Memories of Hope

Chapter 10: Belong

"You can't just pack up and go!" She would never admit it, but deep down Shannon was still a lost little girl, afraid to be without her long-time protector.

"You have Sayid to take care of you." Boone countered gently. "You don't need me anymore. Hope's having a really hard time, and I want to be there for her."

Shannon's face softened as she realised that he was already gone. She smiled, saying softly, "You know, Boone, I don't think you're in love with me anymore."

Boone pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, "Maybe not, but I still love you. You're my sister, Shannon, and there's no changing that."

He picked up his small bag of belongings, and turned to go. "I'll only be at the caves. Come and see me anytime you want." He paused, "Bring Sayid."

Shannon smiled, impressed that he had grown to accept and even like Sayid, and waved to her brother as he walked away up the beach.

"She's my mother." Hope said to Locke, standing further up the beach as she watched Boone talking to Shannon as he packed a bag. "In the dream, I mean."

"Sun?" asked Locke. "I'm sorry to hear that – I'm sorry for your loss. But I'm glad that lucid dreaming is working for you."

"It's not working!" she complained. "I mean, I realised I was dreaming, but I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't change anything."

"Patience. You just need some time and practise. Try to be calm about it – these things unfold as they are meant to." he followed her line of sight, "Boone's moving to the caves?"

Hope nodded. "I told him this morning about last night's dream, and he came straight here to pack. He says he wants to keep an eye on me."

"Of course he does. Men like to keep an eye on their women in order to ensure their safety."

"Is that right?" Hope asked suspiciously. "So, does that mean that I belong to Boone now?"

"I think that's the idea in his mind. If that's not how it's going to be, you should let him know before he gets too attached to that idea." Hope often wondered about Locke – he seemed to have a frightening grasp on the human condition.

Hope looked out across the sand at Boone as he stepped in and hugged Shannon.

"Does it make you jealous?" Locke asked in his quietly serious tone.

"They're family!" she laughed, trying to hide the uneasiness in her stomach. She knew that the pair weren't related by blood.

"Pretend they're not. She's a pretty girl – does it make you jealous?" he repeated.

Hope watched as Boone held the leggy blonde close, and remembered how he had hugged her on the day Jack told her that Sun wasn't really Sun. She remembered looking up at him, into his clear eyes, and she felt her own eyes lower to the ground.

"Yes."

"Well," Locke said simply, "now you know. I realise the anti-feminist stigma attached to the thought of 'belonging' to someone else – but maybe you should try it. See how it works out."

Hope looked at Locke, and recognised for a moment that he was more than he seemed – this was a man who had loved, lost, and lived to tell the tale.

Still, Hope was at a loss. "I don't exactly know the appropriate courting rituals that go with being stuck on a deserted island!"

"So make your own rules and rituals." Locke said, giving her a knowing look. "It has to be better than making all of these excuses."

Hope looked away from Locke to see Boone walking towards them with his bag of belongings over his shoulder.

"Ready to go?" he asked, looking up to check the sun. "It's almost noon."

"Sure." Hope smiled at him, and turned back to farewell Locke. "Hey Locke, thanks for the advice. I'll give your anti-feminist views some thought."

He waved as she began to walk away. "Good luck with your dreams – don't give up!"

Locke watched the young pair walk up the beach towards the path to the caves. Boone held out his hand for Hope to hold, and the older man smiled to himself as he saw her reach out to take it. Maybe she would be able to let herself belong, after all.

Boone and Hope stepped under the cool shade of the trees as he asked, "What was all the anti-feminism about?"

"Nothing." Hope smiled to herself, "Just a joke."

"With Locke?" Boone looked impressed. "He must really like you – I don't see him as being much of a joker."

They walked in silence for a moment before Hope turned to ask, "How was Shannon?"

"She's fine. She has Sayid now – she doesn't need her big brother watching over her all the time. Anyway, I won't be far."

"Yeah," Hope agreed, "but she's bound to miss you, after all the time you two have been together."

Boone stopped abruptly, and turned to face her with an irritated expression.

"What do you mean, 'together'?" he asked; his tone harsh. "We're not 'together'!"

"I didn't mean 'together'." Hope said, stressing the word to imply a relationship. "Though, you're a little defensive about it, don't you think!"

Boone sighed and seemed to calm down. "I'm sorry, you're right." he agreed. "I didn't mean to be defensive; I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about me and Shannon."

"What does it matter what kind of idea I have about you and Shannon!" Hope retorted, still taken aback by Boone's outburst.

"It matters." he said firmly, "Because if you have the wrong idea about me and Shannon, you obviously have the wrong idea about me and you!" He was losing the battle, and Boone wondered if he was losing his chance.

"And what idea should I have about us?" Hope challenged, urging him to make a move.

"I'm moving to the caves to be with you," Boone exclaimed, "doesn't that give you a clue!"

Hope lost her nerve and her irritation, casting her eyes to the floor. She wandered a few steps off of the path and sat heavily on a log. Boone soon joined her, laying his bag down on the grass at his feet.

He sighed, and tried to explain. "I don't know the rules, here. If you were any normal girl, in any normal situation, I'd just ask you out for a drink, or for coffee, or something, and we'd go from there." He smiled deviously as he joked, "With a little luck we'd go from there, straight back to my place!"

Hope laughed and hit him playfully in the arm. Boone grew serious as he continued,

"But instead, I'm on an island, with the nearest Starbucks probably hundreds of thousands of miles away, with a girl who has no past and is named after a tattoo!" Hope smiled at this, for the first time realising the absurdity of their situation. "It's a little irregular, don't you think? I'm a little out of my depth."

"I know." Hope sighed, "Me too."

Boone smiled to lighten the mood, "So I can't take you on a real date. All I can do is find you a notebook, and move to a different place of shelter to be closer to you."

"That's more romantic than a latté." Hope joked. After a moment she suggested, "So, maybe we can make our own way… it's working for Shannon and Sayid."

Hope watched Boone's eyes, and was relieved to see that the usual flash that appeared there at the mention of Sayid was gone, replaced with an expression of affection.

"How about we make out own way back to the caves?" he suggested, rising and pulling his bag over his shoulder. "We did say to Jack that we'd be right back – he'll be wondering what's happened to us."

Hope stood up and took Boone's hand, letting him lead her back to the path. They had only walked a few steps when he stopped abruptly and leaned down towards her. She smiled to herself as he kissed her slowly and softly, sealing the deal that they would endeavour to belong to each other for a while. He pulled away to stroke her cheek.

"You kissed me." she said quietly.

"Yes, I did." he acknowledged.

"Before the first date!"

Boone held up his hands in surrender as she stepped away and wore on an expression of mock-horror.

"Hey," he smiled in his calm, confident way, taking her hand again and leading her down the path, "I'm just making my own way!"