You Will Never Be Free, Not As Long As There's Me
Title: You Will Never Be Free, Not As Long As There's Me
Fandom: Lost
Warnings: Spoilers all the way up through S4
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ben, Alex, Sayid, Shannon, Walt, Michael, Locke, Boone, Juliet, Danny Pickett, Jack, Ana Lucia, Desmond, Charlie, Kate, Claire, Sun, Jae Lee.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Ben, Sayid, Walt, Locke, Juliet, Jack, Desmond, Kate and Sun each receive a visit from a ghost.
For zelda_zee, who requested d!bah in the luau.
Ben has had the same recurring nightmare every night since his confrontation with Widmore. Since Widmore taunted him that he was the one responsible for Alex's death, he's had visions of himself, not Keamy, holding the gun to his daughter's head.
He's vowed to avenge her death by killing Widmore's daughter, Penelope. He's sure the nightmares will stop after that.
But the next time Alex appears to him, Ben's fully awake.
"Don't do it, Daddy," she pleads with him.
"I have to, sweetheart," Ben whispers, unable to believe she is here in front of him once more. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Alex smiles. "I know you didn't mean what you said to that man. You always did like to get people to do things and let them think it was their own idea. I know what you were trying to do."
Ben swallows hard as he says "That was the only time it didn't work for me. And the only time it really mattered."
"You don't have to kill Penelope, Daddy," Alex begs. "It's not what I want. If you kill her, you'll change everything."
But it is too late. Ben has already given Jarrah the name.
The deed may already have been done.
Sayid had thought he was seeing things at first. He'd been looking out at the guests who were there to witness his wedding to Nadia. He'd just caught sight of Jack, Kate and Hurley (no Sun; she had been too pregnant to fly out) when he thought he saw Shannon somewhere behind Hurley.
She was gone when he looked again. Eventually he decided he'd imagines the whole thing. But that night, Shannon appeared at Sayid's bedside.
"Guess I was right all along," she said, swallowing back tears. "You didn't love me after all."
"No! That's not true!" Sayid exclaims. He wants to say more (but what can he say?) when Nadia awakes and asks what is wrong.
"Just a dream about the crash." Sayid lies. "It is nothing."
"Nothing." Shannon scowls. "Yeah, that's what I meant to everyone when I was alive."
Walt had avidly watched the Tv coverage when the Oceanic Six returned. He watched as Sayid, Hurley and Jack disembarked to be greeted by their relatives. When Sun appeared alone, he wondered where Jin was. he hadn't known Jin well (wasn't easy when you didn't speak the same language) but he still remembered their time together on the raft. He was sorry to think that Jin hadn't made it.
He gasped aloud when Kate appeared with Aaron, claiming he was her baby. Where was Claire? But he couldn't give any more thought to that at the time, because he couldn't speak in front of his grandmother.
The news report said there were only six of them. Yet Walt still continued to look for the face that wasn't there.
Walt hoped they would come and see him some time. He's finding it hard with his grandmother because she doesn't know any of what happened. His whole life is a lie. If he's with them, he can be honest.
But the days go by, and no one visits Walt.
He'd thought at one time that he never wanted to see his father again. But he can't believe his father would abandon him like that. He'd kept trying to see Walt when he first moved in with his grandmother, so why not now?
That's why he had to see Hurley. To get some answers.
Walt asked if Michael stayed behind to protect the other survivors. Hurley said he did. Walt wanted to believe that his dad's done something right for once. but there was something about the way Hurley said it. He can't be sure.
One night Michael appears to Walt, trying to say something, opening his mouth but the words aren't coming out.
"Dad!" Walt cries. He tries to move closer to Michael, to talk to him, but neither of them can make the other understand.
Michael and Walt had problems communicating when Michael was alive. Nothing has changed in death.
Boone appears to Locke, or Jeremy Bentham as he is by this time known, not long after his return to the mainland. He appears bloody and broken, just as in Locke's earlier dreams of him.
"Hello, John," Boone greets him.
Locke attempts to reply, but finds himself once more unable to speak.
"So, bet you never thought you'd end up back here again."
Locke shakes his head.
"I know what happened after they all left the island," Boone continues, "and I know Jacob wasn't pleased. That's why you had to move the island again."
Locke nods, still unable to force the words to come.
Boone smiles. "So how's it feel, John?" he says, echoing Sawyer's words of so long ago. "Taking my place as the sacrifice that the island demanded."
The night after Juliet witnesses her one hope of rescue going up in flames, she sees her one time friend Danny Pickett.
"You thought Ben was going to let you off the island," he says. "You thought you'd get home to your sister."
Pickett indicates the smoky remains of the freighter. "Remind you of anything?" he asks. "Remember the submarine that you and Shephard thought was taking you home?"
Juliet nods, swallowing hard.
"You shot me, Juliet, because you thought it was going to help you. You thought Shephard would help you leave. And where's Shephard now, huh, Jules?"
Juliet closes her eyes, trying to block out the images.
"You killed me to get yourself rescued. But it was never going to work. Because you'll never leave this island, Juliet."
"Drinking again, Jack?"
Jack raises his glass in a mock toast to Ana Lucia. "Ana." he slurs. "Do join me. Since we never did have that drink on the plane."
Ana shakes her head in disgust. "This isn't the answer, Jack. This isn't the way to get back."
"What the hell do you know, Ana?" Jack snaps. "You're dead."
Ana raises an eyebrow. "Carry on like this, and it won't be long before you are, too. What good will you be to them if you're dead?"
"I was never any good to them anyway," Jack bursts out. "I wasn't meant to be a leader. They all expected me to make the decisions for them. What the hell was I supposed to do?"
"You did the best with what you had, Jack," Ana Lucia reassures him. "And they're counting on you now. Ben will be in touch in the next couple of days about getting back to the island. You know what you have to do. You have to go be their leader again."
"You said you saw them."
Desmond looks up to see Charlie staring at him.
"You said you saw Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter. You said they were going to leave the island together."
"The visions, I - I told you, brother," Desmond stammers. "Sometimes they change."
Charlie snorts. "It bloody changed all right. Because you changed it for them when you demanded a place on the helicopter. What did it matter whether Claire got to safety? Just as long as you get home to your sodding girlfriend, that's all that matters to you, isn't it?"
Desmond shakes his head. "It wasn't like that. I promise you, brother."
But Charlie ignores this. "I did that for Claire, so she and Aaron could have a life off the island. But you know what? Everyone's right about you. You're a coward." He turns to walk away, then delivers one last parting shot. "And I'm not your bloody brother!"
Desmond doesn't know what he can say to that. Because deep down, he suspects that every word Charlie said was true.
"I said you should try it sometime, do you remember?" Claire asks.
"Try what?" Kate can't remember the conversation. In truth, all rational thoughts have gone out of her head since she saw Claire in Aaron's bedroom.
"Being a mother." Claire replies. "But neither of us ever thought it would be to my baby."
"I'm sorry," Kate whispers. "I'm trying my best. But you're his mother."
"I meant what I said," Claire snaps. "You can't bring him back. He's not meant to be brought up on the island."
Sun is putting Ji Yeon to bed when she hears the voice.
"You shouldn't have done that, Sun."
She spins around to discover herself face to face with Jae Lee.
"You shouldn't have promised to help Widmore. Because if he finds the island, he'll bring danger to those left behind."
Sun grips the bars of Ji Yeon's crib. "What do you mean?"
"I behaved with no honour in life," Jae Lee replies, "but I will not do so now. If Widmore finds the island, he will bring danger to Jin."
"Do not speak to me of my husband!" Sun spits at him. Jin was twice the man Jae ever was. He has no right to speak Jin's name.
"Jin's alive, Sun. He'd jumped from the freighter before the explosion. he's back on the island. Bentham tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to him. If you go back, there is hope, Sun. You can be with your husband again."
Fandom: Lost
Warnings: Spoilers all the way up through S4
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Ben, Alex, Sayid, Shannon, Walt, Michael, Locke, Boone, Juliet, Danny Pickett, Jack, Ana Lucia, Desmond, Charlie, Kate, Claire, Sun, Jae Lee.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Ben, Sayid, Walt, Locke, Juliet, Jack, Desmond, Kate and Sun each receive a visit from a ghost.
For zelda_zee, who requested d!bah in the luau.
Ben has had the same recurring nightmare every night since his confrontation with Widmore. Since Widmore taunted him that he was the one responsible for Alex's death, he's had visions of himself, not Keamy, holding the gun to his daughter's head.
He's vowed to avenge her death by killing Widmore's daughter, Penelope. He's sure the nightmares will stop after that.
But the next time Alex appears to him, Ben's fully awake.
"Don't do it, Daddy," she pleads with him.
"I have to, sweetheart," Ben whispers, unable to believe she is here in front of him once more. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."
Alex smiles. "I know you didn't mean what you said to that man. You always did like to get people to do things and let them think it was their own idea. I know what you were trying to do."
Ben swallows hard as he says "That was the only time it didn't work for me. And the only time it really mattered."
"You don't have to kill Penelope, Daddy," Alex begs. "It's not what I want. If you kill her, you'll change everything."
But it is too late. Ben has already given Jarrah the name.
The deed may already have been done.
Sayid had thought he was seeing things at first. He'd been looking out at the guests who were there to witness his wedding to Nadia. He'd just caught sight of Jack, Kate and Hurley (no Sun; she had been too pregnant to fly out) when he thought he saw Shannon somewhere behind Hurley.
She was gone when he looked again. Eventually he decided he'd imagines the whole thing. But that night, Shannon appeared at Sayid's bedside.
"Guess I was right all along," she said, swallowing back tears. "You didn't love me after all."
"No! That's not true!" Sayid exclaims. He wants to say more (but what can he say?) when Nadia awakes and asks what is wrong.
"Just a dream about the crash." Sayid lies. "It is nothing."
"Nothing." Shannon scowls. "Yeah, that's what I meant to everyone when I was alive."
Walt had avidly watched the Tv coverage when the Oceanic Six returned. He watched as Sayid, Hurley and Jack disembarked to be greeted by their relatives. When Sun appeared alone, he wondered where Jin was. he hadn't known Jin well (wasn't easy when you didn't speak the same language) but he still remembered their time together on the raft. He was sorry to think that Jin hadn't made it.
He gasped aloud when Kate appeared with Aaron, claiming he was her baby. Where was Claire? But he couldn't give any more thought to that at the time, because he couldn't speak in front of his grandmother.
The news report said there were only six of them. Yet Walt still continued to look for the face that wasn't there.
Walt hoped they would come and see him some time. He's finding it hard with his grandmother because she doesn't know any of what happened. His whole life is a lie. If he's with them, he can be honest.
But the days go by, and no one visits Walt.
He'd thought at one time that he never wanted to see his father again. But he can't believe his father would abandon him like that. He'd kept trying to see Walt when he first moved in with his grandmother, so why not now?
That's why he had to see Hurley. To get some answers.
Walt asked if Michael stayed behind to protect the other survivors. Hurley said he did. Walt wanted to believe that his dad's done something right for once. but there was something about the way Hurley said it. He can't be sure.
One night Michael appears to Walt, trying to say something, opening his mouth but the words aren't coming out.
"Dad!" Walt cries. He tries to move closer to Michael, to talk to him, but neither of them can make the other understand.
Michael and Walt had problems communicating when Michael was alive. Nothing has changed in death.
Boone appears to Locke, or Jeremy Bentham as he is by this time known, not long after his return to the mainland. He appears bloody and broken, just as in Locke's earlier dreams of him.
"Hello, John," Boone greets him.
Locke attempts to reply, but finds himself once more unable to speak.
"So, bet you never thought you'd end up back here again."
Locke shakes his head.
"I know what happened after they all left the island," Boone continues, "and I know Jacob wasn't pleased. That's why you had to move the island again."
Locke nods, still unable to force the words to come.
Boone smiles. "So how's it feel, John?" he says, echoing Sawyer's words of so long ago. "Taking my place as the sacrifice that the island demanded."
The night after Juliet witnesses her one hope of rescue going up in flames, she sees her one time friend Danny Pickett.
"You thought Ben was going to let you off the island," he says. "You thought you'd get home to your sister."
Pickett indicates the smoky remains of the freighter. "Remind you of anything?" he asks. "Remember the submarine that you and Shephard thought was taking you home?"
Juliet nods, swallowing hard.
"You shot me, Juliet, because you thought it was going to help you. You thought Shephard would help you leave. And where's Shephard now, huh, Jules?"
Juliet closes her eyes, trying to block out the images.
"You killed me to get yourself rescued. But it was never going to work. Because you'll never leave this island, Juliet."
"Drinking again, Jack?"
Jack raises his glass in a mock toast to Ana Lucia. "Ana." he slurs. "Do join me. Since we never did have that drink on the plane."
Ana shakes her head in disgust. "This isn't the answer, Jack. This isn't the way to get back."
"What the hell do you know, Ana?" Jack snaps. "You're dead."
Ana raises an eyebrow. "Carry on like this, and it won't be long before you are, too. What good will you be to them if you're dead?"
"I was never any good to them anyway," Jack bursts out. "I wasn't meant to be a leader. They all expected me to make the decisions for them. What the hell was I supposed to do?"
"You did the best with what you had, Jack," Ana Lucia reassures him. "And they're counting on you now. Ben will be in touch in the next couple of days about getting back to the island. You know what you have to do. You have to go be their leader again."
"You said you saw them."
Desmond looks up to see Charlie staring at him.
"You said you saw Claire and Aaron getting into a helicopter. You said they were going to leave the island together."
"The visions, I - I told you, brother," Desmond stammers. "Sometimes they change."
Charlie snorts. "It bloody changed all right. Because you changed it for them when you demanded a place on the helicopter. What did it matter whether Claire got to safety? Just as long as you get home to your sodding girlfriend, that's all that matters to you, isn't it?"
Desmond shakes his head. "It wasn't like that. I promise you, brother."
But Charlie ignores this. "I did that for Claire, so she and Aaron could have a life off the island. But you know what? Everyone's right about you. You're a coward." He turns to walk away, then delivers one last parting shot. "And I'm not your bloody brother!"
Desmond doesn't know what he can say to that. Because deep down, he suspects that every word Charlie said was true.
"I said you should try it sometime, do you remember?" Claire asks.
"Try what?" Kate can't remember the conversation. In truth, all rational thoughts have gone out of her head since she saw Claire in Aaron's bedroom.
"Being a mother." Claire replies. "But neither of us ever thought it would be to my baby."
"I'm sorry," Kate whispers. "I'm trying my best. But you're his mother."
"I meant what I said," Claire snaps. "You can't bring him back. He's not meant to be brought up on the island."
Sun is putting Ji Yeon to bed when she hears the voice.
"You shouldn't have done that, Sun."
She spins around to discover herself face to face with Jae Lee.
"You shouldn't have promised to help Widmore. Because if he finds the island, he'll bring danger to those left behind."
Sun grips the bars of Ji Yeon's crib. "What do you mean?"
"I behaved with no honour in life," Jae Lee replies, "but I will not do so now. If Widmore finds the island, he will bring danger to Jin."
"Do not speak to me of my husband!" Sun spits at him. Jin was twice the man Jae ever was. He has no right to speak Jin's name.
"Jin's alive, Sun. He'd jumped from the freighter before the explosion. he's back on the island. Bentham tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen to him. If you go back, there is hope, Sun. You can be with your husband again."