Atlararial10: Well, here it is, a brand new story. Special thanks to you for being my first official reader. I think I might go insane over this next episode break, exspeicaly since I know its Charlie's episode. I need to find more spoilers, cause I've only hear a tiny little bit about what's going on, but yeah. Excited.
FATE: The Next Life
Any Where But Here
Charlie stared straight ahead as house after house passed by. They all were relatively the same, only different colors. And each one was surrounded with bright, healthy green trees almost as big on the one's on the island. Everything here was green, and bright. Every color stood out brilliantly. Not like England, where the colors all melted together in a foggy grey. But Australia was beautiful, even if they were lost. He looked over at Claire, who was sitting in the seat beside him, with her head rested agenst the window. Her hair was pulled back into a bumpy pony tail, still messy from her sleep on the plain ridge home. He had wondered the whole time how she could sleep on that god forsaken plane. You'd think if they were talking people who'd ben stuck on an island for a year after being in a horrid place crash, they driver would be a little more sensitive when going round the curves, but noooo. Nothing but turbulence the whole way. The palm of his good hand still hurt from squeezing the armrest.
But the sleep on the way over wasn't enough. Now Claire was out again, her head rested agenst the window and her bare feet curled up in her seat. Ben was doing the same as he sprawled out across the entire back seat. Like mother like son. The sight brought a smile to his face as he turned back to the vibrant road. Slowly, Claire began to shift in her seat as she woke up, eye blinking open agenst the bright sun. She looked around, a little confused, then remembered where she was. "Have a nice nap?" he teased, glancing over at her. She nodded with a smile, leaning her head back agenst the seat and letting her eyes glide shut again.
"Do you know where we are?" She asked, after a while, watching as he continued turning down each street. "Nope. Were lost in suburban hell" He explained bluntly. "You should have let me drive" she sighed skeptically. "Oh, right. Last thing I need is you falling asleep at the wheel" he teased sarcastically. "I'd probably still have a better since of direction" she teased back, biting the tip of her sunglasses. He smiled to himself, turning back to the road. "Wait, is that it?" she questioned, tilting her head to see. Before them stood a blinding white, two story house with a porch that ran all the way around. The grass was bright green as were the leaves from the trees, one on each side of the little cobble stone path that lead up to the front steps from the side walk. In a circle around the trees grew a little bed of bright orange and yellow flowers, as did the busses that lined each side of the house. "Yep, that's it." He assured, recognizing it from the pamphlet the social service workers had giving them. "Ben, Sweetie. Wake up, were here" Claire said sweetly, leaning between the two from seats. Ben's eyes opened just barely, hair tousled all over the place. Charlie climbed out of the jeep and headed to the back to get out their bags. Claire opened the door to the back seat and Lifted Ben out, letting him rest his head on her shoulder. His eyes remained shut, still to tired from all the new excitement. He pulled a bag over his shoulder and carried one on each arm, leaving still three more in the trunk to get later. He walked with Claire up to the front porch and unblocked the door. He glanced over her shoulder, flashing her a smile as she rocked Ben in her arms. The door slid open with ease, raveling a spacious empty living room with soft blue walls with white trim and light dark wood floors. A white fire place ran along the far wall and large square white windows ran on each of the side walls. "So this is it..." Charlie mused, looking around. "Home" Claire smiled. Ben managed to lift his head up to take a sleepy glance, but laid it back down in seconds. Charlie dropped the bags off to the side of the door and headed out to get the rest while Claire went to look around. Her bare feet tapped across the floor as she wondered through one of the two open door ways into the kitchen, witch had white tile and cabinets, with brown counter tops and finishing. The wall paper was white, with little burgundy roses running vertically in little lines. From there, another open door way lead to the dinning room, or atleast, that's what she saw it as. The wall was blue with white trim again, though the shade was a little darker, and the floors were still a dark wood. Two large, white french doors lead into a green, roomy back yard. She peaked out over the long lawn of bright green grass and smiled. Then wondered into the next room. This was just a small space between the bathroom and a tall, dark wooden stair case. The floors remained the same color, but the wall was now burgundy. Shifting Ben in her arms, she headed up the stairs. A hall went to the right, with two doors going down each side. To the left was a little square space, both the walls and floor the same dark wood. At the far wall was a large, circular window witch looked out upon the front yard. She glanced out, watching Charlie as he lugged the other three bags up the drive way. She also noticed a big, bright orange jeep Cherokee pull up behind their's in the driveway. It could be no one else. A smile spread across Claire's face as she watched Charlie turn around to great the dark haired young women walking up the drive way before hurrying down stairs.
"CLAIRE!" Megan squealed with a huge grin, running to meet her friend who stood in the door way. they gave each other a huge bare hug, both getting a little teary eyed. "And who's this handsome little guy?" She asked, turning to Ben, who was looking at her from over his shoulder sleepily. "This is Ben" Claire explained, smiling down at him as he rubbed his eyes with tiny white knuckles. "Ben, this is Magen" Claire told him, shifting him up on her hip. "Hi" he said softly, with a lazy grin. "Oh, he's adorable!" Megan beamed proudly. "I'm going to take the rest of the bags in" Charlie explained, as he walked past Claire, letting the two get re-acquainted. "Who's he? One of the movers?" Megan asked, after he was almost in the door. "Uh....no" Claire answered. Hmm, how do I explain this? "He's my husband" she corrected with a smile, knowing it would simply confuse the hell out of her. "Your what?" Megan questioned in disbelief. "My husband. He was another person on the plains crash and we well....hit it off" Claire explained simply, blushing a little. Megan peeked back into the house through the open door, getting another look at Charlie as he let the bags drop to the floor and brush the hair out of his face. "Well..." she grinned, tunning back to Claire, "He has potential." Claire laughed, blushing all the more. "So, have you screwed him yet?" Megan asked bluntly, not beating around the bush at all. "let this be your answer" Claire smiled, tapping her well rounded, four month Pregnet stomach. Magen's eyes went wide. "Your Pregnet, again?!" she asked in shock. "Yep" Claire nodded, "twins." Megan's jaw dropped. "My god. You just keep popping em out!" she teased playfully. "Yep" Claire nodded.
The two headed inside while after the mover's arrived. "Here, take Ben. I'll go make some coffee" Claire suggested, carefully shifting Ben into Charlie's arms. He stayed limp the whole time, snuggling agenst his shoulder without a care as Claire disappeared into the kitchen. "So, you are...?" Megan questioned, not knowing the new husbands name. "Charlie, Charlie pace" he answered, shifting Ben so he could hold him in one arm, moving the other hand out to shake. "And you must be Megan, correct?" he asked, shaking her hand in his. "Sure am" she confirmed with a friendly smile. The movers began to move the furniture in, so Megan quickly moved out of the door way. Charlie leaned back agenst the wall, bouncing Ben in his arms. He turned to see that Megan was still stareing at him as if he were a museum exhibit. Her eyes trailed from his messy hair, with sunglasses shoved on top of his head, down to his dusty black drive shaft shirt, and the broken hand that was supporting Ben's bottom half. Past the ripped jeans to his bare feet, and then back up again. "Wow. You're a lot better looking then most of Claire's boyfriends" She finished with a complementing grin, witch made his smile go ear to ear and brought redness to his cheeks. "Hey, guys. Theres a little table with some Claire's out back so why don't we head out there and let those guys get some work done?" Claire suggested from inside the kitchen.
She carried a tray with three cups of coffee and a glass of water for Ben, not yet wanting to introduce soda. "Your mum and dad called me yesterday, they said they'd be heading up here tomorrow so they should be here by the afternoon" Magen explained after taking a sip of her coffee. "They actually said that?" Claire questioned in a bit of disbelief. "Yeah. What, you think they're still mad at you? You've been dead for over a year" Megan exclaimed playfully. "Well, you know my mum. She's one to hold a grudge" Claire reminded her, spinning her spoon in the cup. "Yeah....I remember" Megan muttered with a laugh. "Id your family coming?" she ten asked, turning to Charlie who was in the middle of taking a sip from his cup. He took his last gulp and sat it back down. " I haven't heard from them yet" he explained with a shrug and picked the cup back up. Oh, how he'd missed coffee. At that very moment, as if it were planned, a familiar voice called out from the door. "Baby brother!" Liam called, standing in the door way with open arms. The sight of his brother made him choke, and almost spit out what he had in his mouth. Instead he swallowed deeply, pushing back his chairs. "Liam!" he called with a warm smile, wrapping his arms around him in a great big hug. He hadn't seen him in so long it hurt, especially knowing the terms he'd left on. A part of him didn't even think Liam would have shown. "I was worried sick about you, you know that?" Liam explained, talking into his ear as he leaned over his shoulder. Charlie nodded, not able to speak.. He gave a suddle sniff as he pulled away, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He lead his brother over to the table, and stood behind Claire. "Liam, I'd like you to meet Claire. My wife" Charlie introduced with a grin, placing his hands on her shoulders. "No way.." Liam exclaimed with shock. "Fraid so" he confirmed with a grin. "Well...the little man's all grown up" He grinned, leaning forward to shake Claire's hand over the table. "Oh, it gets better" Charlie explained, pulling Ben up out of the chair so he could sit down. "She's Pregnet" he finished, glancing back at Liam as he settled Ben on his lap. "Pregnet?" Liam repeated with surprise. "Twins" Charlie confirmed. "My god...never a dull moment with you, is it?" Liam questioned teasingly, still in aw at the dramatic change his brother had gone through in the past year. "Learned from the best" Charlie replied as Ben began to wake up, shifting in his lap. "And who's this little guy?" Liam questioned, reaching out to shake his hand. "This is Ben" Charlie answered, looking down at ben who looked back at Liam through lazy eyes. He grinned sleepily as Liam shook his tiny hand. "How old is he?" Liam questioned, turning back to Charlie. "A little over a year" he answered. "Isn't he adorable?" Megan asked, still beaming over the child. "Get it from his mum" Charlie grinned, putting his arm across Claire's shoulders and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I can't believe this. You disappear of the face of the earth for one year, and now your back with a whole family" Liam mused thoughtfully, "dad's gonna flip."
Shannon plopped down on the white later sofa in the middle of the living room and kicked off her heels. "oh, god I missed this couch" she sighed as she let her eyes slide shut, propping her bare feet up on the coffee table. "I know" Boone agreed as he sunk down into a neighboring white-leather recliner. "I'm so excused" Shannon continued, sliding farther down the couch each second. "Is Hillary coming?" She asked, opening her eyes once again. "I don't know, I haven't heard from her yet" Boone explained thoughtfully. "You should call her. I'm gonna go take a shower and head back out" Shannon suggested, pulling herself of the couch. "Going out where? I thought you were excused?" Boone questioned, fallowing her with his eyes as she walked across the room. "Yeah, but I'm not just gonna sit around the house all night listening to you two fuck" Shannon assured him as she pulled the pony tail out of her hair and headed into the bath room. He couldn't help but smile. "Well, I don't have to call her tonight. I mean, if you were wanting to get some rest-" Boone offered thoughtfully. "Are you kidding? You've been grumpy for the past couple months. You need to get laid" Shannon assured him, walking back out of the bath room to get her towel from the closet in the hall way. "Besides, I haven't been to a decent party in a long time. So call her" She finished, picking the phone up off its cradle and dropping it in his lap before heading back into the bath room with her fresh white towel folded over her arm. Boone smiled as he dialed the number with his thumb without even having to look it up. He could hear the shower come on as he listened to the ring. It rang atleast three times before someone picked up. "Hello?" An extremely famine voice answered. "Hey." he replied with a smile. It was good to hear her voice again. "Boone?" she questioned in confusion, and a bit of excitement. "Yeah" He smiled warmly. "I tried calling just a little while ago. I wasn't sure if you were coming home" She explained, and from the sound of her voice he could tell she was crying. "Well I'm here now, and Shan's going out, so I was hoping you could come over" he suggested with a grin. For a moment, it was silent on the other end, witch made him worry. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there soon" She answered finally. The smile returned to his face. "Great. I'll see you when you get here" he assured, cooly containing his excitement. "Alright. Bye" She said sweetly. "Bye" he hung up the phone and leaned back in the chair, pulling the handle to make it go back farther. He then picked up the remote and flipped on the T.V. The news appeared, showing a few familiar faces as they were intertwined at the plain station, including a plain-ridden and moody Shannon, who flipped the camera off as she walked by as the news caster noted "some were not as friendly." the sight of his sister looking god awful and bitchy on television made him laugh to himself. It was good to be back in his own house. He flipped the chanal, more news about Kate and her case witch she still had to report to on Wednesday. It seemed all the canals were just flooding with news reports about them and their 'traumatic experience." but no one seemed to be getting the real story. It wasn't that traumatic at all. Yes, people died and got hurt and a lot of horrible things happened, but those who survived came back happier than they even would have been before.
The shower went off, and moments later Shannon slipped out the door with a towel wrapped around her and slid into her room. "Did you call her?" she asked through the open door. "Yeah. She's on her way" he explained in return. "Cool." She noted simply. "So where are you going?" he asked, protective as always. "I dunno yet. One of my usual. I'll take my cell and let you know when I get there" she finished, appearing back in the hall. She was now dressed in a knee length black skirt with black lace along the bottom, a diagonal black and white top that tied at the neck. Another string went around the back, leaving most of her skin revealed. The shirt was low cut, and stopped just above her naval. And a shiny pair of black, open toe heals. "Alright." he agreed simply. "You should probably get in there before she gets here, I'm pretty sure you stink" She teased with a smile as she pulled a knee length black coat out of the closet and pulled it on. "Thanks" He grinned sarcastically. "alright, be back later" she said, fluffing her shirt blond curls as she headed out the door, letting it swing shut behind her. Boone pushed himself out of the chair and headed for the bath room.
"I can't wait to sleep there" Claire mused, stareing longingly at the newly installed king sized bed complete with sarda mattress and extra fluffy pillows, atleast eight of them. "Yeah...sleep" Charlie agreed suggestively, glancing down at Claire. She rolled her eyes and gave him a playful smack on the chest. "So what do you want for dinner?" he questioned, changing the subject. "Um...peanut butter" Claire answered with a smile. "No. No more peanut butter" Charlie confirmed. "Ok, then chocolate" she grinned. "Claire.." Charlie sighed, she defiantly was not cooperating. "Well, theres so many things I haven't had in so long. I want them all" She exclaimed. "I'll surprise you then" he agreed, pulling his arm around her shoulder. "alright" she smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower, so let me know when its ready" Claire suggested, giving him a kiss on the cheek before heading down the hall. "No problem" he assured, and went down stairs to start makeing ...what ever it is he decided to make.
Kate was allowed to stay under house arrest until the trial. She laid across the bed in her hotel room in a army-green tank and little, black french-cut underwear. She was in a dilemma and it had nothing to do witch coming home to a trial. It was the trial she'd left behind. Jack was to come and see her tomorrow after going to him mothers house to explain what had happened. She couldn't wait to see him again. But that wasn't what bothered her either. It was the fact that every time she closed her eyes, it was someone other than Jack that she saw. The memories from that night continued to flash through her mind, no matter how hard she tried to think of anything else. She rubbed her eyes, trying to wash the thought out of her head.
"I'll be right back" Kate told Jack before slipping out of her seat on the plain. She couldn't stand to look at him knowing what she'd done. She had sat in her seat and stared at him as he looked out his window, oblivious to the fact that her eyes were watering. She hurried to the bath room and shut the door behind her, laying her head back agenst the wall. She leaned over the sink and stared at herself in the mirror until she got a hold of herself. She then took a deep breath and headed back out, literly running into him. "Wow. Careful freckles" he grinned, makeing no attempt to step back. She gave him a weak smile and tried to shift away. "Mind if we talk for a sec, or are you in to much of a rush to get back to your guilt trip?" he questioned boldly. "What do you want, Sowyer?" she questioned smartly, not able to wait until she could be rid of his smug, vulgar attitude. "You know what, never mind. Have fun sitting in silence for the next two hours" He snapped bitterly, and went back to his seat. Kate had stood in confusion for a long time before wondering back to her seat and sitting in complete silence, sharing only one awkward smile with the man beside her. And the smile wasn't even real. Nothing between them could ever be real.
She stretched as she sat back up, pulling her feet over the side of the bed. Even after her shower, he body still ached. The softness of the tick bash carpet that lined the floor made the pain in her feet double, as she made her way over to the dresser. She unzipped it and pulled out a pair of light blue pajama pants and slid them on. She then warped her wet, tangled hair up in a slope bun that sat on top of her head, and went out the door. She hugged herself as she walked down the narrow hall to the snack machine. It had been a while since she ate on the plane, and even then, as hungry as she was, she couldn't bring herself to eat more than a few bites. She stood infront of the machine and looked over the selection much longer than needed before sliding the dollar in. She took the little bag of chips and turned to head back to her room when she ran into someone who'd been standing beside her. "Sorry" she apologized instinctively, before looking up. "No problem" A familiar souther accent spoke, grinning stareing down at her with a sly grin. "Sowyer? What are you doing here?" She asked, and found that she was smiling. "Your not the only one with a court date, freckles" he explained with a wink, hands shoved into the pockets of brand new Levi's. "So, where's Jack ass?" he questioned, looking around as if he expected to see him appear. "He went to his mom's for the night" Kate explained, mater-of-factly as she began walking back to her room. "No kidding? Jack, a mama's boy? Who'd a thought" Sowyer teased with a grin as he walked behind her. "So what are you doing lurking the halls?" she questioned, ignoring his comment. "As a mater of fact, I'm locked out of my room" he explained. "Well, you can come in and call the front desk for another key if you want" she suggested, without even thinking. She then resisted the erg to cover her mouth as she realized what she'd just done. Your inviting him into your room? She told herself, to late to take it back. "Thanks" He said, looking a little confused himself. She felid the key card into its slot and pushed the door open. It swung shut behind them and she began searching for the phone. Just give him the phone, let him make his call and then get him the hell out of here. she told herself as she fumbled along the dresser. "Whatcha looking for?" he questioned, standing over by the bed. "The phone" She answered, a little harshly. "Uh, Kate..?" He spoke again. She turned around to see him standing beside the night stand, waving the phone in his hand. "Oh...right" she replied, laughing with embarrassment as she leaned back on her elbow "You feeling alright freckles?" he asked, looking over at her as he held the phone to his ear. "Yeah, I'm just tired" she assured, hugging herself once again. "Here" he said, tossing her a black, button up shirt witch had been tied around his waist. "Doesn't fit anyway" he explained. Kate went to protested, but decided it would be harmless to put the thing on. She slid her arms inside the over sized shirt and crossed her arms over her chest, holding it shut. She could tell he'd been wearing it earlier from the way it smelled. Ocean water, salt, cigarette smoke and ax spray. On anyone else the smell would be repulsing, but on him, it was divine. It brought another flash into her head that sent a chill down her spine. "You sure your alright?" he questioned, eyeing her strangely. He had put the phone down.
"yeah, I'm fine" she assured, fakeing a smile. "Lemme guess. Its about Jack?" He began, ignoring her response. Kate rolled her eyes, continuing to cross her arms. "Ok, then its about...your trial" He guessed again, taking a couple steps forward. "Sowyer.." She began, ready to tell him to just make his damn phone call and get out. "Its about me" he finished, cutting her off. He was standing right infront of her. She took a deep breath. "Sowyer.." She repeated, looking down. She noticed a little blue booklet hanging out of his pocket. "What is that?" she questioned, turning her focus to the item. "Nothing" he assured quickly. To quick, infant. "Is that a journal?" She questioned teasingly, looking back up at him. "Don't change the subject" he replied, avoiding the question. "Is it?" She continued, ignoring his reply. "Its none of your business" he explained. For a moment he thought the subject was dropped. "Can I read it?" She then questioned, a spark flashing in her eye. "Hell no" he assured, and pulled the booklet into his hand to keep it out of her reach. "Oh, come on" she begged, taking another grab for it. He pulled back , but then considered for a moment. "Alright, you can read it" he agreed. Kate smiled, and made a third grab for it. "Ah, ah, ah." he scolded, pulling it out of her reach once again. "A kiss for every page" He confirmed, with a smirk. Kate considered this for a moment. Why are you considering this? Its not important. You do not need to read this. Just tell him no deal, hand him the phone and get him out of here. "Fine.." she gave in, and leaned in, giving him a peck on the cheek. He rolled his eyes. "That ain't a kiss" he told. Kate shook her head, and gave another one on the mouth. He ripped out a page and placed it in her palm. She gave him another quick page, and a few more after that, until five page's had built up in her hand. He went in to give the sixth, when he moved his hand to the back of her head, holding her still. What shocked her was that she did not try to pull away. Instead, she lifted her hands to the side of his face, cupping his cheeks as they kissed. His fingers ran through her wet, silky hair, witch soon tubbed down over her shoulders as the pony tail was easily slipped out. His other hand ran from the small of her back to her ass witch he squeezed as he pulled her closer.
Her lips broke away with a gasp, desperate for air. This has gone to far. Make him go, now. But when she looked up, and her eyes meet his once again, she couldn't bring herself to move. She couldn't make her self breath let alone talk. his hands had dropped to his side after she stepped back, and he now stood only inches away, smiling down at her. It wasn't the smug or cocky grin that he usually carried. It was gentle, and admiring. he lifted his hand ,trailing the back of his knuckles down from her belly button, where the shirt had bunched up, to the waist band where her sweat pants ended. His fingers found the draw-string, and gave a gentle pull, letting them drop to the floor. She was frozen, and didn't care to stop.
"Hey" Boone grinned as he opened the door, his hair stilly spiky after just drying it with a towel. "Hey" Hillary greeted in return. He moved out of the way, allowing her to come in, and shut the door behind her. She was dressed in a white backless dress that tied above her neck and came a little past her knees, black open toe heals that tied at the ankles, a bright red scarf and two gold bracelets on the left hand. Her heels taped agenst the light wood floor as walked over to the couch. "Can I get you anything?" he asked, already heading into the kitchen. "Do you have anything alcoholic?" she asked with a grin, looking over the back of the couch. "Stuck on an island for over a year...of course I have alcohol" He explained as he pulled a bottle of whine out of the fridge, and let it slide back shut. He pulled two glasses out of the cabinet and made his way over. He poured her a glass, and one for himself after settling down in the chair across from her. "You and that chair" she teased before taking a sip from the glass. "I missed this chair" he explained, setting his glass down before leaning back. "Well...I missed you" She explained, tipping her glass in his direction. "I missed you too" her assured with a smile.
"Charlie, your amazing" Claire exclaimed, after finishing an entire plate of food. "Well, I try" he shrugged jokenly. Ben had gotten a little more energy after eating, and was now on the floor in the living room, still in aw of all these new things like furniture and walls that were made of something other than plastic. He just laid on his back, stareing up at the ceiling. "This must be pretty weird for him" Claire noted, looking over in Ben's direction. "Yeah. We'll just have to faze him into it" Charlie agreed, stareing off in the same direction. Claire hopped up, yawning as she gathered up the plates. "Oh, I'll get that. You should probably go upstairs, get some sleep" Charlie suggested, taking the plates from her hand. "Charlie. You made it, the least I can do is clean up" Claire exclaimed, looking at him in wonder. "Yeah, but your tiered. You need some rest" he protested sweetly. "So do you" she argued. "Are you kidding? I'm wide awake" he assured. Claire looked at him skeptically for a moment, than gave in. "Fine. Be a perfect gentlemen" she sighed as if it were something negative. He smiled, kissing her forehead before heading over to the sink. "I'll be in bed if you need me" she announced, heading to the stairs. "I'll be up in a bit" he assured with a suggestive wink, makeing her smile before she disappeared into the second floor. Charlie dropped the dishes in the sink, giving them a quick rinse down before heading over to where Ben lay on the floor. "Hey, buddy. Ready for bed?" he asked, kneeling down beside him. "Yeah" Ben replied, sitting up. Charlie smiled as he lifted him off the floor into his arms. He hadn't quite gotten the hang of steps, so it was easer just to carry him. He legged him upstairs and into his room, letting him experience a decent bed for the first time. "beats the hell out of airline chairs and blankets, dosent it?" Charlie asked, before realizing who he was talking to. Ben just blinked at him from his spot on the bed, witch was way to big for his little body. "You didn't here that" He told, keeping it there little secret. "Ok" Ben giggled in agreement. "You want the lights on or off?" Charlie asked as he rose to his feet. Ben blinked at him, having no clue what he was talking about. "Oh, right. I'll just leave em on" Charlie decided. "G'night" he added, giving him a kiss on the forehead. "Night.." Ben muttered, settling into his pillow. Charlie smiled over his shoulder once again before heading to bed himself.
Claire was already in bed cloths, wrapped in the pile of fluffy comforters as promised. Charlie walked in quietly, as not to disturb her. He nudged the door shut gently, and began to undress, pulling off the T-shirt and randomly tossing it aside. He turned around to see Claire, who had turned to face him with an admiring grin. "What are you smiling about?" He muttered, rasing an eye brow at her. "Lets just say it involves you and nudity." She replied suggestively. "Well, if you say so" he shrugged with a Cheshire grin, and off went the pants.
Boone sat up in his bed, hair a complete mess as he squinted over at the alarm clock, witch was flashing twelve. Must have gotten unplugged during the....glancing over his shoulder at the blond laying beside him brought back the memory of the exact moment when it happened. Carefully, he threw his feet over the side and climbed out of bed, not wanting to wake her. The bright sunlight shone in through the sliding glass door on the far wall of his bed room, witch lead out to a ritzy back yard with in ground pool and all. He wondered over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt and lazily threw them on before heading out to the kitchen. As he wondered down the hall, he noticed something off. The door to Shannon's room was slightly cracked. Something that would never happen. Ever. Shannon was a real wack-job when it came to her privacy. The door to her room had almost been welded shut since she was eleven years old. At first, he tried to ignore it and walk away, not wanting to face the possible consequences that may accrue after he stepped one inch inside. She'd probably have the knob finger printed and then get him arrested for trespassing in a house that he payed for. But he couldn't resist the curios little voice in his head that beckoned him to open it. Carefully, as if he were about to set off some kind of censer, he pushed the door open. At first, he half expected to see Shannon passed out on the bed, still in her get-up from last night, heals and all. But the image he saw in retrospect sent a hitch of panic into his side. The bed was empty, and onto of that perfectly made. Quickly, he rushed down the hall into the living room, checking to see if she wasn't just dozing on the couch instead. But the couch was empty as well, and the two red blinking zeros on the cradle of the phone told him she'd never called. Something was terribly wrong here. He scrambled to think of what to do next before rushing over to the phone. His fingers jammed agenst the keys as he dialed the number to her cell without even thinking. He held it to his ear in a shaky fist as he listened to it wring over, and over, and over again. No answer. "Damn it" he muttered aloud as he slammed the phone face-down agenst the wood. "What's wrong?" Hillary asked from where she stood in the hall, wrapped in a silky white bath robe. "Shannon didn't come home last night, and she's not picking up her cell" Boone explained in aggravation. "Aw, Boone. She probably just crashed at a friends house or something. You know how she doesn't like to call when I'm here" Hillary suggested optimistically as she made her way across the room. "Why dose she have to stay out all fucking night? She know's I'm gonna worry about her" Boone continued, plopping down into his chair. "I highly doubt she was thinking about at the time. You know, Shan. She's...spontaneous. Exspeicaly after being away from the part-life for so long. She just need to have some fun" Hillary continued, leaning over the back of the chair as she rubbed his shoulders. "Your probably right...but if she's not home in two hours...I'm going out to find her" he assured, allowing his muscles to relax under the motion of her hands. "And I'm brining a whole damn search party with me.."
Kate sat up, the sun hitting her eyes way to hard as it filtered in through the thin hotel curtains. She put up an arm to block it, witch cast a hard shadow on her vision as she glanced around the room. Still, she could somehow make out the figure who was laying in the bed beside her. Oh god...she thought to herself, remembering the events of last night. She pulled a hand through her knotted hair in panic, and quickly scooted out of the bed. What did you do? She continued to badge herself, as she backed away from the bed. She was acting as if she had just found a dead body laying beside her. Both hands ran through the stingy mess of hair, tugging at the wands as her bare feet stumbled slowly across the carpet until her back hit a wall, knocking a random item off a neighboring shelf, witch went crashing to the floor in a loud clank. Sowyer sat up, startled by the noise. A lazy smirk crossed his face as his eyes fell upon Kate. "Running off again, freckles?" he questioned, noting the obvious panic in her eyes. "Cause last time I checked, this was your room" He added as he leaned over the side and began to pull on his jeans. She was to frazzled to talk. So instead she turned to the dresser and pulled on the first article of clothing she found and began pulling them on. She had the pants half way up before a knock at the door sounded. Both perked up, eyes darting at the soft, white hotel door. Silence for a moment, the another knock. "Kate?" A hunting voice called from the hall after no one answered. "Oh god, oh god, oh god..." she whispered softly in utter terror. "Woo. Easy freckles" Sowyer tried to calm her, laying his hands on she shoulders. "Don't touch me!" She snapped, wildly pushing him away. This was way to much for her to handle. She had to get out of there, now. "Kate, are you in there?" Jack's voice called from the other side of the door. A sob escaped from her lips as the terror swept over her. She was to overwhelmed in her panic that she didn't noticed the sincere look on Sowyer's face. "Open the door" Jack called, becoming a little flustered. She melted to the floor, face buried in her hands. She didn't even notice that Sowyer had moved away from her until she heard the door slide open. "Sowyer?" Jack questioned in confusion, stareing at the man infront of him. "Well, if it isn't old Jack ass, coming to pay me a visit. Lemme guess, you need to barrow something" Sowyer grinned, pushing that southern arrogance that he held in spades. "The front desk told me this was Kate's room" Jack explained in confusion. "Well, it ain't" Sowyer replied simply. Kate looked up from her hands. Sowyer, protecting me...from hurting Jack? "This isn't room six?" Jack questioned, giving a second glance at the door. "No, its nine. Nail broke" Sowyer explained simply, peeking outside his door. "Oh!" Jack exclaimed with a smile. "Well then, I guess I'll be heading down the hall" Jack shrugged. "Have fun" Sowyer winked with a suggestive tone before shutting the door. When he turned around, Kate was still in a miserable ball on the floor. "A thank you would be nice" he said, makeing his way across the room. "What am I suppose to do now?" she sighed, not at all satisfied with the termperarly diversion he had made. "Now, you run" He answered. Kate looked up at him with confusion. "Theres the door. You run, and you don't look back. That way no one gets hurt" Sowyer explained, a finger pointed at the slinging glass doors lead to a balcony. "Run where?" she protested, pushing herself off the ground. "How the hell should I know?" He shrugged plainly. Kate's eyes fall away from him, over to the open suitcase on the floor. It would be so easy just to climb off that balcony and beat feet. Jack would never know about the affair. He leave thinking she'd disappeared, and simply move on. It would be so easy, if only she could go any farther than the hotel parking lot without a car. Hell, she didn't even have enough cash to catch a cab. Her eyes went back up to Sowyer, who was stareing impatiently. "Help me" She asked, hiding the shame that shuttered through her. "Get your bags" was all he said in reply.
"Married. I still can't believe it" Claire's mother mushed, shaking her head as she swirled the silver spoon in her coffee cup. "Me neither" Claire replied with and admiring grin as she looked on at the three boys sitting in her own back yard. Charlie was sitting in the grass with his legs crossed, lifting Ben up over his head. Liam sat close by, legs crossed as well as his own little blonde stood close by, looking on curiously. "He's a lot better looking then your other boyfriends" she noted, taking a sip of her coffee. "So I've been told..." Claire explained, shooting an accusing look at Megan, who sat across from her. "I don't know.. He looks a little...scruffy to me" Her dad noted, still keeping the protective hair. "Oh, Nathan don't start" her mother scolded as she set the cup back down. "What? I just mean I think my little girl could do a bit better" He explained, giving a warm grin at his daughter, whom he hadn't sceen in so long it almost brought tears to his eyes just to look at her. Even if this wasn't the same girl who'd left. She was a women now, with a husband and a family. "Obviously, you don't know him well enough yet" Claire mused, glancing back once again at Charlie, whom in her eyes was perfect. "Well, then I guess I'll just have to get to know him better" he dad agreed simply.
"This still amazes me. The Pace brothers, happy" Liam noted, looking at the fairy tale world around them. "I know, its seems like one minute your living on your dealers couch...and then next day your sharing a bed with the love of your life in a house full of kids" Charlie agreed. "Well, I guess we shouldn't notice it to much, don't want to jinx it" Liam noted with a joking smile. Charlie let Ben down to go play with his cousin, the little Megan who he hadn't sceen since age three. And now she was a stout, slightly spoiled but unavoidably adorable four-year old. "So, how are you feeling?" Liam questioned, once the kids had wondered off. "Great..." Charlie answered, unsure why he was asking. "Good. I just wanted to make sure you were adjusting right, to being back to civilization and all" Liam explained. "Oh, yeah. After a while the island wasn't really all that different" he explained simply. "Alright man, just makeing sure" Liam grinned, giving him a pat on the back.
"Where is she!?" Boone questioned aloud for the thousandth time in the past two hours. He was really starting to worry now. "Boone, please try to calm down" Hillary begged, watching him with concern as he passed about the room. "I can't calm down...god! Why dose she have to do this?" He continued. He slammed back agenst the front door, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. It was at that moment when the door push open from behind him, knocking him off balance a little. He turned to see Shannon sliding in, still dressed in the same outfit as the night before, except now her hair was a mess and her make up was smeared. "There you are!" he exclaimed angrily as she slid the door shut behind her. "Yeah, sorry I kind of forgot to call" She said simply with a shrug. "You better be sorry. I was worried sick about you!" He explained, fallowing her as she walked into the kitchen. "Why?" she asked, rasing an eye brow as she pulled jug of water out of the fridge. "Why? Because I wake up this morning and your gone! You didn't call, or leave a message..." He explained in outrage. "Well I just got side tracked. Besides, how did you know I wasn't in my room?" She questioned, setting the jug down as she searched the cabinet for a clean glass. "Because you left your door unlocked" he answered before thinking. "You went into my room?" She asked accusing, suddenly taking an interest in the conversation. "No, I didn't go in. I just looked to see if you were in there, witch you weren't!" he continued. He wasn't in the mood for her privacy trip. "Boone! I said I was sorry! God..." She exclaimed, shaking her head before she tossed three asprine pills and chased it with the icy glass of water. "So where were you?" He questioned, leaning his hand agenst the counter. "None of your business..." She replied moodily as she shoved the water jug back in the fridge. "Where were you, Shannon?" He asked again, ignoring her snooty attitude. "Look, Boone. Rather you like it or not, I'm a big girl now. I don't need to tell you where I am every second of the day" She snapped moodily, slamming the fridge shut. "I'm just trying to protect you" he explained, now fallowing her out into the living room. "Well, don't!" She snapped, throwing off the jacket and tossing it on the side of the couch. Hillary watched the two uncomfortably as they argued back in forth. "Well maybe if I thought you could take care you your self-" he began. "I can take care of myself, Boone! What do you think I was doing before the crash? Or did you forget about how your mother stole my dads money and left me to live on the streets!" She snapped bitterly, her voice scratchy, half from emotion, half from yelling over a huge crowd and blaring music last night. "Oh, bull shit! Your dad left that money to her fare and square" He protested skeptically. "Yes! He left it to her to take care of us! Both of us. But instead she went and gave it all to her spoiled little boy and his happy-go-lucky, tennis at noone and tea at five little life while I had to go live in some dump in the middle of no where that didn't even have running water!" She vented loudly. " Well maybe if you used the money you had to go to college and get a job instead of wasting it all on partying and cloths you wouldn't have ended up there" he suggested bitterly. "What money!? I didn't have any money, Boone. Without my dad I was broke and you know that!" She exclaimed.
"Witch is exactly why you should learn to take care of yourself!" He replied, forcefully. "Well its not like you did anything to help?!" she snapped accusing. "Are you forgetting who's house this is?" he protested, gesturing wildy at the room around him. "Oh right! Your so generous! Shoving your sister in a little ass prison-cell of a guest room so you could keep her under your control!" She shot back accusing. "I don't see anyone keeping you here" he replied simply. His voice was serious, and his eyes were cold. "Fine" She snapped, and with that she snatched up her coat and stormed out.
"So, freckles, where too?" Sowyer asked, after a whole half of hour of silence in his dusty old pick up truck. Kate's head rested agenst the glass window, stareing down the road. Her mind was distant, fare away. So far she hadn't even noticed he spoke. "I said where too?" he repeated, a little moodily. Kate looked up, with no expression. She looked warned out and excused, but that was it. She sighed, and gave a simple answer "any where but here"
