Chapter 5

Shortly after Sawyer averted Kate from the tuxedo subject, she decided to call Claire to RSVP to the wedding invitation. She left Sawyer in the living room and went into the kitchen and dialed.

"Hello?" Claire answered.

"Claire, hi! It's Kate!"

"Oh, Kate, hi! How are you?"

"I'm great. How are you?"

"Good. Good. Just sitting here with Aaron and his Cheerios."

Kate smiled to herself. "How is he? Must be getting big by now, I bet."

"Yeah. He's great. Talking and trying to walk already."

"How's Charlie doing?"

"Oh he's good. And what about Sawyer? How's he doing?"

"Well, Sawyer's…Sawyer. He's as good as always."

Claire laughed. "That's so strange. And unexpected, you know? You and Sawyer? No one would've thought."

Kate's smile faltered. That hurt – just a little bit. But she shrugged it off.

"Yeah," she replied. "Well…what can I say?"

"I know. I mean, who would've thought me and Charlie right?" Claire joked.

"Yeah. That's amazing," Kate said, thankful the topic of conversation was off her and Sawyer. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. So, you're coming to the wedding, aren't you?"

"Of course."

"Sawyer too?" Claire asked cautiously.

Kate laughed. "Well it took a little convincing, but he's coming too."

"Great! I can check you guys off the list. We'll all be so happy to see you. A-and Sawyer too."

Kate smiled again. Leave it to Claire to be the nicest woman in the world. She could always ease everyone's tension.

"So," Claire started. "I have a question for you."

"Okay."

"How would you feel about coming here a week before the wedding?"

"What for?"

"Well, turns out the tailor I hired that's making the dresses does adjustments in a week's time. I mean, I guessed your sizes, but just in case, you know?"

"Right…" Kate said.

She bit her lip. Sawyer would never have it. How would she convince him to agree to THAT?

"We have an extra room here," Claire offered, which reminded Kate she'd stopped talking.

"Um, I'll have to talk to Sawyer about that one. I'm not too sure he'd be too thrilled with the idea."

"Oh," Claire said, disheartened.

"But I'll try!" Kate tried to reassure her.

"Okay. Well, Aaron is starting to get fussy over here. I'd better go."

Kate laughed. "All right. I'll call you back when Sawyer and I have talked."

"Okay, great. I'm so glad you're coming."

"Me too. Say hi to Charlie for me."

"I will. Bye Kate!"

"Bye."

Kate hung up the phone and sighed. Sawyer was NOT going to like the idea of spending a week in LA with Charlie and Claire. And Aaron. Especially Aaron. She would have to find some way to convince him.

She walked out into the living room. Sawyer was nowhere to be seen. She went upstairs to look for him, and saw the attic steps pulled down in the hallway. She looked up, curiously. Why was he up there? She stepped onto the first step, and paused, hesitant. Finally she just decided to go up. When she reached the top, she looked around from the doorway and saw movement by the gun cabinet.

"Sawyer?" she called, staying in the doorway.

Sawyer heard her and stiffened. His heart pounded. What the hell was she doing up here!? He was about to shoo her away, but shook his head instead. How was he going to let Ana-Lucia up there and not Kate? He had no choice.

"Over here, Freckles," he called.

She leaned against the doorway folding her arms. "What're you doing?"

"Puttin' Ana's gun away. Don't think she'll be needing it any time soon."

Ana's gun? Kate thought, her stomach twisting.

"You can come in you know."

She smiled. "Since when?"

"Since now."

She walked slowly around the corner and found him. "That's a change."

"Yeah, well…"

She looked around the room. "What is it about this attic that makes you shut everyone out of it?"

He felt a pang of guilt, and tried to force it away. Not everyone, he thought grimly.

"Just…stuff." He mentally kicked himself. Why was he so hesitant to tell her? He'd told – even shown – Ana. He added, "My parent's stuff."

"Oh," Kate said softly.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

"Why?" she looked up at him, her eyebrows knit.

"'Cause now you're up here."

She smiled, and looked around the room again. "Okay," she said, uncertainly.

He looked away, hiding his guilt-stricken face and kicked himself for not being able to think of a good enough reason. He knew all too well that she didn't entirely believe it. But she seemed to be content with the answer, so far. He decided he wouldn't tell her about Ana. That was over now. And she didn't ever need to know about that.

"So, what do you say we go out to lunch?" she said, glancing to her side at a box of toy trucks.

"You buyin'?" he raised his eyebrows, teasingly.

He watched her face turn pink, and she stared up at him embarrassed. He dimpled.

"I'm only kidding."

She smiled. "I know. So…I was thinking, pizza?"

She picked one of the trucks up from the box, toying with the wheels. Consequently, it was the same truck that Ana had taken from the box. Sawyer stared at it, and knew, at that moment, they had to go back downstairs. Now. He cleared his throat.

"Well uh, if it's Italian you got your heart set on, there's a place in town that delivers."

He started walking toward the doorway. Kate put the truck back and started to follow him, then spotted something on the ground. She stopped and looked down at a maroon, circular object on the floor. More specifically, it was the one part of the floor that wasn't covered in dust. Strange, Kate thought. Why was that one part of the floor clean? As she peered down at the maroon object, her eyebrows lowered and she realized what it was – a hair tie.

"You comin', Freckles?" Sawyer called from the door.

She blinked a few times, then finally responded, "Yeah."

She tucked the hair tie into her pocket and followed him downstairs…