dimples, james "sawyer" ford

fifty five

when sawyer finally came to, his head throbbed from the effects of the sonic fence. groggily blinking his eyes open, he found himself in a dimly lit room, seated in front of a man in a DHARMA uniform, the name "horace" plastered on the front. horace looked calm but curious, as if trying to solve a puzzle.

"so," horace said, leaning back in his chair. "who are you, really?"

sawyer paused for a moment, quickly thinking up a cover. "name's james," he said smoothly, his southern drawl returning as naturally as breathing. "james lafleur. i'm the captain of a salvage vessel. we were lookin' for the black rock."

horace eyed him, skeptical. "black rock?"

sawyer gave a nod, trying to appear relaxed even though his mind raced, thinking of where the others were—where lana was.

horace, still studying him, finally spoke again. "you'll be put on the next submarine out of here," he said firmly.

that's when sawyer's heart dropped a little. he couldn't leave yet. not without lana and the rest of the group, and with all his unanswered questions.

"now hold up a minute," sawyer interrupted, raising his hand. "i need time to find the rest of my crew. we got separated when we crashed. i ain't leavin' 'til i find 'em."

horace seemed to consider this, his expression still unreadable. before he could answer, however, there was a knock at the door. a DHARMA worker rushed in, looking alarmed.

"horace," the man said urgently, "richard alpert is at the perimeter. he wants to talk."

sawyer's ears perked up at the name. he watched as horace's expression shifted into one of deep concern. "stay here," horace instructed sawyer, standing quickly and leaving the room.

sawyer wasn't one to follow orders, though, so the second horace disappeared, he moved to the window, peering out. he caught a glimpse of the familiar figure of richard alpert, standing calmly at the edge of the DHARMA camp. sawyer had seen him before—back when a flash took them to 1954. the immortal man who didn't seem to age.

when horace finally returned, his face was pale. he asked sawyer in a low voice, "how well did you bury the bodies?"

the question took sawyer off guard for a second. "good enough," he replied, wondering where it was going.

horace rubbed the back of his neck. "richard says there needs to be justice for what happened."

sawyer knew what that meant. he had to handle this before things got uglier. "let me talk to him," he said.

horace hesitated, then nodded. "fine. but keep it quiet."

sawyer stepped outside, his eyes locking onto richard, who watched him with an unreadable expression. sawyer walked over, his stride confident even though the tension was palpable. when they were face to face, sawyer got straight to the point.

"i ain't with DHARMA," sawyer said flatly. "we're a third party in all this."

richard raised an eyebrow. "you expect me to believe that?"

sawyer narrowed his eyes. "i know about 1954. you buried a bomb called jughead back then. i was there, and so was a man named john locke."

richard's expression shifted slightly at the mention of locke's name. "john locke?"

"yeah," sawyer nodded. "locke told me about how he met you, back then. you and me, we're on the same side here. i'm just tryin' to survive like everyone else."

richard's intense gaze lingered on sawyer, clearly weighing his words. finally, he nodded slowly. "alright, i believe you. but there still has to be justice for the men you killed."

sawyer knew this was coming. "we'll give you paul's body. let that be the end of it."

richard didn't seem pleased, but after a long pause, he nodded. "agreed."

relieved that a bloodbath had been avoided, sawyer returned to horace, who was watching from a distance. "it's done," sawyer told him. "richard's leavin', but we gotta give him paul's body."

horace exhaled, clearly relieved. "you bought us some peace," he said quietly. "i'll give you two weeks to find the rest of your crew."

at the dock by the submarine, lana sat cross-legged, staring out over the water, lost in thought. sawyer noticed her from a distance, her usually relaxed posture a little tense. he felt a pang of guilt, remembering how many times he'd been too focused on survival to just stop and ask her what she really wanted.

he walked over quietly, taking a seat beside her on the weathered wood of the dock. "hey," he greeted softly, breaking the silence between them.

she glanced over, offering him a small smile, though her eyes still looked clouded with something. "hey."

they sat like that for a while, listening to the gentle lapping of the waves against the dock, the island's tranquility a sharp contrast to the chaos they'd been through. finally, lana spoke.

"locke already saved us, you know," she said, her gaze drifting across the water. "the flashes have stopped... we could just leave." she paused, her face betraying an internal conflict she hadn't spoken aloud before. "everyone's been so desperate to get off this island... i don't even know what i want anymore."

sawyer watched her carefully, sensing there was more. he nudged her knee with his. "say what's on your mind."

lana took a deep breath, her expression growing pained. "going back means facing my father—going back to my old life. i don't want that," she admitted, looking up at the man's softened eyes. "but staying here... i just don't know what it means."

he took her hand, squeezing it gently. "i spoke with that guy horace," he said, his voice a low murmur. "there is two weeks 'til the next submarine trip. let's take things slow, figure out what we want."

she glanced up at him, her expression softening. "two weeks, huh?"

"two weeks," he repeated, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "if leavin's the right call... then we'll leave. together."

lana smiled, relief washing over her face. she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.