Valerie woke up in a cage. She was on her back—staring up at the bars of the polar bear enclosure on Hydra island.

"Oh, for the love of fuck, Linus, you predictable asshole," she muttered to herself.

She should have known that he'd pull something like this. She was an idiot for actually believing that he was starting to trust her.

But as irritated as she was with Ben, she wasn't overly concerned. He was making a point—he wasn't going to kill her. He might not believe her story, but she was a puzzle to him. He wouldn't get rid of her until he understood why she was here.

"Audrey?"

It was Kate's voice. Valerie sat up.

"It's Valerie, actually, Kate." She winced, expecting to be berated. "Sorry for lying about that—really."

"Is Wednesday awake?" a voice asked.

Kate nodded. "Yeah, she's alright."

Valerie blinked a few times and rubbed the back of her head. She assessed her situation. She was sharing a cage with Kate. Sawyer was across from them, alone in the other enclosure.

"What the hell is going on, Wednesday? Who is he? Why did he knock you out?"

She looked at them both, wondering if there was any way to explain the situation to them.

"Ben—he's—he's a fucking moron," she told them, rubbing the back of her head.

"Dean?"

"His name is Ben. He's the man in charge. This place—this isn't just some tiny island in the middle of nowhere."

"We figured that out, yeah," Kate interjected harshly.

"It's really hard to get here, and it's even harder to leave," she continued, ignoring Kate's anger. "You're not here accidentally—the plane was supposed to crash here. That's why I was on it."

"What do you mean 'supposed to'?"

She ignored the question. "The people who live here are scared of outsiders—scared of the outside world finding their island. And they have no way of sending you all home. It's just not possible. Maybe a few people but—"

"Why do you keep saying they?" Sawyer asked. "We know you're one of them."

"I'm not. I'm not from here. I was sent here to help him. He really does have a tumor. We wanted to find a way to break the truth to you gently—to convince Jack to operate."

"He's not your husband?" Sawyer exclaimed.

"Who sent you?" Kate said at the same time.

Valerie shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. It doesn't matter anyway." She pulled herself up and started pacing. "I can't believe he dumped me here," she muttered to herself. "That man is impatient and stubborn and so fucking stupid, and nothing at all like—"

She stopped in her tracks.

"Fuck," she said suddenly. "I need to go."

She looked up and found the camera. She flipped her middle finger at it. "Eat shit, Linus," she shouted, and slipped through the bars.

She turned to Kate.

"Before you try to follow me, you should know we're not on the Island—this is a small island just off the coast." She glanced at Sawyer. "I'm sure you won't believe me, but there's nowhere to escape to from here, unless you're comfortable with a long swim, or you've got a boat."

"Where are you going?"

"He's around here somewhere. I'm going to talk him out of this. He needs to let you go."

She felt a little guilty about lying to them as she disappeared into the jungle. She had no intention of finding Ben.

She touched her nose and looked at her finger. Blood. It wasn't coming steadily yet, but she felt off. She knew it was only a matter of time before it got worse again.

He couldn't do anything to help her now—even if he wanted to. She had to get back to the main island.

She tore off through the jungle. Hydra was only about a mile or so away from the main island, but the swim was a bit longer if you wanted to arrive at a beach instead of rough rocky coast.

As soon as she reached the water, she kicked off her shoes and waded in. The water was cold and choppy, but she had no choice.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She dove in and started swimming.

She knew right away that it was a bad idea. She was a very good swimmer, but her queasiness made her weak and unable to focus. All she could do was push forward and tilt her head up to breathe every few strokes.

She saw his face as she swam—her mind flickered between the scowl on his face just before she was knocked out and the first time that he had smiled at her.

It helped, in a way. She was distracted enough by her anger and sadness that the hour of struggling through the water passed relatively quickly.

She tried to stand when she reached the beach on the other side, but she was so exhausted that her knees buckled, and she fell with a splash back into the shallows.

She had to make it to the Barracks.

She crawled out of the water, trying to ignore the coppery taste on her tongue.

She vomited into the sand and wiped her face. The back of her hand was covered in blood.

She had to make it to the Barracks.

The trouble was that she wasn't close—not at all. She was a long way from the Barracks—and even if she could get there, she would need someone to let her past the fence.

It had been bad plan—she'd reacted out of a desperation to stay alive without thinking about how unlikely that really was.

She tried to focus her mind on a good memory. It bought her a bit of energy, and she trudged up the beach and into the jungle.

A few minutes into her walk, she collapsed again. She leaned against a tree and looked up at the canopy.

There was some peace in the lazy movement of the green leaves against the blue sky.

There wasn't anything left to do—nothing more she could try. She'd failed. She felt the warm blood from her nose running over her lips. The tears welled up in her eyes. She'd always known that this trip might kill her, but she'd never really believed she would die alone.

She closed her eyes and exhaled.

She was startled awake by the feeling of a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Valerie?"

She opened her eyes.

"Alex?"

"What happened? Did he do this to you?"

"No—I mean, sort of."

Alex helped her to her feet.

"I need to get back to the Barracks," she explained, trying her best to speak clearly.

"Why?"

Valerie was overcome by a dizzying wave of a nausea. She vomited into the tree she was leaning on. "Cure," she mumbled, blinking heavily.

"Okay—okay. We can get you back," Alex conceded. She turned over her shoulder. "Karl!" she shouted into the trees.

Karl wandered out and looked Valerie up and down.

"Isn't she his fake wife?" he asked Alex.

"Does it look like he cares?" Alex snapped back.

"He doesn't understand," Valerie slurred.

Alex didn't look convinced. "Can you walk?"

Valerie nodded. She took a few faltering steps.

"Go get help," Alex directed. Karl frowned at her.

"From who?"

"I don't know—I don't think he would want her to die. We should help her."

Valerie swallowed and tried to regain her composure. "House arrest," she muttered.

"What?"

"I need to go home."

"Where's your home?"

Valerie frowned and took another labored breath. "Your home," she clarified. "There—not Hydra."

"That might work—tell them she's very sick," Alex told Karl. He jogged off into the trees.

"Tell Richard," Valerie shouted after him, then fell back to the ground. She slumped against the tree. "I'm so sorry, Alex," she mumbled.

"He's the one who should apologize."

Valerie shook her head. "He loves you so much. So much."

She knew that Alex wouldn't understand. Ben had a hard time translating his love for Alex into affection, and Alex was too young to see that her father's detached iciness was not his strength, but his weakness.

She shuddered. Somehow, the worst of it had passed, but she was still too tired to keep herself awake. She let her eyes fall shut, and she drifted off.

She woke up to the arrival of voices—Alex explaining the situation—arguing with a woman Valerie didn't recognize. She woke up again in the back of a van, and again at Alex jostling her shoulder.

"Can you get up?"

They were at the barracks. Mustering her last bit of energy, Valerie pulled herself up and threw herself out of the car, stumbling as fast as she could to Ben's house. Alex trotted after her.

She pushed through the door and into Ben's bedroom. She closed and locked the door behind her before Alex could follow.

She nearly knocked the nightstand over trying to get to the envelope she had stashed.

She sat on the floor and leaned against his bed and opened it with trembling hands. She exhaled slowly as she examined the contents. She held them against her chest and fought back tears.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, knocking at the door.

"I am now," Valerie replied, her voice clear and steady. She smiled to herself as she tucked the envelope back in its hiding place.

She hopped up and unlocked the door.

Alex was staring at her, confused.

"It passed," she explained. "I'm fine. I'll be fine."

***

Juliet gave Ben the report that Valerie had been apprehended and was being kept prisoner in his home. She'd been near death when they had found her according to Richard, but—apparently—she now seemed fine.

He was surprised to feel relief—not that she was secured, but that she was alright. He frowned to himself.

"Have we figured out what happened when she escaped?" he asked Juliet.

"Kate and James were quick to say that she ran off looking you."

"Did she think I was back at the Barracks?"

"They said that she knew you were on this island, and that she was going to try to talk some sense into you. She was, apparently, quite irritated."

"I gathered that from the rude gestures at the camera."

Juliet smiled to herself. "She didn't come looking for you here, though. From what we can tell, she ran straight to the water."

"Was she sick when she left?"

"Not enough for Kate or James to notice anything off," Juliet replied. "Alex found her—it sounds like she and Karl were—"

"I don't need to know the details," Ben interrupted. "Val was sick when they found her?"

"Alex said that she could barely speak—she was covered in blood and vomited on herself a number of times on the way to the Barracks."

Ben winced. "But she's fine?"

Juliet raised an eyebrow at his concern. "Yes. She spent a few minutes in your house and emerged tired, but perfectly healthy. All she would say is that the illness had passed."

Ben thought for a moment, remembering her earlier episode at the Swan. "Does that sound like any illness you know of?"

Juliet shook her head. "It could be a concussion—I did hit her pretty hard."

He thought for a moment. "No." he replied, shaking his head. "She was afflicted by the same thing at the camp. She was fine once we went into the Swan. It was almost as if the place itself cured her. Is there something that my house and the Swan have in common, maybe? She said something about electromagnetic energy—does that make sense to you?"

Juliet made a face and shook her head.

"What? What do you think? Is this all some sort of con?"

Juliet shrugged. "I have no idea, Ben. I barely spoke to the woman."

"But?"

She rolled her eyes. "But, if I'm being honest—" she hesitated.

"Speak your mind, please," he instructed.

"If I'm being honest, I don't trust her. She knows too much, and she has the confidence of someone with the power to do as she pleases. And she isn't afraid of you—not at all. Even now."

He nodded in agreement. "What does she think she's doing at my house?" he mused.

"Why don't you ask her," Juliet suggested.

He shook his head—this was a distraction. "She's my responsibility, but she wants me to react—to engage in her little game." He smirked slightly, satisfied by his own ability to outthink Valerie. "If I don't let her try to manipulate me, she can't win."

Juliet sniffed. "Maybe Jacob sent her here to give you a taste of your own medicine," she suggested pointedly.

He glared at her. He'd have to deal with Juliet's insolence at some point, but there was no time for that now.

"Perhaps he did," Ben replied coolly. "But I won't concern myself with that until this tumor is gone. We need to speak with the doctor."