Author's Note:

Before we get going here are a few things you should understand about this fic.

1. It will NEVER include any Suliet. That was a nice pairing, but it was out of convenience and both characters drifted back toward their original love interests near the end, so I consider Jacket and Skate canon.

2. It disregards the flashforwards and Charlie's message in the finale of Season 3, but every other bit of established continuity before or during that episode will be respected.

3. Any continuity established after "Through the Looking Glass" is subject to change. Characters and elements from later episodes may be vastly different.

4. Minor crossovers may occur. They won't have much effect on the plot.

5. Flashbacks will tell their stories in one chapter and center mostly on a single character.

6. Updates can be expected at least twice a week.

7. I do realize that for what is meant to be a Jacket fic, there's been relatively little romance between the two so far. It is coming, I just have to deal with getting everyone off the damn island first (it's as hard to write your way off the bloody thing as it is to get rescued from it).

PENNY'S BOAT

CHAPTER 7: BIRTHRIGHT

Sam grabbed Ben by his collar and forced him to his feet. He held himself back from punching the man he'd thought he'd never have to face again. The man who had abandoned the woman he loved as if she were nothing and left her a broken mess for the rest of her life.

"Moriarty! How did you end up here?! You weren't in the manif-" Sam was cut off as a sharp blow struck his right temple. He fell over, and looking up, realized that he'd loosened Ben's ropes enough for the little man to grab a telescoping baton he'd hidden in his sleeve.

Ben slashed the baton across Sam's face and grabbed the soldier's pistol. He waved it about as he stepped back away from the crowd of survivors. He looked at Kate pityingly.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, but I'm afraid that he wasn't quite part of the plan. He's not dead, just out for a little while. Anyway… I'll take my leave, shall I?" Ben dashed off into the jungle, disappearing without a trace.

Kate ran over to Sam. Ben hadn't been lying, he was unconscious, but still breathing. Sawyer knelt down next to her, "Son of a bitch… I'll get after him, Freckles. No way we're letting that bastard get away after all he's done to us."

Kate nodded, unable to smile with her father hurt, "Thanks, Sawyer. Make sure you're back in time to meet the boats okay?"

Sawyer gave her a roguish smile, "Just call me Mr. Punctual, sweetheart. Back in a flash."

As Sawyer turned to chase after Ben, Miles blocked his path. "You're not leaving without an escort. It's not safe-" Miles leaned in closer, whispering, "-And I've got a lot riding on bringing Linus to that freighter." He turned back to his companion, smiling again and dropping the sinister tone, "It okay with you if I go with this guy, Charlotte?"

The redheaded girl sighed in exasperation, "We haven't got time for wild adventures in the woods, Miles. The primary objective is still getting these people rescued."

Miles gave her a smug smile, "Not really my problem. I've gotta take care of business." With that, he stepped aside.

Sawyer's expression was angry, "If you're done wasting my time, Stubby, I'll be going now." He charged into the trees after his quarry with Miles in pursuit.

Charlotte rubbed her forehead. Idiot… What the bloody hell is he up to? This damn headache isn't helping matters much. I'll be glad when the zodiacs arrive and I can get out of here. Something about this place is…

"Excuse me?" Charlotte turned to see who had spoken and found an older man with white hair and a weary face, "My name's Bernard Nadler. My wife and I… We aren't going with you."

Charlotte frowned, "What do you mean you aren't going with us? We're getting you off this island. Aren't you happy?"

Bernard shook his head, "It's not that we're not happy to see everyone rescued, but my wife was very sick before we arrived here and now… now it's like she's completely alright. I don't know if it's the climate or something in the air, but it's a miracle! So I would be eternally grateful if you could report that Rose and Bernard Nadler died in the crash."

Charlotte half-smiled in confusion, but she understood the man's plea. She nodded, "I suppose… so long as Miles and Sam didn't catch sight of you if you go back to your camp now you'd be able to stay."

Bernard pulled her into a hug, it was so sudden that Charlotte almost fell over. The old man was smiling widely, "Thank you. Thank you so much." He let go at last and ran off to tell his wife the news. Charlotte felt she'd done the right thing, but wasn't sure what. Like when you do something simple and mundane that makes a stranger smile and gives you the distinct impression you've made their day. It was a good feeling.

Jack sat in the Captain's cabin glancing idly at the ledger. He'd been brought there by a hooded crewman who's name he'd neglected to ask and was feeling a little nervous. It was a pulse-pounding moment, sitting there, knowing that within a few days he'd be back home. Home. What is home? Sarah's gone. Dad's dead… Everyone probably thinks I'm dead by now. It's going to be a fresh start. Jack smiled. He'd heard the same words used to describe their lives on the island. A fresh start. Somehow those words had rung hollow. He'd spent the last 90 days being chased by polar bears, monsters, and maniacs, fighting for his life and being tortured. It may have been a start, but it certainly wasn't a fresh one.

Jack turned as the door swung open. A tall man walked in, accompanied by a woman. Jack squinted for a moment before recognizing where he'd seen her before. Desmond's photograph? That must be what he meant when he said it was "Penny's boat."

The man held out his hand, "My name is Captain Grant Gault. Welcome to the Kahana."

Jack shook his hand vigorously, "Dr. Jack Shephard." He looked past Gault to Penny, "And you are?"

"Penelope Widmore. I'm the current employer of Captain Gault and the one responsible for your rescue." She answered with a smile.

Jack looked a little bewildered, "How did you find us? This place is pretty out of the way and the plane was completely off course."

Penny sat down in the captain's chair across from Jack, "To be honest, my goal wasn't to find Oceanic 815. I've spent that last 3 years looking for Desmond Hume. He was in a boat race run by my father and he just disappeared. It seemed like the trail was completely dead, but then I ran into someone. A woman in Miami who claimed to have lost her sister at the exact same time. Following this lead, I investigated some connections between the recruiters that said sister had been interviewing with before her disappearance and a group called the Dharma Initiative. The trail led to Oceanic airlines. Then came the crash of course, and the discovery of the plane."

Jack's eyes widened, "What are you talking about? The plane fell across the island there was nothing left."

Captain Gault leaned on the door, "That's why I thought this job was a wild goose chase, but it turns out that whoever these 'Dharma' people are, they're trying to cover up your crash. Ms. Widmore kept the true nature of the expedition from me until 24 hours ago." He was grumbling a little near the end.

Penny waved him off, "And you will be compensated for your trouble. Anyway, that's how we found you. Now I have just one question, Dr. Shephard."

"What's that?"

"Why are you lying to me?"