Back on the boat, Desmond wakes up. Sayid asks him for the number, and Desmond gives the number to Sayid. Sayid dials one of those handsets that the telephone repair person uses; he warns Desmond that he doesn't know how long the battery will last. The phone starts ringing. We see 1996 Desmond walk away from Penny's house. Does this mean future Desmond is catatonic? 1996 Desmond turns back and sees Penny crying in an upstairs window as she draws the curtains. And then on the boat, Desmond hears Penny answer the phone. She sounds overjoyed to hear his voice. We see 1996 Desmond, and the small smile on his face tells us he can somehow sense that something has gone right. Penny's in her house, standing in front of a Christmas tree. She asks him where he is, and he tells her that he's on a boat and that he's been on an island. Sayid looks interested, because that last line makes it seem as though Desmond has regained his memory of the recent past. Penny tells Desmond that she's been looking for him for the past three years. Which is interesting, and perhaps throws some doubt on the date we saw on the calendar. She tells him that she knows about the island, and that she's been researching...something, we don't hear what, because the line goes all staticky. We do hear her mention speaking with Charlie, which was the moment she knew Desmond was still alive. There's some more static, and a weeping Desmond tells Penny that he loves her and that he's always loved her. She tells him that she loves him, too. We get a set of intercut lines in which they each promise to find each other, no matter what. And then the phone goes dead. Sayid apologizes for not being able to keep the call going longer, but Desmond tells him he got what he needed. That was a lovely scene, with fantastic work from both actors.

Back on the island, Daniel is flipping through his journal. On a page we haven't seen before, we see the words, "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume will be my constant." Daniel looks relieved. And that's a wrap.