Title: The Kiss
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Yada Yada, Lost isn't mine but sometimes I think it should be.
The scrape of his stubble on her cheek, his lips covering her own. The way he sucked her top lip ever so slightly, the little smack sound as they pulled away. Her smile. His sparkling eyes.
The kiss.
Juliet played it over and over in her head as the days achingly went on. She should be happy for him. For Jack. He got off the island. He deserved it. And he got his people off too. Or most of them. Not her. Not Sawyer or Hurley, Jin, Bernard, and not Sayid. And then there's Desmond. As night fell that day the freighter came, Desmond came out of the water, like Poseidon himself, only he too was alone. Charlie had died, drowned trying to rescue them. Juliet sighed, at least Claire was free, and Aaron. Charlie didn't die in vain.
She gazed out into the ocean, the only female in a tribe full of males, as Sawyer chopped firewood and Hurley tried to fish. The only woman surrounded by men but not him. Not the man she took a leap for and titled her head brushed her lips against his, in front of everyone, in front of Kate. She took a leap because maybe, somewhere in the pit of her stomach, she knew it was her last chance. Her last chance to taste him. To know his mouth.
Sawyer looked over at her, gave her a sad look, a concerned look as he brushed the sweat off his brow. He had told her it was for the best. That it was always going to be Jack and Kate, in the end. And now they had their chance, free from guilt. No James, no Juliet to complicate their love. Sawyer told her to let go, but she couldn't. The way his stomach felt as she pressed her palm against it. Tight abs, taking an intake of breath as her mouth caught his. He was surprised but he didn't pull away. He didn't. That had to mean he wanted it. Wanted her. Didn't it?
Sayid even tried to comfort her. That's when she knew she must be depressed. When Sayid tried to make her feel better. He told her that if she truly cared about Jack then she would be happy he made it off the island. She was, somewhere inside her. Somewhere in the rational part of her brain, she was happy. But then the memory would come back, those bright hazel eyes dancing before her. The look between them before she raised herself slightly to her toes to make up for the height difference. The confused stare he gave her before realization came to him and he closed his eyes waiting for her. Waiting for her to kiss him.
Hurley and Bernard were laughing. Laughing because they still had hope. Even after all their friends had left them. Even after Rose was gone. They had hope and joy as they walked closer to her, carrying the fish they had caught. She tried to give them a smile. She used to be so good at pretending. But now, after feeling his breath on her face, as their kiss began, as their kiss ended, she couldn't pretend anymore. Her stare was vacant, nothing left behind her blue eyes but sadness.
Jack.
Jack.
Jack.
"Jack?" Sawyer cried as he shielded his eyes from the sun, looking up at the sky. A small twin engine plane sputtered down as it crashed just within the shoreline. Juliet got up, ran as fast as she could to the ocean. She pushed the others away. Inside the cockpit he was bleeding, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Sweet lips that had puckered together to take her own in.
"Jack."