A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the late update with this chapter, but as I'm sure a lot of you know, there have been a lot of glitches with this website recently. If there are any lingering issues, you should be able to read the chapter in the App. I've also published a new Harry Potter fanfic that you can find on my profile, which I'd love you guys to check out! Thank you for all the support!
Sawyer had never seen Kali so angry, at least not directed towards him. Her hands were balled into fists, as she marched towards him, a scowl of disgust on her face. She looked like she was having to physically restrain herself from hitting him.
"How long have you known?" Sawyer inquired, as Kali let out a harsh scoff.
"That's really the question you ask?" Kali shook her head, in disbelief.
"…I knew the moment I saw that hood in the woods…but I didn't want to believe it. I gave you every chance to tell me the truth, but you just kept on lying! Why couldn't you just be honest with me?" Kali questioned.
"What difference would it have made?" Sawyer challenged, watching Kali's jaw tense.
"This isn't you. I know it's not…why are you doing this?!" Kali insisted, her voice thick with emotion.
"Because it's what they deserve, Kali! While I was risking life and limb on that raft they were passing out my stash. You think that they care about us? Any of them? Well, I've got news for you Princess, they won't have even noticed you're out here" Sawyer exclaimed, angrily.
"What about me? What about what I deserve? I thought we were…well, clearly I was wrong" Kali muttered, biting her lip to stop the tears that were welling in her eyes.
"I'm not a good man, Kali. Stop trying to convince yourself I am" Sawyer told her, as she shook her head.
"…Did you do it? Did you attack Sun?" Kali asked, needing to hear the words from Sawyer's mouth.
"I planned the whole thing. I knew Charlie was weak, that he'd do whatever I wanted. I gave him the rope, the hood…made sure I was with you when the attack was gonna' happen…I played him. Just like I played you" Sawyer replied, watching Kali's face morph into disgust.
Before he could say anything else, she had raised her hand, sending a hard slap to his face, her nail catching his cheek. Sawyer's eyes snapped up to hers a moment later, expecting a further onslaught, and angry blue eyes. Instead, she was staring back at him, her face now void of all emotion. She just looked…tired.
"She's Jin's wife. She's your friend. She's never done anything to you, why…I don't understand how you could do that…" Kali trailed off.
"She was a means to an end" Sawyer retorted, making Kali grimace.
"And what fucking end would that be? To get your stash back? We both know that's not what this is about!" Kali spat out.
"When are you gonna' get it? This is who I am, Kali! It's who I've always been. I drove my Uncle away, never stayed in a place long enough to make any friends…hell, the only woman I ever cared about, I stole every last penny she had!" Sawyer ranted on, seeing hurt flash across Kali's face.
"Don't you dare…Don't you dare act like you never cared about me" Kali exclaimed, her voice quivering.
"Just go back to camp, Kali…Just go!" Sawyer insisted, shoving her shoulder roughly, making her stumble backwards.
"You're a coward, James. Your so scared of getting close to anyone, that you'd rather push them away. Make them hate you. It's just easier that way, right?" Kali scoffed.
"Talking from experience, huh? I wonder what your precious friends would have to say if they learnt who you really are?" Sawyer spat back, regretting the words the moment they left his mouth.
"They'd understand. They know me-" Kali started, but Sawyer stopped her quickly.
"Really? Have you ever thought that the reason people hate you isn't because of your past? Maybe it has nothing to do with your brother…maybe it's just you, Kali" Sawyer went on, watching her grit her teeth at his words.
"…I'm done. With you, with all of this. Just stay away from me!" Kali exclaimed, turning on her heel and rushing away, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.
After his speech to the group, Sawyer made a beeline for his tent, his rifle still resting against his shoulder, coming to halt when he found his tent bare. Kali had already taken all of her stuff, leaving no sign at all of her ever staying there. Sawyer felt his chest tighten a little at the sight.
"She took it all a few hours ago" A female voice announced, as Sawyer turned to see Kate a few metres away, her lips drawn in a fine line.
"Where is she?" Sawyer asked, as Kate shook her head in disbelief.
"Like I'd tell you" Kate scoffed, as Sawyer grit his teeth.
"She had nothing to do with-" Sawyer begun, but Kate cut him off quickly.
"You betraying the whole camp? I figured. Seems pretty clear to me she wants nothing to do with you" Kate exclaimed.
"What's got your panties in a bunch, Freckles? Don't like being outsmarted by the town hick?" Sawyer replied.
"You sure got me, Sawyer. I have to admit, just for a second I really thought you might give a damn about anyone but yourself" Kate muttered.
"What can I say…world's greatest actor" Sawyer shrugged, placing his rifle on the floor, leaning against it.
"The one thing I don't understand is why you tried getting close to me" Kate stated, as Sawyer rolled his eyes.
"I knew you'd talk to Jack, and that you'd ask me to go to Locke. I can't help it that your so predictable" Sawyer mumbled.
"It's more than that…this was about Kali wasn't it?" Kate suggested, watching Sawyer's jaw tense, but he otherwise kept his mask up.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about-" Sawyer was cut off by Kate's cruel laughter.
"She got too close, huh? Well done, Sawyer. Now she knows how little you care" Kate informed him, as Sawyer's eyes snapped up to hers.
"I did this for her!" Sawyer snapped, through gritted teeth.
"You keep telling yourself that" Kate shook her head, turning on her heel and walking away, glad that she had managed to get the man so riled up.
Sawyer grabbed his gun roughly, storming into his tent, wanting nothing more than to run after the brunette and insist that she was wrong. Ask her to tell him where Kali was, even. Running a hand through his hair, he kneeled down on the floor of his tent, as the silence engulfed him. He had gotten what he wanted…right?
Kali roughly used her last piece of bamboo to pitch her new tent up, wiping some sweat away from her forehead. It was far smaller than Sawyer's tent, as there were a few holes in the tarp, but it was better than nothing. Not to mention far away from the man in question. She had been lucky enough not to have to witness Sawyer's speech where he revealed his Long Con. But she hadn't been able to escape the questioning looks she had been receiving from most of the camp that morning. People suspected that she knew what Sawyer was planning, maybe even helped him. In some way, she supposed she had. Kali had her suspicions all along, but she had kept quiet. She still hadn't told the others where the guns were, expecting that Sawyer would have moved them by now. What was the point? What was the point in any of it? Crouching down, she opened up the suitcase she had grabbed from Sawyer's tent early that morning, freezing when she spotted something inside. A picture of herself and Sawyer, broad grins on both of their faces, looking like they didn't have a care in the world.
"What're you doing?" Kali inquired, seeing Sawyer stroll into their tent with a camera.
"Well I already know who you are…and there's no press here. New memories, right?" Sawyer suggested.
"I look like a sweaty mess" She huffed, looking down at her grubby clothes.
"No, you don't. You look…" Sawyer trailed off, almost shyly.
"What?" Kali asked.
"Pretty, or whatever. You gonna' let me take this picture this year?" Sawyer exclaimed, as Kali grinned and nodded.
There was a quick flash and then soon enough the picture was coming out, as Sawyer grabbed it before Kali could.
"Oh wow, I look terrible" Kali groaned, when she caught a glimpse of the picture.
"No, blue eyes. You really don't" Sawyer told her, a small smile on his face.
"Lying bastard-" Kali mumbled under her breath, as she was cut off by a familiar voice.
"What's with your move down here? Sick of suburbia?" Charlie questioned, looming over Kali, who quickly hid the picture under some of her clothes.
"You really don't want to be talking to me right now, Charlie" Kali warned him, pushing herself to her feet.
"What have I done?" Charlie frowned, acting far too innocently.
"Oh, I don't know…how about attacking Sun? Or maybe helping Sawyer manipulate the whole bloody camp?!" Kali hissed, watching Charlie's eyes widen.
"Jesus, he told you about that?" Charlie mumbled, running his hand over his face.
"I figured it out. I told you not to do anything stupid, Charlie. What the hell were you thinking?" Kali insisted, as Charlie had the sense to look down at the sand underneath them.
"I just…I wanted him to know what it felt like" Charlie exclaimed, making Kali frown.
"Who?" She questioned.
"Locke. I wanted to embarrass him, make him a laughing stock-" Charlie began, as Kali's hand shot up to stop him.
"You did all this because of…jealousy? You traumatised Sun" Kali spat out.
"I never meant to hurt her. She got scared and ran into the tree, I would never have…that's not me, Kali..." Charlie trailed off when he saw the disgust in her eyes.
"And what you have done if she had never woken up? You're not a little kid, Charlie. All of our choices have consequences. Why do you keep making the wrong ones?!" Kali cried, growing angrier.
"I don't know! I don't know why I do these things…I feel like I'm losing myself on this island" Charlie admitted.
"I think you lost yourself long before you came here" Kali scoffed, turning around, not wanting to look at him any longer.
"Are you gonna' tell Sun?" Charlie asked, as Kali came to a halt.
"…No. If Sun ever finds out what you did, if she told Jin…he'd kill you. And Sawyer" Kali sighed.
"I'm sorry" Charlie mumbled, his face swimming with guilt.
"I know…but I seriously can't stand the sight of you right now. Just go away, Charlie" Kali shook her head, crouching back down to face her suitcase.
Charlie opened his mouth, hating the look of disappointment Kali had given him but knew there was nothing he could say. He had well and truly screwed up this time, and he didn't think there was any way to solve it. Kali was right. He did keep on making the wrong choices.
A few hours later, Kali was sitting on the sand just outside her tent, a medical book in her hand that Jack had leant her. No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, her mind kept going back to Sawyer's betrayal. This was why she didn't get close to people. All her life people had let her down, why did she ever think he would be different? Right on cue, she saw a pair of familiar feet walking towards her, but she made no sign of noticing their approach.
"Hey" Sawyer's gruff voice announced, as Kali's eyes snapped up to his for a second.
She quirked an eyebrow in his direction, before looking back down to her book, barely acknowledging his presence at all. He was the last person on the island she wanted to see.
"You just gonna' ignore me now?" Sawyer inquired, earning a shrug in response.
"I wanted to give you something…" Sawyer trailed off, crouching down in front of her.
She could see out of her peripheral vision as he pulled something out from the waistband of her jeans, frowning when she realised it was a gun. He placed the weapon on the sand beside her, as she gave him a confused look.
"I hope for your sake it's not loaded" Kali muttered, as Sawyer's lips twitched into a smile despite himself.
"You'd already moved all your stuff by the time I got back last night, I figured you'd need some way to protect yourself now-" Sawyer began, but she cut him off.
"Like I'm some damsel in distress? Looks like you don't know me too well either" Kali scoffed.
"Just take the damn gun, Kali" Sawyer insisted, having expected she would fight him on the matter.
"I don't want it. I don't want anything from you" Kali retorted, shoving the gun towards him.
"You're too out in the open here. What if the Others make their way to the beach?" Sawyer pointed out.
"Well, wouldn't that be ironic" Kali spat out, pushing herself to her feet.
She turned around, ready to storm back into her tent when she felt fingers brush against her arm, flinching away from the touch. Sawyer didn't miss this reaction, noticing how she practically recoiled from him. He felt his chest tighten again when he realised she still wouldn't look at him, her eyes downcast.
"What…are you scared of me now?" Sawyer questioned, in a small voice, standing up to loom over her.
"I don't know who you are, remember?" Kali exclaimed, her eyes snapping up to his.
"Look, I took things too far. I know that, okay? And what I said in the jungle…you know I'd never really tell anyone who you are, right?" Sawyer asked, an almost pleading tone to his words.
"Then why did you say it?!" Kali cried, earning a few looks from the small crowd that was pretending not to watch their fight.
"I…I don't know. Look, just take the gun, okay?...Please" Sawyer insisted, picking it up from the sand and thrusting it towards her again.
"Like I said in the jungle…stay the fuck away from me" Kali spat out, shoving him away from her, before storming into her tent, leaving him alone once again.
Jack was walking through the thick jungle, happy to take on an extra shift at the hatch, anything to get away from the judging eyes of the camp. He was supposed to be their leader, and he knew he had let them down. He had been played. By Sawyer of all people. He had been so deep in thought, it took him a few minutes to realise someone was trailing him. In one swift motion, he reached down to grab a large branch by his feet and swung it around, hoping to catch his stalker off guard. A feminine cry had him stopping in his tracks, his forehead wrinkling when he saw who had been following him.
"Bloody hell! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Kali exclaimed, having only just ducked in time to avoid being swept off her feet.
"Kali? Why are you following me?" Jack frowned, as Kali dusted off her legs.
"I'm heading to the hatch" She shrugged, coming to stand beside him.
"You're not on shift" Jack pointed out, as they began walking.
"Felt like hanging out with Locke…the whole obsessive cult leader vibe really does it for me" Kali shrugged, making Jack chuckle.
"…Things too much at camp?" Jack guessed, watching her nod.
"Everyone either thinks I'm an idiot or a traitor. Not sure which is worse really" Kali mumbled; her eyes downcast.
"Well, we all know your judgements been clouded whenever it comes to Sawyer. He played all of us, Kali" Jack explained.
"Yeah…he's a dick" Kali muttered, as Jack laughed a little louder.
"You've got that right" Jack agreed, spotting the hatch entrance not far away.
"What about you and Kate? Or is it Ana Loo-loo now?" Kali teased, making Jack scoff.
He was just about to open his mouth to reply when he spotted a red substance just outside the hatch door. Blood. And recent by the looks of it. His eyes snapped up to Kali's, who was already wrenching the door open, rushing inside. The walk down the corridors of the hatch had never seemed longer, as they spotted more droplets of blood on the way. When they finally came to the main part of the hatch, Kali was shocked to see Sayid and Locke crouching on the floor, beside a wounded man she had never seen before.
"What the hell is going on here?" Jack announced, as all the men looked to him.
All except for the new man, who's eyes were strictly on Kali, her own eyes wide when she saw the arrow going through his shoulder. Her nursing instincts kicked in immediately, as she rushed over to the older man, touching his other shoulder lightly. She didn't miss the way the man almost jumped out of his skin, looking incredibly uncomfortable from her touch. She frowned at this action but figured he must have been scared she was going to hurt him.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. We're not going to hurt you" Kali exclaimed, watching the man nod, but he still didn't seem to relax.
"Rousseau trapped him in the jungle. She believes he's an Other" Sayid informed them, as Kali took a closer look at the man's wound.
"An other what?" He cried, clearly in a lot of pain.
"You shot him with an arrow?" Jack gaped, coming to sit beside Kali.
"Do I have a bow?" Sayid replied, making Kali snort in amusement, earning a disapproving look from Jack.
"What, you were just going to let him bleed to death?" Jack inquired, grabbing a cup of water from the counter, and handing it to Kali.
"I wanted to get honest answers while he could still give them. And his wound is far from life-threatening" Sayid insisted, as Kali quirked an eyebrow towards him.
"Says one of the two people in the room with no medical experience" She stated, which seemed to get the man's attention.
"You're a doctor?" The man questioned, a hopeful tone to his voice.
"I'm not, but he is" Kali said, ushering over to Jack, as she gave the man a sip of water.
"But she is a nurse. A very good one actually" Jack added, crouching beside the pair, some gauze and peroxide now in his hand.
"Student. Student nurse. Massive emphasis on the student" Kali exclaimed, as a thoughtful look grew on Jack's face.
"…You want to pull the arrow out?" Jack asked, as Kali let out a little squeal.
"I thought you'd never ask" Kali grinned, looking far too excited.
Once they had cut the man's shirt off, and Jack had helpfully poured peroxide onto the wound, he let Kali take the lead. With much difficulty, she was able to use the pliers he offered to cut off the back of the arrow, as the man let out a pained cry. With a handful of gauze at the ready, she then jumped to the other side and began to pull the arrow through his shoulder. Blood quickly oozed from the wound as soon as it was out, as she packed it with gauze, hoping to stem the flow. She pulled him forward, noticing the wound was also leaking from the back. Jack was there quickly, as he began to bandage the back of the man's shoulder, as they worked as a team until it looked like the man had the start of mummy costume on his shoulder.
"That was awesome!" Kali beamed, as the man suddenly passed out, flopping against her.
"You are one of a kind, Kali" Jack shook his head, helping to lay the man on the ground.
"…Oh, you've got a little blood…actually everywhere" Jack said, ushering to the white tank top she was wearing which now had droplets of the red substance all over.
"You think it will wash out?" Kali joked.
"I've got to admit your taking all this pretty well. I mean, after everything with Sawyer, I thought you'd-" Jack began, but she cut him off.
"What, fall apart over a man? Please. I'm fine. Totally A-okay. Couldn't be better" Kali shrugged, as Jack quirked an eyebrow.
"…Right…have you slept at all since…?" He trailed off, watching her shake her head.
"Who needs sleep" She mumbled, using a nearby towel as a pillow for the wounded man.
"We can't just leave him laying out here. If people see him, it'll create a panic" Locke exclaimed, walking towards the three.
"Yeah, well where do you think we should put him?" Jack retorted.
"I say we put him in the armoury. It's secure" Sayid added, a little too quickly for Kali's liking.
She was just about to question Sayid when they heard a voice from down the hallway, which they all recognised immediately. Sawyer. And from the way he was calling out her name, and the sound of his footsteps, he was getting close.
"What, is he stalking you now?" Jack huffed.
"He can't see this" Locke stated, as Kali pushed herself to her feet.
"I'll get rid of him. But you lot better stay quiet, okay?" Kali insisted, rushing off to find the man in question.
He was only one corner away when she practically collided with him, leaning against the wall to stop him from getting any further. Sawyer had been a loose cannon recently; she didn't want to see what he would do about their new mystery man.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" Kali asked.
"I was…is that blood?!" Sawyer questioned; his eyes on her stained shirt.
Kali cursed herself for not remembering she was covered in the man's blood, already concocting a lie. The words faltered in her mouth when Sawyer raised his arm out to touch the bloody top, panic clear on his face. He must have thought the blood was hers, she realised. Sawyer quickly pulled her shirt up, expecting to see wounds covering her stomach, but found only unblemished skin instead. His other hand brushed over her abdomen, confusion now etched on his features, as Kali felt her mouth go dry.
"Are you okay?" Sawyer asked, still not seeming convinced.
"Yeah…I mean, yes. Now, let go of me" Kali insisted, shrugging away from his touch, as his hand dropped from her shirt.
"Whose blood is that?" Sawyer inquired.
"Uh…Sayid's. He, um…cut his hand on a knife…a kitchen knife…from the kitchen…" Kali trailed off, knowing she wasn't selling the lie at all.
"What's going on, blue eyes?" Sawyer frowned, taking a step forward, practically leaning over her now.
"Nothing. Everything's good" Kali shrugged, as Sawyer gave her a look.
Before she could stop him, he was quickly side-stepping her and storming towards the kitchen, with Kali trailing close behind. Well, that didn't go well, she thought to herself. Sawyer spotted the bleeding man on the floor immediately, as Jack held his hands up in exasperation at Kali, who had clearly failed her mission.
"What? Should I have tackled him?" Kali exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"Who the hell's this?" Sawyer questioned, his loud voice making the man stir.
"It's none of your business, Sawyer. Get out" Jack insisted, which seemed to irritate Sawyer further.
"Did you miss my little speech yesterday?" Sawyer scoffed, as the man's eyes shot open.
"W-what…what's happening?" The man mumbled, his eyes darting around the room, searching for the owner of the new voice.
"Is he an Other?" Sawyer guessed, taking a step forward.
"We don't know, okay? Kali, can you…?" Jack said, ushering towards the younger girl.
"Sawyer, c'mon. We can talk out here" Kali told him, reaching to touch his hand.
The tension seemed to instantly drain from Sawyer's body, as he allowed Kali to link their hands together, as she pulled him out of the room. All of this had been witnessed by the man on the floor, his bright eyes watching them leave.
The moment they rounded the first corner, Kali dropped Sawyer's hand like it burned, but continued to usher him towards the exit. He allowed himself to be led halfway before coming to a halt, wanting an explanation.
"Since when do you and Jacko go out shooting Others?" Sawyer exclaimed, making Kali roll her eyes.
"Rousseau found him in the woods. She's the one who shot him with an arrow. We only just got him patched up. Look, you can't say anything to anyone else, okay?" Kali insisted, making Sawyer huff.
"Oh, really?" Sawyer replied, crossing his arms.
"Really. Unless you want me to start spilling some things you'd rather be kept hidden" Kali challenged, as Sawyer seemed to consider this.
"This is dangerous, Kali. They could have sent him" Sawyer argued.
"I know. God, I'm not an idiot, despite what you probably think" Kali scoffed, her jaw tense.
"I don't think that…hell, you're probably the smartest person I've ever met" Sawyer admitted, surprising Kali.
"…You just care too much" Sawyer mumbled, making Kali frown.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Kali questioned, a moment later.
"Camp's kinda' boring without you" Sawyer shrugged, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
"Jesus…what the hell do you want from me? You're the one who pushed me away!" Kali cried.
"For your own good, Kali! We can't…this can't happen-" Sawyer was cut off as a loud alarm made them both jump.
"The Countdown" Kali mumbled, concerned as to why no one had entered the code yet.
"No…they don't want you here, Sawyer…and neither do I" Kali insisted when she saw Sawyer take a step forward.
She watched as hurt flashed across his face for a moment before he masked it just as quickly. Before she could think too much into it, she was rushing towards the noise, arriving just in time to see Jack dragging Sayid out of the armoury. Her jaw dropped open when she saw new wounds glistening over the mystery man's face, and realised that Sayid must have attacked him. Running forward, she helped grab one of Sayid's arm's, helping Jack to throw him towards a nearby stool.
"I leave you lot for five bloody minutes" Kali shook her head, holding her hands out to make sure Sayid didn't try anything.
"He's lying! He's lying!" Sayid repeated unshed tears in his eyes.
"Get him out of here, Kali" Jack told her, as Kali ushered Sayid further away from the room.
She looked back to the armoury just before they entered the bunks, her eyes connecting with the wounded man's. She felt a shiver go down her spine, as she realised the emotion in his eyes didn't match the rest of his face. He almost seemed…amused?
"Do you see?" Sayid questioned when he saw how she had come to a halt.
"All I see is your bleeding hand. You're not gonna' have knuckles left at this rate, Sayid" Kali sighed, picking his hand up, wiping away some of the blood there.
"Jack has forgotten," Sayid told her, as she gave him a confused look.
"Forgotten what?" She frowned.
"That they attacked your raft. They took Boone, Walt, Michael…and your friend" Sayid stated.
"Look, I get it. The guy's shady. And he certainly doesn't look like he just spent the last few weeks wandering around the island. But we still don't have proof-" Kali begun, but Sayid stopped her quickly.
"They shot Sawyer. Only a matter of days ago you were in this room crying over his broken body. They are merciless, Kali. They could take any one of us if they wanted" Sayid went on, an angry look on his face.
"They can certainly try…but I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt our people" Kali replied, surprising herself a little.
"I'm glad to hear it" Sayid nodded, a look of relief on his face.
"No. Uh-uh. No way" Kali shook her head, vehemently, walking away from Claire who was quick on her tail.
"Kali, please. Aaron's sick. I know where I can get the cure. It won't be for longer than a day" Claire insisted, but Kali only quickened her pace.
"And I totally get that. But why do you want me to look after the baby? Kate's much more maternal!" Kali exclaimed, ushering over to the brunette who was watching the scene with amusement.
"Kate can't. She's coming with me" Claire retorted.
"Well, what about Sun? Locke? Hurley for Christ sake!" Kali insisted as Claire rolled her eyes.
"Aaron's a baby, Kali. Not a bomb" Claire exclaimed, not sure why she was so adamant against it.
"I don't know anything about baby's" Kali sighed, her resolve draining.
"You look after eight patients for twelve hours a day…I think you can handle it" Claire pointed out, as Kali had to admit she was right.
"I still think Sun would be the better option" Kali mumbled, reluctantly holding out her arms.
"He's sick. You have medical experience and…honestly? I know you'll protect him with your life. I trust you" Claire admitted, as Kali took the baby into her arms, careful to support his head.
"You won't think that when you come back and see his diaper wrapped around his arms" Kali groaned, already hating the idea.
"You've never been worried about babysitting him before. What's changed?" Kate questioned, finding it strange.
"I'm kind of questioning my judgement recently" Kali confessed, jiggling the baby a little.
"Well, you shouldn't. Look, he's already calming down" Kate stated, ushering to how Aaron had finally stopped crying.
"Which usually means it's time for a change" Claire informed her, as Kali gave her a look.
"Good luck" Kate grinned, patting Kali's shoulder.
"I hate you both. I really do" Kali mumbled, as Claire leant down to press a kiss to Aaron's forehead.
"I'll be back soon and make you feel all better, okay? I promise" Claire told her baby, biting her lip to stop the tears that were welling in her eyes.
"Hey, he will be okay. Like you said. I'd never let anything happen to him" Kali exclaimed, as Claire gave her a grateful smile.
It took roughly four hours before Kali really started to regret her decision. After already changing Aaron four times, burping him until her hands hurt, trying to feed him, and eventually resorting to making funny faces…she was out of ideas. She had a feeling he was just missing his mum. They both were. She knew the whole camp was getting irritated with the cries coming from the baby as the sun went down. With a sigh, she knew there was only one person she could think of turning to, no matter how much she hated the idea. With stumbling feet, she soon found herself outside Sawyer's tent, trying to pluck up the courage to enter. However, only a few seconds later, he stepped out of the tent, clearly having heard Aaron howling.
"Talk to the baby. Not me" Kali announced, side-stepping past him and walking into the tent.
"Well, hello to you too, sunshine" Sawyer chuckled, as Kali came to sit on his makeshift bed.
"He likes your voice for some reason. That's the only reason I'm here" Kali informed him, as Sawyer came to sit beside her, so close their thighs were touching.
"What, you want me to read him a lullaby?" Sawyer teased, making her roll her eyes.
"Sawyer, c'mon. I'm too tired for this shi…stuff. And since when do you have trouble running your mouth" Kali pointed out, amusing him.
"Fair point. Give him here" Sawyer exclaimed, holding his hands out.
Carefully, she helped place the baby in Sawyer's warm arms, so the baby was lying in the crook of his elbow. He snuggled against Sawyer's chest in a way that Kali could only describe as irritatingly adorable.
"Hey, hey. You're alright, buddy. Quiet down now" Sawyer soothed, as the baby immediately stopped his crying.
"Aaron clearly has bad taste in men" Kali yawned.
"You have that in common" Sawyer said, giving her a broad grin.
"This doesn't change anything, you know. I'm still pissed at you" Kali warned him, as Sawyer held his free hand up in defence.
"I hear ya'" Sawyer nodded, a smile still on his face, as he noticed Kali hadn't moved away from him, despite the fact that he was close enough to feel the heat from her body.
"I'm serious, Sawyer. You've really fu…fudged everything up. I can't trust you anymore" Kali insisted, looking down to Aaron who seemed to be drifting off to sleep.
Sawyer couldn't stop the soft chuckle that came from his lips, finding it amusing how Kali was trying not to swear. Still, he knew she was right. Over the past couple of days, he had realised something pretty startling.
"I…I don't know how to be without you anymore, Kali. You're better off without me but I sure as hell ain't without you. And you were right. Everything you damn said. You got too close and I pushed you away. These past couple of days…I hate it. I hate it when you're not here and…and you've fallen asleep. Great…" Sawyer trailed off, looking to his side to see how Kali was now leaning against his shoulder, her eyes closed.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sawyer is going to have a lot of making up to do after what he said in this chapter, as well as finally admitting how he really feels. Please leave a review:)
scripturient3201: Sawyer has definitely been pushing things too far recently, and Kali seems pretty done with it! She's not going to make his life easy in the following chapters, that's for sure. I'm glad you enjoyed it, haha. Thanks for reviewing:)
carmelitajones: Aw, thank you! I hope you like the new chapter:)
Kz4: Sawyer is certainly back to his old tricks, and Kali's having none of it. As for Billy's mystery, you'll have to wait and see...quite a while I'm afraid, haha. Thanks for reviewing:)
DrLexieSloan: We'll definitely be seeing lots of jealous Kali and Sawyer in the future as they both try to play each other. I think, as usual, Sawyer is the thing getting in his own way, he's sabotaging his own life. Let's hope he sees sense soon! Thanks for the review:)
AsukaHygua: Sawyer definitely played on Kali's weak spots recently. He's got a lot of work to do to win her back. I'm glad you're enjoying the story:)
Rhi: That sums Sawyer up pretty well, haha. Aw, thank you! And thanks for the review:)
