Isabelle listened to Sawyer's breathing for another moment and then quietly stood and tiptoed into the jungle after Ethan. She found him waiting for her just inside the border of trees.

"We still have some time before we're supposed to be there," she told him.

"I know, but I was hoping you would follow me if you saw me head off early."

"You know me so well," she smiled. "I thought we discussed this already though. We can't risk being seen together, Rom."

"Nobody is here right now Belle," Ethan told her. "Nobody but you…" he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, "…and me."

"Okay, hold on now!" she squirmed to get out of his arms, but he didn't release her, and she wasn't trying very hard. In a moment she gave up and settled into his embrace. "If anyone sees us…" she stopped talking when his lips covered hers. "Maybe we should go further in, just to be safe."

He showed that he agreed with her by taking her hand and pulling her on. She tried not to laugh too loudly as she tripped along in her heels.

"Don't pull too hard, Rom!" She insisted. "I won't be able to keep up with you!" Ethan slowed considerately and let her set the pace instead.

They moved steadily for almost thirty minutes before stopping again. He never dropped her hand once, and she managed to keep up with him without a struggle. When they stopped, they both dropped to the ground to rest among the foliage.

"Why are we stopping here?" Isabelle asked as she tried to make herself more comfortable on the ground. "The Pearl station is still at least a ten minute walk."

Ethan scooted closer to her so he could press his lips against her cheek. "And we still have some time before we're supposed to meet them."

"Oh? Is that so?" Isabelle turned her lips to him. "Whatever will we do with our free time?"

"Hopefully nothing that requires me to gouge out my eyes."

Both Ethan and Isabelle turned at the unexpected voice behind them. Ethan stood.

"Hey Goodwin," he held his hand out to his friend. "How's your crash site?"

"A disaster, but I didn't expect much better. You?" Goodwin glanced down at Isabelle who was still sitting, now with her arm lightly looped around Ethan's leg.

"Surprisingly under control, actually."

Goodwin looked impressed, but didn't say anything else about it.

"Have you met anyone interesting?" Isabelle asked.

Goodwin glanced at her again—very briefly—and then shrugged.

"You have," she commented. "I can tell because you won't look at me." She smiled. "What's her name?"

Goodwin fixed his gaze on her now as though to prove himself to her. "There's nobody in particular, Isabelle. There aren't many survivors in the first place."

"But there is one that has interested you more than the others, isn't there?"

He shrugged again.

"Good, you're here."

Everyone turned to look the other direction where they saw Ben emerging from the dense trees, followed closely by a few of his closest companions.

"You're early," Ethan commented. He reached a hand down to Isabelle and pulled her to her feet. "And you're in the wrong place."

"So are you," Ben observed.

"Well," Ethan slipped his arm around Isabelle's waist, even though she tried to keep him at a distance. "We had been hoping for some alone time, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, Ethan, I know what you mean," Ben replied solemnly. "You should also know that we came early, knowing that you would be trying to engage in something scandalous, which you should not be doing."

"What, you mean sex?" Ethan asked bluntly. "Are you seriously trying to tell me that I'm not allowed to have sex with my girl?"

"Your girl?" Ben repeated.

Goodwin snickered in the background.

"Rom…." Isabelle tried to slip away from him, but he held her tightly.

"Look Ben, we're doing our job. None of the survivors are aware that we even know each other," Ethan assured him. "So, excuse me if I want a moment alone with her! You can't keep us apart for good."

"I'm not trying to keep you apart," Ben told him. "I'm trying to keep you focused." His bulging eyes drifted from Isabelle to Ethan. "If I wanted to keep you apart I would have locked one of you at the Hydra station months ago. Just don't blame me when she gets pregnant and dies."

Isabelle stopped struggling against Ethan and transferred her energy to glaring at Ben. "Can we just get on with this meeting, since we're all here?"

Ben nodded. "Ethan, do you have a list?"

Ethan pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Ben. Isabelle looked at it curiously—she hadn't known about that part of Ethan's activities while they were with the survivors. Ben unfolded it and glanced over it briefly. From what Isabelle could see, it had the names of all the survivors from the flight.

"Good," Ben commented after a minute. He refolded the paper and put it into his own pocket. "It's your turn Isabelle."

"You didn't ask me to bring you anything," she protested.

"I am aware," he paused. "Did you do as you were told, though? Have you made yourself familiar with the male survivors?"

She shrugged. "I guess so."

Ben looked slightly irritated, but he didn't say anything about it.

"So what else am I supposed to do?"

Ben's eyes shifted to Ethan briefly and then back to Isabelle. "Perhaps we should talk privately."

"Why?" Ethan took a step forward.

Isabelle took Ethan's hand to keep him calm. "We don't need to talk privately. What do you want me to do?"

"You are going to utilize the relationships you have been building and you are going to have sex…"

"Sex?" Ethan cut him off.

Ben lifted an eyebrow in Ethan's direction. "This is not your assignment. It is hers."

"You want me to have sex with someone?"

"Yes."

"I'm not a whore."

Ben pulled his lips tight. "I know exactly what you are Miss Greene."

Isabelle looked down at the ground and then back up at Ben, connecting eyes with him. She didn't say anything though.

Ben pulled a different piece of paper from his pocket and read the name that was printed on it. "Are you acquainted with a Rob Lore?"

Isabelle tried to picture the different people she had made an effort to meet that day. She slightly recalled the name and she started matching a man's face to it, so she nodded.

"Good. You are to have sexual intercourse with him."

"What exactly will this achieve?" Ethan asked.

"That is not information that either of you need. This is her assignment, and that is all either of you need to know at the moment."

"I'm not a whore," she said again.

"That's a choice you are going to have to make. If you refuse this assignment, you should know that there will be consequences."

Isabelle was silent again.

"You two may return now. Isabelle, you have twenty-four hours to complete this assignment. Meet me back here at that time for your next assignment." Ben dismissed her and Ethan with a nod.

"I need supplies." Isabelle spoke up quickly.

"I figured you might," Ben told her. "Juliet is packing you a couple bags. We will leave them in the jungle near to your crash site so you can accidentally run across them."

"I need books."

"Books?"

"Yes, a couple novels. She'll find a good selection in my house. And some suitable shoes and clothes—perhaps some gym clothes."

"Anything else?"

"A couple of bathing suits and everything else that would be expected for a vacation."

"I will pass it on to her."

"Okay," Isabelle turned away from him.

"See you later!" Goodwin attempted to smile at her and Ethan as they started away, but his eyes showed compassion as they met with Isabelle's.

"Bye Goodwin," she returned the sad smile and left hand-in-hand with Ethan.

The two walked silently for fifteen minutes and then they finally spoke, certain that they were at a safe distance from Ben.

"I can't do it," Isabelle stated firmly.

"I'm glad to hear it," Ethan told her. "I hate him."

"Ben?"

"Yes Ben," Ethan confirmed. "That bastard. I can't believe he actually gave you sex as an assignment! He's doing it just to piss me off, I guarantee it."

"I doubt that's his only motive," Isabelle said. "He has no reason to keep us apart. I just wish I knew what his purpose was."

"It doesn't matter though," Ethan decided. "Because you're not going to do it, right?"

"Of course not!" She shook her head. "I don't even know that guy. I mean, I met him, but we barely said two words to each other. Besides, I'm not a whore."

"Yeah, you've mentioned that." Ethan smiled and kissed her cheek. "But just so you know, I never thought you were."

"Thanks," Isabelle gave him a kiss before they started walking again.

After fifteen more minutes they reached the familiar trees that indicated they were nearing their camp. Isabelle slowed first and Ethan followed suit, turning to look at her.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She took a deep breath.

"Ben had no right to ask you to do that."

"He has whatever right he wants," she replied. "He's the boss."

"Yeah, but still…"

She put a finger to his lips to quiet him. "It's just who he is. We know that, and we can't let it get to us."

"That doesn't mean I don't hate him for it."

"And that doesn't mean that I don't love you for that," she replied.

"Love me, eh?" He leaned in for a kiss and she gave it to him.

"I think it's time we head back," Isabelle decided.

"Why?" Ethan argued. "Everyone's asleep; nobody would miss us. Let's have some fun."

"By fun, I assume you're referring to sex?"

"You know me well."

"Rom, I love you, and I love having sex with you, but I have just been told by my boss to seduce and have sex with a total stranger, which makes me feel like nothing more than a hooker. So, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not exactly in the mood for sex right now."

"Of course you're not baby," Ethan looked a little let down, but he pulled her into his arms sympathetically and pressed his lips repeatedly against the top of her head. "I'm sorry I even mentioned it. I wasn't thinking…"

"I don't want you to apologize, Rom." Isabelle kept her arms securely around his neck and let her lips brush against his neck. "I just want you to understand why I'm saying no. Because under normal circumstances, you have to know that I would never refuse you."

"I know," he assured her. "I don't doubt you, don't worry."

He made a movement to let her go, but she clung to him for another minute before finally releasing him.

"Okay, I'm ready to go back now."

"I guess I'm ready to let you…"

"Let me go out first," she told him. "Wait a few minutes. If anyone's awake, we shouldn't be seen coming out together."

"Fine." He looked prepared to say 'goodbye' but he caught her hand and wouldn't let go.

"Rom," she smiled.

"I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If you go through with this assignment," he started.

"I'm not going to," she protested.

"If you do though," he continued. "If you sleep with this guy, or whatever other guy Ben may demand in the future, promise me that you won't mean anything by it."

She moved closer to him and took his other hand in hers. "Mean anything? You don't want me to feel anything, you mean? You just want it to be sex without emotion."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"So, you just want me to be like a prostitute, basically."

"Belle, I don't mean that! I don't want you to do it at all! I'm just saying that if you do…"

"I know what you're saying Rom," she stopped him. "I promise."

"You do?"

"I promise that I won't feel anything for any other guy. You're the only one that means anything to me. Sex with anyone else wouldn't be anything more than an assignment, which is exactly why I'm not going to do it. Ben can't use me like that."

"Good," Ethan smiled. "Thank you."

"Is that all?"

He nodded.

"Okay," she lifted his hands to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "I love you." Pulling her hands away from his, she headed to the border of the trees. At the division, she blew a kiss to him and then left him.

Back on the beach, Isabelle quietly made her return to the blanket she had abandoned. Sawyer was lying flat on his stomach with his head turned towards the ocean. She sat down on the blanket and slipped off her shoes before sliding down onto her back and attempting to settle into a comfortable position.

Isabelle admired the canopy of stars hanging in the sky above her as she tried to drift off to sleep. It wasn't easy. All the happy thoughts that she had been using before to keep herself awake had now been with more difficult thoughts that refused to allow her any rest. Ben's orders had left her feeling angry, confused, and slightly nauseas. There were things in her life that she had been trying to escape from for years—things she knew she would never tell Ethan or anyone else who meant anything to her—but somehow Ben seemed to know everything and he refused to let her escape. Tonight's assignment was just one more example of his irritating power over her. She hated that he was so confident in her inability to disobey.