A/N: Yay! First story! Anyway, I would enjoy some helpful feedback on this, if you hate it please tell me how I can make it better etc. I know some of the characters are probably ooc, but I'm working on it.


After the Island

Chapter 1- Return to LA X

The plane ride back home had been bumpy and terrifying. Claire Littleton kept telling herself that everything would be fine, but a fear of planes and flying had planted itself inside her and she spent the entire ride clutching Kate's arm with an iron grip. Other fears were flying around in her heart. Aaron was the most prominent. What if he was afraid of her? Would he remember her voice? Did he occasionally dream about his short life on the island? Claire curled up into the seat in a fetal position, never letting go of Kate's arm, and started humming "Catch a Falling Star". Slowly the hum turned into a whisper and the whisper into an eerie voice that echoed throughout the plane.

Kate Austen stared out the window at the sea passing below her, she couldn't feel her left arm and the right was becoming prickly from leaning on it for so long. She wasn't afraid of flying, but whenever they hit an air pocket or turbulence, she would grip her seat instinctually. She had to be calm for Claire, and focusing all her attention on her poor friend helped keep her mind from drifting off to the Island where Jack had stayed. Surely he had lived, but she could feel that any believing she had in his life being saved was false.

They would be in Los Angeles in three hours and James "Sawyer" Ford was having second thoughts about leaving the Island. The Island had been his home for over three years of his life; it had given him new purposes and a new life. It had cleansed him of all past guilt, but that guilt was coming back. Claire's song swam around in his head, making him feel worse and worse. He got out of his seat and tried to move away from it, but the horrid song kept following him wherever he went.

In one day Richard Alpert got his first grey hair, fixed a plane, and left the Island, his home, for good. He wasn't sure what he'd do when they'd touch down, perhaps he'd return to the Canary Islands and retrace his steps back to his old home. He wondered if the old cabin he had lived in was still standing, probably not, but Jacob's Cabin had managed it so maybe his would too. He was considering staying in Los Angeles and monitor poor, demented Claire Littleton for little bit, Kate would need the help, and he had some experience with dealing with crazies.

Miles Straume wished he'd kept those diamonds. He'd be returning to basically nothing and eight million dollars worth of diamonds would have been nice. He tried to tell himself that if he had kept the diamonds he would have split them with others, but he knew he'd just be lying to himself. He looked at Claire who was clutching onto Kate's arm like it was the most precious thing on earth, he couldn't believe this was the sweet, young mother he'd tried to help get to the beach camp with Sawyer. Maybe if he pictured her with a baby it'd help. It didn't. The Island did horrid things to people and he was glad to wipe it's presence off his boots, something's that had happened to him didn't seem real and hopefully he would wake up soon and find it had all been a dream.

Everything was going smoothly, but Frank Lapidus wasn't about to assume his lucky stars would be pulling through for him. The last few times he'd flown with certain members of this group his plane or helicopter had crashed. Maybe he should retire from flying for some time, he'd certainly had his fill of oversea adventures that could last anyone a lifetime and his adventures weren't anything compared to Sawyer or Kate's.