a/n: Omg, please forgive me for this super-slow update. I went on a disappointing vacation, and I was under-the-weather when I came back. This isn't just a good time of the year for me, health-wise. Anyway, I'll try to update again soon!
And thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I love them all; please keep up with them!

Enjoy

Romen

Disclaimer: Unfamiliar; mine. Familiar; not mine.

Chapter Eight

Need

Their eyes locked. Shannon could hear blood rushing in her ears. All the time she had been searching for Locke, she'd never stopped to think of what she would do when she finally caught up with him. Now that she was here, she wasn't so sure that going after him had been such a good idea.

'Don't act afraid,' she told herself silently. 'Stay cool.'

He crouched down next to her, holding out a water bottle. "Here. Drink this."

All of Shannon's instincts told her not to, but seeing the water made her realize how thirsty she was. She eagerly gulped it down, watching Locke out of the corner of her eye.

When she was finished, Locke took it from her. "What are you doing out here, alone?"

Shannon shrugged. "I got lost."

Locke didn't look like he believed her. "You were alone?"

She rolled her eyes, trying to stay calm. Her brother's murderer was right beside her. "Well, yeah. I was just going...to the little girl's room." She thought that was a valid reason.

"I see." He didn't look like he believed her. "We'd better get back. It's going to be dark soon."

Shannon said nothing as she shakily rose to her feet. She was going to be out here, alone, with Locke! She could feel her heart beating wildly against her chest. If worse came to worst, she could always fashion some sort of weapon. She wiped perspiration off of her forehead with the back of her hand, drawing in a wheezy breath.

She couldn't let Locke know how terrified she was.

She straightened her shoulders. "How did you find me?"

Was that a smirk that she saw cross his face? "Wasn't too hard; you didn't blend in to the scenery."

She frowned. "Yeah, but I was far from the beach. What were you doing out here?"

He didn't drop his 'happy-go-lucky-Locke' smile. "Searching."

She could feel her lip curl at his vague answer. "Searching? For what?"

"For an answer." Before Shannon could ask him what the hell that meant, he turned his back to her, walking toward the mouth of the cave. "Come on. We should hurry."

She clenched her fists, awkwardly following him. She was all for getting out of there and back to camp; that didn't mean she wanted to stop talking, though. "You and Boone used to come out in the jungle a lot, huh?"

He didn't reply.

"What were you always doing out here?"

Even though she couldn't see his face, she thought that he frowned. "Hunting."

She pressed on, her muscles tensing. "So why didn't you ever bring anything back?"

He shot her an agitated glance. "Because the animals migrated-"

Shannon wasn't new to subtle arguments like this, where each opponent pretended to be pleasant. She'd done it all the time with Boone. But as she had gotten older, she had realized one thing; if you ever wanted to win, you had to take the plunge, take a risk.

You had to go for the jugular.

She didn't even flinch. "Boone told me what you were doing."

For a split second, he froze. Confusion flashed across his face, then time flowed normally again. He turned back around and continued walking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

It wasn't a very good defensive blow. It was weak. "Boone told me everything," she continued, ignoring his comment completely. "He told me exactly what was happening with you two."

He snorted. "Oh really? What was it that we were doing out here then?"

The cogs in Shannon's mind whirred. She tried to look doubtful, as if she wasn't sure whether she should let him know. "He told me about your- plan."

"What 'plan'?"

Shannon bit back a curse. She wished Boone had told her what they were up to. Back then her prodding had been more out of boredom than anything, but now she was serious. She resisted the temptation to say, 'You know, the plan!' "He told me everything. He always does."

Her eyes stung. 'Did. He always did.'

Locke scoffed. "I doubt that he told you this time."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She shielded her eyes as they stepped out of the cave, stopping in her tracks. For some reason that idea scared her more than the fact that she was lost in the jungle, alone, with a murderer.

Locke's voice came to her out of the blinding light. "It means that he didn't always have to tell you everything, Shannon. He wasn't dependent upon you."

All thoughts ceased to pass in Shannon's mind. She blinked, shapes becoming visible again. "Yes, he is. He needs me."

She gasped. What had just popped out of her mouth! She didn't really believe that herself, did she? And what was more, she had spoken in present tense.

Locke was staring at her, his face unreadable. "He wasn't a child, Shannon. He was a grown man."

Her shoulders shook with suppressed rage. Once again, her tongue took control. "You didn't know him like I did. You didn't know what he was like."

He was silent for a moment, his eyes full of scrutiny. "You know," he began again, "I don't think he needed you. I think you need him."

Shannon's eyes grew wide. Her ears were full of a loud shriek, a human scream. She tore at her hair in confusion. Who was screaming? Why were they screaming? Where were they?

That was when she realized that she was the one who was screaming.

TBC...