11/9 - Okay, basically I cut this chapter in half, so that's why it seems weird.

Chapter 23 - Taking Advantage of the Island

The kiss wasn't innocent for long. Within seconds of its initiation, she couldn't stop her tongue from sliding over his slightly chapped lips and into his mouth, and couldn't ignore the tingles running down her back when he responded to her tongue by pressing his own into hers. Then it was her fingernails scratching up and down his back, his hands straying towards her chest. She slowly crept her fingers down towards his boxers and unbuttoned his pants as he let out a sigh of anticipation. "Shannon…" he said, grabbing her hand, but she pushed it away. " Shannon," he repeated.

"Yeah, what?" She answered impatiently, getting ready to unzip his fly, her fingers hovering over the zipper.

"Don't you think that we shouldn't be –" But he couldn't finish his sentence, because Shannon had just tugged on his zipper so hard that she could feel hints of his erection against her hand.

"What were you saying?" she said smugly, kissing his neck, his chin, and then his lips. He pulled back.

"Oh – " she kissed him again, tickling his lips with her tongue, "It doesn't –"

"Yeah?" She said, flicking her tongue against his tongue.

"Doesn't matter," he finished. Shannon pulled back.

"You know what?" she said, "I'm getting really fucking sick of me always having to seduce you. Why don't you like, you know –" She rolled her eyes. That was when he decided to take off his shirt, and then tugged on the sides of her tank top as she pulled it over her head.

"You want me to seduce you?" He whispered in her ear, his thumbs stroking her hipbone. She giggled, suddenly shy.

"Yes…" she said, a hitch in her breath.

"Really?" He murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and slowly moving them up towards her bra.

"Uh huh," she answered, trying to keep her cool – she couldn't stand how slow he was going!

"You sure?" He traced his pinky over the seam of her bra, and then ran his fingers up and down the straps.

"Boone!" She cried. "Would you hurry up?"

He was enjoying this, damn him. His fingers dawdled at her cleavage, putting pressure on one of the cups of her bra. "Shit, Boone, just feel me up already!" She whined, totally forgetting her act.

"Already?"

"Yes, already!" She made a strange whiny noise of anticipation.

"Well, that was attractive, Shannon. Either acts like you're four years old or admit that I turn you on!"

"Well, look who's Mister Cocky now! Oh, stop being so immature, Boone – you're acting like that kid in my Freshman math class who started guffawing whenever anything equaled 69!" He laughed.

"Well, aren't you cute?" God, who was this, and what had he done with the pathetic puppy that was Boone?

"Yes. I'm very cute," she wrapped her arms around him, slouching a little so she could look up at him. "Kiss me."

He didn't need telling twice. His mouth delved into hers, his tongue taking full advantage of her mouth, exploring it with such intensity she could hardly breathe. He pulled back for a second to breathe, and then she finally felt his hands creeping up her bra. They sunk into the sand, him lying on top of her, as he kissed her neck, then her collarbone, then deeper and deeper into her cleavage until he unfastened the hook on the back of her bra to further accommodate himself. He kissed her again, with so much fervor it probably passed as a bite to her chest, and she shivered. But she wasn't going to let him win, so she passed her hands between his thighs again, pressing and touching and squeezing until he practically screamed, "Jesus, Shannon, stop!"

"You really want me to stop?" She rolled on top of him, smiling spitefully.

"Yeah…" he smiled back, just as cruelly, positioning himself on top of her. She rolled over again; she wanted to be on top, god damnit! He moved a little, trying to hoist himself over her again, but she decided that if she talked dirty to him, he might just let her stay.

"You're really, really hard, Boonie." She smirked.

"Don't call me –" he rolled on top of her, "Boonie."

"Don't call me –" Before she could finish her sentence, he was kissing her again, his lips crashed into hers, his tongue exploring her mouth as he started to shrug off his pants. She leaned back for a moment to remove her own shorts, and revolved herself so that she was above him. In response, he licked up and down her chest, much to her delight and astonishment. "Boone!" she moaned, "You are such a kinky –" she caught her breath, "little – " She scrunched up her nose as he moved his hands lower and lower, teasing the seams of her underwear, "bastard…. Oh, shit, Boone." And that was when she forgot that he had once again won the "who's going to be on top" battle.

Their feet and legs intertwined, as she tugged impatiently on his boxers, and they remembered what was in the pocket of Shannon's shorts, and once again, their patience was tested. It was rather disgusting, she thought, how they couldn't keep their hands off of each other – here they were, rolling around in the fucking sand! "Shannon," he said, pulling back. "We shouldn't be –"

"We're not in L.A. yet, right?" She whined in his ear, tugging at it with her teeth. "Hmmm?"

"No, I guess not, but –"

"Do me now?" She whispered vulnerably. He inhaled deeply, looking a little troubled. "Come on, please…" But what she was begging for was going to be even better than she was expecting. As he pressed his hips into hers, in and out, up and down, she was groveling with him, like she always did – she could control her emotions a lot better than he could in most situations, but during sex, she totally let her guard down. She couldn't help it. "Harder," she'd whisper, or "Deeper," squealing his name in complete agony.

She compressed their bodies, pushing up against him with as much force as her body would give her. He stayed there for a few moments, mumbling I love you's until finally, the aching in their guts was just too much to take, and he fell beside her, panting and sweating. She closed her eyes, and despite the fact that it was 100 friggin' degrees, and she was lying in the middle of a fucking island, all she could do was squint from the sun's brightness and recover, whispering nothings about how great it had been. She was going to have to work on keeping her guard up better. But she could save that for later.

"Again." She sighed.

After he happily obliged (more than once), they snuck back to camp, taking a few detours along the way to slip in a few greedy kisses. There was something quite rewarding about having no concept of time on this island – it was probably the only thing she liked at all about it. But after pushing him into the sand for the third (or was it fourth) time, he managed to resist her and they walked the rest of the distance in irritated silence as she glared at him sideways the entire way. They tried to arrive back as subtly as possible, and nobody really seemed to notice their absence except Jack, who was looking at them grimly as she arrived about ten steps ahead of him.

"We got lost!" she exclaimed dramatically.

Jack shook his head. "We can't have people wandering off. You all saw what was in the jungle on our first night. We have to travel in packs, okay?" Shannon opened her mouth to argue, but Boone cut her off.

"Okay," he said. "Sorry."

As the sun set that night, Shannon and Boone shared a fire with Claire and the fat guy, Hurley. This was just like high school, and they were the dork table.

"So," said Hurley, "have we met?"

"I don't think so," said Boone. "I'm Boone, and this is Shannon." Shannon rolled her eyes and looked away. "She's a little challenged in the manners area. Guess she didn't grow out of that in Kindergarten, huh?"

"You know what!" She snapped. "Shut the hell up! You don't know what I'm thinking!"

"I didn't say I did, I said I –"

"Arians," said Claire calmly, smiling serenely. They looked at her, confused. "She's an Aries. You're a Scorpio," she said to Boone, "And you're a Leo."

"How did you know that?" Boone said suspiciously.

"I can tell."

"Wait, so you believe in all that astrology stuff?" Hurley asked.

"Everyone thinks it's crap, but I think it's –"

"No, it's cool." Said Boone, "I mean, that you guessed that."

"Thanks," said Claire.

"My mom likes Tarot cards," said Hurley. Shannon rolled her eyes. Today, Tarot cards, tomorrow, Star Trek nerds. She so wasn't going to give in to that.

"Boone is a Star Trek nerd," she said, smirking.

"Shut up," he muttered, nudging her in the arm. She rolled her eyes in frustration again.

"You shut up." Claire and Hurley looked at them uncomfortably.

"So, are you guys like, going out or something?" Asked Hurley.

"No!" she sighed. "I mean, no," she said in a normal tone. "My idiot brother."

"My sister, the bitch."

"Oh, charming. Really charming!" She spat. "What the hell am I eating?" She looked down at a petrified looking slab of airplane chicken. "You want this?" She nodded to Hurley.

"Oh no," Boone whispered under his breath as Hurley's face turned into a vivid magenta.

"Did you ask me that… because? I'm large?" He said evenly.

"Um," she answered. "No!"

"Why do you keep rolling your eyes like that, like we're all below you?"

"What is it any of your business?"

"Look, I'm not an idiot! I get that I'm not the nicest looking guy, and maybe you and your model boyfriend don't want to be seen around people who aren't gorgeous! You know how I feel here? Look at everyone! Why is it that everyone on this island is so damn attractive? I mean – Kate, Claire, you, that asshole, even the Korean guy! Just because of my looks doesn't mean you have to be judgmental! I mean, what's wrong with you?" Just then, the smoke from the fire blew towards Shannon.

She breathed. "I'm not… I mean," she hiccupped. Oh no… not an attack, not now!

"Yeah, what?" Hurley asked dangerously.

"Shannon, are you o – " Boone started.

"He's not…" she wheezed. "He's not my boyfriend."

"What the hell is going on?" Hurley asked.

"Are you okay?" Asked Claire.

"I need to go!" She proclaimed, gasping, and walking down the beach quickly. Boone followed her.

"Shannon, do you want me to get your inhalers for you? Do you want to wait here? Shannon?"

She stopped, swaying from side to side a little. "I can't breathe…" she panted. "I… help…"

"Okay, Shannon," he said, putting his hands on each of her shoulders. "Try to breathe, okay? I'll get your inhalers, okay? Wait here."

"Boone," she gasped, "Don't leave me…" With one final wheeze, she keeled onto the ground and collapsed into the sand.

"Shan," he said. "Baby…" he pleaded, as if him groveling would help her breathe. He sat down on his knees and took her hands. "I just need to run right over there, okay?" She nodded weakly and he disappeared from her sight. Everything was swirling around her, and each tiny breath was more difficult to breathe, as she summoned, prayed for air to reach her lungs. Her eyes were beginning to flutter shut, her brain was starting to shut down, when he arrived with the inhaler clutched in her hand. Her fingers shook as she took it in her hand, not knowing what to do with it in her delirium. He gently grabbed it and guided it towards her lips. She took 3 deep breaths, and her breathing began to steady. "Shhhhh," he stroked her back slowly. "Just breathe," he whispered. She inhaled, but the air was still difficult to obtain, so she took another breath from the inhaler.

"I think I'm…" she coughed. "I think I'm good now…"

"Shhhhh, just relax, okay, sweetheart?" She smiled; unable to make a comment about all the pet names he was giving her. "Want me to go get you something to drink?" She shook her head. "You sure?" She grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer, and nodded. After a few minutes of staring at each other, breathing in the same rhythm, she tried to stand up. It was too soon for that, though, so she let Boone scoop her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and carry her over his shoulder to where they had their luggage set up.

"Dude," she heard Hurley say distantly. "What just happened?" He looked quizzically at the practically unconscious Shannon in his arms. "She okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"What happened?"

"Asthma. Don't tell anyone though," Boone whispered.

"Why?"

"She's always been embarrassed about it. I don't know why," he said. She sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck and hoisting herself higher up on him, her eyes closed and her head pressed into his neck, thinking Hurley was gone. "D'you think you can walk now?" He said to her.

"Nuh uh," she murmured sleepily. "Wanna go to bed now."

"I think you should get something to drink first. You need some water."

"I wanna go to bed with you now." She said.

"Should I get her some water?" Hurley said in panic. Oh shit, he was still there!

"I think I can walk – think I can walk now," she said to Boone.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she answered a little rudely. He set her on the ground, where she wobbled a bit, but then was able to stand properly. She let go of his arm, looking at Hurley ashamedly. "Sorry," she said to him. Hurley tilted his head at her.

"It's alright, I'm used to it. Sorry if I caused you to…" He mimed breathing. "See you," he said, waddling off towards the fires.

After walking very slowly to where their bags were, Boone gave Shannon a bottle of water and his sweater to wear again, and lay down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. There were a few others who were already going to sleep, but they were still one of the first ones. She nuzzled into him. "Thanks for saving me," she turned towards him, creeping her fingers up his arm. He smiled, as she turned away from him, and he draped his arms over her shoulders, warming her up in the cool air. She drifted off, and she knew that every breath she took, every little move she made, Boone was taking notice.