Mony19: Thank you! Indeed, the story is getting intense. Hope you like the next chapter!

Spork Princess: lol. Welcome new reader. I know what you mean, most of my favorite list is full of Lost stories as well :)

Freckles-101: Thank you! Things get quite . . . choatic in this next chapter, to say the least.

Here's the next chapter!


Chapter Eight
Wrongful Accusations

'What?' Kate asked.

'My damn letter! It's gone! Someone stole the damn thing! I swear I'll kill whoever stole it!' Sawyer howled with rage.

'Whoa, whoa, Sawyer, just calm down,' Kate said, looking uneasily at the people that were still within hearing distance.

'What the fuck are you lookin' at?' Sawyer asked one of the guys closest to him.

'I . . . um, uh, I was just leaving,' the frightened young man said nervously before he turned around and left in a hurry. Most of the others made a beeline after him.

'When was the last time you had it?' Kate asked, choosing to ignore his outburst.

'I don't know! Yesterday, I guess. I left it in my tent when I went to take a dip and . . .' Sawyer trailed off when he realized what he had just said.

'What?' Kate asked again.

'Son of a bitch! The kid was goin' to look in my tent for some wire when I left this morning! Dammit!' Sawyer yelled again as he picked up his belongings, including the mugshot, and put them back in his pockets.

'What? Who, Walt?' Kate asked.

'What other kid is there?' Sawyer asked, trying to sound sarcastic. 'I-I gotta go.'

'Sawyer, wait,' Kate said, the frantic look in his eyes making her forgive him for earlier.

'Y-You don't understand, freckles. I need to go now,' Sawyer said, his voice breaking.

'I know you do, but I'm coming with you,' Kate said as she ran to get her pack.

'Well . . . hurry up then,' Sawyer said impatiently as he waited for her.

Kate threw her bottles hurriedly into the bag and then quickly zipped it up before slinging it on one shoulder.

'Let's go then,' she said as she walked up beside him.

Sawyer turned around and was about to break out into a run. Instead, he halted to a stop to avoid colliding with Jack and Sayid.

'Sawyer, we need to talk,' Jack said, his voice sounding low and strained.

Kate looked from Jack to Sayid.

I think I know who might have found the letter . . . Kate thought to herself. She saw she was right in her thinking a second later. Jack was holding an old, crinkled piece of paper in his hand.

'What? I ain't got time for you,' Sawyer said, about to push his way through them.

'No, I think you do,' Sayid said as he stepped in front of Sawyer.

'What the hell is wrong with you, Osama? I said I ain't got . . . time . . .' Sawyer started, but trailed off when Jack held up a very familiar looking piece of paper.

'What the – How the hell did you get that?' Sawyer asked, his voice dropping dangerously low.

'Is there something you'd like to tell us?' Jack asked.

'Give that back,' Sawyer commanded, staring daggers into Jack.

'So, it is yours then?' Sayid asked.

'I said-'

'Is it yours?' Sayid repeated, cutting Sawyer off.

Sawyer looked at him coldly and then back to Jack. He saw Kate in the corner of his eye and looked at her too. She was looking back at him. She was alarmed to see the wild, yet hurt look in his eyes.

Some shit you've gotten yourself into, cowboy, his conscience commented.

Kiss my ass, Sawyer thought back angrily.

'Sawyer, is this letter yours?' Jack asked.

Sawyer looked back at him again, taking his time before replying.

'Yeah, it's mine. What're you gonna do about it, chief?' Sawyer demanded.

There goes that attitude again. I knew I was right about him all along, Jack thought bitterly. He is a criminal and worst: He's a murderer.

'What's the matter? Monster got your tongue?' Sawyer asked.

Jack bit down a remark. Just what exactly was he going to do about the letter? Sayid hadn't sounded like he had many ideas.

'Do you know what you did?' Sayid finally asked.

'What gives you the right to go snoopin' through my stuff?' Sawyer asked, avoiding the question.

'He didn't go through your stuff,' Michael said, announcing his arrival as he walked up to them.

'Oh, I see. That boy o' yours, he must think he's real smart, snoopin' round my stuff . . . when all I told him was to get some wire,' Sawyer said, turning on Michael.

'Hey, now. My boy didn't snoop around anything. That letter was laying on the ground in plain sight for anybody to see,' Michael said.

Sawyer glared at him, wanting to argue otherwise, but knowing Michael was probably right. He kicked himself mentally for letting himself forget something as important as his letter.

'Okay, Sawyer. We've got the "snoopin'" business settled,' Jack said, taking the reins back. 'So, evidently, you've read the letter.'

Sawyer turned to look at him again, gritting his teeth at the question.

'Yeah, I read it,' he said.

Hell, I did more than read it. I wrote the damn thing, Jackass. But you're too stupid to ever figure that out, Sawyer thought angrily.

'So, you did it then? Like it said? You "killed my parents, Mr. Sawyer",' Jack said, unfolding the letter to read the last line. 'And here I was thinking you were just a regular hick that got drunk every weekend, stole once in a while, and slept with every woman he could find.'

Sawyer froze in place when Jack recited the line from the letter. His eyes grew wide as those five words rang through his ears. He clenched his fists, not even feeling the pain as his nails dug into his palms.

'Give me the letter,' Sawyer demanded again, his voice dripping with venom.

'No, not until we've got some things settled,' Jack said.

Kate watched Sawyer. She knew that he was about to loose it. Jack would never have known what hit him. She had to do something.

'Jack,' Kate said.

'No, not now, Kate. I'm waiting to hear what Sawyer has to say for himself,' Jack said, shaking his head and looking at Sawyer.

'Jack,' Kate tried again, but to no avail.

'You murdered someone. Do you understand that? You murdered someone, Sawyer! You ruined a little boy's life, just like that!' Jack shouted, the veins in his neck starting to pop out.

'You don't know anything!' Sawyer shouted as tears threatened to engulf his vision, but he willed them back. He wasn't going to let Jack get the opportunity of seeing him at his weakest.

'I know enough!' Jack shouted back.

'Jack, I don't think-' Sayid began.

'You're a murderer and a monster!' Jack spat, cutting Sayid off.

I knew I should have listened to that voice telling me not to go to Jack, Sayid thought. I could have handled this myself, but no. I needed someone else's opinion. I just didn't want it to turn out like last time . . .

Sawyer looked at Jack, the tears trying to come through. He blinked them back and looked away, hating to break his eye contact with Jack. He felt his arms shaking on both sides of his body. He tried to think of something to say, but nothing came.

'Is that why you were coming from Australia? Trying to make a run for it? What did you say to the boy, Sawyer? Huh? Did you tell him anything, or did you kill him too?' Jack asked, his voice rising with his anger.

Jack could tell that he had hit a nerve a few seconds too late. One second he saw Sawyer staring at him, disbelief, pain, and anger all etched on his face. The next second Sawyer swung at him. Jack tried to defend himself, but his brain was too slow in telling his arms what to do. Sawyer hit him square in the jaw, making Jack's teeth come down on one another painfully. Jack stumbled back, trying to keep his balance. Sawyer grabbed his shirt and pushed him down. Jack felt the air go out of him as Sawyer landed on top of him, trying to punch anything he could. Sawyer swung a left at him, but Jack finally blocked it with his arms and swung back, busting Sawyer's lip. Sawyer didn't even seem phased by it. He returned the hit and busted Jack's lip. Jack was about to try and punch Sawyer again when he saw two pairs of arms trying to pull Sawyer off of him.

'That's enough, Sawyer!' Sayid yelled as he grabbed one arm and Michael grabbed the other.

'Get the hell off of me!' Sawyer shouted, trying to break from their grips.

Sayid and Michael managed to drag Sawyer away from Jack. Kate ran to help Jack up.

'I'm . . . all right,' Jack said as he got up.

'Jack, I really need to talk to you,' Kate said.

'Get your damn hands off of me!' Sawyer yelled as he tried to shrug off Sayid and Michael's grips.

Sayid looked at Jack and then at Michael. He nodded his head and let go of Sawyer. Michael did the same.

Sawyer stumbled away from their grips, looking around at them all wildly.

'You know what? I don't . . . I don't need this, this shit. I'm leaving,' he said roughly before he took off.

'What? Sawyer, wait!' Kate called out to his retreating back.

He shot her the middle finger and kept on walking.