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James' eyes fluttered open and he glanced around at his surroundings in confusion. However, it didn't take him longer than a few seconds to remember where he was, in Juliet's house as opposed to his own.

He sat up in bed and stretched out his arms as he smelled the wafting scent that carried through the air. After hurriedly pulling on a t-shirt and jeans, he stumbled his way into the kitchen to see a very content Juliet standing over the oven.

"What the hell, blondie? That pancakes?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him as she scraped her spatula against the batter in the pan and transported it onto a nearby platter.

"You look like you've never seen a homemade meal before."

He pulled out a chair and plopped down as she placed a plate, fork, and dharma brand syrup in front of him. He looked down at the food and licked his lips, "Ya'd be surprised at how right that is."

She wrinkled her face, "What do you and Miles eat each morning?"

"We don't." He answered with a shrug of the shoulders, "Always skip breakfast an' go down to the cafeteria fer lunch an' dinner."

"That's crazy." She mused, "Why don't one of you whip something up once in a while? It's not rocket science."

James shot her a bemused look, "Like I'd eat somethin' that train wreck made." He rolled his eyes, "An' I ain't much of a cook. Don't think I never even turned on a oven." He paused to take a bite of his food, "Mmm...Damn, martha, this is good. I'mma be lookin' to you to make my three square meals fer now on."

She let out a small laugh, "Not going to happen, James." She paused, "But I'd be glad to teach you."

"Yeah? You a chef 'fore ya' came to this rock?"

She shook her head, "Hardly. But I was a waitress once. Back in my teenage days."

"Waitress, huh? Must've looked damn good in that uniform."

"It wasn't Hooters, James." She rolled her eyes, "And I didn't have the job long - got fired the first week."

He chuckled, struggling not to choke on his food, and Juliet glared, jaw set.

"Naw, it's not that." He cleared up, "Just imagin' the poor bastard who had to tell ya' you were fired." He laughed again, "Boy, you must've told him off. Or just tasered him 'till he turned blue."

She looked down, shaking her head slightly, "I wasn't the same back then."

He had to force himself to keep from rolling his eyes. Sexy, strong, and sure - that's how she was. He couldn't picture her ever being any different.

"Then how were ya'?"

"Well for one thing, when I found out I was fired, I broke down crying."

"You? Cryin'? Now that's believable." He stated sardonically and she had to smile at his lack of knowledge concerning her life.

She was about to shrug the comment off and let him keep on believing she was some sort of unfeeling hard-ass, but then remembered his file.

The file she had read cover to cover.

She knew everything about him, from his childhood up until now, and he had virtually no information about her. It just didn't seem fair.

Letting out a long breath, she began, "My parent's got divorced when I was little. It was horrible - they constantly bad mouthed one another. It came to a point where my father told me and my sister there was no such thing as true love." She paused, "Ever since then I was determined to prove him wrong."

James was in complete shock of the new information Juliet had unexpectedtly decided to spring on him. He had known her for a number of weeks and not once did she make an effort to bring up anything personal - hell, he didn't even know her middle name. For that reason, he kept quiet and listened intently to her words, not wanting to mess up the supposed trust she had in him.

"I wanted so badly to find someone, anyone, who I could potentially spend the rest of my life with." She continued on, "And that's when Edmund came in."

"Edmund?" He repeated curiously, catching the bitter way in which she spoke the name.

She swallowed, debating whether or not she'd said too much already, but then she caught the genuine look of concern on James face and went on softly, "My ex-husband. He abused me. I stayed with him because I so badly wanted to believe it was true love. He said it was, but then later in the day I'd find him straddling some floozy."

"That bastard." James barked out in disbelief. It was hard to believe Juliet not beating the shit out of a guy who hurt her - let alone getting cheated on in the first place. Why the hell would this Edmund guy even want to? Juliet was gorgeous, that was a given. She was witty, too. And she could cook. What more could he ask for?

"He in a mental institution now? He's clearly a wackjob if he couldn't see how great ya' are."

Juliet had to smile at the comment but quickly composed herself, "He's dead."

"Oh." He replied dumbly, "How'd that happen?"

"That's a story for another day." She stated conclusively before clearing her throat, "Finish up your pancakes. You don't want them to get cold."

When he finished eating a good while later, Juliet came up from behind him and reached over his shoulder to grab the dirty silverware. As she did so, her chest entered his field of vision and he let out a low grunt, causing her to turn towards him. She gave a harmless smile as they shared a look and he couldn't help but notice how close their faces - and lips - were.

"Nice. Pancakes. Uhh..." He coughed, "Tasted delicious."

"If you think these are good, then you should try Jin's cooking. He's a natural." She explained as she brought the dishes over to the sink and dropped them in, "He and I alternate cooking every day. When I do it, then he does the dishes and vice versa." She turned back towards him, "The same rules apply for you."

He furrowed his eyebrows and questioned cautiously, "What're ya' sayin'?"

"I'm saying you better get washing if you want to make it to work on time."

James was busy focusing on the security monitors in front of him when he heard the door swing open and Miles and Jin shuffle inside.

"LaFleur." Miles greeted with a smirk, "How are things down in Juliet town?"

"Better than I could'a imagined." He answered, "Farther away from you, the better. Feel bad for Jin though - bein' stuck with you an' all."

"Miles not so bad." Jin chimed in, "Nice getting to know him more."

"It is?" James asked incredibly before turning back towards Miles, "You trick him into sayin' that?"

"Hah hah." The man deadpanned, "So you're not going to grovel to switch back with Jin yet?"

"In yer dreams."

"I don't think so. " Miles shook his head, "But you know who was in my dreams last night? Juliet." He smiled as he let out a low whistle, "Man, she was kinky."

Jin immediately shook his head and scolded, "Miles. Do not speak of her like that."

"Right. Sorry." He apologized carelessly before taking a seat by the monitors and continuing low so only James could hear, "The dream was a doozy. It started out with us skinny dipping on the beach and then - "

"Shut it." James suddenly snarled, "Didn't ya' hear Jinbo or ya' in need of'a hearin' aid?"

Miles put his hands up in confusion, "I don't get it. We've talked about this stuff before."

"Yeah, but not when it was 'bout Jules."

Miles folded his arms as he swung his legs onto a nearby table, "Come on, can you honestly tell me you've never thought of her like that?"

James didn't hesitate, "Never."

"It's never even crossed your mind?" Miles prodded, knowing full well the southerner was lying, "Even last night when you were sleeping under the same roof?"

"Listen, I ain't gettin' interrogated. Don't ya' have some ghost ta' talk to?"

"Whatever, man." Miles rolled his eyes, "At least I'm honest."

Juliet walked down the path leading to her house after her shift at the motor pool had concluded, wiping her brow to rid the sweat that clung to her forehead. As she further approached the house, she tilted her head at the sight before her. James, who she concluded must've gotten off work early, was using the garden hose to water the rows of sunflowers and other various seeds she had previously planted.

"James?" She called out and he quickly spun around to greet her.

"Oh hey there, princess." He drawled out, and she took a step forward.

"What are you doing?"

"Figured I owed ya' one after lettin' me stay at yer house an' cookin' breakfast an' all." He shrugged, and before she could thank him for the gesture, he pointed the hose in her direction, dousing her with water.

"James!" She yelled out, and he couldn't tell if she was angry or amused, "What on earth was that for?"

"What? Just gettin' the grease off ya'." He grinned, "I'm doin' ya' a favor here, pigpen."

"Thanks." She deadpanned before narrowing her eyes and commanding sternly, "James. Hand me the hose."

He did as he was told, rolling his eyes as she grabbed the tool from him, "Jeez, t'was just tryin' ta' have a little fun 'round..." He trailed off as he noticed the sudden smirk and glimmer in Juliet's eyes, "Damn it, Jules. Don't you dare."

Ignoring his warning, she pointed the object directly at him, splashing his body and hair with the frigid water. He shook his head to move the strands of wet hair from his eyes and let out a devilish laugh, "Oh, it's on, blondie."

James was behind her in a flash, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her near him with one hand and trying to maneuver the hose out of her grasp with the other.

"James!" She squealed, the most childish, carefree tone he had ever heard her voice speak, "James, let go!"

"Not a chance." He grinned, "Yer in fer it now."

She continued to struggle to break free from his grip and fell to the ground in the process, bringing James down along with her. Breathing heavy, he looked down into her eyes as he slightly lifted himself off her body. As he hovered over her, she pressed her hands to his chest firmly and lingered for a few seconds before ordering, "Get up."

"Why? Yer lookin' pretty fine from this angle."

"Is everything alright over here?" They suddenly heard a gentle voice speak and James swiftly rolled off Juliet and onto his back. They both glanced up to see Horace looking down at them, a mixture of curiosity and amusement strewn across his face.

"Yes, Horace. Everything's fine." Juliet assured him as she rose to her feet and dusted off her jumpsuit.

"Yeah. T'was just showin' Jules the right way ta' water these plants."

"The correct way is by lying on top of one another?" Horace asked with raised eyebrows, then let out a hearty chuckle, "You two certainty are entertaining to say the least."

"Well we try out best, H." James joked, "Gotta keep the boss happy somehow."

Horace gave a warm smile before remembering, "I almost forgot. Amy mentioned you stayed the night at Juliet's."

James quirked an eyebrow, "How'd she know that?"

"It just happened to come up when I spoke with her this afternoon." Juliet explained casually, "Surely the situation isn't a problem, is it?"

"Of course not." Horace assured her, "I was just curious if this was a permanent change?"

"Oh no, no." She quickly answered as James simultaneously stated, "Just might be."

Horace glanced back and fourth between the two and gave a small laugh, "Which is it?"

Juliet shared a glance with James and paused a moment, licking her lips, "We'll just have to see."