Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Since we won't ever knew what James did after leaving the island, this story came to me and I had to write it down.
Summary: James Ford was no longer on the island but he was still lost without Juliet, until he find a purpose protecting the other two people that meant the world to her, Rachel and Julian. And from there finding a new family until the day he'll see Juliet again.
"Good Night, Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow." William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.
Until We Meet Again
He runs his hands through his hair as he stares at the white Spanish style house from the car he bought with the money Oceanic had given him when they told an insane story about how he and Claire had survived for three years and were rescued by Frank's plane. It was partly true so it wasn't that hard to play the part. With the money, he used it on various hotel rooms because he wasn't ready to buy a place of his own without her he didn't see the point, she was his only home.
James Ford shakes his head what was he doing here, he drove across the country to do what? Convince a woman that he knew her sister that she thought died six years ago, that he fell in love with her 1974 and died in his arms in 2007. She'd think he was insane and at best he'd get the door slammed in his face, but most likely she would call the cops and he'd get thrown in a mental hospital for the rest of his life. Which maybe wasn't such a bad idea, he'd be fed and have a place to sleep but most of all he'd be too drugged to remember…her.
No he says to himself, she deserved to know the truth about her even if she didn't believe him. She had to know that Juliet wanted nothing more to come back to her to see her again but she selflessly gave her life to help everyone else. If no one else could know of Juliet's heroics, her sister would.
Juliet talked about her sister a few times and each time he could see her eyes light up as she recalled the stories of their childhood, their fights as teenagers and bonding as adults. He never had siblings but he could see that Rachel was a big part of who Juliet was. Her sister was everything to her she even gave her sister the miracle she always wanted, a baby. Juliet didn't know much about Julian all she had was the video footage Ben had cruelly showed her to get her do his bidding. She died not ever getting to meet the nephew she helped bring into this world.
He took a breath and got of the car. He walked to her door and stood there trying to calm his racing heart, again having second thoughts. What the hell should I say? How do you even begin with the story I have to tell? He had been a con man for most of his life so telling stories was his specialty but this one he wouldn't have believed had he not lived it. He presses the doorbell and waits.
The door opens slowly, revealing a blond woman. He looks into her brown eyes she didn't look anything like Juliet, yet there was something about her that reminded him of her. They were both survivors, Juliet from Ben's mind games and she from Cancer.
"Can I help you?" She asks locking her eyes into his. That was most definitely Juliet. That's the one thing that impressed him most about Juliet, she liked to look in your eyes whenever she talked to you whether she was threatening you or taking care of you her eyes stayed focused on you.
He clears his throat. He opens his mouth and nothing comes out. He had rehearsed in his head a million times of what he'd say to her but now he couldn't even talk. He shouldn't have come, nothing he could say would make sense to her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…I'm sorry I have to go" He barely get the words out his mouth before he turns around to leave.
She tilts her head and starts to close the door. He spins back around "I knew Juliet" he spits out as his heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest.
The door opens again as she peeks out. "I knew her" he repeats and tries to hold back the tears. "And I wanted you to know that she tried so hard to come back to you…and Julian" He tells her. "But…she…always wanted to save everyone else first."
He couldn't stop now that he had started he continued telling her everything. When he was done he watched her fall against the door frame unable to look at him. He didn't expect her to believe him, he wouldn't have. He needed to tell someone, someone needed to Juliet what did for them, for all of them. She made everything worth it even for the ones that didn't make it. She changed everything made it better.
He closes his eyes then looks at Juliet's sister who was still trying to process everything. She doesn't say anything so he turns around and starts walking away.
"Wait" he hears and turns back around now she looked like she didn't know what to say.
"You're story sounds…so crazy" She begins and takes a breath "But…I didn't believe them…when those people told me Juliet was dead…I knew in my heart that she wasn't. No one believed me; they thought I was in denial. But I had to stay healthy for the baby and when he was born I tried to look into it but I was blocked" she tell him as the tears roll down her face. "She was alive" she says closing her eyes and hugging her arms close to her chest.
"Yes" James answers.
Rachel places her hand over her mouth and falls backwards against the door frame. James goes to her and puts his hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what else to do, he didn't know her and he didn't know if she had Juliet's ninja training.
She looks up with tears in her eyes. "Would you like to come in…for something to drink?"
"I would like that" he said to her.
You said your name was James Ford" he nods his head. "You were on Oceanic Flight 815?" He nods again. That began the journey of finding where he belonged in the world without Juliet.
When he first saw Julian run into his mother's arms his heart almost stopped beating when he looked into the child's bright blue eyes, they were Juliet's eyes.
He has to look away, he and Juliet did talk about children and seeing Julian made him think that their son could've looked like him. He excuses himself to go to the bathroom and tries to calm himself down. He couldn't think of things like that, things they'd never have. He wasn't religious but he looked up at the ceiling hoping Juliet would give him strength. He takes deep breathes and dries his eyes and walks out to tell Rachel about her. He was invited to stay for dinner where he met Rachel's husband Kevin who was a police officer.
He told them about what happened after the plane crashed on the island and how after a few days they had given up on their hopes of a rescue. They had to survive on a strange island while being strangers themselves. He told them about the other survivors and how they came to meet the people they called The Others and about their leader Ben. He smiles as he tells her the day he first met Juliet, he was trying to escape the Others and she came out of nowhere and surprised him and that's what she would continue to do to him. With other women he always knew who they were and what they were thinking with Juliet he never did. Maybe that's what intrigued him about her even on their very first meeting.
He figured Juliet could be at ease anywhere but she told him that wasn't always the case, before she came to the island she was shy and lacked confidence, those were two things she didn't need to worry about now. She was brave and probably matched him with confidence in her skill. There were times she needed a little push but that was only with the pregnancies.
He was the Confidence man and could charm most women but never Juliet. She never fell for any of his BS she saw straight through his bravado and his ego. She saw the real man underneath, the man he never thought he could be.
He left after dinner that night leaving Rachel the phone number of the motel he was staying at. She called him as soon as he opened the door. She wanted to know more about her sister and what had happened to her. He had left some things out, things he wasn't sure Juliet wanted Rachel to know, like how easily she could kill someone or how she learned to torture people.
After he was practically eating dinner with them every night, they invited him to stay in their guest house until he found a place of his own. He told him was thinking of staying in Miami there wasn't much else for him anywhere else. Kevin had helped him get a job as a security guard of a bank, the few years a head of security of Dharma had paid off when he aced the test, which was strange in the sense that he used to steal people's money and now he was protecting it.
He eventually bought a condo nearby, if he couldn't watch Juliet's back any more he'd watch her sister's and nephew's. Juliet was his family so they were his family too.
He became the Assistant coach to Julian's peewee football team with Kevin. He was doing all the things he never thought he'd do. Like driving a carpool to the field for practice, handing out juice boxes after the game and cheering from the bench when Julian scored a touchdown.
He tried to reach out to Cassidy about seeing Clementine when he felt that he was worthy to be someone in his daughter's life. He didn't know if he'd ever be her dad but he wanted her to know that he was here and he did care about her. At first he heard a bunch of words he expected and got hung up on but he persisted and she finally agreed to a meeting.
He flew out to Alabama to see her, their first meeting Clementine happened to be at a sleepover so it was just him and Cassidy. It took awhile for Cassidy to see that he changed. He knew he deserved her anger, so they took it slowly. Cassidy told him she'd give Clementine his cell phone number and it was up to her if she wanted to call him.
He was surprised when she called, they only talked for a few minutes and he let her say what she wanted to him. She was only seven but she shared her mother's anger about him which is what he expected. Cassidy never expected to see him again so she probably talked badly about him all time and Clementine overheard. But she kept calling and he took all of his vacation time to fly there to see her and just talk to her. Eventually they started flying to Miami to visit him and he introduced them to Rachel, Julian and Kevin.
Cassidy was of course skeptical about Juliet and his love for her. But she accepted it when she saw that he was devoted to the family of the woman he lost, the woman that made him want to be a better man. She told him she was sorry for his loss and that she wished she could've met the woman that tamed the tiger. He actually thought that Juliet and Cassidy would've gotten along; she had this uncanny ability to bring out the best in people.
He was surprised when Cassidy moved to Miami with Clementine, she would always tell him it was because Clem missed being away from Julian. He accepted that because it was true, the two of them had become good friends during her visits. He'd listen to them banter back and forth throwing one sarcastic comment after another at each other then laugh about it. They would stick up for each other and cover for each other when one of them did something wrong.
Cassidy allowed Clementine to spend some weekends with him and he'd take her to games or the carnival or they just sit and watch movies. He loved getting to know her, Kate was right she was a spitfire like him and she definitely had his temper. But she also had a big heart and no matter what Cass said about him she raised Clementine in a safe and loving environment.
As Julian got older Julian did want to learn about his Aunt Juliet, Rachel would tell him about their childhood until the day Juliet made him a reality and James would take over talking about their time together. Since Clem was always at his side she listened to the stories too. They both loved hearing about Juliet tasering him on their first meeting or how he snuck up on her one day and got thrown over her shoulder into the mud so he learned to never do that again. He told them about Juliet saving his life in more ways then he could count. He knew all about what his Aunt Juliet had done how her work was a miracle in itself and how the world would never know. Julian told him that it didn't matter what the world thought, they knew and that's what counts.
He was shocked when Clem stared calling him Dad and he smiled every time she said it afterwards even if she was angry at him. He was a father now and an Uncle.
He kept in touch with the rest of the people that made it off the island as often as he could, but they were all just trying to get on with their lives. Last he heard Kate, Claire and Aaron were living in LA. Kate was under house arrest for a few more years for breaking the terms of her parole. Claire was being treated at the Santa Rose Mental Hospital, Kate was only allowed to leave her house to bring Aaron to visit his mother. Miles and him went to Korea shortly after they settled on the mainland to talk to Sun's mother and offer their condolences to her and give her a picture of her father. He didn't even know he had it but when they landed he found a picture of him, Miles, Juliet and Jin smiling in front of one the Dharma vans. He knew he was losing the only picture he had of Juliet but Yi Jeon needed it more, she needed to see what the father she'll never meet looked like. When Miles visited after that they'd go out for drinks, him and Richard started up some kind of ghost hunting business to help people say goodbye to their loved ones. He didn't really know Frank that well but the man had flown them home so whenever he flew into Miami he'd get a few cold ones with him.
He smiled proudly as Clemetine and Julian graduated High School and then College. They were still as close as ever. He never thought he'd be one of the proud parents standing in the audience as their kids name was called and watch them walk across the stage and get the diploma that they had worked so hard to get.
He dated a bit but nothing serious came of any of them. He was looking for companionship not commitment and most of them knew that from the get go. He stayed friends with a few of them and invited them to the birthdays and barbecue's. He knew that Juliet would have wanted him to find someone but he didn't want too. He was happy with the family he had, his daughter Clementine, his nephew Julian, Rachel and Kevin and Cassidy. If you had asked the old him if he believed in soul mates he would have said that was BS but somehow he knew Juliet was waiting for him on the other side so he was going to wait for her too. She was the only woman for him and no one could live up to her and he didn't want them too.
He gave Clementine away at her wedding and smiled at Julian who was her Best Man, they had stayed best friends this whole time and he was happy. His daughter and her nephew were cousins. Two blonds that loved snarking at each other and being there when the other needed them most having each other's backs no matter what. Maybe the universe was trying to correct the wrong it did when it took Juliet from the world. He imagined her smiling down on them and thinking the same thing.
He joked with Julian at the reception about when he was getting married.
"I just haven't found the right one yet, Uncle James" he would say "And until the right one comes along, I'll enjoy the ride" he would finish with a wink.
He couldn't believe how much they'd both grown, Clementine grew into a beautiful, strong young woman that was on her way to becoming an amazing Detective at the Miami Dade Police Department. Julian was quite the charmer and fresh out of medical school so ladies were all over him and James couldn't help but laugh. Even though Julian never met his aunt and namesake he saw Juliet in the young man. He was bright, witty and had a hell of a poker face. Juliet would've been so proud that he chose to follow in her footsteps and become a doctor, his specialty was neonatal surgery. And with his long slender hands much like his mothers and Juliet's he'd make a great surgeon.
He became a grandpa and was shocked and delighted that Clem and her husband decided to name their daughter Juliet. She knew from his stories how strong and heroic Juliet was and she wanted to give her daughter a name that means something to all of them. He cried as he took a picture of Julian holding baby Juliet in his arms.
He spoiled little Juliet like a good grandpa should all she would have to do is bat those baby blues at him and he'd melt. He was just as thrilled when her younger brother Will came along and when Julian finally settled down and had a son of his own.
Every holiday they all wanted him to tell stories about life in 2004 to 1964 and back again. All the grand kids thought it was so exciting that he had time traveled; they bragged to their friends about him and he'd have to tell more people about the Island of the Lost. There were survivors, the others, soldiers, hippies and pirates. He may have embellished the stories a bit that was one thing he was always good at and he chalked that up to old age. Their friends didn't believe him and their parents thought he was just a good storyteller. But he'd share looks with Rachel, Julian and Clementine because they knew as outlandish as his stories were they were all true.
As he lay on his deathbed he could feel her near him and hear her laughing. He closes his eyes and smiles
"Juliet, it's me, I got ya"
The End