SassyLostie - Well, kids will be kids. You know that as well as I do. Ugh. Ten kids? I can't even manage my two younger brothers from time to time!
On Charlie...I realized now that I never addressed the issue of what took him so long. But I'll have you all know that no harm has come to him. Just wanted to clarify seeing as I left that incomplete and can't really go back to fix it now. Whoops!
So...I'm bored. And...I know this is twice in one day but what do you care? Read and review and ease my boredom for a bit. Nyah!
Chapter 14
Two days later, early one morning, Kate felt herself being shaken lightly. She moaned lightly, turning on her side. It did her no good, seeing as she was only shook more aggressively.
"Freckles, wake up," Sawyer whispered as he shook her.
She turned over, opening her eyes only to find herself face to face with him. She let out a long breath.
"What's wrong?"
"Get up."
"What?" she said, groggily.
"Shh. Just get up," he murmured, leaning back again. "And get dressed."
She sat up and rubbed her head. "Why?"
"Just trust me, Freckles."
She blinked. How could she argue with that? She got up and went into the bathroom to splash cold water on her face and brush her teeth. When she finished, she joined Sawyer in the room again to get dressed. He was sitting on the bed, lacing his boots up, lacking a shirt. She stood at the foot of the bed pulling a pair of jeans on.
"You wanna tell me what's going on now?"
He looked over at her and dimpled. "No."
"Not another one of your surprises is it?" she teased, pulling her shirt over her head.
"And what if it is?"
She only smiled in response, and glanced at the clock: 7:30AM.
"Why are we up so early?"
"Got a bit of a ride ahead of us."
"What are you planning, Sawyer?"
He grinned. "A surprise."
She smiled. "Shouldn't we tell Charlie or Claire?"
"No."
"What if they see us gone and get worried?"
"You wanna leave 'em a note, Freckles?" he joked.
"Yeah. I do."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. But make it quick. And be quiet about it!"
She opened the door quietly and slipped out, tiptoeing into the kitchen. She found paper and wrote a note for Charlie and Claire, letting them know that she and Sawyer would be out for the day. She left it on the table and quietly made her way past the nursery and back into their room. Unfortunately, she forgot about the door and it slammed shut. Sawyer turned around, eyes wide. She stared at him.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Christ, Freckles. If they wake up…"
She stayed leaning against the door, ignoring Sawyer and listening for anything out in the hall. Nothing.
"I think we're good."
"You'd better hope so."
"Why? What if they did wake up?"
"Then the whole plan would be messed up," he explained, buttoning his shirt up.
"Would you just tell me what's going on already?" she laughed.
"No. I won't," he said, looking up at her.
"Why not?"
"You really don't know how to be patient, do you sweet cheeks?"
"Well you know how I hate surprises," she teased.
"Oh, right. You expect me to feel all bad again and tell you now, don't you?"
She grinned and sat next to him on the bed. He shook his head.
"I'm not fallin' for that again."
She laughed. "You didn't fall for it last time either. In fact, you still never told me where we were supposed to end up that day."
"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter. What matters is that we get outta here in exactly five minutes without bein' seen or heard."
"So you're not going to tell me, huh?"
"I ain't plannin' on it."
She leaned closer to him. "I can't persuade you at all?"
He had given himself one rule when it came to Kate and her persuasive efforts: to focus his gaze ahead of him instead of on her. Breaking his own rule, however, he turned and looked at her, their noses almost touching.
"You can do all the persuading you want," he said playfully, "on the way there."
She leaned back, beaming. "All right, fine."
"You mind if we pick up breakfast on the road?"
"On the road to where?"
"Damn, woman. Why don't you just give it up already?" he laughed.
She laughed too. "Hey. I've got to try, right?"
"All right. Let's go."
He opened the door, letting her out first, and closed it quietly. Kate started walking down the hall as silently as she could.
"Kay!" Aaron called from his crib in the nursery.
Kate froze, staring at him.
"Kaaay!" he called again.
She turned and stared at Aaron in his crib, then looked up at Sawyer, wide-eyed.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"I – "
"He's a baby! Just go!" Sawyer whispered, giving her a small nudge.
Kate snapped out of it and hurried through past the kitchen, Sawyer on her heels. They heard a door open and both stopped. They heard Claire's voice and hurried out the door. Kate pressed the elevator button furiously.
"Take the stairs," Sawyer said, heading towards them.
Just then, the elevator doors opened. Kate grabbed his arm and pulled him back. They went inside and the doors closed, bringing them downward. They both sighed in unison.
"Think they heard us?" she glanced up at him.
"Doesn't matter now, does it?"
"I wish I could've told them where we were going," she said with a teasing smile.
"You keep askin' and we just might not go."
"I don't know. I think I could persuade you…"
"Baby, nothin' you do could persuade me to give it up."
"Oh no?" she said, moving toward him.
He took a few steps back, bumping into a wall. She had him cornered. He only grinned. He'd expected it when she backed him into the corner. He even expected her kissing him, which she did. But what really threw him off was when he felt her hands sliding down into his jeans – dangerous territory.
Still six floors from the bottom, the doors suddenly opened. An elderly couple dressed in their Sunday's best stepped in, both rather shocked at what they saw. Kate immediately backed away from Sawyer, and looked down, hiding her shame. Sawyer, however, looked at the couple with a genuine grin. They eyed him, suspiciously.
"Beautiful day, ain't it?" he said to them.
They looked away from him, appalled. Kate looked up at him, bewildered. She mouthed the words "Stop it" to him, but he only rolled his eyes. Sawyer noted the long tan trench coat the man wore.
"Like the coat, Columbo."
Kate laughed quietly, keeping her head down. The man cleared his throat, apparently uncomfortable. The doors opened and Kate stepped out first. Sawyer slowly followed her, and turned looking at the couple over his shoulder.
"Ya'll have a good Sunday prayer now," he grinned.
Kate laughed, walking out the door. "You get a kick out of this, don't you?"
"I was just bein' friendly."
"Of course you were."
"Oh come on. You thought it was funny."
"That doesn't mean they did," she said, still laughing.
"C'mon, Freckles. Can't be late now."
Kate grinned, wishing she knew where they were going and what was going on. One thing, she noticed, at least – Sawyer was in a good mood.