dimples, james "sawyer" ford

thirty two

things had settled into a familiar rhythm at the camp, but that didn't mean it was without its challenges—especially for sawyer, who was still adjusting to being back in the fold after his long absence.

one afternoon, the camp was buzzing with excitement over a ping pong game, with hurley reigning as the undefeated champ. naturally, sawyer couldn't resist a challenge.

"alright, hoss," sawyer drawled, smirking as he stood across from hurley at the makeshift table. "let's make this interesting. if i win, i get my stash of booze back."

hurley eyed him thoughtfully, then nodded. "okay, dude, but if i win, you gotta stop using nicknames for a whole week."

sawyer's grin faltered for a second—giving up his nicknames was like giving up part of who he was—but his pride wouldn't let him back down. "deal."

lana stood near the sidelines, watching the game unfold, but her attention was elsewhere. she held aaron in her arms, gently rocking him as he babbled happily.

beside her, claire smiled, watching the interaction between lana and her son. "you're a natural," claire said, her voice soft as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

lana smiled, gazing down at the little boy in her arms. "he makes it easy."

claire leaned in, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "do you ever think about having one of your own?"

lana paused, the question lingering in the air. she glanced up at sawyer, who was mid-match, throwing out his usual cocky remarks at hurley. "i don't know," she said honestly. "i guess i never really thought about it. and with everything going on here, it's hard to imagine having a normal life. but... maybe one day." she gave claire a sidelong glance. "you've done an amazing job with aaron."

claire blushed, chuckling softly. "thank you. but i've had a lot of help." she nodded toward charlie, who was sitting a bit away, watching over the beach. "sometimes i wonder if it'll ever be safe enough here, you know? for aaron."

lana squeezed claire's hand, giving her a reassuring smile. "you're strong, claire. and you've already been doing so well, and i'm sure we'll all figure this place out."

the ping pong ball clicked loudly as the two men played. despite sawyer's best efforts, hurley was relentless, landing shot after shot. in the end, sawyer had no choice but to accept defeat.

as the camp cheered for hurley's win, sawyer wiped the sweat from his brow, grimacing. "a week, huh?"

hurley clapped him on the back, grinning. "yep, man. no nicknames. sorry, but you made the bet."

lana, overhearing this from the side, couldn't help but laugh. "good luck with that one," she called out.

sawyer shot her a playful glare but couldn't help the small grin that tugged at the sides of his mouth. as the cheers died down, hurley turned more serious and pulled sawyer aside. "you know, man," hurley began, "you could try, like, getting on everyone's good side. you've been kinda... rough since the crash."

sawyer snorted. "what's this, dr. phil time? i ain't got time to win a popularity contest."

hurley shook his head. "nah, dude, i'm serious. with jack still with the others and kate, locke, and sayid going off trying to get him back, people are looking at you. whether you like it or not."

sawyer raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what hurley was getting at. "looking to me for what, exactly? i'm not exactly the hero type."

"you've been stepping up more than you realise," hurley said, sincerity in his voice. "people need someone to look to. they're scared, and right now, you're what they got."

sawyer sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "so what do you suppose i do?"

"just... try doing some good. help claire with the baby. catch some fish. hunt boar with desmond. do stuff that makes people feel like you're looking out for them. like you're part of the group."

sawyer rolled his eyes but didn't argue further. later that day, he wandered over to claire and handed her an extra blanket. "here, thought you could use it for the kid," he said, a little awkwardly.

claire looked up in surprise but smiled. "thanks, sawyer."

later, he joined desmond on a boar hunt, using his tracking skills to help bring in dinner for the camp. by the evening, they had managed to cook a feast, with sawyer handing out portions to the survivors. it was the first real meal most of them had had in days, and despite his grumbling, sawyer felt a strange sense of pride.

as the night settled in, lana found him sitting by the fire, staring into the flames. she sat beside him, nudging him playfully. "look at you, feeding the masses," she teased. "hurley really got to you, didn't he?"

sawyer smirked, shaking his head. "he's got some kinda magic, that one. guess i just figured... maybe i'm more useful than i thought."

lana leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "you've always been useful, james. people just needed to see it."

sawyer looked down at her, his usual bravado slipping for a moment. "yeah, well. don't get used to it," he said, though his tone was softer than usual.