Oh my God, I think I am possessed or something! I just keep thinking of new things to add to this story! Thank you all for your reviews, keep on reading and telling me what you think, it makes for a better story.
Chapter 4
Jack looked at Sawyer, sometimes he just wanted to beat the Southerner into a bloody pulp if only for the satisfaction of knowing that he'd done something about this ever growing thorn in his side. He didn't understand why the man was so contrary, it was as if he'd been planted on the Island simply for the purpose of undermining Jack at every turn. He couldn't help but feel the instant irritation that always bubbled inside him whenever he was in the same breathing space as Sawyer. 'What is his problem?' Jack asked himself for the umpteenth time, since they crash landed on the Island. And what made matters worse was Kate's relationship with the scumbag, Jack did not understand how the two of them could possibly have anything in common. Despite Kate's criminal past, he believed with his heart and soul she was a good woman who'd just made some bad choices along the way. Choices he was confident there was a good explanation for. The same couldn't be said for Mr. Redneck over here. He was just a parasite, a genuine blight on humanity who served no purpose and helped no one. And now to make matters worse, he had the guns, guns Jack and Locke had been unable to find, much to his chagrin Jack had to admit one thing to himself. Sawyer was smarter than he'd thought, a cunning and wily coyote, and it galled Jack to no end that he had not seen the gun theft coming!
"I take it ya didn't find the hardware huh Doc?" Sawyer asked almost politely. Kate watched on with interest as the two men eyed each other up. She couldn't help but feel apprehensive at what this conversation might escalate to, she could tell from the look on Jack's face that he was at the end of his tether where Sawyer was concerned.
"Give me back the guns, Sawyer." Jack demanded, the tone in his voice brooking no insolence. James shook his head slightly, "Didn't your Mama teach ya manners Doc? I didn't hear ya say please." He mocked, insolently. Jack nodded, "Fine Sawyer, give me back the guns, please."
James shook his head, "Now if I didn't know any better, I'd think ya don't mean it." Jack tsked impatiently, his voice rising with anger, "I'm done talking to you like you're a normal person, you proved your point, we underestimated you, now for the last time, give me back the guns Sawyer!"
"No." James replied evenly, he was standing in front of Jack, his shoulders relaxed, his face showing slight indifference at Jack's ire. Jack moved forward so that they were almost standing toe-to-toe, James raised his chin and eyed Jack steadily, his body still maintaining its relaxed stance. Kate exhaled sharply and moved forward warily, ready to step in and stop the two men from coming to blows.
"I'm done talking to you Sawyer, I hate to do this but you've left me no choice." Jack said in a resigned tone before he balled his fist and punched James in the gut. James doubled slightly and gave a grunt of pain. He straightened up and looked Jack square in the eye, "Doc, ya get that one for free, hit me again and we gonna have ourselves a long overdue throwdown. And I won't stop til ya say Uncle."
Jack flinched inwardly, the lack of emotion on Sawyer's face as he spoke and the icy, controlled anger burning in Sawyer's eyes was slightly intimidating to behold. Before he could respond Kate pushed herself between the two men, "Stop it, this doesn't solve anything!"
"Stay outta this Freckles, this is between me an' the Doc." James said as he pushed her aside firmly. Kate tried to get back in between the two men who were now toe-to-toe, but their bodies were unyielding, changing tactics, she grabbed Jack's arm and pulled. "Jack, please, it's not worth it. You won't get anything out of him if you do this." To her surprise, Jack ignored her, shrugging her hand off like she was a pesky insect. "You heard him Kate, stay out of this, it's between me and him." Jack didn't even look at her as he spoke.
James couldn't believe it, 'Well I'll be damned, Christmas has come early this year, this time I ain't holdin' back at all. I let him get away with it 'cause he's the Hero, 'cause he's a good man, but unh huh not today, Jacko you've used up your last get of jail free card. Now, to let the mountain come to me.' He thought with anticipation.
As James had known, Jack made the first move, swinging his right fist straight for James' face. Ducking the blow, James slid to the left and delivered two swift uppercut jabs into Jack's side. As Jack doubled over to his side in a bid to protect his kidneys from suffering another blow, James went around Jack, hooking his right arm around Jack's neck and applying pressure. Jack clawed at James' arm, then elbowed him as hard as he could in the ribs. Kate screamed at them to stop, but neither one of them heard her, at the same time Sayid and Ana-Lucia came running into the room skidding to halt at the sight of the two men fighting. "Help me stop them!" She cried frantically running towards James and Jack, as Sayid and Ana-Lucia also ran up to the two men.
Jack had freed himself from James' grip, and the two men were currently grappling each other to the ground. Sayid grabbed James as Ana-Lucia and Kate dragged Jack off him. "You bastard, is that all you got, huh!" Yelled an enraged Jack, James spat blood on the floor before replying in kind. "I got plenty more where that came from, boy! Get off me, Ali, this ain't got nothin' to do with ya!" He violently shrugged Sayid's grip off before heading for Jack, who also shrugged both Kate and Ana-Lucia off him and ran to collide with James' fist in a sickening crunch. The three bystanders shuddered in revulsion as blood spurted from Jack's nose. James proceeded to land three more blows into Jack's crumpling figure before Sayid and Kate dragged him off Jack. As he kicked in violent protest against their iron-tight hold on him, Jack shrugged off Ana-Lucia's supportive hand on his shoulder and rose unsteadily from his knees onto his feet. He bore down on the threesome, bellowing, "Let him go! Let him go! I am gonna finish this once and for all!" Jack barreled into James' chest the momentum pushing the three of them into the hatch wall.
Kate and Sayid collided painfully with the concrete, both of them losing their grip on James who half standing half sitting was pinned against the wall and started punching Jack viciously in the back. Jack head butted James in the chin forcing him to bite himself on the lip hard. "Sonofabitch!" James howled, as he shoved Jack off him. Jack stumbled backwards, barely missing a collision with Ana-Lucia's fast retreating form. As he skidded on the floor, James was there jumping on him, he grabbed the surgeon by the collar and started punching him in the face with violent fervor. "You wanna piece me Doc? You got it! How 'bout that! And this!" Each one of his exclamations punctuated with a sickening crunch as he pounded into Jack's face. Sayid ran and tackled Sawyer from the side, the two of them sliding across the floor before they hit the door of the safe the guns had been stored in. Kate and Ana-Lucia both ran to Jack who lay on the floor lifelessly. Kate gasped in horror at the state of Jack's face, it was covered in blood, and one eye was swollen shut. As each woman reached down to grab an arm, Jack coughed, blood sputtering out of his mouth, and spraying the women's hands and clothing. "Oh my God." Ana-Lucia said fearfully, as they sat Jack up and then dragged him to the couch.
The alarm started to sound as the counter dangerously approached zero, Kate left Jack on the couch and punched in the numbers. Ana-Lucia began wiping the blood away from Jack's nose and mouth using the blanket on the couch.
James sat subdued by Sayid's steadfast hold on him, the two of them were breathing heavily from all the exertion it was taking. The bloodthirst still burned bright in James' eyes and he looked positively feral with blood and sweat soaking his blonde hair into a stringy mess and his lips curled back in a snarling grin. "Say Uncle." Sayid looked at Kate over James' head with a tinge of fear, at the violence in his voice as he said it. Kate stared at Sayid's hands, the knuckles were white with effort to keep the Southerner restrained. Transfixed, she looked at Sawyer with a newfound respect mingled with fear. 'Oh my God, he's an animal.'
Pulling himself forward, Jack opened his remaining good eye, to stare at Sawyer, after a pregnant pause he whispered, "Uncle." James, immediately stopped struggling against Sayid, although his face still looked dangerous, inside he was processing Jack's capitulation.
As Jack leaned back against the couch in exhaustion, Kate, Sayid and Ana-Lucia all looked at each other unsure what in all they'd just witnessed was the hardest to believe.