On a bit of a roll, I'm quite proud of this one...
Chapter 12
"I don't see why we couldn't have gone to the beach that was on our doorstep, rather than this drive and trek," Sawyer moaned as he followed Juliet down a rocky path, laden with chairs and a cool bag.
"Because this one is much nicer and quieter," she turned back to look at him, "Come on, where's your sense of adventure?"
"Yeah, give me a gun, it'll be just like old times," he muttered to himself before tripping slightly over a rock.
"We're almost…. Here," her tone was almost giddy as she finished and stepped away from the end of the path to show him the beach before them.
He looked about and had to admit she was right. They were at the edge of a beautiful sheltered bay of golden sand. It was also much quieter, with only a couple of groups of people dotted about and some surfers in the water. He let out an appreciative whistle.
"See! Told you it was worth it."
"Ok Blondie, you were right. No need to gloat. Let's get this stuff dumped."
They continued onto the sand, walking along until they found a suitable spot. They spent a few minutes silently getting set up, Juliet spread a blanket and some towels while Sawyer set out the chairs and an umbrella that Juliet had insisted on bringing to provide shade for Julian. It was a glorious late January day, with the temperature pushing the high seventies and a gentle breeze keeping it comfortable.
Sawyer stripped his t-shirt off and stood with his hands on his hips as he admired the view. Juliet sat back on the blanket and admired the view he provided; strong shoulders, lean torso (despite his body's protests at running earlier) and narrow hips, now encased in a much more appropriate pair of black boardshorts. He was truly beautiful, though he hated it when she voiced that opinion out loud. Claimed she'd damage his reputation as feared head of security if people ever heard her.
"I have to hand it to you, Jules, this really is gorgeous. Who needs desert islands, huh?" He turned to grin back at her and caught her staring intently at him.
"Hmmm…" she replied distractedly as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Breaking eye-contact she rummaged in her bag and produced a bottle of sunscreen. "C'mere and I'll put some sunscreen on your back." He obliged and crouched in front of her while she silently applied cream to his back and shoulders. Afterwards she tossed it over his shoulder for him to finish up himself.
Still with his back to her, he stood back up and concentrated on covering his chest, face and arms.
"Would you mind returning the favour when you're finished?"
He turned back round to find she'd removed her sundress and was now clad in just a plain black halter-neck bikini.
"Close your mouth James, you'll catch sandflies." She smirked impishly at him.
"Damn Juliet, just where have you been hiding that?" Her smirk widened as he dropped to his knees and crawled over the blanket towards her. She leaned back on her elbows as he towered over her, face inches from hers. He ran his hands over her shoulders and she shivered at the touch before he dropped them onto the blanket either side of her, effectively trapping her under his body.
"That smirk isn't very becoming, you know - blindsiding a guy like that. I'm just going to have to do something about it, I guess." He dipped his head the last few inches and kissed her deeply, causing her to groan in response. Her hands came up to cup his face and she broke away slightly to regard him, her eyes dark blue with lust.
"I love you so much, James."
He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose before answering, "I love you too. More than you'll ever know." She arched her body up further to catch his lips once more, arms sliding down around his neck to help support her weight. As the kiss deepened, he lowered them both back slightly, supporting them with his right arm as his left hand found and inched its way up her thigh, whilst she brought both her legs round to clasp her feet behind him. Both were completely oblivious to their surroundings until the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard a few feet away.
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Rachel followed her son onto the beach, laughing as he struggled to keep hold of a large beach-ball. As he dropped it and scampered after it in the breeze, she stopped and scanned the beach for her sister. She finally spotted her sitting on a blanket about seventy yards away, James standing nearby applying sunscreen. She contemplated them for a second before moving, grudgingly admitting that whatever else he may be, the man was definitely something to look at.
"Come on, Julian. Your aunt's this way." She took off after making sure the toddler followed her lead. Keeping an eye on her goal she watched as he turned and stood for a second before dropping to his knees and crawled towards Juliet. Rachel grew slightly alarmed to see them kissing, though she relaxed when her sister broke away and was genuinely touched to see how happy she looked. However that quickly turned to downright shock as her usually staid little sister suddenly fervently kissed him back. From there it only grew more heated and Rachel grabbed Julian's hand to hurry him along the last few paces.
"What's Auntie Juliet doing?"
Rachel cursed under her breath before answering. This was so out of character, it was as if she had changed overnight. A nagging voice in the back of Rachel's mind questioned whether it really was overnight - if there could actually possibly be an element of truth in their harrowing tale from yesterday? She quickly quashed that thought as being beyond absurd and muttered a quick response to her son:
"Ah nothing, honey, just a game is all." By this time they had reached the horny teenagers and she cleared her throat as loudly as possible.
"Ahem! Don't mind us… or the rest of the beach for that matter. Quite a show we've got going on here…" She watched with some satisfaction as the pair gasped and broke apart guiltily. Juliet turned beet red while Sawyer sprang back onto his heels, unceremoniously dropping her back onto the blanket in the process.
"Uh, hey," Sawyer croaked and gulped as he nervously ran his hands through his hair, before jumping up to help divest her of her bags. "Glad you could make it, lemme get those."
"Ecstatic I'm sure by the looks of it," she smiled at him to soften the bite of her words then turned to grin in amusement at Juliet. She was shocked to see a flash of cold anger in her sister's gaze, a look she'd never encountered before. It was quickly gone however, replaced by a warm smile and hello before Juliet's attention turned to greeting Julian, leaving Rachel to wonder if she had imagined it.
"Hey squirt, that's quite a ball you've got there! Do you remember James from yesterday?"
"The cowboy?"
Sawyer laughed as he set down Rachel's bag and grabbed a juice box from the cooler. He crouched down by the toddler and offered it to him. "That's right, the cowboy! You thirsty?" The toddler grinned back at him, his apprehension from yesterday forgotten and took the juice before plonking himself down on the blanket beside his aunt. Sawyer looked over to Juliet for approval and she nodded back slightly, pride and love shining in her eyes. It was a look that wasn't missed by Rachel, causing her to doubt slightly her initial assessment of things as she sat down in one of the chairs.
"Would you like a drink Rachel?" Sawyer's voice interrupted her thoughts. "We have OJ, soda and it looks like someone snuck a bottle of white wine in here?" He flashed Juliet a look of mock surprise at the last.
"Yeah, did I forget to mention that you're the designated driver back?" She smiled sweetly and playfully nudged him with a foot.
"Ok, wine for the lush. Rachel?" He looked at her expectantly with an easy grin, complete with dimples. Rachel couldn't help but smile back, he was certainly very charming.
"Just orange, thanks." She took the offered drink and reached into her bag to toss a hat over to Juliet, who put it on Julian's head despite his protests.
"So how are you liking Miami, James?"
"Uh, likin' the weather that's for sure. Plenty of beaches."
"I would have thought you'd be sick of them after your… experiences?"
He apprehensively flashed a look at Juliet, but she was engrossed in something Julian was telling her and hadn't heard.
"To be honest, I thought I would be too, but your sister hasn't seemed to have lost any enthusiasm for it and if she's happy…" he looked again in Juliet's direction, this time with unconcealed fondness, before returning his gaze to Rachel and cocking his head to the side, nodded to himself and smiled, "… I'm happy. Corny I know, but what can ya do?
"The first 3 months after the crash were hard, but it wasn't all bad. We made the best of it and made a home for ourselves." He sighed slightly before continuing, "She's amazing. Believe us or don't believe us, but I'm not letting her go."
Rachel pursed her lips slightly as she considered this, and Sawyer was struck by the family resemblance.
"I'm starting to get a sense of that. What rank did she place when she graduated medical school?"
"She came second, was devastated. But last she heard he was a GP in some dead-end town in Montana so she's over it. That all you got?"
"How did she get that small scar near the inside crease on her right elbow?"
"She gave blood once and they couldn't find a vein in the usual spot. They eventually got one further round, but it left a tiny scar." He noticed she was surprised he knew this. It was a very small scar. "So, do I pass?"
"Not yet, I'm impressed, I'll give you that. But I reserve the right to ask more before I'm satisfied," she replied archly.
He nodded in understanding. "Bring it on, I'll be ready and waiting." His attention shifted back to Juliet and Julian, who were now playing together in the sand and his heart melted at the adorable picture they made.
"Sweet kid you've got there. A credit to you."
"Couldn't do any of it without her: before and after the birth. Sure ain't easy being a single parent."
Her words caused him to think about Cassidy and Clementine, and a lump formed in his throat at the regret and guilt he felt. "I can imagine," he mumbled sadly, looking down at his hands.
Rachel wasn't sure what she'd said to make him so melancholy all of a sudden. She desperately looked around as she tried to think of something to lighten the mood. She got distracted however by her sister's shoulders.
"Uh, Jules, your back is looking a little pink there."
Juliet's head snapped up in surprise and met Sawyer's eyes. They'd gotten distracted and forgotten about it earlier. He jumped up and hurried behind her, grabbing the lotion as he went.
"Sorry, I forgot! Lemme get it." He started gingerly applying it to her back. "Does it hurt?" he asked as he did so, his voice tinged with worry.
"Nah, just a little warm. Don't worry about it." She reached behind and patted his hand, "I'll forgive you this time." Rachel was again impressed, this time with the tenderness he showed her as he tended to her back. He finished with a flourish and soft kiss on her shoulder, forgetting that they had an audience.
"Anywhere else?" he whispered suggestively in her ear and she giggled before slapping his arm.
"No, I'm good. Did the rest before I got dressed."
He smirked and looked over at Julian, who had now tired of the sand and had risen to retrieve his ball. "Hey Julian, want to show me your beach-ball skills?" He looked over at Rachel for permission, who merely smiled back faintly and nodded.
Sawyer rose and approached Julian, who happily took his offered hand, in awe of his aunt's friend, and they set off to play closer to the water.
For a few minutes the two women sat in companionable silence watching the boys toss the ball about. Juliet was thrilled that Julian had seemed to take to James so easily and smiled indulgently at the sight they made.
Rachel was first to break the silence. "I have to hand it to him, he's quite the charmer. Julian's smitten already."
"That he is." Juliet's gaze remained steadfast on James.
"Are you really sure about all this? About him?"
Juliet turned to look at her sister, her blue eyes calm and determined, and replied with a decisiveness that was alien to Rachel, "I am. More than anything." She looked back over at the game.
"You look at him and you see a Southern charmer, all smooth words and handsome smiles. I don't blame you, on the face of it, that's what he his. But I don't. I see a small boy whose father shot his mother then himself, whilst he hid under the bed. Whose childhood died, right there with his parents. Raised by an uncle who did his best but wasn't fit to be a father, he craved love and acceptance though never quite believed he deserved either. Fuelled by confused anger and rage, he grew up to be the very man he despised – who had conned his mother out of their money, causing his father to snap. Yet inside he remained that little boy, afraid and alone, hiding from the world. Then his plane crashed and it was a living hell, but he discovered all those things he sought: within himself and in others. He's loyal, brave and selfless. He's strong, gentle and loving. He's funny, intelligent and kind. He's all those things and more and I love him for it. He's beautiful. You just have to cut through all the bullshit to see it."
"Wow. That was… you've changed Jules. I feel right now like I only half know you."
Juliet wiped a tear from her eye and looked over at her sister once more and smiled sadly. "I have. I'm not the person I was 48 hours ago, but it's taken me six long years to get to this point, then another three to remember it. I've done things I would never have thought I was capable of, good and bad. Things I'm ashamed of. But I've found peace." She closed her eyes and swallowed before whispering, "Please believe me."
Rachel reached out and took her sister's hand. "I do. I sure as hell don't understand how it's possible, but I do. Seeing you like this, watching the two of you, I get it. I believe you." At this Juliet opened her eyes. They shone with hopefulness and unshed tears and once more she was the little sister Rachel knew and loved and was fiercely protective of. "I'll try to cut through the bullshit. I promise."
"Thank you."
Juliet wiped her eyes and rose to her feet. She dusted the sand off her legs and smiled widely back at her sister before turning to walk towards her two boys. Sawyer saw her and stopped to admire her approach.
"Come to show us how it's done?" His questioning grin turned to one of mild surprise as she wordlessly reached him. His arms automatically opened to receive her as she leaned close to give him a chaste but impassioned kiss.
"Hmm… what was that for? Not that I'm complainin'."
She merely gave him a dazzling smile that lit up her eyes, then closes them while hugging him close as she whispered in his ear, "She believes us."
"Huh. She does, does she?" He looked over her shoulder to direct a questioning gaze back at Rachel. She responded with a genuine smile and small wave to which he replied with a respectful nod. He tenderly kissed Juliet on her forehead before releasing her and stepped back to look her in the eye.
"That's great news, sweetheart. How did you manage to convince her?"
"I just told her why I love you."
"Well who could argue with that?" he laughed. "Maybe one of these days you'll tell me."
"Maybe," she laughed and turned to Julian. "Want to play in the waves?"
"Yeah!" Without waiting Julian took off at full speed to the surf. The pair had to dash to reach him in time. Sawyer caught up first and swung the boy up and over his shoulder.
"Easy there tiger! Don't want the waves dragging you in do we? I'll let you down if you promise to keep hold of one of our hands. We got a deal?"
Julian squealed and squirmed in his grasp, screaming his assent through a fit of giggles before Sawyer set him back down where the waves had lost their force and were gently lapping the sand. Juliet caught his other hand and the trio splashed and paddled to the toddler's delight. Rachel looked on fondly for a few minutes before sitting back with her eyes closed and enjoyed the sun.
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Juliet stepped out onto the balcony to find Sawyer sitting there, a nearly full bottle of beer cradled forgotten in his hands as he stared out at the ink-black waves with a faraway look on his face.
"Hey," she said softly as she leaned back against the glass. He blinked slowly and twisted his head round to look at her.
"Hey, sweetcheeks." He smiled up at her, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. She stepped over to him in mild concern and ran her hand through his hair. He reached back and curved an arm round her waist and tugged in silent invitation. She sat down on the offered knee and kissed his temple lightly.
"Whassup? You've been quiet all evening. Everything Ok?"
He sighed and smoothed his palm over her back in small circles, looking back out into the night as he collected his thoughts. "I had fun today," he stated simply.
Juliet leaned her head against the side of his, wondering how that fit into his current somber mood. "I'm glad." She knew from experience to keep her responses simple and let him dictate the flow of the conversation when he got like this.
"Julian's a blast ain't he?"
"Yeah," she chucked slightly at some of her nephew's antics earlier that day. He had certainly kept Sawyer on his toes.
"Been thinkin'… he must be about the same age as Clementine… give or take…" he took a long swallow of his beer and the penny dropped. His daughter wasn't something they'd talked about much but when they had, he tended to beat himself up about it. At first he had been adamant that he would have been a useless father and she was better off without him, but as time had gone on and he'd started to think better of himself, this had slowly turned into regret that he hadn't even tried when he had the chance. She hugged him a little tighter.
"I think… I think I want to see her Jules. Meet her if Cass will let me. What do you think?"
"I think you should," she replied simply. He turned his head back towards hers so their foreheads and noses touched. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Will you come with me?" She smiled slightly at the fact that he even felt that he had to ask. It was lost on him as his eyes had remained closed as he awaited her response.
"Of course I will, James."
