Tracker, Chapter 33 (Skate, others)
Title: Tracker, Chapter 33
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 33
Ana slept like a rock; the combination of a bed, the beer, the shower and the sex had put her out like a light; when she finally dragged her eyes open it was to Jack, shaking her gently. He looked apologetic. "Sorry I have to wake you up," he said, "But we're almost ready to go, we're just waiting on Kate and Sawyer." She blinked sleepily at him, and he smiled, glancing around the room to make sure they were alone. Satisfied that they were, he bent down and kissed her quickly. "You still have time to take a shower if you want."
She nodded and he left. She watched him go, then stretched and yawned, dragging herself up sitting on the edge of the bed. She had a slight hangover, what a wuss, she thought to herself. Two beers and I got a damn headache. She stood, stretching again, her clean clothes were draped over the railings of one of the beds and she felt them to see if they were dry. Nope, still a little damp. She hoped Sawyer and Kate took a while, she hated the feel of wet jeans.
Eying the bathroom, she grabbed her towel; everyone had used the others. She went in, turning the knobs and relishing the hiss of the water as it came on; she almost hated to leave this place with its creature comforts. The water warmed quickly and she adjusted the knobs until the temperature was as hot as she could stand it as the bathroom filled with steam.
She stayed under the water until it started to cool and as she shut off the faucets she tried to swallow her disappointment. Jack hadn't come to her. A horrible thought crossed her mind; he was waiting for Kate. Ana's dislike of Kate grew, though it wasn't really her fault; she'd chosen Sawyer and to her Jack was just a friend. Jack knew it, Ana had seen it in his face, but he just couldn't let her go- she'd seen that in his face too. One romp in the shower with her wasn't gonna change that.
She drew on the shorts and the t-shirt with angry irritation since she really wanted to let her jeans dry as much as possible before she had to put them on. toweling her hair dry with vigor, she cursed Kate and Jack with equal venom, and herself for good measure for even giving a crap in the first place. She wrapped her hair up with a hair tie, pulling it into a loose bun; it felt good to get it off her neck and as she came out of the bathroom she saw Kate and Sawyer looking around the bunk room with interest. They both looked over as she came out and Kate laughed as soon as she saw her clothes, making Ana glared at her. Keep pushing me, Kitten, she thought to herself, then shook her head. She was really only pissed at Kate because of Jack, and truthfully he was the one she should be mad at.
Sawyer leered at her legs; then he smirked at her outift. "Well, hello Disco Mama!" Kate snickered again, and Ana took them in, Kate's arm wrapped casually around his waist, his arm draped loosely over her shoulder, the ease with which they stood together...suddenly Ana hated them both. Sawyer glanced down at Kate, and she gazed back up at him, smiling; he nodded towards Ana and said in a low voice, "All she's missin' is a glitter ball and some go-go boots." Kate snorted and buried her head in Sawyer's shoulder, laughing; he smiled at Ana, who snatched her still-wet clothes angrily off the bed and stormed back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Kate dissolved into giggles; Sawyer put his other arm around her and chuckled with along with her. Jack stuck his head in the door, looking around. "What was that?"
Sawyer grinned at him, nodding towards the bathroom door. "I think we hurt her feelings." He didn't look sorry, Jack noted, and Kate's shoulders were still shaking silently with supressed giggles. He glanced at the bathroom door, and Sawyer caught his expression; a slow, wicked smile spread across his face. "Well, well, Doc. You and Butch have a little splish splash in the bath?" Kate stopped laughing abruptly and tensed; he felt it and it pissed him off.
Jack glared at him and kind of laughed unconvincingly; Sawyer would have been enjoying himself immensely if he wasn't so ticked off at Kate. "What's that supposed to mean, Sawyer?"
He shrugged; the fun had gone out of it now. Taking his arms away from Kate, he shrugged. "Nothin', Doc. Are we ready to go?"
Jack glared at him for a minute then he glanced at Kate, who had turned around when Sawyer let her go. She was looking questioningly at him, and he glared at her too, briefly before turning away from them and walking down the hall.
Kate glanced up at Sawyer; she could tell he was pissed. "I guess that was a yes," she said, grinning at him; he glared at her too before turning and following Jack. Her shoulders sagging, she sighed and ran after him.
She caught up to him and grabbed his arm, he didn't look at her. "Don't, Kate," he snarled softly, pulling his arm away.
"What?" she asked, "What's wrong?" She knew perfectly well what was wrong, and she kicked herself for it; she didn't know why she still cared so much about what Jack did. She didn't, really, it was just like a reflex action, but she didn't think Sawyer would believe that even if she did tell him. She wasn't entirely sure she believed it.
He stopped and rolled his head around to face her, a look of disgust on his face. "Kate, every time I ask you what there is between you and him, you tell me 'nothing'. It's always nothing. But then something like that happens," he pointed to the bunks, "and I have to wonder just how much something there is in that nothing."
Kate didn't know what to say. His eyes were searching hers, looking for something he apparently wasn't finding; she opened her mouth to speak, "Sawyer, I-" she stopped, feeling flustered at his searching eyes, like she was somehow disappointing him.
His gaze grew colder; she shivered under it. "You kissed him, right?" He grabbed her wrist, pulling her roughly against him, his eyes glaring. "What did you feel then?"
She couldn't look him in the eyes and her own weakness frustrated her; she jerked her wrist out of his hand and glared back at him. "Nothing."
She finally met his eyes; he didn't believe her. Rolling his eyes at her angrily he snapped, "Whatever, Kate." He spun around and headed for the door.
She didn't follow him right away; frustration was gnawing at her, making her angry. They never seemed to be able to move forward; something was always there to drag them back to square one.
Ana came up behind her, smirking; her voice was chilly. "So, how was Jack's kiss?" She'd been standing behind them almost the whole time.
Kate turned and stared at her, then she smiled coldly. "I guess you'd know better than I would. How was the rest of him?"
Ana sneered at her, and leaned in close, holding Kate's eyes. "He was utterly friggin' fantastic." She smirked and sauntered past Kate, leaving her standing stunned in the hallway.
* * * * *
The Research Center wasn't on the map, but Locke figured their general position by figuring the distance and direction from the drains. The Shark Station hatch was northwest of them, near the tip of the island. They wound their way through the jungle, skirting the outside of the fence; before leaving Jack had taken Kate aside and asked her if she still had the security badge because he thought they might need it later. Sawyer was glaring at them, and she averted her eyes, muttering that Sawyer had it. Jack shrugged, as long as they knew where it was. He hadn't looked at or spoken to her since.
Neither had Sawyer; she was trailing him and he walked stiffly, feeling her eyes on him. He wasn't worried about Kate and Jack, she wasn't going to desert him for Jackass, he was sure. She loved him, and he loved her; they just couldn't seem to get around the bullshit. What pissed him off was her need to lie about it, to deny it. Hell, he wasn't blind, there had been something between Kate and Jack before he came into the picture, but why did she feel like she had to cover it up? That was what worried him. After all the crap they'd been through together, why did she still need to lie?
Locke stopped, and held his hand up, shushing everyone. They heard it too, barking in the distance. Michael's head shot up, he had been walking quietly next to Ana, thinking about Walt. He missed him so terribly; sometimes the feeling of loss took his breath away. "Vincent!" He took off running towards the barking.
Jack called after him, "Michael, wait!" He kept running; it was no coincidence that he had been thinking about Walt and Vincent started barking.
He burst into a clearing and skidded to a halt; a huge airplane was lying broken in half on the ground, covered in vines and undergrowth. Vincent was sitting in front of it, tongue hanging out happily, looking very pleased with himself. Still gaping at the plane, Michael patted his legs and Vincent trotted to him, slobber dripping from his lolling tongue.
Dropping to his knees, Michael pulled his eyes away from the plane and started looking Vincent over; Locke said he had been hurt badly. There wasn't a scratch on him, though, Michael inspected every inch, lifting his fur, checking his belly. Nothing. He looked him in the eyes, and Vincent grinned at him, licking his face happily.
The others came bursting into the clearing, stopping to stare, shocked at the broken plane. Jack glanced at Michael, "You okay?" Michael nodded, ruffling Vincent's fur, smiling.
Locke came over to Vincent, looking at him warily. "How is he?"
Michael smiled. "Not a scratch. Must have been the cat's blood you saw on him."
Locke was gazing curiously at Vincent, shaking his head. "No, Michael. I saw the cat tear open his shoulder." He leaned down and ran his hands over Vincent's legs. Not a scar. Not even a bump. What the hell was going on? He held Vincent's face in his hands and looked into his eyes. "Where did you go, buddy?"
Vincent panted happily for a second, returning Locke's stare. He barked happily and pulled away, bounding around everyone with abandon. He jumped up against Sawyer, who was staring aghast at the plane; he reached down and scratched the dog's fuzzy ears and Kate smiled as he knelt down and hugged the dog around the neck.
Jack, Ana and Eko were inspecting the plane; it was huge, like a military cargo plane. The cockpit was crushed and accordioned, but the fuselage was relatively intact except for being broken cleanly off from the front half.
It was really old, at least twenty five years, Jack thought. It was rusted through in spots, as he looked through a large hole he could see a steel seats bolted onto the floor and there were also large cages. And chains on the floor. What the hell kind of a plane was this? Maybe it crashed bringing some animals in, he thought. He eyed the chains on the floor, shaking his head. Animals didn't wear handcuffs.
Eko cleared some vines away from the side of it; his eyes widened and he called to Jack. Jack came over and read the writing on the rusting skin of the plane; he looked at Eko and frowned. "That doesn't sound very good."
* * * * *
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 33
Ana slept like a rock; the combination of a bed, the beer, the shower and the sex had put her out like a light; when she finally dragged her eyes open it was to Jack, shaking her gently. He looked apologetic. "Sorry I have to wake you up," he said, "But we're almost ready to go, we're just waiting on Kate and Sawyer." She blinked sleepily at him, and he smiled, glancing around the room to make sure they were alone. Satisfied that they were, he bent down and kissed her quickly. "You still have time to take a shower if you want."
She nodded and he left. She watched him go, then stretched and yawned, dragging herself up sitting on the edge of the bed. She had a slight hangover, what a wuss, she thought to herself. Two beers and I got a damn headache. She stood, stretching again, her clean clothes were draped over the railings of one of the beds and she felt them to see if they were dry. Nope, still a little damp. She hoped Sawyer and Kate took a while, she hated the feel of wet jeans.
Eying the bathroom, she grabbed her towel; everyone had used the others. She went in, turning the knobs and relishing the hiss of the water as it came on; she almost hated to leave this place with its creature comforts. The water warmed quickly and she adjusted the knobs until the temperature was as hot as she could stand it as the bathroom filled with steam.
She stayed under the water until it started to cool and as she shut off the faucets she tried to swallow her disappointment. Jack hadn't come to her. A horrible thought crossed her mind; he was waiting for Kate. Ana's dislike of Kate grew, though it wasn't really her fault; she'd chosen Sawyer and to her Jack was just a friend. Jack knew it, Ana had seen it in his face, but he just couldn't let her go- she'd seen that in his face too. One romp in the shower with her wasn't gonna change that.
She drew on the shorts and the t-shirt with angry irritation since she really wanted to let her jeans dry as much as possible before she had to put them on. toweling her hair dry with vigor, she cursed Kate and Jack with equal venom, and herself for good measure for even giving a crap in the first place. She wrapped her hair up with a hair tie, pulling it into a loose bun; it felt good to get it off her neck and as she came out of the bathroom she saw Kate and Sawyer looking around the bunk room with interest. They both looked over as she came out and Kate laughed as soon as she saw her clothes, making Ana glared at her. Keep pushing me, Kitten, she thought to herself, then shook her head. She was really only pissed at Kate because of Jack, and truthfully he was the one she should be mad at.
Sawyer leered at her legs; then he smirked at her outift. "Well, hello Disco Mama!" Kate snickered again, and Ana took them in, Kate's arm wrapped casually around his waist, his arm draped loosely over her shoulder, the ease with which they stood together...suddenly Ana hated them both. Sawyer glanced down at Kate, and she gazed back up at him, smiling; he nodded towards Ana and said in a low voice, "All she's missin' is a glitter ball and some go-go boots." Kate snorted and buried her head in Sawyer's shoulder, laughing; he smiled at Ana, who snatched her still-wet clothes angrily off the bed and stormed back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Kate dissolved into giggles; Sawyer put his other arm around her and chuckled with along with her. Jack stuck his head in the door, looking around. "What was that?"
Sawyer grinned at him, nodding towards the bathroom door. "I think we hurt her feelings." He didn't look sorry, Jack noted, and Kate's shoulders were still shaking silently with supressed giggles. He glanced at the bathroom door, and Sawyer caught his expression; a slow, wicked smile spread across his face. "Well, well, Doc. You and Butch have a little splish splash in the bath?" Kate stopped laughing abruptly and tensed; he felt it and it pissed him off.
Jack glared at him and kind of laughed unconvincingly; Sawyer would have been enjoying himself immensely if he wasn't so ticked off at Kate. "What's that supposed to mean, Sawyer?"
He shrugged; the fun had gone out of it now. Taking his arms away from Kate, he shrugged. "Nothin', Doc. Are we ready to go?"
Jack glared at him for a minute then he glanced at Kate, who had turned around when Sawyer let her go. She was looking questioningly at him, and he glared at her too, briefly before turning away from them and walking down the hall.
Kate glanced up at Sawyer; she could tell he was pissed. "I guess that was a yes," she said, grinning at him; he glared at her too before turning and following Jack. Her shoulders sagging, she sighed and ran after him.
She caught up to him and grabbed his arm, he didn't look at her. "Don't, Kate," he snarled softly, pulling his arm away.
"What?" she asked, "What's wrong?" She knew perfectly well what was wrong, and she kicked herself for it; she didn't know why she still cared so much about what Jack did. She didn't, really, it was just like a reflex action, but she didn't think Sawyer would believe that even if she did tell him. She wasn't entirely sure she believed it.
He stopped and rolled his head around to face her, a look of disgust on his face. "Kate, every time I ask you what there is between you and him, you tell me 'nothing'. It's always nothing. But then something like that happens," he pointed to the bunks, "and I have to wonder just how much something there is in that nothing."
Kate didn't know what to say. His eyes were searching hers, looking for something he apparently wasn't finding; she opened her mouth to speak, "Sawyer, I-" she stopped, feeling flustered at his searching eyes, like she was somehow disappointing him.
His gaze grew colder; she shivered under it. "You kissed him, right?" He grabbed her wrist, pulling her roughly against him, his eyes glaring. "What did you feel then?"
She couldn't look him in the eyes and her own weakness frustrated her; she jerked her wrist out of his hand and glared back at him. "Nothing."
She finally met his eyes; he didn't believe her. Rolling his eyes at her angrily he snapped, "Whatever, Kate." He spun around and headed for the door.
She didn't follow him right away; frustration was gnawing at her, making her angry. They never seemed to be able to move forward; something was always there to drag them back to square one.
Ana came up behind her, smirking; her voice was chilly. "So, how was Jack's kiss?" She'd been standing behind them almost the whole time.
Kate turned and stared at her, then she smiled coldly. "I guess you'd know better than I would. How was the rest of him?"
Ana sneered at her, and leaned in close, holding Kate's eyes. "He was utterly friggin' fantastic." She smirked and sauntered past Kate, leaving her standing stunned in the hallway.
* * * * *
The Research Center wasn't on the map, but Locke figured their general position by figuring the distance and direction from the drains. The Shark Station hatch was northwest of them, near the tip of the island. They wound their way through the jungle, skirting the outside of the fence; before leaving Jack had taken Kate aside and asked her if she still had the security badge because he thought they might need it later. Sawyer was glaring at them, and she averted her eyes, muttering that Sawyer had it. Jack shrugged, as long as they knew where it was. He hadn't looked at or spoken to her since.
Neither had Sawyer; she was trailing him and he walked stiffly, feeling her eyes on him. He wasn't worried about Kate and Jack, she wasn't going to desert him for Jackass, he was sure. She loved him, and he loved her; they just couldn't seem to get around the bullshit. What pissed him off was her need to lie about it, to deny it. Hell, he wasn't blind, there had been something between Kate and Jack before he came into the picture, but why did she feel like she had to cover it up? That was what worried him. After all the crap they'd been through together, why did she still need to lie?
Locke stopped, and held his hand up, shushing everyone. They heard it too, barking in the distance. Michael's head shot up, he had been walking quietly next to Ana, thinking about Walt. He missed him so terribly; sometimes the feeling of loss took his breath away. "Vincent!" He took off running towards the barking.
Jack called after him, "Michael, wait!" He kept running; it was no coincidence that he had been thinking about Walt and Vincent started barking.
He burst into a clearing and skidded to a halt; a huge airplane was lying broken in half on the ground, covered in vines and undergrowth. Vincent was sitting in front of it, tongue hanging out happily, looking very pleased with himself. Still gaping at the plane, Michael patted his legs and Vincent trotted to him, slobber dripping from his lolling tongue.
Dropping to his knees, Michael pulled his eyes away from the plane and started looking Vincent over; Locke said he had been hurt badly. There wasn't a scratch on him, though, Michael inspected every inch, lifting his fur, checking his belly. Nothing. He looked him in the eyes, and Vincent grinned at him, licking his face happily.
The others came bursting into the clearing, stopping to stare, shocked at the broken plane. Jack glanced at Michael, "You okay?" Michael nodded, ruffling Vincent's fur, smiling.
Locke came over to Vincent, looking at him warily. "How is he?"
Michael smiled. "Not a scratch. Must have been the cat's blood you saw on him."
Locke was gazing curiously at Vincent, shaking his head. "No, Michael. I saw the cat tear open his shoulder." He leaned down and ran his hands over Vincent's legs. Not a scar. Not even a bump. What the hell was going on? He held Vincent's face in his hands and looked into his eyes. "Where did you go, buddy?"
Vincent panted happily for a second, returning Locke's stare. He barked happily and pulled away, bounding around everyone with abandon. He jumped up against Sawyer, who was staring aghast at the plane; he reached down and scratched the dog's fuzzy ears and Kate smiled as he knelt down and hugged the dog around the neck.
Jack, Ana and Eko were inspecting the plane; it was huge, like a military cargo plane. The cockpit was crushed and accordioned, but the fuselage was relatively intact except for being broken cleanly off from the front half.
It was really old, at least twenty five years, Jack thought. It was rusted through in spots, as he looked through a large hole he could see a steel seats bolted onto the floor and there were also large cages. And chains on the floor. What the hell kind of a plane was this? Maybe it crashed bringing some animals in, he thought. He eyed the chains on the floor, shaking his head. Animals didn't wear handcuffs.
Eko cleared some vines away from the side of it; his eyes widened and he called to Jack. Jack came over and read the writing on the rusting skin of the plane; he looked at Eko and frowned. "That doesn't sound very good."
* * * * *