A/N: Standard Disclaimer, LOST doesn't belong to me

Though I didn't get enough feedback over the previous chapter, the two who bothered to review, Thank you I really appreciate what you have to say.

Chapter Two: Upper Hand

Jack took hold of Kate's hand as he followed the fishermen's towards their radio station. He didn't bother turning around to face the others; Jack knew they were following him.

One of the small tanned men turned towards them and started talking in his native tongue; Jack didn't bother trying to communicate with him, only nodding to everything he was saying. He noticed Kate was doing the same; he glanced down at Aaron, who was being held in her protective embrace.

Brief flashes of a pregnant Claire came to his mind, making Jack turn away, feeling guilty yet again for leaving her and the rest behind.

Once they entered their small and very cramp radio station, Sayid took charge, calling the right authorities, like Penny had instructed them on the boat.

Jack not realizing that he still had hold of Kate's hand moved to leave the crowded radio station, until he felt a pull of his arm.

"Jack where are you going?" Kate asked, gently rocking a now fussing Aaron.

He quickly let go of her hand, "I'm going to get a bit of fresh air."

"Dude haven't you grown tired of seeing the beach?" Hurley asked him after overhearing them.

Jack smiled kindly at Hurley as he walked out of the station. He was surprised to see Sun standing outside as well. With all the commotion going on around them he hadn't focused a lot of his attention on the mourning wife and mother-to-be.

Yet another death resting on my soul.

"Sun I'm sorry that I haven't checked on you lately. Is everything alright?" Jack asked lamely not very comfortable in the situation he was in. But he was honestly and generally concern for her well being and for her baby's.

Sun slowly turned her attention to him, the fierce glare she gave him gave Jack a good enough idea were he stood with her.

"Don't you dare ask me anything about me and my well being." She said furiously.

Jack didn't want to leave it like this, even though a part of him, the more logical part told him to leave her alone, "Sun I am truly sorry about what happened back there with the freighter and Jin . . ."

Sun didn't let him finish his apology as she slapped him square in the face.

"And don't you dare talk about Jin to me. Not when its your fault that he's dead at the bottom of that ocean."

"Is everything okay out here?" Kate asked them both after stepping outside.

Jack took his hand away from his now red cheek and turned to look at Kate, "No nothing is going on here. What did Sayid say?"

Kate wasn't buying his lie but he was glad she let it go, even though she would let it go momentarily, "He said that they will be sending a representative of Oceanic Airlines with a nearby US Coast Guard. They also said to stay put. Right now he's in there trying to find a place where we can stay for the night."

Jack took in the information she gave him and headed back inside to help Sayid with locating a place to stay, leaving both women alone together. He did take one final glance at Sun, who was still eyeing him with so much rage. This was something he wasn't going to try and fix, he deserved every ounce of her hate.

Present

Charles Widmore was a very busy man, he had plenty to deal with on an hourly basis. And now with Benjamin Linus around, his life became a lot more complicated. It also didn't help that he hadn't been able to get a hold of Penny for three years now. Since she went off on her rescue mission for Desmond a few Christmases ago.

"Mr. Widmore, your two o'clock is here." His secretary buzzed in by speaker.

He looked down at his watch and saw that she was right on time. He pressed the button that connected to his secretary's phone, "Thank you Emily, you can send Ms. Kwon in."

Charles stood up walked towards the door as the young beautiful business women walked through his doors. He extended his hand to shake hers.

"Ms. Kwon thank you for coming. I'm sorry I couldn't fly out to Seoul but I have matters to oversee here in London."

She smiled politely back at him, but her handshake was firm giving him the impression that she was not here for simple pleasantries but for pure business.

"I understand Mr. Widmore, but I am letting you know now that I'm not your typical submissive businesswomen, I have my own matters in Seoul to oversee as well, I can't afford to leave that all behind to come and meet with you at your beck and call."

Charles laughed at her flare, "You don't sound at all as the daughter your father use to describe to me so long ago. Please take a seat. Would you like some water, tea, wine . ."

She cut him off, "Mr. Widmore I'm positive you didn't call me to meet you here to talk about my drinking preferences."

"You are absolutely right Ms. Kwon, I didn't call you to meet me here to have small talk. But I'm curious to know, why are you so incline to do business with me? After all you six have done a pretty good job of keeping out of sight since your fifteen minutes of glory ended?" He said taking his usual seat across from her.

"I'm tired of keeping up with this lie, it really isn't protecting anyone I care about. The island's well being isn't something that interest me anymore." She said calmly.

Charles watched her with great interest, leaning forward in his seat he reached into his top drawer pulling out four manila folders and placing them separately in front of him.

"So this is more of a vengeance deal to you, than a financial opportunity?"

He watched as her shoulders tensed for a moment before she returned to her usual business like demeanor.

"How is finding that island a financial deal?" She asked him.

Charles smiled at her question, "How is helping me find it going to even the score with your enemy?"

She stood up from her seat and glared at him, "If you're not going to take me seriously Mr. Widmore, I believe this is the last time I will ever do business with you."

"Ms. Kwon I assure you I take you seriously, what I don't take seriously is your future commitment to me and my mission." Charles said looking down at the four manila folders, having her gaze at them as well.

"What gives you that idea?" She asked taking her seat once again, but not once gazing away from the folders.

"You spent months on that island Ms. Kwon, you made a connection with the people there, a connection that not many people can brush aside and forget." Charles paused for a moment as he opened each folder showing her the first page, which contained photos, "They are people out there who don't want me to find the island. They would do whatever it takes for me to back off. A lot of my associates have been . . . well lets just say they've been taken care off, if you know what I mean, by one of your dear friends."

He watched her eyes move towards the picture his finger was tapping.

"That's impossible, Sayid is not a murderer."

Charles smirked at her, "Theirs a lot you don't know about your friends. I wonder, didn't you people ever sit down and talk to one another, or where you all just divided?"

Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer to his question, he continued on.

"You are right on that account, Mr. Jarrah isn't exactly a cold blooded murderer, he did and continues to do what he is told, thinking he's making a difference. Not like another close friend of yours."

Her calm and emotionless expression soon changed when she gazed down at yet another picture he was pointing at.

"Kate is no longer my friend."

"I don't blame you for brushing her aside like that. You are a respectable women and a responsible mother, you don't need someone like Ms. Austen around your child. To bad that poor son of hers has to be raised by such a character."

Before he turned his attention on the next folder he noticed her gaze still lingering at the picture of the young boy in Austen's arms.

"I don't even know why I added Mr. Reyes into the mix, he doesn't seem much of a threat to me, you see your poor friend is no longer right in the mind. He spends most of his time talking to the dead." Charles said.

"Hurley is not a threat to anyone, I don't even understand why you had him investigated." She said angrily.

"Because he has plenty of money. That's something that can be used against me. Your protectiveness for him is the reason we are doing this. I can't have you lose control or go against my orders if something happens to any of them. I'm not a man who hesitates to take people down if they are in my way."

"Well I assure you Hurley will not come across your path. So worrying about him is a waste of your time." She said confidently.

"For his sake, I hope your right. This leads to another harmless figure, but who's a bit more inclined to getting back to the island." Charles said eyeing the last folder. "I was looking over his records and he's one great surgeon. He's someone I would trust with my life. Maybe we can get him on our side, before he gets to him."

"No, if you bring him in I'm out. I will not work alongside him. And you shouldn't trust him with your life, he'll gamble with it if it puts her in danger." Ms. Kwon said furiously glaring at the photo of the young and talented doctor.

Charles came down with the reason Ms. Kwon was here, "You want to ruin him. You want to ruin Doctor Jack Shephard. He's the one you want vengeance on."

"Does it matter whatever is motivating me to join forces with you? You need me to get you on that island."

"And how are you going to manage to do that? I have seven freighters out there in the sea looking for that damn island. I doubt adding you into my plans will help me find it." He said admitting his doubts towards the young women and her role in all of this.

"You may have all the resources available to locate the island at your command, but you don't have me and you definitely don't have the rest of the Oceanic six at your disposal."

He laughed what she was implying, "So what you are trying to tell me is that I need you six in order to find the island? Where did you get a crazy idea like that?"

"Not to give anything away, but a person I once knew from the island came to me and told me exactly what we had to do in order to get back to the island."

The humor in her theory soon vanished, "What do you mean a person you once knew from the island? You six were the only ones to escape?"

"Now you and I both know that's not true."

And just like that he found himself with no control over the situation at hand.

"Has Linus approached you?" He stood up from his chair, not knowing what to do next, he began pacing. Charles avoided his window, just in case this was some sort of trap.

"No he hasn't, not yet anyways. His main priority right now is convincing Shephard to follow every single one of his plans. Convincing me to go along with him wont be that hard."

He spun around to face her, "Then why are you here? Is this some sort of distraction to keep me from finding the damn island? Because let me tell you Ms. Kwon I don't like playing games, and I do not like being played with."

"I hold him just as responsible for my husband's death as I hold Shephard. I want both of them to pay. So I came to you."

Watching as she calmly stated her true motivation behind all of this, brought a surprisingly thrill of victory to rush over him. He still had the upper hand, and Benjamin Linus would never be aware of it.

"This friend of yours, does he have a name?" He asked going back to his seat.

"His name was Jeremy Bentham."

Charles shakes his head, "Do you honestly take me as a fool? I've read the manifesto over a hundred times. I have every single one of those names memorized. And what do you mean by was?"

"Well he's dead now, they say it was suicide. And I wont give you his real name, it doesn't really matter anyways. The question now is Mr. Widmore, do you want what I have?" She asked boldly.

He leaned back on his chair to stare at her. She would bring more trouble into his plans, bringing Linus closer than he would like.

Once I have everything I need from her I can simply take her out.

"We have a deal Ms. Kwon. Whatever you need, I will be at your disposal." He said charmingly.

"I'm not a foolish women Mr. Widmore, I know what men like you are capable of. After all you spent half of this meeting implying what you do to people who wrong you."

"Ms. Kwon I wouldn't dare bring harm to you, not when I need you. You have my word that I wont double cross you." Charles said lying through his teeth.

"And I believe you, but just in case you do, I have arranged for someone that I know to tell Linus the whereabouts of your daughter. You see I met her once, a few years back, her boat was the one who rescued us. It was a spectacular scene, seeing her reunite with Desmond after so long."

Summary for next chapter: Jack gets a visit from an old friend he long ago failed to save.