TITLE: Starting Over
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: What started out as a trip to the hatch to check up on those who wanted to blow it up, becomes much more of an adventure for Shannon and Sayid, which brings them closer together.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters from Lost and am not making a profit. If they were mine, then there would be more Shayid moments.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story started out as a random throw away idea that only got developed because of mrstater's encouragement and constant support. Thanks so much!

Chapter Seven

Shannon tried to ignore the panic rising in her stomach as she opened her eyes to find herself alone. The previous night's events ran through her mind, and she was terrified that Sayid had been taken from her. Slowly she sat up in the dark cave, wincing as pain from lying on the rock covered floor cursed through her body. She saw Walt still asleep. She turned to the front of the cave and was relieved to find Sayid sitting there looking out into the distance, with the rising sun as a backdrop.

Relieved that he was still there, and in one piece, Shannon quietly moved over to her backpack. She pulled out the extra clothes that she had brought with her, and slipped the shirt on over her bathing suit. She smiled as she remembered how worried she had been that Sayid would tease her about bring extra clothing when they were going to the hatch, but in her heart she knew even if he did tease her, he would never mean it in a way to hurt her. Shannon then pulled out her brush and meticulously removed the tangles from her hair. Once she was certain it looked decent, she went to Sayid.

She sank down beside him, waiting for him to acknowledge her. He seemed lost in thought. His eyes held the faraway look that she had frequently caught him with, when he thought no one was watching. She used to like to guess what he was thinking about, even before she had really spoken to him. She remembered how she used to see him doing many different things to help them with rescue, and she had been surprised one night to stumble across him sitting staring out into the ocean. She hadn't been brave enough to go up and talk to him. Then he had disappeared for a while, and she hadn't seen him until that day he came to her on the beach asking for her help. It was hard to believe that they were together now. How quickly things could change.

She rested her hand on his arm, startling him from his thoughts. He pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes tightly. If they stayed like this, then maybe she could forget everything that had happened last night. She shivered at the memories. She didn't know what was worse, the fear she had felt when the Other had attacked her, or the fact that she had shot him to get him off her.

"How are you doing?" Sayid asked softly, brushing his lips against her hair.

"Better now," she answered honestly.

She didn't however, tell him about the nightmares that had plagued her throughout the night. Although, she felt he already knew. Even in her sleep she could feel him pulling her closer and whispering in her ear that everything would be okay. She wanted to believe him, but after seeing the Others she didn't know if that was possible anymore.

"How about you?" she asked.

He sighed. "Last night brought back many memories."

She pulled away from him so she could examine him closely. He no longer had her shirt pressed against his wound, and she knew she would have to force him to see Jack when they got back. She could tell that he had not slept well. At first she had thought that it had been because he had stayed awake to protect them, but now she wondered if something else entirely had kept him awake.

"Would you like to talk about it?" She drew her knees up to her chest. "I'm a good listener."

"Thank you. It has been a long time since I had someone willing to listen."

Shannon wasn't sure if he was going to actually share some of his thoughts with her. A crunching sound drew their attention to the side. Shannon breathed a sigh of relief that it was just the dirt under Walt's shoes. Walt came to sit next to them, and Shannon knew she wouldn't get to find her answers about Sayid.

"Can we go find my dad?" Walt asked quietly.

Shannon felt her heart breaking for him. She didn't know what to say to him. Saying yes seemed to her like it would just be leading him on. Jin and Sawyer had come back, and while she didn't know if Michael had resurfaced since they've been gone she didn't want to give him false hope. She had enough of that in her life, and she didn't want Walt to hurt anymore than he had to.

"We do not know what has happened with your father. We will return to camp to find out," Sayid answered.

Walt moved so that he could climb into Sayid's lap. Shannon noticed then just how young he really was. She had never really talked with Walt before he had given her Vincent, so her one true encounter with him had left her with the impression that he was much older than he really was. But as Walt wrapped his arms around Sayid's neck, she saw the little boy he still was.

Sayid stood with Walt still in his arms, a feat that he made look more graceful then she thought possible. He asked her to get their bags from the cave; it was time to go home. As Shannon packed everything up, she wondered when the beach had become their home, and when rescue had stopped being the answer for everything. She didn't want to think about it anymore. All she wanted was to take Walt back, and she hoped that Michael would be there waiting for them. She knew however, that her hope was just wishful thinking.

She brought their bags out, and decided that Sayid had enough to worry about with Walt. She pulled out what she had in her bag, and placed it inside his before slipping it on. It was heavier then she expected, but she knew she could carry it if it would help Sayid. He looked over at her, and noticed that she had combined the bags. He smiled at her in appreciation.

The walk back to the beach was slow but tense. Every sound they heard could be the Others coming to get Walt. Shannon hated the sense of fear that plagued their every step, and tried to walk closer to Sayid. She knew that under normal circumstances he would have taken her hand, but his were already full keeping Walt safe.

They didn't talk much as they walked. Once in a while Sayid would call out a warning to her if there was something on the ground for her to look out for, or he would talk quietly with Walt. It gave her plenty of opportunity to think about many different things.

Her mind wandered first to Boone and how she wished he could see her walking side by side with Sayid holding Walt. However small her part was in the rescue, she had been there. She didn't know if she had actually been helpful or not, but she had played a role. Even though she told herself that she didn't care what others thought about her, she still was excited to see the looks on their faces when they realize that Sayid had taken her, and she had helped. Of course, the more Shannon thought about it, the more she began to feel guilty. She was so happy that she was able to prove to everyone that she wasn't useless, but Walt was going back to camp with his father most likely dead. In a few ways she knew that Walt was going through. She may have been older than Walt at the time, but the loss of her father still affected her, as did the loss of her mother. She had that in common with Walt, they were both orphans.

Shannon looked again to Sayid carrying Walt. Walt had rested his head against Sayid's shoulder, and it seemed to her that Walt knew his father wasn't going to be waiting for him at the beach. Once again she was struck with how young he looked. He was just a child, and he didn't deserve any of this. Out of all of them, he deserved to be in LA doing things that children do. He had his whole life in front of him; he shouldn't be on this island. Shannon watched as Sayid whispered something in Walt's ear causing him to smile. She smiled too. Only Sayid would find a way to get a smile from Walt during all of this. She knew without a doubt that Sayid would do whatever was necessary to protect Walt, even if it meant that he would be like a father to him. Shannon could picture it in her mind, amending her earlier fantasy to include Walt. Once again, she was struck by the vividness of her fantasy. It felt like something that she could actually achieve, if they ever got off the island. She couldn't picture her future anymore without Sayid in it, and if Walt became part of that picture, that would make her happy as well.

Shannon gave a sigh of relief as they finally walked onto the familiar territory of the beach. She held back a satisfied grin as everyone rushed towards them. She slipped the backpack off her shoulders and stretched. She looked around, and saw no sign of Michael. She knew that if he were alive, he would have been the first to greet them.

Sawyer hobbled over to them, and she tried to ignore the fact that he was shirtless, although a part of her wished Sayid would walk around as he did. Shannon could see Sawyer's exhaustion in each step. Sayid saw him as well, and placed Walt on the ground so that he could hug Sawyer. Shannon knew that even if Michael were dead, Walt would be well taken care of. Leaving Walt to be reunited with the rest of the castaways Sawyer turned his attention to her and Sayid. She prepared herself for his usual snarky words, but instead was surprised by a crushing hug.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully in her ear.

Shannon didn't know what to say. While she had been looking forward to showing everyone that she wasn't useless, she hadn't expected words of gratitude. Even if she had expected them, Sawyer would have been the last person she would have expected them from. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to breath anymore, Sawyer released her. If Shannon had been surprised by Sawyer actions, she was shocked by what he did next. He turned his attention to Sayid, giving him a hug of thanks as well. Even under the harsh circumstances, Shannon had to cover her mouth with her hand so she wouldn't laugh. The look on Sayid's face was priceless. Sawyer pulled away awkwardly. Without another word, he went back to where Walt stood.

"That was weird," Shannon said unable to think of anything else.

"He knows better than the rest the danger Walt was in," Sayid answered. "He knows that we placed ourselves in that danger as well when we could have just let Walt stay with them."

"As if we'd do that."

Jack came over to them then, relived that they were all right. Before Shannon could tell Jack about Sayid's wound, he told Jack about her asthma attack.

She shot Sayid a dirty look. "I'm not the one bleeding, am I?" She turned to Jack. "Sayid has a knife wound in his stomach."

Jack went into his overprotective doctor mode lecturing them on how they should have come to him right away. Shannon tried her best not to roll her eyes. Jack hadn't been the one who could have been killed out there. She doubted he even would have survived the attack on the Others, and he was giving them a lecture. All it did was prove to her that Sayid would be a better leader, and in her eyes he already was their leader. Jack was too concerned with the hatch now anyway. Sayid was the one who was saving people. After a few stitches for Sayid, and a check of her breathing, Jack left in search of Walt.

As Jack walked away, Walt came to where they sat. He hugged her first, and Shannon noticed that Vincent had followed behind. At least Walt still had one thing that remained constant in his life. Walt then hugged Sayid tightly, climbing again to sit in his lap.

"Will you keep me safe?"

"We both will," Sayid answered looking meaningfully at Shannon.

Walt seemed satisfied with the answer, and Shannon was as well. She didn't miss the meaning behind Sayid's words. They were together now, for better or for worse, and they would both do what was necessary to keep Walt safe.

"Walt!" Jack called.

Walt slowly climbed off Sayid's lap. He took Vincent's leash and went to find Jack.

"What a day," Shannon said sighing as she moved to sit next to Sayid.

"It did not turn out the way I imaged," Sayid said, wrapping his arm around her. "I expected to check on the hatch, and then relax with you at the beach."

"We can relax here now." She sighed. "At least Walt is safe."

"I could not have done it without you." He kissed her gently on the lips. "And no protests that you did nothing."

He knew her too well. She wondered if anyone in her life had ever known her the way Sayid did, and she realized it didn't matter. She had him now, and didn't need anyone else.

Snuggling closer to Sayid, Shannon rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you think this is over?"

Before he could answer, a collection of gasps could be heard all along the beach. They turned towards the jungle. Thick black smoke could be seen billowing through the trees.

As Sayid pulled her closer, Shannon knew it was only the beginning.

THE END