Well here it is! The final chapter of "Strangers Like Me". Hope you enjoy it and please for the last time, read and review. I would like to know how the ending was and/or if I should change it. Thanks again and now without further delay I present the finale to "Strangers Like Me" . . .

Chapter 11

The sun had set and the fires were lit. All around camp people cuddled close to keep warm. All except Sawyer. He was sitting at the farthest corner, far from his tent, and all the survivors. Jack had kicked him out of the caves so he could properly check Valerie. Sawyer left in a huff and retreated to the corner and built his own fire. He was there since just watching the flames spark the air.

Sitting there he thought about the last couple days. He had never felt this way about someone before, particularly a woman. Sure, he had his fun, but after crashing on this island, it changed everything. And sure, at times, he thought he would make it further with Kate, but alas, he and Freckles would forever be friends.

Valerie was different. Whenever he looked into her eyes he saw everything he wanted to be. He saw his entire world. Something he couldn't say about all the women he slept with or even about Kate. That night in his tent, he also felt something more. And he could have sworn Valerie felt the same way. That was until she found out the truth. Now he would never know.

Sighing, Sawyer grunted when he felt something strike his chest. Glancing down he recognized the small bottle of vodka he stole from the plane and suitcases. Looking up he saw Kate standing beside the fire with her own bottle.

"I'm in the mood for a drink, Freckles," he stated and threw the bottle back to her. "But thanks anyway."

"We're not going to drink," Kate corrected and tossed the bottle onto his chest again. "We're gonna play a game."

"What game?"

"'I've Never . . .'" she replied with a mischievous smirk on her face. Taking a seat, Kate made herself comfortable and cleared her throat. "I've never seen 'The Godfather'."

Sawyer groaned. He really was not in the game-playing mood, but knew Kate would not take no for an answer. Rolling his eyes, he took a sip, because he remembered seeing 'The Godfather' a year ago.

Thinking for a moment, he replied, "I've never owned a Britney Spears album."

Kate scoffed but took her drink. Guilty as charged she thought to herself.

"I've never gone into a men's room."

Sawyer glared at her. It was obviously a trick question because he certainly has gone to a men's room. With a slight chuckle he drank.

"I've never been in a school play."

Kate drank.

Then she looked down. After this question she knew she would have to drink because she has done this, but it was intended for him and not her.

"I've never been in love," she whispered and then drank.

Sawyer glanced towards the fire. He stared at it for a few seconds and Kate was about to accept defeat when he slowly lifted his bottle . . . and drank.

Valerie left the caves after three hours of being unconscious. Jack had said it was all right for her to walk around. It was a chilly night and she had taken one of the blankets. Wrapping it around her shoulders she started through the jungle and arrived at the beach. There were many fires set up. Most belonging to a small group of two or more and some to only one person.

Slowly, she strolled through the camp and watched some of the people. She passed by Jin and Sun lying beside each other, their arms entwined. Shannon and Sayid were the same, only they sat near the fire. Charlie was helping Claire put her baby to bed and Hurley was talking with Libby. Further down, Valerie saw Michael and Walt. They were hugging and Michael was even crying a little. Locke was beside them slicing up a piece of fruit. Then, she looked ahead and saw Sawyer.

He was sitting all alone in the corner of the camp with a fire all to himself. She could tell from here that he was reading the letter she found in his bag. Valerie sighed. Though she still had a headache, her heart was speaking to her and she knew what she had to do, whether she liked it or not.

As she started towards Sawyer, Jack and Kate sat nearby. They watched Valerie make her way towards him and they couldn't help but laugh.

Turning to Jack, Kate said, "I got Sawyer to admit to something he probably doesn't want anyone else to know."

"Just as I got Valerie to admit something she probably doesn't want anyone to know," Jack added and he and Kate watched silently from the distance.

Sawyer was reading the letter for the twentieth time when he heard someone approach. Looking up he was shocked to see Valerie. She was wrapped in a blanket and she had a slight red mark on the side of her face where the man struck her. Sawyer thought for a moment how he would like to kill the man all over again for touching her.

Staring into the fire, Valerie suddenly asked, "What are you going to do about the letter?"

"Don't know," Sawyer replied and folded it. "I spent years looking for him. Killed a lot of innocent men instead. It's pointless, you know? Thinking about him when we're stuck on this island with polar bears, grudge-holding boars, monsters, and crazy Lost Boys on crack."

Valerie snickered. Sawyer missed her laugh and wish he could spend all the rest of his life making it up to her.

"It's pointless," he said again and to Valerie' surprise, he tossed the letter into the fire. The delicate paper instantly burned in the flames and Sawyer did not even flinch. Too long he tried to destroy that letter and too long he failed. Tonight, however, he knew he did not need it anymore.

"It is pointless," Valerie whispered and Sawyer looked back to her. "I don't know James Ford. Never met him before in my life. But I did meet Sawyer and he was everything to me. I felt at peace whenever I was with him."

Valerie started walking closer and Sawyer was getting nervous. "I can't say that I'm never going to meet James Ford because I know I will." She kneeled down beside him. "But revenge is pointless . . . especially after you've fallen in love."

Leaning closer to Sawyer, she continued, "Shannon told me something very interesting the other day."

"What?"

"Everyone gets a new life on this island," she whispered and the space between them was growing thin. "I'd like . . . to start . . . now." And Valerie closed the final inches and kissed Sawyer. Taking a quick breath, Valerie added, "I love you, Sawyer."

And Sawyer for the first time in his life, since saying it to his mother, replied softly, "I love you." And he knew he met it.

Smiling, Valerie kissed him again before cuddling into his arms. They stared at the fire content in the moment. The last of the letter was burning and Sawyer smiled. He no longer cared about revenge. All he cared for now was in his arms.

"Oh, and one more thing," Valerie suddenly said.

Glancing down, Sawyer responded, "What?"

"Promise me you'll never lose your edge. Don't become Mr. Nice Guy just because I'm around."

"Won't ever happen, darlin'."

Thank you everyone for reading my story and for those who reviewed. I enjoyed your comments very much. I will most definitely be creating another Sawyer fanfic and possibly a Sawyer/Valerie sequel. I'll have to wait and see how these new episodes go. Thanks again and keep checking for more stories by me - Jessica