Hi guys. Thanks for the reviews, I love them so much :). Imzadi- interesting insight into Kate. I think she has changed, but I'm not sure if she has realised that she has.
Kate's mind had gone blank. How could she possibly put the gun down? It was the only thing protecting her from getting caught. As long as she had it in her hand, no one was going to force her to go anywhere, to do anything. But then there was Jack, lying on the floor in such an uncomfortable position, blood pouring from his mouth, his shirt soaked in it, although it was hard to tell what of that was his and what was hers. He looked so vulnerable, which in truth he was, everyone who got mixed up with her was. For a moment, it was Tom lying on the floor in front of her, Tom who she had loved so much that she'd gotten him killed. And even though she knew it was Jack on the floor, and not Tom, the situation was the same. She loved him, and he was going to die for her, because there was no way she was putting the gun down.
The marshal wasn't aware of Kate's decision, his gun still pressed into Jack's neck. "See, the thing is, I shoot him, and you die anyway. You're not getting out of this Katie, not this time. Ed was stupid, but not everyone is as stupid as he was. I kill the good doctor now, and everyone will believe you did it. Katie likes killing men, her Dad, her boyfriends, it doesn't matter who." The marshal moved away from jack, one of his subordinates taking his place. Very slowly, he inched his way closer to Kate, her finger applying a very slight amount of pressure to the trigger. In a soft, malicious whisper, the marshal met Kate's eyes, "I already know you can't sleep at night, do you really want to add the doctor to your guilt."
A sickening wash of memory enclosed Kate, prying eyes watching her through the darkness, a biting coldness that was more numbing to her soul than her body, the bitter tears that wouldn't stop falling. Very slowly, very deliberately, she placed the gun on the floor, ignoring Sawyer's protests. She had asked Jack to live for her. The least she could do was give him a chance. She didn't want to go back to the darkness, but she couldn't stay here, especially not if Jack was dead. The darkness was her penance, if she paid it, maybe she could forget all the things she had done. Softly, so that only Sawyer could hear, she whispered, "I have to." She didn't even resist when the marshal brought the butt of gun against her head, knocking her into unconsciousness. She slammed unceremoniously against the earth, collapsing on her cut arm.
Looking at Sawyer, the marshal smiled, "The doctor must have been good, I didn't think anyone would ever tame Katie."
Sawyer looked at her crumpled form on the ground. He hadn't thought anything would ever tame her either, hadn't wanted anything to tame her. The look on her face when she put the gun down was heartbreaking. Lying there, he could almost pretend that she wasn't the Kate he knew, so small and fragile she seemed.
"So cowboy, are you going to carry her, or am I going to have to arrest you too?" The viciousness had vanished from the marshal's eyes, leaving a mock-friendliness that did nothing to calm Sawyer's hatred of the man.
Very carefully, he lifted her into his arms, wincing as her blood slid down his chest. His eyes focused on the gun for a second. He could have it in his hands in less than a moment, with a bullet through the marshal before he could blink. But there were two others, and Kate was in his arms, bleeding to death already. She was what was important, nothing else. He knew she was scared to be caught, but he wasn't going to let her die. So he left the gun, picking her up, finding himself surprised at how little she weighed. If they got out of this, he was going to make sure she got more to eat. That thought made him smile, he could just imagine her reaction if he tried to make her eat more.
"Let's go." The marshal used his still loaded gun to point the way back to the beach as one of the others picked up Jack. Sawyer fought the urge to hit the man, his arrogance rubbing Sawyer just enough to make Sawyer want to explode. He was going to get Kate out of this, and when he did, this idiot would regret this.