Sabrina arrived at the restaurant half an hour before her scheduled luncheon with her children. She'd brought a pad with her, planning to jot down a few notes, sometimes getting out of the office helped to clear her mind.

Boone had said that they were coming into the city to trade in his car. It was three years old now, even if one of those years, for obvious reasons, he hadn't been able to drive it. Just because the outside world had stopped for them, that didn't mean that the car hadn't gotten one year older in that time.

She ordered a drink and sat back, pen in hand, with the full intention of getting to work. Instead she found herself recounting the few pieces of information she'd been able to glean from them about what they'd gone through on the island. She'd tried at first to ask direct questions, but every time this haunted look would come over them and it would seem like they were going to just crumble into dust. They'd seemed so fragile and broken, and they'd always refuse to answer her anyway, closing their eyes and saying "No, please, don't ask, it's too soon." Usually the tears followed soon after.

So, Sabrina Carlyle, who always demanded immediately answers, had had to fight her nature and had to wait for them to volunteer snippets of information.

Most of what she knew had come during a dinner party just a few days after they'd gotten back. She'd asked two of her friends over, a couple that had known Shannon and Boone since they were children. What she hadn't planned on was the reaction of the woman to their new relationship, or, more correctly, over-reaction. After Tammy had melodramatically said to them how overwhelming it was for her for the umpteenth time, Shannon had finally lost it. Pushing back her chair and standing, she'd started giving it back.

"If finding out that two people you've known for years have fallen in love and had a baby is overwhelming, then your sense of reality is seriously screwed. You want overwhelming, I'll tell you what's overwhelming! Overwhelming is falling out of the sky from 35,000 feet, overwhelming is watching your brother die, overwhelming is almost dying yourself after giving birth in the middle of the jungle on fucking Craphole Island, overwhelming is being chased through the jungle by monsters, polar bears and psychopaths…" Her breath had started hitching in her chest almost as soon as she'd started her rant, and by the time she got as far as she had, she was almost gasping for air.

Boone had jumped to his feet, seriously alarmed as soon as he'd realized that she was well on her way to a full-blown asthma attack.

He'd grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. "Shannon, look at me," he'd demanded. "You have to calm down, just calm down and breathe. Focus on me." He'd pulled her against his chest. "Feel me breathing Shan, just follow along." He'd stroked her hair, trying to calm her. "Shit, you haven't had an asthma attack in months. It's the fucking smog; you haven't had to breathe that crap for a year now. We have to get you away from the city."

In spite of the drama playing out in front of her, all Sabrina could focus on were Shannon's words "Overwhelming is watching your brother die." What the hell did that mean, when Boone was standing right in front of her?

She didn't find out that night, though, for as soon as she'd started breathing somewhat normally again, Boone had scooped Shannon up in his arms and carried her upstairs. Understandably, neither one of them was seen again that night.

The next day, when she'd gotten a moment alone with Shannon, she'd broken her promise to herself to wait for them to volunteer information, and had demanded an answer.

"Shannon, I have to know, what did you mean last night about watching Boone die?"

She'd gotten the reaction she'd come to expect, as Shannon seemed to crumple in on herself, hanging her head, and starting to cry. Before the girl could completely fall apart, Sabrina had spoken again. "Shannon, don't, just don't, not this time. I need to know this, I have a right to know what you meant."

She'd watched Shannon try to pull herself together, at least long enough to answer the question.

"There was an accident and he died. He asked Jack to let him go, and Jack did. But then…I don't know…it's all so confusing." She was shaking her head as if to get her thoughts straight. "I guess Jack saved him again…or maybe it was the island…no, no…it was Jack, Jack brought him back. Jack saved him, just like he saved me. Just like he saved all of us. It was Jack." With that she'd turned on her heel and fled from the room.

Well, Sabrina had thought sarcastically, wasn't that just terribly enlightening. And just what was that nonsense about the island bringing him back? Maybe they were more psychologically damaged than she'd thought.

She'd gotten an opportunity to ask Jack about it, one day when he'd come over at Boone's invitation. But all he'd said in response to her question, was that it wasn't his story to tell.

There were bits and pieces of other information she'd gotten from their passing comments. Like the fact that someone named Kate had died shortly before they were rescued. That information had come out in the car, after she'd picked them up where the cruise ship that had rescued them had docked. Kate's death had seemed to hit Shannon harder than Boone, but she could see that they both been deeply affected by it. She'd also learned that John, whoever he might have been, had disappeared into the jungle when their rescue seemed certain. What an odd man he must have been, to prefer to stay stranded, rather than return to civilization.

She'd also found out about two other deaths, without even meaning to, simply by making a comment about the name they'd chosen for their son. "Andrew is such a nice name. I've always liked it, that's why I gave it to Boone as his middle name."

"He's not named after me." Boone had said.

Shannon had continued, "One of the survivors' died the same week he was born. His name was Andy, so we thought it was only fitting. That it's also Boone's middle name is just a coincidence."

Boone had laughed then. "Thank God he wasn't anywhere near due when Arzt blew up, I don't think I could have possibly forced myself to name him Leslie."

Sabrina had puzzled over that one. Why would they name their son after a woman named Leslie Arzt, especially when her death had obviously been so gruesome…explosion?

She came out of her reverie only to realize that not only had the entire half hour she'd allotted for work passed, but without even realizing she'd picked up the glass once, she'd managed to completely finish her drink.

She glanced toward the entrance, hoping that Boone still had the good manners to be on time.