He held a warm cup of coffee between his hands, the quote on the mug reading I love the Philippines. The seven cans of beer he'd drunk earlier with Frank and Hurley were still in the middle of the oval shaped dining table. He had showered, eaten spaghetti and chicken soup from a can and had spent over half an hour listening to a 2-year old explaining to him all the names of his cars and why his BMW would always be best. Ten minutes ago Penny had cut off little Charlie's stories and was now putting him to bed. They would all talk when she got back.

Sawyer let his head rest against the cold steel wall behind him and closed his eyes, listening to Hurley and Frank quietly reminiscing about the last time they got rescued by Penny. If James could just ignore the humming sound of the ships engine and instead imagine it was Juliet's blow dryer in the bathroom… If he could somehow twist Hurley and Frank's talking into a distant Miles/Jin conversation…

He heard footsteps approaching and opened his eyes. Penny was standing at the opposite end of the table. He didn't know this woman but he could see she was exhausted.

"Let's talk" Penny said, as she sat down. She reached for the can of coffee and poured herself another cup after offering everyone else a refill. Hurley whistled to Sun and Jack out on deck. Soon they were all sitting down, ready to come up with a plan (there had to be a plan, right?).

"When did you get here?" Jack asked first. Penny had already shared about Hurleys' dad's midnight call and about their visit to Eloise. But she had refused to talk about Desmond's disappearance in front of her son.

"Three days ago" she answered. "Des was eager to get on with it so he left for the island pretty soon after we arrived."

"Do you know where he was heading towards? Which part of the island?" Jack continued.

"He said you had built a beach camp somewhere."

Jack squeezed his eyebrows, a wrinkle appearing above his nose. They had still been at their camp three days ago. He gave Sawyer a puzzled look.

Penny continued: "I spoke to him yesterday. He has a satellite phone with him."

"What did he say? When you talked to him?"

"His boat got damaged. I could hear people in the background, but we were cut off. He didn't say where he was. But he sounded anxious."

No point in discussing island mysteries in front of someone who'd never been there. Besides, it was mostly still a guessing game for all of them who had actually been there too. Sawyer kept his thoughts to himself, but Daniel's voice was coming back to him from the far corners of his brain.

Jack summarized their own adventure, conveniently leaving out Jacob or smoke monsters. Again, no point in complicating things with island mysteries. After he was done, Penny escorted them all upstairs to the bridge. This had been her living area ever since Desmond left. She greeted one of the crewmen and he politely made way for all of them. The room contained a communication system, two computers, advanced radar and GPS systems and a whole bunch of other stuff she left unexplained. She turned on the scanning system and its range bounced about a mile off the island's coast. Turning on the communication system only resulted in a lot of static. Their conversation from the day before had been taped and she replayed it for them a couple of times.

"Penny? Pen, listen to me. You have to send another boat to the island. My boat got dama…."

A few seconds of nothing.

"Damn it." Desmond's voice again. There was movement in the background. People running? A woman's voice? A muffled 'Miles'? It was too distant to decipher.

"Desmond?" That was Penny.

"Penny! Listen to me. Send another boat. But you can't come yourself. Send one of the guys. Promise me you won't come. Please!"

"Des. I can't reach you. I already tried to get another boat out there. But the coordinates don't work. They don't work!"

"What do you mean they don't work?"

"We tried several times. But the GPS fluctuates. I could see the island, but I couldn't get any closer! What's going on Des? You've been gone for days!"

"I'm all right. Just, please. Don't come to the island yourself. Send one of the guys. Keep trying."

Then nothing. The line had abruptly been cut off and had remained dead ever since.

Penny showed them their cabins, small sized rectangular rooms with bunk beds attached to the walls. There were enough rooms for each of them to have their own. There was nothing more to say and with a goodnight they all went their separate ways, each preparing for a first night off the island by themselves.

Sawyer had gone upstairs and sat himself down in a chair next to the control panel. They'd agreed to rotate shifts up here throughout the night. Just in case Desmond would get in touch at an ungodly hour.

He was staring out the window, lost in thought, when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It was Jack.

Sawyer gestured towards the empty seat next to him and Jack sat down.

"So what do you make of this?" Jack asked.

"You referrin' to Desmond missing?"

Jack nodded.

"You not remember that first time the chopper went out to the freighter?" Sawyer continued.

"Yeah. I remember."

Sawyer lent forward and folded his hands. "Well… maybe the same thing is goin' on now. I spent months listening to Danny boy's theories about time anomalies on the island. Been through a few myself. This would fit the bill just fine."

"It was the other way around back then."

"I know" Sawyer sighed. "But this could be good news Doc. We'll have more time. The island bein' on the slow turning table and all."

"Time's not going to do us any good if we can't get back there."

"I can't afford to think like that Doc. Neither can you."

The two men sat in silence for a while. Then Jack lifted himself from the chair and wished Sawyer goodnight. Before going down stairs he turned around.

"I do still love Kate you know." Jack's voice sounded tired.

"Guess we'll have to get her here then so you can tell her."

James couldn't sleep. The bunk bed was clearly built for Asian sized people and the silence of the night made his worries return in full force. Maybe he should go back up to the bridge and just sit out the night with Hurley.

He got up and put his jeans and shirt back on. Barefooted he left his room and quietly walked back up. To his surprise, Sun was also there. She and Hurley were playing a card game, a large pot of coffee standing on the table.

"You two aiming for a caffeine high?"

Hurley looked up and gave him a big smile. "Need to stay awake dude."

"What's your excuse?" Sawyer looked at Sun. "Can't possibly be the bunk bed." He rubbed his back. "Wish you Asians had a bit more consideration for the taller humans on this planet when you go about buildin' ships."

Hurley gave him a thumbs up. "Right on dude."

Sun stifled a laugh. "You want a cup Sawyer?" she asked kindly, pointing towards the coffee.

"Please."

Sun poured him a cup and he took the mug from her. "Anything?" he asked Hurley.

"You would have heard me yelling if there'd been anything dude."

Sawyer walked to the window panes. The sun was starting to rise at the other end of the island and he could vaguely see the contours of land on the horizon.

"Sawyer?"

He turned around to look at Sun.

"Could you… Would you mind… telling me some stories about Jin? About your lives? Some he hasn't shared with me?" Her voice was flat, but her eyes looked at him expectantly.

He felt a lump appear in his throat.

"Please?"

The day was long and dreadful. Steady rain clouded the view of the island the entire morning and there was no development whatsoever in establishing contact with Desmond. Penny had convinced the ship's captain to move the vessel closer to the island. The man had been weary because of the reef, but he had found a spot at a distance of four miles that was still safe.

When the sun reappeared after lunch, Frank and Jack had taken out one of the life boats again to see if any possibilities of return had opened up. Sawyer had positioned himself on deck and had dozed off a bit.

He woke up because of his stomach rumbling and walked up to the bridge, the smells of frying fish assaulting his senses as he passed the galley. He found Penny and Hurley watching the monitors, keeping a close eye on Frank and Jack's location. Sun had gone to her hut to lie down.

Jack radioed in that they were heading back for the night. They were now north of the island but the deal was just the same. About a mile off shore they simply bounced.

"Allright, just get back here Doc. We'll try again tomorrow" James answered. Same old conversation he'd had with Miles or Jin so many times after another failed grid search.

What would happen if the ships supplies ran out? How was their water supply? Could they contact the main land and get another boat out here? He found himself running scenarios and it made him uncomfortably restless.

Looking at the island (even though it was still not much more than a dark spot on the horizon from here) was the best thing to do when that feeling hit him, so he walked over to the front of the bridge. The sun was setting behind them and the island was covered in an orange glow.

He rested his elbows on the window panes. There it was, the place he'd spent the past three years of his life.

And then it was gone.

On the island

Swim? Really?

Desmond obviously thought it was crazy. "Six miles! You want us to swim six miles through open water?"

Six miles. Only six miles. No, six miles is insane.

"It might look nice and calm over here, but trust me, the waves are not as easy going further down." Desmond continued.

I can do six miles. I can.

"If I could get you a boat Desmond, I would. But there's nothing left. I even lost my two canoes today." Jacob answered him.

How long would it take? Ten hours? James will meet me half way. Five hours. No. Why would James meet me halfway? How would he even know where I am? What if he gets back to the island and I'm not here?

"The truth is" Jacob continued. "I have to move the island."

…. What the…? …. Juliet tore her eyes away from the fire to look at Jacob.

"It's the only way to keep it safe. Your ship being here is risky and the more time we stay this close, the more time he has to find a way to reach it." Jacob paused and poked up the fire with a stick. "I'm really sorry. I'm already using all the tricks in the book here."

Move the island… You want to go to the Orchid. An uncomfortable sense of déjà vu came over her and her stomach tightened. When she looked at Jacob, she realized she had been speaking out loud.

"Yes. And I need one of you to go with me. For the rest of you, that ship won't be there after we're done."

"What is the Orchid?" A fair question, no easy answer (well, Desmond… if you go down there (whatever is down there…) the island 'disappears', you will start jumping through time, and … if you're lucky, the flashes will stop just before they actually kill you).

Juliet brought a hand to her forehead and pressed her eyebrows.

"Let's just say it's my last defense mechanism. It will make the island relocate geographically" Jacob answered.

Oh really? That's what it does?

"Jump through time you mean" Miles muttered quietly. Jacob gave him an intense look, one that obviously was not an invitation to elaborate.

"What was that, brother?" Desmond asked as he turned to Miles.

"Never mind" Miles added. "Let's just say that you don't want to be there when he moves the island." A lengthy silence filled the room.

Juliet heard Miles clear his throat. She looked at him as he pushed himself up from his seat. "'I'll go with you" he said, while looking at Jacob.

What?! Juliet gave Miles an alarmed look, but he had his back turned towards her.

"Miles. No" Jin sounded alarmed as well.

"Look, its fine." Miles started walking over to Jacob. "Besides, you all have people to go back to. I…"

"And you have people to go back with." Juliet cut him off. "You're not going." Her voice sounded angrier than she'd intended. But no way was she going to lose someone else. Miles was already at the other end of the circle and looked down at Jacob.

Jacob stood and put a hand on Miles' shoulder. "You can't go Miles. You'll be dead by the time we get there. He's on to you."

He let go of Miles' shoulder and started walking towards Claire. He put his hand forth for her to take.

"It has to be you Claire."

"I know."

This was really going to happen. They would have about two hours to get beyond the island's radius. That's how long it would take Claire and Jacob to reach the Orchid. If they managed to get far enough, it would be them in open water, hopefully close enough to the boat to get picked up on by its radar system. If they did not manage to get far enough, the flashes would hit them and take them to god knows where and god knows when. And the island would still be there.

Kate had passionately opposed to Claire's new mission, but it was like the rules of the game had been set and there was no changing them.

"He can tell where I am Kate. If I go, you will have a chance." Quiet, fragile Claire had disappeared and a new confident Claire seemed to have taken over.

Desmond tried to get in touch with Penny again, but the phone was now officially dead. Not only was there still no connection, within a few minutes the battery also gave in.

Jacob quickly collected some things and put them in a woven duffel bag: an old watch, some dried fish, a strong rope. He put the fire out with sand and urged everyone to step outside. He was clearly in a hurry.

Goodbyes were quick. There was no time for dwelling.

"There's an off-land wind right now" Jacob informed them. "If you want to be successful, this is your best chance."

This is really going to happen. Because no way in hell was she going to be on the island two hours from now.

So far so good. Jin and Desmond were ahead of her, Miles and Kate behind her. If she kept her body as flat as possible, the current would help her move forward a little faster. The setting sun was annoying her eyes and she kept them shut as much as possible. Her arms were burning like hell and her throat was hurting from thirst. Her legs were wobly to the point where they would go numb soon. She felt a strong desire to look over her shoulder, just to see if the island was still there. She had lost all track of time. Had it been two hours yet?

Don't look back. Don't look back. How did that bible story again? The one that gave her nightmares when she was a little girl? Where a woman looked back onto her burning home, and that was the last thing she ever did? Looking back would be like tempting fate. She had to look forward, search the horizon for anything that could resemble a ship.

And then the world turned white again. Jin and Desmond disappeared from her view and a shrill sound filled her ears. Her heart started hammering as fear kicked in. The whiteness lasted a few seconds and when it was gone, the ocean was there just like it had been. Jin and Desmond were still in front of her. She could hear Miles panting behind her.

Don't look back! What if she did and the island was still there?