A/N: Wow. Reviews! I'm happy...I thought this sucked that much. Thank you. I guess it only took the DVD release to get reviews...which reminds me; I have to go get a copy. Can't let that sexiness get away from me! wink, wink

Anywho, here we go...some interaction between all three of them.

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Colleen awoke with a heavy sigh and to the sounds of metal chinking against metal and quiet talking in the distance. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was looking up at a tin roof with a model of a metal whale hanging from it. That would explain one sound. She thought, then went to relax again by closing her eyes.

She sat up quickly with a loud gasp as she remembered what happened. "No!" She whispered loudly. She felt a towel fall off her forehead, onto her lap.

The voices in the distance stopped, then when she heard footsteps, Colleen looked to her right to see a man and a girl walking towards her. She swung her legs over the edge of the couch as they walked closer to her.

"Where..." Colleen started to ask, then felt an ache in her throat, making her stop. She winced and brought her hand to her throat. She also licked her lips, feeling that they were dry as well.

The man walked over to a desk on the other side of the room. He picked up a cup and a pitcher; he poured something (presumably water) into the cup. Walking over to her, he handed her the cup with a grin.

Colleen took the cup from him with a small nod of her head, then took a few sips. She saw the man step back next to the girl. After clearing her throat, she went to speak again.

"Where am I?" She asked, her voice still raspy.

"You're on our island." The girl said with some fire in her voice.

"Nim." The man said softly to her. "Go finish eating."

The girl looked back at Colleen with a glare, then headed back out the way she came.

The man watched her go, then turned his attention back to Colleen. "Sorry about her. It's not like her to be so rude." He said by a way of explanation.

"It's alright. Kids seem to hate me anyway." Colleen replied, taking another drink from the cup. "So, where am I?"

The man sighed, then sat on the adjacent couch. "Well, you're on our island. We live here, but I can't tell you where 'here' is exactly." He said.

Colleen frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't want anyone to know of this place." He replied, motioning around him.

"Just who am I going to tell? If you haven't noticed, I didn't come with a satellite phone or any other form of communication. Don't have to worry about that." She said heatedly, bowing her head and running her thumbs over lip of the cup. "My crew's probably lost anyway."

"There are more of you?" He asked.

She sighed before looking back up to him. "Yeah. Five others. We were on my boat gathering research when the storm..." She paused, sighing again, and looking away from him. "I don't know what happened and I don't know how I got here. I was knocked unconscious by the mast as my boat tipped over." She set the cup down on the table next to her and put her face in her hands. "All of my two weeks of research is gone, I have no idea where my crew is and my boat is probably sitting at the bottom of the ocean. Could this week get any better?"

The man looked up at her at the mention of research.

"Research?" He asked. "What sort of research?"

"I've been studying plankton in the Pacific recently. We were collecting samples and gathering data." Colleen replied, taking her hands away from her face.

"You're a scientist?" He asked, slightly shocked.

"That and more. I have a Ph.D. in biological oceanography and a not-so-glamorous degree as an assistant veterinarian. Why? You seem surprised."

"No, not surprised. I just realized who you are. And why you looked so familiar when we found you." The man said. "You're Doctor Giuseppe."

"'Colleen' will be fine." She replied quietly.

Colleen still couldn't get used to being called 'Doctor'.

"Do I have the pleasure to know your name, or shall I just call you 'Dude'?" She questioned.

"Oh, yeah. I'm Jack Rusoe. I don't have a Ph.D., but I am a marine biologist and microscopic scientist." He said with a charming smile. "The little one is my daughter, Nim."

"Jack Rusoe." She muttered, looking up at the roof with a thoughtful glance, tapping her chin with her index finger.

Jack grinned inwardly as Colleen said his name. She had put a French pronunciation on his last name...he liked it.

"Ah, volcano man." Colleen finally said, looking back at him with a grin.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

Colleen laughed shortly. "I read your article in National Geographic. 'Living in the Shadow of a Volcano' or something like that." She paused and frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her. "If you're a marine biologist, why'd you write on a volcano?"

It was Jack's turn to laugh. "Simple. Because we do. You can't miss it. The foot is about a mile that way." He pointed to his left and slightly behind him. "We'll have to show you some time." He smiled, lowering his hand.

Colleen couldn't help but return his smile and nod. She then sighed and looked around. This house had to have been built by Jack. She didn't see any other way for it to have been done, since they don't let people on the island. She looked out to where Nim was sitting near the fire, poking it. She'd have to talk to the girl, but not tonight.

"How long have you been here?" Colleen asked, looking back at Jack.

He glanced out to Nim. "Since she was a baby."

Colleen watched his face as he smiled softly, then shook his head. "Well," he said putting his hands on his knees and standing, "I'll let you get some rest." He started to walk towards the door.

"Rusoe." Colleen called softly, making Jack pause.

Jack stopped as he felt a tingling at the base of his neck. He then turned around to look back at Colleen.

"'Jack' will do." He mumbled.

Colleen smiled, which made him smile.

"Jack, then." She said quietly. "Thank you...for helping me."

"No thanks needed. I couldn't just let someone be taken by the elements so close to my home." He replied, then turned and walked out to his daughter.

Colleen watched him go, then sighed as she looked down at her lap where the towel still rested. She removed it from her lap and placed it on the table. She then shrugged out of her gray shirt, letting it fall to the floor next to her. Sighing, she swung her feet back up onto the couch and laid back down. She readjusted the light blanket over her and turned on her side, facing the Rusoes. When she felt something jab into her leg, she frowned, then laid on her back to take whatever it was out of her pocket.

Having her hand wrapped around her waterproof camera, Colleen took it out of her pocket. She clutched it tighter in her grip, pulling it close to her heart. Closing her eyes momentarily, she sighed again, then placed the camera on the floor next to her shirt. Flipping over onto her other side, facing the back of the couch, Colleen attempted to fall asleep. Sleep, however, would allude her for many hours.

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A/N: More to come!