Ken watched as a crowd formed around the medical tent, glad that Jack's screams of agony had finally stopped. Kali must have knocked him out. He grew uncomfortable as his eyes scanned over the worried faces of the group, wondering who would wait anxiously outside his tent if he was sick. Kali's face was the only one that came to mind. Maybe he could add Juliet to the list now too.
"How's he doing?" Ken called out to Kate, who was pacing a few metres away.
"I...I don't know. They sent me out" Kate sighed, running a hand through her hair.
"He's in good hands. I mean, Juliet said she's assisted in what, three of these procedures before. I think only one of them died, so the odds are in his favour, right?" Ken blurted out, in an attempt to comfort her.
"What are you even doing here?" Kate retorted, as Ken quirked an eyebrow.
"You're not part of this group, Ken. You never will be. So just...just go away" Kate muttered, crossing her arms and turning her back on him.
"Right. Nice speaking to you too" Ken huffed, with a shake of his head.
He hated to admit it, but Kate was right. Maybe Kali was starting to accept him, but the others never would. He was stuck with a group that hated him and had every right to feel that way. He had too much blood on his hands to wash away now, no matter how much he tried—
A sharp cry had Ken's head snapping up, staggering forward on the sand to follow where the sound had come from. A frown grew on his face when he saw baby Aaron wailing in his makeshift cot, a thin blanket covering him, his mother nowhere to be seen. Ken came to loom over the baby, hands hovering over the cot, as he debated what to do.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong?" Ken exclaimed, reaching out to brush his hand over the baby's cheek, feeling how cold his skin was.
"You cold?" Ken asked, looking around from side to side, before reaching out for Aaron.
He pulled him flush against his chest, keeping a firm grip on the baby, making sure to support his head. Aaron was even colder than he first thought. He rocked him gently in his arms as Aaron's cries slowly started to subside, his nose continuing to run.
"You know, you kinda' look like Kali when she was your age. All snotty faced, and big blue eyes. Her mummy wasn't around much either. So, her big brother stepped in. Maybe you'll have one too one day. Better than me probably..." Ken trailed off, rubbing some of the snot off Aaron's cheeks.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ken saw a glimpse of blonde hair, and twisted around to see Claire stumbling toward the trees, following after a man in a suit. Ken's eyes narrowed as he watched the pair disappearing into the treeline, not recognising the man. Pulling off his hoodie, he wrapped Aaron up in the soft fabric and placed him back into the cot, ready to drag the boy's mother back if he had to.
"Claire!" He shouted, jogging over the sand toward the treeline.
"Hey, sneaking off into the jungle in the middle of the night...really not a good idea. Claire?" Ken called out, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness in the jungle.
"Claire?!" He yelled, finding no sign of her.
Suddenly, a high-pitched sound began to echo above him, unlike anything he had ever heard before. He placed his hands over his ears as the pitch increased second by second, like a machine powering up. He fell to his knees as the sound overwhelmed him, mouth hanging agape as a strange light shone on him. It grew brighter and brighter until he could see nothing but white.
Until there was nothing left.
"Wakey, wakey, Doc" Kali's voice echoed through the tent, as Jack's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"...I'm still alive then?" Jack murmured, looking down to where a bandage was covering his lower abdomen.
"I did try to talk Juliet into letting you die, but she just wouldn't listen" Kali smirked, as the woman in question gave her an amused look.
"Any complications?" Jack asked.
"It went as well as it could have seeing as we have barely any equipment or anaesthesia" Juliet shrugged.
"You should make a full recovery as long as you...don't do anything like that..." Kali trailed off, as she watched Jack push himself upright, swinging his legs off the makeshift table.
"I...I need to speak to Kate" He stuttered, as Kali placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, yeah. You two can have your lovey-dovey talk later. You need to rest up. I'm serious" Kali insisted, as Jack ran a hand over his sweaty face.
"Listen to your nurse" Juliet exclaimed, passing him a bottle of water, which he gladly took.
"Sawyer and Claire okay?" Jack asked, taking a small sip of water.
"They survived. Luckier than most. Jack...we're the only ones left from the barracks. They killed everyone else. Alex, Rousseau, Karl...they're all dead" Kali informed him, watching as Jack's face fell.
"How did Ben take it?" Juliet sighed, as Kali gave her a look.
"He lost the only thing I think he ever really cared about. He's...untethered" Kali mumbled.
"Are you hurt?" Jack frowned, only now noticing the large blood stains on her shirt.
"I'm healing up" Kali replied, as Kate came running into the tent, a panicked expression on her face.
"We have a problem. It's Claire...she's missing. And so is your brother" Kate announced, as Kali and Juliet shared a look.
"What the hell are you talking about? He...he was just here. How can he be gone?" Kali insisted.
"I don't know, okay? But no one's seen him or Claire since last night" Kate explained, as fear flashed over Kali's face.
"What about Aaron?" Juliet inquired.
"He's still here. But...he was wrapped up in Ken's hoodie. I think something's happened to them" Kate confessed, as Kali was quickly pushing past her and racing outside.
The sun was just starting to rise in the sky, illuminating the camp as people awoke and emerged from their tents. Kali's eyes darted out, desperately trying to spot her brother. He couldn't just be gone. Not again.
"Hey, hey. Kali, we'll find him, alright?" Sawyer exclaimed, coming into view, with baby Aaron in his arms, his small head laid out against his chest.
"He wouldn't just leave me. He wouldn't" Kali pushed, as Sawyer slowly nodded.
"They didn't leave with any supplies, so they can't have got far. We'll make up a search party, go looking for them—" Sawyer started, when Kali cut him off.
"I'm not waiting" She shook her head, turning on her heel and heading in the direction of the treeline.
"Kali, wait! Wait!" Sawyer called after her, reaching out for her arm.
"He's my brother, James! He's...he's the only family I've got left" She exclaimed, with wild eyes.
"Not the only family" Sawyer reminded her, reaching out to cup her cheek, as her eyes softened.
"I can't just wait here. He could be hurt or..." Kali trailed off, her hands balling into fists.
"We'll go together. If he...oh, son of a bitch" Sawyer gaped, his eyes darting over to something behind Kali's shoulder.
Kali whipped around and felt all the fear and anger wash away instantly. Ken was standing only a few metres away, his hand raised up to wave at her, a sheepish expression on his face. Kali was instantly running toward him, as he held his arms out as if expecting a hug. Instead, he earned a hard slap to the face, causing his head to spin to the side.
"Jesus. Don't hold back, Kal" Ken huffed, rubbing at his sore cheek.
"Where the fuck were you?!" She all but screeched.
"I was looking for your friend. She just wandered off into the night" Ken explained.
"You find her?" Sawyer questioned, as Ken mulled over his words for a moment.
"No. No, I didn't find anything. She's gone" Ken murmured.
"Then where have you been? Kate said you've been gone all night!" Kali pushed, as Ken ran a hand down his jaw.
His jaw that was full of stubble. Kali's forehead wrinkled as she realised, he was wearing different clothes from the night before. The outfit he now wore appeared to be a few decades out of date. Not to mention he had a cut and bruise blossoming on his cheek which certainly hadn't been there the night before. Kate had been right, something was wrong.
"...I got lost" Ken shrugged.
"Lost?" Kali said, in a tone of disbelief.
"You know, you're a pretty shit liar" Sawyer scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Look, I'll explain everything, okay? Just not right now. We need to pack" Ken advised them.
"Pack for what?" Kali frowned.
"It's time to get the hell off this island" Ken announced, his eyes flickering up to Sawyer's.
Kali watched her brother with narrowed eyes as he continued shoving food into his backpack, his gaze flickering up to the sky every now and again. She had rarely seen him so tense. And from the way he was packing, it seemed he didn't think they'd be returning to the beach for some time.
"Why'd you keep looking at the sky?" Kali frowned.
"You want the plain cashews or the honey roasted?" Ken asked, completely ignoring her question.
"I want some goddamn answers. Like where the hell we're going" Kali pushed.
"I told you, we're leaving the island. The helicopter's coming back, but it's gonna' be far from the beach. We need to leave soon if we're gonna' make it" Ken explained, as she gave him a quizzical look.
"Uh, Ken...I don't know if you've forgotten this but I can't leave the island. My bloody head will explode if I even try" Kali whispered, making sure no one else overheard what she said.
"I know. Neither of us is getting on that helicopter. But if you want your boyfriend and the rest of your friends to leave, we've gotta' keep playing this game" Ken informed her.
"...He's never gonna' forgive me" Kali sighed, running a hand over her face.
"He will if he loves you" Ken replied.
"He'll be in danger if he stays here, right? I mean...it'd be selfish if I asked him to stay with me, yeah?" Kali pushed, as Ken's eyes flickered to a blonde across the beach.
"I'm not the guy to ask, Kal. Every decision I've ever made has been selfish" He scoffed.
"Not every decision" Kali murmured, as Ken turned back to her.
"If I could go back to...I would have...hell, I don't know what I'd do differently, but I know I'd try to protect you this time. Keep us together" Ken confessed, as Kali reached out to place her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, we're together now. And until all this shit is over, I'm not letting you out of my sight. You're stuck with me, brother" Kali grinned, as Ken huffed out a laugh, the smile on his face not quite reaching his eyes.
"Will you give me a sec? I just need to speak to Jules" Ken exclaimed, as Kali nodded.
"You better not be sneaking off to make out. We're on a schedule, remember" Kali teased, making him roll his eyes.
He wiped his sweaty hands over his trousers as he approached Juliet, jaw clenched, and shoulders rigid. He stared at her openly as she finally noticed him, sending him a small smile, despite how tired she appeared. Ken opened and closed his mouth a few times, the words he wanted to say dying on his tongue every time he tried to speak.
"The surgery went well. As well as it could with me as lead surgeon. He's lucky that—" Juliet began, but was cut off as Ken suddenly surged forward, pressing his lips to hers.
It took a moment for Juliet to react, but soon she melted into his embrace, reaching out to grip the lapels of his shirt, pulling him closer. She smiled into this kiss as she felt him cup her cheek, his thumb brushing over her skin with a gentleness that was still surprising to her. As they pulled away, her brow furrowed when she saw his eyes were welling with unshed tears.
"What's wrong?" She questioned.
"I'm just...I'm just really glad I met you, Jules" Ken mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Who are you and what have you done with the real Ken?" Juliet mocked, knowing his actions were out of character.
Ken gave no answer, only wrapping his arms around her back in response, his hands shaking a little. Juliet lowered her chin onto his shoulder, smiling into the embrace. She wasn't sure what had brought on the change in the man holding her but it was...nice. It felt good to be wanted.
"I need you to come with me" Ken announced, pulling away from the hug.
"Where?" Juliet inquired.
"We're leaving the island, and I know...I know you're supposed to stay here, but I need to try...maybe I can still change things..." Ken stuttered over his words, as Juliet placed her hand on his chest.
"What are you talking about?" Juliet pushed, in a soft tone.
"You trust me?" Ken questioned, earning a nod from Juliet quicker than either of them expected.
Before she could insist, he tell her more, a strange whirring sound caught their attention, as they looked up at the dark night sky. Juliet's eyes doubled in size as she saw a light blinking in the distance, slowly putting two and two together. Kali and Sawyer were racing to join them, as were the rest of the group, hope coursing through their veins.
"The helicopter" Kali gaped, as the machine finally came into view.
Just as the helicopter flew over their heads, a bag was thrown out of the side, destroying one of their makeshift tents. Kali watched as Jack sprinted forward out of nowhere, not a thought about his fragile sutures, and crouched down to grab the bag. He threw a few books out of the pack before finding a SAT phone inside, which was bleeping loudly, a green dot moving further away from them on the screen.
"I think they want us to follow them" Jack announced, as Kali turned to her brother, who was slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
"Time to go" Ken told her.
"You know, you've done some stupid shit in your time...but trekking through the jungle after having an appendectomy, it's up there, Doc" Kali scolded, as she glared at the man in front of her.
"Yeah, I hear you" Jack sighed, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Maybe we should stop for a minute" Kate suggested, placing her hand on Jack's arm.
"...Five minutes" Jack nodded, as the group slowed to a halt.
Kali shot Sawyer a grateful smile as he passed her a bottle of water, brushing some of her hair away from her sweaty face. Kali saw Juliet slide down a nearby tree, relieved to be off her legs for a few minutes. Her brother loomed over the blonde, biting his lip, clearly wanting to say something to her. She still didn't understand how he seemed to know so much about the helicopter.
"You're bleeding" Kate announced, gesturing to the blood that was pooling under Jack's shirt.
"No, I...I'm not bleeding. I'm suppurating. It's discharge. My body's just fighting the infection around the stitches" Jack retorted, as Kali raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh, cause it looks an awful lot like blood to me. Why don't you lift up your shirt if you're so sure?" Kali insisted.
"I'd do what she says. She can get pretty handsy when she wants to" Sawyer warned, with a smirk, earning an elbow to the ribs from Kali.
"I told everyone back at the camp that I would—" Jack started, but he was quickly cut off by Ken.
"It doesn't matter what you said! If we don't hurry the hell up, no one is getting off this island. So, if you guys are finished arguing, let's go already" Ken pushed, in a strained voice.
"Alright, alright. Keep your panties on" Sawyer huffed, as the group picked themselves up and started to walk on.
"Look, I've been thinking. We don't all need to go to the helicopter, right? Some of us should be looking for Claire. Maybe Juliet and I can—" Kate began, as Ken whipped around to face her.
"No! No, Juliet comes with me, okay? You do what you want, Kate, but you're gonna' regret it if you don't come with us now" Ken explained, as Kate pursed her lips.
"If you're going back you need to decide now, Kate" Kali advised her.
"Jack. I can't...I can't leave without Claire. And Aaron" Kate admitted, as Jack let out a long sigh.
"Be careful. Wait for us on the beach" Jack murmured before the pair embraced.
"This is all very touching. Now, can we get a move on" Ken complained, before storming off further into the jungle.
"What's got into him?" Sawyer scoffed.
"I have no idea" Kali admitted, following her brother nonetheless.
A few hours later, they were finally closing in on the location of the other SAT phone, much to everyone's relief. Jack looked about ready to keel over, not that he'd ever admit to it. Ken had stayed close to Juliet's side after Kate left as if he was expecting her to make a run for it. There was something going on with her brother, and Kali was sick of ignoring it.
"You guys carry on, I need to speak to Ken for a minute" Kali announced, grabbing her brother by his shirt and hauling him backwards.
"You good?" Sawyer frowned.
"Yeah. We'll catch up" Kali insisted, as Sawyer nodded reluctantly and the group continued on their trek.
"You gonna' tell me what's going on or am I gonna' have to hit you again?" Kali muttered, as soon as they were out of earshot.
"We don't have time for this, Kal" Ken retorted.
"Then make time! Because one minute your fine, and the next you go off wandering into the jungle, and return with new clothes and a five o'clock shadow" Kali hissed, watching as her brother clenched her jaw.
"You always were too damn smart for your own good" Ken sighed.
"...You were in the jungle for longer than one night, weren't you?" Kali asked, as Ken avoided her gaze.
"I'll explain everything once we get everyone onto the helicopter, alright? I promise. But if I tell you now...I can't afford to change anything else" Ken explained.
"What does that mean—" Kali was cut off as they heard shouting from the rest of their group.
They rushed after their friends, half expecting the worse, only to come across a helicopter in the middle of a clearing, a bearded middle-aged man handcuffed to a seat, waving his arms at them. Jack raced forward, calling out the man's name, while Ken held her back with a distrustful glare.
"You know this yahoo?" Sawyer inquired, still holding onto the rifle in his hands.
"Yahoo? The name's Lapidus. And this yahoo dropped that phone on you guys so you could find me and I could fly you outta' here. So why don't you do me a favour and get in that back compartment? See if you can find something to get me outta' these things" The man informed them, shaking his cuffed wrist in the air.
"You heard the man" Jack nodded.
"Well, all right. Can I get you boys a nice, cold glass of lemonade while I'm back there?" Sawyer scoffed, but did as he was told, nonetheless.
"Where are Desmond and Sayid?" Jack inquired.
"Your buddies were smart enough to keep their asses on the boat because right now that's the safest place to be. Because when the boys that I brought over here come stomping out of this jungle, you're gonna' want to be long gone" Lapidus warned.
"Where'd they go?" Jack asked, keeping his eye on the treeline.
"They're up by some greenhouse, perched up there, waitin' to snatch Linus" Lapidus went on.
"Riveting stuff, now let's get you out of these handcuffs and fly out of this hellhole" Ken muttered, going to the rear of the helicopter to help Sawyer out.
"Hang on, Shaggy. You said the hit squad's gonna grab Ben Linus? What are they gonna' do with the people that are with him?" Sawyer spoke up, as Kali's eyes widened in realisation.
"Nothin' good" Lapidus shrugged.
"Hugo's with Ben" Kali announced, as Jack's face fell.
"Son of a bitch" Jack sighed, dropping his head into his hands, looking absolutely exhausted.
"Oh no. Don't you dare. Don't even think about it" Ken insisted, knowing exactly what Kali would be thinking.
"I promised him we'd go back for him. I'm not breaking that promise" Kali said, simply.
"So, you'll put your life on the line instead? James' too?" Ken spat out.
"We ain't leaving Hugo" Sawyer told him, coming to stand beside Kali.
"Kal, I am begging you. Don't do this" Ken pleaded, watching as Kali shook her head.
"We'll be back soon, okay? Keep his SAT phone on, we'll call if we run into trouble" Kali stated.
"I'll come with you" Juliet exclaimed, as Ken reached out to grab her hand.
"No. Look, someone needs to protect the helicopter, alright? Stay with me" Ken begged as Juliet's eyes softened.
"He's right. You two stay with Lapidus. Take my gun" Jack interjected, handing Juliet his handgun.
"You come back in one piece, you hear me?" Ken pushed, as Kali gave him a mocking salute.
Ken sat on the co-pilot's seat of the helicopter, his legs shaking restlessly, his eyes never leaving the treeline. It had already been an hour since Kali and the others had left and there was still no sign of them returning. He should have gone with her, he thought to himself. He promised he'd do right by her and now...
"She'll be fine, Ken. She's not a little kid anymore" Juliet explained, coming to stand in front of him.
"She's nineteen. All this shit she's been through, everything else that's gonna' come...I just want to protect her" Ken admitted, as Juliet reached out to touch his shoulder.
"She knows that" Juliet insisted.
"...I have to admit, I was a little surprised you didn't go with her" Juliet mumbled, a moment later, a nervous look in her eye.
"I had to look out for my girl, didn't I?" Ken grinned, pressing a kiss to her hand.
"Is that what I am?" Juliet replied, in a flirtatious tone.
"Did you know who I was when we first met? When Ben had me locked up in the cages?" Ken suddenly blurted out, throwing Juliet off for a moment.
"I did" She nodded.
"You treated me like...well, a human being. You were never scared of me" Ken frowned.
"Did you ever think about hurting me?" Juliet asked, earning a quick shake of his head.
"Then what did I have to be scared of" Juliet pointed out, as Ken's lips quirked into a smile before he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Just as he was about to reply, the SAT phone on the seat next to him began bleeping, and Kali's panicked voice rang through. He reached behind him, insisting for her to slow down, not understanding what she was saying due to the bad connection.
"We've found Hurley...they're coming back to the Helicopter...now!" Kali's voice insisted, through the static.
"Well, that doesn't sound good" Lapidus muttered, from the back where he was still trying to get out of his handcuffs.
"You act like we've never been here, alright? We'll hide out in the trees and wait for the others" Ken advised, grabbing Juliet's hand and pulling her toward the treeline.
"What others?" Juliet pushed.
"Your people. They should almost be here by now" Ken explained, as Juliet's brow furrowed.
"Ken...how do you know that? How did you know about any of this?" Juliet questioned, as he pulled her into a dense bush, placing his finger to his lips.
In just a few minutes, the clearing turned into chaos, with Keamy and his men returning to the helicopter, only for Kate to come running out of the bushes. Little did the men know, she was a distraction and was there to get Ben to safety. The Others jumped out of the trees, picking Keamy's men off one by one, as Kate grabbed Ben and they began sprinting into the jungle.
"Stay here" Ken whispered, as Juliet gave him a look.
"I'm coming with you" Juliet replied, reaching out to grab his hand.
"I forgot how stubborn you can be" Ken huffed, as the two watched Keamy running off after Ben.
They were fast on his heels when Sayid appeared out of nowhere and tackled the man to the ground. Keamy and Sayid fought brutally for a few minutes, with Sayid managing to grab the soldier's knife and plunged it into his chest. But Keamy soon got the upper hand, and threw Sayid onto his back, using a nearby branch to strange their friend. Two loud gunshots rang out through the jungle, as Keamy's blood spurted over Sayid's face, having been shot by Ken. Juliet rushed forward to help pick Sayid up, looking him over for injuries. Ken moved to loom over Keamy, whose eyes were shut tight.
"I suggest you play dead. And run far, far away from here" Ken hissed, before kicking the man in the head, knocking him out.
"Is everyone alright?" Kate called out, approaching them, with Ben following close behind.
"He's dead. Sorry, it had been such a quick death, Ben. I'm sure you would have loved to see him suffer" Ken muttered, stepping away from Keamy's body, watching as Ben's eyes darkened.
Whether he knew Keamy was still alive or not, Ken didn't know. Not that it really mattered. The lives of everyone on the boat depended on Keamy's heart continuing to beat, and he wanted to at least give them a fighting chance. Jacob would have to understand that.
"It doesn't make sense. Why would Ben just let us leave?" Kate pointed out, as they trudged back toward the helicopter after separating from Ben and his people.
"Doesn't matter now, Kate" Ken told her, his eyes darting around the jungle.
"Hey! Sayid! Kate!" A familiar voice called out, as the group whipped around to see Hurley bounding toward them.
"Good to see you, dude" Hurley grinned, as he and Sayid embraced quickly.
"Kali!" Ken called out, rushing over to his sister, gripping onto his shoulders.
"Don't worry, I brought her back in one piece, as promised" Sawyer grinned.
"Time to go home" Jack announced, as the group nodded, increasing their pace to make it back toward the helicopter.
"Sayid, how'd you get here?" Kali gaped, when she spotted him.
"I came over on a boat from the freighter. We're gathering people on the beach" Sayid explained, as Kali's smile grew wider, as they arrived in the clearing that the helicopter had landed in.
Ken's eyes immediately fell on Lapidus, who was placing his headset on, appearing ready to take off at any moment. He watched as the man muttered something under his breath, before forcing a smile on his face, calling over to the group. Suddenly, Ken wished he had never left their pilot alone. There were half a dozen bodies surrounding the helicopter, what was left of Keamy's men, their guns and unused grenades littered around the clearing. Kali reached out to grab Sawyer's hand, her heart beating madly in her chest as she realised she had a choice to make. How far was she willing to take her ruse? Would Sawyer really get on the helicopter without her? As she looked up at his beaming smile, she knew the answer.
Not a chance.
"We're going home, blue eyes. We're finally going home" He exclaimed, as she squeezed his hand.
"Let's not miss our flight then" She replied, dragging him forward.
"Do you want to stop off at the beach to pick up Charlotte and Daniel?" Jack questioned Lapidus, as Kate helped pull him up into the back of the helicopter.
"...No. No, that's alright. We can come back for them" Lapidus stated, with narrowed eyes.
"How did you get out of your handcuffs?" Kali frowned, her gaze falling on the broken cuffs still attached to one of the backseats.
"You getting in or not, Kali?" Lapidus asked, as she raised eyebrow, but pulled herself up into the helicopter regardless.
Sawyer was the next to jump in, sitting next to Kali, looking more hopeful than she had seen him in a long time. Ken stayed motionless a few metres away, his gaze hardening, jaw clenched almost painfully. He looked down at one of the fallen soldiers, crouching down and picking something up, just out of Juliet's line of sight.
"She never told him her name" Ken mumbled under his breath, quiet enough so only Juliet could hear.
"What?" She frowned, but Ken was jogging over to Sayid, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"You know how to fly a helicopter?" Ken hissed, as Sayid gave him a confused look.
"Years ago—" Sayid began, but Ken was quick to cut him off, leaning close to whisper something in Sayid's ear.
"On my signal" Ken murmured, ushering Sayid to jump into the co-pilot seat.
He then turned back to Juliet, a sad smile growing on his lips as he approached her. He surprised them both as he suddenly pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, tears welling in his eyes which he was quick to blink away. A sinking feeling grew in Juliet's stomach as she felt his hands shake against her back.
"You were always the best thing that ever happened to me, Jules. Don't forget that" Ken whispered, as the blonde pulled away.
"Ken, what is going on?" Juliet asked, beginning to panic.
"...I love you" He replied, before pulling her into a kiss, stopping her from questioning him further.
"Leave the bomb alone. Promise me. Promise me you won't do it" Ken pushed.
"Do what?" Juliet questioned, with wide eyes.
"It'll make sense after...just promise me now. Swear on my life" Ken insisted, as Juliet opened and closed her mouth a few times.
"I...I promise" She exclaimed, as he reached down to grab both her hands, pulling them up to press a soft kiss to the back of her hands.
"Take care of my sister" He mumbled, before ushering her onto the helicopter, their conversation having earnt them a few strange looks.
"Ken?" Kali called out to her brother.
Running a hand over his face, he approached the brunette, whose legs were hanging out of the helicopter, looking ready to jump out if he wasn't coming with her. She grabbed onto the collar of his shirt as he approached, pulling him close to her as she whispered something.
"How did he get out of the handcuffs?" Kali pushed, once again looking at the cuffs on the ground, which had been all but shattered.
"It's not gonna' make sense right now, but in time...you'll understand. I have to do this" Ken told her, as she shook her head.
"Do what?!" Kali cried, panic coursing through her veins.
"This is why Jacob brought me here. I thought it was save you but...this was always what I was meant to do. To do the right thing. I'm gonna' save the whole goddamn world" Ken told her, with a sad smile.
"No. You're coming with us. Just...just get in the helicopter—" Kali began, but Ken was quick to cut her off.
"You have to live, okay? I know you don't want to but one day, it'll be easier. One day, you'll want to live. And you have to hold on to that, just like I have" Ken went on.
"I'm taking us up in thirty seconds" Lapidus' voice warned, as Ken's hands balled into fists.
"Thank you" He exclaimed, leaning forward to press a kiss to Kali's forehead.
"For what?" She frowned, as he reached up to place his hand over hers which was still gripping onto his shirt.
"For giving me a second chance" Ken smiled, before pulling her hand away from his shirt.
"Do me a favour, James? Don't let her go, eh?" Ken called out, as Sawyer gave him a questioning look.
Everything that happened next was in slow motion for Kali. One second her brother was standing in front of her, and then the next he was holding his gun out, aimed at Lapidus. Shouts of panic erupted all around her as a bullet whizzed through Lapidus' chest, and out his back, shattering the glass at the front of the helicopter. With their pilot bleeding and in shock, Ken reached up and dragged Lapidus out of the helicopter, where he fell into the mud below. Sayid was jumping into the pilot's chair in a split second, sharing a nod with Ken before he brought the blades above their heads whirring to life. Kali watched in horror as Lapidus pulled himself upright, glaring at Ken, who sent more bullets at the man.
One.
Two.
Three.
Lapidus barely flinched at the gunshots, hardly any blood spilling out of his wounds. Kali was on her feet a moment later, ready to jump out of the helicopter, when Sawyer grabbed her waist, dragging her back. She fought against him as she watched Lapidus lunge forward and pulled the gun out of Ken's hand, who had seemingly run out of bullets.
"I'm not letting you leave this island" Ken announced, over the sound of the helicopter blades whirring.
"You always have been a thorn in my side, Ken..." Lapidus trailed off, before sending the handle of the gun down on Ken's face.
Kali let out a scream as she watched her brother stumble backwards, blood pouring down from the wound on his scalp, just as Lapidus struck him again. Juliet lunged forward to help Sawyer keep her in the helicopter, both of them having to use all their strength to keep their grip on her. Juliet closed her eyes, unable to look as the man who just told her he loved her was brutally beaten. She had promised to take care of his sister. That's what he would have wanted her to do, Juliet insisted to herself.
Ken's knees gave out after the third blow to his face, his vision clouded by the blood dripping into his eyes. His mouth hung agape as he found it was no longer Lapidus standing over him, but a far more familiar face.
"B-billy..." He stuttered, his eyes connecting with brown eyes that used to shine when he saw him.
"Not quite" The man grinned back at him.
Everyone on the helicopter stared in shock as they saw Kali's former friend was now somehow standing where Lapidus had been just moments before. Everything slowly fell into place for Kali, her blood running cold.
It wasn't a man attacking her brother. It was the thing that had used Mikhail's voice at the Looking Glass. That had mocked her before using Billy's form. And they had almost helped the creature get off the island.
Sayid desperately flipped switches on the control panel, noticing how Billy had turned back toward the helicopter. He could hear cries coming from the back, telling him to take off as Billy began stumbling toward the helicopter. Sayid's eyes went wide as he saw Ken lunge forward and grab onto Billy's leg, clawing at him hopelessly. Billy kicked him away with ease, barely giving him another look, his gaze set firmly on Sayid.
"Ken!" Kali shouted, as Sayid pulled up the joystick and the helicopter began to hover in the air.
Billy let out a pained growl, looking down to see Ken had pulled a pocketknife out and slammed it into his ankle, causing a small line of blood to run over his shoes. He dragged the blade out of his skin, and plunged it into the younger man's chest, ignoring the screams coming from the helicopter.
"I hear you've been speaking to my brother" The man announced, grabbing a fistful of Ken's hair and forcing him to look up at him.
"Whatever choices you make...you'll always end up here. There's always going to be someone to stop you...you lose" Ken mumbled, spitting out the blood-forming in his mouth.
"You...are...nothing. How could you hope to stop me?" The man mocked, as he grabbed Ken but the collar of his shirt and pulled him up onto his shaky legs.
Ken watched from behind his attacker's shoulder as the helicopter rose higher in the air, the sound from the machine, not quite loud enough to drown out Kali's screaming. He frowned as he realised, he no longer felt any fear or pain...he felt the calmest he had since he had stepped foot on the island.
"With my happy-go-lucky attitude..." Ken trailed off, shoving his hand against the man's chest, something hard in his palm.
"And this fucking grenade" Ken spat out, pulling the pin out of the weapon, watching as the man's face turned white.
Kali let out a blood-curdling cry as she watched the explosion, her brother's body disappearing from her view. She screamed and screamed even as they rose above the trees, feeling Sawyer's arms tighten around her. She only stopped when her throat dried up, and no more sounds could come out. She shut her eyes and waited for the death that she knew would come once they left the island. She would welcome it.
Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry about the slight hiatus, I'm starting a new job soon so I've been very busy lately. I definitely lulled you into a sense of security before everything went crazy at the end, didn't I? Don't worry if not everything makes sense right now with Ken, it will all be revealed next chapter, though I expect some of you might have figured it out. As for Lapidus/Billy in this chapter, he is in fact, the Man in Black. You can probably already guess what happened to the real Lapidus unfortunately. Please leave a review:)
Guest: Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the suspense:)
scripturient321: And it just got more intense with this chapter! Poor Sawyer and Kali haven't had much luck recently. Thanks for reviewing:)
johnsonsweett: Thank you so much for all your sweet reviews:) It really means a lot to know this story still means so much to you! And don't worry, there will be more Juliet/Ken in the future, but that's all I can say without spoiling everything, haha. I really hope you liked this chapter!