If I Had a Million Dollars

Summary: Claire and Sawyer decide to make a little wager.

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own Lost.

"I could do it," Sawyer said, a defiant look on his face. Claire just looked at him and smiled.

"Could not," she replied, trying her best not to laugh. "For a whole day?"

"Yeah, for the whole day!" he said with vigor. This time she could not stand but to laugh.

"Liar," she said, moving the baby from one arm to the other. "I bet you a million dollars that you couldn't for a whole day."

"You're on, sweet face," he said. He held out his hand and she shook it. "This don't start 'til tomarrow, right?"

"It starts now," she said sternly. It was scary how motherly she could become, and the fact that she was one just made it all the more obvious. For a moment they sat in silence, he wasn't exactly sure what to say for a moment.

There were many things he would do in life for this girl, but this he never thought would be one of them. Hell, he would kill a man for her. If the twirp hadn't beaten him to it, he would have killed Jungle Boy for just putting his hands on Claire. This, however, was very different.

Now, he and Claire hadn't exactly been dating since his return from the other side of the island, but they had gotten much closer. She had taken care of him when his bullet wound had gotten infected. Apparently the good ol' doctor was too busy carrying on with other people who were injured too. Something about Hatch Boy and the girl he'd brought in from the jungle. Thinking back, that might have been the best thing the doc had done for him.

"Wow," Claire said suddenly. She had been watching him during their silence.

"What?" he asked.

"I've never seen you so quiet before," she replied, laughing. He threw a small pillow from the hatch in her general direction, but it flew over her head and landed a few feet behind her.

"Just been thinkin'. Amazing, I know," he said when he saw the mock amazed look on her face. "You look good."

"You lose," she said instantly, poking him in the shoulder and smiling.

"That don't count, I was payin' you a compliment," he said in his defense. She smiled warily, but apparently decided to let that one go. Sawyer watched as she placed the baby in his crib without waking him. He wondered how she was able to do it.

The day before it was just the three of them, they had been walking in the jungle near the caves and she had to go to the bathroom. And in one heart stopping moment she had already passed the baby into his arms and rushed out behind one of the trees. He had stood there, dumbfounded as to what he should do. The kid was just laying there, looking up at him with his momma's big blue eyes.

When Claire had returned she apologized and reached to take the baby back. Before she could even touch Aaron he had started to cry and the moment she had pulled away he stopped. So Sawyer was left the rest of the day holding the damn kid in his arms. Every time he thought the kid was asleep he would try to pass him back to Claire, only to have him wake up with the slightest of movements and start crying.

"So, darlin', what should we do today?" he asked, looking out to the beach where Locke sat playing a game of backgammon with Desmond, who'd seemed all too happy not to be anywhere near the hatch.

"Maybe we could just have a day where no one dies or gets kidnapped or blows up a hatch door," she smiled slightly. "Just quiet would be nice."

"Well, between me an' Gilligan, I don't think that's gonna happen," Sawyer replied, nodding to the sleeping baby. They both knew that he would not be sleeping for long. The only reason he wasn't awake at the moment was because Sawyer had spent the better part of the morning reading to him from one of the books from the hatch.

"I don't know then, not much to do here, really," she said, laying down in the sand. She began to draw doodles in the sand with her index finger.

"I'm not that boring, am I?" he asked. He stood then and spoke, "Let's go."

"Where? What about Aaron?" she asked. Sawyer looked over his shoulder to Sun, who was talking in Korean to Jin nearby.

"Sun!" Sawyer called, not even caring that he was interrupting. "Wanna watch the kid for us?"

Sun just nodded, a look of surprise on her face. It took more than a moment for Sawyer to realize why she had looked like that, he had said "us". Never had he referred to himself and Claire, or anyone else, as "us". He quickly pushed this away and grabbed Claire's hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked, allowing herself to be dragged along behind him. He stopped suddenly in the jungle not too far from camp. There he turned to face her, smiling.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

"Well what?" she asked in confusion. Claire looked around, trying to see whatever it was Sawyer had brought her to.

"It's quiet, innit?" he asked, moving closer to her, his accent even thicker than usual. Claire did not move back and turned slightly flush as the space between them grew gradually thinner.

"Better watch out, cowboy, you'll lose the bet," she said with a smile. Still, Sawyer moved ever closer. He slipped a hand smoothly in her hair, resting it on her neck. The smile that had been gracing his face only got bigger.

"It doesn't matter," he said. He moved even closer, pressing up against her. The warmth of her flooded him and he only moved himself closer. Claire began to laugh, but was cut off by Sawyer's lips pressing against hers.

It was an unexpectedly soft kiss, their lips barely grazing each other. This went on for a few brief seconds until Sawyer moved his lips full onto hers. She tasted like peanut butter and that sent a quiver of laughter in his throat. He moved away from her for that and let a small laugh out. He spoke:

"Worth every penny."

The End