Okay- here it is. I want reviews. I don't know if it's that people that read Lost fanfictions don't like reviewing, or everyone who gets past the first chapter thinks this fic is terribly drawn out and boring but if I don't get some feedback on any chapters so far I'm going to quit writing. I have a tendency to start a story and then lose motivation (see all but one of my stories) but reviews keep me motivated. So please review because I think I've got something interesting going.

On my last trip back with an armful of filled bottles I heard shouting and spotted a group gathered around a dark curly haired head and the blond guy that was checking me out earlier. A trio emerged from the jungle and the taller brunet guy immediately put himself between the brawlers.

"All right,break it up, break it up!" I could hear him shout as he pulled Sawyer off the other man.

An African-American guy in a blue shirt grabbed hold of the other man, attempting to keep them apart. I dropped the bottles by the cooler and jogged next to Claire at the edge of the circle. "What's going on?" I whispered.

She shrugged. "I dunno."

The darker man was clearly livid. "Tell everyone what you told me! Tell them that I crashed the plane! Go on! Tell them I made the plane crash!" He flung his arms wildly, gesturing from the crowd to Sawyer and back.

The black guy handed Sawyer's keeper something that looked like silver bracelets and said something I couldn't hear.

"And this guy was sitting in the back row of business class, the whole flight, never got up. Hands folded underneath the blanket." I rolled my eyes at Sawyer's logic.

After another moment of taunting the girl from the jungle trio snapped. "Stop! We found the transceiver, but it's not working. Can anybody help?" She looked hopefully around the circle.

The darker man spoke with a Middle Eastern accent. "Yes. I might be able to."

Sawyer rolled his eyes and tossed his hands in the air. "Oh great. Perfect! Let's trust this guy!"

"Hey! We're all this together, man." Hurley cut in. "Let's treat each other with a little respect"

I smiled, but it was wiped away by Sawyer's disrespectful response of 'Shut up, Lardo.'

"Hey!" The taller jungle man snapped his head in Sawyer's direction. "Give it a break."

Sawyer stalked off, but not before muttering, "Whatever you say, doc. You're the hero."

A doctor? My ears perked up for a moment. Claire would be taken care of; although the good-looking man probably wasn't an OB/GYN I figured he'd be better than no doctor at all. I turned to suggest getting a few minutes of his time but Claire was already heading back to her perch on a section of plane seats by the water's edge. Scanning the beach I noticed John Locke sitting peacefully by a section of broken engine. "Hi Mr. Locke." I smiled what I hoped was brightly. "Is the offer for that book of yours still open?"

He slowly looked away from the horizon and it seemed to take him a moment to focus his eyes on my face. "Of course. Right here." He pulled a medium-sized paperback from under his knee. On the cover was a tropical island with palm trees dripping with fruit. It looked like it came from the seventies and had been well used in all its travels. "It's yours if you'd like it."

I was a little taken aback by the trust he was exhibiting in a total stranger. "Thank you, I think I would." I made my way down to Claire's seat and settled in next to her. "I got a book." I grinned, showing her the cover.

"Nice. Looks like a page turner." She replied.

I giggled. "Oh yeah, maybe if you're good I'll let you read it."

We fell into a relaxed silence. I could feel the waves of anxiety coming off her and I wished I knew how to reassure her. After a while an Asian man with a plate of something unappetizing looking approached us. He pushed the tray in front of us, offering it to Claire, then me, then Claire again. We shared a grossed out look.

"No. Tha-thank you." Claire tried refusing. The Asian man kept chattering.

I shook my head. "I'm fine"

"No, it's okay."

"No thanks."

More chattering.

"No really." Claire looked at me desperately.

I caved at the earnest look on the man's face. I'm sure the stuff was safe, and he was obviously trying to help, but the seafood just looked gross. "I'll eat it if you do."

She considered for a moment. "Okay." We each grabbed a prickly purple cup. "Thanks."

I held up my cup. "Cheers?"

She smiled wobbly. "Cheers."

We toasted and drank the slimy semi-liquid food in one gulp. It tasted as off as it smelled, and I struggled to not twist my tongue in an attempt to clean it off.

Suddenly Claire jumped up. "Oh, gosh! I just felt it!"

"Really?" I could see the weight lifted off her shoulders.

"I ju … Come here, feel this! Please?" She grabbed my hand and placed it on her belly. She tried to do the same to the man but he seemed uncomfortable. "Please? Please? Do you feel that? There! Right there, that's a kick!"

"Ohmygosh!" I let out an excited breath. I'd never felt anything like it before. The tiny life, reasserting his place in the world.

"There! There, right there's a foot! Oh no, he's, wait, he's moving around." The man slipped his hand out from under hers and wondered away quickly, looking back nervously after getting a safe distance away.

Claire softened a moment and reverently touched her stomach. "'He'. 'He'. I guess I think you're a 'he'." She smiled softly at me.

I smiled back and put an arm around her shoulder. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

She took a moment to bask in her moment of comfort, then took a deep breath. "Let's go sort clothes."

Although there was plenty of clothes not a lot of it was practical and therefore most of the stuff wasn't usable as clothing. Claire and I were lucky though; kids' clothes seemed to be inherently hardy so we nabbed a few pairs of light pants and sweaters that wouldn't have fit anyone else. The chief shortage was practical footwear, most of it was flip flops and light walking shoes and I was very glad I brought hiking shoes with me. As the sand heated up and more people decided to come help sort I thought I'd test the authority of Locke's book. I grabbed the patterned bag and gathered as many oranges as I could reach from the little grove and peeled one thoughtfully as I decided which plant to try finding first. I thought I recognized the picture of the water spinach from my little bathing grotto so I went that direction, keeping my eyes peeled for other produce I recognized. Along the way I managed to pick up some Japanese eggplant, guava, Okinawa spinach and some bananas.

"I am woman, hear me roar!" I puffed out my chest as I approached Claire who was sitting in her plane seat that she'd managed to move in front of our shelter. Yesterday's rain forced people to grab something to put over their heads and by the time we went scavenging most of what we could use to cover ourselves was used up. We ended up holing up in a side of the fuselage just about the right size for the two of us. We used an empty suitcase to block off one end of the giant tube and set my suitcase at the end of it to give us some privacy.

She placed her diary under her thigh and peeked in the bag. "What is all this?" she asked, wide eyed.

"This is lunch! Locke's book came in handy- got us fruits and vegetables. Everything a soon-to-be-mama needs."

"Oooo! You got more of those amazing oranges!" She went to work peeling it.

I grabbed an eggplant that rolled onto the sand. "Have some veggies too Claire. This is just like regular eggplant, only not as bitter."

She looked at the vegetable skeptically as she swallowed an orange section. "All right, if I have to." She nibbled the end of it thoughtfully. "Not bad. Not as good as the oranges though."

We ate our bounty as best we could using plastic dinnerware. We drained our water bottle but the fruits offered a decent liquid supply; I hoped it'd rain again soon so I could refill it from the trays. It was starting to get dark and a little cold, so Claire and I moved into the tube that was warm from the sun beating down on it all day.

"Bending over suitcases all day was not a good idea." Claire sighed, rubbing her lower back.

I scooted towards her. "Want another massage?"

"That'd be wonderful. Are you a masseuse?"

I carefully kneaded her spine. "Nope. I'm a waitress. I had a boyfriend that did a lot of heavy lifting, back rubs got me out of everything."

"I think you should consider a career change." She let out a small groan. "You have a gift."

"I'll keep that in mind." I smiled and moved up her back. "What did you do in Sydney?"

"I worked in a piercing shop. It was good; I met all sorts of people. You'd never guess the kind of people that have genital piercings. " She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"Ewww! I so didn't need to know that!" I laughed in spite of myself, drawing looks from people lighting campfires. We had a stack of timber outside and someone built a campfire with it. The warmth flowed into our little tube just as the sun dipped under the horizon and after finishing Claire's back rub I asked if I could braid her hair. "Your hair's so pretty- blonde and curly. So much nicer then my boring brown hair." I said as I carefully sectioned it off.

She sighed contentedly. "But your hair's so long. How long have you been growing it?"

I gently used my fingers to separate the tangles. "A couple years. I hardly cut it though- I look awful with short hair." I quickly plaited the rest of her hair. "There- done!"

She reached back and felt her tresses. "I bet it's beautiful. Thank you!" She turned and gave me a hug, then suddenly stood. "This baby is always sitting right on my bladder."

"Want me to come?" I moved to sit up.

She walked backwards towards the trees, holding her stomach. "I'm fine. I'll be right back. Promise."

I had noticed another group went off into the jungle soon after the fight was broken up but they weren't back yet. As Claire returned I thought of them and hoped they were all right. So far the monster from yesterday was in hiding, and as I drifted asleep to the sound of Claire's breathing I felt somewhat safe for the first time since I arrived on the island.

I could resort to bribery I guess- Review and I'll name a passenger after you!