Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews!

Unwanted Souless Freak: Thank you, thank you. Nah, you didn't sound bitchy at all. I'm glad all of your socks are having a rocking good time, lol.

laura: Thank you so much.

Freckles-101: Hee, the voices are going to be the least of his problems coming up, especially around chapters 7 and 8. Eep, I said too much.

Disclaimer goes out to the song "Wake Me Up When September Ends". I in no way own that song, I would be seriously whacked to try to say I do. That song is written and performed by Green Day. I did, however, change two lines of the song. I only did that so that it would fit with the story completely. Hope I don't get any pissed off Green Day fans, seriously don't want to do that!

And here's the next chapter!


Chapter Five
Wake Me Up When September Ends

Sawyer and Kate were still walking in the forest. They had had friendly chitchat most of the way. Kate saw a familiar tree that Boone had tied a strip of red shirt around and knew they were almost at the caves. She knew she had little time to change their conversation to questions that she had been wanting to ask.

'So, what about that scream you heard earlier?' Kate tried to ask innocently.

'What? Oh, that was . . . it was nothin',' Sawyer lied.

'Didn't seem like nothing when you came storming after me,' Kate said.

Sawyer remained silent as they continued walking.

Dammit, don't tell me he's gonna close up again. He was doing so well just a few minutes ago, Kate thought to herself.

'Were you dreaming?' Kate tried again.

'No, I wasn't dreaming. Those voices-' Sawyer began, but stopped shortly.

'What voices?' Kate asked.

Dammit, Sawyer thought.

You're the one that wanted to apologize to her, the other voice said.

It was your idea! Sawyer thought back angrily.

No one said you had to listen to your conscience, the voice replied back.

'Nothin', forget I said it,' Sawyer said.

'Maybe you should-'

'Drop it, Kate,' Sawyer said, his voice losing its friendliness.

'Well, excuse me for caring,' Kate said.

'I just thought-' Sawyer began, but stopped when he thought he heard something.

'What?' Kate asked, turning around to look at him.

Sawyer stood where he was. He could have sworn he heard someone say-

'September . . .'

'What the hell was that?' Kate asked, looking around.

Sawyer put a hand up for her to be quite and continued looking up. It seemed as if the voices had followed him.


Michael walked out of the tent with Sawyer's letter in one hand and his wire in the other. He looked left and right, trying to find someone that he could tell about this letter. Most of the people he saw around him he had barely said one word to. He was about to go back to the raft and tell Charlie when he saw Sayid and Shannon sitting on the sand, watching the waves wash up on shore. He started walking in their direction.

'Hey dad, wait up!' Walt called, running to keep up with his dad.

Michael didn't hear him though as he continued walking in Sayid and Shannon's direction.

Sayid finally heard Michael coming and looked behind him. The smile that had been on his face disappeared when he saw the serious look on Michael's face.

'What is it?' Sayid asked as Michael walked up to him.

'I got something I have to show you,' Michael said and then looked at Shannon. 'Preferably alone.'

Sayid looked at Michael and then at Shannon, excepting her to protest.

'Shannon, I-'

'No, it's okay. I'd like to know later if it's okay, but go. I'll be here or at the caves,' Shannon said.

'Thank you for understanding,' Sayid said as he took her hand and kissed it before he got up. 'I won't be gone for long.'

'Bye,' Shannon said, a smile on her face as the wind blew her hair in her face. She batted her hair from her eyes as she watched them leave.

'What's so important?' Sayid asked in a quite voice when they were out of earshot.

'C'mon, man, let's go somewhere where we can't be overheard,' Michael said, eying the other castaways around them.


'September . . .'

'It happened . . . September . . .' the voice continued to whisper, now followed by other voices.

'You hear that?' Sawyer asked, barely above a whisper.

'Yes,' Kate said, taking two steps closer to him. 'What is it?'

'Voices,' Sawyer simply said as the voices continued whispering.

'Death . . .'

'In September . . . '

'James . . .' three different voices whispered, growing louder with each word.

'Wake me up . . . when September ends . . .' another voice whispered.

Sawyer froze, his eyes growing wide.

'Sawyer, what is it?' Kate asked, worry filling her voice.

He didn't answer her, but continued to stare at the air, as if frozen in time.

'It happened in September . . .' Sawyer muttered.

'What did?' Kate asked, looking at him.

Sawyer didn't hear her though; he was already going back to another time . . .

It was 1986 at Banana Joe's, the local bar, in Knoxville, Tennessee. There was a mini-stage where local bands played at between the pool table and the jukebox. At the moment, the only people on the mini-stage were three 18-year-old boys. There was one that was seated on a stool in a blue, button down, long-sleeve shirt, boots, and blue jeans. He had shaggy, sandy blonde hair and bright bluish green eyes. He had a red Fender guitar in hand. His closest buddy, Paul Wenham, was seated behind his drum set about 3 feet behind him. His other buddy, Randy Bridges, was sitting on another stool beside him with his bass in hand.

'And now, our musical entertainment tonight is James Bourdon, Randy Bridges, and Paul Wenham. Let's give it up for them!' the bartender, Joe Meshell, announced on another microphone.

There was a handful of applause from people that weren't too far drunk already. James adjusted his microphone closer to himself before he began.

'This is, uh . . . this is for my parents,' James said into the microphone. He then picked three notes over four times before he started to sing.

'Summer has come and passed. The innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends.

'Like my parents' come to pass. Ten years has gone so fast. Wake me up when September ends.

'Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are. As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost. Wake me up when September ends.'

James continued playing, the drums and bass now playing as well.

'Summer has come and passed. The innocent can never last. Wake me up when September ends.

'Ring out the bells again, like we did when spring began. Wake me up when September ends.

'Here comes the rain again, falling from the stars. Drenched in my pain again, becoming who we are.

'As my memory rests, but never forgets what I lost. Wake me up when September ends.'

James broke off into his guitar solo, unaware that a year from now he would be known as a new name and wouldn't even recognize himself. Unaware of the fact that a year from now he was going to become the man he hated: Sawyer . . .

'Sawyer!'

Sawyer shook his head and was pulled back into the present. He blinked several times, forgetting where he was.

'Sawyer!' Kate said again, shaking his arm gently.

Sawyer looked at her and everything came back to him.

'I . . . uh . . . what?' Sawyer asked, looking up at her.

'I said the voices stopped,' Kate said, looking at him.

Sawyer looked around. She was right. He couldn't hear anything now except the wind rustling leaves and birds chirping.

'What was all that about?' Kate asked.

'What?' Sawyer asked.

'You said, "It happened in September",' Kate said.

'I did?' Sawyer asked, his stomaching dropping.

'Yeah, you did,' Kate said.

'It was nothin',' Sawyer said.

'Like those voices?' Kate asked.

Sawyer avoided her gaze as he remained silent.

'Sawyer, please,' Kate asked, putting a hand on his arm.

He finally looked at her and let out a sigh.

'September was when my parents died.'