Thanks to smilez4eva,a.k.a.-ashley, kate and jack, suspencer, OctoberSky, litgal, MizSniz, and xeledhwenx for the reviews so far!

Just so you know, I will try to update as regularly as I can, but I've been inundated with work lately. Therefore, these updates may take slightly longer than the first, but I'll try to make sure that they are up at least weekly. Because the time between them will be a bit longer, I will make sure the chapters are longer.

Also, let me clarify the time setting. This is AU after "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues".

Disclaimer: I forgot this last chapter, but I'm sure you all know that the characters in this story who are from Lost are not mine and I claim no right to them.

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Lest We Forget…

"Dr. Shepard? Dr. Shepard! Hurry, Dr. Rom, he's waking up!"

"They're all waking up, Nurse Branson. I'll be right there as soon as I stabilize Mr. Locke here. He was the first to open his eyes. Hurry and get all the available doctors and nurses in here. It seems like we're going to have all 46 finally come out of those comas."

"Oh, thank God. The families will be so relived."

"Hopefully."

"What's that supposed to mean, Doctor?"

"Never mind. Look, here come the other doctors. Amazing, there are no less than 20. Slow day, I suppose."

"Dr. Rom, I'm here. Your expertise is needed down in the psychiatric ward. Your patient is acting up again."

"Again? Oh, well, thank you, Dr. Carter. I'll go right now to see that patient."

"Yes, Dr. Rom. Good luck with that woman."

"Dr. Carter?"

"Yes, Nurse Branson?"

"Do you think we should wake them up?"

"No, let them come around by themselves."

"Yes, good idea. I'm sorry, Dr. Carter, I should know better. I'm just so excited that they are finally awakening. And all at the same time, fancy that!"

"I myself am intrigued to hear what they have experienced. They must all have fascinating stories to tell."

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Dr. Shepard?

Jack regained consciousness slowly. He heard a voice he didn't recognize calling his name in the distance. He opened his eyes, then quickly closed them again. There was blinding white all around him. Where am I? he wondered.

Good luck with that woman.

Charlie shifted his weight uncomfortably. So I'm lying down somewhere. Hmm, it feels like a bed. But who is speaking? What woman, Claire? What happened to her – is she alright? He sighed softly. He had so many questions, but his eyes seemed near glued shut. Concentrating hard, he made a great effort to push them open.

Let them come around by themselves.

The first thing that Claire did when she became conscious was to place her hand on her stomach. It was instinctive- she could not feel secure until she felt her child kick in her womb. That's odd, she thought. It had taken her an unusual amount of effort to move her hand even slightly. What is going on?

Claire started to worry. She hadn't been this confused since she was kidnapped on the island. Luckily, she had managed to break free from Ethan and get back to the camp unharmed. It was the knowledge that she had to keep her child safe that had given Claire the strength to get away, and she drew on that strength now. Bracing herself, she forced her eyes open. At first, she was blinking so rapidly that she couldn't see anything except white light. Finally, her vision cleared and she realized where she was. I'm in a…

They must all have fascinating stories to tell.

A hospital? How did I get here? Kate tried to sit up, but could not. She was overcome with curiosity as to how she had gone from an island slowly disappearing into darkness to a clean, white, modern hospital. Many crazy ideas flicked through her mind, but she couldn't find one good reason. She was so absorbed in thought that she hadn't noticed the young nurse who was sitting beside her bed.

Finally, the woman spoke. "Do you feel okay, miss?"

Kate turned her head to look at the woman. "How did I get here?"

The nurse looked concerned. "You don't remember the plane crash?"

"Of course I remember the crash! How could I forget? I mean, how did we get off the island?"

"The island?"

"Yes, the one we were stranded on for days."

"Mam, you crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Let me explain. There was something in the oxygen masks you put on as the plane was going down. Apparently, the

"They all know each other's names?!" Nurse Branson looked around her in disbelief. "Oh my."

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"Excuse me, Dr. Rom?"

"Yes, Dr. Carter?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt…"

"It isn't a problem. I got that patient under control, I'm just finishing up some paper work."

"Well, the strangest thing happened today with the crash victims. I know it's crazy and seemingly impossible, but they all know each other. Nurse Branson told me that she was certain they didn't all know each other before the crash, so I don't understand it. They're calling each other by name, and they know things that they really should not know."

"Interesting. What else are they saying?"

"Well, every one of them is telling the same story. They all believe that they were on a mysterious island. They set up camps and thought they were alone, but there was some sort of monster there that killed the pilot. Also, they found a crazy woman and a very bad man in their last two days there. They all saw an overpowering blackness, then they awoke."

"The mind has fascinating capapbilities, Doctor. We will never fully understand it. This case is obviously quiet exceptional, but I believe that none pose a threat to themselves or anyone else. It will be best if they can get home to their families and readjust to everyday life as soon as possible. With exception of the pregnant woman, Claire I believe her name is, you may release all of tomorrow morning."

"I will."

"Remember, Dr. Carter, release her under NO circumstances, do you understand?"

"Yes, Doctor, I do. Good night."

"Goodnight."

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The next morning:

"Is your name Charlie?"

"Yes, Claire, of course it is. Are you okay?"

"I don't know. By all accounts we shouldn't know each other's names."

Charlie thought for a moment. "I suppose that is true. Regardless of how we know each other, though, the important thing is that we know each other in the first place. This isn't going to be a fun couple of weeks coming up, there'll be lots of readjusting. Maybe we can help each other, you know?"

"That would be very nice. I'm a stranger to the United States, I could use a helpful person showing me around as soon as I get out of this hospital."

"Honestly, I only know the hot clubs here in L.A.

Claire smiled. "How romantic." The instant that left her mouth, she wished she could take it back. What was I thinking? "Romantic"? It was one thing to love a man who she had gotten to know and who had been there for her for awhile. However, she knew she couldn't let herself forget that Charlie was, in fact, a stranger. "I mean, that would be nice, I suppose. Visiting hours start here at 8 AM. I was thinking that maybe you could stop by if you had some free time."

"I promise, Claire, I'll be right back here tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Charlie. I just don't want to be alone right now."

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"So, then I guess this is goodbye." Kate looked sadly up at Jack. Somehow, the idea of leaving and never seeing him again felt unreal to her. She could barely imagine a life without him. She searched his face and found the answer that she had both feared and hoped for. He was feeling the same thing.

"I won't forget you, Kate." For what would surely be the last time, she went into his arms. He never wanted to let her go. Kate buried her face in his chest, unable to hold back her tears. At least he knows what he's going back to. He knows where he is going home to. I'm just going back to a life of running. God help me, I'm starting to think that I might have been better off if we had never gotten off the island. Or woken up, whatever. I just can't believe that was all a dream when what I'm feeling is so real.

At the same time, Jack was struck by the realization that that he was currently embracing a total stranger. A stranger who might even be some type of criminal, in fact. This knowledge, however, did not in the least change what he was feeling.

"Jack!" she whispered. "Look."

As he turned to face her, Kate saw the tears in his eyes that he was unsuccessfully trying to hide. Slowly, those eyes traveled down to her outstretched arm. "Oh, my God."

The matching scars from his cave collapse and her fall were still present on their arms. "But how? These couldn't possibly be from the plane crash. That was in an ocean. Your arm still has some small splinters from the tree, for one thing."

"And look at Locke's hand, Jack! That is a wound made by a boar tusk."

Jack's pulse quickened, but he forced himself to calm down. "Maybe it was just from the crash, though. I guess that might make sense. Maybe we're just over-reacting, Kate."

She turned to look at him. "And maybe we're not."

"Jack! Oh, thank the Lord! Jack, I thought I was never going to see you again!" Jack's mother threw her arms around him, sobbing.

Jack hugged her in return. He looked over her shoulder to see Kate slowly walking away. He watched her move away into the crowd. The crowd that should be strangers, but somehow weren't. He knew where everyone was headed: Jin and Sun were going to their new temporary home, Sawyer was preparing for some trouble, Sayid was escaping his hold life, Walt was trying to adjust to his new father, Locke was going back to his hated old job, and Boone and Shannon were simply going home. And Kate…

He wondered what was going to happen to Kate. The thought of her being lost and alone was enough to bring him real pain. Never before had he imagined that he would grow to feel this way about a woman. He had finally met the person he could have shared his life with. Now, she had disappeared forever.

I was never going to see you again. He knew the words would haunt him for the rest of his life.

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