Wish You Were Here
Chapter Nine
Alex allowed Jack and Sayid to help her to the caves, where they led her to some cussions Jack had laid in a line for any sick castaways. On the way, they met Kate, who automatically looked to the group in concern.
"What happened?" She asked as she caught up to Jack.
"We don't know," Jack told her as he and Sayid sat Alex down.
"What do you mean-"
"Sh!" Jack hissed as he turned back to Alex.
Kate only took offense for a moment, seeing that Alex may be hurt, but Jack didn't even get a chance to ask before Sayid jumped into his own interrogation.
"Did you find something?" Sayid asked.
Alex didn't answer him, just continued shaking inside the lightweight jacket that Jack had found for her.
"See anything?" Sayid continued.
No response.
"Was it something-"
"Sayid," Jack said, cutting him off.
Sayid looked at him, and held himself back from telling Jack off, and let Jack do his work.
"Are you hurt?" Jack began.
Alex just continued staring at the ground, shivering as she held herself.
"Did you fall?" Jack asked, and was about to let out a scream of frustration when he got the same response, until Kate saw this, and stopped him.
"Jack-" she said softly, touching his arm.
Jack nodded, pulling himself together.
"Can you tell us- anything?" Jack ask, praying for a response of any kind.
Alex sat quietly again, shaking slightly back and forth, and Jack was about to try again, when-
"It killed them," Alex said in a soft, cold, voice, full of fear.
She looked down as she said it, her voice cracking, embarrassed by her fear in front of these three who had been able to handle so much.
"It- it killed them all," she finished, distant as her arms shook.
Kate watched as Jack and Sayid exchanged glances, and knew exactly what each of them were thinking: the French transmission.
"What killed them?" Jack asked as all three of them tried to show no obvious signs of recognition.
Whether it was because Alex didn't hear them, didn't want to answer, none of them knew as Alex continued.
"They were just- hanging there," Alex recalled in pained memory, acting out the hanging bodies with her hand, "just..hanging- dead."
"Who?" Sayid asked, beating Jack. "Who did you find? Who was dead?"
"Adam," Alex croaked at last, "and the others- it- it killed them."
"What killed them?" Jack asked.
"The monster," Alex said, looking at them, her eyes distant, afraid, and hollow.
Jack sighed in relief, and Kate did as well, just not to drastic. Sayid just looked at them, wandering what was so relieving.
"Okay, Alex?" Jack began his face lighting up a little. "What you saw, wasn't real. It was just- a dream, a hallucination. It was only as real as your mind wanted it to be."
Alex stared at him, but not in disbelief or confusion, but like he had just betrayed her. Jack tried to understand this, remembering how confused he was when he saw the man sitting beside him dead, washed up on some riverside, only to find out a while later that Sayid had even left the camp in a few hours. But something about that stare startled him, and he realized, for the first time, that he was dealing with a teenager, something that he had to admit made him slightly nervous.
"I saw him dead!" Alex said, her voice rising.
"You said you saw them hung-" Jack began.
"But the monster!" Alex said. "That thing everyone keeps talking about!"
"There's nothing out there," Jack reassured, "there's nothing here except-"
He felt Sayid's glance, and met eyes with him. As if on cue, both stood at the same time, Alex watching as they stepped aside to talk. Kate glanced at Alex, and felt sorry for her. She looked so hopeless, sitting there, having no idea of what was going on. She offered Alex a small, half of a smile, but the way Alex looked back at her sent shivers up her spine. Trying to ignore the look of loathe and hatred, Kate walked over to Jack and Sayid, who were deep in conversation.
"What's going on?" Kate demanded, feeling that she was being left out of something that she should've been very much apart of.
"Sayid wants me to take Alex to see Danielle," Jack told her with no hesitation.
"What?" Kate said. "Isn't that dangerous? Especially now?"
"If there's one thing this girl believes in it's fate," Sayid began, "what are the odds of her landing on the same island as Danielle?"
"But we don't even know for sure if Alex is her child," Kate pointed out.
"Apparently," Jack glanced at Sayid, "that's what we're supposed to be figuring out."
Sayid gave him a look of doubt, and tried to show Jack how important this might be.
"Look, I'm not saying I won't go," Jack said, "I'm just not sure that this is a good idea. We're not sure how physically capable she is, and whatever it was she just went through-"
"I can hear every word your saying," Alex said from behind them, in as much of a normal tone as she could muster.
Sayid, Jack, and Kate turned in surprised, and both Kate and Jack looked at Jack for a good lie.
"Look, Alex-"
"Don't," Alex said, standing up, and stopping him, "I don't know what just happened. Maybe I'm just having a hard time accepting reality. Maybe i'm just seeing things. But whatever it is, i don't want to have it hovering over my head for however long it is we'll be here. So whatever it is that you guys want me to do- I'll do it."
Sayid looked at Alex in admiration, giving the girl some credit for what she had just said. She had just been mixed in with a group of people that knew each other well enough to survive, where half of them didn't trust her and half of them were afraid of her, but she didn't seem to let that bother her at all. Kate and Jack gave the same looks, and there was a moment of silence before she decided that this probably should be left up to Jack and Sayid.
"I'm going to go back down to the beach," she told them, and left.
Jack turned back to Alex after he watched Kate go.
"There are somethings about this island that we haven't told you," Jack said in a low voice, hoping to keep their conversation away from any stray ears.
"From what it looks like there's a lot of things you haven't told me," Alex said, and then let Jack continued.
"There's at least one other person on this island that we know about," Jack said, deciding to leave Ethan's story for another day.
Alex stared at him, waiting for Jack to continue.
"A French woman," Jack said in a single breath, "Danielle."
Jack looked for any sign of recognition in Alex's eyes, but couldn't find any.
"She lives on the other side of the island," Jack continued.
"What does she have to do with me?" Alex cut in, confused.
Jack looked at Sayid for an answer, and to his dismay, only received the look returned to him.
"She's been here for sixteen years," Jack went on, "when her ship crashed here. A few weeks ago, when Sayid left, he stepped in one of her traps, and she kidnapped him-" Jack glanced at Sayid for any signs of him wanting Jack to stop- "and tortured him. She didn't tell him much, but she did keep asking one question over and over again."
"What?" Alex asked, intrigued.
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but this time, Sayid answered.
"'Where is Alex'?" Sayid quoted, remembering the event all too well.
Alex caught her breath in her throat, and had to swallow to avoid developing a lump.
"Who was Alex?" Alex inquired, trying not to start shaking again.
""Her child," Sayid answered, simply.
"My mother died in a car crash," Alex protested, immediately seeing where they were getting at.
"Danielle's last name was Rousseau," Jack said, "does that ring any bells?"
Not answering, Alex just stood in shock. That wasn't possible, she though. Her mother died in a car crash, not a ship- ships. She suddenly remembered herself as a child, loving ships though she lived in Canada most of her life, where it was too cold for any child to step near a dock. And even as he told her her father, Ramone, seemed unsure of his story.
"I'll go get my things," Sayid said when Alex never answered.
"I thought you didn't want to go," Jack said.
"I get the feeling that Danielle will need a little more convincing this time," Sayid said, "and if I recall correctly, it was you who spent an hour walking in the same circle, looking for Charlie and Claire."
Jack laughed a little, leaving Alex once again in the dark. Who were Charlie and Claire and why were they looking for them?
"All right," Jack agreed, "we'll leave in fifteen, I've got to settle some things around here first.
He turned to Alex.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her, seriously. "You don't have to- it's a long hike."
"Trust me," Alex said, "I'm used to long hikes then."
"Good, then go find a pack and get some water," Jack said, and then remembered the food issue, "and you might want to grab some fruit while you're at it."
Alex turned, but Jack grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Jack asked, deeply concerned at her current well-being.
"I'm fine," Alex assured, and turned, heading to the waterfall.
(Space)
Alex found herself heading down the same path she had just been to, but didn't complain as she listened to Jack and Sayid talked.
"So how's Claire?" Sayid asked out of boredom.
"She's doing fine," Jack replied, "she should be due any day."
Oh, she thought, so that was Claire.
"I'm guessing Charlie's nervous," Sayid said, amused.
"Let's just say I wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now," Jack chuckled.
Out of nowhere, a loud roar, the sound of grinding metal against metal, erupted in the air. It reminded Alex of the sound of something brushing against rocks, but something much more powerful than a wave.
"What was that?" Alex asked, frightened, remembering the monster.
"What was what?" Jack asked, turning as she heard it again.
Her eyes widened she heard whatever it was come right towards her, and she turned and began running, completely oblivious to the fact that the other two were watching after her in worry, having heard nothing but the sound of birds chirping and distant waves crashing.
Alex leaned against the side of the nameless motorboat as the sun hid itself behind the clouds, bringing relief to her stinging eyes.
"Hey there," Adam said, walking up from behind her.
She didn't answer him. She wanted to, but found herself unable to. All night Alex stared into the ocean, something she found herself prone to doing whenever she was near any type of body of water. She supposed it was because water was lifeless, no better than you, no worse than you. Water couldn't shove your flaws in your face, or prove you wrong, it only gave you something to get lost in, without the consequences.
"So you're not talking to, me," Adam said, nodding, "all right, I get it.
"Adam-"
But suddenly it seemed as though Adam had to get everything out just then
"Look, about last night-"
"I forgive you," Alex said, shocking herself as she did so.
"You what?" Adam said, as shocked as she. "You've been standing here all day and all night thinking that you wanted to forgive me?"
Alex didn't answer, only looked down in shame and regret. No, that wasn't what she had been thinking about. She had been thinking that when she got back to New York, she'd leave him. Forever. Or at least for a while. Sort her mind out, try and figure out if this was what she really wanted to do with her life. But she hadn't been able to say it.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're really vulnerable?" Adam asked her, smiling.
She tried to smile back, and Adam let it slide that we couldn't.
"We'll sort this out when we get home," Adam said, "I'll talk things over with your uncle, and maybe we'll spend the afternoon together sometime, and just sort things out."
Alex looked at him doubtfully.
"It's on me," Adam said hopefully, with a geeky grin, "would you like that?"
She looked down, and looked up at him again.
"I'd love that," she said, finally bringing herself to smile.
And suddenly, she was the luckiest girl in the world. There was nothing more she wanted than to be standing right here, at this exact moment as the sun wavered between the clouds and blue oblivion. One thing let to the next, and the next thing Alex knew, her arms were slipping around his black sweatshirt, wrenched in dampness, and his arms over her stiff neck as she suddenly felt much older than sixteen, and knew that she could take anything thrown her way, because right now- she stopped, right before her lips reached his.
"What?" Adam asked, taking a small, half-step back. "Something wrong?"
"No," Alex said, shaking her head and then looked up at him, offering another small smile, "everything perfect. Absolutely perfect."
And she leaned forward, kissing him. Just like in her dream.
Author's Notes: Wow! Two in one night! Stupid daylight savings time, because it's now four in the morning. Sorry for all of you awaiting a big twist for Alex. I did have one where they were going to find a photo of her with a science time on that island in the forties, but I didn't want to get too scientific, and I kept confusing myself. So I settled with fate, sense that's what Alex believed so strongly in anyway. Thanks for the reviews I got last chapter(wow! Four already!) and hope you enjoyed it!
Until next time..
October Sky
