The girls dove in, resplendent in all their naked glory. While Sun and Shannon had a water fight, Kate stayed near shore with Claire.

"Do you think it's okay to put her in the water?"

"Adrian will be fine. Just make sure you hold her up." Kate demonstrated. She stood in about four feet of water, and held Adrian in the water. The beautiful child kicked her legs and laughed when she saw what happened. Claire tentatively walked into the water and let out a high squeal the second she touched it.

"It's cold!"

"So?" Shannon and Sun yelled from where they still frolicked.

"Well…it's cold!"

Suddenly Shannon had an idea. She leaned over and whispered in Sun's ear. Together, grinning in a conspiring way, they began to swim towards Claire. For all her intelligence, Claire did not see them. Like sharks, they attacked swiftly.

"Ahhhh! What the hell is wrong with y'all?" Claire shouted as Shannon and Sun began to pull Claire into the, indeed, cold water.

"Nothing. Just wanted you to have fun." Shannon said as she pulled with exertion. The pretty Australian was beginning to resist.

"Claire, we are only helping," Sun added in her halting English. Even in the middle of this melee she was calm.

"What you're doing is getting me bloody cold!"

"Not for long!" Shannon said as they finally reached the deep end. Jumping on top of Claire, Shannon dragged the girl down under the water. At the shallow end, Kate laughed.

Coming up for air, Claire was cursing. "You stupid, goddamned American! And Sun! You too?"

Sun and Shannon, for their part, could not stop laughing. They were laughing so hard in fact that they could barely swim. Together they started a water fight and managed to make Claire forget about how cold the water was. At the shore, Kate played with Adrian, opting to not join the other girls. Kate loved children. And sometimes she thought that maybe here, on this island, with a certain someone, she might have one.

Speaking of a certain someone. From out of the bushes, painfully oblivious to the scene in front of them walked Jack and Sayid. Needless to say that when they saw what was going on they froze.

"I…uh…sorry!" They both stammered and turned away. This caused the girls to laugh, and the boys to blush horribly.

While Sun and Claire ran for their clothes, Kate and Shannon just lounged where they were. Kate handed Adrian to the newly clothed Claire and reached for her shirt. It covered all her less polite parts so she figured it was fine. "Umm, Jack? Could I talk to you?"

Jack looked over his shoulder at Kate and couldn't find his voice to say something. Taking this as an affirmative, Kate grasped his hand and pulled him into the jungle. Sun and Claire had already disappeared, leaving Sayid and Shannon alone.

"Skinny dipping?" Sayid asked as he took the opportunity to study Shannon's body. He was obviously pleased with what he saw.

Shannon turned to give him her back. "Stop looking!"

"Are you blushing?" Sayid asked, it sounded muffled like he was doing something.

"Yes. So…Sayid?" He wasn't answering. Shannon was about to turn when she heard a splash. Looking, Shannon saw that Sayid had decided to join her for a dip. She looked in the water but couldn't see him. "Sayid? Sayid?"

From the water, a pair of hands wrapped around her legs and pulled her under. Sputtering, Shannon floundered. She was rescued from drowning by Sayid. HE pulled her close and held them both up in the water.

"Sometimes you're mean!"

"Aww, let me make it up to you." From the look in his eyes, Shannon thought she would enjoy making up with him.


(Flashback)

Boone was still knocked out, and Shannon was getting tired of just sitting here. Beside the hotel bed, Boone's cell phone began to ring. Shannon answered it without thinking.

"Hello?"

"Let me speak to…Is this Shannon?"

"Elizabeth. How nice to speak to you." Shannon forced her tone to be civil.

"Yes, you too. Is Boone there?"

Shannon spared a glance for the half-naked figure on the bed. "No, he's not."

"Shannon, it's about your father."

Shannon sat up higher. "What about him?"

"There's been an accident. A train hit his car. He died instantly."

Shannon forced herself to not scream. "Dead?"

Impatience filled Elizabeth's, Boone's mother, voice. "Yes. You and Boone will return to L.A. immediately."

"L.A.?"

"Yes. I'd heard that Boone had gone to rescue you again Shannon? What was it now? Bad boyfriend? House problem? Were you just broke again?"

Shannon held her tongue, knowing that to speak out of place with this bitch would ruin everything. She'd forbid Boone from 'helping' Shannon, and being a mother's boy he would listen. "I think that is none of your business."

"It is my business. He's my son, and you…well, you are the illegimate child of my husband. Work it out and get here. I'm no longer going to allow you to ruin your life. I'm in control Shannon. Get used to it." The bitch hung up and Shannon's hand shook as she closed the cell phone. There was no way in hell she was going to be puppet to Elizabeth's master. She would rather be on a deserted island than with that bitch.

(End Flashback)


"If I drown, I'm going to come back and haunt you."

"You won't drown Shannon. Trust me."

"I trust you but…ohhh…do that again…"


Second to last chapter is next!

Next Chapter: Back To The Beach