It only hit Sawyer what bad shape he must have been in the past couple of days when he saw Miles' reaction in the Lamp Post station parking lot. Miles was just walking out the door of the church and he looked a little too relieved, glancing up and shaking his head like 'thank God that's over.'

"Glad to see you on your feet," Miles said, waiting for them at the door. He didn't bother chewing Sawyer out for leaving the house so soon, or chiding Evan for not trying to convince him to stay there.

"Know anything yet?" Sawyer wasn't wasting time either.

"Not as much as I'd like, but whoever attacked you and Claire had probably been watching the house for about a week, maybe ten days. That's how long the vans had been showing up."

"What vans?" Sawyer asked.

"One deep blue, one lighter, the other green. Some of your neighbors said it was a remodeling firm and others saw a plumber's truck. They all thought someone was having work done on their place."

"And we've been so busy worrying about moving on that we didn't even notice."

"I know you've only been awake an hour or three, but have you asked yourself why they attacked Claire so viciously but tried to take you alive?" Miles asked.

"All the way here," Sawyer said.

"I think they were listening in on what was going on in the house. They knew she was the loosest cannon in the army," Miles said, "And they don't want anyone hearing about the island or finding it any more than Eloise's people do."

"Maybe I'm still half out of it, Sawyer said, "But I'm not with you yet."

"I know you're going to down there to demand an A to Z 'history of the Others,' but I think you'd better also ask Her Majesty what's left of our friends in jumpsuits."

"The D.I?" Sawyer asked, looking even more tired, more confused. His head started to ache, and it reminded him of the time jumps; the way they were left drained and hurting every time.

"Yeah. I know it's a lot right now, but listen: She and Hurley and Ben have been talking a lot. Whenever I wasn't watching you to make sure you were still breathing, I was hanging out here listening to their Skype chats." He pointed to the church. "I'm pretty sure whoever did this is Dharma. Somehow, Ben and Richard's latest power struggle woke up whatever's left of them. I think they wanted a hostage valuable enough to Hurley to get what they're after: Directions back to the island."

"Well hell," Sawyer waved his arms around. "If that's what they want, why not storm the castle, knock Eloise on her ass and take what they want? They afraid to piss off an elderly lady and a handful of clergy?"

"Um, there's a little more security here than you realize," Evan said simply and stopped. Sawyer nodded for him to go on. "No one aiming to get into the Lamp Post with bad intent would get their hand on the first door knob with their heads still on their shoulders."

"Great," Sawyer said, "You'll have our backs a little better from here on, too, right?" Evan didn't bother with much more than a nod, knowing the question was rhetorical, frustration more than anything. Anger over things he couldn't control.

"One more question," Sawyer looked at Miles. "We've all figured out what they're after, so there goes the element of surprise. How much time you suppose that buys us?

"They'll keep trying until they get they want," Miles said. "I think then they'll either go in so heavy they make the freighter people look like the Peace Corps or so stealth that all our people are dead at their feet before we even know they're there."

Sawyer's head went down. Miles knew he was picturing Hurley and Kate, Walt.

"You two might as well go home. I have a feeling this will take time."

"Evan will stay. I'm going to go see if there's any more on Claire's mom and Aaron, Eloise has people looking for them too. I was hoping she didn't give up on Claire and take off. Now I'm hoping she did."

"You and me too," Sawyer said, heading in to the Lamp Post.

"On three," Penny said, and counted down, she and Heinrick and Mathias picking up a net heavy with supplies, food and blankets and clothes, dragging it up the ramp onto The Searcher. She waved to Desmond, who was walking the deck with Charlie in his arms, watching over the preps as they got ready to hit the open seas.

Penny took the empty net back with her, aimed the zodiac raft for the island. She could see Rose waiting for her on the shore, and between the familiar face and the smell of the trees and the sea spray, she felt a stab, actually sorry to be leaving a place she'd never seen until a few weeks ago.

"Let me help you pack," Rose said, and they walked back toward the barracks, sharing the weight of the wiry Dharma food drop net between them. "I wish you and Charlie could stay, let Desmond and the guys help pick up our new arrivals."

"I was just thinking the same thing, Rose," Penny said, "But the three of us are a package deal. I warned Hurley that from the beginning."

"I know, and I certainly understand. When you get back, you may need to walk a little further than the next bungalow to visit us," Rose said, and nodded when Penny looked over at her with worried eyes. "What's going on here now- it's just what Bernard and I wanted to avoid. I think as soon as he's better, we'll head for our cabin. With all this new help, Hurley won't need us so much anyway."

"You know that's not how it works, Rose, they'll still need you," Penny said. "And you'll be safer a couple of walls away from us all than miles away. And Walt – anyone can see how much better he feels around you and Hurley and Kate than with anyone else."

"I know," Rose said. They were back at the camp now, walking by Ben, Hurley, Frank and Richard who were talking through next steps. "He's the one thing that might just keep us here. Either way, be careful – and get back here soon, okay?"

"We will," Penny said, "We have to. You know," she said as they went in the bungalow dedicated to food and supply storage. "After everything Des went through, I never dreamed we'd come back here willingly. Now, the island and our boat and all of you: That's home. Funny how things go, isn't it?"

"Yes, Rose said, setting out the net to fill it with one more load of food. "And not 'funny ha-ha' either."

Behind them, Ben and Richard had just left Hurley behind, headed for the Weather Vane. Frank was on his way to his plane, where he would wait for Richard to return so they could head for Guam. Negotiating those few little decisions had taken ten minutes of heated discussion, enough to wear Hurley out a little.

"I'm sure you'll understand, Richard," Ben had said in his chilliest tone, "Why I'm a little uncomfortable with you transporting me to the Lamp Post via a highly advanced technology none of us has any expertise with. Especially since you hijacked it, really."

"Ben, it's not a transporter, it's a Dharma station, don't be cute. And I've used it to travel to Guam and back several times now. I didn't stick the landing every time…." His left hand went unconsciously to his right shoulder. But I'll get you there in one piece. Why are you wasting time?"

"I have to agree with Richard here," Hurley said. "If the Weather Vane really can just shoot someone straight to the Lamp Post, you're the one we need there now. You and Eloise can get the engineers and the security people we need, you two know the money and the politics to make it happen. Get 'em to Guam and let Richard and Frank bring them here. Okay?"

It took another go–around or two and they were on their way. Hurley walked down to the shore, watched The Searcher bobbing on the water and just breathed in and out, wondering again how this had become his job. He was just zen-ing out a bit when he heard Annie's voice.

"I think I can help you," She said, and he looked left, saw her a few feet away, also looking out at The Searcher.

"You've been helping us since you got here," Hurley smiled, and she returned it, bowed her head slightly as a thank you.

"I think you need to send me stateside. If it's really Dharma that's after us, that attacked your people, then I might be able to track down just who they are and where they are. No, not might. I can. If I have to break my mom's arm to make it happen."

Hurley looked at her, a little agape.

"I told you my parents were Dharma, you know I've been very open about that. But I didn't tell you," she paused, "Where they were on the food chain. "My dad, Gerald - Richard and Ben killed him with the rest of the D.I. on the island in the Purge. My mom, her name is Karen. It's Karen DeGroot. She and my dad founded the Dharma Initiative. If any pieces of it exist, she knows about it. She might still be running it."

Hurley looked out at the Searcher, sighed, picked up the backpack at his feet and pulled out a walkie.

"Richard," he said, let go and listened to the squelch, waited for the return.

"Yes, I'm here."

"Get ready to zap Ben to California," Hurley said, "But don't send him yet. You have another passenger on the way."

While the rest of the group was making their preparations, Kate had taken Walt out to learn a little about tracking. It was a good way to keep him from all the hubbub, so soon after he'd just gotten there. Kate and Hurley agreed he didn't need that stress.

They had looked at the way grass bends when a shoe steps on it, when a foot steps on it, when a boar steps on it, and now they were just walking.

"Walt," she said, "I want to ask you some things about the Weather Vane station, about those other versions of the island. Do you mind?"

He shrugged a 'no' and she struggled with how to word her question.

"Do you know much about them yet? Are there any… is there one that's just like here? So much that anyone there would know us all?"

"I don't know for sure," Walt said. "I think that's what I'm going to learn more about when Richard comes back. The one I visited by accident my first night here sure felt the same. Different but the same, you know? I saw Charlie," he said, brightening. "And another Vincent. Charlie recognized me right away."

"Really?" Kate's heart was in her eyes, and he remembered that whatever these people were to him, they were all even more to each other in ways he still couldn't fully grasp.

"Yeah. He was carrying Aaron. Baby Aaron."

Kate's arm went around her waist as he said it and she gasped, and Walt felt bad then. He saw a fallen log nearby and sat, giving her an excuse to join him.

"Walt, do you think…" Kate said. "As you learn more, especially about that one place… could you share it with me? And not tell anyone?"

Walt looked up at her, contemplating her question.

"What if Hurley asks me straight out?" He said. "You don't want me to lie, do you?"

"Well, no," Kate said. "I don't want you to lie to him. But maybe only tell him if he asks if anyone's been poking around, okay?"

Walt nodded, sat watching her for a second, then had to say it.

"You know they're really other people. They're not us."

"That's just it, Walt," Kate said. "They're not us. But they are. And if we don't help them, they're going through all of this, too."

"And," she thought to herself, didn't say it out loud to him, "You never know when you're going to need a good doctor."