Author's Note: When I first heard about the plot of Solitary I thought Sayid loved Nadia, but as I watched Solitary I am not so sure. In the end I decided that he loved her as more of a friend, then a lover, but it is a very deep love. This is so hard to explain, as then with The Greater Good. Oh well… By the way, I just wanted a bit of a fluff in my story.

Sayid was wrong. His departure was immediately discovered.

"Where is Sayid? Have any one seen him?" Kate asked, carrying a bundle of woods. "Sun said that she want to talk to him."

"You missed you chance, freckles." Sawyer said dryly. "Sayid decided to retreat into the wood for some meditation."

"He left again?" Kate asked, clearly agitated. "Is it because of what Jack said?"

"I'm glad that you at least have some brain, unlike Jackass." The southerner said with a thick coating of venom. "After he simply declared out Sayid's old profession half of the camp is now deadly scared to him, while the other half is grossed out by him. On top of that, everyone still want him to do their dirty work of torturing Ethan."

"So you and Sayid are now bosom pals?" Kate said angrily. "I am surprise that you are not feeling guilty. Have you realize this Sawyer, but Sayid will not be having his moral struggle if you didn't attempt to hurt his wife. After all, you are the one that first provoked Sayid into torturing anyone once more. Don't pile it all on Jack, you are to be blamed greatly too."

While Kate and Sawyer continued their argument, Sayid was busily fighting another battle; one with the bamboos. He was cutting down branches and weaving twines in order to make a little shelter in the midst of the jungle. A few paces away, Minta was examining herbs and carefully piling them in her basket of flax, thinking of Sun's lessons.

They did not talk much as they were both focusing on their task. When night finally came, they retreated into the shelter, which now consisted four walls made from crisscrossing bamboos.

"Ah, the time of rest." Sayid said as he spread out the rug in the attempt of creating a floor. He felt very light hearted, free from any worries or struggles, the shelter was a protection for the soul as well. Grinning, he teased his wife by saying: "No wonder pioneers have so many children, as what else can they do in such a time?"

Minta blushed slightly as his hand caressed her body suggestively. Her urge was to throw herself into his arms and just spend the majority of the night making love, but she decided to taunt him first.

Feigning a yawn, she said with hesitation. "I feel so tired Sayid…"

The disappointment that quickly flashed in Sayid's eyes instantly gave her heart a little pang, but his gaze immediately switched to one of ultimate tenderness.

"Then come and rest in my arms."

She allowed herself to be embraced very lightly as if she was a bird with wings of glass. When Sayid was preparing to wrap the extra blanket around her gently, she tightened her hold and kissed him with full passion and energy.

"I was hoping that you would think so." Sayid half smiled, half grinned as she pulled him down.

What Minta loved so much about him was his love and tenderness for her. He was defiantly not one of those patriarchal woman-beater her parents labeled and accused him of. In fact, they wouldn't have painted a more wrong picture.

A few hours later Minta laid sleeping, the blanket covering her bare body. Her arms were holding Sayid's left hand, touching the wedding ring, her head laid cradled on his lap. He watched her sleeping with a very content smile, occasionally stroking her face with his free hand.

He recollected the troubled teenager he had first saw, the one that finally took him back to the world again after seven whole years, while Nadia had been the one that drew him away from it. He had loved Minta since the start of their meetings but he had never once dreamt that she would actually be his wife, and loving him back despite all the toils and troubles.

He still believed that Minta was his redemption and gift from God, the sign of forgiveness. The realization that as long as she was beside him and loving him with God, nothing else mattered finally came. It didn't matter if everyone else hate him, because their love was enough.

"I cannot damn myself." Sayid realized, "I will not ruin my chance of redemption. I cannot and I will not."

Flashback

Seven years has pass since he met Nadia once more, understanding that the two of them had both grown so much from the two children who played in the mud. She was not the little girl who coyly smiled at everyone as she flipped her braids back, knowing that most would smile back. While he could not even remember the boy he had once been, when he had no worries other then having his face being shoved into the mud by her.

Often, he would take out her photo to look at it. For the past seven years he lived for the sole dream that Nadia was still alive, with the opportunity of meeting her again. He couldn't even answer whether he love Nadia or not. It might have been no more then an idea, an ideal, but it was the hope that kept him alive for the past seven years.

His old dreams of advancing forward seemed so pointless now: the original plan of earning a lot of money to support his family and then his goal of giving his brother education and additional hopes of promotion, with the believe that he was doing right. Now his three sisters had all married and he lost touch with them many years ago, while he had disowned his brother just for the crime of having his own mind.

One thing he achieved was being a superior officer, occupying Omar's rank. He would laugh sourly inside whenever anyone saluted him, it was a literal stab in the back.

"You will find me in the next life, if not in this one." Could he believe that? He didn't even know what religion Nadia followed, but it would defiantly not be his one. He was an atheist with the theory that there was only one life: thus justifying his ambitions of getting the best.

Sure, they taught him with the Koran and he praised the name of Allah and Mohammad whenever he was required to, he worshipped in the mosques and fasted too, but he never once believed. He did these things as his country required it, not out of the necessity of religion.

"Sir, you are assigned to deal with the groups of American missionaries." Someone informed him. "They are allowed to stay in Iraq for three months and do their preaching as long as they do no cause any trouble."

Nodding, Sayid presented himself to the Christian missionaries. From the moment he shook their leader's hand, he felt a strange power radiating from this seemingly normal pastor. The man was middle-aged and slightly bald, not of a towering height or heavily built either. He wore simple jeans that were slightly torn with a t-shirt.

"So, tell me about you religion." The man asked Sayid, who reluctantly agreed to show them around Tikrit.

"I am not here to talk." Sayid replied bluntly, adding inside his head: I shouldn't even be here, the dealings with idiotic Christians should certainly not be part of my job. doubt

But despite his scepticism Sayid found himself drawn to the teachings of the Christian God when the Pastor began with the aid of his three assistances. When the first month ended Sayid finally spoke to the man alone.

"You say your God will forgive everyone, will he be able to forgive the killers as well as the innocents?" Sayid whispered.

The Pastor smiled kindly, knowing that the man in front of him was one who had his full share of suffering and crimes. "God will forgive all who truly wishes to repent."

"All that I did…" Sayid chocked, he had to grab his rifle tightly to steady his shaking body. "After doing all these inhuman acts can I still be forgiven?"

The pastor nodded.

Sayid lifted his head as he ended his prayer. How could he ever think about torturing anyone again?

He knew when Minta woke up as her weight shifted so slightly, bending down he kissed her, waiting for her to open his eyes.

The lids lifted and her eyes immediately brightened at the mere sight of him, a contrast to the time when they were filled with horror and revulsion.

"Sayid, you look so happy." She said.

"I'm always happy when I look at you." He said, smiling broadly, wrapping the loose strand of hair around his finger. "And also because I now know what I must do."

The words were whispered into her ears and she embraced him tightly when she learnt of it. The happiness in her smile made Sayid realize that he would go through any obstacles just to preserve the smile.

"But we don't have to go back yet." Sayid said. "The shelter still need to be build, and I really like spending my nights here."

At this reference Minta laughed, remembering the time that they made love under the possible eyes of everyone on the beach. Later on, it seems that Hurley and Charlie were defiantly two witnesses, as neither two could look at Sayid or Minta in the face without blushing slightly. It was not that she minded much but she did prefer a few privacy, which the beach does not offer.

"Trying to get me pregnant?" she teased back. "But then Sayid, you will have see me fat and ugly."

"You will never be that." He won the argument as he silenced her with more kisses.

As a result the tiny shelter was not finished until a few days later. When they finally decided to return, they had been absent for almost a week.

Upon entering the two were immediately squeezed into a massive bear hug by Hurley. Amidst the trio's laughter Sayid made a little face of mock pain towards Minta, but she knew that in truth, he was deeply touched at actually being missed.

Seeing Sun, Minta raised a hand and cheerfully waved at her. The Korean woman chocked and turning to her husband, dragged him to the trio. Seeing Sayid and Minta, Jin sprouted out words in rapid Korean.

"He says that we are all so happy to see you two safe." Sun translated.

"It is merely a spot in the jungle a few miles away." Sayid laughed uneasily, very shocked at the wide amount of concern they gave him. "It is not as if I went back to search for Danielle or something!"

"Well, well, well, if it ain't our favorite Arab!" from the half bantering tone Sayid immediately guessed the speaker's identity. Perhaps the greatest surprise so far, was that he was glad to see the man who a few weeks ago he had loathed and even tortured.

"Well, well, well, if it ain't our favorite redneck." He mocked back, mimicking Sawyer's southern accent, causing the man to laugh and actually hug him. Sayid tensed slightly but then he relaxed and accepted his friend's show of concern gratefully.

"And the fair lady." Taking Minta's hand Sawyer raised it to his lips and kissed it gallantly.

Author's Note: I must strongly emphasize that this is just a story, a fan fiction. I'm not using it as a symbol or anything. So to all the readers, please don't get offended because Sayid is converted to Christianity instead of any other religion, monotheism or polytheism.

I think a friendship between Sawyer and Sayid is not so strange, as in Episode 6 Sayid and Sawyer worked together to handcuff Jin, and the bit when he chucked the apple to Sawyer, also the fact that Sayid actually told Sawyer about the voice.