Disclaimer: I do not own Lost or any of it's characters (obviously or this story wouldn't have happened! stupid Shoone killers!)
Author's Note: Okay, long time since I updated, I know, but this one took a lot of work. I hope it was worth it…
Just so you all know, there probably isn't much more of it to go, four or five chapters at the most. I'll see how it goes, but thanks for all your support!
Boone didn't go back into the camp. He sat against the tree, Shannon's lifeless body cradled in his arms, weeping uncontrollably.
He had lost her. His Shannon, his everything. Gone. Just like that.
He wanted to scream. He wanted to cry and swear and punch something. But, most of all, he just wanted Shannon. The one thing he could now never have.
It hadn't been so bad when he had died. It was easier to let go, thinking that she didn't care about him, and knowing that Sayid was there in his place, that she had given him that place. But now? Knowing she had, all along, felt exactly as he had. It just made everything seem pointless and all the more painful.
Why had he been brought back, if only to suffer losing her all over again?
Wait! That was it! He had been brought back to life, why couldn't she? Did he just have to wait a few days, like she had? Boone couldn't do that. He needed Shannon back NOW! He had to find whatever it was that brought him back.
Without even realizing it, Boone's legs were carrying him through the jungle, trees and bushes flying past in a blur, Shannon's limp body cradled in his arms. He would find it, no matter what, he would not fail her again.
Boone had no idea how long he ran for. It rained again, multiple times. Boone didn't notice. He just kept running, looking for some sign of anything that even remotely looked like it could bring a person back to life. He found nothing.
He finally fell to his knees, exhausted beyond belief.
AAAAAAAAARRRGH! He screamed inside his head, his throat not capable of expressing his anguish.
He'd run out of energy, of ideas, of hope.
He had failed. Shannon was gone and he couldn't bring her back.
More tears. Torrents of them. Boone had never cried so much in his life. He wanted to find a deep, dark hole and throw himself in it.
A hole…the hatch! That was where they were! It had to be! The shadow had come from there, it was one of them. Some small part of Boone's consciousness wondered what he meant by 'them' but it was overridden by his urge to get Shannon back.
Running again, faster than before, faster than Boone had ever moved in his life. He had hope again.
He was at the hatch before he knew which way he had gone. Nothing had changed. The twisted remains of the door lay a few feet away, the opening still dark and ominous.
Boone went right up to the edge of it and looked in. Black nothingness greeted him.
With one last look at Shannon's cold, perfect face, Boone stepped forward.
The darkness engulfed him instantly, Boone couldn't even see his own nose.
He fell. And fell, and fell. Warm air rushed past him. Not that Boone noticed any of this, he could only think that if this wasn't what he hoped it was, he was finished. There would be no point living if he couldn't be with Shannon.
Without warning, his body came to a stop, in mid-air. Boone could see nothing. For all he knew, there was nothing except for him and Shannon's body. Even when he looked up, he couldn't see the opening that he knew was above him.
Suppressing a shudder, Boone tightened his grip on Shannon's body, only to find his arms now held nothing but air.
NO! Nonononononononono!
Where was she? He couldn't have dropped her, he hadn't even noticed her weight being lifted from him.
You have returned
Boone stopped. Where had that come from?
"H-hello?"
Something was down here. The Others? No, Boone could feel it wasn't them. Something about the voice, or voices, he couldn't tell, felt familiar. It felt like, home.
Are you ready to help us
"Help you what?"
Rid us of Them
"Th-the Others?"
Yes
"What are They?"
Abominations
As that one word echoed through the darkness, Boone could feel the hatred poured into it. Whatever these things where, they certainly didn't like the Others.
"A-and what are you?"
We are the island
We are every creature, every plant, every element
All of it we can turn to our will
Somehow, Boone had already known that. It was like that was the answer he expected all along. It just made sense.
"So why can't you just crush the Others with trees or something?"
Anything we use they can absorb our power through it
"And that's why you need me?" Things were starting to click into place. Not everything, but at least Boone was starting to make sense of some of it.
We can create many things
But the one thing beyond our ability is the creation of independence
Even our most advanced creations are but animals
To stand against Them, the will to do so is required
"Then why can't you defeat Them? You obviously have the will."
We do not have physical form
Without it we have no defense against Their methods
You however have everything required
The power to defeat them
The will to do so
And the body to contain both and bind them together
"I don't understand, why couldn't you just give me this power when I first crashed on the island?"
You had to be a part of our domain for us to bestow them
And you had to be unable to resist us
Boone had to think what that meant. Part of their domain? What the hell did that mean?
"Wait, you caused my death?" But he knew the answer before he asked the question.
Yes
"And Shannon, did you kill her too?" He knew the answer to that too. It was as if a veil had been lifted and now everything made sense to him. All that had happened since the crash made sense.
The Other's killed her
"But they wouldn't have found us if your guard hadn't led them straight to our camp! You knew they would start the fires, you knew Shannon was asthmatic, and you knew I would come looking for you, to bring her back to life." Boone was beginning to wonder if everything that had happened to them hadn't been part of these things' plan.
We cannot bring her back
"Why not?"
It serves no purpose
"The fuck it doesn't!" Boone screamed into the darkness. His face was contorted with rage. These, things, didn't seem to understand him. He'd just have to make it clear.
"If you don't bring Shannon back to life, I'm not going to help you."
You have no choice but to help us
"Why, because you brought me back to life? Am I somehow indebted to you for it? Well I'm sorry but if Shannon's not with me, I have no reason to live so you wasted your time."
If you do not, they will kill you and your people
"You just said, I can beat them. My people and I have nothing to worry about."
If you do not defeat them soon, they will destroy us
"You say that like I'm supposed to care."
If they destroy us, they will become more powerful than you
That scared Boone.
"Look, just bring her back! Please! I'll do whatever you want. But I can't live without her." He didn't really think begging would help, these things obviously had no concept of compassion, but he was running out of ideas.
"Please, I need her."
The silence stretched on, Boone stared aimlessly, the darkness pressing in all around him.
If we do bring her back, you must stay
Boone didn't see how that was a problem. Chances were they would never be rescued anyway.
"Uh, alright."
Forever
"How am I supposed to do that? I won't live forever."
You will
Boone didn't understand how they would do that, but they had already brought him back once. And it meant he would get Shannon back. Plus these things didn't seem too keen on just letting him walk away. Boone didn't see any other choice.
"Fine."
And what of the other
"The other what?"
The other life
"I don't know what you're talking about. There's only Shannon."
The life inside her
Boone had no idea what that meant. Life inside her? But, that would mean…
"She's pregnant!"
Yes
Oh my god. Shannon's pregnant! A bubble began to form inside of Boone. Not only would he be getting the woman he loved back, he'd also be getting a child.
Do you want it brought back as well
"Of course!"
Very well