Chapter Text
Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere, waiting for me:
My lover stands on golden sands, and watches the ships that go sailing.
Somewhere beyond the sea, he's there watching for me.
It's far beyond the stars, it's near beyond the moon,
I know beyond a doubt, my heart will lead me there soon.
- La Mer (The Fish Song)
Voices carried through the trees. They spoke of splitting up to find Locke and Desmond.
Jack heard them but didn’t pay attention. He was standing in the river, contemplating what he had just done. Jacob was gone, and here he was, the new protector of the island. The water lapped around his feet, as he bent over and splashed his face. He slowly stood back up, staring out over the trees. His trees?
Kate came up behind quietly, watching him but didn’t say anything. This was so like Jack. It hadn’t surprised her one bit when he told Jacob he would take his place. She stared out at him, and felt so very tired. Tired of chasing shadows, tired of fighting for their lives. But mostly, she was tired of being apart from him.
“Jack,” she called out.
He turned around to look at her.
“Time to go.”
---
Desmond sat there, breathing in and out, trying not to look too in pain as Rose and Bernard brought him some food.
“Thank you,” he said, smiling up at Rose as she brought him a bowl of fruit.
“Now Honey, you look tired.” She put a hand on his. “Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong?”
“I thought you didn’t want to get involved?”
“Now, just because we don’t want to be involved doesn’t mean that we can’t be a listening ear.” She smiled. It was warm and comforting.
“Everyone needs a shoulder, Desmond.” Bernard was a kind as his wife. Part of Desmond didn’t want to burden these people with what he’d seen, but he decided to anyways.
“Do you remember back when I first started living on your camp on the beach? How I would get these strange flashes of what was going to happen?” he began.
“Yes, I remember something about that. You saved Claire a few times because of it,” offered Rose, as if to say it wasn’t a bad thing.
“Yeah… well it’s happening again. It’s not clear, but there’s a light, and Jack keep screaming ‘No,’ over and over. Hurley; he’s holding him back.”
“Sound’s like I’m going to win.”
Desmond whipped around. There stood Locke, with that unsettling grin. Ben strode behind him, quiet, like a sentinel.
“You’re coming with me” he said.
“Like hell I’m going anywhere with you.” Desmond stood up and stepped back.
“If you want them to live, then you’re coming.”
Locke gestured to Ben who cocked his gun at Rose and Bernard. They stepped back, Rose grasping for her husband's arm.
“So,” Locke asked, “what’ll it be?”
Desmond didn't move.
“I don't have all day,” he sighed. “I've already been held up enough from our run in with Mr. Ford. So I'm going to count to 5, and then I'm going to have Ben here shoot one of them.”
Willingly going with Locke felt wrong, but he knew he was cornered. There was no escaping this.
“No, you don't need to do that. I'll come,” he said. His shoulders were hunched as he marched over and away from Rose and Bernard's camp.
“No! Desmond, you can stay!” called Rose.
He gave her a half smile, and shook his head.
“I'll be fine.”
---
"Why did you do it, Jack," Kate asked. "Why did you take the job?"
They were walking through the bushes. Sawyer had left a while ago to go find Desmond, and they had gone to find Locke with Hurley.
"Someone had to," he laughed halfheartedly.
"Jack..."
"I have to fix it. To keep the island fixed. I've ruined everything else in my life, so maybe I can fix the island this because I wasn't the one that broke it." He plowed on ahead, not looking at her.
"You haven't ruined everything. Jack! Stop!" Kate grabbed his arm. "You haven't ruined us."
His eyebrow raised. "Yes. Yes, I did Kate. And I can't fix it."
"Jack, you are always trying to fix everything and everyone but did it ever occur to you is that all I needed, all we needed, was for you to fix yourself?"
Kate reached up and touched his face.
"I'm still here. Nothing is irreversible."
"This would be so sweet if we weren't about to die." Hurley snarked as he walked past them.
Jack looked at her, and for a second, he dared to consider a truth that he hadn't believed could be possible. That after everything, all he had put her through, she still loved him. That she never stopped loving him.
But they had to keep moving. They didn't have time to talk about this, so they both broke the gaze, and followed Hurley.
Suddenly there was a crack of a branch behind them, and they all whipped around.
Standing there, with that insufferable smile, stood Locke and Ben, complete with Desmond in tow.
"Looking for something?" he grinned. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I ruin your plan?"
"What are you doing with him?" demanded Jack.
"Taking him to the heart of the island so I can destroy it. So I can be free. Why? What were you going to do?"
Jack shifted where he stood but kept his gaze. "I'm going to kill you."
"I see." Locke seemed unperturbed by this declaration. "Was there a plan that went with that, or just a general idea?"
Jack glared him down, not saying anything. It was true; their plan was less of a plan and more of a hope that when they found Desmond they would know what to do.
"That's what I thought." He laughed, as he turned to grab Desmond.
"We're not letting you take him!" yelled Kate.
"Then feel free to come along, my dear," Locke called over his shoulder. "Besides, I wouldn't want you to miss my great escape."
The three of them stared at Locke, Ben, and Desmond disappearing into the woods, and then looked at each other.
"Come on," Hurley said. "We'll make up a plan as we go."
---
As Sawyer trekked back to try and find the rest of his party, he saw two men down by the docks. Running closer, he realized it was Miles and Richard.
"Hey!" he shouted, trying to get there as fast as he can. "What are you doing?"
Miles and Richard looked up, surprised to see him.
"James! I thought you would be with Jack and the rest of them," said Richard.
"I went to go find Desmond. But instead I got a meet and greet with Bug Eyes and Locke 2.0. I was on my way back."
"Well, we're getting to the plane. We're going to try and get it off the ground." Miles was hurriedly untying the boat.
"You better go fast. Locke is about to blow this whole place to kingdom come."
"Come with us," said Richard, climbing in behind Miles.
"I can't. Not until I get everyone else."
"Here," Miles said, tossing him a walkie-talkie. "If you find everyone soon, meet us at the plane. We've got to go get Frank, so you still have some time."
Sawyer nodded, and then went back towards the heart of the island.
---
"Ok Hurley, what's the plan?" whispered Jack.
"I don't know! I was just saying we would think of something, not that I had an actual idea in mind."
"Well we have to th..." Jack's voice drifted off in Kate's ears. She could still see his mouth moving, but loud whispers began filling her head. It grew so loud she stopped in her tracks, looking around for its source. It felt like it was drawing closer, and the words began to be clear.
"Kate...Kate...Kate..."
"KATE!"
The last one was not a whisper, but rather a shout from Jack.
She snapped her head back to him. They were nearly 50 paces ahead of her, looking confused as to why she had suddenly seemed to stop. "Sorry, I just thought I heard something."
Jack and Hurley looked at each other, both knowing that she was probably not imagining whatever just happened, but also knowing they didn't have time to stop.
---
"Frank! FRANK!" Richard was yelling. "Miles, there he is! He's floating on that part of the sub."
They paddled over to him as quickly as possible. Reaching in while trying to maintain their balance, they started hauling him out of the water. Frank flailed and grasped at the boat, coughing up water.
“What are you two doing out here?” he wheezed between desperate gasps.
"Frank, we have to get the plane working."
“WHAT,” he exclaimed. "Isn't that how that Locke guy plans on escaping?"
"Who cares! He's destroying the island, so we've got to leave somehow!" yelled Miles. "We just won't let him on the plane."
"Can we do that?" asked Frank.
"I guess we'll find out. Let's go."
---
Locke, Jack, and the rest of the others came upon a cave, with light pouring out of it.
"The heart of the island," smiled Locke. He then turned to Desmond. "You're up."
"What? You want me to go in there? I don't think so." He looked at Jack hoping he had a plan.
"It's ok. Do what he says."
"Wait!” Hurley yelled. “That's the plan? Do what the bad guy wants?! Nu-uh. Not happening. Kate! Back me up here!"
But Kate was looking at the light, and then to Locke. She hadn't heard a word anyone said. Staring at these two things, so opposite in nature, it was as if there was something, some greater truth that the island was trying to tell her.
"Fine! Let Desmond go down the cave tunnel thing! See if I care!"
Jack was already tying a rope around Desmond's waist.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do down there?" asked Desmond.
"Do whatever Locke tells you to do," said Jack.
"Well he told me to destroy the heart of the island, so I think that's a bad plan, brotha."
"Look, Jacob brought you here, not him. So,” Jack explained as his hand’s worked, securing the rope’s knot, “I'm guessing that he doesn't know what he's doing. Whatever he wants is probably actually what Jacob wanted."
"Well that's a pretty big gamble."
Jack laughed. "Yeah, it's quite the leap of faith." He looked him straight in the eye. "Good luck. I'll come with you as far as I can."
Ducking, Desmond and Jack began to climb through the space in the rock.
"I'll be coming too, if you don't mind." Locke grinned. "I heard all that. I know you think I'll fail, and I'd like to see the look on your face when you realize how misguided Jacob made you."
Jack put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Lead the way."
The three men disappeared into the cave.
They eventually came to a long drop that curved at the bottom, so none of them could see what was held below.
"Time for the rope," Locke said.
"When I get down there," asked Desmond, "how will I exactly know what the heart of the island is? And how to destroy it?"
Locke shrugged. "I'm sure it will become obvious."
"What?!"
"I've only been down there once and I wasn't exactly at full capacity, so I don’t really know what you'll find. But I know enough. Now go."
Desmond looked to Jack, who nodded.
---
The radio in Mile's hand crackled.
"How's the plane coming?" It was Sawyer.
"We just got to the beach. We're heading there right-"
BANG
Miles turned to see a very angry Claire with a rifle headed toward them.
"What are you doing here!" she screamed at them.
"Miles! What's going on?!" Sawyer’s panicked voice came through the radio.
"Did he send you to kill me?!" Claire demanded.
"No! We're not with Locke!" yelled Richard.
Her hair was wild and her eyes mad. She was completely covered in dirt and advancing quickly, shooting again.
"Why should I believe you?!?"
"Because we are leaving, really leaving, and you can come with us!" Miles screamed in a desperate voice.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Sawyer yelled into the walkie-talkie.
"It's Claire. It's fine. We've got it covered. Just get to the others and get back here as fast as you can." Miles said. He stuck the radio in his pocket, and walked over to Claire with his hands up.
"Come on. Don't you want to go home? See your son?" He stepped cautiously forward. "Just give me the gun, and you can come with us."
Claire stopped at the mention of her son. She shook where she stood, tears streaming down her face. She didn't shoot. She gripped her gun so tight her knuckles were white, but she didn't shoot.
"It's ok," Miles said, placing his hands on hers. "You can let go."
"I can't," she whimpered. "I can't go back."
"Yes you can. I know what you’re afraid of, but I promise you,” Miles lowered his voice so only she could hear, “every single child would rather have their parent back. They would want to know what happened."
Her hands loosened. Miles smiled.
"You. Can. Let. Go."
She finally nodded, and pressed the gun into his arms.
Richard walked over and put his arms over her, pulling her to the plane.
---
Desmond looked around at the glowing room.
The curve had revealed to be an entrance to a cavern. The whole place danced with light so bright he had to squint to see around him. After a moment of his eyes adjusting, he saw it. At the edge of the room, there was sort of a pool. The water seemed to be the source of the light. At the center there was a pillar, keeping the water from flowing into the hole it rested in. Atop the pillar was a massive set of scales, with a stone on either side, perfectly balanced. One stone was white, the other black.
Desmond assumed this was what he was looking for, and he waded in. As soon at his feet touched the water however, he began having flashes again, but this was like never before. This was insanity. It was thousands all at once. He couldn't tell them apart, and it felt like his whole body was on fire. Flames licked up his legs, moving into his torso, and spread to his arms. His mind overflowed with information, and he thought he would collapse from the weight of it all.
But he moved forward. He dragged his body to the center of the pool, and with every ounce of strength he had, he pushed over the pillar.
The water stopped flowing and all began draining down the center. As the water disappeared, the flashes began to subside. He breathed as he could start to process what he was seeing. Some of the flashes were things he'd already known. Some were things he couldn't recognize, and some were part of a future he hadn't experienced.
The water was gone and the island began to shake. Now it was just one vision left. And for once he knew exactly what to do with the unsolicited knowledge.
He ran back to the rope.
---
Up at the top, as soon as Jack and Locke had felt the ground shake and he island start to crumble, Locke said, "Well it looks like you were wrong."
He stood up and began walking out of the cave. "Goodbye, Jack."
Rage bubbled up inside of him. How could he have been wrong? Really though, how could he have been right? What was he thinking? He didn't even know Jacob; why did he put his faith in him?
But there was one thing that wasn't a question. It was perfectly clear. He had to stop Locke from getting to that plane.
Jack jumped up, and tackled Locke to the ground. He began punching him in the face over and over, but Locke threw him off.
"You think you can stop me?!" he shouted, no smile across his face now. "I am thousands of years old. I am unending! I AM INEVITABLE!"
There was a yell from below, but both men ignored it.
He punched Jack square in the face. Then again. And again.Then in the stomach, but as he went in for another hit, Jack suddenly, somehow, began to laugh.
"What?" Locke snarled at him.
"If you're so unstoppable," Jack gasped, blood dripping down his face, "then how can I make you bleed?"
Locke dropped Jack, and reached up to his lip. He touched it, and realized it had split when Jack had hit him.
He yelled, going to inflict another blow. In his fury, he hadn’t noticed Jack’s hand slip to his belt, and steal the knife that hung there. As his fist made contact with Jack’s jaw, he felt something sharp go into his gut.
“Ahh!” He looked down, and saw a glint of silver and a lot of red as Jack pulled the knife from him.
“Sorry,” he wheezed. “Did I ruin your plan?” A devious smile flashed across Jack’s face, right as Locke dealt one final blow, knocking him out.
---
Emerging from the cave, Locke gripped his stomach.
“Jack?!” Kate rushed forward as soon as she saw motion in the cave. “Oh… what happened?” She was clearly not overly concerned about the bleeding man in front of her.
“Get out of my way” he snarled, shoving her to one side.
“Uh, should we go after him?” asked Hurley.
Kate felt a strange pull toward him, and heard the whispers calling her name again. But she shook it off.
“You can, but I need to go find Jack.” Kate turned, rushing into the cave.
Hurley followed, and then, to his surprise, Ben started after him.
“Woah, dude, you’re coming with us? You’re with Locke, go after him.”
“You mean the guy with blood pouring out of his stomach?” Ben glared at Hurley. “No, thanks.”
“But you’re like, on his side!”
Kate sighed. “Look at this point no one knows whose side Ben is on! And honestly I couldn’t care less, so let’s move!”
---
“Jack!” Desmond was still calling from the bottom of the rope. “Jack, can you hear me! I have to tell you something! You need to know this!”
“Desmond?” A head poked over the ledge. “Dude, what’s happening? Jack is up here out cold, and Locke just ran out of here looking like he lost his stomach!”
“What?! NO!” Desmon yelled. “No! He can’t be hurt. Not yet.”
“I know! It’s a surprise to me too dude.” Hurley shook his head. “Grab the rope I’ll pull you up.”
“But-” Desmond sighed and grabbed the rope. “That’s not what I mean! I don’t mean it’s impossible, I meant that he can’t die yet!”
“Dude, what?”
“JUST PULL ME UP NOW!”
“Ok, ok! You’re coming up now.” Hurley began pulling the rope as quickly as he could, and in a few moments Desmond was back at the ledge. He clambered over, to see Jack lying on the ground, Kate franticly hovering near his face, yelling at him to wake up.
“I saw something down there,” Desmond explained.
“Yeah. The heart of the island,” nodded Hurley.
“No, er, I mean, yes, but I saw something, like the way I saw Charlie die,” he breathed heavily, in and out. “I saw something in the past, sort of.”
Hurley was holding on to every word and Ben’s eye’s were wider than they had ever been. Kate was however only half listening, still focused on reviving Jack.
“The light, the dark, they existed before Jacob and the monster. This island, Richard said it was like a cork over hell? Well for the cork to stay put, for the light of the island to not go out, the island has to stay balanced. There were these scales down there, with a stone on each. I knocked over the pillar they were on, but someone can put it back to stop the island from being destroyed. But it won't matter if those scales aren’t balanced. It won’t go back unless both are there.”
“What does this have to do with Locke dying?”
“There are two sides, one light, one dark,” Desmond hurried. He pointed at Jack. “He is the light. Jacob was before, now he is. Locke, he is the dark. We have to stop him, maybe even kill him now that he’s mortal, but he has to have a replacement, or the dark stone will disintegrate.”
“Can’t we just get another rock?” asked Hurley.
“No. It has to be these. They are each others perfect balance, in more than just weight. The island must have light, and it must have dark.”
Kate had stopped yelling when Desmond had begun explaining the scales. She had listened intently, and somehow, in her heart she knew, that Desmond spoke the truth, and what she had to do.
“I’ll do it,” she said still bent over Jack.
“What?!” they all yelled in disbelief, turning to her.
“Kate, that’s a fate worse than death. You’ll become that thing,” Desmond said. “You won’t be human. You won’t have a body. I was thinking we find someone else…”
“Who are we going to find!?” she screamed. “No one! If we don’t keep the island here, and whole, who knows what kind of terror will happen to the rest of the world.”
“We’ll find someone else!” cried Hurley. “Hell, I’ll do it!”
She just shook her head and looked back at Jack. “It has to be me.” Her fingers touched his face, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead, as tears began to fall. She stood up, and ran out of the cave.
---
Sawyer was walking toward the cave when he saw Hurley, Ben, and Desmond emerge, carrying a limp Jack.
“What happened?!” Sawyer yelled as he began sprinting toward them.
“Uh, basically we turned off the heart of the island, which made Locke mortal, which is good cause we need to stop him, but also bad because it needs to stay on or else the island is destroyed and all hell might literally break loose.” Hurley said in a matter of fact voice.
This sounded absolutely ridiculous to Sawyer, but then again so did everything else on this damn island. Hell, he ended up in the hippie commune in the 70’s after doing a round of time travel speed dating, so why not? “Ok, well let’s go kill him and turn it back on!”
“Why didn’t we think of that!” shouted Ben. “We can’t if Locke is dead. Turns out that there has to be a monster to the Jacob. A dark to the light. Otherwise the light can’t go back on. Someone has to take his place the way Jack took Jacob’s.”
“Fine! I’ll do it! Now let's go before we have to find out what’s worse than this damn island.”
“Someone already beat you to it,” said Ben.
“Where’s Kate?” mumbled Jack. He was coming around.
“Jack! Are you ok?” cried Hurley.
“Yeah,” he winced, sitting up. “But I heard part of what you were saying. Please tell me Kate didn’t run off to take Locke’s place.”
Desmond, Hurley, and Ben all exchanged looks.
“Shit!” yelled Sawyer.
“What are you waiting for?” Jack yelled. “Go after her!”
Sawyer sprinted off through the trees.
“Ok, I know none of us want this, but Jack…” Hurley made his voice as soft as possible, “someone has to do it.”
“I DON’T CARE. NOT KATE.” He was irate. “Come on! Help me up. We’re going after her.”
---
Kate burst through the tree line onto the cliffs. There stood Locke, hobbling toward the ladder to reach the sea.
“Hey!” She called after him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m getting on that plane,” he hissed. “I’m leaving.”
But at that he curled over, and fell to his knees. He was losing a lot of blood. He wasn’t going anywhere.
The salty breeze hit her senses, and she wondered if it would be the last thing she would feel. Did smoke feel? She wasn’t sure. To be honest, grey cliffs and a grey sky, pelting her with fine sharp mist wouldn’t have been her first choice when it came to places to die, or at least, stop being alive. She wasn’t sure exactly what she was becoming, but regardless, if this was her last moment of humanity, she wanted to feel every second.
“Kate! Stop!” A voice came calling over the ridge and she saw Sawyer emerge.
She sighed and shook her head. “I have to do this,” she called back.
“No you don’t! I’ll do it! Someone else will!” he yelled as he ran toward her. He stopped in front of her and gripped her shoulders. “You’ll die.”
“Not really…” she said sheepishly.
“Yes really! And you know it! Kate Austen will die. She will stop existing. Just because you technically are some evil smoke don’t make you alive!” His fingers gripped her so tight, and she didn’t try and force it off. She felt the pain of the pressure.
“I have to do this.”
“Why?! Why you?!” His face was desperately searching hers, trying to understand.
“James, you once made me promise to take care of your daughter,” she started, tears rolling down her face.
“Don’t. Don’t. You’re going to get back. You and Claire are going to raise that kid.”
“Stop! Listen! I need you to promise me you’ll watch out for him! I need you to be there. He doesn’t have a dad, and Claire need’s a friend, she needs support. Promise me you will take care of Aaron!”
Sawyer’s face was bunched in pain, but he realized there was no talking her out of this. “I promise. I’ll be there. Every birthday and football game and boy scout meeting.”
She nodded. “Thank you, James.”
He released her, and blood flowed back into her arms. But, just as she was about to turn back to Locke, she saw him.
Jack came running, or at least some sort of injured speed walking, on to the cliffs with Hurley and Desmond.
“DON’T YOU DARE, KATE. DON’T YOU DARE DO IT.”
Her heart broke. She didn’t want him here. It would be so much worse. She was barely mustering up the will to do it now, but with him here, it was almost too much.
“Jack, don’t…”
But he was there right in front of her now. Sawyer had stepped back to stand with Hurley and Desmond, while Jack had now placed himself between her and Locke.
“It has to be done,” she said quietly. She was breathing him in, memorizing every inch of his face.
“Yes, but why you, Kate?” He was hoarse, but finally quieter. His voice cracked when he said her name.
“It’s time I stop running from myself,” she sighed, trying to think of a way to explain. “Jack, I have darkness in me.”
“We all do! We are all broken.” He stepped closer, taking her hand.
“I killed my father! It takes a lot to be able to commit murder, but killing your own father?” She shook her head.
“Kate, “ his eyes pleaded with her to listen, “you are a good person. There are few people who are as good of a person as you are. You take care of everyone, you defend everyone. You love Aaron so much. And you came back here to find Claire-”
“I know! I know. I’m not saying I’m bad. I’m saying I’m both.” She reached up and touched his face. “More so than most, I am both.”
“Why,” he shook his head. He couldn’t process what she was saying. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because, I love you,” she said with a sad smile.
That stopped him in his tracks.
“Jack, if it was anyone else, one day, maybe years and years from now, but one day they would want to break free. They would want to escape. It happened before, and it will keep happening. But if I do it, I can control it. And I won’t want to leave,” her voice was shaking as she tried to get out the last part, “because you will be here.”
Her moment of honest vulnerability was terrifying but reinforcing. A few tears began to fall, but her voice became even.
“I can do this. I can fix it. But I have to stop running. And you have to let go.”
In that moment, Jack knew she was right. Kate would be more than just enough to technically balance the scale. She could create real peace. She could could equal him in a way no one else ever could. He knew it, and he had to let her do it. He looked up, blinking back tears.
“Tell me I’m going to see you again,” he begged.
Kate said nothing, knowing full well that that was not a promise she could keep. Not in the way he wanted.
He understood, and nodded slightly.
She reached around and grabbed his neck, pulling him into her. She kissed him, long, slow, and deep. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he held her as tight as he could. After a few seconds, seconds where each had tried to comprehend that this was their last goodbye, they broke apart.
She walked away, hand still in his, holding on until they were too far apart for their fingers to touch. She kneeled by Locke’s side, who had now passed out from blood loss. She pulled a small cup from her back pocket that she had grabbed from a backpack before she had ran off to chase him. Placing the cup in his hand, she dipped it in water that had begun to pool in a nearby crevice of the rocks. She did it exactly as Jacob had done to Jack. Then, taking the cup, she drank the water.
When Jack had become the new protector of the island, it was a remarkably dull process. In fact, there was not distinguishable difference between him before or after, nor was there any indicator that he had done anything other than drink some water.
This was not the instance now.
Black smoke began billowing out of Locke, while his body disappeared. It swirled around Kate making that awful creaking and clicking sound. It went faster and faster, until abruptly it expanded out.
For one second, she looked back at Jack, and he looked at her. Time slowed for the two of them as their eyes met, and then, suddenly, the smoke was attacking every inch of her. It was threading into her atoms, and she screamed out in pain.
“No! No! NO!” Jack had started to run to her, but Hurley, suspecting this might happen, had moved behind him, and now was holding him back. Desmond looked at the scene unfolding in front of him, knowing this was what was supposed to happen. As painful as it was, this is exactly what he’d seen, and somehow, even though it was so wrong, it was in fact, as right as could be.
The smoke completely enveloped Kate, until she couldn’t be seen. Her body was no more, and it was just the smoke that was left. It swirled and crackled, and then shot straight up into the sky and over to the other side of the island.
Kate Austen was gone.
---
Benjamin Linus sat in the cavern by the toppled scale. When the others had left, they realized someone had to stay, to go back down and restore the heart of the island. Desmond was about to, when Ben had volunteered. There were no arguments.
Every cruel thing, every terrible act he had done, he had thought was for the best of the island. But now he was no longer so sure. This however, was undeniably for the best. For once in his sad life, he wanted to do the right thing, even if it killed him, which, incidentally, it would.
Ben grabbed the pillar and set it back in the center of the water. Desmond was right; this did nothing. So he replaced the giant scale to its spot on top. He placed the white stone back on its designated side, and went to grab the black one but it had broken into pieces, and was slowly disintegrating. He scooped it up and put it on the scale, but to no avail. It wouldn’t balance.
“Come on,” he muttered. He knew unless Kate was successful, there was no way he could put that stone back together.
“Come on… come on… COME ON!”
But nothing happened, the walls were caving in, and rocks were flying everywhere. Suddenly, a large slide of boulders came rolling toward Ben, crushing him underneath.
“No!” he cried. “I have to get it back together!” But he couldn’t break free. The rocks were crushing him. He couldn't breathe. As his vision began to go in and out of focus, he saw the black stone start to reform itself. The broken pieces he had placed on the scale pulled themselves together, forming a whole. With his last moment, Ben saw the scale tip. He saw it go back to being perfectly balanced and the water flowing and the light returning to the pool. He had made this one thing right, and with that knowledge, and a very small triumphant laugh, he passed on.
---
Kate blinked her eyes. Then she blinked again. She grasped at her chest, arms, legs, feeling her whole body. It was there. But how was it there?
Looking around, she realized was in a room so starkly white, there was no way of telling how big it was.
“Hello, Kate.” A soft voice rang out behind her, and Kate turned slowly to see who it was.
A tall woman with dark skin and blue eyes stood before her. She wore a long simple green dress and no shoes.
“Who are you?” Kate asked quietly. “Where am I? What happened?”
“So many questions… well, let’s say I am the island, as it were. Where you are, well that does not matter, as you won’t be here long. And what happened,” the woman’s eyes gleamed as she stared at Kate, with something of awe, ‘was you sacrificed yourself for me. To protect me now, and protect me always. You have saved everyone.”
Kate smiled. “Really? I did it? It worked?”
The woman nodded. “It did. And I must say, for a woman realizing she will now be spending the rest of eternity as neither alive or dead, not human, and without form, you seem…” she smiled, “happy.”
“It was worth it. If it saves everyone, it was worth it.” She sighed, at peace but with still a touch of sadness in her eyes.
“Come with me,” requested the woman, reaching down to offer Kate a hand.
---
“She’s gone,” whispered Hurley, Jack falling back into his arms, no longer struggling against him.
He crumpled down to the rock, with his face in his hands.
Sawyer blinked back tears of disbelief, while Desmond stood, not moving his eyes from the spot Kate had disappeared from.
They stood there like that for a while, perhaps a minute, maybe longer. But then the crackle of the radio in Sawyers pocket interrupted their mourning.
“James! James! Come in!” It was Miles voice. “James! Answer me!”
Sawyer reached around and pulled it out. “Yeah?” he said, voice small.
“Its running! We’re ready to go and we’re going. GET HERE NOW!”
“On my way,” he said quietly. “Let’s go.”
Jack didn’t look up as he heard them all walk away, but he did feel Sawyer’s hand on his shoulder. He reached up and touched it, but said nothing.
He didn’t look up until he heard the roar of the jet engines.
“There they go,” said a voice next to him. He whipped his head to the left.
“Hurley?! What are you doing here?”
“Dude, you didn’t think I was going to leave you?” Hurley laughed. “No way, man. You’re stuck with me.”
Jack just smiled at him and let out a quiet, “Thank you.”
“Yeah, well you better figure out how to do that thing Jacob did to Richard, because honestly, I really think getting old sounds like a drag. Besides, if you don’t we only get to hang out for, like, fifty more years, which would just be a bummer.”
“Yes it would, Hurley. Yes, it would.
---
Kate stood and followed the woman to what seemed to be a bench of some sort. She waved her hand and in front of them appeared the island.
“You will never be able to go beyond the water,” she said, pointing to the edges.
Kate nodded.
“You will never be able to fly higher than the birds.”
She nodded again.
“You are not to try and escape. The only way to do that is to destroy me.”
She laughed. “I think we both know I won’t do that.”
“Yes, we do. We really do.” she stared at Kate for a moment. “Did you ever hear John Locke, the real John Locke, speak about how this is a place of miracles?”
“Yes,” Kate smiled at the memory of John.
“He was right, I can give the occasional miracle, so…” she reached out, and took Kate’s face in her hand, “I wish to give one to you.”
“What would you give me?” Kate asked, confused at what she could ever need in her current state.
“Being without body is a great pain. Your predecessor took to inhabiting the dead, which is an extremely unpleasant, and dehumanizing process, not to mention unstable. If I know anything about you, I know you would find it repugnant if you ever tried.”
“Ok…” She wasn’t quite sure where this was going.
“I cannot change your fate. You have accepted the role that was in need of filling. But I can give you one thing,” she beamed at her. “One day, to be exact.”
Kate now had a slight inkling of what she was saying, but dared not get her hopes up too soon.
“Every year, for one day, sunset to sunset, I can give you your form. Your human form. You will be able to walk, run, see, breathe, all as you did before. I can give no more and no less, but for one day a year, you can once again be Kate.”
Kate breathed in and out, nodding as she processed what this meant. And then she looked up, and grinned.