A/N: April 26, 2015

Dear readers: This story is now complete. This is my first fanfic ever, my first serious attempt at writing a story. The first chapters are a little rusty, so please bear with me. I promise that the writing does get better, a lot better I think. If you find yourself a bit lost while reading (some pun intended), read at least until you get to chapter 25. Hope you enjoy it. If you do, please leave me your comments at the end. Thanks for reading.

Ps. Also, ignore all my author's notes from this point forward. Some of them are lengthy, some are desperate appeals for feedback, and some are mildly funny (at least that was my intention, ha-ha). Don't bother reading them. I left all the original notes anyway, just in case :)

Why Are You Doing This, Juliet?

Her eyes glued on his perfectly wrinkled little face, as soon as the nurse laid him in her arms. She let out a little cry of delight, as she held him close to her body. Someone was moving about, getting ready to cut the umbilical cord, but all she could focus on was how perfect he was. Oh, and his hair! She stared at his beautiful blond hair in fascination. She felt as if in a trance, as someone in the room (female) asked for the baby's name.

"David" her husband said, joyfully. "His name is David," he reiterated.

Juliet looked at her husband in shock as if it was the first time she had seen him today. The man's face beamed, and there were unshed tears in his eyes… yet something was not right.

She shook her head. "No, it's James" she said emphatically, vaguely aware of her surroundings. "But we will call him "Jimmy."

The nurse mumbled something under hear breath, as she put the baby on a scale and took his measurements. This couple was certainly odd; she couldn't figure out what was going on with them. During labor, they had acted more like polite strangers than husband and wife. Now this. After cleaning up the baby and wrapping him in warm blankets, she handed him down again to the new mother.

The nurse moved to the nearest writing surface and picked up a pen. "Well, it looks like you folks need sometime to come to an agreement" the nurse said, slowly enunciating each word carefully, putting the pen down a bit regretfully, as she would have liked to have been able to fill out the name on the corresponding box on the temporary birth certificate. Oh, well, this was going to be another long day, so much for her wish of getting off early. She sighed, walked over to the new mom, and took the baby from her as she explained that she needed to get the baby to the nursery to get his first shots and other protocol.

"But, what if there is a mix up? I've heard this happens….family walks out of the hospital with the wrong baby!" Juliet found herself panicking.

The nurse gave her a killer look. "m'am….this does not happen anymore….we have a strict protocol for this kind of thing….that's what the bracelets are for" she added, with a particularly pronounced southern accent, while her eyes pointed to Juliet's wrists.

"He has one too" her husband added with a condescending smile, fixing his eyes on the baby.

Juliet looked at her wrist and then at the baby's in shock, feeling quite foolish for not noticing before. As an obstetrician herself, she knew about this. So why was she acting like this? She knew about the security systems attached to the wristbands that would go off if the person with the wrong code picked up the child. She was definitely in a daze, and she felt strange about this.

"No system is foolproof" Juliet countered.

The nurse rolled her eyes and sneered.

Then, as if suddenly realizing that her husband was actually good for something after all, she asked him to go with the baby and not let him out of his sight.

2015

James woke up drenched in sweat. It was another one of his recurring nightmares: As a young child, he hid underneath his bed, trembling with fear. His dad comes into his room with a shot gun, and then sits on the bed. James decides to come out of his hiding place and starts running. He runs until he finds himself alone in the woods. He's now an adult. He hears someone screaming his name. It's her: it's Juliet. Frantically, he looks for her and can't find her. She keeps screaming his name, but he can't find her. It is usually at this point that he wakes up shaking.

He looked at the clock at his bed side. 3:00 am. He frowned. The nightmares were becoming more frequent, as it usually did during stressful times in his life. Last time it had happened after Juliet's death on the island. Seven years ago. Shit, he had to be at the courthouse at 8:00 am sharp for the hearing. He could lose everything tomorrow. It was his child. Had he not lost enough people in his life already? Get a grip, Ford. He had to get some sleep; he could not walk into the courthouse looking like a zombie….

4:50 am. He thought about Juliet. 5:30 am. James was still about in his bed, reached his arm across the bed with his eyes closed, half expecting her to be there.

1974 Flashback

With his eyes closed, and in that state of mind where you think you may be asleep but are not quite sure, he pictured her sitting at the dock, with the light of the moon shining on her golden hair. He had asked her to give him two weeks, and she had flashed that gorgeous smile of hers. He had wanted to kiss her right then, insanely happy with appreciation, but he did not want to scare her off….or get slapped. She was hard to read most times; thus, he was not actually sure why she was even staying. Did she even like him? Was it a sense of loyalty, the sense that she owed him for saving her from the flaming arrows? The next two weeks did not give him a better indication of how she felt about him; even though they enjoyed many evenings together, talking like old friends. As it turned out, the next submarine did not return for another six months.

Six months passed. James told her that Horace had decided to offer James a house to himself, after many months of sharing a place with Jin and Miles. He said it was to show his appreciation.

"Why I was thinkin' you would enjoy your own place…unless you enjoy living with Amy" James told Juliet after relating the news about the new place. "Although now that Amy is dating Horace, you might start feelin' like giving them their privacy, you know" he grinned playfully.

"I'm taking the sub on Tuesday" Juliet said matter- of- factly.

She had everything packed, ready to leave the island. She had already said her good byes to everyone. James ran to meet her right before she boarded the sub, and once again, asked her to stay. She walked over to him, invading his personal space and sighed.

"I can't" she began apologetically.

Right then, his lips decided to meet hers. The world around them seemed to stop to watch them. He drew her closer. She kissed him back for a few seconds, before gently pushing him away with the palms of her hands.

"Stay" he whispered, his eyes desperately searching hers.

Oh, God, how could she resist those eyes? Moreover, she had been secretly hoping he would come chasing after her like this. She turned to look back at the sub that was waiting behind them. The man who had been holding the door open for her was looking at her impatiently. She shook her head, indicating that she was not boarding; then she looked into the sea of faces that had gathered to watch the submarine glide away.

Juliet walked off the dock, swinging her small suitcase, and with James trailing right behind her. As they walked past the crowd, Juliet saw Miles and Jin grinning like idiots. She mentally prepared herself by the taunting that was sure to come. I'm going to show them. She smiled, thinking how much fun that would be. When you are the only female among this band of merry men, you have to be able to give as good as you get.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James walk to where Horace and Phil stood talking. Purposely, she continued walking towards Miles and Jin. She might as well get it over with…and see what Miles had to say. There was no sense in postponing this encounter; just like it was foolish to put off a much needed visit to the dentist.

"Do I hear wedding bells ringing?" Miles smirked; his tone of voice filled with unrelenting joy.

"Maybe in your dreams" Juliet quickly replied. "I've already been married before…and once is certainly enough for me!" she added, knowing that her answer would momentarily knock Miles out of his game, as she had never discussed her marital status; hopefully long enough for her to plan out her next remark.

Jin smiled, clearly amused at their banter. "I'm glad you're back, Juliet."

Juliet smiled at Jin in silent appreciation.

"Hey…shacking up is fair game too….It's the 70's after all" Miles added mischievously.

"Miles…. 'never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee,'" She replied smoothly.

End of Flashback