Heaven and Hell, pt. 3
Feb. 3rd, 2007 06:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alliecat8Sequel to Prologue: The Mind is its Own Place., and Heaven and Hell, pt. 1 and pt. 2
Characters: Jack, Sawyer, Kate
Rating: PG
Word Count: 978
Spoilers: Through recent promos
Prompt: hands, water, music, green
Summary: What the hell is going on here?
Disclaimer 1: Only mine in my dreams
A/N: Prologue title and chapter quote stolen blatantly from John Milton's Paradise Lost
Heaven and Hell, pt. 3
The mind is its own place
And in itself can make
A heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven.
He’d expected a warmer welcome. Jack had stayed in the secluded cove he’d swum to after he dove off the boat until he was dry, and then he’d made his way back to the survivor’s camp. He’d finally found his way home, and he thought they’d be glad to see him. He hadn’t expected to be spotted by Sawyer when he was still making his way along the shore, or to be charged by the man, his green eyes flashing fire as he wrapped his hands around Jack’s throat. He hadn’t expected the others to come running, not to his rescue but instead to stand and stare at him accusingly as Sawyer tried to choke the life out of him. It was Kate who finally spoke up.
“That’s enough, Sawyer. He’s not worth the energy.”
Spots swam before Jack’s eyes as Sawyer gave one last vicious squeeze and then pushed him away. Jack landed hard in the sand and he stayed down, looking around at the people he’d come home to. The people he’d come to think of as family. The people who were staring at him now like they wished they’d never had to lay eyes on him again.
“What’s wrong?” he croaked, the air whistling out of his bruised throat like ragged pipe music. “What’s happened?”
“Oh, don’t give us that innocent act, Jackass.” Sawyer jammed his foot into the sand and pelted Jack with a stinging spray. “Thought you’d get away with it, didn’t you? Thought you’d be able to make up some bullshit story about how they brought you back to our island, turned you loose so you could find your way back here. Didn’t know anybody’d see the boat, or that I’d try to swim out to it—“
“It was an accident!” Jack jumped to his feet and tried to keep the panic from his voice. “They gave me the boat, and I was coming back here to get some of you. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know much about boats, but somehow it caught on fire. That’s all it was, Sawyer, an accident!”
He looked at Sawyer, looked around at the others, and saw nothing but condemnation in their eyes. He had a flash of déjà vu, remembering the very same looks on the faces of the very same people, only then he’d been one of the accusers. Then he’d been looking with contempt at a man who had betrayed them all. Now he was the one who stood accused, and he was no more innocent than Sawyer had been the night he stole the guns. In their eyes, Jack had now stolen something far worse.
“Well lookee here,” Sawyer sneered. “Saint Jack ain’t so saintly anymore, is he? Now he’s nothin’ but a dirty liar. How’s it feel to be the one on the outside, Jack? How’s it feel to be hated?”
Jack swallowed, and the pain in his raw throat brought tears to his eyes. “It was an accident,” he repeated weakly, and he didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Sawyer took a menacing step forward. “Recognize this?” He waved a charred piece of paper in Jack’s face. “I got to the boat right after it exploded. Found this floating in the water. It’s a map, ain’t it?” He pointed to the half-legible letters near the charred top. “That says ‘shipping lanes,’ don’t it? And it looks like there might’ve been some numbers, right here where it burned. They weren’t just lettin’ you go, were they? They were sendin’ you home.”
Jack felt a faint surge of hope. If that was all Sawyer knew…. “That’s right! They were sending me home. Did you think I’d go and leave you all behind? Didn’t you think I’d take some of you with me, so we could find rescue together?”
“That’s really noble of you, Jack.” Jack didn’t know which cut him deeper, the sarcasm in Kate’s voice or the coldness in her eyes. “It makes a good story. It’d even be a believable one if you hadn’t dropped anchor where you did. I guess you thought there was no chance of anybody seeing you way out there.”
“Good thing I got…what did you call it? Hyper-opia?” Sawyer smirked at Jack. “I saw that little bitty boat way out there in the water. Didn’t know for sure if I could swim to it or not, but I thought it was worth a try. Had to stop a few times to rest, though.” He looked at Kate. “It was a hell of a long way out, right?”
“I couldn’t see it.” Kate shrugged. “I thought you were crazy when you ran into the water. Didn’t realize that since you’re so farsighted, you could see such a longer distance than me.”
For just an instant Sawyer looked cocky. His eyes had been a help rather than a hindrance for once. “The last time I stopped, I could see the boat, and I could see you on the boat. I started to holler at you, and then I saw what you were doing.”
He turned and addressed his next words to the others, though he’d clearly already told them the story. “He’d just finished dousing the deck and the sails with gasoline. Then he lit a match, threw it, and dove into the water right before the boat exploded. Last thing I saw was his sorry ass swimmin’ for the cove about a mile down shore. Doc here had our rescue in his hands, and he blew it all to hell. Only one reason I can figure for doin’ something stupid like that.”
He turned back to Jack, and his look of rage had faded to one of stunned disbelief. “Jack don’t want to get off this island. He don’t want any of us to.”
TBC
Link to Heaven and Hell, Conclusion
Disclaimer 2:
I feel like I'm jerking y'all around worse than the Lost writers do, with the gazillion unanswered questions. But I'm NOT like them! I WILL answer them ALL! Maybe even tomorrow, prompts permitting. And I think it will even make sense! Thank you for your patience. *smiles sweetly*
Characters: Jack, Sawyer, Kate
Rating: PG
Word Count: 978
Spoilers: Through recent promos
Prompt: hands, water, music, green
Summary: What the hell is going on here?
Disclaimer 1: Only mine in my dreams
A/N: Prologue title and chapter quote stolen blatantly from John Milton's Paradise Lost
Heaven and Hell, pt. 3
The mind is its own place
And in itself can make
A heaven of hell, and a hell of heaven.
He’d expected a warmer welcome. Jack had stayed in the secluded cove he’d swum to after he dove off the boat until he was dry, and then he’d made his way back to the survivor’s camp. He’d finally found his way home, and he thought they’d be glad to see him. He hadn’t expected to be spotted by Sawyer when he was still making his way along the shore, or to be charged by the man, his green eyes flashing fire as he wrapped his hands around Jack’s throat. He hadn’t expected the others to come running, not to his rescue but instead to stand and stare at him accusingly as Sawyer tried to choke the life out of him. It was Kate who finally spoke up.
“That’s enough, Sawyer. He’s not worth the energy.”
Spots swam before Jack’s eyes as Sawyer gave one last vicious squeeze and then pushed him away. Jack landed hard in the sand and he stayed down, looking around at the people he’d come home to. The people he’d come to think of as family. The people who were staring at him now like they wished they’d never had to lay eyes on him again.
“What’s wrong?” he croaked, the air whistling out of his bruised throat like ragged pipe music. “What’s happened?”
“Oh, don’t give us that innocent act, Jackass.” Sawyer jammed his foot into the sand and pelted Jack with a stinging spray. “Thought you’d get away with it, didn’t you? Thought you’d be able to make up some bullshit story about how they brought you back to our island, turned you loose so you could find your way back here. Didn’t know anybody’d see the boat, or that I’d try to swim out to it—“
“It was an accident!” Jack jumped to his feet and tried to keep the panic from his voice. “They gave me the boat, and I was coming back here to get some of you. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know much about boats, but somehow it caught on fire. That’s all it was, Sawyer, an accident!”
He looked at Sawyer, looked around at the others, and saw nothing but condemnation in their eyes. He had a flash of déjà vu, remembering the very same looks on the faces of the very same people, only then he’d been one of the accusers. Then he’d been looking with contempt at a man who had betrayed them all. Now he was the one who stood accused, and he was no more innocent than Sawyer had been the night he stole the guns. In their eyes, Jack had now stolen something far worse.
“Well lookee here,” Sawyer sneered. “Saint Jack ain’t so saintly anymore, is he? Now he’s nothin’ but a dirty liar. How’s it feel to be the one on the outside, Jack? How’s it feel to be hated?”
Jack swallowed, and the pain in his raw throat brought tears to his eyes. “It was an accident,” he repeated weakly, and he didn’t even sound convincing to his own ears. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Sawyer took a menacing step forward. “Recognize this?” He waved a charred piece of paper in Jack’s face. “I got to the boat right after it exploded. Found this floating in the water. It’s a map, ain’t it?” He pointed to the half-legible letters near the charred top. “That says ‘shipping lanes,’ don’t it? And it looks like there might’ve been some numbers, right here where it burned. They weren’t just lettin’ you go, were they? They were sendin’ you home.”
Jack felt a faint surge of hope. If that was all Sawyer knew…. “That’s right! They were sending me home. Did you think I’d go and leave you all behind? Didn’t you think I’d take some of you with me, so we could find rescue together?”
“That’s really noble of you, Jack.” Jack didn’t know which cut him deeper, the sarcasm in Kate’s voice or the coldness in her eyes. “It makes a good story. It’d even be a believable one if you hadn’t dropped anchor where you did. I guess you thought there was no chance of anybody seeing you way out there.”
“Good thing I got…what did you call it? Hyper-opia?” Sawyer smirked at Jack. “I saw that little bitty boat way out there in the water. Didn’t know for sure if I could swim to it or not, but I thought it was worth a try. Had to stop a few times to rest, though.” He looked at Kate. “It was a hell of a long way out, right?”
“I couldn’t see it.” Kate shrugged. “I thought you were crazy when you ran into the water. Didn’t realize that since you’re so farsighted, you could see such a longer distance than me.”
For just an instant Sawyer looked cocky. His eyes had been a help rather than a hindrance for once. “The last time I stopped, I could see the boat, and I could see you on the boat. I started to holler at you, and then I saw what you were doing.”
He turned and addressed his next words to the others, though he’d clearly already told them the story. “He’d just finished dousing the deck and the sails with gasoline. Then he lit a match, threw it, and dove into the water right before the boat exploded. Last thing I saw was his sorry ass swimmin’ for the cove about a mile down shore. Doc here had our rescue in his hands, and he blew it all to hell. Only one reason I can figure for doin’ something stupid like that.”
He turned back to Jack, and his look of rage had faded to one of stunned disbelief. “Jack don’t want to get off this island. He don’t want any of us to.”
TBC
Link to Heaven and Hell, Conclusion
Disclaimer 2:
I feel like I'm jerking y'all around worse than the Lost writers do, with the gazillion unanswered questions. But I'm NOT like them! I WILL answer them ALL! Maybe even tomorrow, prompts permitting. And I think it will even make sense! Thank you for your patience. *smiles sweetly*
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no subject
Date: 2007-02-06 08:59 pm (UTC)LOL, you're so cute! *adores*
Oh, I know it must've freaked Jack out to suddenly find himself cast as the bad guy. And he had his reasons but he couldn't tell them what they were, so he just had to take the blame and the consequences. I felt very sorry for Jack when I wrote this part, and I can tell how much you love him because reading it made you sad for him, too.
THANK YOU for saying that about the farsightedness. I don't think anybody else mentioned that, and I was a bit proud of that detail. You just put a great big smile on my face! :D