Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Lost, but I absolutely wish that I did!
Chapter Three: Do You See Me?
He watched her rise from her huddled position in the rain and walk slowly and deliberately to where he sat half-propped up, his wounded leg extended. He was fascinated by the grace that she employed to maneuver around the tree roots and rocks that surrounded him. He thought that she was beautiful, just in the action of walking, even in her disheveled, torn t-shirt and pair of jeans that told the story of her struggle in the jungle. She sat down next to him, looking intently at him for a moment, and then turned her gaze demurely to her own hands, radiating poise in that simple action. Looking up at him, surely seeing the way he looked at her, she smiled sweetly at him.
"How are you feeling, Sayid?"
The sound of his name rolling easily out of her mouth, seeing her eyebrows furrow slightly in thoughtful concern, it was enough to kill him. Somehow, employing every calming technique that he knew, as he did every time he spoke to her, he nodded and smiled.
"Very well, Kate." He paused after he said her name. "And yourself?"
She smiled back at him, but it was a strained smile, he saw a look pass over her face that told him tears were instants away from falling. She nodded hurriedly and looked down, as people do when they can't speak without breaking down. Sayid watched her clasp her hands and flick dried flecks of dirt from her thighs. She looked back at him quickly, laughing awkwardly before turning her attention to her cuticles.
Sayid continued to just watch her, waiting patiently for her to make eye contact with him, to give him some kind of opening. His heart stopped as she took a deep breath and looked straight at his face.
"I'm not very well at all right now," Kate said clearly, but the look in her eyes begged him for help. He remained silent, waiting for her to speak again, as he knew that she would. "There is so much to be afraid of on this island, how can we not be afraid? Charlie, he almost died, whoever did that to him has Claire right now. And what can we do?" She opened her hands helplessly and looked at him. He remained silent. "Charlie was dead, Sayid. They killed him. What could they be doing to Claire? Is there nothing that we can do?" She halted, and then whispered, "There is nothing."
Sayid couldn't help himself; he reached out and just barely touched her chin with the tip of his finger, causing her to look at him, the expression on her face unreadable.
"That's not all, is it, Kate?"
"Of course that's not all. There's always more," she said softly. He waited for her to continue, but she did not.
Wanting her to keep opening up, he asked, "Can you tell me?"
She shook her head, and even that action was sorrowful. "No. No, I can't tell anyone. He, Jack, he wants to know, and he can't let it go. He can't look at me without seeing what no one can know. He can't just see me." The tears that had threatened to fall before slipped down the thin curves of her cheeks swiftly and soundlessly, and she didn't bother to wipe them away. Sayid did, leaning closer to her, his dark, callused finger passing gently over her face, almost as a reflex. He couldn't bear watching her cry.
When she looked at him he did not smile, but regarded her seriously. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, not an accusation, but a question he clearly knew the answer to.
"Maybe it's a mistake, I've made so many, but I know you can see me."
Sayid contemplated pretending that he did not know she was the prisoner, but she stopped him.
"I know you know. But do you care? Is that what you see when you look at me?" she asked, almost desperate now, the tears falling unchecked, and Sayid realized that she hadn't spoken this candidly in so long.
Taking a breath, he took her hands in his own, feeling softness as well as cuts and calluses. He looked into her eyes, seeing that she trusted him, for whatever reason. "Kate, when I look at you I see a woman who has felt so much pain in her life. I also see someone who is strong, brave, giving, and beautiful."
Her eyes opened as if she were seeing him for the first time, and the instant where she breathed in sharply, Sayid closed the distance between them, bringing his hands to her shoulders and his lips to her own.
A/N: Hope you guys liked! If you've started to notice my pattern, I'm switching point of view with the chapters, so chapter 4 will pick up with Kate's reaction to Sayid's kiss. Please review!! I'll probably update tomorrow.