Chapter 109
Kate watched them go then turned to Sawyer; he winced at the gash across her face and he reached out to her but she pulled away. "Sara." He glanced at her and blanched; she was standing, but blood had seeped down her pant leg and she was pale and wobbling as she stared after Jack in shock and fear. She jumped as Sawyer touched her shoulder and the movement almost made her collapse; he held her up, then gently touched the furrow in her hip, and it was gone. A little color returned to her cheeks but she was still wan and weak and she sat with a thump when he was done, staring at the bloody pool where Ana had been lying.
Kate was watching Sara sadly, as if she knew that their friendship was over; she lost everyone she loved, eventually, either by chance or by her own hand and it shouldn't have pained her so much that she'd lose Sara too, she should have expected it. Just like James; suddenly she knew that he was going to die and she couldn't stop it, it was in her stars, her fortune that she would lose him, just like everyone else. She gripped her stomach, her fingers digging into the skin until her fingernails drew blood; there was someone she loved that she wouldn't lose and as Sawyer came to her she crushed herself to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder. "James...I..." she dissolved into sobs and he enveloped her, trying to soothe her as she cried, her tears warm against his skin.
Sara seemed to come back to herself, finally, and she rose shakily, dragging her eyes to Kate and Sawyer, wrapped together as Kate's shoulders shook violently. Vincent was beside her, too, his howling done as he stared miserably at the ground, and she scratched his ears a little. He glanced up but didn't move, or wag his tail, he just sat, looking dejected. She patted him again, then hesitated before approaching Kate and Sawyer; she didn't want to intrude but she had to thank Kate for saving her life. "Kate?"
Sawyer's arm was close around her and she didn't want to look up, she didn't want to see the fear and revulsion that always ended her relationships in Sara's eyes; she couldn't bear it, not now. She kept her face buried in Sawyer's shirt as she answered with a muffled, "What?"
Sara touched Kate's back, gently, and smiled at Sawyer. He was cradling Kate against him and he smiled back, gently whispering in her ear; she shuddered one last sob, then wiped her tear-streaked face across his shirt as she turned to Sara with fear and apprehension, scared of what she would see.
Sara saw the fear in Kate's eyes and she was a little surprised at it. "Thank you, Kate. You saved me. She would have killed me...if...if you hadn't shot her."
It was a new experience; someone was glad for what she did, she wasn't hated and it was a first for Kate. She smiled, a little uncertainly, reminding herself of Sawyer when he had come back from the Others, the doubtful grin he had given to Sayid and Hurley when they complimented him. Sara smiled back and they were in each other's arms, crying and hugging each other and Sawyer smiled, though he had that left-out feeling again; he didn't want to come between them, so he just watched as they sobbed together for a few more seconds, then Kate pulled away and she was smiling, her red-rimmed eyes going to him immediately as she took his hand and brought him into their circle.
Vincent woofed, hurt, and tried to slide between Kate and Sara, chuffing at them when they both bent down to hug him, too. As she was ruffling Vincent's matted fur she felt Sawyer slide his hand beneath her shirt, caressing the muscles on her back and she suddenly felt something else; her arms went around his neck and her mouth crushed against his with guilty ferocity as she used him to forget everything but them and they were the only person on the planet. Two sides of the same coin.
Vincent rolled his eyes at them, chuffing softly to Sara; she averted her eyes, grinning with a little embarrassment as Kate and Sawyer apparently forgot she was there, getting a little more passionate than she she cared to see. She raised her eyes skyward as Sawyer groaned a little against Kate's lips and she didn't dare to look around, God knows what she'd see; finally Vincent went up to them and chuffed at Sawyer's legs but his hands were busy exploring Kate and he didn't stop or even flinch from what he was doing, and Kate didn't seem to have heard him either. He glanced back at Sara, his tongue hanging out in a grin and she swore he was laughing as he woofed again, a little louder.
It still didn't have an effect, and things were getting...well, Sara was laughing silently, though she was slightly mortified, too, and rolling his eyes at Sawyer, Vincent sat up and nipped him sharply on the rump.
"Hey!" he cried, grabbing at his rear as he glared at Vincent, 'What the hell is wrong with you?"
Kate seemed to come to her senses; she noticed Sawyer's undone button on his jeans and her own half-open zipper, then she glanced at Sara, who was smiling with her head averted and she flushed a deep crimson as she realized what they had been doing. "Sorry."
Sara grinned and kept her head turned as Kate buttoned her jeans, then motioned for Sawyer to do the same; he seemed a little surprised too, to see his open fly, and he beamed at Kate as he did them up, looking proud of himself. He leaned close and whispered to her, "To be continued, sweetheart."
Kate beamed back, the horrible bubbling guilt fading a little as she basked in the warmth and love of the two people beside her; they had both accepted her, loved her, flaws and all, and she smiled to herself as she slid her fingers along her belly, feeling it tingle at her touch, and she had hope again, that the child inside her would be able to love her, too.
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Jack carried Ana's body blindly, hoping that he was going in the right direction; she was growing cold in his arms and heavy and only adrenaline and desperation were keeping him going now, he didn't know how much longer he could keep going before his legs and his heart gave out.
It was dark and he had no light; even the moon and stars were muffled in the sky and yet he stumbled on, through the trees and brambles, the bushes and deadfalls, tripping and cursing and crying as she got heavier...and heavier...and heavier, until he had to stop, not even his drive could keep him going. She was dead, and he held her cold body to his as he sank to his knees, exhausted and spent and dead, too, but for the glimmer of hope that awaited him at the Foundation.
He laid her out, pulling out a water bottle and a t-shirt from his pack; he couldn't take the blood anymore, he wanted to clean her before they got to the chamber. As he lifted her shirt to remove it so he could wash the sticky mess from her his eyes narrowed; there were two holes in her chest, the shirt had covered it before. Kate shot her twice. He twitched with anger, but this was a totally new Jack and he swallowed it, letting it turn to hatred as he stared at the two gaping holes in her bare chest; he grimaced and jerked her shirt back down, covering the wounds. Why would Kate shoot her twice? It wasn't defense, or for Sara, Kate had killed her in cold blood.
In that instant his side was chosen; he went over, because he had to believe that the chamber would work; it was the only thing that was keeping him going, now, and he had to want it. Kate had murdered Ana, stolen the only thing he cared about anymore away from him and he was going to do the same for her, return the favor. He didn't even care about the baby; why should Kate get what Ana had wanted so badly?
It was quiet in the jungle and Jack sat next to Ana, cradling her head in his lap; emotional and physical fatigue dragged on him until he finally dozed, sitting up, with Ana's head growing cold against him as he slept.
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Hanso stood quietly by the bolted, padlocked door, peering in through the small window at Locke; he hadn't moved much for the past two hours, and that was normal at this stage, but it was almost time for the real transition, and it wasn't a pretty thing. He didn't remember his own, of course, no one did, but he'd seen enough since then to know what to expect.
As he watched Locke stirred, raising his head from the floor where he had been lying; his sweaty face stuck to the padding and he glanced around as he peeled it away, looking disoriented and scared. His face changed in an instant; it went from frightened and confused to fury and pain, and he screamed as the first real spasms shook his body and he convulsed into a ball, drawing his knees to his chin. It passed and he jumped to his feet, his eyes crazy demented and lost, he panted harshly for a second, then with a shriek of primal rage he threw himself against the padded door, his face smashing against the glass as tremors and spasms shook him again.
Hanso watched him as he did it over and over again until his face was bloody and his body beaten, he finally stopped and sank to the floor as the shaking stopped and the rage departed, leaving his eyes vacant and staring as he lasped back into lethargy.
Backing away from the window, Hanso smiled to himself. Locke was ready.
