Part Two

Every community has a few troublemakers, even if it's just a couple of boys who like pranks.

The survivors had two such boys. Granted, there wasn't much opportunity for mischief on the island, but Adam Jarrah and Toby Shepard could find a way to make trouble anywhere, and they kept their parents busy keeping an eye on them.

At least, their mothers were kept busy. Jack had the excuse of running what they now called their medical centre, stocked partly with things the Others had provided, and Sayid usually managed to be conveniently busy, which meant Shannon and Ana-Lucia were left in charge of discipline. Ana-Lucia had taken to parenting effortlessly, but Shannon had taken longer to get used to the idea. She had changed a lot in the last sixteen years, and the bratty twenty-year-old who had been on the plane was long gone, but she tended to go easier on her kids… which only meant ten-year-old Adam could get away with more.

And because Adam felt that, Toby (his best friend, also ten) acted the same way. So they would think of some new prank to play on someone or other, and they would get caught, and their mothers would go through the motions of punishing them, knowing that they wouldn't stop and making sure they told the boys what was acceptable and what wasn't.

But Shannon and Ana's job wasn't made any easier by the fact that their boys idolised the teenagers – Aaron and Connor especially, but they spent most of their time tagging along after Charlie junior, Tahira's little brother Sen, and Hurley and Libby's son Davey. It helped that the older boys repeatedly told the younger ones to leave them alone. So the younger boys ended up playing together, while the teenagers hung out together and the little children played on the beach together near the houses.

Right now, Adam and Toby were hiding out near the village woodstore, waiting for Sawyer to leave. Adam, the quieter of the two, was anxious.

"Toby, are you sure about this? Shouldn't we just ask?"

"Look, if we ask a grown-up, they'll want to know why, and this is meant to be a secret, remember?"

"Yeah… I guess…"

"Well, we're okay then. Now come on, Uncle Sawyer's gone, we can get in there."

The boys snuck out from behind the bush they were using for cover and slipped into the woodstore. Over the next ten minutes, they removed several pieces of wood, each one a few feet in length. They pushed the lengths of wood out through a carefully-concealed hole in the wall of the store that they had made a few days ago, then quietly slipped out, checking that no-one was around before heading for the other side so they could remove their loot safely.

Unfortunately, they didn't realise that someone had seen them exit the woodstore, and was waiting for them. As they turned the corner, they saw him leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets and eyes half-closed, seemingly just enjoying the sun. The boys crept forward, and started to pull the first piece of wood towards away from him, but just as Toby started to drag it forward, he used his foot to stop the wood moving. "Well, now what have we here? You boys up to something?"

"Uncle Sawyer… uh, we were just…"

"…we were just about to put this back in the store, right Toby?" Adam said quickly, trying to look innocent.

"Yeah. I'm sure you were. What was really going on?"

"Really, Uncle Sawyer, we were putting it them away."

"Boys, I know ya weren't, and I know ya lyin', so just come out with it and tell me the truth." Sawyer paused for a moment to look each of them in the eyes. "Or I'll tell ya parents."

"No!" said both boys at the same time. Then Toby spoke. "Please don't do that."

"Why shouldn't I? I know your daddy wouldn't be too pleased, Toby, and I'm pretty sure yours wouldn't either, Adam. And, well, I don't want you two setting a bad example for my Jamie, he's at a very impressionable age."

"We weren't putting the logs back."

"That's right, Toby. Now what were y'all doing?"

"We were gonna use them to build our hideout."

"You two have a hideout? Where?"

"We were gonna."

"Where?"

"Why d'ya wanna know?"

"You know, I think I see your daddy over there, Toby Shepard. I'll just call him over, shall I?"

"No! We found this really cool spot, near this lake where there's a waterfall and everything. We were gonna build a little hut there."

"If you're talkin' about where I think you're talkin' about, that lake's pretty far into the jungle. And you kids aren't supposed to go there without a grown-up. So?"

"We snuck away a few times. No-one ever notices."

"Well, they'll be noticin' now, I can promise ya that."

"Uncle Sawyer, you're not gonna tell mom and dad about us tryin' to steal the wood, are you?"
"No, kiddo. But I am goin' ta tell them that you two have been sneaking off into the jungle. And Adam, I'll be havin' a word with your folks, too."

"Do you have to?"

"Yes. 'cos otherwise your moms and dads will be on my back, wondering why I didn't tell 'em 'bout you two, when you end up bein' attacked by a polar bear or a boar or something."

"Oh… I guess you're right."

"Yeah, I am. Now, let's find those parents o'yours."

Sawyer stepped away from the wood store, looking around the beach for a moment until he spotted Jack talking to Ana-Lucia on the steps of their house not far away. He turned to the boys. "Well, looks like they're just over there, Toby. Now, you comin'?"

"Yes Uncle Sawyer."

"Okay then. Adam, you may as well come too."

They walked over to the Shepards' house, Sawyer making sure he walked behind the boys so they didn't try to run off. They soon reached the house, just as Ana-Lucia went inside.

"Doc, you got a minute?"

"What is it, Sawyer?"

"Got a little problem you might be interested in."

"Sawyer, I'm tired, what is it?"

"Ya might want to ask your son that."

"Toby? What happened?"

Toby stepped closer to his dad, feeling very nervous. "Me an' Adam went in the jungle without tellin' anyone."

"Just now? When, Toby?"

"A few times."

"And where did you go?"

"There's this lake with a waterfall. By there."

At this point, Sawyer interrupted. "They were planning' on building a hideout there. I found 'em taking some bits of wood 'n'stuff from the store."

"Thanks, Sawyer. I thought Toby knew he wasn't to go into the jungle, but apparently not."

"I'm sorry, Dad."

"You know you'll have to be punished."

"Yes, Dad."

"Okay, son. Now go inside, and help your mom with dinner."

"Yes, Dad."

"Adam, I think I'll have a word with your parents as well. Sawyer, did you tell Sayid and Shannon yet?"

"Nah, you were the closest. I was goin' to go now."

"I'll come with you. Adam, come on."

They couldn't find Sayid, but they found Shannon easily. She was sitting outside her house, braiding her youngest daughter's hair, when they arrived. Jack spoke first.

"Shan, have you got a minute?"

"Hang on, Jack, I just need to finish this braid." She quickly tied the end of a braid with an old hairband. "There. Now, Becca, you go and play, Uncle Jack needs to talk to me."

The little girl patted her new braids quickly. "Thanks mommy."

"No playing in the jungle, remember. And no going in the ocean."

"Yes mommy." As she ran off to find her friends, Shannon gestured to Jack, Sawyer and Adam to sit down. "So, what's wrong?"

"Sawyer found out that Adam and Toby have been sneaking off into the jungle alone. Without telling anyone. They were planning to build some kind of hideout by the lake."

"Adam, is this true?"

"Yes, mom."

"Adam, you know you're not to do that. Your father's told you so many times now, please try to remember."

"Yes mom."

"I'll have to tell him, you know. This isn't like playing a silly prank, Adam, this could get you hurt, or worse. And you'll have to be punished."

"I know, mom. I'm sorry."

"Okay, now go inside and get that homework done. I'll decide on your punishment later, when I speak to your dad."

"Yes, mom." He got up and went inside the house, leaving the adults alone.

"Thanks for this. I try to keep an eye on him, but it's hard. I mean, Aisha's a good girl, I can trust her to listen to me, and Becca's too young to be getting into trouble. I just don't quite know how to deal with boys. I'm glad I've got you two, and Kate and Ana-Lucia and everyone else around, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't worry, Shan, it's no problem. And Adam will grow out of this, it's just a phase. Wait till he gets older, you'll see."