Kate's eyes slowly fluttered open, staring at the ceiling of the tent. Suddenly everything seemed to come crashing down on her when she remembered where she was and what had happened. Feeling her heart jump into her throat she laid in the comfortable surroundings of the bed and tried to just breath. If she thought about this for another second she might go crazy.

"Hi there."

Kate's eyes drifted up and saw Richard sitting beside her in bed, a book on his lap. Kate gulped before slowly sitting up herself, her head felt dizzy. Blinking a few times she looked around at the inside of the tent and then back over to Richard.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Few hours, it's almost sunset."

Kate nodded, her body ached and her head was spinning. All these memories were slowly crashing and covering up the ones she had made for the past three years. She knew if she didn't stop her brain might just swell up and finally explode. Richard marked his place in his book before putting it on the nightstand that had a lit lantern on it. He then looked over at Kate.

"Feel better?"

Kate sat in bed for a second before shrugging. She really didn't know. Sighing she rubbed her hands over her face. Richard then reached over and took one of her hands.

"Got a headache?"

"Umm."

Kate nodded. Richard reached over and gently touched the side of his face where her temple was. In just the matter of seconds the throbbing in her head slowly faded away. Thinking nothing of this, Kate shut her eyes and suddenly felt very relaxed.

Right away another memory came, so quickly it made Kate's eyes snap open.

"The ocean…"

"What's that?"

"The ocean…one night you took me out there when the moon was out."

Richard smiled.

"Our wedding night, I brought you over to the bluffs on the other side of the island and showed you how to jump."

"I was scared of the rocks, but you told me I'd be safe…"

"And you jumped, and we swam in the water all night."

Kate remembered this, diving underneath the black crystals of water and splashing up on the surface laughing with him. She remembered them holding each other, kissing as they slowly began going underneath the water again.

Kate then looked over at Richard. It was true…they were in love.

"Richard?"

"Yeah?"

"Why me?"

"What?"

"Why me? I understand you're a very special person…most of all here. So my question is…why out of everyone else you pick little screwed up me?"

"Because like I said, you know what it's like to be alone."

"Have you ever loved anyone before?"

"Since you? Not for a very, very, long time…but that's in the past. You accepted me and didn't fear me like so many others. You're special to Kate. You just don't know it yet."

Kate slowly began to remember their relationship more closely. She wished it would all just come back at once. From the look in Richard's eyes, he meant every word of it.

Richard then took her hand.

"Come on…"

They left the tent just as the sun was slowly setting over the water. The sky never looked so beautiful before. A warm breeze filled the air as Richard lead Kate over to one of the fires.

"Hi Richard, hi Kate!"

One of the women called, her eyes seemed friendly.

Richard smiled saying hello as Kate remembered this woman's name was Jane. She had gone fishing with her once. Richard lead her to one of the camp fires and sat her down. Right away everyone began passing plates of fish around. Kate seemed a little overwhelmed, but as she stared at the cracking flames, she felt almost as though this was where she was supposed to be. Richard sat close to her as everyone began to talk. Nothing serious really, just talk about the fishing, and how they thought their might be a storm later that night. Locke joined them a few minuets later and sat across the fire from Kate. Every once and a while their eyes would meet before Kate would drop her gaze.

Everyone seemed perfectly normal. They laughed, and sat around talking about such simple things. Kate saw four other fire pits in which large circles were sitting around them also laughing and talking. Kate couldn't believe how hungry she was, and how good the food had really been. While finishing up, Kate began talking to the man named Mark, and a woman named Mercedes. It seemed as though Kate picked up right wherever she had left them. They had known for and were friends. They talked mostly about how excited they were about moving back to the village, and how much better it would feel when storms like the one coming tonight would be. Kate talked, and seemed relaxed. Richard sat close to her and she had never seen a man look so handsome before. The campfire lit everyone's faces up as they all chatted and talked while eating the last of their meals. Locke was their leader, and Kate knew this. He talked with everyone, and finally for once looked as though he belonged.

At one point during the night Kate glanced over at Richard who smiled at her and then winked. Kate felt comforted before everyone heard distant thunder in the background and began cleaning up. Within a half an hour the fires had been put out and everything was stored away. Richard stood near the surf, hands on his hips and looking at the darkened sky as the clouds slowly began to cover up the sparking stars. The water was getting rough, and the wind was picking up, making the palm trees around them dance like crazy. Kate had walked over to him, the wind making her hair flew behind her shoulders. Going beside him, she looked out at the ocean.

"Looks like it's going to be bad out."

Richard kept staring out ahead.

"I've seen worse."

Kate then, for no reason at all slipped her arm around his. Richard glanced down for a moment and smiled as they stared up at the sky. Just then lighting flashed.

"Whoa!"

Richard laughed at Kate's reaction and then pointed.

"There will be another one…now!"

The lighting struck again, making the sky light up. Thunder began to sound as Kate smiled. She had so many questions to ask him. Yet, at this exact moment, her arms around his, watching the ocean…things just seemed right.

Her thoughts went back to Desmond.

Where was he? With Penny? She hoped he was safe. The same thoughts went to her friends as well. Even if it all head been a dream, as terrifying and nightmarish as it seemed…it was still wonderful. In her dream she had Aaron, and her daughter Sydney.

Now?

Now she was here, dream or no dream. She was married to a man she hardly knew, yet looking at his serious face at that moment, she knew he loved her and would do anything to protect her.

Just then it began to downpour. Kate laughed as Richard and her looked up at the sky, right away they were soaked.

"Better get under come over, come on!"

Kate grabbed onto Richard's hand as they ran up the beach, rain pouring everywhere. Locke meanwhile stood in the opening of his tent watching them. Lighting flashed across his eyes as he softly smiled.

By the time Richard and Kate reached their tent they were soaking wet. The rain was pouring harder then ever and the entire roof of the tent sounded as though it was being poured on with pebbles. Slightly laughing, Kate walked inside as Richard walked over to the lantern and lit it.

Kate stood there for a moment watching him before rubbing her arms. More memories were coming back, slowly and faded.

She stared at the unmade bed and then remembered something. Kate pointed.

"A white flower."

Richard turned, water dripping off him.

"What?"

Kate kept pointing at the bed.

"For the first two years…the entire time I spent looking for the others, you always left a white flower on my bed whenever I came back…every day."

Richard smiled.

"Yeah."

Kate then looked at him.

"I never knew who was doing it. At first I thought it was Locke trying to cheer me up, or someone in the camp…then right after that night you found me crying in the jungle I walked into my tent and saw you putting one down, you were embarrassed."

Richard made a nervous laugh before looking down at his feet for a second.

"Yeah…I was."

Another thought of Desmond jumped into her mind. Quickly this memory of the white flowers replaced it. Blinking, Kate looked at him before rubbing the back of her neck.

"I feel like I'm going crazy…"

Richard took a few steps closer, Kate noticed how his soaked shirt clung to him. His eyes locked with hers.

"You really believe the bomb caused you to come here, don't you?"

Kate sighed before nervously playing with her dripping wet hair.

"I don't know what to believe."

"Kate, if you want to search the island again, I'll be more then happy to. We'll do it together and I'll show you."

"No…if you say their gone, then their gone."

"I've never seen you like this before Kate, something else is on your mind."

Kate tried to control herself.

"It's just…I lived a life for three years. And at the exact moment the bomb blew I woke up here, living with you guys and married. I had a daughter Richard…and now I somehow cam getting these weird memories, real ones and I can't seem to understand it."

"Do you really believe your friends on the chopper made it?"

"I don't know what to believe…what I do know is if it really was all a dream…then they never tried to come back and get me. Maybe Locke was right, maybe this really is our place."

"But what do you think?"

"I think…that I'm starting to remember my three years here more clearly. I'm starting to remember that after everything with Jack, and Sawyer…and most of all Desmond…that you were the one that loved me."

"So now what?"

Kate took a deep breath, thinking back on the morning she had the miscarriage with Desmond's baby. Maybe it was true, maybe this was her life. Maybe everyone woke up someplace else…maybe on the island or someplace where they could find peace and be happy. Kate knew she would search the island again, in hopes for some answers. But until then she knew she was in love with Richard. That somehow during these blank three years she had adjusted to life here and became one of them. That this mysterious man had loved her despite how screwed up she was and accepted her.

"Richard I'm scared…"

"Shhhh, it's okay."

Richard gathered Kate into his arms before gently kissing her forehead. Kate finally looked up at him and studied his beautiful eyes. Somehow this felt different…not like with Desmond.

She began to unbutton his wet shirt. Richard watched her with a serious gaze as he lifted up her own shirt. The two began to passionately kiss as Kate's hands worked on his belt buckle.

She just wanted to forget. She just wanted Desmond to leave her head.

And so they kissed.

That night as the rain kept pouring, Kate laid awake beside Richard. Listening to the thunder, and watching the lighting light up outside, she for so reason at all felt very relaxed. Her thoughts had finally stopped racing and she no longer felt scared.

Tomorrow she would ask Richard to help her search the island in one last attempt to look. If the bomb did make this happen, then maybe the others were somewhere else.

Still, that didn't explain the last three years, or the memories.

But she would still look, and if she found one of them…

She didn't know.

But if it had indeed all been a dream, a long vivid dream…then it was now over. Three years ago she saw in Desmond's eyes as he made his choice. She had been thrown from the chopper and survived. She didn't know if the others had or not. But she had washed back on shore and Richard and found her…and saved her. She lost the baby, in which Richard had tried to convince her was for the best, and any last attachments to Desmond were forever gone. She prayed if this was all true, that him and the others had made it. That Desmond was somewhere living a happy life with his Penny. She hoped she was only a distant fading memory in his mind.

She hoped the same for Jack, Hurley, Sayid, and Sun.

And the ones left on the island?

She prayed they were safe and far away. Most of all Sawyer. Her heart ached that if it was indeed true, she hadn't ever gotten the chance to meet his daughter.

Had Locke and her become one of the others? Was this really their new home?

Her thoughts drifted to Claire. Wherever Claire was, she prayed she was safe as well. And Aaron? If he had lived, she hoped he was being taken care of. Maybe by Jack? Thinking of her friends, and the last moments as Sawyer and her ran before the blinding light came…

She looked over at Richard.

He was peacefully sleeping beside her. His chest slowly raising and falling.

Was this her husband? After all these screwed up years had she really found someone who could love her? She thought of Desmond one last time and the two miscarriages she had. Maybe Locke was right…maybe it was fate. Maybe all along she belonged here. Thinking of Richard, she knew so little about him. Only that for some strange reason he had lived on this island all this time, as though he was part of it. Half of Kate was scared of him, the other curious. Did he really never age? What kind of strange magic was working here? This island…it was either heaven or hell.

But at least she wasn't alone. Whatever had happened to her, at least it had given her someone to love her and not leave her. As unsure as she was about Richard, these memories of the past three years slowly began to drift back. He really did love her, and he was her husband.

Looking at her ring, she heard thunder sound again as the rain grew louder.

Trying her hardest to smile, she moved in closer to him and placed her head on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat she wondered how long it had been beating. Feeling comforted, she drifted off to sleep.