Hello. I don't really have much to say, so here's your chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Lost or the episode Homecoming. I also don't own the police, the CIA, or the FBI.
Chapter Fourteen: Homecoming, Part I
In the Jungle
"Knock it off!" Sawyer shouted at the officers who were escorting Kate. She was twisting her arms, trying to make it more comfortable for herself, and they weren't giving her any room for comfort.
"You might want to stop telling us what to do," said one of the officers, "before we put you in cuffs."
Sawyer glared at him. "You wanna make this personal?" he asked furiously. "'Cause I can sue your asses for not finding us for three months."
The officers didn't look worried at all, but they stopped talking anyway.
"It's this way," Kate finally said, jutting her chin out in the right direction since her hands were bounded behind her back.
As they walked to the hatch's back door, Sawyer gave her a sympathetic glance. After all the trouble with the Others, now the real world was treating them cruelly, too.
"Okay," Kate said, "you have more handcuffs than these, right?"
The three officers nodded.
"Like that's gonna help," Sawyer snorted.
"Excuse you?" asked the head cop.
"Well, I just don't see how three guys with badges and a coupla handcuffs are going to hold them back," he said. "They're done bugging us, but they didn't say anything about you."
The officers looked worried, but they didn't say anything as they entered the hatch.
Helicopter #4
"Approaching destination."
Those words stunned everyone who heard them: Charlie, Ellie, Jake, Claire, Jenny, and Andrew. The six people had become close over the time spent on the island, and they had agreed to spend their last glimpses of the island together.
But they'd been flying for a while now, and below them was land: the beautiful land of Australia, with the sparkling city of Sydney approaching. Charlie and Claire had been waiting so long to be returned there, and the Expedition survivors had all agreed that being in Sydney would definitely be a fun new experience.
"It's gorgeous," Claire said in surprise when she looked out the window. She'd been sitting next to Jake the entire flight, but she hadn't slept with her head on his shoulder or anything like that. They'd chatted amiably, but there was nothing there, and finally Jake was realizing that sometimes a guy could just be friends with a girl. "I missed it so much." She gently rocked Aaron, who had been resting in her arms, and whispered, "This is where Mommy lives."
"Yeah, Turnip-Head," Charlie said with a grin. He was sitting across to Claire, next to Ellie, and the new couple had spent about half their time playing with Aaron's tiny fingers and toes. "You don't have to be adopted any more."
Jenny smiled as Andrew took her hand.
"Do you want that some day?" Andrew asked her gently. There was no pressure in the question.
Jenny smiled again. "You mean a child?"
He nodded. "Once we get married and all that jazz."
Jenny nodded. "Definitely."
Her response seemed to bring new life to everyone on the helicopter, and asthey flewabove Sydney, a warmth spread throughout the helicopter. Most of the people on it were nearly strangers, but over the past week, they had become the best of friends. And even though they were going back to their separate lives, they now shared a true bond.
The Hatch
"The worst ones are in there," Kate said, pointing her chin in the direction of Henry's cell. "That has their leader. But the psychics are in there. They're not powerful, but they can do some pretty weird stuff."
"Psychics?" asked one of the officers. "You believe in that stuff?"
"Didn't a psychic tell you where we were?" Sawyer asked.
The officer frowned. "It was an anonymous tip. But the caller ID did trace back an acclaimed psychic… his name was Malkin? He charged for it."
Kate nodded. "He's a real psychic. He called because these psychics contacted him. And he told you."
"So what'll they do, mess with my head?" one of them asked nervously.
Sawyer nodded. "Yep." He sincerely hoped this guy was scared out of his mind.
The officer looked frightened, but he slowly opened the psychics' door and inched in. One other officer followed him, and they closed the door behind them.
"What do you think they'll do?" Kate asked Sawyer nervously.
He shrugged, but his attention was focused on her handcuffs. How could anyone be so heartless? He had been expecting nothing but warm welcomes from their rescue teams, but the police were treating them almost as badly as the Others. This wasn't the world he wanted to go back to.
She scanned his face, and she was pretty sure she knew what he was thinking. "You don't want to go back, do you?" she asked quietly.
He looked back at her, and printed on his face was the sad expression she'd seen before. "No," he said, "I don't. But what can we do? It's not like we can stay here."
Kate bit her lip. She found herself wishing they could.
Helicopter Landing Range in Sydney
As Jack, Kate, and Sawyer had determined, most of the flight 815 survivors didn't have families waiting for them. Still, Claire knew her mom was out there somewhere, and Gin knew his dad would've come if he could afford the ticket. Sun's dad had sent a welcome party, but neither he nor her mother had come. Charlie, on the other hand, had his brother and his brother's family standing a few feet away from his group's helicopter. Andrew and Jenny both came from big families, which were frantically waving, and Jake's mom and dad were standing in their expensive clothes, looking eager. Ellie's sister Allison was waiting, a look of true happiness on her face to see her little sister again.
The first three helicopters had already landed, and everyone on them were being reunited with their families and/or friends, too. But everyone who had traveled on Helicopter #4, as well as some others, didn't want this. Some of them had feuds with their families, but some of them just wanted to go back to the simple life.
The door opened, and Jenny and Andrew were the first ones out. Just as they were talking, Charlie and Ellie stepped out. They parted first for a few minutes to meet up again with their siblings.
"Hey, baby brother!" Liam said excitedly, grabbing Charlie and hugging him. "I knew you hadn't died!" He stood back and smiled sadly. "I'm so sorry about our fight. It was all I could think about."
Liam's wife, Karen, smiled at Charlie. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said honestly. Back when Liam had been in Charlie's old position, she'd relied on Charlie to get messages to her future husband. In the process, they'd actually become friends, or something to that effect.
"Hi," said Megan, their daughter, in her young, innocent voice.
Charlie smiled down at her. "Hi," he said in reply.
"So what happened?" Liam asked. "Anything exciting?"
"You have no idea." Charlie shook his head. "The highlights? I kicked the drugs. It was my own choice, though the bloody island wouldn't let me forget them."
"Really?" Liam asked. "You're clean? For good?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah. This old guy helped me."
"How were the withdrawals?" Liam asked softly, not wanting Megan to hear what they were saying.
"We had a doctor who helped me with that one."
"Ellie!" Allison squealed when she saw her sister. "You're okay! I knew I shouldn't have let you go on that stupid cruise!" She pulled her sister into a tight hug.
Ellie smiled and hugged her sister back. "Yeah, I'm okay," she said with a small smile.
Allison pulled back and gave her sister a serious look. "Don't ever do that to me again," she ordered, a smile and happy tears still on her face. "I can't lose you, too."
Ellie smiled. "I know."
The Hatch
When the officers came back out, they were practically whipping the psychics. What Kate couldn't understand was that the psychics were being perfectly obedient.
"Could you take it easy?" Kate asked. "They're not doing anything."
She had no idea why she said it, but it had something to do with the strength in the young girl when she had to contact Malkin.
The girl smiled and glanced at one of the officers. She closed her eyes and mouthed something. A second later, one of the officers unlatched Kate's handcuffs. She quickly threw them into one of the closets, knowing he wouldn't be looking for it.
The officer snapped out of his trance. "What just happened?" he demanded.
"You took her handcuffs off!" shouted another.
"Where are they?" the first asked Kate.
"I don't know. You threw them somewhere," she lied. "Look, I'll still do whatever you tell me. Just get the Others."
He started to pull another pair of handcuffs out, but the second officer shook his head. "Save it for the 'Others'," he said, putting air quotes around 'Others.'
Kate smiled contentedly. She knew the little girl had some good in her.
"We'll get the rest of them," two of the officers said to the third. "Take them back to the helicopter."
Kate and Sawyer finally sighed in relief. This was it. Even though they didn't want to go back to the real world, they wanted to get away from these people.
Helicopter Landing Range in Sydney
Just as everyone was introducing their new friends to their families, the reporters came. Most of them were in front near the first helicopter, but a few of them reached the fourth.
A blond girl followed by cameras holding a microphone bounded up to them, ignoring the flashbulbs going off around her. "Amelia Corvallis here, and I'm with an interesting five survivors. The first… is that… oh, yes it is, it's Charlie Pace of the rock band Driveshaft!"
Her loud assessment brought many more photographers and newscasters over to them. Amelia had already claimed Charlie, but a few people questioned Jake, recognizing him from his quarterback position on the football team.
Claire, Ellie, Andrew, and Jenny were prodded, too, but not because of fame.
"May I have your name?" one of them asked Claire.
"Uh, Claire Littleton," Claire stuttered, gripping Aaron protectively.
"How were you, Miss Littleton, at raising the baby on the island? Was his father there? Are you married?" asked the reporter, a fairly good-looking male.
"Uh, no, his father's somewhere in Australia. I wouldn't know," Claire said bitterly. "And it wasn't so bad. A lot of people helped me."
"Were you pregnant," the reporter asked, "on the flight?"
Claire slowly nodded.
The man looked excited. "So you delivered your baby on the island? Was there a doctor who helped you?"
"No," she sighed, "he was busy helping Boone, this other guy."
"Is he here?"
Claire shook her head. "He died."
"Can I have a last name?"
"Carlyle," she replied grimly.
He turned back to the camera. "We now know that there was at least one death post-crash: the death of Boone Carlyle."
As Ellie, Andrew, and Jenny were also being bombarded with questions, three official-looking people bounded up to them. The reporters backed off, and the only woman in the trio spoke.
"Hi," she said in a bold, loud voice to the four. "We've already told everyone else, and now we're telling you: My name is Cynthia Rowell, and I work for the police force. To my left is Erik Cummings of the CIA and to my right is Brad Summers of the FBI."
"We're not even in America," Claire whispered with a snort to Ellie, who laughed in response.
Charlie, who had made his way back, whispered in Ellie's ear, "Bloody Americans."
She laughed at that, too, but her heart was sinking. They were back to the political problems and everything else that proved that people from the real world could be just as heartless as the Others.
The Beach
"No tricks," the officer ordered Kate and Sawyer as they boarded the helicopter. "When we reach Sydney, there will be several people there who need your word on everything that has happened. Kate, once you have given it—in a proper set of handcuffs—you will have a court hearing to determine what happens. James, once you answer all questions, you will be escorted onto another plane that will take you to LA, where you can live the rest of your life. Your exile from Australia will still stand."
He closed their door and came into the helicopter again from the pilot's door. Before they knew it, they were back in the air. Apparently the Others would be riding the other helicopters.
"If you go to jail," Sawyer said to Kate, "it'll be in Australia, won't it?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. My hearing was supposed to be in LA, but he said they just decided to have it in Sydney instead. So if I am ruled guilty, yeah, I probably will go to jail in Australia."
He looked stressed. "I can't stay in Australia," he said.
"I wouldn't want you to," she said honestly. "It's okay. I'll just find you when I get out, I guess. I mean, I doubt they'll lock me up for life."
He knew she probably wouldn't be locked up for life for the first offense, but running away so much could definitely be the cause of a longer sentence. He just hoped she was right.
Interrogation House
All the survivors had been taken by limousines to an interrogation house, but it wasn't for any offenses they had committed. There would be a court hearing for the Others, but not for them, at least not yet. Instead they were taken here, where the three officials would find out everything they could.
"How many of you were there originally?" Cynthia, the police woman, asked everyone. "A reporter mentioned that Boone Carlyle died after the initial crash. Was there anyone else?"
"Yes," Sayid said. He and Locke had agreed to be the ones to answer most of the questions. "A man named Scott, a woman named Joanne, and…" He winced at what he had to say next.
"Boone's stepsister," Locke finished for him in a gentle voice. "Shannon."
Cynthia whispered something to her assistant, who typed everything down on her iBook.
"So these… Others," said Erik, the CIA agent. "We don't want to go to court with the troubles from this 'war,' but we do have to straighten it out. We'll charge them with whatever you say. If they plead guilty, they'll be sentenced, and you'll all be left alone. But if they plead innocent, all of you will have to come to court."
"Welcome back," Charlie muttered to Ellie. She laughed slightly, keeping her attention focused on the agents.
"Okay," Brad (the FBI agent) said, "who in this room fired a gun?"
Every single person, save the few people including Claire, Natalie, and Jenny, raised their hands.
"Okay," he repeated slowly.
"I have a question," Hurley said quietly. The agents all looked at him, so he continued. "What're you going to do with the island? I mean, now that it's—"
Three loud moans sounded at the same time, interrupting him and bringing everyone's attention to the moaners. Locke had fallen suddenly to the floor, and Rose was bent over in pain. Sun had sunk to the ground, her hand exhaustedly on her stomach, where her future baby would be. Bernard rushed to Rose's side, as did Jin to Sun.
The three of them recovered quickly, but Rose looked weaker, and Locke couldn't bring himself to stand. Sun stood shakily, but she looked nervous.
"Wait." Erik glanced down at Locke as everyone else panicked. "You're John Locke, right?"
John nodded from the ground. His legs were stretched out stiffly in front of him, and as suddenly as he'd lost his paralysis, it had come back.
"It says you were handicapped… paralyzed from the waist down," Erik continued.
"I think this proves that," Locke sighed.
"But you were just…"
Hurley walked over to them, interrupting Erik's confusion. "Sorry. You never answered my question."
Erik shrugged. "We'll send people over to examine everything. We'll probably send some doctors to find out about this vaccine and how the island 'cured' those two patients."
"Oh."
"We're not sure, though," Erik explained. "Technically speaking, the land belongs to Fiji. They might not give us permission to investigate it."
"So what, people will start living there?" Hurley asked.
No one else was listening at this point besides Erik. Everyone's attention was focused on Locke's explanation about his paralysis and Rose's explanation about her cancer. Sun and Jin were talking in rushed, frantic voices about what had happened. Was it possible that the miracle that created their baby was taking it back?
"What'll probably happen is, some rich celebrity will buy the whole island from Fiji and make it an island resort of theirs," Erik explained. He turned back to the rest of them and shouted, "No further questions. You'll be escorted to a five-star hotel, where your airline will pay for your overnight stays."
But Hurley's mind was focused on what he had said before that. Some rich celebrity will buy the whole island.
Police Helicopter
"Can you write people?" Sawyer asked. "I mean, when you're in jail?"
Kate laughed. "You and your letters," she teased, referring to the Dear Mr. Sawyer letter he carried around with him everywhere.
He sent her a playful glare. "Just askin'," he said in his defense.
"It's okay." She considered the question. "The old marshal wouldn't have let me, but now I can probably send and receive letters." She grinned. "You'd really remember?"
He nodded. "Sure," he said with a smile.
She smiled back. "And when I'm on trial, you can come visit me and talk to me over the phone thing."
"If I'm allowed in Australia," he reminded her.
She frowned. "Oh, yeah."
He gently touched her hand. "Don't worry about it, Freckles," he said supportively. "We'll figure this out."
Beneath all her worry was the hope that had always been there. Usually she channeled that hope into escape, so she ran. But now she channeled her hope into being with Sawyer, and she knew that was what would keep her from running.
"Approaching destination," the officer said, just as Helicopter #5's pilot had.
Kate wasn't exactly scared of a rough landing, after everything she'd been through, but she took Sawyer's hand anyway. It wasn't just because of the landing. It was because of what would be waiting for her when she landed. As she looked out the window, she could already see Sydney squad cars waiting for her arrival. Sawyer gritted his teeth, obviously not too pleased with seeing them, either.
Finally they had a slightly bumpy, but still safe, landing. The pilot carefully let them out, where handcuffs were strapped onto both Kate and Sawyer.
"Hey," he said, "why me?"
"You have a shady past," explained one of the officers, "and you aren't supposed to be here."
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said sarcastically. "Did you just want me to hang out on Craphole Island for the rest of my life?"
He didn't mention that he didn't find this to be such a terrible idea.
"Where are we going?" Kate asked before the officer could reply.
"The rest of your friends are staying at a five-star hotel," he explained. Kate and Sawyer's looks brightened, but the officer snorted. "You two don't get that luxury. You'll both be taken to the interrogation house, where we'll ask you a series of questions. From there, unless she finds some means of bail, Ms. Austen will be taken to the jailhouse. Mr. Ford will be taken to the airport, where he will immediately be flown out of the country."
Kate's eyes flew to Sawyer's with a sad look in them. They wouldn't even have a chance to kiss good-bye at this point.
"Ms. Austen, this car," said the first officer. He shoved her into his squad car. They did the same with Sawyer in a different one.
"See ya when we're bein' questioned," Sawyer said grimly to Kate before the officers rolled their widows up.
Ellie and Allison's Suite
Hotel rooms were restricted to families, so only the married couple, Rose and Bernard, and the engaged couple, Andrew and Jenny, were allowed to stay together.
That, however, didn't stop them from seeing each other. When Ellie and Allison reached their suite, there was a black Post-It on their door. Ellie grabbed it before Allison saw it. Charlie had scribbled on it, in silver Sharpie, Go on your balcony 8pm. –CP
Now that she was back in the real world, the fact that Charlie Pace was leaving her signed Post-Its was almost shocking. But then she remembered everything they'd been through and relaxed. She knew Allison was surprised by her change of attitude too at this point, but she didn't say anything.
Allison had brought a ton of her old stuff, and most of it was heartbreaking to Ellie—old presents from Jake, signed footballs in case he ever became famous, and all his old jerseys. She almost laughed when she found a ring amongst all the tickets and trinkets from her past with Jake. It was Driveshaft's Second Tour of Finland ring. One of the guys in Charlie's band had sold theirs pretty cheap on eBay, and she'd bought it. She saw the same one on Charlie's finger on the island, but she hadn't said anything.
As she sifted through everything, she realized with a sinking heart that she didn't have good memories from the real world. She loved Allison, but her sister had always been on the job. She was a really good lawyer. Ellie didn't like lawyers, but after all the years of law school Allison had endured after Emory, she supported her sister.
But now she realized all her good memories were from the island. She felt a nostalgia for the island, and even though Jack wouldn't be there any more, she wanted to go back. It had been the high point of her life, and she knew that her life here would probably go back to having only low points.
Charlie, Liam, and Karen's Suite
"You're back," Liam said as they sat down. He still seemed shocked by the news.
Charlie laughed, pulling out a bottle of Coke from the small fridge in the main room of the suite. "Sure am," he said. "But if you want to sue that bloody airline, feel free."
Liam laughed as Karen put Megan down for bed. "Nah," he said. "I'm done with the legal stuff."
Charlie nodded, but a stress seemed to shadow his face. "I should've figured," he admitted, but not in a mean or sarcastic way.
"So what're you going to do when you get out of here?" Liam asked. "You can stay with us for a while, if you want, but you have to be completely clean if you want to be able to spend time with Megan."
Charlie smiled. "As much as I want to spend time with my adorable niece…" He paused for dramatic effect. "I'm moving to America."
Liam raised his eyebrows. "On what money?" he asked. "And why?"
"I'm sure the airline will arrange something for me," Charlie said with a grin. "Anyway, I'm moving to America, where I will find a job and rent an apartment until I have enough money for a house."
"Why?" Liam repeated with interest.
"Because I want to," Charlie said simply. He didn't tell Liam he was moving for Ellie, because he knew his brother wouldn't understand—at least, not yet. But he really did want to, so he wasn't lying.
He just didn't mention that the thing he wanted most was to stay on the island. He couldn't explain it, exactly, but it seemed like everything was better there. He'd quit the drugs, he'd learned how to be a father, and he'd met the girl of his dreams. And in that, he'd even managed to be a decent boyfriend to her. It was a great life, one that he doubted could be duplicated in America or anywhere else.
Interrogation House
"My first question," Cynthia said to Kate when she and Sawyer arrived, "is…" She raised her eyes to meet Kate's and asked loudly and demandingly, "Did the marshal die during the crash?"
Kate shook her head. She wasn't in the mood for lies. She'd tell only the truth. She hadn't done anything she was ashamed of on the island. She wished she could've reversed Jack's death, but she had grown so that she wasn't even ashamed of that. "No," she said, "he didn't. He got a huge hunk of metal stuck in him. We spent the first few days trying to save him. We had the doctor, Jack Shephard, work on him, but he couldn't do anything."
"So he died from the metal gash?" Brad asked her.
She gulped. "No. Jack told us the gash would have him die slowly and painfully, and we didn't want that to happen to him."
"So what did you do?" asked Erik.
"There was a gun," Kate said shakily, "that he had on the plane."
"He had quite a few on the plane," Cynthia clarified. "Are you referring to the one he was carrying with him?"
Sawyer nodded. "She is. I took it from him on the plane."
"Write that on the record," Cynthia muttered to her assistant. "Sawyer, why did you take the gun?"
He sighed and replied the same thing he had before. "Thought it might come in handy. Guess what? I shot a polar bear, and then a bunch of lunatics tryin' to kill us. I'd say that's handy."
"You shot a polar bear," Erik repeated in disbelief.
Kate rolled her eyes. "Yes. There was a polar bear on a tropical island. It stunned us all. If you don't believe us, ask any of the others." Her voice was dripping with annoyance and sarcasm, but she couldn't help it. She was in a room with a Fed, a police officer, and a CIA agent. She couldn't help but feel that way.
"So who decides what happens to me?" Kate asked.
"A judge," Brad replied simply. "In a few days. But first, you're being taken to the jailhouse."
Kate bit her lip. "So I guess the interrogation is done?"
Cynthia shrugged. "I guess. We'll investigate the island further if Fiji ever approves us. They say they're looking for buyers, though, and that's not us."
Kate and Sawyer shrugged at each other.
"So I'm guessing you don't have anyone to bail you out?" Erik asked. Normally in Kate's situation, bail wouldn't be allowed, but she had spent a lot of time 'building character,' and the bail was a lot of money, so it had been agreed that bail was allowed.
Sawyer wanted to, but he had basically no money to his name. He gave Kate a helpless shrug that said he wished he could do more. She smiled at him to tell him it was okay and turned back to the officers.
"No," she said, "I don't."
"Correction," said a familiar voice from behind them. Through the doorway walked in Hurley, looking excited. "I'll bail her out."
"Hurley, you don't—" Kate started.
"I really am a millionaire," Hurley explained. "It's no big deal."
Kate gaped at him as he wrote a check to Erik, the police officer. "I'll pay for her to have a stay at the suite, too," he added quickly.
"That won't be necessary," Erik said, still shocked by the interruption. "The airline will pay for it." He turned to Sawyer. "Mr. Ford, your ticket will be here momentarily. You'll fly to LA again."
Sawyer nodded grimly.
"Actually, could he have a delay on that?" Hurley asked. "There's something I want to ask everyone. Everyone who was on the island, I mean. Could we just have a little meeting in the hotel lounge or wherever? Then you can fly him out."
"Fine," Cynthia said, before the men could object. She was obviously the most lenient of the three.
"What question?" Sawyer asked Hurley once they were outside.
"Who cares?" Kate said happily. "He just saved both our asses."
END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Up next: Homecoming, Part II! It'll tell you what Hurley's question is, you'll find out what happens to Kate and Sawyer, and of course there'll be stuff about everyone else.
Alrighty… here are my review responses.
xlostangelx: Aw, thank you. When I looked back, I thought I should've dedicated that chapter to you, but I forgot. (Since you gave me the I Never idea, I mean.) But if you want a chapter dedicated to you, tell me, and I will. There's 15, 16, and 17 left. Thanks for the idea and the review!
ZanderBoy: I hoped people liked my Lost ideas, since really I have no idea what I'm talking about and they're all pretty much made up. Thanks!
samdean4567: I feel bad for Kate too, but at least Hurley bailed her out in this chapter! Thanks for the review, and yep, I'm almost done! (sniff)
astronomylover: I'm glad you liked it. I feel so bad about killing Jack, so I'm hoping to make everything right in his… absence. Thanks so much!
CharliesHoodie: Your reviews are so supportive! You're very, very nice. Do you want a chapter dedicated to you? It's the least I could do. (big smile) Thanks!
THANK YOU EVERYONE! You keep me from giving up on my story and you keep my life interesting. I mean, it's summer, so without your reviews I'd have pretty much NOTHING to do. So thanks!
(kissbangx3)
