Chapter 22- After Sunset

"Looks like everything Freckles," Sawyer said sitting down across from her. He smiled back at her, because she didn't seem to notice he was there. "Hey sweet cheeks," He whispered.

Kate slightly moved in the chair adjusting her back. Her thick chestnut hair was tied up in a sloppy bun on top of her head, and her eyes were fixed on the grain gently blowing outside.

Sawyer slowly got up, he kept his eyes on Kate as he walked behind her. He playfully wrapped his arms around her neck.

Kate let out a scream.

"Hey, it's just…" Sawyer started.

Before he could defend himself, Kate had grabbed his arm, and in one swift moment she had him on the floor with his arm twisted towards her.

"Damn, get the hell offa me!"

"Sawyer!" Kate let go embarrassed.

His face was red, and he was staring back at her in alarm. "What are ya? A Amazon woman?"

Kate blushed, "No, but what's wrong with you? Sneaking up on people like that?"

"I was just playing around, You know ha, ha, I'm not goin to touch you again…well maybe, but not like that."

Kate shook her head, "Why do you like to sneak around me?"

"Why are you trying to send me to the hospital?"

"I thought you were stronger than that,"

"I am, but you got a viper grip on you,"

Kate glanced back towards the window.

"If you don't mind me askin', what are you looking for?"

Kate shook her head, "Um…I was just watching the sunset."

"Beautiful ain't it?" He asked standing beside her.

"So you have everything ready for us to leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah I do, what would you do if I didn't."

"Make you get everything together,"

Sawyer smiled, "What do you mean by make me?"

Kate gently pushed Sawyer away, "I really don't feel like playing right now. Where's Jack,"

"I see, you don't want to play with me, but Jack's a good substitute huh?"

Kate sighed, "Where is he?"

"Outside, around the back."

Kate raised an eyebrow, "What's he doing outside?"

"I dunno ask his crazy ass." Sawyer said grinning.

"He's not crazy,"

Sawyer raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "I heard him going off last night, about something with his dad. He has more problems than he's letting you in on babe."

Kate looked away, "We all have problems,"

"Ain't that the truth,"

She glanced outside once more, and then focused back on Sawyer. "Aren't you the least bit worried, about Vinnie, and his so-called insider connections?"

"You think he's selling us out?" Sawyer asked.

Kate crossed her arms, "Something's up."

"Well, I know for a fact that Vinnie's not going to sell us out, because they want him dead too, if the same people are coming after us."

"Who else could it be?" Kate said.

Sawyer smiled, "I conned a lot of people in my life, plenty of people want me dead."

Kate frowned, "Well I'm going to go outside to check on Jack,"

"Why don't you tell him to come inside,"

"Do you actually care about him?" Kate asked tilted her head to the side.

"No, I don't care about him, I care about you."

She gave him a small smile, "Don't worry I'll be okay,"

"I was supposed to go into town to sell those horses, but I never got the chance."

"You were trying to make some quick cash?" Kate teased.

Sawyer nodded, "You could never have enough money…especially in our case, Running ain't…."

"Cheap," Kate filled in.

Sawyer chuckled, "Yeah,"

"You always say that," Kate said.

Sawyer nodded, "Well you keep an eye out while your out with Jack, if you see anything, then I'll be out in seconds with my shot gun."

Kate smiled, "Aww,"

Sawyer looked down, "Okay enough of this, go on to Jack, because we both know you want too."

"Just make sure everything is ready,"

"Sure thing Sarge," Sawyer said.

Kate looked back at him once more, and then pushed the door open to outside. She was hit with the stagnant heat that lingered outside. First she looked out for the man she thought she had seen earlier, and then she looked around for Jack.

Kate walked around the side of the house. She found Jack leaning against the side of the house, looking over a piece of paper.

"Hey Jack," She said.

Jack looked up surprised, he quickly folded the letter and then tucked it away in his jeans.

"What's that Jack?"

"It's um…a grocery list."

"A grocery list? Did you write it yourself?" She asked with a smile.

Jack wiped at the sweat above his brow with the back of his arm.

"It looks like your hiding something." She said.

"Hiding something? What are you talking about?" Jack asked in a professional tone.

"No, you don't Jack. Don't take out your professional tone on me."

"Professional tone…"

Kate reached for Jack's pants, "I think I know what you're hiding."

"It's a grocery list," He defended.

"A grocery list written by me,"

"No Kate,"

Kate attempted to reach for the note once again, but Jack reached for her hand.

Kate smiled up at him, "If it's just a grocery list then why won't you let me see it."

"Don't we have more important things to worry about than what's in my pockets?"

"Yeah, but I need a welcome distraction."

"Well what if I don't want to be it." He said.

"Well I've chosen you, so…" Kate successfully pulled her hand out of Jack's and then slid her hand into his pocket.

"Kate…" He said through laughing.

"Jack, lemme see it," She protested childishly.

"No,"

Kate made a sudden attempt to tickle Jack. While she played around with him, she looked around cautiously.

"We shouldn't be doing this outside…Kate, stop, I don't like being tickled…C'mon…" Jack collapsed onto the floor and did a sudden roll in order to escape her.

Kate laughed at Jack's sudden movement.

"It's hot out here isn't it." Jack said shielding his eyes from the sun.

"It is, but don't think you're fooling anyone Mr. Jack Shepard, I see what you're trying to do, and you're not going to get past me."

"I'm not trying to do anything." Jack said.

Kate slowly walked over to him, "You're trying to change the subject."

Jack got up, "Why is the letter so important,"

Letter? I thought you said grocery list."

Jack scratched the back of his head, "You're putting words in my mouth, I could swear I said grocery list."

"No you didn't, hand it over Jack."

"And if I don't, what's going to happen then?"

"Do you remember the cop in the forest that one I put to sleep?"

"Yeah?"

Kate tilted her head to the side, "Are you feeling tired?"

"Nope," Before Kate could say anything else, Jack took off running.

"Jack!" She screamed after him. "Why are you running from me!"

"It's our last day here, we minus as well have some fun."

"But you don't have fun."

"You're bringing that side out of me," He yelled back at her.

Kate ran after him. Jack didn't know that she ran track in high-school, she did a lot of after school activities in order to escape home. Even though Jack was fast, she still beat him with ease. Kate tackled him from behind, forcing him onto the ground.

Jack rolled over and Kate was on top of him, he was breathing heavy and so was she.

"We should go inside," He said.

Kate placed her hand over Jack's mouth, "I know we should…but what about when we get to Key West?"

"I don't know, we'll take it as it comes," Jack said looking down at Kate's lips.

"I don't want you to leave Jack,"

"Hey, can you'll keep your hands off of each other more than three minutes? It's getting dark…" Sawyer said coming from no where.

"We should leave now," Jack suggested.

"No,"

"Why not?" Jack said placing his hand on Kate's arm, signaling that he was ready to get up.

Kate stood up, brushing the grass off of her jeans.

Sawyer stared back at her discontent, but focused back on Jack. "We can't leave now, because we're taking Vinnie's truck."

Kate looked back at Sawyer confused.

Sawyer pulled some keys out of his pocket. "I got some license plates in the house, and Vinnie should still be asleep when we leave."

"Why are we taking his car?" Kate questioned.

"Because we have been in Hailey's too long, the cops are smart…well I don't wanna give them too much credit."

"So what about him, are you going to give him Hailey's car?" Jack asked obviously not too pleased with Sawyer's idea.

"Well unless you got a better idea Doc,"

Kate turned around to look once more. Her eyes locked in on the forest where she was expecting someone to jump out at any second, but no one came.

"We should go inside," Sawyer warned.

"We won't be any safer," Jack said.

"If you keep on arguing with me, then you're going to keep watch outside,"

"How about you do that Sawyer?"

"Do what? Stand outside?" He growled.

"Yeah," Jack said with a clenched jaw.

Kate could sense the tension, she wasn't sure where it came from, but she opened her mouth to speak.

"Doc, you're barley in the authority to tell me what to be doin', while your out here prancing around with her," Sawyer said pointing to Kate.

Kate's mouth dropped open, "What do you mean her!"

Sawyer chuckled, "I'm sorry sweet cheeks, I meant Skyler,"

Kate sighed, "Let's just go back inside."

Sawyer turned away from Kate, and gave Jack the most disgusted look he could muster. At once he thought there was a chance for him to get along with Jack, but after seeing him so close to Kate, he didn't want anything else to do with him. Yeah, he had seen Kate and Jack close before, but now that their lives were once again on the line, and they still couldn't focus on anything but one another, angered him.

"Can we just stop arguing," Kate said more to Sawyer than Jack.

"He started it!" Sawyer argued back.

"Oh yeah, let's be real mature about it." Jack said sarcastically.

Sawyer stepped towards Jack in a threatening stance.

"No," She said getting in between Jack and Sawyer.

Jack was forced to step back as Kate's body pressed up against his, and her hair brushed up against his lips.

Sawyer looked down at Kate's hand on his chest, and then rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to fight him, Doc isn't worth my time."

Kate placed her hand to her forehead, "Can we please just go back inside?"

"Sure thing precious, you better watch out because it seems like Doc wants some action from you tonight." Sawyer said spitefully.

Jack looked away angered at Sawyer's uncouth comment.

"You can be an ass you know that Sawyer," Kate growled.

"How am I the ass when you were the one rollin' around on the ground with him!"

Kate pushed him towards the door, "Let's just go inside…Jack c'mon,"

Jack focused back on her, "Yeah,"

Night washed over. The air was humid, andthunder rumbled in the distance.

Sawyer stayed up late. He couldn't go to sleep because he was nervous.

Kate and Jack walked into the kitchen.

"Well, well, well , if it isn't Donnie and Marie Osmond, connected at the damn hip."

Kate scowled, "Sawyer, you're so funny."

Sawyer brought his hands behind his head, "I try, so what are you two doing up so late?"

"We think you should get some sleep." Kate suggested.

Sawyer smiled, "And wake up with three thousand holes in my body?"

"We'll take turns, we'll assign shifts," Kate explained.

Sawyer thought it over, "Well, I'm not first. I'm tired as a donkey that's been out in the hot sun all day long."

"What?"

Sawyer stood up, "Don't fall asleep on me Freckles,"

"I won't,"

Sawyer then glanced at Jack, "And what's your deal? Are you gonna hang around her while she keeps watch?"

"For a while, and then I'm going to sleep." Jack answered.

Sawyer scowled, "You're helping me drive tomorrow, so you better not be crashing us off the road."

"He'll get some sleep." Kate reassured.

Sawyer shook his head as he walked towards the back.

Jack sat down across from Kate.

Kate stretched out her legs on Jack's legs. "Do you think you could sleep out here tonight."

"On the floor?" Jack asked.

"No, we could make a little bed for you, forget it Jack you can just sleep in the room,"

"No, if you don't want to be out here by yourself then I'll sleep out here,"

"Thanks Jack,"

He gave her a nod, and then glanced outside. It was pitch black, but yet he could swear he had seen something outside. Jack stood up.

Kate reached out for his hand, "What's going on,"

Something hit the window.

Kate shot up, "What the hell was that?"

Jack pulled her close to him, and then grabbed her hand. His eyes widened, he knew what a grenade looked like, and he was pretty sure that's what he saw hit the window. "We got to get out of this house!"

"What, why?" Kate asked alarmed.

He didn't take time to explain. Jack was already running towards the back, he was dragging Kate behind him.

The first grenade didn't explode.

"What's going on!" She screamed.

Sawyer came to the door, "What the hell…"

They reached for another one.

"We got to get out of the house, something just…forget it, run!" Jack yelled.

Sawyer stood there frozen in a stupor.

As Jack continued to drag Kate towards the back door, she reached out for Sawyer's hand. The door was so close. Kate tripped, and fell down hard on her knees.

"Oww!" She screamed.

Kate falling had caused Sawyer to fall as well, his flailing arms knocked down a lonely night stand onto the floors.

Jack threw open the back door. And turned around in horror, when he realized that Kate's hand was no longer in his, and instead she was on the floor with Sawyer. The door was open, and he was one step from freedom, he looked once more. Kate and Sawyer were struggling to get up.

A piercing BANG shattered the silence. Explosions of red, yellow, and orange colors illuminated the pitch black nght, and Sawyer's house was devoured by fire.

The black car pulled away. They knew that Kate, Jack and Sawyer were dead because the grenade had went off to fast for them to get out. Now they were going to kill Vinnie.

(Hey, thanks for the reviews. If it's any reassurance, I'm not trying to end this story soon. So I'm not crazy enough to kill Jack, Kate, and Sawyer…just yet. There is a lot of story left between those three. And October Sky, I haven't seen a lot of the Lost episodes, I'm still getting caught up, so Hibbs isn't even in this story…at least not until I see Sawyer's episode, and then he might be in a flashback. Island wise, they probably aren't going to be getting to Australia anytime soon, they're stuck for a while because all of SAWYER'S MONEY WAS IN THE HOUSE! Until next update, Peace, and thanks once again!