Chapter 28 to a LOST Love

Charlie and Claire were sitting on a plane seat, taking turns holding her baby. Charlie kept making funny faces at Marie every time he held her to make her laugh. And laugh she did. She was so cute when she laughed; Charlie thought she looked a lot like Claire when she did.

Walt came over to sit with them as Michael was elsewhere and Vincent was tired of playing fetch. Claire even let Walt hold Marie for a bit and Walt was pretty good at it. The baby smiled a few times in his arms before slowly drifting off to sleep.

"Hey!" a voice shouted.

Claire, Charlie, and Walt all turned their heads to find Sayid carrying a bloody someone over his shoulders and Alex jogging next to him. Walt handed the baby over to Claire quickly before rushing up to Sayid asking, "Is Mr. Locke okay? Is Mr. Locke okay?"

Turning his head slightly to look at Walt, Sayid said panting from the exertion of carrying Locke, "I don't know. Hurry and find Jack." With that, Walt raced off to go find Jack.

Unable to bear Locke's weight any longer, Sayid sank down to one knee heavily, and with Alex and Charlie's help, was able to get Locke off his back and onto the sand. Locke began to moan, "They want her…they want her…"

Confused, Charlie flicked his glance between Alex and Sayid and asked, "What's he talking about?"

Exchanging a glance, Alex looked away and Sayid looked back at Charlie. "We were on the beach when Locke surprised us there. We asked him what was wrong and all he said was "They want you." He looked straight at Alex when he said that. I don't know if he was talking about her or somebody else in his delirium."

"More than enough explanation, Sayid!" a voice called out. Sayid looked over Charlie's shoulder to see Jack running toward them with Walt leading the way.

"Good, you're here," Alex said. Jack nodded toward Sayid and Alex before sinking down to his knees to check on Locke.

"Locke. Locke! Can you hear me?" Jack called out. All he got was a moan from Locke and the words, "They want her."

"Something's gotten to him," Jack said. "Maybe it's that monster out there, maybe it's a person, I don't know," he said quickly to silence Alex's almost asked question. She shut her mouth and continued to look at Locke.

"Help me get him back to the caves, Sayid," Jack said standing up.

Sayid's face fell at the idea of having to carry Locke again and Charlie noticed this. "I'll help you, Jack," he said.

Jack nodded and together, they hoisted Locke up, with Charlie grabbing his shoulders and Jack grabbing under Locke's knees. Together the two walked off toward the caves with Locke as their luggage.

Alex sighed after the two and shook her head. "How many of us, Sayid?"

Sayid turned to look at her. "What?"

"How many of us will it take?" Alex replied, still staring after the two. "Divided we fall…"

"But united we stand," Claire said sincerely. Turning to look at her, Sayid and Alex quietly questioned her with their eyes.

Looking down at Marie, as if suddenly embarrassed, Claire continued, "We're all here in this…this place together. The only time the monster's taken any of us, like Boone or Shannon or even Locke, is because we were alone and scared." Here she looked up at the two. "I mean, I know I was. I was, and still am, terrified of this place. It only makes it better for me because I'm with other people, like you two."

Smiling, Alex came over to Claire and hugged her. Breaking away, she said, "Of course, Claire. We're all in this together. I just hope that Boone and Shannon and Locke are alright," she sighed.