A/N: Ok, I'm really sorry about the wait this time guys. I've been really busy with school work lately, not to mention I've been putting a lot of effort into getting a new job. I was gone several days this week hiking as that was a part of my current job, (I'm a camp counselor). Anyway, I've been busy beyond all belief. Sorry the chapter is shorter than usual. I just wanted to get something out before Christmas for you guys and hopefully I'll have another update out soon.

Oh, and I just thought I'd mention that all the events of this chapter (well, really most of this fic) were planned early on in season 2 so I really didn't know anything about most of season 2 or any of season 3. A lot of what we know about the Others now is something I didn't know when I came up with this, so don't expect any of the normal post season 2 plots. Thanks for reading and I hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I've been told I have better chances of being attacked by a coke machine than of ever owning Lost…

All The Right Reasons

Chapter 16: Propositions


Her vision was hazy, eyes partially blinded by the thin beam of light from the flashlight. It was hardly enough to provide a clear view of the strangers, but just enough to give Alex that tiny glimpse that she wanted.

Squinting, Alex took in the scene before her, gaze focusing in on the two dark figures within the far corner of the cell. They sat hunched together, lying deep within the shadows. At first only the man seemed to be awake, but now the woman had roused as well. Both had wide eyes, like deer caught in the headlights, as they gazed fearfully back.

As Alex continued to stare, she shifted uncomfortably. She felt Joel beside her, stony silent and completely still and wondered how he could take this so easily. She watched as he kneeled beside the opening in the cell door, gloved hand outstretched as he gripped the flashlight and shone the beam in on the strangers.

Leaning forward, Alex took another long look at them. Outsiders. That was exactly what they were. They didn't belong on this island, but somehow all of the horrific tales she had heard told by some of the villagers didn't seem to ring true in her mind now that she saw these people for herself. They looked just like herself and the rest from the village. Nothing threatening or vile about them as she had been told. And she knew that unwillingly, Joel knew the same thing and held the same suspicions.

Alex looked to her side at him, seeing the stern look on his face, his eyes plagued with doubt. She looked at him in his uniform, AK-47 slung leisurely over his shoulder. Alex had known from the day that he enlisted in DeGroot's army what he had wanted. It was what he had always wanted. Revenge. Payment for the pain and loss that had been thrown at his family. That was what every boy that had enlisted wanted, but none so much as Joel Stevens.

For the first time, she could see a glimmer of doubt shining in his eyes. He was seeing the same people now as she was and the hatred that had burned in his heart for them was suddenly brought into question for the first time in his life.

In a sudden moment of uncertainty, Alex stretched a trembling hand forward and placed it on his shoulder. Her palm barely covered the dharma insignia there and the patch of his rank. He jerked his head suddenly to face her, that same lost look deep in his eyes.

"What are you thinking?" she asked hesitantly, somehow already sure of his answer.

"I don't know," he said grimly, eyes falling briefly to the floor as he swallowed hard before turning back to her, "That's why I brought you here."

"I don't understand it…" she mumbled, tearing her gaze away from him and turning back to look at the strangers within the cell. They still clung tightly to each other, genuinely afraid as they watched her, "How can this be them?"

"Oh, it is," Joel assured her, shaking his head in frustration. Stretching out a hand, he extended a finger towards the man, "That's the doctor. I caught him just outside the wall. And the woman, she was found wandering somewhere near their camp."

"They took her from her camp?" Alex asked, shocked. She looked at Joel, hoping he would have an explanation, but one look in his eyes told her he didn't.

"It had to be done," Joel sounded perplexed, like he was defending something he hardly understood himself, "We needed leverage."

"But you took her from her own camp!" Alex argued, stunned that this was even an issue. Was he that far into this that he couldn't see what was wrong here? "Can't you see what's wrong with that?"

"Alex-" he began, voice coming out in a low growl, as if in warning.

"Why did you bring me here, Joel?" Alex said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest as she gazed defiantly at him. He wouldn't have brought her here if he didn't have some kind of doubt about these outsiders.

He looked torn, eyes plagued with a kind of guilt as the color slowly drained from his face. Meeting her gaze, his eyes pleaded with her, face serious, "Because I needed you to see this. I need to know what you think."

"I…" she began, suddenly at a loss for words. She had never been so stunned in her entire life, never had a reason to truly doubt what she had always known to be true. That these outsiders were enemies, that they should be feared. Though her father had often taught her differently, a part of her had always assumed DeGroot knew the truth. They were dangerous, "Why didn't you ask my father? You know what he believes. He would want to see this."

"I couldn't ask him. I wouldn't know what to say. I know you Alex and I know you'll be honest. You'll tell me what you think. I need to know what you think," the desperation in his voice came as a surprise, the sheer helplessness completely foreign to her.

"They're people, Joel…" Alex responded softly, taking a brief glance back to the two strangers. The man was whispering quietly in the woman's ear, lightly gripping her shoulders as if in comfort. The way the woman shook, her entire body trembling, it was obvious she was afraid. Alex couldn't blame her, "Look her. She's terrified. What have you done to them?"

"I haven't done anything, Alex!" Joel snapped, anger flashing in his eyes. With one look to Alex though, and the sudden hardness in her gaze, his tone immediately softened as he brought himself in check, "They've not been harmed. Frightened, but never harmed."

"What does DeGroot want with them?" Alex asked, eyeing the pair doubtfully as she thought of Joel's promise that they hadn't been hurt. She knew the principals of their colony had always required peace, but did that extend to DeGroot's army?

"He hasn't said," Joel answered, looking away from Alex as he ran his fingers nervously through his mass of brown curls, "Some of us, we think he just wants to interrogate them. You know, get information about their numbers and locations. There's still a lot we don't know about them, Alex."

"If that's what DeGroot wants, then why didn't he capture soldiers? These two don't look like they'd know anything about the military," Alex questioned, looking completely puzzled. If anything, the two strangers looked like civilians, no more dangerous than the people from her village.

Joel looked hesitant, lips parting briefly as though he thought to say something, but then closing just as quickly. He looked tentatively at her, completely unsure what he ought to say. He knew the truth, but he also knew it wouldn't be something she wanted to hear.

"Because they don't have any soldiers…" Joel said with a sigh, unable to even meet her eyes, knowing exactly what he would see. He had thought the same when he had heard the news, but DeGroot had assured him things weren't as they seemed. He had sworn there was a reason these people were being closely monitored and that they were indeed a threat.

The shock in her eyes didn't come as a surprise to Joel, nor did the sudden flash of anger that came next, "Its not what you think," he cut her off quickly, rushing for an explanation, "DeGroot assured the men that its all a front. A military tactic." she looked skeptical, "You don't know, Alex. None of us do. It's better for us to be prepared, no matter what that means."

"And what if it means hurting two innocent people?" Alex looked more than skeptical. She looked entirely angry, baffled even by his inability to admit DeGroot might be wrong. He always had idolized the man.

"You don't know who these people are, Alex," Joel continued, though the doubt in his tone was unmistakable, "Even if these two aren't dangerous, the rest of them very well could be. Its for the safety of the village."

"But you doubted that," it was not a question, but more of a statement. An accusation.

"I didn't-" he began, but was immediately cut off by Alex.

"You brought me here because you doubted DeGroot's decision about these people," she said seriously, eyes bearing into him as if daring him to deny it, "You were expecting soldiers. Bad men. Just anything to justify your anger towards them. These people aren't that, Joel and you know it."

Joel sighed, continuing to run a hand through his hair, letting his shoulders slump in defeat before looking back at Alex, "I see what you see. I just don't understand it."

There was a long stretch of silence. Neither Joel nor Alex looked at each other, both knowing exactly what they would see in the other's eyes. Confusion would be the most prominent emotion, shock not following far behind. It wasn't everyday that something this serious happened.

"We need to do something," Alex said, breaking the silence. Her voice split the air, crashing hard into Joel. He jerked his head up to look at her, stunned eyes flashing incredulously.

"You can't be serious…" Joel tried, looking hopefully at Alex. It took only a moment for him to see the utter seriousness in her eyes, radiating clearly in her gaze, "Think about what you're saying, Alex! Think for a moment, will you? Let's just imagine that we could do something. What on earth would we do? Send them back to their people? Let them go back to planning a war against us? They know too much now. It's a liability, Alex!"

Joel continued to argue, speaking on though Alex had stopped listening soon after he had started. She knew what he would say. She didn't have to listen to him say it. Turning away, Alex just stared into the cell, watching as now only the man stared back at her. The woman had turned away from the door, her face buried in the man's chest. He had his arm draped protectively around her shoulders, gripping her tightly to his hunched form. Even in the darkness, Alex could clearly see the cold disgust in his stare, the hate burning in his eyes.

Alex wondered then just how dangerous this man could be. The way he gazed at her now, she was certain he could kill her with his bare hands that very moment. But for some reason, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that this man wouldn't. There was something about him, some clear message in the tenderness he showed the woman. It was in the way he protected her, the way he hid her away and held her.

It was in that moment that everything was decided for Alex. In those seconds as her mind brushed away the sound of Joel's voice, blocking out the lecture she was certain he was still giving. In the back of her mind she thought she heard him calling her name. It didn't matter. All that mattered now was that she knew these people meant no harm. Gazing at them now, she knew that they didn't belong here. And despite Joel's protests, she was certain that she had to do something.

"Jack…" Kate breathed, speaking almost in question. Her voice shook, lips trembling ever so slightly, but enough for Jack to notice it immediately. He snapped his attention from the door, turning to her almost in a panic.

His hand flew over her mouth in a second, clamping tightly there to quiet her. Jack couldn't help but to flinch at seeing the stunned look of fear that flashed across her features, eyes wide with terror. He met her anxious stare, trying to calm her with a look, though knowing it would have little affect.

Jack nodded towards the door, and in a swift moment of indecision, Kate let her eyes flicker to his, following his gaze. It was only then that she noticed the slight outline of the two figures, both pulled further back into the shadows than before, so much so that they were nearly impossible to make out. They hadn't left as she had first thought.

Her body chilled, breath catching painfully in her throat as her eyes stayed locked on Jack's cautious gaze, waiting for the two strangers to leave. Neither could begin to imagine the implications of these visitors or what it could mean for them. Most of all, neither Kate or Jack knew what the two wanted of them. And that was more than enough to fear, Kate thought grimly.

"I think they're gone," Jack said after a moment, voice coming out choked and gruff.

"The soldier…" Kate said finally, voicing what she had been thinking the entire time. Her voice wavered for a moment, as though deep in a thought, remembering. It came out in a cracked whisper, harsh in the stony silence of the room, broken and cold. "He helped me…when DeGroot…when he…"

Jack nodded, eyes suddenly clouding over at Kate's mention of her encounter with DeGroot. An odd sensation passed through him as he considered the young man, wondering what he had done for Kate and why he had done it. He was one of them. That was plain by the patch on his uniform.

And as Jack began to visualize him in his mind, a sudden realization began to wash over him. The young man had indeed been familiar. Jack had seen him before in the watchtower atop the wall. He had been the one to spot Jack and sound the alarm.

"I've seen him before too," Jack admitted, eyes distant as he tried to picture the watch tower in his mind, "When I came looking for you, just before they caught me, I saw a wall. It was huge…massive. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. There was a watch tower and I know that man was the one I saw in it."

Kate considered what Jack was saying, comparing his story with her own. The soldier had helped her, but it sounded as though Jack had had just the opposite experience. Where did this man stand and was he trying to help them now?

"Did you know the girl?" Kate asked, speaking somewhat more quickly than before.

"No," Jack shook his head, eyes continually darting back to the door as he shifted uncomfortably beside Kate. His eyes were glazed with a distrustful look. He looked deep in thought, completely puzzled. After a moment, he voiced his thoughts, "Kate, what have you seen about them? Does anything seem odd to you?"

"Jack, nothing is normal here…" Kate said, looking exasperated as she spoke. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, asking something like that.

"No, I know, but its different than I expected," Jack said, thinking back to his conversation with Rousseau and the dharma lighter she had given him. It took Jack only a split second to reach down and feel the lighter safely stuffed in his pocket. He was glad he hadn't lost it, "Before they caught me, I talked to Rousseau. It was like she knew something I didn't; something important about the Others. I didn't understand it then, but I think I see it now."

Kate sat silently, eyes fixed intently on his own as she waited for him to continue. Wordlessly, Jack reached a trembling hand into his pocket, pulling out the lighter. Somewhat proudly, he thrust it forward, offering it to her. Kate took the lighter from his hand, looking puzzled as she held it out in front of her, carefully inspecting it. Her eyes darting back to his waiting form several times before falling back on the lighter. She flashed him a questioning look as she finally turned back to him in defeat.

"I don't understand…" she fumbled with her words, looking back at the lighter with no more of a clue than before.

"Neither did I, at first," Jack quipped, that proud air more apparent than ever. It was the first glimmer of the Jack she knew, shining ever so faintly through the thick barrier he had placed around himself. Kate couldn't be more glad to see just that tiny glow, "When she gave me that lighter, she told me that the Other weren't what they seemed. Not all of them anyway. I couldn't begin to imagine what she meant at the time, but ever since I got here, I can't help but think that not all these people seem to connect. Its like we're dealing with two separate groups."

"What are you saying?" Kate questioned, still not entirely sure what Jack was getting at.

"I'm saying that I think that the people we've been calling the Others are actually two separate groups," Jack suggested, looking almost sheepish as he spoke, knowing before he had ever said his piece that it was somewhat farfetched. What was ever obvious when it came to the Others?

And suddenly it dawned on Kate. Everything that he was suggesting and all that it implied was suddenly as clear as day in her mind. She had to wonder why the thought hadn't struck her sooner, the differences in her captors now unmistakable. She remembered the men who wore the pale gray jumpsuits. They were much quieter than the others and she suspected that both they and the ones who wore the shaggier clothing could be placed in the same category. But the ones who had stuck out were Henry Gale and DeGroot. And not only them, but the more gruff, serious men who typically wore black. The ones who almost always resorted to violence and showed no sympathy what so ever.

"You're right…" Kate said after a moment, voice filled with a kind of awe. She was serious, sounding entirely doubt free for the first time since Jack had found her in this cell, "You have to be…

It seemed like hours later before silence once again fell over the cell, the sudden stillness appearing out of place after the constant chatter of moments before. Jack's theory about the Others had sparked a newfound interest within both of them and a need to further explain their surroundings.

Only one thing seemed certain to them. These Others were not an entirely united front. They were divided somehow, forming at least two separate groups. Neither Kate nor Jack could begin to explain how this might have come to pass, but both knew that it was the way it was.

The wall Jack had stumbled upon hinted at some kind of village, like some kind of utopian society hidden away in the jungle. It was a far cry from the concrete walls of the cell in which they now sat or the more sophisticated nature of the entire compound for that matter.

And how did the hatch back at their camp factor into all of this?

It was in this final stretch of dead silence that a foreign sound caught Jack's ears, pulling his attention. Before he had time to really take it in, the more familiar sound of cracking static came from the worn intercom speaker overhead. Jack's gaze flew up to the little metal box before shifting back to fall onto Kate. He watched her gazing back at him, her eyes glazed over with that familiar fear, but a newfound resolution washed over her face.

"They're coming…" Kate whispered, voice hoarse with defeat. Her broken eyes never left his, her shoulders shrugging down as she held her knees tightly to her chest.

Jack let out a breath, sighing deeply as he felt suddenly weightless with dread. As her the reality of her words washed over him, Jack felt as though he had been hit in the chest by ton of bricks. His mind flashed back to his last encounter with the Others, a shadow of the previous pain in his hand flashing across his face.

Clasping his eyes shut briefly, they opened to meet Kate's eyes. Her own broken stare, gazing hollowly back at him in the dimness of the flickering light overhead. In seconds, the paralyzing fear he had found her with several days ago had come flying back. Reaching out, he clasped her hand in his, gently interlacing their fingers and squeezing for support. Jack knew that because of the deal he had made with DeGroot, they wouldn't harm Kate. She would be left here in the cell while they did what they pleased with him. But she couldn't know that. He only wanted her to know that she would be safe.

Just as he gripped her hand, the door was thrown open with ease as four men dressed in black came pouring through the door. In the back of his mind, beyond his current state of terror, Jack noted that these men were a part of the second group he and Kate had discussed. They were not the more timid ones in ragged clothing. Inwardly, he cringed.

"On your feet!" the one closest to Jack growled, his large hands encircling Jack's arms as he none too gently lifted him off the ground and to a standing position. Jack's hand fell from Kate's grip, a sudden emptiness falling over him.

As the man jerked Jack to the side, moving close to tie his hands, Jack's eyes fell on Kate. A sudden terror engulfed him as he saw the other two men move in her direction. Heart pounding, Jack watched as they roughly pulled her to her feet, throwing her to the side as they began to tie her hands.

"Let go of her!" Jack yelled, a fury like he had never known overriding his senses, "DeGroot promised to leave her out of this!"

One of the men tying Kate turned around, a crooked smirk planted at his lips, "Shut him up!"

Just as Jack opened his mouth to yell, protest, anything he could to stop them, he felt a flash of pain burning at the back of his head, tearing into his skull. The world became suddenly hazy as he felt his limbs go numb, knees buckling beneath him. Everything went black before Jack ever hit the ground

Jack's eyes burned as a sudden light blinded his vision, consciousness finally returning to him. He had no idea how long he had been out and no time to process the facts. He could feel the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins, washing over him like water. Breathing hard, his eyes came into focus and he found himself in an all too familiar setting.

The walls surrounding him were a blinding white, the pale chalky texture making his head spin. The room was large, but he could easily make out DeGroot's form before him. Henry Gale stood beside him along with several of the men in black.

Turning his head only half an inch, Jack felt a rush of pain bolt through him, biting at his skull. Wincing, Jack moaned in pain, gritting his teeth as it continued to surge through him. His gaze fell on Kate and in that instant, it was as though the world stopped. Everything came to a pause as he took her image in, adrenaline pumping wildly through his veins.

She lay only feet from him, body crouched wearily against the floor, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to disappear into the expanse of concrete beneath her. Kate's knees were drawn protectively to her chest, her knuckles white with force as she gripped at her own wrists. That all too familiar feral look in her eyes, the intensity of the fear in her gaze knocked Jack flat.

With seemingly hollow eyes, Kate gazed blankly back at him. Behind that hard haze was a fear Jack knew all too well and one that he knew would never leave him, even if they managed to ever leave the island and the Others behind. The sincerity within her being, the honesty that could never be present otherwise. It was a fleeting moment in which Kate wore her emotions on her sleeve, the inescapable vulnerability of her fear forcing out the truth. Jack both admired and dreaded such moments, hating the repercussions of it all, but a part of him still appreciating the delicate fragility of it.

"A messenger has been sent to your camp," DeGroot's voice broke the silence, drawing Jack out of his reverie. Kate's only visible reaction was a slight tremor that tore across her face, momentarily clouding her features. Despite her shallow gaze, Jack knew that ever ounce of Kate's conscious hung on DeGroot's every word.

"Your friends have been given a proposition, Jack," there was an amused venom to DeGroot's voice, his composure a steely chill. There was a glint as he spoke, an all too familiar light dancing in his eyes, "From the day your lot has set foot on this island, you have gone where you do not belong and meddled in things that ought to be left alone. You have interfered with my work and that is where the line is drawn, Jack. My terms are simple. I want the boy back. I want Walt and to ensure that I won't have anymore of these nonsense rescue attempts you and your friends seem so fond of, the limit is two days. Forty-eight hours, Jack, and I had better have the boy back in my possession," The threat was clear, the deadly still of DeGroot's features firm and forbidding. His lips twisted into a wicked curve of a smile, "If I'm crossed, if any of my demands are not met within the time limit, then one of you is going to die Jack. You or the girl. And you are going to have to choose."

A/N: Dun dun dun….Sorry about the cliffy guys! Really, if any of you even still remember this fic exists and actually care to see its conclusion, I do intend to get into a better update pattern. Especially since I still really want to do the sequel. Again, sorry about the length. I had intended for it to be longer and go into another scene or 2, but as I said before, I just wanted to post something for you guys before Christmas. Until next time, thanks for reading, guys! Please don't forget to review and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!