lost kate/claire fic part 4
Kate awoke in a fog, her head pounding and the all-too-familiar feeling of blood trickling down her face. Sawyer was slumped over in the dirt next to her, and she saw a couple guards blocking the courtyard. What she didn't see was a suddenly homicidal, though still missed, blond girl.
"Where's Claire?!" Kate demanded, having gotten to her feet before she had even realised it.
The guard didn't speak, but his pointed gun wavered at Kate's aggression. She pushed past him easily and entered the temple to find a crowd of people led by Dogen and Lennon.
"Where's Claire?!" she demanded again, shoving her way into the circle of people only to find the girl, bound, lying at their feet. She was thrashing and obviously in pain, but the men surrounding her seemed to simply watch and wait. Kate was suddenly at her side, despite the number of larger men trying to keep her anywhere else.
"She's not Claire anymore," Dogen spoke in English, watching as one of his cronies tried like hell to pull Kate away.
The fear in Claire's eyes as they darted from the others to Kate pleadingly told her differently.
"Claire," Kate reached for the gag in the other woman's mouth, but was dragged away too quickly by one of the men.
"It's too late, Kate," Jack said from behind her. "They poisoned her. They say that she's possessed, whatever they mean by that..." he trailed off sadly.
"Too late?!" Kate hit the man that was holding her back and lunged for a rifle, her rifle, which was on the ground a few feet away. Within seconds, the gun was cocked and aimed at Dogen's eye. "Back up," she told him, moving the gun from eye to eye through the crowd. She rushed to Claire's side once again, pulling the gag out of her mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked, working at the knot in the rope that bound Claire's wrists.
"Get away from her!" Lennon yelled, approaching before Kate could aim the rifle again.
"If I were you, I'd get anyone that you don't want blown away out of here. Now!" she screamed, and he began to escort his people out of the temple, knowing that Kate wouldn't think twice before killing any of them. "Claire, what did they do to you?" she asked, back to untying the knots.
"They--" Claire coughed, throat dry with pain and fear. "tied me up, held me," cough, "forced a pill down my throat."
"Oh, Claire," Kate grabbed the smaller girl and held her to her, cradling her head.
"They said I'm gonna die, that I have to... That I'm... evil," she cried, clutching Kate to her in spite of it all.
"You're not going to die, Claire. I promise," she looked behind her to Jack, silently begging him to confirm that she was speaking the truth. He only looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry. I finally got to see you again and I attacked you. I just... I've been here so long, searching for Aaron, and I'm afraid I'm not myself anymore. I'm so sorry," Claire sobbed.
"It's okay, Claire," Kate looked into her glistening blue eyes just as she had all those years ago. Somehow, it felt like they'd never left each other at all. "We're together now, and you're gonna be fine, okay? You just have to trust me," Kate lied, needing to supply what little comfort she could to the terrified girl.
"They poisoned me, Kate. I can feel it running through me. It's too late."
"Don't say that! You're strong, Claire. You've beaten everything. You have to beat this, too," Kate pleaded, as if it were a decision.
"I... I don't know if I can," Claire coughed, looking into Kate's eyes with a sense of horror.
"You can Claire...for me. For Aaron. I'm only here to get you back to him. I only came back for you," she cried, watching as Claire's eyes clouded over, becoming opaque. "Come on.. come on, Claire! Fight it," Kate shouted, cradling the girl as she shook.
Suddenly, Claire's eyes shot open, wide, a new clarity within them. She ripped away from Kate suddenly and began to violently wretch, finally succeeding in making herself vomit.
"That's it, Claire. There ya go," Kate said, calming only slightly, rubbing Claire's back and pulling her hair away from her face.
"What if it's too late?" Claire choked out.
"It's not, honey. It can't be."
Claire threw up as much as she could before cupping some water out of the spring and rinsing her mouth. She looked at Kate, who was impatiently awaiting some sort of reaction or conclusion. Claire crawled weakly across the dirt floor and crumbled into Kate, lying her head in her lap.
"I think... I think I'm okay," Claire said quietly, still worried she might jinx it if she said it aloud.
"Do you feel better? What do you feel?" Kate asked, brushing the hair out of Claire's face, sprinkling water on her forehead.
"I feel weak, but... I don't feel like I'm being ripped apart anymore."
"Oh, Claire, thank God," Kate breathed out, pulling the girl to her chest again and holding her there.
"Is she okay?" Jack asked, suddenly in the room again and approaching them.
"I think so," Kate smiled, never tearing her eyes away from the blue ones staring up at her.
"I don't know what happened. I couldn't stop them," Jack tried to explain.
"No, Jack. You didn't stop them. There's a difference," Kate yelled, looking up at him with hatred in her eyes.
"Kate, it's okay," Claire said, reaching up to touch her face gently, both drawing her attention and calming her at once. "You saved me. Doesn't matter what anyone else did."
"It does matter, Claire," Kate said, unable to rid herself of the anger she felt toward Jack, so willing to believe these strangers and just let Claire go.
"No," Claire smiled slightly, feeling the life and energy filling her as she remained focused on Kate's face. "Doesn't matter."
- - -
"Where's Claire?!" Kate demanded, having gotten to her feet before she had even realised it.
The guard didn't speak, but his pointed gun wavered at Kate's aggression. She pushed past him easily and entered the temple to find a crowd of people led by Dogen and Lennon.
"Where's Claire?!" she demanded again, shoving her way into the circle of people only to find the girl, bound, lying at their feet. She was thrashing and obviously in pain, but the men surrounding her seemed to simply watch and wait. Kate was suddenly at her side, despite the number of larger men trying to keep her anywhere else.
"She's not Claire anymore," Dogen spoke in English, watching as one of his cronies tried like hell to pull Kate away.
The fear in Claire's eyes as they darted from the others to Kate pleadingly told her differently.
"Claire," Kate reached for the gag in the other woman's mouth, but was dragged away too quickly by one of the men.
"It's too late, Kate," Jack said from behind her. "They poisoned her. They say that she's possessed, whatever they mean by that..." he trailed off sadly.
"Too late?!" Kate hit the man that was holding her back and lunged for a rifle, her rifle, which was on the ground a few feet away. Within seconds, the gun was cocked and aimed at Dogen's eye. "Back up," she told him, moving the gun from eye to eye through the crowd. She rushed to Claire's side once again, pulling the gag out of her mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked, working at the knot in the rope that bound Claire's wrists.
"Get away from her!" Lennon yelled, approaching before Kate could aim the rifle again.
"If I were you, I'd get anyone that you don't want blown away out of here. Now!" she screamed, and he began to escort his people out of the temple, knowing that Kate wouldn't think twice before killing any of them. "Claire, what did they do to you?" she asked, back to untying the knots.
"They--" Claire coughed, throat dry with pain and fear. "tied me up, held me," cough, "forced a pill down my throat."
"Oh, Claire," Kate grabbed the smaller girl and held her to her, cradling her head.
"They said I'm gonna die, that I have to... That I'm... evil," she cried, clutching Kate to her in spite of it all.
"You're not going to die, Claire. I promise," she looked behind her to Jack, silently begging him to confirm that she was speaking the truth. He only looked at her with tears in his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry. I finally got to see you again and I attacked you. I just... I've been here so long, searching for Aaron, and I'm afraid I'm not myself anymore. I'm so sorry," Claire sobbed.
"It's okay, Claire," Kate looked into her glistening blue eyes just as she had all those years ago. Somehow, it felt like they'd never left each other at all. "We're together now, and you're gonna be fine, okay? You just have to trust me," Kate lied, needing to supply what little comfort she could to the terrified girl.
"They poisoned me, Kate. I can feel it running through me. It's too late."
"Don't say that! You're strong, Claire. You've beaten everything. You have to beat this, too," Kate pleaded, as if it were a decision.
"I... I don't know if I can," Claire coughed, looking into Kate's eyes with a sense of horror.
"You can Claire...for me. For Aaron. I'm only here to get you back to him. I only came back for you," she cried, watching as Claire's eyes clouded over, becoming opaque. "Come on.. come on, Claire! Fight it," Kate shouted, cradling the girl as she shook.
Suddenly, Claire's eyes shot open, wide, a new clarity within them. She ripped away from Kate suddenly and began to violently wretch, finally succeeding in making herself vomit.
"That's it, Claire. There ya go," Kate said, calming only slightly, rubbing Claire's back and pulling her hair away from her face.
"What if it's too late?" Claire choked out.
"It's not, honey. It can't be."
Claire threw up as much as she could before cupping some water out of the spring and rinsing her mouth. She looked at Kate, who was impatiently awaiting some sort of reaction or conclusion. Claire crawled weakly across the dirt floor and crumbled into Kate, lying her head in her lap.
"I think... I think I'm okay," Claire said quietly, still worried she might jinx it if she said it aloud.
"Do you feel better? What do you feel?" Kate asked, brushing the hair out of Claire's face, sprinkling water on her forehead.
"I feel weak, but... I don't feel like I'm being ripped apart anymore."
"Oh, Claire, thank God," Kate breathed out, pulling the girl to her chest again and holding her there.
"Is she okay?" Jack asked, suddenly in the room again and approaching them.
"I think so," Kate smiled, never tearing her eyes away from the blue ones staring up at her.
"I don't know what happened. I couldn't stop them," Jack tried to explain.
"No, Jack. You didn't stop them. There's a difference," Kate yelled, looking up at him with hatred in her eyes.
"Kate, it's okay," Claire said, reaching up to touch her face gently, both drawing her attention and calming her at once. "You saved me. Doesn't matter what anyone else did."
"It does matter, Claire," Kate said, unable to rid herself of the anger she felt toward Jack, so willing to believe these strangers and just let Claire go.
"No," Claire smiled slightly, feeling the life and energy filling her as she remained focused on Kate's face. "Doesn't matter."
- - -