Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Lovers torn apart, a bomb, a flash of white light. What does it mean? My take on what happens next. A Suliet reunion fic.
I'm Coming Home.
"Change will come, change is here. Love fades out. Then love appears. Now my water turned to wine. And these thoughts I have. I now claim as mine. I'm coming home.
Change has been. And change will be. Time will tell. Then time will ease. Now my curtain has been drawn. And my heart can go where my heart does belong.
I'm coming home."
Reunion by Collective Soul.
"How? What?" Jack says as he rips the man's shirt open to access the wound. The blood was bubbling out of the bullet hole, it was a through and through. There was nothing he could do this man was shot through the heart. They watch as the man twitches for the last time and lays still. "I'm sorry" he says to the woman standing above him. He looks up at Miles. "I don't understand, how did...Juliet..." he starts and has to stop at the mention of her name.
"I told you we were flashing through time" Miles says to them.
"You guys flashed to the future?" Hurley asks.
"We didn't know it was the future at the time, we rarely knew when we were" Miles as to look away from them, all of them were dead except for him and Jim. Locke...Daniel...Charlotte... Juliet. They were all dead. "We must have been herre before all of this happened" he says pointing around. "We were trying to get to the other island and all we saw were these canoes. So we took one. Then we started getting shot at" He says "By you" he points at Bram.
James looks at the man lying in the sand. She never thought twice about her own safety when other's were danger. She was always saving his life and he couldn't save hers. What kind of man did that make him? He asks himself as tears start welling up in his eyes. He was alive because of her, she saved him in more ways than one and he could never repay her. He couldn't just once save her life when she needed him too.
Illana turns to James. "That woman. Was she the one you lost?"
James tilts his head wondering why she cared. He sighs and answers "Yes"
"Then I am truly sorry for your loss" Ilana tells him. "She would've been a valuable asset to our cause"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean" He answers coldly.
"We are here for a purpose"
"Oh, yeah and what's the purpose, GI Jane?" He asks.
"To protect the island at all costs" she answers. Jacob was looking for soldiers and she would've been a perfect candidate.
"Hate to break to ya. Mata Hari. Juliet's only purpose was to get off this damn island. Protectin' it wasn't on her list of things to do." He says "She would've taken down anyone…that stood in her way" he closes his eyes and takes deep breaths and feels the hot tears in his eyes again. He turns and walks away from her and slumps down in the sand and leans on a tree. It was supposed to be like this. Juliet was supposed to be here by his side. They were supposed to be living in Dharmaville and he was supposed to wake up every morning to see her face next to his.
Suddenly he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen; he grabs his stomach and doubles over. Then as quickly as it came the pain vanished leaving behind bliss that he hasn't felt since he lost Juliet. He's breathing heavily. What the hell was that?
Jacob stands still behind the tree. He smiles to himself he loved it when two souls collide with such force that they could feel each other from across time. He leaves quietly to not alert James to his presence. But then he feels the ground shake beneath his feet and the trees start swaying. His brother was angry and this needed to end now. They had been fighting for so long. He smiles it was time to get his soldiers in line.
She's lying in her bed with their daughter in her arms. She smiles down at the tiny fists that are swinging at the empty air. She laughs this was definitely their child. She looks down at her baby with her eyes and James' nose. The baby yawns and kicks off the blanket. Their daughter grips her finger in her little fist holding on tightly, afraid to let go of her. She has to shake the image of James holding on to her hand as she lets go of him.
Claire watches Juliet play with her daughter and she closes her eyes remembering when she did the same thing with Aaron. Those first few minutes of meeting your child is almost magical. You couldn't believe that the tiny baby in your arms grew inside you. Until this moment she didn't miss her son and she didn't know why. Something was making her push those feelings aside. Was it Jacob? Was he making her content with losing Aaron? All she did know was that he was safe with whomever he was with, she could feel that. She could feel him smiling and laughing, she could feel he was loved.
Her son was safe and someday she'd find her way back to him. She wipes the tears from her eyes and goes over to help Juliet.
**1974
"TELL ME!" She screams at him and he grits his teeth to hold his ground.
"Believe me, it's better if you don't know" he says "Juliet" He says as he tries to get her sit down.
"I'll decide that, James" She says walking closer to him. "Tell me how she died"
He looks at the ground then slowly back up at her. His mouth opens and closes a few times and he sighs. "That mercenary…he held a gun to her head…and told Ben to come outside or he'll shoot…" he closes his eyes and crushes his teeth together. "That bastard…he tried to make a damn deal with him" his breathing had increased and he shakes his head to get that image out of his mind. "…he…shot her, Juliet" he keeps shaking his head. "He shot her like it was nothin'"
She was slowly backing away from him with every word that came out of his mouth and she kept shaking her head because it wasn't possible. If James hadn't caught her she would fallen to the ground . They sank the ground and held each other for hours. She was frozen in shock. She couldn't believe Alex was dead. The thirteen year old, that eyed her curiously when she first arrived on the island. The teenager who watched her through the window of her lab and every time she looked over she'd see the top of brown curls slightly visible through at the bottom of the windowsill.
**2001
She goes to the door quietly, pushes it open and peaks around the corner. Alex sees her falls over and scrambles backwards to try and run away. "It's ok. It's Alexandra, right?" she says. "Why don't you come inside? It's more comfortable then standing out here" she tells the young girl. "I don't mind"
Alex stands up slowly wipes the grass and dirt from her jeans and walks inside the lab. "Alex" she tells her. "It'a Alex"
"Ok" She replies.
Alex looks around the lab, reading the covers of the books she has staked on the table and bends down to peer into the beakers. "So you're like the miracle baby doctor?"
Juliet laughs nervously. "You can call me Juliet. And I don't know about miracle. But I am a Fertility specialist"
"My dad says you created life where none should be" Alex says to her.
She doesn't know what to say that. "I…I helped someone that couldn't get pregnant, get pregnant" She tells the young girl. "That's all"
"Well" Alex says "You have to be someone special. They don't bring outsiders to the island"
Juliet tilts her head a little shocked to hear that. When she had asked they had told her they were always recruiting new people. But then again they also told her she'd be leading a team when she's been by herself since she got here three weeks ago and that she'd be working just outside Portland and this place was nowhere near Portland. What else had lied about?
"How many?" Alex asks startling her."How many what?" She asks.
"Babies have you made?"
"I don't make babies" She laughs "That's something…"
"A God does" Alex finishes for her.
Juliet nods her head. "Like I said, I just help. We're all able to reproduce it's in our biological make up. But sometimes something just doesn't connect causing some people to be unable too. My job is to fix that"
"So how many then?" Alex asks again jumping up and sitting on the counter.
Juliet shakes her head. "I don't know. I don't keep count. It's not about the numbers, I just like being able to help"
"I don't really, like know you" Alex says with her legs swinging back and forth. "But you do know how many and you know the names of every woman you've helped" she tells her.
Julie shakes he head and closes her eyes. This girl was smart and she like that. She could read people well and that was a good trait to have.
"My dad is gone a lot and I'm by myself at home" Alex tells her suddenly. "…the house is kind of creepy and it's hard to do my homework" she says not making eye contact with her and staring out the window.
"Well…you can do your homework in here with me after school." She tells Alex "if you want" she adds.
Alex's face lights up. "Really?"
"Yes, it would be fine. I could use the company too" Juliet smiles at her.
Alex jumps off the counter "I'll go get my stuff" she says running out of the lab.
After that day Alex had come by everyday to do her homework and talk. The girl was missing a mother and she became the replacement. She didn't mind Alex was a great girl and she wasn't like the rest of them. After a year of being on the island Alex admitted to hating the island and expressed her desire to get off to see the rest the world. She always wanted to listen to her to tell her all about states and once she realized that she would not be going home anytime soon, she found herself telling Alex all about the world outside. She was homesick and it helped.
2004
"Can I ask you for a favor?" Alex says to her one day.
Juliet ran her hand through her hair and balled up the piece of paper in front of her and tossed it in the garbage. She had been here three years and done absolutely nothing. Nine women had died because she couldn't save them. Whatever was causing the problem wasn't in her scientific knowledge which made complete sense on this crazy island. She sighs and turns her attention towards Alex. "Is something wrong?"
Alex pushes her mouth to the side and looks everywhere but at her. "No" she replies shyly looking at her feet. "Um" she says.
"Alex, are you ok?" Juliet asks worried. Alex could usually talk to her about anything, they'd gotten over their nervousness around each other a long time ago. "You know you can tell me anything. What's wrong?"
Alex bites her lip and takes a deep breath. "I…uh…was wondering if…" She pauses "If I could get…some…"
"Some what?" Juliet asks watching Alex fidget around.
"Some….birth control pills" she says in a soft whisper.
"Some what?" Juliet asks unable to hear what she said.
"Birth control pills" Alex says then backs up and looks at the ground.
Juliet's eyes widen as she takes in what Alex asked her for. "Alex" She says softly. She opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. She tries to think of something to say. "Alex" She says again. "I don't, I don't think that you should be having sex" she pauses to calm her breathing. "You're young and it's too dangerous" She shakes her head. "I've failed I can't stop it and…"
"That's why I'm asking for the pills"
"They don't always work" She tells the sixteen year old. "The only thing that is a hundred percent effective is no sex" She says crossing her hands over each other. "I don't want you die because I won't be able to save you"
"You're having sex" Alex says in a matter of fact tone. "How come you're not worried about getting pregnant?"
Juliet's taken aback by her words.
"Goodwin" She tells her. "Come on you think nobody knows. This is a small place, Jules" she says with her hands on her hips.
She was right. She couldn't be telling Alex not to have sex because she might die if she herself was having sex and not worrying about it. She couldn't help the pregnant woman but she could help the woman not get pregnant. She had modified a birth control pill that so far was 99.9% effective against the increased sperm count in the males. Which still wasn't one hundred percent but she was risking that one percent.
She took some more deep breaths and looked at the young woman. She wasn't her mother she shouldn't be doing this. But she knew that Alex and Karl would find to be together and she would hate herself if she did nothing to prevent Alex from getting pregnant. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she was unable to save her. She walked over to the medicine cabinet unlocked it and pulled out a case. She sighs and turns around. She holds out the case to her but pulls back when Alex reaches for it. "You have to take one of these every day, you can't miss one, because if you do…"
"I know" Alex says patiently waiting for Juliet to give her the case.
"Alex, this isn't a joke. I need to know you are taking this seriously"
"I am, Juliet" Alex answers. "I know what happens, I've seen it" She says sadly. "We'll be careful"
Juliet bites her lip and hands Alex the case. Alex takes the case and says. "Thank you"
A few months later Ben comes barging into her lab dragging Alex by her arm. "Test her, Juliet" he says.
"What?" She asks confused and a little scared, his shoulder was bandaged up and it looked like someone had beaten him up. He obviously escaped from his getting captured by the plane crash survivors plan. Her job was to send Michael back to them to help him escape. She hated doing that but he knew like always that she would be able to get through to him because of the similarities she shared with the man. Every word out of her mouth broke her heart because she knew people were going to get hurt and she'd be partly to blame.
"Test her to see if she's pregnant" Ben says angrily "That boy was in my house in her bed" He tells her and pushes Alex towards her. "I need to know if that mongrel killed my daughter"
Juliet keeps her shocked face on she didn't want to give Ben any reason to suspect she knew about it. "Alright, but I think you should leave. I'll let you know as soon as were done" Ben looks at Alex and then angrily pushes the doors open and they slam shut behind him.
Juliet turns to look at Alex and Alex bows her head. "I thought we had time, he came home early. I thought it would take longer to get those people on Jacob's list" She says. "I'm sorry Juliet" She says "I didn't tell him about the pills I didn't want to get you in trouble, that's why he wants me to have a pregnancy test"
Alex looks at her with sad eyes begging for her forgiveness. "I'm not mad at you" She says going to get a syringe.
"What are you doing?" Alex asks.
"It's best we make sure and your father's going to want to see the results on paper"
She wasn't pregnant. But it was Karl she was worried about. Ben had him taken to the other island beaten him and thrown in the bear cage. She told Alex she'd do what she could but she didn't think anything would work. She's lucky Ben didn't kill Karl.
It was less than a month later when Alex saved her life. Alex had told Jack about what was happening to her and Jack went to Ben. She was branded but she was alive and it was because of her.
476 A.D.
She smiled down at their daughter, Alexandra. She would get to know all about the woman she was named after. A young woman that didn't deserve the life she led. Being taken from her mother and raised by a mad man. A young woman that died knowing her father didn't love her. She hoped that wherever Alex was that she was finally free.
She was outside with Alex sleeping in her arms when she felt the first light rain drop. She was lounging on a chair outside the hut. Most of them were by the beach it was the Saturnalia, the festival for the God Saturn. It was a truly festive holiday, no work was to be done you were supposed to relax and do whatever you wanted. There was drinking, games and a huge feast. Which didn't make any different then their other holidays. She wasn't quite ready to join in the party she was still tired from giving birth. Claire had opted to stay with her despite her instance that Claire leave her and go have fun.
Juliet looks to the sky it was a light grey and the rain was just sprinkling but it was going to get worse as she saw the dark clouds rolling in. She figutes that they better get inside, they do just as the rain comes pouring down warm straight and thick a gale arrives next pushing the warm rain ahead of it. Then the rain and the wind die down. Being from Miami, Juliet knew that this wasn't just a thunderstorm.
At sundown the grey disappears leaving only black, the darkness looming ominously over their heads. The wind as picked up considerably as the tree groan from being pushed past their limits. In their hut the wind roars past their window. She holds her baby against her chest while she and Claire huddle in the corner of their swaying hut. They needed to get to a temple their hut would not last much longer.
She places the blanked over Alex's head and they open the door. The rain was falling almost horizontally now and the air was screaming. They could barely see what was in front of them, suddenly eruptions of muffled light breaks through the shroud, a huge lightning storm lit up the sky.
The noise stops briefly for a second or two and then comes back at much higher, much more urgent pitch. The trees start snapping in half and the wind sucks them both outside. People often say that a hurricane sounds like a passing freight train but to her it sound like the roar you hear in a seashell amplified a hundred times over.
The fury of the wind starts pulling them forward but then they hit something hard. She blindly reaches out with one hand to feel what they hit while her other is wrapped around her daughter, Claire's arms are wrapped around her waist. She feels the hard chest of a man in gladiator armor and feels him pushing them backwards with all the strength he has. "I got you" she hears. "Ricardus?" she calls his name out.
His arms are wrapped around them both and she feels him struggling against the wind made even harder by the three of them. She tries to dig her feet into the dirt and move with him. Claire grabs the wall of the temple and drags them all in with her. They run further inside and even through stone wall the sounds raging outside could be heard clearly."There are more people out there" Richard tells them. "Stay here, you'll be safe "And he runs back out before they can stop him.
Juliet hands Alex to Claire when she hears the winds die down a bit. "Where are you going?" Claire asks grabbing her arm.
"There are more people out there; we can't leave them in that" She replies. "We're in the eye now" She says hearing the sudden silence from outside. "I can help get more people"
Claire grips her arm tighter. "Juliet, you can't go out there"
She's at the door of temple everything is still and silent, she surveys the landscape outside the temple it looks like surfacing from a bomb shelter at the end of the world.
"We both know that it's not over, once we're out of the eye it's going to be worse" Claire says and Juliet looks at her and Alex then back outside. "I know you want to save people and that's what makes you amazing. But you don't have just your own life to think of now" She says looking down at Juliet's daughter. Claire knew she was being dramatic but she needed to get through to Juliet. Juliet was a savior and she'd do anything to help others, but she couldn't let her go out there. "If you go out there you won't be coming back"
Tears well up in her eyes. She knows Claire is right. But it was hard to not run out there every bone in her body was telling her to go, people were in danger. She looks over at Claire cradling Alex in her arms. James wasn't here and she couldn't leave their daughter an orphan. She walks back over to Clarie and gets her daughter back into her arms.
She looks back out and the stars are visible for a few seconds then they disappear as a tiny puff of breeze blows by them. Within a few seconds, a faint drizzle follows. Half a minute later, that breeze and drizzle are pouring down making it impossible to see. They can hear the trees cracking like firecrackers but soon that is gone too the noise is swallowed up in the roar of the storm. Their ears are popping and Alex starts screaming it felt like they were flying in a jet on the outside.
She had never been in a hurricane this bad before it felt like the whole island was going to rip apart. She and Claire ran back into the furthest corner of the temple and huddled together in the darkness. She held Alex to her chest with one hand and her other arm was around Claire. Suddenly a light appeared growing brighter as the seconds ticked by, she tried to keep her eyes open to see what was happening but it was getting too intense and an ear-peircing roar filled her ears.
She had to close her eyes then suddenly everything went silent.
Tbc...