"So,... what you're telling me, and correct me if I'm wrong here...but, the Oceanic Six lied about everything?" Liam asked skeptically. He lifted his head slightly to regard them all, after having frequently looked down and shaking it in disbelief. They were all back on Desmond's boat; speaking about the lie in public didn't sit well with anyone. Liam had been angry at first, demanding answers, but he had finally agreed to meet them privately.

For a moment, there was silence as each person in the room tried and failed to have the nerve to speak first. Kate looked to the others, secretly hoping that one of them would be the one to answer. James sat on the chair in the corner, his legs outstretched and his arms crossed, staring moodily ahead; next to Kate, was Claire, who was looking down guiltily and biting her lip; Desmond and Penny sat hand in hand on the couch, looking slightly uncomfortable. Kate decided to take initiative.

"Yes," she replied, her tone soft and understanding, "Yes, we did it to protect the people we left behind." Sawyer huffed from the corner. Even to Kate, it sounded like a weak justification for what she had done; for what they all had done. The families of everyone on the plane believed their loved ones to be dead for three years. Now, most of them were dead; only a few remained alive on the island, all willingly.

"And what about the other bit?" Liam asked, wringing his hands, "What of the bit about the island, and the smoke monster that eats people? What about this... this, Dharma Initiative, and mental island natives!" again, he shook his head in disbelief, this time laughing to himself "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"No," Kate whispered honestly, "We don't. But it is the truth."

Liam looked away and locked eyes with Claire, "And what about my brother? You're telling me that he isn't dead." Kate realized that everything they said had been so totally overwhelming, they had almost forgotten about Charlie. Claire shifted uncomfortably and forced herself to look up. She seemed so lost, that Kate reached over and squeezed her hand for encouragement. Claire smiled back at Kate and then took a deep, steadying breath. Apparently, she took too long because Liam exploded impatiently.

"Look, I came here for answers, I want to know if Charlie's alive, and if he is, why you lied and let me believe that he was dead for three years! I want the truth!" He leapt up from the couch angrily, Kate stood up and put out her hand warningly.

"Hey!" she said aloud, "We all just need to calm down." she looked around the room and to the others for support.

"Calm down?!" Liam roared. He rubbed the back of his neck, then ran his hand through his hair nervously and glanced around the room erratically, all while shaking slightly. Like a caged animal, Kate noticed. Liam took a shaky breath and then glared at Claire. He lowered his voice to just above a whisper and asked threateningly, "How can you expect me to just calm down, when you lied?"

"Easy," Sawyer said, standing up as well. His tall form easily towered over Liam's. "You better relax, Copperfield " he snarled in a low, threatening voice. "She's been through enough." For a second, Liam looked ashamed, and Kate realized that he was just worried about his little brother; she had acted the same way when she thought Aaron was being taken from her. Liam was just scared.

"I'm sorry." he apologized, "I- It's just... I came here, I met you here, my wife doesn't even know where I am... I- I just want to know if my baby brother is alright. If he's okay." his voice broke, "I'm the reason he was on that plane." he confessed. He hung his head. "I'm sorry." he repeated, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to do."

"It's okay," Kate said understandingly. She kept her tone gentle and kind, the way she had when she told Aaron that Claire was his mother, "Now why don't we all just sit down again. We can talk through this, Okay?" she pleaded, looking mainly at Sawyer, who seemed poised to attack.

"Alright," Liam finally conceded, "I'll sit down." Kate smiled encouragingly at Sawyer, who was clearly not pleased, and managed to get him to sit down.

"Now," Liam began, "Charlie, is he alive?" his eyes were full of pain as he waited for an answer.

"Aye brother, I saw him." said Desmond, speaking for the first time.

"You saw him?" Liam asked excitedly, "You saw him alive? Why didn't you say something, take me to him!"

"Well, not exactly," Desmond explained, "I had a vision, and in it he-"

"A vision!?" Liam's face fell. "This is all just a joke, isn't it? And you're all lying to me aren't you?" he ranted, "I'm done with this, I'm leaving." he got up and made for the door.

Sawyer jumped up to block him. "Just where do you think you're going?" he questioned.

"James!" Kate cried. "Let him go!" Sawyer glared at her angrily. Kate was taken aback, Sawyer never got this angry at her.

"Don't you 'James' me, Freckles!" Sawyer snarled, "This was a bad idea from the get-go, lettin' him in on our secret?" Sawyer yelled disbelieving, "How do we know he ain't gonna waltz off and tell someone?"

"Liam, wait." Claire stood up and reached for the chain around her neck, "This ring, it's proof that we're telling the truth." She held it aloft for Charlie's brother to see. "There's no other way I could have gotten it but from him." Liam paused just long enough for her to reach into her pocket and pull out a slightly crumpled piece of paper that someone had obviously attempted to smooth. She unfolded it carefully, and as Kate noticed, with shaking hands.

"Your brother wrote this," she said in her kind Australian accent. She held it out begrudgingly to Liam. "He wrote it to me when he thought he was going to die. It's the five greatest moments of his life." she finished in a whisper.

Liam's eyes went from the paper, to the door and back again. Finally he reached out and took it from Claire, holding it lightly like it would shatter at any moment. "It's his handwriting." he muttered through barely concealed sobs. They waited as he read. When he finished, his eyes rose to meet Claire. "So...he loved you?" he asked her. She nodded slightly, also crying.

"And he gave you the ring, for your son?" he asked. Again, Claire nodded. "Is he-" Laim shifted his weight, "Is he Charlie's son?" Claire took a deep breath.

"Not biologically, I was pregnant before I met Charlie, but he loved Aaron like his own son... and in my mind he will always be his father." This time, Liam nodded. "I believe you."

That night, after Liam had left and everyone else was asleep, Kate wandered around the boat, deep in thought. First, she went to the kitchen and saw an opened box of cereal. She picked it up gingerly and remembered all the times she and Jack had eaten breakfast together, how he had been the one to pour Aaron's cereal. She sat at the table and cried for awhile, letting it all out. Her family was gone; Jack was dead, and Aaron- She's got you, she thought miserably, No matter what, Aaron will be Claire's baby.

Without knowing how, Kate found herself standing outside the bunk-room doorway. She could hear someone inside sobbing silently. Kate pushed the door open slightly. Sawyer was already asleep, breathing deeply. Kate wondered if he was still mad at her; the boys were also sleeping soundly. Aaron rolled over and stretched. Tears fell down Kate's cheeks as she watched him reach for Claire, his mother. I love you goober, she thought sadly.

That's when Kate realized that the person sobbing was Claire. She was curled up in a ball on her bed, facing the wall, and her whole body was shaking. Kate backed away, guilty that she had intruded. As soon as she was sure she couldn't be heard, Kate's walk became a run.

Too alert to sleep, Kate wandered above deck, and looked out at the stars. It was a beautiful night, the moon shone brightly above and the stars made the water sparkle. The boat rocked gently back and forth, calming Kate and allowing her to relax. She sat down and leaned against the railing. It's so quiet, Kate marveled.

She sat there, for how long she couldn't have guessed. Just as she was about to go back below, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone was standing out on the dock, in the shadows where there wasn't a lamp above. Kate stared, but whoever it was, they were gone.

I'm just imaging things, Kate convinced herself. Still, she backed up slowly, never taking her eyes from the dock. She made it below deck safely, and locked the door behind her. The latch made a satisfying click, and Kate left for bed.

Outside, a mysterious figure got into their car and sped away.