Not too late this time, but of course sorry for the wait. One day I won't have to say that, hopefully. Thanks to everyone whose been reading, this should be a good chapter.

Queen24824: Thank you, glad you loved it! Thank you for always reviewing.

AsukaHyuga: I'm glad you liked the flashbacks, I miss when things were simpler for them, but of course, the plot thickens. But, without giving too much away, I think you'll be happy with this chapter. Thank you for your review, I love reading all your thoughts. It literally always makes my day.

I wake up slowly, but when I see Jack slinging Micheal over his shoulder, it shocks me to attention and I am on my feet in a second. My bag is already packed, so I sling it over my shoulder. I quickly check that the fire is out and nod to Kate. "Okay, go get Jack to let you help him. I'll lead the way. I know how we can get to the hatch from here."

Kate nods and hands me a torch. "Jack, you can't carry him like that all the way. Let me help," she says and I push past the pair.

"I've got it. Let's just go. I'll let you know if I need help."

Kate sighs, but she walks beside Jack as I push through the jungle, clearing a path for the three behind me.

"Did they send him out instead of Walt?" I ask.

"He came out of the jungle alone," Kate tells me. "They never said anything to us."

I glance back at Jack, whose face is set in anger.

"Okay, we'll figure it out then, let's just get Micheal back on his feet first. Has he said anything?"

"No, he passed out as soon as we found him."

"Let's keep moving then. Let me know if ya'll need to stop."

I have no idea what time it is, how long we stopped and waited at the line for, but it is still dark for the entire trek to the hatch. The torch I'm carrying is the only light visible and dark walls of trees and plants surround us. Finding the way back feels like a memory, even though I've never traveled this way before. The déjà vu of finding my way through this island is finally hitting me. But the familiarity of it is calming, and the path makes sense. I just weave my way backwards until I recognize the jungle again and then make a beeline for the hatch. Before I know it, we are at the airlock door of the hatch.

I force the door open and hold it for Jack and Kate to drag Micheal through. By now, Jack and Kate are sharing the weight of Micheal and the three of them shuffle through the door behind me.

"Locke, Locke, get out here," Jack calls.

"John!" Kate shouts.

Locke is standing by the door of the armory and I frustratedly gesture for him to follow us into the bunker.

Jack sets Micheal down on the bed and starts checking his vitals.

"They gave you Micheal? Is he okay? What happened? What did they say?"

Jack grits his teeth and I turn to Kate. "You take him out of here, fill him in while we make sure Micheal is stable."

"Okay, you'll let me know if we need anything?"

"Yeah, of course," I answer. "But I think we've got it for now."

Kate bites her lip and then nods. "Of course, yeah. Come on, John." She squeezes Jack's shoulder on the way out.

"Thank you," Jack says once they are gone.

"You're welcome. Is he okay?"

"His pulse is stable, a little weak but not bad, and his breathing is good. He his head, but the wound doesn't look deep. It shouldn't cause any serious damage. The worst injury he's got is his leg, but once I stitch that up, it should be fine."

"Okay, you take care of his leg, then, and I'll clean up and bandage the cut on his head."

"Then what?" Jack asks. A rare moment of doubt flashes across his face.

"Then we wait for him to wake up. Maybe he'll be able to tell us something, maybe not."

"If Micheal can't tell us anything if he never found them, then what? What do we do about Henry?"

"There's no right answer to that, and you know that. But we'll figure it out. We've come this far."

Jack puts his head in his hands and closes his eyes.

I lean forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "We can do this. We'll figure it out, okay? I've got your back, remember? And this is a good thing, Micheal is back. We got one of our people back."

Jack straightens up and looks at me. "His son is still missing. How is he going to take that when he wakes up?"

"You can try to help him find Walt, and you will, but you're not responsible for making sure he is happy about everything. He's an adult. He can handle his own emotions."

Jack smiles now, and he finally relaxes from super tense to regular Jack tense. "Since when did you become a shrink?"

"Ehh, my mom was one and now I'm hanging around Libby. I think it just rubbed off on me. Now, are you ready to sow up that leg?"

Micheal is still knocked out after we finish patching him up so I sleep on the couch in the hatch. By the time I wake up, he is still asleep, but I join Kate watching him in the bunker.

"You can sleep if you want," I tell her. "I can take over here."

"I fell asleep here sometime last night," Kate confesses. "I just woke up not that long ago, so I'm not too tired."

I shrug and take a seat next to her.

"We never got a chance to talk... about what you said in the jungle," Kate begins. I don't look straight at her, but through the corner of my eye, I can see her bracing herself.

"It's fine, Kate," I say, monotone. "I was just upset. I didn't mean it."

"No, but you're right, I haven't been the best friend. I just, I've never been good with people, with other women. With Claire, it's easy because I just know I need to protect her, but you don't need that, and I didn't know what to do."

I sigh, hating that we have to have this conversation. But I owe it to her after my outburst. "I'm not really angry, I get it. After Patrick died, I pushed everyone away, and I did the same thing after Sawyer took the guns. It's not fair to expect you to read my mind. And I'm over it now, anyway. I have better friends than him."

Kate grins, and it lights up her face. "Yeah, like who?"

"Well, there's you, there's Jack and Ana Lucia. And Boone, of course."

"Mmm hmm, you two have been getting awfully close lately"

I raise my eyebrow at her. "Me and Boone? It's not like that with us. We're just friends."

"Maybe for now," Kate says idly.

I shake my head. "You just think I'm interested in every man on this island that I'm friends with? First Sawyer, now Boone. You're just making things up."

Kate laughs. "Whatever you say, Sam."

I punch her arm, pushing her away from me. I am about to retort when I notice Micheal stirring in the bed. He's groaning as he tries to sit up.

"Go get Jack," I tell Kate and I lean over Micheal.

"Hey, sit up slowly, okay? You're in a bunk bed."

Jack is in the room now, leaning over Micheal with a huge smile on his face. "Micheal, hey man," he greets.

"Jack, where- how did I get?" Micheal tries to stand up, but Jack and I push him back down.

"Try to take it easy, okay? You're back in the hatch. We found you out in the jungle last night."

Micheal sits up completely, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and complaining about his head. Kate hands him some water, and he takes a sip.

"Welcome back," Locke says from the doorway of the bunker. I turn and notice him and Ana sitting in the doorway. Kate stands anxiously behind me and Jack.

"Hey, John."

Micheal caps his water bottle, takes a breath, and looks at Jack. "I found them."

I exchange a glance with Jack, and we both sit down to hear the story. Kate sits too.

"After I left, I hiked north, back to where we were," he gestures loosely at Ana here and she nods.

"Hiked to the beach, followed the shoreline. A day later, I saw one."

"What did he look like?" Locke asks.

"Dirty, worn clothing, no shoes- simple- just like the rest of them." Kate and I share a subtle look here, and I know she's thinking the same thing as me. If Micheal just stumbled upon a group of dirty, shoeless people in the jungle, then he didn't find the true base of the others. Not if the other hatch we found in the jungle is any indication. Either that, or he's lying to us. But why would he do that?

"The rest of them?" Jack prompts.

"Yeah. His people, the others. I followed him back to his camp. They live in tents, canvas tents, and teepees. They eat dried fish, they're worse off than we are."

"How many of them were there?" Kate asks.

"I counted 22."

"What about the boat?" I ask.

"I didn't see it," Micheal dismisses.

"Did you- did you see Walt?" Jack asks.

"No," Micheal answers. "But I know he's there."

"What about everyone else they took?" Ana asks. "Cindy, did you see any other kids?"

"No, no- no kids. No, but I think they were in the same place as my boy. They have a hatch."

"How do you know that they-"

"There's a set of metal doors leading underground. What else could it be?"

"And you think that's where they are keeping the kids?"

"They keep it guarded 24/7. Two guards, two guns, and two guns is all I saw. They're barely armed. Most of them are old, and half of them are women. I wanted to-" Micheal looks down now, pauses to gather himself, then looks back up. "I couldn't save him, so I came back to tell you. Tell you that we can take them. And as soon as I get my strength back, I will take us back there. And we are gonna get my boy back."

Jack nods. "And we'll get him back." He stands and looks at Kate, who stands with him.

"Just get some rest," she says.

Micheal lays back down, groaning with the effort as he does. We all file out of the room and gather around the computer.

Jack stands across from Locke and Kate stands next to him, across from me. Ana stands beside me.

"You were right," Jack finally says, looking at Locke.

"Right about what?" Locke asks.

"About Henry. What you and Sayid did to him when you first found him. You were... you were right. I don't like how you did it, but I shouldn't have gotten in your way."

"Well, you did what you thought was right at the time, you thought it, Jack," Locke says. "I just hope that next time you decide to do something, you include me. And something tells me that's going to be soon."

"Why would we all be talking right now if we weren't going to include you, Locke," I say, exasperated. "I'm glad you two are agreeing on things, but we need a plan."

"You heard Micheal, we can take them," Jack says.

"Are we sure about that?" Ana interjects. "Something tells me there's more to this than what Micheal saw. Those people are dangerous. We could be playing right into a trap."

"Our friend with the beard told us not to cross the line," Locke says.

"These people are liars, John," Jack says, standing and walking towards where Locke sits. "Why the hell should we take their word on anything?"

"And they're not our friends," I point out.

"I couldn't agree more," Locke says. "So, now what?"

"Well, we can't do anything without weapons," Kate says. "So we need to talk to Sawyer."

Everyone looks at me expectantly.

"What?" I demand, meeting their gazes back defiantly.

"If anyone can get through to Sawyer, it's you," Ana says. "I know you aren't on the best terms with him right now, but this is more important."

"He won't even listen to me," I object.

"Yeah, he will," Kate says. "Sam, I know this is a lot to ask, but please. This is for Walt."

Jack looks at me, slow and steady. "I'll be there with you. We'll all have your back."

I let out a slow breath, not looking at any of them. "Fine, but we leave now. I can't stand the waiting game, and some of you should stay behind to guard Henry and watch Micheal."

"I'll stay," Ana says. "Give Sawyer my best," she says with a strange smile.

"Alright," Jack agrees. "We'll be back soon."

The walk to the beach feels both too long and too short at the same time. I am bracing myself and mentally preparing the whole time, but I am still not ready for the flood of emotions that hits me when we come to a stop to Sawyer reading on the beach. He has new glasses on, and he's wearing a plaid button up, unbuttoned. I can't help but staring for a minute despite the situation.

"Sawyer, put the book down." Jack's words cut my daydreaming short. I wince at his harsh tone. Sawyer may deserve it, but it's not going to get us what we want.

"It's not a book. It's a manuscript. I'm about to be the first and only guy to figure out who done it. I think I got it figured out, so cool your damn jets and walk around the coconut trees. I got, like, 10 pages left-"

Jack cuts Sawyer short by yanking the papers out of his hand. "Hey!" he protests.

Jack holds the manuscript over the fire. "Wanna figure it out?" Without pausing, Jack shoves the papers into the fire.

"Jack," I scold, because was that really necessary? I frown as Sawyer pulls the burnt pages from the fire.

Sawyer gets right up in Jack's face. "What the hell is your problem, doc?"

"It's time to give us the guns back," Jack says matter-of-factly.

"You burn the ending of my book and now-"

"Where are they, James?" Locke asks.

I glare at him for this, repressing the urge to knock him off his crutches.

"You too, Brutus?"

I hold my hands up to Locke and Jack. "Look, we wouldn't ask if we didn't really need them," I address Sawyer.

He looks me up and down. His icy blue eyes scan every inch of me and I suppress the urge to shiver, despite the warmth of the sun on the beach. "They got you roped into these missions too now, huh, grey eyes? I never pegged you for the type. Why don't you tell me what is so important that I should give you the guns?"

I take a deep breath and glance at the other three before turning back to Sawyer. "We think could get Walt back."

Sawyer looks at the other three, and their faces must look as serious as mine because he nods his head. "I'll talk to her, but only her," he tells them. Then he's grabbing my arm and leads me to the clearing on the edge of the forest. I wrench away from him almost immediately.

"I can walk myself."

"Geez, no need to get so defensive," Sawyer retorts.

When we make it to the clearing, I cross my arms and wait for him to ask his questions. I expect him to ask about Walt and others, or even Henry; but, he doesn't.

"You never came back last night." His voice is surprisingly soft, and it catches me off guard.

"So, what's it to you?"

Sawyer sighs. "You don't have to like me, but you can't just disappear like that in the jungle. It's dangerous out there, and I was worried. What happened?"

I look down, because it feels too intimate to meet his eyes right now. "We camped out pretty late, waiting for the others to show. Then we found Michael, and we had to get him back to the hatch so Jack could doctor him up."

"Mike's back?" Sawyer's tone changes, lighter now. "Is he okay?"

I nod. Relieved at the change in subject, I change my tone back to the strict business tone I try to keep when talking to Sawyer. "He'll be fine, he just needs to rest a bit more. He found the other's camp. That's why we think we can find Walt."

Sawyer sighs. "I'll give you guys the guns, and I'll come with you to rescue the kid."

"Great, thanks," I say, turning on my heel. "We better tell the others."

Sawyer grabs my arm. "Sam, wait."

I spin on him, and he releases me as soon as he sees the anger in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, but we need to talk."

"There's nothing for us to talk about, Sawyer. We've been over this a million times. Just drop it, please."

"No, look, I'm sorry, okay? Now can we please just be friends again? I miss you."

"You miss having sex, maybe, but you don't miss me. Find someone else to be your island, hook up, I'm sure you can. And you're not sorry, you don't even know what you're sorry for."

"Yeah, I do, grey eyes. I'm sorry I lied to you, not everyone else. They can all go fuck themselves for all I care. But I'm sorry I hurt you."

My breath catches in my throat, partly because of the apology. Not that it was an especially deep apology, but from Sawyer, the fact that he even apologized is impressive enough. But that's not what sticks out to me, as unprecedented as it is. It's the fact that he didn't make a lewd joke or an egotistical comment about how easy it would be for him to find another island hook-up. I think that's what makes me realize how serious he is.

His gaze is too serious, piercing, and I can't meet it. I advert my eyes, looking at a patch of grass by Sawyer's feet. "Okay."

"Okay what? Okay, fuck you or okay, you forgive me?"

"Okay, I forgive you, you idiot," I say, with a smile.

Sawyer lets out a heavy sigh, and I look at him now. "Okay. So, friends again?"

I nod. "Friends."

I don't know what I expect, but Sawyer catches me off guard by suddenly pulling me into a hug. "I missed you, grey eyes," he says softly, holding me to him for a moment before letting me go.

"I missed you too."

He smiles, one of his rare, real smiles. "Alright, let's go gather the forces. I'll get the rest of the guns, but I already-" James' smile fades when he reaches behind him to the waistband of his pants. "That bitch!"

"What?"

"She stole my gun, Ana Lucia."

A cold feeling passes through me and a clench of anxiety pulls at my heart. Why would she need a gun? "She's just in the hatch, but let's tell the others."

The walk back to the beach is quick, but when we reach the sand, I jog the rest of the way to the others. Sawyer is right behind me.

"Is he gonna give us the guns?" Kate asks.

I nod. "But Ana has one of his guns in the hatch."

We are all silent for a moment, then Locke speaks up. "Jack, I need to tell you something."

I look at Sawyer, and we exchange a glance before looking back at Locke.

"What is it, John?"

"Earlier today, Henry attacked Ana Lucia."

"And you're just now telling us?!"

"Do you think she'd do anything with it?" Kate asks.

"Why else would she take it?" I whisper.

None of us say anything further. We just start running to the hatch.

The hatch is carnage. Libby is lying on the ground, clutching a bloody pillow over a wound in her chest. Ana is on the couch, bleeding profusely from her abdomen. I don't even know where to start, they look so beyond saving. It's when I notice Micheal, leaning against the doorway of the armory with a shoulder wound that breaks something in me. Not because he's beyond repair, he's probably the only one we can save. But because Henry is gone.

Jack is right behind me, and he glances between Libby and Ana. I can see him evaluating which will be easier to save. Locke and Kate just look shocked. Sawyer brings in the rear, and he takes one look at me before he crosses the room and pulls me into his arms. It's just a second of reprise, but it almost breaks me because I just want to bury myself in his arms and let myself break down and cry, but I know I can't. Jack and I have so much work to do before we can rest.

End of chapter. It's been such a long journey to get Sawyer and Sam back on the same page again, but I'm so happy they are finally friends again. Please review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I love reading them! - K