Thanks for the reviews :o) Here's the next installment.
The sight was enough to make her gasp out loud.
She was stupid enough in her state of complete shock to blame the month-September. Was it simply a coincidence that it was this month of all the months that she would be passing through Tennessee? A coincidence that she would see him? Of all people? Memories came crashing down upon her like a ferocious tide, each wave more blistering and powerful than the first. She blinked rapidly, still not quite believing what she was seeing in front of her.
She stared long and hard at him as he paced along the sidewalk, oblivious to her presence amongst the trees behind him. He kept glancing at his watch, then at the road, occasionally running a hand through his sandy hair, still long and wild. This was who he was in the real world; a light stubble ran along his jaw, his jeans were still old and faded, a crumpled brown leather jacket hung loosely around his torso, ending below his waist.
Even from her distance, Kate could see the dark, haunting shadows on his face that had come with age. Yet he was still achingly handsome.
He glanced at his watch again, an anxious look in in his eye.
Kate couldn't escape the feeling that he looked like a stranger to her. Yet she was consumed by an overpowering urge to say something to him. Oh God, it was him, just standing there, him. So approachable, in touching distance. The thought was enough to send a shiver through her already trembling body.
But what could she possibly say to him now, after it had been over five years? She could hardly tell him that she'd missed him- she'd only just realised how much. Me? Oh well, I go by the name of Joanna now, and the cops aren't too fussed about me, but I still feel the constant need to run across the states. It wouldn't surprise her that, if she did say that, he'd probably understand on some level- even now he was the only man in her life that seemed to see straight through her.
For the first time since spotting him on the sidewalk, she actually wondered what he was doing there…he looked terribly nervous, more so than she'd ever seen before in fact. She'd only seen glimpses of it…back in the cages…an internal agony that seemed to consume him.
He was stood at the bus stop, she suddenly realised.
That decided it for her. If he stepped onto the next bus, what would be the chances of her ever seeing him again? She ran her hands down her face, quickly scanning her mind for all possible disastrous outcomes. She could think of thousands but somehow they simply refused to register.
Before she even knew it, her heels were clacking along the pavement towards him. No going back now. She pulled her black coat tighter around her, the sky startlingly bright against the harsh wind.
He still hadn't spotted her. The road was completely empty, only a spot at the end of the road signaling the approaching bus. Tall, dark trees ran along side the tarmac past the horizon. There wasn't a single soul around. Just the lonely sign that read 'Bus Stop', beside it an even lonelier man. And, of course, herself.
She let out a breath.
"Sawyer?"
His head snapped almost violently towards her, and the look on his face was, at first, terrifying. His eyes widened as he took her in, a dull rage burning behind them. He couldn't stop his jaw from hanging open. She'd expected the anger, but what she was staring at now was much stronger. Fear.
The two of them just stood there staring at each other in a deadly silence that seemed to last for hours. Sawyer still hadn't uttered a word- he just stared at her as though she was a ghost…returned from the land of the dead.
Suddenly his head turned back toward the road, and he spotted the bus slowly coming towards it's destination. Pressing his palms to his face, he let out a breath that startled her.
"Hey." He finally said in a tired, scratchy voice. The confidence in him which she fondly remembered seemed to have completely vanished.
She tried to offer him a smile, unsure what to say next. It didn't really matter, she'd convinced herself. He'd be on that bus soon, zooming out of her life once more. For good this time.
"Umm…how are you?" she stuttered like an idiot.
He looked at her like she was mad, again running his sweaty palms over his face and through his hair, a sure sign of unstoppable nerves. He glanced once more at the approaching bus, the fear in his eyes slowly increasing the closer it got.
"You in a hurry?" she asked, desperate for him to say something more than just a heartless grunt.
He looked up at the sky, the swiftly back down to the ground. She'd never seen him like this before…so jumpy, so afraid.
"Shit…" he breathed, almost silently.
He turned to face her, a look of near pain on his face.
"What the hell are you doin' here, Freckles?"
Although slightly taken aback, she allowed a sly smile on her face. He was in there somewhere…somewhere inside this stranger.
"I was just passing through," she said, as he once more turned his head to face the bus. Desperate to be out of her presence. She felt a sharp shock of pain at that thought- but what the hell had she been expecting? That he'd grab her and…and kiss her? Was that what she wanted?
"What are the chances, huh?" she continued, trying to lighten the staggering tension between the two of them. He could only offer her another agonized look, which grew even more alarming as the bus finally pulled up.
A school bus.
"You should go." Sawyer said suddenly, desperately. Kate's eyes widened.
"What?" she asked, in genuine confusion. She glanced once more at the school bus, her head simply unable to match things up.
Sawyer stared at her, his eyes screaming.
"Please." He said through clenched teeth.
Kate stared at him in awe.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
"Hey!"
Kate's attention was diverted to a messy young girl who had almost fallen off the bus. She was adorably messy- hair like straw, sticking out all over the place, overalls that needed repairs, shoes that were falling apart. She was sporting a huge toothy grin, allowing small giggles to escape her mouth as she ran along the sidewalk towards them.
Towards Sawyer.
Kate's mind seemed to drain of all thought, leaving only white noise as she tried to process the events unfolding before her.
As the bus drove away, Sawyer looked down at the ground miserably before turning to face the child with open arms. The girl leaped into them, squealing as he lifted her off the ground. As he spun her around, Kate couldn't mistake the pure joy radiating from him; yet he was trying desperately to hide it from her, closing his eyes and burying his face into the child's shoulders.
"Oh boy,wow!" The girl was saying, her grin infectious as Sawyer was now smiling fondly at her, holding her on his waist effortlessly. "I had the best day, there was all these other kids, they ain't half as smart as me though, they can't even read, but they's all real nice to me, they showed me all round, and there's this one kid, Jessie, she's real pretty and she got brown curly hair…"
Kate swallowed, staring at them, the resemblance between the two of them uncanny.
But it was impossible.
Sawyer let out a bark like laugh before looking at the girl more seriously.
"So you did good, huh?" he asked in a quiet voice, trying his best to avoid Kate.
"You bet I sure did! Dunno why you was so scared Daddy it was so fun-"
"I weren't scared, I was worried. There's a difference, ya know." Sawyer sighed, staring up at the sky.
Then he finally locked eyes with Kate.
She didn't know what to say. There was just one word ringing over and over again in her head.
Daddy.
"Hi!"
The girl stuck out her hand, startling Kate. Sawyer looked away, agonised.
Kate let out a shaky breath before offering the child a strained smile.
"Hi there…" she said, her voice trembling. She felt an unrecognisable pain in the pit of her stomach. "What's your name?"
Kate chanced another glance at Sawyer, who was looking at her almost apologetically.
"Clementine." The girl said, grinning. "Who the hell are you?"
"Clem!" Sawyer hissed at her in fury. Kate let out a small laugh, blocking out her pain for a moment.
"I'm Kate…" she replied, shaking Clementine's grubby hand. She swallowed as the entire situation finally hit home, her eyes burning.
He was a father. A father. The kid was clearly born before she'd ever met him…how could he have kept it to himself? How could he have not told her? That he had a baby while they were stranded on that rock? She felt so many things at once- pain, pity, confusion. Anger.
She looked at Sawyer, eyes blazing.
"Never told me you had a kid." She said quietly. Sawyer glared at her for a moment, before looking back at the girl in his arms.
"Wanna go get some food?" he asked her.
"Yes please!" she replied, her southern drawl as strong as her father's.
"Alrighty then." He said, hoisting the girl higher up onto his shoulders, much to her jubilation.
As he began to walk away, Clementine shrieking delightedly, he faced Kate.
"You comin' Freckles?"
Kate blinked back a tear, the only answer to his question coming after a period of tense silence.
"Sure."
