Before I post up this chapter, I want to thank everyone who's reviewed!
Twin1: Don't worry, there's plenty more to come! I've got a real plot for this one. Wow, thats a first for me, a real plot!
Lady Oloriel: I'm glad you like the idea. It came to me funnily enough when I was sitting in school. I was meant to be concentrating on tribunals and ADR for Law, but I was more thinking about Sawyer and this story instead. Funnily enough, I started out thinking about how much I craved a bacon sandwich.
October Sky: Wow. I've impressed someone who's written some of the best Lost (and Jate) fanfic I've ever read, and I've creeped them out as well. Well, I creep most people out. Except Toxic-Beetle. She's just as nuts as me. Well, I'm very, um, whats the word, honoured to get a review from you!
Spuffyshipper: Yes! Sawyer needs to cry on the show! Long and hard! Proper sobbing! In front of everyone. Then someone should give him a hug. Sawyer could do with a hug. I like the guy, don't get me wrong, but he can be a right ass sometimes...a lot of the time...nearly all of the time.
Jenna: Damn you figured me out. Yes, I promise, there is a much more protective side to Sawyer than I've revealed so far. He's a proper protective guy. Real protective. Kind of not-allowed-a-boyfriend-until-you're-30 protective. Come to think about it, kind of like my Dad.
Toxic Beetle: I've probably already spoken to you on msn about a thousand times. Thanks for reviewing. I wrote this partly for you seeing as you like Sawyer so much. Don't worry, updates are coming. I don't want any more threats coming from you about what happens when I don't update! Besides, you'll like this chapter, it has Tarzan in it. (For anyone curious about the Tarzan references, it's because of a fan video I saw by Mir which replaced Tarzan with Sawyer and Jane with Kate. Now I'm not a Skate shipper, but MAN that was funny!)
Meagan4dominic: I'm so happy that you find it cute! So far I'm halfway through replying to my reviews and I've managed to do creepy, protective, funny, emotional, and cute. checks list only emotional torture and mutilation to go! Only kidding! I won't cut anyone's head off or anything.
Koolkerry25: I can assure you safely that I will not be making ANYONE kill Ella. How any of them could have it in their hearts to kill that innocent little girl even if she was a zombie...she'd be a cute zombie. If you think this is a little bizaare, check out my other fic, Fallen From Grace. I've turned Kate into a 4 year old. You can't get weirder than that.
Gorgeous Nick Stokes: Sawyer would be a brilliant Daddy, I agree. Just because he's a complete £&$" to everyone else doesn't mean that he can't be a good Daddy :D
The rest of the day passed similarly. The entire camp were astounded again with many displays of Sawyer being a responsible adult. Kate continued to rest in Sawyer's tent, which Sawyer had said she could use until she was strong enough to go back to her's and Jack's tent, which was always kept as their own for when it was too late to make the walk back to the caves, or when they just wanted a night away from sleeping on rocks. Not that sleeping on sand was much better of course. Kate had found it rather amusing at first to see Sawyer being so kind to everyone - including Jack! Although everytime he did something nice, she wondered how long it would be until something caused him to slip up again...
That evening, Sawyer sat around the fire with the rest of the survivors for once, rather than keeping to himself and disappearing into his shelter as soon as he had eaten. After a desperate struggle, he had gotten Ella to eat boar, and although everyone within hearing distance had found it funny when she said it had tasted like bacon, only Sawyer, Jack and Kate knew the real reason why. Kate and Jack went back to Sawyer's shelter, Kate to sleep and Jack to watch over her, and their places beside Sawyer was soon filled with Claire and her infant, Aaron.
Aaron was about two weeks old now, at Sawyer's guess. "Hey." Sawyer greeted as she sat down, the sleeping baby in her arms.
"Sawyer, can I ask you something?" She asked, positioning Aaron so that he was lying comfortably. He nodded. "Why didn't you say you had a daughter?" She asked.
Sawyer looked over to where, a few feet away, Shannon was braiding Ella's hair. The girl seemed to have taken a liking to Shannon, who was more than happy to pamper the child. "Because I'd given up." Sawyer answered eventually, watching his child. He felt more able to open up to Claire than he had done with Jack the night before. After all, Claire was the only other person he knew on this island that was a parent herself.
"When the plane went down, I lost her. I searched for days, but couldn't find anything except her luggage." He started, Claire, it seemed, was more than happy to listen to his story. "I kept it, hoping that I'd find her. Every day I watched the beach, waiting to hear her laughing, telling me that I was being silly for being so worried about her. At night I'd go into the jungle, knowing that she'd be scared out there alone, hoping that I'd hear her and be able to find her. But she didn't show up. Eventually, I realised that a two year old couldn't survive on her own out there, and I knew I had to give up, and accept that she wasn't coming back." Sawyer felt tears coming to his eyes again, but forced them back. He had cried infront of them before, he wasn't about to do it again. "Then that French chick started talking about Others. About people out there wanting the kids. Thats when I got really scared. I thought for sure that she was...that she was dead. Then, well, stone me if Kate doesn't disappear and come back with Ella in her arms." Sawyer said.
Claire had tears in her eyes herself when Sawyer looked at her. "I knew there was something that taught you how to be so good with kids. Like the way you are with Aaron." She said. Sawyer smirked, taking it as a compliment as they both laughed, if only to release the tension. "So, do they get easier as they grow up?" She asked.
Sawyer grinned. "Only if you have one heck of a Disney collection." He told her.
"Well, scrap that idea." Claire said. "Besides, I think he's a bit young to be sat infront of the television...I think he's a bit young to be sitting." She reminded.
Sawyer shook his head though, "He's not too young to hear the songs." He suggested.
"I don't know any off the top of my head." Claire told him honestly. "I don't even think I've seen half of them."
Sawyer looked at her incredulously. "You don't know any of the songs?" He asked her. She shook her head. "Not even 'Beauty and the beast?"
"Nope."
"The Bare Necessities?"
"Nope. Sawyer, how do you know all of these?" Claire asked accusingly. "Guilty pleasures?"
Sawyer laughed, caught out. "Ella loves them. Makes me sing them to her every night before she falls asleep." He admitted.
"Disney songs?" She asked.
"Yeah. Or if that fails, she's a real Bon Jovi fan." Sawyer informed.
Claire laughed. Ella came over and sat back with Sawyer, now with little tiny braids tied with elastic bands that Shannon had in her vanity bag. "God, girl, you're gonna be a curly when these come out." Sawyer said.
Ella smiled. "Yeah. Shannon said it will look pretty."
"You always look pretty." Sawyer said.
"Yeah. But really really pretty." She said. "Really pretty like Mommy."
Ella had only ever seen pictures of her mother, Brianna. Brianna had had curly hair, the same sandy colour but thick and curly. Ella's was thinner, like his own, but had a slight wave to it. There was one particular picture that Ella had by her bed of Brianna, where she was laughing at something, with her long curly hair cascading down her back, and Ella always wanted to have hair like her mother.
"Yeah." Sawyer said sadly. "You'll look just like your Mommy."
Claire noted the sad look on Sawyer's face when he spoke of Ella's mother. She was about to say something, when Ella yawned.
"Someone's tired." Sawyer teased her, forgetting his sadness, or at least, it had disappeared from his voice.
"I'm not tired." She said through her yawn.
"Nice try, kiddo." He said, standing up and lifting her up. "Come on, lets get you to bed."
When they got back to the shelter, both Jack and Kate were still awake. He set Ella down on the makeshift bed he had made for her that afternoon, glad to see that she found it comfortable. When he sat down, looking down at her, he had his back facing to the couple behind him. Ella was fighting still, saying that she wasn't tired. Sawyer usually had this struggle with her every night, where she would get tired and moan, and complain, and then the tears would come, then she would hug him, and fall asleep within minutes.
"Don't want to go to sleep." She said stubbornly.
"You need to, baby. Otherwise you won't be able to play tomorrow, you'll be too tired." He told her. She pouted. "Now come on, a little bit of sleep will be good for you." He said.
"Song." She said. Sawyer held back a groan. Jack and Kate were laying behind him, well within hearing distance of everything the two said, and she was playing the song card with him.
"Maybe tomorrow, baby." He said, not wanting to sing around Kate or Jack.
"Daddy..." She whined, and then she started crying. "Tarzan song..."
Knowing that Jack and Kate were trying to sleep behind him, he lifted her up off the bed, and stood outside the doorway, looking out onto the sea. It was full tonight, reflecting over the sea with a bright glow. People were still over at the fire, and probably would be for some time. Ella didn't stop crying, even with his attempts at rocking her and comforting her. Eventually, Sawyer knew that there was only one thing that would stop her crying. He listened over her cried. Jack and Kate were talking, people at the fire were talking. Check. He softly started singing that Phil Collins song she loved so much.
"Come stop your crying, it will be all right.
Just take my hand, hold it tight.
I will protect you, from all around you.
I will be here, don't you cry."
Already her crying was reduced to sniffles, but Sawyer knew from experience that if he quit here, she would start up again, so he kept singing.
"For one so small, you seem so strong.
My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm.
This bond between us, can't be broken.
I will be here, don't you cry.
'Cause you'll be in my heart,
Yes you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forever more.
You'll be in my heart,
No matter what they say.
You'll be here in my heart, always.
Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust what they can't explain.
I know we're different, but, deep inside us,
We're not that different at all.
You'll be in my heart.
Yes you'll be in my heart.
From this day on, now and forever more.
Don't listen to them, cause what to do they know?
We need eachother, to have, to hold,
They'll see in time, I know.
When destiny calls you, you must be strong,
I may not be with you, but you've got to hold on.
They'll see in time, I know, we'll show them together.
'Cause you'll be in my heart.
Believe me, you'll be in my heart.
I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more.
Just look over your shoulder,
Just look over your shoulder,
I'll be there,
Always."
Looking down, Sawyer saw that Ella had fallen asleep. Smiling to himself, he walked back into the tent, laying her down without looking at either of it's other occupants.
"Sawyer," Kate began, "That was..."
He interrupted her hastily. "You didn't hear a thing."
She sighed. "I was going to say that was really sweet." She said.
"Besides," Jack said. "We're not the only ones you want to convince with a Jedi mind trick." Jack told him. "The whole camp out there heard in the end. I guess that's what happens when you sing and the wind carries it down the beach."