Title: I'll Be Home For Christmas
Rating: PG
Summary: Hurley and Ben spend Christmas with their friends.
Spoilers: Post - 6.17 and 6.18, The End
A/N: Written for MyLuckyWhistle in the Lost Secret Santa Challenge 2010. Sorry this is so late, I meant to post it yesterday but, after dealing with a Christmas tree incident, no longer had the time. This chapter is more of a prologue anyway, with the actual Christmas part being posted sometime later this week. There is also a poll at the bottom, for anyone who is interested. Enjoy and Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone.

Prologue:

Hurley sat, legs crossed, on the beach; watching the waves roll in and out along the shoreline, carrying with them memories of times past, and of people he would never see again. He blinked in surprise, taking a moment to step away from his misery and wonder where it had come from. Despite all that had happened in the past three years, he very seldom thought about it. That could be due to problems on the Island he was still trying to sort out. They occupied so much of his time and energy that he rarely had the chance to be alone with his thoughts.

And today they'd caught him off guard, slithering into his mind with a vengeance (angry at being ignored for so long) while he was waiting for his right-hand man to return. Ben had been absent for long stretches at a time these past few weeks and Hurley had to admit that he missed the older man's presence. Working together for almost a year now, they had formed a bond that continued to surprise them both.

Since his work was done for the moment, Hurley continued to sulk, finally allowing his mind to wander into the forbidden territory that he tried to avoid at all costs. Immediately a face popped into his head. Her face; one he would never be able to forget (not that he wanted to). He still visited her grave at least once a week, dropping by flowers or berries or whatnot. Once he'd even brought a blanket out there for the picnic he'd promised her. Before he could break out the sandwiches, however, Ben dragged him away.

"You'll thank me later," he'd said. He was right.

But now every visit Hurley paid to the graveyard was only made worse by the sight of the newer graves – or the grave markers for those whose bodies had never been found. Too many of his friends had ended up lying beneath the dirt, or at the bottom of the ocean, and that fact was hard for Hurley to wrap his head around. So he tried not to think of it.

Today being Christmas Eve day, however (which he instinctively knew without having to look at a calendar; not that there were any on the Island in the first place) he couldn't be blamed for thinking of his loved ones. And not only the one's he'd lost, but those he'd never see again as well. His mother and father, Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Miles, Lapidus. All of them. As long as he was stuck on this Island he would forever remain separated from them.

Not that Hurley minded being the Island's protector. He didn't in the slightest. In fact, he liked to think that life on the Island was much better because of him, even though the only two people living that life were himself and Ben. Everyone else was either dead or had left. And some days Hurley wished he could do the same.

Today was one of those days.

Before he could sink further into the darkness that had seemingly overcome his brain, footsteps behind him warned of another's presence. Turning, an instinctive reaction (who else could it be?), he watched Ben appear from the tree line.

"Come on, get up," he instructed, taking in the expression on Hurley's face.

"Why? What's the point?" Hurley wondered aloud, heaving himself to his feet anyway. "Where are you going?" he asked as Ben disappeared into the woods once more.

"Follow me, Hugo," came the other man's voice as it drifted out to the beach. Hurley frowned, wondering what his assistant was up to now, although with Ben sometimes it was better not to ask questions. Trailing in Ben's footsteps, he made his way deeper and deeper into the jungle, his heart as heavy as his steps on the trodden grass below.

After an hour or two, Hurley finally caught sight of Ben resting on a patch of rocks up ahead. He gratefully accepted the canteen held out to him, drinking deeply before addressing the older man.

"What are we doing out here, dude? It's almost Christmas Eve, can't we take a break?"

Ben smiled knowingly. "Of course we can, Hugo. After all, you're the boss. All I'm trying to do is give you your Christmas present a few hours early." He chuckled at the stunned expression on Hurley's face. "I thought you'd want it now instead of later."

"That's nice of you, but I kinda didn't get you anything. I wasn't sure if we were gonna celebrate Christmas or not," Hurley explained, feeling, if possible, even worse than he had a few hours ago. And more guilty.

"You've already given me the greatest gift you could. I never imagined I would be able to stay here and work with you like this. I owe you everything, Hugo, and I'm just trying to repay you the only way I can think of."

"Which would be..." Hurley prompted, having no idea what kind of Christmas present Ben could possibly have hidden out here. Or why.

"You'll find out soon enough," the other man countered, slipping off the rock and continuing towards his destination.

That was helpful, Hurley thought to himself as, having no reason not to, he fell into step behind Ben once more.

They had stopped again before Hurley's mind fully registered his surroundings; this time looking much more familiar than the never-ending foliage of the jungle. He felt his heart beat faster as he caught sight of the moss-covered building that seemed to rise straight out of the earth, along with the rows of plants in front used to camouflage the its true identity. The last time he'd been here was with Ben and Locke more than three years ago (he'd made a point to avoid this part of the Island since he became its protector) and it hadn't changed at all since his last visit.

"Dude, why did you bring me here?" he asked angrily, hating the flood of memories that were caused by the Dharma station.

"I know you don't like the Orchid, Hugo. I don't blame you. And I'm sorry we had to come back here, but I promise it will be worth it in the long run," was all Ben said before heading towards a set of bright red flowers. "Anthuriums," he said in response to Hurley's questioning look. "It means tail flower in Greek."

Before his superior could ask, he flicked a switch and pushed up the shelf holding the flowers, revealing a small passageway with an ancient-looking elevator at the end. Hurley hesitated briefly before following Ben into the cramped enclosure.

"All set?" he checked, pulling hard on another lever. Hurley was ashamed to feel himself jump in surprise as a metal door slid down next to him, nearly brushing against his arm. He shuddered slightly as the cage creaked and groaned while making its way deep into the earth.

Staring through the small octagonal hole, Hurley's first glimpse into what must have been the real Orchid station was of dimly lit walls covered in dirt that lead to another metal door down the hall. Walking forward into a circular room, his eyebrows narrowed at a capsule-like hole that was filled to the brim with various metal objects.

Ben didn't allow him any time to stop and look around however, as he pushed his way through the piles of metal and into a hollowed out crevice on the other side of the vault. Upon closer inspection, Hurley surmised that it was some sort of cave.

Forcing his uncertainties aside and crawling in after his right-hand man, who was beginning to act a lot more like the leader of the Others he had once been (or at least as shifty as he'd been then), Hurley slowed his pace once he caught sight of the rickety ladder along the edge of a cliff.

"Dude, I'm sure you meant well, but this is so not safe..." he fretted.

"You'll find it all worthwhile once you see what's at the bottom," came Ben's reassuring words from halfway down the ladder. "And trust me, this ladder is much sturdier than the one that used to be here. I should know, since I spent the last two weeks working on it."

Wanting to show some faith in his assistant, Hurley gradually made his way down the set of wooden rungs, grateful that they seemed to hold his weight. He eyed the fire in the corner of the room doubtfully before catching sight of the giant wheel to his left and realizing just what Ben was planning to do.

"We're going to move the Island?" he asked, anger seeping into his voice. "Why would you want to do that now, after all we've been through?"

"We're not moving the Island, Hugo," Ben said patiently. "You're going to leave the Island. Since you are its new protector, the usual rules don't apply to you. All you have to do is think of the place you want to go, turn the wheel, and you'll be there."

Hurley couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was a way for him to leave and Ben had known about it for all this time? "Why are you just telling me this now?" he shouted, hating himself as he watched Ben wince.

"Because this place wasn't fit for anyone to come to, not after the last time I used it. You have no idea how long it's taken me to clear away all the ice that used to cover every inch of rock in here. I finished last week and was going to wait until Christmas morning to show it to you, but I thought you'd rather be with your friends tonight than stuck on this Island. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and – " his explanation was interrupted as Hurley wrapped him in a bear hug, cutting off his air supply.

"You're the best, man!" he exclaimed happily. "Merry Christmas." Stepping up to the wheel, he was about to start turning it until he noticed Ben climbing back up the ladder. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the beach, Hugo. I'm not coming with you. I know no one would be happy to see me," he said, a defeated tone to his voice. His eyes widened as his partner plucked him off the ladder and placed him on his feet.

"If I'm leaving the Island, you're going too. And if anyone has a problem with that, they'll have to answer to me," he stated firmly, not about to leave his friend behind. "Will you help me with this?" He gestured towards the wheel, placing his hands against the smooth wood and beginning to turn. He felt when Ben forced his own weight against it as well, then he turned his thoughts towards the one person he longed to see during the Christmas season.

As he watched, a golden light grew from the center for the wheel, bright enough to force his eyes shut and send him spiraling into darkness so intense that it wasn't long before his senses were entirely erased and he felt nothing at all.

Poll: Who would you like Hurley to visit first? I am open to suggestions for any Lost character, alive or dead.