fic, Lost: And I'll Meet You Further On Up The Road (ensemble), PG13, for lenina20
*bows in front of Queen lenina20
Title: And I'll Meet You Further On Up The Road
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: The Oceanic Six, Desmond, Ben, Walt, Sawyer, Jin, Juliet, Claire, Boone, Shannon, Charlie and Christian (with some Jack/Juliet, Sun/Jin and help me, sliiight Sawyer/Kate)
Words: 4200
Summary: The Oceanic Six come back on the island.
Spoilers: up to the S4 finale.
Disclaimer: Surely not mine.
A/N: so, Her Majesty lenina20 at lostsquee asked for the O6 coming back and I guess I sort of covered everything. There are ghosts, a couple of resurrections, no one that we weren't sure was dead is dead, the ending is probably crazy enough and implies something that I hope never happens on the show and it was sort of really based on Further On Up The Road by Bruce Springsteen. Also, I you haven't read wrong on the pairing listing, even if I doubt it's ever going to happen again any time sooner ;) ♥ I really hope you like it!
It’s dawn when the boat touches shore.
Desmond is desperately clutching his and Penny’s picture in his hands and Sayid looks at him with a slight frown and maybe a worried expression, which is the most emphatic he has shown himself to be since they all left the real world for the last time. Or maybe not. No one knows really.
Jack runs his fingers nervously along his clean-shaved face, a couple of red cuts standing out against his pale skin; his hands grip the rail with maybe more strength than needed.
Walt stands near Hurley and they don’t talk, even if Hurley’s face is turned in the other direction and a slight frown is depicted across his features. Kate looks at Walt raising an eyebrow, Walt mouths Charlie and she nods.
She turns his head to the deck, where Sun stands with her daughter in his arms and Aaron on her side; she joins them there and no one moves even when the boat is still. Not until Ben comes out in the open, a smile that Walt finds just creepy, nothing more or less.
“Welcome home, ladies and gentlemen.”
His voice is calm, flat and even kind, to a degree; everyone seems shocked out of the trance they were in and Jack’s hands leave the rail as he walks unsteadily towards the cabins in order to get out from below the deck.
Once a leader, always the leader, Ben thinks as everyone else follows him. Nothing has really changed, even if everything did.
1. Where the road is dark and the seed is sowed
Where the gun is cocked and the bullet's cold
As soon as her feet touch the shore, Ji Yeon struggles out of her arms and Sun lets her. She runs in the sand and Sun follows her pink dress with her eyes until she decides that she’s going too far. She doesn’t look at anyone before following her.
It’s been a while since she hasn’t worn high heels. Now jeans and sneakers really seem a strange way of dressing for her, but well, she’s practical enough to know that the island isn’t a business meeting. The pink shadow slows down and Sun speeds up in order to catch up with her, even if she doesn’t think that there’s really any danger. After all, apart from the fact that everything looks the same but different, mostly because there’s no one around, nothing is really strange.
She has a handgun tucked in the waist of her jeans for a reason, after all.
Her hand goes there on instinct when the pink shadow stops, turned in direction of the jungle. She runs and is behind her in a minute; but her hand leaves the handle of the gun as soon as she sees who Ji Yeon is looking at.
So Locke didn’t lie after all is the only thing she can think before running and Jin’s arms are behind her back, one hand tangled in her hair; she grabs onto his, longer than she remembered, her palm splayed across his back and roaming there, trying to touch every inch of him that she can reach.
The kiss happens later and it’s all fast, his lips insistent on hers and his tongue hot and just so familiar against hers; she loses track of time and then when her forehead is against his and the air they’re breathing is the same, she speaks in Korean and asks him when he wants to meet their daughter.
Now, he answers in English. She nods but doesn’t let him go for another thirty seconds or so.
2. Where the miles are marked in blood and gold
I'll meet you further on up the road
At one point everyone scatters in a different direction, even Ben.
Sayid stands alone on the beach, not really knowing what he should do. After all, everyone has something to do, someone to meet if they’re here, a reason to go back. He is back, right, but just because he didn’t have a reason not to and because if he didn’t he would have jeopardized it all.
He sighs and sits on the sand, still cool; the sun hasn’t really risen up yet.
He takes his shoes off carefully and then throws them in the sea without any carefulness whatsoever; he lies back in the sand, not caring if it ruins his clothes or messes up with his hair, his eyes closed, trying just to realize what he should do. The only thing that comes to him is nothing. He has drawn blood and lost quite some of his in order to be back here and keep everyone safe or at least that’s what he had thought; but now he doesn’t know what to make of it and takes his head in his hands when he sits up.
It just pounds and hurts and he thinks he would like to close his eyes right here and now and not open them anymore. It would be a fitting ending, probably, and...
“Just snap out of it.”
His head jerks to his left and there’s Shannon. She looks like she just jumped out of a fashion magazine. Her hair is straight and shiny, her bikini and towel around the waist as pink as he remembered them to be, her feet bare on the sand, her mouth curved upwards in a smile which doesn’t really have anything resentful, even if she has any reason to be.
“Shannon?” he whispers, standing up quite shakily.
“Well, not the real deal, but I guess afterlife could be worse.”
There are many things he wants to say and he tries, but she shakes her head, a curtain of hair falling above her shoulder.
“That’s fine. Don’t explain anything, there’s no need. But, you know, I gave you an advice.”
Then she’s gone and he tries to reach for her, but his fist closes around air. His hand trembles and he suddenly can’t bear the weight of the gun in his jacket. He throws it away as he did with the shoes; then startles when a hand softly touches his shoulder.
Desmond, he sees when he turns.
“Everything’s fine?”
Sayid nods, not trusting his voice. Desmond nods and lets out a breath.
“What happened?” Sayid asks.
“Oh, I just think I’ve done my business. I should’ve much before, but that’s why I’m here anyway. At least if we ever get back I’ll be able to look her in the face, aye?”
Sayid nods, figuring he has an idea of what Desmond is talking about.
“You alright, brother?”
“Perhaps I am,” he answers, not really sure of what he should say. He doesn’t even know how should he feel.
“Want to go back on the boat?”
“Not really.”
“Well, me neither.”
Sayid’s lips turn into half a smile and Desmond’s do, too, while he shakes his head. Then Desmond’s head turns into the old kitchen table, still standing up. Sayid follows him there and they sit there in silence, for a while. Then Desmond’s arm is tentatively around Sayid’s shoulder and he doesn’t really fight it. On contrary, he just leans into the touch and it feels good.
3. Got on my dead man's suit and my smilin' skull ring
My lucky graveyard boots and a song to sing
Jack heads to the jungle without bothering to check if anyone is following him or not. He couldn’t really care less right now. He couldn’t really care less even if he lost himself or if he fell off a cliff or whatever. He just needs to be there and maybe he’ll be able to think, maybe because he isn’t sure that standing where he was when he woke up from the crash would be enough.
He runs for a while, not looking at the way he’s coming from; he thinks he ends up in that clearing where he spoke with Locke once. Maybe. He doesn’t know really. He’s wearing a suit though, one of his father’s (he had it in his drawer and never touched it until leaving) because his own weren’t really good for wearing anymore; it’s as crumpled and dirty as the one he had on the day of the crash was. Maybe a bit less. He doesn’t know. He sits on a rock, letting out a breath. Now he really should think about something to do, except that the voice startles him out of his thoughts and he finds out he can’t breathe.
“Good to see you again.”
Not when Boone is in front of him looking better than he ever looked while he was still alive. Which has to mean he’s still dead.
When Jack doesn’t answer he just laughs and it does strange things to Jack’s stomach. Like making it clench and oh, his eyes are stinging. Damn.
“Hey, I meant it. But get yourself together, okay? There’s someone coming to see you and this someone wouldn’t like seeing you like this.”
“What...?”
“No questions. Just wait a minute. Oh, and since we’re here... well, thank you.”
He smiles softly, blue eyes so wide, looking glad and melancholic at the same moment; then he disappears and Jack doesn’t have time to think about it because two seconds later Juliet appears between a couple of trees, long blond hair falling across her shoulders, that worn out white shirt still too big for her and a small smile on her lips.
He suddenly feels dizzy and has this idea that he will fall down if he tries to stand up, but he does and suddenly she’s near and her smile is gone. Of course. Replaced by a worried frown.
“I’m sorry,” he says abruptly before she can say anything else. She nods, biting her lip, taking the information in.
“And I was an idiot,” he adds then, almost jumping when she takes his hand.
“Took you long enough,” she murmurs looking at the ground first and at their interlaced fingers after. Her tone is just so sad that he feels something shattering and he tentatively puts an arm around her shoulders, sure that she’s going to push him away.
She doesn’t do anything for a second, then she throws her arm around his neck and he feels intoxicated, her scent making his head spin, her hair so soft over his skin and he hadn’t really realized how good she could make him feel and just how stupid he has been.
The kiss is tentative, barely there, she almost retreats a couple of times and he does too but in the end it’s there. He figures it’s enough and that she really has always been too good for him. He just hopes this time he won’t blow it away, but he thinks he won’t. He wonders if she can taste the glass of whiskey he had on the boat the night before on his tongue and then stops thinking altogether.
4. I got a song to sing to keep me out of the cold
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Hurley at one point starts singing. Not that he has a particularly good voice or that he particularly likes hearing himself sing, but point is, everyone has sort of disappeared, he doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to do and well, he hasn’t got, like, anything better to do.
And so he sings. Like, at least it keeps him distracted.
“When I hold you in my arms, I can’t do no wrong... and when I hold you in my arms...”
He doesn’t even finish the song when Charlie pops up from somewhere.
Like, sure. Of course. He was sorta expecting it.
“Jesus, mate, you haven’t had enough of that song already?” he asks trying to look annoyed. Even if he’s smiling, so Hurley figures it can’t be that bad.
“Couldn’t think of another one, dude.”
“Yeah, of course you couldn’t. Place and everything else. Ah, good times, good times indeed. But I would, you know, strongly encourage you to renew the repertory. Gets old and it’s never nice. By they way, I think I should probably go.”
“Hey, man, wait a...”
But Charlie smiles at him and then he’s gone. Hurley shrugs, it’s not like he hasn’t learned that he won’t ever get a straight answers from ghosts. Except for Boone one time, maybe, but that wasn’t the point.
Then nothing happens and he figures that he can start again just to get Charlie irritated if nothing else.
“And I feel good, I knew that I would now...”
“Jesus, now what’s happenin’ here, two men without the third and the baby?”
He stops because now there’s Sawyer leaning against the tree, looking more amused than irritated or anything.
“Dude. You’re... like.. alive?”
“Well, ain’t that the reason for which you’re all back anyw...”
Hurley doesn’t even let him finish the sentence and it’s just like the van all over again, except that this time Sawyer hugs him back on the spot without the flinching he had the first time.
5. One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Walt takes a deep breath and suddenly he feels himself shivering, not because it’s cold but because of the island itself. It’s been so much time and yet it looks the same as he remembered. Well, maybe not. Maybe it looks more like a real deserted island than the quite lively place that he dreams about more or less every night.
It’s not like he expects to find anything. He doesn’t even know why he said that he would go. Surely his grandma wasn’t too thrilled with it, but well, he’d rather not think about it. He has figured that it’s not like he will ever find his dad here, he can recognize a lie when he hears one and he can’t believe he just wanted to stay.
His trail of thoughts stop as soon as he hears a familiar sound. There’s some rustling in a bush and then he sees white and hears barking; three seconds later Vincent is all over him and Walt can’t help laughing and closing his arms around the dog, caressing the white fur which hasn’t really changed since he last touched it.
He doesn’t really let Vincent go for a while; his right hand scratches behind his ears and he thinks that this was more than enough of a reason for coming back. He really wouldn’t want anything more, this is just as good as it’s going to get and...
“Walt?”
He lets Vincent go and turns on his knees, in the direction of the voice from behind him.
And figures that maybe he took the only truth Hurley ever told anyone since the rescue for a lie.
“Dad?”
6. Now I been out in the desert just doin' my time
Searching through the dust lookin' for a sign
Ben knows no one really paid attention when he left. And that’s really fine with him, it’s not like he needs them anymore, or they need him anymore. He’s back where he wants to be and he wonders what’s Jacob thinking about all of this.
It wasn’t exactly a brilliant plan, seeing how it all planned out; but there’s a coffin in the boat and he knows someone will take care of it. Not him, though. That wasn’t in the plans.
He breathes that air he longed to breathe again, smiling slightly. Now, it was so worth it, being back here, it just was. He’s just a bit disappointed with himself, though. Mainly for not having gone through with his plans for Widmore’s daughter, but in the end it turned out that she was more useful alive than dead and that Widmore was enough put off by her being with Hume. And since they needed Hume to be back, he figured that sacrificing one plan wasn’t that big of a sacrifice. Still, he’s disappointed in himself nonetheless, but then again, maybe Alex wouldn’t have wanted it. It’s not the time to think about it, anyway. He will take care of everything later.
He lets a small laugh out when he sees a white bunny running through the jungle for a second.
“Very funny, Richard,” he says before turning to his right where he just knew Richard would be.
And there he is, exactly the same as he was last time, pleasurable smile, ragged clothes and all.
“Welcome back, Ben,” Richard replies. Ben nods.
There’s no place like home, indeed.
7. If there's a light up ahead, well brother I don't know
But I got this fever burnin' in my soul
Desmond knows that she’ll be the one coming as soon as he sits down on the trunk of a fallen tree.
There’s really no one else he should see right now. Not even Charlie, and he has seen quite much of him in the past two years.
When Claire comes out of the jungle, nice blue shirt over jeans, bare feet and hair which is even longer than he remembered, he isn’t surprised. Not at all.
She doesn’t say a thing, her face remains neutral when she sits next to him on the trunk.
“I screwed it up.”
It’s not like he can say hi, right?
She nods and now smiles. Just a bit.
“Well, you definitely did. What about that?”
What about that is exactly the question.
It’s not like he can do anything now. He has an idea that the vision he had went wrong because what happened in the Looking Glass didn’t happen the way it was supposed to and he figures that if he tells her that after he left the island he just stopped himself from thinking about the biggest failure of his life he won’t do much good.
If he says he hasn’t really deserved that turn of luck he had maybe he would be right, but it’s not like to Claire it would change something. No, it probably wouldn’t. So he just settles for something he can actually talk to her about.
“I was about to tell you. When there was the split.”
She nods, looking down at her hands.
“And why didn’t you?”
He looks at his own, now.
“I just... I felt like I was gonna intrude. Figured I’d talk to you later. Then there was the split.”
And I couldn’t bring myself to go with you because I was just so ashamed, he ends in his head, figuring she will understand it.
“I’m so sorry,” he tells softly, aware that it isn’t enough and that it will never be.
“Well, if you couldn’t look your girl in the eye and you’re back I guess you are.”
He doesn’t ask her how come she knows it.
“You know, I’m not really proud myself.”
“What?” he asks turning in her direction. She shrugs and smiles shakily.
“After I knew... I just shut that out. I didn’t even want to think about him. It hurt too much. So I just pretended that nothing happened. It worked until my house fell on me. So well, you screwed it up and much worse than I did, but I figure I’m no saint either.”
Desmond nods and takes a breath. Yeah, he figures, not a tie but at least they’re two.
“I just... I should have done more. When I saw Aaron and not you.”
“Well, yeah. You should have. Not that you could have had a saying in the matter at that point. But it happened.”
“Are you... alright now?”
Quite of a stupid question, he knows. But he can’t find a better one.
“As much as I can.”
“I... I miss him.”
“I miss him, too. Even if I see him.”
“Well, me, too. But...”
“Yeah. Isn’t enough.”
“It isn’t.”
Claire stands up and then looks down at him.
“Late is better than never, right?”
Desmond nods and stands up, then takes an envelope out of his pocket.
“This was... I was supposed to give you this. He asked me to. ‘t’s ruined and I figure you’d have more than a problem readin’ it. If it doesn’t fall to pieces as soon as you take it out. But well. Better very late than never, right?”
Claire takes the envelope and nods at him, her fingers shaking; then she leaves and Desmond goes to the beach in the opposite direction.
He sees Sayid standing there alone and suddenly longs for company. He thinks he sees Charlie for a second giving him a thumbs up when he takes the first step, but then he’s gone.
8. So let's take the good times as they go
And I'll meet you further on up the road
She’s aware that she has left Aaron by now. But she ran as soon as she saw blond hair coming towards them (Claire, surely Claire) and she knows he won’t be alone for long. She figures her job is over and witnessing it would be too much. Not as painful as she could have thought, maybe, but she doesn’t want to run the risk.
So she runs and the jungle feels so strangely familiar; she doesn’t even notice passing next to Hurley, who just shrugs and goes in the opposite direction.
Fun. Last time she ran through the jungle, she was in a much worse state of mind, but she thinks that she oddly might have been saner then. Because now, really, what should she do? There’s no one around here. Maybe they’re all dead except from Claire. She doesn’t want to find Jack, not really, and she doesn’t want to go back where Aaron is. All the contrary.
And then she curses her shoes because they really aren’t right for walking in the jungle; she takes a false step and falls down. Her reflexes are still good enough to avoid any damage, but her hands get dirty and she scratches the palms.
Well, could have been worse.
At least the jeans she’s wearing didn’t break and while her white shirt is stained with earth and dirt, it’s better than she could have thought.
“Woah, Freckles. Thought you were a better tracker than that.”
For a second everything stops still and then a hand is in front of her. She takes it and someone helps her standing up.
When she meets green eyes and a small dimple showing in his cheek she feels like falling all over again.
“I’m out of shape,” she mutters then, not leaving his hand (it’s not like he’s letting hers go anyway) and still staring at him like he was a very real ghost (but he obviously isn’t).
“Figured that. You think you’ll get back into that shape any time soon?”
He winks and she just nods, words somehow stuck in her throat. She just grips his hand harder and he holds it back.
9. Further on up the road
One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Christian figures that Jacob should be pleased with the outcome.
After all, everyone is back. His daughter is spending quality time with her son (and maybe he should pay a visit, soon), his son seems to have gotten a couple of things straight and did it take some time to convince him (Christian doesn’t really feel too guilty, after all ends justify the means), Ben is back to his favorite kind of mindfucking (not that Christian doesn’t like it himself, but not that kind of mindfucking), there have been a couple of tearjerker reunions that he’s sure are making at least some girl cry in the dark side of the moon of Craphole Island (damn that sort of rock star that died before the rescue who inflicted the name on everyone) and even if they were to leave again he figures that the balance is, well, balanced. Or whatever. He sighs, moving unseen towards the boat. As he saved that one on the freighter because he actually took pity on him at the last second, he had to expect Jacob to give him the worst job.
He wonders why Jacob didn’t send Boone for this. He’d have had a kick out of it, he’s pretty sure, and everyone is so annoyed these days. Even if he figures there won’t be much boredom from now. Personally, he would just like to take a nice rest from his activity (hey, haunting people, being Jacob’s spokesman and basically keeping everything going nice in the darks side isn’t an easy job).
No such luck, not until he’s done with that Locke idiot who of course couldn’t wait two months. Right, Jacob wasn’t one not to give cryptic advices, but how he understood that he had to kill himself in order to be back... that plane was really full of strange people. His son not excluded, he thinks while he watches him and Juliet speaking with the corner of an eye.
Now that was a better girl than Sarah, indeed. Pity that he won’t ever get to really meet her, even if they could arrange something. Maybe.
Oh, this really isn’t the time.
He gets inside the ship, smiling slightly. After he’s done with this (and he really wants to know what’s so important with Locke anyways), he really has plans for enjoying his afterlife as everyone else does. And maybe pay Jack an amicable visit or two.
End.
Title: And I'll Meet You Further On Up The Road
Rating: PG13
Characters/Pairings: The Oceanic Six, Desmond, Ben, Walt, Sawyer, Jin, Juliet, Claire, Boone, Shannon, Charlie and Christian (with some Jack/Juliet, Sun/Jin and help me, sliiight Sawyer/Kate)
Words: 4200
Summary: The Oceanic Six come back on the island.
Spoilers: up to the S4 finale.
Disclaimer: Surely not mine.
A/N: so, Her Majesty lenina20 at lostsquee asked for the O6 coming back and I guess I sort of covered everything. There are ghosts, a couple of resurrections, no one that we weren't sure was dead is dead, the ending is probably crazy enough and implies something that I hope never happens on the show and it was sort of really based on Further On Up The Road by Bruce Springsteen. Also, I you haven't read wrong on the pairing listing, even if I doubt it's ever going to happen again any time sooner ;) ♥ I really hope you like it!
It’s dawn when the boat touches shore.
Desmond is desperately clutching his and Penny’s picture in his hands and Sayid looks at him with a slight frown and maybe a worried expression, which is the most emphatic he has shown himself to be since they all left the real world for the last time. Or maybe not. No one knows really.
Jack runs his fingers nervously along his clean-shaved face, a couple of red cuts standing out against his pale skin; his hands grip the rail with maybe more strength than needed.
Walt stands near Hurley and they don’t talk, even if Hurley’s face is turned in the other direction and a slight frown is depicted across his features. Kate looks at Walt raising an eyebrow, Walt mouths Charlie and she nods.
She turns his head to the deck, where Sun stands with her daughter in his arms and Aaron on her side; she joins them there and no one moves even when the boat is still. Not until Ben comes out in the open, a smile that Walt finds just creepy, nothing more or less.
“Welcome home, ladies and gentlemen.”
His voice is calm, flat and even kind, to a degree; everyone seems shocked out of the trance they were in and Jack’s hands leave the rail as he walks unsteadily towards the cabins in order to get out from below the deck.
Once a leader, always the leader, Ben thinks as everyone else follows him. Nothing has really changed, even if everything did.
1. Where the road is dark and the seed is sowed
Where the gun is cocked and the bullet's cold
As soon as her feet touch the shore, Ji Yeon struggles out of her arms and Sun lets her. She runs in the sand and Sun follows her pink dress with her eyes until she decides that she’s going too far. She doesn’t look at anyone before following her.
It’s been a while since she hasn’t worn high heels. Now jeans and sneakers really seem a strange way of dressing for her, but well, she’s practical enough to know that the island isn’t a business meeting. The pink shadow slows down and Sun speeds up in order to catch up with her, even if she doesn’t think that there’s really any danger. After all, apart from the fact that everything looks the same but different, mostly because there’s no one around, nothing is really strange.
She has a handgun tucked in the waist of her jeans for a reason, after all.
Her hand goes there on instinct when the pink shadow stops, turned in direction of the jungle. She runs and is behind her in a minute; but her hand leaves the handle of the gun as soon as she sees who Ji Yeon is looking at.
So Locke didn’t lie after all is the only thing she can think before running and Jin’s arms are behind her back, one hand tangled in her hair; she grabs onto his, longer than she remembered, her palm splayed across his back and roaming there, trying to touch every inch of him that she can reach.
The kiss happens later and it’s all fast, his lips insistent on hers and his tongue hot and just so familiar against hers; she loses track of time and then when her forehead is against his and the air they’re breathing is the same, she speaks in Korean and asks him when he wants to meet their daughter.
Now, he answers in English. She nods but doesn’t let him go for another thirty seconds or so.
2. Where the miles are marked in blood and gold
I'll meet you further on up the road
At one point everyone scatters in a different direction, even Ben.
Sayid stands alone on the beach, not really knowing what he should do. After all, everyone has something to do, someone to meet if they’re here, a reason to go back. He is back, right, but just because he didn’t have a reason not to and because if he didn’t he would have jeopardized it all.
He sighs and sits on the sand, still cool; the sun hasn’t really risen up yet.
He takes his shoes off carefully and then throws them in the sea without any carefulness whatsoever; he lies back in the sand, not caring if it ruins his clothes or messes up with his hair, his eyes closed, trying just to realize what he should do. The only thing that comes to him is nothing. He has drawn blood and lost quite some of his in order to be back here and keep everyone safe or at least that’s what he had thought; but now he doesn’t know what to make of it and takes his head in his hands when he sits up.
It just pounds and hurts and he thinks he would like to close his eyes right here and now and not open them anymore. It would be a fitting ending, probably, and...
“Just snap out of it.”
His head jerks to his left and there’s Shannon. She looks like she just jumped out of a fashion magazine. Her hair is straight and shiny, her bikini and towel around the waist as pink as he remembered them to be, her feet bare on the sand, her mouth curved upwards in a smile which doesn’t really have anything resentful, even if she has any reason to be.
“Shannon?” he whispers, standing up quite shakily.
“Well, not the real deal, but I guess afterlife could be worse.”
There are many things he wants to say and he tries, but she shakes her head, a curtain of hair falling above her shoulder.
“That’s fine. Don’t explain anything, there’s no need. But, you know, I gave you an advice.”
Then she’s gone and he tries to reach for her, but his fist closes around air. His hand trembles and he suddenly can’t bear the weight of the gun in his jacket. He throws it away as he did with the shoes; then startles when a hand softly touches his shoulder.
Desmond, he sees when he turns.
“Everything’s fine?”
Sayid nods, not trusting his voice. Desmond nods and lets out a breath.
“What happened?” Sayid asks.
“Oh, I just think I’ve done my business. I should’ve much before, but that’s why I’m here anyway. At least if we ever get back I’ll be able to look her in the face, aye?”
Sayid nods, figuring he has an idea of what Desmond is talking about.
“You alright, brother?”
“Perhaps I am,” he answers, not really sure of what he should say. He doesn’t even know how should he feel.
“Want to go back on the boat?”
“Not really.”
“Well, me neither.”
Sayid’s lips turn into half a smile and Desmond’s do, too, while he shakes his head. Then Desmond’s head turns into the old kitchen table, still standing up. Sayid follows him there and they sit there in silence, for a while. Then Desmond’s arm is tentatively around Sayid’s shoulder and he doesn’t really fight it. On contrary, he just leans into the touch and it feels good.
3. Got on my dead man's suit and my smilin' skull ring
My lucky graveyard boots and a song to sing
Jack heads to the jungle without bothering to check if anyone is following him or not. He couldn’t really care less right now. He couldn’t really care less even if he lost himself or if he fell off a cliff or whatever. He just needs to be there and maybe he’ll be able to think, maybe because he isn’t sure that standing where he was when he woke up from the crash would be enough.
He runs for a while, not looking at the way he’s coming from; he thinks he ends up in that clearing where he spoke with Locke once. Maybe. He doesn’t know really. He’s wearing a suit though, one of his father’s (he had it in his drawer and never touched it until leaving) because his own weren’t really good for wearing anymore; it’s as crumpled and dirty as the one he had on the day of the crash was. Maybe a bit less. He doesn’t know. He sits on a rock, letting out a breath. Now he really should think about something to do, except that the voice startles him out of his thoughts and he finds out he can’t breathe.
“Good to see you again.”
Not when Boone is in front of him looking better than he ever looked while he was still alive. Which has to mean he’s still dead.
When Jack doesn’t answer he just laughs and it does strange things to Jack’s stomach. Like making it clench and oh, his eyes are stinging. Damn.
“Hey, I meant it. But get yourself together, okay? There’s someone coming to see you and this someone wouldn’t like seeing you like this.”
“What...?”
“No questions. Just wait a minute. Oh, and since we’re here... well, thank you.”
He smiles softly, blue eyes so wide, looking glad and melancholic at the same moment; then he disappears and Jack doesn’t have time to think about it because two seconds later Juliet appears between a couple of trees, long blond hair falling across her shoulders, that worn out white shirt still too big for her and a small smile on her lips.
He suddenly feels dizzy and has this idea that he will fall down if he tries to stand up, but he does and suddenly she’s near and her smile is gone. Of course. Replaced by a worried frown.
“I’m sorry,” he says abruptly before she can say anything else. She nods, biting her lip, taking the information in.
“And I was an idiot,” he adds then, almost jumping when she takes his hand.
“Took you long enough,” she murmurs looking at the ground first and at their interlaced fingers after. Her tone is just so sad that he feels something shattering and he tentatively puts an arm around her shoulders, sure that she’s going to push him away.
She doesn’t do anything for a second, then she throws her arm around his neck and he feels intoxicated, her scent making his head spin, her hair so soft over his skin and he hadn’t really realized how good she could make him feel and just how stupid he has been.
The kiss is tentative, barely there, she almost retreats a couple of times and he does too but in the end it’s there. He figures it’s enough and that she really has always been too good for him. He just hopes this time he won’t blow it away, but he thinks he won’t. He wonders if she can taste the glass of whiskey he had on the boat the night before on his tongue and then stops thinking altogether.
4. I got a song to sing to keep me out of the cold
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Hurley at one point starts singing. Not that he has a particularly good voice or that he particularly likes hearing himself sing, but point is, everyone has sort of disappeared, he doesn’t really know what he’s supposed to do and well, he hasn’t got, like, anything better to do.
And so he sings. Like, at least it keeps him distracted.
“When I hold you in my arms, I can’t do no wrong... and when I hold you in my arms...”
He doesn’t even finish the song when Charlie pops up from somewhere.
Like, sure. Of course. He was sorta expecting it.
“Jesus, mate, you haven’t had enough of that song already?” he asks trying to look annoyed. Even if he’s smiling, so Hurley figures it can’t be that bad.
“Couldn’t think of another one, dude.”
“Yeah, of course you couldn’t. Place and everything else. Ah, good times, good times indeed. But I would, you know, strongly encourage you to renew the repertory. Gets old and it’s never nice. By they way, I think I should probably go.”
“Hey, man, wait a...”
But Charlie smiles at him and then he’s gone. Hurley shrugs, it’s not like he hasn’t learned that he won’t ever get a straight answers from ghosts. Except for Boone one time, maybe, but that wasn’t the point.
Then nothing happens and he figures that he can start again just to get Charlie irritated if nothing else.
“And I feel good, I knew that I would now...”
“Jesus, now what’s happenin’ here, two men without the third and the baby?”
He stops because now there’s Sawyer leaning against the tree, looking more amused than irritated or anything.
“Dude. You’re... like.. alive?”
“Well, ain’t that the reason for which you’re all back anyw...”
Hurley doesn’t even let him finish the sentence and it’s just like the van all over again, except that this time Sawyer hugs him back on the spot without the flinching he had the first time.
5. One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Walt takes a deep breath and suddenly he feels himself shivering, not because it’s cold but because of the island itself. It’s been so much time and yet it looks the same as he remembered. Well, maybe not. Maybe it looks more like a real deserted island than the quite lively place that he dreams about more or less every night.
It’s not like he expects to find anything. He doesn’t even know why he said that he would go. Surely his grandma wasn’t too thrilled with it, but well, he’d rather not think about it. He has figured that it’s not like he will ever find his dad here, he can recognize a lie when he hears one and he can’t believe he just wanted to stay.
His trail of thoughts stop as soon as he hears a familiar sound. There’s some rustling in a bush and then he sees white and hears barking; three seconds later Vincent is all over him and Walt can’t help laughing and closing his arms around the dog, caressing the white fur which hasn’t really changed since he last touched it.
He doesn’t really let Vincent go for a while; his right hand scratches behind his ears and he thinks that this was more than enough of a reason for coming back. He really wouldn’t want anything more, this is just as good as it’s going to get and...
“Walt?”
He lets Vincent go and turns on his knees, in the direction of the voice from behind him.
And figures that maybe he took the only truth Hurley ever told anyone since the rescue for a lie.
“Dad?”
6. Now I been out in the desert just doin' my time
Searching through the dust lookin' for a sign
Ben knows no one really paid attention when he left. And that’s really fine with him, it’s not like he needs them anymore, or they need him anymore. He’s back where he wants to be and he wonders what’s Jacob thinking about all of this.
It wasn’t exactly a brilliant plan, seeing how it all planned out; but there’s a coffin in the boat and he knows someone will take care of it. Not him, though. That wasn’t in the plans.
He breathes that air he longed to breathe again, smiling slightly. Now, it was so worth it, being back here, it just was. He’s just a bit disappointed with himself, though. Mainly for not having gone through with his plans for Widmore’s daughter, but in the end it turned out that she was more useful alive than dead and that Widmore was enough put off by her being with Hume. And since they needed Hume to be back, he figured that sacrificing one plan wasn’t that big of a sacrifice. Still, he’s disappointed in himself nonetheless, but then again, maybe Alex wouldn’t have wanted it. It’s not the time to think about it, anyway. He will take care of everything later.
He lets a small laugh out when he sees a white bunny running through the jungle for a second.
“Very funny, Richard,” he says before turning to his right where he just knew Richard would be.
And there he is, exactly the same as he was last time, pleasurable smile, ragged clothes and all.
“Welcome back, Ben,” Richard replies. Ben nods.
There’s no place like home, indeed.
7. If there's a light up ahead, well brother I don't know
But I got this fever burnin' in my soul
Desmond knows that she’ll be the one coming as soon as he sits down on the trunk of a fallen tree.
There’s really no one else he should see right now. Not even Charlie, and he has seen quite much of him in the past two years.
When Claire comes out of the jungle, nice blue shirt over jeans, bare feet and hair which is even longer than he remembered, he isn’t surprised. Not at all.
She doesn’t say a thing, her face remains neutral when she sits next to him on the trunk.
“I screwed it up.”
It’s not like he can say hi, right?
She nods and now smiles. Just a bit.
“Well, you definitely did. What about that?”
What about that is exactly the question.
It’s not like he can do anything now. He has an idea that the vision he had went wrong because what happened in the Looking Glass didn’t happen the way it was supposed to and he figures that if he tells her that after he left the island he just stopped himself from thinking about the biggest failure of his life he won’t do much good.
If he says he hasn’t really deserved that turn of luck he had maybe he would be right, but it’s not like to Claire it would change something. No, it probably wouldn’t. So he just settles for something he can actually talk to her about.
“I was about to tell you. When there was the split.”
She nods, looking down at her hands.
“And why didn’t you?”
He looks at his own, now.
“I just... I felt like I was gonna intrude. Figured I’d talk to you later. Then there was the split.”
And I couldn’t bring myself to go with you because I was just so ashamed, he ends in his head, figuring she will understand it.
“I’m so sorry,” he tells softly, aware that it isn’t enough and that it will never be.
“Well, if you couldn’t look your girl in the eye and you’re back I guess you are.”
He doesn’t ask her how come she knows it.
“You know, I’m not really proud myself.”
“What?” he asks turning in her direction. She shrugs and smiles shakily.
“After I knew... I just shut that out. I didn’t even want to think about him. It hurt too much. So I just pretended that nothing happened. It worked until my house fell on me. So well, you screwed it up and much worse than I did, but I figure I’m no saint either.”
Desmond nods and takes a breath. Yeah, he figures, not a tie but at least they’re two.
“I just... I should have done more. When I saw Aaron and not you.”
“Well, yeah. You should have. Not that you could have had a saying in the matter at that point. But it happened.”
“Are you... alright now?”
Quite of a stupid question, he knows. But he can’t find a better one.
“As much as I can.”
“I... I miss him.”
“I miss him, too. Even if I see him.”
“Well, me, too. But...”
“Yeah. Isn’t enough.”
“It isn’t.”
Claire stands up and then looks down at him.
“Late is better than never, right?”
Desmond nods and stands up, then takes an envelope out of his pocket.
“This was... I was supposed to give you this. He asked me to. ‘t’s ruined and I figure you’d have more than a problem readin’ it. If it doesn’t fall to pieces as soon as you take it out. But well. Better very late than never, right?”
Claire takes the envelope and nods at him, her fingers shaking; then she leaves and Desmond goes to the beach in the opposite direction.
He sees Sayid standing there alone and suddenly longs for company. He thinks he sees Charlie for a second giving him a thumbs up when he takes the first step, but then he’s gone.
8. So let's take the good times as they go
And I'll meet you further on up the road
She’s aware that she has left Aaron by now. But she ran as soon as she saw blond hair coming towards them (Claire, surely Claire) and she knows he won’t be alone for long. She figures her job is over and witnessing it would be too much. Not as painful as she could have thought, maybe, but she doesn’t want to run the risk.
So she runs and the jungle feels so strangely familiar; she doesn’t even notice passing next to Hurley, who just shrugs and goes in the opposite direction.
Fun. Last time she ran through the jungle, she was in a much worse state of mind, but she thinks that she oddly might have been saner then. Because now, really, what should she do? There’s no one around here. Maybe they’re all dead except from Claire. She doesn’t want to find Jack, not really, and she doesn’t want to go back where Aaron is. All the contrary.
And then she curses her shoes because they really aren’t right for walking in the jungle; she takes a false step and falls down. Her reflexes are still good enough to avoid any damage, but her hands get dirty and she scratches the palms.
Well, could have been worse.
At least the jeans she’s wearing didn’t break and while her white shirt is stained with earth and dirt, it’s better than she could have thought.
“Woah, Freckles. Thought you were a better tracker than that.”
For a second everything stops still and then a hand is in front of her. She takes it and someone helps her standing up.
When she meets green eyes and a small dimple showing in his cheek she feels like falling all over again.
“I’m out of shape,” she mutters then, not leaving his hand (it’s not like he’s letting hers go anyway) and still staring at him like he was a very real ghost (but he obviously isn’t).
“Figured that. You think you’ll get back into that shape any time soon?”
He winks and she just nods, words somehow stuck in her throat. She just grips his hand harder and he holds it back.
9. Further on up the road
One sunny mornin' we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road
Christian figures that Jacob should be pleased with the outcome.
After all, everyone is back. His daughter is spending quality time with her son (and maybe he should pay a visit, soon), his son seems to have gotten a couple of things straight and did it take some time to convince him (Christian doesn’t really feel too guilty, after all ends justify the means), Ben is back to his favorite kind of mindfucking (not that Christian doesn’t like it himself, but not that kind of mindfucking), there have been a couple of tearjerker reunions that he’s sure are making at least some girl cry in the dark side of the moon of Craphole Island (damn that sort of rock star that died before the rescue who inflicted the name on everyone) and even if they were to leave again he figures that the balance is, well, balanced. Or whatever. He sighs, moving unseen towards the boat. As he saved that one on the freighter because he actually took pity on him at the last second, he had to expect Jacob to give him the worst job.
He wonders why Jacob didn’t send Boone for this. He’d have had a kick out of it, he’s pretty sure, and everyone is so annoyed these days. Even if he figures there won’t be much boredom from now. Personally, he would just like to take a nice rest from his activity (hey, haunting people, being Jacob’s spokesman and basically keeping everything going nice in the darks side isn’t an easy job).
No such luck, not until he’s done with that Locke idiot who of course couldn’t wait two months. Right, Jacob wasn’t one not to give cryptic advices, but how he understood that he had to kill himself in order to be back... that plane was really full of strange people. His son not excluded, he thinks while he watches him and Juliet speaking with the corner of an eye.
Now that was a better girl than Sarah, indeed. Pity that he won’t ever get to really meet her, even if they could arrange something. Maybe.
Oh, this really isn’t the time.
He gets inside the ship, smiling slightly. After he’s done with this (and he really wants to know what’s so important with Locke anyways), he really has plans for enjoying his afterlife as everyone else does. And maybe pay Jack an amicable visit or two.
End.