Another chapter is up, and it's a bit longer than the previous ones. I wanted to write a chapter from mainly Juliet's point of view. I tend to choose Sawyer's perspective a lot and wanted to try something different. Sorry if all these chapters are messy with different POV's. I'm just writing whatever comes to mind :)

To search the beach area or not, that was the issue. Juliet and Sawyer had been debating on this for over half an hour. He said it was a waste of time, she said being thorough was more important than being fast. He said he knew the island better and had been in this area more. She said Mr. LaFleur was too full of himself.

"Who has been here longer now?" She raised her eyebrows while asking.

He shook his head in response. She always asked that question when she wanted to beat him on an island-related issue.

"Spending all your time in Dharma Ville doesn't make you an expert, Blondie."

Now, he always replied like that. This type of argument had almost become a standard routine between the two of them. Only this time, something a bit more serious was at stake. Richard, to Sawyer's knowledge, had never stayed close to the ocean. His camps had always been more inland. But Juliet did not want to risk it. Modern Richard might be less predictable than 70s Richard. It would mean a few extra hours of hiking, but it would make their search a thorough one.

"True. And guess who was in Dharma Ville with me most of the time? For three years." She smirked. "All your talks with Richard don't match up to how many times I met him." James sighed and she could tell she'd just beaten him.

So on day two, instead of entering the second grid from the jungle side, they proceeded to the edge of the island. The deal the four of them had made was to let Sawyer and Juliet do the talking if (Sawyer's word) or when (Juliet's word) they would find Richard. They would not mention Hurley's phone call. They would focus on finding out if Richard was somehow still in touch with the main land and if he had any means of getting people on and off the island with the sub gone.

However, as they moved away from the jungle, the old signs of life disappeared and for a few hours they thought the idea to search the beach area might have been a bad one. Jack questioned the plan and in return James snapped at him several times. "You don't know anything about Richard, Doc. So keep you wise ass mouth shut will ya?" Juliet rolled her eyes (though it was nice that he backed up her idea now), Kate shook her head. Would these two guys ever stop being competitive? But as luck (or fate) would have it, they started noticing little things again about an hour from the beach: trees missing their fruits, footprints, a forgotten T-shirt. Sawyer moved up in front and signaled to the rest to keep quiet. He looked at Juliet and nodded, a silent way of saying thank you.

They slowly proceeded, trying to move as quiet as possible. There was a noise to the left and they all froze. Three birds escaped one of the nearby bushes, alarmed by their presence. Juliet sighed in relief. Why was she so nervous? Things would be fine. They continued walking. After a few minutes, there was a sudden clicking sound behind her. She stopped instantly and turned around. A rifle was pointed at her, and when she moved her eyes to the left, there were two more guns. They were held by two men and one woman. Juliet recognized the woman instantly from her Other's time. The two men she had never seen before.

"Julie?" the woman asked, looking at Juliet like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Hi Debrah."

The woman put down her gun and walked towards her. Debrah had been one of the people mostly working at the Hydra station when Ben called the shots. She had been a colleague, but never a friend.

"What are you doing here?" Debrah asked while looking at Sawyer, Kate and Jack. Juliet could tell she recognized them as the people they had held captive three years ago. It obviously made her uncomfortable. "What are you doing here… with them?"

"I'm looking for Richard. Do you know if he is still here?"

Debrah looked at her again, hesitating before answering. "What do you want with Richard?"

"I just want to talk to him. He'll want to talk to me." She intentionally chose the word I over we. There was no need in stressing Debrah any more by informing her about the relationships in their little group. This woman probably didn't know anything about time-travel or the crashed Ajira plane. Too much information could freak her out.

Debrah walked towards the other two men, who both still had their guns pointed at them, and they spoke in low voices. Then she approached Juliet again. "You can come with me, but they stay here with them." She pointed her head at Sawyer, Jack and Kate.

Sawyer was about to publicly disagree with this arrangement but Juliet sent him a warning look. And she left with Debrah and her rifle right next to her.

The two women did not speak much as they headed further into the direction of the ocean. After about twenty minutes Juliet could hear other people talking, laughing. And out of nowhere, tents appeared, fire pits, life. As Juliet and Debrah entered the camp, most people stopped doing what they were doing and stared at them. Juliet recognized some of them, but not all. Several people mumbled her name and Debrah asked a boy standing close by to get Richard. Even though Debrah had lowered her gun, Juliet didn't feel comfortable. Half the people here knew her, but there were no signs of any friendliness. Did they still consider her a traitor?

After a few minutes she noticed Richard walking towards them. He looked at her and smiled politely. When he was close enough he greeted her.

"Juliet. This is an unexpected surprise." He didn't look at all surprised to see her though. Curious, but not surprised. Did he know about what had happened?

"Hi Richard."

"To what do I owe this visit?" Richard looked at her, not blinking once.

"I'd like to talk to you." She looked over at Debrah and some other people standing close by, then added "Alone."

"Of course. We can talk in my tent." He stepped aside and with his hand invited her to walk along with him. Juliet ignored Debrah's mean glare and looked around. Richard's camp seemed pretty well built, definitely not a short term location. There were about 15 tents, with several large fire pits, an open space meeting place (or that's what it looked like) and a kitchen. Pretty much like their beach camp, only better constructed. Juliet counted 22 people, but there could be more. Richard stopped at one of the tents and held it open for his visitor. She entered and sat down on a tree trunk that functioned as a chair. Richard closed the tent behind them and she had to let her eyes get used to the sudden darkness for a few seconds.

"Well I guess this solves the mystery of your disappearance 30 years ago." Richard sat down next to her.

"You know what happened at the Swan Hatch?" Juliet asked.

"I know there was an explosion. I heard you all died. But I guess that's not exactly what happened since you are here now." He paused for a second; then continued. "Are you alone?"

"No." Juliet - unsure whether he was asking if they all flashed back in time together or if there was anyone with her now - was careful to hand him any information unless absolutely necessary. "James, Jack and Kate are close by. They are being watched by two of your men." He would find out about that with or without her telling him.

"I'm sorry about that. You have to forgive them. They only know them as survivors of Oceanic 815. And that does not bring back happy memories."

"How many people are still here?"

"We live here with 29 people. Three years ago there were 54 of us. But we lost many after the flash. I guess they made the same journey you did. The rest of us remained here."

"Do you still have contact with the main land?" Juliet asked.

"No. Not since Ben left."

"Has anyone been looking for you? Has anyone come to the island?"

"The island is difficult to find Juliet."

"I know." She sighed, working up the courage to ask the big question. "You made me come here more than six years ago Richard. Ben is the one who kept me here. He's … no longer here. If there is any way to get off this island, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me". I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me. That sounded absolutely ridiculous. If he knew of a way to leave this place, she would pretty much do anything to pull that information out of him. But she remained calm and only added "I would really like to go home now."

He wasn't looking at her, but she noticed he was smiling.

"Mind if I ask what's so funny?" She tried not to sound irritated.

He shook his head. "It's just… Do you know why I kept following you with that job offer six years ago?"

"Because you had heard about my research?"

"No. Well yes, of course. But there are more experts in your field. It's not why I chose you."

"Then why?"

He stared at her "Because I knew you. I had met you before. I had met you here, on the island. You were a member of the Dharma Initiative. And now here was a file in my hands of a fertility specialist, a young woman by the name of Dr. Burke."

Juliet's throat suddenly felt dry. And she knew what he was going to say next. Whatever happened, happened.

"There was a picture of you in your file. And it was like the pieces fell into place. I knew you would accept the offer eventually. I knew you had to come here. There was no other option."

She felt light headed and put her hands next to her for extra support. The air in the tent felt hot and she wished they had been talking outside instead of here.

"Did you kill Edmund?" she whispered.

"Your ex-husband? Yes. I had to. I'm sorry."

Breathe Juliet, breathe. She closed her eyes and focused on her breath. She heard Richard's voice "I will ask Debrah to get your friends. There's no need for them to not feel welcome." The tent opened and she heard him leave. As fresh air entered the tent through the open entrance the light headedness slowly disappeared. She brought a hand to her eyes and wiped away a tear.

Richard did not come back inside to talk to her. She was alone in his tent. Images of her encounters with Richard in the 70s flashed before her eyes. Richard entering Dharma Ville after they'd first arrived, Richard talking to James while she was repairing one of the vans, Richard talking to Horace. Then there was Richard in Miami, in the hospital, in the morgue. She saw Rachel, standing next to her car, telling her 'go make us proud.' All the old pain, her time with Ben, her longing for home, being away from her sister, Goodwin's death… All those memories were being revived by what Richard had just said. She straightened her back and breathed in deeply. This was not the time or the place to feel all this again. She lifted herself from the 'chair', walked to the entrance of the tent for some extra fresh air, and sat down again. Breathe Juliet, breathe.

After what seemed an incredibly long time, she heard footsteps approaching followed by Richard's voice. "James. Or should I say LaFleur?"

"James will do Richard."

He's here. Juliet relaxed at the sound of Sawyer's voice. "Where is she?" she heard him ask.

"Inside. Jack. Kate. How are you?" She heard Jack greeting Richard. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was James.

"You OK?"

She half turned around. "Yeah." He looked at her, slightly worried. But before she could tell him more, Richard, Kate and Jack entered the tent.

"I'm sorry not to have given you a warmer welcome" Richard started.

Sawyer regrouped himself. "That's allright. Mind filling us in on what's been happening here?" He looked at Richard.

"Not much. We've been waiting for you."

That was obviously not true, but she kept quiet. She relaxed her face, and when Sawyer looked at her she was back in control of her emotions again. He looked back at Richard. "I will cut to the chase" he began.

Richard smiled. "I remember that being your style."

"Well. I figure we can chit chat with a beer later if ya have any. But first things first. We jumped back in time a few weeks back. Or… forward. Depends on how you look at it. We know the Flame's gone, the sub's blown to pieces, and Dharma Ville's a ghost town. We wanna know if there is a way off this rock."

"As I told Juliet, we haven't had communication with the main land in the past three years. And no one has come here. Apart from your people that is." He looked at Kate and Jack.

"Which means someone knows the trick on how to get back." Sawyer continued.

"I'm sure you know about the Dharma Station guarded by Eloise Hawking." Jack interfered. Sawyer turned his head, eyes squeezed. Lemme do the talking damnit. Jack ignored him.

"You came here with Eloise's help? That surprises me. She generally only helps people she knows and trusts."

"Like you." Juliet mumbled.

Richard looked at her for a few seconds. "Exactly. She is the link to this place."

"Eloise didn't help us. She helped Ben." Jack continued. "Ben said we all had to come back. Why?"

"If you haven't figured that out by now Jack, there is no point in me telling you."

Eager to shut up Jack, Sawyer jumped back in. "Listen Richard. Your buddy Ben fed these two here a story that they all had to come back with him. If that was to drop the hydrogen bomb into a pit hole, then consider it mission accomplished. The job's done."

A hint of surprise flickered in Richard's eyes. But his face went back to blank calmness in a mere second. The 'Others' face.

"Ben came back too?"

"Ben's dead."

"How about John Locke?" Richard continued.

Sawyer sighed. "Locke's dead too."

That news seemed to shock Richard. The calm face disappeared and Juliet noticed something different: Confusion? Guilt?

Sawyer sighed. "Look. We just want to know if there is a way we can contact your lady friend. And feed her a name that she can work with."

"What you want is impossible James."

"Listen…" Sawyer found his LaFleur voice. No one was going to tell them that this was impossible. Not even Richard. "I know you've been here for freakin' eternity. That doesn't mean you have all the right answers." Juliet squeezed his hand and gave him the Calm Down look.

"You are right James. I don't have all the answers. And I have been here for much longer than any of you. And believe it or not, I can't help you. We haven't had communication with the main land in over three years. But even if we did… You just told me Ben Linus is dead. He was one of the few people Eloise did trust. So who is left? Eloise herself, Charles Whitmore? You expect them to come and rescue you? Why would they care?"

Sawyer, surprised by this little monologue, remained silent. He looked over at Juliet, who was staring at the space between her feet. "So all we can do is just sit here and do nothing" she said, more to herself than to anyone around her.

Richard was not a bad man. He might have done some bad things, but he had never been the master brain behind it all. And she knew he was telling the truth. She had even noticed something totally new today: Richard felt trapped too. She heard James clear his throat. There was no point in carrying on with this conversation.

"We're staying at the old crash site in case you need us." Sawyer said.

"I already know that James. I have people watching you."

Sawyer answered "I should've known."

There, Juliet thought. He knew we were here. No wonder he wasn't more surprised to see her.

As they walked away Richard called out after them "James." Sawyer turned around. "Don't do anything stupid." Richard's eyes were staring right into Sawyer's. "There's one simple rule here: the island is in charge. You can't move, unless it allows you to."

They took their time heading back to the beach. Finding Richard might have been surprisingly easy; the outcome of their meeting was a disappointment. The waiting game now seemed to be their only option, unless there was something Richard was hiding. And it didn't seem like he was.

Sawyer walked right behind Juliet again. Not out of awkwardness this time. She could tell he was keeping an eye on her. They passed the creek they'd camped at the first night.

"You ok Blondie?"

"I'm fine."

Well, that was a big fat lie. But she wasn't going to have this talk right now. No point in bursting into tears in the middle of the jungle in front of Jack and Kate.

"Talk to me." He wouldn't let this rest.

"What's there to talk about? We're still stuck, probably always will be."

"Hé" he grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

She turned but didn't look at him. Instead she stared right passed him.

"Don't talk like that. Maybe we can get Richard to come with us to Hydra. Call Daniel's momma. He doesn't know about the satphone yet."

"Don't YOU talk like that. I'm done making plans James. They Never Work." She looked at him now, eyes staring daggers.

He sighed. "Let's take a break. Guys!" He yelled out to Jack and Kate. "Let's take a break ok? Half hour or so."

No. Juliet looked up at him. "I think we should just keep going."

"Well, you're out of luck. We're taking a break. Now can we talk about this?"

She shook her head, and then looked down. She was tapping her right heel on the ground, restless. She didn't like the fact that he was pushing her and took her time before answering. Finally she looked up at him and said with a smaller voice than intended. "I did it again James." She frowned and sniffed. "I let myself have hope again. I let myself…again. And it didn't happen … again!" The first tear rolled down her cheek and she forcefully rubbed it off. She turned her head away from him and continued. "I'm never getting of this island. I'm never going home." She smiled, almost sarcastically at her own naivety. "You think I would've learned by now. I'm so stupid. I'm so stupid." More tears fell.

"Hé." He reached for her cheek with his hand but kept silent. She looked up and could tell he wanted to say something to make her feel better. Please don't say anything. He kept quiet.

She lowered herself to the ground in the middle of the path. She was tired and needed to sit. He sat down next to her, looking at her patiently, waiting for whatever more she had to say. She pulled her knees under her and rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "You remember I told you Richard was the one getting me to the island?"

"Sure yeah."

"He told me that the reason he was so persistent was that he already knew I was going to accept his job offer."

"What? He can tell the future now?"

"No. He can tell the past." She could see he was puzzled for a few seconds but then it hit him too.

"He knew me" she whispered.

He put his hand over hers and shook his head. "If Danny boy was still here I would tell him to stick his theory up his ass and come up with a better one."

She smiled at that but the sad face reappeared almost immediately again. "Richard killed Edmund."

"He admitted he killed … that guy?" he asked, still unsure how to name her ex-husband. Bastard? Scumbag?

She nodded.

"Son of a bitch. I mean, not Richard for killing that scum…I mean son of a bitch, this thing never ends, does it?"

She smiled and quoted him with a smirk "Time travel's a bitch".

"It sure is."

That's all for now. I actually wrote the ending for this story yesterday. Now I just got to find out how to get there :)