Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them!

A/N - Oh man y'all, I got to tell ya, my Muse is not at all pleased with me! She's been kicking me in the ass for a week trying to get me to write another chapter, but between working ten hour days, my daughter getting engaged and Christmas looming right around the corner, I have been having a hell of a time finding a few minutes to just sit down and write! I appologize for how long it took to get this chapter up but here it is and I'll work on the next one as soon as I get a chance. Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed this story.(and all my others too!) If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have the courage to continue to write.

Chapter Twenty Eight

Desmond swam up on shore slightly south of the beach camp. He removed his borrowed scuba tank and walked sadly towards the camp wondering how he was going to tell Claire that Charlie was dead.

Loud screeching rent the air, the sounds coming from the beach camp. He looked up expecting to see the tree's waving and falling but instead a plum of sand spiraled up from the beach. Shouting sounded between the screeches and he recognized the voices of Sayid, Sawyer and several of the other people of camp. He thought too that he'd heard Charlie's high pitched timber among those voices but he knew it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

Cautiously he approached the camp, sticking close to the tree line and preparing to make a run for the tree's the Winchester brothers had told them would protect them from the smoky creatures.

Rounding the final bend in the beach he hid behind a stand of banyan trees and watched the pandemonium at the camp. Two black smoky creatures swirled around the center of the camp. It took a few minutes for Desmond to realize that they were somehow trapped there. Sam was speaking in a language he didn't recognize but it was Juliet, Sayid and Sawyer's actions that puzzled him. They each had water bottles and were sprinkling the water on the trapped creatures.

Sand was spinning everywhere and even from this distance Desmond could tell all of the people at the beach were going to have some serious sand burns. Something happened that he couldn't see because suddenly the creatures shrieked and broke free from their invisible prison. Together they attacked Sam lifting him and tossing him around like he weighted nothing.

Desmond winced each time the younger man was thrown into a shelter shattering the branch walls before being picked up and slammed into a tree. Sam never even flinched though and continued speaking. Blood was pouring down the side of Sam's face as he was lifted again.

Shouts drew his attention to the opposite side of the camp and he watched as three people came yelling out of the banyan tree's brandishing bottles. Desmond's eyes widened as he recognized them. "Charlie," he said to himself a smile splitting his face as he ran towards the man he thought dead. "Charlie!" he shouted.

As he approached them Hurley, Charlie and Bernard splashed the water on the smoke creatures eliciting screeches from the two dark forms and causing them to drop Sam into the sand. Juliet, Sawyer and Sayid raced up just as Sam stopped speaking and the smoke monsters imploded.

The noise of the battle ended and the beach grew eerily silent as all eyes turned to Sam for confirmation that the fight was over. The bloodied and bruised hunter nodded just before his knee's buckled and his eyes rolled up into his head. Sayid and Sawyer caught him and with the help of Juliet lowered the big man gently to the sand.

Desmond ran up to Charlie, grabbed him in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground. "Charlie!" he shouted. "Bloody hell I thought you were dead!"

"So did I, mate," Charlie told him.

"How did you get out of the room," Desmond asked. "How did you get back up? I thought you'd drowned!"

"I don't know," Charlie said happily. "One minute I was stuck down there and the next thing I knew Juliet had me in a lip lock!"

They both turned to look at the blonde who was kneeling on the ground cradling Sam's head in her lap. Juliet brushed a few strands of bloody hair from his eyes and looked up. "Jacob," she said. "Can you…"

"Of course," Jacob replied before she finished. "His brother would be hunting me next if I did not help him." He bent down and placed his hand on the side of Sam's head. "In fact, he might still do so when he finds out that Sam was injured in this battle." He called on his abilities and within moments Sam was waking, his injuries healed.

The small group of people stood in awe as they watched Jacob miraculously heal Sam's wounds. "Okay, Leo," Sawyer said breaking the silence. "With those white lighter abilities of yours, who needs the charmed ones?"

Jacob stood and turned to Sawyer who, like Sayid and Juliet had sand burns on all the exposed parts of his skin. He reached out laying his hand on Sawyer's arm and when the man was healed Jacob reached up to the near panicked man, touched his temple and said, "Remember."

Memories assaulted Sawyer faster then he could assimilate them. Past lives and deaths, centuries spent on Valhalla with his brother and his wife all blended together making it difficult at first to determine what happened when. By the time Sawyer was able to focus on the here and now Jacob had moved on and was healing Sayid's injuries.

When everyone had been healed and their memories restored Jacob turned to Sam and said, "You, my friend, can not have your memories returned at this time. You will be returning to your current life and those memories would do more harm then good."

Only slightly disappointed Sam told him, "Its okay, I understand."

Jacob turned to Juliet and said, "You must lead them to the temple. Richard should be there already." He turned back to Sam and said. "I must go to your brother. He has defeated Azkeel, but I feel the threat to this island is far from over. Go with Juliet and prepare the Temple in anyway you deem necessary. All of you must assist him in this."

Jacob leapt onto Sleipnir's back and galloped away as they watched.

- - - - -

Alex knelt on the ground, her father cradled in her lap. "Daddy," she cried.

Ben reached up and put a hand on her cheek. A smile played across his face as he told her, "Shhh, its okay sweetheart. I'm still here." He looked up at Danielle who stood over them, her wings spread protectively. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Ben," John said stepping up. "We need to know its plan, as much as possible. We have the basics but we need to know where they're going to arrive."

"Can't you wait a little while," Alex demanded. "He's hurt or can't you see that?"

"Believe me sweetheart," John told her. "I'm very aware of your father's injuries, but this can't wait."

"Alex," Ben said. "He's right. We don't have much time." He stood with the help of his daughter and his wife. Danielle stepped closer and enveloped them both in the warmth of her wings.

Ben pointed at Jack. "The satellite phone," he said. "It's a beacon for them. Where ever that phone is, that's where they'll appear."

John turned to Jack who had been watching and listening quietly in an attempt to understand what was happening. "Jack," John said interrupting them. "I need the phone."

"Why?" Jack asked suspiciously, his eyes darting from John to Ben and back again.

"We need to destroy it," John told him.

Jack took a step back away from John and Ben. "No way," Jack said gripping the phone tighter. "Not after all this."

John took a step in Jack's direction, he manner threatening. "Jack," he said sternly. "You have no idea what is really going on."

"Dad," Dean cautioned.

"Dad?" Jack repeated. "This is your father?"

"Yes," Dean told him. "And he's telling you the truth. The demon that was in Ben was using you."

Jack shook his head. "You're crazy," he said. "You're going to take Ben's word for it. He's the one who kidnapped me, he's the one that was killing our people…"

"No," Dean interrupted him. "It wasn't Ben. It was Azkeel, the demon."

"Dean…" Jack said.

"You saw me exorcise the demon," Dean said. "You know what it was. Ben is not responsible for what the demon did."

"I don't care," Jack said. "I'm not letting you destroy the phone; it's the only thing that's going to get us off this island."

"No, it's not," Ben said. Hurt and angry he lost his temper. "There's only one way off this island and trust me, you don't want to go that way. Not yet."

"How?" Jack demanded.

"You don't get it do you?" Ben said heatedly. "You and everyone else on this island are…"

"Ben!" Danielle exclaimed.

"Dad, don't!" Alex said.

"…already dead. And I mean that literally!" Ben continued not even noticing the talk that was welling up among the people gathered around him. "That plane crash killed…"

"BEN!" John said stepping forward and gripping the smaller man by the shirt and forcing him to make eye contact. "That's enough!"

Ben's anger drained away from one moment to the next. He paled slightly and looked around him at the panic the people of flight 815 were just beginning to show. He swallowed and looked at John. "I'm sorry," he said in a barely audible whisper. "I didn't…"

John released him, motioning Alex and Danielle forward. "I know," John told him softening. "How much time do we have?"

"An hour, maybe two," he told John.

"How many?" the hunter asked.

"Twenty or thirty," Ben replied.

John nodded and said, "Go with your family my friend. Let us take it from here. You've suffered enough. Let us handle this."

"He's crazy," Jack told John when he turned around. "Whatever that thing was, it broke him."

"Yes, it did," John told him quietly. "But that doesn't make him wrong."

"Dad," Dean cautioned knowing by the look on his father's face how angry he himself was but unsure of why.

John ignored him. "Give me the phone," demanded pulling his gun out and pointing it in Jacks direction. "We don't have time to screw around. We need to destroy that phone."

"No we don't, dad," Dean told his father. "Not yet. We still need it."

"What?" John asked looking at his son.

"Think about it," Dean told him. "It's a beacon. The demons are coming to where the phone is."

John grinned at his son and lowered his gun. "Trap," he said.

"Trap," Dean replied. "But first we need to get these people to safety."

Once the gun was no longer pointing at him Jack took a step back shaking his head. They were all crazy. How could all these people be dead? How could he be dead and not know it? "No," he muttered to himself. "There crazy… they've got to be."

"No there not," Locke said beside him.

Having been unaware of Locke's approach Jack jumped slightly startled by the man. "They have to be," he replied. "You're telling me you think we're dead too?"

"No," Locke replied. "I'm telling you I know we are."

"Right," Jack replied sarcastically. "We're dead and demons are real, so tell me, where are the angels?"

Locke looked at Jack. "Angels?" Locke asked. "Do you think you deserve to be in heaven?"

All conversations stopped and the crowd parted as Jacob and Sleipnir approached at a dead run. The horse and rider slid to a stop before the Winchester men. Jacob dismounted and strode to them. "Your brother has succeeded in his task. The remaining demons are gone from Valhalla."

"How is Sammy?" Dean asked worried. "Did he have any problems?"

Kate walked up to the horse her hand reaching out to brush along the sleek coat of his neck. "You're real," she whispered to herself but was rewarded when Sleipnir turned and nuzzled her.

"He is fine for the moment," Jacob told Dean. "But I fear we are not out of the woods yet."

"We're not," Dean replied. "Those four were a drop in the bucket compared to what is coming our way, but we have another problem to deal with first." He pointed to Jack and the crowd around him.

Ben stepped up, his wife and daughter behind him, his head hung low. "I apologize, father. I lost my temper and in doing so I told them more then I should have."

Jacob stepped forward placing his hand on Ben's shoulder. He waited until Ben's eyes met his before he replied. "You have given more to this fight then anyone should be asked to give." He placed his other hand on the side of Ben's face and called upon his healing powers.

Ben gasped as the warmth of Jacob's abilities washed over him. The pain from his injuries receded and was replaced with a numbing heat as each of his wounds healed from the inside out. The bloody stumps of his wings mended and as Jacob held him, a new set grew in their place. He spread them wide and fluttered them gently with a sigh of relief before folding them wearily back into place. The bruises and cuts on his face healed and when the warmth centered on his back, where Jack had operated to remove the tumor. He gasped at the sudden burst of burning pain centered on the area. His knees buckled and he would have fallen had it not been for Danielle and Alex catching him.

"His body is restored," Jacob told his family. "But I fear the emotional damage will take much longer to heal. Have patience with him. He has suffered more then any one creature should ever have to suffer."

Jack watched in shocked amazement as the newcomer healed Ben. He watched the injuries on the smaller man's face fade away and disappear before he crumbled and was caught by Danielle and Alex. Jacob turned to face him. "Jack my friend," he said. "I think it is about time you knew the truth."

Fear gripped Jack and he stood rooted to the spot where he stood. "One," he said quietly. So quietly that only Kate and Jacob heard him. "Two, three, f…" His countdown ended when Jacob placed his hand on the side of his head.

"Remember," was all Jacob said.

Jack leaned into Jacob's hand suddenly overwhelmed by the flood of memories that the other man had released. Tears streamed down his face as he remembered everything. Temporarily distracted by the influx of memories he didn't notice Jacob move to Kate and provide her with the same treatment before moving on to the other people in the group.

A/N - Okay now I'll bet y'all are all wondering who Jack's sister is and who Sawyer's brother and wife are right? Well, sorry but you'll have to wait until at least the next chapter to find out! For now please review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks bunches and happy holiday's to all of you!