Hey guys, sorry this one took awhile, I've been away at a cheerleading event for a bit. I hope you like this chapter, it's my favourite so far.

Chapter Three

Kate and Sawyer sat in an awkward silence as they finished their pizza, with the only communication being a stare from Sawyer every time Kate grabbed another piece of pizza. He didn't stare because she was eating so much of it, but because he found it oddly intriguing that she picked all the pepperoni off of pizza. Here he was, paying for her medical bills, supplying a home and food, and she had the nerve to turn it down, to edit it to fit her standards. As she was finishing, Kate announced she was going back to bed.

"Like Hell you are!" Sawyer immediately exclaimed, still upset from his earlier thoughts.

"Excuse me?" Kate gave him a baffled look as she turned from opening the bathroom door.

"You had that thing all day, and I sure ain't sleepin' on the floor tonight." Sawyer declared.

Kate stared at him with disbelief, she was in a cast for god's sake, he had run into her! If he wasn't going to let her live comfortably with him, why did he invite her to stay, anyway? Nevertheless she had nowhere else to go, so she just told him that after she was done, she would go to the front desk and ask for a cot. Sawyer spun back around and smirked, pleased with himself.

Walking through the dimly lit parking lot toward the lobby, Kate thought about Sawyer. She had only known him for a day, but already she didn't like him. She hated the way he talked, and his inconsiderateness drove her crazy, but she couldn't tear herself away from the gleam in his eyes; and he couldn't be all bad if he had offered her a place to stay, she reasoned.

She heaved open the front door to the lobby, and didn't see anyone. She rang the little metal bell at the front desk, and waited for a few minutes before a greasy, balding man walked out of a door to her left. She looked at him, and he stopped. A look of confusion crossed his face, as if he knew her, but couldn't figure out where they ha met. Kate quickly smiled nervously, and asked for a cot.

The motel owner didn't move an inch. His look of confusion slowly passed to recognition, then to one of fear. Kathryn Austen was standing right in front of him, in his motel, probably with a gun. He quickly ducked back into the room he had previously emerged from to avoid a confrontation, and Kate could hear him rattling things around.

Eventually, he came out and shakily handed her a metal cot and a blanket. She thanked him quietly, and walked away confused. As she walked back to the room, it suddenly dawned on her: he knew who she was.

Rushing back to the room, Kate slammed the door behind her and yelled for Sawyer.

"We have to leave now", she said, panicking.

"What?" he asked, sitting up groggily. He had already made himself comfortable in the bed, and didn't appreciate the noise Kate was making.

Thinking quickly, Kate responded, "My dad was in there, in the lobby. He", she paused, and glanced away from his eyes. She gulped, then continued. "He's a drunk, and he saw me, and I really didn't want him to see me, and we just have to leave, okay?"

"He can't get in the room, just go to bed", he said as he rolled back over.

"Sawyer!"

He didn't reply.

"Fine. Give me the keys." She demanded.

"Hell no!"

"Sawyer, please!"

"Just go to sleep!" He shouted angrily.

"Sawyer!"

Sawyer just stared at her before hoisting himself out of the bed and pulling his jeans and shirt on. Kate was so relieved she almost smiled, and dropped the cot she had been clutching.

"Don't think you're all special or anything. The people next to us have been screwing every night since I got here, I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

Kate nodded, with a sigh of gratefulness, and grabbed her coat.

The two climbed into the car and Kate opened a map. Sawyer just looked at her as if she was crazy, and tried to convince her that it wasn't necessary. They argued that she didn't need it, but she insisted on knowing where they were going. Finally, Kate picked a city and started giving Sawyer directions.

About five minutes into they're journey Sawyer turned to Kate, and stared. She couldn't be a day over twenty, he decided. The moonlight illuminated her features, and he noticed for the first time how thin she was. Her cheek bones jutted out from her face, and she looked tired. Huge circles encompassed her eyes, and her bony fingers held onto the map like it was an old, priceless photograph. She turned, to see if anyone was following them, and caught Sawyer's eye. He sighed, "You know you still haven't told me your real name."

Kate glanced over at him. He was watching her expectantly, and she looked out the window, "Just turn here."

"Nice name." He said sarcastically as he raised his eyebrows.

Kate turned again to check the road, and Sawyer noticed her nervous behavior. He had met plenty of women, some of which who had drunk, abusive fathers, just like Kate was claiming, and he knew that the last thing they wanted to see when they were in a car was that crazy man driving behind them.

Criminals, however, needed to check. If a cop was following, it would be best to run, but if no one knew anything yet, the excess speed would only draw attention.

Noting this, Sawyer glanced at Kate again before asking, "So why were we really running?"

Not expecting an answer, Sawyer just raised his eyebrows and turned back to the road.

An hour passed before the two said anything other than when Kate told him rare directions. The cool chill of the night air combined with the cold sweat Kate had developed made Sawyer feel awful. He didn't want to remind her of what they were doing, but his question had obviously had that effect.

Breaking the uncomfortable silence that always seemed to work itself into their conversations, Sawyer let Kate know a little bit about himself.

"So you're about twenty, right?", Sawyer said, concentrating a bit too much on the road to avoid her gaze. Not getting a response, he continued, "I'm older than that, I can tell you that much. Enjoy it while it lasts, kid."

Kate glanced once more behind her, and still seeing nothing out of the ordinary, started to relax. She looked back at Sawyer before replying, "I'm almost nineteen."