A/N: Well, glad to see that the fight cough sparring match was appreciated. Though I hadn't really been planning this chapter, I started it and it snowballed, so here it is. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I still own nothing, well, except for Fiona. I do own her. So, don't sue. It's not worth it.
Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! Ya'll are the best!
Phoenix-Talon: Hmmm, I hadn't quite thought of it that way. But hey, I guess anything's possible. And besides, maybe Sawyer just has a soft spot for Fiona. Guess we'll find out. I really wanna look into your ideas, and I probably will end up using them. Fiona does rely mostly on hearing for her martial arts, but other stuff too. Hope you enjoy the aftermath of the fight!
Chrizz: Ahh, yes, gotta love the whole chick kicking ass part. I'd love to hear some of your ideas if you develop them any further. Hope you enjoy this next part!
sweetypie15: Yay, my chappy was awesome! Fun…here's your update. Sorry for the delay, my muse took a holiday. Hope you like!
caro: Well welcome abroad! Better late than never, in my opinion. Glad you like it so far. Here's the next part!
Ivory Core: Hehe, glad you like. I was very pleased with your response. And thank you for letting me know that I managed the creepy Ethan factor. My foreshadowing skills are still a work in progress. I'll have to check out your Andromeda fics soon. Here's your next part!
Nellie, aka The BF of Ivory Core: I'm so glad that you like this fic. I've been trying to make Fiona as realistic as possible. Obviously, I love the show too. And hey, I found out that the dude that plays Michael is the brother-in-law to a woman that my sister works with. Cool! I really wanted Fiona to be independent because it adds to her spunk. As more of her past is revealed, you'll see more as to why she works so hard to be independent. That's another reason why she wanted to defend her honor to Michael—because she wants to prove herself. Plus, honor is important to me personally. I'm from the south, and there was a time when a person's handshake was as binding as a contract. Now, a handshake means next to nothing. So I've seen first-hand a lot of the deterioration of honor. But enough of my rambles, enjoy the chapter!
Okay, so, read, review, and enjoy. Remember: save a muse, send a review!
Chapter 7: For Reasons Unknown
Fiona walked down the beach slowly, easing movement into her sore muscles. The sparring match (she refused to think of it as a 'fight') the day before had been invigorating, however, it also reminded her that she was getting out of practice. Her sore muscles the next morning had been an instant reminder that she needed to start her daily exercises again.
The young woman kept a careful ear out as she walked and occasionally stumbled on the beach. Though most of the debris had been pulled into piles, but occasionally she would have to duck around something. At last she smiled as she found the person she had been searching for.
"Mr. Sawyer," she called, coming to the edge of his makeshift shelter.
"Sights," he replied, standing and coming out of his tent. "You come to kick my ass again?"
Fiona tilted her head down and away from him, embarrassed. "Yes, well, about that…I wanted to thank you for your services yesterday. And apologize for any embarrassment I caused you."
Sawyer shrugged. "Hell, way I see it, you only did exactly what everyone else around here has been wantin' to do since we crashed. Though I have to admit Sights, I wasn't expectin' that beatin' to come from you."
"Well, I wasn't looking to give you a 'beating' at any rate. I merely thought it would help my case if I fought three of the stronger men on the island. But if you think that I made a mistake in my judgment…"Fiona smiled coyly and Sawyer raised his eyebrows.
"Well now ain't you the little diplomat. I must say Sights, you are full of surprises."
"You have no idea," she answered, smiling again and straightening her shoulders. "Alright then, no hard feelings?"
"Course not," Sawyer said. "Cept of course if I need your help in teachin' somebody a lesson. Then I just might have to employ your services."
Fiona found Sayid fiddling with bits and pieces of electronic equipment, trying to make some sort of antennae for the transceiver. As she approached she heard a growl of frustration.
"Sayid," she said. "It sounds as though you could use a break."
The Iraqi looked up at the young woman wearily. "Fiona, I hope you are not going to ask me to fight you again," he answered, with the barest trace of a smile.
The blind woman shook her head and smiled. "On the contrary, I merely wanted to thank you for such a good exercise and attempt to repay you for your kindness. I haven't had an opponent as challenging as you in quite some time." Sayid looked at her quizzically as she handed him a small carved out bowl with something made of fruit in it.
"What is this?" he asked, curiosity in his voice.
"It is a sort of fruit drink. I went exploring and found the fruit earlier. It seemed ripe enough. Didn't make me sick, at any rate, so I suppose it's all right. My mother taught me to make it when I was little."
Sayid looked down into the sweet-smelling bowl, then up to Fiona, touched by her gesture. Then another concern crossed his mind. "You shouldn't be wondering about alone," he said. "Especially in the jungle."
"I'll keep that in mind," Fiona answered, somewhat sarcastically. Sayid shook his head at her stubbornness.
"Oh, I have something else for you," she said suddenly, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a closed fist and held it out in Sayid's direction. The older man sat the bowl on his makeshift table and cupped his hands under her fist, letting his thumbs brush the side of her hand so that she would know to open her hand. When she did, bits of wires and other small electrical pieces fell into his hands.
"I didn't know if it would be useful," Fiona said. "Kate let me take apart the electrical equipment she found in some of the luggage."
Sayid studied the pieces in his hands, noticing that several were in better condition and more intact than what he was currently working with. "These will definitely be useful," he said. "Thank you, Fiona." She smiled at him, bowing her head slightly.
"You are most certainly welcome. If I may be of any assistance, please let me know." Sayid nodded.
"I will."
Jack spotted the person he was looking for walking further down the beach and he jogged to catch up. "Fiona!" he called, bringing the blind woman to a halt. She turned to meet him.
"Jack," she answered. "I was just coming to find you."
"Yeah, well, I was hoping we could talk," the doctor said. Fiona nodded and continued down the beach a ways before coming to a relatively private part. After a few moments Jack began.
"Look, Fiona…Michael explained to me about yesterday."
"Ah, yes, I wanted to thank you for your assistance. It meant a great deal to me," Fiona interjected. Jack put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. She wasn't making this any easier for him.
"Yeah, well, Michael told me what it was that set you off." Fiona cocked her head slightly, growing slightly suspicious.
"You sound disappointed in me," she said, sounding amused at the thought. Jack sighed.
"Look, Fiona, the thing is, we have more important things to be concerned with than hurt feelings. Whatever Michael thought about your story wasn't really anyone else's business."
"Ah," Fiona mused. "So you're saying that Michael had every right to assume that I was lying and that I really shouldn't have let it concern me." Cool anger slowly slipped into her voice.
"All I'm saying is that we don't have time to go at each other's throats every time there's a schoolyard fuss," Jack argued.
"With the exception of Sayid, I don't believe I went for anyone's throat," Fiona retorted angrily. "And do you really think that the only purpose of my exercise yesterday was to prove Michael wrong?"
Jack suddenly looked confused. "Wasn't it?"
Fiona let out a short, bitter bark of laughter. "Though defending myself to Michael was part of my motivation, I suppose I was attempting to prove myself to the rest of you. Believe it or not, I could actually be useful in our survival here, though so far everyone has regarded me as more of a liability than anything else."
"Maybe that's because you sort of are one," Jack replied, getting annoyed himself. "I'm all for people with…physical disabilities being self-sufficient, but this isn't the city. We're dealing with things here that we aren't used to living with. So it stands to reason that no, a blind woman most likely can't be a great deal of help in the middle of the jungle."
Fiona stiffened, and if there had been any doubt that she was angry before, it was certainly banished now. "Oh really," she said slowly. "Well let me inform you of something, doctor—I've spent more of my life in jungles than you probably have in hospitals." She turned and started to stalk off before she paused and turned back to Jack.
"And don't you ever tell me what I can't do."