I can't believe this took me so long to write. Sorry, if anyone was waiting impatiently for it! Next one shouldn't take as long. Thanks for sticking with me.

Chapter 8

Desmond raced down to the waterline, his heart in his throat. He couldn't see anything through the crowd, so he pushed his way past all the bystanders. He needed to see what was happening.

He arrived just in time to see Sawyer emerge from the water, Thomas lying limp in his arms. Desmond had never seen such terror on Sawyer's face as when he lay his lifeless son down on the sand. Desmond was about to move forward to try to help when he saw Molly and Laura. They were alone, Laura crying, terrified. Molly was pale, almost as still as her brother. He moved in their direction, wanting to reassure them.

Just then, Kate arrived on the scene. Her terrified expression matched Sawyer's. She tried to get to her son. Desmond grabbed her, holding her back. Jack was there now, working to revive Thomas. As much as he hated having to do it, he needed to keep Kate out of Jack's way. She fought him hard, crying.

As Desmond struggled to keep a hold of Kate, he saw Sawyer also battling to stay with their son. Jack had pushed him away as soon as he'd arrived, but Sawyer wasn't willing to leave. Hurley was now pulling him away. Sawyer, like Kate, fought against the man restraining him.

Eventually, Kate stopped struggling. She fell to her knees, Desmond still trying to support her. Sawyer noticed. He immediately stopped fighting Hurley, rushing over to Kate and pulling her into his arms. They clung to each other in silent terror, watching, waiting for Thomas breathe again, waiting to be allowed to hold him again.

Desmond went back to the girls. As soon as she saw him, Laura threw herself into his arms. Desmond held her tightly. Molly still wasn't moving. Desmond reached over to try to hold her. She pulled away, her eyes never leaving Thomas.

Desmond stared at Thomas, silently willing him to be all right. He kept thinking, any second now he'd cough, he'd breathe, and Jack would turn and tell everyone he was fine. Minutes passed. Desmond could feel the desperation of the crowd growing as nothing happened. He didn't dare look over at Kate and Sawyer. He couldn't bear to picture their faces. He focused instead on their daughters.

Juliet came over to Desmond. He didn't want to look at her, he had a feeling he knew what she was going to say and he didn't want to hear it.

Leaning close to him, she spoke quietly. "I think you should take the girls away. They don't need to see this."

He didn't want to accept what she was implying. At the same time, he knew she was right. He stood up and took the girls by the hand. Slowly, without looking back, he made to head back up the beach.

Molly refused to move. Desmond knelt down to pick her up. She pulled away from him with a jerk. At that moment, Desmond heard a spluttering sound, followed by a strangled cry from Kate.

Thomas was coughing, finally breathing. Sawyer raced over to him, picked him up and held him close. Kate, in her shock, was slower to move. Her relief seemed so overwhelming she couldn't even stand. Jack noticed, and moved to help her up, all the while reassuring her that Thomas was going to be fine.

On her feet again, Kate rushed down to Sawyer, crying, trying to take Thomas out of his arms. Sawyer wasn't so willing to give him up. Eventually though, he passed Thomas to his mother, who sank down to the sand once more. Still crying, she rocked him back and forth, holding him tightly.

As Desmond watched this scene with relief, Sawyer noticed his daughters standing there for the first time. Desmond thought he looked guilty about what they'd just witnessed. He knelt down and held out his arms. Laura ran straight into them. He looked over at Molly, who still hadn't moved. He held an arm out to her. Desmond took her over to him. Sawyer ignored him. He held his girls, stroking their hair, telling them over and over again that Thomas was okay.

Laura seemed calmed by these reassurances. Molly didn't. She broke free from her father's hold and walked slowly over to her mother and brother. Kate watched her as she reached out and touched Thomas. With that contact, she finally came out of her trance, bursting into tears. Kate pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Shh, it's okay baby girl. He's fine, see? He's okay." She kissed Molly's forehead, then rested head against her son's, still lying in her lap. Molly leaned into Kate, holding her brother's hand. All three looked utterly exhausted.

It started to rain. Most of the crowd dispersed, seeking shelter. Desmond stayed, watching the family. None of them moved. He figured they were all still in shock.

Jack and Juliet moved towards them. They'd apparently noticed what Desmond had. After a few words from Jack, Sawyer released his hold on Laura and went over to the rest of his family. He tried to take Thomas from Kate again, meeting resistance from both her and Molly.

Juliet knelt down next to Kate. "Let's go back to your tent. We need to get the kids warmed up." For a moment, Kate didn't move. Then she nodded. She stood up, letting Sawyer take Thomas. Desmond stayed back, watching, as she picked up Molly, settling her on her hip, then putting her free arm around Laura. Like that, they started to walk back to their tent; Jack and Juliet following close behind.

Desmond noticed the doctors exchange a worried look. He decided to follow them. He wanted to help, in whatever way he could.

Before they'd gotten halfway to the tents, Sawyer noticed Desmond.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled. Desmond was taken aback. He stopped, wondering what he'd done to deserve such an outburst. Jack and Juliet didn't seem to understand either. Sawyer glared at him. Kate didn't even look back. They continued on their way, leaving Desmond behind. Laura turned back to Desmond tearfully, looking scared. He tried to smile at her reassuringly.

He didn't know what was going on.

Desmond was alone in the jungle. As soon as everyone had left the beach, he'd searched for a secluded spot. He needed time to think. What the hell had just happened?

Unfortunately, he wasn't as well hidden as he'd hoped. After just a few minutes of being alone, Sawyer came storming up to him. Desmond had never seen him look so threatening. He didn't know why Sawyer would come to him though.

"Why didn't you tell us that was gonna happen?!" Sawyer yelled. He was absolutely livid. Finally, Desmond understood his anger, his reaction on the beach.

"You said you saw Charlie's death, over and over again. And you tried to stop it. So why couldn't you do the same for us?" He was pacing in front of Desmond, reminding him of some kind of dangerous animal about to pounce on its prey. If Desmond hadn't been the prey, he would have found it amusing. But nothing about the situation was funny.

Desmond tried to speak, tried to explain himself. But Sawyer wasn't giving him a chance.

"You said they'd be fine!"

"I thought they would be!" Finally Desmond managed to get a word in. "I didn't know that was gonna happen."

"What do you mean you didn't know?" Sawyer seemed to be waiting for an answer. Desmond didn't know what to say. He struggled noiselessly for a few moments, trying to get the words out, anything to make Sawyer understand.

He was taking too long for Sawyer though. He walked towards Desmond, until he'd backed him against a tree. For a second, Desmond thought Sawyer was actually going to hit him.

Sawyer stared menacingly at Desmond for a moment, before walking away. Desmond sighed with relief, watching him leave. Before he was completely out of sight, Sawyer turned back. Glaring at Desmond, he issued him with a final threat. "Stay the hell away from my family."

Once again, Desmond was left alone, staring in shock, wondering what had just happened.

Juliet sat watching Kate pace anxiously around the tent. The children were all asleep, cuddled up together for warmth. Jack had left minutes ago to tend to someone with a cut foot. Despite the fact that he'd checked over Thomas thoroughly before leaving and insisted that he would be fine, Kate wasn't convinced. Sawyer had left too; Juliet assumed he was confronting Desmond about whatever his outburst had been about.

Juliet was worried about Kate. She was still in shock, that much was obvious. Since they'd gotten back to the tent she'd been occupied with comforting her kids, getting them to sleep. Now, she had nothing to do but go over the day's events, over and over again. Juliet could tell she was tortured by it. It wouldn't do her any good to dwell on it, Juliet thought.

"Kate, why don't you sit down for a minute? You need to relax." Kate shook her head, still pacing. She knelt down by her children's' bed for a moment, observing them intently. Juliet then watched as she then stood abruptly.

"I need to take Thomas to Jack. His breathing doesn't sound right and he's still too cold." She said frantically. "But I can't… The girls… Can you…. God, where's James?" She was now shivering madly, Juliet noticed with alarm.

She stood and walked quickly over to Kate. She grasped her shoulders firmly, finally ending the continuous pacing. Kate slowly sank to the ground and Juliet, relieved, picked up a blanket and wrapped it around her. She rubbed her back soothingly, working to calm Kate down a little.

"Sawyer will be back soon. When he gets here, we'll get him to take Thomas to Jack. But you need to stay here, get warmed up and take care of yourself so you can take care of your kids."

Juliet's words had their intended effect. Kate leaned on Juliet, now crying quietly, finally succumbing to the weight of the day's emotions.

Sawyer entered the tent then. When he saw Kate crying he immediately looked over at the kids, panicked. Once he'd reassured himself that they were all still breathing, he moved to Kate's side and pulled her into his arms. Juliet got up to give them some space.

Once Kate's tears had subsided, she pulled away from Sawyer and looked at him questioningly.

"Did you find him? What did he say?" she asked Sawyer. The question intrigued Juliet; many times now she'd seen Kate and Desmond engaging in covert conversations with Desmond, and after today's events she was very curious about them.

"He said he didn't know." Sawyer replied. This answer meant nothing to Juliet. She was further confused by Kate's response.

"How could he not know?"

"That's what he said."

"Do you think he was lying?"

Sawyer only shrugged in response to the last question. He glanced away from Kate. Both noticed Juliet. She hoped she didn't appear to be too interested in their cryptic conversation. To her disappointment, they didn't continue it.

"How's Thomas doing?" Sawyer asked. Both he and Juliet noticed the worry that overtook Kate's expression again at the mention of her son.

"You need to take him to Jack. I still don't think his breathing's right."

Sawyer looked over at his son again, then at Juliet. "Kate's worried." She told him. He nodded, seeming to understand that he needed to do it for Kate's benefit.

"Can't question a mother's intuition, can I? If you think there's something wrong, I'll take him. But you need to try to sleep, okay?" he said to Kate, reaching up to stroke her hair. She nodded, smiling wearily.

Together they stood and walked over to where their children lay. Sawyer carefully lifted up the sleeping Thomas, trying not to wake him or his sisters. He didn't quite succeed.

Molly awoke with a cry at the loss of contact with her brother. Kate quickly moved to quiet her before she woke the others.

"Hey baby, shh. It's okay." Kate sat down, trying to hold the girl in her lap. Molly kept struggling to reach Thomas.

"No! Don't take him!" she cried. Juliet felt her heart breaking at the little girl's pleas. She couldn't imagine what kind of impression the day had left on her. She noticed Kate and Sawyer also looked grief stricken at her reaction.

Sawyer immediately sat opposite Kate, holding Thomas where Molly could see him. She stopped struggling, and let her father wipe the tears from her cheeks. Kate rocked her, stroking her hair while Sawyer talked to her.

"I have to take Thomas to the doctor, Poppet. We'll be back soon, I promise. You go back to sleep and when you wake up he'll be beside you."

Molly was falling asleep again already. She nodded and yawned. Sawyer stood up with Thomas. Before he left, he lifted Kate's chin, looking into her eyes.

"You go to sleep too." He said seriously. Kate rolled her eyes, smiling. She watched Sawyer leave, still rocking Molly in her arms.

Juliet watched as Kate then lay down with Molly. She reached an arm over her younger daughter to brush Laura's hair out of her face. Miraculously, the older girl had slept through the whole conversation.

With the three curled up together, and Kate about to fall asleep, Juliet decided to leave. "Call out if you need anything." She said quietly, so as not to wake the girls.

"Thank you. For being here, I mean." Kate said.

Juliet smiled, and left.

Following his conversation with Sawyer, Desmond had retreated even further into the jungle. He was now surrounded by stillness. He could hear nothing, he was alone, and he liked it that way.

He kept going over that conversation, Sawyer's accusations. Trying to answer his questions, if only for himself. What did it all mean?

What do you mean you didn't know? Sawyer's voice was in his head, clear as day. The question Desmond wanted to ask himself was, why? Why hadn't he known? Why didn't he see that Thomas was going to drown? He wasn't supposed to be by the water on his own, someone should have been with him. It wasn't supposed to happen. But it did. Why did Desmond see some things, but not others?

You said you saw Charlie's death, over and over again. And you tried to stop it. Charlie definitely would've died if Desmond had done nothing. He had to try to stop it. Thomas wasn't going to die. He was going to be fine. Kate and Sawyer didn't know it yet, but Desmond did. He'd seen the kids as adults; he knew they were going to be fine. There was nothing for him to stop.

Stay the hell away from my family. The girls had looked so terrified. Desmond was practically a second father to those kids, how could he just leave them? It was the closest he'd ever come to having kids of his own, Sawyer couldn't just take that away from him. But he could. Sawyer had every right, Desmond reminded himself. He was their father after all.

He didn't see the drowning. So he wasn't meant to try to save Thomas. Because despite how it had looked, he wasn't in danger.

His other visions. Desmond paced, trying to figure it out. What if he was wrong about them? What if he was seeing them so he could change them? That first vision he'd had, of the family on the beach, he hadn't changed that. Or had he?

If his vision was right, they were alone that day. No witnesses. So there was no way of knowing if it had actually happened the way he'd seen it. What if he'd changed it and just hadn't realised it? Maybe he could change his other visions too. Maybe they didn't have to die.

But if they don't die, they might never get rescued. Desmond struggled with this thought. Everything could change. Was that fair? The kids, they could miss out on a good life off of the island.

But then again, how good could their lives be without their parents?

The more Desmond thought about it, the more convinced he became. No matter what, the kids would be better off with their parents alive. He'd seen Laura herself say she wanted Kate with her when she had her baby. She wanted more memories. A life on the island with their parents would have to be better than a life without them. After all, he didn't know what happened immediately after rescue. By sacrificing himself for them, he could be condemning them to a horrible fate. He didn't know for sure that they would be with good people.

Desmond didn't want to die. He'd thought he'd accepted it. He'd spent years going over the details, preparing himself. Now, it seemed so wrong. He wanted to live; he wanted to see Penny again. He'd give anything to see her again.

Desmond headed back to the beach. He was going to tell Kate and Sawyer what he saw. He would warn them about the rescue, so that when the time came, the family would hide. They'd either all make it onto the helicopter, or they'd all stay and live on the island for the rest of their lives. They'd be together. Surely that was what they wanted. And Desmond would get on the helicopter, alive, uninjured, and go home to Penny. It was the way it was supposed to be.

There was just the small question of how he'd get close enough to Sawyer to tell him. It would be tricky, but he'd figure it out. Maybe after a day or two Sawyer would be calmer, more ready to listen. Or maybe he could talk to Kate.

Desmond was so caught up in planning his method, he didn't immediately notice the sounds coming from the beach. When he did hear them, he stopped, listening. Horrified, he realised he was hearing screams, gunshots.

He was too late.

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