A/N: Much thanks to FrodoLijactress, Evermore, JaimeLeigh, Purple Sky, and mfkngst. I appreciate the feedback!

"Come on, man, I need your help." Michael leaned against one of the posts holding up Sawyer's beach lean-to. This conversation was not going nearly as smoothly as he would've liked and he still had most of the actual labor left to do if he was going to finish the project in time. "Three minutes is all I'm asking."

"Oh, darn," Sawyer began sarcastically, his eyes hidden under rosy-orange tinted sunglasses, "I'm afraid I just don't think I could fit that in. Pretty busy today…"

"I'll be sure to tell everyone that when they start asking why Jack, Kate, and Charlie never came back." Michael retorted and turned to leave, sick of wasting his time there when he had less than enough as it was.

Sawyer's glasses slid down his nose and his eyes narrowed as he glanced up at Michael, "What the 'ell are you talking about?"

Michael smiled slightly before turning back around and said, "Well, I'd be happy to tell you, but I guess you just don't have the space in your calendar right now."

"Lookit that, it seems I've got all the time in the world now." Sawyer said and slid up into a sitting position and gestured to the seat next to him as he pulled off his sunglasses.

"Well, I'll be…" Michael said with mildly suppressed cynicism as he took the seat.

"So?" Sawyer asked with little interest, but Michael knew he had him nearly hooked now.

"Jack, Kate, and Charlie went into the forest to get Claire. Now, Jack has a plan, but-"

"Why am I not surprised?" Sawyer snorted, but Michael ignored him.

"But, it needs manpower if it's going to work. The more help I can get the better. That is where you come in; though even with your help it'll still be risky."

"Uh huh. So, you expect me to throw myself into some plan I don't know anything about that could possibly involve puttin' myself in some kind of mortal peril all to help Jack?" Sawyer chuckled lightly, sliding back on his shades.

"Jack, Kate, Charlie, Claire, and anyone else these psychos are going to mess with in the future, yeah." Michael paused and shook his head, "Look, I know there's some bad blood between you and Jack, but are you really going to let that be the deciding factor in the safety or three other people? It's four lives that'll hang over your head if anything happens because you didn't help, not just one. Think about that." He stood up and walked away over towards another man on the beach as Sawyer watched him go.

He picked up Watership Down from next to his chair and flicked it open, very determined to ignore Michael's parting words. What did he know, anyway? Nothing, that's what. Michael would get enough help; there were enough 'nice', stupid people to follow him, so Sawyer's absence wouldn't even be noticed. Unless of course there were other people smart enough to say no, but he doubted that would happen.

Glancing over the top of his book at Michael he noticed that the guy he was talking to looked just as skeptical as Sawyer, if not more so.

It's four lives that'll hang over your head…Think about that.

He groaned and threw his book into the sand next to him and stood up, already regretting what he was going to do.

------------------

Sawyer took a deep breath and settled his nerves. He was not looking forward to what he had to do at all, but there was no backing out; his mind was set.

It was now or never…he took a step into the clearing and looked around. Walking past the others, who for the most part ignored him, he stepped around a corner and into the cave.

Sayid jumped when he saw him and scooted back ever so slightly, eyes watching Sawyer like some kind of cornered dog deciding whether to make a run for it or attack. At the moment, it looked like almost any action on Sawyer's part would sway him to the latter of the two.

"I'm gonna make this quick, alright?" Sawyer didn't even bother to sit down as he spoke or wait for a reply, "I know you talked to that French woman when you were out there." He waved his hand at the jungle, "All I want to know is what she told you about them."

Sayid looked around Sawyer at the cave opening and the back into his face, "I have no idea what you are talking about-"

"Bull."

Sayid paused and then looked at the ground for a moment, "Why?"

"Because Kate, Charlie, and Jack are out there hunting them down as we speak. If she knows anything, if she could help, things would be a hell of a lot easier."

"I knew about that, I could hear them from in here." Sayid said quietly, "But I don't think she'd help."

"Well, not if no one asks her she won't." Sawyer said pointedly, "And there's only one person I can think of who even knows where to find her…"

Sayid shook his head, "Even if I could find the way back there and get through the traps surrounding it and find her still there, she'd never agree. It would not help."

"Fine. Sawyer shrugged and turned around and then looked over his shoulder, "Maybe it could've helped, but we'll just never know now, will we? You just stay here and keep telling yourself you made the right choice. Me, I'm off to find Michael." Having said his piece, he turned his head back and walked out, leaving Sayid in silent surprise behind.

--------------------

Jack wasn't running this time, but instead carefully retracing his steps down the path he'd taken with Kate before. The slowness of their speed was almost driving him out of his mind, but he knew that if he got lost then more time would be wasted than they had. For this to work out, he knew where he had to get before the sun went down.

Kate and Charlie were following silently behind him, Kate warily eyeing the forest around them as Charlie kept his focus forward. None of them had spoken a single word since leaving the camp, each wrapped up in their own thoughts. Even Jack was having troubles focusing on the trail as they went; his mind was tumbling over so many other things.

Like Kate and Charlie. He'd never been sure of his plan's success before, but hadn't really cared when it'd been just him. He was stupid for not figuring that Charlie would insist on coming, but why Kate had gone and involved herself too was frustrating to him.

Their safety was his responsibility; the plan could not fail now. If anything happened to either of them, Jack wasn't sure how he'd be able to live with it.

He paused, glancing at the ground and the over at Kate, "Was this where we split?"

She looked around for a moment and then nodded, "I think so. So we're going left then?"

Jack shook his head and said quietly, "Right."

Kate's eyebrow rose slightly, "We didn't go left before, Jack, Locke and Boone did. Don't we want to find them?"

"No. We're going right." He said and headed off the all too familiar path, glancing back as Kate sighed and followed him. Charlie paused for a moment hesitantly and than took a firm step following Kate, his fingers closing towards his palms.

They walked in silence a little longer before Kate interrupted, "Are you planning on explaining yourself anytime soon or are we just supposed to follow you on blind faith?"

"You didn't have to follow me at all." Jack muttered and Charlie hung back a little, not wanting to get in the middle of the tension he could feel building between them.

Kate ignored him and continued prodding, "How can we help you if we don't even know what you're going to do out here?"

"You could trust me; that would be nice." Jack said sarcastically and Kate opened her mouth to retaliate.

"Shh!" Charlie hissed behind them, "You're going to wake the whole bloody forest up."

Kate closed her mouth irritably as Jack began to move faster down the familiar path. She looked up at the slivers of sky she could seen between tress. It was already mid-afternoon and she guessed the sun would be setting in roughly four or five hours.

Jack had noticed, too, which was why he'd picked up the pace of the group. If he could just get there in time, it would all work out once he left the others. But the question now on his mind was…

How?