First, thank you to all of you who are taking the time to read and review this fic. I am SO glad you are enjoying it!

Second, I SWEAR I had this planned before the Hunting Party aired; it's just been tweaked a little to fit in more with the episode.

Chapter 16
The girl came closer; Locke realized he'd made a mistake. She was too young, and wilder looking. But the resemblance was uncanny; Locke glanced at Eko, who was staring curiously at her also.

"You know me, Mr. Locke?" She stopped before them, twisting her long dark hair in her fingers and staring at her bare feet. A spider was crawling along one of her toes, and she deftly picked it off and set in in the grass.

Locke was still a little stunned. "N-no, I made a mistake," he said. Recovering quickly from his shock he added, "But I believe I know your mother." She glanced at him. "Alex."

The girl smiled. "Yes," she said softly, "I'm Alex." She had a hazy, ethereal quality to her, though she was solid matter. Locke noticed that she had left no tracks in the soft soil. She suddenly turned serious. "The people you are tracking- they are close. You have to come with me now."

Eko spoke up, fingering his club. "Come with you where?"

Alex smiled. "Mister Eko, I think you'll like it. In fact, it may make you feel right at home." She giggled a little, then frowned. "We'll be coming for him soon. You have to get him out and back to your camp. You'll be safer there."

Locke tilted his head a little. "Safer?" he asked. That didn't sound reassuring. Alex looked a little sad. "Why..do you want him?" He still wasn't sure who 'him' was, but he played along.

"Because Walt does." She said it as if she were speaking to an idiot.

Locke was confused. He glanced over at Eko, who also had a somewhat perplexed look on his face. Wouldn't Michael go willingly if it involved Walt?

"I don't understand, Alex. Michael loves Walt, he's been out looking for him, day and night. He would just go with you."

She shook her head, sighing a little. "Michael cannot see Walt, or hear him. He is not one of us. All he will see is blackness; all he will hear is silence." Seeing the worried look on Locke's face, Alex smiled a little. "He is fine, John. Walt is very special- but then you knew that didn't you?"

Locke nodded. "Yes."

"He is better off with us. So are the others we took from your camps. But Michael will die; he will live in darkness and silence until he believes he is dead. Then what's the difference?"

Locke hesitated. "I saw your mother's tracks, meeting up with Michael and Jin. Why did she hand them over to you?" Alex twisted the bottom of her ragged shirt nervously.

"They promised her...something." Locke didn't press it.

"Why are you telling us this?" Eko spoke again, gently.

Alex shook her head. "No more questions. We have to go. Now." Locke glanced at Eko, silently asking him his opinion. Despite their differences in personal dogma, Locke enjoyed the big Nigerian. He was intelligent and well-spoken (two qualities Locke put a lot of stock in) and they also shared the bond forged by the Island. And he had faith. Eko nodded almost imperceptibly, and Locke nodded too. Alex smiled. "Let's go, then." She stepped into the trees and faded into the brush; Locke and Eko followed, melting silently behind her, leaving the pit behind.

-----

Luckily for Kate, Locke and Eko had left a pretty clear trail through the jungle. She was barely looking at the ground; her head was spinning. It wasn't so much that Ana had called her Maggie -and that was no slip of the tongue- but the name made her remember things that she had only just managed to push to the back of her mind. Her world for the past week had revolved around Sawyer to the extent that everything else had been forgotten; he made her want to smile, and laugh, and- she shivered at the thought- feel for the first time in a very, very long time. But Ana's 'slip' brought all of those terrible things crashing back onto her, crushing her beneath the renewed weight of guilt and fear. And the need to run away.

She didn't hear Sawyer coming up from behind. He was panting a little, trying to catch up to her; she was going fast. He finally drew up next to her. "Slow down, Freckles. You ain't runnin' a race." She didn't seem to hear him. "Ohhhkay. Maybe you are. Who's winnin'?" Still no response. "Kate!"

He grabbed her arm; she stopped and stared at the ground. "What?"

He tried to look in her eyes, but she wouldn't raise her head. "Hey, you okay?" He cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her face to his, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "What was that about back there?"

She looked everywhere but his eyes. She wanted away; from everyone and everything. She wanted to hide herself behind that door again and lock herself in with her memories and her guilt. She wanted the airplane. "Nothing."
She pulled away from him and started walking.

Sawyer didn't know what to do. He stared after her for a second, then caught up again. He tried to take her hand, but she jerked it away angrily; he stopped, glaring at her back. "Okay, Freckles," he called after her, a little hurt. "I guess I'll see you on the flip side." He dropped back, letting Ana and Jack pass him by. He wasn't really mad at Kate; she was obviously upset about the name thing. But Ana was another story; he could already feel his fingers around her throat. He walked behind her and Jack, imagining the ways he would like to hurt them both.

They came into a large clearing and Kate stopped for a drink. And she couldn't bear it any longer, she wanted the plane. It was in her pack; she wanted it in her hand, in her pocket- somewhere she could feel it. She rummaged around in her pack, while Jack and Ana glanced around.

"I know where we are, Jack," she said, pointing to a funny-looking pile of fronds. "That's the pit. We're close to our old camp."

Sawyer was looking at Ana with narrowed eyes, standing near the edge of the pit. "Well, looky here. My old place. I was feelin' a little homesick." He glanced back at Kate, but she was still digging frantically in her pack.

Ana sneered at him. "I think there's a vacancy, if you're interested." She motioned into the pit.

"Nah," Sawyer said, leaning in threateningly, "I ain't slummin' any more." Kate had her pack dumped out on the ground, scattering her things everywhere. Sawyer grabbed at his pocket, remembering he'd taken something out of her pack earlier. He scrabbled at his pockets- it was gone. Oh, shit, he thought, what the hell did I do? He tried to remember if he'd taken it out of his pocket, but he didn't think so, once he put it there he forgot all about it.

Ana was smiling nastily at Kate, who was still digging through everything in her bag, pulling socks apart, unfolding a shirt and shaking it. She glanced over at Jack, who was staring at Kate with a look of concern. That infuriated her. She pulled something out of her pocket and held it up in the air. "Is this what you're looking for, Maggie?" She called out, holding Tom's plane in her hand.

Kate turned to look. Her heart froze as she saw Ana with the airplane and something in her snapped. "Give me that."

Ana smirked at her. "No." Neither Jack or Sawyer had moved; they were watching apprehensively as Kate stalked slowly towards Ana. Sawyer was stunned; this was a Kate he had never seen before. She was frightening; her eyes were blazing and he was suddenly a little scared for Ana, of all people, because Kate had murder in her eyes and he knew she was capable of it.

Kate stood toe-to-toe with Ana, staring into her eyes. "Give it to me. Now."

Ana glared back. "No."

Kate's fist came out of nowhere, splitting Ana's lip against her teeth and sending her sprawling in the dirt. Ana was up quickly, tasting the blood from her lip. She smiled at Kate, showing bloody teeth. "That all you got?"

Kate smiled, but it was cold, hard smile. "Hardly."

Jack started forward, but Sawyer grabbed his shirt, holding him back. "This don't have anything to do with us, Doc," he said. "This is between them." Jack glared at him, but he didn't try to break it up.

The two women circled each other warily. Kate was calculating and cold; she waited for an opportunity. Ana still held the plane in her hand; she held it out teasingly towards Kate, trying to bait her into going for it. "You know I was a cop, right, Maggie?" Ana taunted. "Yeah. A year or so ago I was in New Mexico, a training excercise with the US Marshals." Kate didn't respond. Jack and Sawyer exchanged glances at the mention of Marshals. Ana kept on. "While I was there, someone robbed a bank. Not usually something the Marshals get in on; but this one was different. It was a setup. The Marshals wanted this bank to get robbed."

Kate found an opportunity. Ana glanced away for an instant to Jack; in that second Kate rammed her, her hands grabbing for the plane. They both fell to the ground, rolling and wrestling, then Ana was up on her feet and Kate already up circling. Ana still had the plane. They were both breathless and covered in dirt and leaves. Grinning, her teeth still red, Ana dangled the airplane in front of Kate. "They were looking for someone in particular. A murderer who had escaped custody. Who had also killed her old boyfriend by driving through a roadblock with him in the front seat with her." Ana's tone turned cold and venomous. "He had a kid, too, isn't that sad?"

Sawyer and Jack were frozen. Jack was staring at Kate as if she were an alien; as if he'd never seen her before. Sawyer, on the other hand, looked sadly at her. He wanted to hold her, to stop this- he didn't want her to hear any more. He didn't want to hear any more. But Ana plowed on. "So she tricks this guy into helping her rob this bank, then shoots him and his two buddies." She glared at Kate. "One of them died. Did you know?"

Guilty tears rolled down Kate's cheeks as she nodded. Sawyer had to restrain himself from pulling his gun and shooting Ana in the head. I'm gonna get you for this, he thought. You are going to pay for this.

"But here's the crazy part," Ana said. "She didn't take any money. All she took was this." She held up the plane. "All of that... for this."

Kate pulled out her gun and pointed it at Ana's head. "Give me the plane." Ana just stared at her, smiling. Kate cocked the gun. Her eyes were cold and emotionless. "I promise you I will do it. Give .me. the. plane."

Ana stared for another second, then threw the plane in the dirt. "Take it," she sneered. "No need for someone else to die for a toy." She threw a glance at Sawyer. "You ought to be more careful about pickpockets." She twinkled her fingers at him with a nasty grin. Sawyer lunged for her, reaching out to grab her neck; he was going to kill her. Jack grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him away as Ana jumped back out of his reach; Sawyer scowled at Jack, who just shrugged. "Between them, Sawyer, remember?"

Kate grabbed the plane and was gone. Sawyer saw her disappearing into the jungle and he took off after her. "Kate! Come back!"

She heard him call her but she was beyond reason. She needed to run; she needed to get away. But she couldn't run from what was pursuing her; it was clutched in her sweaty, bloody hand.

Sawyer couldn't catch her; she was going too fast. She disappeared into the trees in front of him. "Kate!" he called, "Kate!" He spun around looking for her; she was gone. She didn't answer. Something caught his eyes, lying in the dirt. He stooped and his heart froze with dread. "Oh, Jesus." He whispered, and he held up Tom's plane in disbelief. Where the hell was Kate?

-----

Alex left them at the door of the second hatch. "I have to go before I'm missed," she said. "Good luck. Remember...we'll be looking for you. So go quickly." She disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Eko and Locke looked at each other. "Well," John said, "That was unusual."

Eko laughed. "That, my friend, is what they call an 'understatement'." Locke laughed too. He took a deep breath and opened the airlock door.

It was dark; he took out his flashlight and flicked it on. "Quarantine," he said, reading from the door. "Ours said that too." It was cavelike- the walls were stone instead of concrete; there was no kitchen or shower. Or computer. Locke noticed a Dharma Logo on one of the walls. Instead of a Swan it had an arrow pointing up. It looked like it had been stenciled on the wall.

Eko led him to the black trunk they had found when they first used the hatch. "This is where I found the film," he explained. "Also we found a radio that worked. And a glass eye."

Locke looked intrigued. "A glass eye? Hmmm. And a radio- did you pickup anything?"

Eko hesitated. "Yes. Once. We picked up a transmission. Someone saying that they were the survivors of our flight." He looked down, then back up at Locke. "Ana said it was Them, trying to draw us out." he looked steadily at John. "You suspect otherwise."

Locke smiled quickly. He thought for a second. "How long ago was this transmission? About 3 weeks?"

"I suppose so."

Locke suddenly looked sad and guilty. Eko looked at him, questioning. "Long story. But I think it was Boone you heard on the radio. Right before he died."
He shrugged the memory away. "Let's find Michael and Jin."

They weren't hard to find. They were sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed. Locke went to Michael immediately, checking him over. "He's breathing." He shook Michael gently. "Michael! Michael! Get up!" He shook him a little harder.

He woke with a gasp, like a drowning man taking his first breath; he gazed around wildly. "Where's- where's Walt?" He gasped. "Where am I?"

"Easy, Michael, easy. It's me, Locke." He held Micahel still. Eko was kneeling next to Jin, shaking him awake. He woke with a gasp, too, gazing wildly around the room. He started speaking Korean in a terrified voice.

Michael called out to him, "Hey, Jin, it's okay, man." Jin calmed at Micahel's voice, and he looked up at Eko, breathing harshly. Locke stood up, holding his hand out to Michael; he took it and Locke hauled him upon his feet. "What happened, man? Where are we?" He was slowly coming to his senses, like he'd been asleep for a very long time.

Locke smiled. "You are in the Arrow hatch, apparently. We are on the part of the island where the tail section crashed."

Michael looked confused. "Last thing I remember was being chained to a tree on some beach." He glowered. "Rousseau. She forced us to go there, she put chains on us." He glanced over at Jin, who was standing. "You okay, man?" he asked. Jin gave a half-hearted smile and a thumbs up. Michael smiled at that. "Good, man. Good."

Eko spoke. "We need to go, Locke. We have to find Jack and the others." He looked at Michael. "I know you do not want to leave without your son, Michael, but we need to go to camp now. We will come back out again, but we need to plan. Do you understand?"

Michael looked rebellious, but he gave in. "Yeah. I guess." He looked at Locke, fear in his eyes. "I don't remember anything that happened."

Locke smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, Michael. We can worry about that later. Right now we need to go find Jack and get out of here. Can you both walk okay?" Michael tested his legs with a few steps and nodded; Jin did too. Eko handed them both a water bottle, and they drank quietly. "Okay," Locke said. "Let's go. We've got a walk ahead of us."

-----

He was frantic. It was getting dark. Where the hell was she? She was right in front of him, then, gone. He tried to calm down, reason things out, but he kept feeling the points of the wings of the plane poking him; after holding a gun on someone for it he didn't think she would just drop it in the dirt. Jack. Sawyer screamed in frustration. He was going to have to get Jack.

He ran back to the camp. Ana and Jack were sitting on a rock; Jack was tending to Ana's split lip. Sawyer noticed that Jack didn't seem too warm towards Ana either. "She's gone, Jack."

Jack glanced up from Ana's lip. "I see that, Sawyer. And?"

Sawyer held out the plane. "This was on the ground. She wouldn't have left it. She's gone."

Ana snorted. "Can't say I'm too sorry."

Sawyer pulled his gun from the back of his pants, pointing it at her head. "This is your fault," he snarled. He cocked it. "I'm going to kill you." Jack jumped up, putting his hands up and standing in front of Ana.

"Don't, Sawyer. This isn't her fault."

Sawyer looked at him incredulously. "What? You're protecting her?" He waved the gun at Ana. "After what she just did?" He stared at Jack as if he was crazy, then he swung the gun up and pointed it at Jack's head. "Maybe I should shoot you instead."

Jack stared him down. "You do what you think you need to."

The bushed rustled behind them. Sawyer spun around, and Jack pulled his gun, cocking it. Locke stepped out, cautiously. Jack dropped his gun, but Sawyer turned back around and aimed at Jack's head.

Locke was alarmed. "What's going on?" Eko came out, followed by Jin and Michael. "Sawyer?"

Eko took the scene in and he shouted. "James!" Sawyer froze, and turned his head just a little. Eko went to him and said, quietly, so only Sawyer could hear, "What are you doing, James? Is this really what you want? Is this the path you want to take?"

The clearing was silent. Michael and Jin were staring in stunned disbelief; Locke was still, watching, and Ana stood behind Jack, almost paralyzed with fear. She could see Sawyer's eyes, and they were the eyes of someone who was going to kill. As Eko whispered to him, though, he slowly lowered the gun, uncocking it. "No." he muttered. He glared at Jack and stepped up close to him, whispering malevolently, "Kate just saved your life, Doc. You might want to think about returning the favor." He stuck the gun in his waistband and turned away.

Torches blazed up all around them. "That won't be necessary." A voice boomed out in the darkness. "She's right here." Sawyer's heart dropped as she was shoved out into the torchlight; her hands were bound behind her back and she had a thick gag tied around her mouth. She was terrified, Sawyer could see it. There was a gun held to her throat. A man walked out, keeping her in front of him like a shield. "I come in peace, this time. Jack, you wanna step up here so we can have a chat?"

Jack stared at Kate and swallowed hard. He couldn't reconcile the Kate he knew with all of those things Ana had said. They just didn't mesh. He knew Kate was a criminal, and she had admitted to killing the man she loved, but somehow he still couldn't picture her as cold and hard, as a criminal. But he had seen her, and suddenly, deep down he knew that she was capable of absolutely anything. It was frightening.

He hesitated. The gun at Kate's throat cocked. Sawyer threw a terrified look at Jack. "Jack!" he hissed, motioning his head at her. What the hell was he playing at?

Jack stepped forward, reluctantly. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to save her. "Who are you?"

The man's grin was barely visible through his thick beard. "Well, who I am ain't really the issue, now is it?" Kate cried out as he jammed the barrel of the gun harder against her throat. Sawyer leapt forward, but a bullet whizzed by him, clipping his ear. He clapped his hand over his ear and drew back blood. Kate saw it and moaned again. Sawyer was in a frenzy. She was ten feet away and he couldn't do anything to help her. He had never felt so helpless in his life; he loathed himself for it. "We just want Michael."

Michael stepped forward. "They took Walt,' he said, "I'll go." Eko leaned forward and whispered something to him. He stepped back and didn't speak.

Jack smiled crazily at the man. "You're not taking anybody."

Sawyer couldn't contain his fury any longer. Kate was so scared he couldn't bear to look at her; but he couldn't look away. He snarled, "If you've hurt one hair on her head-"

"Shut up," The man snapped. "Jack, I'm gonna make this real easy on you. You have three seconds to give him to us, or I'm gonna blow her head off right in front of you." He moved the gun around to the back of her head and she moaned in terror again. Sawyer wanted to scream. I'm not done with you, Ahab, he thought. Not by a damn long shot. "One."

Jack didn't move. Sawyer glared at him. What the hell are you doing, Jack?

"Two."

He was terrified. Kate was staring at him, begging him to help her. The vision of her lifeless bloody body swam in his vision, and he glanced around desperately. His eyes fell on Eko, who nodded at him imperceptibly.

"Take me." The words were out before he realized it. Kate's eyes widened in fear and she shook her head violently, crying out through the gag. He felt stronger the instant he said them; he was on the right path. "Take me instead."

The man laughed. "We don't want you, con man."

Sawyer gazed into Kate's eyes; he let her fill the world. She moaned and shook her head again, tears streaming down her face. He suddenly felt such- love for her that his heart threatened to break from the pressure. He looked at the man and said, quietly, "Please."

Kate sobbed, sagging and shaking her head. Sawyer stared at the man, willing him to trade. He seemed to consider. "Okay, then, con man, we can find some use for you." He leered at Michael. "But we'll be coming for you, don't you worry."

Sawyer started to walk forward and Jack cocked his gun and pointed it at Sawyer's back. Kate screamed through the gag. "You gonna shoot me Doc?" Sawyer asked, looking back. "Shoot me then. I have to do this." Terrified tears ran down Kate's face; Jack stared at her for a minute, then uncocked the gun and put it in his belt.

Sawyer passed her slowly, drinking her in. He wanted to remember everything about her; every look, every delicious freckle; her wrinkled up nose and poking tongue when she cut his hair; the raindrops in her eyes spakling like diamonds; her hair brushing his skin as she rocked against him; her soft cries of passion. He stared at her as long as he could bear; then he leaned in and kissed her through the gag. She was crying, he could taste the salt of her tears; he wanted to cry. He pushed the airplane into her pocket and grinned at her, flashing his dimples. "See you on the flip side, Freckles," he said, and walked past her.

The man shoved Kate at Jack, then turned and disappeared into the trees, taking Sawyer with him.

Kate dropped to her knees, sobbing. Eko came to her, gently undoing her binds; he held her and whispered comforting words into her ear. She didn't hear them- her eyes were glued to the jungle where he had gone.

-----

She didn't remember walking anywhere. Making camp. Eating. Drinking. Breathing. She didn't know anything except he was gone. He had given himself up for her. It was all her fault. She sat staring blankly into the fire, dead to everything. People came to talk to her; she didn't see them, she didn't hear them. They didn't matter.

She had loved two men. Because of her they were both dead.

Eko came to her and touched her shoulder gently. She didn't respond. "Kate," he said gently, 'Look at me." She raised her head to him dully, the light gone from her eyes. He smiled at her kindly, then sat crosslegged beside her. he didn't speak for a few moments, and the fire crackled and popped as Kate stared emptily at it. "Some Christians believe that Jesus was married, did you know that?" He asked mainly to see if she was paying attention. She shook her head slowly. Good. There was life in her yet. "They believe that he was married to Mary Magdalene, who was portrayed as a reformed prostitue for fifteen hundred years. The Church reversed that years ago," he added, smiling. "But she was his wife, his partner. The one he loved more than any other. When he was crucified, she stayed until the end. When the other disciples forsook him, she remained true." He paused. Kate had lifted her eyes to him, a spark of life returning. He smiled again. "On the third day, when he rose from the grave it was not John, or James, or even Peter to whom he revealed himself; it was Mary, his beloved. We know Jesus died to cleanse the sins of man," he leaned close to her, almost whispering, "but these Christians believe that he died to cleanse her sins, so that she would be able to join him in the Kingdom of Heaven." Kate's heart lifted. "Do you know what the most beautiful thing about Heaven is, Kate?" She shook her head slowly. He smiled, widely and happily. "It is wherever and whatever you wish it to be." Kate smiled, tears trickling down her cheeks. Eko leaned up and laid his hand on hers. She felt an electric shock where he touched her. "Is there something you desire, Kate? Something that you want more than anything?" She nodded, her smile gone. But the tears reamined. Eko touched her cheek gently, wiping away a tear; he looked deep into her eyes. "The island will give you what you want, Katherine," he whispered, "but you have to give it something in return. You have to sacrifice- not what you hold, but what holds you. Do you understand?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I think so."

Eko nodded happily. "Very well, then, I will leave you to it." he stood, touching Kate's head with hand. "He is not dead, Kate. You must believe that." She did. Her heart lifted a little more, and she smiled at him. He turned away, leaving her alone.

Her sins. Died for the sins of the one he loved. Kate held the plane in her hands, tightly; feeling it once more. Feeling Tom. She gazed at it, unwilling; then she saw Sawyer, his hair hanging in his eyes, his sarcastic grin, his body hard on hers, and his hands on her skin...

Kate sighed. Goodbye, Tom. I'm sorry, but it's time for me to try to let go. She hesitated one more second, then tossed the plane into the fire.