A warm afternoon. The sun slanted through the windows in the kitchen, bathing the room in a soft glow. She sat at the end of the table, staring past her crayon drawings to the space beside hers. Several papers lay scattered, glossy photos shining in the light. She could just see the black and white images, recognizing them as people. Carefully, she leaned forward in her chair over the table. There was a picture of a beach, strange buildings; she could see what looked like a dock, and another image of a man standing in front of a car.

"Here you go, sweetie."

She beamed up at her father, moving to sit back correctly in her seat. He tousled her hair, setting a large glass down in front of her. She clapped her hands excitedly.

"One strawberry smoothie for you, and…" he moved to sit in the chair beside hers, presenting his own glass, "One orange one for me."

"Thank-you, Daddy!" she giggled.

He grinned at her, watching as she sipped her drink through a purple 'crazy' straw. Her wide bright eyes had focused on the knot of papers and photos lying in front of him. She watched as he scribbled something down in a spiral notebook, running a hand through his short, dark hair. A smile came to her; she liked the way his hair was choppy, his bangs brushed gently upward. He'd always let her help him put the gel in every morning.

"What is all that?" she asked him.

He looked at her, taking a drink as if to give himself a moment to think. She bounced around in her chair, swinging her legs as she waited. He would always give her an answer.

"I'm looking for a very special place, Lisa," he finally said, "But it's hard to find- I have to do a lot of research."

It confused her, and she frowned thoughtfully.

"Why is it so hard to find, Daddy?"

Her father pursed his lips, thinking again. His fingers drummed on the table, moving the pictures. His jade green eyes settled back on his eight-year-old soon after.

"I don't know, honey. But it is."

"Will I get to come with you, when you find it?"

He looked at her with a reassuring expression, tugging lovingly on her ponytail. She smiled at him, revealing a missing tooth.

"I certainly hope so. After all, it's where you were born."

*******

The blender whirred threateningly, but to her elation, nothing shot out of the top. The contents grinded with a satisfying crunch, and after a few more cycles, everything was ready. She poured the contents into a glass, humming a song as she did so. The floorboards creaked behind her, and she turned to face Kate, who had a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Morning," Lisa greeted her.

Kate nodded, looking guilty about something. Lisa turned back to her work, pouring her concoction into a second glass.

"You want some?" she asked.

Kate shook her head, moving to lean against the counter. Lisa cast her a sideways glance, sighing. She licked the excess smoothie from her fingers and said,

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

Kate couldn't help laughing. She nodded, flipping her dark hair over her shoulder.

"Yeah. What gave it away?"

Lisa shrugged, pouring the last of the smoothie into a third glass and placing it in the fridge. She squinted in the yellow morning light.

"Nothing. I just had an idea you would go back."

Kate sighed. "Please don't feel like I'm abandoning you, Lisa."

"I'm not," was the reply, "I've lost enough friends as it is- why not one more?"

"You don't understand-"

"Yes I do. You're always running, Kate. I understand that," Lisa took a sip of her drink in effort to hide the emotion in her voice, "…But just promise me you'll be smart."

Kate looked at her for a moment, crossing her arms.

"Why don't you come back with me?" she asked her.

Lisa shook her head. "Those people on the freighter aren't who they say they are. I'm not going anywhere." She looked up at Kate pleadingly. " I'm fine where I am. I can handle John's "leadership." Just…Stay safe, okay? And- tell Jack I'm sorry…"

Kate brought her into a tight hug. Lisa returned the gesture with the same strength.

"Okay…I'll be smart," Kate told her, "But make sure you watch your back, too."

"I will."

They smiled at each other. Lisa watched as Kate opened the door, waving gently after her. The wind caught her hair, brushing it from her shoulders.

"See ya," she said.

Kate flashed her one final smile before the turning around. The door closed with a snap behind her, and she was gone.

……………………….

She had been visiting the basement for a few days now. Whenever she felt as if Locke wasn't being as 'understanding' as usual, she would sneak into the house after dark and bring whatever she could to their prisoner. Tonight, she had something different…

"How much time do you have?"

"Not much."

Lisa took her usual place on the floor in front of him. He read the last line of a paragraph and closed the beaten paperback, taking his glasses from his face. Ben looked at her expectantly, folding his hands in his lap. Lisa reached for her backpack, saying,

"I brought something way better than chicken."

She dug out a glass wrapped in plastic from the depths of the bag. Ben arched an eyebrow as she ripped the wrap from it, sticking a straw inside. She handed it to him, and he inspected the drink with a frown. It was yellow, tinged with a dull pink. He looked back at her, obviously wanting an explanation.

"I didn't poison it," she told him, rolling her eyes, "It's a smoothie- strawberries and mango."

He took a sip, surprised that it tasted good. Lisa heaved a sigh, leaning against the wall. There wasn't much to look at, so she watched the laces bouncing on her shoes.

"Just like old times, right?" Ben remarked.

She laughed, although it was a hallow one. Lisa fixed him with a knowing smirk.

"Only you're not Henry Gale," she said.

"And you're stealing the key from John instead of Jack."

She looked at him crookedly, but didn't say anything. Ben quietly sipped the drink, staring at the dull, drab walls. He sighed.

"You're pissing him off again," Lisa spoke up, "Why don't you just tell him who you're stupid spy is?"

"Because I think he should figure it out for himself."

Lisa rolled her eyes again and Ben smirked. She sat down on her haunches, blowing out a breath. He took a moment to look down at her, watching as she chewed absently on the pendant around her neck. She appeared smaller than she was, due to the over-sized black and grey striped jacket she wore, obviously barrowed from Charlie. Ben realized that unfortunately, she'd never be able to return it.

"How is Alex?" he asked, as nonchalantly as he could.

Lisa smiled. "She's fine. In fact, she's become a friend of mine; if I need anything, she'll help me out."

A flicker of emotion- was it hope, relief? - flashed across his eyes. Lisa flicked the safety pin stuck in her laces as she spoke.

"In fact, she knows about these meetings, and I trust her completely. I tell her you're okay." Lisa shrugged. "She tells me what you like to eat."

Ben laughed lightly. "I've spoken to you more than I've spoken to her in weeks, and she's telling you what to feed me."

Lisa grinned. "I suppose that is kind of funny."

They fell into silence. Ben watched her again, still drinking the smoothie. He wondered why she would bring him something like this. It tasted good- much better than anything John ever scrounged for him. He suddenly realized how easy it was for her to come in here, to take charge of the conversation. Ben stared thoughtfully at his boots, knowing full well he couldn't let her be the one in control. But, he had to remind himself, none of this was her fault. She was too fearless- he needed to fix that.

"You've been coming down here quite often," Ben observed, leaning back slightly against the wall.

Lisa regarded him cautiously for a moment. He shrugged.

"I'm merely stating…if John catches you down here, he'll send you away."

"You'd be really cut up about that, wouldn't you?" Lisa retorted.

"Well…you are the only person who seems to care what happens to me," Ben replied, "Although I'm sure there's a reason for that."

Lisa made a face, abruptly taking the glass from his hand. The straw flicked upward as she did so, and flecks of smoothie fell over her face.

"I think you're done," she said, ignoring the fact that the contents were only half empty.

Ben arched an eyebrow; apparently he'd struck a nerve. Lisa rubbed the mango from her cheek, gathering up the items she'd brought with her.

"So what are you really doing down here?" Ben wanted to know, "Trying to 'apologize' for all the beatings doesn't seem to be the only reason."

Lisa shot him a warning look, stuffing the evidence of her visit into her backpack. Ben smirked. He realized now he was close to something. He could tell she was uncomfortable, and in being so, she made herself an easy target.

"Calm down. What if John hears you?"

"He won't."

Lisa had finished piling everything back into her pack, looking at him with a somewhat confused expression. She slung the back over her shoulder as she spoke.

"I only hoped that maybe there could be an understanding between us."

Ben tilted his head. "Is that right?"

He saw the flash of a lie in her eyes and held back a grin. She moved the bangs from her forehead, avoiding his gaze.

"Yes, Ben."

He shook his head; she scowled at him.

"You're a terrible liar, Lisa."

"What are you talk-?"

"You think you've outsmarted me, am I right?" he interrupted, his voice only just louder than before. It was enough to show her he meant for her to listen. "You think that because you told me your name is Pace that I don't know who you are; that Charlie is your true brother and you crashed on this island coming back from Sydney with him."

Lisa seized the straps of her backpack tightly in mounting fear. She fought to keep her voice from quavering.

"He is my brother," she replied.

Ben leaned forward. His eyes locked with hers and she flinched uncontrollably. He shook his head slightly.

"No, he is not," Ben told her quietly. His voice suddenly changed to a business-like tone. "You're name is Lisa Elizabeth McCoy, born to William and Andrea McCoy."

Lisa shook her head, feeling tears pooling behind her eyes.

"No!"

"Your parents divorced when you were five-years-old, and your father received full custody-"

"-Stop it!"

"-You were raised in Portland, Oregon then moved to Berkeley, California when you were ten-years-old. And two years ago your father was killed-"

"STOP!" Lisa cried.

She didn't want to hear it, didn't want to believe that he could know all those things. She was shaking, her breath coming in short little bursts. Her fists were balled up and held at each temple. Ben only smiled.

"So don't stand there and think you have the upper hand."

Lisa slapped him roundly in the face. His head snapped to the right from the blow.

"How the hell can you know?!" she hissed, tears bright on her cheeks.

Ben seemed unfazed, slowly rising back to his regular position. When he spoke, his voice was loud. "What do you want, Lisa? Why do you keep coming down here-?!"

"-Because you look like him!" she sobbed, "You look like my father!"

He stared at her, both confused and surprised. Lisa turned swiftly on her heel, reaching for the door. She was desperate to leave.

"And I made the stupid mistake of thinking that meant something."

Ben searched for words, but found none. It felt strange to be speechless. The door closed with a loud snap, almost too loud in the quiet corridor. The lock snapped clumsily back into place; He could hear Lisa's footfalls padding away. He was still in control, after all. He'd burned his bridge with her; she was no longer fearless. Ben raised his eyebrows.

The guilt came most unexpected…