Kali wasn't sure how long they stayed on the floor, with Sawyer clutching onto her tightly, close to hyperventilating. She tried to comfort him as best she could, but it was too much for anyone to bear. Locke had used him. Just like so many other people had done. Eventually, his breathing began to even out, but he still didn't pull away from their embrace. He didn't want to face what he had done.

"I...I haven't changed at all. I'm still a killer" Sawyer mumbled, as Kali shook her head, vehemently.

"Don't say that. You're a good person, James. You are" Kali insisted, as he pulled away, his cheeks stained with tears.

"If my mother could see me now..." Sawyer trailed off, with a disgusted look.

"She'd understand. Just like I do. That man put you through hell, he ruined so many people's lives...the world is a better place without him" Kali explained, reaching out to cup his cheek.

"It would be a better place without me too. One less killer" Sawyer retorted, as she forced him to look at her.

"What about me? Would I be better off without you? Would anyone on this island? We need you. I need you" Kali told him, as his eyes softened.

"...I'm sorry, Kali. I never...I never wanted you to see me like that" Sawyer admitted, in a broken tone.

"I'm not scared of the darker parts of you. I have them too. So, does everyone else. This island just...it puts it on display" Kali sighed.

"What are we gonna' do with the body?" Sawyer murmured, his eyes flickering over to Locke's father, who had landed in a heap on the floor.

"We leave him to rot. No one needs to know. No one should remember him" Kali explained, as Sawyer nodded slowly.

She then pushed herself to her feet, and held her hand out to him, as he intertwined their fingers. She helped haul him up onto his shaky legs, his face red and contorted in a pained expression. God, he looked so young somehow. Like he was back to being a scared kid again.

"I had to do it. I couldn't just stand by again" Sawyer exclaimed, running a hand over his face.

"What do you mean?" She questioned.

"I was there. When my father killed my mother. I was there. She told me to hide under the bed, and a minute later she was dead. I didn't move, I didn't make a damn sound. And then he came into my bedroom...I wanted to scream, to hit him, but I was too fucking scared" Sawyer confessed, as she squeezed his hand which was still clasped around hers.

"You were just a kid" Kali stated, as he shook his head, ruefully.

"I could have done something! Anything!" Sawyer insisted, scrunching his eyes shut as the memory washed over him.

"And then it was over. My dear old daddy shot himself in the head. And I laid there for hours. My mom was cold by the time I pulled myself out from under the bed" Sawyer told her.

"There's nothing you could have done. You would have just gotten yourself killed. Your mum saved you" Kali pointed out, as Sawyer's expression crumbled.

"You would have liked her. She was sweet. Too damn nice for her own good" Sawyer mumbled.

"...We should go. I can't stand to be in this damn place a second longer" Sawyer suddenly announced, as Kali nodded, tugging him towards the door.

"The others will probably be..." Kali trailed off, when she spotted a tape recorder on top of a nearby barrel, remembering that it hadn't been there before.

"You think Locke left it?" Sawyer suggested, as she picked up the device and placed play.

"Kwon is pregnant, the foetus is healthy and was conceived on Island with her husband, he was sterile before they got here. I'm still working on getting samples from the other women. I should have Dixon's back soon. I'll report back when I know more" They heard Juliet's voice echo through the tape, their eyes growing wide.

"Son of a bitch. She's been telling Ben everything" Sawyer realised, panic growing inside of him.

"We need to get back to camp. Now" Kali insisted, as they rushed towards the ship's exit.


Knowing they had no choice but to tell the camp everything, that night everyone was brought together and told about Naomi and the satellite phone. They tried to insist that Juliet's betrayal was the bigger concern, but understandably, the camp was more concerned with the idea that the plane had supposedly been found with no survivors. That was one thing that still made no sense to Kali. Why would Naomi have lied about it?

"So, what, the whole world thinks we're dead?" Claire questioned.

"That's not important right now" Sayid theorised, knowing the danger they could be in due to Juliet's betrayal.

"What do you mean it's not important, Sayid?" Claire scoffed.

"Because we have bigger problems, Claire! If Juliet has been feeding the Others information about our camp, God knows what they are going to do! They have enough guns to wipe us all out" Kali explained, as Claire turned a deathly white colour, clutching her baby a little tighter.

"And now Juliet and Jack have disappeared. Jack spent a week with the Others, and he brought one of them back with him. Here, amongst us" Sayid went on, as Sun took a step forward.

"But it's Jack! He would never do anything to hurt us. And Juliet? I believe she's a good person...you still haven't shown us any proof that she is still working with the Others" Sun retorted.

"Good person, huh? You basing that on what? Wouldn't involve her taking you to one of their medical stations would it now, Mrs Kwon?" Sawyer announced, before taking the tape recorder from Kali's hand and pressing play.

"Kwon is pregnant, the foetus is healthy and was conceived on Island with her husband, he was sterile before they got here" Juliet's voice played again, as Jin's head snapped up, muttering something Kali couldn't understand.

"I'm still working on getting samples from the other women. I should have Dixon's back soon. I'll report back when I know more" The tape ended, as whispering erupted from the group.

"Wait, are you pregnant?!" Charlie gaped, as Kali gave him a look of disbelief.

"That's seriously the most concerning thing you got from that tape?" She scoffed.

"Yes!" Charlie and Hurley insisted, at the same time.

"Our night kind of got ruined by a woman falling from the damn sky, remember?" Kali rolled her eyes.

"Silver lining to everything, I guess" Charlie smirked, as she flipped her middle finger at him.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice inquired, as the group turned to see none other than Jack and Juliet stomping towards them.

"You really think you're in a position to be asking us questions?" Sawyer muttered, his tone laced with anger.

"Turn the tape over" Juliet exclaimed, making Kali frown.

"Stay out of it" Sawyer snapped, in no mood to listen to who he thought was a traitor.

"You want to burn me at the stake, here I am, but first, turn the tape over, press play" Juliet insisted, as Kali took the recorder from his hand, and did as she was told.

"Juliet, it's Ben. I'm sending three teams to extract Kwon the night after tomorrow. We won't have time to run Dixon's sample, so if you determine that she or anyone else is pregnant, mark their tents, and we'll take them, too. Good luck" Ben's voice rang out, as Kali's blood ran cold.

The Others were coming to their camp? They had no defences, next to no weapons...how the hell were they going to get out of this one?

"The day you called me out, I told you I wanted to make this right. And that's what I've been doing. I told Jack what they were making me do" Juliet explained, surprising Kali.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sayid questioned, still suspicious.

"Because I hadn't decided what to do about it yet" Jack admitted.

"And you do now?" Kali frowned.

"I think we've got some catching up to do" Jack told them, making Kali huff.

"Understatement of the century, Doc" Sawyer muttered.


After leading them a few hours from camp, Jack revealed his plan to them, and who was helping him. Danielle Rousseau. Kali was glad to see the older woman again, feeling a little more confident in Jack's plan. Danielle was a survivor through and through, she wouldn't agree to Jack's plan if she didn't think it would work. Jack went on to tell them about how he planned to lead their group away from the camp and leave dynamite in the tents, ready to blow the Others to hell. Kali was still thinking it over as they arrived back at camp and began to search through the plane wreckage for wire to connect to the dynamite. It sounded like a good plan...in principle.

"I know that look" Sawyer exclaimed, as he helped her with stripping the wire.

"What look?" She frowned.

"Your 'Oh shit, we're all gonna' die' look" Sawyer smirked, as she huffed out a laugh.

"What do you think of Jack's plan?" She asked, as Sawyer gave a small shrug.

"Barbecued Others? What's not to like?" He pointed out.

"They're all not all gonna' come here. Ben's only going to send out a few of his men. The rest will stay at the camp, and even if we manage to kill the ones who come here...what about the rest? We'll be at war" Kali stated.

"Aren't we already?" Sawyer retorted as she mulled it over, realising he was right.

"I'm just worried about everyone. Half the people here can't fight" Kali sighed, as Sawyer nudged her shoulder with his arm.

"Don't worry, blue eyes. I'll protect you" Sawyer told her, causing a grin to spread over her lips.

"Likewise" She replied, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to his lips.

"...How are you holding up?" Kali couldn't help but ask, after a few seconds.

She knew he was putting on a front. A brave face. After what he had gone through the day before, she hadn't been surprised when he tossed and turned all night. Dark circles were growing under his eyes, but he pushed on. They all had to.

"I'm not gonna' break, Kali" Sawyer insisted, as she ran her hand over his back.

"I know. But you don't need to hide how you really feel from either. I can take it" She explained, as he gave her a small smile.

"I'll be alright. As long as I've got you" He exclaimed, before turning back to striping the wires, not seeing how Kali had tensed.

She knew she would have to tell him the truth at some point. That there was no cure. That she would never leave the island. But not yet. They could live without that looming over them for at least a little longer, right?

"And I am trying to get us off this Island, Jack!" Sayid's voice echoed over the camp, causing the pair to twist around to look at him.

He was standing a few metres away, the satellite phone from Naomi in his hand, glaring at Jack and Juliet. God, what now, Kali thought to herself, standing up to listen in on their conversation, with Sawyer following closely behind.

"I can't transmit using this phone because Danielle's distress signal is overriding the frequency. If you tell me where the radio tower is, I can go there, switch off your message, and call for help" Sayid suggested, as Kali came to a sudden halt.

Call for help? Would that actually work? They had been on the island for so long that she had almost forgotten the rest of the world still existed.

"Naomi's boat is only 80 miles offshore. I know if we eliminate Danielle's signal, they will hear us—" Sayid began, but Juliet cut him off.

"No, they won't...we're jamming it" Juliet sighed.

"What?" Jack gaped.

"Ben is using one of the DHARMA stations to block all of the signals off of the Island except for ours. It's called the Looking Glass. It's underwater, I swear I have no idea where it is" Juliet went on, a guilty expression on her face.

"I believe I do" Sayid announced, before he rushed off towards his tent, an idea forming in his mind.

"Why?" Kali interjected as Jack and Juliet turned to them.

"Why what?" Juliet frowned.

"Why is Ben jamming the signal? There must be a reason" Kali pointed out, as Jack let out a huff, running a hand over his face.

"Does it really matter?" Jack retorted.

Just as Kali went to open her mouth, to insist that it did, Sayid was racing back to them, blueprints in his hand. The ones he had taken from the building they had found in the jungle, where Boone had killed the inhabitants. Why had he done that, Kali thought to herself once again. There were so many things that didn't make sense.

"There was an accident at the Looking Glass Station. Ben told us that the station was completely flooded. I don't know anyone who has ever been down there" Juliet informed them, as Sayid lay out the blueprints.

"Well, if it's flooded then how does it still work?" Jack inquired, bringing up a good question.

"How it still works is irrelevant. The question is, how do we get it to stop working, so we can use the satellite phone. The diagram shows that the Looking Glass is connected to the Island by a cable. I feel sure that this is the very same cable down the beach which runs into the ocean. So if we follow the cable, it should lead us to the station" Sayid went on.

"So how are we gonna' get in?" Jack asked, beginning to warm to the idea.

"We swim in. There's a moon pool. A room with an open floor at the base of the station, big enough for a submarine to dock. Even if the station's flooded, I think I'll be able to find the relay switch and disable it" Sayid explained, as Jack's forehead wrinkled.

"What about swimming back out?" Jack pointed out, as Sayid gave him a knowing look.

"No. No, I'm not letting you go on some suicide mission just to flip a switch" Jack told him, firmly.

"But someone has to do it or we'll never leave this Island" Sayid insisted, as Kali realised he was right.

What if this was the group's one chance at leaving? As much as she didn't want to lose them, she wasn't going to let the opportunity slip through their fingers. She had to get Sawyer back home.

"I'll do it" Kali announced, as all eyes turned to her.

"Kali, did you not just hear what I said? It's suicide—" Jack started, but she was quick to cut him off.

"Not to someone who can't die" She retorted, as Sawyer grabbed onto her arm.

"No. No fucking way. You said whatever is keeping you alive doesn't have a far range out at sea. It's too dangerous!" Sawyer told her.

"I'm the only option, James. I'm not letting anyone else take this risk" Kali insisted.

"There's no reason to do this now. We're going to focus on the Others, and then we'll deal with this" Jack exclaimed, pushing himself to his feet.

"Wait a minute. We have the chance to signal for a rescue. We can't just ignore it!" Sayid theorised as Kali nodded.

"I can do this" Kali pushed, as Sawyer gave Jack a warning look, his thoughts behind the matter clear.

Before Jack even had the chance to argue, Desmond and Charlie were approaching them, with the former pushing himself in between Jack and Kali, a stern look on his face. How much had they heard?

"No. Jack's right. We need to focus on these Other's, just...forget about the satellite phone" Desmond announced, as Kali gave him a look of disbelief.

"The decision has been made. Let's back to work" Jack told them, ushering for Juliet to join him, as they walked away.

"What the fuck, Des?" Kali questioned, as he went to join them.

"Drop it, Kali. Please" He all but begged, only confusing her further.

"Why?" She insisted, as he looked away from her like he couldn't bear to tell her the truth.

"Because I'm going to die" Charlie announced, in a solemn tone.

"You had another vision?" Kali frowned, as Desmond nodded slowly.

"He saw a helicopter arrive on this beach. Save us, lift off and leave this island" Charlie told them, as a grin spread over Sawyer's lips.

"Well, then let's roll out the damn welcome wagon. Why do you two look so mopey?" Sawyer went on, as Charlie gave them a sad smile.

"Because I die. If I don't, we don't get rescued, right Des?" Charlie explained, as the smile fell from Sawyer's face.

"I told you, I only see flashes, I...I don't know" Desmond sighed.

"It's about the Looking Glass, right? You...you go down there and drown?" Kali realised, barely able to force the words from her mouth.

"I flip a switch and the jamming signal turns off. Everyone goes home" Charlie shrugged.

"Not you. Look, there is one very obvious answer to this. I go instead..." Kali trailed off, when she saw the look Desmond was giving her.

"That's just the thing, Kali. In the vision I saw, you did go with him. He still drowned" Desmond admitted, as Kali shook her head, panic beginning to grow inside her.

"...Then I go on my own" She theorised.

"No. I have to be there. If I'm not, his vision doesn't come true" Charlie insisted.

"I can't believe I'm gonna' say this...but I agree with the Doc. Neither of you is going, alright? It's too dangerous. End of story" Sawyer announced, hating the idea of what they were suggesting.

Kali watched as Desmond began to storm away, a conflicted expression on his face, and rushed to follow him. There was something more going on. He was keeping something from her. He had been ever since they found Naomi.

"What is it? What have you seen that is so terrible that you'd be willing to never seen Penny again?" Kali called after him, as Desmond stopped in his tracks.

"If you do this, if we call for help..." Desmond trailed off, looking like he was close to tears.

"What? What happens?!" Kali pushed, in a desperate tone.

"...You'll die, Kali. For good this time. I've seen it" Desmond confessed, watching as something seemed to crumble away within her.

"How?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know. I don't know when but...you're gone...you're just gone" Desmond cried, tears welling in his eyes.

Kali took a shaky breath in response, hating the way she could feel her own eyes stinging. It had been some time since she had thought about dying. Really dying. God, she was only nineteen. Was she really ready to give her life?

"What about James? Is he..." Kali trailed off, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"He was there. He was with you while you died" Desmond went on, as she nodded, slowly.

"He lives then. I die, but they all get to leave? To live?" Kali questioned, as Desmond bit his lip.

"I don't know, Kali. I don't why I'm being shown these things anymore" Desmond sighed, rubbing at a tear that had rolled down his cheek.

Kali's eyes softened a little as she realised just how broken Desmond was becoming at being forced to see so many horrible visions. He had never asked for it. And he didn't deserve it either. Giving him a small smile, she reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. Desmond was quick to return the hug, clutching onto her shirt as he dropped his chin onto her shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. They both needed the hug, that was for sure.

"Hey! Look, there! Look!" Hurley's voice called out, as they pulled out of the embrace.

Kali's jaw dropped open as she saw Karl, Alex's boyfriend, sailing towards them, steering a wooden canoe. Half of the camp members were racing towards him a moment later, with Sayid at the front of the group. Kali ran to catch up with him, afraid of what he might do. Karl didn't seem to realise the danger he had put himself in as he reached the shore, running to meet them. He let out a yelp when Sayid suddenly tackled him to the ground, shoving him onto his back

"Wait! Sayid, stop!" Kali yelled.

"Get off him, dammit, it's okay" Sawyer insisted, as he ushered Sayid away from the boy.

"What?! He's one of them!" Sayid exclaimed, reluctantly rolling off the intruder.

"I know, I know. He was in the cage next to me. I know this guy. What the hell are you doing here, Karl?" Sawyer questioned, hauling Karl onto his feet, dusting the sand off his clothes.

"They're coming. My people" Karl panted, out of breath.

"Sorry you came all this way for nothing, but we already know" Sawyer scoffed, as Karl gave him a look of disbelief.

"Then why are you still here?" He gaped, confused.

"Because when your people show up here tomorrow night, we're gonna be ready for them" Sawyer smirked, as Karl's eyes went wide.

"Tomorrow? No. No, they're coming tonight. They're coming right now!" Karl warned, as Kali and Sawyer shared a panicked look.

Whatever they were going to do, it was now or never.


The camp descended into chaos as everyone realised, they could be killed by nightfall. It was decided they would have to leave the beach as soon as possible and make their way towards the radio tower that Rousseau had first relayed her message through. Three of their people would need to stay at the camp to shoot the dynamite to ignite it, and hopefully kill whoever turned up to take their pregnant women. And that just left one more group, which everyone would depend on. Who was going to flip the switch in the Looking Glass?

"Kali, you still up for a swim?" Jack spoke up.

Her pulse beat loudly in her ears, palms growing sweaty as she realised, she had a choice to make. It was her or her friends. And just like that, her decision had been made. There was only ever one choice for her.

"I'm ready" She exclaimed, through trembling lips.

"I'm going with her" Charlie announced, as Kali opened her mouth to argue, but someone else beat her to it.

"Me too" Desmond nodded, with a sad smile.

"Okay. Let's get to it" Jack told them, ushering for the camp to pack their things, as they started to disband.

"I thought you didn't want us to do this" Kali frowned, as Desmond gave her a small shrug.

"It's not like I've got anything better to do" He replied, making her huff out a laugh.

The humour quickly faded from her features as she spotted Sawyer looking at her from a few metres away, a devastated look on his own face. He shook his head vehemently, about to storm away as Kali rushed over to him, hating the idea of leaving with him mad at her.

"James, you know I have to do this" Kali exclaimed, reaching out to touch his arm.

"No, you don't. We can stay here. Who cares about a rescue? I just need you here with me" He told her.

"I can't die here. But you'll keep getting older, and then one day...I can't do that" She explained.

"You'll take the cure. We can get old together. Live our lives here—" Sawyer began, but she was quick to stop him.

"And what about our friends? We might not have anything to go back to, but they do! Friends, family, everyone they've ever known. I can't take that away from them" Kali went on, as Sawyer reached out to clutch her shoulders.

"You don't have to save everyone, Kali. You've done enough for these people" He pointed out, in a pleading tone.

"We'll never be safe here. We'll just keep trying to survive day to day...I don't want to live like that anymore. Do you?" Kali questioned, as Sawyer let out a long sigh.

"The stations flooded. You'll never be able to get in and out in time. You'll drown. Over and over again, do you understand that?" Sawyer pushed, the terror etched over his features.

"That's why I'm going with Charlie and Des. We'll look out for each other. It'll be okay" Kali told him, as he went still, as if realising something.

"You want me to believe that? Let me go with you. That way I can still protect you" Sawyer theorised, as she shook her head.

"You have to go with the group going to the radio tower" She exclaimed, as his brow furrowed.

"They don't need me there—" Sawyer started, but she cut him off once again.

"They do. They all do. Who's gonna' protect them out there? You're the strongest person in the group, they'll never make it without you" She suggested.

"And what about you? I thought you said you needed me?" Sawyer muttered, dropping his hands from her shoulders.

"I do. So much. But that's why I need you with them. I can't afford to get distracted down there, and all I'll be thinking about is you" Kali informed him.

"...Well, nothing new there" He teased, as she punched him in the shoulder, with a scoff.

"Pack your things. See me off before I go, yeah?" Kali questioned, as his eyes softened.

"Just promise me one thing" Sawyer sighed, reaching up to cup her cheek, which she leaned into.

"Promise me you're coming back" Sawyer insisted, as she leaned forward to kiss him, her hand clutching onto his shirt to pull him close.

"I always do" She smiled.


Ten minutes later, she found Charlie and Desmond, who were discussing how best to get to the ocean floor. They went quiet when they saw her approaching, the realisation of what they were planning slowly but surely setting in. None of them were sure they'd ever see another sunrise.

"Are you sure about this?" Desmond questioned, as she nodded, slowly.

"It's the right thing to do" She stated.

"I don't know about you guys but...I'm fucking terrified" Charlie admitted, with a small laugh.

"That makes two of us" Kali told him.

"Make that three" Desmond added, as they all sat down on the sand, staring off at the sea.

"How good a swimmer are you?" Charlie inquired, as she gave him a small shrug.

"Pretty good but...probably not good enough" She admitted, eyes averted to the ground.

"I reckon I can hold my breath for a minute. Maybe two" Desmond exclaimed.

"That should be long enough to get us to the station, right?" Charlie suggested, as Kali ran a hand through her hair.

"Not long enough to flip that switch" She pointed out.

"There is one other way..." Desmond trailed off, as the pair turned to look at him.

"I have a grenade. From the hatch. We might not be able to flip the switch, but we could blow it up" Desmond theorised.

"Would that work underwater?" Charlie frowned.

"Definitely. The blast wave would be even stronger underwater" Kali told them, as Charlie's eyes widened a fraction.

"...Meaning we'd go with it" Charlie mumbled.

"It's a last resort" Desmond stated, as Charlie nodded, with a sad smile.

"Sounds better than drowning to me" Kali murmured, in a shaky tone, betraying her confident words.

"Hey, you don't need to do this, Kali. Christ, you're not even twenty. Just...let me do this" Charlie exclaimed, as she shook her head.

"No. No, we do this together" Kali argued, blinking away tears that were welling in her eyes.

"Why?" Charlie frowned, as she reached out to take his hand in her own.

"Because...because if this doesn't work, I'm not letting you die alone, Charlie" She told him, as a tear rolled down her cheek.


Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Unfortunately, I caught covid a couple of weeks ago, which is why all the updates have been late, so I apologise for that. It did give me time to think about the future of this fic, and plan out the next few seasons and all I'll say is you guys will need some tissues, haha. Please leave a review:)

scripturient3201: I really like Locke's character, but damn I hated him in that episode. Poor Sawyer has gone through so much, but like you said, at least he has Kali now. Thanks for reviewing:)

Guest: Thank you! Enjoy the new update:)

Guest: Aw, thank you so much! It's definitely one of my favourite episodes, Lost really portrays the emotions of its characters so well.

M: Thank you! Lot's of really exciting things coming in the next few chapters which I hope you'll enjoy:)

carmelitajones: Thank you for reviewing:) I hope you liked the Kali/Sawyer scenes in this chapter too!

Elena: Thank you so much for this review, I can't believe you stayed up reading this fic, haha. I hope you like the new update:)