Better Together

Fandom: Lost
Pairings: Jack Shepherd/Juliet Burke
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/hurt/comfort/fluff.
Spoilers: Up to the end of Season 3,and for the Season 4 episode "The Other Woman".
Warnings: None.
Prompt: 4 in the morning.
Length: 1,451 words.
Summary: Jack wakes up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and finds that Juliet is the only other person who's awake. One-shot. This is my first Jacket fanfic, hope you like it. Comments/reviews are appreciated. Xx

In his sleep, Jack thrashed around in the tent, his limbs tangled in the loose sheeting that passed for bedding. A sweat had broken out on his forehead and the shirt he wore clung to his torso. He finally awoke with a gasp, relieved to know that the dream had been just that, a dream but still feeling momentarily disorientated. In the semi-darkness he peered at his watch, trying to make out the time. 04:12. Perfect, he thought. He had hoped that it had been a slightly more dignified hour, so he could get up and get on with the daily banalities that would help him forget the nightmare. He disentangled himself from the sheet, and pushed it aside. He pulled the sweat-soaked shirt over his head and opened the flap in the tent. The cool breeze blowing in from the ocean instantly cooled his over-heated body, and he decided to take a walk to the water's edge to freshen up. It was only then, as he straightened up and stepped out onto the still warm sand, that Jack realised he wasn't alone out on the beach. He had assumed that everyone else was asleep, but he had been wrong. He wondered whether he should go and talk to her or not. Things had been a little awkward between them since they had returned to the camp. It had been hard for him, potentially alienating himself from his fellow survivors in order to make her feel welcome. He was obviously aware that it hadn't been easy for her either, being treated like an outside when in fact she had been on the island far longer than any of them.

"Hey," He said softly, approaching her and sinking down onto the sand beside her.

Juliet looked up him, her blue eyes wide but not with surprise or shock. "Hey," She smiled, wrapping her arms around her knees that were drawn up to her chest. Her long blonde curls were loose and blew lightly in the early morning breeze. Part of Jack longer to reach out and tuck the strands behind her ears, but he resisted the urge.

"What are you doing up so early, Juliet?" He asked, adopting a similar sitting position and wishing he hadn't discarded his shirt. Despite the scorching heat of the island during the day, the nights and early mornings were cold in comparison. The way Juliet's eyes scanned over him were enough for him not regret the lack of shirt too much.

"I could ask you the same question, Jack." She replied, her blue eyes glinting with a mischievous humour that Jack didn't get to see enough, but would like to.

"You could," Jack considered. "But I asked first."

Juliet acknowledge this with a small nod. "It's simple, I couldn't sleep. It's so different here to the Other's camp, and I guess I'm still getting used to it." While she spoke she looked not at Jack, but out to the sea where the waves tumbled over each other calmly.

"Understandable." Jack replied, wondering if he should reach out and touch her reassuringly. Once again he ignored the impulse. "I had a nightmare," He admitted, he also did not look at Juliet when he spoke, focusing his attention on the sea also. "I've had them a lot since we got back here." He said, finally chancing a look at Juliet to gauge her response.

She was nodding slowly again. "You've been through a lot, Jack."

Jack finally succumbed to the need for physical contact between the two of them. He reached out and stroked her hand. "So have you," He replied reasonably.

Juliet laughed ironically, not backing away from Jack's touch. In fact, she was enjoying more than she knew she should be. "What a pair we are!" She laughed, and Jack had to smile too.

Suddenly, without warning, Juliet leapt to her feet and pulled Jack up with her. "Come on, let's go for a walk." She said, offering her hand to Jack without a trace of hesitation. He accepted her hand and allowed her to lead him across the sand.

"Where are we going?" He asked after a few minutes of silence. They were heading towards territory that Jack was not familiar with; somewhere he had not been in the couple of months they had been on the island.

Juliet looked back at him and smiled, and for a moment Jack saw the woman Juliet had been before she had been recruited to the island and taken away from the people she loved. "You'll see."

After walking for another ten minutes, Juliet stopped at a secluded cove and was pleased to find it was as she remembered. She had lots of memories of this place but after all that Jack had done for her, she wanted to share her secret haven with him.

"This is beautiful," Jack said, stopping beside Juliet but not letting go of her hand. His eyes scanned the view before him. The cove was gorgeous, smooth pale sending running down the shore where the waves lapped casually.

"I used to come here a lot," Juliet explained, but she didn't tell him how many times she had been here with Goodwin. "It was my sanctuary, away from the Others."

Jack nodded with understanding, thinking of all the times he would have liked to have somewhere to go to escape the survivors who were desperate to know what he was going to do next. After all, he had never asked to be their leaders, and he knew he was not knight in shining armour material.

Juliet was tugging at his hand again and he followed her down the slight incline and over the smooth sand. She finally let go of his hand and sank down onto the sand, Jack followed suit. Both of them were content to sit in silence for a while, already comfortable in each other's presence.

"Look," Juliet pointed, "The dawn is breaking."

Jack forced himself to look at the sky but what he really wanted was to watch the rising sun shining on Juliet's hair and lighting up her face. The sight was beautiful, Jack had to admit, and sharing this intimate moment with Juliet made it seem all the more perfect. He was beginning to see the old Juliet creeping passed the careful facade she had created to hide behind. He liked this side of her even more than what he had already seen. On a whim, he reached out for her, draping his arm lightly but protectively around her shoulders, bringing her near to him so that her head rested on his shoulder.

Juliet smiled up at him briefly, before turning her attention back to the colours filling the cloudless sky. She couldn't deny that being so close to Jack, and having him hold her, felt good. In fact, she would be outright lying if she did.

They sat like that for a long time, watching the sky transform from orange and pink, to gold and pale blue before resuming its intense colour. As much as he wanted to stay there, with Juliet's warm body leaning into his, Jack knew that they should be getting back to camp.

"We should be getting back," Jack said softly, turning his head so his mouth was close to her ear. He didn't want to shatter this beautiful scenario but his unwanted duties had to be his first priority, however much he wanted to stay here with Juliet.

Juliet sighed, she had known this would have to come to an end but she was still dreading going back to the camp with Jack and having to face the accusatory stares. For Juliet, things were always better there when Jack was with her. Having him standing by her side and believing in her made her feel an overwhelming amount of gratitude towards Jack.

They both got to their feet, dusting sand from their clothes and began to make their way back to the camp. It was Jack who took Juliet's hand this time, entwining his larger fingers through her delicate ones. She looked at him, and they shared a smile.

"Thank you for this, Juliet." He said, as they walked slowly back up the beach, hand in hand. These few hours of peace and tranquillity with her had made Jack forget all about his nightmare.

"You're welcome, Jack." Juliet paused, stopping to look back out over 'her' cove once more. She was definitely glad she had chosen to share this place with him. Jack smiled, releasing her hand and slipping arm around her waist instead. They walked back towards the beach like this, ready to take on anyone and anything that doubted them.