Chain Reaction

Sayid was unsurprised to find that the waters were stilled at the beach. It was the calm before the storm. As people milled around him, preparing for their journey and saying their good-byes, he remained focused. He was going into battle. He had done so many times before, and he knew that the slightest deviance in mindset from their mission could mar the whole plan.

He needed to be vigilant.

He watched as Jin made his way toward Sun, taking her hands in his, kissing her forehead lightly. Bernard and Rose had been arguing affably, covering their own fears in their routine. But Sayid even caught them in a short, tender embrace.

It was nearly impossible for him to not think of the fact that he could have also been saying his good-byes to a loved one, had fate not played out the way it did. He would have kissed Shannon's tears away, would have made her promise that she would live on whether or not he did.

But her death was the very reason he was where he was. The Others had taken her away from him. And he would finally get his revenge, even if it cost him his life.

"Sayid?"

He watched Kate separate from the pack and walk toward him. "Kate."

She placed her arm on his shoulder. "Take care of yourself out there, alright?"

"Thank you." He smiled and she smiled back.

As she turned to leave, he stopped her. "Kate!"

"What is it?" She looked at him curiously.

"I need you to promise that if anything happens to me, you will make sure that Jack does his job. If anything happens down here on the beach, make sure Jack doesn't falter. They need a strong leader. And you need to keep him strong."

Kate nodded. "Of course."

They both remained quiet for a moment. Sayid took Kate's hand, hoping to break the tension. "Kate, a long time ago, I told you that there was no one here that I could trust except myself. I was wrong. I trust you. And I trust that you will see to it that everyone is safe."

Kate smiled. She wrapped him in a tight hug to hide her tears. "Good luck, Sayid"

"You too."

He watched as she returned to the main group. Preparations came to an end; it was time for them to part. He saw Jack lead his group away from the beach. Jin and Bernard took their places beside him. Together, the three of them watched until the group was completely out of sight. But they couldn't wait any longer. They had a job to do.

Kate could feel a dull ache in her legs. They had been walking for quite a while now. But the pain in her legs was nothing compared to the fear she was feeling.

Nothing was going the way it was supposed to.

She had tried her hardest to get through to Sawyer. They had barely spoken two words to one another in the past few days. He had returned to the beach with Juliet's recording a changed man.

Kate knew that there was a good possibility that she was carrying Sawyer's child. Juliet had been sent to spy on Sun, but she had also been sent to check if Kate was pregnant as well. And Kate's knowledge of pregnant women on the island led her to believe that if she was expecting, she was as good as dead. If she were gone, Sawyer would be the only one left to take care of their child…

She wanted so badly to speak these words, to get everything out in the open.

But instead of talking, he had chosen to leave. He had left her behind and taken off with Juliet back to the beach. He didn't want her help, even when she had offered. He was pushing her away.

Jack had told her that Sawyer was only trying to protect her, that he didn't want anything to happen to her. But Sawyer knew she wasn't weak. Sawyer knew she could take care of herself. He didn't need any excuses. Maybe even Jack was trying to push her away…

"Because I love you."

The words Jack had said echoed in her mind. It was unbelievable. She had been crushed watching Juliet kiss Jack before she had left with Sawyer. She had been lost and unsure, but hearing him tell her that he loved her had only caused her more pain.

She had no idea what she wanted. Sawyer and Jack…they had always been so clear with their emotions. And here she was, sitting in between, unable to know how she truly felt. She was speechless, and so she simply kept her feet moving.

"Kate, are you alright?" Sun asked, walking up behind her.

"Yeah. I guess I'm just a little sore, that's all." Kate replied, giving Sun a weak smile. "How are you, Sun?"

Sun looked away from Kate's eyes. "I'm fine."

Kate shook her head. They were both terrible liars.

"Juliet's recording, it said that you might be pregnant too…"

"Maybe…" Kate agreed.

Sun suddenly turned to Kate, sheer determination in her eyes. "Then maybe that is my purpose. Pregnant women on this island die. Maybe…after me…maybe there will be some way you can figure it all out afterwards. A way to fix it."

Kate gave Sun a questioning look.

"If I die, maybe they can save you, Kate."

Kate frowned. "No. Sun, there is no way I will let that happen."

"Kate…"

Kate took Sun's hand in her own and smiled softly. "Whatever happens, Sun, I'm glad we met. I'm happy that I had a friend while we were here."

Sun nodded and smiled back.

But Kate did not miss the small glint of fear in her eyes.

"I saved them all!"

Sun had never before been so pleased to hear Hurley's voice. Jin was alive.

She had been terrified ever since they had left the beach and there had only been two explosions. She had known that panicking was not an option, and instead she had opted to keep Rose calm and make sure Claire and Aaron were fine; they had been unusually silent ever since Charlie had left.

She had not allowed herself to be overcome by fear.

As Hurley explained to Jack that everyone down at the beach was safe, she felt all of her pent up emotions spill out. Jin. He was ok. He was alive. That was all she could ever ask for.

But things had taken a turn for the worse. Locke had returned, and he had killed the woman, Naomi, who had been helping them get off the island. He had simply murdered her without a second thought, without giving any kind of warning. Sun had never been close with Locke, but she did know that he enjoyed taking matters into his own hands. Which was exactly why he was now holding Jack at gunpoint.

Locke was refusing to allow Jack to finally phone Naomi's people for rescue. He wasn't willing to divulge the reasons behind his actions, but he was willing to single-handedly destroy everything they had worked for.

Sun wanted nothing more than to get off of the island. If Juliet's words could be trusted, then she would be dead in a matter of months if she stayed here. She didn't want to know a life without her child. A life without Jin. She needed to leave this place and never return.

She breathed a sigh of relief as John lowered his weapon on Jack and was soon out of sight. Jack completed his call, explaining their situation, asking for help. Sun heard a joyous cheer erupt from behind her. Everyone wanted to leave; it was definitely not just her wish.

She smiled to herself. No more monsters in the forest. No more strange kidnappings. No more manipulation. No more graves to dig. No more fear.

They were going home.