Title: Like Nothing Before...
Rating: T (PG-13)
Pairing: Kate and Sawyer
Setting: AU
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Lost.

Well, this is my first fanfic... It's probably completely unoriginal and cheesy, but posting is worth a shot, right? Also, just a warning: everyone is extremely OOC, because my writing skills are fantastic -eye roll-. Anyway, any and all reviews would be much appreciated, and seeing as I am entirely new at this, be as harsh as you see fit.

Chapter 1

Her head throbbed as lightning cracked overhead and she entered a nearby bar. Waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, she paused in the doorframe. She could feel someone staring at her as she sat down on a torn barstool with the cushioning falling out of the frays. 'People always stare', she thought. But who wouldn't? Kate was just nineteen years old, with startling green eyes and a cascade of soaking wet auburn curls hanging down her back. She looked up at the man standing in front of her and he smiled. Pulling out a fake I.D., Kate ordered a beer and rested her chin in her hand as she shut her eyes.

The rain pored down in a steady torrent, each drop of the cold liquid stinging her skin as she hurried along the empty street. She had left in a hurry, and not paid for the four drinks she ordered, saying that the man next to her had offered to pick up the tab. The bartender looked at her skeptically, knowing that when people said things like that they normally weren't true. Only this girl was different. She hadn't made eye contact with him the whole night, and he knew that her I.D. was bogus. Although for some reason, he hadn't called her on it. In small towns like this, no cops really cared about underage drinking, and the only people who came in by themselves this late at night probably needed a drink, so he let her get away with it.

Kate picked up her pace, almost jogging now, trying to get back to her shabby motel and escape the downpour. She was so tired of running that going back home hadn't seemed like such a bad idea when she had decided to do it, but now, one town away from her old life, she couldn't bring herself to go see any of the people she had left behind.

Kate shook her head and tried to block the thoughts from her mind. Coming back hand been a mistake. She scanned the street, looking for anything familiar enough to gauge her location by. Kate had only left the bar only ten minutes before, and the effects of the alcohol were taking their toll on her memory. She turned left onto a small, one-way street, hoping to find her way back.

She had made it about halfway down the road when a dog trotted out of someone's yard and barked violently at her. She kept walking, not caring if it chased her. She made her way further down the street and glanced back to look at the canine. It had gone away just as quickly as it had appeared, and as Kate turned her eyes back to the road, a pair of headlights penetrated her vision. The bright beam caused Kate to turn her head away, and her body jumped off the road in attempt to miss the vehicle. The battered pickup whipped around the turn and hurled itself toward her small body, knocking her onto her back.

Blinking, Kate tried to open her eyes, but the light was too bright for her to take in and she shut them again immediately. Then she heard a voice.

"Marie? Are you awake?"

Marie? Whoever it was must have gone through her wallet and found the false I.D. The voice moved closer, and Kate could tell whoever was talking was directly overhead.

She turned her head slightly and tried opening her eyes again. A man was leaning down talking to her, and Kate instinctively stiffened and scooted away from him. As she tried to maneuver herself over, she pushed off the bed only to have a severe pain rip through her left arm.

Falling back, defeated, Kate glanced down at her arm.

"It's broken, but luckily that's the only injury you had. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, that is." He smiled down at her, " Do you feel dizzy or lightheaded?"

"No", she answered.

"Okay, well, the man that ran into you said he wanted to see you. He said that he knew you." The doctor held up a picture, "Do you recognize this guy?"

Kate stared at the Polaroid of a man who looked to be in his late twenties with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. The photo sparked her memory, but she couldn't figure out where she knew the man from. She sighed, and realized that it had been somebody sitting across from her at the bar. He had given her suggestive glances the entire night, and she really didn't want to talk to the guy. However, she figured he must have wanted something pretty badly if he was desperate enough to run into her.

Kate nodded her head and the doctor took that as a sign of consent.

" Okay, I'll let him in. And I'm Dr. Seancy, call me if you need anything."

Kate glanced around the room as she waited for him to enter. Everything was so confining and strict that it made her nervous, and she felt an all to familiar feeling: she needed to run. Just as she was about to crawl out of the tiny bed, the door opened to reveal the scratched, bruised man that she had seen in the Polaroid. She just stared at him, and he did the same.

Kate didn't wait for an apology before speaking, because it looked like she wasn't going to get one.

"What do you want?"

The man looked taken aback, and paused for a moment before putting on an upset face and clinching his heart unconvincingly.

"Well freckles, I gotta tell ya, I didn't think you'd be so feisty."

Kate just glared at him until he spoke again.

"Okay, well, I felt bad about hittin' you, and it looks like you don't have a place to stay at the moment, so I'm offering up my humble abode."

She observed him, and knew he couldn't have lived in the area, and if he did, it hadn't been for long. But she did need a place to stay, so furrowing her brow, Kate considered his offer.

"You live around here?"

He looked sheepish for a moment, then twisted his words around to make it sound as much like a yes as he could.

Kate was considering her situation, weighing her options. She could stay with some guy, who she assumed was a pervert, in his hotel room, or she could spend the night on the street in the pouring rain. Neither option seemed appealing, but she decided to risk sleeping with a random guy. Heck, she had done it before, at least this one was cute.

"Sawyer", the man said, holding out his hand.

"Marie", she stated, just staring at his hand, not fully trusting him.

"Marie? Doesn't really suit you, sweet pea." Sawyer retracted his hand, and cocked his eyebrows. He saw right through her charade.