11/9/05 - this is just the second half of the unedited chapter 23

Chapter 23 - Pretty Fishy

Shannon was sleeping as peacefully as was possible on a friggin' beach when suddenly, she heard the sound of a dog barking and opened her eyes to see a wet, scratchy tongue in her face. She lifted her head blearily as the dog barked.

"Sorry," said a black man who Shannon had seen before. "Hey, sorry, sorry." He tried to lead the dog away from her and Boone.

"What the hell…" she murmured into Boone's chest, as she heard other people waking up.

"What's that sound?" He said, sitting up. "Listen." She heard the sound of something fumbling through the plane. It snarled.

"What is it?" She asked in panic.

"I don't know," he stood up, following the group that had formed around Jack. She heard more sounds of rummaging and growling, and tightened the sweater around her shoulders. What was this thing? Was it what they had heard in the jungle a few nights before?

"What is it?" Kate's voice echoed Shannon's thoughts.

"Something's in there," she heard Claire say.

"Everything in there's dead." Said a voice she thought she recognized as Sayid's.

"Sawyer." Jack immediately concluded, but he was wrong.

"Right behind you, jackass." Sawyer said.

Shannon watched, shivering in fright, as Jack took out a flashlight and approached the pile of wreckage way too slowly for Shannon's liking. Sawyer followed behind him. She heard their muffled voices, and then Jack commanding, "Run!" Kate, Sawyer, Charlie, and Jack dashed out of the plane, and Boone helped her up as they ran as well. Three large, grunting creatures were following, but within a few seconds, it was clear that they had ran into the forest and that their danger was no longer apparent.

"They're gone," Sayid proclaimed, as if they all didn't have eyes.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Charlie exclaimed.

"Boars." She heard someone say.

"Boars," she echoed faintly. Boars were like pigs, right? And kind of like that thing that Pumba was in the Lion King, right?

"They're like big, dangerous wild pig things," Boone supplied to her.

"I know what a fucking boar is," she lied nervously. "Are they going to come back?"

Jack and some others walked towards the "infirmary tent." This really was like summer camp.

"What are we supposed to do?" Claire asked loudly to anyone who would answer.

"I guess just go back to sleep," Boone said uncertainly. "I dunno."

"Are they going to come back?" She asked, too scared to bitch to him that Claire hadn't been talking to him.

"I dunno," said Hurley. "The ace gang ditched us."

Everyone slowly went back to where they had been before, summoning sleep but not being rewarded. Just what else was on this island?

When she woke up the next morning, Boone wasn't there – he was probably taking part in some humanitarian effort of sorting people's spandex from their granny panties for all she knew. She walked around aimlessly for a few minutes, when she heard the sounds of Sawyer and… Hurley? Punching each other. What was it with Sawyer and his inevitable need to always be fighting? A big group formed around them, but nobody really made an effort to stop it except self- proclaimed King Jack, who said, "Guys, knock it off!"

"Stay out of this, Metro." Sawyer eloquently nicknamed Jack. If Jack was metro, what was Boone? Jack and Sayid pushed Hurley and Sawyer away from each other, and Jack crossed his arms and asked them what was going on.

"Jethro here is hoarding the last of the peanuts!" Boone looked back at Shannon and rolled his eyes. This was all about peanuts?

"My own stash! I found it in there!"

"What about the rest of the food?" Jack asked in a no-duh manner.

"There is so more food." Hurley said, his words sending an empty feeling through Shannon's stomach. "We sort of… ate it all."

"What?" She asked. And he had gotten pissed at her for calling him fat! Served him right, when he was the one whoring the food! Everyone looked at each other. What the fuck were they going to do?

"Okay everybody, just calm down," Jack commanded.

"We can find food. There are plenty of things on this island we can use for sustenance." Sayid earnestly commanded, pointing at everyone dramatically. And eat what? Polar bears?

Sawyer sat down on a plane seat and said mockingly, "And exactly how are we going to find this sustenance?" His question was answered when a knife landed right next to his face. Shannon had no idea where it had come from until the bald guy appeared.

"We hunt." He said calmly. Everyone looked at him in awe as Jack handed him back his knife.

"How'd you get that?" Kate asked breathlessly.

"Checked it."

"Well, you either have very good aim or very bad aim, Mr…"

"Locke. His name is Locke." The black guy said, looking suspiciously at him.

"Okay, Mr. Locke, what is it we're hunting?" Jack asked condescendingly.

Locke launched into an impressive lecture. " We know there are wild boar on the island. Razorbacks, by the look of them. The one's that came into the camp last night were piglets, 100, 150 pounds each." Piglets? " Which means that there's a mother nearby. A 250 pound rat, with scimitar-like tusks, and a surly disposition, who'd love nothing more than to eviscerate anything that comes near. Boar's usual mode of attack is to circle around and charge from behind so I figure it'll take at least three of us to distract her long enough for me to flank one of the piglets, pin it, and slit it's throat." Oh my god, he really was Lucifer? How the hell did he know all this? Everyone looked at him in slight fear, but Boone was looking at him like he was God. Whatever.

People made some comments, but Shannon wasn't listening. Locke opened a gigantic case, and in it were about 400 knifes.

"Who is this guy?" Hurley said in awe. Some people were beginning to talk, figuring out who was going to go and when. Eventually, everyone milled about and went back to what they had been doing before witnessing the fight with Hurley and Sawyer.

"That woman is still sitting there." Boone knelt in front of Shannon, who was trying to think of a Japanese dog whose name began with a. She didn't know who he was talking about, and frankly, she didn't care.

"Mmm hmmm," she answered.

"Her husband was on the plane." How did he know this?

"Right."

"Are you even listening to me?" Never. She looked up and noticed that he was looking a little weathered, not his usual clean-shaven self. He looked pissed off, but what else was new?

"What's a four letter word for I don't care?" She answered savagely. Boone leaned back, looking like he could really use someone else to talk to.

"I just think someone should go talk to her." She looked over to see the black woman who had watched them fight in queue to board the plane. She was sitting with her legs crossed and staring at the sky. And he was telling her this because…

"I nominate you, Captain America. You just can't help yourself, can you?" And to think that 24 hours ago they had been… anyway.

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have to worry about starving with me taking care of you."

"I'm not going to starve," she said absently. Everything would manage to work itself out. It always (usually) did.

"Right, what are you going to eat?" He challenged, standing up and walking towards the waves.

"The ocean's full of fish," she shrugged. He stepped into the water and got his hands wet, washing his hands in the surf and then his face. She smiled, trying not to look too, uh… interested.

"I hate to break it to you, but the ocean's not going to take your Gold Card." It was an American Express card, and of course she knew that! What kind of idiot did he think she was?

"You really don't think I can catch a fish?" He smirked. Apparently not. Oh, she was so going to prove him wrong, little fucker.

"Not really." He answered.

"I can catch a fish," she said.

"I'll believe it when I see it," he responded.

"Boone, come here." She said.

"Oh no," he said in his signature what-are-you-going-to-do-to-me-now look.

"Your hair is screwed up from the friggin' salt water," she said as she peeled away a stray piece of hair from his forehead and tucked it behind his ear. "I can so catch a fish," she said. She was already winning. Now who was going to do it for her?

"Hi," she said, smiling, a few minutes later to Charlie, who, for some reason, was on his hands and knees like a mouse. Maybe he was praying or something, the weirdo.

"Hi," he said, looking uncomfortable. "Shannon, right?"

"Yeah. Are you doing anything?"

"Me? No I just," he stood up. "What are you doing?"

"I was just going to go for a walk. You want to come?" She said in a faux-sweet voice, trying to sound like a nervous girl with a crush. And she would have a crush on a 4-foot tall hobbit because…?

He raised his eyebrows, looking ugly and smitten. "Yeah," he said. "Yes, sure."

She rolled her eyes, walking down the beach, and he followed. "Can I ask you something?" She said shyly.

"Oh, I wondered when this was going to come up. Yes, I'm the bass guitarist in D – " Whatever.

"Yeah, great, do you know anything about fishing?"

"What?" He looked surprised. "What? Fishing? My granddad used to take me out, taught me everything he knows." She smiled, pretending to be interested. "Everything he knew, he's dead now, God rest his soul." She tried to look sympathetic slash surprised. Yeah, I'm like a . . . I'm a fishing fiend. I mean England's an island so I just throw it in and ...fish." He finished lamely, clearly making this up. She was so going to show Boone who was boss!

"Good." She said, smiling flirtatiously at him.

"Do you want me to get you one?"

"Oh yeah, yes, sure!" She exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Charlie! It's just that… I really don't like boar, and, you know…"

He smiled. "Oh, it's fine. I'll get you a fish by the end of the day, definitely!"

Shannon had nothing better to do, so she changed into another swimsuit, the pale blue one, and lay in the sun and tanned some more. She wondered what she was going to do when she had to wax her legs again – she would have to go back to shaving, which was annoying. She didn't know how long she had been there when it started to get windy, so she decided to put her clothes back on and hang her swimsuit on a pole to dry. Boone walked up to her from a group and said, "I don't think the hunt went very well. The bald guy never came back."

"Wait, they didn't bring back any food at all?" She said, only half listening.

" Did you hear what I just said? Somebody might have died out there!"

"Well, we're all going to die if somebody doesn't do something." Obviously he didn't realize that she was saying this out of fear, not selfishness.

Suddenly, Charlie appeared, looking giddy, and plunged a pole into the sand. "There you are. As promised, you and I will be dining of fresh catch of the day." He held up the fish, and Shannon scampered over and took it from him. She was surprisingly not squeamish when it came to fish. She squealed and gave the fish to Boone is victory, shoving the fish into his chest and wiping her fingers on his shirt. He shook his head.

"I hope you don't mind al fresco. It was no problem. You know what, that one actually gave me a hell of a tussle, but you have to get inside the mind of the fish, you know." But she wasn't listening. She was looking at Boone, whose expression was clouding with annoyance.

"I don't believe you," he said, shaking his head at her.

"I got it in the shallows, I cornered it!" Charlie responded, thinking Boone was talking to him.

"What's the matter? Can't stand to see me fending for myself?" She asked him, smirking. Boone put his hand on Charlie's shoulder, much to both of their confusion.

"I'm sorry, seriously." He said, apologizing for her behavior.

"No, it's okay," said Charlie, looking alienated.

"What are you apologizing to him for?"

"For you. For using him, just like you use everyone else!"

"Oh," she rolled her eyes in disbelief, "Whatever!" But he wasn't backing down. He shoved the fish in her face, practically suffocating her with the reek of that dumb fish.

"Somewhere in that twisted little brain, you think this proves that you can take care of yourself," he said angrily. He started walking off. She followed him, ignoring Charlie's sad expression.

"I told you I'd catch a fish, didn't I?" She asked him.

"That's low Shannon, even for you!"

"Oh, go rescue a baby bird or something!" She yelled.

"You know what, Shannon?" He lowered his voice in anger. "I don't get you. I mean, I know you're using him, I know you're using me, but I thought it was –"

"Oh. Oh. I get it now, this is about you! If I was using you, I would have asked you to catch the – "

"You are so twisted!" He exclaimed. "What the hell was that?"

"The fish?"

"No, quit looking at everything from such a shallow perspective!" Suddenly it clicked.

"You're still mad at me about Sydney?" She whispered.

"I think I'll always be mad at you about Sydney, Shannon. But I thought maybe you'd changed. Obviously, I was wrong!"

"Look," she said, frazzled. "I don't know what you thought that was, but I said I was sorry about the money thing, and –" She was dangerously close to tears. "I don't know, I –"

"You never said you were sorry about the money thing! You're never sorry about anything!"

"I am sorry! Okay! I don't know, all I know is that –" She cut herself off. All she knew was that she was madly in love with him. "I don't know what I know." She sighed, crying, and walked away from him.

"Well, you let me know when you figure it out!" He yelled after her. She sat down somewhere, only to be joined by Claire a few minutes later.

"I'm doing a sort of memorial service tonight before they burn the fuselage." She said.

"They're burning the fuselage?"

"Yeah. Tomorrow morning. Didn't you know?"

"Nobody tells me anything," she said, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I heard you and your brother fighting earlier. Do you guys fight a lot?"

"Yeah," she answered, guarded.

"Okay, don't want to talk about it? That's fine." She looked down at a bunch of papers she was holding. "I don't know why I volunteered to do this. I hate talking in front of people. And it's not like I knew them… all I can say is what's written on their passports, and I have a couple of letters. Isn't it terrible how many people were killed?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"Well, I'm going to go. I have to figure out what on earth I'm going to say. We're pretty lucky to be alive, aren't we?" She said, standing up and waddling off as well as her fragile, pregnant body would let her. Shannon wondered what it be like to be pregnant. It would totally suck, she decided. And Shannon hated kids, never mind that she had been one fairly recently. But lots of things had changed when she stopped being a child and started being a teenager. And sometimes she longed for the simplicity she had lived in when she was younger.

Later that night, everyone stood around Claire, who was talking about the people whose bodies were going to be burned. Boone and Hurley each held a flaming stick so that Claire could read. She wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying, but she was looking at Boone, who still looked upset. Not that ever looked anything but upset – he wasn't much of a smiler, was he? He looked up at her for a second as Claire said something about someone who wore contact lenses. He glowered, but she smiled meekly and mouthed, "Sorry." He just looked down.

"…Steve and Kirsten, I don't know their last name, but they were really in love and were going to be married. At least, wherever they are now, they're not alone…" Claire continued. "…Video store receipt lists her overdue charges for Willie Wonka and Little Princess. Looks like he hadn't traveled much . . . at least as far as I can tell from his passport."

After she finished speaking, Shannon approached Boone. "I'm sorry," she told him.

"Yeah, sure," he shook his head, turning away. She grabbed his arm.

"You know, I didn't like, seduce what's-his-name or anything," she promised.

"It's Charlie, he spent all day trying to catch a fish just for you! He could have been doing anything else, but no, you charmed him, so he decided to – "

"Look, you know what? Whatever. If you don't want to accept my apo –"

"You're only apologizing because you're scared of sleeping alone!" He exclaimed.

She looked down. He really had got it right on the dot. "I just don't understand what I did wrong."

"You tricked another guy, lured him in just like you did with me."

"It's not that simple with you and me and you know it," she hissed.

He looked at her, defeated. "Look, I don't know. You're pissing me off. How do you want this fish cooked?" She smiled.

"Aren't you supposed to like, clean it, and then wrap it in seaweed or something?" She asked.

"Maybe if you had made out with him he would have already cleaned it for you."

"Oh, shut –"

"Maybe if you had given him head he would have cooked it for you, too."

"You know what?" She cried, "You're the one at fault here! You're the one who comes off looking like a jerk!"

He rolled his eyes, looking exhausted. "Okay Shannon," he apologized just because he was too lazy to do anything else. "Sorry, you're right, I shouldn't have said that."

"Let's go cook this fish," she said, accepting his apology. "Maybe we can fry it!"

"You need a saucepan to do that, Shannon."

"Oh," she answered. "Right, okay, we can just do the seaweed thing. You want to clean it?"

"No," he said. "You do it."

"I am not touching that thing if you – " They walked down the beach towards one of the fires, and as she sat down, he took the fish from her and cleaned it for her.

"Thank you," she told him, tentatively trying a bite of the fish. He looked like those words were exactly what he had needed.