ficinabottle

Title
- Twisted
Rating - R
Warning - What didn’t we see in Man of Science, Man of Faith.
Pairing - Locke/Kate.

Her breathing was heavy and ragged as she raced through the jungle. She ran from Jack and others who she had come to call friends, and her limbs burned as she struggled to get to the hatch faster. Kate's mind had started playing tricks on her already and she prayed she wasn’t too late to be by his side. No one should be alone, Jack had been right and although the good doctor had acknowledged her leaving she wondered if Jack had really acknowledged the meaning behind her words.

She thought if she ignored her feelings, that they would go away. The burning desire that seemed to flare up whenever John was around. Maybe it was like Sawyer had told her, Locke was a reminder of scars from her troubled childhood. Maybe it was because he reminded her of the father who had so long ago abandoned her. She tried to tell herself that Jack was the one, that Sawyer might be too but it was no good. Her secret desires, however twisted stayed hidden for months. She wished every day that her unrequited feelings for Locke would just disappear.

She remembered Sawyer's expression when she had finally told him the truth. How she really felt about Locke. The disgusted look that had passed before his eyes. She remembered the days after her announcement, the way his eyes had that had for so long remained on her, wander to other women. She had been relieved when the raft had sailed. She wanted the humiliation to be gone.

Locke had always watched he from afar, she remembered the nights she had bathed in the ocean, comforted by his presence on the shore. She hadn’t minded his staring. Kate had enjoyed the way his eyes followed her hands as they danced over her body, scrubbing away the day's dirt. She had watched him, watch her in the moonlight and felt more then she ever could with Sawyer or Jack.

They were too young, too self involved. Jack liked to be in control of everything surrounding him, including any interactions with her. Sawyer was too rough, too insistent that she was made of stone. Locke knew better. Locke could make her feel both capable and delicate at the same time.

Out of breath, she slowed hearing movement at the hatch. Unable to hide the relief in her voice, she approached him from behind, admiring the way his back curved, and the way his shoulders looked glistening in sweat.

She watched him for a few minutes like this, catching her breath in the process before finally opening her mouth to speak. To tell him of her longing, of the burning passion she had for him.

"I expected to find you half way down there by now"

Not exactly what she had in mind, but it was a start. He knew she cared, he had to. Why else would she have come here for him. Why would she have defied Jack? He didn't respond straight away, his back still to her.

When he did find his words, he turned fixing her with the gaze that for so many nights had left her breathless.

"I was waiting for you"

She felt herself swallow hard. The implications of his statement, causing Goosebumps to appear on her arms. He dropped the rope by the side of the hatch and began his walk towards her. Locke's eyes were kind, unnerving and his stare pierced you like a sharp needle.

His hands were rough from days of cutting bamboo and digging dirt, but when they found Kate's face, they were gentle. She felt her head roll in his hands, succumbing to his touch she gently kissed his palm once. She returned his gaze, he suddenly seemed so innocent, like he was experiencing something he never thought capable.

"You don't have to wait anymore John"

Kate was relieved that John took the initiative to kiss her. It wasn’t at all the way she imagined it would be, starting off slowly, he took her somewhere else. It was like she was freefalling from the sky, and the experience was dizzying. She loved the stubble against her face, and the way her hands felt wrapped in his cotton shirt. His strong arms were circled around her slim build, and their kisses were like a drink neither of them could live without. Just as it had begun, it had also ended too soon and Locke returned Kate back to the top of her imaginary cliff in one piece, a smile lighting up his features as he tenderly stroked her cheek. In her eyes he suddenly seemed years younger.

His smile faded and Kate knew what it meant. He returned to the rope, and she walked over to help him. Their stolen moments were just that. Stolen. It was the only way they knew.

How could any relationship be normal in this place?

Her feelings for Locke could be described in many ways.

Twisted Yes. Secret Yes.

Unrequited No.