Title: So far, so close

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: Lost isn't mine

Prompt: Time traveling

Author's Notes: English isn't my first language, so be gentle. Lots fluff!!!

Jack's eyelids fluttered open, the cool breeze, the palm trees and the birds humming let him know where he was. He struggled to stand up, the realization still shocking in his mind. He turned around watching his surroundings, it had been so long since he had been here for the first time, and he had long to be back for such a long time. He began his path, 'where to?' he asked himself. He had spent all his time wanting to go back, figuring out a way to go back, that he never stop to think what he would do when he was actually back on the island.

His first instinct was to go to the beach so he headed in that direction. Throughout his journey, his anticipation of reuniting with those people he had thought lost for so long got the best of him. His nervousness combined with the strains of his "traveling" caused him to lose his path more than once. When he finally was able to listen to the sound of the waves hitting the sand, he smiled, and then picked up his pace. Once he had finally arrived, he gazed around. Nothing, absolutely nothing; the beach was empty. There was no trace of the beach camp that was there when he was on the island. 'Now where?' he asked himself, he thought about the caves, he had always thought they were a safe place and headed in that direction. When he arrived he was disappointed again, there was nobody there. He began to question the idea of coming back, maybe it was too soon, but he had never been a patient man, and now more than ever he was desperate.

He continued his search of the island, there had to be something, more importantly someone in the island. Until he heard a familiar voice

[i]"Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God. Goodwin. What happened?"[/i]

He thought he had buried his memories so well that he wouldn't recognize her voice, but he did, and he recognized her desperate tone in her voice.

[i]"We don't know. There weren't any witnesses. I can only assume they found out he wasn't one of them. Guess I should've listened to you."[/i]

This voice he recognized too, how could Ben have gotten to Juliet faster than he did? He asked himself, again he felt as he had let her down. Alghouth he felt disoriented he began to come closer to the voices, closer to her, to Juliet.

[i]You knew this would happen. You sent him out here because you knew this would happen. You wanted this! You wanted him to die! Why? [/i]

He finally saw her, crying holding a dead man in her arms. If he had had time to overanalyze the situation he would have probably wondered who that man was and if that taken had taken his place in her heart. He had never seen her cry, she had been on the verge of breaking down in front of him more than once, but he had never seen her like this, completely helpless and torn apart. All he wanted now was to protect her, to hold her in his arms as she cried. As he took one step forward, his line of thoughts was interrupted by Ben's sudden loss of composure.

[i]"Why"? You're asking me why? After everything I did to get you here, after everything I've done to keep you here, how can you possibly not understand... that you're mine? [/i]

It was only then that he knew that this was Juliet's past, the island's past. Locke had mentioned time traveling on his crazy guilt tripping speech, but back then he didn't believe him. Once again he was being proved wrong.

[i]Take as much time as you need. [/i]

He heard Ben say as he watched him storm off the scene, leaving Juliet lying on the ground sobbing helplessly. And he couldn't help himself anymore, he took the necessary steps to reach out for her and finally hold her in his arms. But suddenly a blinding white light stopped him, and an annoying hum filled his ears. Then she was gone, all of it was gone, the scenery was the same except she wasn't part of it. He had been so close to her and now, once again, he was far away from her.

Fin.