In the End

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Six: Intervention

It was hard to decide on what to think about the atmosphere of the caves, and the residence inside them. Were these people running or hiding? Were they afraid or angry? Or were they just too exhausted to care? At the beach it was a whole different story. These people seemed braver. They lived out in the open, as if trying to stick it to the enemies face that they weren't afraid. Their enemy was a machine, after. A machine. Or at least that was the latest rumor.

Light was scarce at the caves, giving it a dark tone, like the tinting of a picture. If you wanted to read, most of the time you were out of luck. There was no writing in your diary at night, or reading the news early in the morning.

But the worst part of the picture was the people. The people were confused, fearful, nervous. The people didn't know what to do. They no longer traveled in packs, as they did when the Others were their threat. Now they sulked on their own, hiding out in corners, creeping around in the shadows. Stay under the covers and the monster can't get to you.

In the back of everyone's minds, despite what the latest theory was, each castaway had their own version of the monster. It could be the boogyman that haunted your closet when you were a kid, or the ghost in the attic. The bully that beat you up on the first day of school, or the girl who stood you up at prom. But those things didn't eat you. They just chewed away the insides. Those things worked for the monster, and they didn't make life any easier. It was a wonder what they had to live for, when they lived so independently.

The day had been dragging by slowly, as they all did. People never came and went as they used to, instead, they stayed right where they were, hiding under invisible covers. Stay under the covers and the monster can't get you.

"Jack?"

Heads turned at Charlie's shaky comment. Jack and Kate were entering the caves, arms wrapped around each other. They both looked as if they weren't aware of where they were. Lost.

"Jack?" Charlie asked again, standing up slowly, his hand gradually sliding off Claire's shoulder.

Aaron began to cry in soft whails in Claire's arms, and Claire desperately tried to calm him back to sleep. Rocking him back and forth, Claire watched Charlie intently with the rest of the cave residence as he cautiously approached Jack and Kate, who kept walking as if they didn't realize that they were home now, they could stop. Charlie studied them for a long note, taking in their dead expressions and vacant eyes, pale faces that were frozen in fear.

"Someone get Sayid!" Charlie called to whomever was available, which, half of the time, meant no one. Sayid was at the beach, which meant going through the jungle. They were afraid of the jungle. "Someone get Sayid!"

"He's over here!" Boone called. "God, stop shouting."

Sidestepping some luggage scattered carelessly on the floor, Boone followed Sayid to Charlie, both looking exhausted. Everyone could note that the two of them always seemed slightly paler than the others who stayed at the beach, especially Boone who seemed to be constantly sick, coughing and sneezing as if he had been locked up in a dusty, cramped, space for too long.

"What happened?" Sayid asked with an urgency that never left his tone.

Now they were all following Jack and Kate, who were walking slowly, mechanically, into nowhere. Sayid put a hand out, placing it on Jack's should to stop him. A long moment passed before Jack looked up to Sayid, acknowledging that he was there. They all waited for Jack to say something, explain his behavior; or maybe for Kate to defend Jack, telling them to give him time before questioning him. But neither came.

"Jack?" Sayid said, this time his voice softer, more concerned.

Sayid realized that the entirety of the caves was watching him, all with anxious eyes, awaiting the news that the knew had to be delivered. Taking a deep breath, Sayid took his hand off Jack's shoulder, and turned to Charlie.

"Get them to their cave," he instructed, "keep everyone calm."

"And what are you going to do?" Charlie inquired hotly, squirming at the idea of being in charge.

"That's what I have to figure out," Sayid said. He didn't sound too thrilled with the task, but everyone knew he wouldn't back down from it. Sayid was one of the stronger ones, confident, unafraid. Almost too confident. Even Jack was skeptic sometimes, if you caught him at the right moment.

Shortly after Jack and Kate were seated in their caves, propped up against the wall like dolls that had been neglected in an old room. Charlie was leaning against the far wall, looking around nervously, biting his lip as he waited for Sayid to return. At last he did, entering the caves with a full bottle of water. Crouching down in front of the two, Sayid studied Jack and Kate before holding out the water.

Their eyes were distant and emotionless, though at the same time fearful pain seemed to be seeping through them. Jack's arm was thrown lackadaisly around Kate, though he still kept a tight, protective grip around her shoulders, as if he had forgotten to let go. Kate's hand was resting on his arm, staring at the same place as he was in space, as if it were decided mutually between them, holding some great importance to them both that no one else knew of.

Sun appeared by Sayid's side before he could speak, and the two exchanged glances.

"You should drink something," she suggested smartly, "Jack?"

"He won't answer," Sayid informed her, a trace of sympathy in his voice. Jack wouldn't withhold any information they may need to know on purpose. Something had to of happened.

"Jack," Sun said again calmly, kindly, professionally as if she knew exactly what she was doing, "can you hear me?"

"Of course he can hear you," Charlie spat, almost disgusted, from the far wall, "he has ears, you know. It's not like he would've suddenly turned-"

Sayid held up a hand, and Charlie immediately stopped.

"Are you hurt?" Sun asked Jack and Kate, looking at each of them in turn, not impatient. Kind, but still concerned. Neither replied, though none of them really expected it. She turned now to Kate. "Kate, you're safe now. If you're all right, can you squeeze Jack's hand?"

Kate's hand sat on Jack's lower arm, fingertips curling around the small of his wrist, laying against his skin, so still, not even trembling.

"I think that was a squeeze," Charlie said, hinting excitement, his voice that of a child's.

"No," Sayid said, not as thrilled, "it wasn't."

Sighing, he stood, and Sun looked up to him.

"We can't give up," she said, glancing towards Jack and Kate worriedly, "we need to know what happened. They may be hurt!"

"We aren't giving up," Sayid said curtly, heading towards the exit, "but you are."

"What?" Sun said incredulously. "No! I can help them. I-"

"Have you ever had to bring a person out of shock before?" Sayid inquired, crossing his arms as he cut in. Charlie was now listening carefully from nearby. "Whatever happened to them wasn't good. It could take days to pull someone out of shock. And with some-" he glanced towards the caves, eyes softening in regret in sympathy, "it never leaves them."

Charlie pulled himself off the wall, face contorted in disbelief.

"You mean he could be like this forever?" He said, sounding angry.

Sayid finally took his eyes off Jack's cave.

"We can only hope not," he said quietly.

A moment passed before anyone spoke, and it seemed to unreal that while they were dealing with this sudden tradgeity, nearby someone was worrying about what to wear. Then again, that was sometimes just their way of dealing with pain. Like Shannon, Sayid noted.

"But you can help them, right?" Charlie said, speaking faster as he grew more nervous. "You'll bring them out of this?" Sayid looked hesitant, not responding. "Sayid?" Still no reply. "You have to do this!"

"I know what I have to do," Sayid snapped, almost insulted.

Taken aback, Charlie took a step away from Sayid, and looked around.

"Claire needs me," he muttered quietly. Sayid nodded as he left, and paused before turning back to Sun. "I know what I'm doing."

Sun looked reluctant to agree, but nodded.

"I can help if you need me," she offered, "and Sayid?" Sayid looked to her, realizing how little they paid attention to Sun, ignoring her thinking that if they left her alone, they could get away with helping her. It was too awkward, dealing with death, too painful, and now Sayid felt guilty for it. "They're going to be okay."

Sayid couldn't be as certain, but he tilted his head in a nod, just to reassure Sun, who gave him a small smile and squeezed his arm before leaving. Taking a deep breath, Sayid looked to Jack's cave again before heading towards it, knowing well that what he had to do wasn't going to be easy. Jaw firm, expression hardened, Sayid walked towards Jack cave, letting the world dissolve around him, focusing on this one thing.

Silence greeted Sayid when he entered the caves, a silence so thin with tension, it made him feel sick. It was like Jack and Kate weren't even there. They were lost in a place so dark and frightening, that bringing them out of it would be a shock itself. So when Sayid knelt before them a second time, he managed a face of sympathy like he had never had to put on before, knowing that this time, it would be difficult than others. Sayid knew these people, cared about them, and knew what they meant to each other. He wasn't going to let that be lost.

Sayid entered the room with the presence of a principal walking in on a class of misbehaved kids. Calm, but alert, Sayid tried to keep his cool, and first went to the task of deciding how serious the situation was. Jack and Kate weren't talking, but why? Was it something they saw, or something that happened to them? Or both?

"Are either of you hurt?" Sayid asked, wincing slightly at the harshness of his tone. "Jack?"

Jack would surely be the first to crack, that he was certain. If it had anything to do with Kate's health or safety, he was always the first to step up, the first put himself on the line.

But Jack didn't respond. Jack looked just as distant as Kate, trapped in some sort of frightened shock. Now Sayid was certain that whatever had happened, they had both experienced it. Yet he had heard nothing in the jungle, no cry for help or scream. He thought he heard the distant roar of the monster, but hadn't thought on in, sure that it was too far away, and figuring none of their own would be out that far. Besides that, Sayid did his best to try and keep his mind off the monster, or his role in its doings.

Crouching down cautiously, still worried about startling either of them, Sayid glanced between the two, as he had done earlier, hoping to catch a movement from either one of them. He took a deep breath, determined not to lose patience so easily. Interrogation was his forte, but this was much more personal. And he had a bad feeling about this. Something deep down told him that something was wrong, very wrong.

"You're safe," he told them reassuringly, "you're okay-" he looked to Kate, and had Jack looked back, they would've locked eyes, "Kate's okay."

"Sayid?"

At Boone's voice Sayid turned to find Boone standing near the entrance, looking sickly pale. His hands were stuffed inside his pockets, and he walked towards Sayid with an unbalanced grace, stumbling after only a few feet. For a moment he just stared at Sayid, dreading what he had to say.

"They say Shannon went missing," Boone told him, his voice barely above a whisper. A note began forming in Sayid's stomach, tightening with every word Boone said, his tone getting weaker, speaking faster as he went. "They said..they said they went out to look for her, Jack and Kate, and-" Boone swallowed hard, choking out his words, "she hasn't come back."

Neither one of them spoke. The only sound that could be heard was the rasp breathing from Boone. Jack nor Kate reacted to the news, not even a hint of recognition.

"She's missing," Boone whispered, knowing it had to be said, knowing that neither one of them wanted to say it, "she's gone."

It was a full moment before Sayid could bring himself to speak, hardly able to process the news. Shannon wasn't there. Why didn't he notice before? Why didn't he go to see her first, instead of coming to the caves? Why wasn't he there in the first place, to prevent her from going missing? No. He couldn't do this. He wasn't going to let it happen, so he wasn't going to believe it.

"She's not gone," Sayid said, holding in every ounce of doubt that was waving through him and trying to push through as much confidence if possible. If he would believe it, it would come true. Boone didn't look too convince.

"No," Boone said, shaking his head, stuttering as repeated the word over and over again, "no, no..I know something's wrong. I mean, look at them!" He jabbed a hand towards Jack and Kate, but still neither moved.

"No," Sayid said, placing a hand on Boone's shoulder, "she's all right."

Boone stared at him for a moment, and shook his head.

"No," Boone said, the sense of dread mirroring through his voice, giving it a dead feeling, like all at once he knew everything was gone.

The tension at that moment could've been cut with a knife, sliced open and dissected, analyze every ounce of observation, and have it entered in data to have filed and kept away carefully, so that no one else would ever have to know.

"We're not going to know what happened until either Jack or Kate tells us," Sayid said. He realized his breathing was irregular, taking breaths at a pace that forced him to break from speaking, cutting himself off.

Boone held his stare for a moment longer, just hoping that Sayid would get it. But Sayid never retaliated, so Boone spun on his heal and exited, head hanging to his chest in defeat. Sayid, however, wasn't giving up as easily. He turned back to Jack and Kate, jaw set, expression firm with determination. But when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He was as frozen as the two across from him, with Boone's word playing in his head like a broken film strip, stuck, stationary. Repeating over and over. It was all he could do to shake himself out of it, and force himself to remain strong. He couldn't give in yet. He wasn't going to.

But once again, before he could continue his inquiry, a figure appeared in the cave's entrance.

"Sayid."

Turning, he saw that now Charlie was there, looking uneasy, like Boone, and sickly.

"Alex was with them," Charlie said at last, his voice shaky," they she went with him to look for Shannon..she didn't come back-" his face was pale, matching Boone's exactly. Charlie swallowed, forcing himself to continue. "What are we going to tell Danielle?"

And that's when thing really started going downhill. As if they weren't bad enough. Jack and Kate weren't talking, Shannon was missing, Alex was missing, people were worried, people were confused, people were afraid. And Sayid was in charge. That much was obvious. It was a wonder why they didn't just go to Locke, he was the oldest, after all, and one of the most experienced. People seemed to feel more comfortable around someone like Jack, or someone compassionate like Kate. Sayid was strong, but he wasn't stone either. Locke was mysterious, and being mysterious in a mysterious place wasn't smart.

"She's not here," Charlie said, interrupting Sayid's silence, "so that means we can think on it, right?"

It took Sayid a moment to process what Charlie was saying. Sayid was drifting from being "there" and being somewhere else. The thought of being somewhere else was so welcoming that Sayid almost fell into that place incidentally.

"Right," Sayid replied absentmindedly. Moments later, he wasn't even sure of what his answer was.

"Well.." Charlie trailed off, looking around the room, obviously trying to avoid Sayid, "good luck."

With a forced smile of sympathy, Charlie hit the wall before leaving, his footsteps echoing in a long walk before finally disappearing. Closing his eyes, Sayid took a final deep breath, now only thoughts of Shannon running through his head. He turned back to Jack and Kate, more determined than ever. Surely with Alex in the picture, Jack would be more willing cooperate. Everyone knew he cared for her, almost like she was his daughter. Once again Sayid crouched down to Jack and Kate's level, and looked at each before speaking.

"Was Alex with you?" Sayid asked, pronuntiating each syllable carefully. Silence followed. "Do you know what happened to her?" He only paused a beat before going on. Neither could've answered if they wanted to. "What happened to Shannon?"

The smallest whimper broke the silence, snapping the edgiest, in a soft cry of a child. Sayid watched, unsure if he should interfere, as Kate slid deeper into Jack's hold, laying her head against his chest. Instead of comforting her, or tightening his grip around her, Jack's arm just lay limply around shoulders. Kate, seeming aware of this, held onto his arm, trembling. Sayid stood up. Though her eyes remained distant, watery, Sayid knew that any moment now he might know the truth about Shannon. He'd either be very right, or very wrong. He realized he didn't want to know. As long as he didn't know, everything was still okay.

"Did they say anything?" Charlie asked him as soon as Sayid stepped out of the caves.

Glancing around the caves to delay answering, Sayid noticed that Claire was there now, bouncing Aaron in his arms, looking worried. The baby looked fine, sleeping soundly, and Sayid decided that she must've not even realized that he was asleep yet.

"They're resting," Sayid lied, turning towards the waterfall.

"Resting?" Charlie repeated incredulously, following Sayid through the caves. "You let them rest?"

Sayid spun around, suddenly feeling very agitated and very tired. He didn't need this.

"They need their rest," Sayid replied simply, and threw his bag over his shoulder, forgetting about the water.

Everyone nearby watched as he left the caves, leaving Charlie in the rest in confusion as he headed to the beach.

(space)

"Well, it was worth a try," Locke said with a sympathetic smile.

"The boar almost knocked you into a bush," Danielle reminded him, feeling a bit disappointed that they couldn't bring back any dinner, yet at the same time, she felt..good. It just felt good to be around Locke, someone who was so similar to herself.

"I thought we were both in agreement that the bush was in my way," Locke said with a grin.

Danielle laughed. They were approaching the beach now, and any moment, she expected Alex to come running, demanded to know where she had been all day. Instead, a much more darker picture greeted them. Groups gathered in circles around fires as the sun began setting the distance. Quiet chatter feared the air, and glances were momentarily thrown her way, and Danielle knew immediately that something wasn't wrong. She looked around desperately; the second thing she noticed was that Alex wasn't here.

"Danielle-" Locke began tentivily from behind her.

He seemed to have the same sense of dread that she did, but nothing could top the motherly instinct of knowing that something was wrong. Worry was thrust at her unwillingly, and Danielle's feet scampered across the beach as she began running, searching for her daughter. Alex didn't like the jungle. Surely she wouldn't be there. She knew Locke was behind her, but she didn't listen to his calls for her to stop.

Down the beach Boone was sitting alone, oblivious to the trouble stirring up between Danielle and the other castaways, not noticing the footsteps approaching him until the voice spoke.

"Kate knows what happened to Shannon."

Boone didn't respond as Sayid set down next to him. When he came to the beach he had every full intention of finding out what happened to Shannon, but when he arrived, he couldn't. Unintentionally he had taken a path that led directly to Shannon and Sayid's tent, cluttered with Shannon's things that lay on the ground. He stood there for a long time, staring at them. They were only a reminder that he had let her down. Had he not been in the hatch, or had he just come to see her once and awhile, more than he did..and if something was wrong..he'd never be able to forgiven himself.

"She reacted when I asked," Sayid continued, "but I walked out."

Sayid looked down to the ground, and Boone finally took his eyes off the horizon.

"What?" He said in disbelief.

"I couldn't," Sayid said quietly, so quietly that Boone was sure that he wasn't supposed to hear. Sayid cleared his throat, looking up. Boone expected him to say something else, but he never did.

"Something happened to Shannon," Boone said, "why don't you want to know what?"

Sayid paused before speaking, thinking, debating if he should tell the truth.

"Because if I don't know," Sayid began, "then I won't have to accept that something happened."

He turned towards Boone, as if daring him to challenge. Boone understood where he was coming from, but he also realized that he shouldn't be sitting here, waiting for answers. He was doing exactly what he felt guilty about: not being there.

"If you want to see here, fine," Boone said, getting to his feet, "I can't."

"You're not going to find what you're looking for," Sayid speaking up at last minute.

Boone's mouth fell open, and he wondered how Sayid could be in such denial. Could he not feel what he was feeling, knowing that something was wrong? Or was the connection between Sayid and Shannon not strong enough for that kind of feeling? Or maybe too strong? He shook his head, forcing himself away from those kinds of thoughts. Now was not the time to be jealous or envious of Sayid. In a few hours, none of that may matter. But he didn't want to think about that either.

"At least I'm looking," he said, and turned around, this time walking straight past the tent, and into the jungle.

Part of Sayid wanted to follow him, to help look for Shannon, but he was immobile. He didn't want to find what Boone was looking for. He didn't want Shannon to be gone, to lose someone else that he loved. He didn't want to, and he couldn't.

(space)

Rebecca continued to get better as the day went on, but Sawyer found himself being extra cautious around her. He wouldn't let her get up, or hardly even shift positions. Whenever she started to, all he could think of was Rebecca collapsing, and the fear that he may lose her forever. So when she began getting hungry around sundown, Sawyer won an argument, allowing himself to get her some fruit from the jungle. Sick people needed nutrition anyway, right?

The jungle seemed more silent than usual, not even the casual breeze blowing. It almost made him turn back, giving him a feeling of uneasiness. The carefree sense of living he had before was gone, replaced by trauma and torture beyond belief. He had more painful experiences on the island that he could've ever dreamed of bargaining for, and suddenly, playing daredevil didn't seem too welcoming anymore. But it was always fun to try on old mask.

A sudden rustling caught his attention from above, and Sawyer froze, slowly turning his head towards the sky. But when he saw a silluhete of a human in the trees, he relaxed. Humans, he could take. As light shifted towards the tree, Sawyer was able to make out who it was.

"Ain't that a sight for sore eyes?" He called up.

Sun smiled down at him while continuing to tug on a piece of fruit that was refusing to come loose of its branch.

"Need some help?" Sawyer offered.

"I can get it," Sun said, lying through her teeth as she blew back a strand of hair that had fallen into her face.

"Sure," Sawyer said, slurred with a mischievous grin.

He looked around the jungle, wondering if Sun noticed the off-atmosphere of the jungle as well.

"So what's with all the..silence?"

"I wouldn't complain," Sun said wisely with a weak smile.

Sawyer continued watching her, and without realizing it, let out an inner cry of relief when Sun pulled the fruit free. She went on with the picking, as if it were nothing. Sun was like that, always willing to do something for someone else or herself, but never boasting about it, or even taking credit for it. The quality reminded Sawyer a little of a female version of Jack. Sawyer shivered. Now that was a scary thought.

"Ain't that Kate's job?" He asked.

Sun looked down at him, and he immediately knew there was something that he didn't know. Sawyer watched as she climbed down the tree, placing the bag of fruit carefully on the ground, pausing before finally replying.

"Kate came back with Jack an hour ago," Sun began softly, "they haven't said anything about what happened."

He could feel his eyes growing darker, and suddenly it seemed only appropriate that the jungle was silent and the night was still.

"Did they find Shannon?" Sawyer asked, unable to bring his voice over a whisper.

Now that he thought about it, on his way into the jungle he spotted Sayid and Boone talking, and those two were never together- at least not at the beach. The only time they merged was when Shannon was concerned.

"We don't know," Sun replied quietly.

A much deeper silenced tension than the jungle could ever provide passed through the moment, and as if it knew it was missed and needed, the familiar cool breeze of the jungle stirred up again. Sun shivered.

"I was going to see if they wanted to eat something," Sun said, remembering the fruit.

"I'll come," Sawyer volunteered. Though he wanted to get back to Rebecca, he was curious about the silence situation, and after spending all day at the beach taking care of her, he thought he deserved a break.

"I can do it," Sun said quickly.

Though he figured that Sun, being someone who he assumed was very sheltered and cared for, would rather not travel through the jungle hoarding food at night, Sawyer also figured that Sun knew she never got do help out much, and was leaping at her opportunity.

"I insist," Sawyer said with a grin, "anything for the lady."

He winked, and Sun blushed through the darkness.

"Rebecca's lucky," she complimented.

Her reply came softly, almost regretfully. Sun smiled sadly, and Sawyer took it among himself to broaden up the moment, as always.

"I know," Sawyer said slyly with a wink as he reached down to pick up the fruit. Sun looked ready to protest, but so was Sawyer. "I insist."

Smiling briefly, Sawyer suddenly was reminded of Jin, though for no apparent reason. It was the first time Sawyer had thought of him since his death, determined to keep those thoughts out of his head, along with the deaths of Michael and Walt. He didn't need that kind of guilt hanging over him. Over the years, Sawyer decided it was best to just ignore these kinds of things.

When they reached the caves, Sawyer was surprised at how quiet he was. As they walked through the main cave, carefully sidestepping sleeping castaways, they could've heard a pindrop, even over the waterfall, which seemed to be the comfort of night. But the big surprise came when he first stepped into Jack's cave, and realized how serious the situation was.

The two were laying in each other's arms against the wall, though they didn't seem aware that they were. Kate's head was laying against Jack's chest, breathing in unison with him. Sun stepped forward in front of Sawyer, who shook himself back into reality.

"Jack?" Sun asked in a kind, quiet, voice. "Are you hungry?"

Sun picked up a piece of fruit between to fingers, handing it out to Jack as if trying to attempt him.

"Somethin' tells me he won't go for that," Sawyer snorted.

Sun simply smiled at Sawyer's humor, secretly grateful for it.

"Jack," Sun said again in the same kind voice, "you should eat."

Jack didn't even look at the food. His distant stare sent shivers up his spine; he'd never seen a look like that. This couldn't of ben comfortable for Sun.

"How 'bout I take over?" He offered. Sun looked up to him in surprise. "Can't be that hard, right?"

Sun stood up, looking Sawyer right in the eye.

"We don't know what they went through," Sun glanced towards Jack and Kate. For a moment she looked doubtful, but handed Sawyer the piece of fruit. "Be careful."

"You're actually going to let me do this?" Sawyer said, not bothering to hide his surprise.

"At the least," Sun began, "maybe you could annoy them out of shock."

They exchanged smiles, and Sawyer had a feeling that he should be grateful for what comic relief he could get. Sun brushed her hand against his shoulder before leaving Sawyer alone with Jack and Kate. He stood there for a moment, wondering where he should begin.

"Well," he said, clapping his hands together as he rolled back on the balls of his feet. He realized too late that the fruit was still in his hands, now smashed into a sticky goo soaked onto his hands. "Damn."

He snickered at his mistake, partially expecting Jack to laugh along with him.

"Guess it's just yall and me," Sawyer said, taking a seat across from the two.

Reaching down, he picked up a second piece of fruit. Sawyer grinned at his plan.

"Come on Kate," he said in a mock child's voice, slowly steering the fruit towards Kate's mouth, "open up for Sawyer."

Kate didn't budge.

"God dammit," he muttered bitterly under his breath, already frustrated. With grace he flung the fruit into his own mouth, wincing at its sweet taste.

He looked around the cave for a distraction, knowing that food and talking wouldn't work. His eyes scanned Jack's medical cart, and Sawyer noticed that hidden amongst it was a patch of leather he was surprised Jack just left around. Curious, Sawyer reached for it, pulling back a wallet.

"Well, well, well," he said, grinning mischievously to himself, "what do we have here?"

The first thing he checked was the money pouch. There were a couple of coupons, no longer in use to the world, and four pennies. He snorted, Sawyer always heard that the doctors were the well-paid ones.

Next he went to the pictures, and wasn't surprised to find that most of the plastic flaps were empty. All but one. In it lay a small picture, just small enough for a wallet, with a dark blue background. As Sawyer pulled the picture out, he noticed it was a picture of a little girl with blonde hair and unmistakingly familiar eyes.

"Cute kid," Sawyer complimented, "Kate told me you had one-" he flipped the picture over, checking for writing. On the slick paper a phone number was written, scribbled with a hurried hand. No name was written under it. "She has daddy's eyes-" he snorted to himself- "no doubt his mouth too."

At that moment Sawyer could've sworn a cool breeze blew through the caves, and he looked up, startled. Jack's eyes greeted him. A long moment passed as the two just stared at each other, and Sawyer let out a silent cry of triumph. Then just like that, Jack looked back to where he had been staring before, and a few moments more, Sawyer was sure that he imagined it.

(space)

"Why are you here?"

Boone turned around at the voice he didn't expect to here.

"I-" Boone thought quickly, "forgot something."

Callum nodded, and looked around the hatch, eyes lingering on the computer, screen still painted with red and white. Boone swallowed. He felt guilty for coming down here after all he said about looking for Shannon, but being in the jungle made him feel dizzy, sick, and suddenly Boone was feeling the denial that Sayid possessed.

"My sister's missing," Boone blurted out, immediately looking down to the floor, ears reddening.

Callum studied him for a moment before replying.

"Your stepsister?" He asked carefully.

"Yeah," Boone said with a sad smile, "her."

He was flattered that Callum remembered the story, though Boone had only told him the story vaguely.

"So why are you down here?" Callum asked again.

Boone looked around, searching for his answer.

"I don't know," he admitted, "I just..is it weird to say I just feel good down here?"

Shrugging, Callum turned to the computer and leaned against the keyboard, as Boone had done many times in the adjacent room. He realized for the first time how similar they were, both forced into this 'destiny' they couldn't escape from.

"You know, Daniel lost his wife," Callum said suddenly.

"The one you crashed here with?" Boone inquired.

Callum nodded.

"A year before the trip," he explained, and shook his head, turning back to the screen, lost in his story, "tore him apart. Tried to kill himself once."

"I tried to kill myself," Boone interjected without realizing he was doing so. He thought he would regret admitting this, or be embarrassed, but to his surprise, he didn't. "I worked at this pool and..well..the water was right there."

"You tried to drown yourself?" Callum said in awe, turning back towards Boone.

He nodded.

"I.." he searched for the right way to explain it, "my life sucked."

Callum snorted.

"Don't they all?"

"Yeah," said Boone, not being able to help but to smile sadly. That sounded like Shannon.

He looked around the hatch again, studying the damp, ancient walls, admiring the furnishings of the systems and interiors. It felt so surreal to think that years ago, someone had a plan for all this, possibly innocent, never imagining the pain they would once cause. And suddenly, denial didn't seem very appealing anymore. Suddenly he had to get out, had to fight what he was going through.

"I've got to go," Boone spoke up.

"I know," Callum said in a slightly eerie voice that sent shivers up Boone's spine.

Deciding not to think twice on the comment, Boone left the hatch, trying to prepare himself for whatever he may fine, for better or for worse.

(space)

Sayid quietly tiptoed into Jack's cave, clutching a bleeding hand tightly. When he reached the medicine cart he let out a sigh of relief, but his exhaustion got the better of him, causing him to fumble with the peroxide, knocking over a few bottles of pills. He winced at the echoey noise it made. Sayid glanced quickly towards Jack and Kate, who still were against the wall. Jack was now laying on his side, hands curled up beneath his head. Kate's arm was buried beneath him, as if she were hiding it from something. From what he could tell, Kate was asleep, but Jack's eyes were still wide and distant.

"Sorry," he said to Jack, though he knew he wasn't listening, "I cut my hand-" he uncapped the peroxide and reached for a cotton ball, "normally I wouldn't make a deal of it, but I think some wood got into the cut-" he himself didn't seem to notice his rambling, "I was making firewood, in case Shannon came back-"

"Shannon's dead."

The two words Sayid feared hearing the most. Surely he was just hearing things. Slowly Sayid turned to Jack for confirmation, but Jack stay laying still as stone. Swallowing, Sayid looked down. The peroxide slipped out of his fingers, falling to the ground, the liquid spilling out onto the floor, leaking to his shoes. Sayid ignored it.

It couldn't be true. He didn't want it to be true. Sayid was never wrong, and he didn't want to be wrong about this. This was crazy. Shannon couldn't be dead..she just couldn't. Furious, confused, and a million other unrecognizable emotions to him, Sayid ran from the caves, fleeing for what felt like the first time.

He felt sick as he left, ignoring the groans from the sleeping castaways on the way out, ignoring Sun and Sawyer, who watched him as he passed on his way out of the caves.

The cool jungle air felt very relieving, and he finally slowed to a walk ten minutes from the caves. Dizziness came over him as his emotions built up, and Sayid was regretting running when he could've just stayed at the caves, collapsing into a mannequin like Jack and Kate.

Suddenly a sound caught his attention, a sniffle, as if someone were trying to hold back a sob. Sayid stopped, holding his breath as he watched a figure emerge from the shadows. It was late now, and Sayid couldn't think of who would be out other than Locke or Boone. Or Boone. He was sure now that he'd be sick, but all of those emotions stopped when it was Boone who stepped out of the shadows. Something lay on the ground beside him, his hand gripped tightly around as Boone struggled to catch his balance from having to drag it. He finally met eyes with Sayid, Boone's eyes swollen red, eyes bloodshot. They remained staring like that until Sayid forced himself to look down, swallowing and knowing that for once, he was wrong. On the ground lay Shannon, cut up and bruised, a pale, cold, hand clutching Boone's tightly. She was dead.

Sayid breathed in deeply, determined not to sob or cry, not here, not now. He would later, when he was alone. Years from now, when he was alone. There would always be time for crying. As there was always time for being wrong. So why now? He felt betrayed, as if the world turned against him with the shade of the moonlight, hiding behind the stars. Now he could only hope that he would wake up and this would all be one big nightmare. He wouldn't have this fear, Boone wouldn't be standing in front of him, shaking as he held his dead sister's body. The body of the women he loved. They both loved.

He could hope, but deep down he knew that no nightmare would jerk him from his sleep. All he had to worry about now were the monster that were creeping out of the closet. He had always been so careless, determined that finding love was the world's way of saying he'd be okay. No need to worry about anything. The monsters were only fables and tales from far away lands, unheard of to those who refused to believe. Who just laughed in the face of danger. Who would never be wrong and had no reason to be afraid. Too bad he never hid under the covers.

Author's Note: I don't think that turned out the way I wanted it to. I felt very unsure about Sayid, and if his denial was realistic. I left it off to where I could add more if I wanted to come back and do so, or make it all one big chapter for next chapter. I think I might just do that. Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys seem understanding..things'll start heating up soon, hopefully. Thanks again! You guys rock!

Coming up next, on "In the End":

A return and another very angsty chapter. In the future, you'll see lots of Sayid and Boone conversations..but don't forget about Danielle. I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that the next chapter's called "Rest In Peace".

Thanks again!

Until next time..

October Sky