Four Minutes
Title: Four Minutes
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Alex, Walt, Bea Klugh, Tom. Mentions of Michael, Karl and Ben.
Rating: G
Warnings: Spoilers for mobisode Room 23, plus Three Minutes.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Written for lostfichallenge #78: the next generation. When the Others are all too scared to take Walt his food, Alex offers to visit him, and gives him hope of rescue.
The tension was evident in Bea Klugh's face as she busied herself with preparing the tray of food.
"What's that?" Alex asked, watching Bea's unwilling hands shake.
Bea shot Alex a quick glance, as though she knew what thoughts were going through Alex's mind. "It's not for him." she said sharply. "It's for the kid. I'm taking it to Room 23."
Alex observed the way Bea's face had turned slightly pale, the way her lips had thinned as she swallowed hard. "I thought Tom usually took him his food."
Bea shook her head. "Tom hasn't wanted to go in there with him ever since that first day with the dead birds. Nobody has."
Alex nodded thoughtfully. "You don't want to take it in there either, do you?"
Bea debated with herself before admitting "No."
Alex thought quickly. "If you like, I could take it for you."
"You know your father doesn't want you going over there," Bea automatically responded.
"My father isn't here," Alex retorted. Ben had been gone for four days now, taken as a prisoner by the survivors of Flight 815. Alex still didn't understand why, but she knew he must have a reason. There was always a hidden agenda where Ben was concerned.
"I know what you're trying to do, Alex," Bea sighed, and Alex wondered just for a moment if that was pity she saw in the older woman's eyes. Then it was gone, so quickly that Alex thought she must have imagined it. "But Karl has to stay where he is until we can trust him to do as he's told. Your father's only doing this for your own good, Alex."
"How can keeping the man I love locked up in a cage be for my own good?" Alex demanded, swallowing and blinking back tears.
Bea sighed again. "You haven't seen what your father's seen, Alex. You're not the one who has to watch what happens to all our mothers." She paused, obviously weighing up following Ben's strict orders to keep Alex far away from where Karl was being held versus her own fear of Walt and her strong desire to avoid being in the same room with him.
"I'll take you straight there, and straight back here again. You'll be within my sight for the entire time, apart from when you're in the room with him."
Alex nodded. After all, it was the best she was going to get.
Tom was guarding the door of Room 23 when Bea and Alex arrived. Ignoring Alex, he immediately rounded on Bea and said "She's not supposed to be here. You know Ben's orders."
Bea pursed her lips. "She's the only one who's willing to go in with him, Tom. When you agree to take him his food, then you're in a position to talk to me about following orders." She turned back towards Alex. "You have four minutes, Alexandra."
"You know what Ben said, Bea. She's not to be allowed anywhere near Karl," Tom argued, but Alex barely heard him as she pushed open the door to Room 23.
Walt gave her a cursory glance as she walked in. Instinctively Alex looked around her for any sign of dead birds, or any other happenings that people had reported, but she saw nothing.
"Hello, Walt." she said. "My name is Alex."
Walt looked at her in confusion. "Where's the woman in the scarf?"
Alex shook her head. "I'll be bringing your food today," she explained as she set the tray down beside him.
Walt barely glanced at it. "I don't want it."
Alex could faintly hear the sound of Tom and Bea still arguing on the other side of the door. She knew she hadn't got long. Hurriedly she knelt down beside him. "Your father's here," she whispered.
Walt's eyes grew round with surprise. "What?"
"Michael. He's here to get you. He's come to take you home."
"Where is he?" Walt asked.
"He's with my people right now. But he will come for you."
Walt's eyes, which had begun to shine with hope, now dulled again with pain. "They're never going to let me go."
"He loves you, Walt. He's determined to get you out of here. And I'll help him, too. I'll do anything I can to get you back to him."
As Alex had been taking in Walt's reaction to this, she wondered why exactly everyone had been so scared of him. He was just a kid, after all, and a kid who was just as scared of her people as they were of him. And after the way Tom had snatched him from his father, who could blame him? Alex reflected for a moment on how she and Walt were in a similar position now, both separated from the person they loved most on the island. But in a way, they were different too, because Alex could tell that Walt's father clearly loved him and wanted him to be happy, while after Ben's treatment of Karl, she couldn't say the same.
"Alexandra!" Bea called from outside the door.
Alex got to her feet. "I have to go now," she whispered. "But be brave, Walt. I promise you you'll be with your father soon."
"Wait!" Walt tugged at Alex's sleeve. "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I know what it's like to be kept away from the one person on the island I care about most."
Walt nodded thoughtfully. "Are you talking about your dad too?"
Alex thought of Ben, somewhere on the other island. She wondered what was happening to him now, how the others were treating him. Because when all was said and done, he was still her father.
But Alex also knew that Ben had made his own choice to be taken. He was exactly where he wanted to be. Karl, however, had had his freedom taken from him through no fault of his own. And Alex would have liked to think that someone would have come along and given hope to Karl.
Fandom: Lost
Characters: Alex, Walt, Bea Klugh, Tom. Mentions of Michael, Karl and Ben.
Rating: G
Warnings: Spoilers for mobisode Room 23, plus Three Minutes.
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They own me.
Summary: Written for lostfichallenge #78: the next generation. When the Others are all too scared to take Walt his food, Alex offers to visit him, and gives him hope of rescue.
The tension was evident in Bea Klugh's face as she busied herself with preparing the tray of food.
"What's that?" Alex asked, watching Bea's unwilling hands shake.
Bea shot Alex a quick glance, as though she knew what thoughts were going through Alex's mind. "It's not for him." she said sharply. "It's for the kid. I'm taking it to Room 23."
Alex observed the way Bea's face had turned slightly pale, the way her lips had thinned as she swallowed hard. "I thought Tom usually took him his food."
Bea shook her head. "Tom hasn't wanted to go in there with him ever since that first day with the dead birds. Nobody has."
Alex nodded thoughtfully. "You don't want to take it in there either, do you?"
Bea debated with herself before admitting "No."
Alex thought quickly. "If you like, I could take it for you."
"You know your father doesn't want you going over there," Bea automatically responded.
"My father isn't here," Alex retorted. Ben had been gone for four days now, taken as a prisoner by the survivors of Flight 815. Alex still didn't understand why, but she knew he must have a reason. There was always a hidden agenda where Ben was concerned.
"I know what you're trying to do, Alex," Bea sighed, and Alex wondered just for a moment if that was pity she saw in the older woman's eyes. Then it was gone, so quickly that Alex thought she must have imagined it. "But Karl has to stay where he is until we can trust him to do as he's told. Your father's only doing this for your own good, Alex."
"How can keeping the man I love locked up in a cage be for my own good?" Alex demanded, swallowing and blinking back tears.
Bea sighed again. "You haven't seen what your father's seen, Alex. You're not the one who has to watch what happens to all our mothers." She paused, obviously weighing up following Ben's strict orders to keep Alex far away from where Karl was being held versus her own fear of Walt and her strong desire to avoid being in the same room with him.
"I'll take you straight there, and straight back here again. You'll be within my sight for the entire time, apart from when you're in the room with him."
Alex nodded. After all, it was the best she was going to get.
Tom was guarding the door of Room 23 when Bea and Alex arrived. Ignoring Alex, he immediately rounded on Bea and said "She's not supposed to be here. You know Ben's orders."
Bea pursed her lips. "She's the only one who's willing to go in with him, Tom. When you agree to take him his food, then you're in a position to talk to me about following orders." She turned back towards Alex. "You have four minutes, Alexandra."
"You know what Ben said, Bea. She's not to be allowed anywhere near Karl," Tom argued, but Alex barely heard him as she pushed open the door to Room 23.
Walt gave her a cursory glance as she walked in. Instinctively Alex looked around her for any sign of dead birds, or any other happenings that people had reported, but she saw nothing.
"Hello, Walt." she said. "My name is Alex."
Walt looked at her in confusion. "Where's the woman in the scarf?"
Alex shook her head. "I'll be bringing your food today," she explained as she set the tray down beside him.
Walt barely glanced at it. "I don't want it."
Alex could faintly hear the sound of Tom and Bea still arguing on the other side of the door. She knew she hadn't got long. Hurriedly she knelt down beside him. "Your father's here," she whispered.
Walt's eyes grew round with surprise. "What?"
"Michael. He's here to get you. He's come to take you home."
"Where is he?" Walt asked.
"He's with my people right now. But he will come for you."
Walt's eyes, which had begun to shine with hope, now dulled again with pain. "They're never going to let me go."
"He loves you, Walt. He's determined to get you out of here. And I'll help him, too. I'll do anything I can to get you back to him."
As Alex had been taking in Walt's reaction to this, she wondered why exactly everyone had been so scared of him. He was just a kid, after all, and a kid who was just as scared of her people as they were of him. And after the way Tom had snatched him from his father, who could blame him? Alex reflected for a moment on how she and Walt were in a similar position now, both separated from the person they loved most on the island. But in a way, they were different too, because Alex could tell that Walt's father clearly loved him and wanted him to be happy, while after Ben's treatment of Karl, she couldn't say the same.
"Alexandra!" Bea called from outside the door.
Alex got to her feet. "I have to go now," she whispered. "But be brave, Walt. I promise you you'll be with your father soon."
"Wait!" Walt tugged at Alex's sleeve. "Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I know what it's like to be kept away from the one person on the island I care about most."
Walt nodded thoughtfully. "Are you talking about your dad too?"
Alex thought of Ben, somewhere on the other island. She wondered what was happening to him now, how the others were treating him. Because when all was said and done, he was still her father.
But Alex also knew that Ben had made his own choice to be taken. He was exactly where he wanted to be. Karl, however, had had his freedom taken from him through no fault of his own. And Alex would have liked to think that someone would have come along and given hope to Karl.