Disclaimer: No ownie.

Chapter summary: 'You're lying' - Sawyer tells a wounded Jack why he cares.

Chapter 6

Beautiful and broken or Dreams

’You’re lying,’ Sawyer whispered, in a low rumbling voice, directly into Jacks ear, pinning him face down to the ground. ‘The nightmares. They’re not just dreams, are they, Jack?’ He tightened his grip on the fragile wrists in his hands, thin and struggling to get free, fighting or enough space to run. They were alone in the clearing where Sawyer a few months earlier had revealed his meeting with Christian in a dingy bar in Sidney. He nuzzled Jacks ear, scarred and slightly torn from his meeting with the beast, and said ‘Tell me what’s wrong, so I can help you.’

‘Why would you want to help me?’ Jack asked in a voice as fragile as his wrists, which he kept twisting in Sawyers strong grip.

‘You don’t remember?’

‘No. I don’t remember a lot of things.’

‘There was this one time,’ he began, ‘we were… and you said we were all right after all, and I told you then. Don’t you remember? I told you… I told you I love you. You were happy. That I did, I mean,’ and the air seemed to go out of Jack as he laid still, front pressed to the leaves and dried mud. He drew a shaky breath, and turned his head slowly to look at Sawyer, still perched above him. Sawyer couldn’t help it, no matter how much he tried not to be intimidated by it he felt a chill pass through him upon the sight of Jacks damaged face. There were four long tears across it, as if a large paw had sunk its claws into it. The wounds had closed nicely, there had been no infections, but they hadn’t managed to save Jack’s right eye. That was the eye closest to Sawyer’s face now and he swallowed audibly as Jack blinked up at him.

‘I don’t tell you, because I don’t know. I can’t remember the dreams once I wake.’ His voice was softer now, and had lost the edge it had to it earlier. ‘This morning, someone had dressed the wounds on my arm. Was that you?’ Sawyer shrugged. ‘Afraid I can’t take credit for that one. It was all Sun. Although, if I might say so, I make a damn fine assistant,’ and Jack grinned as much as his face would allow at the moment. His eyes fluttered closed for a little while, before settling his gaze on the small patch of sky visible through the roof of the forest.

‘Will you help me back to the caves?’ he asked, looking all but beautiful and broken.

‘Sure. You tired?’

‘Bit.’

‘Okay, let’s go then,’ he said and stood, extending a hand towards the man on the ground, who accepted it with a certain awe.

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‘I think it’s that I try to hurt them,’ sounded a faint voice in the night air. Sawyer looked around confused until he realised it was Jack and that he was awake. He put down his book and folded the glasses, before asking.

‘What do you mean?’

‘The nightmares. I think I dream that I hurt them, that I try to kill them...’ He fell silent again, and Sawyer shifted closer before running his hand through Jacks increasingly longer hair.

‘They’re dreams,’ he said, ‘just dreams.’

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Author's note: I'm back! With inspiration! squeeee All right, fine, I admit it: I felt so bad after hurting Jack the way I have in the story, that I had to add a bit of cuddlin' at the end of the chapter. But I have my reasons (for the injuries, not the cuddles) for doing what I'm doing, so no worries. No worreis at all ;)

Luv, MW