Part 352: Merry Christmas Part 2

Aaron rested in his carrier as the evening proceeded on. Claire smiled as she shook her baby gently, helping him to sleep. She was amazed that he could even sleep in the middle of the room with all the ruckus of conversation around him. Then someone gently set a cup of punch in front of her. Charlie smiled as she sat down next to her. “Merry Christmas, Claire.” He smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Charlie.” She said, toasting his cup of punch.

“How is the wee little one?” he inquired.

“Pretty good actually. I am amazed he can sleep.” She pointed out.

“Babies have a way of drowning out background noises. Some times I wished I could do that.”

Claire sipped on her punch and then looked at the man that took care of her. Back on the Island, he saved Aaron’s life twice. Got him back from Rousseu and even prevented Embry from shooting him just cause Aaron was crying too loud. The blonde Australian looked at the musician and smiled. “Charlie?” she grinned.

“Yeah?” he said, his eyebrows going up. He admitted to himself he loved the look she gave him at times.

“Remember back on the Island, when you said Aaron and I could stay at your place until we got on our feet?”
“Yeah?” he felt his heard racing.

“Is the offer . .still good?”

“Oh, hell yeah!” he laughed, which made Claire giggle too, “I got a loft down town. It’s more than enough space for you and Aaron cause I was using it as a recording studio as well.”

“Thank you, Charlie,” she said, gently kissing him the lips, “My hero.”

“I try,” he smiled.

Charlie couldn’t describe the feeling Claire gave him. He was able to protect her on the Island and now, would he be able to protect her here in the real world too? He wasn’t entirely sure but he was going to try . Taking care of himself was easy; taking care of himself, a woman and her baby might be a bigger challenge. Before he could say anything else, a rift of a familiar song began to echo over the speakers. It was incredibly familiar to the bassist.

He wrote it.

“You’ve got to be sodding kidding me.” He murmured.

“YOU ALL EVERYBODY!!” Seth screamed over the Karaoke machine.

The whole crowd laughed in an uproar. Charlie buried his face in his hands then opened two fingers to look through. His goofy friends Seth and Hurley were attempting to sing his song. Even Joscelyn had joined in, but she couldn’t see cause she was laughing the majority of the time.

I walk around my town
Watch the people come and go
I watch them up and down
And I see what they don't know
They have given up on me
I can see it in their eyes
Well, I have given up on you
And I think you should realize

You all, everybody
You all, everybody
I don't like you stupid people
Wearing expensive clothes
You all everybody
You all, everybody

Charlie just shook his head and then leaned over, kissing Claire on the cheek. “Be right back,” he smiled.

“Go get’em, Charlie!” she applauded.

The crowd applauded Charlie as he worked his way through them toward his friends at the Karaoke machine. “Step on up, Mr. Pace!” Seth laughed.

“There is no bloody way I am going to let you butcher my song.” The bassist laughed.

Seth put his arm around his good friend as the lyrics rolled onto the monitor. Charlie just laughed even harder, cause he didn’t need them.

You all everybody

I know you see what I have been
And compare with what I am
But I don't care now what you've seen
I'm just doing what I can
You say you've given up on me
And you say it like I should care
Well I have given up on you
And no, I don't want to “share”

You all, everybody
You all, everybody
I don't like you stupid people
Wearing expensive clothes
You all everybody
You all, everybody

Mandy, Taylor and Shannon got in front of them and began to dance to the beat. The crowd gave out another roar when Andra and Flower joined them.

You all everybody

And will you get the message now?
When I cross my heart and shout it out damn loud?

You all, everybody
You all, everybody
I don't like you stupid people
Wearing expensive clothes
You all everybody
You all, everybody

You all, everybody
You all, everybody
I don't like you stupid people
Wearing expensive clothes
You all everybody
You all, everybody


The group screamed, laughed and applauded after it was over. Charlie embraced Hurley and then embraced Joscelyn. The man laughed as he and Seth hugged. “I’ll never forget this, Seth.” The bassist laughed.

“Baby brother,” the singer laughed, “This is only the beginning.”

Seth walked away and Charlie froze. The only one that ever called him baby brother was Liam. He knew Seth probably didn’t mean anything by it; just a little nickname cause Charlie was shorter than him. However, the more he heard Seth’s words over and over again in his head, the more he liked the sound of it. Cause it wasn’t just a con; it wasn’t just a sentence. There was real brotherly love behind it. More than Liam ever gave him.

No matter what Turboshaft did, he knew Seth wouldn’t ever stab him in the back.


The night continued to droll on. There wasn’t anybody singing at the moment but they did press the Karaoke Master 3000 to the Motels Only the Lonely. The majority of the couples danced to the soulful tune. Shannon rested her head on Sayid’s chest as they swayed. Arizona did the same on her husband’s shoulder. Jenny was watching Aaron as Charlie and Claire finally got the chance to dance. Mia even gave her adoptive father Locke a twist or two around the danced floor.

Jack walked over to Tony who as resting on one of the benches against the far wall. The blind man then readjusted his head as he felt someone approaching. “Jack?” he asked.

“Its scares the hell out of me every time you do that.” He said, offering the blind man some more punch.

“How do you think I feel?” he grinned.

“How are you doing, Tony?”

“We’re home, Jack,” the doctor sipped on his punch, “I may have lost my sight but I got a beautiful fiancé and friends for life out of the deal. I’d say it all evens out.”

“That is so true.” Jack leaned back, propping his foot up on a nearby chair.

“Have you contacted your mother yet?”

“Yeah, I called her. She’s . . .she’s still in shock about them leaving dad’s body behind. I’ve promised her I’ll be seeing her shortly but I wanted to make sure everybody else was okay first.”

“You’re a good man, Jack.”

“I try.” He chuckled. Jack sipped on his punch and then looked back to Tony. “So, is it safe to assume they are going to revoke your license?” he asked.

“They already have.” Tony whispered.

“What?” his fellow doctor gasped, “You mean, they’ve already bothered to-“

“Some Christmas present, huh?” the blind man smirked.

“I am so sorry, Tony.”

“Don’t be, Jack. Like I told ya, I got a lot out of the deal. No matter what happens, I am happy. Besides, with a little luck, I’ll get my license back one day.”

“If you need help talking to eye specialists, you let me know.” Jack assured him.

“Thanks, man. I will probably take you up on that.”

“Jack.” Kate said, as she walked over.

“Hey, Kate,” he smiled, “What’s up?”

“Dance with me?” she asked bluntly.

Before Jack could say anything, Tony reached over and took his punch from him abruptly. “Yes, he will,” the blind doctor answered for him.

Jack chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. He stood up and took Kate’s hand as she lead him to the dance floor. The new song was Sade’s Smooth Operator. Kate gently wrapped her arms around the doctor’s neck and began to sway with him. Jack said nothing; he just stared into her eyes. He was afraid he would become lose in them but he didn’t want to say anything. This might be the only night they every have together. He wanted to cherish every second with her on the dance floor.

Seth finished his shots with Micheal and Dutch, coughing. The surfer patted him on the back as they were going to do their best to continue. “Hey, Seth,” Mia called.

“Yeah, sis?” he asked.

“Step out side for a second,” she motioned, “I want to discuss some stuff with you.”

“Coming,” he replied, downing his last shot.

As the two friends walked over toward the exit/entrance of the room, Mia motioned for Shanna to follow them. She kissed Flower on the cheek and then walked over to join her sister and brother. As she went to the exit, a gentle hand grabbed her arm. “Whoa, whoa, Cherry,” Sawyer said, “Don’t break my heart and tell me you are leaving.”

“We’re just going to step out for a second, Sawyer,” Mia giggled, “We’ll be right back.”

“We promise.” Shanna assured him.

Sawyer smiled and then put both hands on each of Shanna’s arms, pulling her forward. The redhead’s eyes went wide for a moment wondering what he was doing. The southern man kept his wicked smile for a second then flashed his eyes upward. The redhead in his arms looked up and then smiled, rolling her eyes.

High above them in the doorway was mistletoe.

“Ain’t got no choice now, Cherry Pie.” He smiled.

Shanna giggled and then leaned up, kissing them. Sawyer wrapped his arms around her, getting an even deeper kiss. She giggled as he pulled her close and then gently parted. The redneck looked at her and smacked his lips. “You taste better every time I kiss you.” He grinned.

“Oh, stop it,” she laughed, trying to hide her blushing.

As Shanna left his arms, Sawyer looked to Mia. He pointed to her and then pointed toward the mistletoe. “Your turn, Pocahontas.” He smiled.

Mia rolled her eyes and then walked over, leaned up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “You goon,” she laughed, as she walked away.

Sawyer smiled then stopped when Seth walked over toward him. The singer looked up toward the mistletoe and then toward the redneck. “You ready for me, hot stuff?” he asked.

“Boy, get out of my face before you lose some teeth.” Sawyer laughed, shoving him back.

Mia and Shanna laughed at their adoptive brother, as it always seem that Seth always got the last laugh over Sawyer. Mia took his hand and then took the hand of the redhead next to her. She walked them away from the loudness of the room, down the hallway to the railing; overlooking the main lobby.

She had some things to discuss with them.

Part 351: Merry Christmas Part 1

Kate looked around her room window. She was amazed at the generosity of the government, providing them with vehicles, clothing and for a select few, she heard they had even provided houses. The fugitive wondered how long she could linger. The honest truth was she didn’t want to leave. She liked being with these people; people who had accepted her for who she was, not based on her actions. In a life and death situation, who were they to judge her? Then her thoughts were interrupted by her door opening. Sawyer poked his head and smiled when he found her. “Brooding, Freckles?” he grinned.

“Whoever it was that raised you,” she grinned, “Didn’t they teach you to knock?”

Sawyer looked upward, thinking for a second. “NO.” he smiled.

Kate just shook her head. She knew the redneck would never change. Sawyer slowly walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked at the bed and noticed the small luggage on the edge of it. It looked very packed. “About to head out, Kate?” he asked.

“I don’t want to.” She admitted.

“Well, hell, Freckles, I don’t want you to either but we talked about this . . .you gotta.”

“Maybe . . maybe I should turn myself in. I can . ..I can tell them about the circumstances of why I-“

“It’s too late for that,” the redneck approached her, “You’ve been running for too long. Your best bet is to let them assume you have died in the crash. Unless they are coming to check you out anyway, you got that working to your advantage.”

“But don’t be stupid?” she sighed.

“Right, play it safe. You need to leave . . .well . . .after the party.”

Kate raised an eyebrow. “What party?” she said.

“Our Christmas Party, darlin,” the southern man cooed, taking her by the hand, “You didn’t think you’d get out of here without helping us celebrate Christmas, did you? Besides, your present is up there.”

“My present?” the fugitive grinned, “Sawyer, what have you done?”

“Ain’t me. It’s Eddie.”

“Eddie?” she blinked.


Inside one of the massive rooms on the second floor, sat most of the survivors. They had decided to have a party all their own. It was to help them celebrate their lives together and how close they had all become. The room they were in was indeed designed for parties, like birthdays or wedding receptions. The staff had left the group with plenty of punch, snacks and a bar filled with liquor. Micheal had taken it upon himself to be the bartender, manly to make sure his son didn’t try to help himself to anything other than punch.

Marita had spent some time talking with Yolanda. They wondered what they were going to do as they understood they were out of a job. The black woman said she had time to figure it out and was going to enjoy spending time with Micheal and Walt in New York City. Marita promised to call her often and even bring Tony and her to visit from time to time.

Claire was doing her best to comfort Charlie. The musician thought his brother would come visit him once he learned that he was alive. All he got was a phone call, to have Liam express his happiness to his brother. Charlie was hoping for more. Seth patted him on the shoulder as he walked by. The bassist tried to perk up his spirits; Liam still only thought about himself but he was now surrounded by people who cared about him. Plus Charlie proved he could take care of people by helping Claire and Aaron back on the Island. The young Australian woman then placed the baby in his arms. He rolled his eyes, as he knew that Claire would know holding Aaron would perk him up.

Eddie pointed his disposable camera and snapped a picture of them. They laughed as he zoomed over to the Spartans and did the same thing. Walt looked confused about what he was doing. Eddie then put his arm around the black boy and held his camera out, taking a picture of them together. The two kids playfully pushed each other off as he went around, taking more and more pictures of everybody else. When his mother finally walked into the room, he laughed; taking her picture. She blew him a kiss and then walked over to the other side of the room, where Tony and Marita were. “Merry Christmas, Barbara,” Marita said.

“Merry Christmas you two,” the older redhead sat next to the blind man.

“How are you holding up?” Tony inquired.

“Very good, all things considered,” she sniffed, “I truly wished my husband was here . .but certain things could not be avoided, right?”

Tony put his hand on the older woman’s leg. “You’ll always remember and love him, Barbara,” he whispered, “You won’t forget him. That is enough.”

“I just wish . . .our last words were not spoken in anger. I wish . . .I could have told him so much more.”

“We understand, Barbara,” Marita assured her.

“Well,” she said, wiping her small tears, “I just wanted to tell you how much you two have meant to me. For watching over Eddie when he thought I was dead. Now, if you two were to sign this document, you’d give me the perfect Christmas present.”

Barbara handed Marita the document and Tony took off his blind man’s glasses. He could see blurry images enough to sign his own name but the reason for the document made him curious. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a legal document that makes you and Marita, Eddie’s guardians,” she smiled.

“Oh, Barbara, “ the Latina gasped.

“If something, God forbid, should happen to me, I want you two to look after him like you already have,” she assured them, “Plus, I’ll be responsible for Edward’s financial affairs now, so I don’t know if I will be around all the time. Should he need anything, I don’t want there to be any legal trouble for you helping him.”

“It’s an honor,” Tony said, signing his name.

“Yes, we’d be more than happy to look after Eddie, “ Marita then signed her name, “ But nothing is going to happen to you, you hear me?”

“Of course,” Barbara laughed.

“Now, lets enjoy our special Christmas Party,” the blind doctor told her.

The group continued their conversations and laughter. Kate and Sawyer finally walked in and Jack greeted them both. “Thanks for bringing her,” he patted the southern man on the back.

“You just remember I get her later,” he said, playfully shoving him back.

“What the hell does all that mean?” Kate laughed.

“JACK! KATE!” Eddie laughed, “Say Cheesy!”

“Cheesy?” Jack chuckled.

Kate then grabbed him and hugged him deeply, smiling like an idiot on purpose. Eddie took the picture and laughed. “Perfect!” he giggled as he ran away.

Kate was about to stop him, wondering what this gift was that the little boy had for her, since that was what Sawyer said. Jenny then brought over some punch for both of them. Jack smirked, since it seemed everybody was going out of their way to make sure the doctor and the fugitive had time together. Even Jilly was no where to found. Was it truly to be their last night together?

Taylor walked over to the main counter at the far end of the room where her “sisters” Mandy and Shannon were. Both blondes were sipping the punch, since they didn’t want to give Mandy any alcohol of any kind. Taylor sipped on her punch and smiled at her friend. “Oh, no,” Mandy giggled, “I know that kind of smile. She’s up to something, Shannon.”

“What did you do, Taylor?” the tall blonde giggled.

“It’s settled. McKay and I are crashing Tony and Marita’s trip to Las Vegas.” She smiled, “John and Mia are going too, so we’ve decided to make it a wild party get-together. I want you to come along and you and Sayid are welcomed too, Shannon.”

“Wait a second,” Mandy giggled, “Tony and Marita are going to Las Vegas to get married. That’s all they talked about on the boat over here. Why are you and McKay going?”

“Well, McKay and John are going to be Tony’s best men,” Taylor then put his arm around Mandy, “And I want my best friend to be my maid of honor.”

“Matron . .” the blondes eyes went wide, “You and McKay are . .are gonna . .”

“Taylor McKay,” the Californian cooed, “It’s got a nice ring to it.”

Mandy and Shannon screamed, hugging the girl at the same time. They all three jumped up for joy briefly. McKay looked at them from across the room, and smirked; knowing full well why they were so happy. After they calmed down, Taylor laughed and sipped some of Mandy’s punch. She then looked at the monitor screens embedded in the counter. There were five of them, all in a row. “What is this?” she asked her friends.

“We were just trying to figure that out.” Shannon pointed, “I think it might be a display monitor for like meetings and stuff.”

“Where is the power button?” Mandy kneeled down, looking below the counter. She then saw a red button with the familiar power symbol on most monitor computer. The young woman grunted as she leaned down and pressed it in. Lights began to flicker on the counter, then the screens came to life. They slowly produced a soft light, then a sentence flashed by them in giant yellow words. “Karaoke Master 3000?” Mandy gasped.

Then sliding panels came out and produced several rows of microphones. “Oh, My God, “ Shannon laughed, “It’s a karaoke machine!”

“Nope, “ Taylor gleamed, “It’s THE karaoke machine.”

Mandy leaned over and pressed the user friendly panel for SONGS. A large listing of a massive database of songs slid over the computer monitor. She continued to flip through them over and over. Then she stopped on one particular song. “Oh, wow,” she pointed toward Taylor, “You want to sing that for McKay?”

The blonde smirked, gently biting her lip. “Let’s sing it . . .for all of them.” She grinned.

The three blondes then began to work their way around the room. They started to grab every female they could find. Mia was confused as Mandy brought her to the front of the room. Shannon took Joscelyn and Yolanda with her, while Taylor brought Libby and Kate with her. Marita, Natasha and Shanna walked over to see what the commotion was about. The girls then motioned for Claire, Ana-Lucia and the rest to join them. Mia then tried to run away when she realized they were going to sing a song but Shanna grabbed her by the arm and held her steady.

John sat down next to his blind friend and McKay sat down next to them. “Uh . .what’s going on?” asked Tony.

“I think we are about to serenaded.” John smirked, raising an eyebrow.

The music started to pillow over the loud speakers. Micheal grossed his eyes and looked at the ladies. Jin blinked at the act, making Seth chuckle. Taylor picked up one of the microphones and looked toward her fiancé. “This song is dedicated,” she then pointed to Jack, Sawyer, Seth and Dutch, “To all those handsome boys who kept us safe on the Island.”

Hal smiled from ear to ear, and Locke just laughed as he sipped on his bourbon. The music started to echo from loudspeaker to loudspeaker. The majority of the men in the room recognized the song as En Vogue’s Don’t Let Go. Taylor opened up the singing, while the rest of them joined her.

What’s it gonna be
Cuz I can’t pretend
Don’t you wanna be more than friends
Hold me tight and don’t let go
Don’t let go
Have the right to loose control
Don’t let go

Taylor picked up the microphone and pointed directly to McKay.

I often tell myself
That we could be more than just friends
I know you think that if we move to soon
It would all end
I live in misery when you’re not around
And I won’t be satisfied ’till we’re taking those vows

The last line drew a round of applauses and cheers toward the Australian. He laughed, covering his mouth and trying to hide the blushes on his face. The girls picked back up the chorus again.

There’ll be some lovemaking,
heartbreaking,
soul shaking loveeeeee
Oh, lovemaking, heartbreaking, soul shaking

What’s it gonna be
Cuz I can’t pretend
Don’t you wanna be more than friends
Hold me tight and don’t let go
Don’t let go
Have the right to loose control
Don’t let go

This time Marita took one of the microphone and looked toward Tony. John immediately started to elbow his friend.

I often fantasize
The stars above are watching you
They know my heart and speak to yours
Like only lovers do
If I could wear your clothes
I’d pretend I was you and lose control

Tony raised his head and smiled at the lyrics. The guys drew another round of applause toward the ladies. They broke off into the chorus yet again.

There’ll be some lovemaking,
heartbreaking,
soul shaking loveeeeee
Oh, lovemaking, heartbreaking, soul shaking
What’s it gonna be
Cuz I can’t pretend
Don’t you wanna be more than friends
Hold me tight and don’t let go
Don’t let go
Have the right to loose control
Don’t let go

Mandy then picked up the mind and aimed her seductive eyes toward Alexander. The blonde boy stared at her with wide eyes, mesmerized once again by her beauty. She closed her eyes and sang with her heart.

Running in and out my life has got me so confused
You gotta make the sacrifice
Somebody’s got to choose
We can make it if we try for the sake of you and i
Together we can make it right

The ladies came back again, singing directly from their souls.

What’s it gonna be
Cuz I can’t pretend
Don’t you wanna be more than friends
Hold me tight and don’t let go
Don’t let go
Have the right to loose control
Don’t let go

The men then stood up and gave them all a standing ovation. Tony cheered for his love, singing him a song. John laughed that Mia was embarrassed over her singing ability and gave her a hug to reassure her. Shanna laughed with Flower as she didn’t know to get the words right but still managed to sing. Alexander came over to congratulate Mandy on her beautiful voice. She stopped him by softly kissing him on the lips. Shannon hugged her boyfriend Sayid and looked at the blonde. She wasn’t upset that she was kissing him; she knew she loved Boone and could tell she was falling for Alexander as well. It was best she wasn’t alone. It was truly a magical Christmas party.

And it wasn’t over yet.

Part 350: Karleigh's Other Half

Dutch slowly walked down the stairs. He was getting sick of waiting for the elevator but he knew their would be people waiting to see him. He wondered if Surf Magazine was going to interview him. If here was any publication he would like to talk to it, it would be the one he’s read all his life.

Either that or Sports Illustrated.

Dutch opened the door and proceeded out. There was still a group of people with cameras and TV camcorders hoping for any glimpse of the survivors. The surfer made his way through the lobby and then stopped when a group of young women wanted his autograph. He didn’t think he was that famous but he admitted he enjoyed the attention. He stopped signing when the good looking black girl wanted him to sign her shorts.

Dutch walked back over to the restaurant and bar area, looking for his good friend. He was happy when he found him but wasn’t expecting him to be found in such a state. “Hey, Hal,” he smirked.

The cop was adjusting his tie. “Hey, Ian.” He grunted.

“You .uh . . planning on hanging yourself?” he chuckled.

“I’ve never felt comfortable in a tie. Even back at the department, I wear casual clothes.”

“Why are you dressed up, anyway?”

“Libby scored an interview with People Magazine.” Hal pointed over to the far side of the lobby, “when they learned that she and I were a couple, they wanted to interview us both; about strangers finding love on the Island.”

“No kidding?” the surfer chuckled.

Dutch paused for a second looking at Libby. The beautiful therapist was talking with a group of people, all with hand-held tape recorders. Seeing her only reminded him of his own problem. “I’m really happy for you and Libby, Hal,” he sighed.

The cop raised an eyebrow as he looked to his younger companion. “Well, you could have said it with a little more sincerity, Ian.” He smirked.

“Sorry.” The surfer replied.

“You want to tell me what’s on your mind, son?”

Dutch sighed and looked down at the ground. “Karleigh is waiting for me upstairs. She’s got a surprise for me.” He said.

“Sounds like a good thing.” Hal mentioned.

“Yeah, but Hal . . .I . .Love her.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I don’t know . . .If I love her enough to give up my life.”

Hal finally got his tie where he wanted it and took a deep breath. He put his hands on his slacks pockets and looked at the surfer. “You are referring to the fact that she lives in New York and you live here.” He mentioned.

“She the wealthy daughter of a guy who manufactures musical instruments,” Dutch said, “She even said she’s be running the company one day. How the hell . . .can I ask her to give up that stuff for me?”

“There isn’t any advice I could give you but one, Dutch. It was a piece of advice my old man gave me.”

“What’s that?”

“True love means sacrifice.” The cop said, placing his hand on his shoulder, “Don’t make any snap decisions. Hell, maybe go live in New York for a year or two, see if it agrees with you. If not, then do your best to convince Karleigh to come to California.”

“If I love her?” the surfer said innocently.

“Yeah, if you love her.”

“Thanks, Hal. I guess I just needed someone to talk to.”

“I’m always there for you, son. In any way I can be.”

“Hey, you two, “ Libby said, coming over.

She gave Dutch a brief hug then looked at her boyfriend. She started to readjust his tie. “No, please, Libby, I had it exactly the way I wanted it.” The cop took her hands down.

“But it’s crooked, Hal,” she giggled.

“You want me to be able to breathe through this interview, don’t you?” he smiled.

“Oh, all right,” she said, taking his arm, “Let’s go. They are ready for us.”

“See you later, Dutch. Remember what I said.” Hal patted him on the arm.

“I will. Take care, you two.”

Dutch watched the couple walk away to go get interviewed. He was happy for them; he really was. He knew his cop friend was right; he had his own problems to worry about. He did love Karleigh but was it enough to give up surfing and everything he loved about the coast of California. He wasn’t going to make a snap decision. He decided to not keep her waiting any longer. The surfer turned around and proceeded to go to the elevator up to the meeting areas.


Dutch stepped off the elevator and to his surprise, Karleigh was already there in the hallway. She was leaning over, sipping water out of a nearby fountain. She was wearing a very slinky gray dress. “Hey, baby doll.” Dutch said.

Karleigh leaned up, looking at him with a bright smile. “Hey, there,” she giggled.

“That is a sexy outfit. You buy this morning?”

“This? I’ve had this for a while.”

Dutch took her into his arms and she gave him a surprised gasp. “Well, wherever you got it from, you look great in it.” He gently kissed her on the cheek.

She smiled, and began to rub his chest. “Thank you, you sexy beast.” She giggled.

“Well, well, aren’t you in a frisky mood?”

“I always get this way when handsome men grab me.”

“Look, sweetie, there is something we need to talk about, “ Dutch tried to get serious.

“It can wait.” Karleigh pulled him closer and kissed him.

Dutch was a little thrown back by her aggressive attitude but like many times before, she always knew what she wanted. He learned back on the Island, not to fight her. He relished the feel of her tongue as she dug it into his mouth. He wanted her badly. Perhaps there time enough for their talk later. Like Karleigh always did; live for the moment. As they parted from each other, Dutch caught his breath. The young woman looked at him, also catching her breath. She gently bit her lower lip as she rubbed the back of his head. “My room or yours?” the surfer whispered.

“Your room.” She panted, “Definitely.”

“VERONICA!!!” a female voice screamed down the hall.

Dutch looked up, royally confused considering that it sounded like Karleigh’s voice. As he looked down the hall, he saw another Karleigh stomping down the hallway. The surfer then looked back to the girl in his arms and back toward the girl coming toward him. Except for a slight change in the hairstyle, they looked exactly the same! “GAAHHH!!” she screamed as he backed away from the doppelganger.

“Damn it.” The duplicate whispered.

“Veronica, what in the hell did you just do?” Karleigh demanded.

“I just cleaned his tonsils for you, sis,” the girl smirked, “He came onto me, by the way.”

“And you did nothing to CORRECT him, did you?” the rich girl sneered.

“I’ll admit I couldn’t help it. He’s a cutie.”

Dutch stared blankly at Karleigh and the girl named Veronica. The rich girl walked over to her boyfriend and gently took his hands. “Dutch, are you okay?” she whispered.

“Uh .uh . uh . uh . .uh . . .” he stuttered.

Karleigh turned around to her twin. “How much did you molest him?” she growled.

“I was about to close escrow when you butted in.” Veronica tapped her foot.

“Grrrrrrr.” The rich girl replied.

“Karleigh,” Dutch stammered, “What . . .what is this?”

“Dutch, I am sorry I never properly introduced you,” she said, taking his arm, “This is my twin sister Veronica.”

“Twins?” he gasped, “How could . . .how come . . .you never mentioned this?”

“You never mentioned me?” Veronica gasped, “Oh, My, God . . .so . .his shock . ..is for real?”

“I was trapped in a cage for over a month,” Karleigh glared, “And I’ve been shot at, scared half out of my wits and nearly eaten by a shark on that stupid Island. I had Dutch to watch over me. Why would I bother entertaining him with a knowledge of my brat sister when his eyes were all over me?”

“Takes a brat to know one.” Veronica retorted.

“I gotta sit down,” Dutch’s knees were buckling.

“Come on, Dutch,” Karleigh pulled his arm, “Daddy is waiting down stairs in the restaurant. I want you to meet him.”

“Can I come?” the twin asked.

“Of course,” Karleigh sighed.

The couple started to walk down the hallway with Veronica in tow. The surfer felt a weird trickle sweat slide down his back. He just made out with Karleigh’s sister and she didn’t seem to hate him for him. It was an honest mistake considering she never told him about her. TWINS!! Dutch could barely wrap his brain around it. The three of them waited at the elevator. The surfer felt extremely uncomfortable. He was fighting every single urge not to look at Veronica, considering the sexy dress she was wearing. How the hell was he going to cope with this? “You should be thanking me, you know?” Veronica told her sister.

“Shut the hell up.” Karleigh replied.

“What is she talking about?” Dutch replied.

“Oh, she didn’t tell you why she was in Australia, lover boy?”

“DON’T CALL HIM THAT!” the rich girl barked.

“She wasn’t supposed to go to Australia with our friends. It was supposed to be me.”

“Seriously?” the surfer gulped.

“So, had I not decided to let her enjoy the sun and surf, I might have wound up with you, Dutchie-pooh.”

“I wouldn’t trade Dutch for anything,” Karleigh said, pulling him closer, “However, I would have loved for you to spend a month in that bunker, Veronica.”

The door finally opened and the three of them stepped in. Dutch wasn’t sure what to do. He did love Karleigh and as of a few seconds ago, she professed her love to him by talking to her sister. He wasn’t sure what to do about telling her he did love her but wanted to stay in California. With the knowledge of Veronica, he was even more sure that he didn’t want to live in New York. No telling what she would do.

He wondered what her father would be like.

Part 349: Meeting of Two Families

Hurley took a large gulp of ice water to quench his parched throat. The big man was getting a sore throat, trying to tell his mother the story of the Island and not get interrupted. She was so worried about him, she couldn’t even hear the story. And when he mentioned about evil soldiers with guns and various other points, it really didn’t help her at all. “I am so happy, Madre de dios,” she said, crossing her, “That those brave me were there to protect my boy.”

“Maaaaa.” Hurley said, rubbing his eyes, “For the last time, will you please calm down? I’m here, and I’m okay. It’s all over.”

“Oh, my boy, is all right,” she said, kissing each of his cheeks.

“Yes, it is good to have you home, Hugo,” Haperlin replied.

“I’m glad you were taking care of my mom, Ken,” the large man shook his hand.

“As per your Will, which now is no longer binding. I’ve contacted Mr. Pillson to get the documents ready to bring you back to life. Mr. Chiles was most helpful in speeding up that procedure.”

“Yeah, he’s been pretty good, dude,” Hurley stood up, “Well, if you don’t mind, Ken, I have someone I wish my ma to meet.”

“Well, before you go, there is one thing, I need you to sign off of.” He pulled out a handful of papers from a briefcase.

“Again with the money!” Carmen grunted, “I do not care about the stupid money. My boy is home and that is enough, Harperlin!”

“Mrs. Reyes, I am only doing my job as the protectorate of his estate.” The accountant defended himself.

“Ma, for the last time, calm down,” Hurley said, taking the papers, “What is this?”

“It’s the executive order to sell your Multimedia company in Las Vegas.” He said, handing him a pen.

“I have a multimedia company?” the large man questioned.

“Yes. Amazingly enough, about nearly two months ago, a large company out of New York City swooped in and wanted to buy it. They’ve been buying out the major stock holders and last but not least was you. They only recently made their bid for your stocks two weeks ago.”

“Really? How much am I worth in this company?”

“Eighty million.”

Hurley dropped his pen. As his mother reached down to pick it up, the full scope of Haperlin’s words popped into her head as well. The large man coughed and then looked confused. “Eighty million?” Hurley whispered, “They want to buy my stocks . . . .for eighty million?”

“That’s right,” Harperlin laughed.

“So . . .I’m about to be richer?”

“Uh . .yeah.”

Hurley quickly looked toward his mother. “Has anybody died?” he asked.

“Hugo!” she gasped, “Of course not! What kind of question is that-“

“Ken,” the large man turned back to his accountant, cutting off his mother, “You said this company started buying stocks around what time?”

“About two months ago,” the accountant blinked, “Why?”

Hurley slowly leaned back and rested his head on the wall. Two months ago, they were knee deep in trouble with the Liberation. They had fought their way out and Mia had managed to access the Watchman computer. The one that said certain people on that Island had an electromagnetic imbalance. Mia pressed the reset button and it was marked on Hurley, saying that the curse had been reversed. He just got eighty million and no one had died. The large man then quickly signed the papers.

After he handed them to his accountant, he helped his mother get up off the bench and slowly leave the room. He had someone very important for her to meet.


Joscelyn was holding onto the glass of water in her meeting room. She had to pause for a second when she realized she was tapping her feet up and down. The young woman took another sip of the water, trying to calm herself down. Joscelyn smirked, twirling her hair with her finger. What did she have to be nervous about? Paige was her sister and she loved her. Derek was the perfect man to marry her sister and she loved him like a brother. They never gave up; all this time, they never gave up. Perhaps it was the overwhelming love she knew they had for her. It was almost enough to make her heart burst.

The door then opened and Paige walked in. She was holding a baby carrier. Derek slowly walked in behind her. The younger sister then set down her baby on the table. Joscelyn slowly stood up, the nervousness leaving her all of a sudden. Paige slowly walked over other; using the chairs at the table as a crutch. She was finding it more difficult to walk at the moment. “Joe?” she said, her eyes swelling up with tears, “Is . .is it really you?”

“It’s really me, Paige.” Her sister smiled.

Paige then cried and embraced her sister, holding onto her. Joscelyn began to cry too, missing her sister deeply. Paige was going to off her sister a place to stay and more than that, a home where she would feel welcomed. Her idiotic internet romance fell through in Australia and Joscelyn surely couldn’t go back home; not after what her mother did to help her escape her abusive father. Paige was there with her at that moment, offering her the home she had always wanted. “I love you so much,” Paige wept.

Hearing her sister say those words, only make Joscelyn weep even more. Derek stood by and smiled proudly. He loved his wife and the giant heart for her family she always seemed to have. “I told them you weren’t dead,” the younger sister sniffed, “Didn’t I, Derek?”

“That’s right,” the young man smiled, “Despite was the authorities kept trying to say, Paige would say if they didn’t bring her my sisters body, then she’s not dead.”

“Thank you so much for never giving up.” Joscelyn kissed her sister on the cheek.

“And now we got you home where you belong. We’re going to take care of you, okay?” Paige assured her.

“I love you too, Paige.” The older sister smiled, “Now, where is my niece?”

“Yeah, come over and let me introduce you to our pride and joy.”

Paige took her older sister by the hand and led her over to the table where the baby carrier was. The baby smiled at the approaching Aunt and started to kick her feet. “Oh, my god, She is gorgeous,” Joscelyn smiled.

“Connie is already smiling,” Paige wiped her eyes with a tissue,” I can already tell you two are going to get along fine.”

“May I hold her?”

“Oh, Joe,” the younger sister playfully nudged her, “You don’t have to ask my permission for such a thing.”

Joscelyn slowly picked up the little baby. She cooed and smiled at the warmth of love she was feeling for her aunt. The baby rested her head on her shoulder and Joscelyn nearly broke down in tears. She was there and with her new family. It was almost overwhelming. “Paige, you want to tell her?” Derek mentioned.

“Tell me what?” her sister inquired.

Paige reached into their child’s diaper bag by the side pouch. She then pulled out a folded piece of paper and proceeded to unfold it. She handed it to her older sister with a bright smile on her face. “Mom sends her love.” She whispered.

“What?” Joscelyn gasped. She took the paper and proceeded to read it.

Dearest Joe
I am so happy to hear you are alive, my sweet. When your sister told me you had gone down in that plane crash, I feared the worse. I think it was your own sister’s unstoppable spirit that kept me from believing you were dead. Now she told me they received word that you crashed on an Island with other people and you survived. God smiled down on our family that day, Joe. After all we’ve been through, we deserved our own little miracle. I am so happy you are alive, baby. I miss you terribly. I look forward to hearing from you when you are settled in. I love you, my angel.

Mom

Joscelyn was so overwhelmed with emotion, she could no longer hold her niece. She gently gave the baby over to Derek. She took another look at the paper and realized it was a printed document from an email system. “Mom is all right?” she whispered.

“Mom is more than all right, Joe,” Paige smiled, “She’s left dad.”

“She . . .did?” she coughed.

“That was the whole plan. My running away was the first start. You getting injured was the second part. When the drunken bastard raised his hand to her, that was the final straw. She left him forever.”

“Where is she? Is she here?”

“No, sadly, she is not. She didn’t want to give our father any indication of where we might be. That’s . ..why we really shouldn’t go see her, Joe. And why she won’t come see us.”

“But . .where is she, Paige? She is safe.”

“She is better than safe. She is having the time of her life. She’s in the Bahamas.”

“The Bahamas?” Joscelyn giggled.

“Mom took all her funds and moved there to live. She always had my email which is how we can contact her now. We’ll always talk to her, Joe. But it’s best not to know where she really is.”

“So, if Dad does find us . . .if we don’t know, than he won’t know.” Joscelyn shook her head, wiping her cheek, “We shouldn’t have ever had to make this sacrifice.”

“I know, Joe, but we did. Hey, at least we got each other now.” Paige gently rubbed her sister’s arm, “What better Christmas present could we have gotten?”

Joscelyn smiled. Paige was right. In her own way, she was telling them they should be thankful for what they have. And perhaps it was enough. She wished they could all be one happy family but mom knew as long as her daughters was safe, she would be happy no matter what. It was truly was enough to be thankful for. Joscelyn finished wiping her tears. “Hey,” she gleamed, “I got somebody I want you two to meet.”


Hurley began to walk down the hallway toward where he knew Joscelyn would be. He had his mother in tow and she wouldn’t stop asking him who they were meeting. As much as the big man wanted it to be a surprise, he was a few second away from telling his mother who she was just to shut her up. Then as he turned the corner, he blinked when he saw Joscelyn and her family walking toward them. The young scarred brunette smiled at him, realizing they had both done the same thing. Within seconds, they made up in the hallway. “Hey, Hurley,” she grinned.

“Hey, Joe.” He smiled.

“Who is this?” his mother inquired.

“Is this who you wanted us to meet?” Paige smiled at his presence.

“Paige, Derek, This is Hurley.” Joscelyn smiled.

“Mom, this is Joscelyn,” Hurley smiled.

“This is my boyfriend/this is my girlfriend.”

The young couple blinked when they said their sentences at the exact same time. They looked at each other and it was a mutual understanding in their eyes. Paige was little thrown back by the statement, wondering who this man was and where she found him. Mrs. Reyes was flabbergasted as well, not expecting her son to have a girlfriend till he lost all his weight. Derek seemed to be the only one able to say anything. He reached over from his wife and held out his hand. “Well, great to meet you, Hurley,” he laughed.

“Likewise, Derek.” He chuckled, shaking his hand.

The young man’s greeting shook the other two ladies out of there momentary freeze. Mrs. Reyes smiled and laughed with joy, as she took Joscelyn’s hand and embraced her. “Hello, child,” she laughed, “It is so wonderful to meet you!!”

“Hello, Mrs, Reyes,” Joscelyn laughed.

“Now, now, you can call me Carmen,” she said, patting her hands.

“Nice to meet you, Hurley,” Paige said, shaking his hand, “You meet up with my sister on the Island?”

“I did. We were great friends out there and I think . .we’ve grown closer.”

“I couldn’t have survived without Hurley,” Joscelyn replied, mostly for her sister and Hurley’s mother to hear.

Paige looked at her and could tell the sincerity in her voice. She smiled brightly then leaned up, kissing Hurley on the cheek. “Thank you for doing that.” She smiled.

“Hey, dude, “ Hurley laughed, “It’s one of the few things I am proud of.”

The two families started to intermingle and talk between one another. Paige allowed Mrs. Reyes to hold her baby. The young woman smiled as well, glad to see a “mother” figure in her lives. Joscelyn walked over to Hurley, as he placed his arm around her. She held onto him; her own giant teddy bear. The large man smiled at the woman he called now girlfriend and their own families getting along.

Things were finally starting to go his way after all.

Part 348: The McKay Situation

December 25th, 2004



Eddie slowly stirred away. He stretched out slightly, making his sheets go in opposite directions. The young boy then leaned up and looked over to his mother who was still asleep on her opposite bed. Slowly, he scooted over and got off the bed, walking toward her. As she laid on the pillow, Eddie leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Merry Christmas, Mommy.” He smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Eddie,” she said, still half asleep.

Eddie turned back around and proceeded to walk toward the bathroom. After using the toilet, he went back out and put on the terry cloth robe they gave him. He scooted into the living room and was reaching for the phone to call for morning room service, when a gentle knocking erupted from the door. Eddie walked over and opened it. Mr. Chiles smiled down at the young boy. “Good morning, Mr. Trascal.” He said.

“Morning, Mr. Chiles. How are you?”

“I am fine, young sir.” He said extending his hand, “Would you come with me please?”

“What’s going on?”

“There is something in the lobby you should see.”


After the elevator ride was over, Eddie followed the lawyer down into the lobby. In the far distance, there was still a crowd of people outside the hotel. Eddie wondered if they wanted to talk to him, since he had seen they already spoken to some of the adults. He would have to discuss it with his mom first. Chiles walked through the lobby and as they did, a few photographers took their picture. Eddie just smiled and waved at them, not knowing what else to do. Then when they turned into the main lobby area, they paused under the massive Christmas tree. “There you are, Mr. Trascal.” He told him.

“Huh?” Eddie questioned.

Chiles pointed toward the bottom of the tree. There were a pile of wrapped presents. Eddie blinked as he walked over to them and kneeled down. He looked closely at them and then picked up one particular one, wrapped in silver wrapping with pictures of Santa Claus. The tag read TO EDDIE FROM JOHN. “What?” he gasped.

Eddie then quickly unwrapped the present. It was a toy bow and arrow. The young boy giggled and placed it aside. He started to look at the other boxes. Then he found one labeled TO EDDIE FROM TONY. He fought quick to unwrap it and laughed when he saw what it was. It was a Daredevil action figure.

Eddie found one more box under the tree and it said TO EDDIE FROM MCKAY. He unwrapped it, revealing to be a T-Shirt box. Inside was a custom made white shirt that was two sizes too big. Eddie picked it up and it read, I went to the Island of Mystery looking for a T- Shirt, then Eddie flipped it over and it finished reading And all I got was this lousy group of Friends. Eddie couldn’t stop giggling after he read it. “Merry Christmas, boy,” Tony said behind him.

Eddie turned around with a bright gasp of smiles. Tony, John and McKay were standing behind him. They were also still in their wakeup close and the archer even had a cup of coffee. The young boy then stood up and ran toward them, immediately embracing the blind doctor. “I love you guys!!” he laughed.

The doctor picked him up and embraced him. John and McKay laughed, happy to see the young boy enjoying himself. After he hugged Tony, he turned and hugged the other two men in his life. Eddie was worried that they would drift apart as they were not longer marooned together. Tony silenced his fears back on the boat. And now John and McKay took his fear away with simple gifts.

The gifts might have been cheap in nature but it was the love behind them that Eddie enjoyed the most.


The elevator opened to the floor with the meeting rooms and out-stepped McKay. The Australian walked down the hallway and saw their lawyer walking toward him with a manila folder. “Good Afternoon, Mr. McKay.” He smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Chiles.” The bald man smiled, “is my brother here?”

“Yes, he is in the west wing waiting for you,” Chiles replied, handing him the folder, “And here are the papers you requested.”

“Thank you,” he said, taking them, “I don’t want any of this getting word to the reporters down below.”

“Understood, sir. They only know what we tell them.”

“Thanks, Chiles. You’ve done so much for us. I’m worried about your bill.”

The lawyer then laughed. “You don’t have to worry about my bill, Mr. McKay, “ he chuckled, “The government is taking care of my fees. They want you all happy and healthy. I hope I am accomplishing that goal.”

McKay shook his hand. “You are. Thank you.” He smiled.

The Australian then walked over to the door of the meeting room, took a deep breath and opened it. Inside his brother turned around as he had been mesmerized by a painting. The two men finally met eye to eye once again and the brothers quickly embraced. “How you doing, mate?” McKay laughed.

“Oh, damn, Barto!” Seymour wept with joy on his brother’s shoulder, “I thought I lost you.”

“Take more of a plane crash to get rid of me.” He assured him.


The brothers spent the next hour talking. McKay filled in Seymour on the majority of the details of his Island adventure. He left out the parts with the sentient computers and creatures that turn into smoke. He told him all the stories of what they had to do to survive and all the friends he made, not to mention the new love of his life. Seymour felt overwhelmed; saying he didn’t have anything to compare to that. His Escort broke down and he had to pay to have a tree stump removed from the backyard. His neighbors dogs bark too loud and he misses going to the movie theater since his son was born. Seymour showed his brother the picture of the baby boy. “Oh, man, he’s going to grow up handsome.” McKay smiled.

“Sure. He takes after me.” Seymour joked.

“I’m so glad I could come back to you, Seymour.”

“Barto, my heart broke in pieces when I heard Oceanic Flight 815 went down. Seeing you now, has healed it.”

The two brothers hugged briefly and then parted. “I can’t believe you had to fight mercenaries. Were you scared?” the younger brother asked.

“Not so much. You stop worrying about fear when your life is on the line.” McKay confessed, “You’d be surprised what people would do to survive.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. You gonna turn this into a movie deal?”

“Naw, I can’t, mate. The government doesn’t want us to talk about it. Classified and all that.”

Seymour laughed. “Well, they can’t keep secrets from us brothers, can they?” he said, patting him on the shoulder.

“No, actually, they insisted I not tell you either. But I have to tell you. It’ll make all the sense in the word if you know the background.”

“Background to what?” the younger brother blinked.

“Seymour . ..these mercenaries. They’ve done horribly things. Like take babies away from their mothers in the hope of creating a master race. Hell, one girl named Claire in our party was pregnant when we crashed. They tried to steal her baby as well.”

“Are you serious?” Seymour’s eyes started to bulge.

“Yes. We were able to help a select group of these kids. The soldiers unfortunately killed most of them and we were able to save three. We brought them back with us.”

“Kids . .that were . ..raised on that Island? With no concept of the outside world?”

“Hard to believe, eh?”

“IT’S DAMN hard to believe. But I know you wouldn’t lie to me about such a thing.”

“No, I wouldn’t. The reason I am telling you this is cause . .I’ve volunteered to “adopt” two of them.”

“Congrats, Barto!” he slapped him on the shoulder.

“But that is just it, Seymour. I didn’t want to tell the world they were kids raised on an Island with just themselves in some kind of screwed up Lord of The Flies situation. So I made up a story . . .they are your kids.”

“What?” Seymour gulped.

“Hear me out. This story will work. Remember Patty Fontaine, the French chick you lost your virginity too?”

“Uh . .yeah?” he raised an eyebrow.

“We can say these are your kids by her. I was bringing them to meet you when our plane crashed. But during that three month time frame, I’ve grown to care for them. So all you have to do is sign these papers, making me their legal guardian.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Seymour held up his hands, “What if word of this gets out? What will I tell Elaine? And what happens if Patty gets wind of this?”

“No word will get out, cause we won’t be telling anybody. You can tell your wife whatever you want to tell her. And as far as Patty goes, she’s not going to get wind of this cause she is dead.”

Seymour froze. “Really?” he coughed.

“Yeah, died in a fire three years ago. Not keeping up with the stories back home, are we?”

“No, I guess not . . .” the young brother scratched his forehead.

“Sign the paper, Seymour. The kids will be my responsibility. And you won’t ever have to worry about. Hell, maybe after a few visits to your Montana ranch, you might learn to love them like I have.”

Seymour smirked at his brother. He could tell the sincerity in his voice and that he was completely serious about wanting to take care of these children. The brown haired man then took the document and the pen. “I can’t believe I am signing over rights to children that don’t exist.” He chuckled.

“It will exist on paper and that’s all we care about.”

Seymour then embraced his brother and they held onto each other for a few seconds. He was so glad the remainder of his family was alive and at that moment, going to live in America with him. “So, Barto, “ he smiled, “When do I get to meet your pseudo family?”

“Why don’t I go roust them up and we’ll head down to the bar to get to know one another?”


Inside the room with the lost children, they were all three decked out in front of the television which seemed to become their new best friend. They had watched DVD after DVD, and as the other survivors hoped, it had strengthened their knowledge of the English language. At the moment they were progressing to something else that was a little more challenging.

The X-Box.

“You have to collect all those yellow dots,” Alexander pointed to the screen.

“Hey, did you notice that the more yellow dots you get, the higher that number goes up,” Flower pointed out.

“I noticed that but I also noticed that the number goes even higher when you get Fruit!” Andra said, holding up the controller.

“Why?” Alexander questioned.

“Cause the fruit is accepted by the Numbers as more powerful than yellow dots, dummy,” the French girl laughed.

“Dummy?” the lost boy blinked, “What mean Dummy?”

“Play nice, you three,” Mandy giggled over by a table.

She turned back to her book and noticed Taylor giggling uncontrollably. “What’s so funny, Tee?” she asked.

“Their logic of why they are going to win at Crash Bandicoot is too much,” she laughed.

The door then opened up and McKay walked in. The girls were with the kids and they were all enjoying themselves. The Australian smiled to the love of his life, as Taylor got up to come greet him. “How did it go?” she hugged him.

“It went just fine. He’s waiting down by the bar, we have to go meet him.”

“Excellent,” Mandy laughed.

“Hey, Alexander, Flower, Andra, listen up.” McKay approached them, “ Turn off the game for the time being.”

“No, Master McKay!” Flower protested, “I must collect more fruit to appease The Numbers.”

“What?” the Australian laughed.

Alexander reached up and clicked the X-Box off. “Behave that stuff, Flower,” the lost boy glared at her, “And we must call him Uncle McKay among his people now.”

“Guy, guys, guys,” the bald man laughed, “It’s okay, really. Besides the X-Box will be here when we get back.”

“Where we going?” Alexander asked.

“I want you to come down stairs and meet my brother. He’s going to pretend to be your father but you guys will come live with me. Alexander and Flower will now be Alexander and Flower McKay.”

“We . ..live with you, Uncle McKay?” the lost boy smiled.

“You take care of us, Uncle McKay?” Flower asked.

“Yeah, I think you’re going to need me too.” He chuckled.

The two lost kids then immediately embraced McKay, happy they were going to have a home. Taylor and Mandy smiled, proud of the man they had both come to love. Andra was happy for them too, cause she already knew Sayid had done the same for her. The Australian smiled at the two young adults that regarded him like a father figure. It made the perfect sense for him to take care of them

After all, he was once a teacher.

Part 347: Unhappy Reuions

The Brat Pack was once again in an elevator, rising up to meet someone’s family. This time it was Shanna’s turn. The redhead couldn’t stop giggling, as she held both Mia and Seth’s hand. She didn’t really leave on good relations with her father but she was happy to see him again. The redhead was also proud to tell him about how her life turned got turned around and she finally accepted who she was. She was going to tell him all of this and more.

The elevator opened and the redhead lead her two friends down the hallway. She saw Chiles talking to someone and he looked rather miserable. Then the person he was talking too stood up and Shanna immediately recognized it as her Aunt Linda. The redhead stopped and slowly let go of Seth and Mia’s hands. “Wait here.” She whispered.

Mia looked a little concerned at Seth. The singer just shrugged his shoulders as he didn’t know what was happening either. Shanna walked down the hall and her aunt finally saw her. The older woman gasped with joy at the sight of her niece and ran to her; embracing her. “Aunt Linda, what are you doing here?” she said, hugging the woman.

“Oh, Shanna,” she wept, “I’m so sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Where is Dad?”

The woman started to cry louder. Shanna then started to grip onto her aunt’ blouse from the back. The woman wouldn’t be crying this hard unless something was wrong. “Aunt Linda, please,” Shanna started to get teary eyed, “Where’s dad?”

“Your daddy’s . .gone, honey.” She said, finally parting from her.

“Gone?” the redhead blinked.

“I’m so sorry, Shanna. He thought . . .he thought he lost you just like he lost your mother. When that plane went down . . .he started drinking again . .”

Shanna slowly closed her eyes, and tears started drip onto her cheeks. Mia covered her mouth with her hands and Seth took a deep sigh, as they could hear everything. “One night had had been heavily drinking,” Linda wept, “Then he . . .went driving and he . . .had a head-on collision with a semi. He . . .he didn’t suffer, Shanna.”

The redhead then started to break down crying. Mia ran to her and her best friend fell into her arms. Seth ran to them as well and hugged both of them. Shanna wept in Mia’s shoulder as her two friends embraced her. Linda wiped her tears and walked away. She didn’t know who the two people but clearly they cared for Shanna.

And right now that was enough.


After a few minutes, Shanna had stopped crying. The redhead rested on a beach, laying her head on Mia’s shoulder. The Lakota girl held onto her good friend, comforting her the best she could. Seth rested with them, holding the redhead’s hand. “I can’t believe it.” She whispered, “I can’t believe he’d give up like that.”

“I’m so sorry, Shanna,” Seth whispered.

The redhead gave no reply, just squeezed his hand. Mia kissed her on the head and held her close. “We’re here for you, Shanna.” She whispered.

“I know,” the redhead sniffed, “It’s the only thing . .that is comforting right now.”

Shanna leaned up and gulped. She wiped her tears and then stood up, coughing. Seth and Mia stood up with her but she must smiled at them. “Thanks for everything, guys,” she sniffed, “I . .I want to be alone for a few minutes ago.”

“Okay,” Mia said, understanding fully.

“We’ll be down in the restaurant if you need us, okay?” Seth told her.

“I’ll be down after while. I promise.”

Shanna wiped her tears and proceeded to walk down the hallway toward her room. Mia and Seth stood together, watching her leave. They wanted to help her but how could they help her with such a thing? She had to work it out for herself.

Shanna opened the door and slammed it shut. She walked into the living area of her room and stared out the balcony. She held her fist to her mouth, not wanting to cry anymore. She refused to cry for her father. A man who forced her to stay at a job she hated and refused to even get to know her friends. If he learned she was bi-sexual, he would have disowned her. Shanna then screamed, grabbing a nearby vase and throwing it against a wall. The glass shattered into a million pieces, spilling water and flowers everywhere. Shanna then screamed at the top of her lungs and then took a deep breath. “Yeah, I did that too.” Sawyer said behind her.

The redhead turned abruptly. The last thing she was expecting was southern man to in the room with her. He slowly closed the door and stepped in. “When my daddy died, I wasn’t feeling sadness,” he whispered, “I was feeling rage. I was mad. I was mad at him for being weak enough to leave me behind.”

“Your daddy . . .killed himself?” the redhead blinked.

“Yeah. Killed my mother first, then blew his own damn head off. While I was under the bed he was sitting on.”

“Oh, God, Sawyer.” She sniffed.

“Yeah. I know, pretty gruesome for a young kid to go through. But I’m here. And I survived.”

“Why . ..why are you telling me this now?”

“Cause the rage you are feeling will pass. The pain you are feeling will pass. You will survive this, Shanna. Don’t remember what your father didn’t do for you. Remember what he DID do for you and focus on that.”

Shanna slowly closed her eyes and let the tears drip from her eyes. The southern man slowly crossed the distance from where he was to her and embraced her. The redhead wept into his chest, gripping his shirts. “My mom’s dead,” she whispered, “And now my dad . . .I got . .I got nobody now.”

Sawyer slowly raised her head and gently kissed her on the lips. The soft touch he gave her made her stop crying almost immediately. As they parted, the redhead slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. He produced his warm smile that she loved so dearly. “That’s not true.” He said plainly.

Shanna laughed briefly and then hugged him again. Sawyer patted her on the back. “You got two good friends that won’t ever leave you,” the redneck said, “You got a lost girl that will probably love you if you ask her too. And you got me. I’ll always be there for you someway or another.”

Shanna wiped her tears, smiling. “You don’t think . .Sawyer . .you and me ever could . . .” she grinned.

“Hey, Cherry, you know me. I ain’t the settling down type. However, if I was . . .you’d be the one.”

She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “You are sweet, Sawyer.” She smiled.

“Who told you?” he said, producing another laugh from her, “Now dry those tears and let’s head down to the bar. We’ll toast to our dads, okay?”

“Okay,” she smiled, taking his hand.


-------------------------------,

Shannon held onto her dress, fiddling with her hands. She was nervous as she had ever been before. Why shouldn’t she be? She was about to Sabrina that her son was dead. It was heart breaking at the time. She wasn’t looking forward to reliving it. Sayid then took her hands and brought them slowly away from her dress. “If you keep that up, you will tear your dress into pieces.” He whispered.

“I don’t want to do this.” The tall blonde whispered.

“I know. “the Iraqi replied.

“Oh, God, what is taking her so long? Did Chiles tell her?”

“Calm down, Shannon. You know you told him not too.”

“But what if she forced it out of him, what if she-“

Then the door slowly opened. Sabrina Rutherford walked into the room, holding her face. She had a smile on her face but it quickly disappeared as she saw that Shannon and Sayid were the only ones in the room. The tall blonde then stood up to face her step-mother. The older woman looked at Sayid with slow tears forming in her eyes. “Who is he?” she whispered.

“Hello, madam,” Sayid walked forward, extending his hand, “My name is Sayid Jarrah.”

Sabrina looked at him in mild shock; not shaking his hand. He held it out for a few seconds, then slowly dropped it. The woman then turned her gaze back to Shannon. “Where’s Boone?” she whispered.

“He . .uh . .. he . .didn’t . .make it.” Shannon stumbled to say.

Sabrina then dropped her purse. She then slowly stumbled back and slumped on a nearby chair. She buried her face in her hands, as she proceeded to weep. Sayid didn’t say anything, just looked his love. Shannon didn’t hardly know what to say either. She walked around the table and walked over to her step mother, kneeling before her. “I’m sorry, Sabrina.” She whispered, “He . . .he died, trying to save us.”

Sabrina didn’t raise her head; she just continued to cry.

“There was a crashed plane that was found after we crashed,” Sayid said, “He saw there was a radio and tried to call for help. He thought of others before himself. He . . was a brave man.”

“Thinking of others before himself?” Sabrina raised up, wiping her tears, “That was always the case with Boone. Especially . .with Shannon.”

The blonde blinked at what she said. Sabrina then looked at the tall blonde in utter contempt. “You . .this is your fault.” She whispered.

“What?” gasped the blonde woman.

“Boone was going down to Australia to bring you home. If he never did . .you would still be rotting there and . .he’d . .still be alive. . .”

“Sabrina, how can you say that?” Shannon gasped.

“Oh, shut up, you bitch,” the woman pushed her step daughter out of the way.

“Now, wait a damn minute-“ she tried to grab her step-mother but the woman reared around and slapped her across the jaw.

“HEY!” Sayid screamed as he got between them.

Sabrina pushed him out of the way. She stared at Shannon, while the blonde stared back at her; holding her cheek. “You are dead to me.” She whispered.

Shannon felt her lips trembling with rage. Tears slowly fell from eye blue eyes. “That’s the way it’s always been, huh?” she whispered, “Trying to convince me that my dad didn’t love me. I try to do the right thing with you by Boone and yet you still hate me.”

“You are a whore. You used Boone and you’ll use up any man you come across.” Sabrina hissed.

“Get out.” The tall blonde whispered.

“You don’t have anything now, and you will never have anything in the future.”

“Ma’am, you’ve said enough,” Sayid replied, “Now please leave.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, you filthy Muslim. Did you bring down the plane?”

Sayid then abruptly got in her face. She backed up quickly, getting stopped by the wall. “I have asked you kindly to leave,” he whispered, “If I must ask again . . .It won’t be kindly.”

Sabrina then spit on the ground and then opened the door, leaving. Shannon’s knees felt weak, so she quickly sat down. Sayid kneeled in front of her, taking her hands. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“How dare she.” The tall blonde whispered, “How . .dare she.”

“Shannon, she was struck with grieve. Perhaps she didn’t-“

“No, Sayid,” Shannon wiped off the last of her tears, “She meant every word she said.”

There was a knocking at the door, then it slowly opened. Mandy peered in her head and saw her two friends at the right side of the room. Shannon then stood up, smiling at her. The so-cal girl was flanked by her best friend and McKay. The Australian leaned in, opening the door closer. “Hey, guys,” he said, “Everything okay?”

“More or less,” Shannon sniffed.

“How . . .did Boone’s mother take the news?” asked Mandy.

“She didn’t take it well at all. In fact, she blamed me for it.”

“WHAT?” gasped Taylor.

“Yeah, even called me a whore to my face.” The tall blonde wiped her nose, “That bitch is never going to change.”

“Shannon, I am so sorry,” Mandy approached her.

“It’s okay, honey. I don’t care. I tried and if she doesn’t want to accept it, that’s her own damn fault.”

“Did you tell her . . .did you tell her I am pregnant with Boone’s child?”

“NO!” Shannon took her by the shoulders, “No, and I never will. She doesn’t deserve to know. She would only want constant visitation rights and she’ll only be a pest in our lives. No . .we’ll . .we’ll give this baby all the love they need and make our own happy family. Okay?”

Mandy smiled. She then embraced her new good friend. “Okay,” she said, proudly.

“Well, the majority of our friends are heading downstairs to enjoy the restaurant to enjoy this expensive food that the government is paying for,” McKay mentioned.” Why don’t we go join them?”

“An excellent idea.” Sayid patting him on the shoulder.

“Right. The one thing we need to always be with . .is our true family.” Mandy took Shannon by the arm and led her out of the room. Taylor took her other arm and the three blonde walked arm-in-arm toward the elevator.

McKay and Sayid just smirked at each other; glad it all still had a happy ending.

Part 346: John and Mia

December 24th, 2004


John stared out the window onto the streets below. Their was a large group of people gathered in the streets amid the reporters. The archer had already been paid for an interview with Sports Illustrated. He was, after all, an athlete in his own right. He could hardly believe it was Christmas Eve. Fortune had smiled on him and his friends, to return home to such a glorious time. A knocking on his door interrupted his thoughts. “Yes?” he called.

Their lawyer Mr. Chiles slowly walked in with a smile. “Ah, Mr. Riggs, I am here to escort you to your mother.” He smiled.

“Thank you, sir.” He replied, joining out in the hallway.

As they walked over to the elevator, John paused for a second when he heard crying. He looked down the hallway to see Libby with two girls; presumably her sisters. They were all sitting together on a bench, happy to be reunited. The archer wondered if he would get that emotional. The door opened and the two men walked in. As Chiles pressed the button to the floor where his mother was, John looked at the man to ask him a question. “Mia get with her family?” he asked.

“Yes. Her uncle and her brother.” The lawyer smiled.

“How many others have been reunited with their families?”

“Quite a few actually. Miss Ana-Lucia was reunited with her mother. Quite an emotional experience if I do say so myself. Miss Vasquez, Miss Tower, Dr. Shepard, and a few others have been reunited. My hats off to Miss Loran.”

“Kristy?” John blinked, “What’s up with her?”

“She greeted the Chambers. And informed them that their son, Martin, had died on the Island.”

“Oh. Right,” John remembered his own duty, “What about the Vegas? Have they arrived yet?”

Chiles pulled out a notepad from his inner coat pocket. “According to our representatives, they flew from Spain two days ago about notice of your impending arrival, “ he said, “They will be here in two days.”

“Then so will I.” John whispered.

“As you wish, sir. If you like, we can inform them of Ramon’s unfortunate demise.”

“No. This is something I have to do.”

The elevator then dinged open and the two men walked out. Chiles led the way and opened the door for him. John looked in and saw his mother sitting by a chair, holding her purse. When she saw him, she immediately dropped her bag and ran to him. “Johnny!!” she cried.

The archer embraced his mother and kissed her on the cheek. “Oh, my boy, my boy.” His mother said in utter happiness.

“I’m home, mom,” John smiled, “I’m home.”



After a few minutes of getting his mother to calm down, John sat with her alone in the meeting room. He told her the majority of what happened on the Island and what he had to do to survive. He left out certain things that he knew would be difficult to believe. His mother informed him that his extended family was glad to have him home. He kissed his mother’s hand and just smiled at her. “I really missed you, mama.” He smiled.

“I was so upset, Johnny but I never gave up. I felt strange on a few days but I knew. . .I just knew you’d make it.”

“Thanks, mama.”

“I am . .sorry to hear about Ramon.” She said, patting his hand.

“Yeah, me too,” John sighed, “But . .I’ve had time to get over. I made sure he had a Christian burial.”

“Understandable. I hope his family will understand.”

“I hope so too.”

“Now, when you are done with them, I want you to come home for dinner so I can cook you some of your favorite fried dumplings.”

“Oh, mama,” he kissed her on the cheek, “You know I can’t pass them up.”

His mother laughed, no longer filled with sadness but the joy that her son brought to her. John looked at the wall and then rubbed his eyebrow with a small smirk. “Say, mama, “ he grinned, “You . . still renting out Uncle Earl’s old place, ain’t ya?”

“Yeah, course. Till someone wants to buy it.”

“Well . . .I think I will take it off your hands.” He smiled.

His mother looked at him perplexed. “What?” she stammered, “It’s out of the city, John. What are you going to do about your apartment?”

“Oh, I’ll leave it and move out there. The suburbs aren’t that bad. Besides . . .It might be a good place to raise a family.”

“Raise . . .a . .family?” his mother’s eyes went a little wider.

John shifted around and took her by both her hands. “Mama, I found someone there.” He smiled, “One of the other passengers. I was immediately attracted to her and in that short time, I fell in love with her. I know she is the girl for me. I’m . . .planning on marrying her.”

“OH . .MY . . GOD!!!” she embraced him,” You . .found a girlfriend?”

“I did, mom.” He laughed.

“What . ..what happened to that boy who always told me he’d never settle down and live the high life?”

John parted from his mother and smirked. “He grew up.” He laughed.



---------------------------------,

Mia was hoping that her family would be a little bit more receptive to her arrival. Her brother Joshua actually was but her Uncle was a little like his old self. He was happy she was alive cause he needed her now more than ever. Mia stared at him coldly, rubbing her fingers together. “Let me get this straight,” she whispered, “ I have survived a plane crash. You have presumed me dead. And now that I am back from that mishap, you have the nerve to ask me if I know where Granny’s key is.”

“Mia, please, he just-“ Joshua tried to say.

“No more games, Mia. I am happy you are alive but we are hanging on by a thread here. We need the money.”

“So get a freaking loan.” She sneered back.

“Coupled on top of the loans I already have? Mia, don’t be stupid-“

“Stupid?” she raised an eyebrow, “Of the three people in this room, I know for a fact, I’m NOT stupid.”

“What the hell is a matter with you?” her uncle snapped back, “Ever since you went on that crazy religious trip, you’ve become a-“

Mia then slammed her fist on the table. Her uncle and Joshua jumped at the quick display of strength: something Mia was not normally showing. The Lakota girl slowly stood up and looked at her Uncle. “First off, that JOURNEY as you call it was for my own faith, nobody else’s,” she hissed, “ And second off, were you about to call me something?”

Her uncle said nothing. This wasn’t the little girl he once knew; in a three month gap, it seemed like she had become more like her grandmother than anybody else. Mia slowly sat down and looked at him. “I didn’t think so.” She whispered.

“Mia, I’m going to ask you again; do you know where the key is?” her uncle asked.

“I know exactly where it is.” Mia stared blankly back at him.

Mr. Ray shrugged his shoulders. “Well?” he asked.

“Granny has it.” She replied.

“Wha . .what do you mean, Granny has it?”

Mia pointed downward. “I mean . . . . GRANNY has the key.” She said.

Josh then blinked when he realized what his sister was saying. Her uncle then coughed, when he also understood. “You . .you put it in her casket?” he stammered.

Mia leaned forward. “Yeah, I did,” she admitted, “So, if you want the damn key, you’re going to have to exume her body.”

Her uncle gasped at her remark. “How vile are you, Uncle Steven?” she remarked, “What would the elders of our tribe think if Granny’s body is brought up from her resting place?”

Mr. Ray then jumped and turned around; opening the door and leaving. Joshua looked at the door and then back to his sister. He fuddled with his fingers for a few seconds, then sighed. “Why do I think I won’t be able to bully you into doing my taxes anymore?” he smirked then removed his grin.

“Oh, I’ll still do your taxes for you, Josh,” she smiled, “However, you’re going to have to say PLEASE.”

“Mia, what . .what happened to you on that Island?” he asked.

“Why? You don’t like the new Me?”

“No, I don’t mind. You know I don’t.”

“Lots of good things happened to me out there, Josh. I renewed my faith. And I came away from that place with a new family and a fiancé.”

“fiancé?” Josh gulped.

“Yeah. I will soon be Mrs. Mia Riggs. It rolls off the tongue nicely, don’t you think?”

“You got a boyfriend . . out on that Island . . .How . .Mia, you haven’t had time to really know him.”

“Oh, trust me, Joshua,” the Lakota girl said in all seriousness, “I DO know him.”

“Okay,” he said, smiling, “I guess this is the new you, I’ll have to use to.”

Mia then stood up and walked over to her brother; embracing him. He held onto her arm and then started to cry. “I thought . .you were dead.” He whimpered, “I didn’t know what to do.”

“You’re going to have to grow up, Josh,” she kissed him on the top of the head, “I’ve got my own life to live now and I can’t be there to carry you anymore. You understand?”

Josh shook his head.

“I want you to be a part of my life but it’s on my terms, no one else’s. I want you to meet the love of my life, cause he’s going to be your brother-in-law after all, okay?”

“Okay,” he smiled.

A knocking came at the door. Mia walked over and opened it to see John’s handsome face. The archer bent down and kissed her, as she wrapped her arms around her neck. As they parted, Joshua stood up and walked to them. “John, this is Joshua, my brother,” Mia introduced him.

“Hello, Joshua,” John said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” the Lakota man said, “I had to see what kind of man my sister could fall for. So far, I think she’s found a winner.”

“Well, my mother is waiting in the lobby restaurant down below,” the archer smiled, “Why don’t we go get some lunch and get to know one another?”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Mia said, taking his arm.

The young couple proceeded to walk down the hallway with Mia’s brother in tow. John knew she was seeing both her Uncle and her brother but her uncle was not in there. He decided not to ask her about it; knowing full well she would tell him all about it later.

After all, they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

Part 345: Seth's Family

Seth fumbled with his hair in the reflective walls of the elevator. He was so worried his parents would think he was anorexic or something. Possibly skin cancer from all the sun exposure. Shanna then reached up and forced him to put his hands down. “Stop it, Seth,” she giggled, “You look fine.”

“Yeah, I hope so.” He smiled.

“You worried you are going to look bad for your parents or Tanya?” Mia smiled.

“Little bit of both actually.”

“I want to thank you again for inviting us to meet them.” The redhead smiled behind him.

“Well, why not? Technically they are your parents too.”

The elevator dinged opened and the Brat Pack proceeded out. Mia and Shanna then immediately sat down at a nearby bench waiting for Seth to talk with his parents first. The young bookstore worker proceeded down the hallway toward the meeting room. As he got closer, he could tell his parents were not in the meeting room. They were both sitting on the bench out of it. Seth smirked, understanding they must have been very anxious to see their only son. “Mom?” Seth called, “Dad?”

“SETHIE!!” his mother screamed as he got up.

Seth quickly embraced her. She flooded his left cheek with kisses, holding her son tight. His father then embraced both his son and his wife. The family held themselves for a only a seconds but for them it felt like weeks. “Oh, my boy,” Mrs. Butler said, holding Seth by his cheeks, “Let me look at you.”

“I missed you, Mom.” Seth said, smiling through his tears.

“We missed you too, son. You don’t seem that worse for wear.”

“How did you survive that crash, Son?” Mr. Butler asked.

“It’s a long story, Dad. And what I had to go through to survive on that Island, might even become a TV movie of the week. But right now, please tell me you brought Tanya with you.”

The parents joyous look become a little sad. Seth’s smile then slowly turned to a frown. “Oh, no,” he paused, “Is Tanya all right?”

“Son, before you see her, there is something you need to know.”

“Know what, dad?” the bookstore worker started to panic, “Where is she? What is wrong with her?”

“Seth?” a female voice said around the corner.

Seth’s parents moved away from their son so he could see the love of his life. The musician looked at the girl standing in front of him. Tanya’s eyes stared to swell up with tears at the sight that Seth was still alive. She was even wearing her blue sundress, which the singer always told her was his favorite. It wasn’t her gorgeous looks or her blonde that was caught his attention; he has seen it so many times.

It was the fact that her left knee was in a brace and she was using a cane to walk.

Seth slowly started to walk toward her. She then started to walk toward him, faster that she was able. She missed him so much and wanted to hold him. Her leg then failed her and she started to fall but Seth was there to catch her. “Tanya, what-“ he tried to say.

Tanya then silenced him with a kiss. She held him closer and wanted to shower him with kisses just to prove he was real. Seth then embraced as he she wept on his shoulder. Her grip was so tight it was nearly ripping his shirt. “Tanya, are you okay?” he asked her again.

“No, please, Seth,” she wept, “Hold me . . .just hold me.”



After a while of hugging and crying, the majority of the family has calmed down. They all sat in the meeting room while Mia and Shanna introduced themselves to Seth’s parents, Seth and Tanya sat together in another corner of the room. The blonde rested her head on his shoulder, while he stroked her hair. The young couple held hands, as they basked in the warmth of their love. “I missed you.” She whispered.

“I missed you too.” Seth kissed her on the forehead, “There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think about you.”

“How did you live on that Island, Seth?” She looked at him, “Was it dangerous?”

“More or less.” He smirked.

“Wild animals?”

Seth immediately thought of the Polliwog and the Polar Bears. “You could say that.” He smirked again.

“Did you get a chance to find us a good spot in Australia?”

“I did but . . .no offense, I don’t think I’ll be flying anytime soon.”

“I don’t mind. As long as you stay put for a while.”

“Why? You think I am an adventurous soul now?”

Tanya giggled. “You always have been, Seth. I knew you were still the same ol’Seth when I saw you on the TV earlier today.”

“Let me guess; the guys were amazed I could still spell my last name?”

“Yeah, the guys miss you incredibly too,” The blonde smiled, “Poor Lizzie was a little ashamed. She felt bad that she gave up on you, assuming you were dead.”

“Polar Bear said that?” Seth smiled, “Well, hell, I don’t blame her. I went down in a plane crash . .in the SOUTH PACIFIC. Any reasonable person would assume I was dead.”

“For a while . . .so did I, Seth.” She started to cry.

“Honey, I don’t blame you for giving up. I don’t blame any of you. Like I said,-“

“No, Seth, I shouldn’t have. I just . . .” she held her mouth close.

Seth then leaned up and rubbed her back. He slowly looked down at her knee with the brace. “Tanya, is there something you need to tell me?” he whispered.

“Is . ..is there some place we can talk in private?” she sniffed, wiping her cheeks.

“Absolutely,” he stood up and gently helped her up on her feet.

The couple then walked over to the side where Seth parents, plus Mia and Shanna were talking. All four of them stood up. “Mia, Shanna, this is Tanya,” Seth introduced them, “Tanya, this is Mia and Shanna. You might want to get to know them, cause they’ll always be a part of my life.”

“Huh?” Tanya shook Mia’s hand.

“They took care of me on the Island. We watched after each other and for the stuff we went through . . .we stopped becoming friends and we became family.”

Tanya was a little thrown back by that statement. But she also knew Seth and knew he meant what he said by such a thing. Tanya then embraced Mia and kissed her on the cheek. She then did the same thing with Shanna. “Thank you so much.” She offered them both warm smiles.

“It was all pleasure,” Mia grinned, “We got so much more in return.”

“Listen . .uh . .Tanya and I have some things to discuss.” Seth gently touched Shanna’s shoulder, “Would you two take mom and dad and entertain them at the bar for a few minutes? We’ll join you shortly.”

“Yeah, sure, no problem,” the red head agreed.

“We’ll see you soon, son.”

“We’ll be down shortly, dad. I promise.”



Inside Seth’s room, Tanya looked around and marveled at the lavish surroundings. This was something the two of them could have never afforded on their own. The singer closed the door and then took his lady by the arm, leading her down the small stairs into the room. “Wow, Seth,” she smiled, “This is amazing.”

“Yeah, they wanted us to be comfortable. The government and all.”

“I know, It’s not every day such a large group of people crash land on an Island and survive for two months.”

“I know. It made us instant celebrities.”

Tanya gently sat on the large white bed, and Seth sat down next to her. The blonde took his hand and squeezed it tightly. The story she was about to tell him, she wanted NOT to tell him. However, she understood that he deserved to know her big mistake. She silently hoped he would forgive her. “Take your time.” He whispered, seeing how much it was a struggle for her.

“Seth, I . . .” she wiped her tears, “For the first few weeks, I wouldn’t give up hope. I wasn’t going to let you go. But . . .everybody . .felt I should move on. So about three weeks ago, I started to see someone. Bobby Wu.”

Seth shook his head. He was familiar with the oriental, considering they grew up together. “I . .uh . .dated him twice. On the second date,” she said, whimpering, “He. . uh . .wanted to have sex with me.”

Seth’s eyebrows slowly bent inward. He reached over and picked up a glass of water on the nightstand, taking a sip. His throat felt dry all of a sudden. “How . .uh . . how does this have to do with you leg?” he whispered.

“Bobby . ..got upset when all I could talk about what was you,” Tanya wiped her tears, “when he had enough . .he . .uh . .shove me out of the car. Then grabbed a baseball and proceed to . . .hit my knee over and over. . .”

Seth felt his teeth grinding within his mouth.

“The cops managed to arrest him but he got out on assault charge only,” Tanya wiped her tears, “He . .started coming around a lot and I had to get a restraining order on him.”

“Bobby . . did all that?” the singer hissed.

“Yeah, I know. He’s not like the nice guy we knew growing up. Lizzie . .and Sharon felt so bad cause they pushed me to date him. Even Dan went to try and make him pay for what he did but . . .they broke his jaw.”

A slow tear felt down Seth’s right cheek. It wasn’t a tear of sadness; it was a tear of rage.

“I found a great doctor,” the blonde continued to try and tell her story, “They managed to make the majority of the pain go away and they said with the proper rehab . . .I might . . be able to . . .surf one day . . .”

Tanya then broke down crying. Seth completely understood. One of her favorite pastimes was surfing and if they took that away from her, it wouldn’t give her must excuse to live. The rage was almost more than the singer could bare. Then the glass in his hand exploded. “JESUS!!” Tanya screamed.

Seth blinked from the slight pain in his hand. He looked at it and allowed the rest of the glass to fall to the floor. It took him a few seconds to understand that during Tanya’s entire conversation, he had been squeezing the glass to the point where it shattered. “Hmm,” was all the singer managed to say.

Tanya then grabbed her cane and stood up, walking toward a nearby counter. She looked around and found a hankercheif. She brought it back and gently placed it in his hand, dabbing up the small amount of blood. “Seth, are you okay?” she asked him.

Seth said nothing. The tears just flowed out of his eyes. Tanya then picked up his head by his cheeks and forced him to look at her. “Seth, please say something.” She said.

“I . .should have been here.” He whispered.

“No, baby, no. This wasn’t your fault.”

“It wasn’t yours either.” He gulped.

The couple them embraced and held each other for a few minutes. Seth didn’t mind the small pain in his palm. Tanya kissed him on the cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder. After a second or two, she leaned up and smiled, wiping her eyes. “Oh, God, I must be a mess,” she giggled, “Let me go clean up and we’ll head down stairs. Your parents are probably worried about us, not to mention I want to get to know Mia and Shanna.”

Seth just smiled as she kissed him on the cheek and then got up to head to the bathroom. The singer looked at his palm and then paused for a second. Something Tanya said didn’t make sense all of a sudden. “Tanya?” he called to her.

“Yeah, baby?” she said, turning around.

“You said . . .THEY . .broke Dan’s jaw.” Seth blinked, “Who . .who is They?”

“That stupid gang Bobby’s started to hang out with. They all ganged up on poor Dan when he gave him a blackeye. I think they are the reason Bobby changed the way he did.

“Gang?” the singer raised an eyebrow,” What gang?”

“The Rojo Dragons.” She sighed, “Some kinda weird Mexican/Asian gang.”

As Tanya walked into the bathroom, Seth felt his head sinking. The kismet of his life had come back around again. He was all too familiar with the Rojo Dragons; it was the gang that destroyed Brendon’s family by corrupting his brother. It would seem they had repeated history by corrupting one of his childhood friends. Corrupting him to the point where he assaulted his girlfriend and severely hurt one of his good friends in the process.

Seth didn’t like believing in fate. It was weird enough that he could find Kate in that picture all this time. Not to mention that it might have been his destiny to die on that Island but Brendon stepped in where fate had put him. The singer slowly stood up and walked over the special case on the counter. He opened it up and looked at the sword given to him by a dying friend. He gently stroked its hilt, recalling the few joyous days he and Brendon spent together, training him to use it.

Was it for this reason? Brendon destroyed a group of the Rojo Dragons with that sword; was it Seth’s fate to do the same thing? He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to believe in fate but it seemed it was believing in him. Whether it was his destiny or not, he didn’t know. However, he did know one thing.

When the time was right, they would pay for hurting for the people he cared about.