Hero Lilly, thanks for the kind words.

Here's Chapter 2!

Chapter 2

" Looks like you're stuck with me then Freckles."

Kate stared up at the man towering over, and she didn't even really hear his words, just noticed through creased eyelids how tall he was, and how out of place his southern accent was. Like she was dreaming.

Kate tried to make out the details of the guy's face but it was difficult with the sun glaring at her.

Who was he?

He had made the driver go away, which she was instantly grateful for, though scared about the thought of being indebted to a stranger. And now the driver had gone away he had left an empty space behind, between her and this other stranger, less easy to define so more dangerous. And that space needed to be filled.

Like he could read her mind the man held out a hand, that hovered confidently in front of Kate's face.

" I'm Sawyer."

Kate stared at the silhouette, or at least the direction the voice came from. Then she looked back to his hand which she could see clearly. Leaning on one arm Kate shifted to one side, freeing up one hand, with which she took a hold of Sawyer's. She stared at him, and instead of pulling herself up with Sawyer's hand, as he intended, she shook it, in an absurdly formal way, whilst sat on the pavement.

"Annie."

" Well Annie you might wanna get up."

" Annie" was still holding onto Sawyer's hand at this point, so with his help she managed to pull herself up. She wobbled slightly, as she stood, and Sawyer reached out to steady her. Once she was balanced however he let go, he could tell she wouldn't appreciate the help, when she was aware of it.

Kate batted away invisible hands anyway, reiterating for the second time that day.

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Almost in protest.

Kate brushed herself down, and Sawyer watched in amusement.

" Yeah, so you keep saying Freckles."

Kate stopped brushing and stared at Sawyer.

"Freckles?"

"It's a nickname."

" A nickname? I don't know you."

Sawyer smiled in concession, not seemingly dissuaded by the fact he was the one doing all the smiling, and that Kate hadn't even said thank-you yet.

" Well I admit our method of greeting wasn't the most conventional."

Kate's eyes creased in confusion, softened as she realised what Sawyer was referring to. His body slamming into hers as a driver in a green Ford hit the brakes. Not very conventional at all.

But he had saved her life, she suppose she ought to feel indebted and grateful to him, but looking at Sawyer Kate just felt surprised that he was her rescuer. She wouldn't have pictured him to be the Samaritan doing good deeds in the community, in fact the opposite. But the fact that it was this man, Sawyer, strangely made Kate feel flattered.

She looked up at him, and purposefully smiled, not in a pressured way, but in way that was her trying to show she was grateful. She was on the run. But she didn't want to die, that was why she kept running. She wouldn't allow herself to. She didn't deserve to get hit by a car unknowingly and let that deal with her troubles.

Kate cleared her throat.

"I guess I should be thanking you then -"

"Now, don't be making me out to be a damn hero Freckles. What the hell was I gonna do? Just let you get mowed down by a some sweaty guy in baseball cap?"

Sawyer deflected Kate quite easily with sarcasm, and an offhand tone, but the fact the he hadn't even let Kate get out her obligatory thank-you, hadn't enjoyed it, gave Kate the impression that there was another reason. One she was sure not bandied about publicly, or maybe even privately.

Despite this the comment was amusing, and Kate found herself smiling, her head tilted one side and a little light, eyes not focussed on Sawyer but on her reflections about Sawyer. And that the fact Sawyer felt obligated save her had maybe dampened her romantic notions that she was special. Even though that was ridiculous, those notions could only exist inside her head.

Sawyer meanwhile took the opportunity to study "Annie" while he could, and note with appreciation how a smile transformed her face, and made her freckles particularly noticeable, spattered across her face. He usually noticed with the kind of appreciation that wasn't attached to anything, like he was admiring good stock and God's nimble handiwork. If he believed in God.

But if he didn't believe in God then this woman couldn't be a damn angel.

He didn't know if Kate could read his thoughts, that they were extending beyond the call of a first meeting, but she looked back to him, catching him staring. She breathed in, and realigned her face, composing herself.

"Well, thanks anyway."

Sawyer nodded with her, still smiling, going along with the tone she was setting.

But then she looked down at herself critically, and relapsed back into a more natural voice.

"Even if you have ruined my last pair of jeans."

Sawyer followed her line of vision, and looked down. The jeans were indeed ruined, probably suffering more damage than Kate herself, though unbeknownst to Sawyer they had already been in pretty bad shape.

But now the kneecaps were torn right off and were only hanging on by a few loose threads. There were also red and black flecks over the trousers like they had been paint-splattered, and made Kate look like she moon-lighted as a decorator. But of course she didn't, just breaking your fall on a large expanse of gravel tended to hurt a bit, and leave a mark.

Sawyer made his assessment, and in a grave voice said;

"Yeah, well you can pay for your own dry cleaning bill, that'll make us about even Freckles."

Kate smiled slightly, at the her new nickname, only remembering to correct herself a second afterward.

She looked at Sawyer through the curtain of hair that hung across her face, and which she tucked behind her ears, for the first time since he "met" her, remembering to care about appearances. She supposed the situation excused herself but, she needed something/.

Looking at Sawyer, she swallowed and smiled, but this time it was a different smile, an intentionally winning smile, which alarmed Sawyer.

"Or, maybe I could just take you up on the offer of your apartment?"

Sawyer grinned, which this time both alarmed and relieved Kate, but then Sawyer's face fell as he remembered his own goddamn lie, and she realised something was up.

Regretfully Sawyer informed Kate of the real truth.

"Well, to tell you the truth Freckles, I don't actually have an apartment. Hell I don't even live here."

So that was what was up. So much for that escape route.

But all Kate said was;

"Oh."

Sawyer was surprised to find himself equally disappointed. Though for probably different reasons.

"Well - "

Sawyer listened with interest to what the solution to the problem was going to be.

" I guess I'll have to head back home then."

Kate's weary inflection on the word "home" was picked up by Sawyer. But he was still surprised that she had a place, she didn't really look like the home-owning type of girl.

"You have an apartment?"

Kate heaved a sigh and shared a communicative glance with Sawyer.

"Hardly, it's a bedsit. "

Sawyer chuckled, at the confirmation of his own suspicions more than anything, and Kate smiled too, because she liked the sound of his laugh. It was flattering again. But no on purpose, which if anything was more flattering.

Sawyer stopped laughing and the two ended up smiling at each other.

And Kate shook her head. Time to go.

Putting on another, unnatural short smile, and Kate breathed in and shrugged her shoulders in a business-like, back -to-work-type-manner.

"Well, see you around. "

Kate ended the conversation abruptly and without warning as Sawyer was still smiling. She nodded once, then turned on her heel and walked away. Sawyer's face only just had time to drop, and he felt the lack of her looking back at him immediately.

He found himself nodding too, and replied lamely to her retreating back.

"Yeah."

Even though he knew for a fact he would be "seeing her around." He'd be gone in a few hours. Yet now, for some in-explicable reason, he wasn't as ready to go.

This felt like un-finished business.

Please review. I'm not as confident about this fic as my other, so I need to know what you think!