Lost and its characters belong to JJ Abrams and crew. I'm just borrowing for some non-profit fun. Written for lostfichallenge #11. Summary -- One US Marshall receives a completely unexpected phone call. Pre Season One. PG-13.

Lost – Thirty Five Cents

By Mystic

September 29th 2005

Edward Mars was an ordinary man. He woke up every morning at the half past five, jogged around his suburban neighborhood, came home to get a kiss from his wife, a hair ruffle for his two boys and a shower before breakfast. He went to work, he did his best and he came home exhausted and ready for a cold dinner and a warm bed. Sometimes he traveled. He loved to travel.

Katherine Austin was anything but ordinary. She awoke before she could truly fall asleep, worked odd jobs, gave false names, and ran at the first sign of trouble. She tried to lay low, didn't draw attention to herself and spent her nights terrified and tearful, eating what scraps she came by and sleeping wherever she could. She was on the move more than she was in one place. She hated it.

So when she stood in a cold phone booth, dropped her change into the slot and dialed his number, she did it with only a few dollars in her bag, an empty stomach and two hours sleep for the last twenty four. Her forehead froze when she laid it against the booth and she bit her bottom lip, feeling it start to tremble as the tone pulsed into her ear several long times.

"Hello?" He sounded tired, like he'd been sleeping and she whispered a quick apology, immediately pulling away from the glass and rubbing her forehead with her hand, which was no warmer than the glass had been. "Hello?" He repeated.

"Edward Mars?" Her voice was soft, light, making her sound years younger than she was. Kate gripped the phone cord tightly in her left hand and she pressed her back against the door, holding it closed against the winter air blowing snow around her like she was stuck in some snow globe.

"Yes?" He whined, and she heard something that sounded like a yawn before he whispered, "What time is it?"

"I'm sorry, it's late," she apologized again, feeling a lump in her throat. "I just had to speak to you."

"Who is this?" He asked, sounding angry and something like curious. Ed reached over to his bedside table and picked up the small clock that read four forty two in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and sighed loudly, waiting for the answer. Beside him, his wife took a long breath and he glanced at her sleeping form. "Who is this?" He asked again.

"Kate," she said, her voice breaking. "Katherine, um… Katherine Austin."

Ed let his head roll back quickly, the fog lifting slowly from his mind. The name shuffled itself into his internal directory and her mug shot appeared. The frustrated looking woman with the dark hair who broke custody and ran. His head snapped back up. "How did you get this number?"

"That doesn't matter," she shook her head, twirling the phone cord in her hand nervously.

"The hell it doesn't…" He growled.

"Listen to me!" She spat into the phone. "I need to talk to you about my case."

Ed smiled. "Your case."

"Yes, I have…" Kate trailed, thinking. "Mitigating circumstances."

"Mitigating?" Ed huffed. "Dangerous and smart. Sweetheart, you are definitely one…"

Kate cut him off quickly, "Mr. Mars, please, just listen to me." She knew she didn't have much time. She certainly didn't have any more change.

He shook his head gently and licked his lips. "Listen, this ain't the first time I got felons trying to plea their case to me. I'm not going to turn into your lawyer."

"Firstly, I'm not a felon."

"No, you're a fugitive, if you wanna get all technical about it, but honey, you're still a felon. Just on the run. And I'm the Marshall who's gonna bring you back in – whether you like it or not… whether you have 'mitigating' circumstances or not."

"Are you going to listen to me?" Kate raised her eyebrows and waited, her body shivering involuntarily.

Ed leaned his elbows onto his knees and nodded his head. "Sure, lay it on me."

"It was an accident…" She trailed, trying to find the right words. It had all worked in her head, when she thought it over before she called. She'd spent two hours in a diner eating cold French fries and replaying the night over and over inside her head. It was an accident. She had the whole explanation. Every single detail. Now she thought it sounded stupid. It probably did.

"Accident." Ed interrupted. "You know how many criminals say their crimes are accidents? Or self defense. Or temporary insanity. There are a lot of bullshit reasons to kill someone, Katie, but accident? Next you'll tell me you're just a ball of bad luck."

She smiled. "You've got my rap sheet."

He ran a hand through his hair, nodding with a laugh. "Pretty good list you got too, I mean, aside from assault, you got possession of illegal substances, possession of firearms without a license, a mounting pile of vehicular theft charges, plain petty theft and, hell, what haven't you done?" He rubbed his forehead, glancing at the clock.

Kate nodded. She understood where he was coming from. Her past was exactly the reason no one believed her in the first place. She was a damned good liar and had a penchant for getting into trouble. "You ever put anyone in jail who was innocent?"

"Hell yeah, lots of times." Ed smiled. "But it ain't my job to figure out if they're innocent or not, babe. I leave that to the lawyers and the courtrooms. My job is to bring you in."

Putting her hands together, Kate blew into them, trying to warm them up.

"Where are you?" Ed asked on instinct, hating that he almost sounded concerned. He could hear her breath come out in shaky puffs and he glanced out at the snow falling down on his house.

"Nice try," Kate responded with a bit of a laugh. "Mr. Mars…"

He moaned, hearing his name spoken like some substitute gym teacher's. "What is this about really?"

"What?" Kate lowered her eyebrows and shoved her hands in her armpits.

"This phone call. I've heard about you, you know, that you can wrap people around your finger and make them do whatever you want. Ain't gonna work with me, sweetheart…"

"I'm not trying to manipulate you." Kate paused, feeling her nose flare with frustration. It burned in the cold. "I'm just trying to get someone on my side."

"This some 'friends close; enemies closer' crap?"

She let her mouth drift into a smile. "If that's what you want to believe."

The phone gave a click and Kate jerked slightly, listening to the nasal voice of a recorded phone operator rasp out, "Please deposit thirty five cents to continue your call."

"I have to go," she whispered.

"What, ain't got another thirty five cents," he huffed a laugh and listened to her chuckle.

She gave a shrug and placed the phone gently onto the receiver, letting her hand remain atop it for a few moments before leaning back against the phone booth. Her eyes scanned the street, where snow was being plowed off the roads by a large truck. It was the first true snowfall. She could see the light turn on in a house down by the corner and she waited. Edward Mars emerged from his house in a dark grey sweat suit and began jogging in her direction. It made her heart pound just a little and for a moment, she considered waiting for him.

Edward Mars watched the phone booth door open and he watched the long wavy brown hair trail behind the woman who darted down the street faster than he knew he could run. He frowned and stopped, taking a few long breaths and watching them puff into the air ahead of him in clouds of white smoke. It made him wonder, just for a second, if she really was the enemy. Or if it really was an accident.

Finis