Title: What He Can Do
Rating: PG
Word Count: 600
Warnings: spoilers for 6x16 What They Died For
Summary: For the Lost Ficlet Challenge at lostsquee - Sawyer's take.

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Jacob's staring at the four of them, waiting, the crackle of the fire behind him a fitting countdown.

When Jack volunteers without question, Sawyer clenches his jaw to keep back the sigh of relief. It's not like he'd expected any of them to try and campaign for the position, but he hadn't been sure Jack would want it either.

"And I thought that guy had a God complex before." He snarks because he feels like it's expected of him. Like he can't be trusted to be in charge anymore, so he's fallen back into old patterns of ragging on Jack when he's really glad it's not him. It's still true, though; Jack had always been the one convinced that he could save every last one of them. Sawyer likes to think he'd always been more realistic.

Kate's the only one within earshot, and her reply is an exhalation, her tone making Sawyer wonder if she'd scolded Aaron the same way. "James."

"Yeah... I know."

He also knows that Locke, or at least the thing that looks like Locke, is going to try and kill Jack, now, the way he'd killed Jacob. Sawyer tries to think about who's left, who Locke could talk into doing it. Claire, maybe, he thinks. He could hear her yelling as they'd moved the sub away, yet again leaving her behind, abandoning her, and Locke the only one who had stayed.

Sawyer thinks he should have realized in that moment, with Locke just watching them leave, that something was wrong, but they'd been blinded by what seemed like success, by the fact that they were leaving and the worst that had happened was Kate's through-and-through.

Locke had shown them the explosives in his backpack. They all saw Jack with the backpack. But Sawyer's the one who had pulled the wires, had caused the countdown to speed up instead of stop, instead of listening to Jack's certainty that Locke can't kill them, that Locke has to get them to kill each other.

He won't protect the island, but he can protect Jack.

That fact, focusing on what he can do, helps alleviate the guilt a little. Sayid had known, had believed. Sawyer can make sure his sacrifice means something. He can help protect the rest of the world from an enveloping darkness, because Jin and Sun's daughter will have enough in her heart without her parents alive.

Sawyer watches Jack drain the contents of the cup. Nothing seems to have happened from where they stand watching in the distance. Jack doesn't start glowing or turn to dust. When he stands, his back seems a little straighter, his shoulders high.

"You have chosen wisely," Sawyer can't help but quip, and Hurley's laugh breaks the tension. Kate still looks annoyed, but it could be the blood loss or the pain. Sawyer smiles when Hurley claps him on the back like it's all over, like everything's fine now, but Sawyer doubts that's really the case. If anything, things are probably worse now for the rest of them.

"What now, Doc?" Sawyer asks when Jack walks back over to the rest of them. Jacob is still crouched by the stream, hands clasped in front of his face as he watches the four of them. The fire's burning lower, and Sawyer's half-tempted to throw the logs into the jungle, to let the whole island burn.

"Now we go find Desmond," Jack replies, heading off without so much as a glance over his shoulder to make sure Sawyer, Kate, and Hurley are following him, but they do. What other choice do they have?