Dsc: i don't own anyone on Lost. sniff not even sawyer. humph

Never Look Back

Kate wandered aimlessly through the jungle which unfortunately – but yet inevitably – had become her backyard. Sunlight searched for openings between the tall trees and the leaves, seeping through and shedding light onto her uncharted path.

She let out a quiet grunt as her foot caught on a thick root sticking out of the ground and she tripped, falling to her hands and knees. The hard landing scraped her palms and embedded small pebbles into her skin. Leaning her butt on the back of her heels Kate wiped off her hands when she heard an all too familiar growl. She froze.

"Not another one," she groaned, but quickly stood up and began running just as the blunt sound of heavy paws stomping the ground became nearer. Kate threw a glance over her shoulder and saw the polar bear quickly catching up with her. She forced her legs to move faster and look ahead – now wouldn't be the best time for her to trip. Again.

The pounding became louder, by now she could hear the determined animal snarling as it examined its potential meal from only a short distance. The fleeting thought that an overstuffed rodent was going to eat her alive caught her off guard but at the same time strong arms grasped her waist, picked her up and carried slash threw her into a cage-like ring created by tall, thin tree trunks.

Kate was mercilessly pinned between a man she couldn't see and the far 'wall', with two muscular and tanned arms over her shoulders and head, separating her from what would have been the last thing to ever see her again.

The distinctive sound of the polar bears snarling and occasional growl came closer and the arms shielding her tightened, the muscles flexed. Then, the noise passes and eventually was non-existent as far as she knew. As the arms loosed but stayed in the same position, Kate tilted her head upward to see who had come to rescue the damsel in distress.

"Sawyer." Kate said, almost grudgingly.

"Well, howdy, Freckles," he looked down at her with a well-known, smug grin on his lips. "Nice running into you here on this fine day."

"What were you doing out here?"

"Enjoying the weather…and the scenery," he added slyly.

Kate rolled her eyes, "You following me? Again?"

Sawyer's drawl was casual, "A man's gotta keep himself busy around here, Freckles."

She let out a breath and looked at him with dull eyes that already told what she was going to say. "Let me go, Sawyer."

He frowned and peered at her curiously. "Now why would I want to do that?"

"Sawyer, let me-"

He moved an arm and put a finger against her lips, silencing her. "Shh. Don't ruin the mood."

"Wha-"

"I said, don't. Ruin. The mood." Sawyer ran a finger across her cheek, lightly pushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. He followed his movements with his eyes, then looked back into hers.

And as she stared into the deep seas of blue, Kate thought she saw something other than the empty sarcasm and the snide remarks. For just that moment, she saw who Sawyer really was, not who he was made out to be. And even though it scared her to death, she set aside her fears for once and acted according to the tightening in her chest and the depth in his eyes.

Kate slid her hand up his chest and over his jaw line, she ran her hand through his hair and slipped it behind his neck as she pulled his lips down to hers. Sawyer kept his hand on her burning cheek, gently skimming his fingertips over her soft skin. When their kiss broke, Kate tried to keep eye contact with Sawyer but found that she was already looking at an invisible spot on his blue t-shirt. He lifted her chin with a finger and forced her to meet his eyes.

"Kate…"

In a quiet and quick voice she said, "I have to go." Kate stepped around Sawyer and without looking back she walked towards the beach, leaving him there with one arm still braced on the tree trunks.

A/N: please review! i have more if ya want it, but you have to let me know. heehee:0