The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Flit through thy chamber in and out,
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully- so fearfully-
Above the closed and fringed lid
'Neath which thy slumb'ring soul lies hid,
That, o'er the floor and down the wall,
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!

- The Sleeper by Edgar Allan Poe

--

Do you believe in Destiny?
Chapter 9, Like Ghosts

--

"Zombie," Charlie told them. "It's a zombie."

"He, not an it you idiot," Flor spat and rubbed her sore arms, she looked oddly hostile against Charlie. "And zombies don't exist."

"And so doesn't dinosaurs, but I know what I saw in the jungle -"

"Could you guys keep it down?" Shannon whispered harshly to them. "I'm trying to hear what they're saying!"

Florence and Charlie had with great discomfort and fear taken a confused Brian with them to the beach. Jack's face of shock and the survivors staring and whispering hadn't made it easier for Brian. And now Jack, Sean and Lorraine had taken him into a tent to 'talk'. Everyone wondered what the hell had happened to him, first he was at the edge of death and in the next he was in the middle of the jungle – healed.

The problem with thief listening to their conversation was Dominic who had been set to guard around the tent, which he took with great responsibility. Nobody came even close, well except for Zidler and Margo, but they only heard a few words before Dom caught them.

Immediately at Shannon's words Dom started to sing loudly, so the words were now drowned in a very ugly song.

"This is torture!" Charlie said when he heard Dom's voice.

"Then you know how we feel," Flor said and glared at him before the survivors scattered, there were no use standing there now.

"I still think it's a zombie," Charlie told Allan.

--

"John… what happened out there?" Boone asked with a careful voice and quickened his pace so he walked side by side with Locke. The morning had come but Boone was still exhausted since he hadn't slept at all. Haunted by what had chased them before.

"What do you mean?" Locke asked.

"You know, when that thing or whatever it was started to chase us…"

"Did you see it?" Locke asked and actually smiled. Boone looked confused at him.

"No," he answered like the very idea was ridiculous.

"Well I did Boone, and it is not a thing."

"Then what is it?"

Locke stopped and met Boone's eyes and he tried to come up with the right word.

"It was the eye. The eye of the island and it was beautiful."

--

"Could you turn off the beep?" Sawyer spat and Sayid sighed.

"I do not think that's our priority right now," he answered and continued to examine the computer. "You can go and search through the other rooms while I do this," Sayid suggested when Sawyer continued to 'cough' and whisper swearwords underneath his breath.

Sawyer glared but left Sayid alone by the computer. Wendy, Bonnie and their two hostages had left to hide in the jungle until they were done.

"4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42… we found the black… yes we know we can't go… it's too close…"

Sayid didn't have much time to inspect it, or make sense of anything. But he realized that this computer was keeping track of something coming towards their island. That something was probably a ship, but he had an unnerving feeling about it. Bonnie, Wendy and Sawyer were all relieved that rescue was coming, but he knew something wasn't right.

"Box… we'll be soon out of range for any transmissions… I miss you too…"

The man, Henry Gale he called himself had protested and begged, said that it wasn't rescue at all, but they had overpowered with fury shut him up. Karl said that man was their leader. But what leader got himself caught so easily? Why was he here? Where were Ethan, Claire and Owen?

What would happen if the man was right?

--

"We should head back as soon as possible!" Wendy said stressed to Bonnie.

"We must search through the place more and Sayid really wants to examine that computer –"

"Yes but didn't you hear what I said earlier? We got an infiltrator in our camp right now! Who knows, everyone might be dead and gone when we come back! At least I could go and warn –"

"No!" Bonnie said harsh. "We're not splitting up again you hear me? I was freaking out with worry about you before and now when we got two hostages…" she casted a glance at the knocked out man and Karl. "We got to stick together."

"Karl says they might come here…"

"Sayid will be quick."

Wendy bit her lip and couldn't help but feel affection for Bonnie as she thought of the worry she had caused. She didn't know that the famous McQueen cared that much. It surprised her in a good way.

Wendy leaned against the tree. "Finally!" she shouted when Sayid and Sawyer climbed up from the door in the ground. Sawyer was now bearing another backpack.

"What's in that?" Bonnie asked and Sawyer smirked and held his hands up.

"Food!" he said and Wendy cheered.

"And helpful equipment, now let's move as fast as we can," Sayid had given his backpack to Bonnie and with great strength lifted the man over his shoulder.

"Uh… Sayid," Wendy said as they started to trek again. "I know you're pretty close to Superman… but not even you can carry such weight all the way back…"

"We'll build a stretcher at the next break. Right now have to hurry," Sayid said between clenched teeth. Wendy shrugged and motioned with her gun for Karl to go in front of her.

She hoped they would make it back in time.

--

Florence washed her dirty body in the water, still dressed in her clothes. They were filled with dirt from her fight with Charlie from the night before. She dipped her head underneath the water, the salt burned her skin but for the first time in a long time she felt free. Her worries got washed away by the sea and all she felt was peace. When the ruthless world hit her again when she breathed she remembered that there would never peace at this island. When she was done she hurried up to the beach again and walked over to the fruit stand.

"Huh," Zidler said when she took a mango.

"What?" Flor asked.

"You looked really sick yesterday," he said and pointed at her eyes.

"Guess I got better," she answered and took a bite; she smiled to show she wasn't going to snap at him again. "Sorry about before."

"It's okay," he answered and Flor knew it was. Suddenly a yell of happiness interrupted their moment and Margo rushed up to them. Flor looked curiously at the two things in her hands.

"I got the shovels!" Margo said cheerfully and held them up.

"What are you going to do?" Flor asked and wondered if she wanted to know the answer.

"We're going to listen to their conversation of course!" Margo rolled her eyes. "Let's go!" she dragged Zidler off with her.

Florence smiled when she watched them; she wished she could have a friend to always rely on. Kay was gone who knows where and Sean…

Well the way she had treated him wasn't exactly in the best friends forever manual.

"Florence?" she turned around and saw Charlie stand before her. He had his hands in his pockets and looked cautious at her. "Could we talk?"

----

Flor had screamed, swore, threatened to slice people's throats all to get the little boy in her arms. He felt too heavy even though he was so small and fragile. Her back hurt like hell, sweat dripped down her nose and she felt absolutely terrible. The little boy started to cry.

"Can someone take him now please?" she said in hurried and tired voice. She dumped him on the closest nurse and begged to get some water. In all that time she kept her eyes fixated on the door and waited. He would come; any second now he would dash into the room, smile and they would do like on one of those cheesy dramas and smile beautifully with their baby in their arms. Soon she would fall asleep and those cheesy scenes didn't have a passed out mom on the side. Would he just please come?

"Have you decided what to name him?" the nurse asked her and still stood by her side the baby in her arms.

"No and shush!" Flor glared and continued to stare at the door, perhaps she could with her mind powers make it open. Her son cried louder and it rang in her ears, she felt the stress rise and shouted:

"Would someone please shut him up!"

They called it post-birth depression, or something weird like that, apparently mothers had killed their children over it. She didn't want to kill her beautiful son, maybe just scream at him to shut up every time he cried. She felt worn out, her body looked different, she felt strange, she didn't feel like herself anymore. Byron also saw her in a different light after the birth. Like she had been hiding her true self underneath a beautiful mask. She never looked beautiful nowadays.

He didn't understand, he was angry with her, her son should be with someone who could take care of him, once he took little Jeremy and didn't tell her where they went, just came back the next morning like nothing happened.

Jeremy started to cry again. Flor closed her fist and hoped he would stop. She was too tired; she couldn't take care of him right now.

He didn't stop. Florence bit her lip hard and stood up and went slowly over to the cradle. Her son had his face twisted in tears but his blue eyes shone like no other. She looked down at her crying son and stroked his hair softly. She would never hurt him, she would never let Byron take him again, but would he please just stop crying!

----

The couple was dancing… no they weren't. It was dolls, no, a music box. And they didn't dance. They were frozen and unreal. An imitation of truth, that's what it was. Two people stuck in a music box…

"Who are you?" a hoarse voice asked and she blinked. The world was too blurry. She couldn't see.

"Listen to me!" someone grabbed her chin. "Who are you?"

"I…" she whispered and blinked several times before the harsh reality came storming at her. A woman with dark messy hair and an old worn out face stared at her.

"I'm Kaylee," she whispered. "I'm just Kaylee, a survivor from flight 815…"

She felt weak, her body numb. She could barely keep her eyes open and it hurt to hold up her head. A pain slashed through her throat each time she breathed.

"It hurts…" she whispered and a tear fell down her face and to her lips, it tasted like salt.

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes," Kay whispered and tried to move her head out of the woman's grip. "Yes I am…"

"Tell me!" the woman demanded.

"I am a survivor… we're many… the beach… where's Dom?" she cried.

The woman sighed and released her grip. She walked over to the music box and stroked it before she turned her gaze to Kaylee.

"The electricity must have made you crazy," she said and sounded regretful.

"Where's Dom? Get me Dom!" Kay begged and the woman hushed her, wished she hadn't gone so hard on the girl before her, it had made her insane.

"I can help you see your mother…" she whispered and now Kaylee was looking at nothing, her head tilted to the side. "It will be a piece of cake, right Dom? Right…"

--

"So?" Dom asked when Sean, Jack and Lorraine came out.

"So what?" Sean asked him and gazed after Jack and Lorraine who were discussing something by the tent.

"So what's up with the living dead walking around?"

Sean frowned. "Honestly? I don't know. Jack's going mad, Lorraine's more sarcastic than ever and Brian has no idea what has been happening over the past few days."

"What? He doesn't remember?" Dom asked.

"Nope, Jack says amnesia is rare and is theorizing conspiracies already. But I think Brian is just as confused as us. He just woke up in the middle of the jungle healed."

"All right I can believe the 'amnesia' thing, but healed? Just like that?"

"Yeah I know it's crazy."

"So what are you going to do?" Dom asked.

"What can we do? He's okay, alive…"

"No memory, un-crushed leg…" Dom continued.

"Sean!" Jack shouted and Sean sighed.

"Don't tell anyone about this right?" he said and Dom nodded. Sean walked over to Jack and Lori.

Dom was quite proud of himself since he had managed to become a part of the A-team.

Margo and Zidler hurried to tell the survivors what they just heard…

----

Jeremy jumped into the big, brown puddle before she could stop him and suddenly she was covered from top to toe in dirty water.

"Damn," she swore.

"Damn!" Jeremy yelled with joy and Flor cursed silently for herself, not only did she look like a zombie but now her son would tell everyone damn. Then everyone would give the 'you're too young to be a mother' look. And then Byron would give her the 'I should be raising this child alone look'.

"All right you little pirate," Flor said and tried to sound cheerful as she lifted her son up in her arms. "What do you say when I say you can go in and roll on daddy's side of the bed with that mud on you?"

"Yippee!" Jeremy cheered and together they ran back to their apartment. Jeremy ran straight to their room and she could hear he was having fun. Flor took off her coat and her shoes, even though she was probably a living bacteria mother ship she threw herself down on their couch and put her head in her hands.

She and Byron had another of their fights the night before. One of those when it included Florence being an irresponsible mother. But Florence didn't know what to do, all she wanted to was to keep her son safe, happy, to let him grow up and not hate her for raising him wrong.

When she told Byron that - he said that she didn't use to feel that way.

She hated it, it made her feel weak. She just wished things, it sounded cliché, but she wished things could go back to what they were before. With Jeremy of course, she couldn't live without his stubborn nature and innocent smile.

"Hello…"

Flor looked up and saw Byron stand by the door, suitcase in his hand.

"Hey," she whispered and dried away her tears.

"Are you crying?"

"No,"

"It's okay if you are," he took off his shoes and walked over to her. Then he sat down by her side.

"Sorry about yesterday," he said gentle and stroke her hair. "I was just angry; I didn't mean anything I said…"

Flor didn't say anything. She felt all her anger just wash off her and she couldn't bring herself to snap back. Instead she gave him a faint smile.

"I love you flower," he said and looked her in the eyes. Flor put her head against his shoulder and put her hand into his. This was before, this was good and this was what she wanted.

"Flor," Byron said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"No offense but you smell weird."

Florence laughed.

----

"No memory?"

"Amnesia?"

"Not Zombie?"

Margo nodded eagerly and she and Zidler shone in the attention they got. Charlie and Flor who had been talking in the jungle rushed toward the ring of survivors that had formed.

"What's going on?" Flor asked, she looked upset but tried to hide it behind a smile.

"Brian got amnesia," Claret said and looked scared.

"What do you mean amnesia?" Charlie asked.

"Amnesia is when you lose your memory," Allan said.

"I know what amnesia is!" Charlie answered offended.

"Do you think he's lying?" Florence interrupted everyone and the survivors became silent at the thought.

"Why would he lie?" Sun asked her eyes wide.

"I don't know Sun, but the story does sound wishy-washy to me," Hurley said and some nodded in agreement.

"I think Lorraine and Jack will figure it out," Shannon put in. "They'll know."

But Jack and Lorraine, who were arguing and asking questions had no more idea than anyone of them.

The sounds of the wonders, words and questions seemed to fade away and Fox felt the panic buildup inside his chest. Allan and Claret glanced at him out of the corners of their eyes, and he knew they just waited for the moment. He swallowed.

"So what do you think happened?" Zidler asked and Fox jumped. Zidler laughed at his nervousness.

"I… I don't know." Fox lied. Because he knew everything.

--

"Wow," Boone uttered and looked at the ravine on their left. With every step they took on the narrow path beside it small rocks fell down to the forest underneath. Boone had never had a fear of heights but now he started to feel scared, what would happen if he'd fall? Still he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the world that was laid out beneath them. He had never really understood how huge the island was. Of what could be hidden in the land.

"Careful Boone," Locke said when he almost slipped and with relief they reached straight ground again at the forest. "We're close!" Locke said and smiled when he looked at the map. Boone nodded; he was tired and just wished they would get to the black rock as soon as possible.

When they had trekked for a while Boone halted and stared.

"Is that an anchor?" he asked, not believing what he was seeing. Locke's eyes widened at surprise and they both started to run along the chain. And what they saw at the end was bigger than anything they could have imagined.

"A ship," Boone said, now in more disbelief than ever. "A ship, in the middle of the jungle…"

Locke read on the ship. "The black rock."

"This is no ordinary island is it?" Boone asked and stared upon the old ship in awe. It was covered with green vines, planks had fallen off the ship's walls, it was dirty and old. But still you could see what it had looked in its former pride. The black rock it read with large letter on the ship, its name.

"No," Locke smiled now brighter and started to walk towards a hole in the ship's wall. "No it isn't."

"Do you think Owen and Claire are there?" Boone asked and followed him.

"I do not know."

"How, how did it get here – in the middle of the jungle?"

"I don't know," Locke answered and climbed into the ship. Boone was still in shock and excitement started to rush through his veins and he also climbed in.

It was dark and Locke turned on his flashlight. There were boxes all over the whole floor, and Boone looked terrified at the corpses still chained to the ship.

"Slaves," Locke said simply and nodded to the skeletons. "I would say the transported slaves here."

Boone swallowed and they started to make their way across the floor.

"Look after anything that could help us with the hatch, or with finding Owen and Claire," Locke said and walked towards one of the skeletons.

Boone took out his own flashlight and lightened up a skeleton sitting, he wondered if the person had starved to death, trapped in the ship.

"Locke!" he shouted and Locke hit his head when he rushed over to Boone.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Dynamite," Boone said and pointed to a box named explosives. Without a word Locke opened it carefully.

"Dynamite," Locke agreed. "Boone I just think you found a way for us to open the hatch!" Locke reached down to pick the dynamite up but Boone stopped him.

"We should explore this ship more before we start packing hundred-year old dynamite into our backpacks. I've read about this stuff, the older it gets the bigger boom."

Locke nodded in agreement and they walked up to the stairs that lead to the top of the ship. It was covered with broken furniture and even more boxes; none labeled explosives to their luck though.

Locke sighed and took off his backpack.

"This is going to take some work."

--

"Drink," the woman said and out the bottle to Kay's lips, she opened her mouth and drank. And with every gulp she felt better.

"Thank you," Kay whispered and opened her eyes. "Thank you Kate."

"I'm not Kate," the woman answered and leaned against the wall.

"And I'm not Kaylee," Kay said and smiled.

"How long have you been here?" the woman asked.

"A long time," Kay whispered. "Almost a month… huh, I wonder if Claire's going to have her baby. She was eight months in… wasn't she Kate?"

"Baby?"

"She's pregnant. But now she's gone, she and the baby gone, gone, and gone. Do you know where she is Kate?"

"I repeat; I'm not Kate."

"Who… who are you then?" Kaylee asked and tried to lift her hand, but it was tied to the chair. Kay looked to the left and saw some clothes hanging.

"Rousseau," she read out loud.

"How did you know my name?"

"I…" Kay still couldn't lift her hand. "I read it, there…"

Rousseau followed her gaze.

"I believe you," she said. "I believe you're not one of them."

"One of who?" Kay asked.

"The other people on this island, the people who took my Alex."

"I wish they could take me" Kaylee whispered and closed her eyes, drifting off again. "I wish they would."

--

"Jin!" Sun said tearful as he ignored her. "Please, just listen to me!" she tried to grab his arm but he shrugged her off without even looking at her.

"Jin, please you must understand…" she begged in Korean but Jin hurried the fastest he could over to the raft and left her behind. Sun stood in the sand and tears fell down her face, she had never felt this lost.

"Don't worry."

Sun looked to the side where Rosalie was sitting underneath the shadow of a palm tree, with a book in her hand.

"He still loves you," Rosalie said. "But he just needs some time away to think of things. He's angry but soon he will start to think of what's important to him. And we both know what that is… you."

Sun hoped that Rosalie was right and sat down beside her, she looked at the book but the words said nothing to her.

"I betrayed him," Sun said after a while of silence. "He will never come back."

"I am not saying I'm an expert on relationships, believe me I'm not. But I do know when two people care for each other," Rosalie said and put the book away. "I know that Sawyer cares a lot more about Bonnie than he says, that Kaylee always looks at Dominic in a different way, that Jack always takes care of Lori… and that you and Jin love each other."

Sun buried her bare feet underneath the sand and took a deep breath.

"When I was a little girl, I used to think that when I found the man I loved… we would be happy, forever."

Rosalie took Sun's hand and squeezed it.

"You know, I don't really like when some people say everything's going to be okay, because I know they're lying. I don't lie and Sun, for you and Jin… things will be okay."

Sun smiled, her black hair fell in her face when she turned to Rosalie. "Thank you."

"Guys!" Shannon ran towards them and interrupted the moment. "Jack and the others is gathering us up for a meeting, come!" she and Sun helped Rosalie and they started to make their way towards the other survivors.

--

Jack looked at the people gathered around him. They were excited, curious, humans fed on mystery and suspense. Sean nodded to him to start.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sure you are all wondering what happened to Brian. He was hurt badly in an accident and then he disappeared and came back without a scratch on him."

"I still think zombie," Charlie whispered and Shannon hushed him.

"The truth is we don't know what happened to him. I wish I could say he was recovering and walked away on his own – but Brian was dying, there's no way to explain what happened."

"What does Brian say?" Florence asked.

"He says… he doesn't remember."

"We knew that!" Margo and Zidler said in unison.

The survivors scattered again, began to do their normal chores of the day. Sean went over help with the raft, Zidler and Margo skipped off to whatever new prank they had going, Rosalie and Shannon started to make dinner and Jack gazed over to Lorraine and Brian. Lorraine was giving anyone who even dared to come close to Brian the evil eye.

He had an uneasy feeling of what Locke would have said if he was at the camp.

Destiny, it was destiny who healed Brian.

But Jack of course didn't believe in destiny.

--

"Fox!" Claret shouted and rushed up to him by the waterline.

Fox wondered if he would have heart-attack as Claret continued to speak:

"We need to talk."

Fox looked around to see if there were any witnesses to his on-coming death, but the camp was too far away.

"About - about what?" he asked swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"You know about what."

It was an unspoken rule; he wasn't supposed to talk with her. But most importantly – she wasn't supposed to know about him. Still there she was, her blue eyes stared intently at him and he nodded slightly to acknowledge her words.

"You are not supposed to be here anymore," she said and Fox didn't get surprised but fear started to eat him.

"I know," Fox whispered and tried to hold back the tears.

"I am going to tell them," Claret said and Fox nodded and looked away. "I'm sorry but I have to tell them, when he comes I will have no other choice."

Fox wished he had.

--

"I'm going to tell everyone you caught my flu," Flor said and gave Charlie another water bottle.

"Thanks," Charlie answered shyly and put it in his red backpack. Flor tried to smile and nodded. "So," Charlie said and put the backpack over his shoulders. "I guess I owe you an apology."

"Yeah," Flor answered and looked down.

"Uh, thought I'd give this back to you," he held out the ring and Flor stared at it like she had never seen a ring before. She blinked and took it and closed her hand.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said you burned it, it's just… the withdrawal…"

"Just go you moron," Flor said and actually managed to smile. Charlie nodded thanks before he left into the jungle. She looked after him, hoping that he would get better, that she would too.

"Where was he going?" Kate asked and Flor turned around and saw her standing behind her. Kate had her hands in her pockets and she looked unusually weary.

"He got the flu and decided to go over to the caves until it was over," Flor said quickly and avoided eye contact.

"The same flu you had?" Kate asked. "I noticed you looked really bad the other day." Flor nodded and something about the way Kate acted made her suspicious, but she shrugged it off when she saw Kate's eyes.

"Everyone's just leaving every day it seems," Kate said and Florence knew she was talking about Kaylee. "I just wish they would come back."

"They'll come back," Flor said but her voice was shivering, she bit her lip and Kate left. Flor thought of the happenings since the crash, her emotions, how she had acted.

She just missed him so much.

--

"Mommy?"

Florence put her book away and leaned forward and met her son's eyes.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked and he crawled up to her in the bed. She put an arm around him and stroked his hair. Jeremy sighed and said in a dramatic voice:

"I can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything," Flor said and turned his face up. "You hear that kiddo."

"Why aren't you and Daddy married?" Jeremy blurted out and his blue eyes looked worried into hers.

"Oh…" Florence was surprised by the question and she started to finger on her ring.

"Don't you love each other?" he asked.

"We love each other very much."

"Then why aren't you married?"

"We are not married yet. We just don't really have the time for it now," Florence explained, but those words seemed faint in her ears. "We're engaged instead, a promise that we're going to be married."

"So you can just leave?" Jeremy asked and he looked afraid at the thought, he took her hand. "Please don't leave mommy."

Flor stared at him surprised, her son was honestly terrified. She embraced him and held him close.

"I'm never going to leave. I will never ever leave you. Why would you think that?"

"Daddy said you could."

Florence felt as if she'd been hit by a bus. Her face fell and shocked she hugged him closer.

"Well I'm never going to. I'm going to glue myself to you if that's what it takes, and don't think you can skip off to college later and run out on me, I'll walk on water to get to you."

--

Jin was ignoring any tries to conversation, even though he didn't know English they had somehow managed to sort of communicate before. Sean watched as Jin hammered on the planks like they were his mortal enemies.

"Problems with women huh? Yeah I got girl problems too," Sean told Jin who had no idea what he was saying. "I guess you and Sun fight over her knowing English. I wish my problem was that. You're lucky."

Jin didn't know what to say and just continued to hammer.

"You see, I like this girl. I didn't at first, she was too happy and way too chatty," Sean frowned "I wish she was happy now. So she was quite annoying, but then I deiced to give her a chance because… well, I don't really know. And she's nice and it's cool."

"Cool?" Jin repeated without knowing what he said.

"Yeah, and then she turns different. Suddenly it turns out she got loads of baggage and a like for running away from people without a word. So I wonder why I still care. She was annoying and she's still annoying. Was Sun like that to you too before? All happy at first and then moody at next," Sean stopped binding the banyan trees together. "Do you think I should try to talk with her? Maybe I should try to be there for her, no that's not really a good thing to do. Then I'll end up in the girlfriend chart. I do sound like a girl."

He turned to Jin. "Don't tell anyone I said that!"

Jin muttered idiot in Korean.

--

They had finally dug their way through so they could climb up to the ship's upper part. The sudden change from darkness to light hurt Boone's eyes and he blinked. The sun blazed above them and Boone turned to gaze over the ship.

Here there were no bodies and he and Locke walked over the ship. Locke bent down and took up some notes that were scattered on the floor and Boone walked over to the middle. There was some kind of table around the main mast, on it were some dynamite and next to it a compass.

"Huh," he said and picked it up. It didn't point north. He turned it around and saw some engraving at the back.

"What is it?" Boone turned around and saw Locke stand before him.

"It's a compass," he said. "It says D A on it. What does D A even mean? Is it French or something?"

"Maybe it's not a word. I think it's someone's initials. And by the looks of it, that name has been put on that compass recently, while the compass itself looks to be as old as this ship."

"That's strange."

"Indeed it is."

--

She couldn't walk on water.

Florence dipped her feet into the sea and watched the waves. She couldn't step out on it, she would sink. No matter what she had said to her son she couldn't walk on water, she couldn't find a way to save him. She gazed over to the raft where Sean and Jin were working. If she could just get on it…

She rushed up to the beach. Her feet covered by sand and her hair tangled in it. She halted when she came up behind Sean.

"You know what?"

Sean put away the hammer and looked up at Flor, she was smiling and he couldn't help but smile back.

"What?" he asked.

"I've had an epiphany," she chirped and put her hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"So… what was the epiphany about?" he asked.

"Well you know," she nodded slowly and he noticed how she looked a lot healthier now. "About everything and I feel a lot… better."

"That's great."

She nodded and they stood silent for a moment. Sean thought of what to say when she suddenly dashed forward and kissed him on the cheek. He didn't have time to react as she just beamed and then rushed away back to the camp. He gazed after her.

Florence still had a knack of running away.

--

"Dude, do you have the ability not to grin like an idiot?" Hurley asked him when they later sat by the fire. Sean didn't answer but just continued to smile and Hurley muttered something about fools.

Jin and Sun came over to them and Jin offered them a fish that Hurley happily accepted. Sean noticed that they were holding hands and how they glanced at each other lovingly. He guessed Sun and Jin had come to terms with each other again. Kind of like him and Flor.

"And now he's smiling like a love fool again," Hurley said and shook his head. "Dude, you look crazy."

"I'm just very happy," he said.

"Which island are you on?" Dom asked between his bites as he walked by over to Margo and Zidler. He sat down uninvited beside them and Zidler stared at him as he ate his mango. After what seemed like minutes of silence Dom said:

"What's up?" and blinked at Margo, she giggled and Zidler looked irritated.

"We're theorizing," Margo said carefully.

"You mean about Brian?" Dom looked at Zidler who nodded.

"Yeah, we wonder how he could heal himself."

"Maybe he's a robot," Dom joked.

"Or maybe he's like a vampire, those can heal themselves right?" Zidler said very serious.

"Like ghosts!" Margo said and Dom frowned.

"Ghosts can't heal themselves," he said. "Haven't you seen any movies?"

"They can't get hurt."

"Because they're already dead!" Zidler said and actually agreed with Dom.

"I know I'm right," Margo said and pouted.

"I know you're crazy," Dom declared and Zidler spent the next five minutes trying to cheer Margo up, telling her she was only a little crazy.

Brian was sitting alone by his new built tent, the survivors looked at him out of the corners of their eyes and he knew they all thought he was a liar. Or like Lorraine, that he was a clone or terminator.

He sighed and took another sip of the water.

"Mi – mind if I sit – sit down?" Brian looked up and saw a nervous Fox in front of him.

"It's a free island."

Fox sat down on the sand and looked uncomfortable. Brian decided to help the guy out.

"I woke up in the jungle covered in blood and I have no memory of the past few days."

"What?" Fox asked.

"That's why you are here right? To hear my story."

Fox shook his head. "I already know what – what happened."

"All right then."

Brian wished there were some beer.

"You got to get rid of that stutter man," he told Fox after a moment of silence. "Nobody takes a stuttering guy serious."

"I – I ca - can't help it."

"Of course you can, just stop being so damn afraid all the time!" Brian said.

"Are – aren't you afraid?"

"Nope," and Brian realized that it was true. He wasn't scared, worried more perhaps. But that was not about him, but of someone else.

"Does the," he tried to sound casual. "Does the search for Claire go well? I mean for Claire and Owen."

Fox looked sadly down and he didn't have to answer, Brian understood.

Across the island, by a large tree, Bonnie and Sawyer sat together. Sayid, Karl and that Henry Gale man sat by the fire a bit away but Bonnie liked to be away from them, just her alone… and Sawyer of course.

"So what do you make of it all? The Karl guy and the supposed rescue?" Sawyer asked.

"No," Bonnie said.

"What?"

"No, let's talk about something else," she was laying on her back on the ground and stared up at the branches. Sawyer watched her.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Everything," she answered.

Wendy sat by the fire. Sayid was awake. Wendy doubted that he would sleep at all with their hostage 'Henry Gale' there. Karl had also his hands tied together and Wendy looked worried at his bandage. She grabbed one of the backpacks and picked up new ones, Karl took off his shirt and she, without a word changed the bandage carefully. He smiled and Sayid raised his eyebrows.

"Thanks," Karl said.

Rosalie sat with Shannon by her new sleeping place at the beach. Shannon's tent was only a few feet away. They were eating some orange fruit (that looked like pears… but tasted like chicken) and talked. Well Rosalie was trying to discuss politics and Shannon was trying to discuss the difference between onyx mascara and coal. Suddenly Rosalie leaned forward to take another fruit when Shannon gasped.

"What?" she asked and looked at her.

"Your leg… it just moved."

Rosalie looked down at her legs and tried to move them. It worked. She screamed and dropped the fruit in the sand. Shannon yelled happily too.

By a large ship in the middle of the jungle Boone and Locke carried their backpacks with explosives, they were careful not to run or make any sudden movements. Locke was holding the notebook in his hand and Boone held the compass.

When the sun disappeared behind the trees Locke suddenly crashed down on the ground. Boone shouted and took off his backpack before he ran over to Locke.

"I… I can't…" Locke gazed down at his legs. They weren't moving. Boone tried to help him stand up but Locke's legs budged under him.

"I can't move my legs," Locke breathed.

--

"Here," the man said, his dark eyes staring forward at the sun going down behind the hovels of houses on the road. A wind wisped up the leaves in the air, the dirt and an empty beer can rolled down closer to the water. There was a bitter scent of salt and smoke in the air and she shuddered in the cold wind.

The woman took the photographs and the man left without a word. She sighed and sat down on the worn out park bench. She glanced down at the pictures. The two first were of two men, identical at the first look. But when she searched them closer she could see small differences in eye colors. She took up the third photo, it was of two women, the picture was blurry and she read the note plastered to it. She took up the last picture, a man; he was a round thirty with brown eyes and lighter brown hair. He wasn't smiling and he wasn't even looking at the camera.

He was the one they were going to kill.

--

Author's Notes: I wanted some fluff.

Because then all the horrible things that will happen later feels worse/less worse.

Namaste.