A/N: Happy rerun Wednesday! Not... Well, here's our midweek update. This chapter took a bit of a different course from the original plan, but it's all good. It worked out much better.
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Once her eyes had focused on the weapon, Kate quickly shifted them to its bearer. Her hands found their way to her hips as she sighed in annoyance. She waited for the gun to be lowered.
When seconds ticked by and the seemingly reasonable action wasn't taken, Kate finally resorted to words. "You can put the gun down, you know."
Ana Lucia continued to stare at her intensely, her position unwavering the slightest bit. She nodded her head roughly at Kate, her expression characteristically smug. "What are you doin' out here?"
Kate started to reply, having some sarcastic comment about "taking a walk" set to cover up her true reasons for being out in the jungle, but her attention turned to something behind the other woman.
Before Ana had a chance to realize what was going on, a hand came up around her and snatched the gun. "She's with me." A voice whispered roughly, right above her ear, sending a chill down her spine. Not bothering to ask questions, Ana gabbed her elbow into whoever was leering over her.
"Damn it, woman," Sawyer growled as he recoiled a few steps, dropping the gun and pressing his hand to his stomach. He glared at her through his scruffy hair. "Don't you remember what I said about hittin' me again?" Though he attempted the line with an air of deviousness, the effect was dulled by his almost pitiful state.
Ana wasted no time in retrieving her firearm and starting after Sawyer threateningly. "Yeah, and what exactly are you gonna to do about it, tough guy?"
But she barely made it two steps. "Hey," instinctively turning around as Kate called her attention, Ana found a fist ramming itself into her jaw. She stumbled back into a tree as the world spun.
"Oh, now we're talkin'." Sawyer drawled as he regained his composure, miraculously cured from pain as a grin of amusement lightened his features. Kate glared at him as she shook her hand, ridding it of the slow throb earned from the punch. Ana was still leaning against the tree, her hand wiping a trail of blood that was seeping through her split lip. Slowly, she raised the gun towards Kate again.
"What's going on here?" Another voice broke the growing tension. All heads turned to Jack as he struggled his way through the thick ground vegetation and to Ana Lucia's side. His eyes traveled from her to Kate and then to Sawyer, a steady flash of emotions playing across his face. Shock, confusion, annoyance and anger. Trademark Jack expressions.
"And now it's a party." Sawyer commented, but the playful tone was gone from his voice. He shifted the pack he had slung on his shoulder, holding back a wince.
No one spoke for a while. Slowly, Ana lowered the gun and casually slide it halfway down the waistband of her jeans. She crossed her hands and inhaled sharply through her nose, waiting for someone to step up and explain exactly what was going on.
Jack took the bait. "Kate?" She looked at him carefully. "Can we have a word?" He gestured towards the trees on his right and Kate nodded, going against her usual counteractive instincts. Sending a warning look to Sawyer (one that clearly meant "don't move," on the off-chance he'd listen), she started in the direction Jack had pointed out. The doctor gave Sawyer a lingering look as well, then a more meaningful glance at Ana before he too turned and walked away.
Sawyer sighed as the leaders went off to privately conspire. He cast a wary sideways peer at women who had on more then one occasion been very blunt of her indifference towards whether he lived or died, offhandedly realizing that he was now left here alone with her. He wasn't too thrilled with being her only company, especially given the fact that she had a weapon and she was known to shoot first and ask questions later.
The silence stretched on.
"Nice weather for a stroll through the enchanted forest, ain't it?" Sawyer asked with a lopsided grin, finding himself unable to remain quiet for long. Sarcastic humor was his safety net.
Ana rolled her eyes and exhaled impatiently, choosing to ignore him completely.
Okay then. Two could play at that game.
"You and the doc stop for a quickie before continuin' the search?" He pressed on, his eyes glittering mischievously. Ana looked at him then, her eyes murderous. Now he was hitting a nerve. "Two damn months on this rock, I know how things go. And with all the trouble over on your side of the fence, who can blame ya for wantin' somethin' good finally..."
The female continued to stare him down but she wasn't biting. Sawyer was surprised. "You didn't deserve to live." She finally stated, her voice thick with disgust.
Sawyer chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot." His grin faded and Ana looked away. This obviously wasn't getting him anywhere.
"Bitch," Sawyer murmured to himself, though it was far from an unusual train of though. He noticed Ana's hand idly tapping the handle of her gun and wondered if it was supposed to be a threat or if it was just the lady's trigger-happy twitches. Not keen on staying and finding out which it was, he spared a glance towards the patch of woods Kate and Jack had disappeared behind before turning and walking off towards in the direction he'd been heading before this whole confrontation.
Perhaps he still stood a chance at a clean escape.
---
"What the hell are you doing, Kate?"
Well, he wasted no time getting down to business, that was for sure.
"Jack..."
"No, don't "Jack" me. Please." He ran a hand over his short hair, pacing back and forth a moment before stopping right in front of Kate and sending a disapproving glare at her. "Why did you bring Sawyer out here? Do you have any idea of the..."
"Hold on a second! I did not bring Sawyer anywhere." Kate was quickly losing her own patience. "You think I'd willing endanger him? And for what?" She took a step towards him, resisting the urge to punch him as well. Instead, she gathered her voice, willing herself to remain in control. "Who do you make me out to be?"
That did it. Jack clenched his jaw, preparing for the impending outburst. "That's the thing, Kate. I have no idea who or what you are. I don't know what lengths you'd go to if you want something done. And right when I think I have you figured out, you remind me that I don't know anything about you! So, tell me, Kate..."
She stood her ground, though her insides were twisting. "Tell you what?"
Jack stared at her in disbelief for what felt like minutes, though he barely allowed two seconds to pass before commencing his fueled speech. "Tell me how you came to be like this. Tell me if you feel any ounce of guilt or remorse at the way you manipulate everyone around you, getting them to trust you and then throwing that back in their faces. Tell me what, if anything, the past two months have meant for you. Tell me what the hell was going on through that head of yours in the jungle a few days ago... Tell me why you've been completely ignoring me since you kissed me and tell me why you're now parading the jungle with Sawyer, who, in case you'd forgotten, was practically dead last week." He stopped for a breath, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Kate commended him for being able to say all of that at once. "Take your pick, Kate, and tell me..."
She flinched, took a step back and coiled her hands around her, refusing to meet his eyes. Jack mentally kicked him self the moment he felt sorry for yelling. He hated how hard it was to keep reminding himself that this little lost girl routine was just that... An act.
Her voice sounded alarmingly distant when she finally spoke.
"I went back to the hatch this morning and I found Sawyer packing in the storage room. He locked me in there and then he left after your group. I don't know why." She quickly added upon feeling Jack's eyes questioningly wash over her. "Once Hurley let me out a while later, I came after him. Then I thought I heard something and suddenly your new lapdog was holding me at gunpoint. And, now, here we are."
Jack sighed, resuming his pacing. "That's all I get?"
He looked over and Kate met his eyes. Her gaze was cold. Jack realized suddenly that he'd lost his chance with her once and for all. She was way out of his league now. Perhaps she'd always been, but his stubborn need to fix everyone had been blinding him. But there was no denying it anymore.
"Okay." He admitted defeat, wiping his hand across his brow. He thought for a moment then spoke again, the calmness back in his voice. "We'll get Sawyer back and..."
"We?" Kate interjected, her tone edged.
"Yes, Kate, we. You're obviously incapable of keeping him under control."
Something within her exploded. "Incapable?" She felt like screaming, but she found herself at a loss for words.
Jack waited for her to argue, but she continued to gape at him.
After a long moment, she managed to speak. "What are you doing here, anyway? What happened to the rest of the search team?"
Jack flexed his jaw, unsure if he should allow the switch of topics. Finally, he gave in. They both needed to calm down. "We split up about an hour ago. Ana and I were backtracking a bit to take a detoured path when she thought she heard something and went to check it out."
Kate pondered this a moment. "You let her go off alone?"
Jack stared at her curiously, wondering what the point of this discussion was. "She's capable of taking care of herself."
"And I'm not." It was a mixture of question and statement, and it packed a punch. Jack sighed, now seeing what she was getting at.
"Kate..."
"No, Jack." She held up a hand, as if he was physically coming after her. "Like you said... Just don't."
A silence floated over them as they retreated into their thoughts. They both knew this discussion had held a double meaning. It was a huge turning point in whatever relationship they had been building. Jack had figured their "post-kiss" talk would make or break them, but he hadn't expected this to be the outcome. Kate, on the other hand, had. Subconsciously, that's why she'd been postponing the inevitable.
Eventually she trusted herself to talk again. "I'll bring Sawyer back to camp, okay?" She wasn't really asking for permission, yet she couldn't bear leaving them on hostile ground. Jack hesitated. "I've got it, Jack. You have more important things to be doing." She swallowed. "Please."
Since she wasn't really giving him a choice, Jack nodded. They both knew he'd agree. He always did.
"Thank you." Kate breathed in relief, starting back towards where they'd left Ana and Sawyer. She glanced at Jack when he didn't immediately follow. "Coming?"
"No, I'll wait here." Jack forced a brief smile.
Kate nodded then paused again. Jack was still watching her. "Be careful out there."
He smiled again, honestly this time, and tipped his head in agreement. Kate felt a weight left off her chest. She watched Jack for a moment, wondering if this was the way things were supposed to be, and then continued walking.
Now came the real difficult task.
---
Ana Lucia stood where she'd been left leaning against the tree, playing with the clip of her gun. Click. She unloaded it. Click. She set it back.
"Jack's waiting for you." Kate stated with a tone of indifference as she entered the clearing. Ana's eyes traveled up to her. She pushed herself off the tree and started towards Kate. As she passed, Kate found herself thoughtlessly speaking. "You should watch it with that gun. We wouldn't want anymore accidents."
Ana froze and turned around slowly. She took a breath, perhaps fighting the urge to blow Kate's head off right then and there. Kate almost smirked. This was oddly fun.
"Look," the other women began. "I know me and you are destined not to like each other, but..."
"Where's Sawyer?" Kate cut her off, having just glanced around to locate the Southerner, expecting him to have both an amused grin and a witty remark set. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Ana didn't answer. She seemed annoyed that her big bad speech was cut short so rudely.
"Where is he?" Kate replied, bringing her eyes over to her adversary, openly challenging her not to answer.
Finally, Ana shrugged. "He took off right after you and Jack left."
Kate's eyes widened slightly, her temper returning full-force. "And you let him?"
"I ain't his mother." The reply came easily.
Kate swallowed, weighing her options. Beat that smug look off Ana Lucia's face or go after Sawyer, again, before he got too far, and fulfill her earlier need to kick his ass.
Sighing, Kate turned and started off in her previous direction in a brisk walk, not wasting another look back.
---
Well, she'd come after him. Sawyer would be lying if he said he wasn't pleasantly surprised. He'd secretly hoped she would, yet he hadn't really wanted it. Nor had he really expected it. And now, he felt slightly annoyed. Was this what women reduced men to?
Not that it mattered now, of course. She was likely going to continue on with Saint Jack now. Or at least he'd make her go back to camp. No chance in hell the good doctor would let his leading lady (or at least, his original leading lady) wander on through the woods unattended.
"Sawyer!"
Great. To top it all off, he was hearing things again. And of course his conscious had to take on her voice.
"Sawyer! Slow down, will you?" Okay, this was odd. His conscious wasn't supposed to be manifesting itself as her as well.
He glanced over his shoulder and slowed down as Kate struggled to catch up to him. Once she had, he smiled, pleasantly surprised for the second time that hour.
"Somethin' you need, sweetheart?"
Kate swallowed, getting her pants of air under control before laughing humorlessly.
"No more games, Sawyer. We're going back to camp."
His smile lingered. "That so?"
Kate straightened her posture and nodded. "Yes, that's so."
They continued to stare at each other for a moment, then Sawyer shook his head.
"Get out of here, Freckles." He turned and started walking again.
She blinked, not exactly sure why she was so startled by his resistance. Something about the way he'd said that... She quickly jogged after him.
"I'm not kidding, Sawyer. Jack said..."
"Don't care what Jack said."
Now he was testing her patience. She knew very well what he was doing. Trying to annoy her enough that she'd go away. But it wasn't happening.
"I know you don't, but I do. And I didn't need him telling me that it's dangerous for you to be out here. But he did." She was rambling. "And he entrusted me with bringing you back, so you kind of owe me for sparing you from one of his lectures."
Sawyer peered back at her in amusement. "Well, golly. Seems you're gonna have to disappoint your boyfriend on my account. 'Cause I ain't goin' back."
Something in Kate's jaw twitched, but she continued walking briskly beside him. Tiring of this silly chase, she reached a hand forward and placed it on his good arm. To her surprise, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Sawyer," she began carefully, and he turned to look at her. "Please." Kate felt her voice threatening to crack, and she wondered exactly when she'd gotten so emotional. It had worked in convincing Jack before (even though that had been more of an act to get her way), but somehow she knew Sawyer would be immune.
"I gotta do this, Kate." Hearing her name coming from his lips was like a physical blow. Her hand lifted from his forearm and she stared at him helplessly. He smiled again but it didn't reach his eyes. Then he turned around and continued to walk.
"Back at the hatch... You kissed me." Kate hated herself for speaking the moment the words left her mouth. Why had that simple statement sounded so accusing? And where had it come from? Why now?
But it worked in stopping Sawyer. "Yeah, I did." He turned and gave her an unreadable look, then ran a hand through his hair before letting it drop down to his side again, clearly annoyed by the course this discussion was taking. "What of it?"
Kate willed herself not to say anything else, but her brain had other plans. "Why?" She felt like she was watching this interaction play out onscreen. Like it wasn't really her talking to Sawyer, but some stranger who had invaded her body and left Kate to watch from the sidelines as her life was tampered with. What the hell was going on with her?
Sawyer didn't speak right away. His eyes shifted from the ground to the trees to the sky, making a point to avoid looking at her. A second later, just like that, their gazes were locked. Kate could feel her heart pulsing in her neck. Her hands felt sweaty. Why was she so scared of his answer?
"Didn't want any regrets this time." The blunt honesty behind that answer wiped all of Kate's thoughts clean. She couldn't move; couldn't pull her eyes away. "In case I didn't come back."
Her mouth was awfully dry and she absurdly wished she had a beer. Oddly enough, she didn't even like beer, though she always drank it when she was younger. It made her feel in control of her life. Made her feel capable.
Sawyer seemed to be waiting for a reply. When nothing came, a moment of hurt seemed to flash through his eyes, but he blinked and it was replaced by the coldness that Kate was all too familiar with. "Sawyer." She finally managed, wanting desperately to go up to him. Her feet refused to move.
His head cocked steadily to the side, stranded locks of hair dividing his forehead into uneven parts. They stared each other down evenly, the jungle melting away around them. The silence stretched on until he spoke again.
"We better get moving." It was as good an invitation as he was going to give her.
Kate nodded as he turned and commenced walking. It took her a few more seconds for her body to finally respond. She trailed after him, her mind still blank.
Jack was going to give her hell for this, and she really couldn't have cared less.
