Their old beach camp was still there, even though it looked a lot worse from the last time they'd seen it. But still, this was good news! At least they hadn't landed 20 years (or 100 years for that matter) after the plane crash, since some parts of the camp were still intact. The tents were damaged from the rain and wind, but most materials were still there. The kitchen had collapsed on the left side, but nothing they couldn't fix. Their little group split up, examining different parts of their camp.

"Guys!" it was Hurley. He was standing next to a fire pit. It looked like it had recently been used. People had obviously been using their camp. After walking around they found more signs of recent life: a latrine (or something that looked like it), leftover food, empty water bottles. Kate grabbed one of them and stared at the logo: Ajira. These must have come from their flight. The plane must have crashed here somewhere. And there were obviously survivors. She walked over to Jack and whispered something in his ear. He nodded. They needed to get everyone together later that day to talk. They had to assemble a group to look for survivors. They had to find the plane itself. But he couldn't think of such things now. Now he was sitting next to Sayid. He stared at the Iraqi's face in silence, while inwardly cursing himself for not being able to do more.

Kate walked over to Sawyer, who was leaning against a kitchen pole with his eyes pointed at Juliet's back (she was talking with Jin). He listened to what she had to say; he didn't want to give her the silent treatment just because things with Juliet were so screwed now. He was tired of picking fights. But he sure as hell hoped she would go away soon and leave him to himself. He wanted as little as possible to do with Kate or the Doc or even Hurley (hell, with all of them who 'came back' to screw up his life). The Doc pushed too many wrong buttons. Hurley was still an over sized dumb ass. The Iraqi was as good as dead. And Kate… he tried not to think of that name. But he did hear her words. If the plane had crashed here, Sun might be out there somewhere. He needed to talk to Jin about this before anyone else did. He didn't want him heading into the jungle on his own like he had last time.

Juliet stared at the ocean, knees up under her chin and arms folded around her legs. She heard footsteps behind her and felt brief relief, hoping it was James. She regretted their argument. It couldn't end like this could it?

She looked back. It was Jin, holding out a mango as a gift. She tried to smile.

"Want some company?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer and sat down next to her. They both remained silent for a while. Silence with Jin had never been uncomfortable. Their friendship sort of started out that way since they hadn't been able to actually talk much because of the language barrier. When Jin's English improved, conversations became more frequent, but sitting together in silence was still a thing they both enjoyed.

After some minutes Jin spoke. "Is this about Kate?" She turned her head quickly to look at him only to turn back facing the ocean again. She didn't answer.

Jin continued. "You know he would always be faithful to you right?"

She sighed and looked at him again. "That's not the point Jin."

"Isn't it?" He looked at her, eyebrows raised a bit. "Listen, I have a very simple idea of love. It is either there or it's not." He paused. "When I found out Sun had slept with another man I was devastated. But I also knew it was because of something I had neglected to give her. I'm not blaming myself for what she did, but it did help me to put things into perspective."

Juliet looked away. "Why are you bringing this up Jin?"

"I just want to say…" He was looking for the right words. "It is very hard to find two people together who never look at someone else. It just … happens. And things can be worked out, even when it seems impossible. I love Sun. That was enough. That is enough."

Not for us.

"It wasn't easy, but easy is not the point of marriage" Jin continued.

"We're not married Jin."

Jin nodded, remembering the conversations he had with Sawyer about proposing, that day he so proudly came to show Jin and Miles the ring he got for her from the main land.

"I'll leave you to your thoughts." He got up, briefly touching her shoulder.

Sawyer had watched the entire Juliet – Jin conversation from a distance. He had sat down after Kate left, leaning against that same kitchen pole. This might become his new hang out spot, he thought. He could overlook the entire camp from here, he could see her every move. He didn't hear Miles walking up behind him.

"How long are you two gonna keep this up?" Miles looked at James, who kept quiet. "Come on man, just talk to her." He sat down next to his friend.

"There ain't nothing to talk about." James crossed his arms and shifted a bit. His back was sore and his left shoulder still hurt.

"Bull, you just don't want to make the first move." James looked at him, annoyed. "For whatever childish reason", Miles continued, studying his own hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Mind your own business Enos."

Miles breathed in and opened his mouth, wanting to say that this was his business. That they were his friends and seeing them like this sucked. "Jim, I…"

"Back the fuck off ok?" James snapped at him. He got up and walked towards the ocean. Juliet had left her spot and was nowhere to be seen.

Evening came and most of them were sitting around the camp fire. Jin had gone to bed right after diner. He wanted to be alone. The meeting had taken place and he knew about the plane. And yeah, he had been ready to leave and start searching for Sun immediately. But it was getting dark and he knew it would be a stupid idea. He wanted to find her, but he needed help from the others. A team of people would head of the next day to look for the plane and its survivors. He had been the first to volunteer.

James had missed the entire meeting. He had spoken to Jin prior and had been sitting on the beach since diner time, keeping as far away from Kate as possible. Any accidental glance could make this worse. He had fixed his old tent and made it as comfortable as possible for two people to sleep in. She would still sleep next to him, right? They hadn't spoken a word since arriving at the beach a couple of hours ago and she had stayed far from him while he was working on the tent. He hadn't seen her fix her own space though.

He felt exhausted and turned around to try and catch her eye. She was staring at the fire, seemingly unaware of anyone around her. He started walking towards her. Jack looked at him, Kate looked him. He didn't look back.

"La Fleur, glad you could join us." Miles was the only one who was never intimidated by his moods. He could have steam coming out of his ears, Miles couldn't care less. That's what he loved about his friend.

"You can drop the name Enos, those days are gone." He was right behind Juliet now.

"I'm off to bed."

She turned her head.

"You comin'?"

She swallowed and he noticed a hint of surprise in her eyes. Then she turned back to the fire, whispering "goodnight guys".

He helped her up. She let go of his hand as soon as she was standing. It annoyed him, but he didn't say a word and just followed her to the tent.

Inside, tension was obvious. She felt miserable and nervous; he didn't know what to say to break the silence. She turned away from him to unbutton her jeans. He took of his jeans and shirt and maneuvered himself onto the improvised bed. Man, he missed his Dharma house! This was highly uncomfortable, especially with the bruises from the blast. He wanted soft comfy mattresses, clean sheets, a shower, a proper roof over his head, and a girlfriend who would talk to him. Juliet took of her bra but kept her shirt on. He couldn't see her facial expression; it was too dark in the tent. They lay next to each other for a while staring at an imaginary ceiling.

James shook off his discomfort and broke the silence. "Can we please talk about this tomorrow?" She nodded (which he couldn't see). "Jules?"

"Yeah" she whispered, her voice slightly trembling.

This sucked. He was tired, pissed off, and yet he wanted nothing more than to just hold her and tell her he loved her. But the words wouldn't come. It was like his lips were sealed and the words locked away.

"How are the cuts?" he asked instead. "Does it hurt?" (are you in pain, baby?).

"Yes it hurts."

He turned towards her, cursing the lack of light. Damn stupid tent, damn stupid beach, damn fuckin' stupid island. He wanted to touch her face and moved his hand in her direction. With lack of proper orientation it landed on her nose. He moved it to her cheek. It was wet with tears. She sniffed lightly. He tried to turn her face so he could kiss her, but instead she turned away.

Then he said it: "I love you." It came out as a whisper. I love you, I love you, I love you. In response she took his left hand, the one that had been on her face, and held it tightly. He tried to roll her over so he could move behind her: spooning was the way they usually slept. She resisted his light push. "I can't lie on my side James."

Damn cuts, damn H bomb, fuckin' asshole Jack. His head was making overtime blaming whatever he could blame for their lousy situation right now. She lifted her head to rest it on his right arm while pulling his left arm gently over her stomach. He cleared his throat and pushed his nose into her hair. The sweet smell of sweat mixed with a hint of Dharma shampoo from that morning calmed him down. He could feel her heart beat.

Juliet was the first to fall asleep and even though things were far from OK between them, James relaxed to the sound of her breath. Right now, she was here, sleeping, in his arms. Tomorrow was still tomorrow.

So far for chapter 2! To be continued