Desmond Hume preceded to the next point on his list of things to do. He quickly found himself on the right street and drove the car slowly along with a small boy walking down the street. Then he called out to him through the open window.
"Hi, David!"
The boy just kept on walking.
"Why don't you get in and I'll take you to where you want to go," Desmond encouraged, knowing how this must've looked like from the outside, but he had faith that he would be able to achieve everything he planned to as they all knew deep down inside. Running over Locke was a much more difficult and less moral task than kidnapping a child, after all.
"I'm not supposed to go into the cars with strangers," David just said resolutely.
"Yeah, but we both know we're not strangers, brother," Desmond wasn't giving up and then a miracle happened as the boy came to a stop and looked at him. "Come on, I'll take you to your dad," the Scottish encouraged and David finally got in.
They were all in shock during the flight as what they'd been through was simply too much to even comprehend and yet, they needed to figure out a way to come back. The plane they were travelling on had gone missing with them onboard and they had no way of explaining how it was suddenly back, carrying just one original passenger and two additions that either came from nowhere – in Richard's case – or were believed to be dead – Claire.
It was actually James who came up with the plan. Lapidus pitched in, suggesting an old and abandoned airstrip he knew about in Mexico. Once they landed there, they quickly left the plane, disappearing in the woods and running as though the Black Smoke was chasing them. They couldn't afford being caught because obviously, they wouldn't be able to answer any of the questions that would follow and even if, no one would ever believe a story about a disappearing island, monsters and sources of light.
While running through the woods, Alice couldn't even think, not able to focus on anything. She could just hold on to James's hand and let him take her wherever he was running to. Her mind seemed to have shut down there for a moment, not able to sort through the emotional turmoil inside. She'd once again lost so much and come close to losing even more. At least she managed to save Claire, she reminded herself, not able to think about those left behind, dead. She needed to focus on the positives and what was better than reuniting a mother with her son?
Eventually, they stopped running, exhausted. They could hear the dying sirens in the distance, all the dispatch cars directing to the plane. It was bound to happen sooner or later as they couldn't possibly hide such a big means of transport.
"I hate to ask this, but what now?" Lapidus spoke, bent over, his hands on his knees as he was breathing erratically.
"We cross the border and get ourselves new identities," James suggested, one of his arms around Alice who looked too overwhelmed to even register what was happening.
"Yeah, but how are we gonna do that all dirty and with no money on us?" Lapidus wanted to know, glancing at Claire who looked the worst and there was no wonder, truly as she'd spent so much time alone in the jungle.
"I can access my bank account," Alice suddenly suggested, waking up, "Oceanic paid me a huge fine for the crash and I still have most of it. It's millions."
"There ya go!" Sawyer smiled. "And we'll call Claire's mother, see if she can help us from LA. Maybe she could fix us some fake IDs."
"I'm truly not sure how we can pull this off," Richard voiced his opinion when shaking his head.
"Just leave it all to me, ok? It's not my first rodeo, man," James assured him. "First of all, we get into the most dingy motel we can find and stay there for the night, get some rest, clean up."
"Why dingy?" Lapidus asked with a frown.
"Because they ain't gonna ask any questions there. Come."
Jack was starting to panic and just then he got a message from the hospital.
"Damn it!" he cursed, responding. He was needed. It could be a matter of life and death. The problem was that so was his son's disappearance. Then again, he had no way of knowing where David might've even gone to and the terrible realization that he didn't really know his own son dawned on him.
He grabbed his car keys and left the house, calling Alice on his way and cursing when she refused to pick up.
"I really don't have the…" he started when reaching the nurses' station in the hospital.
"The surgery worked," the woman cut in. "Mr. Locke has inexplicably started moving his legs."
"What?" Jack frowned, momentarily forgetting about David. "But he was already on a wheelchair when he was ran over by a car! I didn't even try to…"
"See for yourself, dr. Shephard, it's a miracle!"
Jack stilled on hearing that. There was just something in the way she said it that unsettled him. He thought hard as though trying to remember a dream long forgotten. Eventually, he just shook his head, feeling more lost than ever and walked straight to Mr. Locke's room, promising himself to just take a look and then run to the nearest police station. Or maybe David was back home already? He thought. Maybe his son just wanted to punish him when hiding and it worked.
Talking to Locke made him feel as though he was in a Twilight Zone. The man was simply crazy, Jack decided, still not knowing how it happened that the feeling in his legs returned, but having no time to figure that out now.
"I need to go find my son," he just said when directing himself to the door.
"You don't have a son," Locke said then like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Jack came to a sudden stop when something was, yet, once again stirred in his memory.
"What did you just say?" he asked when whirling back to the older man.
"You don't have a son, Jack."
It was as though someone hit him over the head and he was suddenly feeling dazed and completely out of it, but still refused to give in.
He stumbled out of the room and nearly knocked down a pregnant woman who was just walking down the corridor.
"Are you dr. Jack Shephard?" she wanted to know.
"Yeah?"
"I'm Claire and I believe I'm you sister. Also, I think I'm in labor," she informed quickly in a strong Australian accent, placing her hand on her belly and wincing in pain.
Once the door to a motel's room closed behind Alice and James, she was so exhausted that she couldn't even stand on her own two feet anymore. Sawyer helped her to the bed and after making sure she was ok, he hit the shower, desperate to wash off all the dirt and the blood. He was pretty sure most of it had already come off while he and Alice had jumped from the cliff into the ocean, but he could still feel it on himself.
It was hard on him to lose so many people. In fact, they'd just about lost them all. It started from Juliet and then quickly spread to Sun and Jin and Sayid, Jack and Kate following. Even Hugo, though alive, was gone and Sawyer would never admit it to the guy, but he already missed the lightness and optimism Hurley always brought to the table.
Alice couldn't sleep. The moment she lay down, she couldn't possibly stay there, feeling so terribly alone and still having the images of Jack disappearing in the pit and Kate dying in her mind, not to mention Locke pressing his knife into James's throat. If she'd been just a second late… She couldn't bear the thought of what would've happened then and she jumped to her feet with a newly found energy. She marched straight to the bathroom, seeing James in the shower.
She quickly discarded all of her clothes and joined him, surprising him.
He was just standing there, facing her and watching her when she lifted her hand and touched his neck, feeling the small tear in his skin where Locke had cut him.
"It's ok. It's already healing," he assured her when putting his hand over her own. "I'm gonna be fine."
Alice still didn't say anything, she just pressed forward and clung to his body, his arms automatically closing around her, hugging her tightly as that seemed to be exactly what she needed. What they needed. For a while, they just stood there together, her burying her face in his chest and him in her hair.
"I love you, James," she suddenly confessed, saying those words to him for the very first time and feeling him still in surprise. There was so much she'd wanted to tell him for such a long time now and never seemed to find the right words. Now she nearly laughed at that since it seemed so silly to her. Of course telling him she loved him was enough. At least for now. The time for more would come later.
He didn't answer, he was so surprised and overwhelmed, but she didn't need him to say it back. She already knew what he felt. Next, he pulled away a little and put his hand to her face, leaning forward and kissing her slowly, gently, lovingly.
All the exhaustion seemed to have disappeared, leaving them along with the water falling down as they kissed and pressed against each other, happy to be alive, to be able to be together and relieved they'd made it. Alice didn't protest when James pushed her gently against the wall so she could find some purchase for her back there and then he slid himself home inside her, knowing now that he could, that it was ok, that she'd chosen him and that it hadn't been a mistake between them back in the Dharma village. The memory of the night seemed to be so distant now as though it'd happened ages ago. They needed a reminder.
Their love making was slow and sweet. Their bodies were too tired for anything more and demanded sleep, but sleep would come later. It would be a blissful relaxation, a moment to forget about all the blood and gore and death and just a moment to be together, to stay in each other's arms before they would have to get up the next day and find a way to get back home. Still, this was home. She was his home and he was hers.
Alice drove as fast as she could while trying to get to James in time. She just couldn't let him kill Sawyer. She couldn't really explain the fact that she cared about this man so much already as she'd barely met him the other day, but it was there, inside her. Something was just screaming at her to get to him, to urge herself forward, to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life.
Her phone beeped for the fourth time during her ride and she finally grabbed it and glanced at the screen, disregarding all the missed calls from Jack and then she nearly drove off the road when seeing the texts from her son.
They froze her to the bone.
Mom, where's my real dad?
Mom, I want my real dad.
Where's my dad?
Where's my dad…?
She felt so weird as she read that, as though her brain was immersed in some kind of a fog or was hidden behind a curtain of oblivion, as though she desperately wanted to reach something, to find it there, but couldn't.
Eventually, she just shook her head and kept on driving until she arrived at her destination.
She quickly pulled over and ran out of her car, calling James.
She finally spotted him and was afraid it was already too late as he was standing over an old man who was kneeling on the ground, the barrel of the gun already pressed against Sawyer's forehead.
"James, please, stop!" she screamed and their eyes met in that very moment. She froze, coming to a sudden stop with a loud gasp.
When I was little, my mother had an affair with a conman. He convinced her to invest all of our money… Getting through to people… You're forgiven… I came back for you… You're the only woman I've ever loved… You stood by me no matter what…
It was as though she was seeing her life flashing in front of her eyes, but then again, she wasn't dying, was she? Or maybe she'd already died, she realized, seeing two people who became friends against all odds, seeing James causing her to give up on him just to give him another chance again, seeing him after he murdered Sawyer.
I want you to know that I regret it, Alice. I regret losing my cool. I regret… killing him, because in the end it only made me feel worse like I was truly… becoming him…
She saw him kissing her cheek and saying his goodbye before he followed Locke… jumping off the chopper… saw herself coming back and seeing him again… discovering she had feelings for him… Locke putting a knife to his throat... them leaving… managing to get back to LA… and then life.
You saved me.
"James, please, don't," Alice said it one more time, but now it was different. There was clear recognition and understanding in her voice.
Yet, before he managed to react in any way, they heard someone calling out, "Dad! Dad!" It was David running towards them and Alice was terrified that he saw his father aiming a gun at someone.
James stilled, his eyes opening widely at the recognition of the boy who, Alice remembered that too, was always the apple of his eyes, the only son he had, a child he always tried hard to be the best father for and succeeded with flying colors. She wondered briefly if Grace, their daughter, was also in this realm.
The gun fell down to the ground, forgotten. Sawyer got back to his feet and ran away whereas James got to his knees and spread his arms open as his son ran straight into them. Both the men were crying.
"Oh, my little boy. I missed you so much," James was just whispering into David's ear when hugging the boy tightly.
Alice, finally able to move, came over to them and squatted by them, looking at them both with so much love in her eyes.
"James…"
"Alice…"
Once they all hugged and kissed each other, Alice's phone rang again.
This time it was Shannon.
"Can you come over?" the girl just asked in a changed voice and Alice knew that her friend remembered everything as well.
It'd been two weeks since they'd come home safely. Reuniting Claire with her mother and most importantly, Aaron, was truly a feast for the eyes. They'd all spent a whole day together, just taking, catching up and finally saying goodbye as James and Alice left Claire in her mother's house. What followed wasn't much pleasant as Alice visited Mrs. Shephard on her own and relayed to the woman the whole story lying behind the island. She knew she owed the woman that much and felt so terribly sorry for her that she once again lost her son. Alice didn't even have the heart to tell her that she and Jack had been estranged when they'd gone back to the island and decided to keep James a secret for the time being. They thought they would have to wait until Jack would be pronounced dead since he was already reported missing, but to Alice's and James's surprise, Hugo along with Ben briefly came back from the island, bringing Jack's and Kate's bodies and with the help of Richard whom they helped settle in America and establish a new life, they came up with an accident cover up, so they could arrange for a funeral.
It was truly a very difficult time for Alice, but the news that she quickly received helped her out of the darkness and straight into the light.
As soon as she found out herself, she just needed to tell him, but she was scared out of her mind since she couldn't possibly predict his reaction.
She waited until he got home as he was in training.
"Soon enough you'll be looking at a new officer of LA PD!" James informed proudly when finally getting back and then making his way straight to her to kiss her on the mouth. "Maybe I'll even make a detective!" He decided to enroll into the police force to – as he said it himself – right his wrongs by doing something good for a change. "What's wrong?" he asked then.
"I have a small question, James and I'm kind of afraid of the answer," she admitted when nervously playing with her fingers.
"Well, shoot," he encouraged her. "I'm sure it'll be fine."
"I think I figured out why Jacob crossed me off the list. Why I couldn't be a candidate anymore," she said slowly.
"That wasn't a question," he pointed out with a frown, not really knowing where this was going. "Alice, what's wrong?" he asked again when cupping her face and looking her in the eye. "Baby, stop scaring me and just tell me."
"Are you going to be there?" she asked then and bit on her lower lip, waiting for her answer with bated breath.
"What?" He didn't understand at first. "What are you…?" Then he sucked in a breath and she confirmed, "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father, James."
She still wasn't sure what to expect. They'd never even talked about having children since they'd seemed to barely get together, but it wasn't as though Alice planned this.
His face changed as the truth sunk in and she saw everything there that she'd always wanted to see on a man's face when she would be telling him that she was pregnant. He was overwhelmed, but also so damn happy that it made her feel as though she was drunk on joy. They were going to have a baby. All her dreams were finally coming true. She would have a family, a man who would be there and would love this child with all his might, she knew that. She could read it all from his face.
He pulled her in while laughing happily, hugging her and burying his face in her hair.
"I will be the best father I can possibly be," he promised her then.
"It's all I could ever ask of you," she assured him and then squealed with joy as he lifted her up into the air and spun around.
She wasn't scared anymore. All that mattered was that he wanted this child, the rest would follow, she was sure of it. She could be since she knew this man better than anymore. She'd seen the best and the worst of him and she knew now with perfect clarity what and whom he was. She could rely on him and trust him completely and she knew he would always love her and never abandon her because in the end, this was just who James was, even if he had trouble showing it or believing in it at first.
Maybe in the end she hadn't really known Jack, she realized. She hadn't even had enough time to get to know him before entering a relationship with him. Maybe it'd all happened too soon. Her love for him was like fire ignited at instance, a volcano erupting because he saved her, because he needed her after they cashed on a mysterious island together. Somehow their relationship survived longer, becoming more than just sex as they needed each other to go on and deal with everything. They kept each other sane and grounded back on the island, but somehow weren't able to do the same back home.
Alice's love for James was different. It was stronger, built on more solid foundation. With Jack there was passion and the fire got extinguished with time. Jack hurt her when turning his back on her instead of trusting her with his issues and you should never allow the other person in a relationship to hurt you so much. With James she had stability. She didn't like him at first, but then he grew on her and she actually managed to understand him. She didn't even realize she was falling for him until it was just too late. Now she knew that only James could truly make her happy, that with him she could have the kind of a relationship that could last. And sex? Or boy, was it good…
Jack would never make her truly happy because he had this need to constantly help people and fix things. It was the air he breathed, it was what drove him forward and gave his life meaning and eventually it pushed him to sacrifice himself.
In the end, Jack just wasn't enough to make her happy as they wanted different things from life. Love for James developed slowly over time, creeping up on her until it was too late and she was too deeply invested to ever let go. He'd used to be everything she hated and now he was everything she loved.
Jack might've saved her life, but James saved her soul.
Jack was still shocked after finding out that he had a sister and now he was at some concert she'd given him a ticket to, telling him it was extremely important that he'd go there. She wasn't able to herself since she just went into labor. He wanted to stay with her, not sure what he thought of the whole thing when a weird, blond musician showed up, pushing him off the way. Then Alice called that she had David and she didn't mention anything of returning him to Jack before hanging up, so the doctor just went to that damned concert to maybe get some time just for himself to think.
Only he found out the whole thing was cancelled due to an absent musician.
Just then, when he was shaking his head and nearly laughing since this day had turned out to be so crazy and surreal, it only got more so when a woman called his name.
He didn't know her, but he could swear there was just something about her…
If Alice wasn't entirely sure Shannon remembered everything, she had no doubt now as the blonde opened the door for her, her face in tears. They hugged tightly and then Shannon explained how she met Sayid in Australia and how they came back home immediately. In the end, she also couldn't stop herself from making a few jokes about Alice and Sawyer ending up together and him being that mysterious handsome stranger Alice had been telling her about.
When they found themselves inside, they met with an equally touched Boone. Alice hugged him tightly, overwhelmed by how close they'd seemed to be in this realm. Sayid was also there, nodding at her with a smile on his face before Shannon came back to his side and he put his arm around her.
When Alice and James sat down on the couch, both happy and sad in the same time, she remembered how Shannon died, being shot by Ana Lucia. How Boone had died before that when he'd fallen off that cliff and Jack couldn't fix him. Libby… Sun… Jin… Kate… Kate who died on the island for them all, trying to stop Locke – or maybe the smoke monster since Locke was probably occupying his own body right now, looking for them just like they were looking for him without even knowing it.
"It's time," Shannon eventually said when getting her coat and moving towards the door.
"Kate…" Jack was too emotional to even speak, "I thought you got out… I never thought you…" he stopped and then started to cry, knowing now that she died on the island just minutes before he himself did and he never knew how close she was.
"It's ok. It's ok, Jack. We're here now," she said as she hugged him tightly and he clang to her body.
Why are you here right now?
Why are you here?
This is a place that you made together, so you could find one another…
The most important part of your life is the time you spent with those people.
They needed you and you needed all of them.
Everything is real. Everything that happened to you is real.
Why are we all here right now?
There is no now, here.
To move on. To remember and to let go.
They all gathered in the church, laughing and talking and catching up, waiting for the light to come and take them home. Everyone wanted to get to know Aaron and David and even little Grace who seemed to have finally appeared just because her parents needed her to. Claire, Charlie, Alice and James had a blast of introducing their respective children to those who never got the chance to know them. Alice was especially touched when she spotted Kate and then the door at the back of the church opened and Jack walked out, followed by his father, Christian.
"Jack, it's so good to see you," Alice told him when he finally approached her and James and they all hugged.
"You, too. You, too. And I'm so happy that you got everything you wanted from life," he assured her with a smile and tears in his eyes.
Just like that, they all took their seats and Christian walked towards the door, opening it and letting the light in. Its cleansing warmth bathed them all in happiness. It was the same light they'd once encountered on the island in a very special and sacred place.
And then they finally moved on. Together. Happy.
Alice didn't want to get up just yet. It was Saturday and they could technically sleep in, but she knew that soon enough both David and Gracie would demand their parents' attention and breakfast. Today James promised them all pancakes and even though Alice enjoyed just lying in the warm bed in an even warmer arms of her husband, she kind of couldn't wait for him to cook for the whole family this morning. The first time he'd done that he'd almost burnt every single piece of pancake, but he'd gotten better since. And she always enjoyed the sight of him in his boxers and t-shirt, sleepily moving around the kitchen, trying to make head and tails out of the ingredients and the children running around, interrupting his work and calling him daddy. His hair was always messy during those mornings and she loved that, too. She just loved everything about him as he seemed to be her anchor and the head of the family. She was happy that she didn't have to do it all alone, that they seemed to be equally taking care of their children and just live. That was the best part – living. Sometimes the most simple things gave people the most of happiness and she was grateful every single day to have recognized them and enjoy them.
James groaned through his sleep and then his hold on her tightened, his face fitting in the crook of her neck as he kissed her cheek for good morning.
"How much time do you think we have?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
"Five… four…" Alice started counting down and he complained about that, but she knew he was just teasing. He loved their kids just as much as she did and couldn't wait for them all to barrel straight into the bedroom and jump on the bed. "One…?"
For a moment nothing happened and James laughed, pulling Alice even closer and kissing her lovingly on the mouth.
"Who knows, maybe we're lucky and they're still sleeping and maybe we could…" His hand wandered down to her thigh when suddenly, the door burst open and David with Gracie ran inside with a scream, jumping on the bed.
"Did we surprise you?!" they asked, having clearly been sneaking around in the hall to make the grand entrance.
"Oh, no!" James pretended to be appalled. "What's all those little monsters doin' in our bed?!" Then he started tickling them and they laughed joyfully, the sound a music to their parents' ears.
"Pancakes! Pancakes!" they demanded.
"You wanna pancakes?" James made sure. "Then you shall have pancakes! Lead the way!"
The kids quickly jumped off the bed and he followed, letting them pull him into the hall and then downstairs to the kitchen. James looked back at Alice who was still in bed and she just said, "We'll have to take a bath together later," with a wink.
He smiled right back at her and disappeared with the kids downstairs. Yes, being parents to two 'monsters' made it difficult sometimes to get some time alone, but getting creative was so exciting for both Alice and James that it kept their romance burning hot.
I feel you in the air
Floating through the atmosphere
You're dancing on the stars
You're presence's everywhere
But when I shut my eyes
I see you like you're really there
It's heavy on my heart
When you're not even here
Without you I would fall apart
I'm safe when I am in your arms
And only you can set me free
And only you can save me
Without you I would fall apart
I'm safe when I am in your arms
And only you can set me free
And only you can save me
I can hear your laughter
Echoes in my eardrums
The treble and the base
Kills every inch of pain
The comfort in your voice
Is all I ever need to hear
You take away my fears
I have no other choice
Without you I would fall apart
I'm safe when I am in your arms
And only you can set me free
And only you can save me
Without you I would fall apart
I'm safe when I am in your arms
And only you can set me free
And only you can save me