A few weeks had passed since my confromtation with Sayid. Lots had happened on the Island. We'd discovered a group of people, the Others. There was a Hatch, there was a group of survivors from the tail end. Michael had gone off the deep end, and things were strange. The Others were still a problem. We'd have several exchanges and chases, our people getting taken, us taking them hostage, and finally, things had seemed to calm down. The same had gone for the relationship between Sayid and myself. My shock had worn off. So he'd killed my brother. On this island, it'd be absurd for me to not have some bizarre connection to him. Everyone else seemed to have some one in a million connection.

I was poking around the Hatch, running an errand for Rose. She had taken the role of Island mother, which everyone embraced.

The Hatch was was currently void of anybody, besides Locke and Eko, who were pressing the button every 108 minutes to save the world. I mostly ignored Locke. I enjoyed the military men I worked with back in the real world, not Locke and his philosophy crap. He had been useful at first- tracking, hunting. But now he was a royal pain in my ass and I'd have felt just fine if he fell off a cliff or something.

"Anya," he said as I walked by. "I don't see you down here often."

"Nope," I said with a shrug.

"Where's Sayid?"

I shrugged again.

"Anya," Locke stepped forward. "I'd like to talk to you about something. It's important, and if you'd just hear me out, I think it'd help out in the long run. It'd help us all out."

"What is it? I'm grabbing something to take out to the kitchen." I stood impatiently with my arms crossed.

"It's about you and Sayid." Locke walked over to me.

I snorted. "I don't really want to hear it. What, he's Iraqi? He's dangerous? He tortured Sawyer? What is it?"

"It's none of that. Anya, just listen to me." Locke frowned and grabbed me by the arms and shook me. "The Island doesn't want you two together. I've seen it. It'll lead to," he paused. "Bad things. Don't. Steer clear of him."

I snorted again. "Let go of me. Locke, what's your deal?"

"It's not my deal. I've seen things. The Island showed me. Bad things are going to come from any partnership you two have. People are going to die. You'll change." His voice had risen in volume and his eyes were wide.

"Thanks for the info," I said, shaking him off and stalking off to the kitchen.

"Anya," Locke called. "Anya! You have to listen!"

I slammed the door and picked out what we needed. Rose had sent me with a grocery list, she called it. She said normal tasks were good for us. I'd have agreed if Locke hadn't spewed his crazy on me. I frowned as I grabbed a box of Dharma Initiative corn flakes. Trouble from being with Sayid? My lip curled involuntarily and chills ran down my spine. Locke had lost it.

I set the groceries back down on a shelf and pulled my rubber band out of my hair and padded across the Hatch to the shower. It was unoccupied, so I stepped in and washed the sand and grime from my body. As I stood in the steam and let the water wash over me, I daydreamed about America, about steak, about ice cream. Anything to keep my mind off of the encounter with Locke. It was eerie.

A pounding on the door brought me to.

"Locke, go away."

The door opened and I stood in disbelief behind the shower curtain.

"Locke, I'll kill you. I'll shoot you dead. One word. I swear."

The voice that answered was familiar. "I'd believe it, coming from you."

Sayid.

"What are you doing in here?" I hissed, popping my head out from the shower curtain.

"Charlie came to talk to Locke, saw him harassing you, so Charlie came and told me. I thought I'd make sure you were all right." He shut the door and leaned against it. "I hear I'm bad news."

"You're about to see bad news if you don't get out of here." I slid the shower curtain back over, pretending like he wasn't there. I was grumpy.

"Do you believe him?" Sayid's voice came from the other side of the curtain. I heard him kick off his boots.

"I don't know. He's crazy, but so is this island." I lathered shampoo into my hair vigorously, trying to wash away the creepy feeling I had.

"So, Anya," Sayid said slowly. He wasn't across the room anymore. "Are you a risk-taker?"

I laughed. "What? I guess so." The last of the shampoo was running down my body. The air was filled with a tropical flowery scent. "I laugh in the face of danger."

"Then take a risk with me," Sayid said, drawing back the shower curtain. He stepped in and pushed me gently against the wall. His black curls dropped in the steam.
For the second time, someone pounded on the door and interrupted my shower.

"We're busy," Sayid called. He smirked and studied my face, tracing my jaw line with his finger.

"Please, you need to come out of there." Locke pounded again. "I'm not kidding. You can't do this."

The bolt was thrown on the door, but I still felt bizarre talking to the man while I was undressed.

"You can't do this!" he yelled as he pounded.

"I say we can," Sayid said, his eyes half-lidded and full of desire. He pressed his lips to mine and my knees felt weak.

The water had run cold when I found myself leaning against the wall, suddenly very sleepy. Sayid kissed me on the back of the neck and whispered, "Let the danger begin."