I am so so sorry this chapter is late. It's a long one, so hopefully, that makes up for it somewhat. Thank you all for your support in reading and reviewing. Also Happy Valentine's day everyone! Enjoy!
AsukaHyuga: Re-reading your review I can't believe I haven't posted since new year's time. My bad. Only a little bit of Sam/Sawyer in this chapter but I have big plans for the next chapter. I love the tension between the two of them as they deal with their separation. Henry is so scary to me when I re-watch the show and I want to scream at the characters for not taking harsher steps with him. I'm glad you love this story that much, it literally makes me cry. Thanks for reviewing!
Queen24824: Living for the drama, I love it. Thanks for reviewing!
Sawyer's POV
Sawyer knows the whole camp is watching him and the doc play for the medicine, but the only one he cares about is Sam. She is standing next to Boone and has been for almost the entire game. They'll whisper to each other, Boone will lean in and say something in her ear and she'll smile and nod or shake her head and say something back. Sawyer wonders, not for the first time, if Sam realizes how much Boone is flirting with her. If she can see the way the boy looks at her. She's smart, she should be able to tell. Does she ignore it? Or is something more between them?
Last night didn't help things. Sawyer knew it was a stupid idea to go to the hatch, knew it the whole way he was walking there. But he couldn't stop himself. Sam hadn't talked to him since she tried to return the gun to him, and it was driving him crazy. She was the only person on the island who got him, and he thought this whole thing with the guns would blow over sooner. He wanted to scream at her to forgive him already so things could go back to normal, but of course, he didn't. He played it cool. And in the moment, it was all worth it. Not just for the information he gained, but talking to her felt like old times again. When she used to roll her eyes when he flirted with her. He even almost kissed her, and now, watching her with Boone, he wished he did. She would have let him, she almost kissed him herself. And it would be some consolation to how close she and Boone were standing right now.
"I'm all in," Jack says, and Sawyer tears his attention away from Sam and back to the game between him and Jack.
"Now that's a move of a man who wants me to lay it down," Sawyer says with a grin.
Jack shakes his head. "You're not going to lay it down."
"I'm not huh, why is that?"
Jack turns and looks at the crowd, observing them before facing Sawyer again. "Because there's a bunch of people watching us right now and you don't want them to see you lose again."
Jack's right, and Sawyer hates it. But he doesn't have the cards to win and he can guess that Jack doesn't either. "Well, alright then. I call."
Jack lays down his cards.
"Pair of nines! You pushed in with a pair of nines!"
"You caught me," Jack smiles. "Let's see them."
Sawyer releases a frustrated breath and throws his cards down on the table.
Jack smiles again. "Guess it was enough, huh?"
"Son of a bitch," Sawyer mutters.
Jack stands and leaves the table. "I'll come get the meds later."
"Hey, when I asked you what you wanted for steaks, why didn't you ask for the guns?"
"When I need the guns, I'll get the guns."
Cocky bastard. Sawyer glares at the back of Jack's head as he walks away.
Sam's POV, that night
I am walking back to the hatch with Jack later that night, after a suspiciously calm day.
"That was a good game against Sawyer today," I tell Jack, a faint smile on my face. As cocky as Sawyer is, it's nice to see him lose sometimes.
"Yeah, well, Sawyer needs a reality check. He's not the best at everything."
I laugh. "He thinks he is though."
"Hey, hey. Jack, wait up!" Kate comes running up to us, stopping us. "Oh, hey Sam."
"You guys heading back to the hatch?"
"Yeah," Jack answers.
"Mind if I join? It's been a while since I had a shower. And I was just hoping that-"
"Actually, the- the plumbing is busted," Jack lies.
"Busted?" Kate inquires.
"Yeah, the water's been running muddy," I improvise. "It's probably a cracked pipe."
"We should be able to fix it," Jack says. "But it will just take some time to find it."
"Oh. Well, I guess I wasted a trip then."
"Well, I'll let you know as soon as we get things worked out down there."
Kate smiles and turns away. "Okay." She turns back around after a beat. "I'm glad you beat Sawyer."
They both laugh and smile at each other, and I want to fade into the trees so they can have their moment together because I'm so happy they are finally getting along again.
"You know what, the hatch can wait until morning if you'd like me to walk you back to the beach."
The two look ready to go back together, when a flashing light in the jungle catches our eyes.
Kate casts a worried look at both of us. "Did you see that?"
"Yeah," Jack says.
I nod. "Let's go check it out."
We only have to walk a few feet until we reach it. A few large pallets, covered in what looks like parachute material and nets, with what looks like a blinking lantern sitting on top of one of them.
Kate leans in to investigate with her torch. "A parachute?" She walks forward to peel away the covering to see what the pellet contains.
Jack lunges after her. "Wait!"
Kate shows us a box of Dharma initiative food. "It's food."
I hear footsteps and I spin around to see Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie.
"What the bloody hell is that?" Charlie asks.
"What did you find?" Jack asks in return.
"I think we need to talk to our friend, Henry," Sayid says.
I nod towards the hatch. "Lead the way."
The air is tense as we walk. Jack and Sayid are angrily whispering at the front and Kate falls in pace beside me. "What is happening? Who's Henry?"
"It's a long story. You'll see in a minute."
"Sam, please, what's going on?"
"We have like two minutes, and that's not enough time to catch you up. Just… brace yourself."
When we get to the hatch, Henry is crouching next to Locke and my heart stops for a second. I reach for my gun instinctively, before I remember I don't have it. Unless I am going out into the jungle on purpose, I leave it in my tent.
"Get away from him," Jack says angrily.
"Wait, you don't," Locke protests.
Sayid pulls his gun out and points it at Henry. "Step back right now!"
Henry sits still, not moving a muscle.
"Sayid, it's okay."
Jack picks Henry up and shoves him against the wall.
"It's alright, I let him out."
I turn on Locke. "Why would you do that?"
"There was some kind of lockdown or something. He was helping me."
Henry looks at Locke and puts on his best scared, convincing face. "Couldn't you find my balloon?"
"Yeah, we found it," Ana says, but she doesn't look like we just discovered our prisoner is innocent.
"We did find your balloon, Henry Gale. Exactly how you described it." Sayid glances at Jack and then lowers his gun.
"We also found the grave you described- your wive's grave. The grave you said you dug with your own bare hands." Sayid moves in, leaning over Henry. "It was all there. Your whole story, your Alabi- it all checked out. It was true. But still, I did not believe it to be true. So I dug up that grave and found that there was not a woman inside. There was a man." Sayid shows a small card in his hand, about the size of a driver's license, to Henry. "Named Henry Gale."
For a moment, Henry drops the terrified act, and he looks at Sayid and Jack with a scary calmness.
"I'm going to be asking you a few more questions, Henry," Sayid says. "And this time, it won't be as pleasant."
I help Sayid and Ana with the interrogation and Kate helps Jack tend to Locke's leg. She's desperate to get some time with Jack, to dig for information on this huge thing she's been left out of. And I can't pretend to care about Locke right now.
We have 'Henry' strung up by the arms, forced into a standing position. He's been like that for less than ten minutes, but I can already tell the toll it is taking on his body.
Sayid asked for 'Henry's' story, yet again, the true one this time. He's sitting on the bench in the armory while I lean against the doorway. Both of our stances are utterly casual and relaxed. As if we are all good friends catching up after a long day. Ana leans on the wall across from Sayid, slightly perched on the shelf where the guns used to be.
"He was dead already," Not-Henry starts off. "Four months ago, I was part of the search party. Henry Gale was hanging out of the basket, neck broken."
Ana moves to argue, but Sayid waves her off.
"So he was already dead."
"Yes," Not-Henry's voice is raspy and a little desperate, and it gives me a sick little thrill of pleasure.
"And then you buried him and left a grave marker."
"Yes," Not-Henry repeats.
Sayid pulls something out of his pocket. A $20 bill. "You really should have checked his wallet before you did that. I assume Henry Gale did not have any paper on which to compose his thoughts. So he had to improvise. There wasn't much space for that."
Sayid flips the bill vertically and starts reading. "Jennifer, well, you were right. Crossing the Pacific isn't easy. I guess I owe you a beer. I'm hiking to one of the beaches to start a signal fire, but if you are reading this, then I guess I didn't make it. I'm sorry, I love you, Jenny. Always have, always will. Yours, Henry."
Sayid folds up the bill and looks at Not-Henry. "So tell me, how did Henry Gale write a note to his wife with a broken neck?"
"It wasn't me. I didn't kill him. You don't understand-"
The first part of Not-Henry's argument catches my attention. Because, yes, I think it's very likely he killed the real Henry Gale, but Sayid didn't accuse him of that. Not yet, at least. He's told us so many lies, I can't keep track of them.
"How did you know his wife's name? Did you interrogate him?"
"Please, just listen, I'm just a, a, a- " Not-Henry is stuttering now and I can't quite tell if his fear is real or genuine.
"How many of you are there?"
"If I told you about them, you have no idea what he'll do."
"He?" Sayid leans forward.
"You mean their leader?" Ana asks. "The guy with the beard."
"Him?! He's no one. Nothing!" Not-Henry shouts, panicked.
"Where are your people?"
"I can't- " Not-Henry hisses desperately.
"You don't understand!"
I stride across the small cell and punch Not-Henry in the face as hard as I can. He sways on his feet as he struggles to keep his center of gravity. "No, you don't understand. You don't understand what we'll do to you. Do you like standing like that? It doesn't bother me. You can stay like that all night and I'll we'll all get a good night's sleep, then we'll come back and ask you some more questions. Do you like eating? The human body can survive on much less food than you've been getting, and it will save our resources. No more cereal for breakfast. Did you like it when Sayid questioned you before? Because trust me, he can do so much worse. He has before. We will never run out of ways to hurt you, to deprive you, to make your life as miserable as possible. We have all the time in the world, and we won't get tired. There's enough of us to rotate out, to still get enough sleep and food while you get nothing. Don't tell me we don't understand what he'll do to you, not until you understand what we'll do to you."
Not-Henry looks at me, a mixture of horror and disbelief on my face. Ana looks ready to pull me back, and I can't see Sayid.
"You still don't understand, he's worse," Not-Henry finally says.
"Understand this!" Sayid shouts. I hear the click of a gun and then Sayid is in front of me, pointing a gun at Not-Henry's head.
"Hey," Ana warns.
"You have three seconds to answer my question. How many of you are there?"
"One."
"He'll kill me!"
"I'll kill you! Two!" Sayid cocks the gun.
"Sayid," Ana protests. It's all white noise to me, warring thought fight in my mind. Kill him, and finally get rid of one of there's for good. Get rid of his lies, and whatever power he has in the Other's hierarchy. And get rid of any information he has. Any ability we might have to trade him and save Walt or Micheal.
"You can't do this. I am not a bad person!"
"Three!"
Sayid fires and I duck just in time to avoid the ricochet of the bullet. I look up. Ana shoved Sayid's arm out of the way just in time. Not-Henry's eyes are still squeezed shut in fear. The sound of the bullet is still ringing in my ear, but I stand up.
"What's going on?! I heard a gunshot!" Locke shouts from the other room.
Jack comes in. "What happened?"
"He's a liar!"
Ana answers him. "It's fine. Just get him out of here."
"Jack! Jack!"
Sayid walks out of the armory silently and Ana, Jack, and I all look at each other for a second.
"Jack!" Locke shouts again.
Jack walks around the corner. "I've got it covered, John."
Not-Henry looks at Ana. "Thank you," he says, his voice shaking.
Ana glares at Not-Henry. "Shut up." She leaves the armory and I follow her and close the door on our prisoner.
Ana sits on the couch, her stance tense. I sit on the couch next to Ana and lean against the armrest to face her.
"Any ideas?" she asks me.
I shake my head. "No, he's never going to tell us the truth, but he's too valuable to just kill."
Ana rings her hands. "Sayid's angry. You don't think he'll do anything stupid, right?"
"Stupider than trying to shoot someone without a second thought? No."
Ana lets out a short laugh. "God, I hate this place so much. What do we do from here?"
"Usually? Get some sleep. Jack will calm Locke down, and there's nothing we're going to get from whoever we have locked up tonight. Or we can exchange ghost stories about the island," I joke.
Ana smiles. "Boy, do I have some stories, not happy ones. There's no happy stories on this island."
"I have some," I blurt out without thinking, memories of when me and Sawyer were friends flashing through my mind.
"Tell me about them?" Ana asks. She looks wistful, like she is grasping out for some peace or goodness that she's not sure exists.
I sigh. "It's hard. You know most of them are with Sawyer."
"Was he really that different before he conned us?" Ana asks. "He didn't seem like the most pleasant person, but then so many people were so happy to see him."
I laugh. "That's just because they were so relieved to see him, and he had just sailed off on our rescue mission. Everyone loves a hero."
"What about you? You don't seem to be the type to get swept up in the hero image. Otherwise, you'd be fawning over Jack with Kate."
"Before he conned us, he was my best friend." I pause after these words, realizing for the first time the magnitude of what I lost. Sawyer wasn't just a friend who betrayed me. He was the best friend I've had in a long time.
"We got close slowly. He kind of was just there a lot. And we are alike in a lot of ways, I'm not a perfect little hero either. And then, when things got bad, he made me laugh with his stupid jokes. After Patrick died, that was my brother- he died on the island- he was the only one who got me through it. Patrick was the only person I had in my life back home, loosing him is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. And I've been through a lot of shit." I take a deep breath, steading myself after that revelation.
"Sawyer, I trusted him more than I've trusted anyone in a while, and there was nothing to do most of the time. You guys were fighting for your lives. We were just trapped. Even now, I hate him, but I don't at the same time."
Ana nods. "I understand that. He cared about you, too. When he was feverish, he kept asking for you."
I smile, and in spite of myself, a warm feeling fills my chest at this information. I blush and turn away to hide my face. "So you won't judge me if my stories feature him?"
Ana shakes her head. "Just tell me something. I want to get some rest before tomorrow and I am too wired up to sleep right now."
I lean back and close my eyes. "Okay then." A million stories flit through my brain as I search for a memory to share. Eventually, I chose one, and I launch into a story for Ana. It's therapeutic, going back to the better times on the island. I don't know how many stories I tell Ana before we fall asleep without moving from the couch.
Flashback
I am sitting across from Sawyer on the couch. He has his legs stretched out, taking up the entire couch, and I have my legs casually draped over his. I have a book open in my lap, but I'm not reading it. I haven't been for a while. Instead, my eyes drift up to watch him read. He's so focused, and I can never get enough of the image of him with his glasses on. Whenever he flips a page, he pushes the stray hairs out of his face. I don't notice in time when he breaks his focus to look up at me, and I don't look away fast enough.
"Board, grey eyes?" His eyes glimmer with mischief.
"It's too quiet to read in this hatch, and it feels weird with everything going on."
His hand falls to my knee, lightly caressing the back of it, his touch hot on my skin. "Well, if you don't like our current activities, I can think of a few other things for us to do."
I lean my head back. "You're stupid."
His hand moves up my leg, ever so slightly, and I shiver. "Is that so, sweetheart? Do you want me to stop then?"
Why would anyone ever want him to stop? I think to myself. "No, don't stop."
James grins and pulls me to him. I hook my legs around him and pull his head down for a kiss.
Present Day: next morning
When I wake up the next morning, I take a second to get my bearings as the dreams of Sawyer fade. Ana is still asleep on the couch across from me. Quietly, I stand up and snake around the table, careful not to bump into anything and wake her. As I leave the living room area, I stretch and yawn the sleepiness away. Jack is in the kitchen. He is staring at Locke, who is scribbling madly on some paper at the hatch computer.
"Is everything okay?" I whisper to Jack, observing the scene.
"I don't know what's going on with him," Jack responds in a low voice. "He's been like this all morning. Kate got him some crutches from camp earlier, and he just walked to the computer and he's been there ever since. Sometimes he almost forgets to push the button."
I frown. "That's not like him. How is everyone back at camp taking everything? Are they fighting too much over the food pellet?"
"I actually wanted to ask you if you could check up on them. I haven't really had time with everything that's going on here. We sort of just did a free for all with the food, but I know some people will cause problems. And they probably have a million questions."
I nod, "Yeah, I can go. I'll just stay there for the day. If you need anything, come find me."
"Thanks, Sam."
The first thing that catches my eye when I make it to the beach camp is the makeshift pantry is now full of food, and it seems to have grown overnight. But I don't have time to ponder this before I am flooded with questions.
"Do we have any idea where this came from?"
"Where's Jack?"
"Is this even safe to eat?"
"Sawyer took all the chips and cookies! He can't do that!"
"Why are we not even looking for rescue anymore?"
"What's going on?"
Boone catches my eye in the crowd and gives me a sympathetic look.
I take a deep breath and mentally prepare my answers to the swarming questions. I cup my hands around my mouth and shout "Okay, everyone shut up! I can't answer anyone if everyone is talking at once."
I wait for the talking to subside, and in a few moments, everyone is quiet. "Thank you. Now, about the food, we don't know exactly where it came from, we just found it. No, we don't know if it's safe, but it looks like the same food from the hatch, so it should be just as safe as that and we've all been eating that without any issues. But, if you are worried about the food, you don't have to eat it. We still have the island resources like fish and fruit. Just please try to remember if you go out looking for fruit in the jungle it is best to bring someone with you. Now, does one person want to ask one question, or should I make you raise your hands like kindergartners?"
"How do we decide who gets what? Some people definitely took more than their fair share?" Charlie asks, glaring at Sawyer.
"For that, we're going to all just have to be fair and only take what we need. If these pellets keep dropping like this, we shouldn't have to worry about a shortage as long as we are all reasonable. And there are food sources from the island, so we definitely won't starve. If you feel like one person is being unfair, you can talk to me privately and I'll handle it; but I'm not going to police the food 24/7 or distribute it perfectly evenly. We are all adults, so you need to act like it."
"Where's Jack?" Claire asks, rocking Aaron nervously. "And John?"
"They are both at the hatch right now, so if you have any medical questions, you'll have to go through me for now. If it is more serious, Jack's still with us if we need him."
"Have we just given up on rescue completely?" one of the new guys asks. Bernard, I remember his name. "I mean, we have a pantry, we are settled down here. Does anyone even want to get off of this island anymore?"
There is a general angry murmuring amongst the crowd.
"Okay, okay," I hush the crowd. "No one has given up on recuse. We're just a little out of ideas at the moment. But I promise you, if there was a way off this island, I'd be the first one out of here. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to organize something. Any other questions?"
Everyone shakes their head. "Okay, well, if you need someone, I'll be around the camp today."
The survivors shuffle off to their various corners of the beach. Charlie lags behind and comes up to me. "Hey, Sam, can I talk to you about something?"
I force something like a smile on my face. "Sure, what is it?"
"It's just, I don't think Sawyer is exactly being fair with the food. He took more than he needed and he got into a fight with Hurley about it. It's just not fair to the rest of us, you know? We all deserve some of the food."
I want to put my face into my hands and scream, but I don't. "Well, I can talk to Sawyer, but you know how he is. I can't guarantee anything. Is there anything specific he took? Everything looks pretty well stocked in the pantry."
Charlie scratches his face and shakes his head. "Well, nothing in particular. I just thought you should know."
"Well, thanks for letting me know." I say, fighting to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
"Cool beans, man," Charlie says before flipping his hoodie over his head and walking away."
I walk around camp, debating if I actually want to talk to Sawyer about the food when I find him. He's sitting on some rocks by the water with Kate picking sea urchins. Something about the image makes my stomach churn angrily. Sawyer is smiling his flirty smile as he says something to Kate and it makes me unreasonably angry. If he wants to be with Kate, that's his business. But I can't tear my eyes away.
Luckily, Boone comes up and saves me from the awkwardness of just staring at them alone.
"Hey, how are you after that mass interrogation?"
"Oh my god, these people are the crazy ones, I swear. Sometimes I feel like I'm back in high school."
Sawyer's POV
Sawyer was painstakingly aware that Sam was watching him and Kate from the beach. And he is even more aware of Boone's arm over her shoulder, not that he's looking in her direction. He was careful to focus his attention on Kate, so he can smile or nod at the right times to keep the conversation going. Not at all to make Sam jealous. As many times as she's told him to fuck off, he would be stupid to think she still cared.
Kate frees yet another sea urchin and adds it to their bucket.
"What's that, like four in the last half hour? Let's call the Guinness record book!"
Kate rolls her eyes. "Do you want to help or not? Because I have better things to do with my time."
Sawyer grins at Kate, a dimpled smile. "Geez, freckles, just because you're mad doesn't mean you have to take it out on me."
Kate glares at him, not in the playful way Sam used to glare at him. Hers holds more venom. "I'm not mad."
"Yes, you are. You're pissed that the doc didn't tell you about their little prisoner. Speak of the devil." Sawyer cocks his head at Jack, who walks up to Sam and Boone.
Kate ignores the now trio talking down the beach from them. Sawyer doesn't. Sam separates herself from Boone when she talks to Jack and it feels like a weight lifts off of Sawyer's chest.
"How'd you know about Henry?!" Kate exclaims.
"Doesn't matter, but I knew before you did. I bet that kills you."
Kate crosses her arm. "Maybe I am mad, but at least Jack is forgiving me. You can't say the same about Sam."
It's Sawyer's turn to glare, and he does his best to hide the raw anger he feels at Kate's words. "You don't know anything about that," he says coldly.
"Maybe I don't, but I know what it's like to fuck it up with someone you love. Try actually apologizing to her. It will go a long way."
Sawyer doesn't have time to tell Kate that she's crazy before Sam and Jack are right in front of them. Her hair is held together by a loose braid, and a few loose strands frame her face. She pushes them back and crosses her arms, looking directly at Kate.
"We're going back into the jungle to visit our friend with the beard, see if we can make a trade," Jack says.
"Ahh, the old prisoner exchange. And you're inviting me along because you want a gun, huh?"
"I'm not inviting you, I'm inviting Kate. And I've already got a gun, but thanks for offering."
Sawyer's gaze darts to Sam's, who is still purposefully ignoring him, before looking back at Jack. "How in the hell did you get a gun?" he asks.
"Does it matter?"
Kate nods and grabs her shoes. "I'll get my things," she tells Jack, and she is gone, without saying goodbye to Sawyer.
"Fifteen minutes, okay," Jack tells Sam, patting her briefly on the shoulder and leaving after Kate.
"You're going to?" Sawyer asks, more gently than he intended.
Now, finally, Sam looks at him. She looks tired. She always does, but seeing her this close in the daylight makes it more apparent. "Yeah, you already know I have a gun. And so does Jack, so we'll be plenty safe. You don't have to worry."
"How'd the doc get a gun?"
"I have no idea."
"You know, you could let those two lovebirds have their alone time and you could help me gather some sea urchins." She won't take the offer, Sawyer doesn't have to hear her answer to know that.
"No, I should go now, catch up with them."
Sawyer grabs her arm before she can leave. She slips it away from him easily but doesn't leave. "What?" Her arms are crossed again, and she looks ready to fight at a moment's notice. Since when did she become so tense around him?
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for everything. I'm sorry I hurt you and I'm sorry you left me, but I miss you. I need you to come back. I need you to be my friend again. I need to kiss you again. I never apologize, but you're worth it.
Those words don't come out. He hates that he doesn't say them, almost as much as he hates that he thinks them.
"Just stay safe," he says instead.
Sam smiles sadly. Almost as if she could hear his thought. "Okay, we should be back by tonight."
And now she walks away, and Sawyer walks every step she takes away. He curses himself. Not just because she's walking away, but because he cares.
Sam's POV
I walk behind Jack and Kate, listening to them talk, unable to get my mind off of Sawyer. I don't really pay attention to their words, only that Kate is trying to flirt with Jack and he is being perfectly logical and literal.
We walk some more in silence and then, a click and a loud whoosh draw my attention as a net pulls Jack and Kate into the air. The net forces them together so their bodies are pinned against one another.
"Oh my god! Are you two okay?"
"I'm fine," Kate shouts.
"Oh good, so you can hear," Jack snaps at her.
I sigh, "Okay, you two just sit tight. Let me climb up and cut you loose."
I let the two of them argue and I focus on climbing the tree. The first part is easy. Once I am able to boost myself up into the trunk of the tree, there are plenty of sturdy branches that lead to the branch the net is hanging off of. The hard part comes in snaking my way across that branch. I have to be painstakingly careful to not let my body weight shift in either direction. By the time I get to the rope that holds Jack and Kate up, I am exhausted. I take a few deep breaths before I fish my pocketknife out and shout down to Kate and Jack. "Okay, I'm about to cut it, so prepare to drop."
After less than a minute of sawing, the rope breaks and the net crashes down, releasing Kate and Jack. I slump against the branch, taking ragged breaths in to replenish my oxygen.
"Are you coming down?" Kate calls up to me.
I nod, flip myself over the branch so I am hanging by my hands, and then drop. Kate screams as I land.
"You could have hurt yourself! Next time climb down!"
"You two made it. I wasn't much higher," I reason between breaths. "Now, let's get going."
They both cast a concerned look at me, before Jack nods and gestures at Kate to lead the way.
Flashback
"Why do you always insist on going into this damn jungle?" Sawyer asks me, swatting a mosquito from his neck.
"I didn't say you had to come. I just wanted to get away from all the people."
"It's not safe in the jungle. A woman alone... who knows what could happen?"
"I'll run if I see a bear," I say drily. "But I'm glad you're here protecting me."
"Haven't we gone far enough?"
I glance around before nodding. "Okay, fine." I sink to the ground and lean against a tree. Sawyer sits next to me and I lay my head on his shoulder. The only sound around us is the noise of the jungle, and I breathe a sigh of relief that we don't have the noise of the camp.
"Can I ask you something, grey eyes?" Sawyer asks after a bit.
"Mmmhmm?"
"If you really come out here to get away from people, why do you let me come? You're smart enough to sneak away alone if you really wanted to."
"Apparently not," I grumble. "Even before we were friends, you always managed to find me somehow."
"Yeah, well, I was bored. But seriously?"
"You don't count. For some stupid reason, I like hanging around you."
"Some stupid reason," Sawyer echoes.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in the quiet of the jungle, talking for hours, and I never tire of it.
Present Day
We walk for another hour without talking much. The air grows humid and heavy, and I can feel the familiar presence of a storm coming. When it rains, it pours, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
"What did you mean back there?" Jack asks Kate, as we turn the corner through the rain.
"What?"
"In the net, you said you were sophisticated, the others."
"Uh, last week, when the baby got sick. Claire, Sam, and I went into the jungle and, uh, found another hatch."
"What?" Jack asks, spinning to turn and glare at both of us.
"Like a medical station. It was nothing you could use. It was all cleared out, but I found some lockers. They had clothes inside, all worn and dirty. And there were hangers, like costumes, you know? And there was a make-up kit... and a fake beard."
"When were you going to tell me this?" Jack asks. "Both of you, why didn't you tell me?"
"I forgot, honestly Jack, I'm sorry. We were kind of dealing with bigger things by this point and I thought Kate would have told you. I told her to talk to you."
Jack looks at Kate now, his expression a mixture of betrayal and anger. "So when were you going to tell me?" he asks her.
"When you decided to let me back into the club."
Jack turns and walks away.
"What? You can keep one of them locked up in the hatch for, like, a week and say nothing. But when I decide to do one thing without you, it's different."
"Yeah, it is different, Kate. You found another hatch. I need to know these things!" Jack yells.
"And I don't?! I thought we were friends, Jack! And you too, Sam! There were so many times when you could have told me, why didn't you at least?"
A wave of unexpected anger hits me. "Why didn't I?! Are you serious? You don't think I was dealing with a few other things? My best friend on this island, my best friend, just completely betrayed me. I mean, yeah, he betrayed all of us, but none of you cared about him like I did. And maybe I was stupid for that, God knows you all told me so. You, someone who was supposed to be my friend, barely checked up on me at all. You just talked to me about Jack this and Jack that. I love you, Kate, but you didn't once stop and think about me. You never do, you just do things for yourself which I get, I get that, I do, but you-" Everything I've been bottling up hits me and it is overwhelming. I want to scream or cry or both, but I don't want to do any of that in front of Jack and Kate.
"I was dealing with so much! I was trying to play mediator between Jack and Locke, deal with the fact that we might have one of them locked in our armory, deal with losing my best friend, and any other problems that popped up on the beach camp. I still talked to you about everything going on with you and Jack, still comforted you and give you advice, but you didn't even try to be there for me!"
A few angry tears stream down my face, but it's okay because the rain covers them up.
"Sam, I- I had no idea you felt that way," Kate stutters out.
I shake my head. "It doesn't really matter. I had other people who helped me, and I got through it. Boone was there for me. And Jack. And Ana Lucia, of all people. And I'm probably better off without Sawyer. But you just don't get to play the friend card with this one, okay? You two work this out on your own, we're at the line. I'm making camp."
Flashback
A few days before Sawyer is going to leave on the raft, we sit next to a fire on the beach together, eating dinner.
"What's the first thing you're going to eat when we get off this rock?" Sawyer asks me.
"A burger, fries, and a milkshake."
"Wow, you have that answer locked and loaded!"
"Well, everyone asks that. It's like Island 101. I miss American food."
"Okay, so the first thing we do is get burgers. Then what?"
"I want to sleep in a normal bed-"
Sawyer grins and I hold up my hand before he can speak.
"Alone. Then we can do whatever we want. Watch a movie, drive a car, not fly in any more planes though."
"Deal," Sawyer agrees. "I hope we actually find rescue."
"I hope you do too."
Present Day
Jack shouts for the others for a while before he finally breaks down and joins me at the camp. The fire is already ready; I made it as soon as the rain stopped and I am exhausted.
When Jack and Kate sit, I close my eyes so they won't try to talk to me about Sawyer. They make conversation and I listen to the sound of their voices, not processing their words. I feel like I only drift away for a few minutes before I am shaken awake.
"Sam, wake up," Kate says urgently. "We have to get back to camp, Micheal's back."
End of Chapter. So, thoughts? Please share! I love reading your reviews. I hope to write before then but spring break comes up in two weeks so I hope to write a lot then. Love you all. - K