Author's Note: Okay I will admit it has been a couple of years since I update this fanfic but I was heartbroken when they killed Ana Lucia off and I was in a bit of a writer's slump. But I am out of it and I will finish this fic as well as my unfinished Fast and the Furious ones and start on that sequel I said I would write. Please enjoy this chapter and I promise there will be more to come, quite a bit more actually. So enjoy and review.

Chapter Twelve

"Daniella, Daniella, wake up," Ana whispered trying not to wake those on the 'saving the world' shift.

"I am awake genius. Did you get the guns?"

"Of course, now lets get out of here before the end of the world comes."

They each grabbed a backpack filled with the necessary supplies and creep past the slumbering pair. Ana observed the pair as Daniella made her exit. Hurley was slouched in the chair, eyes sealed, fluttering as if lost in some horrific memory. Locke was sprawled out on the couch, feet crossed on top of the armrest, his relaxed state unsettling Ana. She always felt doubt to whether or not he was asleep. The sun was just beginning to rise from its nightly slumber as Daniella and Ana made their escape. Neither was sure when they'd return or if they would but Ana had only one concern. Keeping Daniella alive and get her home where someone waited for her. His heart was broken; Ana was convinced, without Daniella in his arms. He would do all he could to find her, even on Mystery Island.

They concealed themselves in the shadows as Jack began his daily trek to the hatch. Ana gripped Daniella's hand and dragged her into the jungle, with one final glance she imaged what would unfold. She could just picture what this would do to her popularity, she wouldn't be vote prom queen and she had so been looking forward to wearing a tiara. Their journey had begun and she could only hope it would end with the demises of the "Others".

Jack entered the hatch to relieve Hurley and Locke of their button duty and complete his daily exam of Daniella. He found the pair enjoying a peaceful slumber and made his way to Daniella's room. The bed was made, and Daniella was nowhere in sight, Jack thought little of her disappearance as he readied his supplies. As he glanced around the room he noticed that all Ana and Daniella's belongings were MIA as well as a few of his medical supplies. His suspicion rose as he quickly went to interrogate the only two people in the hatch. "Damn it!"

"What's wrong, Doc?" Sawyer inquired, feet propped on the table, head resting on his folded hands.

"Locke, have you seen Daniella or Ana?" Jack questioned.

"Not since I began my shift, something wrong Jack?"

"They're missing."

"What do you mean missing?" Sawyer growled, straightening his relaxed form.

"As in not here, no longer in the hatch, where they should be."

"You always get burnt when you deal with the devil."

"What are you talking about Sawyer?"

"I made a deal with Lolita, two guns for her and a little nightly company for me."

"Figures your dick would do the thinking."

"Listen, Dr. Quinn, I'm the sheriff and you're just the town medicine woman. Don't push your luck because I've got all the cards," he retorted, his nose mere inches from Jack's own.

"Well, sheriff direct me towards your missing people department."

"You're looking at it. You got a plan, Doc?"

"We'll gather a search party. Go after them."

"Sure if you can find anyone willing to search for Amy Fisher. If you haven't noticed she ain't exactly winning class president."

"Well, if you weren't such an idiot and hadn't given her the guns, then we wouldn't have to go through this."

"I'll go talk to Shaft and Blondie, might be the most willing of the group. And you can talk to the rest of the camp." Sawyer's smug grin disappeared; he had been double crossed by the devil herself. The conman never got conned, it wasn't the way the world worked. Karma wasn't his greatest ally in the world but he hadn't done anything recently to bring her wrath upon him. He headed towards Eko's shelter first, if they were going to roam aimlessly through the jungle, they should at least have someone who knows where they're roaming to.

Ana looked over to Daniella, "Well, which way?"

Daniella quickly scanned their surroundings, "Straight," she replied.

"Are you sure? Are we heading towards the "Others's" camp?"

"Don't worry, we won't run into any. I know what I'm doing."

"Let's go then." Ana took a deep breath and followed Daniella, she knew she should feel some kind of fear or stress or some sort of female intuition that would retch her out of her trusting state. How could she be certain that Daniella wasn't one of the "Others" luring her into a trap? How could she know that the wool wasn't being pulled over her eyes, but she found no sense of insecurity in her soul, simply trust? Trust in her sister who had never lead her astray or caused her any harm. She owed her sister her life and if her life was lost on this expedition then her debt would be paid.

"Planning to save the island's soul, Padre?" Sawyer inquired stepping into the Losties salvation.

"Can I help you? I am very busy, and I promised Ana I would watch Daniella this afternoon."

"Well you don't need to worry Padre, Thelma and Louise just left, heading for the boarder."

"I am sure Ana had a reason for leaving. Do you know when they left?"

"Do I look like Ms. Cleo to you? How the hell am I suppose to know. She asks for guns and the next day she disappears."

"Do you know where they were going?"

"If I knew that I won't have to come ask for your help, Lassie."

"I will help, what do you want me to do?"

"You think you can track them down?"

"Yes. I shall find them both."

"I've got to get some supplies; you head for the hatch, see if Jack's got any recruits."

Sawyer stomped to his tent throwing a tantrum every step of the way; he was going to be as immature and childish about this as possible. He wasn't going to let Ana get away without holding up her end of the deal. If anything she was in debt to him, now all he had to do was figure out what he wanted.

"What happened to Ana and Daniella?" Libby inquired.

"They took off into the jungle, and left everyone else out of the loop. So now we've got to go a-searching for her."

"I'm sure she didn't mean to do that, they probably went for a walk and got lost."

"Ana had two guns; I gave them to her the day before. So what's that, a coincidence?"

"Ana's a good person; maybe she was just trying to protect her sister."

"Why don't you stop defending her Blondie? You always got to justify Ana Lucia's insanity, don't you? She took her sister, who a week a ago was tortured and is still recovering, into the jungle for God only knows what reason, and has been out there for hours."

"Ana's a good person, everything she does has a reason behind it. She's not some reckless irresponsible child who does whatever she pleases. She's extremely calculated and she has a plan. It's you who should be worried, because you lack proper reasoning for your own recklessness. She will come out just fine, Daniella as well. She kept us all alive and she will keep Daniella alive too."

Jack's attempts at finding recruits was not going as well as he had hoped. No one was interested in assisting with the bringing back of a murderer. They were all content with watching from the sidelines as a polar bear tore Ana apart limb from limb. They were all willing to let karma come around and do what it must to create harmony in their camp. Jack wasn't convinced that there was no one who would help. It wasn't in his nature; he couldn't understand how it could be in that of his fellow survivors. He had intelligently avoided asking Sayid for his assistance knowing that only bad could come from it. Kate had agreed to join but Jack felt that there must be an underlying reason for her wiliness. He was certain that Libby and Eko would agree which brought their party to five people…he felt a sudden uselessness. How were they going to find two wondering women in a jungle on an island where mythical creatures and the dead had a tendency to jump out from behind trees? He had four people left to ask, two in the hatch and two inside of the tent.

"How are you doing today Rose?" Jack asked as he approached the sitting couple.

"Well Jack," Rose replied her husband tense by her side.

"I want to go, with you," Bernard interjected, although he wasn't quite sure why he was volunteering.

"Go where?" Jack inquired, interested in the older man's reply.

"I heard about Ana Lucia and the other women, how they wondered into the jungle. I want to help bring them back. I know Ana might not seem like the nicest person around but she kept me alive. I just want to help; I hear you're short on volunteers."

"You could say that, it's not going to be a short trip…"

"I'm coming too," Rose disrupted. "I've spent too much time away from Bernard; I want to go with him."

"Well…"

"You can use all the help that you can get Jack, you shouldn't refuse the little that you get. We may not be the youngest of the group but we won't slow you down anymore than Sawyer so I think we're an asset."

"Oh…you know Sawyer is coming…Be at the hatch by nightfall, we'll prepare tonight and leave tomorrow morning."

"So how about you, Super Size, you want to join our Band of Rejects and rummage through the jungle for Bonnie and her limping sidekick Clyde?" Sawyer questioned Hurley as he entered the numbers. "Get you out of button duty; I know how you dislike those insignificant numbers."

Hurley glanced up from his task and stared at Sawyer, his interest had been peaked. To have an excuse for however long to avoid the hatch was appealing. It did mean going it the Twilight Zone jungle at least there the number would not follow.

"Where are we headed?" Hurley answered.

"Wherever my heart leads…So willingly to join. Got a thing for little Miss Girl-Fight?"

"I've never ever talked to her; I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself Buddha."

"Why are you so eager to go?"

"Me and Rocky had us a deal. I want my part of the deal." Sawyer plopped down onto the couch stretching out, folding his arms behind his head. His eyes drifted closed as a cluster of footsteps entered the hatch. He recognized the voices that followed…Jack, Eko, Libby, Kate…Rose…Bernard. His ears perked trying to draw as much as they could towards them. Rose and Bernard weren't exactly was her considered prime tracking material. Their ages were advanced to say the least. He hadn't remembered how Bernard had faired during their trek through the jungle, he could assume well since he was neither dead nor taken by the mysterious "Others". He wondered how well he knew how to use a gun. Sawyer had decided to be generous to his fellow party members, he brought a few guns along for the ride. He wasn't going to exactly tell Jack, if the weapons were needed he would pass them out and keep track of them. He wasn't going to anymore guns to slip through his fingers, not after Lolita…

Ana and Daniella walked silently side by side, avoiding collapsed trees, murderous vegetation, and strangling vines. The majority of Daniella's weight had been resting upon Ana's shoulders for the past few hours. Ana could see the strain on her sister face, the pure effort it took her to walk each step forward. They needed to rest, for Daniella's sake. She didn't want to injure her further, she was desperate to keep her alive.

"We should rest, the sun's setting and I don't think you're in the best condition to fight off the "Others"," Ana whispered unwilling to disturb the jungle's calm.

"Alright, if you insist, there's a cave up ahead. Just a few more feet and we can rest our heads," Danielle responded her step becoming more urgent with the promise of rest.

The hunting party gathered in the hatch, their supplies packed neatly by Kate in individual packs. Jack carried the medical supplies, Rose carried food, Bernard extra water, Libby additional medical supplies just in case things got bloody to say the least. Hugo was willing to carry more than his share, Eko brought his homemade weaponry, Kate carried the equipment necessary to make a camp and Sawyer carried his ego and his hidden gems. They would wait until day break to leave, hoping that Daniella's injuries had slowed the pair. Eko was not as certain about Jack slowing theory, he knew Ana, and when she was determined to reach a goal, she'd reach it. He knew they would never find Daniella or Ana if they did not wish to be found. He feared that they would lose the pair to the "Others" who seemed determined to capture Oceanic survivors. They seemed to be prizes to the "Other", beautiful trophies to be mounded on their walls like the heads of deer on the wall of the hunter. He did not wish to see either of the pair like that but he knew better than to believe that they would succeed in finding them.

Danielle tugged the luscious jade vines away from the cave's entrance, the entrance that Ana had walked passed without a second thought when rejoining the survivors. She was beginning to believe that there was more to the island that met the eye. She was wondering what these Natives knew about the island, how much could they help the survivors. How much could they help her with her plan to destroy the "Others"? They entered the cave and Ana began unpacking their bedding supplies, two airplane blankets, balled up clothes for pillows and two guns for protection. She lay the guns beside each of their beds as Daniella drew the vine curtain closed, "We won't need those…well for tonight anyways. The "Others" don't know about this place, it's well hidden. It's practically nonexistence," Daniella yawned, eyes drooping with every word.

"Extra protection never killed anyone, Daniella, besides, just because I never noticed it doesn't mean they never noticed it."

"Whatever keeps you happy. I'm going to bed," she said lowering herself to her bed. "You should to, we're almost there, we should actually arrive before lunch tomorrow."

"How can you keep track of meals on this island," she countered peeking outside the curtain.

"I don't, I just know we'll get there around the time they serve the second meal of the day, you know lunch."

"I'm going to stand watch for a while, you sleep."

"Fine, suit yourself, your just wasting time," she yawned.

Ana glanced over her shoulder at her slumbering sister, they had to get off the island. If not both of them then at least Daniella. Her maternal instincts were ramping up taking over her body, demanding that she do everything in her power to save the one person on the island who actually deserved saving. Daniella was an innocent bystander in the whole mess. She was here not of her own will but as a result of Ana's selfishness. If she had only stayed in Los Angeles or had flown back earlier for her wedding then Daniella would not have come for her, neither of them would be here. They could both be at home, together, Daniella enjoying the love of her adoring husband, Ana perhaps enjoying James's company…

This wondering into the great unknown after two suicidal women reminded him of his search for a certain other woman through the cities of Australia…

-Flashback-

Shirts, jeans, socks, boxers, and boots were all thrown into a beaten up leather luggage that rested on top of the unmade bed. He booked the first flight out of Los Angeles, 5:30 am, hoping that he could find her before she got too far. He hadn't really thought she would just up and leave. Sure what they had wasn't perfection but it worked for them, they worked just fine. She was running, running from everything and everyone who might make her feel anything. She seemed hell bent on becoming completely numb, sacrificing any sort if joy she could possibly have. She felt undeserving, he knew, he himself felt the same, but for one brief moment he actually convinced himself that maybe, just maybe they could stay…stay just as they were in their own little world away from their past and futures and just be in the present. He had been mistaken, it was just beginning to work when she decided to uproot herself and be as far away from him a possible. She wasn't so much running from him but from something in her past that had caught up with her. They never swapped life stories, they just forgave each other's past and move along.

He slammed the luggage closed, zipping it quickly, he grabbed his jacket and wallet off the nearby chair and headed for the door. "I'll find you Ana Lucia, I'll find you," James muttered as the door swung shut behind him.

-End Flashback-

And so one right after the other they marched into the jungle, the morning light casting bright shadows along the path. Sawyer declared himself the leader, interjecting himself to the front, forcing Jack to play deputy. Right, left, right, left they marched like a military troop heading for the battlefield…