The orange smoke infiltrates the submarine.

Sayid: "I can't ventilate the smoke."

Kate: "What's going to happen?"

Sayid: "It may affect us in an unpredictable manner."

Juliet: "This has gone on long enough. Sawyer, everyone wants to see us together forever. Will you ask me to marry you?"

Sawyer: "Is that how it works now? Fine, will you marry me?"

Juliet: "You're so romantic."

Sawyer: "So you wanna do this while we still remember who we are?"

Juliet: "Of course. Eko, will you do the honors?"

Eko: "I'd love to. Do you have rings?"

Boone: "There must be some lug nuts around that will fit."

Boone goes off to the supply room and returns with a bunch of nuts. Juliet and Sawyer select two."

Eko: "Great. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to … well, you all know. Sawyer, do you take Juliet to be your lawful wedded wife?"

Sawyer: "I guess so."

Eko: "Juliet, do you take Sawyer to be your lawful wedded hunk, er husband?"

Juliet: "I do."

Eko: "Then I pronounce you husband and wife. Now kiss each other."

They do. There is cheering, but off to one side someone is crying.

Desmond: "Penny, what's wrong?"

Penny: "That was so beautiful. I can't help it."

Desmond: "Is there something I can do to help?"

Penny: "Yes … can't you guess?"

Desmond: "You mean marry you?"

Penny: "Oh Desmond, I thought you'd never ask! I accept!"

Desmond: "Uh, what just happened?"

Ana-Lucia: "Hey, we're going to have another wedding!"

Boone: "Here are a couple more nuts you can use as rings."

Eko: "Thank you. Now Desmond, do you take Penny to be you lawful wedded wife."

Desmond: "I do?"

Eko: "Penny, do you take Desmond to be your lawful wedded husband?"

Penny: "I do."

Eko: "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss now."

Desmond and Penny kiss.

Everyone is beginning to lose consciousness as the orange smoke becomes denser. Then a loud clang is heard as …

A giant magnet attached to a long rope comes out from the sky and latches onto the submarine. Next an enormous blow dryer slides along the rope, turns on, and blows the orange smoke back to the island. The blow dryer is close enough to the powerboat and Kabanahana to blow the smoke away from those vessels as well. The freighter catches up to the powerboat, and Keamy calls out:

"This is it, Linus, we have you outgunned. Surrender now or be blown out of the water."

Ben is shaken by the turn of events. Defeated, he opens a small safe that had been among the possession taken aboard and extracts some money from it. He sullenly climbs aboard the Kabanahana, and hands it over to Captain Gault.

Ben: "Here it is. Now leave me alone."

Gault: "Thank you, and good riddance."

Ben goes back to the powerboat.

Richard: "What was that all about?"

Ben: "A long time ago I borrowed a book from Charles Widmore's library, "How to Control People While Keeping Them Clueless." It was overdue when I returned it. I used the book's ideas to try to convince Widmore that I had returned it in time, but he didn't buy it. I then argued that I had borrowed a defective product and shouldn't have to pay Widmore anything. Then he had to leave the island, but vowed he would exact retribution upon me."

Richard: "How much was the fine?"

Ben: "A dollar and eight cents. With interest, a dollar and forty-two cents."

Richard: "What do we do now?"

Ben: "Just get out of here."

The powerboat and freighter head eastward, in the direction the submarine is being towed.

As the orange smoke dissipates from the submarine, a note in a bottle attached to a small parachute drops through the submarine's hatch. Jack grabs it.

Kate: "What does it say?"

Jack: "Good news! Your story drew another couple reviews and hit the century remark. Therefore we've decided to invest in your rescue. I've arranged a meeting with you and my associates at unspecified Hawaiian Island to discuss your future. Signed, Bigshot Producer A. A. Jacobriam."

Shannon: "Wow, we better get ready."

Sayid: "At this speed it will take one more day to reach Hawaii."

Bea: "I think it's time to un-hypnotize the kids and get them back to normal."

Bea produces her heptagonal medallion and hypnotizes the children.

Bea: "Walt, you will no longer overheat when you wear regular clothes. And Walt, Emma, and Zach, you no longer have unnatural desires to prove yourselves escape artists."

Bea snaps her fingers, and the children blink.

Walt: "Did something happen?"

Michael: "You're normal again. You can wear regular clothes without overheating now."

Emma: "Aww."

Michael: "Be realistic. We'll all have to dress appropriately when we're back in civilization."

Juliet: "Sawyer without a shirt is appropriate in any situation."

Emma: "Hey Bea, can you send me those pictures of Walt you have on your camera?"

Bea: "Fortunately that camera stayed on this sub all this time. Of course I can."

Walt: "What do you want with those? Are you going to make a photo album of me tied up all the time?"

Zach: "She'll probably blow them up and make life-size posters of you for her room."

Emma: "Hey, you weren't supposed to guess that."

Walt: "It wasn't that hard to guess."

Emma: "I think those pictures would make a nice computer screen background, or could be made into a screen saver."

Michael: "Why don't we be sure we get home before worrying about all this?"

The submarine sails on for another day, and then it, the powerboat, and the Kabanahana all are escorted to a dock in one of the Hawaiian Islands. Everyone is taken to a large room in a building by the dock. One special visitor has been brought in from the mainland. Emma and Zach recognize the woman, and rush to embrace her.

Emma and Zach: "Mom! It's so good to see you!"

Emma's and Zach's Mother cries: "Emma, Zach, I can't believe it! I thought I'd never see you again. They told me everyone on that plane was dead."

Emma: "Whoever they are was wrong. These people, well most of them, are our friends and helped take care of us. You should meet them."

Ana-Lucia: "Hi. I said back in Chapter 21 I would get these kids back safe to you. It took longer than I expected, but here they are."

Cindy: "I was supposed to be in charge of them for a while, but I sort of got marginalized."

Emma's and Zach's Mother: "If you were taken care of, what happened to your clothes? Way too much of your butts are showing."

Zach: "Almost everyone's clothes wore out, and we didn't have anything to replace them. Our friend John over there made these for us and my boyfriend Walt here out of boarskin."

Emma: "It's actually been pretty neat. And besides, that isn't really important, right? What's important is that we're here."

Emma's and Zach's Mother: "I guess you're right. Do you realize you all need haircuts?"

Sawyer: "Can we please spare the sappy emotional reunion and get down to business?"

There is widespread assent.

A. A. Jacobriam: "Hello everyone. Let me introduce myself. I am the bigshot television producer A. A. Jacobriam, and these are my associates Damien Limburger and Curlicue Cueball. We have concluded that there is sufficient interest in your story to make a primetime television series, and would like to cast you as the stars instead of some higher-paid professional actors and actresses. I'm prepared to offer you one hundred thousand dollars each for each episode you appear in."

Juliet: "Do you realize what that means, Sawyer? You can earn money honestly instead of having to resort to being a con man the rest of our lives."

Sawyer, to Juliet: "That doesn't sound as much fun, but let me give this one try." Facing A. A., Sawyer declares, "Hey, Double A, I think 108 thousand each would be more appropriate."

A. A. thinks for a moment. "You drive a hard bargain, but that does seem appropriate. 108 thousand it is."

Kate: "That was impressive Sawyer; you just made all of us a lot more money."

Jack: "What about 108,108 dollars? And forty-two cents?"

Hurley: "How about we not get carried away by this?"

The $108,000 figure is agreed upon.

A. A.: "We have done some investigating, and are prepared to give you advances to help you get settled, and perhaps your new businesses started. What would you like to do with your lives?"

Boone: "My mother's wedding business doesn't have a branch in Hawaii. I'd like to open one here."

A. A. "Great idea. I'll have my people arrange office space for you."

Shannon: "Boone, that's a great idea. It's been a dream of mine to open a dance studio. Now I'll be able to do it!"

Boone: "Go for it, Shan! Now what will your husband do?"

Sayid: "I hadn't thought about it. I just want to make the world a better place."

A. A.: "I'm sure we can find something suitable for your technical expertise."

Sayid: "Perhaps. What I really want to do is build a home for Shannon and me."

A. A.: "I got it. Not only can you build that, but you can help with construction of the set. You can make sure all the electrical stuff works correctly.

Michael: "I'm kind of anxious to get back into construction, but as my own boss. And I'd also like to get back into art, maybe opening a studio."

A. A.: "Looks like you'll be busy. Good luck with all that."

Jack: "If I go back to my hospital in California, I won't be able to participate in the television series."

A. A.: "You were replaced because everyone thought you were dead. But we'll be building a new one here, and they'll need a chief surgeon. How does that sound?"

Jack: "I'd be in charge? That sounds exactly like what I should be doing."

A. A.: "And Juliet could resume her career there, too."

Juliet: "That would be wonderful."

A. A.: "Also Libby if she wants to get back into psychology."

Libby: "I would love that. Now that I'm cured I can be useful again, and only act crazy while doing the TV show."

A. A.: "Rose and Bernard, what do you think you might do?"

Bernard: "I could start a new dental practice, and retire in comfort in a few years."

Rose: "I'd like to do volunteer work at the hospital, and retire with Bernard when the time comes."

A. A.: "Great. We'll also need to establish a police department here. I think Ana-Lucia would make a great captain."

Ana-Lucia: "When you're right, you're right."

Eko: "Let me guess: there's room for a new church in the area?"

A. A.: "Absolutely. We wouldn't want to neglect spiritual development here."

Eko: "Then I shall build another church."

Hurley: "I think opening a 'Mr. Cluck' chicken franchise in Hawaii is a good idea. And I like that 'be my own boss' part."

Charlie: "I'm going to revive my music career."

Claire: "That's wonderful. I need some time to think about what I'll do, but for now I can at home with Aaron."

Sawyer: "I don't suppose you have any jobs for a con man."

Juliet: "How about a career change. I think you'd be a fine addition to the police force, or general security. You could teach people how to spot and avoid cons."

Sawyer: "I guess I am quite an authority on that."

Shannon: "Get serious. What people really want is for you to be a model, like for swimsuits and blue jeans."

There is a lot of nodding.

Claire: "Actually, I bet he could make a lot of money posing for pictures with fans."

There is more nodding.

Kate: "All these things sound so wonderful. But I don't have anything to fall back on. All I've been doing for so long is running."

A. A.: "Then we have the perfect job for you. You can be the physical education instructor at the school?"

Kate: "Me, a teacher?"

Curlicue: "Why not? Actually we could use several teachers."

Damien: "We were thinking of Daniel as a physics instructor, Sayid for engineering, Michael as the art teacher, and Danielle as the French teacher."

Daniel: "Starting a new academic career sounds good. I presume I'd be able to continue my research."

Charlotte: "And I can get back into archaeology."

Danielle: "Teaching? I never thought of that. John, what do you think? Neither of us has any place to go?"

Locke: "That should work out fine. I want to establish a walkabout center. I could lead hikes around the mountains here, and then if the island becomes inhabitable conduct expeditions there."

Danielle: "Oh, I'd love to join you for some of those. And we can demonstrate our traps."

Emma: "I think Walt and Zach should get to show first-hand how the traps work."

Walt: "Aren't you for equal rights? If we get trapped so will you."

Zach: "I'm with Walt. Emma, you're outvoted two to one."

Michael: "And I'm pretty sure everyone else here will agree that it should be all three of you when you have the time."

Charlie: "I can resume my musical career."

Claire: "That's wonderful. I know I want to stay at home with Aaron for now. That will give me time to decide what to do later."

Desmond: "I'll be able to complete that sailing trip around the world."

Penny: "Can I come with you?"

Desmond: "Of course. I don't ever want to be apart from you again."

Richard: "What about me?"

A. A.: "You're a natural advisor. You can be the school's guidance counselor."

Richard: "Great, that makes a lot of sense!"

Miles: "What about me?"

A. A.: "We kind of forgot about you. What are you good for?"

Miles: "Um, psychic readings? I guess I could open a fortuneteller's shop."

A. A.: "We'll also need some pilots for getting visitors to and from the set from the other Hawaiian Islands. I figure Frank, Seth, and Naomi would be good for flying small planes and helicopters around. Cindy can be the flight attendant."

Cindy: "How nice of you to remember me."

Seth: "Me too."

Sawyer: "Were you on the submarine?"

Joanna: "What about me?"

A. A.: "We don't know anything about you except you look good in a bikini. If you want, we can get you started on a modeling career. Say as a female counterpart to Sawyer."

Juliet: "Ahem."

A. A.: "They don't have to be in the same shots."

Jack: "Wait a minute. If we're going to film our experiences, we would need Ben and all those Others. They did some pretty bad things, like kidnapping Claire and Walt, and making our lives a lot more difficult than necessary."

A. A.: "Our legal department has looked into that. There appears to be a lack of jurisdiction on which to charge them with anything. That island wasn't part of any sovereign nation."

Sayid: "Aren't there some international laws that apply?"

A. A.: "They might, if that island appeared on any official map. Since it doesn't, we have come to an arrangement with the local authorities. They do get a big break for changing those Vermicelli Equation numbers and saving mankind indefinitely. So they will be on probation and supervised closely, but as long as they don't get into trouble, they can hold regular jobs. Ben can be a teacher at the school, say in history. Or maybe, due to his leadership skills, the principal."

Ben: "You are assuming that I wish to pursue this course."

A. A: "Well, we brought in a special visitor to see you. Let's see how you feel after you meet her."

A woman about Ben's age is brought in. Ben looks at her quizzically, and then deduces, "Annie?"

Annie: "Ben! Is it really you?"

Ben: "Yes, but I have to be sure it's you."

Annie: "I brought this." Annie takes her little doll in Ben's likeness as a boy from her purse. "I've been waiting all these years to see you again."

Ben takes his Annie doll from a pocket. "And I kept this all this time."

There is a chorus of "Awwww's."

Ben: "What have you been doing all these years?"

Annie: "I got a great education from the Dharpa folks, and decided to continue that tradition. I'm an English teacher. I'm looking for a new location, and …"

Ben figures it out and welcomes the chance to be with Annie.

Ben: "Gentlemen, I accept your generous offer."

A. A.: "Great. As to the other Others,"Ethan is a licensed physician, so he can work at the hospital under Jack's direction."

Ethan: "I can live with that."

A. A.: "Some of you, like Mikhail, Greta, and Bonnie, have radio skills that could be useful in a local radio station. Isabel can join the police force, but has to start at the bottom. A bunch of you Others, we're not sure what you're good for, so we'll have to work that out later."

Ben: "They were under my direction on the island, so I'm sure I can find something for them to do at the school. Custodial work if nothing else."

Kate: "What about my … legal problem?"

A. A.: "It's been worked out. You accept our offer, stay out of trouble, your library fine will be taken out of your first paycheck. Otherwise, you're going to jail."

Kate: "I think I'll accept the offer to star in the TV series."

Jack: "Kate, I don't want you to face your troubles alone. Will you marry me?"

Kate: "Oh, that would be lovely." Kate thinks, "Since Sawyer is taken, the choice is easy."

Charlotte nudges Daniel.

Daniel: "Uh, Charlotte, you want something? Like … to get married?"

Charlotte: "Finally! I can't believe it took this long, but the wait was worth it."

Eko: "Wonderful! When this is over let's go to the site of my new church."

Bea: "What about me? I did some … unpleasant things to Walt. Michael, do you want to press charges?"

Michael: "I don't want to press charges against you." Michael gets done on one knee. "I want to marry you."

Bea: "Oh, Michael, you've made me so happy!"

Michael: "And now I can afford a decent ring."

Walt: "Cool! Hey, I want to change my last name to Dawson."

Michael: "Walt, you're such a wonderful son."

A. A.: "That can be arranged. We just need to change a few opening credits for the show."

Bea: "This is all happening so fast!. I … I won't be on the show for a while, what will I do?"

Walt: "You gave some great massages."

Michael: "Amen to that. Why don't you open a massage parlor?"

Bea: "That's a great idea."

A. A.: "Okay, everybody. Now for a few more details. We plan to run this show, putting on about thirty episodes a year. None of this stupid nonsense of airing only sixteen episodes a year to drag it out. It should last about three years then. Production will start in a few months, hopefully after Sun has her baby, but we can shoot scenes around her if necessary. You'll have to live in Hawaii for the time when your parts come up. So who's in?"

There is aloud chorus of "I am!"

Emma: "Mom, can we please do this?"

Zach: "Yes Mom, please?"

Emma and Zach's Mother: "Since it means so much to you, and will help us so much financially, okay."

Emma: "Thank you so much." She turns to Walt: "I get to stay near you?"

Walt: "That's great. Hey, I just thought of something. Does that mean I'm going to be in handcuffs for several days again?"

The directors Damien Limburger and Curlicue Cueball are milling around, realizing they'll get paid if they speak a line in the episode.

Curlicue: "No, this is television. We film a scene with you in handcuffs that lasts a few minutes. Then you can take them off and do other stuff, eat, schoolwork, whatever. Then when it's time for your next scene we put the cuffs back on, and you act like you've been in them for hours."

Emma: "What if Walt is a bad actor and can't be convincing that he's been in handcuffs for hours at a time?"

Damien: "Then he will have to stay in handcuffs the whole time. It is imperative that all the actors are believable."

Walt: "Hey!"

Michael: "You made the agreement. And remember, Vincent will be able to visit Gussie in the zoo any time."

Walt: "Oh right, I want to have Vincent be happy. And I'm sure I'll be a good enough actor."

Michael: "I'm sure you will."

Emma: "Walt, do you realize you'll be wearing just a loincloth for a lot of the next three years?"

Walt looks stunned, and then laughs. "Well, Dad lost his shirt before mine."

Juliet: "Oh no! Sawyer will have to wear a shirt for three whole episodes and part of the fourth!"

Sawyer: "Calm down, baby, we all have to make sacrifices in life. You'll get over it."

A. A.: "All right everybody it's time to celebrate the launching of what will be a highly successful television that will be talked about for years, if not centuries."

Eko: "Then to the new church site!"

They go to the site, where Eko performs the marriage ceremonies of Jack and Kate, then Charlotte and Daniel, and then Michael and Bea. Everyone has a great time celebrating the end of their stay at the island and the beginning of their new lives, and the upcoming hit television series.

Author's Note: Writing this has been an incredible experience. It lasted much longer than I had anticipated as I tried to maneuver to a satisfying conclusion. Thanks to all whose support kept me going.

If there is any interest in the characters' lives after the rescue, or loose ends I managed not to address, I might write a sequel, but currently don't have any ideas except a few with the children. In any case I need a long break from writing.

- hjr