They hiked in silence for a few minutes, the glares of Ana Lucia, followed by her constant gestures to her gun, enough to depress the survivors into submission. But soon Ana Lucia moved to the front to talk to the silent large man who had been guarding the pit, and Matt turned to Mia.
"What happened?" Matt asked quietly, risking a quick glance up front.
"We got ambushed," Mia said softly, looping her free arm through his, as she glanced back worriedly at Sawyer, who trailed right behind them, waving away her offers of help. "We were on the raft and this boat showed up. They shot Sawyer, sunk us, and took Walt."
"Jesus," Matt breathed out. "I'm just glad you're ok." He paused, then laughed ruefully. "Then again, I'm not sure if any of us are ok."
"Hey, you've got me, gorgeous," Mia said with a wink, squeezing his arm. "That means you're better than ok." Matt laughed, but the laughter caught in his throat as the group suddenly stopped short.
"We're here," Ana Lucia said shortly, revealing a hidden door she quickly pulled open. She stepped inside, but stayed inside the doorway, body taut and tense. She motioned with her hand, and the others surged forward. "Stay back," Ana Lucia ordered Matt, Jack, and Mia's group tersely. She conferred with the others for a moment, then sighed, waving her hand. "Everyone in. Now."
Matt and Jack entered what could only be described as a cave shaped like a house, a bunker of sorts. They found a spot on the floor and sat down, Jack loping his arm around Matt's shoulders, Matt leaning into Jack's touch. "Someday we're going to go on a vacation somewhere, somewhere we can reach by car, somewhere with snow and no crazy people," Jack said longingly, and Matt laughed, snuggling in closer.
"Hot cocoa, warm blankets, snowed in so we can't get out of bed for days…" Matt added with a tired grin, as Mia helped Sawyer sit down beside them. Jack leaned over and kissed Matt softly before turning towards Sawyer.
"Let me take a look," Jack said, gingerly moving Sawyer's shirt aside. He flinched, unable to stop the hiss of pain from escaping his lips, and Ana Lucia immediately wheeled around.
"Step back and stop talking," she said, her hand automatically going to rest on the butt of her gun.
"Enough with the gun already," Matt said wearily, leaning his head back against the cold rock as Jack continued to examine Sawyer. "Seriously, not only have I been shot once already on this island, but I'm a cop, so your whole gun parade here has already gotten old."
"You're a cop?" Ana Lucia asked, interest in her voice despite herself. She moved closer, resting an elbow against the wall.
"Special Victims Unit," Matt answered, straightening up. "I'm on leave. Which I guess is convenient considering the lack of transportation off this island."
"I was a cop too," Ana Lucia offered, meeting Matt's eyes for the first time. "I'm on a sort of permanent leave." She laughed bitterly, turning away again.
"Tell me about it," Matt sighed. "I mean, it was my choice to take a leave, but still…I miss helping people, helping kids, women who wouldn't be alive otherwise. I miss my friend Katie bringing me coffee, sneaking me the good brown sugar because she knew how much I love it."
"There's definitely enough on this island to keep cops from getting bored, though," Ana Lucia said wryly, and Matt laughed, nodding his head.
The large man suddenly sprinted into the shelter from outside. "He's gone," he said quickly to Ana Lucia, whose eyes immediately shut down again.
"What's going on?" Jack asked quickly, raising his eyes from where he was attempting to clean Sawyer's wound out.
"Your friend Michael decided to take off," Ana Lucia spat out, eyes dark. "Take his chances with the Others out there."
"He went after Walt," Mia gasped out, shaking her head. "They're the ones who took him from us on the raft."
"Michael," Jin said insistently, moving to the front of the shelter, where he was instantly blocked by Ana Lucia.
"No one's going anywhere," she said, voice cold. "We stay together, and you go where we tell you to go."
"We need to find him," Matt insisted, joining Jin. "If we leave him out there, he could get hurt. He could get killed. These Others didn't hesitate to shoot Sawyer, who knows what they'll do to Michael."
"Ana…" Libby's voice was calm and soft as she lay a hand gently on Ana Lucia's shoulder. "You know we would have done the same, if we could have."
"Fine," Ana Lucia said, the growl in her voice seemingly moderated by Libby's proximity. "You can go." She gestured to Matt and Jin. "But your doctor boyfriend stays."
"No way in hell," Jack said immediately, clamoring to his feet.
"I know he'll come back if you're still here," Ana Lucia said, pulling the gun out of her waistband and resting it against the palm of her hand. "I'm not asking. It's the way it's going to be."
"Jack…" Matt said softly, stepping towards him, lacing his arms around Jack's neck. "It'll be ok, I promise. We need to get Michael back before something happens to him."
"Always knew I was falling in love with a hero," Jack sighed, pressing his lips against Matt's, holding him close.
"Back at you," Matt said with a grin, only his eyes showing his worry as he got in one more quick kiss before moving back towards Jin. "I'll be back soon, I promise."
"I'm coming with," Mia said, putting her hand up as Ana Lucia immediately started to protest. "I can follow Michael's tracks. Plus, Sawyer's still going to be here, so you'll know I'm coming back too."
"Come then," the man said, and with a long backward glance, Matt and Mia followed him.