LAST PART! WHEEEEEE!

If you all get diabetes from reading this last part, I apologize profusely. My fluff muse was feeling underappreciated today, so this part might be a little too saccharine-y.

I'd like to thank everyone whose commented and given my story such kind words so far. I hope this last part doesn't fail to live up to your expectations.

Title: Of Saints and Sinners - Part 6
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Jack/Sawyer
Word Count: 1,939 (11,325 overall)
Warnings: S2 finale spoilers, captivity fic, adult language and situations.
Summary: The Others need cooperation, and Sawyer is giving them anything but, so it's up to Jack to remedy the situation.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Coming to and finding himself back in his original hut, or at least one exactly like it, didn't surprise Jack in the least. He was curled up in the fetal position, still completely naked, and as far as he could see, the hut was empty with the exception of himself. Jack reached up to touch the back of his head, throbbing dully from being knocked out, but he didn't feel the crust of dried blood that might have given him more cause to worry. He worried anyway, though, having no idea where Sawyer was and what was to become of the two of them.

Jack sat up, his head spinning violently from the sudden change in position, so he held still, waiting for the sensation to pass. He hoped it didn't signify a concussion, instead being just because he'd been lying down for so long. He didn't feel like he was going to throw up, so that was a good sign. Jack was also thirsty, his mouth feeling dry and swallowing was a little difficult, but he wasn't terribly hungry - he could wait for food.

He heard the door open, head jerking forward as he felt heavy fabric land in his lap. The door then shut, and standing a few feet away from Jack was a woman who, going from Sawyer's vague description, was the one that had been distressing the other man. She had tossed Jack's clothes at him, and in her hands, crossed in front of her body, was his backpack. She was standing tall and silent, and Jack had no doubt that this was the woman Sawyer had seen. She had a bearing that Jack was finding unsettling.

"My name is Miss Klugh," she began, not moving from her spot. "Get dressed."

Jack pulled his clothes on, not wanting to be physically naked in front of this woman when he knew about the emotional vulnerability she could also draw out of people, or at least Sawyer. He didn't want to think about what Miss Klugh might know about him. "Where's Sawyer?"

"He's being taken somewhere."

"And Kate?" Jack asked, trying his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest.

"She's also being taken somewhere. You don't need to worry - you'll be joining them soon enough." When Jack had finished getting dressed, Miss Klugh tossed his back so it landed right next to him. "Your water and some pieces of fruit are inside if you feel the need."

He went for the water, quickly uncapping and drinking half the bottle, surprised at how cool it tasted. "Where are you taking us?"

"You're being released, getting sent back to your people. We took Kate out this morning, giving her instructions to wait for the two of you, and we told her which direction to follow to find your group. James got moved just before I arrived here, and we told him to wait for you. He knows where you'll find Kate. When we take you out, you'll know which way to find James."

Jack was skeptical. They were letting them all go, just like that, with no reason. Their time in captivity hadn't seemed to have a purpose, either, unless the Others were just trying to scare them, convince Jack that their two groups should just leave each other alone. He remembered what Alex told him, how they both were afraid of each other, and they had the same reasons to be. "Why are you letting us go?"

Miss Klugh stepped further into the hut, and the door opened behind her, a man that Jack recognized as the one that had knocked him out entering. He was holding ropes and a black hood. "You see, Jack," the woman said, drawing Jack's attention back towards her, "our groups have been treating each other as a matter of two sides, good guys and bad guys, black and white. You can divide the world into saints and sinners, but that's hardly how the world works." Jack felt his arms being pulled behind his body, his wrists being bound together, and he got pulled to his feet. "What really sets people apart from each other is love. We've been watching your people since the crash, Jack, and we weren't seeing love. You're a group of people that has been tolerating each other to survive, doing what needs to be done until you get rescued. Everyone's actions are selfish, even your own. After your time spent with James, though, we think there's hope for you yet. There was genuine caring there. It was hidden just beneath the surface, but it was still there."

The world went black as the hood got pulled over Jack's head, the familiar smell of burlap and the tickle of fibers on his nose invading his senses. He led himself get lead away, knowing he was outside when he felt the breeze on the back of his arms. "Take care of your people, Jack," he heard Miss Klugh's voice, sounding like she was speaking directly next to his ear, "and our groups won't have problems with each other."

They started off on the walk, Jack having no idea how long it was going to take until they reached their destination, and despite being led with a hood over his head, he felt a deep joy at being free. He was out of the hut, and even though he couldn't see his surroundings, he could sense them, feeling the air against his skin, and the fresh air that he could taste coming in from the open neck of the hood made each breath feel like his first. His leg muscles that had been stiff from not being used started to relax, joints popping lightly with their regained full range of motion. The man was taking him in circles like they had before, Jack could tell, and he wanted to laugh, tell the man that there was no way in hell he'd try to find their camp again, but he thought it would be best to cooperate. At some point they were in an open clearing, Jack able to feel the sunlight warming his shoulders, but it went away as they entered tree cover again, and eventually, they stopped altogether.

"I'm removing the hood and undoing the ropes," Jack's captor said, his voice low. "You'll want to travel south until you find one of your companions."

Jack squinted when the hood was removed, the sun brighter than he remembered. He felt the ropes falling away from his arms, and when he turned around to look at the man who had led him away from the Others' campsite, there was no one there; it was like he'd just vanished into thin air. Jack saw his backpack on the ground in front of him, so he shouldered it, figured out which direction was south, and started heading off in that direction, waiting for Sawyer to appear in his line of sight. He walked for a mile before catching a glimpse of the other man, and Sawyer must have heard him coming since he looked directly at Jack. They stood fifteen feet apart, looking at each other in the full light of day, Sawyer leaning against a tree, and Jack feeling slightly awkward.

"Hey, Doc," Sawyer said, his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. Jack noticed that Sawyer's own bag was at his feet, leaning against the tree beside him. "You got a cigarette by any chance?"

Then reality set in, that they had actually been let go, and Jack started to laugh. It felt good, cathartic, almost, and soon Sawyer was laughing with him, both relieved about getting out of the situation they had gotten into, and Jack felt his eyes start to water from laughing so hard. They had managed to stumble into each other, giggling like idiots as they leaned against one another. Jack's sides started to hurt, and he thought that it was a good thing they were on an island where no one could randomly pass them by - hanging on each other and acting like they were, Jack had no doubt that someone would have thought Sawyer and he were drunk.

"We gotta find Kate," Sawyer said, voice choking in his throat as he tried to stop laughing. He pointed west with one hand, his other clinging to Jack's shoulder. "They told me we'd find her that way."

Jack cleared his throat, managing to suppress the giggles that were still trying to escape. "Just one thing, though," he said, and as Sawyer gave him a confused look, mouth opening in a question, Jack took the other man's face in both of his hands, staring Sawyer directly in the eyes before pulling them together, mouths meeting with a brush of the lips. It was slow and tentative at first, hesitant as being out in the daylight and jungle made it real, but they gradually opened wider to each other, discovering how the other man tasted with their new sense of freedom. This kiss wasn't about comfort or support but something else, and Miss Klugh's words rang through Jack's head.

"You better not fuckin' start callin' me James now," Sawyer said, his voice a playful growl against Jack's face.

"The thought hasn't even crossed my mind." No, Jack thought as he watched the other man pick up his own bag, Sawyer would always be Sawyer to him, but maybe now he wasn't hiding under the bed anymore. They started off in the jungle, and Jack started to giggle again as a thought crossed his mind, and Sawyer gave him an amused look.

"What the hell are you laughin' about now? You giggle like a little girl."

"I'm thinking about how Kate might react when she finds out."

"Oh shit." A smile formed across Sawyer's mouth. "Well that's what she gets for takin' so damn long to make a choice."

As they walked through the jungle, Jack felt like he was a teenager again. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, and while Jack wasn't willing to admit that it had anything to do with his newfound feelings for Sawyer, it certainly had to do with that in their time together in the hut, they had found something deeper than friendship that let them alleviate the weight off their backs, sharing the load so it would be more bearable. When they had first crashed, Jack never thought he'd see the day when he'd be able to trust Sawyer, but now that he did, Jack realized he was never really surviving without it.

Kate gave them both a relieved smile when Jack and Sawyer arrived where she had been left, giving them each a hug in turn. Sawyer smirked at Jack over Kate's head as she hugged him, Jack grinning back when Kate started to ask them what had happened, talking about how she had been left alone and locked in a hut the entire time. "It's a long story, Freckles," Sawyer told her, giving Jack a wink. "I think it's time we be headin' back. Don't wanna keep people worried longer than they need to be."

"You okay, Jack?" Kate asked, giving him a worried look. She walked beside him as they started off in the direction she had pointed in.

"I am now," Jack replied, at which Kate smiled, seeming to think that it was because of their freedom, her company, or both. Jack turned back to Sawyer, flashing him a quick smile; Kate didn't need to know the truth right away. As Sawyer had said, it was a long story.