Title: Giving In

Author: Terri

Rating: T

Summary: "Let me go Jack."

Spoilers/Warnings: Character death, massive spoilers for Do No Arms.

Disclaimer: Anything that is recognisable does not belong to me.

Author's Note: This is one of my first Lost Fics, also being from the UK the last episode I saw before writing this was Solitary; as a result this is based on what I've heard. I stumbled across Boone's last words and it spilled out from there. All reviews welcomed.

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He was dying. He wasn't sure how he knew, but the fact remained the same. His heart was slowing, his breathing deteriorating. Even as Jack worked diligently to save him, he could feel the bleeding inside, knew it meant his death. He wondered manically if Shannon felt like this when she had a nasty attack. If, through half opened eyes she experienced a sort of drug-induced delirium.

He'd ask her when he next saw her, whenever that may be.

Shannon had been spending more and more time with the other people on the Island, especially Sayid. Boone had compensated by befriending Locke, hunting to pass the time. Trying in vain to get her off his mind. Yet he couldn't stop her from haunting his dreams.

Lately it wasn't even about being in love with her, it was simply about needing to be near her again. To have his sister tease him about some stupid thing he'd done. He couldn't remember the last time he held her hand as she struggled to breathe. Didn't know when they'd last slept in their makeshift shelter together.

He missed her. Ironic really to say he had wanted to get away from her, it had been him who had distanced himself in an attempt to stop wanting what he could not have. Boone hadn't realised how much of him had craved the sibling bond the two of them shared. It broke him to realise that Shannon didn't miss him.

Boone wasn't stupid; he had seen the way that she looked at Sayid. On the rare occasion that they had been in the same place at the same time, he'd studied the way the two of them acted around each other. He's never seen Shannon act so in love before. And each time he saw the two of them together, he realised that he had been replaced. The knowledge was enough to shorten his visits to the camp.

A sharp pain exploded through his entire body and he tried to scream. It took longer than was comfortable for the pain to subside, then he went numb. Jack still hovered over him, doing something Boone couldn't quite see. The words were out of his mouth before he could think about them.

"Let me go Jack."

Despite not realising what he was saying until it'd been said, there was no surprise in his voice or on his features. He rationalised that he wasn't needed anymore, Locke knew how to hunt, could probably do it better on his own, without him slowing him down. He had a moment of worry for Shannon – who was going to watch out for her? Talk her calmly through her asthma attacks and wipe the tears that followed out of her eyes? He needed to be there to do that. Then he remembered Sayid. Shannon had Sayid now.

While Jack was still debating Boone's words, trying to determine whether or not he was delirious with the loss of blood and lack of air, Boone stopped fighting. He managed a mumbled "don't be" to Jack's broken apology, took one last breath and succumbed to the darkness that had been calling him. The last thing he saw was Shannon's face, carefree and happy.

He wasn't going to be missed.