Richard could hear as the clock on the wall ticked each second, and with each second a feeling of dread filled him. Was this really a good idea? Shouldn't they just put it all behind them and move forward? What if it-

"Hello, Richard Alpert?"

He was somewhat startled at the voice on the other end. "Yes, this is Richard Alpert."

"Good. I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to talk to you..."

"It did cross my mind, yes."

"I thought it would help everyone that escaped to know what happened."

"It...probably will."

"I assume someone filled you in on the events up until the monster was killed?"

"I know that Kate shot him and then Jack, Ben and Hurley went back to turn on whatever you had turned off."

"I'll begin there, then. You need to know that Jack and the monster lowered me into a cave where there was a very bright light, and I pulled a plug which put the light out. When Jack returned he came down into the cave and...he tied the rope around me, said I'd done enough and to go home to wife and son. I lost consciousness but when I woke up Hurley said that Jack turned the light back on. We assumed that Jack died in the cave but later we found his body in the bamboo forest not far from the camp that the Oceanic survivors made. It was Vincent who led us to him, actually. Dog kept barking and running in circles until we followed him to where Jack was. He was buried in the little graveyard the survivors made near the beach. Hurley thought that was where Jack would want to be."

"Well I'm glad that things worked out." Richard found himself leaning heavily on the bar stool as he thought about how differently things would have gone if he and Ilana had succeeded with the initial plan to blow up the plane.

"Do you want to know how I got off the island?"

It took a few seconds for Richard to respond, and even then he simply said, "I don't know."

"Afraid you might be tempted to go back?"

"Something like that."

"Then I suppose I should tell you that I have no bloody idea how to get back. I'm not even sure how I left."

"How can you not be sure?"

"One minute I'm talking to Hurley and Ben inside the old foot statue, and then Hurley opens a door and tells me to walk through so I do. As I crossed the threshold there was a bright flash of light and then I was in the basement of a monastery."

"You just...walked through a door?"

"Aye, that's what I did, and here's where it gets interesting. It was the same monastery in Eddington, Scotland, where I lived for three years as a monk and when I was there the leader, Brother Campbell, had a photograph of himself with Eloise Hawking."

"Eloise?"

"The one and only. So if you want to know about coming and going from the island, I'd suggest you pay a visit to Ms. Hawking."

"Brother Campbell, is he still there at the monastery?"

"He is, but he refused to answer any questions for me. You could try but I doubt he'd tell you much more than he told me which was nothing."

"So if I need to talk to Eloise, do you know where she is?"

"The last time I saw her was right before the Ajira flight was going to leave. She was manning a Dharma station called the Lamp Post beneath a church in Los Angeles. I can send the information to your cell phone if you want it."

"Yes, go ahead and send it."

"I can't guarantee that she's still there, or even that the Lamp Post is still operating. For all I know, after she helped get everyone on the Ajira flight she abandoned the place."

"Can I ask you something, Desmond?"

He heard Desmond chuckle a bit before answering. "Of course you can, though I can't promise that I know the answer."

"How did Charles get you back on the island?"

"Ben shot me and while I was in the hospital Eloise told Charles and Charles kidnapped me. One minute I'm in the hospital with a nurse saying she's giving me pain medication, and when I open my eyes again I'm staring at Charles Widmore and that mousy little Tina Fey wannabe."

"Ben shot you? Why did Ben shoot you?"

"It really doesn't matter now. What matters is that I am back home with my wife and son, and if Ben hadn't shot me then things might have turned out very differently for everyone. The monster is dead because I was there to pull the plug and put the light out, and I was there because Ben shot me and Charles kidnapped me from the hospital."

It was all getting a bit confusing...well, more confusing. Desmond walked through a door and came out in a monastery where a monk had a picture with Eloise...Eloise manned a Dharma station...Ben shot Desmond...

"How was Penelope able to track Miles down?"

"Charles Widmore kept excellent records about the people that he hired to go to the island. As his heir, Penny gained access to his records and it wasn't at all difficult to track Miles down. Let's just say he isn't exactly laying low." There was a pause. "You do know about the diamonds, don't you?"

"Diamonds?"

"Forget I said anything. I'll send you a map to the church, and you can do with that information what you like. As for me, I'm done with the bloody island."

"If you or Penelope need anything..."

"I know who to call. Take care of yourself, Richard, and good luck in finding whatever it is you're seeking."

"Thanks. You and Penelope do the same."

Desmond ended the call, and a few seconds later Richard's phone beeped to indicate that a file had been sent. He wandered back into the living room where Miles and Sawyer were waiting.

"Well? What did he have to say?" Sawyer asked.

"Desmond thought it might help to know what happened after Jack left with Hurley and Ben. After Kate shot the monster."

"Well the world still exists so I'm guessing Jack succeeded."

Running a hand through his hair, Richard sighed. "Do you want to know or not?"

"Sorry." Sawyer put his head down for a moment, then looked back up. "Yeah, I want to know."

Sawyer and Miles sat and listened while Richard repeated what Desmond had said happened, ending with burying Jack in the graveyard.

"And how did Desmond get off the island?"

"Well, Miles, apparently he walked through a door that led to a monastery in Scotland."

Miles and Sawyer both looked at him like he had just spoken in Swahili; it was Sawyer who found his voice first.

"Did you ask Desmond what the hell he smoked before you talked to him?"

"I'm pretty sure Desmond was sober."

"Sure he was. All that time we spent stuck on that island and there was a magical door we could have gone through?"

"I don't know. I think given the choice of going to a Scottish monastery, I would have picked staying on the island. Those Dharma chicks in the 70's were a lot more fun that I think those monks would be."

Sawyer rolled his eyes and Richard smiled at Miles' remark.

"I imagine the life of Dharma was probably much more colorful than life in a monastery."

"And you didn't know about this door?"

"No, James, I didn't. Desmond said it was in the foot of the statue; Jacob never told me about it or showed it to me."

"Guess that's not surprising considering he didn't tell Jack much of anything."

"I came to realize he didn't tell me much of anything either." Richard leaned again a wall and rubbed his face with his hand, unsure of whether he should mention Eloise and the church in Los Angeles or not.

"I guess there's only one thing to do, then. I ain't leaving Hugo on that island if we can get him the hell off of it."

"What do you propose?" Richard asked warily.

"We go to that monastery and we find the door that Desmond came out."

"You're going to break into a monastery?" Miles asked.

"You got a better idea?"

"I doubt you'll find a way back to the island there, James. It was probably one way, like when John and Ben turned the wheel and left the island."

"Well we have to at least try." Sawyer stood up and moved so his was right in front of Richard. "When Jack volunteered to take Jacob's place, Hugo said that he was glad it wasn't him that had to stay and protect the island so I ain't just leaving him there. He deserves better than that."

"Yes, he does." He gave me one last conversation with Isabella; I owe him so much for that. "I just don't think the monastery is the answer." He took a deep breath, figuring he'd better just say it and get it over with before he changed his mind. "There's a Dharma station in Los Angeles. I think that is our best chance for finding a way back to the island."

"There's a Dharma station in L.A.?"

"That's what Desmond said; that Eloise Hawking is manning a Dharma station in Los Angeles."

"And why would this help us get back to the island?"

"Because he also said that the leader of the monastery had a picture of himself and Eloise Hawking." He closed his eyes briefly before continuing. "This Dharma station is under a church, and Desmond sent me a map to find it."

"Well then what the hell we waiting for? Let's get going."