As You Like It
Chapter Sixteen
Disclaimer: God Put A Smile Upon Your Face belongs to Coldplay. I highly suggest finding a download of it somewhere because it has some acoustics as a bass, and that's what a based the rhythm and beats of the ending on.
Chapter Sixteen: Speak
Jack swore his heart stopped. He was expecting at any moment for Sayid to say that they were at the wrong place, but Sayid never did. Sayid stepped forward, doing a much better job at keeping his cool than Sayid.
He couldn't of gotten far, Sayid said, finally breaking the silence, he had a gunshot wound in his leg.You shot him? Jack said, slightly surprised as he ran after Sayid.
But soon Jack lost his train of thought and realized that he had no clue where he was. Somewhere during the search he and Sayid had parted ways, and when Jack look down at the ground and found that piece of rope, he realized that he was right back where he started. Kicking furiously at the ground, Jack launched the rope into the jungle. Afraid of losing it, Jack leaned forward against the tree, trying to calm himself down. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to regain a steady breath, and at last looked up, staring into the bark of the tree. It killed him to think that less than twenty-four hours ago, the very man he was looking for was standing in this same position, his hands probably right where his were now, but maybe a bit lower..
Jack cursed loudly and kicked hard at the tree, ignoring the pain that shot up his foot. All he could think of was why wasn't he there to stop this from happening, and how badly he felt for Alex. How he was going to fix this, how he could help, it was all going through his head in repeating waves that could drive any normal person crazy. Jack wasn't sure if he could any longer consider himself I couldn't find him.
He had the feeling that Sayid had been there for awhile, unsure if it was safe to approach Jack at the moment. Jack shook his head.
Neither did I.We'll get a search team out tomorrow, Sayid said, looking around, as if making a mental note of paths they should take.
Why not now? Jack said, lifting himself off the tree.
We need to think of a good story, explained Sayid, we can't tell anyone what really happened- he looked up at the sky, and it'll be getting dark in a few hours.
Jack nodded in agreement, though he didn't feel safe having that guy lose, especially at night when they couldn't see him coming. Which reminded him, why hadn't Alex seen him coming? It was a wrong thing to wonder, he knew he shouldn't be wondering it, but still, for a psychic, Alex hadn't been predicting very many futures lately, He wondered if maybe there was some connection between the sickness and her powers. Jack then wondered where Alex was now. How she was doing, who she was with. And what about last night afterwards? She never came back to the caves, that much he knew.
So why didn't you tell me? Jack asked.
The question had been poking at him for awhile. Would things have been different if he had known sooner? Would Alex still be stealing drugs and sneaking out?
She asked me not to, Sayid replied simply.
Of course she was going to ask you not to! Jack exclaimed. That's exactly why you tell me! She could be hurt, seriously hurt.I'm sure she's fine, Sayid assured.
You don't know that! Jack cried, louder than he meant to.
He shut up immediately, surprised at himself. Sayid looked at him sympathetically. Jack hated it when people looked at him like that.
Everything's going to be all right, Sayid said, you just have to give some things time.
Though he knew that Sayid was probably right, Jack wished that he had the same kind of confidence.
Under the Hatch
Boone stared at the computerize map in front of him, observing the little dots that represented their world. Jack and Sayid were talking in the jungle, Charlie and Claire were on the beach, and he was stuck down here with Locke, staring at a screen.
This sucks, Boone muttered under his breath.
Locke snapped out of his daze.
Say something? Locke said, like he had been listening to loud music and was unable to hear a thing.
This is insane, he said, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on, sitting down here day after day is doing nothing to help us. It's pointless. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life watching dots on a screen.Fair enough, Locke said, crossing his arms, so then what are you going to do with the rest of your life?I don't know, Boone shrugged, I'm on an island. You know how much hell this damn thing is causing me! My relationship with Shannon right now is pretty much a rock thrown over a cliff.I thought you handed her over to Sayid, Locke pointed out.
Because I had no other choice! Boone cried. What was I supposed to do, drag her down here with me? She'd be much happier with Sayid. Locke said after a few moments of silence, that's your choice to make.
Boone stared at the screen, taping his fingers against the keyboard.
So what do you think I should do? He asked, longing for some advice.
His philosophy was that if he could get Locke approve on any decision he made now, Boone could use that against Locke later on when he would try and take his word back.
From what it sounded like, Locke replied, throwing his backpack over his shoulder to leave, you had already made up your mind.
On the Beach
It was now night and small campfires appeared one by one, but Jack's eyes landed on one imparticular. Alex had herself seated a good deal away from everyone, and was poking at the ground with a stick. Taking a deep breath, Jack stepped onto the beach, preparing himself for what he had to do.
Whenever he watched shows like Law and Order, Jack always felt so bad for the victims when they were given the third degree right off. Sure they had to catch the guy, but Jack was always shouting at the tv for them to give the victim at least a day to recover. Now that he was in the detective's shoes, he was beginning to see eye to eye. Because he knew what had happened, he wanted Alex to move forward almost as much as he was sure she wanted to.
Jack hesitated just before sitting down, contemplating whether or not he should make his presence known. He figured that if he told her he was here, he'd just get yelled at, and besides, she probably knew he was coming hours ago. Jack sat down one leg at a time, and when Alex didn't protest to his being there, he adjusted to a more comfortable sitting position.
I saw you steal the drugs today, Jack admitted finally, you wanna tell me why?
He and Sayid had decided that one of the first steps of getting through to Alex and helping her was to get her to admit what had happened, but Alex didn't answer. Jack looked over at her, hoping that maybe looking at her would get her to speak, or at least get her to tell yell at him to go away again. At this point, Jack would've accepted anything just to know that she was still there.
Go away, Alex finally said quietly, staring so hard at the ground that Jack was sure that it was going to burst into flames and blend in with her campfire, which crackled before them, highlighting Alex's dead expression.
Go away! Alex said louder, shaking.
She tried to stand but Jack grabbed her arm, holding her back. Alex glared back down at him. The anger then flashed to fear in a single milla second, so quickly that Jack wondered if he imagined it. Alex jerked away from him, cradling her arm, and then finally sat back down. Jack looked down. His original intent wasn't to get rough. Slowly, still holding her cold gaze on Jack, Alex sat back down, and quickly diverted her eyes to the ground.
Sayid told me what happened, Jack confessed at last.
Sayid had warned Jack not to give in, that admittance was something Alex needed to overcome herself, but he just wasn't able to do it. Sitting there and watching someone suffer like this just wasn't something Jack was good at doing.
And I'm glad he did.
Jack looked at Alex, though she did not look back.
You could be seriously hurt, he went on.
I'm fine, Alex muttered, nothing happened. Sayid doesn't know what he's talking about.
Jack gaped at her. She had already made it clear that something was in fact wrong, and maybe had even gone so far as to purposefully getting herself caught as a desperate cry for help.
You have no idea what it's like! Alex cried suddenly. To be so..humilated. I just don't want anyone to know, all right? It was my fault. I didn't see it coming..I couldn't stop it. I'm stronger than that, or at least I should've been just. Just..please- she looked at Jack with pleading eyes, just leave it alone..leave me alone.
Jack's gaze softened as he saw where Alex was coming from with this.
You don't have to be embarrassed, Jack said quietly, this kind of thing happens dozens of times a day, and I don't want you to just leave it alone, I want you to get over this, or at least try to, the right way. And you don't have to be alone.
Her eyes trailed over and met his. Alex looked like she was willing to accept Jack's help, but needed help herself just getting to that point.
I'll be here every step of the way, Jack offered, if you want me to, that is.
Alex held his eyes a little longer, as if searching to see if she could trust him, and then nodded.
All right, she agreed softly.
They both looked away then, suddenly finding the situation awkward.
I didn't use the drugs, Alex admitted after a few moments of silence.
I'm glad, Jack said, offering her a small smile.
I did smoke though, she said, but Sawyer caught me. Threatened to make me smoke the whole pack.
Jack chuckled.
Remind me to think him later.
They sat in silence a few more moments, until Alex spoke up again.
she said hesitantly, what comes next? Jack said. I think you should talk to your mother.
Alex sighed.
It might do you more good than you'd think, he said.
Alex nodded though Jack wasn't sure if she really agreed, and looked back into the fire for what seemed like hours. And then, out of nowhere, a soft sobbing sounded beside him. Looking over, Jack saw that Alex was crying.
Why do these things always happen to me? She sobbed.
Jack stared into the fire, wondering the exact same thing.
I don't know.
At the Caves
Jack sat with Alex for a half an hour longer, neither talking, until she assured him that she'd be okay, at least for the night. He was worried about her both on an emotional and medical level, but knew not to be too pushy about what he asked of her just yet. Sighing in exhaustion, Jack stepped into the caves and saw that nearly everyone was asleep. Hurley gave him a wave and Jack nodded back, and then stepped into his cave he was sharing with Kate.
(cue music: God Put A Smile Upon Your Face by Coldplay)
Kate was sleeping soundly on the floor, half covered by a blanket and using her bag for a pillow. Jack couldn't help but to smile, pushing behind the fact that Kate would be furious when she woke up and realized that he had let her sleep all day. He pushed himself off the wall, walked over beside Kate, and lowered himself to the ground next to her. Though he was exhausted, Jack was kind of disappointed to know that he wouldn't be able to talk to her tonight. Kate's behavior had been as suspicious as Alex's that day, and he could only pray that the reason behind it wasn't as serious.
Placing a hand behind his head as he eased himself to the floor, something caught Jack's eye in the corner. Reaching over, Jack picked up what he found to be a pink and blue box, and he didn't have to be a doctor to recognize what it was: a pregnancy test.
On the Beach
Sawyer walked along the beach alone that night, dreaded his life ahead on the island.
Where do we go, nobody knows
What surprised him most was that part of him regretted what happened with Kate. The island had definitely changed him. He had even begun..caring about people?
I've gotta say I'm on my way down
Glancing over, Sawyer spotted a blonde haired woman struggled to set a makeshift tent up nearby. He ran over to help, and caught the blue tarp just before it fell off the bamboo pole.
said the blonde grateful, pulling a sand of sweaty hair out of her face.
Don't mention it, Sawyer said, and without having to be asked to, placed the tarp on the pole the way it should've been place.
Looking around he saw that the campsite was a mess. He figured that she was just switching camps, and couldn't help but to wonder why. Feeling the need to further his good deed for the night, Sawyer beant down and picked up a book he spotted on the ground: October Sky by Homer Hickman.
God give me style and give me grace
the blonde, said again, accepting the book, and then, sorry about your friend, um.. Sawyer said, assuming she meant the island's most recent death.
she nodded, and then reached out a hand,
Sawyer was surprised that he was even offered a name. Despite the fact that he had helped sail the raft out twice, there was a good deal of people on the island who still scoffed at him whenever he walked by.
he offered, and let her help him straightened up.
God put a smile upon my face
At the Caves
Alex had finally decided that Jack was right. She wanted to get over this, and she needed to take the appropriate steps to do so, and one of those steps was to learn to speak. Her mother sat quietly as she explained what had happened, breaking out in sobs every now in then, but generally being able to tell the story; and just the fact that she was able to do so told her that she was stronger than most, or at least more than she thought she was- however selfish that may sound.
Where do we go to draw the line
Across the caves, Shannon was standing, waiting for Sayid to finish talking to some guy she didn't know. Her restless mind let her eyes trail away, and they landed on Charlie, who was sitting with Claire, helping to pack up her stuff He must've sensed her gaze, for he too looked over, and she offered him a smile, but as soon as it appeared, it disappeared.
I've gotta say, I wasted all your time, oh honey honey
Under the Hatch
Boone watched Shannon's dot turn towards Charlie's, and he knew that Locke's suspicions had been right about those two.
Where do I go to fall from grace
Convincing himself that he was turning into some psychopath spying on people like this, Boone quickly keyed in a random code, changing the map's setting to a random bit of jungle, and then sighed in relief.
God put a smile upon your face, yeah
On a Path
Now when you work it out I'm worse than you
Charlie and Claire made a neutral decision to move back at the caves. Water wasn't such a necessity anymore now that the weather was color, and the bright sun wasn't much of a problem either. The only problem with moving to the beach for Charlie was that Shannon was there, and there was always that constant reminder of what could have been, whatever that was.
Yeah when you work it out, I want it too
But whenever he thought of that Claire was always right there to remind him of what he really wanted, and now that they were on the same page, their relationship was progessing fast. More and more time was spent between the two, and it was a matter of time before Charlie felt that sudden urge that characters in movies always got when they were watching their girl in the moonlight, walking gracefully, just happy to be there with them, and then they'd kiss and sparks would fly..
Now when you work out where to draw the line
And as he watched Claire now, he couldn't be sure if he was feeling that urge now, or just wanted to. Claire smiled as he walked back to where he knew she truly wanted to be, and then he felt it. Something inside him told him that this was the time, this was the place. The moon was in the right position, Orion was in whatever house, and..he swirled her around and kissed her. Just like that.
Your guess is as good as mine...
And Charlie was sure that any witness would vautch for him when he'd say that sparks definitely flew.
On the Beach
Sun sat on the beach, staring into the ocean, visible only by moonlight, which was enough for Michael as he approached her.
Where do we go, nobody knows
He kneeled down next to her and his expression darkened when he saw the tear stains on her cheek. For the first time Michael realized that Sun and Jin may have been married for years. He didn't really know anything about the couple that was no longer. Sun gave no hint of recognition when his knee hit the sand, and never broke her gaze from the dark horizon when he reached out with his hand, as if she was still waiting for Jin to return.
I thought you should have this, Michael said quietly, and held out his hand to reveal Jin's watch he had after the crash.
Don't ever say you're on your way down, when..
Sun finally did look down, and took the watch carefully from Michael's hand as if it were a delicate charm bracelet.
God gave you style and gave you grace
She gave him a small, grateful smile, and to his surprise, threw her arms around him, pulling him into a hug of thanks.
And put a smile upon your face, oh yeah
Further down the beach
Now when you work it out I'm worse than you
Like Charlie and Claire, Shannon and Sayid were also moving close together. In fact, they were moving in together. It was a big jump- more like a leap- in their relationship, but Shannon felt it necessary to move on.
Yeah when you work it out, I want it too
She was a bit nervous about letting herself get close to someone, but Shannon went with her gut feeling that this was the right move to make.
Now when you work out where to draw the line
And as if someone had drawn an X' on their spot, Sayid made up his mind, and sat his bags down. Shannon felt a pit drop in her stomach when she felt her own back slip from her fingers, knowing that this was it. A million different thoughts ran through her head until Shannon finally mentally shouted for herself to shut up, and trusted that destiny had chosen them correctly.
Your guess is as good as mine...
Down the Hatch
Boone watched nothing on the screen until nothing turned into a little dot with no label. He raised an eyebrow, and keyed in the code to zoom in.
Where do we go, nobody knows
Whoever or whatever it was looked lost, but Boone knew be pointless to chase after someone(especially someone with no name) in the middle of the night.
Don't ever say you're on your way down, when..
He glanced down at his watch and though he knew time didn't matter on the island, yawned when he saw it was nearly eleven, and felt himself growing tired.
God gave you style and gave you grace
Boone looked at the computer one last time, and almost went back on his decision remembering all the hours spent escavating the hatch that would now be proven useless.
Before his eyes the dot disappeared like it had never been there, and Boone laughed dryly. The thing's probably rigged anyway, he thought. And with that thought, keyed in the final code, and shut the system down. Maybe now things could go back to normal.
And put a smile upon your face
Author's Note: The end! FINISHED! Finally! Wow, I thought I'd have that done weeks ago! My longest Lost fic yet. I meant to leave the flashbacks hanging there, mostly for lack of ideas. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially those who stuck around the whole story. You guys rock!
Coming up in the next fic, In the End:
All I can say about what happens next is that some things are not as they seem and some will learn that they're not the best decision makers. I'm thinking the next fic(which is also the last) will be multi-centric like the pilot and finale. I don't have an official summary yet, but I can tell you it'll be brutal, and will receive a higher rating for disturbing images. The biggest(probably biggest) chapter will be called Welcome To the Machine, and that's all I'm sayin'.
Thanks again!
Until next time..
October Sky