Kate's lovely green eyes reflected up at her in the pool running from the waterfall. She saw them frown, sadly at the memories this place evoked, her now sour view, tainting them. His voice echoed through the quiet clearing cheerfully from her mind.

"Don't tell me you're one of those nasal gazing types" it was dipped in a smooth southern accent, sporting a flirtatious edge as it always did with her. She remembered looking away and grinning as he had pulled of his shirt revealing his gorgeous tanned chest. They swam together laughing and making jokes. The short time they had spent jumping, splashing and playing that day had brought more happiness to each of them than they would ever know. The sadness gave way to anger as she was brought back to the reason she was sitting alone and she stood, kicking some stones into the water, her saddened reflection dissipating in the ripples. The same question that had been infuriating her for the last few days repeated in her head trying to comprehend his actions short days before. The guns no doubt lay somewhere close, only he truly knew where, but they didn't really matter to her. What mattered was the remanence of what might have been between them that lay with the cold steel weapons. Were they that important to him? She paced furiously; hating the idea of returning to the beach, even being civil around him was hard when she was feeling this angry. Jack was still giving her a mostly cold shoulder and she didn't feel like talking to Claire or Sun. Her face grew solemn as she thought about the fact that she had never been very good at making friends. Just then she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her and she spun around to see what it was. Standing a couple of meters from her, frozen, half in and half out of the bushes was a startled yet serious looking Sawyer. His gaze was sombre from behind a curtain a dirty blond locks hanging lose over his face; the mischievous dimples that made her smile were missing from this unshaven cheeks. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity but Kate had worked herself up so much that she decided to confront him again on the issue troubling her. It had been two days since that night when he had stood behind the fire berating the islanders for taking his things, severing what ties he had made since they crashed and condescendingly proclaiming himself the new sheriff on the island. Two days since he had hurt her, tossing her in with the rest like she didn't mean anything more to him than they did. Kate was fed up with not understanding why he would defend her with such ferocity one day, she could still hear the fury in his voice "If you touch one hair on her head-", and indifferently use her to fulfil his own selfish ends the next. She was unable to dance around the problem any more.

"How could you do it to me?" Kate asked, trying to mask the spite in her voice.

"I wasn't aware we had done it, Freckles" Sawyer replied, his trademark smirk growing on his lips.

"Don't!" She spat venomously finally saying what she really felt "You know what I'm talking about! How could you fool me like that? How could you play me, for guns?" he rolled his eyes moving out of the bushes towards her.

"Look I told you before Freckles-" Sawyer began but she cut him off, turning to face scruffy man before her.

"And stop calling me that! When did you decide you could give me a nickname, like we know each other! Like you give a damn about me?" She was now shouting, glad to be far enough away from the beach to do so "I heard you and Jack before I was captured when we were going to save Michael!" Sawyer's eyes widened a little.

"What? When I told Jack to back off from getting angry at you?" Sawyer exclaimed, holding out hope that she hadn't heard the rest.

"No, Sawyer…when you said you didn't love me" her voice cracked on the last word. Sawyer looked away, glaring at a spot on the ground to the right of her feet but didn't leave. Kate composed herself continuing on.

"If you don't love me then what are you doing with me? Why are you always flirting with me? Are you just trying to get some? What?" she asked coldly, her voice losing care as she attempted to storm past him. He grabbed her arm pulling her close to him.

"Look" he growled staring straight into her eyes "…I" his mouth opened and closed as if he was trying to say something but no words came out.

"Get off, Sawyer!" her voice stung him as she shoved him away and he let her go, allowing her to push past him. He pivoted looking down angrily, once again, unwilling to meet her gaze then barked her name.

"Kate!" she stoped, the word sounding strange yet faintly attractive in his accent "That aint true"

"Oh, yeah?" Kate asked still not turning.

"Maybe ya'll forgot, but Jack wasn't the one to stick up for you when that bastard Zeeke had a gun to your head, he wasn't the one to untie you either. Yeah I stole the guns and I used you but I had my reasons and one o' the most important was to put Jack in his place, not to mess with you. Ever since I got back from trying to save everyone's asses, he's been playing King of the hill. Before I had a say and some respect but now…well I'm not gonna let him write the rules and walk all over me. He treats you the same and you know it, the glory's getting to his head and unlike you I aint gonna let him get what he wants-"

"How? By stealing our only line of defence against the others and having everyone hate you?" Kate glared over her shoulder at him and he finally looked up to lock eyes with her. His eyes were intense and his expression was something of interest. It was like he was struggling with a decision. Like he was trying to suppress an emotion that was clawing its way to the surface. Within the next sentence it broke out and Kate realised why, for once, Sawyer was arguing a point that was materialistically unimportant.

"Everyone but you, Freckles" his tone was rough but she could hear the pain in it "It was the only way". She stared at him evenly. He was slightly slouched; the expression on his face looked suddenly familiar. It was from the night before he left on the raft. A mixture between guilt, sadness and…, her eyes widened, care. That night it had flashed for a second then disappeared but now it lingered, he wasn't willing to admit how bad he felt. He did care. She blinked a few times and frowned.

"Next time find someone else to mess with" she said shortly, her voice wavering a little as she turned away heading off into the jungle.


Despite their little talk at the waterfall a few days earlier Kate was still loathing the idea of having to talk to him so soon but Claire was determined to go into the jungle to find a cure for Aaron. Questioning Claire's stability hadn't gotten anyone anywhere and Kate, finally beginning to form a bond with her, was not going to let her march out into the jungle where the others undoubtedly were in the state she was in alone and unarmed. Sawyer was sitting, as he always seemed to be, and reading. She approached him firmly and he looked up half smiling at the sight of her and leaned forward a little.

"Check it out, I found a new pair of glasses, damn near my prescription. You like em?" He joked, referring to the thick rimmed glasses, attempting to return to the routine they use to have. However she didn't smile sweetly and shoot back a snide remark, but ignored his question showing she intended only on getting what she came for.

"I need a gun. And you don't get to ask why" She replied callously, with a harsh edge to her tone as she watched him. If he was taken back he hid it well and continued.

"Well, Thelma, seeing as I got all the guns, I do get to ask why" he responded slyly still smirking.

"No, you don't." Kate answered quickly and irritably. She did not want to engage in any childish argument because if she did she knew it wouldn't be long before…

"Yes, I do. Watch... why?" he asked playfully grinning. Kate glared at him for a few minutes then sighed. She knew he wasn't going to make this easy for her, he never did. Especially when he smiled.

"I'm going into the jungle to track down Rousseau" She finally answered looking away.

"The French chick? What for?" Sawyers tone changed to curiosity. Kate was growing impatient, Claire was sure to storm out of camp any moment and she needed the weapons.

"Claire thinks she knows where there might be some medicine, the baby's sick." Kate now began to explain quickly praying he would just agree and hand over a gun or two.

"Hell, I got medicine" he replied, assuming again, that they were on good terms.

"She thinks he's really sick, as in quarantine sick" Kate snapped looking back at him.

"What do you think?" he questioned. She was beginning to feel a bit more at ease in the conversation however the urgency didn't fade.

"I think she's a little too worried, but she's going after Rousseau with or without me" Kate answered him.

"No boys allowed, huh?" She smiled, she didn't realize it but in that short moment she had forgiven him, it was quite a few days before it sunk in but she had already begun to lay his betrayal to rest. She almost asked if he was worried about her but she decided against it opting to shake her head in recognition instead. It wouldn't be to long before things between them would be back to the way they use to be. Sawyer grinned a little at her smile knowing he'd broken her cold front.

"Alright, what do you want, nine millimeter or rifle?"

A/N It is very difficult to write a definative end to a fanfic set in a current television show because the actual story will contiune on past the fic. I will difinatly write more Skate and Lost fics as the seris goes on but wether they will be part of this particular fic or stand on thier own as one shots depends on the situations that occur in the seris but this will most likely be the last chapter of this particular fanfic seris (theres a chance an idea for a new chapter will pop into my head within the next week and i don't want to be like "Damn i told everyone its over". Soput an alert on it if you want to watch out for new chapters). I hope you enjoyed it and i just wanted to thank you all for being so suportive and encourging me to go on and contunie this fic beyond its planed boundarys cause i'm proud of what i've written and without you it would'nt be here:) Especially CowboyswithDimples, Orlando-crazy, KateLillyand 1LostFan.