They sit together on the empty part of the beach where no-one can disturb them. There are no worries here. Only two of them. He has his arm around her shoulders, stroking her long hair. She stares at the ocean, relaxed. They finally found a reason. A reason to go on, to keep living, to keep surviving.
But then he stands up. She looks at him, confused, eyes worried.
"What's wrong?" She wonders, standing up either.
"I have to go. To the jungles." He says, touching her cheek with his palm then sliding to her neck, but she shakes it away instantly.
"You're going with Locke again, aren't you?" She looks shocked.
He wants to calm her down, to tell her that everything's going to be fine. He'll come back in a couple of hours and they will sit on the sand again, kissing and hugging, but he just nods. That's enough to make her worry even more, to make her scared. And he hates himself for that. He wants nothing more, but to wipe this emotions away, but he can't. He doesn't even realize that he stares at her, when she says something and waits for him to respond. He looks at her questionably.
"Why?" she repeats, trying to read him, but for the first time it's impossible.
"I…" He trails of. "I have to."
She thinks she feels confused and unwanted now. But mostly she just doesn't know what to feel. One minute ago they didn't have any secrets and now he isn't telling her why he's about to go to the jungles where there's a monster no-one's ever seen and everyone's pretty sure is dangerous. But then she looks down, sighs, and puts her hand on his larger arm.
"Just make sure you do no harm to yourself, ok?" She says it in a faint whisper, but it's enough for him.
He breathes a sigh of relief and moves her closer to envelope in his arms. He knew she'd understand. Maybe for now not completely, but soon she will… He'll be a hero for everyone when it ends, when they open this hatch. He'll be a hero for her.
As if reading his thoughts she voices them and her own:
"If you think that I need you to be a hero, you're wrong. You're already my everything. My love, my friend, my child, my king… I don't want to lose you." She hugs him tighter if it's possible.
He's touched. He knew she felt that way. He feels the same about her, but he's not a poet and can't bring himself to say something as beautiful as this. He then puts both his hands on her shoulders and bends down a bit so she can look him straight in the eyes.
"I will be fine. I do it for us." He reassures her.
His gaze hits her with full force, and she realizes that for know he's safe. At least he's sure of that. And if he trusts Locke with his life, she'll just have to do pretty much the same thing, because she needs to have faith in Him. Without this faith in each other they are nothing.
They look at each other for another minute (although it seems much longer for them), then he kisses her cheek and plants a soft butterfly kiss on her full pink lips. She whispers something more to herself, maybe that's why he can't hear her. So, he terns and makes his way to the part of the beach where the other castaways are. When he's almost out of her site, suddenly he turns around, their eyes meet and for another second they are one.
This evening she feels alone. Sometimes even abandoned. She knows that it's wrong and tries to make this thoughts go away. Still she can't help but wonder why didn't he take her with him.
She stays on the beach this night. She wants to be there when he comes back, wants him to kiss her goodnight, wants to fall asleep and then wake up in his arms. So, she tugs a blanket near the place where Kate sleeps and sits there for some time. After thirty minuets of lying on her back staring at the sky, listening to the soft music of the ocean and people talking somewhere far from her thoughts, she feels herself drifting to a restless sleep.
In the middle of the night through her slumber she can feel somebody's warm welcoming arms wrap around her, soft breathing on her neck and another heart beating right next to her.
"Boone…" She mumbles through her sleep.
"It's me." He whispers. "Go back to sleep."
And she does. But now it's deep and peaceful, because she knows that she'll still feel him beside her tomorrow, when she wakes up.