[Alternate approach to how/when Suliet came to be. What if Juliet hadn't been acting under Ben's orders after she was left behind with Kate, Jack, and Sayid? Fluff, fluff, and more fluff.]
Chapter One: Introductions
They were so near the beach now that they could hear the waves breaking against the shore. Juliet's breath hitched in her throat. The others wouldn't take well to her presence. Then again, to them, she was the Other. With a capital O.
"We're almost there!" Jack said happily, looking at Juliet as if he expected her to share in his sentiment. She wasn't looking forward to this, but she'd have followed Jack to the ends of the earth if he asked her to. And anyway, she'd been through worse.
"I don't know why you insisted she come with us, Jack. They will not like it." Sayid said, saying aloud what Juliet had been thinking.
"I trust her, Sayid. Everyone else will, too, in time. Just give her a chance. She already saved Sawyer and Kate once." Jack replied. Juliet appreciated the vote of confidence, but she wasn't sure it would win her any points with Sayid, or anyone else, for that matter. The people she'd spent the last three years with had just abandoned her, though, so she had to try.
"Thank you, Jack, but he's right. The others won't be too thrilled with you."
"You're the Other to them, Juliet." Kate chimed in.
'Thank you for that, I had no idea,' Juliet thought to herself, arching an eyebrow at the dark-haired woman. "I know I have to earn their trust after all that's happened, but none of this was ever meant to hurt anyone. Not by me, anyway."
"Well, good luck proving it to them." Sayid said, though not unkindly. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you asked), they reached the beach at this point. "Wait here for just a second, okay?" Jack requested with a soft smile, and Juliet nodded, giving him a smile in return, though she didn't much feel like it.
Once Jack, Kate, and Sayid had gotten the chance to hug everyone and say their hellos, Juliet stepped out from behind the bushes, only to be greeted by James. "What the hell is she doin' here?" She'd expected as much. She felt awkward and alone, standing there in front of all of them. An outsider. An Other. The enemy.
"She's with us." Jack stated confidently, only to be met with looks of 'what are you talking about?' and 'is he crazy?' and 'oh my god, we're all gonna die'.
"What do you mean she's with us? She's one of them!" Charlie said in an accusatory tone.
"Not anymore. And I trust her. She saved Sawyer and Kate, she's the reason they got back here before. She helped me. She was kind to me when no one else was. And they left her behind too, and that makes her one of us." Jack proclaimed.
A few of the survivors seemed to ease up, but Sun, Jin, Claire, Charlie, and James continued to glare at the blonde suspiciously. "Why'd they leave you?" he asked, crossing his arms.
"Ben is angry with me," she explained, "Not that I mind. I guess he figured I'd either end up by myself at the barracks or here with you, subjected to suspicion, ridicule, and treated as an outsider. He's trying to punish me."
"What for?" he pressed.
"For helping you, James." came Juliet's quick reply. "But I'd do it all again if I had to. Ben has been keeping me on this island for over three years. I finally get the chance to go home, and John Locke ends up destroying the sub that was gonna take me there, so you'll forgive me if I'm not terribly fond of your friend, but it does make one thing perfectly clear."
"And what's that?" By this time, James was staring her down harder than he'd ever stared at anyone before, but she didn't seem phased. The eerily calm expression he remembered so vividly remained on her face.
"That we're more alike than you think. I wanna get off this island too, James, just like you. And I…I hate Benjamin Linus. Just like you." she told them, her voice laced with contempt. "So you can stop looking at me that way, James, because I'm not the bad guy, here." The survivors looked on in silence, most of them unsure what to make of the situation, James included.
"Wait a minute, now, let's just rewind for a second. Locke destroyed a sub? Where is he?" Charlie asked worriedly.
"With them." Juliet replied emphatically, arching an eyebrow. There was a pause as the survivors took in this news.
"Do you know where they went?" Jack finally asked her.
Juliet shook her head, "I only have a few ideas, but they could be anywhere. Maybe not even on the island."
"Well then, I think it's time we just forgot about these Others and focused on surviving and getting rescued. Juliet's one of us now, and anybody who doesn't wanna treat her with respect can take it up with me." Jack continued, focusing on Sawyer.
"Whatcha lookin' at me for??" he demanded, as if he had no idea as to the answer. "I'll play nice with Blondie, here. Least 'til she gives me a reason not to." he said, half-smiling at her. "I'll even prove it. What's say I treat ya to dinner, Blondie? All the mangoes and Dharma beer you can hold." He intended to get answers out of her, and with a woman, the easiest way to do that was always to flirt.
Juliet saw past his ruse easily, but she had to admit, he was awfully cute when he was being deceitful. "Alright. We can go dutch." she consented, her smile broadening slightly. Some of the others dispersed, deciding the situation was under control for now.
"Dude, you're totally flirting with an Other." Hurley said in amusement.
"How very like him, eh?" Charlie added, laughing along with his buddy.
Jack remained serious, "Anything happens to her, Sawyer, I'm takin' it out on you."
"Yeah, yeah, relax, Doc, she's in good hands." he replied with a sly grin.
Juliet rolled her eyes, but smiled, "Alright, Casanova, let's go, I'm starving. Interrogation really runs down your strength, you know?" she said as they began their trek down the beach towards his tent.
"Yeah, so does breakin' rocks all day." he countered, his smile remaining.
"I'm sorry about that. About a lot of things, actually. I'm sorry that I tasered you, James." she said, her expression softening.
"I'm sorry I dumped out that water you gave me. I really coulda used it right then." he replied with a chuckle.
Her smile returned, "So why are you having dinner with me? I'd have thought you'd rather eat with Kate." she looked at him, her gaze seeming to make it impossible for him to say anything but the truth.
"Kate doesn't wanna eat with me. What about you, ain't you got a thing for the doc?"
Juliet let out a soft chuckle and a sigh, "Jack doesn't wanna eat with me, either." she said, smiling kindly at him. "Guess we'll just have to settle for each other." she said.
"Guess so." James said with a smile. He couldn't explain it, but he felt less lonely in her presence. He'd almost forgotten that he'd brought her with him to interrogate her.
"Why'd you really bring me here, James?" she asked as they reached his tent, as if reading his mind.
He paused. "I forget." he answered with a half-smile. She appreciated the lie. It made her feel more welcome, in a way. At least he was pretending not to have another purpose.
"You can tell me." she insisted. "I'll answer your questions, if I can."
"Well okay, then, since you asked…I get why ole bug-eyes wanted the doc, but what'd he want with Kate n' me?" James asked, pulling out two beers from his stash and handing her one. He popped the tab of his, but she waited.
"Leverage." she replied. "He knew Jack wouldn't do the surgery unless he had a reason to. He was going to have you killed if Jack refused." she answered honestly, finally opening her can and taking a sip.
"Damn. You tell it like it is, don'cha, Blondie?" he said, with a sort of admiration.
"You asked." she said with a shrug and a smile. "Anything else?"
"Where you from?"
Juliet laughed, amused by the change in tone of his questioning, "Miami. My sister's there with my nephew, Julian."
"Julian? He named after you?"
She nodded, "But I've never met him." she replied softly, her expression saddening. "And at this rate, it seems like I never will." She sighed.
"You will." He didn't know why he felt the need to reassure her, but she looked so sad, so different from the person he'd thought her to be back at the Hydra.
She smiled gratefully, "Thank you for saying that, James." She looked into his eyes for a long while, both of them staying silent. She finally broke it with a question he hadn't been expecting. "Do you love her?" she asked, gazing intently into his eyes, daring him to admit his feelings.
"I thought I did." he answered, "Not so sure anymore. I think we needed each other, for a while. But she needs someone else. She loves someone else."
"Mm." was all Juliet said in return, nodding in understanding.
"Guess it's good we got each other, then, ain't it, Blondie? I'll get your back and you get mine, how's that?" James suggested with a dimpled grin.
Juliet chuckled softly, "That sounds like the best plan I've heard in a long time."
[So…thoughts? I know it probably feels a tad rushed, but I'm hoping it works, anyway. Tis how fluff goes, right? ^_^ Reviews are welcome; chapter 2 will be coming as soon as I know anyone's interested in it ;) haha]