Miles Straum was in his office finishing a sandwich and scrolling through an online database hunting for clues in his latest case when his phone rang. He set down the sandwich, saw "Caller ID blocked" on the phone display, chugged some water and picked up.

"'We're on It' Private Investigations, Miles here. What can I get answered for you?"

"Nice greeting," He recognized James Ford's voice almost immediately. "But you can save the marketing pitch for another call, it's me."

"Well you're not dead, then, how nice for you," Sawyer didn't bite at the gibe so Miles went on. "I've called you, what, three times in the five weeks we've been back? You don't call, you don't write… now we're back on an 'It's me' basis?"

"Sorry, I've been a little busy figuring out which the hell way is up. I've been helping Kate, and meeting my daughter. Then there's trying to keep Claire from running up and down the street asking the neighbors directions back to the island. How is your month going?"

Miles grinned, took another bite of his sandwich and chewed as he answered.

"Ah, it's okay. I have a few jobs already."

"Yeah, and how much have you made on those jobs, pre-tax all told?" Sawyer asked.

"About 12k," Miles said, inflating it only slightly.

"What if I told you that if you come see me, you can land at least 15 times that a year? And under the table."

Sawyer heard a hollow laugh at the other end.

"I'd ask what I have to do for it, of course," Miles said. "And if it's legal. You separating people from their money again? Is that why I haven't heard back?"

"No, that's not it. I agreed to do security and investigations for a certain island nation we've both been unwilling citizens of. Hurley needs someone watching his back here at home. I'm about to get the details but I'm guessing it's not a one person job."

"Hurley? So that's how things shook out. In over his head much?"

Sawyer made a face at the phone, rolling his eyes, but not entirely in disagreement.

"He's got Ben there to help him learn his way. I'll never trust Ben any further than he could throw me, but it seems like he's doing his job so far."

"Either that," Miles interrupted. "Or he's letting Hurley sit on the throne during the re-building, when there's not much to really be in control of anyway. And then when it matters again… watch out Hurley." He heard an annoyed sigh through the phone line.

"Yeah, that'd be my guess," Sawyer said. "Pretty much what I've been thinking, which is half the reason I said yes when Hurley asked me to help him. Not to mention that Kate was going back there, and so…"

"Um, hello?" Was all Miles said to that, banging the phone on the desk lightly afterward for emphasis.

"Yeah. Long story. Listen, Eloise Hawking, don't know if you know her but she's a high-level Other. She's sending around a couple of trainers. I have zero idea what to expect but I think if I'm going to get you in on the deal you need to be here for that. Why don't you come see me, I can catch you up and we can figure it out."

Miles picked up his cell phone and tucked it in his jacket pocket, picked up his car keys, and tossed the sandwich wrapper in the trash.

"Listen, I'm not saying yes and I'm not saying no, but I'll come talk. You're at Kate's?" He got a yes back from Sawyer. "I'm on my way. I have something else I need to talk with you about," Miles said before hanging up. "That, by the way, is why I've called you three times in the past five weeks."

Miles pulled up to 42 Panorama Crest, parked at the curb and admired the house as he walked up. Funny, he was thinking, how the Oceanic Six got gobs of money in the settlement after the crash but Sawyer and Claire got nothing. In fact, they barely existed, really, at least in a paperwork sense. He guessed Claire had no identity anymore, and anything Ford was carrying or would be carrying soon would have a new name. All because some of them made it home the first time around, and some didn't and had reason to not want to answer questions.

James had the door open before he could knock and waved him in.

"They here yet?" Miles asked.

"No," Sawyer walked him to the kitchen. "Coffee? Beer?"

"Nothing, thanks," Miles sat and Sawyer stood leaning against the sink drinking the coffee he'd just made. He was thinking it'd probably always be like this for him and Miles-they might not see each other for five weeks or five years, but when the did again they'd fall right into a simple, six-word synch. He realized he was thankful for one utterly uncomplicated friendship.

Miles was looking around the living room and kitchen, noting the stuffed animals and little boy toys scattered around, some piles of laundry folded on a chair waiting to go to someone's room, and he chuckled.

"How's it been living in the House of Estrogen and Toddlers?" he asked and laughed harder as Sawyer very, very slowly shook his head with no comment. "Yeah, I figured."

"At first," he could hear Sawyer was serious now. "None of us had our heads in a good place. It's gotten better. At least it has for Kate and for Aaron. Kate… I'll tell you that story later. Aaron is out with his grandmother right now, shopping. Claire… let's hope she stays in her room, you don't want to see where she's at, it ain't pretty. She tried to connect with him at first, but now she sleeps most of the day. She keeps saying to anyone who'll listen that she has to find Richard Alpert so he can help her find her friend from the island…"

"Oh, God," Miles said, too struck by it to be sarcastic or glib. "I had no idea. What are you going to do?"

"Honestly if it gets any worse, we're going to have to figure that out," Sawyer said. "Especially if we're going to be on the road a lot. Awful hard to keep her safe here in her little cuckoo's nest if we're in New York or Seattle or Ann Arbor…wherever they send us."

"What's this 'we' shit?" Miles asked, and Sawyer just smiled a little and kept drinking his coffee.

"Why were you trying to get me on the phone?" Sawyer asked and it was Miles' turn to get serious.

"You know about my talent with hearing what happened to dead people just before they died, right?" Sawyer just nodded. "It's a really specific skill, I don't sit and chat and play chess with them like Hurley, I just have a sense of what they were thinking, feeling, and what they knew before they died. I've had it since I was a kid, and believe me, it's the only paranormal thing I've ever experienced. But since we got back, I've been having these weird, waking…. visions. I think they're things that are happening on the island."

Sawyer suddenly looked very interested.

"Like?"

"Like at first I saw the island at night, and there was this huge bang and a white light sweeping around. Then, suddenly, I knew I was seeing another day, and Desmond and Penny were walking on the dock, Hurley was meeting them."

"They got back the other week." Sawyer interrupted him, nodding. "They're Hurley's new recruiters and they're going to help people get around by boat, too."

"How the hell did you find that out?" Miles asked.

"We were at the Lamp Post with Eloise, just before Kate left. Hurley and Bernard have the Flame back up, at least partially, they've got the web and Skype running."

"Huh," Miles gave an amused little laugh and then was thoughtful again. "You mention Bernard… that's the last thing I saw. This morning, I'm sitting at my desk and just like a movie is playing in my head. I see all these people in camouflage appear out of nowhere. They're shooting at Penny and Desmond, Bernard and some other people I don't recognize."

"Penny's crew," Sawyer said.

"And Bernard was shot. That was it. I've been trying to reach you to find out if anyone ever heard from Richard after he disappeared. I think I need to talk to someone on the island, find out what the hell these things are all about. So far, it's only happened when I'm sitting in my office or walking home, but…" He looked at Sawyer, and Sawyer could see the genuine concern in his face. "It's only a matter of time until it happens when I'm driving or crossing a street, and, well… I don't really want to think about it. I've kind of been wondering if it's posttraumatic stress. Maybe I'm losing my mind."

Sawyer shook his head. "Richard ain't anywhere I know about, but we don't need him for this. I can tell you for sure at least one of the things you saw was for real. Ever thought maybe you're perfectly sane? Maybe it's just that even though you're done with the island it's not done with you?"

Miles looked back at him blankly.

"Hurley's been getting these sudden little filmstrips playing, too. He says sometimes he sees the history of the island, sometimes things that are happening now or will soon. No pattern yet. He's pretty sure it's the island itself clueing him in. And since you and he are the only two people I know who share that 'I talk to dead people' skill, maybe you're both also prime candidates for these little visual insights from the old sod."

Not entirely to Sawyer's surprise, Miles broke into a string of profanities that Sawyer was glad Aaron was not home to hear. Sawyer just laughed softly, putting the coffee down and sitting next to Miles, slapping him on the back.

"Look, it'll be okay. Work with me. We'll be doing it for our friends, but we're not doing it for nothing, I'll make sure we're very well paid. And I can do the driving, or pull you out of the intersection if you space out in mid-step. Plus, it'll be awful handy to have someone on the payroll who's mentally plugged in to the home office that way."

A couple of hours later the deal was made and they'd had their first training session. The two men who showed up were, they agreed later, on the creepy side and neither of them could tell Sawyer or Miles anything about what was going on with Hurley's crew on the island. They mostly gave them tips, handed Sawyer new IDs, pointed them to web sites with training videos that they warned would only be live for a day – so watch them now. And then they told them to meet them at the Lamp Post the next day for more information. They didn't object when Sawyer insisted Miles was in. He didn't even have to go into details: Eloise, they told him, had instructed them to agree to just about anything Sawyer asked. Which included their pay, which Sawyer hiked even more on the spur of the moment. Miles would get his $3.2 million he'd been looking for in about three years' time.

After they left, Miles went home to grab some things and come stay at Kate's. Sawyer called Eloise.

"I hear you drove quite a good bargain for yourself and for Miles," Eloise said immediately,

"Yeah, you all can afford it I'm sure. Did your suits tell you about Miles' flashes? He said he saw some sort of attack on the island and Bernard was shot. Maybe this morning."

"Yes, they did. I haven't heard from anyone there yet, but perhaps they're dealing with the immediate issues," Eloise said. There was no reply, so she went on. "Sorry, dear, if I sound blasé but we haven't set up a routine of regular communications yet, and I'm sure Hurley will be in touch as soon as he can. If something is going on, I doubt it's any worse than the other five hundred crises I've been through in my post. At least I'll doubt it until I hear otherwise, or what I can actually do about it."

"Who are you people? That's something you're going to tell me tomorrow, Eloise, and in detail. I want the whole story."

"Of course." She said. "It's time. But you got the short answer on the Pala Ferry landing from Ben three years ago. We're the good guys, Sawyer. And now, so are you."

Sawyer said goodbye until tomorrow and went to the pool to sit in quiet and wait for Miles to get back. It was only then he looked at his watch, and thought that it seemed Carole had been gone with Aaron an awfully long time.