Sayid sat on the beach staring out at the tranquil blue waters of the ocean. He had walked several miles from the beach camp to be alone. He needed the solitude while he pondered his problem.

That problem was Sawyer. Sayid clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he as he recalled again and again how the arrogant cowboy from Alabama had humiliated him in front of the other survivors. Sayid wanted nothing more than to teach him some respect by ramming his fist into the cocky Confederate's face.

Sawyer's face...Sayid thoughtfully stroked his chin, his anger subsiding to a managable level as he visualized Sawyer's face, his soul-piercing blue eyes, unkempt stubble, lips that so often curled back into a mocking sneer...

Sayid had to admit that Sawyer was a very handsome man. In fact...Sayid closed his eyes and began to think back to that day.

About a week ago, he had been foraging in the jungle for supplies when he had stumbled upon a waterfall, and in the pool below, Sawyer was bathing himself. Sayid was on a ledge several feat above and had a perfect view of the secretive Southerner's body. Sayid stared for several minutes before losing his nerve and silently retreating back into the jungle. He hadn't forgotten the sight of Sawyer's unclothed form, with it's six-pack abs, chiseled muscles and biceps of steel.

Sayid opened his eyes. He noticed his hand had subconsciously moved down towards his pants. He sighed as he remembered how lonely he was on the island. Yes, Shannon was sending him some interesting signals. It was a shame Sayid wasn't interested in women as anything more than friends. He sighed again. It wouldn't be the first he would tell a woman "thanks, but no thanks," and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Sayid put aside his anger at Sawyer and thought about the state of his love life. It seemed all the men on the island had paired up - Locke with Boone, Jack with Charlie and Jin with Michael. Sayid too wanted someone to be with. Lonely as he was, Sayid wasn't desperate enough to make a pass at Hurley, leaving...Sawyer.

Well, that was that, then. He wanted Sawyer. However, just because Sayid desired the grouchy redneck didn't mean he could just forget about his humiliation at Sawyer's hands. He wanted to show Sawyer that he wasn't to be trifled with, that Sawyer needed to show him respect. It was a strange paradox, Sayid mused - wanting to give someone both pain and love. How would he solve it?

After almost an hour of deep thought, Said came up with a compromise: He would visit Sawyer tonight and seduce him. If he welcomed Sayid's advances, great. If he didn't...well, he didn't have any problems with making it a violent seduction. One way or another, Sayid was going to make Sawyer his.

He stood up noticed the sun was setting. He'd be back at the beach camp by nightfall if he started walking now. Brushing the sand off his pants, Sayid began walking the path that ended at Sawyer's tent.