dimples, james "sawyer" ford

thirty three

the sun had barely risen when sawyer and lana made their way toward the food tent for breakfast. the camp was already stirring, survivors moving about with their usual morning routines. sawyer stretched his arms, glancing at lana as she walked beside him, her face relaxed for once.

as they approached the tent, they noticed a commotion near the center of the camp. a wave of excitement surged through the group, and sawyer felt a rush of anticipation. he exchanged a glance with lana, who raised her eyebrows in curiosity.

they got closer and the crowd parted, revealing jack, kate, and sayid standing in the midst of the reunion. happy chattering erupted from the camp as survivors rushed to greet them. sawyer felt a swell of relief wash over him—his friends were back, safe and sound.

as sawyer scanned the scene, his eyes landed on juliet standing beside jack. a dark cloud descended over him as anger coursed through his veins. juliet, one of the others, the group that had captured them and held lana and him in the cages.

"are you kidding me?" sawyer growled under his breath, his fists clenching at his sides. he couldn't contain the surge of emotion, and before he could think twice, he stepped forward, his voice low but furious. "what the hell is she doing here?"

jack stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "i brought her back because she can help us. we need her knowledge of the others to stay safe."

sawyer glanced at jack, frustration boiling over. "you're putting us all at risk."

before other words could be exchanged, lana stepped out from behind sawyer, her eyes locking on juliet. her expression darkened as the memories of her own capture and imprisonment came flooding back.

"lana, wait—" sawyer started, but it was too late.

lana stormed toward juliet, fury driving every step. the blonde barely had time to react before lana's fist connected with her jaw, sending her staggering back. the force of the hit fuelled by months of resentment and anger.

"you held me captive!" she shouted, the camp falling silent, all eyes on the unexpected fight unfolding before them.

lana's heart pounded with a mix of rage and protective instinct, making adrenaline rise in her body as she brought her fists up again.

juliet tried to block the next hit, but lana's rage made her relentless. the two women struggled, their bodies tangling as they fought. juliet managed to push lana off momentarily, but it only fuelled lana's fury further. she launched herself back at the blonde, her fingers clawing at juliet's shirt, and the two of them crashed to the ground in a flurry of limbs and shouts.

sawyer's heart raced as he watched lana and juliet grapple with each other. "lana!" he shouted, but it barely registered as he felt a surge of protectiveness overtake him.

jack rushed forward to intervene, his face a mixture of confusion and alarm. "lana, stop! this isn't helping!"

but lana was fuelled by a whirlwind of emotions, grief and anger pouring out of her as she yelled, "you did all of that to me! you made me a prisoner!" she yelled, landing another hit that juliet deflected with a slap against her cheek.

sawyer pushed through the crowd, his own anger boiling over. he lunged forward to separate them, grabbing lana's waist. he pulled her back while jack grabbed juliet, their combined strength finally pulling the two women apart.

juliet stumbled back, her expression a mix of shock and defiance. sawyer held lana tightly, his heart pounding as he tried to calm her down. "lana, breathe. she ain't worth it." he said softly, though his eyes were locked on juliet, whose presence stirred the anger within him.

"you don't get to just stand there!" lana shouted, her voice breaking. "you didn't do a damn thing to help me. to help any of us."

the doctor stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "we're all on edge. let's just take a step back."

sawyer shook his head, his anger still simmering beneath the surface. he understood lana's reaction—hell, he felt the same way. but this was going to cause more problems for everyone.

the tension hung thick in the air, the rest of the camp watching silently as the reality of their situation set in. lana yanked herself free from sawyer's hold, her chest heaving and eyes teary as she pointed an accusing finger at juliet.

"you told me he was dead." a tear fell down her cheek, "i will never forgive you. ever." lana turned on her heel and stormed off into the jungle, her sniffles echoing behind her.

sawyer felt a heavy weight settle in his chest as he watched her retreating figure, the frustration and pain palpable in the air. he turned to the doctor and narrowed his eyes, anger swimming within his dark stare, before turning to follow lana.

"wait, sawyer!" jack called after him, but sawyer ignored him, focusing only on finding lana. he navigated through the dense foliage, until he found her sitting beside the water stream, collecting some of the liquid and splashing it on her face.

lana looked over at the sound of his footsteps, standing up straighter and turning away from him, shaking her head. she sat down on the side of the bank, crossing her legs. sawyer sat down beside her with a deep breath, his heart aching for her.

they sat in silence for a few moments as they listened to the water trickling. she finally turned to him, her eyes irritated and an expression of soft despair.

"she's the one who told me i was alone." she spoke quietly, "she kept me from you, made me feel like i didn't matter." lana looked back towards the water, fiddling with her hands.

sawyer brought his hand up, turning her head softly and brushing the side of her cheek which glowed a light red from juliet's impact. he sighed, wanting to somehow make all her hurt go away.

"i'm here. i'm not going anywhere, and you matter to me. so much." he leaned in closer, brushing his thumb across her face again, catching a small tear before it could fall.

"i think everybody in the camp thinks i'm crazy now." she closed her eyes, them both letting out a quiet laugh.

sawyer studied her face, getting to his feet and grabbing both her hands, bringing her gently to her feet. "i've got your back. always."

he leaned in, capturing her lips with his. the kiss was soft at first, then deepened with an urgency that spoke of their shared pain and connection. when they finally pulled apart, lana's eyes shone with gratitude and a hint of hope.

sawyer smiled softly, pushing the girl's hair behind her ears and keeping his large hands on the side of her face. "you don't back down, do you? when did you learn to throw a punch like that?"

lana let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around the torso of his much taller frame as she looked up at him. "i grew up with angry men who only knew how to prove a point with their fists. not to me, but i may have thrown a few here and there."

sawyer raised an eyebrow, intrigued as he trailed his hands down to her waist. "i'm pretty tough too, you know. the first week after we crashed here, i shot a polar bear."

"right." lana laughed, a genuine sound that warmed the air between them, before rolling her eyes.

the girl turned to walk away, the man's hands dropping to his sides as his expression turned serious. "i did!"

lana sent him a smile, holding up her hand for him to take, "well, come on then, strong man. protect me from the polar bears."

a smirk was planted on his face as he took her small hand, bringing her closer and kissing the top of her head as they began to walk side by side back to the camp.