*Note: In honor of LOST's way with non-linear story-telling, this last chapter is a bit all over space and time. THANK YOU so much for reading. And… Namaste and good luck.

February 2011

Inside the Weather Vane

Three years after the war

"Max," Walt looked up from the touch-screen readout he was scrolling through. "Why can we go to any time we want in these other places but not here?"

"We built it that way on purpose." Max Tegmark barely looked up from his screen. "You have good instincts. Why do you think that is?"

"Because…" Walt went back to work, searching. "If you're looking to run somewhere safe, you want options. But if you give yourself too many opportunities to go back or ahead in your own world, you might keep fixing your own mistakes over and over and never accomplish anything," Walt grinned. "Or win the lottery every day."

"Exactly," Max said, "Well put."

"Hey!" Walt shouted, flicked to zoom in on an instance of the island. "Found it! Found him!"

Two hours later

Island Iteration 5 of 5 Via the Weather Vane

"I'm not sure why you're insisting on this," Richard said. "He'll never remember."

It had taken Max a year to fix the Weather Vane, and when he did they found only one connection to the other worlds was still intact: The one linking them to Kate. Hurley was glad she could visit, and he could see David at one year old and then in his terrible twos, but it had been a constant nagging misery that they couldn't recover Sawyer from the empty place where they'd accidentally abandoned him. It had taken Max and Walt two more years to track it down.

"He won't remember, but it doesn't mean he didn't actually suffer through it," Hurley said. "If I want to hold people responsible, I'd better include myself."

They found the camp deserted. The fire pit was buried in sand, the tent torn apart by wind. Hurley found an empty wine bottle, re-corked, a note inside.

"Don't read it," Richard raised a hand, "There can't be any good in reading that, Hurley."

He opened it anyway and Richard shook his head, watching his face fall.

"He figured out something went wrong," Hurley said. "That we didn't desert him on purpose. He says he forgives me and he's sorry for the last few months."

Hurley gestured out toward the ocean, rolling the note back up.

"He gave up. He thought we'd never find him."

Richard nodded.

"C'mon, let's go get him home."

April, 2008

Island Iteration 5 of 5 Via the Weather Vane

It was dark out when Richard and Hurley arrived this time. They found a fire burning, Sawyer kicked back on a beach chair near it. He let the book in his hands fall to his chest and shook his head slowly at Hurley, scowling with his eyes and smiling with his mouth.

"Knew you didn't have it in you," He said, picking the book back up, pretending to be reading. "Hasn't been two damned days and you're back for me."

"Yeah, that's it. I'm a horrible leader and I can't make up my mind, and dude let's get out of here," Hurley rattled it off, but Sawyer caught an edge of deep sorrow in his voice and he looked up sharply.

"Well all right, Hugo, geez… help me put this out," Sawyer stood and started kicking sand into the fire. Hurley laughed under his breath at the pointlessness of the exercise on an otherwise empty island, but he and Richard joined in.

Then they were walking toward their ride home in the perfectly black island night, a full moon and a blanket of stars overhead.

"What's the matter?" Sawyer set a hand on his shoulder. Richard kept going as they stopped.

"I made a mistake," Hurley said, looking back toward the water. "I did something I thought was best for you and for all of us, but I was wrong and it went to hell. What happened because of that… well, it's the worst thing I've ever done to anyone."

Sawyer looked up at the sky, shrugged heavily.

"I know the feeling. This mean you believe me, now?"

"Yeah," he said. "I do. I'll explain more later, okay?"

"Fine," they started walking again. "You are going to let me leave this 'effed up place for good, right? 'Cause in case you haven't noticed I really do hate it here."

"Three years," Hurley said. "I need help from people I know."

"Six months," Sawyer said.

"Two years," Hurley said. "Final offer."

Sawyer sighed deeply.

"Fine. Two years."

April, 2008

The Lamp Post

L.A. Four of Five

"Back already?" This time, Eloise hadn't even gotten up from her seat at the computer bank when Kate walked in. "Well, I told you one visit per year. I guess it doesn't matter if it's today or ten months from now."

"That's not where I'm going," Kate faced her calmly, her hand on David's little back, hoping he'd stay asleep for the whole trip. "I want you to send me to Guam. And I want one of your people there waiting to fly me to Nauru. But first, I want to speak with your Benjamin Linus."

Eloise looked like she couldn't decide whether to laugh or ask if she'd lost her mind.

"Dear, If I tell Ben about you he'll want me to ship you to him for less than pleasant questioning."

"He'll let me go, and he'll let my friends be. What I have to tell him is that valuable."

"Give me a moment," Eloise started keying in a message. Kate could sense some back and forth going on, and then a video monitor to Eloise's right kicked on, and she saw Ben sitting in his office on island four of five, staring into the web cam with a question mark and a glint in his eyes.

"Hello, again, Kate," he said. "Good to meet you. I'm intrigued, what do you have that you could possibly think would convince us to let you all be?"

"I can tell you where to find Annie DeGroot," she said, "And about how she's been looking for you for ten years now."

Ben's face changed enough for her to tell she'd hit a nerve.

"If I wanted to find Annie…"

"You haven't looked because you're scared," she cut him off, "You think she won't be able to accept you but she will. "

"Is that all you have to say, Kate?" Ben asked.

"No. That was just for starters. I'm also here because I can prevent you from making the biggest mistake of your life. Will that do it for you?"

Ten minutes later Ben walked out of his office, staring ahead, barely acknowledging Richard waiting in the hallway.

"Send someone to the Guam warehouse," he said, "Kate Austen will be there. Have them fly her to Nauru, and then stand down on her little clique. We're done with them."

"Seriously?" Richard said. "Everything we went to, chasing them, sinking their boat. And now you're going to let them go?"

"Get it done, Richard," Ben said, pulling off his glasses. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my daughter. I need to talk with Alex."

Nauru General Hospital

Iteration Four of Five

One quick trip through the Weather Vane and a four-hour flight later, Kate was walking into the hospital on Nauru. David was stirring, and she put a hand on his head, nervous at who would be there and what she'd find.

"You're heeere!" Her head snapped around the wide waiting room as she walked in, heard the shout, saw Shannon running her way and Sayid behind her, smiling. "We have heard so much about you. And look – it's a Jack and Kate baby," Shannon leaned down, peering at him, cooing. Sayid reached in to hug her.

"So good to see you again," he said.

"Always good to see you, Sayid," she said.

"Come sit with us," Shannon led her over to a sofa, a circle of chairs where more familiar faces waited. "They'll only let us go see them for a little bit at a time, so we've been hanging out here a lot the last few days."

"Them?" Kate asked, smiling as Charlie waved to her, one arm around Claire, Aaron in her arms. Sun nodded over, too, drinking a cup of coffee. It was so average, so normal, and way, way too much all at the same time. She was glad she was sitting.

"Jack and Jin," Claire said, "and Penny. Jin broke his leg when the Searcher sank, but he's doing great. Penny got knocked around pretty bad, but she's doing better. Desmond's with her right now…"

"How's Jack?" Kate asked.

"How about you ask him?" Kate heard Hurley's voice, looked up to see him walking their way from the ward behind the waiting room. "I checked, the nurses say you can go in."

"Hurley," she walked over to him.

"Hi Kate. Very weird to meet you," he grinned. "Only thing is, no babies in that wing."

"I've got him!" Shannon was there in an instant and then David was over her shoulder and Kate was taking off the bjorn, looking from them to the door to the hospital rooms and back.

"Kate, it's okay," Shannon smiled, "We'll be here. We're so not going anywhere."

Somehow, that was the moment it really sunk in: They were going to be okay.

Kate walked into Jack's room, was stunned to see him standing by the window, looking outside, wearing a long robe and sweats pants, clothes that were definitely not him, something someone has picked up for him since they got here.

"Should you be up?" She asked, and he turned and smiled at her.

"Probably not. But last time I saw you, you were flat on your back having a baby. I thought it might be nice if we were both on our own two feet," he paused as she ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and he returned the favor. "Like this. For a minute."

"You did it," she said.

"We did it," he corrected. "You sure you're ready for life here, wondering when they might come after us again?"

"They won't," Kate said. "I made sure."

"How'd you manage that?" Jack asked.

"Tell you later," she held him tighter.

"Kate?"

"Yeah."

"I'm thinking you'll want to keep in touch with your other friends, and I want you to understand I'm fine with that," he pulled back slightly, looked down at her. "But you need to know: The second the plane that takes us home lands at LAX I'm never going anywhere again. Ever. Not negotiable."

"I'm so fine with that," she said. "Oh, and remember how you said you were ready for an instant family?" She looked up, saw his dark eyes smiling, him nodding. "Next time you're talking with Claire, ask her about her dad," she said, her head dropping back to his chest.

"What?"

"Trust me. Ask her."

"Damn," Jack sighed, running a hand through her hair. "What are the odds? Don't answer that. Any other news for me?"

"No," Kate said. "That's it. I can't wait to get you home."

"Me too," he said. "I can't promise it'll be perfect. But I promise we'll be on the same page… every day."

March, 2011

The Island

Beach near the Barracks

"David Samuel Shephard, stop right this second!" Kate chased him, laughing at the way he only shouted and ran faster away from her. She scooped him up as his feet hit the waves, spun him around as he giggled and then she set him down, dizzy, to see Hurley looking exquisitely happy.

"And… there it is," Hurley said, holding his fingers up like a picture frame but she didn't catch on. "The flash I had four years ago when you were barely pregnant: You and your son running on the beach. It happened for real."

"Oh wow," Kate said, catching her breath. "That must be a weird feeling."

"Yeah," Hurley said. "I'm getting used to those, though. I'm so glad you're here. Jack at his conference this whole week?"

"Most of it, yes," she said, scooped David up to her hip as they started back toward the barracks. "I keep waiting for the year he asks me not to come here, but he's great about it."

"Don't suppose you'll ever convince him to come along?"

"I'm not sure I'll even get him to leave our California again."

"Well, I can understand why," Hurley said. "You two still disgustingly happy?"

He saw Kate couldn't even get the words out right away.

"Hurley, for a while I kept looking over my shoulder, waiting for it all to fall apart. I've stopped doing that."

"Excellent," Hurley said.

"It's great to see Emily growing up, she's such a little pee-wee. Ben and Annie have never looked so happy."

"She's practically running the place," Hurley said. "She's the boss of us all. So what's it like living there?"

"I think we're the world's strangest support group," Kate said. "Sayid and Shannon live down the street now, they bought near us. Charlie and Claire are in London but sometimes when he's on the road she and Aaron come to stay with us. It's a little hard on Margo, the fact of Claire, but they can spend time together and get along with each other, so that's great. Des and Penny bought a new boat, but they promised they'd come visit. I'm sure they mean it, they will."

"How about Sun and Jin?"

"They're back in Seoul. Sun's got her father totally cowed with the info we sent her home with. They'll be fine now. And your counterpart? He's running his empire. You're a business tycoon, Hurley."

"You do know this is it?" Hurley asked and Kate shook her head. "That one moment, when everything is perfect and everyone is fine, here and on your side. Let's enjoy it, huh?"

Kate was nodding, smiling when they heard it.

"Daaaviiiid!" Charlie ran screaming down the beach, abruptly tossed an arm full of toys at his feet like a welcome offering. David picked one up.

"Boba Fett!" He held it up to Kate, reached down and showed her another. "Mi-yanium Falcon!"

"Ah yes," Hurley smiled, "Another generation sucked in by the best story ever."

June, 2024

The Island

Steps from the Weather Vane

"Hi, Hurley," Kate reached in for a hug as David dashed by them both on his long legs, running hard toward the barracks.

"Emily and Charlie around?" David yelled as he went.

"Yes, they're expecting you," David was nearly out of sight before Hurley finished. "Teenagers! Can't stick around for a second to say hi…"

He'd been so happy to meet them for their latest visit that he'd barely 'seen' them, but now he was looking back at Kate and it hit him.

"Oh, no, … what? What happened?"

She was standing with her arms wrapped around herself, tearing up, bracing.

"He's gone, Hurley. We lost him last month. He got sick after New Year's, and then it all happened so fast..."

Hurley wanted to ask why she hadn't tried convincing him to come to the island, but then he saw in her face that she had tried.

"How is David doing?"

"Not good," Kate's eyes went down as they walked and Hurley put an arm around her. "I was thinking… maybe we could stay for more than a week this time? Maybe we could stay for the summer?"

"You can stay forever if you want."

"It's home there," Kate said, "But right now I really can't stand to be in my own house. Thank God Margo didn't live to see this. I keep thinking of the day I found her all alone. I can't do it, I'll go crazy."

"Don't even think about it," Hurley said, "That's so not going to happen."

February, 2030

The Lamp Post

Iteration 4 of 5 via the Weather Vane

He took the steps down into the station two at a time, hands in his pockets and stopped when he saw the woman in skinny jeans and a grey t-shirt. She was pacing, calculating, her dark hair shot with silver tied back. She watched the pendulum swing, made marks in chalk on the floor before she stood, went to enter numbers into a computer. He thought how most kids would kill for a parent this cool with such an amazing a job. If he could tell them about it, that is.

"Hi, mom," he said softly, a little nervous now.

"David!" Kate's eyes lit up, then she squinted at him. "You drove home, you're ditching out on your graduation day aren't you. Why?"

"You know I hate ceremonies," He walked over and hugged her and it hit her again how he'd shot up another inch or two sometime between freshman year and now, how far she had to look to smile at him.

"And there's something we have to talk about. I couldn't tell you on the phone."

"Oh no," she led him over to the chairs by the computers, got an image of sitting there 22 years earlier, holding him to her chest, Eloise pointing a gun at her. Now, through a twist of fate, she ran the Lamp Post on both sides. "It's perfect," Hurley had said, "For someone who can't stand still. Plus, you can have lunch with us, and be home for dinner."

"David, what's going on?"

He'd been facing the computers, but he turned now and took her hand.

"I'm not going to med school. I want to study physics. I have to do what I want, not what you want me to do."

"Well, of course you do," Kate looked surprised but not as disappointed as he feared. "Stanford has a great program. Have you thought about where…"

Her voice trailed off, and he flinched as her eyes shot open wide.

"You're not going to study physics at a university, are you?"

"Hurley has a whole team now, I can learn more from them than I'll ever learn in a school. And it'll give Uncle Walt a chance to focus on other things. Who knows when he'll need to run the place?"

"You've only known it in peaceful times," Kate looked deep into his eyes, insistent. "Anything can happen there, anything."

"Anything can happen here," he said. "And there's another reason."

"Oh?" Kate said it so quietly he barely heard her.

"I asked Emily to marry me, and she said yes. We're going to live there."

"Emily Linus? You're engaged to Emily Linus? She's like a sister to you!"

"No, mom, she's like a sister to Charlie," David smiled at her confusion. "I've loved her since we were about ten. Why do you think I spent the last five summers there, and not here with you?"

"Damn," Kate shook her head. "Anything else I've missed the past decade or so?"

"No, I don't think so," David grinned and her heart broke a little for the billionth time, seeing another smile in his. "That's pretty much it."

"Well, we have a wedding to plan."

"It's being taken care of, mom. We'll need your help transporting some of the guests, though."

May, 2030

The Island

Oceanic 815 Beach Camp Site

"This is, by far," Charlie raised his hand that was holding a beer, gestured widely around the beach, "far and away the oddest wedding ever."

"It's nice, though," Sun said, leaning into Jin, "to see everybody. To see this place again, and have a happy moment here."

They were standing not far from the surf, watching the rest of the guests at the reception. L.A. Claire, L.A. Sayid and Shannon were talking with Kate and David. A few yards away, Emily was introducing Aaron and Ji Yeon to Clementine. Over by the long table that had been set up with food and flowers, Cassidy, Sawyer and Penny were laughing at something Desmond had said. Miles and his wife were sitting with Evan, Max, Richard and Elian, digging into a meal together.

"It is. Lovely. Though I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain around partying at a wedding with Ben," Charlie shook his head. "Jack's son marrying Ben's daughter. The kids will never get how much that boggles the mind. And I do wish our two Hurleys would mingle more, it's giving me the heebie jeebies watching them walk around like identical twins."

"Well, it is the first time they've met. Have you noticed…" Sun asked, "That Richard and Ben don't look any older than they did when we were here? Is it me?"

"It's not you," Jin said. "I actually asked Richard and he said he's not sure, but he suspects Hurley's done something to keep them around for a very long time. I think they'll be running the show with him long after we're all gone."

"Yup," Charlie said, drinking, "Strangest wedding ever."

Up the beach, Kate walked over to Ben and Annie, topped off their champagne and they clinked glasses, sipped.

"Do you think Hurley knew? About David and Emily?" Kate asked. "I wonder if that's why he asked me to take on the Lamp Post? So I'd get used to going back and forth all the time and not only summers."

"Wouldn't surprise me at all," Annie said. "Hurley takes good care of his people. And he thinks one step ahead, always."

"I'd like to think I taught him that," Ben said and they all smiled, realizing that he'd been joking but it was very much the truth.

August, 2115

The Beach near the Barracks

Spent: It was the only word he could come up with. He'd been tired for years, maybe a decade. It wasn't depression. It wasn't missing her. He was spent.

"Grandpa, you want some slushie, too?" Four-year-old Yvette plopped down next to him, spooning icy chunks of green and orange snow cone from a cup. Her face was green and orange from it, too, and it drew a small smile out of him.

"No thanks, baby," Richard said, kicked back against a dune, and she sat with him, silently enjoying the once-per-summer ice cream and slushie 'fest Hurley threw.

Richard watched Hurley laughing with the kids: Richard's grandkids, David and Emily's latest little ones, Charlie's son, the children of the security, engineering and science teams – there had to be close to thirty of them now, toddlers and teens who would run the place themselves one day. He remembered those who were gone: Rose and Bernard first, then Hurley's parents. The horrible week when they'd buried Penny and Desmond, lost in an accident no one saw coming and that none of them would ever really get over. And Elian. His unexpected Elian.

David, Emily and Charlie were at the party, now, helping out, looking like they were barely thirty-five, which was about the point where Hurley had suspended them in time. A good place to be, to stay, Richard thought.

He watched Hurley, staring at him until he felt it and looked over. Richard nodded for him.

"Yvette, why don't you go get a refill before the ice all melts," he suggested and she scooted away, grinning, running like a tiny breeze and kicking up sand.

"I hope this isn't what I think it is?" Hurley asked. Richard knew he knew.

"You have to let me go, Hurley."

"Are you sure? Maybe if you wait a week, you'll feel differently?"

"I won't."

Hurley nodded.

"How soon will it…" Richard's voice trailed off.

"I'm not sure," Hurley sat next to him. "Do you want to wait, talk with your kids?"

"No. No reason to put that burden on them. How does this go? When do you do it?"

"Honestly," Hurley said, shaking his head, looking out at the water. "I have no idea exactly how it works. But it's already done."

Hurley realized Richard was serious then, the way he didn't react at all.

"Thank you, Hurley."

Six months later they buried him under the banyan tree between his wives. Isabella's cross hung from the marker to his left, Elian's wedding ring on a chain to his right. Richard asked for no marker, but they ignored that. His had a Weather Vane logo etched in the middle, a battered, worn compass embedded in it.

Hurley had been inconsolable at the ceremony.

"You're not leaving me anytime soon?" he asked Ben.

"No, Hurley," Ben shook his head, the edge of a smile on his lips. "I expect we'll exit stage left at the same time… going down with the ship."

May, 2044

The Island

Oceanic 815 Beach Camp Site

"I'm so glad you could come here for this," Kate stood with her arm around Clementine's shoulder, watching as Hurley, Ben and Richard finished covering the new grave next to Locke and Jack.

Sawyer's daughter had brought some of his ashes to them. It shocked Kate to no end that the idea had been his and not hers.

"He hated this place," Kate said, stopped there.

"But he loved you all. Not that he was very good at saying it. Or showing it. Or even understanding it," she stopped and Kate laughed softly, fighting back tears.

"How is your mom?"

"She's good. They had time to prepare, say goodbye. You know, before he died he saw something," Clementine stopped for a second. "I wasn't going to ask, but you're the only person I can think of who would know if this means anything. It might have just been the drugs they were giving him, but all at once he was talking like he was walking around the hospital, looking for a the cafeteria. Isn't that weird?"

"What did he say, exactly?"

"He asked if there was somewhere to get food, then he said, 'thanks, doc',"

Kate's free hand went to her forehead.

"And then he said something about a vending machine that sold jewels, and that was it. He was gone. I'd dismiss it as a hallucination, but it sounded like it was so real to him. So real."

"Not jewels, honey. He was saying J-U-L-E-S. And thanks – you give me hope. Maybe we'll all see each other again someday."

"I'd like to think that's how it works," Clementine said. "I'm going with that."

September 22, 2049

The path from The Flame to the Barracks

"Charlie!" David yelled, stopped running, getting his breath back, and then he finally saw his friend catching up to him.

"Don't wait for me," Charlie pointed toward the barracks. "Go ahead. Emily said to tell you…. hurry."

David had been holo-conferencing with one of the off-island research teams when he saw Charlie come flying in, looking frantic, and he didn't have to say much. David knew she had been fading. He knew what date it was today. He was still surprised.

Now he could see the barracks, people watching him, sad for him, as he bolted past them to her bungalow.

"Mom," he yelled, "I'm here… Mom!"

He barely noticed Hurley standing outside, crying, or saw Ben and Annie come out the front door, leaving it open for him as they went to Hurley. Annie put her arms around his neck, her head on his shoulder and he stood there, shaking his head.

"Why wouldn't she take me up on it? I wish she would have."

"I know," Ben said, "But you tried to convince her. And you know why she didn't."

"Yeah," Hurley caught his breath, wiped his eyes on his sleeve as Annie stepped back. "Yeah. I know."

July, 2230

Sub-Basement of the Orchid station

"Ben, watch out! There's one coming through the vent," Hurley pointed over Ben's head and Ben jumped out of the way. They both aimed their laser guns at the air vent in the ceiling, blasting wildly at the sickly, grey-green tentacled thing that reminded Ben of an oversized oyster with arms and Hurley of a squid on steroids.

More tentacles were reaching through the doors of the Orchid's transporter, twisting and pushing and trying to force them open again. Hurley and Ben both kept shooting as Hurley pressed the button meant to slam the doors shut. Finally, they won the battle if not the war as the metal doors clicked together.

"What planet spawns something that God-awful ugly?" Ben asked and Hurley busted out laughing.

"We are so screwed," Hurley said, and there was a pause as they realized it was true: The island was swarming with these things. Escape was unlikely.

"At least they all made it to the Weather Vane," Ben said, looking at Hurley and nodding. "They'll be fine, Walt and David will make sure of it. And we finally used that hatch for its intended purpose, as an escape route."

"Only took a couple hundred years," Hurley reached his hand out, asking Ben for his gun and he went to reload them both. "They'll win this in the end, I know they will. Now that we shut off the way in," he nodded toward the metal doors. "Our people can keep coming in through the Weather Vane, fight them one day at a time. They'll take the place back."

He handed Ben his gun.

"Now all we have to decide is if we hunker down here, or run up the steps and go take a bunch of them down with us."

Ben stared at the doorway for a second, made a face that suggested he didn't really like either option.

"Hell, let's go for it. Maybe what we do now will mean the difference, give the kids the edge they need to win."

"I like that," Hurley said, walking to the door. "Ready? What now?" He asked, seeing Ben's face both fall and light up a little.

"Maybe I'll see Annie again soon," he said.

"I'm sure you will," Hurley said. "Positive, in fact. Ready?"

"Ready," Ben said, taking the safety off.

They ran up the stairs, guns blazing, fighting one last, good fight together.