Well, this is it. The end. Finally I've gotten here after so long of writing it. After blood, sweat, tears and broken down computers I'm finally here. I can't believe it. I don't think it's quite sunken into my thick skull yet.
Wow...the end.
I want to thank you all for reading this, for bearing with me in my random posting times and computer difficulties. For putting up with all my stupid cliffhangers and teasings. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it and coming up with it for you.To everyone who has ever posted a comment, left a review or even just read this, THANK YOU! You don't know how much it means to me!
Disclaimer: I'm finished, but I still don't own it. Le sigh
Without further ado...here it is.
(...I think I might cry now...)
Epilogue.
Ana-Lucia had done as the doctor had instructed her, even though she only just managed it. She'd never been one to wallow in self-pity through injury or illness. She'd never been one of those people who would run to their local doctor for every cut, sniffle and bruise.
But Sawyer had refused to let her get out of the hatch bed for anything other than toilet issues, threatening to call Jack back from the beach if she didn't stop trying to get up while he went to push the computer button.
Eventually, however, when her infuriated smacks to his shoulder had begun getting more forceful as the second day stuck in the hatch had worn on, eventually drawing an exclamation of pain from him, Sawyer had deemed her well enough to make the journey back to the beach.
She had grasped his hand fiercely. Vice tight, So hard that his knuckles had felt as if they were going to explode, bones fit to pop out of their sockets. But he had let her, grateful for the pain that she inflicted upon him, for it proved to him that she really was alright. Still alive and that they were finally back together again.
He had offered to carry her, but the dangerous look in her eyes had stopped him mid-sentence. He had wanted to curl his arm about her shoulders to keep her steady and safe, but she had shrugged him away, too independent to let him baby her. She wanted to make it on her own steam. She needed to do it herself, though he'd been able to see clearly on her face how it had pained and exhausted her to do so.
He hadn't, however, given her the chance to protest when he had taken her forearm and wedged it securely between his elbow and his side, locking their fingers, effectively linking them together and offering her the support that he needed to give her, while still allowing her the independence that she so desired.
Eventually they had made it down to the beach, breaking through the tree line and into the community, but instead of being met by harsh glares and whispers, wary glances and hissed comments like they had suffered last time they had stepped onto the white sands pulling their combined belongings behind them on a makeshift sled, they were met with smiles and waves and many, many cries of thanks.
"Did everyone get knocked in the head while I was out of it?" Ana had hissed sideways to Sawyer as they made their way slowly through them all to the safety and privacy of their own home, but he had merely chuckled and told her to get use to it.
"We're flavour of the month now, Darlin'," he beamed. "That's what happens when you do somethin' heroic like and almost get yourself killed in the process."
And they had left it at that.
She listened to him beside her then as she lay there, the morning after their bizarre return to the shelter they had built together, something good out of all their trials and tribulations.
She heard as his breathing changed and he woke slowly from the deep sleep of a weary man. One who finally felt safe enough to rest himself fully.
He breathed deeply through his nose, raising a hand to scratch idly as his tanned, bare chest and Ana allowed herself a smile. She loved hearing him wake up beside her. They'd been apart only three nights, not including the three following that when she had been unconscious with her injuries in the hatch, and even so it had felt like a lifetime. She just hadn't realised how much she had missed him during that time.
He coughed out into the silence of their shelter, a last reminded of all those cigarettes he had smoked in another life, before the crash had forced him to kick the habit. Sitting up slowly, he scrubbed at his tired eyes with a scuffed and scratched knuckle, running a hand through his hair and itching his sun-scorched and sand invaded scalp.
And Ana reached out suddenly with the hand of her uninjured arm, to smooth it up his tanned expanse of back, muscles twitching beneath her feather-light touch until his still sleepy brain realised, causing him to jump at the sudden contact, of skin on skin, when he'd thought she had been sleeping. He turned to glance down at her, still blinking blearily into the light.
"Didn't wake you, did I, Sugar?" he queried, voice deep from slumber and lack of use and hushed in the early morning but Ana shook her head in response.
"Been awake for a while." She lied, waving Sawyer's comments that 'she should've woken him' away. In actual fact she'd not been awake for just a while. She'd been unable to sleep the entire night through, incapable of finding a position comfortable enough to sleep in. The wounds to both her leg and her shoulder prevented her from rolling onto either of her sides or front and she'd never been able to sleep on her back. And so she had resorted to staring at the dark blue shadows playing across the ceiling, listening with envy to Sawyer's snoring.
He leaned back on an elbow facing her on his side and propping his head up on his hand. Fingertips trailed from her hair down her face, smoothing across her cheek and tracing her neck to her shoulder, brushing lightly up and down her arm enough to make a shiver chase it's way in a corkscrew down her stiff back.
"I'm glad you're back." She murmured finally, stopping to yawn even as she spoke, betraying how tired she actually still was after her ordeal.
Sawyer gave a light snort at her words.
"I'm glad you're alive!" he responded, mimicking her as he watched her face closely. "I nearly had me a heart-attack when that damn Others woman said they was fixin' to get rid of you…"
Ana's smile grew wider and somewhat smug at the Southerner's revelation that he had feared for her safety.
"Were you worried about me, Stud?" she teased and again he snorted in reply, covering his confession with a gruff cough.
"Well, yeah!" he responded incredulously. "And I was damn right to be. Look what state you gone got yourself into!" he gestured to the bullet wounds in her shoulder and upper thigh. "What are you? A walkin' bull's eye or somethin'?"
Ana rolled her eyes in silent retort and pulled herself upright, still wincing slightly as the skin pulled taut about her injuries.
"Where you goin', Speedy?" he queried from behind her in his lazy drawl, tugging at the back of her shirt to gain her attention.
"To get some water." She countered, feigning impatience. "What? I need your permission now?" she arched a dark eyebrow, glancing back over her shoulder at his semi recumbent form and Sawyer grinned so wide that his dimples flashed at her as he nodded his head.
"'Course you do! An' I say you ain't goin' nowhere." He shifted on the blanket covered sand beside her and stood, searching for his jeans and tugging them on hastily, as if he thought she was going to bolt for the doorway and make a bid for freedom at any minute. "I'll go get you some water."
Ana shook her head at him, unable to keep the disbelieving chuckle from leaving her lips even as she allowed herself to recline back, propped up on her good elbow.
"James Ford, you are the only man I know who can manage to be a gentleman and a chauvinistic pig all at the exact same time!"
And Sawyer, who had stepped through the blue tarp doors of their home out into the sunlight to stretch out muscles still aching from the rescue mission four days previous, popped his head back inside and winked at her.
"What can I say, Darlin'? It's a gift." He chuckled, stooping to retrieve their empty water bottles. "Now don't you go runnin' off anywhere, Invalid." He chose to ignore her scowl at the nickname that she had thrown at him so long ago when they had first embarked upon their curious liaison. "I'll be right back."
-oOo-
It was still early enough that the sun hadn't quite risen fully and broken through the morning mist rolling in grey off the sea. And yet the heat was ever present, even if it wasn't as unbearable as it got during the height of the day.
Sand crunched beneath his bare feet. He hadn't bothered to don either his shoes or his shirt, intending on returning to 'bed' when his little errand had been completed. Plus the breeze was cooling on his skin, a relief after the three long, worry-filled days stuck in the hot, stuffy hatch.
A slow, meandering swagger through the small spattering of cobbled together tents to where the community had set up a bamboo trough to collect the rainwater when it fell, brought the only other person out and about at such an obscene hour of the morning into his view.
Filled plastic bottles of water littered the ground at her feet, but still she stood, staring out at the seascape painted grey and orange and pink by the slowly rising sun.
She had lots on her mind then, Sawyer guessed moving quietly up behind her. For her to stay put in one place for longer than a gnat's heartbeat proved as much to him. So did her unawareness of his approach.
"Well, howdy, Stranger," he chuckled from behind the distracted brunette, causing her to start at the sound of his voice and break from her daydream. "Long time no see, Freckles."
Tired green eyes flashed up to meet his and she responded with an unimpressed smile and arched eyebrow.
"It's only been three days, Sawyer." She informed him with a shake of her loose brown curls that she paused to brush behind her ears securely.
"Ah, but you forget, Sugar," the conman countered, swaggering up beside her fully and unscrewing the bottle caps from his and Ana's containers. "Three days Mystery Island time is like…thirty years regular time."
Kate couldn't help but chuckle at that bizarre and yet somehow seemingly true notion, shaking her head again as she watched Sawyer stoop to begin collection what he'd come out for.
Water gurgling and bubbling into the plastic bottle filled the silence between them for a long moment, until Sawyer stood straight again and permitted himself a long draught of the slightly warm liquid.
"So, how's things?" Kate queried suddenly, loosely folding her arms about herself. Her eyes flickered past him to the little blue tent on the edge of the beach 'village' and the tree line. The tent in which Ana-Lucia was waiting, possibly impatiently, for him to return with his 'shopping'.
Sawyer followed her gaze and gave a brief snort of amusement.
"Things," he drew out the word to let her know exactly who they were talking about. "Are fine, Freckles. Better than fine, actually." He turned again, eyes fixed upon his shelter with a pleased grin. "She's on the mend. Got shot up pretty bad, but she's a fighter."
"Don't I know it!" Kate shot back, snapping his gaze back to her in a split second of concern until he saw the smirk twist at the edges of her lips. "I'm glad she's okay. Tell her I was asking after her, okay? And that I'll come by later to see how she's doing."
Sawyer blinked at the slim woman in confusion, scratching at his head with his free hand, eyebrows arched dubiously.
"Since when did you and Girlfight start playin' nice together, huh?"he demanded, his laugh one of disbelief, of complete and utter shock as if Kate had just sprouted a second head from her left ear.
But Kate merely laughed herself and shook her head enigmatically telling him that she wasn't going to tell him anything. He made a mental note to interrogate Ana about that little development later in the day.
She stooped suddenly to collect her own water bottles, turning to glance in the direction of her own shared shelter and Sawyer followed her gaze once more, snorting in amusement as he did.
"Don't tell me," he sniggered, leaning in towards her conspiratorially. "You drugged him again, didn't you?"
Green eyes widened guiltily as she spun to face him, but she relaxed, seeing the laughter dancing in his blue eyes instead of disapproval.
"Now what makes you say that?" Kate replied finally, even though her smile was still somewhat sheepish.
"Maybe 'cause he's in there sleepin' instead of runnin' round the beach like a blue-assed fly." Sawyer retorted and she conceded the point with a chuckle and nod.
"He'd work himself to an early grave unless I did something about it." She defended and Sawyer raised his free hand in the gesture of surrender.
"I don't doubt it for a second. S'a good job you're as sneaky as you are, Freckles. Where would Jumpin' Jack Flash be without you?"
And Kate blushed, turning her face to study the ground. It was still somewhat uncomfortable talking about their current partners with someone who they could've been romantically involved with had things turned out differently. She shifted, feet shuffling in the sand slightly as she moved in awkwardness.
"Anyway," she muttered, clearing her throat. "I better, y'know, get back," she hitched her thumb over her shoulder at the tent where Jack lay sedated and finally resting. "He's gonna kill me when he wakes up."
"I'll be wantin' tickets for that fight." Sawyer teased, earning him a glare of feigned annoyance. "Take it easy, Katie."
"You too, Sawyer." She returned and with another brief nod at each other they began in their separate directions…until Kate paused and called out one last time. "Hey Sawyer?"
He turned, eyebrows raised in inquiry and she chuckled to herself, smile wider and more genuine than he had seen it in a long time. She hefted her bottles a little higher into her grasp.
"Tell Ana-Lucia that she still owes me that crazy-ass story!"
Sawyer opened his mouth to demand what the heck she was going on about until a cry went up from Jin, who'd obviously gone down to the waters edge to check his fishing nets during the course of their conversation. He waved an arm at them, trying to gain their attention and send their stares out to sea…
"Well I'll be damned…"
-oOo-
She'd just managed to drift into sleep, only just managed to get herself comfortable, basking in the peace, in the cool morning air and the respite from Sawyer's snoring…when he thrashed back into the shelter, dropping the water bottles to the floor and himself to his knees beside her.
"Ana!" he called, grabbing her uninjured shoulder with a shockingly cold, still wet hand, snapping her out of any vestiges of sleep that she had been under. "Ana get up!"
"What!" she growled, fending his hand away and blinking up at him blearily through a frown. "Damn it, I just got to-"
"You'll thank me for this, Darlin', I promise you." He responded, speaking over her, much to her annoyance.
"This better be good." She muttered beneath her breath as he stood again and swished back out through the tarps of their doorway.
So help her God she'd give him an earful if this was all some crazy joke concocted by his crazy redneck mind…
A blast of the sea breeze hit her square in the face as she managed to struggle to her feet and duck her own way out onto the beach, eyes searching and fixing upon Sawyer, waiting for her. His own eyes sent out to the ocean.
"James?" she queried, scrubbing at her eyes as they adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight. "Sawyer? You wanna tell me what the hell's going-"
Sawyer's arm curled about her shoulder suddenly, taking her by surprise as he pointed down the length of the golden sands to where people where gathering knee deep at the waters edge.
"Look who's back in town, Hotlips." He beamed, sending her gaze out a little further into the azure blue to the rickety boat that she'd been too tired, and too annoyed, to notice.
"Is that Michael?" she questioned, suddenly forgetting that she was exhausted and Sawyer had just awakened her so rudely. She took a few steps forwards, hand shading her eyes, but Sawyer's arm stayed firmly secured about her shoulder as he moved with her.
"Yeah, I reckon." He drawled with a suddenly mischievous grin. "And your pal Eko too…but I think there's someone else on that there boat who wants to see you. Two of 'em actually."
Her eyebrows quirked in confusion as she considered his altogether too smug face and he directed them both in a slow stroll down the heating sands to the congregation.
And then a familiar voice rose over the crashing waves and the chatter already going on as Michael and the boy who was obviously his son, Walt, disembarked and waded their way on land, embracing people and smiling and laughing as they went.
"Ana! The voice cried, joined by another similar, though a little younger than the first. "Ana! Ana-Lucia!"
And Ana felt the tears sting in the corners of her eyes as they fell upon the two grinning, happy faces of the two children she had promised to protect. Her grip about Sawyer's waist tightened suddenly, drawing strength from his presence beside her.
"Oh my God…" she couldn't utter anything else as Eko leaped down into the waves and lifted them both after him, setting them on their feet as soon as he reached water shallow enough for them. "You found them…"
But she was already moving towards them before Sawyer could reply. She was already dropping to her knees before them and reaching out, touching their faces, brushing back their blonde hair so that she could see them more clearly and confirm to herself that they were real. They were alive. They were alright and they were right there before her.
"We knew you'd be alright, Ana." Emma giggled and Zack nodded at her side fervently agreeing with his sister's comment. "We told Sawyer you would, but he was silly and got all worried." The little girl lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I think he likes you, you know."
And Ana laughed, through her tears of happiness and relief, pulling them close into a desperate embrace, not caring about the twinges of pain in her shoulder and leg. Not caring about the sand and seawater soaking her jeans.
"You think?" she queried, grinning, drawing away from the children just enough so that she could glance back at the Southerner stood behind them, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans as he watched them, scuffing a toe in the sand. "You know what? I think I like him too."
The End
-oOo-
CriesSobsSniffles
Well, onwards, what?;) How's about that sequel...