Chapter 3

Back to present

Sawyer had been walking through the jungle for about 40 minutes calling Kate's name and receiving no answer. He could feel the tightening in his stomach getting stronger and stronger with every passing minute, it was at times like this that he really wished he didn't care so much about her because he was about to go crazy with worry for her.

It was just then that he heard a rustling in the jungle off to his left a cautiously approached. He found himself in a small clearing and sitting against a tree ahead of him straight ahead of him was Kate. Her eyes were red, she'd been crying but now she was just staring straight ahead, looking at him but not seeing him as though he wasn't there her body shaking slightly.

"Kate?"

No answer.

"Freckles?"

Still nothing.

He moved forward and knelt down next to her, "Freckles? Come on talk to me."

Nothing.

He reached out to touch her, shook her shoulder gently, "Freckles? What's wrong?"

Finally she looked at him and silently leaned into his shoulder and he put his arm around and just held close and she clung to him. He had no idea what was wrong but whatever or whoever had done this to her was going to pay for hurting her like this, after everything she'd been through she deserved a break.

They stayed there for a while feeling safe in each others company, during this time Kate had decided that she was not going to tell Sawyer what happened she knew he'd fly off the handle and everything would get worse.

"So you feel like telling me what happened that made to stay out all night in the jungle by yourself?"

She looked up at him with a small smile on her face, "I can take care of myself."

"Sure you can that's why when I approached calling your name and making a lot of noise you barely looked up, what would you have done if one of the Others crept up you, uh?"

"They wouldn't have, I mean they wouldn't have let us go if they weren't finished with us would they?"

"You can never be sure not with people like that freckles. So about what made you stay out all night…"

"It's nothing, I just needed some space to think, to be alone for a while, you know."

"So you just happened to space on the plans we made this morning uh."

"Oh my god Sawyer I completely forgot, I'm sorry, look I just need to deal with this by myself, ok."

"Alright" Sawyer said looking a little defeated.

"Hey it's not too late we could go now, and you could show me that new place you found." Her mood completely changed from a moment before Sawyer smiled, he liked to see her happy.

"Ok then shortcake lets go, take me to your picking tree."

The afternoon passed as though nothing had happened, they talked, flirted and bantered as they usually did, but Sawyer did not forget the look on her face when he first found her, like someone had truly broken her and he wasn't going to let it drop, but she seemed happy enough at the moment so he let it be as they enjoyed the rest of the day.

They parted in the late evening when Kate announced she was going to bed and disappeared into her tent. It took a while but finally Sawyer was the only one left sitting at the fire, he sighed to himself looking back to Kate's tent thanking god that she was alright, and that the Others hadn't taken her today, he didn't know what he would do if her lost her. He had become dangerously close to losing her before while they were with the Others and every time he remembered that moment he suddenly got a desperate need to check to see if she was alright no matter where she was.

Sawyer woke to dazzling bright light and a massive headache, the last thing he remembered was being on the dock with Kate and Jack. Slowly he got himself into a sitting position against a wall and opened his eyes to find Jack staring intently at him.

"Well good morning Doc."

Jack said nothing and just watched as Sawyer look round their room taking in their surroundings, one door steel, walls – white wash, no windows, and a cameras positioned in all four corners, it didn't look like an easy escape. Then he spotted Kate asleep on the floor,

"What happened to sleeping beauty?"

"Probably drugged like us, she's fine though."

It was silent until Kate woke up, Jack and Sawyer didn't have much to say to each other, Jack preferred the silence to the arguing that would most likely happened if they were to talk to each other and Sawyer preferred it because he had one hell of a headache.

The only noise came when a low moan came from where Kate was lying.

"Freckles? You awake?"

"My Head."

"Yeah I know the feeling, and I got bad news for ya, it doesn't go away."

Suddenly the lights went out and they were engulfed by darkness. Only Sawyer's voice came through the darkness,

"Who turned out the lights?"

There came a loud bang, the door opened, Sawyer was pushed to the ground, then he heard the sounds of a muffled sounds of a struggled but the darkness was so disorientating Sawyer couldn't tell what was happening or even which way was up. There was another bang; whoever had come in had just left. The darkness remained for a few more seconds, then in a dazzling blinding flash the room was flooded with light, so bright Sawyer couldn't open his eyes. But when he finally did he felt as though a hand was grabbing his stomach and twisting violently.

Kate was gone.