AN: I would just like to take the time to say thank you to all my wonderful readers! It really makes me happy when I see that I have new reviews, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. OctoberSky, I'm really happy that you have a chance to read my story.

Chapter 30- Gone Missing

Sayid watched, amazed, as the tear made its way down Alex's cheek.

"She's crying."

Sawyer rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses made red marks. "Where the hell is Jack?"

"Right here."

The doctor entered the tent, out of breath and clutching a stitch in his side.

"Took you long enough! Sayid and I got here ages ago!" Charlie muttered.

"It was only five minutes, you guys run really fast."

"With the right motivation." Sayid murmured, not taking his amber eyes off Alex's face.

Jack bent over his new patient, taking her pulse and lifting her eyelids to check her pupils.

"What's wrong with her, Jack?" Shannon asked in a small voice.

"Too much heat. Dehydration." The doctor replied distractedly. "Claire, make sure Hope gets enough to drink, she should probably stay out of the sun, too."

"Okay, let me go get her." Claire stepped outside of the tent in search of her daughter and her babysitter.

Looking around, Claire saw no trace of them. Glancing down, the Australian native saw several sets of footprints, all scattered in a tight circle, as if there had been a struggle.

Her concern mounting, she hurried over to the tracks, which were about fifty feet from the tent.

As she got closer, Claire noticed a long rut in the sand, as if something or someone had been dragged. The marks lead to the jungle and were lost in the thick underbrush.

Still hanging on to the hope that they had just left for another part of the beach and that she was reading the tracks wrong, Claire ran back into the tent.

When she lifted the tent flap, Charlie greeted her with a worried smile.

"Where's Hope, love?"

"Um, Charlie? When you and Sayid got here, did you see Kate and Hope anywhere near here?

Her husband frowned. "No, can't say I did."

"What about you, Jack?"

"Sorry, didn't see either one of them. Why? What's wrong?"

Claire swayed slightly. "Oh no! Oh God, my baby!"

Charlie grabbed her around the waist to prevent her from toppling over. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Claire's voice was shaking with fear. "They were right outside a minute ago, and now they're gone, and when I looked around for them, I saw a bunch of footprints and a drag mark in the sand."

Sawyer stood up slowly. "You mean-"

Claire let out a sob. "Yes. They've been taken."

AN: gasp GAH! They've been taken! Well, okay so we already knew that, but it came as a great shock to everyone else.

For all those people out there screaming "Didn't they hear kate and Hope getting kidnapped?" I will explain it later on, or rather, Kate will explain it later on.

I'll post chapter 31 as soon as I can, I'm trying to get these lazy typing mice to work, but they're on strike, some nonsense about wanting more cheese. Hehe please R&R!