Shannon's hair was fanned out over the pillow, her face completely relaxed as she slept, none of the passion that been reflected on it just a few scant hours ago still in evidence. He'd woken up some time before, his body sprawled across hers, his right hand, pinned under her shoulder for god knew how long, completely senseless. He'd pulled it out, careful not to wake her, and worked it till the feeling came back.
He'd gotten up to check on Andrew, who he'd found sleeping just as soundly as his mother, and had returned to the bed. Boone was lying beside her now, his head propped up on his elbow, watching her sleep, trying to decide how much longer he'd give her before he woke her. Twice already he'd found his hand moving, seemingly of its' own volition, to touch her, and had forced himself to pull it back.
The only light in the room was coming from the centre fixture in the small entryway; they'd left it on so they'd have enough light to see by if they needed to tend to Andrew in the night. With no windows in the room they actually found the small area very claustrophobic and sleeping in a real bed difficult to get used to, but they'd promised Jack, after that disastrous first night, that they wouldn't creep up to the deck to sleep again. Besides, they reasoned, it would have been extremely ungrateful to the two young men who'd given up their quarters for them. The single bed hadn't proven to be a problem at all, they always slept pressed up against one another, or as in the case of last night, virtually on top of one another, so they didn't really need more than a small span of space.
Boone found his hand again straying to make contact with her skin. He gave in to the temptation this time, his fingers brushing her hip, sliding up to caress her breast, she moaned slightly and her brow twitched. As he continued arousing her, her hips shifted restlessly, his gentle touches slowly waking her from sleep.
Shannon's eyes opened gradually, she smiled at him softly. "Hey you." She greeted him, speaking in a whisper.
"Hey right back." He smiled back at her, making no move to kiss her, content for the moment to just keep watching the emotions play across her face, his hand continuing to move under the sheet.
"Didn't you get enough last night?" she teased, not wanting him to stop for a second, her body moving in response to the motion of his fingers, as her breathing got faster.
"I'd have to give that a no," he slid himself on to her, his mouth claiming hers.
He hooked his good leg behind hers and flipped them, simultaneously scooting his body back into the centre of the bed in a smooth fluid motion. Shannon pulled her head back and smirked at him. "It's your turn." He whispered in answer to her questioning look, smiling a little shyly.
"You always did play fair." She chuckled, brushing her lips across his.
"And you never did." He responded.
They lived the next two days with no sense of time, never sure on awakening and seeing the digital bedside clock displaying a random time like 6:30, whether that meant it was breakfast or dinner until after checking the am/pm indicator. They only left the room to eat, wantonly using each other until they were limp and bruised.
The group met, for the last time, back in the gym the morning they were to dock. Already having been warned that there would be media waiting for them, several volunteered to be spokespeople for all of them, Charlie, of course, had positively beamed at the opportunity to be in the limelight.
Shannon passed through their group of friends, getting contact numbers where she could, giving those that didn't have one Sabrina's office number. She and Boone had discussed it and had decided it was the only one they could be sure hadn't been changed or disconnected. After the tearful goodbyes, and promises to stay in touch, they put on the hats and sunglasses Boone had picked up at the gift shop and mixed with a cluster of departing passengers. They walked down the gangplank secure in their anonymity.
Boone stopped halfway to the taxi stand and turned, frowning, off to his left. Something drawing him, niggling at the back of his head, he suddenly headed off in that direction, Shannon simply followed along, clutching his hand. A suburban type mini-van pulled out of a parking spot revealing the black limousine that had been parked behind it. A chauffeur was just helping a woman out of the back seat.
They both stopped dead in their tracks, recognizing Sabrina instantly. Boone started to move hesitantly forward, but she held him back, still staring, warily, at her step-mother.
"Shan?" he turned to her.
She met his eyes, "I'm scared, Boone. She hates me." Her lower lip started to tremble. "I think I'd rather take my chances with the Island Monster."
"Shannon, don't be ridiculous, she's not going to literally chew you up and spit you out, like it could." Like it did in my hallucination, he thought to himself. "And I'm right here, and I love you, even if you think that she doesn't, well…even if she really doesn't." He had to give her that one, Sabrina had never warmed to the girl. "We're okay, we're together, I'm right here beside you, it'll be alright." He leaned forward and kissed her.
Why won't that white trash get out of my way? Sabrina thought angrily. How could they have afforded the expense of a cruise? The young man couldn't even pay for a t-shirt with sleeves, and that trucker's hat, how common, she was surprised it didn't have two beer cans and a straw. They didn't even have luggage. From the looks of it, their belongings were stuffed into dollar store back packs and messenger bags. Heavens, didn't the man know you wore the pouch of a messenger bag at the back? He had it slung across his chest. And now they were kissing, in public, how crass. She leaned to peer around them, watching for her son.
"Come on, it'll be fine." Boone chided her, pulling back from the kiss, raising his eyebrows and smiling.
Shannon sighed, and nodded, finding strength in his reassuring presence she fumbled for his hand again and followed him across the asphalt.
Oh, good lord, now they were coming towards her, Sabrina rolled her eyes. If they asked for a handout she was going to call the police.
They stopped a few feet in front of her; she was still trying to look around them. Boone realized, with amusement, that she didn't recognize either of them.
He dropped Shannon's hand and reached up and removed the hat and sunglasses, "Mother?" he smiled tentatively.
Sabrina's eyes widened, "Boone, oh my god, Boone." She rushed forward and pulled him into a hug. He managed to slip an arm between them so she wouldn't crush Andrew. She stepped back, still holding his shoulders and looked into his familiar eyes, they were the same, but different too somehow. There was strength, resolve, and a deep, deep hurt, that hadn't been there before.
Shannon reached up and removed the wide brimmed hat that had been covering her hair, and her own sunglasses.
Sabrina finally let Boone go, and turned to her. "Shannon?"
"Yeah, it's me." She replied nervously, shocked when Sabrina pulled her into a hug as well.
She moved back and looked between the two of them, shaking her head in amazement. The bag that Boone had slung across his chest, suddenly made a noise.
Boone looked down, "I think he's hungry Shan."
"Yeah, he is…again," she agreed, rolling her eyes. "I'll feed him in the car."
Sabrina frowned in confusion.
Boone took a deep breath, "This is your grandson." He gestured towards the bag.
She leaned forward, suddenly registering that it was an infant that he was carrying. Joy at seeing the girl disappeared as quickly as it had formed, replaced by her long standing animosity. So the little tramp had gotten herself knocked up, had she? It was probably that abusive boyfriend Boone had gone to rescue her from, and as far as the baby being her grandson, she didn't think so.
Boone reached down and ticked the baby under the chin. The child's eyes opened as he smiled and cooed.
Sabrina felt a pain deep in her chest and her breathing constricted as she gazed into the grey eyes. She glanced at her son, then back at the baby, then at Boone again. "He's yours," she hissed, all her efforts at keeping the two of them apart throughout the years, suddenly coming to nothing. She hadn't been ignorant of their obvious feelings for each other, even if they had, and had repeated thrown roadblocks in the way of either of them realizing how they truly felt as well.
Boone frowned, confused, "I said he was your grandson."
Sabrina shot a look at Shannon. "I thought you meant…"
"That he was just mine?" Shannon finished the sentence. "No he's ours, Boone's and mine. He's our son." She stressed the word.
Sabrina looked over his shoulder, to where she'd first spotted them. "You were kissing." She accused.
He nodded.
"You're her brother. It's disgusting." She spat, realizing even as she said it, how ridiculous it sounded.
'What?' he thought. "No," he frowned, shaking his head, what the hell was she talking about? "I'm not…not really." He answered, bewildered, becoming increasingly angrier by the second.
"How did this happen?" Sabrina demanded.
He was amazed that the situation had degenerated quite so quickly.
"You want me to explain the mechanics of it, mother? 'Cause I can, the sex, how much I wanted her." He taunted her, pissed off beyond belief.
"Don't be vulgar." She was close to slapping his face. "It's obvious that it didn't take you long to find a way to pass the time after the crash."
"I was already pregnant before we even got on the plane." Shannon informed her smugly.
Boone was shocked that she'd admitted that, they hadn't discussed it but he thought it was something they were going to keep to themselves; after all, the circumstances hadn't exactly been the best.
"Ohhhh my," Sabrina shook her head. "This just gets better and better doesn't it?" She sneered.
"She tricked you into it didn't she?" Sabrina demanded of her son, unknowingly coming close enough to the truth that his eyes widened in alarm.
She turned on Shannon. "You tricked him; this is how you're planning on getting money out of us isn't it? You're going to sue for child support, aren't you?"
Boone was speechless; he'd been prepared for her to be shocked, but not furious, and certainly not so offensive.
"You're so wrong," Shannon answered, she shook her head and chuckled bitterly. Unfortunately this was the exact reaction she had expected. "I love him, I love both of them."
"I don't believe you," Sabrina dismissed her words.
"We are not having this discussion," Boone broke in. "Your accusations are groundless, and I won't let you speak to Shannon like that. We don't have to justify ourselves to you. Sue for child support, why the hell would she have to? We're a couple now, we're together, and you're just going to have to accept that, and know that we both made that choice. We love each other, that's what we realized in Sydney, and that's why we have Andrew." He stretched the truth a bit; it had actually been three months after the crash that Shannon had declared her love for him, but, given Sabrina's reaction, he really didn't give a shit that he was lying to his mother, and certainly wasn't the slightest bit willing to go into the details. "You honestly think for a minute that if our love wasn't real, the year we've just been through wouldn't have destroyed it utterly?"
"I don't know what you've been through in the last year, why…." Sabrina started.
Boone looked up over the roof of the car and noticed someone, who suspiciously looked like a reporter, approaching. "We're going to have to continue this delightful conversation in the car," he cut her off. "I think we're about to get company." He nodded in the direction of the guy moving quickly towards their location.
He pulled the car door open and they all climbed in, the reporter broke into a shuffling run as he realized they were leaving. The driver pulled away just as the frustrated reporter reached them, leaving him cursing at his missed opportunity for an exclusive.