Stranded Memories
Rating: PG-13 for language
Disclaimer: I own crap. They wouldn't even give me the bloody Lost poster at Disney, and that ruined my day. FOX owns all OC characters and OC related thingys… and ABC owns sobs all Lost related things… even my Charlie… The plot at the end belongs to the song "Sorry" by Gary Allan.
Summary: Little things can push people over the edge. That very thing happens to Seth Cohen. When something happens to him that sends him into a crashing situation, who knows how he will survive. Seth-centric. Lost/OC Crossover.
A/n: I have no bloody clue how this is gonna turn out.
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"Saving Private Cohen"
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It was warm. Too warm. But at least I wasn't cold anymore. No, it was quite the opposite. It felt like I was on fire. Everything was burning, but my head especially. I couldn't even open up my eyes it hurt so bad. But I knew one thing for sure.
I wasn't dead.
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Grounding. That was all that I got. I wasn't allowed to do anything for three weeks. Come home right after school, no TV, computer, video games… Okay, maybe it was bad, but I had tried to run away.
But that wasn't the part that was the worst. Tomorrow was Monday, and Monday meant school, and school meant having to go back and face everything that I hated. That scared me more than facing the next three weeks staring at the ceiling. The things I used to let my anger out were gone. I was going to die.
Monday came faster than I had hoped it would. Soon I found myself sitting in homeroom, acting as if nothing had happened. Acting like I did any other normal day. I just sat there, staring blankly into nothingness, knowing that no one would even acknowledge my existence. Sure it was saddening, but it was life.
And life sucked.
My eyes wandered around the room. The teacher wasn't paying attention to anything. Luke was flirting with Marissa. Those two never stopped. Sometimes I could see them looking out the window at the Cooper's backyard. The two were never apart.
Holly was surrounded by just about everyone else, and some times they'd all look in my direction. That was how I knew they were talking about me. Talking about how pathetic I was probably. I sniffled slightly. Summer wasn't in my homeroom. She was the only one who knew, and she probably told everyone.
Wouldn't shock me.
Sometimes I wondered why I loved her as much as I did. The answer was there was no answer. It was just unexplainable. And whenever I tried to convince myself that she was a stupid bitch, it never worked. She was just Summer Roberts, the dream girl I'd never have.
I sighed just thinking about her. I was such a lovesick freak. Maybe I could go to the nurse, go home early. Summer was in all of my other classes, and I didn't think I could make it though the day.
But I wasn't sick. There was no way I was going to be sent home.
I was stuck in hell.
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Hell just about summed up how I felt right then and there. It was burning hot, everything was dark, I couldn't open my eyes because my head was in that much pain.
Not only that, but I was terrified about what I was going to see if I even opened my eyes. This was more like hell then school ever was. This seriously sucked a lot. I wanted to die more than ever right now. Just to make it all stop. I couldn't breathe without feeling pain. My nose was blocked up with something and my throat was dry and scratchy.
But I saw that mental image of mom and dad and Aerin waiting for me and I wasn't going to come back.
I had to live.
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Summer didn't acknowledge me at all the entire morning. It was almost as if she had never seen me. I mean she had seen me right? I was sitting there, in the train station and she was walking by with her dad. I knew I wasn't seeing things.
She must have forgotten, just like everything else that had anything to do with me, other than mocking me of course.
Lunch time always sucked. I sat alone, in the corner, inside. No one in their right mind ate inside, that was why I did it. I liked getting away from all those people that hated me. And besides, it was too hot outside, and there were bugs. I didn't want to swallow bugs instead of my food.
I took a bit out of the turkey and tuna sandwich and just looked around. It was just like at the train station. People had to walk right by to go outside, but it was as if I didn't exist. They walked right past. Life really did suck. I just didn't understand why mom and dad couldn't see that.
Life was fine in Berkeley. I had friends there. But they probably forgot about me too. Everyone forgot about Seth Cohen, and I knew the sooner I realized that, the better off I would be.
I took another bite out of the sandwich. I didn't even like turkey and tuna, but I grabbed it by accident. And I was hungry.
"Uh… hey Seth," someone said, snapping me out of my daze.
I turned my head to see Summer in all of her wonderful gloriousness. So she did know who I was. And she knew my name. I didn't know exactly what to say. She was talking to me. While she never mocked me, she wasn't the type to talk to me like I was a human being either.
"H-h-hi Summer," I stuttered, putting the horrid sandwich back on the tray. I wasn't that hungry anymore.
"Mind if I sit?" she asked quietly, looking around.
I shook my head and she smiled and sat down. She looked really pretty today. She was wearing a dress, a purple dress with a matching headband in her hair. It was simple, not like all her other outfits, but this is the one that stuck in my memory.
"Thanks," she smiled as she sat down next to me.
This was really odd. I had never in a million years expected Summer Roberts to be sitting next to me eating lunch. Had I accidentally stepped into the Twilight Zone and not know it? No. That couldn't be right.
It was silent for a while. Then she spoke up again. Her voice was quiet. "Seth, where were you going? On Saturday. You were going somewhere, weren't you?"
I looked down, not at her. So she did know it was me. I was so confused.
"Where were you going Seth?" she asked again.
"Home," I said quietly, not knowing what else to say.
"Home?"
"Berkeley. Where I was from before Newport."
"Oh," she said quietly. There was some more silence. But it was soon interrupted, and not by what I wanted it to be by.
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A few coughs escaped me and each one burned more then the one before it. It burned all the way down from the back of my throat down. There was something stuck in there that didn't want to come out, that was for sure. I coughed some more (much to my dislike). Obviously my body didn't want it in there or it wouldn't be forcing itself to go through the horrible pain it was.
It hurt so bad but I just continued coughing, until I felt something cold and smooth being poured down my throat. What was it? Who was it? I was afraid to swallow it, but I didn't have much of a choice. It felt good going down.
The pain in my throat stopped as did the coughing. But it didn't make it any cooler. It was still hot as hell.
If not hotter.
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The blaring fire alarms caused Summer to scream slightly. I wasn't at all worried about it. Law stated that there had to be one every month. I continued staring at the crap on my tray.
"Seth, the fire alarm is going off, shouldn't we go," she said, getting up.
I sat there for a bit longer. If there was any real danger, the door was right there. It was a stupid fire drill. Why waste my time? But the next thing I knew, Summer was pulling me up. And when Summer Roberts wants something, she gets it.
"It's just a drill," I said, knowing she wouldn't care as we walked outside. The sun was bright and standing right there, were Luke and all of his horrible people. I turned to try to get away from them as I heard them call out:
"Summer, what the fuck are you doing with queer ass Cohen?" he shouted. More people looked.
Summer just looked at him as if he was a piece of shit. This totally wasn't happening.
I turned to go away again, but someone grabbed me hard. "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere," I said, angrily, trying to force his grip off of me, but it still hurt. "Let go of me Lee."
It only made them all laugh. And it figured that there were no teachers around. And people just liked to watch other people harass other people.
I looked at Summer, who was now right next to Marissa, who of course did nothing to stop her boyfriend. Bitch. It was amazing how different Summer was just a few seconds ago. Now she was back to being the person who didn't know I existed.
I won't lie, it hurt.
More than the punch that hit me in the face. Ow. I didn't do anything. It would only make things worse.
"Won't even fight back. Stupid queer," Luke said as he punched me again.
Summer just stood there. I wanted to cry, but that would be stupid. Really stupid.
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I could feel myself wanting to fade back into unconsciousness, but I hurt so much, and everything was so horrible, I felt like I was going to die if I did. But I was so… not with it. It wouldn't make much difference.
Slowly, everything faded away.
Until I sharp pain in my left arm pulled me out of it. I managed to let out a groan, it hurt so bad, I needed some sort of vocalization of that.
"Shhh," I heard someone say. The voice wasn't nasty or harsh, it just was, if that made any sense. My eyes opened slightly and I could just make out a blurry figure doing something to my arm.
I tried to ask them what they were doing but it didn't come out right, so I used as little syllables as possible to get my point across. It hurt to even speak a little bit. I had to think first, and it made me even more dizzy. "Arm. Doing what?"
The voice laughed. It was a nice laugh. "Shhh. I'm just trying to help."
My eyes closed again. While I didn't full believe whoever it was, it wasn't like I could protest. I felt another coughing fit coming. I coughed and it hurt. As soon as I started coughing, I felt my arm being slowly placed onto the ground and my mouth was forced open.
That is a scary experience, let me tell you, but the cool liquid (which I decided to be water because I wouldn't let myself think it was anything else) falling down my throat made everything seem a bit better.
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When a teacher finally did come to stop Luke and Lee from beating the living shit out of me, they sent me to the nurse. The nurse insisted I go home.
I didn't want to go home. I sat in the office with an ice pack against my eye from where Luke originally punched me. Luke and Lee passed many times, flipping me off every time, or just pointing and laughing. And there was nothing I could do since the nurse was watching me like a hawk.
But dad came and picked me up, he kept asking if I was okay, but I never answered him, I just ignored him.
The car ride home was filled with dad trying to convince me to talk, for me to tell him what happened. I just stared at the window with the ice pack on the shiner that Luke had given me. That had to be the worst car ride ever.
That was why I nearly ran into the house when we got home.
My mom rushed up to me as soon as I came in. "Are you okay honey?" she asked, pulling the ice pack away long enough to look at the black and blue mark around my eye. She pulled me into a hug.
I hated it. They go all "you're grounded" on me and then suddenly I get hurt and it's like everything was okay again. But it wasn't. It never was gonna be okay. Not until we leave Newport and go back to Berkeley. That would be when everything would me okay.
I squirmed out of her grasp. "SETH EZIKEL COHEN, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" I heard my father shout as I headed up the stairs towards my bedroom. I didn't stop. I didn't turn around. I just kept going.
"SETH!"
I slammed the door one I got on the other side of it and locked it. I just wanted to be left alone. I curled up on my bed and grabbed Captain Oats.
"Hey Captain Oats," I said quietly, a smile forming on my face. "Life here sucks, don't you agree?" I asked, as some tears started falling. I hated it here. I wanted to leave so badly. And to think for those few minutes with Summer in the cafeteria, my life seemed bearable.
Bull shit.
The plastic horse didn't respond. "I wish I could just get away. I hate it here. And mom and dad can't seem to get that."
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I felt the cool liquid now being poured on my head. It felt good. Especially since I was so freaking hot. I took a few deep breaths then managed to get out a "Thank… you…"
"Shhhhhh," was all I got in response. I was to afraid to open my eyes. It made everything all worse, and made me even more confused. I relaxed again as a sharp pain returned to my arm. I don't know how it was that I relaxed, I just did.
They must have thought I was out, because I heard two distinctly different voices holding a conversation. One was the voice from before. The only problem was I didn't recognize either of them.
"Is he gonna live?" YES. I was going to live. I couldn't afford to die. Then I'd really be dead, and not just dead in everyone's minds.
"Yes," the other voice said. I was relieved. "It may take a while before everything is fine with him though. He looks like he's been through the wringer."
I wanted to laugh. Who talked like that anymore? But whoever they were, they were helping me, and it was because of them that I was alive.
"He's been in and out of consciousness," the voice from before explained. "I was afraid that I almost lost him before. But he's talkative, trying to talk already."
"He shouldn't be talking, and you know that!" the other voice said angrily.
"Sorry," the first voice said sympathetically. I felt kinda bad, but I needed some answers.
"But the fact that he is talking shows something… you gave him the medication?"
"Yes…"
Medication, was that why I was so sleepy? I wanted so badly to hear the rest, but I was so tired, so exhausted, that I actually did fall asleep.
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I woke back up. It was cold. I was no longer burning hot. Quite the contrary, it was freezing. I didn't recognize where I was. It wasn't the island, it wasn't Newport, it was cold, and it was wooded. Heavily wooded. And there was white stuff all over the ground. It took me a while until I realized that it was snow.
Snow. Cold. Woods. This wasn't making any sense.
"Seth?" I heard someone ask.
I turned around quickly and found myself face to face with Anna. ANNA? I didn't know what came over me, but I grabbed her and hugged her so tightly.
"Seth, I can't breathe."
"Sorry," I said quietly, letting her go. I realized that while she was all bundled up, I was still in the t-shirt and jeans that I had taken out of someone's suitcase from the plane crash. Things were getting really confusing now.
"What are you doing in Pittsburgh Seth? Better question," she chuckled, "What are you doing in a t-shirt in the middle of winter?"
I didn't know exactly how to answer that, so I didn't, I just shrugged.
She smiled, "Well, you can come to my house, warm you up. Then we can go hang out with Summer and Ryan, how does that sound?" Wait, Ryan? Wasn't Ryan dead?
"What are they doing here?"
"They came to visit, just like you obviously did," she smiled. I had missed her so much, and didn't even realize it.
"Okay," I said, and before I knew it, I was being pulled through the snow covered wooden forest towards some little cabin type thing. It looked cozy. She pulled me into the door and closed it. The warmth (as much as I hated it) was welcomed to the cold.
I looked around as Anna took off all of her layers. "This is nice," I commented, not quite sure of what else to say.
"Yeah, I still live here. I didn't have the heart to move out," she admitted. "Sit down."
I walked over to one of the chairs and sat down.
"So what's new with Seth Cohen."
"I was on a plane and it crashed, and I was am… are stuck on a desert island."
"That's nice," Anna said, as if she was totally oblivious to what I had just said.
"So I take it you know that Ryan and Summer are the 'it' couple now," I asked.
"Yep," she said laughing slightly. "You didn't seem to take it to well, did you?"
I shook my head, and looked down at the floor. This was so odd. "Well, I hope that things work out for you Seth, wherever it is that you are."
"Thanks?" I said, not quite sure of what else to say. This was so unAnna-like. Then again, this was some strange world, that made no sense, so that was bound not to make any sense either.
"So are you ready to go hang out with Summer and Ryan, or are you still sore about it?"
I shook my head once again. "Let's guy."
The next thing I knew, we were somewhere else. It looked like some sort of club, with a bowling alley in it. The four of us were bowling and I wondered how I got there so fast. But I learned not to question some of the strange shit that went on. Some things were just meant to make no sense.
"Sorry Cohen," Summer said as Ryan went up to bowl.
"What are you sorry for?" I asked.
"Doing that to you, getting you so upset that you wanted to run away. I didn't mean to make you so upset, it's just that Ryan was always there for me, and…"
"Don't go on," I said, shaking my head, not wanting to remember what had happened.
"I meant to say it right after it happened, but everything happened so fast, and you just left. But I think that Ryan and I are going to break up. I think he's cheating on me."
"Oh," was all that I could say. Why was she telling me this now? "I'll uh, be right back." I got up.
"You're gonna miss your turn Cohen," Summer said.
"Bowl for me."
I walked over to the concession stand. This place was seriously screwed up. Why were we bowling? I hated to bowl.
"How may I help you," the lady asked. I recognized her immediately.
"Aerin?" I nearly shouted.
"Seth?" she asked. I nodded. "You've got to be kidding me. What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question," I said.
She walked out from behind the counter. She looked so beautiful, even if she was wearing some horrible uniform. You couldn't hide beauty.
I wrapped my arms around her. She giggled and returned the sentiment. I leaned in and kissed her. I couldn't believe that I was surviving as well as I had been without her. She was the one thing on the island that I missed more than Captain Oats. "I love you Seth," she whispered.
"I love you more."
"No, I love you morer." We both laughed. This stupid chitchat was one of the things I loved about her.
I went to kiss her again, but was interrupted. "COHEN!" Summers shrill shouting reached my ears.
Aerin laughed. "You seem to be busy."
I shook my head. "I'm never busy anymore." I replied, not really knowing why I said that as I dragged Aerin over towards Summer. "Look who I found," I laughed.
"Who the hell is she Cohen?" Summer asked, sounding so… Summerlike.
"My girlfriend, Aerin. Aerin this is Summer, Summer this is Aerin," I introduced them to each other.
"Nice to meet you," Aerin said.
"Yeah, same," Summer said, then she turned to look at me. "So, she's your girlfriend then. Well, I want you to choose now. Her or me."
I looked at her strangely. And then looked at Aerin. "Have you been fooling around on me Seth?" she asked angrily.
"No! I just…" but I was cut off by Summer.
"CHOOSE COHEN!"
I looked around. The bowling alley was now empty. Where were Ryan and Anna? I was so lost.
I looked between Aerin and Summer. "Cohen!" Summer said angrily.
"Sorry," I said quietly, as I grabbed Aerin by the arm and led her outside.
"Damn it Cohen, this isn't the end!" Summer shouted after me.
Aerin just looked confused as the door slammed. "Sorry about her," I apologized. "She's an old friend."
"Oh," she said. Then she looked around. "It's snowing Seth," she said with a huge smile now spreading across her face.
I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. It was snowing. Quite nicely too. "It's so beautiful," Aerin said, just staring at it.
"It is, isn't it?"
This was just seemingly perfect in every possible way.
"I love you morest," I whispered in her ear, as we both just stood there and listened to the sound of the snow falling.
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I woke up with a start, and began coughing again, but this time there was no relief from the cold water. And I wasn't burning hot any more, but freezing cold.
But I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. Everything was going to be okay. Just as long as I got over this horrid sick feeling all over my body.
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A/n: Sorry if that was really confusing, but that is what I do. I confuse the hell out of people, then explain everything. I do hope that you liked this chapter, it was supposed to be different, but I wanted to write flashbacks and scary dream sequences so badly. Haha. Tell me what you think!
Thanks to the reviewers:
Harper's Pixie Awwww, it was tear jerking, wtg Ali!
alexis haha! It's only been six months… its gonna be a while yet.
paige fan But I have a feeling that that isn't the whole story. I don't think we'll ever know the whole story. But here was a Sethness! Hope you enjoyed!
