TITLE: Just Friends, Maybe More
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: A missing scene from Homecoming and an extension.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.

Thanks to everyone who has ever reviewed any of my stories, and for mrstater for editing this story and for her support.

Shannon needed to get away. Tears burned in her eyes, and she knew they would fall soon. She couldn't let anyone see that, so she grabbed her towel and toiletry bag and carried them far away from where everyone stood talking about the murdered castaway, Scott. Or was it Steve? She could never keep them straight; then again, she'd never even talked to either of them.

She knew what all the other castaways thought of her; just because she was blonde didn't mean that she was stupid. They all looked at her just as everyone else had her entire life, as if she was a perfect Barbie doll. Her sole purpose on this island was to look good. She was pretty good at playing her part too, until Sayid had asked for her help. She was still surprised about that. No one had ever asked her for anything before.

Shannon then had a new role helping him, but she saw that the looks didn't go away. She knew that they expected her to fail, expected Sayid to tire of her and send her back to the beach to sunbathe. To her surprise and joy, he hadn't done it yet, but she was always prepared. A part of her was grateful that he hadn't thrown her away yet. She loved spending time with him.

She finally found a nice quiet spot, and spread her towel on top of the sand. She sank down slowly and drew her knees to her chest. She took a few deep breaths. She would not cry. She had seen them carrying the broken body, but she didn't want to remember it. She closed her eyes tightly hoping to erase the image, but it didn't help.

She grabbed her toiletry bag, her hands trembling so badly that it took three tries to get the zipper open. She dug through it quickly looking for her nail polish. It was the only way she knew to calm herself. She had to be completely focused as to not mess up; it was like her Zen moment. Not that she expected anyone else to understand. She had seen the dirty looks they had all given her as she had given herself a pedicure after the crash.

She shook the bottle gently, hoping that she wouldn't run out soon. One good thing about being a living Barbie doll, she thought bitterly, was that she had packed way too much stuff. It was true that she was bringing everything back home, but still she could have left some of her toiletries in Australia, as Boone had suggested, and bought more in LA. She was really glad that she hadn't, everyone else would start looking grungy much quicker then she would.

Shannon unscrewed the top and drew out the brush, wiping as much off as she could. She wanted this color to last for as long as she could. Her hand shook as she brushed the nail polish on her thumb. She bit her lip, hoping it would help her concentrate. The tears filled her eyes again and she couldn't see clearly. The brush slipped off her nail, smearing polish on her skin.

"Damn it," she swore softly, wiping it away before it dried.

A shadow fell over her, but she wasn't afraid; she knew who it was. There was only one person who would seek her out.

"Are you all right?" Sayid asked.

"I'm fine," she offered him a smile to prove it. "Just painting my nails."

He looked down to a spot on her towel and then back to her. "May I?"

She scooted over a little to give him room. He lowered himself down beside her and looked out to the ocean. She felt the butterflies in her stomach that always seemed to appear whenever he was near. Shannon started to play with the nail polish cap, twisting it back and forth.

Sayid finally broke the silence. "I saw you watching the burial. You did not stay long."

She looked down at the glittery nail polish. "I wanted to get away." She held the bottle up for him to see. "I needed to paint my nails."

"Did it help?" he asked, taking the bottle from her.

She hadn't expected that question. She had been prepared for him to laugh at her or tell her that someone had just died why was she painting her nails. When she looked up at him, she saw the understanding in his eyes. It startled her; no one had ever looked at her like that before.

Shannon shook her head. "My hands were shaking," she admitted.

He didn't say a word as he stared at the bottle in his hands. She thought for a moment that he was going to take her hand and paint her nails for her. Instead, he reached out and lifted her chin so that she had to look at him. She knew that he could see the unshed tears in her eyes. She wanted to pull away, but she was drawn to his eyes. He gently caressed her cheek.

"Are you sure it was simply because of your hands?"

"What else could it be?" she asked, harsher then was necessary.

She pulled out of his grasp, ignoring the coldness where his hand had been. She would not let him see her upset. She knew that he would laugh at her; she wouldn't let him see that she really wasn't a Barbie at all. She turned so that he couldn't see her face anymore.

After a few minutes of silence, she felt him move beside her and she thought that he was going to leave. Instead she felt his arm wrap tentatively around her back. The tears started falling at this simple act of comfort. A normal person would have left her alone, but she was quickly learning that Sayid wasn't like anyone she had ever met before.

Shannon had a decision to make. She could push him away and tell him to go to hell or she could allow him to comfort her. She was surprised at how quickly she made up her mind.

Shannon turned towards him and allowed him to wrap both his arms around her. She buried her face against his chest and for the first time allowed herself to cry in front of someone else. He whispered comforting words in her ear as he rubbed her back gently.

After a few minutes, her tears stopped, but she did not leave Sayid's arms. She has never felt as safe as she did in that instant. Unfortunately he pulled away. He wiped away her remaining tears.

"I hope you feel better now."

She nodded, although she thought about lying to him so he would wrap his arms around her again. He looked down to where the rest of the castaways were and she saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

"You can go down there. You don't have to stay with me."

"I told Jack that I would help them draw out Ethan," he said as he stood up.

Panic filled her as she realized what he said. She grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop.

"You're going to go after the guy who killed Steve or Scott, whatever, and hung Charlie. Are you crazy?"

"I have dealt with worse."

She let go of his hand. "I don't want you to go." She knew she sounded like a spoiled child, but she didn't care. Sayid was her friend and she didn't want him to be hurt.

"We will be armed, Shannon. Everyone will be fine."

She couldn't admit to him that she was worried or that he was the only one she cared about making it back safely.

"I believe you wish to have this back," he said as he handed her the nail polish.

She shook her head. "Give it back after you deal with Ethan."

He smiled as he placed it in his pocket. He turned to walk away.

"Sayid," she called after him. "That's my favorite color."

"I promise I will return it personally." He continued down to the beach.

Shannon watched him as he went. She sank back down to the ground, pulling her knees to her chest. She smiled to herself, he knew that she really wanted him to be the one coming back; the nail polish wasn't important. She sat staring of into the ocean, pretending that he was still beside her. She hoped that he would come back to her unharmed.

TBC…