A/N: Because LOST was on tonight (the episode made me SO MAD, but I digress) in America, I decided to do like I promised and post the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I am trying to update at a steady pace but fair warning, I am in college, I have a boyfriend and that those two things sometimes give me no room for fic writing. No worries, I love this fic too much to forget it and never finish it. It shall be done chapter by chapter so here we go! Enjoy!
Also please ignore any errors you find this chaptered related to grammar or punctuation. I did not have time to properly beta this and my beta was a bit busy. Not to mention I'm tired as hell, going on over 24 hours with no sleep (long story, don't ask). Just ignore them or mention them if you find them and I will edit them later. Thanks again.
Disclaimer: Once again I am not making any money off this, no characters used in this creation are mine, blah blah, you know the rest. Don't sue and all that good stuff …
Chapter Eleven: Whatever the Case May Be
A baby was crying.
Faith glanced around slowly, gripping onto the clean, white sheets beneath her fingers. Sitting up from the bed, she clenched her fist and glanced down at the tube attached to the back of her hand. She mashed her teeth together, yanking the tube free, and threw the covers aside, swinging her legs off the bed to place her feet on the floor.
Faith's eyes narrowed as she looked around. She was still dressed in a white hospital gown but the bed was suddenly gone, trees and bushes from the jungle returning. The machine once hooked to her hand remained, the steady thumping of a heartbeat echoing through the wilderness.
The baby cried again off in the distance and she moved forward through the trees. The branches closed off the path behind her and Faith found herself in a dark hallway, lights randomly flickering from where they dangled loosely in the ceiling. She continued to walk forward, finding room after room open but empty, the machines in each beeping but attached to nothing.
The hall ended and Faith glanced over to see the last room occupied, the image of her body lying in the bed. Small steps carried her further into the room and Faith stopped beside her, looking down at the pale form hooked up to IVs and feeding tubes.
"They won't understand you know."
Faith glanced up across the bed to see another image of herself, this one younger, around sixteen, the same year she had been called to be a slayer. Her hair was straight, cut off just below the chin, and she was wearing blue jeans and a Boston Red Sox sweatshirt. The image smiled; the expression one of so much innocence and warmth that it almost made Faith flinch.
"They won't understand what you are."
"Well then I guess it's a real good thing I don't feel like sharing isn't it?"
Her younger self smiled again, reaching out to stroke the hair from Faith's image lying on the bed. "She who is alone will walk the path and bring to the darkness a light that is ever eternal."
Faith frowned, an irritated look flashing across her face. "What?"
The image took a step back from the bed. "When the dawn of time reaches the surf more will come to take away those to disappear into the mist."
"How about you cut the fortune cookie crap and speak in English?" She glanced back down to the figure on the bed. "What does this… you, any of it… have to do with me now?"
"There is no path that can be walked without the past, present and future there to guide you. You are all these things, no part of you can be left behind."
"This," Faith gestured towards the bed, "wasn't me and it never will be me."
"It is not by choice that you are given responsibility. You know this now better than you did when you were first told of your destiny." The image lifted its arm, pointing past her into the flickering lights of the hallway. "Your fate lies among those who suffer, among those who disappear into darkness…"
"You mean like Claire?"
"There are those who are lost. But there are others who do not wish to be found." Young Faith smiled. "You will find them when it is time. You will find yourself."
"I don't understand what you-"
The sound of the baby yelling interrupted her and Faith turned towards the open door. She caught sight of the forest that had overtaken the hallway and glanced back towards her image to find it gone, the bed as well. The walls began to fade into nothing, leaving a path of leaves and branches, and Faith frowned as she focused back on the direction from where the cry had echoed.
She moved forward, pushing away branches and stopped as she came upon a table, a small box in the middle. Faith stepped forward, reaching out and she lifted the red lid to reveal the Jackal.
"They say a girl's best friend is diamonds but I'm just not sure that's true."
Faith didn't look over as the image of her old self appeared beside her. She kept her eyes on the Jackal, tossing the lid to the table.
"I hate to say it though, it's not the knife that makes you who you are, it's the person inside that counts." Evil Faith snorted. "Now doesn't that sound like it just belongs on the inside of a Hallmark Card?"
"I saw you, in the jungle…." Faith muttered. "But you're not real. None of this is."
"True," The image reached over to pick up the knife and she studied the blade as it sparkled in the moonlight. "But it still makes you wonder doesn't it?" Their dark eyes connected and the image smirked. "What I wonder though… is how long your little peace act is going to last? How long before you lose it and go off the deep end again? Who else has to die because of us?"
"There is no us," Faith backed away from the table, "This isn't real, stay the hell away from me."
"Stay away from you?" The image laughed and Faith looked down as she felt the weight of the Jackal in her right hand. "How can I stay away when I am you?" She raised her hands and wiggled her fingers, Faith's eyes widening as she saw the blood that coated them.
She glanced down at her own hands, the Jackal hanging loosely in her grip and she stepped back at the sight of blood. Faith stumbled, hitting something in her backwards path, and she pivoted sharply, the knife falling through her sticky fingers as she came face to face with Boone. His face and shirt were streaked with blood, his eyes wide and glazed as he looked forward but didn't seem to see her.
"He said not to tell… Don't tell… Don't tell a soul."
Faith's eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking around the cave. It was still dark, and she looked over to see Locke's things were gone. With a long sigh, she threw herself back down on her makeshift bed and turned on her side, eyes landing on the handle of the Jackal from where she had tucked it under her bag. She glanced down at her hands just to make sure they were still clean.
&&&&&&&&&
She kept still from her position by the main water supply as she watched Shannon and Boone talking, her arms crossed while she waited. Faith remained in her spot as Boone said something else to his step-sister that caused the woman to shoot him a dirty look before he turned away and started making a path up the beach from the direction he had come from minutes earlier.
"You never came to see me about your scratches."
"They were just scratches." She didn't turn her gaze away from the direction in which Boone had disappeared, not even glancing at Jack as he stopped beside her. "I'm five by five Doc, nothing to worry about."
"I see that."
Faith tensed up as he grabbed her jaw in a gentle grip and tilted her head to the side.
"You healed up faster than anyone I've ever seen before with a head wound, must be really lucky."
"Not lucky, I just have a hard head." She reached to wrap her fingers around his wrist and pull his hand away from her chin. "I'd appreciate if you wouldn't touch me without permission."
"I'm sorry, I just-"
"I know. You doctors can't seem to stop yourself from always trying to fix things." Her lips twitched as she released his hand and lowered her arms to her side. Faith eyed him, gaze taking in the bruises on his face. "Looks like someone got the best of you."
"I didn't see you when you got back but I had a run in with Ethan."
Faith swore under her breath. "I knew I should have gone with you and Kate." She clenched her fists. "I can't wait to get a piece of that guy."
"No offense Faith but he did a number on me. He's trained to fight like a solider, it's not worth at this point for someone else to get hurt before we have a plan."
"Oh, now you want to plan."
Jack sighed. "I'll admit it, I make mistakes. I'm only human."
"Of course you are, only humans torture each other just to get information."
"I get enough harassment over that from Sawyer Faith, I don't need you adding on to it."
Faith smirked. "Sorry Doc but I get a deep satisfaction out of being able to say I told you so."
"At the time I thought it was what I had to do. I'm not proud of the fact that I let another human being go through that and I never will be. I know you probably won't ever understand that."
"I understand more than you think."
She paced back in forth of him, eyes darting around as she tapped her hands on her jeans. Turning, Faith grinned and leapt on to Wesley, watching in satisfaction as he screamed against the gag in his mouth. She grabbed him roughly by the jaw and yanked their faces close together.
"All these little cuts and bruises - just bring out the mother in me." She let go only to smack him across the face as his eyes started to droop. "Now, now, don't poop out on me, damn it! Otherwise this all just going to be over too fast, and you'll be dead and I'll be – bored." Grinning still, she eased off his lap and turned to his desk, grabbing a spray can and a lighter.
Faith turned back towards him, eyes taking in his body that was strapped down by rope, his face bleeding and the dripping red drops decorated the material of his shirt. "Did you ever wonder if things would have been different - if we'd never met? Or is it just like fate. You know, there is no choice. You were gonna be here no matter what. Ever think about it that way?" She hovered the lighter near the can and watched in satisfaction as a huge flame spewed from the cap. "I know I don't."
The tension from the conversation was suddenly hanging heavy in the air and she glanced back at Shannon to see Sayid talking to her, no doubt about the maps he had found with French decryptions on them. Go figure, the only person besides Danielle that spoke French was one who did the least on the island to help everyone else. "I heard you wanted Sayid to take you to Rousseau."
"The Frenchwoman, yeah." Jack nodded. "I thought maybe she'd know where Claire was, she said there were others." He cleared his throat. "Sayid thinks now the whispers you heard was just the wind playing tricks on you both."
Faith shrugged. "Denial ain't just a river in Egypt Jack." She cleared her throat, reaching to pick up her bag at her feet and sling it onto her back. "I'd love to stay and chat but I need to get going." Faith flashed him a look then started to walk away.
"Faith!" Jack called after her, "I haven't seen Locke or Boone lately. Any clue where they've gone off too?"
She didn't turn around but shook her head. "No, but that's what I intend to find out."
&&&&&&&&&&&
She knew exactly where to find them. Faith muttered under her breath as she stepped over a fallen log and shoved through some bushes to stumble upon Boone and Locke.
Both turned as they heard her, Boone with an expression of surprise while Locke simply smiled.
"How did I know you two would be out here?"
Boone looked at Locke then back to Faith. "Were you followed?"
"Are you stupid?"
He frowned. "No."
Faith smirked as she tossed down her bag. "Then I guess you just answered your own question." She glanced down at the dug up dirt by her feet. "You've been out here night after night just to dig this up?" She pointed down to the metal plate they had found days before, more of the ground cleared away revealing some sort of elevated glass top in the middle of the plate. "What is it? An ancient microwave?"
"It seems to go deeper than we thought." Locke rubbed his hands on his shirt, specks of dirt falling to the ground. "We borrowed the axe to see if we can bust open the top through the glass."
"Borrowed or stole?" Faith crossed her arms giving him a sharp look. "You're supposed to be out here hunting and looking for Claire, not playing Lets Dig for Treasure."
"We got sidetracked." He was studying her. "Don't worry Faith, we haven't forgotten about her but it's important that we find out what this is. It's our top priority."
"No, it's your top priority and you're stringing along Boone for the ride." Faith glanced down at the glass. "Whatever it is, it was buried for a reason."
"If it wasn't meant to be found…"
"Don't give me your destiny bullshit Locke, I'm tired of hearing that." She snapped as she bent down to grab her bag. "I want to talk to you soon-" He opened his mouth to respond and she kept going, "and without your sidekick Lone Ranger." Faith ignored Boone's muttered response and she paused, glaring at Locke, until he nodded.
"Fine, you got it."
"Good." She threw her bag back on her back. "I think I'm gonna go look for Claire some more and try to get some boar for the people on the beach, at least someone around here should do it."
"Faith, you're right."
She stopped as she was leaving, throwing him a look from over her shoulder. "What's your point?"
"You're right, Claire and hunting should be top priority." He was staring at the glass. "Take Boone hunting with you."
Boone started to object at the same time but Locke shook his head.
"I'll come find you guys in a little bit."
Faith rolled her eyes as she nodded, motioning at Boone. "Fine, let's go Boy Scout."
Boone continued muttering but grabbed at his own backpack to follow quickly after her.
&&&&&&&&
"Faith, wait up, you're walking too fast."
She didn't look over her shoulder to see how far behind he was. "If you can't keep up, go back."
"Faith, come on, slow down."
She let out a loud sigh but did as he asked, waiting until he halted beside her. She threw him a look then began to walk again, this time with him being able to keep up with her strides.
"Why are you in such a hurry, it's not like we know where to find her."
Faith stopped again and he frowned as she turned to face him, halting them both this time. "What do you think you'll find in this hatch thing of Locke's?"
"I don't know." Boone shrugged. "That's why we're opening it."
"It's Pandora's Box, that's what it is." She responded. "I understand wanting to know Boone but we've all heard the story about the curious cat."
"What if it's…"
"An escape pod? Perhaps a hidden spaceship left by the aliens for their return?" Faith snorted shooting him a look. "Get real Boone. It's probably nothing but an old well or a hole covered up by whoever got here before we did."
"You found the Frenchwoman and she's been here for sixteen years…"
"And did you also hear how she told Sayid she landed with a group including her own husband and that she killed them all because she says they were infected with something?" He was silent and she snorted. "No? Guess you missed that part." Faith continued walking again, Boone following. "At least if there's something in this hatch thing I don't like, it'll give me something to put my fist through."
Boone chuckled shooting her an intrigued look. "So you were a bodyguard back home?"
"Something like that."
"What kind of clients did you have?"
She ignored his question completely. "Tell me about what happened with Ethan while I was gone." Faith halted them to shade her face with her hand against the sun's glare and she gazed around their location. "What does he look like? How'd he act when he was around, what'd he wear?"
"Uh," Boone scratched at the back of his neck, "Same height roughly as me, dark hair cut close to his head, long nose… He just wore … clothes you know, nothing out of the normal or anything that looked too outdated but I'm not positive on that."
"And he knew a lot about hunting?"
"Oh, he knew tons. He and Locke would go out at night all the time to catch things, I never went because Shannon…"
"Always had the leash on you?" Faith smirked at the look he shot her. "Yeah, don't act dumb. She enjoys jerking you around, like I said before countless times, I don't see why you take it. It's not fun being jerked around unless both parties are getting something out of it."
Boone flushed but kept his eyes on hers. "You sound as if you speak from experience."
"I've been around the track a time or two." She shrugged and gestured towards the trees. "Pick a direction and we'll start there."
"Start?"
"What?" Faith raised her eyebrows as she eyed him with an amused smile. "You think you were just gonna work on Locke's hatch of destiny and not do anything else?" She pointed to the jungle around them. "I think not, pick a direction Davy Crockett and let's see how much ground we can cover."
"Fine," He muttered and he lifted his hand, pointing them East.
"Excellent, let's go." Faith tightened the straps on her bag then started off in the direction he had pointed. "And try to keep up this time."
"I can keep up," Boone muttered, "And my name isn't Davy Crockett, thank you very much."
Faith laughed as he easily caught up with her. "Whatever you say Columbus."
He chuckled as well, shaking his head. "It sounds like you've been hanging around Sawyer too much."
"Fortunately no," She snorted, "I'm still learning to master how to speak penis." Faith paused, "Maybe I should say dickhead instead; it's more descriptive."
"Nah, you pretty much summed it up. I'd stick with penis."
"You would huh?"
"Oh, shut up."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The small campfires roared on the beach, red flames licking the night air as groups huddled around comfortably. She could hear in the distance someone singing and surprised to find the voice belong to Shannon, Faith saw her sitting next to Sayid. Though she didn't recognize the title, the tune was familiar and she found herself concentrating on it, allowing herself to relax for the first time that entire day.
She spotted Locke off in the distance turning to walk up the path back to the caves and moved to follow when she spotted Boone nearby shaded in the dark; his eyes trained directly on Sayid and Shannon. He was frowning as he watched; the muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth together.
Faith slid her eyes back to the unsuspecting couple as Boone turned and disappeared into the forest.
Jack crossed her path but he didn't seem to see her, his eyes on Kate as he walked behind her towards the path. She was alone in front of a fire, a small toy plane in her hand. Her eyes were fixed on it, twirling it between her fingers with a lost look on her face.
Jack seemed to hesitate; stopping as he watched her but then he turned and disappeared up the beach.
Faith made her way to Kate's campfire, silent as she took a seat next to her and for a few minutes they sat in silence, Faith watching the flames as Kate's eyes stayed glued to the plane.
"Feel like talking to someone who's been there, done that?"
Kate slid the plane back into her pocket, eyes finding Faith's. She nodded. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere."
Her comment caused Faith to snort. "Yeah, it seems those mug shots really get around sometimes." She smirked. "Then again, I didn't have any handy travel wallet-sized pictures like you did."
"You're not gonna say anything to anyone are you?"
Faith shook her head. "From one fugitive to another, sometimes honesty isn't always the best policy. People like Jack, they don't see the world in black and white like we do."
"Sometimes I wonder if I see the world at all." Kate stared into the fire, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Jack different… He's a doctor; his job is to save lives. He doesn't understand what it's like to be locked up and have no way of getting out unless you fight back tooth and nail."
"For some reason, I believe he'd surprise you." Faith looked back at the path to the caves. "Jack's a lot of things Kate but he's definitely not perfect. I think if you just give him time, he'll come around, seems he was already fine with the fact you were on the run in the first place."
"That was before he knew exactly what I'd done."
"And what was that?"
Kate and Faith looked at each other.
"You first."
"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you." Faith shifted her eyes back to the fire. "Tabula Rasa."
"What?"
"An opportunity to start over without prejudice." She rose to her feet, brushing the sand off of her jeans. "An old friend of mine once told me that fortune favors the brave, I always thought she was full of shit but in the end, like usual, she was right. Sometimes it's not about the chances you run from but the ones you take." Faith looked back down at Kate. "Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me."
She left as Kate nodded slid the plane from her pocket again, long strides taking her back towards the back to the caves. The wind picked up as she walked, a hissing noise cutting through the air and she paused, eyes scanning the darkness.
"There is no path that can be walked without the past, present and future there to guide you. You are all these things, no part of you can be left behind."
"Faith?"
She broke away from scanning the woods and turned to find Locke standing behind her. "I thought you'd left already."
"I came back for you. It's about time we talked, don't you think?"
She nodded. "You read my mind but first I think we need to talk about Boone."