Lost Season 4

by Tsunamisurf

What happens to the castaways on the island during season 4? How are they rescued? And what takes place in the future for Jack and Kate? All of the mysteries left unsaid will be answered and new questions will arise...

5. Hope and Doubt

4x05: Hope + Doubt (Jack Centric)

The ocean shores were so beautiful. The sand beneath his feet felt soothing, ever so soothing. Like a massage for each of his toes. The sun was going down in the horizon casting an orange glow across the rippling waves of the ocean before him. The hills behind him bellowed up like hunch-backs as kids walked to and fro down the beach, laughing and cheering as they made sand-castles and kites.
Jack didn't know how long he was standing there. It seemed like an eternity. Finally, a peaceful moment where he could just stand on the hot sands of the beach and just remember what it had been like a few years previous to be standing on the beach of the place he missed more than anything else. The one place he had been happy.
He sighed, looking down at his white T-shirt and baggy, brown pants. His long, dark beard tickled his neck and his eyes were red with tears as he remembered standing on the beach with her...
Turning around slowly, be began to make his way toward his truck when, quite suddenly, he stopped and stared at something down the beach that was all too familiar and surreal. It couldn't be true...could it?
By a pair of trees where the kids were building a sand castle, there was a man staring back at him. He was standing as straight as a board wearing nothing but a black suit and he couldn't tell anything else about him but that. Jack blinked and the man was suddenly gone. It reminded him of the time where he had hallucinated his father on the island. Was it happening to him again? Impossible. It was a trick of his mind. Couldn't have been real...
He turned his head and continued up the beach toward his truck, leaving his sad memories of peace behind him...

END OF FLASH-FORWARD

"Jack?"
Jack awoke with the start on his side, staring blearily into the burnt out fire pit before him. He shook his head and leaned up, finding Kate looking down at him with a raised eyebrow and her hands on her hips. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, no..." Jack muttered groggily. "I was just counting..."
"Counting what?" Kate asked.
"How many sheep were jumping over a fence in my dream."
She smiled at his somewhat corny joke as he stood up and brushed dirt off of his knees. "Is everyone awake?" He asked.
"Kind of, not really..." Kate said, looking around at everyone in their temporary tents. Jin was sitting by a freshly made fire cooking a fish while Sun slept peacefully by his side with her head resting softly against a pillow and a blanket over her body. Jin smiled and looked at her, admiring her beauty before returning to his fish.
"You wanna scout the area ahead?" Kate asked.
"What?" Jack muttered, looking at her.
"We don't know what's down this mountain." Kate told him. "I think it'd be safer to scout ahead and make sure everything's alright while most of the camp is still asleep."
"Yeah." Jack nodded in agreement. "When you want to go?"
"Before everyone wakes up and wants to leave." Kate said simply, shrugging her backpack on. Jack smiled, watching her go get ready before reminding himself to get ready as well.

A hatchet smashed through the bushes as John Locke, led by Benjamin Linus, headed through the jungle by themselves toward the location of Ben's people. Both men looked bloody and forlorn. Locke, with a gash in his side that had already healed and bloodstains all over his clothes. And then there was Ben, who had been beaten multiple times by Jack and looked ready to collapse.
"So tell me more about the "Temple." " Locke said.
"What more do you want to know?" Ben asked.
"All you told me about it was that it was where your people originated from." Locke frowned.
"That's because that's what you asked." Ben muttered.
"Is it another hatch?"
Ben raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "That's a very wild guess, John."
"Well there's so many on this island with obscure names I wouldn't be surprised." Locke said with a sarcastic little frown.
Ben simple stared at him with his beaten in face. "No, it's not a hatch."
"Then what is it?" Locke asked.
"It's exactly what I called it." Ben said.
"Well there are a lot of different types of temples." John continued. "Are your people religious, or--?"
Ben scoffed at this. "Don't you remember about what I said about God not being able to see this island?" He asked. Locke gave him a questioning look before remembering briefly about this. Ben had told him this when he was under the alias of Henry Gale down in the Swan station.
"Our people aren't religious." Ben smirked.
"Then what are you people?" Locke asked.
"We were simply here first." Ben frowned, a taste of spite in his tone. "We're here."
Ben stopped and Locke stepped around him, peering through the bushes and looking ahead in amazement.
There was a huge clearing with a massive, stone-made structure that stood stoutly before them. There were windows in the rocks giving it the look of a giant house with multiple levels that got smaller as the temple got higher, almost like a pyramid. He couldn't see anyone from his point of view but he could hear sounds coming from the other side of one of the many tall walls. This was the Temple.

LOST

Locke stared at the temple in awe for a few moments before looking back at Ben who was staring right back at him, watching his expression carefully. "What is this place?"
Ben smiled weakly. "Why don't you go find out for yourself?"
Locke frowned. "Are your people here?"
"Yes, at the entrance." Ben said, nodding his head to indicate that it was on the other side of the temple to where they stood.
"Well why don't I go see Richard, I'm sure he--" Locke began and Ben's face fell.
"Richard?" He interrupted. "Why do you believe that you can trust him?"
Locke's smile widened. "I don't. But just from talking with him once, he's been a lot more honest than you have been."
He turned to move in when Ben suddenly said "John, Richard and my people will be asking questions about what happened to you and me. And you promised you wouldn't tell them the truth. So when they interrogate you, wouldn't you rather wait until after you explore the temple?"
Locke raised an eyebrow curiously. He brought up a very good point. Of course, he could always just tell them the truth and screw Ben over once and for all, and yet somehow he still found that idea uncomfortable. He'd made a promise...and maybe if he explored the temple and found out something before he was interrogated he could use it to his advantage. And so the side that wanted answers won over the side that wanted revenge upon Ben.
"Alright." He said slowly. "But you're staying here."
WHAM! Ben spun around as Locke knocked him unconscious with the side of his gun to his head. Ben hit the forest floor with a thud, bleeding into the leaves with a dead silence. Locke glared down at him for a moment before turning around and heading toward the wall in front of him. He crouched down and walked along it, covered in a shadow until he arrived at the corner. He slowly turned his head and looked over the side and found what appeared to be some sort of construction yard. There were at least twenty or so people hauling rocks in wheelbarrows into the jungle. Where they got these rocks, Locke didn't know. He didn't see Richard anywhere.
And so he sneakily ran and hid behind a boulder, holding his pistol out in front of him in case someone had seen him and was planning to sneak up on him. He continued, hiding behind rocks that had not been hauled off yet until he arrived at the entrance. It was a big, dark, square opening that led downward into the temple. He looked at it for a moment before walking inside, making sure to check if the coast was clear.
As he made his way down the dark tunnel underneath the temple, he saw a pair of stone stairs ahead of him along with open doorways leading into other dark tunnels. He ignored them and continued straight to the stairs but stopped when he found that one of the tunnels had a door blocking it's' path. Locke stared at the door for a moment, something catching his eye. There was an inscription upon the door. He approached it and wiped the dirt off of the inscription to see what it said.

4 8 15 16 23 42.

Locke blinked. Those numbers were the numbers he had to constantly input into the keyboard for the computer inside of the swan station. Frowning, not liking these numbers at all, he decided to push the door in. It was quite heavy and he was trying hard not to make a whole lot of noise in case someone came down and found him. So when it was only cracked open enough so that he could squeeze through, he managed to step inside.
But it was not another long, dark tunnel. It was a big, dome room. And in the center of the room was a grave sticking out of the ground. That was all that stood out in the emptiness that surrounded him. He approached the grave cautiously before bending over and reading what it said.

Joshua J. Magnus

Locke stared at the grave with a raised eyebrow, wondering who on earth Joshua Magnus could have been.

"You ready?" Jack asked, strapping his backpack over his shoulder, to Kate who stood next to him putting a cap back on a water-bottle.
"I've been ready." She smirked and together they started off.
"Hey!" Sawyer called, catching up to them. They both turned and stopped, Kate giving him a raised eyebrow.
"What?" She asked.
"Heard you two are heading off to scout the rest of the land." Sawyer panted. "Was wondering if, uh, I could come with."
Jack looked at Kate, not really caring and giving her a look that told her she could decide. Kate frowned and said "You need to stay behind, act as kind of a leader while we're away."
Sawyer blinked, not expecting this answer at all. "Act as a leader? Why me?"
"Well who else is there?" Kate asked. "You were there for them when me, Sayid, Locke and Jack were gone for a week."
"Yeah, but--" Sawyer started.
"She's right." Jack interrupted. "Sorry, man...We'll be back in a little bit, alright?"
Sawyer looked down at his feet, trying to think of some other excuse. He really didn't like the idea of the doc and freckles going out into the jungle alone...especially now since Kate and him were still on sort of bad terms.
"Whatever..." He muttered grudgingly, turning and leaving them alone. Kate watched him with a kind of apologetic look before turning and following Jack through the jungle and down the side of the mountain.

FLASH-FORWARD

The pair of shades over his eyes gave Jack a very grungy/hippy look, especially with the grizzly beard he now had. He sat in his truck looking at his rear-view mirror with a frown on his face as if he was waiting for something. He was sitting in a very neighborhoodly place in the dead of night. He sat for the longest time, just waiting, until suddenly a car pulled up in the driveway right where he could see in his mirror. His frown deepened as he watched the car door open.
Kate stepped out, carrying groceries and looking forlorn about something as she walked up to the front door, unlocked it, and went inside. Jack remained in his truck, watching Kate's house with a disgruntled expression. He knew what was going to happen. He knew who she was going home to and what awaited her inside...
His fists clenched around the steering wheel in frustration, looking away with a sigh. And then he stopped, seeing something that simply could not have been there.
Standing in one of the windows in Kate's house, there was a man looking straight at him wearing the same black suit he'd seen on the person at the beach earlier on. Except once again, it was impossible to make out who exactly he was. Jack stared at him, lowering his sun-glasses in disbelief.
It looked like he was trying to word something to him except it was inaudible. Two words, from the looks of it...
And then a light inside the room came on and Jack heard a crying sound. He blinked and the man was gone. He stared at the window for a longest time, trying to figure out what just happened...and then he saw Kate come in holding a baby in her arms to hush it down.
Jack looked away, unable to bear watching this anymore as he started up his truck and drove off down the road...

END OF FLASH-FORWARD

"So why did you want him to stay behind?" Jack asked as he and Kate walked through the jungle.
"What?" Kate asked.
"Sawyer." Jack looked at her. "He wanted to come, and I didn't care if he did...but you didn't want him to..."
"The camp needed a leader." Kate muttered.
"We weren't going to be gone long enough for them to need a leader, Kate." Jack smirked. "Why did you really want him not to come?"
Kate looked down uncomfortably. "The two of us, we're...we're not doing so good." She admitted.
Jack nodded, looking away and understanding. "Figured..." He muttered.

Locke exited the tomb and back into the long, dark hallway of the underground temple. He looked around to make sure it was still quite empty and continued on until he reached the stairway. He slowly walked up, being careful not to step on any traps, if there were any. He reminded himself briefly of Indiana Jones and how a giant boulder might come flying down the stairs and chase him outside. He smirked at the idea and continued on up until arriving at yet another doorway except this one had a huge room inside and there were lights flickering on and off overhead. He entered, looking around curiously and wondering how there could be lights if there were no electricity cords. He was answered almost immediately when he found a cluster of wires bundled together, leading through a hole outside somewhere. Some of the wires were connected to the lights, but most of them were connected to a bunch of computers lined up along the walls. Locke was reminded painfully of the swan station's dome room once again. There was even a little computer monitor in the center of the room sitting on a stone desk. It had a black screen and green words blinking on it.
As he approached the computer screen, he noticed that were was an old, worn-out painting hanging over the doorway behind him. Locke stared at it for a moment. In the painting, there was a man and a woman dressed in ragged clothing except their faces looked like they had been torn out of the picture.
John turned and found himself standing right in front of the computer. He bent over and looked at the keyboard. It was the same kind of keyboard and computer screen that he'd seen in the swan, except the words on this screen were rather different.

Enter 108 for V.A.

Locke stared at the words for the longest time, wondering what "V.A." could mean. He looked at the number and saw that it was the number 108. The sum of 4 8 15 16 23 and 42. It was also the amount of time he had in-between pressing the button at the swan station. He frowned, wondering why in the hell these numbers were so important.
He looked at the words again with a frown. Last time he listened to a computer, a building exploded. And before that, a hatch imploded. What would happen if he pressed this button? But what would happen if he didn't?
If only he'd brought Ben in with him...no, Ben would've lied somehow and just confused him...plus, he would've given away Locke's position...
With a sigh, he typed in 108.
Curiosity lifted John's finger and rested over the button on the keyboard that said "execute". With a moment's hesitation, he decided to press it...
...And nothing happened. John blinked, looking around the room to see if anything had changed. The computer screen bleeped and went white for a few moments and then a message popped up that said "V.A. RETURN TIME: 08:00:00."

Jack grabbed Kate's hand and helped her over a tipped over tree in their path and was about to continue down the side of the mountain when suddenly the ground began to shake and they both froze.
"Is it the monster?" Kate asked.
"No, we'd here it by now..." Jack muttered, looking around in worry.
The people back at the camp were yelling in panic as the whole mountain shook, almost as if an earthquake was surrounding it. Sun grabbed Jin and he held her tightly close to him while Bernard and Rose sat down and looked around with worried expression.
Aaron cried in Claire's arms and she tried to calm him down while Hurley grabbed Vincent's leash and held the dog tightly.
Rousseau, Alex, and Karl were in the center of the group looking around as Alex and Karl stared at each other in horror. "Not now..." Alex muttered.
"What is it?" Rousseau asked her daughter.
Sawyer took out his gun and looked around with Juliet in the front of the group. "caesar salad...!" He said loudly.
"Where's Jack?" Juliet asked him.
"The doc went with Kate out into the jungle to scout ahead!" Sawyer shouted over the rumbling sound. Juliet frowned, looking around worriedly.
Meanwhile, a mile or so away on the other side of the mountain, Jack and Kate remained where they were by the edge of a valley in the jungle, waiting to see if the shaking was going to stop. And then, out of nowhere, boulders and rocks began to tumble down the sides of the cliffs just overhead.
"RUN!!" Jack shouted and they both sprinted off into the valley as a landslide of earth tumbled down behind them, covering the path back to their camp. Jack jumped, grabbing Kate and pulling her out of the way of the rockslide and into the jungle. They watched the rocks pile up behind them as they both lay in the grass panting heavily and wondering what in the world was going on.
The shaking of the earth slowly began to stop, as did the landslide and when it did, Jack and Kate carefully stood up, wiping sweat from their foreheads and dirt from their clothes.
"What was that?" She asked him.
"I don't know." Jack frowned.
"What now?"
Jack stepped forward, examining the wall of rocks. "We can't climb over it, right now it's too unstable..." He muttered.
"Can we go around?" Kate asked.
"Looks like we have to." Jack sighed, stepping down and looking at her with exasperation. "You've got dirt on you." He added, wiping her cheek with his hand to get a smudge of mud off her face. She smiled, looking sideways as he did so.
"Thank god I have a doctor here to help me get dirt off my face." Kate said with a playful chuckle.
Jack smiled and turned. "Let's go."

FLASH-FORWARD

Jack walked down a hallway and stopped at a door, knocking on it quickly and hearing a woman inside say "Come in." He grabbed the handle, twisted, and let himself into an office.
Except it wasn't really an office, it would've looked like one if it weren't for the red sofa that tilted upward for the head of the person to lay in it at the corner of the room. It was a therapy session room. There were walls of books all around him and a desk at the other end of the room with a chair behind it and a woman with blonde hair tied behind her head and a stern expression on her face. She looked up at him when he entered.
"Mr. Shepard, you're late." She told him, taking a clipboard and standing up.
"Sorry, I had...uh..." Jack muttered, trying to find an excuse.
"No need to lie." The woman said, moving to sit in a seat opposite of the red sofa. She sat down and crossed her legs, looking up at him with an impatient smile. "I was about to leave and simply assume you forgot again. But of course, we both know it wasn't that."
Jack frowned and slowly sat down on the red sofa, resting his head up and looking at the ceiling in a manner that showed if he had his way he wouldn't be here. "Sorry, Ms. Reid." he apologized in an undertone.
"It's quite alright." The woman named Ms. Reid said. "I see you still haven't shaved your beard."
"What's the point..." Jack muttered.
"It's the first step of changing your life, Mr. Shepard." Ms. Reid told him, looking down at her clipboard and writing something on it with a blue pen.
"I'm not ready to change my life yet." Jack sighed, rubbing his eyes.
"That's right, last time you were here you said you wanted to end it." Ms. Reid said with a frown.
Jack frowned, glaring at her briefly. He hated her more than anyone at the moment. But he didn't retaliate.
"Tell me, how have you been holding up on your drinking?" She continued, looking up at him expectantly.
"I've...taken a drink every afternoon for the past two and a half years..." Jack said. "Hell, who knows, maybe today will be my lucky day and I'll pass out before I get to the kitchen."
"That's not funny, Jack." Ms. Reid said with a stern frown and writing something once again on her clipboard. Jack wanted to rip the board from her hands and beat her unconscious with it but decided to stay in his chair and continue with his pointless therapy sessions.
"What about your drug addiction?" Ms. Reid asked.
"It's not an addiction." Jack muttered, closing his eyes.
"You stole from your own hospital, Jack." Ms. Reid smirked. "It's the reason you're in here in the first place."
"I've been through my withdraws for that already." Jack said.
"I already told you that you don't need to lie to me, Jack." Ms. Reid said, writing something again. Jack opened his eyes, getting extremely frustrated now.
"Is there anything else you've been having problems with before we get started?" Ms. Reid asked.
"Yeah." Jack muttered, sitting up. "Besides the fact that, according to you, I'm suicidal, a drunk, and a drug addict, then you might want to add to the list that I'm being stalked."
Ms. Reid blinked and looked up at him. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah." Jack said. "Everywhere I go lately I've been seeing a man in black following me around, trying to tell me something but I can't see his face."
"Where do you see him at?" She asked curiously.
"Just...places." Jack muttered, not seeing how this was important. "But when I try to get a better look at him, he just disappears..."
Ms. Reid stared at him for the longest time, as if calculating something in her head. She lowered her clipboard and ripped off a piece of paper, writing something down on it. "Ever consider you're hallucinating?"
Jack smiled. "I know what hallucinating feels like...this is different."
"You can never be completely sure of when you're hallucinating and when you're not, Jack." Ms. Reid told him smartly and he frowned.
"This is different!" He shouted. "I know he's there! He's tried talking to me!"
"Y'know..." Ms. Reid ignored him. "I had a man in here three days ago with a similar problem as you."
Jack blinked. "What?"
"He had hallucinations he could have sworn were real." Ms. Reid said. "And he listened to them to the point where he was on the verge of insanity. And I'm pretty sure I managed to help him...I think, Jack..." She finished writing what was on the piece of paper. "That you should see this man."
She handed the paper to him and he took it cautiously. "What's this?" he asked.
"The address to where he lives. It's in a retirement home." Ms. Reid told him. "And if I were you, I'd see him."
Jack frowned, looking at her for a second or two as if deciding something before slipping the paper into his pocket. "I'm done here." He said, standing up.
"Your session isn't over, Jack." Ms. Reid told him.
"Then pretend like I wasn't here." Jack muttered darkly, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

END OF FLASH-FORWARD

Jack grabbed Kate's hand and helped her over some rocks as they made their way through the forest and around the side of the mountain.
"How long until we get back?" Kate asked.
"I'd say...about forty minutes or so." Jack said with a reassuring nod.
Kate smiled and looked down. "So what are you going to do when we get rescued, Jack?" She asked.
"I don't know." Jack said honestly. "If Naomi was right then everyone thinks we're dead. So when we get back we're all probably going to have a pretty big welcome party."
"We'll be famous." Kate grinned.
"Maybe." Jack said, continuing on and ducking under some trees. They arrived at a growth of bushes leading upward.
"Jack..." Kate said, her face becoming serious now. "Do you think we'll see each other after we get rescued?"
"Of course." Jack told her, looking around to check if the coast was clear. "Why wouldn't we?"
"I'm not just talking about the others; I mean...you and me?" Kate said, making Jack stop and look at her in surprise.
"Well...yeah." He said.
Kate smiled again and approached him. "Last night, when you were with Juliet..." She said. "I was standing behind a tree listening..."
Jack didn't know what to make of this. He looked away with a smile on his face. "You heard me?"
"Yeah." Kate said. "Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?" Jack asked, still not looking directly at her.
"When you told her that...all you wanted was what's best for me?" Kate asked, shifting her eyes as she came even closer to him.
Jack nodded his head in silence and said "Yeah, I did."
Kate's smile grew as she stood, only a foot away from him. "And did you mean it...when you said you loved me a few days ago?"
Jack looked down at her at last and they made eye contact. "Yeah...I did." He said.
There was a minute's pause, as they both looked at each other. Neither of them had been this close since the first time they had kissed back on the other side of the island. Jack could tell she wanted it, the way she looked into his eyes, the longing expression on her face that told her to throw away whatever it was that was holding her back and to let herself do whatever she pleased.
They could'nt hold back anymore. Both of them moved forward at the same time and pressed their lips against each other's desperately releasing the romantic tension that had held them back for so long. Kate didn't care about Sawyer right now and Jack didn't care about Juliet. Together, they were without a care in the world.
They fell back into the bushes, Jack lifting up his shirt and Kate lifting up hers' as well. They collided their lips once more and continued, rolling through the grass in simple bliss.

Ben opened his eyes and found himself looking up at John Locke, who was standing over him with a frown on his face and his arms crossed with a knife in his hands. "Get up." he muttered, grabbing him by the collar and forcing Ben to stand.
"I'm glad you came back for me." Ben muttered sarcastically.
"What does V.A. mean?" Locke demanded.
Ben blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Don't you beat around the bush, tell me what it means." Locke said, pointing the knife at him. "What happens when the 8 hours are up?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ben said, flabbergasted.
Locke glared at him. "Inside your temple, there is a room with a bunch of computers and a painting. On the computer, it said "Enter 108 for V.A." now you tell me what that means or I'll skin you where you stand." Locke pointed the knife at Ben's throat threateningly.
Ben, however, was staring at Locke incredulously. "John..." He said. "Did you enter the numbers?"
"Yes, I did." John replied, looking around to see if anyone had followed him out.
"Well, there's something you should know before you 'skin me where I stand'." Ben said, catching his attention. "Remember how I told you I used to be with the dharma initiative when I was a kid? Well, I left them and joined with the people who are with me now."
"I know all that." John said, not seeing the point of this story.
"But when I first met them, they weren't living here." Ben continued. "They were living somewhere else. They had lived here before the dharma initiative had come but they were forced to evacuate when they took it over."
"What?" Locke asked, not expecting this answer.
"It means that we haven't visited this temple since then. And when they did live here, there was no computer room..." Ben said with a frown.
"Are you saying the dharma folks set all that stuff up in there?" Locke asked. "Why?"
"I don't know." Ben muttered. "This is all news for me."
"Why didn't you visit this place until now?" Locke asked suspiciously.
Ben smiled. "You'll think it's stupid. In fact, it'd be stupid of you to even believe the answer."
"Tell me." John said, moving the knife even closer to Ben's neck.
Ben sighed, seeing no way out of not telling him. "We believe this place is...haunted."
Locke couldn't help but smirk. "Haunted?" he repeated in disbelief.
"Yes, John. Haunted." Ben said.
"Is that the best you can come up with?" John asked with a sneer. "Haunted? What, now there are ghosts on this island? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me." Ben sighed.
"Why should I?" Locke asked.
"Because it is, John." said someone behind Locke.
Locke wheeled around and was surprised to find Richard standing with Sayid in the jungle facing them.
"Sayid?" Locke uttered in shock.
"Hello, John." Sayid said, glaring at him and Ben.
"Where have you been?" Ben asked.
"I could ask the same for you." Richard said, noticing both of the men's wounds. "It looks like we have a lot to talk about."

Jack pulled his shirt over his head, standing in a clearing as he sighed and looked over his shoulder at Kate, who was doing the same and buttoning up her pants as well.
She turned and smiled at him. "Hey."
"Hey." He said, unable to help from grinning.
"Nice detour." She muttered, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
Jack chuckled. "So what now?" He asked.
"We should get back to camp." She said, looking at the ground and walking past him. She handed him his backpack and he took it, strapping it over his shoulders before leading Kate through the jungle once more on path, thinking of what they just did...

FLASH-FORWARD

Jack sighed with relief as he washed his hair and looked up at the shower head. Warm water ran down his body for a while as he scrubbed the day off of him and turned the knob to make the water stop rushing. He got out, wrapped a towel around his waist and looked into the mirror at his big, bushy beard.
On his sink, there was a razor. He eyed the razor hesitantly for a moment or two before reaching out and grabbing it. Jack remembered what his therapist had said about if he shaved he was ready to continue with his life and accept everything and possibly make things better for himself...but he didn't want all of that. He just wanted to go back. To just be able to go back to the island again...
He sighed and dropped the razor in the sink and instead grabbed the little orange canister of drugs. He swallowed two pills and shivered, before setting it back down on the counter and exited the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.
Once he was dressed in jeans and a jacket, he grabbed a bottle of alcohol from his refrigerator and sat down in a chair. His floor was scattered with maps of the world pointing out different degrees of weather, and climate changes along with places pointing out to where the island could possibly be at. He had long given up on finding the island on any maps and instead turned on the television, drinking his beer and letting the drugs take over him.
"I'm disappointed with you, Jack."
Jack jumped, standing up and looking around. He gasped and stumbled backward, knocking his old television over and it crashed loudly on the floor, breaking the screen. He didn't care, though, for standing in his kitchen was his father.
Jack blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. Was this a hallucination? No, he was right there, standing only five feet away from him. His own father?
"D-dad?" He stuttered, standing up.
"Hello, Jack." Christian Shepard greeted sadly.
"What...What are you doing here?" Jack asked, pointing his hand at him. "You're dead. You can't be here."
"Why can't I?" His father asked curiously.
"What?"
"Because this is the real world and not the island?" Christian continued. "Is that why you can't believe that I'm here."
Jack stumbled a bit, grabbing the sofa with one hand to keep balance. "This isn't happening..." he muttered. "I'm just hallucinating."
"You're not hallucinating, Jack." Christian said. "You've been seeing me everywhere for the past three weeks."
Jack shook his head. "No."
"Fine." Christian sighed, walking around him in the living room and stepping over all the maps on the ground. "You don't have to believe me...but, Jack. I'm here to help you."
"Help me?" Jack repeated.
"You want to get back to your island." Christian said. "There is a way you can do that. But in order for that to happen..." He pointed at Jack's jacket pocket. "You need to find the man on that piece of paper."
Jack fumbled in his pocket and found the paper that the therapist had given him with the address of the retirement home on it along with the room number of where the man lived in. "Why do I need to find him? Who is he?"
"You'll find out when you get there." Christian said, turning and heading for the door.
"Dad, wait!" Jack shouted and he stopped, slowly turning to look at him. "Are you...Are you really disappointed in me?"
Christian stared at him for the longest time, as if unsure of what to say. Or maybe he was afraid of what affect it would have on Jack if he said it. But despite whatever reason, he sighed and said "You've become even worse than I was when you betrayed me..."
And with that, Christian Shepard, whether a hallucination or something else, turning and left through the door of Jack's apartment. Jack was left standing by his chair and the knocked-over television, staring at the place where his father had left him.

END OF FLASH-FORWARD

Sawyer looked up as Jack and Kate emerged from out of the jungle. They were walking together with an odd silence between them. Sawyer got up as everyone noticed them too.
"What happened?" Sawyer asked.
"There was a rock-slide, about fifteen minutes in." Jack told him. "We had to find a way around." He looked at the rest of the group who were watching him like they were awaiting orders. "But there's still a way down this mountain, and we can all leave in the next few minutes so get ready and we'll head down to the beach and wait for the ship to come."
He left Kate standing awkwardly next to Sawyer, going to help Sun and Jin pack their bags.
"You guys were out there for almost three hours." Sawyer muttered to Kate darkly, watching Jack leave.
"Yeah, because we had to--" Kate began.
"I know what you had to do." Sawyer interrupted. "But even I could've made it back within an hour and a half at a steady pace. What were you guys doing out there?"
Kate frowned as he glared down at her accusingly. "Nothing." She said, walking away as well leaving him in a downright horrible mood.

As the group prepared to leave, Hurley was standing by the hill looking around at the island with a sad expression. Claire joined him, holding Aaron in her arms. He had finally stopped crying.
"What are you doing?" She asked Hugo curiously, still a little shaken up from seeing Charlie in the jungle the previous day.
"Nothin'..." Hurley muttered. "Just...saying goodbye."
"To the island?" Claire raised an eyebrow.
"Well, we've been here for three months..." Hurley said. "I guess...I dunno, despite all the monsters, baby-nappers, and explosions...I'm kinda gonna miss this place."
Claire frowned and looked out into the rest of the jungle as well. "Well I'm not." She muttered. "I'll be happy to say goodbye to this place..."
"Yeah, I guess." Hurley shrugged.

Jack looked up at the rest of the faces in his group as they all stood up and were ready to leave. "Alright, let's go!" He said, beginning his march over the side of the mountain with his people...

FLASH-FORWARD

Jack parked his truck in a parking lot and took off his shades, setting them down on the dashboard and looking out the window with a blank expression. In front of him was a big building that said "Sweet Oaks Retirement Home."
With a sigh, he took out the piece of paper in his pocket and read the writing on it. Same address, same name. He crumpled it up in his hand and got out of his truck.
Once inside, he checked with a woman at the counter, asking for the room "4-23." She told him where to go and he traveled to the elevator where he was joined by an old woman with long, blonde hair. She was crying into a cloth in her hands, looking mighty upset about something. Jack looked at her, only briefly, thinking her problems were probably not as big as the ones he had on his plate.
He got out of the elevator on the fourth floor and walked down the dingy looking hallways until he arrived at the room that said "4-23".
Jack stood there for a whole minute, staring at the door and remembering what his father had told him. If this man could help him get back to the island...then he had to talk to him. He just had to...
And with that, he raised his hand and knocked twice...

END OF FLASH-FORWARD

As the group made their way down the side of the mountain and toward the beach, Hurley ran up to Jack with Vincent being dragged behind him on the leash.
"Sup, dude." He greeted.
"Hey, Hurley." Jack said.
"So what happened out there?"
"A land-slide happened." Jack responded, getting tired of telling the story to everyone.
"Yeah, but, you and Kate were gone for quite a while." Hurley said, getting to his point at last. "And there's been rumors already about what you guys were up to."
Jack smiled in spite of himself. "Well, it's none of their business."
Hurley smiled as well but didn't leave just yet. "So, how do you plan on convincing the people on the boat to wait up for Desmond and Charlie? Oh, and Sayid and Locke too?"
"I'll think of something." Jack said, not really worrying about that too much.
"Alright, because we can't leave without anyone." Hurley muttered in relief.
"I don't plan on it." Jack told him reassuringly, continuing the lead.

He stepped out of the jungle and onto the beach, not having been on a beach for a few days, he could now finally see the ocean out in front of him. Jack and the rest of the group emerged and stood huddled together looking out into the open water.
"I don't see anything." Sun said, putting her hands up over her eyes to block out the sun's rays.
"It'll be here soon." Jack told them, calming a few of the survivors down as they started to mutter with worried looks. "It had engine problems on the way here. I'm going to call them in a few minutes after we all take a rest, alright?"
There were murmurs of agreement as a few people took a seat in the sand and Hurley took the dog up to the shoreline to play in the water.
Jack set his pack down in the ground and unzipped it, taking out the satellite phone and turning it on. He saw the green light at the top blink on and smiled, pressing the buttons he had remembered from when Naomi had instructed him.
"Look!" Hurley called out suddenly.
Jack wheeled around, as did the rest of the group and stared at Hurley, who was pointing out into the ocean with a wide grin on his face. They all moved forward and peered off into the distance as well...
And there it was. A massive, black ship was coming over the horizon of the ocean with black smoke bellowing out of the top. Everyone couldn't help but laugh and cheer, seeing rescue at last. It was the one thing everyone had hoped to see ever since they had crashed on the island. The one thing they all hoped for and had slowly begun to believe that it would never come. Rescue at last!
Jack looked back down at the phone, about to press the button to call the ship when suddenly there was a loud BAM! and the phone flew out of his hand, smashing to pieces in the air and scattering across the ground. People shrieked in surprise as Jack stumbled backward while Kate and Sawyer took out their handguns and looked for the shooter. Everyone looked around in shock and outrage, but none of them was angrier than Jack.
Standing by the jungle was Locke, Sayid, Richard, and Ben. Ben was still bloody and bruised, Locke still had the wound in his side, and Sayid was holding a rifle up and aiming at the place where Jack's hands had been previously. It must've been him who had shot the phone out of his hands. And then there was Richard, standing peacefully off to the side with his hands crossed behind his back and a calm smile on his face.
"Sayid!?" Jack shouted in betrayal.
"I'm sorry, Jack." Sayid said. "It had to be done."
"I was gonna call them!" Jack continued, pointing out over the ocean at the ship in the distance. "They're on their way here right now!"
"Calm down, Jack." Locke told him.
"Don't you EVER tell me to calm down again!!" Jack roared.
Ben was staring at the ship in the distance with wide, horrified eyes. "It's too late..." He muttered. "We're all already dead..."
Richard gave him a sympathetic look that clearly said he disagreed with Ben. He sighed and looked back at Jack before taking a few steps forward. "Jack..." He said.
"Stay where you are!" Sawyer shouted, pointing his gun at him.
"Lower your gun, Sawyer." Sayid told him calmly.
"What? You gonna shoot me, Saddam?" Sawyer asked, sarcasm oozing from his tone. Sayid, however, pointed his rifle at him threateningly.
"Sayid, don't." Richard told him.
"Nothing any of you say are going to stop us from getting rescued!" Jack told Richard angrily. "Ben already tried, saying the people on the boat are--are dangerous!?"
"They are dangerous." Richard told him reassuringly. "Naomi was a liar. It was a good thing John killed her before she had a chance to kill you."
"She wasn't lying!?" Jack continued.
"How do you know that?" Richard asked curiously.
"If I had to choose between who to trust; Ben or Naomi, I wouldn't have to hesitate--even for a second!" Jack shouted.
"I can see why you'd think that." Richard said, a little coldly as he looked over his shoulder at Ben for a moment, who didn't notice and was too busy staring in horror at the ship in the distance. "But you can trust me, Jack."
"I don't even know who you are!" Jack said. "I didn't see you at all when they had me on that other island."
"That's because I had other things to do then, Jack." Richard sighed, not taking his eyes off of him. "My name is Richard Alpert, one of the original people to live on this island--"
"Do you think-Do you honestly think that--I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO YOU ARE!?" Jack raged on, approaching him now ready to fight.
Sun clutched Jin's hand, looking between them all with confusion and fright as to what might happen next. Aaron was now crying once again in Claire's arms. Vincent was barking at Richard for some reason. Rousseau had her rifle raised now at Ben, watching him carefully.
"Jack..." Richard sighed. "Please don't yell. I'm trying to talk with you calmly. We don't want to start a battle right here."
"If you don't leave right now, there will be." Jack warned him, wishing he had a gun of his own at the moment. Instead he looked at Sayid, who still had his rifle raised. "What did they tell you?"
Sayid looked at him with a frown. "Jack..."
"What did they tell you that turned you against us?" Jack spat, unable to register everything that was going on.
"There are no sides, anymore, Jack." Sayid told him. "Right now, you are about to make a decision that could kill everyone. Instead, you could come with us back to the temple where we can decide what to do from there."
"I already know what we're doing!" Jack said.
"We can't let you do this, Jack." Richard said. "If we can work together then--"
"With you!?" Jack asked, almost laughing at the idea. "Working with you?"
"How can we trust you?" Kate asked, joining in on the argument at last.
"The people on this island are no longer "Others", Jack." Locke said, stepping forward. "The people on that ship are the new "Others." Because those people, we don't know anything about them and if Richard is telling the truth then we are all in danger!"
"If you don't trust us, Jack..." Richard said. "Think of it this way. You outnumber our people 2 to 1 now. Not only that but you'll have Ben and myself as hostages in case our people do try and cause something. You have the upper hand right now? So tell me, why are you so afraid of us? You've lived with us before, and if you can live with us again we can find a way to survive."
Jack frowned, shaking his head. "No..." He muttered. "No! There is rescue right there! There's no point going back with you!"
"Stop being naive, Jack." Richard said. "If we were honestly your enemies then why are we here now trying to save you?"
Jack opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again but was unable to come up with a response. Kate lowered her weapon slightly, looking up at Jack with a worried expression. Whatever Jack decided to do, she was with him. Sawyer, however, kept his gun raised and glaring at them all. Everyone else remained rooted to the spot in suspense, watching the heated argument begin to come to an end. They could tell Jack was beginning to consider this...but...
"I can't...!" Jack said finally. "I can't just turn my back on that ship! I can't just give up!"
"You'll be giving up if you stay and wait for that ship." Richard told him, walking up to him again so that he was only a few feet away. He held out his hand for Jack to shake, as if performing a peace agreement.
Jack looked at the rest of his people. Most of them were staring at him, waiting for a decision. What if the boat really was rescue and that joining Richard's people was the wrong decision...but what if it wasn't? What if, for once, Ben had been telling him the truth?
"Alright..." Jack sighed, grabbing Richard hand firmly and shaking it. Sawer stared at them incredulously and lowered his weapon, as did Sayid and Rousseau. "But on one condition..."
"Alright." Richard said, raising his eyebrow slightly.
"When we get back to wherever your people live, I call all the shots." Jack said. "Nothing gets by without me knowing."
"Alright." Richard said. "You got it."
"And no matter what happens." Jack continued fiercely. "I am finding a way off this island."

FLASH-FORWARD

Jack knocked twice, wiping his eyes of tears as he remembered that moment on the island where he had agreed to join sides with Richard. He sighed, taking in a deep breath as he waited outside the door.
There was someone on the other side yelling something inaudible. Jack frowned, continuing to wait patiently until the doorknob turned and opened.
Jack blinked and stepped back, nearly stumbling into the wall. "You..." He muttered in horror and shock.
For in the doorway before him, sitting in a wheel-chair, was John Locke.

LOST

Next time on LOST
4x06: Fool's Run (Desmond Centric)
It's been three days, and we haven't heard from Desmond. What happened to him? Why has he not caught up with the survivors? And what perilous journey will he have to take in order to catch up?