Author's note: Hi, it's been for like ever since I last updated, sorry! I'm not making any promise to keep updating any time soon, school has been killing me and I'm working on a story for a friend of mine. Plus my computer is having problems, but I already had a few chapters written from forever ago and thought I might as well post them.

Please excuse grammar and spelling mistakes I try and catch them all but not perfect.

Disclaimer: Don't own Lost

It wasn't until daybreak that Arabella found John and Boone. If she was going to go to anyone it would be those two.

"Ari?" Boone looked surprised but Locke just smiled.

"Good to see you again,"

"You too, John," Arabella nodded, "How's your head, Boone? I'm sorry again," "Fine, Ari, really," "No one expects a thing?"

"Nope, I'm fine, its okay," Arabella smiled and nodded.

"Good, that's great, so can I ask you guys a question? What are you doing out here?" "Hunting boar," Locke said almost instantly.

"There's no need to lie, from what I gather you're a great hunter John, you would know that there is a family of boar a quarter mile that was," Arabella pointed to where she could sense the boars.

"Maybe she can tell what it is?" Boone offered. "She's been here longer then us,"

"What are you talking about?"

"The hatch," Locke said simply and began leading the way into the jungle.

They showed her the mental door in the ground and how they were working to unearth it.

"I have no clue what this is," Arabella admitted. "And that is seriously saying something; I know almost everything that has happened on this island." Now she was curious, what was this thing and why was it buried on her island?

"Do you have any clue where it came from?" Boone asked hopefully.

"Not a one, sorry but people have been coming to this island for years. We can't keep track of them all, it's a big place,"

"Well then we're still at square one," Locke sighed and Arabella felt bad for not being able to help.

"Well it's piqued my curiosity, now I want to know what's in there,"

"We've been trying to get the door open for a while, it's harder then you'd think,"

"Need help?" Arabella looked up at Locke and the man smiled and nodded.

"More the merrier, just one thing, you can't tell anyone,"

"What's one more secret?" Arabella shrugged, "Far as I can see, you two are the only ones who trusted me, you earned my trust in turn,"

At sunset the trio made their way back to the caves.

"Look what I found out in the jungle!" Lock called and Arabella laughed as all eyes turn to her. To say Jack was shock would be a major understatement.

"Don't kid yourself, John, I found you," Arabella walked right up to Jack, Locke and Boone right behind her.

"You're back," Jack muttered.

"'Course I am, can't get rid of me that easily, Ricardo is always saying I'm too stubborn for my own good. But I got a question, am I still going to be a prisoner here?"

"No," Locke said almost instantly, "You were right about Ethan, you talked him down, I think that earns you a little trust," Locke shot Jack a pointed look, "You said four words and he was terrified. That must be some father you got," "

Got no idea," Arabella whispered under her breath. "What do you say, Jack, can I stay?" Arabella really didn't need his permission but she felt that if Jack said he was okay with her being there the others would ease up a little.

"Fine, stay," Jack sighed in frustration. "But she's your responsibility Locke, anything goes wrong? It's your head,"

"I will be one my best behavior," Arabella gave a mock salute and Jack just rolled his eyes. "Hate for you to lose your head over me, John,"

It had been a few days since Arabella's return and she spent most of the time with Locke and Boone at the hatch, as long as there was sunlight they were there. The sun had set and they were making their way back to the caves when they heard the shouting.

"It's coming from the beach," Boone pointed out.

"Well let's got check it out!" Arabella called and followed the noise to the beach. There was a great big thing and it was on fire, people were trying to put it out unsuccessfully.

"What was it?" Arabella asked. "

A raft, at one point," Locke answered.

"A raft? Like a boat?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"They were trying to leave?"

"Well yeah, to go get help,"

"They can't leave," Arabella said quietly to herself and shook her head.

"What did you say?" Boone looked at her like she lost her mind.

"Nothing, it's not important," Arabella waved him off. If she tried to explain Jacob's rules it would just bring up more questions than answer.

Arabella could hear the shouting coming from the beach. She looked over to Boone.

"Now what's going on?" She asked with a slight excitement. Boone shrugged.

"Wanna go see?" They both looked over at Locke who didn't look very interested.

"I guess it's worth a look." He abandoned what he was working on and Arabella smiled.

"Awesome, you know you guys are full of surprises! So much more interesting I then I thought." Locke chuckled at her excitement.

"Nice to know we entertain you," They broke from the tree line and could see Michael and Jin fighting. No one was doing anything to stop it; they were all just standing around watching.

"What are they doing?" Arabella wonder out loud. "

Looks like they're fighting," Boone answered and Arabella made a face at him.

"Can see that, Bonne, why are they fighting?"

"Michael thinks Jin's the one who burned his raft," Boone supplied. "'Cause Jin attacked him the other day for some unknown reason."

"So what, everyone's just come to watch them beat each other?" Boone shrugged.

"Not their fight, isn't ours either. Problem's between the two of them, been at each other since we got here,"

"That's stupid, is that how everyone solves their problems?"

"How men do it," Locke murmured.

"Stop it!" Everyone fell silent as Sun screamed in English.

"Well, that's unexpected," Arabella muttered. She told them Jin didn't burn the raft, he tried to put it out. Now they were saying Sun was just covering for Jin.

"Enough of this!" Locke muttered and stalked down the beach, leaving Arabella and Boone to stare after him in shock.

"How do we know she's not covering for him?" Sawyer demanded.

"Because she isn't," Locke shouted and everyone stared. "Why would he burn the raft?"

"He's been after me since day one!" Michael shouted.

"Everyone knows it,"

"Okay, it's personal but why take it out on our best chance of getting off the island? Why would anyone of us block an attempt to get home? We're so intent on pointing the finger at one another that we're ignoring the simple undeniable truth. The problem isn't here it's there!" Locke points off into the jungle. "They've attacked us. Sabotaged us, abducted us, murdered us. Maybe it time we stop blaming us and started worrying about them!" Locke begins to walk away but turns around to shout, "We're not the only people on this island, and we all know it. Look at Ari! She had to come from somewhere!" Arabella was a bit shocked when he brought up her name.

"Don't just stand there we have work to do," Locke snapped and brushed passed them both. Boone looked at Arabella as if she knew what was wrong with their... Mentor? Friend? Arabella shrugged and followed Locke off into the jungle, Boone fell in beside her. As usual they were left trail after Locke. Strangely it didn't bother either of them.

Arabella lay out in the sand, staring up at the sky. She loved the stars, they were so amazing. So beautiful and impossible and everything that was her island. Her and Richard would spend hours staring up at them. Not saying a word to each other, just watching the sky and listening to the waves crash against the shore. She missed Richard, that's why she was stargazing. She hadn't seen him in nearly a week and half. Stargazing really just made her miss him more, she felt his absence from her side like a gaping hole in her heart.

She could feel him every now and then. Out in the jungle, watching over her like he promised but she could never see him.

Arabella felt someone sit down in the sand next to her. She expected it to be Boone or Locke. The trio was quite close, spending so much time together out there at the hatch. The two men were probably her best friends in the whole camp.

She was surprised to see it was Shannon, Boone's sister, who had joined her.

"Uh, hi, Shannon," Arabella greeted awkwardly, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Hey, it's Ari right?"

"Yeah, Ari, is, um, is there something you wanted?" Arabella was absolutely horrible with small talk and Shannon was Boone's sister which made things a little weird.

"You look like you're missing someone," Arabella looked up at the blonde in shock.

"Uh, yeah, actually, I am. How'd you know?"

"I've had quite a few boyfriends, I know that look when I see it,"

"He's not!" Arabella denied a little too quickly. Shannon's eyebrows shot up questioningly. "My boyfriend, I mean. Just my friend. Ricardo."

"Must mean an awful lot for you to miss him so much," "He does, my best friend, it's been about a week and a half. Longest I've ever gone without seeing him."

"I see," Arabella could tell from her tone Shannon didn't believe a word she was saying.

"I wanted to talk to you about my brother,"

"What's about Boone?"

"What are guys doing out there in the jungle all that time? What is Locke making my brother do?"

"Really? Haven't they told you? We're hunting. 'Sides John would never force Boone to do anything. Boone would do 'most anything he asked."

"Why do you two listen to him? Can't you see he's crazy?"

"Can't speak much for Boone but that right there is why I'm with him. People think he's crazy but he's not. He showed me a little faith so I'm showing him the same."

"By following him around like a lost puppy?"

"I like your brother, Shannon. He's a great guy and good friend but that doesn't give you the right to talk to me like that nor speak of John in such a way. Probably best you go,"

"I'm just look out for my brother,"

"I understand and I promise you, neither John nor I would let anything happen to your brother, Boone will be just fine,"

"Alright, Ari, just watch out for him okay? He's... He's all I've got left." Shannon stood and dusted the sand off her legs.

"Promise, nothing will happen to Boone."

"Could you not tell him that I said that? The last part- it's just- I mean-" Shannon searched for the right words but Arabella waved her off.

"It's okay, I won't,"

"Alright then, see you around I guess,"

"See ya, Shannon," Arabella watched Shannon walk down the beach then stop. The blonde turned around to shout at the redhead.

"And Ari? That guy you're missing, I bet he's missing you just as much. Take a risk and go see him!"

Arabella watched in surprise as Shannon made her way up the beach toward the fire and some of the other survives. Arabella glanced at the jungle; somewhere within its depths was her best friend. The night was still young and the sky as clear as day. She and Richard hadn't stargazed in while. Maybe Arabella would take Shannon's advice.