Early the next morning, Olivia woke to the nudging of a wet nose against her cheek. She nearly startled until she discovered that it was Vincent the dog. She couldn't help but smile warmly at the white Labrador who reminded her so much of her favorite childhood pet.

Fitz who had gone for a morning swim, came back to their tent dripping wet and found her happily interacting with the dog. He grabbed a towel and dried his hair, sporting a boyish smile.

"Good morning," he sat beside her and pecked her lips with a short kiss. "I see we have company this morning, " he said referring to Vincent who was wagging his tail happily hoping for more attention.

"We discussed it, Vincent here and I" Olivia started in a jovial tone, giving the dog a belly rub. "We decided you wouldn't mind. He's moving in with us."

"Is that so? " he leaned back in a relaxing manner, studying her beautiful face. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no more room here for you, bud," he said giving Vincent a friendly pat. "It's either me or the dog," he peered at Olivia with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Oh, gee," she paused. "That's a tough choice." she shrugged as though for a moment she just couldn't make up her mind. "Well...I guess.." she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I guess I choose you..."

He rewarded her with his best lighthearted smile, tiny crinkles bouncing off the corner of his eyes.

It was just so easy this relationship between him and Olivia, as though they'd known each other forever. He didn't doubt for a moment that their relationship would work out just as easily out in the real world.

In fact, there was a moment, just a moment when the scene in front of him appeared as though it weren't happening right now but as if it was taking place sometime in the future...and that this morning was just an ordinary morning in a long procession of mornings together.

Olivia was thinking something along the same lines, as she admired his looks: shirtless, wet and so dammed hot. Plus he had this happy glow around him that made him look at least 10 years younger.

Their eyes met, smiling. Fitz leaned in for another kiss, a much longer kiss.

He tried to put a label on that elusive slippery sensation that had taken hold of his heart... that one sensation most of us pursue for a lifetime. Sometimes we find it when we least expect it under the most extraordinary circumstances...sometimes it happens just when we had become convinced that this thing otherwise known as happiness was nothing more than a myth.

Vincent wiggled himself between them breaking the kiss, licking their faces, reminding them of the here and now. They both laughed at the dog's antics.

Just then they heard Jin approaching them with raw fish on a tray. He threw in a few scraps for Vincent to catch in the air and then said something in Korean which Olivia and Fitz interpreted as him saying that Vincent had already had a hefty fish meal.

"Love sushi," Fitz took a few bites while taking the time to thank Jin for his gesture. Not exactly his first choice as a breakfast meal but what the heck, he was starving.

Olivia helped herself to some of the fish, while Vincent lay contentedly beside her. She smiled at Jin in a thankful gesture, thinking that Jin had become quite adept at fishing with a net, in fact he was so good at it as though he was a fisherman by trade.

Out in the distance, they saw Hurley trotting over to Fitz, out of breath and panting. It was obvious that he had rushed over and that him being significantly overweight did not do him any favors.

"Fitz...some people want to start heading out to the caves. They don't wanna wait. Kate says that we should wait for you to lead the way. " Hurley paused, catching his breath. "You're our leader now, everyone looks up to you, " he punctuated his words with a touch of admiration and a clear sense of expectation that said don't let us down now.

FLASHBACK

Once upon a time when Fitz was eleven years old he ran for class president. One sunny Saturday, he invited two of his friends over to help him run the campaign. They were working on a poster, their supplies scattered across a spacious counter-top when Big Jerry walked in the kitchen and peered curiously at their work.

The poster read: Vote for Fitz! underneath was a picture of Fitz wearing his baseball uniform looking cool. Under the picture were the words: l promise to: 1) Advocate for less homework, 2) Longer recess and 3) Ice cream Fridays for everyone!

"Too cluttered, too many words, the stencil you used makes the letters look grotesque." Big Jerry stated, his critical eye fixed on his son.

"We'll be handing out suckers on election day, Mr. Grant," Fitz's friend Rodney said with a big goofy smile, in a clear quest for approval.

"Don't make promises you can't keep...do you seriously believe you're gonna convince your teachers to assign less homework? " Big Jerry threw another jab at his son. He paused staring at him long and hard as though he was a bug to be scrutinized under a microscope. "So... you want to be a leader, Fitzgerald," he rubbed his chin, raising his brow.

In the future whenever Fitz recalled this moment, the thing that struck him the most like a ton of bricks was the look on his father's face...the irrefutable proof that no matter what he did, it would never good enough.

"Every kid in America wants less homework, dad, " Fitz replied in a defensive tone.

"I've been listening to your buddies here talk for a while...all of these are their ideas! (Aha! You've just admitted to eavesdropping, dad!) But you don't seem to have any of your own," he scoffed. "If you ask me, you're acting like a follower, not a a leader. A leader knows that you can't always please the crowds and that hard choices need to be made. " he peered over at the poster and shook his head. "Like for instance, you could offer to make sure that every kid in your class who's struggling gets the right kind of tutoring after school...now," he tilted his head just so, "that's a promise worth something, son."

"Oh, yeah, dad...I bet everyone is dying to get tutored," Fitz answered back rolling his eyes.

"They're not, of course not," Big Jerry readily agreed. "That's why you need to word it properly...you say you will personally make sure that everyone gets better grades. Now that's a promise you could keep. Will take some sacrifice on your part, though..."

The other two boys exchanged looks of disbelief, feeling instantly sorry for Fitz for what they considered impossibly high standards.

"You mean Fitz would need to spend ALL his free time doing other people's homework, " Rodney said in a deflated tone. "Some people in my class, Mr. Grant are so dumb that they just never get it."

"Yeah, like Lenny the retard...you could literally spend all year trying to get 2 plus 2 across his thick skull, " the other boy laughed.

"I wouldn't worry about this boy Lenny," Big Jerry's lips curved into a slow smile. "He's not the one Fitzgerald should be trying to impress," his gaze shifted to Fitz. "Now, let's hear your speech," he added rubbing his hands together.

Fitz' face dropped. He hated being put on the spot like that plus he knew his father would be no help. "I don't have it ready yet," he replied, his tone standoffish.

"Well, no time like the present to start working on it. " Big Jerry took a seat on the nearest bar stool, making himself comfortable. "Let's see what you got so far," he spread his arms across the counter to show his readiness to evaluate what else the boys had been working on.

"I don't need your help, dad, " Fitz hissed, thinking that any help of his dad was akin to accepting help from his number one opponent.

"Suit yourself, son. Just remember this: the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. *" Big Jerry stated with a smug look on his face.

END OF FLASHBACK

Upon realizing that he was not getting much attention now that Fitz, Olivia, and Hurley were engrossed in a serious conversation, Vincent dashed off to chase the waves and any critters that resided along the shore.

"I think we ought to stay here. " Olivia noted with determination. She was not really keen on making camp at the caves. For one, she really believed that their chances were greater of being spotted by a plane if they stayed at the beach. Plus, she was used to the constant sound of the roaring waves in background which usually lulled her to sleep even on her most restless nights.

"Dude, even the leader of the free world listens to his advisers, " Hurley commented nonchalantly, seeing the look of uneasiness on Fitz' face.

"At least come to the caves with me and check them out," Fitz said to Olivia. "Sunscreen will not last you forever you know."

"Sure," she took a deep breath. "I will. Still, I think that for now, we should take just a small group with us...the rest of us," she thought about this for a moment. "Um...I think you and I should come back here."

"Why? Tell me a good reason," he challenged her.

"I think that...the problem that people are having with you suggesting that we all pack up and move to the caves...is that they're interpreting this as though you're giving up," she said while petting Vincent who was back and was now listening intently as though he understood everything that was going on.

"I...I have not given up!" he was outraged at the suggestion.

"I know you haven't...but I'm just telling you that's exactly how it's been perceived...as though it is a permanent solution...as though we would be giving up hope of rescue, " her eyes brightened as words seemed to flow with natural ease. "For that reason alone, you should remain here on the beach. More than anything, everyone needs to feel secure that you're here to be their leader... and that you, Fitzgerald Grant ARE NOT giving up!" she concluded with a confident look in her eyes that spoke volumes.

Fitz thought about it for a moment. He appreciated Olivia's sharp mind. Also, it seemed that following her suggestion might be a good compromise.

"She's right, Dude," Hurley interjected. "Only a few of us should make camp at the caves. You as our leader, should came back and forth during the day to reassure people that you're keeping an eye on things, " his gaze lingered on the structure of the tent as though he was thoroughly inspecting it. He smiled as though he'd finally decided it had passed the inspection. "But your tent should remain here at the beach."

xxx

A couple of hours later, Fitz and Olivia were on their way to the caves with a group of fifteen which included Claire the pregnant girl, Hurley, Kate, sun, Jin, Walt and his dad, and Vincent of course.

The rest of the survivors stayed at the beach except for John Locke who was out hunting and Sayid who was still working on the radio transmitter.

"Do they understand that they're giving up their tent on the beach?" Olivia said of Sun and Jin. Not for the first time, she felt sorry for them. She would hate to be in their situation for they actually did not have a voice in the decisions that the group made; not to mention that in general, in the big scheme of things they had little idea of what was going on.

"It's hard to say, really," Fitz replied, the midday sun was making him sweat profusely and thus he tried to focus on walking at a steady pace.

"I think they will understand once they get there..." Kate smiled at Fitz as though he had just made a profound philosophical statement.

"Are you staying at the caves, Kate?" Olivia asked, barely able to hide her annoyance, wanting nothing but to keep this woman at bay. Nothing like extraordinary circumstances to bring out the best (by teaming up) AND the worst in people (by competing against one another). In this case, Olivia and Kate were engaged in a not -so- covert form of competition for highest status in the social chain of female survivors. The competition seemed particularly fueled by the fact that among the entire group of castaways, females were significantly outnumbered by males.

Kate gave Olivia a long smile that did not reach the eyes. Then, as if she knew exactly what Olivia was thinking she took her time answering. "I will be wherever I'm most needed," she replied noncommittally.

"Well...If I'm going to be at the beach...you will need to stay at the caves." Fitz countered at once. "With your good tracking skills, you'll be able to lead the group swiftly back to the beach...if for some reason," he took a deep breath. "Something happens and there's a need to evacuate," he concluded continuing to walk at a brisk pace.

Kate nodded and looked away in order to hide the fact that she was NOT exactly thrilled with his suggestion.

Two others started asking Fitz some questions, which left Kate and Olivia walking together side by side.

"Do you think maybe Sayid needs help getting a signal with the radio transmitter? I think I overheard that he was getting a group together for the mountains this afternoon," Olivia noted pointedly. "if you don't want to stay at the caves, that is."

Kate smiled a fake smile. "Sayid already has his people organized, he doesn't need me."

Olivia didn't think that Kate would stay at the caves very long. In the short time she'd known her it had become obvious that the woman could not stay put in one place longer than five minutes.

One thing was for sure, she needed to keep an eye on Kate as far as Fitz was concerned. If she didn't get the hint this time, she would have to find a more forceful way to get her Fitz is off limits message loud and clear.

Once they got to the caves and the others got busy setting camp, Fitz and Olivia took a few moments to admire the waterfall. Each drop of water seemed to fall with its own clarity, making a vast splash upon the level surface of the shallow pool below.

Olivia happily snuggled in his arms and then leaned back some, looping her arms around his neck.

She's so lovely, Fitz thought while tracing her chin with his his finger. He felt as though he could watch her for hours and never grow tired of it.

"Can't wait for tonite, " she whispered in his ear, her words sounding like music to his ears.

A/N: * phrase taken from Proverbs 12:15.

Thanks everyone for your wonderful reviews!

Please keep them coming!

What do you think Olivia should do about Kate?