Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, but the words on the page. (And the character, Hope.)
Hope's First
Jack had named Hope, along with the help of Charlie and some others. It seemed fitting, due to the tattoo on her right wrist that boasted the small yet significant word. It was always a shock for her to see the empty blackness that consumed her mind whenever she tried to think back to a time before the crash, but Jack had reassured her that her memories may return in time.
She spent a lot of time trying to remember things, and inevitably became frustrated. A long walk along the beach did wonders for her mind at these times. After her fourth day of struggling for old thoughts, Hope had walked further along the beach than ever before – and right into another lost young soul.
"Hey." With a short wave of his hand, Boone invited her to sit with him on his rock. "How's it going?"
"Not bad. We've almost finished moving everything to the caves – it's much cooler there." She looked at him carefully, "You should think about making the move, you know."
He shook his head slightly. "Nah. Shannon likes it here, and we should stick together."
"We should all stick together." Hope replied sadly, "Though it doesn't seem to be going so well."
Boone sighed and looked at his feet, and it was then that Hope realised that he was a long way from the group.
"So, what you doin' out here?" she asked lightly, inviting him to tell all.
"Cooling off. One more fight with Shannon and I might not be able to keep my temper. Sometimes I think I should just leave her at the beach if she likes it so much. Maybe I'd be better help to Jack and Sayid. I don't know. How about you – you look like some cooling off would do you some good."
Hope sighed deeply, not really sure how to explain.
"I try every day – all the time – to remember things. Little things even. If I had a dog, high school, my parents – I don't even know if there's anyone worrying about me. I mean, who can't remember their parents? It's weird." Boone could see her frustration all coming out in a heap as she continued. "I mean, my first kiss. I have no memory of that. If I could just remember one simple thing, that would be enough to keep me going, but there's nothing…"
She trailed off, and sighed again, making Boone realise that perhaps a tiff with his sister wasn't the end of the world.
"Well," he said with a small smile, "I'm sure you had a dog. Everyone has a dog. Yours is a Beagle." He said knowingly, stretching his legs out in preparation for a story. "You named him Roger, at first, but then decided that the name was too stupid to call out in the street if he went missing, so you switched it to something more fitting. Ellis."
"Ellis?" Hope laughed incredulously, "I called my dog Ellis?" she shook her head in mock shame.
"Oh yeah," Boone continued. "Ellis is a great name for a dog. What else? High school. A complete mess, the same for everyone. You don't even need those memories." He smiled, and his face softened, "Parents. Tom and Judy Miller."
He invented Hope's parents so quickly and clearly that he could see them in his mind. "Your dad, Tom, is a cabinet-maker in Ohio. Great guy. Nice smile and a red baseball cap. Judy's always trying to make him get rid of the old thing, but he never will. He knows it, she knows it, but I guess it's a game by now. She's a homemaker, of course, who bakes a killer apple pie!"
Hope leaned gently on Boone's shoulder, watching the sun fall into the ocean as she listened to Boone telling her memories.
"And they're worried, for sure," he continued, as though he had known Tom and Judy Miller all his life, "but they know you're a smart, strong girl. You can make it on your own."
Hope moved her head from his shoulder as Boone turned to face her.
"And about the first kiss," he smiled.
As Boone leaned in to kiss her, Hope was truly touched by his gesture. He kissed her softly and sweetly, lingering for a moment as he pulled away. He smiled, and Hope let out a breath she had been holding without her own knowledge. She smiled, and as they turned to watch the sun sink slowly into the waves, Hope returned her head to his shoulder.
"Thankyou." She said softly. "Thankyou, for the memories."
As they walked back along the beach, and saw their first glimpse of camp, Hope took Boone's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. They shared a small smile. Boone kissed her gently on the cheek, and whispered with a wink, "First of many."