Title: On the Outside
author: jmaria

tth100 prompt: Kit
Crossover fandom: Lost
Characters: Kit, Sawyer, Dawn, Carlos
Prompt: 076. Deceit

Word Count: 996
Rating: FR-15
Disclaimer: Joss owns Kit, Dawn, & Carlos, J.J. owns Sawyer
Summary: Why she got on the plane. . . (because what is Lost all about if not for the flashbacks?)
Set: Southern Comfort - 6

On the Outside

Kit hacked away at the fruit, her anger at Hurley growing more and more prominent with each whack. Stupid golf course. Stupid Hurley, stupid mystery island. Stupid idiot blocking her light - huh?

She glanced up suddenly, her hand reaching for the stake. Only to see Sawyer smirking down at her. Just what she needed - Southern Comfort. His eyes narrowed a bit on her hand. Before she could stash it, his hand shot out, clenching around her wrist.

"Ow, let go of -"

"Now, Kitty cat, what's this big ole thing?" Sawyer asked, turning her wrist in his hand.

"I whittle. It's a simple whittling. Call me the Dollmaker, Southern Comfort," Kit snapped, trying to yank her hand back. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on him being so damn strong. Or muscle-y. So, she did the completely girly thing and smacked at him. When that didn't work, she sighed and let her hand go limp. "Let go, Sawyer."

"Gonna stop usin' that dumb nickname and explain what the hell this thing really is?"

"Are you? And it's a weapon of mass destruction! I already told you it was just something I whittled. I'm not exactly blessed with an overabundance of creative talent." Kit said quietly, staring down at the scratched top, where she'd tried to carve one of those decorative little swirls that Carlos liked.

"Did the knife slip, Kit?" Dawn had asked, laughing, examining the handle.

"More like my hand slipped," Kit sighed, holding up her bandaged fingers. "Who knew whittling skills would be so vital on the Watcher's final?"

"Me. I told you it would be," Dawn replied.

"Right, little miss oh-I-helped-make-the-final," Kit scowled playfully at her.

"I'm just glad Giles let you come down here, finally. Carlos and I were missing you," Dawn wrapped an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you fail the final twice," Kit said ruefully.

"Couldn't be helped, you're final was attacked by Apocalyptic-y demons."

"Yeah, but you and Carlos have been in the field for five months. I'm gonna be viewed as the short-bus Watcher. Especially since you're the Boss Lady's sister," she said nervously.

"Oh, please, it's that much harder to get respected around here. The Sydney Slayers actually respect Carlos more because he's not related to the top slayer. I'm chop liver. Guess they think I got this job handed to me on a silver platter."

"Please, you've gotten war wounds compared to these pipsqueaks. Speaking of Carlos," Kit said, trying not to be overly obvious, "How's he doing? Why didn't he come with you?"

"Watcher duties. Three of our newest slayers have been doing the whole pre-teen meltdown. Apparently, I'm rug like. I let them all walk over me," Dawn looked away, her eyes focusing on the apartment building. "We're home, well, where us Watchers live, anyway."

"Wow. Better than our London flat," Kit grinned.

Kit had shrieked when they got up to the apartment and saw Carlos waiting for them. It had been nearly eight months since she'd seen him, and the eight months had been filled with longing and wondering. He'd asked her where they thought their relationship had been going, and at the time, she honestly hadn't known. The time apart had given her plenty to think about, and if he was still interested in taking it another level, then so was she.

But the hug at the door was awkward and stiff, and not Carlos-like at all. She noticed pictures of Carlos and Dawn, not of the three of them. And she noticed the tension between Carlos and Dawn.

"So, both of you live here?" Kit asked, trying to break the tension.

"Well, the three of us, now that you're here," Dawn said a bit too brightly.

"In a two bedroom apartment? We gonna go back to the good old dorm days, Dawnie?" Kit laughed.

"Well, no -" but she was cut off by the telephone. "Let me go get that." Kit frowned at the little exchange between the two of them, but smiled at Carlos.

"Kit, it's good that you're here."

"It's good to be here, especially to be out of London when the weather's so bad," Kit smiled. "Actually, I'm kinda glad Dawn had to run. We need to talk - about us."

"Kit -"

"No, if I don't say this, I'm not gonna be able to say this. I was too scared to try back in London, but if you still want to -I'd really like to -" Her voice

"Kit, Dawn and I are together."

"What?"

"We've been dating for a few months now. We're living together," Carlos said quietly.

"Oh -" Kit blinked a few times. "I - wow."

"You - you said you didn't think we would go anywhere, and well, -" Carlos took her hand in his. "We didn't want to hurt you, honestly we didn't."

"I'm such an idiot. Thinking that there -" Kit blinked back tears of anger. "I'm not gonna cry, dammit. Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"We didn't want to - we didn't -" Dawn started to say, coming to sit by Kit.

"Don't touch me," Kit snapped, jumping up from her seat.

"Kit?" Dawn said tearfully.

"You let me make an idiot out of myself for months, Dawn. I asked you whenever I talked to you if he was seeing someone, if he was happy. You fucking set me up!" Kit yelled, storming around the couch. "Have a happy life together."

She grabbed her duffle bag and her purse and ran from the apartment, ignoring Dawn and Carlos's protests. Her shaking hands punched in the most familiar number into her phone.

"City girl like you don't exactly strike the image of a whittler in my mind, Kitty cat." Sawyer's smirk got wider, but he let her wrist go.

"I'm complex, what can I say?"

"Oh, I strike a nerve?"

"It's what you're good at, Sawyer," Kit snapped, rubbing at her wrist.