In Shallow Seas We Sail

Author's Note: Look, an update, actually in good time. I know you guys are excited. I even took a break from writing my American Lit paper, just so I could update this for you all one more time I while I was still on fall break. Oh what tangled webs I'm weaving. Also, I just wanna point all those talented writers to the fact that we now have a FLASHFORWARD section here, and it's in desperate need for fic-age. By the way, I'm officially addicted to that show as well. Haha.

Enjoy,
Sara

*

One thing I have to know, where did the miracles go?
And if a simple man believes, will it start again with me?
Story About a Man With a Bad Heart

[17]

Finding Miles' home number was easy, but finding it disconnected left Sawyer feeling uneasy. "Now what?" he said, pounding in the phone's END button.

"We go find him," Ilana replied, as if she'd known all along this is what they would have to do.

"Find him?" Sun spoke up for the first time. "Where will we find him?"

"If he isn't at home," Ilana said, "He's gone with them."

"How do you know?" Sawyer demanded.

Ilana narrowed her eyes at him. "I know."

For some reason, Sawyer couldn't find the words to go against her this time. Instead, he stared right back at her until she turned her attention back to the others.

"Where do we find the freighter?" Jack asked.

"Fiji," Ilana replied.

"If ya knew that, what'd we need to call Miles for?" Sawyer interrupted.

Again, Ilana turned to him with that cold gaze. "He has to find out where the island is."

"Aren't we just gonna follow the freighter?" Sawyer asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the freighter isn't going to make it to the island this time," Ilana replied. Immediately the room was filled with murmurs and gasps.

"What about Miles?" Jin ventured to ask; Sawyer knew the two had become close during their Dharma initiative stay. The two had lived together during their stay, and Jin had been one of Miles' favorite forms of entertainment, second only to chasing skirt. And even when Miles had made it through most of the women on the island (only to be shut down by 98% of them), he could always come back to teaching Jin another word or two.

Ilana didn't miss a beat. "He will die."

"What? Can't we tell him not to go?" Kate asked.

"He's a necessary sacrifice," the other woman replied.

"Like hell he is. You don't know what that man's done for me – for Jin, too, for Juliet – for all of us."

"We'll just tell him not to go," Kate reiterated.

They all turned their questioning gazes to Ilana. "I can't stop you from what you will do, but I can't guarantee it won't change the course of things."

Change the course of things. Sawyer bit his tongue from saying "we already did it once," because he didn't know what this meant for Juliet. Instead, he just averted his eyes. Jin was looking at him intently, but he couldn't look back. Last time they did this, Juliet was the sacrifice. He couldn't let that happen again.

"Shall we go? Our flight leaves shortly."

"Our flight?" Jack asked.

"We have a private flight, to ensure we get there in time."

"So you already knew Miles would be with them," Locke replied.

Ilana nodded quickly. "I had an idea. Even if he weren't, however, we need the freighter. We would've had to talk to one of the others."

"Lapidus remembers, too," Sun said, "He would know the coordinates."

"Frank will be going with us to lead us there."

"Why can't Miles come to, then?" Hurley questioned.

"He isn't needed. Frank was chosen by Jacob to lead us back to the island. Miles was not chosen."

"But I thought you said we were supposed to ask Miles to find out where the island is?"

Ilana nodded once again and replied patiently, "Frank hasn't gone with the freighter crew this time. In fact, he will be piloting our jet to Fiji, and hopefully getting us to the island. When Locke moved the island, it moved, and as far as our calculations can figure, it did not move back in the reset."

"How could that happen?" Sayid asked.

"We don't know. Miles just has to give us the coordinates to the island this time."

Sayid shook his head, not understanding. "How do we know that the freighter still has the correct coordinates?"

"Because to them, the island has always been moved, and Benjamin Linus has always been there." The room was silent for a moment. "Shall we get a move on now?"

When most of the group had filed out, Kate looked helplessly at Jack and Sawyer. "Do we trust her?"

"There isn't anything else we can do," Jack responded, laying a hand on her arm.

"If she can get us back there, back to Juliet, I have to follow her," Sawyer said, shaking his head.

Kate gave a resolute nod, though doubt still lingered in her eyes.

Sawyer called up to Cassidy, who cautiously moved downstairs. "What's the damage?" she asked.

Clementine stood on the upstairs landing. "Where everybody goin'?"

"They're going on their trip now, Sweetie," Cassidy answered, and then turned back to Sawyer, "I guess this is goodbye?"

Sawyer nodded, but his eyes did not leave Clementine.

"You can see her," Cassidy said.

"What?" He looked at Cassidy.

"You can see her…whenever. When you come back, I'll tell her," she said, "But not until you come back." She smiled slightly.

Sawyer was unable to contain the smile that stretched across his face. "You believe us now, Cass?"

Cassidy only shook her head. "Just come back safe, okay? And when you see her, tell Barbie she can back off now, too."

"Juliet?"

Juliet felt the air expel from her lungs, all at once. "Alex, what are you doing out here?"

Alex tentatively stepped out of the bushes, and Juliet was not surprised to see Karl following behind her.

"Nothin'," Alex responded with a little smile.

Suddenly, it hit her – Alex wasn't supposed to remember her; she'd never been here. "Alex, how do you – "

"Are you looking for something, Juliet?" Alex interrupted, throwing a glance at Karl.

Karl looked between the two nervously, and it was obvious to Juliet that he had no idea who she was or how she knew Alex. Somewhat tentatively, she reached out a hand to him. "I'm Juliet," she said, looking to Alex for some kind of explanation.

Karl took her hand and shook it with a grateful smile. "I'm Karl, it's nice to meet you."

Alex spoke up quickly. "Juliet is one of my dad's friends. She came out here to help with some of the women on the island."

Karl nodded. "I see."

"We were just taking a walk, and I saw you walking through," Alex explained, lied, more like it. "Were you looking for something?" she asked again.

Juliet wished she could pull Alex aside and talk to her one-on-one, but Karl was preventing that. He didn't remember, but Alex did. "I was just taking a walk," Juliet replied.

"It's a good day for that," Alex said with a sly smile. She patted her pocket. "Aw, crap, I think I dropped my slingshot! Hey Karl, do you mind walking back a little bit to see if you can find it?"

Karl looked at her questioningly, but she batted her eyelashes and he grinned. "Sure. Be right back."

When the two heard Karl's footsteps grow muffled, Alex turned to Juliet and grabbed her arm. "What are you doing back here?" she asked.

"How do you remember?" Juliet asked at the same time. She was aware that Alex had been killed by the people from the freighter.

"They killed me," Alex said, "I remember – I remember being on my knees, and my dad…he said I didn't mean anything to him. And then the man pulled the trigger."

Juliet grimaced. "But…the people who died, they don't remember."

Alex breathed outward. "I thought there was just something wrong with Karl," she said, with some amount of relief.

"I just don't understand how you do," Juliet said.

"I do."

"What?" Juliet asked.

"I know why I remember," Alex replied. "Because I have to change it."

"Change what?"

"Change this all," she said.

Juliet paused for a moment. "How?" she finally asked

Alex turned. Juliet could hear Karl's footsteps as he approached them. Alex lowered her voice. "I have to kill my dad."