The flashlights in the tent illuminate their faces, making everyone look more on edge than normal. As usual, Sawyer's rough tone breaks the quiet.
"I'm tellin' you, Doc, not a good idea. I don't trust her."
"We're all in agreement here, Sawyer." Jack's voice is almost too calm, and it makes him want to strangle something.
"Yeah? And how in the hell did y'all come to an agreement? Cause last time I checked, she was taserin' me and killin' people left an' right. Tried to kill Claire and held a gun to your head while you operated on her boss."
"She also saved you at the expense of her own people," Jack countered. There's a note of exasperation in his voice and Sawyer glares, noticing that Kate's looking at him from the side with that annoying gaze that essentially screams out why the hell are you making such a big deal about this? He avoids looking in her direction. He doesn't want to deal with answering, especially since he's sure she won't bother to back him up. Not when her boyfriend is the one calling the shots.
"We should trust Jack," Sayid says quietly. He's almost hidden in the shadows, as if he's trying to avoid the conversation as much as he can. "I believe she has told him things that make him understand she is not a bad person."
Sawyer grunts. "Yeah? So just cause she gave a confession, she's allowed a free pass to the Island Beach Community? Must've missed that memo, cause the rest of us are in the dark over here."
Jack shrugs and gets up, clearly done with the conversation. "Look, I can't tell you what she said. But you have to trust me." He starts to walk away and Sawyer jumps up, grabbing his arm. His face is hard.
"I'm tellin' you, Doc, I don't. She's one of 'em, and you know what they did to us. You're makin' the wrong decision lettin' her into this camp."
Jack stares at the man in front of him, nonplussed, and then wrenches his arm away before striding out of the tent. Sayid and Kate follow, with Kate giving him a glance that borders between sympathetic and annoyed. Sawyer stays behind, glaring in their wake, his mind fighting let go of the battle he's just lost.
It's approaching dark when Juliet gets back, and she wonders if these people ever sleep (there are too many eyes on her, and none of them feel particularly inviting.) Her stomach turns uneasily, because this is suddenly starting to mirror what happened when she first got to this island. When the eyes and the stares and praises wouldn't stop, practically forcing her into the arms of Harper Stanhope and her infamous therapy sessions.
She's managed to get a few people on her side for Ben's sake and she's managed to do a few good deeds for her own sake. But she still doesn't expect people to welcome her, and so when Jack and Kate and Sayid start calling people over for their pow-wow or meeting or whatever they call it, she wanders off towards the water for some hopeful moments of privacy. She's glad for the impending darkness, because it means that if she wants to cry, she can do so with no one really noticing.
She already hates that she's doing this and the last thing she needs is more questions being thrown at her.
He's standing by his tent, watching her struggle with her tarp and in that moment, he's glad that his personality has branded him as the Island Asshole. Wouldn't have wanted to help anyway.
"What's your problem?" Kate has come out of nowhere, as usual, and is suddenly standing next to him.
"I don't got one," he growls, still staring straight ahead. Kate groans.
"Bullshit, Sawyer. You're looking at her like she's the second coming of Ethan."
He sighs and finally averts his eyes, meeting her gaze. "So what?"
Kate half-laughs. "So, Sawyer. She's not Ethan. She's just trying to fit in. She doesn't want to be with her people…she saved us and she obviously let Jack trust her for a reason."
"Yeah, to get information that she can bring back to her boss so they can kill more of us when we're not lookin' an' lock us back up in those damn cages."
"You're being ridiculous. She just wants to be accepted."
He glowers in response. "That what she told you after she knocked you out an' handcuffed you in the jungle?"
Kate falls silent, staring out across the beach and Sawyer chuckles. "Yeah, I know about that. And I don't care what anyone else says, she's got some sort of look to her that I don't like. I ain't playing martyr every five days when someone else gets in trouble, Jack can take care of that himself if he wants to."
Kate rolls her eyes walks away. The next thing he knows, she's over by Juliet, who's already being helped by Hurley – the only other person in the camp who seems to be giving her the time of day.
Sawyer stays where he is and tries not to pay attention.
She approaches him knowing that she should feel more worried, but to be honest, she doesn't really care at this point what he can say or do to her.
"What the hell do you want?" He looks up from his book, shielding his eyes from the sun. Her blonde hair is windblown and messy, whipping across her face like a thick veil.
"I need a brush," Juliet says simply, crossing her arms. Sawyer smirks in response.
"And I suppose you think I'm just gonna give you one."
Juliet regards him with a look, then smiles. "No, James." Her voice drops quietly. "I don't think you're gonna give me one. I think you're going to make me go tell Jack. Or Kate. Or Hurley. And they'll come to you and do my dirty work, and when I tell them why, they're going to make you feel bad for being an ass for no reason."
He stares at her, wondering what the hell gives her the right to talk to him like that, like she knows anything about what he will or won't do. He chuckles, inclining his head, dropping his book to the sand, reaching underneath his tarp to pull out a small purple brush with white polka dots on the underside.
"One hairbrush comin' right up. Hope ya don't mind the baby motif."
She takes it, fingers brushing his slightly, and shrugs. "I'll manage. Thanks, James." Her eyes divert downwards for a few seconds before she looks up again. "By the way, nice choice – read Ayn Rand in college. One of my favorites."
She turns to go and he watches her, his eyes hard, and attempts to forget the conversation that just took place.
Juliet sits by the water, sifting sand through her fingers. Her mind runs through thoughts of Ben and her people back at the barracks, Goodwin and her sister, and the nephew she'll never meet. She's so engrossed in her thoughts that she doesn't hear Jack come up beside her.
"Looks like you're on your way to fitting in," he says, taking a seat next to her. She smiles tightly, but doesn't turn her gaze away from the shoreline.
"Is that what they're calling it these days?"
Jack sighs."I know certain…people…have made it hard. I don't blame you –"
"I don't care what people think," Juliet interrupts quietly and firmly. "I just want them to stop staring. I've had enough people staring at me since I got to this place three years ago." She pauses. "I know I'm not a saint, Jack. But neither is anyone else in your camp, including you. And I'm not saying you're not allowed to have trust issues after what my people did to you, but don't make it seem like I'm the only one who's ever done something wrong in my life."
Juliet gets up abruptly and marches off, but not before Jack gets a glimpse of the pain that seems impossible to hide.
