Disclaimer: I do not own Lost or any of the characters in it.

Notes: The Others will show up, but in my story things will be a bit different. They have not been warned up until this point, a day after the raft was launched.

Summary: Some of the castaways examine their past, present, and future selves as they enjoy the last peaceful moment on the island.

The Island: One Hour Earlier

"Run!" The word echoed in the ears of each of the castaways. At first it hadn't sounded like a word at all. It was more of a muffled cry coming from deep in the woods. It had gotten their attention, but just barely. For some it was a mere echo on the wind. Maybe the wind blew through some leaves on the trees and made a sound the somehow resembled a persons voice. For others, it was something to wonder about. It caused them to look up from their novels and to stop chopping their wood. It made them wipe the sweat from their brows and take off their sunglasses to look into the horizon for the source.

None of them would become aware of the importance of that sound until it was too late to heed the warning.

There was the doctor, leaning against the tree and wondering what would happen next. He was the one in control. He was the leader, the one everyone listened to. He was responsible for every life that was saved and every life that was lost. At least in his mind he was. He was the one with the prestigious degree. He always had been the one that people looked to for advice. He found this strangely inappropriate, however, since he could barely hold his own life together much less advise other people on theirs. But he did it because that was what they needed him to do.

There was a demon inside of him though. It was a voice deep inside that would shock the other castaways had they ever witnessed it. It was the voice that tempted him to stop doing what he always did. It tempted him to stop helping people. This was the same person that threatened to come out whenever a new sick person came to his door looking for help. There was always that small moment where he just wanted to run away from it. Just run as far as it could until he was away from the constant burden of being the leader and healer and the person everyone needed and looked to for support in times of trouble. He wanted out.

This was what was going through Jack's mind when he heard the faint cry of warning that cloudy afternoon. He was one of the few who looked up in wonder.

Then there was the young man, aimlessly tinkering with a broken CD player. He was determined to get it working again. Everything had changed since the music stopped and he wanted it to change back for the better. His luck was deadly, and he knew he was responsible for a lot of what had put them all here today. Sure, he was rich, He had enough cash at home to buy this whole big freaking island and the big scary monster who lived on it. Not that he would of course. But the point was that he didn't want the money anymore. This thought had occurred to him during a run-in with the French chick. If he got rid of all of it, every single penny he'd received from using those damn numbers, then maybe everything would be ok again. Sure he'd be broke and living on his mom's sofa, but at least no one else would die.

"Damn." He muttered. Lets face it. The guy didn't have much going for him. He wasn't the most attractive guy, although he had to admit that he did have his moments. He smiled at the thought. Yea, there had been moments where he was the big shot ladies man. Of course, the money had helped with that a little bit. Damn the money! Damn the lottery! Damn the dude who had given him the numbers in the first place! He always knew that living in that crazy house would only mess up his life more. But he hadn't really been given a choice in the matter.

Because suicide is no laughing matter, said the red haired doctor who had saved his life. Hurley was in the process of cursing that damn red-headed doctor when he heard a sound on the wind.

Then there was the young woman, midway into her twenties. She was far away from all of the others, in her own little place in the woods. In her hands she held a small plane. It was a child's toy and she imagined that anybody who saw her with it would wonder why she carried it around as she did. The truth was, it was all she had left. This small plastic plane that would crumble under the feet of anybody who cared to step on it was all the she had to hold onto. That very pathetic thought made her want to cry and laugh at the same time. So, she decided to do a little of both. Who knew how much longer she had? However this all worked out, she was going to die. Whether it was by the hands of these monsters they called 'the others' or by the first police officer to take notice of her when they were rescued was hard to say. She wasn't even sure which one she preferred. Quick and painful or incredibly long and simple. Either way, the outcome would be the same.

This island was a blessing and a curse. No one wants to crash onto a remote island in a plane. But, it hadn't been so bad in the end. A little bit of nature goes a long way for a persons mood, she thought. Plus, there was him. He was everything the authority figures in her life had warned her about. But she never really took them seriously anyway. They didn't seem to know any better then she did most of the time. In some cases, they were flat out wrong and she had to suffer the consequences. She'd had to endure the pain they'd given her in so many ways.

Sawyer. He'd made her forget about all of that. He'd made her actually enjoy the idea of being an outcast. He'd challenged her just enough to keep her interested but given in when she desperately needed him too. If they were puzzle pieces, they would be interconnecting. Two people full of holes and missing parts, put together to be whole again.

She missed him. She wanted to tell him everything. She only wished she had done it while she still had the chance. Kate was regretting things she didn't say when she heard, clearer then the others, a cry of warning.

And there was, finally, a young scruffy man with a guitar. He softly strummed its strings to a tune that only he could hear clearly. Next to him was a girl, young and beautiful. She was asleep, one hand resting on a handmade cradle next to her. And in the cradle was a baby, just recently born. The baby was asleep as well. The young man looked over at both of them, halting his guitar playing for a moment. He smiled and went back to it when he was sure everything was as it should be. He played three chords over and over again. They were chords that reminded him of his life. Past. Present. Future. The raft was launched. It hadn't been too long, but it had been long enough for it to be seen. Maybe, just maybe, they would be rescued. He chanced another look at the sleeping pair next to him and sighed.

In his bag was a statue. In the statue was something he was trying desperately not to think about. In the statue was his past. He had one solid chord that covered that area of his life. Pre-plane crash as he liked to call it. It was a harsh chord, dirty and sad all at the same time. He played this one chord as he thought about it. He'd made his share of mistakes. He'd wrecked a few lives along the way, his being one of them. The idea of peopling thinking he was dead intrigued him in a different way then the others. He'd been dead for years before the plane crash, but not a bloody person had given a damn about him then. He wondered if he'd had a funeral. He wondered if anyone had showed up.

The island had changed him. He was a new man. His present was a peaceful one, happy and light. He was weightless here. The same feeling that the heroine had given him when he'd first tried it he could get easily when he held that newborn or watched Claire smile after he told her a joke. He was happy now, but what after tomorrow? What if a boat came to take them away? Would his lose it all again? Would he die, again? He swallowed thickly.

"Bloody hell." He muttered. Charlie was playing the three chords of his life when he heard a muffled sound come from deep in the trees behind them.

And none of them would realize how much their lives would change because of that sound. How many of their lives would end, and how many would restart in a world totally different from the one they'd known since their rebirths. They could not anticipate that this second chance they had been given would suddenly be taken away.

The next hour would change them all forever.