Lost 1. Chapter 1

_Sawyer awoke the morning after the attack on Sun, to see a very determined, but calm, Jin, waiting outside his shelter. He pretended to be asleep yet while he ran through various reasons why Jin would be there. "Damn Junkie ratted me out already?" being his first panicked thought, but then realized he would have had a much ruder wake-up call if that were the case. He didn't want to think in much detail about the end results of Jin knowing he was the mastermind behind the whole "Sun"-of-a-Guns job. He'd seen Jin wield that grappling hook while fishing on the shore and had no plan to get anywhere near it – especially if it was an irate Jin at the holding end! He slid his hand ever-so-slightly to get a firm grasp on his new bed-buddy….one of the rifles from his last night's prize stash…before stretching and rolling up on his feet to greet his early morning visitor._

_After a few gestures and a sprinkling of one word exchanges, Sawyer came to understand that Jin had expanded his role of primary fish provider for the good folks of Beachville to now include Sawyer as one of his regular customers. Payment from Sawyer would be to provide Jin with an as needed supply of firewood. Sawyer, having the best accommodations on the beach, complete with a lean-to for sheltering firewood from the daily rain showers, was the obvious and only source. Even though most of the survivors went out of their way to avoid interacting with Sawyer about anything before, and more so now after last night's coup, Jin knew he had no other choice. Feeling guilt for not having kept his wife safe, Jin explained as best he could, that he was not willing to leave the beach or Sun, to gather his own wood from the jungle anymore. He was there at Sawyer's shelter to offer a sizeable fish, already cleaned, to seal the deal as a signing bonus of sorts. _

_The next morning Sawyer awoke and found that another freshly caught and cleaned fish had been deposited in the Igloo mini-cooler he had looted from the wreckage and decided that this room service arrangement wasn't too bad! "I have his wife snatched to get the guns, and he feeds me" - the irony was almost too much, even for Sawyer. With Michael's disappearance and Sayid's distractions, everyone needed wood for cooking and to stoke the eternal signal fire that most worshipped to be their ticket off this island, Sawyer saw the opportunity to exploit the wood-gathering muscle shortage by sweating a few hours a day playing" jungle-jack". He grimaced at the association with the name JACK in any form, but it had to be done. And It fit in nicely with his plan for the "next job". _

"Honest work. Can't believe I got myself conned into doin' honest work, must be losing my touch," Sawyer mumbled under his breath to the last load of firewood he was chopping. Pulling this jungle-lumberjacking gig off was simply laying the foundation for his next series of cons. He never had a problem with wrapping his head around the details of any job. He was right at home with the analysis and planning, knew the importance of the details big and small, and could easily recognize when the time was right, but this time it seemed different. He didn't have the comfort zone of a long-drawn out plot that would take months to perfect. This time, he didn't have time. He felt pressured to push his agenda a bit faster than he would have liked so it was no coincidence that the spot selected for today's wood-chopping just happened to be near several very ripe fruit trees. No way around it, he needed to use her. Again.

"Whoa Girl, whaddya doin? I know women like big rocks but that ain't no diamond and it's way to big for your finger anyhow!" Sawyer called to Kate a bit deeper in the jungle as he watched her struggling to move a small boulder nearer the base of a tree loaded with fruit. Taking his time getting to her side with his long-legged strides and slow, sexy swagger, he continued to enjoy the view of her bent over, determined to budge that boulder.

"You gonna stand there ogling me all day, or can you honor your southern-roots and be a gentleman for once and give me a hand?" she replied while arching her back to release the tightness caused from the exertion.

With raised eyebrows and a wink, he cocked his head and said "I got a better idea". He gave her one of his charming, sly grins while bending to one knee to offer her a leg up, appreciating the opportunity to have a legitimate excuse to come in direct contact with her to mend some fences. He sensed a continuing thaw in her demeanor and was more than happy to test the waters. One of the pieces he needed, was falling into place.


	2. Chapter 2

_Kate had been understandably avoiding him and more than wary after his manipulation of her feelings for Jack and mistrust of Ana Lucia a few weeks earlier. She wasn't aware that he timed his recent delivery of Jin's firewood to be slightly ahead of her fruit-drop off so she would witness his sensitive inquiry regarding Sun's recovery and status of her garden. Sawyer pretended not to see Kate approaching, but was able to sneak a glance at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her face soften during his sincere expression of concern for Sun's well-being. He left Sun's garden, making Kate believe that he hadn't seen her either, letting her watch him walk on down the beach to his tent with a knowing job-well-done smile on his face. "Now there's a sensitive man for ya…..got cha Freckles!" he chuckled to himself._

"Are you kidding me? To what should I trust this new-found helpfulness in you? What do you want…..never mind, DON'T answer that!" Kate laughed skeptically. She haltingly placed one foot in his cupped hands and with a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and a warning look in her eye, she accepted his offer. Despite his weakened shoulder, he firmly, but very gently and easily, boosted her high enough so she could reach the foothold on the tree trunk that would allow her to continue with her daily fruit-picking.

"Uh, Sawyer……I'm good, you can let go of my butt NOW!" she scolded him as it was obvious that he left his hand linger on her bottom longer than necessary, knowing he could have provided the needed support by bracing her leg instead.

"Just exercising some full-blown southern hospitality as requested, _Sweetcheeks_!" came his reply as he took a few step backwards to see her face directly. "Wouldn't want you falling down on top of me now, would we?" He caught her gaze searching her eyes and finding some recognition and acceptance of the apology offered in his.

"My backpack please?" she asked softly, returning his intense gaze while indicating its location on the ground nearby with a tilt of her head.

"Your wish is my…….dammit Freckles, this thing's too heavy to lug up there on your monkey-bars…..want me to dump some of it out first?"

"Nooooo, then it gets buggy…..and I have to pick more" she said curling one arm around the branch she was perched on to reach down for it.

Against his better judgment, he hefted the backpack up to her but didn't let go immediately and she saw the concern on his face.

"I'll be fine Sawyer, been doing this for awhile now, ya know. New skill I can put on my resume." she assured him.

He stood watching as she skillfully climbed up a few more branches in reach of her quest.

"I know you're watching me, Sawyer, now go on back to your woodpile, and don't leave the wet yicky wood at my tent today ok?" she yelled down to him.

Enjoying her stubborn spirit and aware of her skepticism towards him, he strolled back to his woodpile with a satisfied smirk on his face. He set about attacking the next log while pleasantly reliving their exchange, evaluating the next piece of his plan. "Atta girl, Freckles" he thought, "come to Papa!"


	3. Chapter 3

When the last log was chopped into manageable pieces, Sawyer yelled "Quittin' Time!" to no one in particular. He grimaced as he stretched his back and twisted his torso side to side to relieve his weary muscles.

"Hey Freckles! Ya better wrap it up, rain's a-coming…..again", Sawyer yelled up towards the rustling he heard high in the branches above him. "God, I'm turning into our resident weatherman Ghandi," he growled under his breath. Squinting to see a sign of her in the thick tree canopy through the sweat and humidity dampened strands of hair hanging in his eyes, he finally saw her in the tree next to the one he helped her up into and much higher than he expected. Her peachy skin and orange t-shirt almost camouflaging her amongst the fruit she was gathering.

"Good God Girl – how you get from one tree to another - you sure you're not Jane? If so, me Tarzan!" And he beat his chest for effect in yet another attempt to amuse her. He was realizing that he would do anything to make her laugh, see that smile, gain her trust, and he couldn't help it. He missed her friendship, or whatever it was they were trying to build and run away from at the same time. It had been awhile since he had that kind of relationship with anyone. He allowed himself to genuinely care for another human only once since his daddy wrote the script for his life. Cassidy. Cassidy chipped away at his internal wall and came close to breaching that vault of emotions long–since buried by an 8 year old boy as a means of survival. He had heard warning sirens going off in his head then, but didn't care. His business partner silenced those sirens by reminding him of who is really was, what he had become. Reminded him that human compassion and caring made you stupid, made you weak. Staying focused on the anger, the revenge, the job was his motivation then. He was hearing those warning sirens again when Kate was near, when she let him in. She made him feel a bit like Cassidy did. Felt the wall crumbling. And it felt good. This time Gordy wasn't there to call him on it and there was nowhere to run from it. Something on this island made him want to run to it. But this new job needed all his focus. Kate was a distraction and that scared him. Any mistakes could cost them both their lives. Yet, he needed her help.

THUNK! Her reply came in the form of a half-rotted piece of fruit that hit him dead center of his back. "What the…? Awwww, thanks…." He groaned. "Lucky for you I took my shirt off, otherwise I'd have to send you my dry-cleaning bill."

Buttoning his shirt and shouldering a rack of chopped wood, he walked over to the tree she was in and seeing her grinning down he called up, "Why don't you join me for a nice beachside dinner later this afternoon, and I'll forgive you for that and let you give me a backrub to ease the pain you just inflicted? I'll provide the main course, of course…..you bring dessert? Whaddya say Freckles?"

Her reply brought a big dimpled grin to his face. Get a grip she reminded herself again seeing that 6 foot pile of southern charm, although others considered him to be a 6 foot pile of something else, guess beauty was truly in the eye of the beholder. And she just couldn't stay mad at him. She would be more wary from now on, but what could be wrong with sharing a dinner? "Sure Sawyer, I'll share your catch-of-the-day and let YOU cook for ME! Nice room service arrangement you made for yourself, although I'm still trying to figure out what else is up with this wood-chopping hobby of yours."

"Just staying in shape for you Darlin, just staying in shape" came his sarcastic reply. "It's a date then, 'round sundown. Don't be late, don't want to keep a hungry man from his dinner now."

With a lop-sided grin on his face and a load of wood balanced on his back, he started down the trail to the beach as a light rain started to fall. After a few steps he slid a bit on the wet footing and stopped to call back to her, knowing full well what her answer would be. "Hey, without peggin me with another fruitball, do you need any help getting down from there?" Another piece of rotten fruit sailed past his ducking head in reply. "Ok then, I'll take that as a no. Just be careful, I don't like bruises on my dessert!"


	4. Chapter 4

Part way back to the beach, Sawyer dropped the load of wood along the path, leaned against a tree trunk and lit a cigarette. His supply of smokes was running low but he would deal with that when it happened. Never was much of a saver so no sense stockpiling them now. He rubbed both of his upper arms amazed at how a little knife wound and a bullet hole had affected his strength and how they continued to ache. Sure, he'd had his share of knicks before but never had lingering aches like these. Not that he'd ever let anyone know or seek remedy from the good doctor. He even tried chewing on the leaves that Sun had recommended for his headaches to no avail. He smirked wondering if these aches would become his version of lingering "football" injuries that old men always referred to in their old age. Before the crash, he never thought about old age. He never gave the time of day to thinking about growing old. No point in it. With his chosen lifestyle, it was only a matter of time till some job would turn out wrong and he'd pay for it with his life. Didn't matter though. He only had one thing in mind then, one thing he had to do and now that was gone, leaving him with the frustration of not having completed it. The crash left him on this rock with too much time to think. Thinking too much made him remember things he didn't want to remember or feel. Good things. Good feelings. Made him look at things he wouldn't allow himself to recognize. The good in himself. He felt a lot safer, more sure of himself in the black and white world behind his wall. That's why he felt uneasy about this new job. It was foreign territory to him, something different, something new. He strained again to lift the wood, and by the time he trudged on down the path to the beach, he felt his self-preservation foul mood defense mechanism kicking in. Found himself wondering if Kate would actually take him up on his dinner invite. Doubting her. Doubting his plan. Doubting himself. "Should have suggested a quick bite in the jungle with her as the dessert so neither of us would have had as much time to think about it" he grumbled. Thought about ditching the whole plan, but how to get out of it now?

By the time he hit the beach, doubt worried him enough to ponder what to do if she didn't show up. No real reason for her to. He did smash her trust in him to get the guns, he saw the hurt in her eyes, the same hurt he saw during their fireside exchange before he left on the raft. Both of them lying then and knowing it, never admitting it. Hurting each other, because they could. Now he couldn't see any other way to get what he needed without involving her again. It just had to be done. It was a key part of the plan. Part of the bigger picture. What if their previous connection was not enough for him to base this next phase on? Would she be too concerned with Jack's opinion of her sharing dinner with him? He hoped he assessed her independence, stubbornness, and her needing-to-be included well enough to know that she could not care what Jack thought about a shared dinner, at least outwardly. Her curiosity would provide her with a quick cover, a quick lie to defend herself with. Hell, she was as good as lying as he was. He knew the risks involved in pushing her to regain some trust and trusted his instinct on the gamble.

He made his round of deliveries without exchanging a word or exchanging any eye contact with any of the survivors until he noticed that Locke was not hanging around Claire's tent so he discreetly stopped by and left a few extra pieces for her. Claire was nursing Aaron so he quietly stacked her wood and asked how Aaron was doing. Claire thanked him again for helping her with Aaron's teething fussiness the night before. "No problem Mamacita" he whispered, "just remember the deal was that we keep that to ourselves". She smiled and nodded in reply and gave him a little wave as he walked away. She continued to watch him and wondered if she or anyone else would ever understand why he worked so hard to be outwardly miserable and obnoxious. She and Aaron had witnessed firsthand the caring guy inside the night before. Relieved by Claire's response to him, he took some solace in that clear fact that "Operation Mamacita" was progressing as planned!

Back at his tent, he quickly stripped to his boxers, dropped his sweaty clothes in a pile, noting that it was laundry time again, and then made his way to the water to cool off before starting his daily, ritualistic laps Swimming laps was like chopping wood, tiring, dulling, physically exhausting. Made him tired. A few days earlier, Sun approached him as he dragged himself out of the water and cautioned him about such physical exertion during the hottest part of the day. "You should be more careful, Sawyer. You're going to wear yourself out." "Yep, I am" was his reply. He knew it was the only way he could get some sleep. So what if it was the middle of the afternoon, and the hottest time of day. It was only when he was completely exhausted that he could catch of few hours of true sleep, allowing him the quietness at night to plot and rethink his job, his plan. Before he hit the water, he scanned the beach looking for a signal from Charlie, but Charlie was not in sight. "I just love working with Amateurs" he muttered as he dove in.


	5. Chapter 5

He awoke several hours later, feeling somewhat rested, stretching, yawning and realizing for the 58th (or what day was it now?) time that he really was stuck on an island. With all of them. With her! Maybe every cloud does have a silver lining he mused. "You're gettin' soft Sawyer" he reminded himself. A positive disposition was unfamiliar territory to him and he found himself confronted with it more and more since coming back from almost dead after the failed rescue trip. Still surprised that Jack told of the vigil she kept over him. Surprised that Jack told him and more surprised at what she did. For that, he felt a bit of guilt from having involved her in his gun coup. He wasn't quite ready to be honest with her, but knew he would when the time was right.

He sat up muttering "damn" under his breath, rolling and twisting his shoulders in an attempt to ease the dull ache in both but it didn't work. He ran his hands through his hair and grinned a bit at the memory of his most recent haircut and entertained pleasant thoughts about the next one. Gazing at the sun low on the horizon, he remembered his dinner date at first with anticipation, then with his well-practiced self-preserving doubt. "Don't matter, I'll get her somehow."

He swung his legs to the side of his chair-bed and scanned his clothesline closet for his _cleanest_ clothes, tossing the discarded ones in the heap that served as his reminder that it was laundry day tomorrow and wondered how long till all their clothes wore out from the harsh sun and salty air. He grinned again while pulling on some jeans and a shirt at the thought of how some of the scenery around this island would definitely improve if that happened!

"You always laugh at yourself when you get dressed?" Kate laughed as he spun around and glared at her half-embarrassed and half-mad for sneaking up on him. "You may want to get in the habit of hanging one of those "Seat Taken" or "Do Not Disturb" signs on your tent flap from now on when you're not entirely decent to spare us. I'm sure you got at least one of them in your stash somewhere," she bantered while he finished buttoning his shirt. He then noticed she was holding two of his shirts and the jeans he wore earlier, all obviously freshly laundered and neatly folded and his jaw dropped slightly.

Not giving him time to reply she tilted her head and raised her eyebrows as she continued teasing, "Now that's a first. Sawyer is tongue-tied and at a loss for words" she playfully taunted him with his clothes. She thoroughly enjoyed having caught him in something, although she was certain she wouldn't get a straight answer or explanation. And she was also just as certain she wouldn't believe it anyhow, but continued the game.

"You want to explain why these were in Claire's laundry pile, Sawyer? I'd _love_ to hear how you conned her into doing your laundry. I was helping her fold some clothes in the hatch this afternoon and thought these looked familiar….they are a bit too big for Aaron, although at the rate he's growing…" she grinned watching him trying to interrupt her badgering. But Claire is much _too good, too sweet and innocent_ to be _your_ type though, and I don't think you'd be low enough to be hittin' on a young, single, new mom…..but as you _mentioned_ awhile back, a_ man has his_ _needs_….. And you are full of surprises, mostly bad, so I offered to bring them to you so I could get the story behind this firsthand over dinner. Should make for some interesting dinner conversation as they say, although….." her gaze turned toward his cold, gray fire pit, "….I see that there is no dinner."

Sawyer took advantage of her distracted glance at the fire pit to grab his clothes from her, accidentally knocking her off balance and into one of his tent supports. He dropped his clothes just in time to get an arm about her waist to secure her footing and saved his tent from collapsing on them both. He saw how almost falling had taken the wind out of her verbal teasing attack and moved in for the kill.

"God, Woman! I couldn't get a word in edgewise! Is that anyway to treat a man that invites you to dinner?" he felt like a tiger circling its prey, this is too easy! He pulled her a bit closer while wrapping his other arm around her locking his hands behind her lower back. The shift in who had control of the situation was obvious and he wasn't about to back down now. "Ya sneak up on him, invade his privacy, _ogle _him while he's dressin,'" milking that slow Southern drawl for all it was worth, pleased at seeing it was having the desired effect on her. He locked eyes with her, pulling her even closer and continued in almost a whisper, "You torture him with his own clothes, then almost wreck his house?" There was no space between them and he felt her inhale deeply trying to hang onto her composure. Goosebumps ran across his shoulders and down his back as he realized how much he wanted to drown them both in a deep, long, kiss NOW. How easy it would be, how much he wanted to and how he managed not to, surprised even him. The intensity of their locked gaze held and he knew he was on the edge of pushing things a bit too far. He relaxed his arms slightly, deciding it was better to let her of the hook than to risk her breaking free and running off. The immediate sacrifice of the kiss now hopefully would be paid back later. He grinned and teased, "If you've been spendin' time with Cap'n Omar, tryin' to learn some torturin' techniques, you'd best get your money back." He paused watching a slow smile develop on that captivating face while she realized that he could be somewhat of a gentleman after all "I think you need to be taught some refined Southern Lady manners" he continued, "and if it's lessons you're a-wanting…….." he left those words and all the implication therein hangin while he gently ran his hands up her back. "My, my, guess there's no need to crank up that fire pit now…...you seemed to be a bit flushed Miss Scarlett!"


	6. Chapter 6

Kate took a half step backward when he released his hold on her and smiled a look that said "thanks for not being a jerk when you could have Sawyer" all while somewhat wishing that he had. God, I'm pathetic, she chastised herself for the second time that day for the attraction she felt.

"Guess I'll see to that _other _fire and dinner now. With a hungry belly, I can only handle one fire at a time" he softly teased and turned his attention to the fire pit, seeing Kate's surprised and relieved expression falling back into his natural "always try to keep 'em guessing" routine. He frowned slightly and kicked at last night's leftover cinders in the fire pit, torn between following the old familiar script and the nice guy that wants to keep popping up.

The cook fire flames caught his preferred stash of dry wood quickly. He ducked into his shelter and returned with an airline blanket and a backpack full of plastic dinner trays an assortment of "sporks", some condiments and busied himself with setting up his dining room "table". Seeing Kate's amused expression, he pulled a business class fabric napkin from the backpack and dramatically flipped it over his shoulder to the sound of her snickering. He tossed "I set, you clear" at her as he disappeared back into his tent.

After a bit of rustling and some under his breath mumbling, he returned with the napkin draped over his right arm, two plastic glasses and with what looked like a glass bottle of Sangria on a tray table!

"Is that Sangria? Where did you get Sangria?" a puzzled Kate asked while peering above the backpack full of fruit she brought and was slicing for dessert as promised earlier.

"Simple. Got wine….wine from a trade with Rose" he added when her brows furrowed with confusion. "Ol Bernard couldn't last any longer without some dental floss," he explained. "Got fresh fruit thanks to you, got time, plenty of it 'round here……….you get Sawyer Sangria! I like mine with grilled ahi tuna. Never did care too much for matching my drink with the color of my food, how 'bout you? Could use a splash of gin or seltzer, but it ain't too bad. Learned a bit about brandy and spirits-making from my Granpappy…." and he stopped short with a sharp intake of breath, caught by surprise at a small memory from long ago. He stood staring like time had stopped, frozen for a moment. Just when Kate thought he was still holding his breath, he poured a glass and led her to the blanket with a soft "Your table is ready" and a don't ask warning look on his face.

They sat cross-legged on the blanket and enjoyed the first glass in silence. Kate sensed that Sawyer was a bit shaken by that memory slip and knew not to pursue it. She sat quietly, enjoying her Sawyer Sangria while wishing she could offer some comfort somehow. She stole a glance or two at the pained and hurt expression in his eyes, and her own breathing seemed difficult. She knew that look all too well.

Sawyer let out a deep sigh, shook his head as if to clear it and she knew the internal wall was once again intact. He glanced over his shoulder to check on the fire and decided it was ready. He chugged the rest of his glass, tossed his glass down and rolled to his feet.

"Aren't you supposed to sip Sangria and savor it, Sawyer?" she ventured breaking the tenuous silence that fell between them. She was relieved to see that 'ol Sawyer was back and knew that discussing the past was something that either of them were about to do easily.

"What can I say, I'm a thirsty guy," he shot back with a wink and dimpled grin, letting her know that all the eggshells of memories he just walked on, were gone, for now. He started digging in the sand behind his shelter to retrieve the half-buried igloo cooler. He opened it and pulled out an expertly filleted ahi tuna and chunks of tarot root that had been prepared and wrapped in wet banana leaves. Dinner was lying on a soaked woven bamboo tray ready for grilling. He propped it above the fire and flopped back down, outstretched on the blanket and announced that dinner would be ready in 15 minutes.

Kate handed him a refilled glass and said, "Impressive!" with a nod towards the fire pit. "Didn't know you were a Master Chef".

"I gave up on feathering my hair, so I've been reading the recipes in those magazines you threw at me." He relaxed on his elbows and stared at the sunset over his bare toes.

"Why don't you get one out and I'll read to you. You asked for a backrub, but how about compromising on a story?" She laughed.

"Ahhhhhh, I just got comfy here, Woman" he groaned. "My back still hurts from earlier when you pegged me with that fruitball" pausing long enough to gauge that she wasn't buying it. "There's a few next to my bed if ya wanna get one. But tradin' a backrub for a story don't quite seem fair." He pouted and let his head drop back with a sigh and closed his eyes.

Kate rolled her eyes in defeat, scrambled up and retrieved a tattered magazine from his stash. She saw the clean laundry she'd taunted him with earlier which reminded her that she he didn't answer her. How did his laundry get mixed in with Claire's when she knew he wasn't anywhere near the hatch today?

With Kate out of sight for a moment, Sawyer sat up and quickly stole a glance up and down the beach looking for any sign of Charlie, eager to see him, but hoping he was smart enough to not come near now. Hearing Kate's steps in the sand, he resumed his reclined position on the blanket. One thing at a time.

With magazine in hand, she sat down next to him on the blanket, close enough for a little bit of contact. With his head hanging back yet, he opened one eye to see what she was up to and grinned knowing what her game was and waited. She lightly leaned into him and tilted her head in his direction so that her hair brushed against bare outstretched neck and flirtingly offered, "If you tell me straight why your clothes were in Claire's laundry pile, I might trade the story for your backrub after all."

So predictable he thought as he laughed and rolled to his side to look her straight in the eye and asked "What'd she say?"

"She said you must have used the dryer right before she did and that you must have left them there." Kate repeated and recognized the lie but not understanding why it was told.

"Smart girl, sounds right to me" he replied with a nod, giving up nothing to her behind those blue eyes staring intently into hers like he could see right through her. She dropped his gaze and the magazine with a soft exasperated damn-I-knew-better sigh.

He nodded towards the fire pit and said quietly, "Dinner's ready, you refill the drinks?" as he retrieved dinner.

She sat staring out at the fading sunset with a small smile on her face, so predictable she thought. She turned just in time to see him near the fire pit, looking off into the jungle and giving a very deliberate solemn nod to someone deeper in the forest.


	7. Chapter 7

Kate quietly turned back towards the sunset unnerved at what she had just seen. What did she see? Did she really see anything? Who's Sawyer nodding to? Was that Charlie? Since when are Charlie and Sawyer pals? She could tell by the expression on his face that something was up and knew he would deny or skirt everything if she asked him about it. It? She didn't even know what "it" was that she saw. "Ok Kate, you're making a big deal out of a simple head-bob" she told herself trying to calm down. Maybe he was just stretching his neck. She knew his wounds continued to ache him, so maybe he was just stretching…Bullsh#! It wasn't just a simple nod! It was a very distinct and deliberate signal. Why? Her head was spinning scrambling for an explanation, a reason for what just happened until the paranoia of "he's conning me again" seeped in and took over. "It's all in the details Freckles" came ringing back to her. Anger followed a moment of panic. "Dammit Sawyer, what are you up to?" Instincts warned her to proceed with caution, get all emotions in check or Sawyer would surely smell a rat. She took a deep breath, gave her head a shake as if to clear it while squeezing her eyes shut and calmed herself by saying to herself, "Two can play this game. I'm in, Sawyer, like it or not!"

When she opened her eyes, she saw Sawyer squatting in front of her balancing their dinner on a tray, staring at her with a not quite concerned, but puzzled look on his face, "You ok Freckles?"

"Just too much "Sawyer Sangria", I guess she gave him a sheepish grin back. "Empty stomach. Head was spinning for a minute" she dropped her head feigning embarrassment. Focusing on the food so she wouldn't have to look at him directly, she coyly, or what she hoped was coyly, smiled and added "Mmmm, that smells great!" and reached for the place settings he so theatrically laid earlier. "I'm fine now, Sawyer……really" hoping this performance could be Oscar-worthy in Hollywood. She loathed those saccharin chicks that couldn't hold their alcohol or acted drunk when they weren't, but hey, it seemed to be working, if the amusement in the blue eyes looking back at her was any indication!

"My, my…..you're just full of surprises aren't cha? I'll have to start a pot of coffee to sober you up, Lightweight" he chided slowly and a bit suspiciously, assessing her situation as he settled on the blanket putting the tray between them. "Let Ol "Sawyer's cookin' take care of that hunger now and you'll be feelin' right as rain in no time" all the while wondering if Kate had seen Charlie in the jungle. What the hell was Charlie thinkin', coming so close now with Kate in plain view! "Amateurs!" he thought and made a mental note to verbally slap him upside the head later for his near miss. At the same time, he felt a small rush of adrenalin knowing that that signal meant his plan was now in motion!

As the sun disappeared below the horizon, they ate dinner in relative silence letting their apparent hunger serve as their excuse for their lack of scintillating dinner conversation, each of them plotting and scheming, wondering what the other knew or was up to.


	8. Chapter 8

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**Author's note: Fact meets fiction here. Birth date used for our fav dimpled guy is his real life birthday. Astrological trait references taken directly from several internet sites found while browsing around. The two combined were simply too entertaining not to use! Hope you enjoy!**

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Deciding to break the silence, Sawyer glanced at Kate's empty plate and remarked admiringly, "Ya gotta love a gal with an appetite. Didn't think you were one of those peck-at-just-the-crumbs shy types."

"Glad I didn't disappoint you" she replied leaning near to clear their plates. "Dessert now, or later?"

Because she'd expect it, he replied with a suggestive look and held it long enough to see her chastise him with a slight shake of her head and narrowing of her eyes. With a charming dimpled grin and the devil in his eye, he replied slowly, "Later. Better read me my story. Gonna be too dark to read soon, so pay up Freckles!" He relaxed back on the blanket, feeling a bit more at ease that Kate had not seen Charlie, or was at least not going to push it with him….yet.

Kate tossed a quick glance his way, inwardly amused at how he could say so much with just facial expressions and those killer blues. Very disarming and not fair at all! She looked back to see him stretched out and all relaxed and innocent-looking. Just like a duck skimming across a pond back in Iowa. Looks all calm and quiet on the surface, but beneath, there's a lot more going on. She quickly scrubbed the plates and sporks with some sand and rinsed them, leaving them to air-dry on Sawyer's makeshift pantry shelves. Yeah, she could do the story-thing if that's what he wanted. Give her some good observation time. Time to make sense out of the Charlie thing.

Flipping through one of the magazines "Ah-ha, here's something that should be entertaining. Horoscopes. When's your birthday, Sawyer?" she asked as she settled herself on their shared blanket.

Running his hands through his hair in fake exasperation, "Unbelievable!" he muttered, then continued, "What's with chicks and astrology? Claire asked me the same thing the other day. You girls comparin' notes or somethin'?

She exhaled impatiently, slouched and with a quiet staredown in full gear, body language telling him that she wanted a simple answer. "Wasting the light Sawyer – you want a story or not?"

"July 20"

"Good boy was that so hard?" she taunted satisfied while flipping the magazine to the horoscope section. Scanning down the column to see where July 20 fit in, she chuckled and said "Cancer the CRAB" with the emphasis on _crab_ and then under her breath said "that's appropriate all right!"

"The idea here…… is too entertain me……, to take my mind off my painful back, not to entertain yourself!" he complained mildly. He really didn't mind and found himself enjoying this nonsense and her company.

"What? Truth hurts?" she tossed at him. "Shh, there's more good stuff here" she said as she scanned the rest of the page. "Listen! Sound like anyone we know? _Traditional Cancer Traits_. **_Emotional and loving._ Emotional – definitely! Loving? Hmph, not so sure about that one."**

**"Willing to provide all the proof you want on that one, _Ice Princess_. Name your time!" Then he added somewhat gruffly, "You got no basis for your opinion. Check out your traits – I'm sure "oblivious" must be in your list. Your loss. Don't know a good thing when you see it! " he fired back with a bring-it-on look on his face.**

**She raised her eyebrows and pondered a reply to that, decided against taking his bait and dropped her attention back to the magazine.**

**"_Intuitive and imaginative_….." she continued.**

**"I gave you a taste of how imaginative I am…." He paused, both of them reliving their "kiss" from weeks before. "You have no idea how _imaginative_ I can be!" he interrupted her silence with a animalistic growl which brought a full blown laugh from her. **

**"_Shrewd and cautious". _ Wow – that fits!"**

**"Sounds right," with a proud and accepting nod. "Keep goin' ". **

**"_Protective and sympathetic" _Protective of your stash – hell yes! But sympathetic?"**

**"I have ultimate sympathy for those, you especially, that can't see how truly wonderful I am!" **

**"Hmmm, good thing for you that _humble_….is not on this list" she dodged his leading comment and turned the page. "Oooh, check this out. Th_e dark side of Cancerians - Changeable and MOODY! _I'll have to check the source here, did the magazine interview YOU for this article? It is so you!"**

**"Aw'right, c'mon, keep goin', I can take it" he pouted.**

**"_Overemotional and touchy_ – yep, we've seen that haven't we?"**

**"Havin' fun Freckles?"**

**"One more – _clinging and unable to let go" _ her voice trailing off as she realized as soon as it was out of her mouth that she should have skipped over that one. Unable to let go of his past, his letter.**

Almost without realizing he did it, he sat up quickly and turned away from her. Emotional. Yep. Moody. Yep. Overemotional and touchy. Yep. Unable to let go. Yes.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sawyer exhaled, dropped his head to his chest and stared at the sand in front of him while a torrent of unhappy memories flooded his thoughts. Kate sat, clutching the magazine and watching him, unsure of what to do.

After several minutes, he gruffly asked," Want to go get Libby to finish my analysis here?" his voice a dead giveaway to how on the edge he was.

Kate dropped the magazine and moved near him. "It's just a magazine, Sawyer. I, um, I'm sorry…..should have….didn't think…." Her voice trailing off, hoping he'd accept that as an apology of sorts.

Sawyer got to his feet in a fury of years of pent up frustrations and hurled a rock towards the ocean as hard as he could, as if trying to finally rid himself of the baggage he carried. Through gritted teeth groaning a "sonofabitch" and grabbing his shoulder in obvious pain, he dropped down clutching his shoulder, sitting cross-legged rocking back and forth in the sand.

Kate took this as her cue and lightly touched his arm. With eyes blazing, he whipped his head around towards her and opened his mouth to snarl something at her, but stopped as she gently laid her palm against his cheek. Her tenderness surprised him into saying nothing and he found himself trusting the person behind those beautiful green eyes. She quietly stared back at him and pleaded an unspoken "let me help you" with her eyes while gently massaging his upper arm and shoulder. When she sensed the tightness and tension ease, she whispered, "I am sorry, Sawyer."

"You ain't got nothin' to be sorry about Freckles. Magazine's right, I don't know how to let it go." He slowly shook his head and sighed as if in defeat. Then he frowned and cocked his head towards the sound of a baby crying coming nearer. "Ah crap."

Just then a flustered Claire clutching a very upset Aaron came into view from around the corner of Sawyer's tent. When she saw that she obviously interrupted something, she stopped short and toyed with the edge of Aaron's blanket while continuing to rock him in an attempt to soothe him mumbling, "I….I, um, he won't… I can't, uh, sorry Sawyer."

Sawyer glanced at Kate with a look that warned her to stay put, stood and quickly gathered a cranky Aaron in his arms and headed off to his tent in search of something. He returned with his worn out, long sleeve blue t-shirt. "I told you to keep this" he said while tossing the shirt to Claire. She knelt and spread it out flat on the blanket and Sawyer very efficiently set about laying Aaron on the flattened shirt, expertly wrapping him up snuggly in it. He hoisted the papoose-like bundle up against his chest and started to walk down towards the shoreline with an already somewhat calmer Aaron nestled against him. "You know the drill Mamacita, we'll be back."

The two women could hear the overtones of Sawyer's deep and husky voice consoling Aaron as they watched the two of them walk down the shoreline near the softly lapping waves.

It was apparent to Kate that Sawyer and Claire had gone through this more than once and stood slowly while trying to understand and make sense of what just happened. The earlier mystery of the mixed-up laundry made more sense now too. If she hadn't witnessed firsthand Sawyer tenderly taking charge of a squalling infant, she would have never believed it.

Kate stood for a few minutes watching Sawyer and Aaron's combined silhouette become smaller and smaller as they walked on down the now moonlit beach. With a raised eyebrow and a look of diminishing disbelief on her face, she turned towards Claire and found her coming out of Sawyer's tent with a coffeepot?


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"He likes hot tea…." a clearly flustered Claire offered as explanation as she set about stirring up the campfire embers and putting a pot of water over the renewed flames. "Amazing isn't it? I never would have thought I'd know how to brew a pot of tea over a campfire!"

"Aaron? You give Aaron hot tea?" Kate asked completely off-balanced by the surprises of the past few minutes.

"No, Sawyer likes hot tea. Says it's relaxing…I made him some the other night when he helped me with Aaron……" Then with a wave of her arm towards the now deserted blanket on the beach, "Kate, I'm sorry. I interrupted whatever…: ".

"It was dinner Claire. That's all. Dinner." Kate cut off Claire's attempted apology eager to get the conversation back on task of filling in the blanks about Sawyer and Aaron and whatever else was going on.

Claire's puzzled look prompted her to add, "I'm over the gun-thing, Claire. Look where we are, it doesn't matter. Must have been an alpha-male thing. Jack, Sawyer. Really, it hasn't affected anything."

With a nod of acceptance, and hoping to steer their conversation to anything other than where Kate wanted it to go, Claire set the tea to steep. "Charlie got me started on it…tea. When we were….well, before, when…..anyhow…I like it too now. You know the Brits and their tea! Found boxes of it in the hatch and Sawyer had his own stash." she stammered, glancing up at Kate and noticed the growing impatience on the other woman's face. Claire continued chattering on nervously, realizing she was cornered and would have to give Kate some kind of explanation about Sawyer's involvement. She sighed and plopped to the blanket, knowing that Sawyer's bark was worse than his bite, she had no choice but to reveal more than he'd want her to. "Aaron's been unusually fussy at night" she reluctantly explained. " Sawyer says he's teething. He knows a lot about babies."

"Wait!" Kate interrupted trying to catch up with Claire's nervous chatter. "Sawyer likes tea? And knows about babies?"

"Yeah" a sheepish Claire replied with a shrug. "He's been really helpful with Aaron. I'm new at this baby stuff. Never babysat, and there aren't any "new-mom groups" here" with a gesture towards the island. "So..he, uh…." One look at Kate told her she shouldn't stop there, so she continued.

"I was walking Aaron up the beach the other night. He was really out of sorts and I was tired and frustrated. Guess we woke Sawyer up. He was mad! I thought it was because we woke him up, but he was mad at me for walking alone on the beach at night. More mad at John for not walking with me. Funny, isn't it? Most of us think that Sawyer doesn't care about anyone, and here he was prowling around being all mad at John for letting me walk alone. I told him that John was snoring and sleeping so soundly that I didn't want to wake him up. So I took Aaron for a walk and"

"Claire, get to the part about Sawyer knowing about babies" an exasperated Kate pleaded.

"Kate, I probably shouldn't ..." Claire stalled.

"Claire!"

"He told me when he was in high school," she continued slowly choosing her words, "that he used to hang out with a girl...who worked at a daycare after school. He helped her with the kids there. And he helped with a baby in a foster home somewhere. Aaron reminds him of that baby. He said he must have been paying more attention to the kid-care than he thought. Those months must have sunk in somehow and it did, because he's really good with Aaron." She bit her lip and turned to Kate with a look that said that's all I know and moved towards the fire to check on the brewing tea.

Kate stared at Claire until she was convinced that Claire was being honest, as if boring holes in her could confirm the truth of what she said. She dropped her gaze and replayed their conversation in her head, processing it. It makes sense. Of course, there would be a girl involved somewhere with a Sawyer story and she allowed herself a slight smirk when she pictured Sawyer in high school. Somehow Sawyer and sitting in a classroom didn't fit. Then a look of sadness filled her face thinking about the foster care reference. She assumed Sawyer was raised by some extended family, after he shared, made her read his letter. She wondered what happened afterwards, but when Sawyer ordered her to leave him alone after rereading the letter, she knew he closed the door on that subject with her. He did not have a happy childhood. It all fits. His guardedness, mistrust, bitterness. Aaron, a baby, let him open up and share some of his past with Claire?

"Tea's ready, plenty here for Sawyer when he gets back, have a cup?" Claire handed Kate a cup of tea and sat next to her on the blanket with her own. "They should be back soon, unless Aaron's giving him a hard time."

"What was that about the shirt Claire?"

"Oh that, it's cotton and really soft or rather 'worn/broken in' as Sawyer calls it. Says it's not as sweaty as the fleece blanket I use for Aaron. He told me to keep it, but when you saw me washing it….."

"I took his clean clothes from you and brought them back here." Kate grinned with a nod. "The laundry mystery is solved. Thanks!"

"I stopped by earlier on my way to the hatch, he wasn't here, was off swimming, so I gathered a few of his other dirty pieces……I was going to wash our stuff anyhow…and then you saw me with them and ."

"You tried to keep Sawyer's 'Nanny-ness' quiet."

"Oh be careful Kate!" Claire giggled. "I don't think he'd like you handing out any new nicknames – that's his area!" Both women enjoyed a small laugh and now more relaxed with each other after clearing the air, sat sipping their tea enjoying each other's company and their conversation ventured down a more light-hearted road, both not knowing they were being watched.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"It's nice to sit here and chat with you Kate, thanks for waiting for 'the boys with me." Claire said while trying to muffle a yawn with the back of her hand. "Boy, I am tired. I never get enough sleep anymore." She stood and stretched and refilled her cup. "More tea?"

"Sure, thanks," Kate replied handing her empty cup to Claire. "Hey, let me do that" as both girls noticed the fire needed tending. She pulled a few fresh pieces of wood and added them to the fire. "I can at least keep Sawyer's fire going….." Interrupted by Claire's giggle at her comment, Kate shot a reprimanding look towards the younger blonde girl while she coaxes the flames into renewed life. "Funny. Very funny Claire. I meant his _campfire." _

"Right, I knew that." Claire mumbled with a teasing grin as she settled back down on the blanket with two warm cups. "It is a bit chilly with that breeze tonight, brrr, should have brought my sweater." She shivered and appreciated another sip of the warm brew.

"This should help," Kate said as she dropped an airline blanket around Claire's shoulders and sat next to her while wrapping another blanket around her own shoulders. "Sawyer's got a few to spare in there" with a nod towards his shelter. After a sip from her fresh cup, she yawned "Gosh, your yawn was contagious, I'm a bit sleepy."

They sat for a few minutes in silence, enjoying the warm tea and comfort the blankets brought from the ocean breeze.

After Claire yawned again, Kate turned to her and said, "Why don't you lie down and rest a bit. You do look tired. I'll wake you when Sawyer comes back with Aaron"

"Ah, no, I'm ok…"

"No, I'm good, go ahead. Sleep if you can" Kate reached over and patted Claire's arm with an encouraging look as Claire gave in to her encouragement and got comfy on the blanket.

Kate glanced back at the campfire and satisfied that it was good for awhile, turned back towards the ocean. Pulling the blanket a bit tighter around her, she peeked at Claire now fast asleep and whispered "Sweet Dreams" and yawned despite her attempt to fight it off. She finished her second cup of tea and relaxed back on her elbows surprised that she felt so sleepy herself.

After several minutes of staring at the mesmerizing, rhythmic repetition of the waves softly breaking on shore, Kate gave up a struggle with her drooping eyelids and fell asleep next to Claire.

"Amazin!" Charlie whispered to Sayid with a disbelieving shake of his head as they stood watch just inside their hiding spot inside the tree line not far from Sawyer's tent. The girls did exactly what Sawyer hoped they'd do. "How did he….?"

"Human behavior is more predictable than we like to believe, Charlie" Sayid interrupted. "People like Sawyer become very successful at what they do by exploiting that, observing that. His plan is well thought out….and obviously, working." He quietly shouldered his backpack in preparation to leave.

Charlie nodded his acceptance of the explanation given, still in awe and felt a wave of pride wash over him at being included in this plan and stood staring at the two sleeping women not far away.

"Charlie!" Sayid snapped. Charlie blinked and turned towards Sayid. His focus now intent on the soldier's face.

"Remember, you cannot allow anyone to discover them or let anyone, especially Jack or Sun, try to wake them. The sedative in the tea was mild and will not harm them, and won't last long, but should be long enough for Sawyer's next phrase to be completed. Jack or Sun would be suspicious and question their lucidity and unexplained sleepiness."

Again Charlie nodded, conveying his understanding.

"Jack has hatch duty. Locke should be asleep as I was able to distract him and switch his water bottles. I doubt that Jin will let out her out alone at night. If anyone else happens by, or if Sawyer does not return when expected, you must create a distraction by using yourself as an attack victim. Take this knife, and then wake the girls and get them to take you to Jack for help. You must go to the hatch. Do NOT let them bring Jack here."

Nervously Charlie took the knife and carefully put it in his backpack, hoping against hope that he wouldn't need to use it on himself or anyone else!

"It's time, I must go. Charlie, you must signal Sawyer in 15 minutes. I will have reached Rousseau by then. Keep Claire and Kate safe and more importantly, out of the way, especially Kate. And with that, Sayid quietly sprinted down the well-worn path into the jungle.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Charlie watched Sayid fade into the depths of the jungle and then turned his attention back towards Kate and Claire on the beach in front of him. Leaning against a tree, he started singing _You All Everybody _in his head. Knowing that the recorded version was 4 minutes, 16 seconds long, he needed to "sing" it through about 3-1/2 half times to approximate the 15 minute head start Sayid needed before signaling Sawyer. His own watch battery died weeks ago, leaving him without a way to track time. At Sayid's suggestion, the familiarity of the song proved to be a useful timing tool, one he never considered when recording it in a studio back then. He'd learned a few very practical tricks from a conman and a soldier the past few days.

When he started the song for the third time, he grabbed his backpack to retrieve the flashlight and mirror Sawyer had left for him earlier. He quietly walked towards the shoreline, circling wide around the still, sleeping forms. A quick, thorough glance up and down the shoreline assured him it was ok to proceed. "Coast is clear" he breathed and noticed the humor and irony in that well-worn phrase.

Further down the beach, Sawyer, with a now content and sleeping Aaron nestled against his chest, slowed his pace and turned to watch up shore for Charlie's signal. He had slipped into the all too familiar stakeout mentality and knew from past experience that he could maintain the calm, numbing patience needed while waiting for the next phase of a job. Didn't matter if it was 15 minutes or 15 hours. The added complication of an infant made it a bit more challenging, but he knew he could do it. "Snoozin' through your first stakeout Kimosave…." he softly whispered to the bundle he was cradling as he hefted him a bit higher against his chest and gently eased a small flashlight from within the folds of the shirt, "…and you're a smuggler too!" and allowed himself a quick grin while never shifting his eyes from their focal point .

A few minutes later, two quick flashes of light from up shore in the area of his campsite told Sawyer that both Kate and Claire were "cooperating" and it was a go. Sawyer returned with two quick flashes of his own and shoved the flashlight into his back pocket before striding off into the jungle.

Deeper in, Sayid and Rousseau stealthily followed three dark silhouettes ahead of them, carefully watching as they moved closer to the rendezvous area marked earlier by Sawyer. Sayid checked the stopwatch he had taken from Locke and nodded to Rousseau that is was time for her to circle back and meet up with Sawyer. He held up three fingers as a reminder to her to let Sawyer know that they were following three. She quietly returned his nod, matching his three finger signal with her own and veered off while he continued following the three Others from a safe distance. He studied the darkened forms as he followed, memorizing their pace, looking for any details, gathering information about them they were unknowingly giving up. He hoped Sawyer had a contingency plan for meeting with three, not the anticipated two.

"Whaddya mean there's three of them?" Sawyer hissed at Rousseau as he handed off the sleeping bundle to her outstretched arms. He absentmindedly tucked in a loosened shirt sleeve securely around Aaron, now snuggled in the tall woman's arms while asking, "Recognize any of 'em?"

"Yes" came the reply.


End file.
