So, this is where the typed chapters end, and the written chapters begin, which means that the story actually becomes bearable for me and Brittany. Also, since I no longer have Waise Heill duties, you get to look forward to longer Author's Notes. I try to be brief, and it never works.

Chapter 12: The Great Escape (Brittany's Chapter)

Brittany rolled her eyes, "great, I have a master manipulater on my hands."

"You're too kind," Ben smirked at her.

She ate her fruit, and placed it on the shelf when she was finished. Sighing, she said, "I'm officially bored."

"Well, I'm sorry I didn't pack a deck of cards. I wasn't exactly planning on being captured," Ben replied dryly.

"That's good to know." Brittany laid back on her cot, and stared at the ceiling. "So, how's your shoulder?"

"In excruciating pain, why?" he said simply.

Brittany shrugged, "just showing you I care."

"Do you?" Ben scoffed, not believing her.

Brittany rolled onto her stomach, looking at him. "Yeah, I do. What? Do I have to prove it to you?"

Ben smiled, "well, if you care so much, why don't you convince Jack to get me a pain killer?"

"Fine, I will," Brittany huffed, crawling off her bed. Ben watched her with interest, as she walked over to the armory door.

She knocked on it, and called out, "Jack? Are you there?"

A few seconds later, John opened the door. He looked calm and reserved, despite throwing a tantrum a few minutes ago. "He's in the shower, can I help you?"

"No, I need to talk to Jack, it's a. . . doctor thing," she lied.

John nodded, "alright Jennifer, you can wait out here."

He let her out, and closed the door on Ben. "You can sit there," he pointed to the couch. "I'll go get Jack."

"Thanks," Brittany smiled, sitting down. John left her, and went into the bathroom. She glanced around the room, and spotted a deck of cards on the table. Making sure no one was coming, she bolted for the deck, and grabbed it, quickly hiding it in her jean pocket.

As soon as she had sat down, Jack came out of the bathroom. He was wet, and wasn't wearing anything but a towel wrapped around his middle. 'Oh, chocolate,' Brittany mentally groaned.

"Er. . . sorry to disturb you Jack," Brittany sputtered, looking away from him.

He smiled and strode over to her, unaware of his nudity. "It's no problem. What's wrong? John said you needed me."

"Well, yeah, it's Henry. His shoulder is killing him, and he's too proud to ask for pain killers himself, so I decided to take it on myself to get them for him. Could you give me some?" she asked, giving him puppy-dog eyes.

He chuckled, "sure, anything for you." He blushed slightly when he said that, but shook it off, and said, "follow me."

He led her into the back where all the medications were, and handed her a couple of pills. While he was doing so, Brittany heard John greet someone in the other room.

"Hello, Ana-Lucia, he's right in there."

"Alright John, I'll knock when I'm ready to come out," the woman, Ana-Lucia said.

Brittany heard the armory door open, and then close. Frowning, she wished Jack would hurry up so she could what was going on.

"There you go," Jack smiled, giving her the last pill.

"Thanks Jack, well, I'd best be on my way," she started to walk away, when Jack stopped her.

"How are things with Henry?" he asked her.

"Huh? Oh, he seems to be doing fine," Brittany answered, wondering why he was asking her instead of him.

"No, I mean. . . your marriage, how are things with Henry? Don't think I'm nosy or anything, I just don't think he's treating you the way you should be treated. Is he a. . . good husband?" he asked her, studying her closely.

Pink rose in her cheeks, "y-yes, he's a great husband," her voice wavered, and she knew Jack didn't believe her.

"It's just that, you two don't seem to be very close. Or very intimate if you will," he pressed.

Brittany shrugged, "well, the whole crashing in a hot air balloon, then being held prisoner thing sort of dried out any room for intimacy."

Jack grabbed her shoulder, but gripped it tenderly. "If he ever does anything to you, something that hurts you, tell me, I can help," he said, his eyes widening and looking at her seriously.

"R-right, Jack. I'll do that," Brittany told him, finally escaping his grasp, and retreating to the armory door.

John sat in the couch next to it, and opened it for her. "Thanks, John," she smiled.

He nodded and closed it when she had entered. She stopped in surprise when she saw a woman sitting on the cot next to Ben. A slight flame ignited in her stomach, she shook off the feeling though, and looked at the woman curiously.

"Hello? I'm Jennifer Gale," she greeted.

The woman nodded to her, but didn't get up. "Ana-Lucia," she nodded.

Brittany glanced at Ben, but he was watching Ana-Lucia. "Er. . . so, what's going on?" she asked, sitting on her cot.

Ana-Lucia spoke up, "Henry here is telling me about your trip here. I asked him to draw me a map, but he refuses. Could you?"

Brittany snorted, "ha! That's funny. I'm afraid Henry did all the work, I just went along for the ride. If you need a navigator, he's your man," she smiled fondly at Ben.

Ben cut-in to the conversation. He glared at Ana-Lucia, "you people have been looking for someone to punish for everything's that happened to you, someone to blame, and now you've got him." Ben shook his head disapprovingly at her. "It doesn't matter what I do. We're dead already."

Ana-Lucia leaned in to him. "You draw up that map, Henry. I'll find your balloon. But if you don't, things are gonna play out just like you said."

Brittany began to panic, they were screwed now! There wasn't a balloon on this island, was there? She saw Ben glance at her, and slowly begin to nod. "Alright, I'll draw you a map. But our lives are in your hands now." He turned to Brittany. "May I take a page from your book, dear? Preferably one from the beginning of the book."

"Sure," Brittany tore out the first page, and handed it to him.

"Thank-you," he nodded, and took the pen that Ana-Lucia was holding. He began to draw lines, and landmarks, writing down a few scale factors, and what things were. When he had finished, he sat back, and doubled checked his work. He handed the map to Ana-Lucia, "you will find our balloon there. You can count on it."

Ana-Lucia nodded and took the map, "see you later." She stood up and walked to the armory door. She knocked, and said, "coming out."

Jack opened the door, and glanced at Ben with a stern look on his face. He smiled warmly at Brittany though, and shut the door after she had smiled back.

"Oh, Ben," she called out sweetly.

He turned to her, rasing an eyebrow. "Yes?"

She laughed, and handed him the pain killers. "Mission accomplished."

He smiled down at the pills in his hand. "Thank-you," he said quietly.

"No problem, it really wasn't that hard. Though Jack thinks you're an abusive husband or something like that."

Ben's head snapped up, "what?"

"Yeah, he doesn't think we have a good marriage, because we haven't been very intimate. I blamed it on all the events, but he didn't buy it. Funny though, huh?" she laughed.

Ben just stared at her, thinking things over. Making a decision, he swallowed one of the pills with the help of a glass of water, and stood up. "What are you doing?" she asked him, curious.

"Being a good husband," he replied, sitting next to her. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her shoulders, and leaned her back until her head was resting on his chest.

She sighed, and leaned in, cuddling herself against his body. "Well, I wasn't exactly telling you we had to be intimate, but this will work," she mumbled.

"We have to sell the act, or else my plan will fail," he explained.

Brittany closed her eyes, and eventually fell asleep.

The sound of Jack's voice flittered through her mind, making her wake. "Either way, it sounds like you end up dead."

Brittany was still lying against Ben's chest, his arm was still wrapped around her, but in his other hand, he held the book she had been reading. His chest shook as he laughed quietly, and said, "that's the spirit."

Brittany smiled, and pushed herself off of his chest. "Good morning, Jennifer," he smiled at her.

"Morning, Henry. And good morning Jack," she added, looking at him.

He was looking darkly at Henry, but brightened when he looked at her. "Good morning Jennifer. Do you guys want some breakfast?"

Ben looked at him in surprise, "sure," he whispered eagerly. Jack nodded and led them into the kitchen.

Ben took a step forward, then remembered something, he turned and took Brittany's hand in his, and followed Jack.

John was putting cereal into his bowl, and looked up at them in surprise. Ben walked a little stiffly, having not been able to walk around as much as Brittany. He looked curiously at the dome-shaped room, and asked, "what's the computer for?"

Jack shook his head, "nothing."

Ben nodded, and helped Brittany into the booth opposite of John. He sat next to her, and looked at the cereal in wonder. "Cereal," he said. He looked at John, "wow. Where'd you guys get cereal?"

John shrugged, "it was down here all along. Pantry's full of food."

Ben grabbed the cereal box, which had a strange symbol on it that read Dharma, and looked in it. Brittany stifled a laugh, it was almost like he was looking for a toy in the box. "How old is it?" he asked uncertainly.

Brittany cringed, stale cereal was disgusting. Ben looked at John and Jack when nobody answered. He laughed, "you guys don't know much, huh? I mean, I'd be asking all kinds of questions about all this stuff down here." He smiled, "you guys don't even seem that curious."

Jack interrupted him, "do you want the cereal, or don't you?"

Ben backed down, and silently poured himself a bowl of cereal. He glanced at Brittany, and handed her the cereal box. She took it gratefully, and poured herself some as well. While Ben started to eat his cereal slowly, she took handfuls and shoveled it into her mouth.

"This must be reward for my good behavior, huh? I guess I earned myself some goodwill for finally drawing that map for Ana."

The two men looked at him in shock. "What map?" John asked him.

"To our balloon," he said answered, saying it like it was obvious.

Jack pointed at John, "did you. . ."

"No," John answered.

Ben rose his eyebrows, "wow. You guys have some real trust issues, don't you? I guess it makes sense she didn't tell you. I mean, with you two fighting all the time." Brittany nudged him with her shoulder, he was wading in dangerous waters. He ignored her, and continued, "of course, if I was one of them, these people who you seem to think are your enemies, what would I do? Well, there'd be no balloon. So I'd draw a map to a real secluded place, like a cave or some underbrush. A good place for a trap. An ambush. And when your friends got there, a bunch of my people'd be waiting for them. And then they'd use them to trade for me. I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them, huh?" He laughed, then looked at John. "You guys got any milk?"

Brittany stared at Ben, her jaw open. She quickly shut it, and laughed. "Henry, you've watched too many survival shows. Be polite, it's nice enough they're giving us actual breakfast," she playfully scolded.

Ben smiled at her, happy with her performance.

Jack seemed to blow a fuse. "Put him back!" he ordered John, who looked at him in surprise.

Jack then stomped away angrily.

Ben shook his head. "Why do you let him talk to you like that?" he asked incredulously.

Brittany saw John's eyes catch fire. He seized Ben by his collar and hauled him out of his seat. Brittany grabbed the cereal box and stood up. John seemed to momentarily forget her as he shut the armory door on an apologizing Ben.

He looked at Brittany in surprise, who waved meekly back. Rolling his eyes, he opened the armory door and gestured for her to go inside. She shot him a grin before entering and having the door slammed in her face.

"He's a bit touchy, isn't he?" Brittany said to Ben, who was frozen in the same spot that John had thrown him to.

"I didn't even get to finish my breakfast," Ben said sadly.

Brittany held up the cereal box, smiling. "I nicked the cereal!"

Ben returned the smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Gale," he nodded and took the box from her.

"Anytime, hubby," she grinned.

Ben laughed at that and sat on his cot.

Sighing, Brittany sat on hers and looked at him expectantly. "So, is your manipulative plan working?"

Ben winced a little. "To my knowledge, it seems so, though most of it depends on the dunderheads back at home. Hopefully, by now, they've discovered Michael Dawson and bargained with him to get us out of here."

"And so we wait," Brittany said in a bored tone.

"We wait," Ben confirmed quietly.

Wait they did. All day they spent in the armory. Jack must have left the hatch, for it was John who gave them lunch and bathroom breaks. Brittany was on the verge of falling asleep when a sudden crackling noise caught her attention. She looked over at Ben, who was resting his head against the wall. HE must have heard it, too, because he was looking at the door questioningly.

"John, what was that?" he asked. Receiving no reply, he called again. "John?"

"Be quiet!" they heard John hiss.

The lights began to flicker. Brittany felt a stirring of fear. "Ah, Ben, I don't really like the dark."

Ben looked at her, confusion still on his face. Surprising her as well as himself, he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I know what's happening."

Before she could ask what, the lights flickered again. Ben turned to the door. A female's voice had begun to count down. In a frightened voice, he asked, "John, what's that noise?"

"I said shut up!" John yelled.

A loud beep followed by the sound of steel slamming made Brittany yelp and grab Ben's hand. She sprang up next to him.

He looked down at their touching hands, confusion clouding his face. Before he could say anything, John's voice was heard. "We're locked in."

Ben seemed to snap back to reality. He dropped her hand. "What?" he asked in confusion turning back to the door.

John opened the door. "I need your help. Both of you."

Brittany was about to agree when Ben cut her off. "Why would we do that, John? We're prisoners here. Why should we help you?"

"Henry, we've got to open the doors," John insisted.

"Then I'm going to need your word, John. Your word that you'll protect us no matter what."

"Well, if you really are who you say you are, my people should have no reason-"

"Your people have had things happen to them. Things that I've had nothing to do with!"

John looked at him closely. "Who are you?"

Ben gave him a firm look. "My name is Henry Gale. And this is my wife. And we crashed on this island, just like you."

John hesitated, then nodded. "Then you have my word."

"And you have our help," Brittany piped in.

John smiled at her. "Good. I need you both to help me lift this bar."

He led them over to a steel wall where a pipe was propped under it. They placed themselves and gripped the pipe.

"Now, lift," John grunted, pulling on the pipe.

Brittany heaved, the steel door was insanely heavy. "Get something to prop the door up," John panted.

Behind her, Ben quickly rolled a toolbox over and put it under the door. John and Brittany removed the pipe, rubbing their sore arms. To Brittany's alarm, John crouched and slid himself under the door. "John, I don't think that's such a great-" Ben's warning was cut off when the door suddenly lowered, sending a steel peg into John's leg. He cried out in pain, and Brittany leapt to his side, holding the door. Ben ran to the other side, lifting weights and stacking them under the door.

"Brittany, help!" Ben cried.

Her eyes widened when he called her by her real name. She glanced at John, but felt a bit of relief when he seemed too preoccupied being in pain to have noticed Ben's slip. Leaving the door, she helped Ben stack the weights.

Once the door was being supported, they dropped to John's side. "Henry!" John gasped. "I need you to go to the other room and crawl up into the vent. Then you need to go to the computer and type in 'four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two' then hit execute. Do you-?"

"'Four, eight, fifteen, sixteen, twenty-three, forty-two,'" Ben repeated automatically.

Brittany looked up and watched Ben walk to the storage room. As he began to climb up, she noticed how unstable the locks were. "Henry, be careful!"

Just as the words left her mouth, the rack broke under his weight. Ben came hurtling down with a mighty crash.

"Henry!" John and Brittany cried.

She ran over and knelt beside him. "He's unconscious! The dolt!" she exclaimed.

"Then you have to do it, Jennifer. Push the button," John groaned in pain.

Brittany perked up. "Button? I love pushing buttons!" she said excitedly.

Forgetting entirely about Ben, Brittany eagerly climbed the food rack and up into the vent. "I hope there aren't any spiders up here," she muttered. A very large spider decided to drop on her hand at that moment. Brittany shrieked and jumped up, hitting her head on the top of the vent. "Ow!" she cried, holding her aching head.

Growling in frustration, she made her way down and out of the vent.

She walked over to the computer and looked at it. Sitting down and completely ignoring the alarm, she typed in: . Logging in, she cried out happily, "Yay! I have more reviews for that Eragon fic I wrote with Tamara!" Before she could read the reviews, however, Ben pushed her away from the computer.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

"Hey, Ben! Are you alright? You took a nasty fall," Brittany reached for his face to check for bruising.

He slapped her hand away and clicked the ESC button on the computer and gave her a glare. "You're not supposed to use this computer for leisure," he scolded.

Brittany frowned. "Sorry, Ben. How was I to know? I've been fanfic starved for so long!"

Ben looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't want to know."

Meanwhile, the buzzer had just reached zero and was now flipping to hieroglyphics.

"Ooh, symbols," Brittany sighed, looking at them.

"Move, I need to type in the numbers," Ben shooed her.

"No!" Brittany exclaimed. "I want to push the buttons."

Ben rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Grinning, she typed in the numbers. After hitting 'execute,' the symbols flipped back to one oh eight.

"Well, that was exciting," Brittany sighed. She noticed that Ben had moved to the opposite side of the room. Walking over to him, she heard the steel doors rise.

He was looking at a door. A door that led outside to freedom.

Ben looked at her uncertainly. "We have a choice to make, Brittany," he said quietly.

"What's that?"

"Stay here and help John, though we'll most likely die, or walk through that door and live and let John suffer on his own."

Brittany turned to where John lay; he was calling out for them. "Ben, it's not a choice at all," Brittany told him.

He gave her a sad smile. "No, it isn't."

They walked back to John, who gave them a relieved look. "There you are. You came back," he sounded as though he was on the brink of tears.

"You didn't think we were going to leave you, did you?" Ben helped him up.

John gripped his shoulder. "Thank you, Henry."

"No problem," Ben smiled back.

Brittany looked from one to the other. "What a tender moment. Excuse me while I let you two marry one another."

John grinned at her and said, "Thank you as well, Jennifer."

Brittany returned the smile. "Anytime, John."

"Jennifer, will you take his other shoulder? We need to lay him down," Ben told her.

"Right-o!" Brittany did so and they lay John down on the couch. Ben ripped open John's pant leg while Brittany went to get some rags and ice.

After she returned, she gently cleaned the wound and placed ice on it. Ben and John were talking about what had happened and how Ben hadn't punched in the numbers. She gave him a questioning look, to which he silently shook his head and mouthed the word later to her.

Just then, Jack along with Sayid, Ana Lucia, and a woman and a man whom Brittany hadn't seen before entered the room.

"Get away from him!" Jack ordered them.

Ben gave him a look of fear. Brittany did as she was told and moved away from John.

"It's alright, Jack. I let them out," John weakly argued.

Jack picked Ben up by the collar and shoved him against the wall.

"Didn't you find our balloon?" he asked.

Sayid answered him, looking smug. "We did find your balloon, Henry Gale. Exactly where you said it was. I decided to look through the casket, and I found this." He held out a driver's license of a black man, the name read, Henry Gale.

Brittany looked at Ben in shock; had he killed the real Henry Gale? Ben said nothing in his defense, but Brittany saw a stony expression settle on his face.

The rest of the night was a blur to Brittany. Most of it was spent interrogating her and Ben. While he remained silent and was tied up in a most uncomfortable position, Brittany didn't see any harm in letting them know a few things.

"What's your real name?" Jack asked kindly. He was still kind to her, even more so now that he knew that she wasn't married to Ben.

"Brittany," she answered.

"What were you doing out here?" Sayid asked.

"Looking for my friend, Tamara. Have you seen her?" Brittany asked, deciding to tell a half-truth.

"I know no Tamara," Sayid shook his head.

"What about him?" Jack gestured to Ben who was currently locked in the armory. "What's his story?"

"He found me," Brittany lied. "My friend and I crashed here. He was helping me find her."

"What's his name?" Sayid asked.

Brittany shrugged. "He's always told me his name was Henry."

"Why did he make you lie to us?" Jack asked.

"Well, he said he expected you to take us prisoner, which you did, and that you might kill us. So we made up my identity."

"Thank you, Brittany," Jack smiled. "Now, let's see if he feels up to being any more cooperative."

They opened the armory door and Brittany gave Ben a sad look. He was tied to the wall, looking as though he was crucified. Ben didn't look up at them as they entered.

"Hello, again," Sayid said.

Jack waited outside. It was only Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Brittany with him. "Brittany's told us a bit from her side. Why don't you tell us your story?" Sayid suggested.

Ben looked up then and gave Brittany an accusatory glare. She looked helplessly back at him. She didn't tell them everything.

"He was already dead," Ben said quietly. "Four months ago. I was part of the search party. Henry Gale was hanging out of the basket, neck broken."

Ben never looked at them as he said this; he kept his gaze lowered to the floor. Ana Lucia looked as though she was about to argue when Sayid stopped her.

"So, he was already dead?" Sayid inquired.

"Yes," Ben finally looked at him.

"And then you buried him and left the grave marker?"

"Yes," Ben repeated in annoyance.

Sayid smirked. "You really should have checked his wallet before you did that." He pulled out a ragged twenty dollar bill. Ben looked at it curiously. "I assume Henry Gale did not have any paper on which to compose his thoughts, so he had to improvise." Holding the bill out, Sayid read with a glance at Brittany: "Jennifer, Well, you were right. Crossing the Pacific isn't easy. I owe you a beer. I'm hiking to one of the beeches to start a signal fire, but if you're reading this, I guess I didn't make it. I'm sorry. I love you, Jenny. Always have, always will. Yours, Henry."

"Awe," Brittany crooned, but instantly stopped when all three of them glared at her.

Sayid looked back at Ben. "So tell me, how did Henry Gale write a note to his wife with a broken neck?"

Ben seemed very uncomfortable at this point. Brittany felt bad for him. "It wasn't me, I didn't kill him. You don't understand."

Sayid cut him off. "How did you know his wife's name? Did you interrogate him?"

"Please…just listen..I'm just a…"

Sayid interrupted once more. "How many of you are there?"

Ben began to panic and started breathing heavily. "If I tell you about them, you have no idea what he'll do!"

"He?" Sayid questioned.

Brittany looked at Ben in confusion. Who was 'he?'

Ana Lucia said, "You mean their leader. The guy with the beard."

Ben looked at her like she was crazy. "Him?" he cried incredulously. "He's no one. Nothing!"

"Where are your people?"

"I can't…"

"How many of you are there?"

"You don't understand!" Ben cried.

Brittany started to get worried. Sayid was practically smoking at the ears. "Understand this!" he yelled, standing up. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Ben.

"Hey," Brittany and Ana said at the same time.

Sayid ignored them. "You have three seconds to answer my question. How many of you are there?"

Ben shook his head.

"One."

"He'll kill me!" Ben exclaimed.

"I'll kill you!" Sayid cocked the gun. Ben flinched and looked away. Brittany needed to do something; things were getting out of hand.

"Two."

"You can't do this! I am not a bad person!" Ben cried, looking desperately at Brittany.

"Three."

Brittany launched herself on Sayid, tackling him to the ground as he fired. The bullet hit the wall a few feet from Ben's head. Brittany wrestled with Sayid on the floor, yanking the gun from his hands. After she managed to seize it, she hit him in the face with the butt of the gun. Sayid cried out and gripped his head.

Ana Lucia pulled Brittany off of him. "Easy there, tiger," she said.

Jack charged in. "What happened?"

"He's a liar!" Sayid shouted.

"You heard a gun shot. What do you think happened?" Brittany spat.

"It's fine. Just get him out of here," Ana said calmly to Jack. She turned to Brittany. "Can I have the gun?"

Brittany shrugged. "Sure. I hate firearms. Swords are much classier." Ana gave a small smile and left with Jack and Sayid.

Hearing the armory door close behind her, Brittany finally looked up at Ben. She was startled by the intense stare he fixed on her. Once he had met her eyes, he lowered his a bit. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Brittany smiled. "Well, I wasn't going to let them kill you. You're not such a bad guy." She walked up to him and nudged his shoulder.

He winced in pain. "Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you," Brittany gasped.

"It's alright. These ropes are killing me though. I told you they'd crucify me," he smirked.

Brittany frowned. "I'm going to get you down."

Ben tilted his head at her. "Are you sure that's a good idea? They might crucify you next."

"Bugger them," Brittany growled. She reached up to untie him, but just as she was about to start untying, the armory door opened.

"Brittany, don't," Jack's voice cut through to her.

She turned around. "Why not? He's losing feeling in his arms, Jack. I don't think that's good for his shoulder."

Jack frowned. "I'm going to tie him up on his bed. He'll be a little more comfortable. Satisfied?"

Brittany nodded but frowned.

"Alright, then, you can help me." They untied him. Ben was so weak, he practically collapsed onto them. His unshaved cheek brushed against her own as she helped him stand up. She almost laughed at the way it tickled.

Jack then sat him down and tied his wrists to his ankles in a very uncomfortable position. Brittany knew better than to ask for something different.

"Come on, Brittany," Jack said, walking out of the armory.

She gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"You're one of us now. You told us everything. You're no longer a prisoner," Jack smiled. "You can leave him and come with me."

Brittany smiled softly and walked up to him. "Jack, as much as I'd like to take up your offer, I need to stay here. With him." She glanced back at Ben, who was giving her a sad look.

Jack frowned, a confused look on his face. "Oh. Okay. Alright. Call if you need anything then," he said quietly and shut the door.

Brittany sighed and returned to Ben, who was looking at her curiously.

"What?"

"How much have you told them?" Ben asked instantly.

She shrugged. "Not much. Just my name, how I got here, who Tamara was. I lied a bit about meeting you, and the reason we were captured in the net."

"You lied?"

Brittany nodded. "A bit. What a pair we make, huh?" She sat next to him.

Ben merely gave her a smile, saying nothing.

"Why won't you tell them your name?" Brittany asked curiously.

"A name is a powerful thing, and should only be given to those whom you trust," he told her.

"Well, alright!" Brittany beamed.

"You chose to stay with me in captivity rather than join them in freedom. Why?" Ben asked softly.

"I feel that you need me more than they do. Besides, Sayid is a jerk, and I know you better. Well, longer, anyway."

Now that she thought about it, she hardly knew anything about Ben. Only that he was the leader of his community and had a daughter named Alex.

They sat in silence for a few hours. Ben would occasionally try and change his position, desperate to rid some of the pressure on his legs and back. They were visited by John once, who had asked Ben what his real name was. Ben had told him to continue calling him Henry. Then they got into a religious conversation on how God couldn't see the island. Personally, Brittany thought Ben was being a little negative.

Ben then told John that he hadn't pushed the button. Brittany thought it was odd that he was lying about this, but smiled at John when he gave her a look asking for reassurance.

That was the last Ben talked to anyone, except Brittany of course. When she asked him why he wasn't talking to them or eating the food, he replied that he wanted them under the impression that he had given up hope and was weak.

Weak he was, though Ben did his best to cover it up. Luckily, they took mercy on him and untied him from his uncomfortable position. Jack came in once to change Ben's bandages and told him he was leaving to find his people so he could trade Ben for Walt. He completely ignored Brittany the entire time, giving her the cold shoulder.

They started playing music outside the door. Brittany suspected it was Ana Lucia who chose the songs. Some of the music was pretty good. Hawaiian. During the lapses of silence, where the others seemed to be sleeping, Brittany got to know Ben better. At first, he wouldn't answer her questions, but slowly he began to open up to her.

"So, you've been here all your life?" she questioned.

"Pretty much. My life before isn't worth mentioning," he said in a tone which meant don't ask.

"And you just magically became the leader of your people?"

Ben saddened a bit. "No. It took a long time. With many sacrifices."

"Any brothers or sisters?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm an only child."

"What about your parents? Are they still alive?" Brittany wished she hadn't asked. Ben's face darkened. A look of such hate and loathing she'd never seen before crossed his face. He didn't say anything to her for a while.

Brittany felt as though she had offended him. "Look, Ben, I'm sorry if I brought up bad memories or anything."

Ben, who was staring at a spot on the floor in thought, looked up at her. "It's okay. It's all in the past," he said quietly.

She still felt miserable, knowing she had caused him some pain. Suddenly, music had turned on. John was back. Otis Redding's voice filled the air.

These arms of mine
They are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue

Brittany smiled and stood up. "Care to dance, Ben?" she asked, holding her hand out.

Ben looked up at her in surprise but stayed seated. Just when she thought he was going to refuse, he stood up and took her hand. Being as the armory was small, they didn't have very much room to maneuver. Brittany put her other hand on his shoulder and rested her chin on his uninjured one. Ben placed his free hand gently on her waist.

These arms of mine
They are yearning
Yearning on wanting you
And if you
Would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I would be

Brittany was surprised at how good of a dancer he was. He didn't seem the type to know how to dance, but Ben easily led them into the slow dance. Not to mention he was dancing with no food for two days; quite a feat.

These arms of mine
They are burning
Burning on wanting you
These arms of mine
They are wanting
Wanting to hold you
And if you
Would let them hold you
Oh how grateful I would be
Come on, come on, baby
Just be my little woman
Just be my lover
Oh I need me somebody
Somebody!
To treat me right
I need your warmth
Loving arms to hold me tight
Oh and I need
I need to kiss your tender lips…

The song slowly faded into nothing, leaving an awkward Ben and Brittany standing there still in their dance position. She pulled back a bit to look in his eyes. She had never noticed how blue his eyes were or how deep they seemed to go. A million thoughts were whirring in his mind, she could tell.

"Brittany, I-" Ben was cut off when the armory door opened.

Ana Lucia walked in, carrying two plates of fruit. They parted instantly, though Ana Lucia had seen them. She cocked one eyebrow and set the fruit on the table.

Brittany picked hers up at once and began eating it silently. Ben sat on his cot, not touching anything.

Ana smirked. "Hey, Henry. What do you say?" she held out the food to him.

When he made no move to take the bowl, she sighed. "How long you gonna keep up this hunger strike, Henry?" He merely ignored her and stared at the corner.

"I ever tell you I was a cop?" Ana suddenly asked.

Brittany felt a slight jolt of fear. A cop? Parking tickets, car chase, she took a few steps from Ana and sat on her cot.

Ana didn't seem to notice her strange behavior. Instead, she continued talking to Ben. "I've been around a lot of killers in my life. You know what surprises me the most about them?"

Ben didn't even blink.

"How much they love to talk. But you're different, Henry. Quiet."

Brittany noticed that Ana's tone changed to a more antagonizing than casual tone. Was she trying to get under his skin?

Ben surprised them both by muttering something. "What was that?" Ana asked. She crouched down in front of him. "If you're gonna say something, you're gonna have to speak-" Just then, Ben flew at her. He hit her in the face, causing her to fly back.

Brittany jumped up. "Ben!" she shouted in shock.

He ignored her and whipped Ana around. Seizing her throat in his hands, he began to choke her. "You killed two of us. Good people who were leaving you alone," Ben said in a quiet, menacing voice.

Ana kicked him under the belt, causing him to cry out, but he didn't relinquish his hold on her. Ben slammed her down on his cot, his eyes ablaze. All Brittany could do was watch in horror, her feet were rooted to the spot.

"You're the killer, Ana Lucia," Ben said clearly.

Ana began to suffocate, Brittany could tell. With effort, she was finally able to move to her feet. Grabbing Ben by the waist, she heaved him off of Ana. "Ben! Stop it! You're going to kill her!" she shouted at him.

Ben hardly even heard her. He shook her off and charged at Ana again. Suddenly, a crutch hit him over the head, knocking him cold to the floor. John was looking at him in shock. He glanced at Brittany, then looked at Ana, who was panting but already sitting up. "I guess he decided to start talking, huh?"

Ana merely glared at all of them and left. John looked at Brittany, who was nudging Ben with her toe. "He should be out cold," John told her.

Brittany looked up at him. She was pale and shaking. Ben had just tried to kill someone and didn't care! The realization that what they were saying, that Ben was a murderer, seemed to be correct. And she had thought she was finally getting to know him.

"What happened?" John asked.

Brittany shrugged."He just…attacked her," she said in a small voice.

John nodded. "Come on. Why don't we have a drink?"

He grabbed his crutch and limped out of the room. With a final glance at Ben, Brittany quickly followed. Ana had seemed to leave the hatch completely, seeing as they couldn't find her.

John poured them both a cup of tea and they sat on the couch. "Thanks," she whispered as she took a sip.

"You're welcome," he smiled.

"What's going to happen to him?" Brittany asked after a while.

"I'll tie him up and let him sit in darkness. That way he can think of what he's done."

Brittany shook her head. "I'd have never imagined him to do that. He's so polite, so gentle."

John didn't say anything. "Why don't you get some sleep? Things will be easier once you've got a clear head."

"Alright," Brittany sighed.

"You can sleep over here." John stood and led her to a place where there was a bed.

"Thank you, John," Brittany smiled, crawling into the bed.

John returned the smile. "No problem. Sweet dreams." With that, he limped back to the armory, where Brittany knew he was tying Ben up once more.

Frowning and with a million questions burning within her, Brittany eventually fell asleep.

Not long after, Brittany awoke to the door's hinges squeaking open. Groaning, she sat up and walked over. John was talking to Ben. She stood outside the door, listening. "If you've come to apologize, I forgive you for hitting me with your crutch. I'm so glad my head didn't break it," Ben's voice reached her. He seemed distant, cold.

Brittany gave a slight shudder. Was this the man she had been dancing with just a few hours ago? "Why?" John asked.

"Now that's a broad question."

"Why did you try to hurt Ana Lucia but not me?" he asked. Brittany listened intently.

"I'm not sure I know what you're getting at, John."

Brittany heard the crutches tap the concrete floor. "I was trapped under that blast door. Helpless. You could've crushed my skull. But you didn't do a thing."

Brittany filed that thought into her mind.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because you're one of the good ones, John." Brittany's brow furrowed in confusion. What?

"What? Good what?" John sounded as confused as she felt.

"None of this matters. I'm dead anyway. The doctor's gone to make a trade, and we both know he'll come back empty-handed, and then I've lost my value." Ben paused for a moment. "So, either Jack comes back here and kills me, or my people find out where I'm being held and they do it."

"Why would your own people want to kill you?"

"Because the man in charge…he's a great man, John, a brilliant man." Ben sounded as though he was in awe, but Brittany knew he was talking about himself. "But he is not a forgiving man. He'll kill me because I failed, John. I failed my mission.

"What mission?"

"When that woman caught me in her trap, along with Brittany, I was on my way here, John. I was coming for you."

A female's voice cut through the air, then. "Locke!" she called.

Brittany turned and saw Jack and a young woman carrying a black man into the room where she was just sleeping. "Locke!" Jack called.

John limped out, his face perplexed. He saw Brittany and looked at her questioningly.

"I need to talk to him. To know," she told him softly. He nodded and waited until she entered the armory to close the door.

Ben looked at her in surprise. "So, you've returned?" he asked quietly. Brittany didn't smile, but slowly approached him.

Ben gave her a knowing look. "You're frightened of me as well?" he said sadly; it wasn't a question.

She sat across from him on the floor. "Ben, why did you attack Ana Lucia?"

He fixed her with an intense stare. "She killed one of my people, unprovoked. I've always had a touchy temper when it came to her." Ben gave a shrewd smile. "But it wasn't for revenge that I attacked her, but to forward my plan."

"Your plan?" Brittany asked, her hopes rising a bit.

He smirked. "My plan of escape, of course. If I wanted to kill her, Brittany, I could have done with so much less of a racket. I wanted John to walk in on me."

Brittany paused. "So, you weren't going to kill her?"

Ben shook his head and smiled. "No, I wasn't. I'm not a killer, Brittany."

Brittany gave him a huge grin and hugged him happily. She felt Ben stiffen under her embrace. Apparently, he wasn't used to getting hugs. In an effort to return the hug, Ben bent his head over her shoulder so his chin rested on it.

She laughed and pulled back, ruffling his hair as she did so. "Ben, can you promise me something?"

He hesitated but nodded, looker at her suspiciously.

"Next time you come up with a plan that involves almost killing someone, tell me, alright?"

Ben gave a quiet laugh. "I'll do that."

She smiled and looked at him. "Does your head hurt?"

He gave her a smirk. "I was hit with a crutch. What do you think?"

"Come on. We can at least sit you on something comfortable." She helped him stand up. He swayed a bit and clutched his head with his tied wrists.

Before Brittany could move him to his cot, the door opened once more. Ana Lucia stood there. "Get out," she said to Brittany in a hollow voice.

Brittany let go of Ben and faced her. "Why?"

"Just do it."

Brittany stood her ground. "No, I'm staying here."

Ana shrugged. "Suit yourself. You can help him, then." Ben looked at her curiously as Ana slid a pocket knife to him. "Pick it up." He was crouched over, his hands were tied to his ankles, making it hard for him to reach for the knife.

"Cut yourself loose."

Brittany picked up the knife. "What?" Ben asked in amazement.

"Just do it," Ana said in the same emotionless tone.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"You know why," Ana replied.

Brittany looked from Ana to Ben. He seemed to understand. "Give me the knife, Brittany."

She looked at him questioningly but cautiously handed him the knife. Ben started to cut himself loose, glancing at Ana every once in a while. When he was finished, he stood upright.

"He kept saying you were misunderstood."

"What are you talking about?" Ana Lucia snapped.

"Goodwin," Ben smiled, giving her a knowing look. "Yes. He told us all about you, Ana. How he thought you were worthy, that he could change you. But he was wrong," Ben whispered. He set the knife slowly on the ground. "And it cost him his life."

Brittany looked at Ana Lucia. So, she really did kill one of his people.

"He was gonna kill me," Ana said in her defense. Brittany looked at Ben. He gave Ana a questioning look.

"Was he?"

"Are you done?" Ana asked vehemently.

Ben looked at her sadly and whispered, "Yes, Ana. I'm done."

Ana Lucia pulled out a gun. Brittany took a step in front of Ben. "Ana, put the gun away."

She expected her to say no, but was surprised when Ben spoke. "Brittany, step aside." Brittany turned and looked at him incredulously. "What? She's going to kill you!"

"I know," Ben murmured. "Sit there and don't move. Understand?" he asked, making her sit on his cot.

She looked up at him in shock. Was he crazy? He faced her so Ana couldn't see and gave her a wink. Brittany hardly felt reassured but sat still anyway.

Ben took a few steps back and faced Ana Lucia once more. "So, this is it, huh?"

"Yes, Henry. This is it," Ana said without blinking.

Brittany realized Ana called him 'Henry,' which meant that she hadn't been paying attention when Brittany was shouting at Ben.

And so they waited, and waited, and waited some more, but still, Ana didn't pull the trigger. Brittany hardly breathed and gripped the cot in her fists. At long last, Ana lowered her gun, and, without a word, left the room, closing the door after her.

Brittany let out a breath that she was holding the entire time. "Well," she turned to Ben, "that was anti-climactic."

He smirked. "But a part of my plan."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "You and your plan."

"Was that Michael they brought in?" he asked suddenly.

"Depends. Who's Michael?"

"Was he African-American?"

Brittany nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, then we should be free soon." Ben sat next to her.

"Seriously?!" Brittany asked in excitement.

He nodded, smiling. "Michael will be setting us free."

"Why? He's not one of your people," Brittany questioned.

"We'll be trading Walt for our freedom," he answered simply.

"Walt? That's his father?" Brittany asked incredulously.

"Yes, Michael Dawson. Desires to be the perfect father but has no idea on how to even be a decent one." Ben smirked.

"Why did you take Walt from him?"

"Walt has…certain abilities that make him very special to me and my people," Ben answered. "He's hardly been cooperative, though." He seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment. "No matter, I'll just have to come up with a new plan."

"A plan for what?"

"It's a personal matter." He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Awe, come on, Ben, you can tell me." Brittany nudged him.

He shook his head. "I don't think now is the greatest time."

Brittany leaned against the wall, as happy as she could be. Ben wasn't a killer. Ana didn't shoot him, and there were about to be set free. Oh yes, things were looking up.

Just then, a gunshot echoed throughout the hatch. Brittany bolted up. "What's going on?"

Ben pulled on her arm, sitting her back down as another shot rang out. "Don't worry. We're about to be set free."

Just as he was finished speaking, the door opened and Michael looked in on them. Ben slowly stood up and stared at him. Michael looked from Ben to Brittany, breathing heavily. A gun was in his hand. Brittany couldn't help but feel a brief jolt of panic. What sort of freedom was Ben talking about, exactly?

With a quick motion, Michael raised the gun and shot himself in the arm. Brittany cried out and rushed to his side. Michael pushed her away, grunting in pain. "Let me help you," she said to him.

"Just give me my son," he hissed.

"Come, Brittany, we need to make preparations." Ben took her arm and dragged/led her to the kitchen. Taking out a backpack from the bedroom, Ben crammed some food into it. Brittany located her long lost bag with her entertainment things and shouldered it.

She stopped suddenly when she saw a puddle of blood on the floor. The puddle led to a figure curled up on the floor. Brittany looked at her, a sick feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. It was a young woman with blonde hair. She couldn't stop from watching the blood spill out of her.

"Brittany?" Ben's voice brought her out of the trance.

"Is she dead?" Brittany asked quietly.

"Yes, she is." Ben took her wrist and pulled. Her eyes couldn't leave the sight of the blood. Sensing this, Ben pulled her away.

Brittany saw Ana Lucia dead on the couch as well and cried out. Ben shook her. "Brittany! Snap out of it! Think!"

She blinked furiously and shook her head wildly. Brittany was about to look back at the dead bodies, but Ben pulled her out of the room before she could.

"First dead body I've seen," she said quietly. "It's different than in the movies."

"Yes, it is," Ben whispered.

"Ready?"

Ben smiled and led her out of the hatch. Michael shouted after them. "I want my son back!"

Ben calmly turned around and replied. "You have my word. See you soon."

And so, Brittany and Ben vanished into the jungle, the night enveloping them in darkness.

Thank god! That was too long. My fingers hurt. I should probably tell you that the reason this is a day early is because we have no school today (well, tomorrow, actually). I'm going to try a regular post on Saturday as well, but I'm going to Brittany's Saturday, so I'll have to see if my schedule will allow a post. Regardless, there's a preview of chapter thirteen on our profile.

Please review. I normally don't beg, but I just typed up twenty-five pages in one sitting. It's now 11:41, and I've been up since 5ish. I'm knackered, but there's no school tomorrow! So, yay!