I know it's been a minute. Hope you're all still out there.

Everyone was at a complete stand-still, their eyes fixated on Locke, who only paid attention to Ben, the man he was meant to stop, to destroy if it came down to it.

"What, Ben? See a ghost?" Locke asked, as he stepped closer. Mikhail drew his weapon faster than the blink of an eye, pointing it at Locke's chest.

"You tried to kill me, you bastard!" Mikhail snarled.

"Not historically accurate." Locke said, not at all afraid. "I needed a guinea pig and seeing how you were my prisoner at the time, I thought it best not to spoil any more fun for you."

"Mikhail. Put down your weapon." Ben instructed. Mikhail ignored him, continuing to engage in eye contact with Locke. He wanted to shoot him dead so badly, he vibrated with it.

"He's standing next to my daughter, for God's sake! I said put down your weapon, now!" Ben yelled. Mikhail, against every bone in his body, obeyed the direct order and lowered his gun. Ben turned back to Locke.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, still shell-shocked. It was decided, he thought as he stared at this man. John Locke was like a slimy cockroach, the more you wanted to and attempted to kill it, the longer it survived.

"You already know the answer to that question." Locke replied. "Now it's time for you to answer one of mine. Why'd you try to kill me? Because I don't buy that it's because Alex hates you. From where I'm standing Ben, everybody hates you. So, why'd you do it? Why did you take the lives of so many people, just to say you ended mine?"

"You already know the answer to that question, John." Ben said, finally admitting to what he'd done, in a roundabout way.

Locke laughed, more at himself for expecting anything more in an answer, than at Ben, who was never eager to be straight-forward. "Can never get a straight answer out of you, can I?"

He looked over and saw Richard. Their eyes spoke to one another. Locke told him that once he finally figured it out for himself, about Ben and his plan, it would be too late. It turned out he was right. He already made a vow to himself to get Richard out of this alive.

"Is this what it's come to, Ben? Tying up your friends?"

"He was never my friend." Ben corrected him. "He was simply a means to an end."

"Hmm, interesting, because every time I saw you two together, you were whispering in each other's ears, making absolutely sure I couldn't hear what you were talking about. What's changed?"

"Everything's changed." Ben said. "I'm no longer hiding behind what I want everyone to believe about me. I'm not sitting and waiting and hoping. I'm doing something about my fate, my destiny. Something I should have done long before he brought you here."

"Yeah, and what's that?" Locke asked.

"I'm going after him." Ben said, a smug grin on his lips. "I'm going to kill him where he stands and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Hmm." Locke mused, scratching at his bald head as a sign of confusion. "By him, I'm assuming you mean Jacob, because you want the Island. Right? You want what he never gave you, no matter how many dead bodies you have to trample over to get it."

"Are you really gonna stand there and act like you haven't shed someone else's blood to get what you want? I guess we should just chalk up Boone Carlyle's death to his stupidity for following you around."

"Boone was an accident!" Locke yelled, showing the first signs of a temper, of rage. What happened to Boone would always haunt him, and he would always allow it to.

"Of course he was, John. Whatever you have to tell yourself to believe that you're so much better than me." Ben continued to taunt him.

"All that time, you made me think I was going crazy, that what I knew to be true wasn't. You want a spot that already belongs to someone else. Jacob made his choice, and it wasn't you Ben. It was never gonna be you."

"Enough, John." Ben said, his voice low and dangerous.

"I guess that's why you had to get Jack as far away from the Island as you possibly could, because well, his being here wouldn't really go well with the plot you were cooking to take his destiny and make it your own."

"Wait. What?" Kate asked, her arms falling as she let her rifle drop to her side.

What she just heard caused her to completely forget the threat she was surrounded by. Had she heard Locke correctly? Jack had a destiny that was related to the Island? She remembered the last time she saw him, he told her about Jacob, and what he did for the Island, but she never got around to what it all had to do with him. Maybe he didn't want her to know, she thought. She asked him, she recalled, but he became too wrapped up in getting to the beach, to ELMA, to share.

"Oh, Ben didn't tell you?" Locke asked, sarcastically. "What am I saying? Of course he didn't. Jacob chose Jack to protect the Island, Kate, and Ben is the reason why he's not here to fulfill that duty. Only he came back awhile ago, didn't he?"

"How do you know that?" Kate asked. What once brought her joy, Jack's return, was now replaced with intense sadness. Did Jack know about this when they saw each other last? Did he really come back just to stay behind? Did she only get him back just to lose him again? The agony she felt at the thought was written all over her face.

"Jack wasn't the only one to leave the Island that night. Another doctor left with him. Juliet, is it?" Locke asked, turning to Sayid and Sawyer, her cohorts. "I saw her on the beach the day after I came back, after coming from somewhere pretty far, looking like the cat that ate the canary. Not to mention, Hurley is a terrible liar."

"So, Kate, I take it was your decision to keep this from me." Locke accused.

"It was mine." Sayid spoke up. "You've proven yourself completely untrustworthy in the past, so I thought it best to keep you in the dark." He was still going to keep him in the dark about ELMA. There was no reason for Locke to know about it that he could see. If his priority remained the same, to keep them trapped on this Island, he was no better than Ben in Sayid's eyes.

"I understand why you did what you did, Sayid, but I'm not the one you need to hide things from. The only person I ever meant to keep on the Island was Jack." Locke said, eyeing Ben and his gang from the corner of his eye. He turned to Kate. "Where is he?"

"I don't know. But he's here, somewhere." Kate said, still reeling from this news about Jack and the Island.

"The operative word being somewhere, John, or did you not pick up on that part?" Ben scoffed, nauseated by his arrogance. "You haven't won. Jack can be anywhere, but the only person I see standing in front of me, is you, and historically speaking, that's never been a good position for you to be in."

Locke pointed his gun at Ben, shaking his head, absolutely sure of himself. Everything was falling into place, just like Jacob told him it someday would. "It's over, Ben."

"What, are you going to kill me, now? Me? Do you know how many opportunities I've had to kill you? Do you?!" Ben was irate, shedding the cool garb he held to with clinched fists.

"Plenty, I'm sure." Locke said dispassionately, shrugging. His indifference to the real threat Ben created made him even more upset.

"Dozens! Hell, even Richard told me to do it, to kill you no matter what it took, but I didn't, not yet anyways, because I was that sure of what is rightfully mine and that you would never be able to stop me!" Ben yelled.

"Richard only did what he thought was best to save the Island, because he was listening to you, and every single lie you told." Locke shot back.

"You're good. I'll give you that. But just like you said, Ben. You're no longer hiding behind what you want everyone to believe about you. You're not sitting and waiting and hoping. You're doing something about getting what you believe to be yours. It just makes me wonder, though." Locke mused.

He knew that by saying that, he'd reel Ben in. He was arrogant in that way. He needed to be the one messing with everyone's head, never the other way around. Locke was banking on it making him angrier beyond any attempt to stay calm.

"Wonder what?"

"Why didn't the Monster kill me like you told it to?" Locke asked. "If you're taking your rightful place, then why didn't it get rid of your last, standing obstacle? Why am I still here?" Suddenly, infamous chittering and howling bellowed over their heads. The wind picked up and the heady rush of danger loomed.

"I wonder Ben! Whose side will it be on? Yours or mine?!" Locke shouted over the kicking winds right before the Smoke Monster streamed into the clearing with a vengeance. Thunder and lightning stormed within it, creating end of the world type weather.

Kate, Sawyer and Sayid ran for cover at the treeline as the Monster swirled and growled overhead. Richard hobbled as best he could to safety, he almost didn't make it. Sawyer, catching that Mikhail pulled his weapon again, fired a few shots in his direction. Engaging in the gunfire, Mikhail shot back, catching Sawyer with a bullet below his left shoulder before he disappeared into the leaves. Once they were all safe, Sawyer collapsed into the grass, swearing like only he could.

"Ahhh damnit! Son of a bitch!" He hissed, the area throbbing with pain.

Kate reached down to her friend, assessing his injury. "I think the bullet went straight through!"

She pulled out an old t-shirt from her pack, and applied pressure. Sawyer continued to groan and struggle to catch his breath as the pain seared through.

Alex fell to her knees, covering her ears as her hair created a crown above her head. The Monster reeved up for the attack, creating winds so strong, she felt like she was being pushed in every possible direction. She suddenly felt strong hands on both of her upper arms, squeezing and pulling her up.

"Get out of here! Now!" Locke yelled at her.

"What about you?!" Alex asked.

"Don't worry about me!" Locke screamed. "Just go!"

Alex took flight into the jungle while Ben continued to stand tall, scared for his life, but not cowering until he was certain Locke was dead, by any means necessary. He turned to Mikhail. "Kill him! Do it now!"

Mikhail pulled another gun out, both hands full, trying to keep steady as the winds pushed at him. Before he could shoot, the Monster plucked him from where he stood. His screams filled the jungle as the Monster stalked away with him in tow.

Branches from high in the trees fell over the spot Kate, Sawyer and Sayid took refuge, causing them to take cover. Eventually, they heard a loud thud nearby. Kate looked over and into Mikhail's only eye as it slid closed for the last time. Trickles of blood streamed down his face, and his chest appeared crushed as he struggled to expand it, taking in his last breath loudly and agonizingly.

Ben turned to Tom, his last hope, demanding, "Shoot him!"

Tom froze in place, between the Monster's blood thirsty thrills, his fear that he would be attacked and ripped to shreds next, and Ben's order, he wasn't sure what to do. Locke stood there, waiting for it, but Tom never delivered. He was shaking, deathly afraid.

"I'll do it myself!" Ben screamed, grabbing the rifle, struggling to steady it in his hands.

Tom, grateful for the reprieve, fled the scene, but clumsily tripped over his rushed feet, crashing into the ground nose-first. He scrambled to try to get to his feet, but it was too late. He felt the pressure at his ankles, and the snarls pulsating in his ears. He began to scream, to beg and plead, but the force of the Monster's strength as it yanked him through the grass and into the jungle, silenced him.

Ben watched as Tom was dragged away, horrified. In that moment, it hit him. The Monster was no longer his to control, to manipulate. It answered to Locke now. He was all alone. His only weapon was his need to survive and get to Jacob.

"Blondie's gonna kill me for this." Sawyer moaned just as he caught another breath, trying to focus on anything else but the pain.

He squeezed his eyes shut as Kate maneuvered him around a bit, apologizing as she did so. She leaned over him as she secured the bloodied shirt over the wound, by tying a tight knot of the material. She pushed her pack under his head, trying her best to make him comfortable.

"You're gonna be fine. Just hold on for her, okay?" Kate encouraged. Sawyer nodded, his jaw clinched, every nerve in his body catching fire.

Sayid looked through the leaves at the mayhem taking place in the small clearing, watching the Monster take Tom's life. "What are we gonna do now?!"

Kate took her attention off of Sawyer and looked at Sayid. "Give me ELMA!"

Sawyer and Sayid looked at her with bugged eyes, asking in unison, "What?!"

"I gotta get inside the cabin and detonate it!" Kate yelled.

Sayid, keeping himself low to the ground, moved next to her. "We have no idea what ELMA was meant to accomplish!"

"Jack brought it with him for a reason, a good one! We don't have time to wait for him to come back and tell us what that reason is! Sawyer's been shot, that thing is taking out everything in its path and there's no telling what Ben is gonna do next! I have to detonate it now!"

Sayid's eyes darted to and fro, contemplating the ramifications of what Kate wanted to do. He would much rather know if there was a specific location or time-point by which Jack meant to detonate the device, but only in a perfect world would that information be available to him.

"Sayid! This is our only chance!" Kate pleaded with him, pulling him back into their dire situation, her patience waning. She could see the worry in his eyes, the uncertainty. "Once I step over the ash, I'm safe! I'll be okay!"

Sayid breathed out quickly, "Okay!" He reached for his pack and pulled out the device, reminding her how to detonate it. "Once you're inside, press this red button here!" He pointed before dropping it in her hands.

"Easy enough!" Kate said, but she knew Sayid still wasn't sure about this, but there was no other choice to make. Before departing, she looked down at Sawyer, and swiped her hand over his cheek by way of a farewell.

"Kick some ass, Freckles." He whispered, half-conscious, but conscious enough to know that she was leaving, head-first into the eye of the tornado.

She smiled before looking up at Sayid. The Monster's presence intensified as its chittering, snapping and grinding grew louder and more forceful through the heavy breeze. They both knew that she could go out there and be killed before reaching the circle of ash, before finding refuge on the other side of it. They could see it in each other's eyes, but Sayid knew that Kate would die if it meant achieving this, for Jack, for all of them, just as Kate knew that he wouldn't stop her.

Sayid reached out, his hand cupped over the curls that sat at her shoulder. "Good luck!"

Kate nodded, stood, and disappeared into the leaves. She reached the clearing and waited for seconds that ticked on like minutes, hours.

Before Ben could properly situate the rifle in his hands, Locke charged him, pushing him to the ground and sending the rifle flying. Ben fell on his back with a loud groan, the impact of the back of his head with the ground caused him to blackout momentarily. He woke up just in time to see Locke walking towards where he lay on the ground.

"It's finally just you and me!" Locke yelled, as he watched Ben moan in pain, shifting slowly to lie on his stomach, inching towards Mikhail's abandoned handgun.

Before he could reach it, Locke grabbed at his ankles, dragging him away from it and into the center of the wild clearing. Taking a cheap shot, Locke decked him swiftly in the abdomen with his boot, gleeful as Ben coughed and collapsed, his breathing heavy, trying to find its way through the pain.

Kate took this opportunity to run, making sure to steer clear of the eye of the storm, where Ben and Locke tussled. She sprinted for her life, finally making it to the circle of ash. She jumped over it, and headed for the cabin's front door. She could have sworn she felt the Monster's breath running down her neck, but she made it inside, slamming the door behind her.

She looked around at the familiar surroundings. The bed that was much too hard on her back. The stove that was adequate enough to heat up just about anything she needed it to. The table that had a wobbly leg on the top-left side, that made it look a little slanted. She also noticed how quiet it was. She couldn't hear the Monster, Ben or Locke. Or anyone. They all felt worlds away here. Her haven was just as she remembered it, filling her with a sense of purpose and serenity, all in one.

The only sound she could discern was the beating of her own heart, wild and cacophonous.

Locke bent down next to Ben's reclined frame, right after kicking away the other handgun he desperately reached for. He gripped his large hand around Ben's neck, squeezing as hard as he could while pulling Ben close enough to hear him over the Monster.

"Did you really think Jacob would let you get away with this? That I would be that easy to get rid of?!"

Within seconds, and out of Locke's view, Ben pulled out a pocket knife from behind. With a flick of his thumb, he released the thick blade, and drove it into Locke's side, using his fist to twist it. Locke let out an agonizing cry as he keeled over in pain, grunting and swearing as he let go of Ben's neck. He pulled the knife out as quickly as he could, almost blacking out from the torment it caused.

Ben crawled away, coughing and gargling. Eventually rising to his feet, he picked up one of the nearby handguns, and wasted no time scurrying away through the leaves. The cabin was a lost cause. He had to get away from the Monster before it killed him. He had to get away from Locke, for much the same reason.

There was one other place he knew to look for Jacob. The window of opportunity was closing. He had to squeeze his way through it.

"Beeeeeeen!" Locke screamed once he noticed that he was alone. He gripped over the blood that spilled from his stab wound, the dark-red fluid oozed out of the creases between his fingers.

He eventually stumbled to his feet, and followed Ben's path through the trees with a renewed dedication. He wouldn't get away with this.

In the cabin, Kate stood there, letting the tears fall from her eyes. Her last memory of this place was of Jack in her arms, of the man who changed her life, who called her out and picked her up and infuriated her as much as she could be infuriating, coming back to her. It was the jolt she needed. Her system having fell into a restless, but slumbered respite here, because she could feel him. It was only place left in the world where she could still feel him.

She collapsed to her knees, her head and shoulders slumped. She suddenly pulled her head up, looking at the grim walls and dirtied windows with a tearful smile, biting lightly at her bottom lip. She had to let go of this place, for she had other places to be. It had served her well, but she couldn't stay here anymore, she realized. The girl who was known for running had found a home to run to. He had given her that. This cabin, this Island, was nothing if not for her home.

"Jack…" She called out to the silence, her voice scratchy and wrought. This felt familiar to her, she thought, of talking to him while alone and scared, but certain that everything would work out. Clearing her throat, she continued. "…wherever you are…"

She wiped at her tears, meaning the next three words with everything she knew herself to be. "…I love you."

She then pressed the red button, letting go. Soon after, she could hear a solitary noise bellowing from outside of the cabin, a sharp shrill that increased in intensity and severity, piercing and alarming. But, she didn't react with discomfort. It was like her ears had suddenly been tuned to tolerate the offense.

Violet light seamlessly built to an irreproachably bright tone as it poured through the windows, pairing itself with the razored shrill, bleaching everything around her completely out of reach.

Jack pulled away from his father slightly, the tears in his eyes glossing the confusion that shone within them. "Wait a minute. Daniel Faraday gave me that letter."

"How do you think he got it, son?" Christian said, giving his son some space, a moment to take in another crucial piece of information.

Jack stepped back. "He said he got it from his mother."

"Eloise Hawking." Christian said, admiringly. "Quite a woman, I hear. She has a very rich history with this Island, and with Jacob."

Jack's eyes darted from side to side, trying his best to trace back to what Faraday told him, what he knew. He made a list in his head: why he was in Australia, the flight to Los Angeles, the Island. He knew of Eloise's history with the Island, because of the DHARMA Initiative, but he had no idea she knew Jacob, that they were friends, good enough friends for her to have send her son to set him on the fast track back to the Island.

"When he figured out what Ben had done, he asked her for help. She was very willing to give it."

It all made sense now, Jack thought. How helpful this mystery woman had been. Finding him a pilot, handing him a private plane. He remembered demanding to meet her, to know what she knew about the Island, his connection to it, to ask her how she acquired the letter. He could've never imagined hearing the truth from the man who wrote it. He actually thought that she knew where Christian was. Looking back, he was the angriest, meanest and most suspicious version of himself. He was more than happy to leave that person behind.

"Dan, he said that she sent him to find me, to help me get back." Jack looked to his father, amazed. "Jacob did all of that, didn't he?" Christian simply nodded.

"Wow." Jack sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "He has a pretty far reach, huh?"

All Christian could do was smile. "Yes, I suppose he does."

"I saw Mom." Jack shared, opting to change the subject. "She misses you so much."

"I miss her too. How she put up with me all those years, I'll never know." Christian said, tears in his eyes.

Margo was his soulmate. In everything he lacked as a human being, she made up for with loving him, supporting him. All the long hours he worked, the missed birthdays, holidays, anniversaries. He was sure that Jack felt his absence just the same, but there was something about feeling as though he knew his scrub nurse better than he knew his own wife. He didn't deserve her, never had, and her father let him know it. But he wanted her, he was selfish and married a woman he knew he could never give everything to, but would give him everything.

Maybe now that he was gone, she would find the husband and partner that could do just that. He wanted that for her, more than anything.

"She told me…" Jack started, not sure how to approach the topic, but finding that he had no other choice. "…about Claire." He was nervous now, having pictured this moment going very differently. "Actually, a friend of mine told me."

Christian didn't know what to say. "Jack, I…"

"I know." Jack interrupted him, understanding in his eyes. "I know that you were planning to tell me, years ago."

Christian shrugged apologetically. "Your mother wouldn't let me. She threatened me with divorce papers if I told you, if I made any attempt to spend time with Claire. She said she would take you to live with her sister in Santa Monica if I did."

"I can't very well blame her. I wasn't home enough as it was, because of the hospital." Christian admitted. "I owed it to your mother to give her something, the one thing she wanted, she ever demanded."

"You choose us." Jack said.

"I chose my family." Christian emphasized as a tear fell from his eyes, then raced down his cheek. "I couldn't lose my wife and son. I'll always regret what happened with Carole and the pain it caused your mother, but I will never regret or disown my daughter."

Jack nodded, finding himself getting choked up listening to Christian talk about this, so openly and honestly. He might not have been the warmest father, the most sensitive, or even the most loving, but Jack could always tell that his father loved him, and would do anything for him.

"She was never some dirty secret, Jack. She's my child. Just as much as you are, and she always will be."

"I always wondered." Jack said, sticking his hands into his pockets. "Why you picked Australia. You went to see her."

"I killed our relationship, with my drinking, my heavy-handedness, my expectations and my pride, so I…" Christian paused, swallowing hard, "…I thought it would help me mourn our relationship by creating one with her."

"I pulled up to her house one day, all drunk and embarrassing, really…" He recalled, bowing his head and lifting it before he continued. "Carole wouldn't let me see her, and I guess I should be grateful she told me to go, because I didn't want that to be her first impression of me."

"I wanted you to get to know her." Christian admitted, with a small grin. "I think she would have liked having a big brother."

"I did, meet her, get to know her. She was on the plane too, but you already knew that." Jack said.

Christian nodded as he eagerly asked, "Is she okay?"

"The last time I saw her, she was. She and the baby." Jack watched as Christian's eyes brighten at the mention of his grandchild. If he knew that Claire was on the plane, surely he knew that she was eight months pregnant, Jack deduced.

"His name is Aaron. He's beautiful."

"Why of course he is." Christian said, with a boastful smile, chuckling once he heard his son's laughter. It was the most beautiful sound that he didn't hear often enough. The moment was broken by another sound, offensive, sharp buzzing that marched towards a higher frequency the longer it went on.

"What is that?" Jack asked, not at all uncomfortable with the shrilling, but on full alert.

"The bell." Christian said, sadly. He knew this moment was coming, but he didn't expect it this soon.

"What?" Jack asked, his distress evident. For the first time since waking up anywhere he has on this Island since coming back, he didn't want to leave. He had so much more he wanted to say, needed to say. This couldn't be there goodbye, could it? He saw his answer in Christian's eyes.

"I'm gonna see you again, right?" Jack asked, forming it more as a desperate plea than a question, his voice cracking and his heart breaking, angry that he was given this chance, this time, only for it to last mere minutes.

"This is the end of the road, kiddo." Christian sighed as he stepped up to his son, smiling in spite of his tears, of his devastation that he couldn't tell him what he wanted to hear, and make it happen. "You know what you have to do, now."

Jack nodded tearfully, his head bowed, trying to come to grips with what was happening.

Christian quickly wrapped his arms around him in a tight, comforting embrace. Jack completely broke down in that moment, as he hugged his father with just as much fervor and intensity. He whispered into his son's ear, "You have what it takes, my beautiful boy. You always did."

Christian cupped the back of Jack's head, holding him close as he continued to let it go. He took a deep, long breath, sighing happily as he said, "I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Dad." Jack cried, hanging onto him for dear life. He closed his eyes tightly, letting more tears run their course. He tried to savor as much of this …

Radiant violet light flooded through every opening of the cave, rising in appearance. They quickly began to fade out, disappearing within its brilliance.

Jack opened his eyes, slowly, but was suddenly blinded by intense sunlight. He squinted to shade its brightness and to avoid the dust and splintered, little shards of wood that slowly settled over him like snowflakes in the winter. He must have been in a clearing, he thought, for the lack of shade overhead.

He found it difficult to move, to breathe, to do anything productive. The only part of his body he could maneuver was his head. He looked around and sighed at the sight of green leaves and tall grass nearby, full and lush. It was familiar, which helped him to stay calm, but the image was split between piles of wooded debris. That was new, he thought, as he continued to struggle to get his bearings.

Something heavy sat over his chest. He looked down at himself; a thick sheet of hardwood trapped him. He couldn't see his legs or feet. Using what strength he had, he pushed at it, but it barely moved. After two more arduous attempts to free himself, he gave up, too drained to continue. He felt like he would die of heat stroke if he lied there any longer, so he had to do something.

Get up, Jack, he thought to himself. You have work to do.

He braced himself and then pushed as hard as he could. The wood began to shift, creaking and shifting other pieces of debris out of the way, making it easier for him to move it completely off of him. After taking a few, long, deep breaths, he sat up and took in his surroundings. He was situated right in the middle of a disaster zone. He clocked a stove that was turned on itself. Nearby, the remnants of what looked to be a table sat on its top surface, its only two remaining legs pointed upwards.

Nothing else was discernable, except, he felt he'd been here before already, wherever here was before the state it was in at the moment. That was also new, very new.

He looked around, with a keener eye for detail, but couldn't find anything. Then he looked back at the stove, then the crumpled table, the broken shards of glass and then it dawned on him. The cabin. He was back in the cabin, the near-endless piles of rubble that was left of it at least. What was he doing back here? What was he supposed to see, as his father enlightened him, from a bunch of splintered wood and an old log burning stove-oven?

The last time he was here, he wasn't alone. He was with Kate. But where was she now?

"Kate?" Jack called out. He prayed that she wasn't here when this happened. He wanted her to be on the beach, with the others, as far away from danger as possible. Even the thought of Sawyer protecting her was more comforting than the thought of her in danger, fighting for her life and losing it.

Off that harrowing thought, he finally got to his feet, and began to move around in the sea of wood, stumbling. Something on the floor caught his eye. It was different. It didn't look like it belonged. He picked it up, immediately recognizing it. It was ELMA, cracked right through the center, useless.

What was it even doing here? He thought, panicked. Then he remembered. He was trying to get to it. He told Kate about it, and the fact that it was here meant that she had gone to get it, and it meant that she had come here with it. She must have detonated it, given the condition of the cabin. His eyes started to roam again. She detonated it, and that meant she was here, somewhere. Panic rose in his chest again. His worst fear was realized when nearby, he saw a small hand poking out from under a stack of debris.

He could spot that hand anywhere. Oh God.

"No…"

He moved as fast as he could to her side, and immediately began shoving the debris away so he could get closer, to free her, and, god forbid that he needed to, revive her. He looked through the cracks of the wreckage that sat over her, and saw her dirtied, still face underneath it. She was knocked out cold, and probably wasn't breathing. He checked the pulse at her wrist. It was barely there, ticking with a light flutter.

"Hey! I got you!" He called out to her, desperately pulling and pushing, grabbing and throwing. "Hold on, okay?!"

What he lacked in strength before was no longer the case now. He dug as fast as he could for as long as he could, not breaking for a second.

"Hold on, baby." Jack whispered to her, the pet-name flowing out of him with abandon. As sweaty and tired as any human being could possibly be, he couldn't stop.

After the last bit of wreckage was pushed out of the way by his eager hands, he had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms. His eyes combed over her, looking for any signs of injury or insult. By some miracle, there was nothing. Her neck or back could be broken, and any attempt to move her would make matters far worse. Amid the fluttering kick to the gut that seeing her always produced, he noticed how peaceful she looked. Too peaceful. Groaning and crying would mean that she was fighting, conscious. The silence meant defeat.

Breathing erratically, he placed two fingertips at the pulse-point of her neck. Nothing. He was losing her. Panicked, he hovered over her and started compressions. One, two, three, four, five…he counted, before opening his mouth over hers, lightly forcing air. He placed his ear next to her mouth, to hear if she was breathing on her own, but she wasn't. He repeated the cycle twice more to no avail.

He was starting to lose it, to mentally slip into a depression he knew he wouldn't come back from, the loss too great to overcome. So, he started compressions again.

"I came back for you damnit, now you have to come back for me…" Jack pleaded, out of breath as he pressed down, counting to five in his head. The pain, fatigue and devastation could be heard in his voice. "Come on!"

Before Jack could move to push air into her mouth, Kate gasped lightly, taking in a small taste of air. Jack smiled big and wide, the tears streaming down his face. He collapsed once he was sure she was breathing on her own, letting his head rest lightly into the indent where her chest met her shoulder, while one of his hands rubbed over the top of her head. More grateful and in love than he ever thought himself capable, than he wanted to be, after what loving anyone or anything had done to him.

"Breathe…just breathe…" Jack coached, his head still sitting over her chest, his fingers lost in her curls. He could fall asleep there if he allowed himself to, the rhythmic ebb and flow of her breathing soothing to his every ache.

Kate continued to pull trivial bites of air in and then push it out. She eventually opened her eyes, blinking the near-death experience as far away as possible. She felt him before she saw him, and smiled. She lifted her hand, and ran it over the back of his head and down his back.

"Jack?" He lifted his head, and moved up to greet her.

He saw the grin on her lips and couldn't help but return it. "Hey."

"Hey." She whispered, running her hand down his cheek. He could see the joy in her drowsy eyes. "You're back."

Jack laughed, combing his fingers through her curls yet again, restless yet rejuvenated by the sight of her siren green eyes and the sound of her voice. "Can't seem to stay away. You okay?"

Kate nodded, blinking sleepily. Her well-being was the furthest thing from her mind as she allowed herself to sink into the hazel zest of his eyes. God how she missed his eyes. "Are you back for real? For good?"

Jack cocked his head. "Yeah, I think so."

Kate lifted her head and slightly pushed her back off the floor, signaling that she wanted to sit up. Jack, hovering over her relentlessly, put his arms around her, helping her to get her bearings. Once she was upright, she drove herself further into his chest, just as he began to hold tighter, pulling her forward. The same idea came to them at the very same time. It felt so good to be home.

"Thank God." Kate sighed, closing her eyes tightly as she rested her cheek into his shoulder.

The tears fell openly and happily, as she giggled, biting down on her lower lip in an attempt to contain herself. But her hands, they were everywhere. She couldn't help it. They eventually released each other from the hug, but still held to each other. Their eyes touched again, and they could actually feel each other's lips just from the want of it. To break the tension, Jack looked around, taking in the splintered remnants of the cabin once again, amazed at how they survived this.

Kate's eyes followed, stunned by what she saw. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it had something to do with this." Jack showed her the broken device. Judging from his tone, Kate knew that he knew what happened, and didn't approve. "I take it you uh….took matters into your own hands."

Kate was about to open her mouth and explain herself when they heard a voice from nearby.

"Jack?" It was Sayid, staring at him as if he couldn't believe he was there. He looked out at the debris, and was floored by the miracle that kept his friends alive.

Jack rose to his feet, pulling Kate with him. Sayid quickly navigated through the wreckage and offered his hand to Kate. Once she was free of the scene, he did the same for Jack.

Jack took his hand, and once clear of the wreckage, shook it. He nodded. "Sayid."

"It's very good to see you." Sayid said, then looked over to Kate. "You both."

Jack grinned. "It's good to be seen."

Sayid turned to Kate. "I take it you detonated ELMA?"

Kate nodded, "Yeah, I did."

Sayid turned to Jack. "Why did you bring it to the Island?"

"I was told to, by a physicist. Daniel Faraday. He'd been on the Island before, conducting research and when I told him the Swan Hatch blew, he got me back here as fast as he could, gave me the device the day I left, told me to detonate it as soon as I got back. Can't exactly do that when you're time-travelling all over the Island."

"Did you just say time-travel?" Sayid asked. Jack opened his mouth to try his best to explain when Kate spoke up, too lost in her own thoughts and wanting to understand what was happening.

"What does the Swan Hatch have to do with an EMP generator?" Kate asked.

"The Island sits on this massive pocket of energy. The hatch was a band-aid for a botched excavation project back in the late 70s. They taped into that energy and if not for the hatch, the Island would have been completely destroyed."

"Of course." Sayid said. "The button had to be pressed periodically to exonerate the build-up."

"Exactly." Jack said, smirking proudly at how intelligent Sayid was.

"I remember what happened when the hatch blew. The sky filled with this bright purple light and there was this high-pitched shrill. It was unlike anything I'd ever seen or heard before. It's the same thing that happened here, I take it at the exact moment Kate detonated the device." Sayid mentioned.

What he didn't mention was that this event had caused the Monster to completely disintegrate before his very eyes. What he believed to be an imminent attack, as its growling and ticking grew heavier in the trees, was in fact its demise. He hovered over Sawyer to protect him, as the torrential winds switched gears, folding the trees and everything in his path in every direction. He looked up to see the dark swirls of smoke pulling apart, crumbling. The purple light mounted to an unbearable grade, so he closed his eyes, waited for it to end. Once it was safe to open them again, the Monster was gone, as was the bright light.

"Yeah, I saw it, just before I woke up in the wreckage." Jack said.

"You did? How?" Kate asked.

Jack looked down at her and was immediately taken by the blush of her freckled cheeks and the sun in her hair. He mumbled, "I don't know."

How was it that she still looked so beautiful after having almost died? How was he supposed to walk away from her, again? He dreaded it with every breath he took. He turned back to Sayid. "So, you think it worked?"

"Most likely, yes. But there's no way to be sure, unless your Physicist friend equipped you with another intricate device that he can very accurately measure what might remain?" Sayid asked.

Jack shrugged, shaking his head. "He didn't."

"Well, we'll just have to trust that Dr. Faraday made the proper calculations when designing the device." Sayid said. He looked at the treeline, stepping towards it.

"We need to get going." Sayid stopped once he saw the question in Jack's eyes.

Kate filled Jack in. "It's Sawyer, he's been shot. He doesn't have much time."

Sawyer was still on his back, in the high grass, his teeth clinched like a vice. He was starting to lose a sense of place and time, like he was drifting somewhere that didn't even know the concept of time. He blinked a few times to keep awake, but it was useless at this point. He was so tired, and hot and…dead. He was so dead. He remembered Sayid saying, 'Hold on, don't move, I'll be right back…' before he disappeared, but he didn't know if he could wait any longer.

He closed his eyes and could feel himself falling. It felt easy, easier than anything he'd ever done in his life. But then he heard his name, at a distance. It echoed, growing closer and closer.

'James'…He was back at the surface, heard it again, louder this time, clearer. "James."

"James…hey…" Jack said, trying to get his friend to wake up. He patted his sweaty cheeks to rouse him. He opened his eyes, slowly.

"Jack?" Sawyer mumbled weakly. He didn't know if he was dreaming or if he was actually seeing his friend hovered over him, his face coming into focus.

"Why am I not surprised you've been shot, huh?" Jack joked, pulling the cloth back to check the damage. A lopsided smile curled a corner of Sawyer's lazy mouth.

"You know me Doc, always willin' to die for a good cause." His laugher led into intense coughing and groaning. Yeah, he wasn't dead yet.

"Looks like the bullet went straight through." Jack said after studying the area and placing the makeshift bandage back over the wound. "I can't do anything for him out here."

He turned to Kate and Sayid. "We gotta get him back to camp."

Jack watched as Kate and Sayid looked to each other, a guilty, sullen, pregnant pause that made his stomach churn.

"What? What is it?"

Sayid hung his head slightly, deciding to rip the bandage already. "There is no camp."

Jack's eyes rounded with surprise. He turned to Kate, saw the tears in her eyes. "What?"

"Locke suddenly resurfaced about a day or so ago, and last night, the Monster attacked the beach." Sayid saw that Jack was bracing himself for the rest of it, because there had to be more. Sayid swallowed hard before sharing the rest. "More than half of our group was killed."

Shock, pain, loss and disgust marred Jack's features. He closed his eyes and hung his head, bringing his hand up to cup his forehead, his fingers catching in his dark hair. A string of expletives ran through his mind, as a litany of fault followed close behind. Kate watched him, the tears falling down her cheeks. She wanted to kneel next to him, to hug him, because she knew what he was doing right now. He was blaming himself, for not getting here fast enough, for not getting them all off the Island before something like this could happen. He was going to carry this around, like he always did.

Jack stayed like that for what felt like hours. He sniffed the tears back as he brought his head up, running his hand through his hair, to rest on the back of his neck. He didn't look at anyone in particular when he asked, "Who's left?"

"Hurley, Charlie, Claire, Aaron, Sun, Jin, Rose, Bernard, Juliet, and a few others." Sayid shared.

While he didn't show it, Jack's heart slowed at the mention of Claire and Aaron, that they were alive. If anything had happened to them in particular, he never would have forgiven himself. He noticed that Locke wasn't mentioned among those who survived, which answered a question that had plagued him for months.

He failed him. He failed all of them. All of this was to get every single person off of the Island, and he would only be able to achieve less than half of that goal. He took into account those who did survive. They still needed him. He wanted revenge. He couldn't very well take it out on the Monster itself, ELMA already took care of it, but he still needed it. Someone had to pay.

It dawned on him, what Jacob told him about the Monster, and how he lost control of it, and who had taken advantage. The Monster was a mere puppet, always had been. The man behind the curtain was culpable. Jack looked up at Sayid.

"Ben. He sent it after Locke, didn't he?"

"Yes, but it appears that he's not its master anymore. Locke used it to gain the upper hand once he appeared here to confront him. It's how we were able to escape." Sayid said.

"Wait a minute. Ben and Locke were here?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Ben was trying to get into the cabin. Said he had someone to see." Kate shared. "The last time I saw Locke, he was throwing Ben to the ground. That was before I made it inside. I'm not sure where they are now."

Jack stood, determination replacing sadness. "I need to find them."

"What? Why?" Kate asked, stepping up to him.

"It's a long story, I can't get into it right now." Jack said, realizing that was a shitty way of bypassing her questions, but by her estimation, Sawyer didn't have much time. Neither did he. "You have to get Sawyer to the rest of the group."

Kate scoffed. "So, running off to save Locke is more important than helping Sawyer?"

"Of course not. Juliet is back with the others, right? She'll know what to do." Jack defended himself. He could see that Kate was not happy with his answer. He really didn't want to argue with her, but he knew she was ready to. Born to run and born to bust his balls apparently.

"Do you think this is wise, Jack?" Sayid spoke up, calmly. "Going out there, alone, after what Ben had planned?"

Jack looked between the two of them, suspicious. "You know about that?"

"Yeah. Locke revealed everything." Kate said. She was waiting on Jack to tell her, that Jacob chose him to protect the Island. She wanted him to confide that in her so badly, she could taste it. But he wasn't going to. He was going to keep this from her, until the very last minute, and it made her feel so terribly alone.

What was everything? Jack wanted to know, but he didn't have time. He started to retreat while he spoke. "I gotta find them. Get Sawyer to Juliet."

"You're not going alone." Kate spoke up.

Jack stopped in his tracks, turned to her. "Kate—"

"You just got back, and now you're gonna head off head-first into danger? Locke is the reason why Ben targeted the beach in the first place. He's the reason why all of those people are dead." Kate argued.

"Locke also saved your life just now, because Ben, no matter what he said to you, was gonna kill you just because you got in his way." Jack shot back.

He locked his gaze with hers, and saw what he knew would be the only thing to make him reconsider. Unshed tears. She was worried about him. Really worried. He didn't understand it. Her focus should be on Sawyer. He was the one who was bleeding, closer to dying. He was the one she was with. Why wasn't her focus on Sawyer?

Jack cupped Kate's elbow, squeezing it gently. "I know you don't understand, Kate, but this is something I have to do, and I have to do it on my own." Kate opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.

"Take care of Sawyer, okay? He needs you." She saw the sadness in his eyes and heard it in his tone, before he nodded to her and Sayid, let his hand fall and disappeared into the leaves.

Her heart began to race with unrest. To say she was confused would be an understatement. Was he saying that he didn't need her, and by extension, want her? She didn't believe that. She couldn't, but how he had pushed her to be with Sawyer just now made her realize just how much Jack still didn't understand, about the cages, about who she loved, and who she always loved.

They needed to talk, soon and they were going to, before he took on any destiny that had been laid out for him here, if she had anything to say about it.

Really, Jack? LOL. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that.