Let Go

"Hey, Jim, grab that end and we'll carry it to the Flame station."

Sawyer thought he'd never see the day when he offered to actually help someone, without expecting something in return, yet here he was helping to lift some rather peculiar instruments from a Dharma van.

His partner shook his head disbelievingly. "I'm surprise Horace even let you come here with me. The work we're doing here at Dharma is extremely top secret. No outsiders have been privy to this information."

Sawyer fought the urge to roll his eyes. Today, he had decided, he was going to be on his best behavior. "Yeah, well I guess it was just my natural charm and charisma that persuaded him."

"Not to mention your modesty," a voice behind him said snidely.

Sawyer nearly dropped what he was holding when he heard her voice. He cleared his throat and regained his composure. "How did you get a backstage pass, Juliet?"

Juliet smiled, "I asked nicely. Nice to see you too, James."

As they locked eyes, Phil looked in between them nervously. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got to get moving. The others won't be here for a couple hours, but I've got the first shift. I don't suppose…" he trailed off, looking at Sawyer expectantly.

Sawyer immediately shook his head. "No can do. I have better things to do than watch people all day through a television screen."

Juliet raised an eyebrow, "What kind of things? As I recall, you seem to sit around doing just that in your spare time."

"Well damn. Touché," Sawyer said as he and Phil reached the door. "Would you mind getting that?"

She stared at him for a second. "Since when do you act so courteous?" she asked as she grabbed the door handle.

Sawyer shrugged as he walked past her, carrying the table. However, he didn't wait for her to step aside before walking through the door frame. She glared at him and sucked in her stomach as much as she could to let him pass. His forearm grazed her chest lightly, causing her to gasp.

He smirked. "That better?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and quickly made her way through the door before Phil followed him, carrying the other end of the box.

"You're horrible," Juliet said, shaking her head at him. "You're lucky that you're carrying that box or I would have hit you."

"You sure you guys aren't a couple? 'Cause you sure act like one," Phil said, smiling.

"Of course we're sure," Juliet said, her stomach fluttering slightly at the thought. "What a funny thing to ask."

Phil didn't look convinced. "I'm just calling things exactly how I—"

Phil's eyes suddenly widened and immediately dropped his end of the box, walked brusquely to the television monitors and squinted at one of the screens

"Hey!" Sawyer yelled, his arms feeling the sudden strain of the box's total weight. "You oughta let someone know when you—"

Juliet silenced him by pressing her index finger firmly to his lips. Their eyes met and, for the first time in months, Sawyer detected a trace of panic in her eyes.

Juliet stalked past him and towards Phil who was looking at the screen intently. Fear and apprehension were written on his face as his finger inched toward a red button labeled EMERGENCY.

"What's going on, Phil?" Juliet asked as she quickly glanced over his shoulder at the monitor. It was as if she could feel her heart stop; her worst suspicions had been confirmed.

His finger hovered over the red button as he turned to Juliet, a fake smile plastered on his face. "Everything will be fine," he said waving his hand noncommittally. "It seems a hostile has approached the sonic fence. Though I'm not sure if he will cross, I figure it's best to warn Horace and the others."

He turned towards the monitor's again, reaching out to touch the button. "We'll make sure we take care of—"

Juliet didn't let him finish. With all the strength she could muster, she hit him at the base of his neck with the side of her hand. His body slumped to the floor at her feet and she stepped over it quickly, setting her eyes on the monitor screen.

When Saywer had recovered from the shock he asked, "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to compromise our delicate situation here?"

"No," she said simply, showing no apparent remorse for Phil's condition. "I'm trying to preserve it."

Juliet grabbed Phil by the arms and proceeded to drag him to the nearest chair. Immediately after she had done so, she felt Sawyer's strong hand on her shoulder.

"Let me carry him," he said, "and then you can kindly tell me what the hell is going on here."

Juliet nodded and stepped aside so he could lift her victim off the ground. When he had successfully placed Phil on the chair, he looked at her expectantly. Surprisingly, there was no accusation in his eyes, only a hint of anticipation.

Juliet sighed, physically and mentally preparing herself for what came next. "Before I joined your camp, I had been on this island for more than three years. I was brought to the island to research the odd effects the island was having on pregnant women.

"Though I was only supposed to stay on the island for a few months, Ben kept me there for three years. He had a fixation on me that I couldn't quite understand. But now that I'm here I finally understand why he put me through so much torture."

Juliet gestured towards the screen, "That man, Richard Alpert, is the one who brought me here. There is something very important I have to say to him."

Sawyer simply stared at her, not knowing what he should say. When he decided, he cleared his voice and asked, "When do we leave?"

"We aren't going anywhere, James," Juliet said, turning to switch off the security monitors. "Someone has to stay here to explain to Phil why he was knocked out. We only have about an hour before he wakes up, I doubt that's enough time to—"

His fingers encircled her wrist lightly, effectively stopping Juliet from completing her thought. "There ain't no way in hell I'm going to let you go off by yourself, Juliet. Those others are capable of some pretty horrible things. If Locke hadn't stopped them, they would have chopped your arm off! Somehow I think talking to them ain't the best idea."

She ignored the feeling of his hands on her wrist with difficulty, turning to face him head on. "James, you're not coming. I need to do this by myself. If I don't the results will be catastrophic and—"

She stopped herself before the whole truth came out.

"And what?" he prodded as his grip on her wrist grew tighter.

He'll hurt you, she thought as she closed her eyes.

"If I don't do this," Juliet said, her voice shaking slightly, "I'll be punished."

Sawyer furrowed his brows, "By who—"

Juliet shook her head. "Let go, James, I don't have time for this. This may be my only chance to confront Richard when no one's around. It'll be easier to do it if I'm alone."

They stared at each other for a full minute, neither ready to accept defeat just yet. Surprisingly, it was Sawyer who conceded first. He sighed, his fingers still lightly encircling her wrist.

"Just don't do any thing stupid, okay?" Sawyer said, grudgingly. "Just stay on our side of the fence."

Juliet decided not to remind him that no fence, no matter how powerful, could completely keep Richard out. She thought of the irony of the situation. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have cared whether she lived or died. But now he seemed to be showing genuine concern for her, echoing the same words that were spoken to her not too long ago.

"I won't if you won't, James," she said, suppressing the urge to shake her head at the bizarre, parallel conversation. "Just make sure to tell Phil some adequate story. You were once a conn man, I'm sure you haven't lost your touch."

Sawyer smirked, "Somehow, coming from you, I think that's a compliment. Why don't you tell me what else you like about me," he said as he stepped a bit closer to her.

Juliet raised an eyebrow, startled by his sudden change in behavior. If she didn't know better, she would say he was flirting with her. Yeah, that would indeed be the day when hell froze over. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, but in the end, she couldn't control the smile that spread across her face.

"I do believe you are fishing, James, which I believe is quite pathetic," said Juliet.

"You sure know how to kick a man when he's down, don't you?"

Juliet's eyes flickered to the screen behind him and a sudden panic rose into her chest. "I've got to go, James. This is my only chance."

Sawyer gently pulled her by the arm, creating less than an inch of space between their bodies. Then, hesitating slightly, he pulled her flush against his chest. The sudden impact made her a bit dizzy making her wrap her arms around his midsection to keep her balance. He breath tickled her neck and her body was enveloped in his warmth.

"You better be careful out there," Sawyer whispered in her ear, " 'Cause you're all I got left."

Juliet nodded into his shoulder and let herself relish the feeling of comfort for a few seconds before stepping back, turning around, and disappearing up the stairs. Suddenly, Sawyer felt something akin to panic rise in his chest as he watched her walk away. It was a rather peculiar sense of foreboding, as though the storm clouds were rolling in. He reached out his hand and opened his mouth to call her back, then thought better of it. It was probably all in his head.

Juliet drove as fast as she could to reach the sonic fence, hoping that Richard hadn't left. It was highly unlikely that such a window of opportunity would open again. It would be too suspicious for the same events to happen twice and she didn't want to betray Horace's trust.

She squinted and was able to see that Richard was still in the same place, observing the sonic fence with both curiosity and disdain. When she reached the fence, Juliet turned off the car and jumped out. Richard looked up at her, startled at her sudden appearance.

"Richard Alpert?" she asked, stopping right before the sonic fence, being careful not to step over the boundary.

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he looked her up and down. His stare, as always, made her feel extremely uncomfortable. He shook his head, saying, "I don't believe we've ever met…."

"Juliet," she finished for him. "My name is Juliet Burke, and I am a fertility doctor."

Richard nodded, confused. "That's very nice, I suppose, but how do you happen to know my name. It's not common knowledge among the Dharma Initiative members."

Juliet bit her lip, anticipating what she had to say next. He would either believe her entirely or think she was crazy. She knew Richard to be a skeptic, which in her mind meant he would do the latter.

She took a deep breath before saying, "I'm with Jim Lafleur, not the Dharma Initiative. We're waiting for the return of John Locke and," she paused before continuing, "we're from the future."

Richard chuckled. "You must not know me very well. I don't often—"

"—suspend disbelief." Juliet finished for him. "I know that. You used to say that all the time. I don't have much time to explain completely, Richard, but I'm here to deliver a message."

Richard sighed, "You've given me no reason to believe you, but I guess I'll listen for now."

Juliet nodded, a small bit of hope welling up in her heart. If he had agreed to listen, it was a good sign. "In 2001, you will bring a woman to the island on your leader's request. As the advisor, you ultimately decide who is allowed to come on the island. You must convince her by any means necessary to come to the island. Don't belittle his request and don't ask questions. Just make sure you bring her to the island."

Richard frowned, "That's a little more than just a message; it's an outright order. If you know me so well, you should know that I don't take orders, not even from the leader of my people."

"If you don't do it," Juliet continued as though she hadn't heard him, "the results could be catastrophic. You must complete the time paradox I've begun. This is a direct message from the island."

Richard laughed again, "Our orders don't often come from the island unless they're extremely important. Do you mean to tell me that your message is so important that the island found some way to deliver it? It would have made more sense if—"

"—I had said that Jacob sent me?" Juliet finished for him again. Since Richard was shocked silent, she continued, "You and I both know that Jacob and the Island have different objectives most of the time. This mission has to do with the laws of time. If you don't initiate the time loop, time will course correct it and the results won't be pleasant."

Though he still seemed dubious, his face showed signs that he was beginning to relent. However, she could tell he would test her at least one more time before he completely accepted her story.

"If the sun sets on our world, where do we go?" Richard asked with a subtly smug smile on his face. "If you don't know the answer to this question—"

"The temple," Juliet said, smiling. "If we're ever under attack, the only safe haven is the temple, the heart of the island."

"How do you know that?" Richard asked as his eyes grew wide.

Juliet smiled sadly, "You told me when you brought me here. I was kept on this island for three years of my life because of your future leader."

Richard was completely baffled. When he managed to regain his composure he said, "If you were so miserable on this island, why aren't you doing everything to prevent me from bringing you here."

"In addition to causing a wrinkle in time," Juliet began, thinking back to something one of her companions had said. She suddenly came to a realization, and said, slowly, "I needed that pain to get where I am today."

Richard nodded. "I suppose I can understand that. Though I'm still skeptical, I'll do what you ask."

"Why?" Juliet asked before she could stop herself.

Richard smiled, mysteriously. "I had a feeling I should wait here for something to happen. I was beginning to think nothing was going to happen, and that this was simply a test of my faith. However, here you are. Instinct is a very powerful thing, Juliet."

She nodded before saying, "I'm running out of time. I better head back before they realize I'm missing. It was…nice to see you again, Richard."

"Nice meeting you, Juliet. I would shake your hand, but the sonic fence proves to be a bit of an obstacle," he said, smiling.

Juliet shook her head as she turned around and headed back for the van. As she walked she said, "We both know a sonic fence can't hold you back, Richard. You only pretend that it can."

If she had turned around, she would have seen a rare smile grace Richard's face as he dug his hands into his pockets and turned in the opposite direction, back to his people.

However, Juliet was too deep in thought. The discovery that she was the person who initiated her own three year misery on the island had been shocking. She hadn't wanted to do it. If there was possibility that life could go back to being as it was, she would remain inactive as long as possible. But "Ben" kept coming back, tormenting her, and subjecting her to many more sleepless nights.

However, it wasn't the restlessness that made her change her mind. She was no stranger to mental torture; it was what Ben specialized in. She was a strong woman and not many things were able to affect her. However, Ben had said something that had caused her alarm.

Juliet inserted the keys into the ignition and turned on the car. The radio began to play an old Beatles tune. She smiled as she pressed her foot on the gas and began to drive away from the fence.

She felt at peace now. The impending danger had passed, and even though it would cause her to remain on the island, it was all part of the progression of her life. She couldn't go back to being the weak and vulnerable Juliet who let her husband control and abuse her. Even though the island damn near killed her, it had made her into a stronger person. Though she desired to see her sister again, she took comfort in the fact that the cancer free Rachael she had watched on the screen had seemed happy and that she now had a family supporting her. Her sister's happiness is the only thing she really wanted after all.

However, her main motivation was to secure the safety for the people she cared about. If she hadn't followed Ben's orders, he would have—

She didn't want to rehash the gruesome details he had whispered in her ear. All the horrible things he would do to James as he forced her to watch helplessly. Having to watch that happen, especially now, would leave her broken. James was her anchor; without him, she would be completely lost.

It was a beautiful day, thought Juliet as she stared at the sun high in the bright blue sky. Perhaps today was the first day of the rest of her life. She had beat fate and determined her own destiny. Though she had wanted to run, she stood her ground and refused to take the easy road. Perhaps today she could start anew and—

Suddenly, a young boy with brown hair horn rimmed glasses walked right in front of her car, not paying attention to what was in front of him. Panicking, she grabbed the steering wheel and quickly swerved out of the way.

She couldn't even manage to scream as she lost control of the van and slammed head on into a tree. Her head connected painfully with the steering wheel as the windshield completely shattered and shards of glass covered her body like sinister diamonds. Pain soon overwhelmed her and black spots pervaded her vision. Before she lost consciousness completely, her lips struggled to form the only word that occupied her mind at that moment.

"James…"

I know, I'm evil. But an author's got to do what an author's got to do right? Right. How will our dear Sawyer react? That will be explored next chapter. This chapter was inspired by the song "Let go" by Frou Frou. Next chapter, you may see a bit more Miles, Jin, and perhaps Daniel if I feel up to it. I'm still upset about that. I should get over it already . Anyways, expect an update anywhere from 4-7 days from now. I still have exams, but writing is a great stress reliever! Please let me know what you think!

P.S. I'm one tenth of the way done with this story! Not even close to the end, but I felt I has to commemorate any milestone, no matter how small! I hope you had a happy Tenth Chapter Day! (I'm a dork, I know ).