I DO NOT OWN LOST

To my lovely readers:

I just landed in Europe for two weeks so don't be sad when I don't have a new chapter for y'all every day. I'll be back soon with fresh material and even better one-liners. I wrote this chapter on a plane while I was completely schnockered (drunk) so it's a little rough but I wanted to leave it as is. Should the baby be a boy or a girl and leave potential baby names in the reviews! Oh and "Day-walker" is a south park reference. Daywalkers are ginger kids that can go out in the sun without getting an obscene amount of freckles.

Sawyer was the first one to regain consciousness. The first thing he noticed was that it was dark outside. The second thing he noticed was the stake in the ground he was tied to. He was inside a tent. Alex and Daniel were in there with him, also tied to stakes. It looked like Dan had been shot in the shoulder, there was blood all down his left arm and on his back. Alex woke up a few moments later and looked around.

"Crap. I used to tie people to these things. What happened?" then she remembered. The blood on Dan's shirt, the way he cried out. "Oh my god, Dan, Dan, Wake up!" He lifted his head weakly to look at them.

"It's ok Alex, I've been awake."

"How bad is it?" asked Sawyer

"Could be worse. It's just a graze, really." He was lying. There was a hole in his shoulder from the bullet and he was pale from blood loss.

"We need a plan before you die." said Sawyer

"I have one, don't worry." said Alex. Then she started screaming for Richard at the top of her lungs. Unfortunately, it wasn't Richard that came into the tent. It was a blonde woman with a handgun. She struck Alex across the face with the handle, thinking it would shut her up. What she didn't know was that Alex was at the breaking point. She'd had enough of being shot at and being held at gun point. She spit blood in the woman's face and kept yelling.

"Fucking untie me bitch, we'll see how tough you are without that gun!" she kicked out with her legs but already the woman was backing off. A familiar voice came from outside the tent and then Richard was standing in front of Alex. She had never been happier to see him. He turned to the blonde woman first.

"What is this, Eloise?" he didn't look happy "Why didn't I know about this?"

"They were over the line, Richard."

"You don't make these decisions yet. Go." she backed out of the tent as quickly as she had come in. Richard turned to Alex and knelt down beside her. He produced a switchblade and cut her free from the stake. "We need to talk. Follow me and don't try to run."

"What about my friends?"

"They stay here until we can work something out. Come on." He put a hand on her shoulder and steered her out of the tent. The seventies version of the Other's camp looked about the same as the ones she had grown up in. Tents and cooking fires. She hadn't spotted Horace yet but she knew he had to be here or they wouldn't have started shooting like that. She walked into Richard's tent and looked around. It never changed, just like him.

"Who are you?" he asked her "Why is your face so familiar?" She turned to look at him and smiled.

"I'm surprised you recognize me at all. Have you met Benjamin Linus?"

"I've encountered him a few times. He's just a kid what do you have to do with him?"

"He becomes your leader. Later on he steals me from my mother and passes me off as his own. You helped raise me. I've known you my entire life." his face was expressionless "If you believed Sawyer about the time-travel certainly you can believe me about this."

"I do believe you, Alex. When I heard you screaming for my help it cut into my heart. I didn't even know you were here I had just gotten back from an errand. Something implanted in my brain wants to help you and keep you safe. Every time I see you, I remember. " he had blurry flashes of memory. A blue-eyed little girl with dark hair wanting to be pushed on a swing. The same child splashing him in the shallow surf at the beach. These things hadn't happened yet but her appearance was unlocking them in his mind. There was one he kept having. He thought of it as a flashback but really it was a flash-forward.

It was summer and his people were camped in one of the valleys on the island. Richard was sitting across from a man with the look of a murderer and glasses. This had to be the future Benjamin Linus. A six-year-old Alex came running up to them in tears, needing his help. She had a splinter and wanted Richard to get it out. Somehow, he knew this was how it had always been.

"I need your help, Richard." she looked at the ground for a moment then back up at him.

"The best I can do is let you go. Horace crossed the line. So did your friends. My people want justice for the truce being broken."

"Richard, the man that is bleeding out in that tent saved my life. He is kind and gentle and good and he doesn't deserve to die like that. Your people might be bloodthirsty but you aren't. You taught me about integrity and compassion. I'm begging you. I need them. Do this for me." Alex couldn't go through anymore death. She couldn't bear to lose either of them. Tears rolled down her cheeks while she waited for Richard to speak. He barely had any physical memories of her but seeing her in pain tore at his soul.

He reached out then dropped his hand. There was nothing he could do.

Juliet, Charlotte, Jin and Miles were sitting on Juliet's front porch together. The members of the Dharma Initiative that weren't out searching for their missing friends were gathered outside in the yard or on front steps. Aimee, Horace's girlfriend was hysterical. Bad things were going to happen for everyone if he didn't come back. Charlotte was holding onto Juliet's arm very tightly and trying not to cry. What if Daniel never got to hear about their baby? What if she never saw him again? Absentmindedly her other hand came to rest on her bump that was barely noticeable. Barely noticeable to anyone but Miles, that is. He had been drowning in his thoughts, worried sick about Alex and her panic attacks when he noticed Charlotte's hand. Then he put the pieces together. Then he cracked a big, white, Cheshire grin and blurted out "So, is it Daniel's or Gault's or Keamy's?" Charlotte was mortified. Jin and Juliet were gaping at her. Jin hadn't even known she was pregnant yet and she had only told Juliet about Captain Gault. She buried her face in her hands.

"Keamy is a rumor and heresy. It's not true." Not all the way true anyways. He had worked security on one of her digs several years ago when she was young and silly. That's how the stupid rumor got started on the boat in the first place. "And for your information Miles the baby is Dan's and I'm going to tell him everything the second he gets back."

"Yeah, Charlotte here's your fucking chance." he stood up and shielded his eyes from the headlights that were coming down the road at full speed ahead. It was a Dharma van, not the jeep that had been checked out and they were heading straight for the medical building. Miles felt his heart wrench and he took off running, praying that it wasn't Alex that was hurt. At least he knew there wasn't a body in the van. Juliet and Charlotte were right behind him when the van stopped at the medical building. Horace hopped out first. Other than a few bumps and bruises he was fine. Alex was right behind him. Miles could see she had a black eye but when he asked what happened she said it wasn't important. Charlotte thought the ground would open and swallow her alive. Anything would be better than what came next. Sawyer and a security guy came out of the van supporting Daniel between them. He was covered in blood and there was a bullet wound in his left shoulder. He was bleeding to death. Charlotte silently followed them inside certain that if she lost Daniel she would lose everything.

Horace had some of the brightest minds in America working for him, so why didn't any of them know how to sew up a gunshot wound? He had one emergency doctor on the island right now who was tied up at the Looking Glass for the night with a diving accident. There were several medical interns but they were all afraid to retrieve the bullet from Daniel's shoulder because of how far the infection had progressed. He was on an antibiotic drip but he wouldn't last until morning unless the bleeding stopped. Juliet was already in the supply room collecting everything she would need for his surgery : gloves, rubber-nosed tweezers, forceps, sutures, and dressings. She grabbed a mask and a gown on her way out. Sawyer was waiting outside for her.

"I had a feeling Dr. Burke was coming out of retirement."

"What else can I do, Dan is dying." Sawyer threw his arm around her shoulders and planted a big kiss on her cheek. He didn't speak. There was no need to. They walked into the medical building together and asked the interns to leave. Horace asked her what the fuck she was doing. She explained very calmly that she was doing Daniel's surgery and if he tried to stop her she would perform surgery on him too. He threw up his hands and left. Charlotte was holding Daniel's hands, talking to him softly.

"Charlotte, you have to go" said Juliet "He's running out of time." Charlotte kissed both of his cheeks and walked out of the room. The tears were flowing down her face openly. Juliet had the thick, white syringe of anesthesia ready to go for Dan's IV. "Do you have steady hands?" she asked "I might need an assist." Sawyer nodded. Juliet put Dan out and went to work. She sterilized the wound very carefully, the 24 hours he had been in the jungle had affected his condition critically. Fortunately, the bullet was right on the surface lodged under his collar bone. Sawyer held the forceps open while Juliet used the rubber-nosed tweezers to remove the bullet. After that he was out of the woods. Her sutures were flawless and neat. She tied the last one off and stepped back to look at her work. Perfect. She took off the gloves and the mask and threw them away. Sawyer did the same and they walked outside together where everyone was waiting anxiously. Charlotte didn't wait for them to say anything, she ran inside to see Daniel. He was sleeping peacefully from the anesthesia. She sat down beside him.

"I love you, Dan. I feel alive when we're together. I never would have had kids but now I'm having a kid with you. Your touch gives me life and that means the world to me. So come back soon. I'll be here."