“Love Advice”

Lost

Rating: G

Summary: Sawyer gets some unexpected love advice.

“You like her, don’t you?”

Sawyer looked up at the pair of dark brown eyes. “What are you yapping about, Tattoo?”

Walt made a face at his new nickname. “I don’t get it.”

“How about Shorty?” Sawyer said with a twinkle in his eyes.

“My name is Walt,” the ten-year-old said. And then again: “You like her, don’t you?” He joined Sawyer on the wooden log next to the burning fire.

They both looked up at Kate and Jack. Both of them were down at the beach gathering any kind of information on Claire’s disappearance.

Sawyer dropped his gaze back to the fire. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.”

“I’m talking about Kate. You’re always looking at her,” he said. “I think you like her.”

“Aren’t you a little young to be thinking about this kind of stuff?” Sawyer poked at the fire with a stick. “Girls have cooties, right?”

“Yeah, when girls are my age they have cooties, but when they grow up, it’s okay to like them because cooties go away,” Walt explained.

Sawyer nodded, smiling. “That makes complete sense.”

Walt looked over his dad, who was also down at the beach asking about Claire. “My dad says my mom’s cooties never went away.” He lowered his voice. “Maybe that’s why they broke up.”

Sawyer frowned. No kid should have to suffer for their parents’ mistakes.

“You know what?” Sawyer leaned forward. “I think you like Kate.”

Walt stuck out his tongue. “Yuck.”

Sawyer chuckled. “What? Not your type?”

“She’s okay,” he said with a shrug. “She looks kind of mean.”

“Aw, she’s a real softie underneath all of that.”

Walt squinted. “How do you know?”

“Trust me. I know.”

“If she’s so nice, then how come she’s always yelling at you?” Walt asked.

“She is not always yelling at me.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, she isn’t.”

“Uh-huh.”

“No, she—” Sawyer paused. “Look at me. Arguing with a six-year-old kid.”

“I’m ten!”

“My apologies,” Sawyer mumbled.

For a moment, the only noise was the fire cackling in front of them.

“If you really like her, you should tell her,” Walt finally said.

Sawyer looked over at him. “You think so?”

Walt nodded. “She might like hearing that.”

They returned their attention to Kate and Jack. The doctor was walking away from her. She gave Sawyer and Walt a quick glance before turning towards the ocean.

“What do you think she’ll say?” Sawyer asked.

Walt smiled. “Why don’t you go find out?”

Sawyer threw his stick into the fire and stood up.

THE END