Tracker, Chapter 7 (Skate, others)
Title: Tracker, Chapter 7
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skate, Jana, others
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST
Summary: Set during S2, immediately post-WKD, Kate, Sawyer and several other characters go off into the jungle after Michael, learning secrets of the Island along the way.
Spoilers: Season 2
A/N: Tracker is an extremely lengthy, multi-chapter fanfic that I wrote during Season Two. I plan on posting a couple of chapters a day if I can, so please check back! By the way, blame kirvash if you get hooked on it. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 7
Sawyer groaned. He hurt. His shoulder was on fire- the doc only poured about a gallon of alcohol on it. "Jackass", he muttered to himself; the bastard probably enjoyed it too. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He cracked his eyes but the sun glared harshly and his vision swam; there was someone leaning over him...Kate...he smiled at her as she handed him something. Maybe waking up wasn't such a bad thing after all. "Hey, Freck-" he stopped, as his vision cleared; Ana-Lucia was grinning at him. "Oh, shit." he mumbled, and closed his eyes again, hoping if he opened them...dammit. He sighed irritably. "What do you want, Butch?" he snapped as he struggled to sit up.
"Up and at 'em, Sunshine. We're moving out. And before you ask, she's gone to get some water. No need to get your boxers all in a twist." She stood and retreated a few steps.
Sawyer didn't answer, just glared at her. It irked him that he was so easy to read where Kate was concerned, because, of course, he had been about to ask after her. He noticed the water bottle in his hand and drank it, mainly to create a diversion from thoughts of Kate. Ana watched him and smiled.
Sawyer glanced around. The clearing was empty. "Where's everybody at, cupcake? You kill 'em all off?"
Ana grinned. "Nah. You would have been the first to go." She patted the club at her side comfortingly. "Locke and Eko are scouting the trail ahead." She paused and watched Sawyer for his reaction. "Jack is with Kate." She wasn't disappointed.
Jealousy ripped through Sawyer like an icy knife. She was with Jack? Unbelievable. He stood angrily, the pain in his shoulder balancing out the gripping pain in his chest. "Which way did they go?"
Ana smiled at him. "Why, you going after them?" She was enjoying this. As a cop, her survival depended on the ability to read people and over the years she had developed it into sort of a game; figure out what buttons to push, and watch the reactions, people gave away more than they realized just with body language and tone of voice. Her method didn't make her a lot of friends and she knew she came across as a bitch but survival was the most important thing.
Something was going on between the three of them- Jack, Kate and Sawyer- and she wanted to know what it was. She wasn't interested in Sawyer, she knew his type; she arrested guys like him four times a day, a smartass with a chip on his shoulder and a long rap sheet. And anyway, he was obviously gone for Kate, and she for him; it was the thing...the intangible something between Kate and Jack that fascinated her. She couldn't read it, couldn't get a grip on it- and it driving her crazy.
She had been attracted to Jack the instant she saw him- yelling at the ticket agent in the airport. He seemed so good, so decent- he just wanted to bury his father, lady! But underneath there was guilt, an undercurrent so strong Ana felt herself getting dragged along with it as she tailed him to the bar, watching him, reading him...she was enthralled by him. When she saw him in the jungle, that day...the look of disappointment on his face had stunned her.
Sawyer sneered at her. "No, I ain't going after them, Sherlock." He waved his almost-empty water bottle at her. "I need water too. We got a long walk ahead of us." He glared at her. "Now which way did they go?"
Suppressing a laugh, Ana pointed in the direction Jack and Kate had gone and with a sneer Sawyer shoved off into the bushes, cursing and muttering as he went. Ana waited a minute then followed silently behind him.
He was in agony and furious with himself for caring about what she did. Of course she was going to be around Jack, it was inevitable, but things had been so different between them since the hatch; he felt almost betrayed by her for going with Jack and leaving him behind. Obviously, things hadn't changed too much if all Jackass had to do was crook his finger at her and she was at his side like an obedient puppy. Sawyer's rage kicked up a notch. And that look she had, whenever she saw him; that mix of puppy love and hero-worship made him want to rip Jack's arms off and beat him to death with them.
He heard them, up ahead and slowed down, trying not to make a sound. He wanted to see them, he needed to see her; she was like a magnet, drawing him closer... he could just make out their words.
"...Yes." It was Kate. His heart twisted.
They were silent. For a second he thought he had been discovered, but neither moved; he could only see the back of her tank and he had a brief, delicious vision of his hand sliding underneath it, caressing her silky skin and feeling the slide of her firm muscles. But he could see Jack's face; he snorted. Looked like Jackass was cryin'. Hee.
Jack spoke. "Then why did you kiss me?"
Sawyer's world went black. He didn't hear Kate's answer, if she gave one- his head was buzzing like a hive of bees and he wanted to kill Jack. He felt dizzy; taking deep breaths he brought the world back into focus, composed himself, and allowed the comforting weight of hatred and violence to settle back onto his shoulders. Setting his mouth in a smirk, he strolled into the glade.
"Well, well, well," he drawled. "What's this about a kiss?"
* * * * *
Michael was going to drop if they didn't stop soon; the chains were draining and his mind was so fatigued he couldn't put together a coherent thought. Walt...Walt...Walt...it was the only word he knew, and it pounded through his head in synchronization with his footsteps.
He heard Jin stumble and grunt and he mustered a brief flash of guilt, but his misery won out and his brain went back to thumping out the same word in the same rhythm...Walt...Walt...Walt.
He didn't even realize they had left the jungle and come out onto a beach. He glanced around, but nothing really registered until his eyes rested on a giant teepee made out of bamboo poles; at the top sat a giant cauldron, and a huge column of black smoke rose from it.
Terror jolted Michael from his stupor. "What is that?"
Danielle pointed the rifle at him. "Move over there," she said, motioning at a tree a few yards away; she stood them up against the tree then handed them each a wide strip of black cloth. "Put those over your eyes," she commanded. Michael felt her grab his arm; he didn't even have the energy to jerk it away and he heard a click as one of the iron cuffs came off. She had a key? Danielle pulled his arms around the tree and he felt the cuff click back onto his wrist. He heard Jin grunt and figured she was doing the same to him.
"That is their signal," Danielle finally said. She stepped away. "They will come for you after nightfall." He voice was sounding faraway. "Perhaps we shall meet again."
"You better hope not, you crazy bitch!" Michael screamed at her. His grief and fury exploded and he jerked uselessly at the cuffs holding him to the tree. "You better not set foot on my friggin' side of the island, you friggin' fruitcake! I'll kill you! I'll friggin' kill you!"
His energy spent, Michael slid down the trunk of the tree wearily. He was done. He heard Jin speak beside him, but he didn't have the energy to reply. He lost track of time...seconds slurred into minutes...minutes drifted into hours...he didn't know...his head dropped and he slept uneasily.
Jin heard him snore softly, and he sighed quietly in relief.
* * * * *
Kate couldn't move. She could feel his eyes boring into her back and she was afraid to move, to look behind her. How much had he heard? She tried to gauge Sawyer by watching Jack's face and what she saw wasn't great. I guess he heard enough, she thought bitterly and she took a deep breath before glancing back at him; her heart lurched, he was leaning against a tree, smirking. But his eyes were hard and dangerous and he was staring at Jack with a scary intensity.
He wasn't looking at her. He was afraid to; all of the guilt, frustration, uncertainty, and pain of the past few days was coming to a boil and his hands already itched to be around Jack's throat, if he looked into her eyes and found Jack there...he didn't know what he would do. What he might do scared him to death. "You makin' time with my girl, chief?"
Kate's stomach did a peculiar little flip-flop when he called her his girl. She ignored it.
Jack didn't miss the dangerous look in Sawyer's eye; he wasn't worried, hell, the man was barely standing and he only had one arm. And judging by the half-empty water bottle in his hand he had a bellyfull of sleeping pills too. He smiled without humor and said, "No, I'm not, Sawyer. We were just talking."
He sneered. "Yeah. I heard, chief. Something about a kiss." Kate turned around and he finally looked at her, unable to hold out any more; he would see what he would see. "You wanna tell me all about it, sweetcheeks?"
Kate lifted her eyes to his and his heart lifted at what he saw there; hurt, and fear, and guilt. But there was also need, and want...and desire. And no Jack. Everything was forgotten; he didn't care what she did or said, if she would just keep looking at him that way. For a brief second Jack, the island, the crash, the world fell away and they were the only two creatures in existence.
Sawyer's knees suddenly went weak and buckled and Kate shot an accusatory glare at Jack as she rushed to Sawyer's side, helping him gently down to the ground. He was disoriented and dazed, and he looked up at Kate. "Wha-" he slurred, and his eyes rolled up into his head; he was out cold. Again.
Jack stared at them for a moment; Kate was on her knees next to him, her hand in his. Jack blinked his stinging eyes then headed out of the glade, calling back, "I'll send Eko when he gets back. Why don't you just stay here?" It was nasty and sarcastic, but Jack knew without turning around it didn't matter. She hadn't heard a word he'd said.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skate, Jana, others
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST
Summary: Set during S2, immediately post-WKD, Kate, Sawyer and several other characters go off into the jungle after Michael, learning secrets of the Island along the way.
Spoilers: Season 2
A/N: Tracker is an extremely lengthy, multi-chapter fanfic that I wrote during Season Two. I plan on posting a couple of chapters a day if I can, so please check back! By the way, blame kirvash if you get hooked on it. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 7
Sawyer groaned. He hurt. His shoulder was on fire- the doc only poured about a gallon of alcohol on it. "Jackass", he muttered to himself; the bastard probably enjoyed it too. His mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. He cracked his eyes but the sun glared harshly and his vision swam; there was someone leaning over him...Kate...he smiled at her as she handed him something. Maybe waking up wasn't such a bad thing after all. "Hey, Freck-" he stopped, as his vision cleared; Ana-Lucia was grinning at him. "Oh, shit." he mumbled, and closed his eyes again, hoping if he opened them...dammit. He sighed irritably. "What do you want, Butch?" he snapped as he struggled to sit up.
"Up and at 'em, Sunshine. We're moving out. And before you ask, she's gone to get some water. No need to get your boxers all in a twist." She stood and retreated a few steps.
Sawyer didn't answer, just glared at her. It irked him that he was so easy to read where Kate was concerned, because, of course, he had been about to ask after her. He noticed the water bottle in his hand and drank it, mainly to create a diversion from thoughts of Kate. Ana watched him and smiled.
Sawyer glanced around. The clearing was empty. "Where's everybody at, cupcake? You kill 'em all off?"
Ana grinned. "Nah. You would have been the first to go." She patted the club at her side comfortingly. "Locke and Eko are scouting the trail ahead." She paused and watched Sawyer for his reaction. "Jack is with Kate." She wasn't disappointed.
Jealousy ripped through Sawyer like an icy knife. She was with Jack? Unbelievable. He stood angrily, the pain in his shoulder balancing out the gripping pain in his chest. "Which way did they go?"
Ana smiled at him. "Why, you going after them?" She was enjoying this. As a cop, her survival depended on the ability to read people and over the years she had developed it into sort of a game; figure out what buttons to push, and watch the reactions, people gave away more than they realized just with body language and tone of voice. Her method didn't make her a lot of friends and she knew she came across as a bitch but survival was the most important thing.
Something was going on between the three of them- Jack, Kate and Sawyer- and she wanted to know what it was. She wasn't interested in Sawyer, she knew his type; she arrested guys like him four times a day, a smartass with a chip on his shoulder and a long rap sheet. And anyway, he was obviously gone for Kate, and she for him; it was the thing...the intangible something between Kate and Jack that fascinated her. She couldn't read it, couldn't get a grip on it- and it driving her crazy.
She had been attracted to Jack the instant she saw him- yelling at the ticket agent in the airport. He seemed so good, so decent- he just wanted to bury his father, lady! But underneath there was guilt, an undercurrent so strong Ana felt herself getting dragged along with it as she tailed him to the bar, watching him, reading him...she was enthralled by him. When she saw him in the jungle, that day...the look of disappointment on his face had stunned her.
Sawyer sneered at her. "No, I ain't going after them, Sherlock." He waved his almost-empty water bottle at her. "I need water too. We got a long walk ahead of us." He glared at her. "Now which way did they go?"
Suppressing a laugh, Ana pointed in the direction Jack and Kate had gone and with a sneer Sawyer shoved off into the bushes, cursing and muttering as he went. Ana waited a minute then followed silently behind him.
He was in agony and furious with himself for caring about what she did. Of course she was going to be around Jack, it was inevitable, but things had been so different between them since the hatch; he felt almost betrayed by her for going with Jack and leaving him behind. Obviously, things hadn't changed too much if all Jackass had to do was crook his finger at her and she was at his side like an obedient puppy. Sawyer's rage kicked up a notch. And that look she had, whenever she saw him; that mix of puppy love and hero-worship made him want to rip Jack's arms off and beat him to death with them.
He heard them, up ahead and slowed down, trying not to make a sound. He wanted to see them, he needed to see her; she was like a magnet, drawing him closer... he could just make out their words.
"...Yes." It was Kate. His heart twisted.
They were silent. For a second he thought he had been discovered, but neither moved; he could only see the back of her tank and he had a brief, delicious vision of his hand sliding underneath it, caressing her silky skin and feeling the slide of her firm muscles. But he could see Jack's face; he snorted. Looked like Jackass was cryin'. Hee.
Jack spoke. "Then why did you kiss me?"
Sawyer's world went black. He didn't hear Kate's answer, if she gave one- his head was buzzing like a hive of bees and he wanted to kill Jack. He felt dizzy; taking deep breaths he brought the world back into focus, composed himself, and allowed the comforting weight of hatred and violence to settle back onto his shoulders. Setting his mouth in a smirk, he strolled into the glade.
"Well, well, well," he drawled. "What's this about a kiss?"
* * * * *
Michael was going to drop if they didn't stop soon; the chains were draining and his mind was so fatigued he couldn't put together a coherent thought. Walt...Walt...Walt...it was the only word he knew, and it pounded through his head in synchronization with his footsteps.
He heard Jin stumble and grunt and he mustered a brief flash of guilt, but his misery won out and his brain went back to thumping out the same word in the same rhythm...Walt...Walt...Walt.
He didn't even realize they had left the jungle and come out onto a beach. He glanced around, but nothing really registered until his eyes rested on a giant teepee made out of bamboo poles; at the top sat a giant cauldron, and a huge column of black smoke rose from it.
Terror jolted Michael from his stupor. "What is that?"
Danielle pointed the rifle at him. "Move over there," she said, motioning at a tree a few yards away; she stood them up against the tree then handed them each a wide strip of black cloth. "Put those over your eyes," she commanded. Michael felt her grab his arm; he didn't even have the energy to jerk it away and he heard a click as one of the iron cuffs came off. She had a key? Danielle pulled his arms around the tree and he felt the cuff click back onto his wrist. He heard Jin grunt and figured she was doing the same to him.
"That is their signal," Danielle finally said. She stepped away. "They will come for you after nightfall." He voice was sounding faraway. "Perhaps we shall meet again."
"You better hope not, you crazy bitch!" Michael screamed at her. His grief and fury exploded and he jerked uselessly at the cuffs holding him to the tree. "You better not set foot on my friggin' side of the island, you friggin' fruitcake! I'll kill you! I'll friggin' kill you!"
His energy spent, Michael slid down the trunk of the tree wearily. He was done. He heard Jin speak beside him, but he didn't have the energy to reply. He lost track of time...seconds slurred into minutes...minutes drifted into hours...he didn't know...his head dropped and he slept uneasily.
Jin heard him snore softly, and he sighed quietly in relief.
* * * * *
Kate couldn't move. She could feel his eyes boring into her back and she was afraid to move, to look behind her. How much had he heard? She tried to gauge Sawyer by watching Jack's face and what she saw wasn't great. I guess he heard enough, she thought bitterly and she took a deep breath before glancing back at him; her heart lurched, he was leaning against a tree, smirking. But his eyes were hard and dangerous and he was staring at Jack with a scary intensity.
He wasn't looking at her. He was afraid to; all of the guilt, frustration, uncertainty, and pain of the past few days was coming to a boil and his hands already itched to be around Jack's throat, if he looked into her eyes and found Jack there...he didn't know what he would do. What he might do scared him to death. "You makin' time with my girl, chief?"
Kate's stomach did a peculiar little flip-flop when he called her his girl. She ignored it.
Jack didn't miss the dangerous look in Sawyer's eye; he wasn't worried, hell, the man was barely standing and he only had one arm. And judging by the half-empty water bottle in his hand he had a bellyfull of sleeping pills too. He smiled without humor and said, "No, I'm not, Sawyer. We were just talking."
He sneered. "Yeah. I heard, chief. Something about a kiss." Kate turned around and he finally looked at her, unable to hold out any more; he would see what he would see. "You wanna tell me all about it, sweetcheeks?"
Kate lifted her eyes to his and his heart lifted at what he saw there; hurt, and fear, and guilt. But there was also need, and want...and desire. And no Jack. Everything was forgotten; he didn't care what she did or said, if she would just keep looking at him that way. For a brief second Jack, the island, the crash, the world fell away and they were the only two creatures in existence.
Sawyer's knees suddenly went weak and buckled and Kate shot an accusatory glare at Jack as she rushed to Sawyer's side, helping him gently down to the ground. He was disoriented and dazed, and he looked up at Kate. "Wha-" he slurred, and his eyes rolled up into his head; he was out cold. Again.
Jack stared at them for a moment; Kate was on her knees next to him, her hand in his. Jack blinked his stinging eyes then headed out of the glade, calling back, "I'll send Eko when he gets back. Why don't you just stay here?" It was nasty and sarcastic, but Jack knew without turning around it didn't matter. She hadn't heard a word he'd said.