Chapter 18: Reactions

The next morning after explaining to rest of the camp what Ana had told them the day before, there was gossip, discussion, confusion and hate. People who had lost family members on the plane were crying and discussing suing Dharma, some were shocked and whispering about how surprising it was, a few were even saying they had known all along.

"I think they took it quite well." Sayid stated, sitting next to Jack as they observed a hysterical daughter who lost her mother on the plane. Jack turned and gave Sayid a blank look. "Well, no riots breaking out, nobody's wreaking havoc, or setting tents on fire, no headless chickens walking around." Jack frowned deeply. "Don't people in cults bite of chickens heads?" Sayid asked. Jack frowned deeper. "You are impossible to talk to sometimes you know that?"

"Well, I'm not the one saying this," Jack gestured to the group of people while glaring at Sayid. "is okay. This, this is not okay. I was going to take Kate on a date today. Do you think I can now? No. No I can't because people will want me stay here and fix," He looked back at the people. "this."

Sayid chuckled and put a hand on Jacks shoulder. "I'll take care of this okay?" He said. "Take Kate out on your little dinner date thing." Jack turned and smiled at the other man.

"Thanks, Sayid." With that, Jack jumped off and went to find Kate.

"Can you believe this?" Claire exclaimed to Charlie. Charlie was holding Aaron in the caves, bouncing Aaron on his knee, Aaron gurgling happily at Charlie, who was also making faces at him. "I mean, I should have had Aaron in a hospital! A hospital! Not in the middle of a god forsake jungle with a criminal!" She said furiously.

"Hey, I thought you forgave her for that." Charlie said in surprise.

"That it totally not the point right now, Charlie!"

"Okay." Charlie agreed.

"They can't do this to people, you know?" She said. Claire had always been a ranter, although she had never ranted on the island yet, let alone in front of Charlie, she knew he wasn't judging her. "Uggh!" Claire picked up her diary and began furiously smacking it against her bed over and over.

"Hey! Hey! Whoa!" Charlie exclaimed, he set Aaron down and ran over to Claire. He grabbed her arms but she kept trying to smack the book. He got her to toss the book down and pulled her tightly against him. He ran his finger through her hair gently. "Hey," he pulled her away to look at her face. "What's really bothering you Claire?" He asked.

"This, I should have Aaron in a hospital, and I should be able to feed him baby food and cloth him properly." She said blinking rapidly to keep the tears in, but her eyelashes were already soaked in them. "But if the stupid plane hadn't crashed I would have had to give him away and I wouldn't have met you." She whispered the last part.

Charlie smiled, and brought his face closer, he gently placed his lips on hers. He noticed how much softer hers are then his and they were moist as well. He smiled wider and brought her closer, still kissing her softly, Claire kissing back, just as softly.

"Now, now." Charlie said. "Dry those tears, love. Those baby blues should never look sad."

"So…" Shannon trailed off. Sayid sat next to her on the beach, both cross legged, Sayid holding Shannon's hands. "Boone…should be alive?" She asked. Sayid sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Those…those Dharma people…if they hadn't made plane crashed, he'd still be here." She looked shocked, her eyes wide, mouth in a small line.

"Shannon, if the plane had crashed on its own, Boone would still be gone." Sayid rubbed her hands.

"That's not the point." Shannon said. "The point is…my brother survived that plane crash, but died anyways and…so many other people are dieing…it's just not fair. This isn't supposed to be happening." Shannon said. Tears were begging to form in her eyes, she blinked at him. "This just isn't right, Sayid. Boones supposed to be here, he's supposed to be alive and well." She sobbed. "And the worst part is that if all this hadn't had happened I would have never met you, I would have never fallen in love with you. But Boone shouldn't have to pay for that!" Shannon then climbed onto Sayid's lap and sobbed into his shoulder. Sayid wrapped both of his arms around Shannon's body and rubbed her back.

"I love you to." Was all he could think of to say.

Brandy was lying in Sawyers bed, starting up at the roof of his tent. "You know," Sawyer said, laying on his side, half naked, looking at her. "if you are feeling better we could always try something we haven't done yet…" He began to place tiny kisses on her neck, slowly working his way down her breasts.

"I wasn't traveling alone." She said quietly. Sawyer stopped kissing her for a moment but the continued at much slower pace. "I was in Australia, to visit my little brother." She paused for a moment and sighed. "He wasn't the one on the plane, thank god. When I was there…there was a guy, I met." Sawyer tensed up and frowned. "He was a club owner and he wanted to move to L.A. to get big, you know, own the best club in town, all the stars go there…well…I said he could stay with me in L.A. and I would just, you know, kind of help him a long and he'd pay for half the groceries and half the rent. I was sitting towards the back of the plane when the back broke off. He was pulled out of the plane and I saw him fall into the ocean." She stopped talking again. "I remembered in Australia when I met him, at a pool, he was signing up for swimming lessons, beginners." Sawyer stopped kissing her and just wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her closer to him.

"Are you sure they don't mind you just, well, leaving?" Kate asked.

"Of course." Jack answered confidently.

They were sitting on a blanket, the sun was setting, they food was laid out, the babies being babysat and Jack was ready to woo Kate.

"How did you take it? I mean, finding out and everything. That it wasn't an accident. That we are here on purpose." Kate asked after biting into a mango delicately.

"It's certainly a shock. I didn't loose anything in that crash, not a family member, not a loved one, not a friend, nothing. I've lost friends here. Boone, for example. But I've gained a lot here as well. If hadn't been for all the loses my friends have experienced here I wouldn't say this crash was bad." Jack replied after taking some time to ponder her question.

Genuinely curious, Kate asked another question. "Really? What's so great about this place? What have you gained?"

Jack didn't need to think this time. "Well, look around Kate. There's no war, no media trashing people, no global warming really, its paradise. Sure, there are a few things I miss. And I've defiantly have found a lot of people I care about, you being number one on that list."

Kate blushed furiously. "What do you miss most about civilization?"

"The cross word puzzles in the news papers." Jack said immediately. Kate burst out laughing and now it was Jacks turn to blush. "I like them, they're fun!" Jack protested which made Kate laugh harder.

"That's cute." She told him when she had stopped laughing.

"What do you miss most?"

"Blueberry pies." It was Jacks turn to start laughing. "You know you like them Jack. I can just image a chubby Jack sitting around all day eating pie!" Kate cried throwing an orange at him. Jack caught it and began to peel it, while still laughing.

"I work out quite regularly." Jack said looking down at the orange. He heard Kate mumble something. "Excuse me?" He asked.

"Mmm? Oh Nothing." Kate had a very innocent expression on her face, to innocent.

"What did you say?" Jack asked raising an eyebrow.

"I said…I said I can tell." She looked down. Jack grinned and refrained from saying anything to cocky to her.

"Well, thanks." He met her eyes and Kate blushed again.

"Well…I guess this is it." Kate said as she stood outside the tent. The babies had been picked up from Claries and put into her tent where they fell back asleep almost immediately.

"Yeah…I had a really great time, Kate." Jack said starting into her eyes.

Kate smiled brightly. "Me to, Jack." They started at each other.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Jack stepped away but suddenly, Kate wrapped her arms around Jacks neck and brought him in roughly for a kiss. Jack gasped softly in surprise but responded eagerly to the kiss. She pulled away soon thought and started at Jack, whose eyes were still closed.

"Bye." Kate unwrapped her arms and walked away into her tent.