Tracker, Chapter 34 (Skate, others)
Title: Tracker, Chapter 34
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 34
Jack read the words stenciled on the side of the plane. He glanced at Kate, who was watching Sawyer let Vincent jump all over him and lick his hands. Locke stepped up and read it, also glancing at Kate. She noticed them both looking at her and walked over, trying to look around Jack. "What?" Jack hesitated and stepped aside to let her read it. She shrugged, but Jack could see her pale just a little as her eyes scanned the words:
United States Marshals
Prisoner Transport Division
481-516-234-2
She pushed down the pang of guilt and glanced up at Jack; he was looking at her with a little pity and concern. "You okay?"
She shrugged again, "Why wouldn't I be?" She noticed Sawyer glaring up at her and Jack, his eyes narrowing dangerously before he stood abruptly and stalked off into the woods. Eko watched him go, then glanced at Kate, who hadn't moved. She was sick of him right now, sick of his damn stupid insecurity and attitude. Eko came up to her swiftly, concern in his eyes. He spoke to her in a low voice, drawing her away so none of the others would hear him. "Katherine, you must go after him. Do not let him out of your sight, do you understand?" She looked rebellious and he sighed, gently taking her arm, shocking her slightly. "I know he is difficult but you must not let him away from you. Trust me."
She sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Okay." She glanced back at Jack, who was staring at them suspiciously, and Kate noted with a little satisfaction that Ana was glaring at Jack. She smiled at Eko once more and took off behind Sawyer.
Jack watched her go, shaking his head. He threw a questioning glance at Eko but he just smiled serenely and returned to examining the shell of the plane.
Vincent stared after Kate, panting and grinning; he ran to Michael and jumped up, putting his paws on his chest and barking. Licking Michael's face, he barked again, then ran into the jungle after Kate and Sawyer. "Vincent!" Michael called, "Vincent!" He shook his head. Damn dog.
Jack walked around the cockpit to the split in the fuselage. Jungle overgrowth choked the entrance and he started pulling vines and roots down from the upper part of the plane. One snagged and he gave a hard tug, it gave and came tumbling down, bringing a rotted skeleton with it. There were handcuffs on its bony wrists and shackles peeped through his rotted pants; his skull was caved in, leaving a gaping hole where his face would have been. Jack crouched down to inspect the gruesome corpse but as he touched the chest a snake slithered out of the cavity in its skull and Jack jumped back in surprise, his heart thudding crazily.
Locke squatted down and felt over the body; he looked up at Jack. "He was a prisoner, there's nothing on him." He glanced over at Jack and muttered quietly, "Do you think he died in the crash? Or some Other way?"
Jack didn't miss the inflection and he sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, John, I couldn't tell you that for sure. The plane crash could definitely could have caused that kind of injury, but then again, so could a club to the face." His heart had slowed a little; looking at the body once more he stepped over it, climbing into the hole he'd opened in the foliage. John paused, then followed him, looking sorrowfully at the body as he quietly walked around it.
It was gloomy inside; there were no windows and the vines covered the entrance, keeping out the light. The only illumination came from the various rust holes in the body that let in criss-crossing beams of sunlight, glittering with the dust their feet kicked up. Jack glanced around quickly; the cages and the steel seats made sense, as did the chains on the floor but there wasn't much to see, it was pretty bare. He moved more towards the rear of the plane where it was darker and he cursed himself again for giving Kate his flashlight.
One flicked on next to him and he turned, startled; Ana had hers held out to him, but she wasn't smiling. "Here." She thrust the flashlight at him and he took it, touching her fingers before she jerked away with a glare. Looking confused, Jack turned back to the rear of the plane, shining the flashlight around in a broad arc. A large crate caught his eye and he walked to it, lighting up the sides- he felt a little queasy. The crate was open and empty and stenciled on the side was PROPERTY OF US MARSHALS- ARMS AND AMMUNITION. He groaned a little as he noticed two similar crates; they all said the same thing and they were all empty. Great. Someone on the island had taken three crates of guns and ammunition.
The beam of light swung around the fuselage but there wasn't much else to see. The cockpit was impossible to get into as it had been accordioned into the ground; they wouldn't even be able to get into it and any equipment would have been crushed into garbage anway. Jack sighed. No answers here. Something glittered in the beam of his flashlight and he bent down to inspect it. It was a flat steel band the size of a bracelet and it looked like it had been sawed off. He turned it over and looked at the inside of the band. There were two half-inch spikes sticking out of it; anyone who wore this would be in a lot of pain. He shone the beam on the outer edges and he could just make out words stamped into it but they were too faint to read. He stuck it in his pocket and kept looking.
There was nothing else to find in the fuselage so they all exited the plane and stood in the clearing. Sawyer and Kate hadn't come back and Jack was tempted to leave them behind because waiting on them to resolve their little spats was getting tiresome. He glanced at the sky, frowning, they had gotten a late start, thanks again to Kate and Sawyer, and they had been in the jungle a good while. "Locke, do you think we should camp here?"
Locke shrugged, also glancing at the sky. "I suppose. It'll be dark soon, Kate and Sawyer haven't come back, it's probably best that we stay here."
Jack sighed and nodded at the jungle. "I hope they come back soon."
* * * * *
Kate didn't catch up to Sawyer right away, she hung back, just keeping him in her sights. She was still irritated with him and didn't really want to talk; he overreacted to everything and she was tired of defending herself every five seconds.
She followed him silently for about a mile; he didn't seem to be headed in any particular direction or with any speed, he just wandered aimlessly, his head down, eyes on the ground. She suddenly felt a little guilty, though she didn't know why. Vincent came tearing up behind her, making her gasp in surprise and Sawyer spun around, glaring when he saw her. "What the hell are you doin' here, Freckles? Jackass done with you for today?" He smirked at her. "Or did Ana give you the boot?"
Kate flared. "I was worried about you, you ass."
He laughed at her bitterly. "I don't need you to worry about me, Sweetcheeks. Besides, ain't your plate a little full with worryin' about Jacko's shower habits?" He smirked nastily at her. "Hell, I'm honored that you can even squeeze me in." He turned his attention to Vincent, who was jumping up and putting his paws on Sawyer's chest. Sawyer scratched his ears, then, without looking at Kate, kept walking, Vincent bounding along behind him.
For an instant she considered just turning around and going back; let him do whatever he wanted. She was tired, exhausted from the strain of the last few days and the lack of sleep (though she grinned at that) was taking its toll. She didn't have the energy to deal with him; to get stung over and over again. Vincent stopped, turning to look at her. Seeming impatient with her indecision, he came trotting back to her, grinning and tongue lolling. He stopped in front of her and sat, gazing into her eyes; she smiled and he sat up on his hind legs, whining and begging. He stayed in that position for almost a minute; his doggy eyes held hers as he whimpered until finally he dropped and nosed at her hand. She smiled at him, and when he took off into the woods after Sawyer, she followed.
They walked silently for a while; Sawyer in front, Kate tailing him silently and Vincent in between, running back and forth nosing and licking each one in turn.
Sawyer was kicking himself. Why did he always make things spiral out of control? He wasn't even that mad at Kate, hell, he was glad that she came after him. Why couldn't he just say it? How could he be angry at her for holding back when he was doing the same thing? He knew she didn't love Jack, at least not in a way that would threaten him, so why did it drive him bugshit when she did stupid little things like that? He sighed, kicking at the ground in frustration; now he knew why he never fell in love before. It was too damn much work.
"Sawyer," Kate finally spoke behind him; it was getting dark and they would never make it back before night fell. "We have to make camp."
He wanted to go to her and hold her, forgetting everything that had gone wrong. He could see himself doing it, he could visualize it, but his brain didn't cooperate, instead he called back over his shoulder as he kept walking, "You go ahead, Sweetcheeks. I'm ain't done walkin'."
Vincent ran around in front of Sawyer and faced him, growling. He tried to step around him, but Vincent moved with him, growling louder; he snapped, "Move it, Fido," but the dog didn't budge from his spot blocking Sawyer. Sawyer's shoulders slumped and he glanced over his shoulder at Kate; she was standing with her arms crossed, beaming at the dog, who stopped growling long enough to wag his tail at her. Sawyer shrugged, the absurdity of the situation wiping away most of his anger. "Okay. I guess we're making camp." He stared curiously at Vincent for a minute, his growling had stopped and he was smiling at Sawyer, tongue out, tail wagging frantically. "What's with you, dog?" He asked softly, scratching Vincent's ears.
Kate watched them, her heart twisting as he talked to the dog, scratching his floppy yellow ears until finally she cleared her throat. "I'm gonna go get us some food, can you start a fire?"
He didn't look up from Vincent, he just said, "Yeah. Go ahead." Vincent broke their contact, bouncing over to Kate and jumping in joyful bounds. Sawyer's eyes followed the dog to Kate; they fell on her and stayed, lingering on her as she stared back at him, her breath stopping in her chest as his eyes met hers and locked in. Hours passed, or it could have been minutes, neither one of them knew because time froze for them as they gazed at each other.
Vincent sat between them, his head turning from Sawyer to Kate then back to Sawyer. He lay down, putting his head on his paws and closing his eyes as if his job was done and he just wanted a little sleep. Kate saw him out of the corner of her eye; she chuckled a little, breaking the spell that had them frozen in place; Sawyer crossed the clearing and grabbed her to him, burying his face in her hair. She clutched him to her, sighing as his arms pressed her tightly against his chest.
She finally pulled away, hating to do it because she wanted to stay there forever, feeling his hard body against hers. He protested, but she held him off, sighing. "I need to get us something to eat before it gets too dark. Will you start a fire?"
He grinned at her. "That's what I was tryin' to do, darlin'." Everything from earlier was forgotten because they were in the now, and that was in the then.
Rolling her eyes at him she disappeared into the woods and he got to work breaking up brush to start the fire. Vincent was still lying with his eyes closed and Sawyer watched him for a minute, smiling, he could almost swear the damn dog looked satisfied.
Kate was back quickly, she had grabbed the fruit in a hurry, not wanting to leave him alone long. She stopped just before she came back into the clearing; Sawyer had his shirt off, breaking up brush, he already had a fire going and the light from it flickered on his sweaty skin as he cracked the sticks and branches. The light was waning and Kate stood watching him for a few minutes, the smooth glide of his muscles under his skin as he moved, the shine of the firelight on him. She shuddered with a little dread as for an instant the glow from the flames made him look briefly as if he were burning. She stepped out of the shadows to clear her mind of that vision.
He stopped, wiping his hand across his sweaty forehead and smiled at her, making her stomach flip deliciously. Coming to her he kissed her softly and she could taste the sweat on his lips, making her crazy with sudden desire. She pulled away, and handed him a mango; she was getting really tired of this fruit. He looked at the fruit, and then to her; he looked like he'd been cheated.
Kate laughed at him, then sat by the fire, cutting a slice off of her mango and eating it. Sawyer plopped down beside her, still eying the fruit with disgust. He was tired of fruit too. Kate handed him the knife and he sliced off a piece, but he didn't eat it, instead he handed it out to Vincent, who sniffed it, then wagged his tail, looking at Sawyer. "Go on, eat it." Vincent grabbed it from Sawyer's hand and raced off into the jungle. "Ingrate!" Sawyer called after him, "A thank you would have been nice!"
He turned back to Kate and she held out a slice of hers, laughing. He chuckled back and leaned over and kissed her; her lips tasted like mango juice. He caught her hand, the one holding the fruit, and looking into her eyes, he raised it to his mouth and ate the slice of fruit from her fingers, tasting them gently as he did.
She shivered a little and he dropped her hand, moving his lips to hers. Her hands grasped his shoulders, pulling him down onto her; he complied, pressing her gently to the ground, his hand behind her head, holding her mouth to his.
There was a rustle in the bushes and they both jerked up but it was just Vincent; he had something in his mouth and he trotted to Sawyer, dropping it at his feet. Sawyer picked it up, staring. It was a squirrel-like creature, but larger, about the size of a rabbit and Sawyer just stared as Vincent sat in front of him, looking very pleased with himself.
Kate smiled and picked it up, looking at Vincent in wonder. "I think you have a new friend, Sawyer," she said. "He just brought you dinner."
Sawyer gazed at the dog as Kate carried the creature away to clean it. Shaking his head, he scratched Vincent under his chin as he wagged his tail happily. Ten minutes later Kate had it stuck over the fire and the smell of roasting meat tickled their noses. Vincent was sleeping again, his head propped up on his paws as Sawyer scratched him absently, watching as Kate cooked, enjoying the comfortable silence.
Suddenly Vincent sat up, snarling at the dark jungle. His hackles were raised and his growling was different than it had been with Sawyer; this growl was low and guttural, feral and vicious. Kate and Sawyer both jumped to their feet, trying to see into the darkness; a blanket fell over the world and everything was muffled and suffocating. The bushes rustled again, and this time a man stepped out into the light, keeping his face in shadow. Vincent started to rush at him, but Sawyer grabbed his collar, holding him back; the man laughed and Sawyer tensed; he knew that laugh.
"Well, hello, Ford. Nice to meet you. Again."
* * * * *
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 34
Jack read the words stenciled on the side of the plane. He glanced at Kate, who was watching Sawyer let Vincent jump all over him and lick his hands. Locke stepped up and read it, also glancing at Kate. She noticed them both looking at her and walked over, trying to look around Jack. "What?" Jack hesitated and stepped aside to let her read it. She shrugged, but Jack could see her pale just a little as her eyes scanned the words:
United States Marshals
Prisoner Transport Division
481-516-234-2
She pushed down the pang of guilt and glanced up at Jack; he was looking at her with a little pity and concern. "You okay?"
She shrugged again, "Why wouldn't I be?" She noticed Sawyer glaring up at her and Jack, his eyes narrowing dangerously before he stood abruptly and stalked off into the woods. Eko watched him go, then glanced at Kate, who hadn't moved. She was sick of him right now, sick of his damn stupid insecurity and attitude. Eko came up to her swiftly, concern in his eyes. He spoke to her in a low voice, drawing her away so none of the others would hear him. "Katherine, you must go after him. Do not let him out of your sight, do you understand?" She looked rebellious and he sighed, gently taking her arm, shocking her slightly. "I know he is difficult but you must not let him away from you. Trust me."
She sighed and nodded, "Yeah. Okay." She glanced back at Jack, who was staring at them suspiciously, and Kate noted with a little satisfaction that Ana was glaring at Jack. She smiled at Eko once more and took off behind Sawyer.
Jack watched her go, shaking his head. He threw a questioning glance at Eko but he just smiled serenely and returned to examining the shell of the plane.
Vincent stared after Kate, panting and grinning; he ran to Michael and jumped up, putting his paws on his chest and barking. Licking Michael's face, he barked again, then ran into the jungle after Kate and Sawyer. "Vincent!" Michael called, "Vincent!" He shook his head. Damn dog.
Jack walked around the cockpit to the split in the fuselage. Jungle overgrowth choked the entrance and he started pulling vines and roots down from the upper part of the plane. One snagged and he gave a hard tug, it gave and came tumbling down, bringing a rotted skeleton with it. There were handcuffs on its bony wrists and shackles peeped through his rotted pants; his skull was caved in, leaving a gaping hole where his face would have been. Jack crouched down to inspect the gruesome corpse but as he touched the chest a snake slithered out of the cavity in its skull and Jack jumped back in surprise, his heart thudding crazily.
Locke squatted down and felt over the body; he looked up at Jack. "He was a prisoner, there's nothing on him." He glanced over at Jack and muttered quietly, "Do you think he died in the crash? Or some Other way?"
Jack didn't miss the inflection and he sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, John, I couldn't tell you that for sure. The plane crash could definitely could have caused that kind of injury, but then again, so could a club to the face." His heart had slowed a little; looking at the body once more he stepped over it, climbing into the hole he'd opened in the foliage. John paused, then followed him, looking sorrowfully at the body as he quietly walked around it.
It was gloomy inside; there were no windows and the vines covered the entrance, keeping out the light. The only illumination came from the various rust holes in the body that let in criss-crossing beams of sunlight, glittering with the dust their feet kicked up. Jack glanced around quickly; the cages and the steel seats made sense, as did the chains on the floor but there wasn't much to see, it was pretty bare. He moved more towards the rear of the plane where it was darker and he cursed himself again for giving Kate his flashlight.
One flicked on next to him and he turned, startled; Ana had hers held out to him, but she wasn't smiling. "Here." She thrust the flashlight at him and he took it, touching her fingers before she jerked away with a glare. Looking confused, Jack turned back to the rear of the plane, shining the flashlight around in a broad arc. A large crate caught his eye and he walked to it, lighting up the sides- he felt a little queasy. The crate was open and empty and stenciled on the side was PROPERTY OF US MARSHALS- ARMS AND AMMUNITION. He groaned a little as he noticed two similar crates; they all said the same thing and they were all empty. Great. Someone on the island had taken three crates of guns and ammunition.
The beam of light swung around the fuselage but there wasn't much else to see. The cockpit was impossible to get into as it had been accordioned into the ground; they wouldn't even be able to get into it and any equipment would have been crushed into garbage anway. Jack sighed. No answers here. Something glittered in the beam of his flashlight and he bent down to inspect it. It was a flat steel band the size of a bracelet and it looked like it had been sawed off. He turned it over and looked at the inside of the band. There were two half-inch spikes sticking out of it; anyone who wore this would be in a lot of pain. He shone the beam on the outer edges and he could just make out words stamped into it but they were too faint to read. He stuck it in his pocket and kept looking.
There was nothing else to find in the fuselage so they all exited the plane and stood in the clearing. Sawyer and Kate hadn't come back and Jack was tempted to leave them behind because waiting on them to resolve their little spats was getting tiresome. He glanced at the sky, frowning, they had gotten a late start, thanks again to Kate and Sawyer, and they had been in the jungle a good while. "Locke, do you think we should camp here?"
Locke shrugged, also glancing at the sky. "I suppose. It'll be dark soon, Kate and Sawyer haven't come back, it's probably best that we stay here."
Jack sighed and nodded at the jungle. "I hope they come back soon."
* * * * *
Kate didn't catch up to Sawyer right away, she hung back, just keeping him in her sights. She was still irritated with him and didn't really want to talk; he overreacted to everything and she was tired of defending herself every five seconds.
She followed him silently for about a mile; he didn't seem to be headed in any particular direction or with any speed, he just wandered aimlessly, his head down, eyes on the ground. She suddenly felt a little guilty, though she didn't know why. Vincent came tearing up behind her, making her gasp in surprise and Sawyer spun around, glaring when he saw her. "What the hell are you doin' here, Freckles? Jackass done with you for today?" He smirked at her. "Or did Ana give you the boot?"
Kate flared. "I was worried about you, you ass."
He laughed at her bitterly. "I don't need you to worry about me, Sweetcheeks. Besides, ain't your plate a little full with worryin' about Jacko's shower habits?" He smirked nastily at her. "Hell, I'm honored that you can even squeeze me in." He turned his attention to Vincent, who was jumping up and putting his paws on Sawyer's chest. Sawyer scratched his ears, then, without looking at Kate, kept walking, Vincent bounding along behind him.
For an instant she considered just turning around and going back; let him do whatever he wanted. She was tired, exhausted from the strain of the last few days and the lack of sleep (though she grinned at that) was taking its toll. She didn't have the energy to deal with him; to get stung over and over again. Vincent stopped, turning to look at her. Seeming impatient with her indecision, he came trotting back to her, grinning and tongue lolling. He stopped in front of her and sat, gazing into her eyes; she smiled and he sat up on his hind legs, whining and begging. He stayed in that position for almost a minute; his doggy eyes held hers as he whimpered until finally he dropped and nosed at her hand. She smiled at him, and when he took off into the woods after Sawyer, she followed.
They walked silently for a while; Sawyer in front, Kate tailing him silently and Vincent in between, running back and forth nosing and licking each one in turn.
Sawyer was kicking himself. Why did he always make things spiral out of control? He wasn't even that mad at Kate, hell, he was glad that she came after him. Why couldn't he just say it? How could he be angry at her for holding back when he was doing the same thing? He knew she didn't love Jack, at least not in a way that would threaten him, so why did it drive him bugshit when she did stupid little things like that? He sighed, kicking at the ground in frustration; now he knew why he never fell in love before. It was too damn much work.
"Sawyer," Kate finally spoke behind him; it was getting dark and they would never make it back before night fell. "We have to make camp."
He wanted to go to her and hold her, forgetting everything that had gone wrong. He could see himself doing it, he could visualize it, but his brain didn't cooperate, instead he called back over his shoulder as he kept walking, "You go ahead, Sweetcheeks. I'm ain't done walkin'."
Vincent ran around in front of Sawyer and faced him, growling. He tried to step around him, but Vincent moved with him, growling louder; he snapped, "Move it, Fido," but the dog didn't budge from his spot blocking Sawyer. Sawyer's shoulders slumped and he glanced over his shoulder at Kate; she was standing with her arms crossed, beaming at the dog, who stopped growling long enough to wag his tail at her. Sawyer shrugged, the absurdity of the situation wiping away most of his anger. "Okay. I guess we're making camp." He stared curiously at Vincent for a minute, his growling had stopped and he was smiling at Sawyer, tongue out, tail wagging frantically. "What's with you, dog?" He asked softly, scratching Vincent's ears.
Kate watched them, her heart twisting as he talked to the dog, scratching his floppy yellow ears until finally she cleared her throat. "I'm gonna go get us some food, can you start a fire?"
He didn't look up from Vincent, he just said, "Yeah. Go ahead." Vincent broke their contact, bouncing over to Kate and jumping in joyful bounds. Sawyer's eyes followed the dog to Kate; they fell on her and stayed, lingering on her as she stared back at him, her breath stopping in her chest as his eyes met hers and locked in. Hours passed, or it could have been minutes, neither one of them knew because time froze for them as they gazed at each other.
Vincent sat between them, his head turning from Sawyer to Kate then back to Sawyer. He lay down, putting his head on his paws and closing his eyes as if his job was done and he just wanted a little sleep. Kate saw him out of the corner of her eye; she chuckled a little, breaking the spell that had them frozen in place; Sawyer crossed the clearing and grabbed her to him, burying his face in her hair. She clutched him to her, sighing as his arms pressed her tightly against his chest.
She finally pulled away, hating to do it because she wanted to stay there forever, feeling his hard body against hers. He protested, but she held him off, sighing. "I need to get us something to eat before it gets too dark. Will you start a fire?"
He grinned at her. "That's what I was tryin' to do, darlin'." Everything from earlier was forgotten because they were in the now, and that was in the then.
Rolling her eyes at him she disappeared into the woods and he got to work breaking up brush to start the fire. Vincent was still lying with his eyes closed and Sawyer watched him for a minute, smiling, he could almost swear the damn dog looked satisfied.
Kate was back quickly, she had grabbed the fruit in a hurry, not wanting to leave him alone long. She stopped just before she came back into the clearing; Sawyer had his shirt off, breaking up brush, he already had a fire going and the light from it flickered on his sweaty skin as he cracked the sticks and branches. The light was waning and Kate stood watching him for a few minutes, the smooth glide of his muscles under his skin as he moved, the shine of the firelight on him. She shuddered with a little dread as for an instant the glow from the flames made him look briefly as if he were burning. She stepped out of the shadows to clear her mind of that vision.
He stopped, wiping his hand across his sweaty forehead and smiled at her, making her stomach flip deliciously. Coming to her he kissed her softly and she could taste the sweat on his lips, making her crazy with sudden desire. She pulled away, and handed him a mango; she was getting really tired of this fruit. He looked at the fruit, and then to her; he looked like he'd been cheated.
Kate laughed at him, then sat by the fire, cutting a slice off of her mango and eating it. Sawyer plopped down beside her, still eying the fruit with disgust. He was tired of fruit too. Kate handed him the knife and he sliced off a piece, but he didn't eat it, instead he handed it out to Vincent, who sniffed it, then wagged his tail, looking at Sawyer. "Go on, eat it." Vincent grabbed it from Sawyer's hand and raced off into the jungle. "Ingrate!" Sawyer called after him, "A thank you would have been nice!"
He turned back to Kate and she held out a slice of hers, laughing. He chuckled back and leaned over and kissed her; her lips tasted like mango juice. He caught her hand, the one holding the fruit, and looking into her eyes, he raised it to his mouth and ate the slice of fruit from her fingers, tasting them gently as he did.
She shivered a little and he dropped her hand, moving his lips to hers. Her hands grasped his shoulders, pulling him down onto her; he complied, pressing her gently to the ground, his hand behind her head, holding her mouth to his.
There was a rustle in the bushes and they both jerked up but it was just Vincent; he had something in his mouth and he trotted to Sawyer, dropping it at his feet. Sawyer picked it up, staring. It was a squirrel-like creature, but larger, about the size of a rabbit and Sawyer just stared as Vincent sat in front of him, looking very pleased with himself.
Kate smiled and picked it up, looking at Vincent in wonder. "I think you have a new friend, Sawyer," she said. "He just brought you dinner."
Sawyer gazed at the dog as Kate carried the creature away to clean it. Shaking his head, he scratched Vincent under his chin as he wagged his tail happily. Ten minutes later Kate had it stuck over the fire and the smell of roasting meat tickled their noses. Vincent was sleeping again, his head propped up on his paws as Sawyer scratched him absently, watching as Kate cooked, enjoying the comfortable silence.
Suddenly Vincent sat up, snarling at the dark jungle. His hackles were raised and his growling was different than it had been with Sawyer; this growl was low and guttural, feral and vicious. Kate and Sawyer both jumped to their feet, trying to see into the darkness; a blanket fell over the world and everything was muffled and suffocating. The bushes rustled again, and this time a man stepped out into the light, keeping his face in shadow. Vincent started to rush at him, but Sawyer grabbed his collar, holding him back; the man laughed and Sawyer tensed; he knew that laugh.
"Well, hello, Ford. Nice to meet you. Again."
* * * * *