She bit her lip and looked at him. She had no idea. What kind of party?

She didn't deserve a party. She just didn't.

The counter became very interesting. "Oh... I don't know. Maybe it's not such a good idea."

She lifted her eyelids halfway, and peeked at him under the thickness of dark lashes. "You know I'm not deserving..." she whispered.

"Shh," she murmured with a shake of her head. "Don't say that, Hurley. It's just not true. You and I both know what I'm doing next week; we've had this discussion and it's not pleasant. Even I can admit that. I shouldn't have a party to... celebrate that."

The last hurrah. That seemed so sad. But she forced herself to smile for him, her eyes belying the emotion entirely. "Oh, in that case, absolutely we should have a last hurrah."

"It will be nice, this time together." But she was wondering what he was really thinking.

Again she chewed her lip.

"You don't expect me to come back, do you?"

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said softly. "But I promised you and I plan to keep that promise."

Penelope had to bite the inside of her cheek, hard. She didn't want to cry. "But... you don't."

"Hurley, there's something I have to tell you, something that I want you to know before I leave..." She wasn't sure this was the right time to tell him and she was a bit afraid too, actually.

"When do you want to have this party?"

"Isn't the dance one of those days?" she asked, trying to remember.

"I think it's the... 27th? I'm not entirely sure. But yes, there is a dance. I don't want to keep you from going and having fun..."

"I, uh, I don't know."

"What... what?" Penelope asked, feeling nervous.