Disclaimer: Sad to say, but I do not own any part of Supernatural or Lost
Chapter Twenty One:
Charlie pushed the boat out, while Desmond looked for the cable buried in the sand. After finding it Desmond said. "This is it. Ready?"
Charlie nodded and they pushed off from shore using the cable as a guide. When they came to the place where the cable went straight down Desmond looked at Charlie and said. "We're here."
Charlie nodded as he wrote on a piece of paper. When he was done he handed it to Desmond. "I want you to give this to Claire for me," he told him.
"What is it?" Desmond asks taking the paper from Charlie.
"It's the five best moments of my, sorry excuse for a life," Charlie replied. "My greatest hits. You know, memories." He sat there for just a second, recalling each of each the five items on the list. The first time he heard himself on the radio. His dad teaching him how to swim at Butlins. The Christmas Liam gave him the DS ring. The day the woman outside Covent Gardens had called him a hero for saving her from a mugger and of course, the very best moment. The night of the plane crash, the night he met Claire. "They're all I've got."
"You don't have to do this," Desmond told him and then said, "Charlie."
"What?" Charlie asked.
"I'll go," Desmond said.
"No," Charlie said remembering all the premonitions the other man had had that saved his life in the past. He knew the things Desmond saw were real, so he knew that if he did this, if he turned off that light then Claire and Arron would get off the island. "Your flashes," he said by way of explanation.
"Maybe, I keep seeing you die because I'm supposed to take your place," Desmond said feeling guilty.
"What about your girl, Penny?," Charlie asked trying to convince the other man not try and change the plan. He was afraid that if things didn't go down just as Desmond had seen it, then the rescue would fail and Claire and her son would be stuck on the island.
"What about your girl?" Desmond countered. "Besides. I might be luckier than you." He handed the paper back to Charlie. "Keep your memories to yourself. I'll take it from here." He removed his shoes and looked around the canoe preparing to go in the water.
"I dunno what to say," Charlie told him.
"Well, he replied still looking around him. "You could tell me where the weigh belt is."
"Right there behind you," Charlie told him. He waited until Desmond turned around to reach of the weight belt then he picked up an oar and smashed the other man over the head with it knocking Desmond out cold. Charlie carefully laid the other man out in the canoe so he wouldn't accidentally fall into the water and drown before he woke up.
"You and I both know. You're not supposed to take my place, brother," Charlie said to him as he put his precious list of memories in Desmond's pocket before grabbing the weight belt. He looked around him once more at the island and the ocean as tears filled his eyes. After a few moments he sighed and dove into the ocean the weight belt doing it's job and helping him to sink quickly down into the dark depths.
- - - - -
John opened the door and looked over at Odin. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"More then you could ever imagine my friend," Odin replied. He stepped out onto the porch and inhaled the fragrant air of the forest. It was the first breath of fresh air he'd had in nearly twenty five long years. He closed his eyes and listened to the night sounds reveling in them before opening his eyes and placing his fingers in his mouth to let out a loud piercing whistle.
Almost immediately the pounding of hooves came to the ears of all four of the men now standing on the porch. A large black horse came charging up the trail neighing loudly as he headed straight for Odin. The beautiful animal pranced the final steps tossing its head and neighing at the newly freed god.
"Sleipnir!" Odin exclaimed. "It is good to see you too my friend. I was concerned Azkeel had found and destroyed you!"
The horse looked at Odin and Dean would have sworn the animal had rolled its eyes at the man. "I don't suppose he brought three of his friends along with him?" Dean asked.
"There are none like him on the island," Odin replied to Dean. "But I shall be leaving the three of you to complete your quest anyway."
"What?" Dean demanded forcefully. "You have to help us save my mother!" John put a hand on Dean's shoulder stopping him from taking an angry step in the god's direction.
Odin smiled at Dean. "You mother will be fine," he replied. "You will find a way to save her this time." He walked up to Sam and put his hand on the youngest Winchester's shoulder and with his other hand he turned Sam's injured palm up and covered it with his own. A bright while light shown from between the two of them. Sam's eyes closed and his head rolled back briefly but Odin kept him on his feet and when the God finally pulled away all of Sam's injuries were healed and he was filled with an energy that he had not felt in a long time. Odin repeated the process with John and then turned to Dean.
"I'm good," Dean told him holding his hands up in the classic stop sign. "Thanks."
Odin of course ignored him completely and once again called on his healing ability. He poured all of his ability into the task at hand trying to find a way to dispel the taint but no matter how hard he fought it the stain, though diminished, remained within the young hunter.
Dean's knee's gave and he would have crumbled to the ground had John and Sam not caught him. One on each side they supported him until Odin pulled wearily away. If Dean had to describe the feeling that came over him when Odin healed him he would have said it felt like peace. For the first time since he had made the deal to save his brother's life he felt a tranquil acceptance of what was to come. Not that he was looking forward to his fate. It was he was now certain that somehow he would be saved.
Odin swung onto the horses' bare back. He gripped the animals' long dark mane and nodded to the three men on the ground. "I owe you gentleman a great debt, but for the moment it must go unpaid. If you follow Ben's trail he will lead you to your mother. He made no move to cover his tracks because in his arrogance he did not believe anyone could stop him. I believe it is time someone showed him the error of his ways don't you?"
"Where are you going?" Sam asked.
"I must go to my temple," Odin replied. "There are things there I must gather and people I must see."
John, Sam and Dean shouldered their packs again and prepared to move out once more. None of them said anything as they Odin turned Sleipnir but the god looked back before taking leaving and said, "Help will come to you when you need it most. Have no fear. We will win this battle."
"Okay Gandalf," Dean muttered shaking his head as he watched Odin and his horse gallop away.
Sam snickered at his brother's comment as the three of them turned and started on their own path. "So then that makes you what? Frodo?" he said to his brother.
"Hell no," Dean replied. "I'm Aragon and that makes you that long haired dude with the big ears."
"Legolas?" Sam replied "I can live with that. He was an elf, he was cool."
John laughed and said, "Well, in that case I think I'll be Boromir. Now how about we go and destroy Sauron."
Sam and Dean looked at each other. "No way," they said in unison. "You saw the Lord of the Rings?"
"Is there anyone who hasn't seen them?" he asked.
The three of them continued down the trail discussing the trilogy of movies and debating the differences between the books and the movies.
- - - - -
The people of flight 815 followed Danielle down the beach leaving Sayid, Bernard and Jin stand by themselves in the center of camp. They had been traveling for a few hours when Naomi strode up to Jack. "Can I ask you a question?" she asked.
"Sure," he replied.
"What did you do for a living before you became Moses?" she asked him.
"I was a doctor," he told her laughing.
"Right, course you were," she said. "Well I need your attention for a minute, doctor." She looked at Juliet, who had stopped with Jack. "Is she okay?" she asked him.
"Why wouldn't she be?" he asked her in reply.
"Because none of your people trusts her," she told him. Then turned to Juliet and said. "No offense."
Juliet turned to Jack and said, "You know what, why don't you catch up to me when you're done."
"Juliet…," Jack said.
"It's fine," Juliet told him continuing up the trail.
Naomi pulled out her phone and held it up so Jack could see it. "So, I need to show you how this wonderful gadget works in case anything happens to me," she told him. "You need to be able to call my boat."
"Okay," he said. "Show me."
"It's actually simple," she explained. "You turn her on here. This opens a direct channel to the freighter. Give her a tap here. Wait for the beep, and say hello."
"And that's it?" Jack asked.
"That's it," she replied. "Once the rock star turns off whatever underwater contraption's jamming us up, this red light will turn a lovely shade of green. That'll be any time now yeah?"
"Hopefully," Jack told her nodding. He hopped Charlie succeeded in his task. Their entire plan depended on his getting that signal turned off.
- - - - -
Charlie sank quickly swimming down past the side of the underwater station and underneath. He let go of the weight belt and looked up seeing the moon pool just as he began to struggle for air. Swimming in he is surprised to find that instead of more water he breaches the surface of the water and sucks in a much needed breath of air. He looks around finding himself in a large room, a room not flooded. Seeing the side, he pulled himself up onto a walkway and laughed. "I'm alive," he practically giggled giddy at the thought. "AH! I'm alive!"
A door opened and two women run in, both with guns drawn. A light came on and one of the women ran up to Charlie and points her gun right at his face. He swallowed noticeably, smiled a weak smile and raised his hands as he stared in surprise at the two women, one blond and one brunette.
"Get up!" the Blonde said as the brunette pulled a chair out of the room they had just been in. "Sit!" she said motioning to the chair.
"Jeez," Charlie told them. "I'm not a dog you know."
Charlie grunted as the blonde smacked him on the side of the head with the butt of the gun forcing him to comply with her demand.
The brunette pulled a rope out of a nearby locker and tied the rock star to the chair.
"Who are you?" the blonde asked. Charlie ignored her trying to work out the soreness his jaw.
"Look if you tell us how you got down here," the brunette said. "We won't hurt you."
"I came in my invisible submarine," Charlie said in a smart ass tone. "Don't you see it?"
The blonde smacked Charlie again. "Hey," the brunette said. "Take it easy."
"Take it easy? He's one of them," she shouted. "Why are you here, huh? How did you find out about this station?"
Charlie shrugged knowing it didn't really matter anymore. "Juliet told us," he gloated. "She's one of us now. In case you haven't heard." Charlie's head snapped back as the blonde struck again.
"Stop," the brunette said. "We gotta call Ben."
"Oh yeah," Charlie said grinning. "Let's call Ben."
"Come on," the blonde said leading the way into the small communications room as Charlie watches. He grins as he saw the blinking yellow light above a switch. The switch that Desmond said he was going to flick off just before he drowned.
- - - - -
Ben sat in his tent at the Others camp. He was writing in his diary when the walkie talkie squawked at him. "Come in. Come in, Ben."
Ben picked up the walkie and pressed the talk button. "Hello?" he said.
"Ben, it's Bonnie," came the shaky reply. "Ben, are you there? Can you hear me, Ben?"
Ben walked out of his tent trying to get a better signal. He walked past Mikhail and Richard who are playing chess. "Why are you breaking radio silence?" he demanded of Bonnie.
"One of them's down here," she told him.
"I'm sorry, what?" he asked.
"We have him tied up but he's here," she told him. "One of them swam down here."
"Who?" Ben asked shock evident on his face. "Which one?"
"He won't tell us," she said.
Charlie who had been listening to the conversation yelled, "It's Charlie! Tell him I said hi!"
"How did... how does he know about the station?" Ben demanded.
"He said Juliet told them," Bonnie replied.
Anger surged through Ben at Juliet's betrayal. "All right, sit tight," he told her. "Don't do anything, I'm sending help." He turned to Mikhail and said, "You need to go down to The Looking Glass and find out what Charlie Pace is doing down there."
"You told us The Looking Glass was inoperable. Flooded," Mikhail replied.
"I lied. Mikhail," Ben said angrily. "I need you to go, now."
"I can be there by dawn," Mikhail replied. "But if Juliet told them about The Looking Glass, what else did she tell them?"
A/N - Sorry this one took just a bit longer then usual. I've been entralled with all the pretty new pictures of the boys and all the awesome stories that have been floating around the net from the convention. - - Hangs head in shame - - I was just so distracted by the pretties! So anyway, finally finished this one. Let me know what you think!