Excerpted from:

Lost's Future Shock

It’s late in the afternoon on Valentine’s Day, and love has found the set of Lost. Even Evangeline Lilly and Dominic Monaghan — Kate and Charlie — steal occasional kisses, public displays of affection typically avoided by this usually discreet real-life pair. [...] Today’s scene, shot on Oahu’s picturesque North Shore for a mid-April episode, is something of a reunion. Except for the taping of a brief dream sequence, the sprawling cast hasn’t performed en masse all season. The gathering has definitely upped the hugs-and-laughs vibe. [...] Garcia, Monaghan and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) sit in a circle, cracking jokes and tackling a New York Times crossword puzzle.

Since Desmond delivered his gloomy predication to the reformed heroin addict, Monaghan's fans have started online petitions (one titled "Save the Junkie, Save the World"), asking that Charlie be spared a plot on Boone Hill. But if those fans are looking to their hero to assuage their fears, they've asking the wrong guy. "It's something Damon and I have been chatting about since Season 1," Monaghan admits. "I've said to him, 'You know, it might be kind of fun to go out with a bang.'"

"I'm an actor," he continues. "Jobs end, and I go do other jobs. It's not the end of the world. It's just the end of the job."

When told of Monaghan's comments, Lindelof and Cuse seem slightly bemused, saying only the Charlie's story line will continue to play a pivotal role through the rest of the season. "The question hanging over the show is whether Desmond can keep saving Charlie," Lindelof says. "And if he does, what are the consquences of that? Does that mean that other events are being altered as a result?"