Chapter 6: On the Island

Her heart was racing and she didn't know why. Even her muscles were tensed, ready for action. She pressed her eyes tightly shut, hoping it was some horrible dream. A reaction to the T.V.

Had she fallen out of the tree she and Sam had been sitting in as they watched the family? Couldn't be…Kate had never fallen out of a tree in her life.

Then she moved her palm…sand? Where the—

"KATE!" Sawyer's voice was hoarse and panicked, "SAM!"

Her eyes snapped open, wildly, as though she'd heard a gunshot. Before emotion could register, before the search for her lover and her child began…she saw the trees. The palm trees. They were swaying gently in the breeze, unaware that they caused a cold, fearful to break out all over Kate's body. She had to be dreaming, had to be hallucinating, had to be…

Taking a step forward she hissed in pain. Looking down she saw a small shard of seashell jammed into her foot. As she carefully extracted it and wrapped a tissue from her pocket around the wound, Sawyer's cry came again. This time his voice cracked.

"KATE! SAM!"

As though the raw feeling in his voice was a rush of cold water she burst into action, "I'm HERE! SAWYER!"

She heard the heavy rustle of jungle brush as Sawyer approached. The leaves birthed a wild man, his long hair partially matted with the blood from a long cut on his forehead. His eyes were feral with fear, a fire that only lessened a fraction when he saw her. The steps between them weren't even register; it seemed she was instantly in his arms.

"Are you alright? You okay?" He began searching her for injuries even as he swatted her hand from his head with a muttered, "It's nothing."

Assessing that she was intact he cupped her face, "Where's Sam?"

Kate suddenly felt the pure panic she had vowed never to feel again. Her child wasmissing. Maybe in mortal danger! The fear and rage mixed in her blood, running from head to toe and coming to a boil in her womb, where she felt the missing presence most heavily. Where the panic was strongest.

"Sam! SAM!" She began running and yelling despite physical pain and extreme confusion. It didn't matter where she was or what was happening: she needed to find her daughter.

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"HELP! Help me! Please! My baby!"

Sam squinted against the sharp pain that hit her when she tried to open her eyes.

"PLEASE HELP ME!"

This time she flung her eyes open without difficulty. Instantly she sat up, was alert, and began taking in everything around her, trying to hone in on that scream.

She must've banged her head something awful, because she couldn't really be here. This was…where was this? Tropical palm trees, coarse sand, deep blue water…

And a small blonde woman wading into the water after a car seat which held a crying toddler. But it didn't seem that the woman was moving very well, she was favoring one leg. Sam got up to rush towards her but fell, her balance completely thrown off. On the second try she managed to keep her legs but by the time she got into the surf someone sped past her, diving in the water head first, and paddling madly out to the child.

"Mom! MOM!" The cry came from behind, "DAD! MARITA!"

Sam turned to see the voice, it came from a tall, lanky boy about her age. He had a cut on one cheek and seemed dazed, as though waking from a dream. Some awakening. She walked over to him, kneeling down.

"Hey…" He didn't respond. He was still looking wildly around. She shook his shoulder, "Hey!"

This time he met her eyes and something about his expression changed. The fear lessened, the panic subsided. The wild light that had blinded him to her at first died out.

"Hey…" He responded and tried to get up but putting weight on his arm made him flinch.

Sam saw and moved so that she could drape the arm over her shoulder and let him rest against her for support, "Do you think you can stand?"

"Yeah…" Together they managed to get him on his feet. Realizing he no longer needed her help he hastily took his arm back from around her. They looked at each other for a moment, unsure as to what to do.

Without meaning to they began to walk, when the boy tripped and went down, Sam dove to help him. But from behind her someone screamed, "GET OFF OF HIM! DON'T YOU HURT HIM!"

There was a string of some language before Sam was tackled from behind. Without pausing for explanations Sam began throwing punches at the person's face. When hair came into her view she yanked it. When fingers clawed at her face she bit them. Her legs were constantly kicking, her nails constantly raking over flesh.

Once, years ago, her father had told her she fought like a hellcat. She knew no rules, no boundaries. When she fought she fought only to survive, to move on. If she had to bloody your nose or break your neck, she would do what it took. Nothing else mattered besides the outcome of the fight.

No wonder that she didn't hear the boy yelling for her to stop. Then another voice joined in, deeper and more commanding but she took no notice.

"Sam!" A familiar drawl rang out, "Goddammit Sam! Get off her!"

Whether her father spoke to her or the other person, she couldn't tell and didn't really care. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her off. She was kicking and clawing at naked air for a moment before she stopped and the red left her eyes, letting reason back in.

A few feet away her attacker was being held back. The girl's face was marked with bloody claw prints, her nose dripped and her lower lip was split. Behind her stood a tall man with a buzz cut, he was holding her back though she struggled against his grip, tears and rage coloring the words she spoke, even though she was speaking a language Sam didn't know.

Above her Sam saw her father, his long hair askew and a patch of blood blooming fresh from a cut on his forehead. Behind him her mother stood at the ready, prepared to pounce or retreat.

But both her parents were frozen, their eyes locked with the man holding the struggling girl. Their expressions were very "What the hell!".

Suddenly her mother spoke, "Jack?"

"Kate?" The man replied, "Sawyer?"

Behind him a Hispanic woman was helping the boy to his feet; he kept swaying when he walked.

"Ana Lucia?" The woman looked up and her face was stunned, "Sawyer?...Kate?"

Down a bit further on the beach the blonde woman began shrieking again. The man, Jack, immediately released what Sam assumed to be his daughter and raced down to the shore, right behind him was Kate, trying to keep up like a loyal dog. The rest of the party made their way down, Ana and Sawyer casting glances at Sam and the girl she'd been fighting as though they expected the fight to break out again.

"Nice way to make friends, Ali."

At the beach the small woman stood next to a tall, blondish haired teen who was soaking wet and still holding the crying toddler from before. Behind him was a younger boy with dark hair. The woman had her arm around another boy with another girl clutching at her leg. On the ground was an older man, short with a scruffy face and a large cut on his temple.

He wasn't conscious.

"He just came out of the water and he's not breathing…" The woman was crying, her accent making the words hard to catch.

"Just calm down Claire, stay calm." Kate was moving towards her as Jack kneeled next to the man.

"Charlie! Charlie can you hear me?" Jack shouted.

"He's NOT BREATHING!" Claire shrieked again, she appeared to be shaking. All the children were staring from her to the unconscious man, unsure as to which frightened them more.

Jack began CPR as Kate checked the woman and children for injuries. The teenager had a cut on his side that was pretty deep, but everyone else seemed to have minor wounds. Sam looked at the boy. Something about him seemed terribly familiar. Like she'd seen him before. Known him before. He caught her eyes as she was staring and held his own. They might've stared each other down for days if the man on the ground didn't start coughing up water.

"CHARLIE!" The woman shrieked and dove on to the ground, throwing her arms around him, "Thank God, Charlie! Charlie!"

After they sobered and stood, the children all jumping on him in joy that he was alive. Then everyone was silent.

"Is anyone missing?"

The people present all said no, they weren't missing anyone that they knew about. Kate moved back to Sawyer and Sam, he wrapped his arm around Kate's waist and kept one hand on Sam's shoulder. Territory claimed, in his mind.

Jack moved over to the Hispanic woman and the two teenagers she had her arms around. The blonde woman and Charlie stood with what Sam assumed to be their massive brood.

"Where are we?" The boy Sam had helped finally spoke up.

"Probably hell." She quipped.

"No, it's worse," Her mother's voice shook causing her father to draw her closer, "We're back on the island."

TBC

Author's Note:

I updated earlier then normal (by two whole days!) so I expect some warm cookies for that! (just kidding)

I began this chapter while watching a documentary on the song "Strange Fruit" so that depression and dark humor might have bled through onto this chapter… but aside from that it's relatively short and basically just presenting a plot point (a plot point that you can probably get from reading the title). It also introduces all our families and establishes some relationships…

How did you guys like Sam's meeting of everyone?

Did the chapter read ok? Any questions?

I wrote the majority of this chapter when I was supposed to be writing a Document Based Question Essay on the French Revolution… so I should probably get back to that. But PLEASE review!

Again: PROPS TO BUTTERFLY WITHOUT WHOM MY LAZY ASS WOULD NEVER UPDATE!

Reminder: PLEASE PLEASE if your good with art please show me how you see the characters (as my attempt to make aaron was…deplorable at best) and if you'd like to make Aaron's CD cover feel free