shift her weight over, and Kate didn't dare to give Jack so much as a glance as his eyes found her.

"Kate," he breathed softly.

Now sitting beside Sawyer on one of Jack's couches, Kate couldn't help but to get the feeling of a kid who just got caught trying to sneak out. Jack had went off in a spur of lectures, never even taking note that Sawyer was there.

"Jack!" Kate said finally, receiving a glare in protest from Jack. "Look, I know you were worried about me and all but seriously here. I'm not your kid, or your wife. I'm not even your girl friend."

At that Sawyer smirked and then quickly looked away, while Jack's expression turned to hurt, and Kate regretted what she had said.

"You wouldn't understand," she said quietly, remembering the entire reason she had left in the first place, "and besides, we have bigger issues to talk about."

Jack had to inhale a bit to calm down, but finally he said, "All right."

Two hours later, with what was left of their dinner of Chinese take-out, Jack, Kate, and Sawyer gathered in the living room of Jack's apartment, trying to make since of the whole thing. The only success they had gotten to was convincing Sawyer that Jack had nothing to do with the fire.

"I still don't get it," Jack said, "who'd be after you now? No one's even seen you for two and a half months."

"Guess time doesn't matter much these days, does it?" Sawyer said, glaring at him.

"What about those guys who beat you up?" Jack suggested. "They were saying something about owing money-"

"They got their money," Sawyer said dryly, picking at a piece of dried orange chicken left on his plate, "they aren't the revenge type anyway."

"Then what is it?" Jack said, getting frustrated. "Is there something special about the house? The land? Was there something in it?"

Sawyer grew quiet in realization, and Kate watched him closely.

"Sawyer?" She said slowly.

Sawyer drew in a breath before answering softly:

"It was my parent's house."

Author's Note: Dun dun dun/ Yes, I know, I'm evil to my poor characters(pats Sawyer on the head). I can let you in on another little secret though- he didn't really want to be in that house anyway. You'll see. Thanks so much for all the reviews!

Coming up next, in "Famous Last Words":

Not sure exactly sure what I want to do with next chapter yet, but I can give one little piece of advice to Jack: don't leave your apartment. Will he listen? Of course not.

Thanks again for reviewing!

October Sky