Ryan was sat prodding at the ever burning campfire. They had arrived back around an hour or two ago and already a small group of people had taken another trek to try and find signal for that damn transceiver which they'd nearly been killed retrieving. Ryan had thought about going with them but by the time he had gotten himself cleaned up the group had already left. So here he was sat bored out of his mind.
He looked up and down the beach his eyes falling on different people each going along with their own routines. Claire; the pregnant chick was sat talking to Charlie on the water's edge. Looking a little further down the beach he could see the Korean couple who didn't speak a word of English having what looked like a disagreement. The image sparked off a memory of his own as he remembered his ex-wife. It still stung every time he remembered that she was his ex-wife now. He loved her – Hell he was sure he still did. She was his world, his best friend, his partner and even the mother of his child. The day she left was one that he knew he would never forget.
0o0o0o0o0o
Leah was in the bedroom chucking a load of clothes into a large suitcase. Her movements were filled with aggression, something she didn't show often. As she continued her packing she heard the door open and shut and Ryan's voice echoed through house.
Ryan strolled around calling out for his wife. He could hear movement from the bedroom and headed straight for there. "Honey you here?" He called as he rounded the door and walked into the room but he stopped dead as he looked at the sight before him. Leah was packing her clothes. "Sweetheart what's this?" He asked having to take a breath before speaking. He knew exactly what it was, he just couldn't say it.
"What does it look Ryan? I'm leaving you and I'm taking Luke with me!" She said to him unable to look him in the face as she continued to rummage through her cupboards grabbing a hold of anything she could.
"What? W-Why?" Ryan managed to get out as he inched his way closer into the bedroom which was covered in photos of his family. He couldn't believe she was actually doing it.
"I can't take this anymore!" Leah said finally raising her gaze to look at him straight on. Her face was pained but filled with determination. "The moving around, you constantly being gone all hours of the night claiming you're at work!" She added the last part bitterly and Ryan winced at the sting to her words.
"What are you talking about Leah? I am at work, I work myself to the bone so I can give you guys everything you want!" Ryan said back trying to keep himself calm but finding it impossible. "You think I'm cheating on you is that it!" He put forward stepping a little closer to her which only resulted in her taking a step back.
"I don't know what to believe anymore. I just I-I can't do it, not anymore!" She said resignation filling her voice as she continued to put some things in the bag. He walked over to her and grabbed a hold of her wrists pulling her hands away from the bag. "Don't try and stop me Ryan!" She said firmly yanking her hands from his grasp and pushing his away from her as she zipped up the case.
"Come on baby, you can't do this! Think about Luke, about me, about us! I love you more than anything, nine years of marriage should have proved that to you!" Ryan begged his heart shattering into thousands of pieces as he watched her place the bag down.
"I've thought about it. And I'm also thinking about Luke, he needed his dad around yet you would rather be swanning off doing work and god knows what else. I can't lead a life like this anymore, I'm sorry – I really truly am. But this is the only way!" Leah spoke back as she held back the tears.
"Then I'll be around more!" Ryan said stepping forward once again. "All you had to do was say the word and I'd cut my hours and spend more time with you guys!" He added coming even closer to her. "But please don't do this!" He said his voice dropping in pain as he tried to get rid of the lump in his throat.
"It's too late Ryan, nothing you can say will change my mind. I wish it didn't have to come to this but it does" She said as more tears stung at her eyes. She took a hold of his hands and looked up into his eyes. "I love you; but it just isn't enough anymore" She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek and withdrawing her hands she placed the gold wedding band into his palm closing his hand around it. With that she stepped around him and gathered her bags up. She didn't even look back as she left the house.
The entire place plunged into silence and Ryan sunk to his knees in shock the wedding band still in his hand. With a loud cry he threw the band across the room and it clinked and clanged until it came to a stop on the otherside of the room. And with that – for the first time in years - Ryan Collier allowed himself to cry.
0o0o0o0o0o
"You look as bored as I feel!" Emily groaned as she flopped down on the sand opposite him. He looked at her and nodded.
"I am!" He said putting the stick down as an idea came to his head. "Where's tweedle dumb?" He asked referring to Austin as he stood up and began pull long leaves off of the trees.
"I'll take it as a compliment that I'm tweedle dee!" she laughed lightly sitting in an upright position now. "And how should I know, there are other people on the island" she said to him watching as he began to tie the leaves around each other.
"Well you two have been practically joined at the hip since we crashed" Ryan added with a smirk as he continued to fiddle with all the leaves and reeds a coconut. "I bet he's licking his wounds after you pushed him over earlier".
"Nahh we've sorted that, I think he's helping Jack out with that Marshall in the tent. I tried to hang around but there's only so much screaming my ears could take" Emily spoke up as she picked up a handful of sand and let it slip through her fingers.
"Poor guy, I think someone should just put him out of his misery" Ryan said sympathetically as he thought of the man with the shrapnel embedded in his chest. "Not volunteering or anything" He added on. He didn't think he'd be able to do it without feeling guilty.
"Look" Emily said leaning forward so she was closer to him. "I think we got off on the wrong foot, I was being pretty confrontational and bitchy towards you – which isn't me at all – I suppose being on a deserted island doesn't help matters. So I'm doing it the Celtic way and offering an Olive branch. Fresh start?" She said offering her hand to him and he extended his and the two shook hands.
"Olive branch accepted" Ryan chuckled heartily glad that any possible future problems between the two had been quelled before they could ignite. "Now then if you really wanna make it up to me we're gonna go on a little recruitment mission along the beach" he said standing up and she followed.
"Recruiting for what?" She said curiously and with that he threw the ball that he had made at her and she caught it right at the last moment.
"How about we start up a little soccer game?".
0o0o0o0o0o
Carissa was sat next to Claire and Charlie on the beach a small stick in her hands and a wide smile on her face. "Driveshaft? I think I've heard of them!" Carissa wrote in the sand with a small smile as she looked between the two other survivors.
Charlie beamed glad that someone had recognised him to an extent. "We did the song – You all everybody" He sang out the line causing Claire and Carissa to laugh lightly at his actions. "In fact we might be getting back together if we get off this bloody island, that's why I was in Australia, looking for my brother so we can reform the band! Why were you there?" He asked Carissa who picked up her stick and began to write again.
'I was just on holiday, It was a present for getting my High School Diploma' She wrote in the sand with a small smile. Her mind kept wandering back to her mother, the person who she loved more than anything and she couldn't help but feel like something had died within her. Her mother was her rock, her best friend.
"High school huh, I remember those days!" Claire smiled as she rubbed her large belly softly. No matter what she did she always ended up stroking her stomach. It gave her a sense of comfort, showing her that she wasn't alone. Not really.
Charlie was going to speak when Ryan's shadow came over him and he turned to look at the buff man along with his Irish companion. "Any of you folks up for a game of soccer?" Ryan asked as he rolled the makeshift ball around in his hands.
Charlie looked as if he was about to say something but Emily – sensing what Charlie was going to say spoke up first. "I've been telling him that we call it football but he won't listen to a bloody word I say" She laughed heartily looking at her fellow Brit with an easy smile. Charlie chuckled himself standing up and brushing the sand off of his clothes.
"It's not my fault you Brits see things differently than my great nation" Ryan said looking between the two.
"I wouldn't start a Nationality war if I was you mate, there's two on one right here. Getting into an argument with one of us is bad enough but getting into an argument with a Brit who is also Irish – you're signing your death certificate" Charlie spoke sending a wink at his counterpart who was nodding in agreement.
"Fine I surrender" Ryan said with a grin and he tossed the ball at Charlie. "So back to what we were talking about. Are you up for a game of football?" Ryan said frowning as he said the last word.
"Now that's more like it. Count me in, how about you girls?".
0o0o0o0o0o
17 year old Ryan was sat up in his room finishing off the last of his essays. He had his music blaring in his room trying to drown out his parents rowing downstairs but even that seemed pointless as he could hear them clear as day as they teared each other's throats. It was becoming a nightly occurrence now. He'd come home from school, sit down and eat by the table in deadly silence, head out to one of his many martial arts classes and then sit down and do work all with his parents arguing as his soundtrack.
His anger was rising and he hadn't realised he had snapped the pencil that was in his hand until he tried to write and found nothing came out onto the paper. With a low growl he threw the pencil across the room, pushed the chair back and stormed out of the room barrelling down the stairs noisily as he got closer and closer to his rowing parents. "Will you just shut up for one night?" He screamed across them and the two were silenced as they watched their son grip a hold of the bannister tightly. "All I hear when I'm trying to do my work is you two arguing and it's driving me nuts! I can't concentrate and I can't get anything done and it's all your fault!" He bellowed looking between his mother Lucille and his father Drake.
Drake scoffed his arms crossed over his chest. "I think you'll find it's your mothers fault!" He spat out looking his wife up and down with disgust as he took a step back and sat down in the chair next to the dining table. "If she wasn't such a – a harlot should I put it then none of this would be happening!".
Ryan stared at his father wondering what exactly he was going on about. "Dad what are you saying?".
"Please Drake, we can't bring him into it. Don't tell him!" Lucille practically begged as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. His mother was a tall woman, short compared to him and his father but overall quite a tall person but Ryan couldn't help but notice how small and vulnerable she looked right now.
"Tell me what?" Ryan questioned as he continued to try and control himself as his eyes danced between his parents.
"Your mother has been having an affair!" He spat viciously as his own anger began to consume him once again. Lucille's form practically crumpled and she placed all her weight on the sofa behind her as she tried to keep herself upright.
Ryan felt like everything had stopped. Sounds were muffled as he tried to register what he had just heard. Affair?. She'd been having an affair. Eventually everything around him came into focus and his face flushed a bright red as his eyes landed straight on his mother. "WHAT?".
"It just happened. I'm s-so sorry Ryan, I never m-meant to hurt you and your f-father" She sobbed walking over to her son but Ryan took a step back away from her putting his hands up to keep her at an arms length.
"And that's not the last of it. You know we've been having money problems right?" Drake said calmly to his son who nodded. He'd taken on two jobs himself just so he could fund things for himself without relying on his parents who were struggling for money. Drake seemed completely resigned to what was happening around him. His family was falling apart. "She's been sleeping with other men for money. Your mother's a prostitute!" He said an eerie calmness in his rough voice now.
Ryan felt like he had been punched in the gut. He was sure he was going to throw up everywhere at any second. His mother was a… whore. "You've got to be kidding me Dad?" He said practically pleading with his father to turn around and say that he was just joking, a malicious dig to get him on his side. But Drake just dropped his head into his hands. The only sounds were Lucille's sobbing in the corner as it all spilt out. "Dad, Mom, tell me you're lying?".
He got no response off them.
"I'm so sorry" Lucille whispered quietly as she approached her son once more but with that he bolted it up the stairs into his room slamming the door noisily. His rage overcame him completely and he pounded hard on the punch bag that was swinging from the ceiling. How could she do this to them?. He pounded it so hard he'd split his bare knuckles on the bag but he didn't feel it. All he felt was betrayal. With one big punch he pushed himself away from the bag and proceeded to pick up his bag and he threw whatever he could find into it. Spare clothes, pajamas, clothes for school the next morning. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew he had to get out of there before he went insane. Once he had all of what he needed for now he swung open his door and stormed back down the stairs angrily.
His mother spotted him and she ran over knowing what he was doing. She used her body to block Ryan from the door. "Get out of my way Lucille!" He growled angrily but his mother shook her head.
"Please baby, please don't do this. Don't leave, Ryan please!" His mother begged as she grabbed his shirt sobs wracking her small frame once more. He just took a hold of her wrists and pushed her out of the way and took a hold of the door knob.
"I can't even look at you" He said quietly but loud enough for Lucille to hear. With that he sprinted out the door his legs hitting the gravel noisily. He just needed to get as far away as possible.
0o0o0o0o0o
So far the group had managed to get a few more people to join the football game. Now it was Ryan, Emily, Charlie, Carissa, Michael, Walt, Austin, Kate and Hurley. "We're one short for even teams!" Austin said as he looked at their cluster and then scanned the beach looking for anyone else they could recruit.
"Dude I change my mind, I don't wanna play. So I'll be the ref, then we'll have even teams?" Hurley put forward as he realised what he exactly signed up for and running was far from his forte.
"Well that solves our problems. Okay team captains are me and Emily, let's pick the teams and being the gentleman that I am ladies shall go first" He said as the group lined up and he and Emily stood in front of them.
"Shouldn't you go first then?" Emily spoke looking at him with a raised eyebrow and he just scoffed at her. "Okay then let me see, Austin!" She said pointing at her closest ally. He strolled over and stood next to her glad to be on her team.
"That was predictable!" Ryan laughed and then turned to the rest of them. "Hmm, Michael!" He said and Michael walked over to them not really bothered as to who he was with.
"I'm gonna take Walt!" Emily said and Walt bounded over relishing being on the opposite team to his father.
"Okay I'll take Carissa!" He said and the mute girl walked over to him glad to have not been picked last. She was so used to always being picked last that her entire body swelled with pride.
"I'm gonna take my boy Charlie!" She said and the Manchester lad walked over confidently.
"Typical, Brits always stick together! Looks like that leaves me with Kate!" He said and the remaining survivor walked over to him slowly glad to be doing something other than worrying. "Right then, Michael I'm gonna stick you in goals!".
"I'll go in goals if you want?" Walt shrugged happy with whatever was going to happen. Emily nodded her approval and turned to Charlie and Austin. "Okay then boys, we're going to win this. I want you tackling hard and we'll just keep passing until we find an opening alright!" She said in their small huddle and the two boys stared at her.
"Who are you Alex bloody Ferguson?" Charlie chuckled looking at her and she just rolled her eyes at him. This was going to be interesting.
0o0o0o0o0o
"I think I've got some signal here!" Sayid said as held the transceiver high in the air. "I don't know how long this battery is going to last so we have to be fast!".
"Alright Al Jazeera so what do we do next!" Sawyer spoke up from his spot up against a nearby tree. He was currently peeling a mango and was determined not to let anyone else have someone. Not without a price that was.
"Do you always have to be so – I don't know racist!" Shannon piped up looking at the blonde with narrowed eyes.
"Do you always have to be such an idiot Barbie!" Sawyer merely responded taking no interest in what she had to say. Shannon looked like she was going to say something but Boone put a hand on her arm to stop her. She just huffed and sat down on the floor completely bored.
Boone – glad that his sister had finally quietened sat himself down next to the girl whom he had got to know on their trek up. "You alright Mickey?" He asked kindly looking at the girl who had a thin layer of sweat on her head.
She nodded with a smile. "I'm not used to doing this much exercise anymore!" She spoke a wry smile on her lips. "How about you?".
"If this Island doesn't drive me insane then I definitely think my sister will" He laughed coyly rubbing his dirty face slowly.
Mickey was about to respond when all of a sudden rustling could be heard nearby. The entire group jumped up onto their feet and looked around as the sound got louder and louder. "What the hell is that?" Boone got out as the sound continued to get closer.
"I don't know! But I think we better run!" Kate said turning on her heel and running everyone following suit. The group ran as fast as they could all bar Sawyer who stood there waiting to see what would come around through the grass. Kate tried to go back but Sayid took a hold of her and pushed her forward. Mickey ran alongside Boone who was pushing a screaming Shannon towards safety. Her heart was pounding loudly and her legs were throbbing. She hadn't ran this fast in a long long time. Suddenly a gunshot echoed around the open area and the noise made Mickey jump and she fell and tripped forward as more gunshots bellowed loudly. She felt a pair of arms drag her up off the floor and put her back on her feet and the group came to a stop as did the gunshots.
"Sawyer!" Kate called out as she retraced her steps back from where they had ran everyone else following them.
"You alright?" Boone asked looking down at the girls grazed knee which had a small amount of blood coming from it.
Mickey nodded at him. "Thanks for getting me up, don't think I could have myself!" She replied as they carefully entered the area they had just vacated. When they got there they could see Sawyer with a smoking gun in his hand and a big white bear lying dead in front of him. "That's a big bear" She gulped looking at the blood covered animal.
"Could that have been the thing that killed the pilot?" Shannon managed to get out through gasping breaths.
Kate shook her head. "That isn't even close to the size of what did! Guys this isn't just a bear. It's a polar bear!" She said shock filling her voice as she looked on. Polar bears only existed in the North. That she was sure of.
"That can't be a polar bear?" Boone said unable to comprehend what was in front of his eyes.
"It's a polar bear!" Sawyer, Kate and Sayid said at exactly the same time as their eyes lay fixated on the creature.
"Wait a minute, Polar bears don't live anywhere near a jungle?" Mickey chipped in and Sayid backed her up.
"Spot on. No polar bear's don't live this far South".
"Well this one does!" Boone got out as he neared the animal completely fascinated.
"Did. It did!" Sawyer said circling the creature calmly. Kate finally realising what had killed the animal spotted the gun loosely in Sawyer's hand.
"Where did you get that?".
"Probably Bear village how the hell do I know?" He scoffed back at her.
"Not the bear the gun?". The entire troupe looked at Sawyer and the gun also wondering how he had come to acquire it.
"I got it off one of the bodies!" Sawyer defended his eyes going on every single one of them.
"People don't carry guns onto planes!" Mickey said slightly scared that the man had a hold of it. This man in particular.
"They do if they're a US air marshall bones. There was one on the plane!" Sawyer bit back staring her down and she awkwardly looked down at the floor.
"How do you know that?" Kate probed looking at him suspiciously.
"I saw a guy lying there with an ankle holster so I took the gun. I thought it would come in handy and guess what… I shot a bear!" Sawyer spoke his voice getting more annoyed by the second.
"So why do you think he's a Marshall?" She continued to ask as she worried that Sawyer had discovered her secret that she had been trying to hide from the group.
"He had a clip on badge. And I took that too because I thought it was cool".
"I know who you are!" Sayid said a knowing look on his face. "You're the prisoner. You found a gun on a US Marshal. Yes I believe you did because you knew he had one because you were the one he was bringing back to the states! Those handcuffs were on you and that's why you knew he had a gun" Sayid spoke accusation lacing his voice.
"Oh piss off!" Sawyer growled back at him his anger consuming him ever so slowly at the accusations.
"That's who you are you son of a bitch!".
"Fine I'm the criminal… but you're the terrorist! We can all play a part. Who do you wanna be" Sawyer said with a wide smirk on his face as he looked around the group. In his minor triumph Kate had gotten behind him and sneaked the gun out of his hand pointing it directly in his face. Mickey watched the scene with nervousness and instinctively felt herself getting closer to Boone who was stood next to her, her fear escalating.
"Does anybody here know how to use a gun?" Kate asked quietly scanning the faces around her. Sayid preceeded to show gate how dismantle the gun whilst Mickey turned to Boone and Shannon.
"So much for a straight forward trek!" Shannon groaned and Boone just rolled his eyes at her getting fed up once more.
"Well you demanded to come!" Mickey said innocently just pointing it out but Shannon gave her a scathing look at her words.
"No one asked you!" Shannon bit looking at the younger girl. "Shannon cut it out!" Boone said and Shannon just stormed over to Sayid in a huff at her brother siding with the other girl. "Sorry about her. She's very… confrontational!" Boone apologised on behalf of his sister. "We better keep moving".
0o0o0o0o0o
Ryan was sat in an office his posture relaxed and confident. He studied the room around him. It was expensive to say the least. All the seats were leather and the desk and worktops were polished marble. He already knew that this man had a lot of money and so he knew that if he did what he wanted her could get a big sum of money for it. His musings were cut short though as the door opened in and in walked a man who was definitely in his fifties with white hair. He was smartly dressed in an expensive looking suit and a silver briefcase was in his hand. "You must be Mr Collier!" The man said holding his hand out which Ryan took and shook boldly.
"And you must be Charles Widmore?" He said and the man nodded shaking his hand in return and then manoeuvred around to the other side of the desk sitting down slowly.
"You are correct. Now then I'm not going to beat around the bush about this. I know you're the best Bounty hunter in this town and that's why I need you" He said opening the briefcase and he slid over a photo of a man to Ryan and he studied the photo intently. In it was a young looking man with black hair which fell down to his shoulders and a bandanna round the top of his head. He was quite short – only around 5'5 but he had an athletic body with quite muscled arms. Shouldn't be too much trouble Ryan murmured inwardly.
"His name is James Cannon but he goes by the name Jimmy. Now he's been stealing some very important packages and letters from me concerning several of my side projects as well as using this information to swindle money from the company. And I want him caught" Charles said his voice filled with seriousness. "Use whatever means you need to. Rough him up, teach him a lesson but bring him back to me alive so I can hand him over to the authorities myself!".
"I can do that. Where will I find him now?" Ryan asked as he placed the photo into his pack.
"He's done a runner, but I pulled some strings and it seems he's now somewhere in Australia. I'm not a hundred percent sure but that's where you come in. Also I'm very confident in your abilities, your success rate is remarkable and that's why I'm going to pay you half now. And the other half when you return him" Charles said as he pulled out his cheque book and scribbled onto it quickly.
"Leave the rest to me Mr Widmore. I'll bring him back to you. I'll be as thorough as possible." Ryan replied and Charles nodded in appreciation.
"I believe you will" he said and slid the cheque across the desk and Ryan picked it up his eyes widening at the sum of money on the paper. $10,000 Dollars. And that was only half. "That should cover expenses as well as resources with more than enough to spend on yourself and as I've already said you shall get the rest when you return!".
"I'll get it done" Ryan said as he stood up placing the cheque in his wallet. "So we have a deal!" He said holding his hand out and Widmore smiled and took it.
"Deal!".
0o0o0o0o0o
"GOAL!" Charlie yelled as the makeshift ball went straight past Michael. He ran around comically pulling his top over his head whilst Austin and Emily literally jumped on top of him in celebration. They were now 3 – 1 up and to say Ryan wasn't nearing hysteria was an understatement. "Come on Collier! Please tell me you've got more than that!" Emily chortled as she ran by him patting his head as she went.
"Bring it on McGrath!" He yelled back as they reset the ball in the centre. Ryan passed the ball out to Carissa who surprisingly had pretty good pace to her. She passed it back to Ryan who completely skinned Emily making her fall over in the process. He passed it out to Kate who was laughing as she went at how serious he was taking it. Kate passed it back to him and without a second thought he launched it straight past Walt who was lying helplessly lying in the sand. "GOAAAALLLL!" He chortled back at the group cockily. His team celebrated noisily as the other survivor's who hadn't taken part clapped on the sidelines. The mood had been lifted greatly and everyone was enjoying the lightheartedness.
"Okay guys you've got literally a minute of time left!" Hurley trying to work it out in his head. The teams assembled back to their places. "Okay the ball is ours just keep it for as long as possible. This game is ours!" Emily said to them in the huddle and she then sprinted up to the ball and passed it straight to Austin. Before Austin had time to react Ryan was barrelling into him and the two men went straight off their feet. The ball went loose straight to Charlie. Only Kate and Carissa were ahead of him. He just about got around Carissa and quickly passed the ball to Emily who just slugged it aimlessly. The ball though hit it's target just as Hurley called an end to the game. "YES!" She cheered loudly as she ran over to the rest of the team in a celebratory manner. Austin was still lying in the sand slightly dazed from the tackle and Ryan was getting up slowly laughing as he went.
"Come on you big girl!" Emily laughed as she held her hand out for him and Austin took it and got up to his feet. "Told you we'd win!" She smiled as she put her arm up around his shoulder though that was a stretch due to his height.
"Jesus I don't why Charlie called you Alex Ferguson… You were more like Hitler out there!" He laughed at her and she just jumped up onto his back causing them both to land in a tangled heap on the floor.
Ryan twirled the ball in his hands smiling as he took in the sight. This is what he had wanted. To bring everyone together and that's what they were doing. Everyone was bonding together. And now looking at them all messing about and talking. Claire was congratulating Charlie. Hurley was throwing sand at RC. Austin and Emily were messing about in the sand. Now he could see that just by working together that they could do anything. And that was some small comfort in their current predicament.
0o0o0o0o0o
So sorry for the long wait. I've been planning this out for the long haul and as you all know that takes hell of a lot of time mixed in with A-Levels and dilemma's it's a very volatile mix. So I made this one longer just to make up for it and hopefully you won't have to wait for another two months this time. But I hope this made up for the wait my friends. If you enjoyed guys just drop a review and some feedback, these are your characters and it'd be nice to see if they live up to your high standards. Peace out.