Chapter 79
Locke stayed up all night while Jack and Ana slept, though their sleep was uneasy; they both thrashed and mumbled restlessly in the dimming firelight. John didn't wake them; their nightmares were their business. He was trying to decide what direction to take; his usual confidence in his path had deserted him after the threat from Bluebeard, though he had the feeling that Sawyer was adrift without Eko, that he didn't know what to do. Maybe it would be better to give them a few days to cool down before another confrontation; they would go on to the new hatch for now.
With that decided his mind was free to wander and it went to the image he had been trying to forget; Eko smiling tranquilly at him as he pulled the trigger and the look of satisfaction as the bullet slammed into his chest. His guilt at killing Eko was countered by the knowledge that he had tricked him into it, but he still felt some remorse. They had been friends, after all. He wasn't completely heartless.
He had to get to Kate; it was the only thing that could hurt Sawyer enough to bring him under the Island's control, or if nothing else, weaken him enough so that Walt could finish him off; their last encounter had left him weak and tired too. Sawyer was powerful, indeed, and now that had tripled with Eko's death and the knowledge that they were after Kate.
The Island whispered to him and he grimaced; Frank Sawyer wasn't going to be a help anymore, Sawyer had burned the letter and let it go and now the only option would be to kill him; nothing could tempt him to their side becasue all he wanted was Kate and he had her. A plan started to form in Locke's head; he smiled as he worked out the details while the sun rose over the trees; the sunlight never touched him, hidden deep in the shadows.
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Kate woke in a garden of blooms; they were crushed beneath her and Sawyer and the sweet scent of them was overwhelming; she rolled to face Sawyer, he was reclining on one elbow, staring at her, and as she turned to him his face lit up with an angelic smile, making him glow as he gently touched her cheek. "Mornin' beautiful."
"Hey, sexy," she said, and he leaned into her; the scent of him was stronger than the flowers, his wild, animal smell that intoxicated her. She caught her breath as his lips brushed against hers and she tasted it, too, his sweat, his scent. His arm slipped beneath her and he pulled her against him as he rolled up, covering her body with his as he pressed her into the bed of petals; the kiss was slow and languid, as if they had all the time in the world. They did; life was brief and joy was fleeting and they were holding both in their hands; they were still alive and they were going to live what time thay had together, enjoying every second of it. The quest could wait; it would still be there later.
He ran one hand down to her waist, brushing his fingers against the side of her breast as he did; that got a moan from her and his tongue became more demanding, and she opened up, drawing him in. She slid her hands into his hair, pulling it back from his forehead tenderly; she could feel his pulse quicken against her skin and his breath became uneven as he moved his lips to her throat. She sighed as they moved even lower, and she could feel his hot breath burning her through the cloth of her shirt; his waved his hand over her and her jeans popped open as he slid his lips even lower, kissing and nibbling her skin deliciously.
She knew what was coming and her skin thrummed with anticipation; first she grabbed his head and pulled his face back to hers, kissing him hard, her arms wrapping around his neck. "I love you, James."
He grinned at her, softly brushing his fingers across her bared stomach. "That usually comes after, Freckles."
She smiled back. "Yeah, but I mean it now." He loved her so much he couldn't bear it; he was going to explode from the expanse of it.
"I love you, Kate," he whispered, and her heart swelled as he kissed her again, softly, tracing her lips with his tongue. "Only you."
She sighed as his mouth traveled back down across her stomach, where it paused for a second before continuing its journey; Kate's eyes widedned and she cried out as it reached its destination.
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Jack was staring at her when she woke; his eyes burning into her was what had woken her in the first place. She smiled at him a little uncertainly as his gaze didn't waver when she rolled her head to look at him. "Is there something on my face?"
Jack grinned and said, "Yeah." He kissed her, and she responded, scooting her body against his and reaching around his neck, pulling him closer. He lifted his head and scanned the clearing, then he glanced back down at her, grinning. "Locke's gone." His hand slid up under her shirt, caressing her as she groaned a little; she didn't need any more invitation, she wouldn't have cared if Locke was there anyway; all she could see was Jack.
They rolled away from each other long enough to disrobe, then they came back together with a force neither of them expected; their kissing and touching was frantic, hurried, as if they were afraid it was going to be snatched away from them any second. As Jack slid into her she groaned, clutching him to her; he rocked against her, and they both cried out as his pace increased; sweat dripped from them both as they strained against each other, finally shuddering and collapsing against Ana, Jack panted harshly against her glistening skin as she shuddered and relaxed, too, smiling and wiping some of the sweat from his forehead. "Wow."
Jack chuckled. "Thanks." He kissed her, quickly, winking at her, "You weren't so bad, either."
She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks."
He laughed again and Ana smiled, chuckling a little herself. They fell quiet, basking in the afterglow and letting their sweat cool; Jack finally kissed Ana again and sat up, drawing his clothes back on. Ana watched him sadly for a minute, then she sighed and stared dressing herself.
Jack hated to break the mood; they were so content, so at ease, but he had something that had to be said. "Ana, we can't let Locke kill Kate."
He sighed to himself as he saw her tense at Kate's name; she turned to him, anger clearly written across her face. "Why do you care what happens to her, Jack? She'd kill you in a second if it came to it, don't you think she wouldn't." He didn't; he'd seen Kate in action and there was no doubt in his mind if he came between her and something she wanted she'd off him without a second thought. Sure, she'd feel bad, but she was so used to it, what was one more bad feeling? He'd be gotten over.
"I don't care, Ana, but I can't just watch her be tortured and killed in front of me. I couldn't let that happen to anyone." He knew it was a lie as he said it; he'd watched Sayid torture Sawyer and he'd let John kill Eko, and he'd felt bad both times, but what needed to be done, needed to be done. So why did he care what happened to Kate? He didn't love her, he didn't want her anymore, not really; they were like strangers again and his concern for her was more like a reflex than any actual feeling.
Ana shrugged; she was pissed at him for bringing this up now; couldn't he let them have five minutes of pleasure without ruining it? "Whatever. I say whatever works." she looked him in the eye. "This is going to affect us, Jack, if the Island dies, I think we do too; the real world won't let us be together. This is our only chance. Please, Jack, let's give it a chance."
He sighed; he wanted them to be together, he was starting to really feel something for Ana and he wanted it to move on. He wanted to be New Jack, to be happy for once. Nodding, he took her hand. "We'll see, Ana. I can't promise anything. Will that do?"
She shook her head. "No. I want you to promise that you won't stop Locke."
"I can't promise that. Not now." He touched her cheek, still a little flushed from their lovemaking. "I want to be with you, Ana, but I can't tell you what will happen in the future. I'll promise to try, and that's the best I can do."
She sighed, disappointed. "Okay, Jack, I guess I don't have a choice."
He grinned. "Nope. But you have a chance, so make what you can of it."
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Kate stood by the stone fountain inside the chapel, watching the cool water trickle merrily from the spout. The sun was up, and its early morning beams warmed her as they splashed her with light. She was remembering them, beside the fountain, in the rain; his soft lips on hers as he committed himself to her, to them. She shivered as she felt his arms go around her; he smiled at the pool and he said, "Wanna go for another dip?"
"No." She grinned and he could see it reflected in the water. "Figures that's what you'd be thinking about," she said, as she crossed her arms protectively over her chest.
His breath was soft on her neck as he said, "I know what you were thinkin', Freckles." He kissed her neck, smelling the flowers on her; he grinned as she giggled at his tickling breath.
He turned to face her, and took her hand; she smiled sweetly and scooped some water in her hands; her smile turned wicked and she flung the water in his face; he spluttered and wiped his eyes, grinning as Kate ran out of the open door into the jungle. Vincent joined her, running next to her and bouncing happily; Sawyer took off after them, grinning evilly. Kate was gonna pay for that.
The jungle was warm and inviting; it was beautiful, so brilliantly green and lush, like a bowl of emeralds and Kate ran joyously through the brush, hearing Sawyer's footsteps behind her. He caught up and grabbed her from behind, and she laughed breathlessly as he jerked her to a stop, panting in her ear. "Think you'e funny?" he asked, and she nodded, giggling and panting from the run.
He dug his fingers into her ribs, making her squeal with laughter as he held her with one hand and tickled her with the other; Vincent jumped up on her and barked, obviously laughing at her predicament. She hollered between squeals, "Help me, dog! What's wrong with you?" Vincent sat on his haunches staring at her with a look that made her laugh. "Yeah, right. I know, I know." She screamed with laughter again and struggled weakly against him as her breath became shorter; he turned her to face him and kissed her, his fingers leaving her waist and pushing up under her shirt to caress her stomach; he loved the feel of her taut muscles and silky skin there. He leaned his head against hers as she tried to catch her breath from the laughing and the kiss. They were happy, and alive, and together. Completely, totally together.
Vincent watched them as they gazed blissfully into each other's eyes; chuffing contentedly he sat close by, watching the jungle for them as they stood, shining like angels in the steamy morning sun.
