Leytonrox94 - I'm delighted you're enjoying how I write Jacob. Hopefully you'll enjoy his enemy just as much. =] There will be Jate in the future. Dunno how soon though.
Famous4it - I'm happy to hear you like Jacob. I'm enjoying his presence in my fic. =]
P - Haha. Kate not do stupid things? Impossible. xDDD
Northern Wolf - Camp pwned. I have friends who have forever changed my life. -loves them to pieces-
Ilayda - I felt sorry for him as I wrote it. Haha.
Boo2ubam - I don't think Kate will be hugging him or apologizing anytime soon. I wish though. =]
Temporarilymisplaced - Well...I thought about letting him live, but Kate decided against it.
Lostcandy - There will definitely be more Juliet in the future.
Jellybelly89 - Thanks for reviewing!
Jess - Yes, her whole pregnancy is a little worrisome.
Jacklostkate - I was wondering what would have happened if Ethan lived...but Kate told me it wasn't worth finding out.
Sorry it took so long to update, Guys. I just started college and all. I have quite a bit of free time for now. My schedule is very lovely and all my classes are good except Physics. But I don't know how often I'll be updating. Y'all don't want to hear my sob story - but I've been a bit depressed due to lack of friends. I don't really fit in here...my personality just isn't what people seem to want in a friend. So I have time and I sit down to type...but I realize everyone else is off having fun and I get a few paragraphs in...then no longer feel like typing anymore. Because of my misery, I may end up typing some darker things than I expected to be typing. It started to show a bit in this chapter.
Reviews cheer me up though. =]
It was almost like we were playing a game. I avoided Jack and everyone else on the island avoided me. It had been like that since I shot Ethan. I didn't expect them to understand why I had done it though and I made no attempts to explain.
The silver gun case lay hidden underneath some plants in the jungle. I knew where it was even without Jack showing me. It was locked and I was forced to put the gun I had used beside it instead of slipping it in with the others. Now, I just had to hope no one would find it and steal it.
"You could have just handed it to me instead of sneaking around."
I spun around to find Jack standing behind me. "How long have you been there?"
"Long enough." He walked past me and knelt by the case, unlocking it and placing the gun inside before locking it back up again. "How long are you going to keep playing this game, Kate?"
I took a few steps back. "I'm not playing some game, Jack," I answered, my tone bitter.
He got to his feet and turned to face me. "You killed Ethan - shot him six times in the chest. Now you're going out of your way so you don't have to tell me why you did it."
"No offense, but I don't remember there being a rule that I have to answer to you every time I do something." We stared at each other for a moment before we both glanced away at the same time. "Did you get all the guns back?"
"All except one." He began walking toward the path that led from the beach to the cave.
"Sawyer's," I stated, nodding. I followed him. I didn't even need to know that from before to be able to guess Sawyer hadn't given the gun back. I rubbed my hands together for a moment as I considered not going to get it back this time. I wanted Jack's forgiveness though. "I can get it back."
"Really?" He glanced over at me and raised his eyebrows. "How are you going to do that?"
"Speak his language," I answered with a shrug.
"Let him keep the gun." Jack shook his head. "It's not worth it."
I smiled and glanced at the ground before looking up again as we walked. "What? Are you worried he's going to shoot me if I ask?"
"I just don't want you to owe him anything." He glanced at me.
I stared him in the eye for a moment before looking away again. My throat felt tight and my chest heavy. "I can take care of myself." I headed toward the beach as he headed toward the caves.
----------
Seeing Sawyer's things scattered across the ground was something I didn't mind repeating itself. No matter how many times it happened, it would always be hilarious that a boar had destroyed his property. I strolled over to his shelter and crossed my arms, not bothering to fight the smirk that was tugging at my lips. "What happened?"
"A boar." He huffed and continued attempting to pick up his stuff.
"A boar?" I replied, fighting back a laugh. "Did all this?"
"Last night - wrecked my tent. This morning when I went to get my tent back, it attacks me from behind and runs off into the jungle like a coward." He shoved a few items into a bag and shook his head.
"A boar wouldn't just attack you for no reason," I commented.
"Thank you, Boar-expert!" He shot me a glare. "This one did. It's harassing me." He grabbed his gun.
"Sawyer." I sighed in exasperation. I had better things to do than repeat our whole hike to track down his enemy.
"I'm getting even," He said.
"Would you listen to yourself?" I asked and rolled my eyes. "It's a boar. Just go tell Locke and he'll kill it."
"Nope." He got to his feet. "This is my fight."
"You don't even know anything about hunting boar," I reminded him. "You're going to get yourself lost or worse."
He glanced at me. "Since when do you care?"
I laughed and shook my head. "I don't." It was a lie.
"Good," He answered. "Then if you'll excuse me, I've got some revenge to tend to." He turned away and began walking at a determined pace down the beach.
I jogged to catch up to him. "If you want to actually catch the thing, you're going to need some help. I'll go with you."
"Sounds like another excuse to avoid Jack-O. Let's get movin'."
I stopped walking and shook my head. "Give me an hour," I replied. "I have to do something."
He sighed. "Well speed it up, will ya?"
-----------
"Are you sure you want to help me with this?" I held up my half of Ethan's body and glanced at Hurley as we approached the clearing. "I appreciate the help, but you don't have to. I killed Ethan. I can bury him."
"Yeah, till he rises from the dead." Hurley helped me lower Ethan to the ground beside where we going to bury him. "Dude, I know how this works. This is going to end with you and me running through the jungle, screaming, crying. He catches me first because I'm heavy…and I get cramps."
I dug my shovel into the ground then paused to stare at him. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words fit the moment. I turned my attention back to digging a hole in the ground.
"You alright?" He asked.
"Just peachy." I dug into the dirt once more.
------------
I walked back to the beach to find that Sawyer had already started his trek into the jungle. I wasn't surprised. It only took me a moment to grab my backpack then follow in the direction I knew he'd be heading. As I walked, I glanced around for Jacob. This seemed like one of those times he'd appear and keep my company for a few moments. He never showed up. Despite that I got what I wanted by him letting me alone, something in me felt empty. Who was I kidding though; I always felt empty.
"It's a footprint," I stated as I approached Sawyer from behind. He was staring curiously at the ground like he'd come across something miraculous. "Judging on the weight and the distance between strides, I'd say you've been following Boone for about an hour."
He spun around. "Look…"
"It could be Jin, I suppose…" I grinned at him.
"I'm tickled you're taking such an interest in my affairs. Really, I am." He shook his head and glanced up at the sky before looking at me again. "So don't take it personal when I tell you…"
"I want carte blanche." Here we went again. He began walking and I followed him.
"What?" he asked.
"It's simple," I stated. "You can't track that boar without my help. You've probably managed to follow the tracks of humans, birds, a rockslide, yourself, and basically everything except boar. You have no idea what you're doing."
"Carte blanche," he repeated me.
"It means blank check." I took a few steps so I was walking slightly in front of him.
"I know what it means," He snapped and quickened his pace so he was the one in front.
"Anything I want from your stash…" I walked so I was in front of him again and turned to face him. "Medicine, soap, whatever - I get it. No questions asked. Take it or leave it."
He stopped walking and stared at me for a moment then threw his hands in the air. "Alright. You got a deal."
----------
Our walk had been surprisingly silent. The first time we made this trip, we had chatted. This time, we just walked until it was too dark to see and we were forced to make camp. My heart skipped a few beats as Sawyer pulled out a small bottle from his bag and took a seat a few feet away from me.
"I take it you found the liquor cart," I commented and leaned back against my backpack. "Jack was looking for that."
"It's a good thing I found it instead, then, huh?" He replied. He settled bag against his things and took a small sip from the bottle.
"Got anymore of those?" I questioned hesitantly.
He smirked and pulled another from his bag. "Sure do. Too bad it wouldn't be good for the baby."
I froze up and narrowed my eyes at him then glanced away. "Is that a no?"
"Your choice how ya deal with the kid, Sassafras," Sawyer replied. "But if ya wanna drink; you've got to play."
"Oh yeah?" I questioned. "Play what?" I felt like a giddy high school student and mentally scolded myself as I waited for the answer.
"I Never." He passed the small bottle over to me, eyeing it for a moment as I opened it. "Ya know how to play, don't ya?"
I grinned and slid my finger in a circle around the small rim of the bottle. "Yes." I paused. "I've never been suspended from school."
Sawyer rolled his eyes and took a drink. "I've never had braces."
"They sucked." I took a drink then glanced up at the sky as I paused to think. I had to do one of the ones I did the first time. "I never wore pink." I laughed as he took a drink then laughed harder as he blamed it on the 80s.
"Yeah yeah," he muttered and shook his head. "I never had a favorite band."
"You're a liar," I muttered. I took a drink. "I never paid anyone for sex."
Sawyer narrowed his eyes and took a drink. He choked a few times, causing me to grin. "I've never been scared of the dark."
I smiled and shook my bottle slightly. It wasn't the dark I got scared of; it was things that lurked in the dark. "I never had a crush on a friend's parent."
Sawyer took a drink. "I was fifteen," he tried to explain. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "I never kiss anyone on an island."
I glanced at him and furrowed my brow. Something in my heart ached and I felt offended. I too leaned forward, swirling the last of my liquor around in the bottle. "Really?" I questioned. He looked confused, but before he could say anything, I leaned forward and pecked his lips. "You lie." I tried to push all thoughts of Jack from my mind and smirked at Sawyer.
"Well, now…" Sawyer looked shocked. He licked his lips.
Jack was probably sitting back at the caves organizing his bottles of medicine. He might have been gathering water to make a run to the beach in the morning. I wondered if he noticed I was missing. I had told Hurley where I was going; I wondered if Hurley let Jack know. Was he worried about me? Was he even thinking about me? I took advantage of Sawyer's shock and pressed my lips to his again and let the kiss linger this time.
I didn't feel anything. There were no electric shocks shooting up my spine. My nerves didn't tingle and make me all lightheaded. Instead, I was overcome by a numbness that started in my heart and slowly worked its way throughout the rest of my body. I welcomed it and deepened the kiss; it wasn't like Sawyer seemed to mind. I could deal with his questions on where this suddenly came from later.
He placed his hand on the back of my neck then entangled his fingers in my hair as he tilted my neck back. His lips made their way to my chin then down my neck. I embraced the lack of sensation and let my eyes flutter shut.
----------
I woke up to the sun shining in my eyes. Sawyer was shifting underneath me and I quickly opened my eyes. Backing away from him, I looked at him then glanced around. My clothes were still on, I realized as I placed my hands on my stomach. Earth was spinning and my head started to ache. I clambered to my feet, dazed and confused. A few feet away from where I had been sleeping, I found a tree for support and clung to it as I leaned forward and retched. I felt hung over, but I had only had a small bottle of alcohol. Or had I? As I tried to think back to the night before, every detail was fuzzy. I squeezed my eyes shut as I vomited a second time and slowly tried to ease myself to my knees.
"Jesus, Freckles." Sawyer gripped me from behind and helped me to the ground. He ended up with me half in his lap; one of his hands was holding back my hair as the other tried to keep me steady so I didn't end up puking all over him or myself. He was tense and I could feel him freeze up every few moments before slowly trying to move into another position. "Hey. Freckles. Kate, you need to breathe."
His voice was serious and I hadn't even realized I was trying to hold my breath until he said something. My chest burned and it felt like my stomach was being ripped out as I dry-heaved after throwing up for a third time. Coughing, I brought the back of my hand to my mouth.
"Is this how you want to play, Eve?"
It wasn't Jacob's voice, but it felt like it was him speaking. My heart started aching in self-pity and I found myself hating him. He couldn't do this; couldn't make me feel like this. It was inequitable. I slid my arms around my stomach and took a few deep breaths through my nose. "Go away," I thought.
"You want to play, Eve? I can play your games. You want to play?"
I slowly opened my eyes and managed to lift my head. I expected to see Jacob standing a few feet in front of me with either a look of concern or anger on his face. Instead I saw a different man. He was dressed in back and his curious smile drew me in. "I can play your damn games too." Sawyer was helping me back to my feet and I was forced to rest back against his chest until I regained enough strength to stand on my own. "Sorry," I muttered sheepishly. I stole a glance at him the looked back to where the other man had been standing. He was no longer there and I assumed Sawyer hadn't seen him.
"Son of a bitch. I can't believe this!" Sawyer took his hands off me and took a few steps forward.
I looked up at him then glanced around our camp. His stuff was once again scattered all over. I smirked through my weakness and walked over to my backpack. "There are hoof marks everywhere," I stated as I looked at the ground.
"It ate all our stuff!" He exclaimed.
"Nope." I shook my head. "It ate your stuff. Mine is fine."
"Oh, that hog is gonna suffer," Sawyer muttered. "I swear to God…"
The bushes rustled and I watched as Sawyer grabbed his gun. My gaze turned to Locke as he walked toward us.
"Mornin'," John stated. He paused to look around then glanced at me then at Sawyer. "What happened to your campsite?"
I rubbed at my eyes before noticing Locke and Sawyer were both staring at me. I felt as if I looked completely awful. Clearing my throat, I rubbed my hands together. "So, are you looking for salvage from the crash out here, John?"
He nodded his head. "Found an occasional scrap of metal and a few bags of coffee. Picked up your trail about a mile back and thought I'd say howdy."
Sawyer threw his shirt to the ground a few feet away from me. "Awww, son of a…oh, peed on my shirt! Took my shirt out of the bag and peed on it! And you think this isn't personal."
"He thinks the boar we're after has a vendetta against him," I explained to Locke with a slight simper.
"Uh-huh." Locke nodded slowly and glanced over at Sawyer.
"That's three times it's attacked me!" Sawyer defended himself. He huffed and began picking up his things.
"Maybe it's got your scent," I teased. "Doesn't like your cologne." I took a seat and pulled one of my legs to my chest.
"I don't wear cologne," He growled.
"Yes, you do." I smiled and placed my arms on my knee then rested my chin against them.
He glanced at me and sighed. "Yeah well…the thing's got it in for me."
I rolled my eyes. "It's a boar, Sawyer."
"Anyone want coffee?" Locke intervened.
I looked at him then at the ground. It was probably bad enough I had had alcohol and that I just finished heaving my guts up. The thought of coffee made my mouth water though. I glanced up again to see the same man in the distance.
"Do you want to play, Eve?"
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment then looked at Locke. "Coffee sounds great." I ignored the look I got from Sawyer and stared at the ground again.
----------
"I take comfort knowing that someday this is all going to be a real nice shopping complex; maybe even an auto mall. Where you going?"
I ignored Sawyer's comments as I was over to an all-too-familiar ditch full of mud. Stomach full of coffee and fruit, I felt more awake and had convinced Sawyer I was fine to keep going. "Know what this is?" I questioned even though I knew he didn't.
"A hole in the mud," he stated the obvious.
I sighed. "It's a wallow."
"What the hell's a wallow?" he asked as he stared down at it.
"A boar's wallow?" I smiled. "It's a den where he sleeps. And these tree rubbings are from his tusks."
"You mean he's around here?" Sawyer stood up straighter and glanced to his left then to his right.
"Maybe." No sooner had I gotten out the word, there was some noise off to the side of us. I watched as Sawyer jogged forward and retrieved the baby boar. My heart went out to it again as it struggled against his hold and started to squeal. "I thought it'd be bigger," I deadpanned as he held it up.
"Funny." He shot me a look. "Now we know Daddy's gotta be around here. Here, Piggy, Piggy, Piggy!"
"Sawyer, put it down," I demanded. "You're not very funny."
"Here, Piggy, Piggy, Piggy!" He continued to yell.
"Do you want to play, Eve?"
"Put it down!" I ordered again. "What is the matter with you, Sawyer? You're going to hurt it."
"Do you want to play, Eve?"
"Hurt it?" Sawyer asked. "It's a boar. It's gonna grow bigger and go after us and our stuff and cause trouble." He raised his gun and put a bullet in the baby boar's head.
I jumped and took several steps back. "You're sick," I whispered before stepping forward again and kicking him as hard as I could in the shin. "Find your own way home," I spat as I walked off. I balled my hands into fists and stared coldly at the spot ahead of me.