Author: Indian Summer
Summary: Everyone on the island has their secrets. Shannon, however, happens to be at the center of the most explosive one. (Shannon/Sawyer, hints of past Shannon/Boone) SPOILER warning for 1x13: Hearts and Minds.
Dislaimer: I do not own "Lost," have any affiliation with it, its writers, or the wonderful actors on it. "Wherein Obscurely" is the title of a Pernice Brothers song, written by none other than the amazing Joe Pernice. I also have no affiliation with Michael Keaton, and the similarity of any original character to someone in reality, whether in namesake, personality, or behavior, is purely coincidental. Phone numbers are purely fictional, although the area code is not. This is for my enjoyment only, and I do not profit off of this is any way.
Note: Flashbacks won't be as frequent in future chapters.
Prologue
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Present Day
Encompassed by silence, Shannon Rutherford felt oddly comfortable as she sat on the beach watching the sun set.
In her real life- that is, the one off this godforsaken island- Shannon had always been surrounded by noise, whether it be the pounding of a club or the feedback at a party.
Her penchant for silence surprised her even more than the fact that she'd survived the crash in the first place.
"Well if this ain't just postcard pretty."
So much for silence. Shannon didn't bother to turn her head, instead bringing her knees to her chest as a cool breeze reached her. "What do you want, Sawyer?"
"Just think about it, Sticks. Remember those TV commercials, with the pretty girls on a tropical beach? The 'destination' ones? You're like something right out of one."
Shannon arched an eyebrow at this, cocking her head slightly so she could see him out of the corner of her eye. "I doubt anyone would be here by choice."
Sawyer chuckled as he settled down next to her. "I'll give you that."
Returning her gaze to the horizon, Shannon sighed. "You still haven't answered my question."
She could feel his eyes on her. "Don't want anything. 'Least nothing a girl like you would give me."
Shannon scrunched up her nose. "You're a pig, Sawyer." Shannon's eyes widened when he started to laugh quietly. "What?"
"Sticks, that's the third time I 'eard that today."
"Well, you are," Shannon offered back lamely, frowning at him.
"Better a pig than a spoiled brat," Sawyer whistled.
Shannon hugged her legs to her chest, trying to ignore the comment.
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Sydney, Australia
Shannon tensed from her position on the bed as her hotel room door was flung open with so much force it bounced off the side wall and started to close again.
Boone stood in the door frame, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at Shannon. "Do you ever do anything for yourself?" he asked angrily, looking wildly around the room. "God, have you even started to pack?"
Shannon sighed, adjusting the hem of her blue halter. "I'm not going anywhere yet. I have a party to go to tomorrow night-"
"Well, call Susie or Sally or whatever the hell her name is, and tell her you can't make it. We're flying out first thing in the morning." Boone shook his head, storming across the room and opening a dresser drawer.
Shannon gripped the bedspread as she watched him, confused by his behavior. "Why are you so mad?"
His hand froze on the dresser door and he turned slowly to look at her, the anger melting out of his face. "Look, Shan, I'm just... I'm starting to think you're doing this on purpose." He stood on the other side of the room awkwardly, before swearing under his breath and approaching the bed. "I just want to get you out of here. Get you home safe."
She could feel his gaze on her forehead as he sat down next to her and it caused the bruise to twinge slightly. "I didn't do it on purpose," she muttered, not meeting his gaze.
Boone sighed and brought the back of his hand to her chin, running his thumb over her jaw line in a comforting gesture. "I know. I'm just stressed out and tired and jetlagged. I didn't mean..." He trailed off, offering her a sad smile. "I just can't believe it happened again."
Her jaw started to
tremble and she could feel tears burning at her eyes, helpless to stop
their release. "I'm sorry," she cried, looking up at Boone. As she felt
his arms wrap around her and he pulled her close, she looked over his
shoulder. And smiled.
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Present Day
Sometime between boarding the plane and crashing into the island, Shannon had realized just how greatly her relationship with Boone had changed. Gone were the lingering glances and the flirty smiles, the kind words and the shoulder squeezes.
The only remnant of their past was the tension, and even that had seemed to have changed. Passion no longer drove it; in its place was anger and distrust.
Although the swing of her hips and the way her toes dug into the sand could be misconstrued as a leisurely walk along the beach, Shannon knew otherwise. It was just a way to avoid him.
She could feel Sawyer's eyes still on her, though, and she knew him well enough to know he'd pick up on her discomfort if she continued to avoid Boone, and he'd thrive off of it. Heaving a sigh and running her fingers through her hair, she trudged toward the dark-haired man, her feet suddenly tired and heavy, her gait similar to that of someone approaching the gallows.
Boone barely looked at her as she sat down. "You shouldn't be talking to him," he muttered, flipping a page in a comic book Walt had lent him. "He's trouble, Shannon."
Shannon suppressed a grimace. That was another thing; Boone had started calling her by her full name, something he'd never done before. "I know. But I can take care of myself."
Boone let out a harsh laugh. "I think we've already had this conversation, over fish and Charlie's ego."
"That was..." Shannon huffed. "I can, Boone. I think you'd be surprised if you knew just how well I can."
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Sydney, Australia
Shannon didn't like to be kept waiting. She looked around the lobby impatiently for the fifteenth time in half as many minutes, tapping her nails against the side bar. There was still no sign of him.
She turned her head just in time to catch a man behind the front desk shooting her a concerned look and offered him a flirty smile. "Hi."
His eyes widened in disbelief. "Uh, hello. Are you, uh, looking for someone, Miss Rutherford?"
Shannon bit her lip and nodded casually. "I'm looking for a Dorian Adams. Has he checked in?"
Shannon had never hit a deer before, but she was pretty sure the look this guy was giving her was the reason the phrase 'deer in the headlights' existed. "Uh, I'm not at liberty to discuss the guests of the hotel."
She'd been expecting this, of course. Pursing her lips, Shannon approached the man cautiously, letting her eyes flit over his body in what she hoped was an approving glance. "Look... Jacob... I'm not trying to stalk him or anything. He was supposed to meet me here. You don't need to give me his room number or anything, if you don't want to. I just want to know whether or not he's here."
Jacob glanced back and forth nervously between Shannon and his computer. "Uh..."
Shannon smiled prettily for him.
Sighing, Jacob nodded. "Sure, Miss Rutherford. I'll check it now." He tore his gaze off her long enough to type something into the computer before nodding. "Yeah, he's here. I could call him, if you'd like."
"That would be lovely. Thank you."
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Present Day
"What's that supposed to mean?" Boone asked, thrown off by her comment. "I have seen you, and you can't take care of yourself."
Shannon shook her head. "Nothing. I didn't mean anything by it, Boone. But stop thinking of yourself as God's friggin' gift to humanity. I didn't ask for you to come to Australia in the first place."
Boone raised an eyebrow and Shannon could read the 'you've got to be kidding me' that enveloped his features. "Am I making up the phone call? Where you called me at 3 AM and told me all about your latest prick of a boyfriend, and told me you thought he was going to kill you? Am I making that up?"
Shannon shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."
"Oh, that's rich, Shan." Boone shifted onto his stomach and cocked his head to look at her. "Because you're suddenly Miss Honesty?"
"I didn't say that."
"God, I shouldn't even have come to get you in the first place. I swear whenever you're around, bad things happen."
Shannon laughed. "Are you blaming the plane crash on me?" she asked, her voice taking on an oddly whiny quality.
"No," Boone spat, shaking his head vehemently. "All I'm saying, Shannon, is that even for you, it's awfully suspicious that you would've hooked up with four abusive boyfriends this year. God, I swear you do it just to get back at me."
Shannon
paled and her hand jumped out to smack him but she froze mid-swing and
shook her head. "You're not even worth it, Boone," she muttered,
turning on her heals and stomping away.
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Sydney, Australia
"For someone supposedly so adept at the game, it took you a long time to get here," an unfamiliar voice greeted Shannon as she slid into room 403.
Shannon frowned as she glanced at the brown haired man stretched out on a double bed in front of her. "Where's Chris?"
The man sat up and snickered. "Dorian, Shannon, not Chris. You know how he is about using his real name."
"Whatever. Where is he." Shannon crossed her arms over her chest nervously, wondering if this had been a bad idea after all. "And who the hell are you?"
"Michael Keaton."
Shannon rolled her eyes. "God, what's with everyone and the fake names? You're all so paranoid. I can assure you, the guy's a fool. He won't figure it out."
"Not warming up my blood, sugar," the man said, sitting up. "Chris sent me here to finish off the deal."
Shannon bit her lip as she glanced around the room. "The 'deal' didn't include third parties."
"Yeah, well, it does now. Chris is in jail."
Shannon's eyes widened immediately and a small gasp escaped her. "What? That was not part of the plan."
"Well, the mark? Wasn't as stupid as you told us he was. He filed abuse charges."
Steeling her jaw, Shannon sat down on the corner of the bed. "So what did Chris tell you to do? How do I fix this?"
The man searched her face for a minute before shrugging. "I only see one possible solution."
It wasn't until his fist made contact with her forehead that Shannon realized how much trouble she was in.
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Present Day
"Shannon!" Hurley shouted.
Shannon could hear him approaching quickly, but she didn't bother to stop walking. She knew she must be drawing a lot of attention to herself, running through wet sand in a $300 skirt and plowing by anyone who got in her way.
Somehow, though, she'd stopped caring about her image.
"Shannon, what are you doing?" Hurley asked as he caught up to her, reaching out and putting a hand on her arm.
"Going for a walk," Shannon muttered sullenly, silently wishing it had been anyone but Hurley who'd stopped her. Hurley was the only person she'd feel guilty for disappointing right now.
"Well, that's all, uh, daisies and stuff, but in case you forgot, the last time a girl wandered off alone she got kidnapped."
Shannon frowned. "Claire was with Charlie, and Kate's wandered off by herself a hundred times since then."
Hurley opened his mouth to respond but ended up shaking his head instead. "Still."
Shannon sighed, pulling her arm away from Hurley. "Look. I know you're just trying to be the campy stand-up guy, but some of us have real issues. Issues that could cause us to kill someone if we don't have a little alone time," she said, pushing past Hurley and continuing along the shore.
As she half-jogged along the water's edge, she heard Hurley call out from behind her, "Who says I don't have issues!... Ugh, just don't go into the woods!"
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Sydney, Australia
Her hands were steady as she poured the tea and offered a cup to the man sitting across from her. "I'm going to call my brother in a few minutes. I need to make sure you're ready for the job."
Chris received the coffee from her graciously and nodded. "I'm not a newcomer to this. At home I made a lot of money for myself off of stuff like this."
Shannon frowned. "Not exactly like this. From what you've said, you were mostly involved in financial scams- business things. This is equal part physical, emotional, and financial. And he will hear your voice."
Chris' lips curved up in a confident smirk and he nodded. "All that means is I have to make sure he doesn't hear me in person. I can handle that."
Shannon nodded. "And have you ever punched a girl before?"
"That will be a first," he admitted.
"I figured. We have a little time for that. I'm estimating my brother will find a plane out within a few hours of the call, and be here by tomorrow afternoon. Assuming everything goes according to plan, as I'm sure it will, you will receive a check for forty to sixty thousand dollars. We'll meet at the Westin Hotel at 6 PM three days from now. You'll register a room under the pseudonym 'Dorian Adams' and there, we'll split the money. We'll have no contact afterward."
"Sounds good," Chris nodded.
"When I call, act angry. Smash things around. Whatever. We'll have the money to replace whatever you break. Sound muted, like you're not right next to me. Just make it seem real." Shannon pursed her lips before reaching for her phone. Dialing a number, she offered Chris a smile. "Yes, can you connect me to Manhattan, New York, USA, please? I'd like to speak to Boone Windsor... Yes, I have the number. 1-212-555-5025."
Shannon grinned as the dispatch went through and Chris started grumbling.
"Shannon?" she heard Boone's voice through the static.
Forcing tears, she cried, "Oh, God, Boone! I need your help. I don't know what to do."
He sounded tense, worried. "Shannon? Is that you? Where are you?"
"I'm in Sydney," Shannon whimpered, winking at Chris. "I- Boone, I hooked up with this guy. He hit me again today. I- I think he wants to kill me, Boone. He keeps threatening me and- and...." She trailed off, allowing herself to break down into tears. "I need your help, Boone."
"Okay, okay, Shannon," Boone said, his voice sweetly reassuring. "I'm looking for a flight as we speak. Just get away from him, okay? Check into some cheap hotel, somewhere he wouldn't expect you to be. I'll call your cell from the airport and we'll figure it out when I get there. Everything will be okay, Shannon. I love you."
"Thanks, Boone. I'm so sorry," Shannon sniffled.
"Shhh. It will be okay, Shan. I'm going to go now, pack some stuff and get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Just get away from him?
"Okay... Bye, Boone."
"Bye, Shan."
Shannon smiled as she heard the click and glanced over at Chris. "So who should I have him make that check out to?"
Chris smiled, pushing a strand of shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes. "Chris. Chris Sawyer."
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