PROLOUGE

"I know you're with my husband. And when Ben finds out, there will be consequences." Harper said, wringing her hands. Juliet Burke only stared, blue eyes wide and innocent. Harper looked up, and turned away, either of shock or disgust or of both.

"What?" Juliet asked.

"Ben told you that you were his." Harper whispered. "I know why."

Juliet sat forward. "Why?"

"Oh….don't do that." Harper massaged her throbbing temples. "You look just like her."

"Like who?" Now Juliet was intrigued.

Harper paused, glancing at Juliet. Her amber eyes were calm and sober. "Annie…Annie Goodspeed. Don't tell me you've never heard about Annie Goodspeed."

Benjamin Linus walked in the door abruptly. Harper cried aloud, dropping her tea cup onto the paisley sofa. Juliet only shut her eyes.

"Juliet doesn't know who Annie Goodspeed is. I do not know who Annie Goodspeed is. I suggest you end this conversation- I have something to discuss with Juliet later." Ben's deep set blue eyes bulged, unblinking, at Juliet. He set the basket of clothes on the countertop and walked out the door.

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one

It was a humid day on the docks. The sun shined hot and distant, the palmetto fronds dipping over the island's beach. A submarine had surfaced at the end of the long runway, and a congregation of people were slowly making their way down, mouths agape, some with wonder, some with bedraggled ness.

It was here that Roger Linus was prepared to start all over. Armed with only his memories and his son, Benjamin, the middle aged man gazed up at the sign exclaiming "NAMASTA" and paced over to the log in booth. A line of women in grey jumpsuits beamed, crowning each entering person with a lei of twisted grey vines and small grey irises.

"Linus?" asked a Dharma secretary, glancing over her clipboard.

"Yes." Roger said, trying to hide his implacability. "Yes- Roger Li-"

"Here you are." Said the woman, handing him a clean cut uniform, complete with his name and title: workman.

"Janitor?"

The woman half nodded, obviously taken by matters of more importance. Ben shut his eyes, anticipating his father's reaction. In the distance, he saw a young girl his age watching him with interest. Ben looked up at his father, and back to the girl who gave him a look of unfeigned sympathy.

"Experiments, studies- I was told we'd be changing the world!...I'm didn't come here to clean up after you." Roger said angrily. He flexed a hand on his young son, who only glanced at his feet and adjusted his wire rimmed glasses. The girl in the distance bit her lip abruptly with empathy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Linus. If another position opens, you're eligible to apply." The woman looked up at him for a moment, paid no attention, only marking off notes in her clipboard. Flushed with anger, Roger Linus led Benjamin away, accidentally knocking him into the young girl, sending Ben's glasses flying into a patch of freshly mowed dharma grass. The girl stared for a moment, and then rushed over to pick up the glasses. The lady that accompanied her smiled brightly at Roger.

"Roger Linus?" She enquired.

Roger pasted on a fake smile and replied. "Yes." The puzzled expression on his face motivated him. "Have we met before?"

"I'm Olivia…Horace Goodspeed's wife."

Roger took a drawn out sigh, letting his anger float into it. "Marvelous." He said drunkedly as Benjamin groped blindly for his glasses in the grass. "Oh stop, Ben." He commented. "Kids these days-"

Olivia Goodspeed laughed, then led him on a tour around the Dharma unit, still unaware of his position as janitor. The little girl who had knocked into Ben now handed him his glasses.

"You're blind without those." She stated, a look of concern on her face.

"No..no I'm not." Ben replied shyly, shoving them on his face gracelessly. "I just…can't see.. Why do you care anyway?"he mumbled.

The girl smiled. "You forgot to thank me."

Ben blushed. "Thanks…." He glanced at his feet once again, seeing hers, clad in grey flip flops and orange toe nail polish. "So who are you anyway?"

"Annie." She said simply. "You?"

"Ben."

"I particularly like that name."

"Mmhm." Ben mumbled, hiding his intrigue.

"Yes. I hope we'll be in class together. Mrs. Goodspeed is the teacher- the lady who was with me. What grade are you going into, Ben?"

Ben pulled himself out of his gaze and answered-"sixth grade."

Annie's face lit up. "Me too!"

"Benjamin!" The call of Ben's father sent him into a pit of despair again- although, as he glanced over his shoulder at the blonde bubbly girl who smiled, he felt he was taking an orb of light into the deep pit with him.