Here's James' part. My longest chapter ever! Review if you like :)


Re-entering civilization proved to be more complex for James and Jin than for any of the others. Every single person on the Oceanic 815 passenger list had officially been listed as 'deceased', apart from the six who'd returned. Coming back from the dead turned out to be a hassle and officials from both the US Embassy and the South Korean Embassy had been up and running to confirm that these two men actually were who they claimed to be. An Oceanic representative called as soon as the news that two more survivors from the 815 crash had surfaced came out. The man offered to fly them and their families all to Los Angeles, so they could facilitate their 'home coming' and discuss 'official matters'. But Jin refused to go to the United States. Which made total sense since he wasn't a US citizen to begin with and his home country, wife and daughter were 'around the corner' from their current location.

So instead, some people from Oceanic flew out to meet them in Manilla. The whole ordeal took three days, three extra days of being stranded out here in this place when all James wanted to do was to leave. Things were different for Jin. Sun flew out with Ji Yeon because she couldn't stand the wait. She also informed them that she'd spoken to some fancy lawyer about representing both Jin and James during their 'negotiation' with Oceanic. James grinned when she explained her fast move ("You weren't here last time Sawyer. It took us forever to get these guys going."), and couldn't help wondering how this once so shy woman had turned into such a hands-on person. No one spoke of Claire and the fact that soon another survivor might resurface somewhere on the planet.


Witnessing Jin meet his daughter for the first time was bitter sweet. When Oceanic asked James if he had any relatives they needed to inform, he replied he didn't have any. Juliet was none of their business. Clementine was none of their business.


When the whole embassy circus finally ended and passports had been issued, James agreed to fly to LA for some more meetings at Oceanic headquarters. Because he had no close family, they'd offered to set him up with the basics (meaning cash) until a formal settlement could be made. His goodbye to Jin was brief, covered up with a lot of 'I'll talk to you soon'-s. Truth was, it made his heart hurt to say goodbye to his friend. The only thing that made it a little less difficult was Jin's promise to fly out for the wedding ("I hope you don't wait too long with that, like you did with the proposal" Jin joked).


No one showed up at LAX to welcome James, just like he'd imagined. He had forbidden Juliet to fly out since they'd agreed that he would come to her. Besides, he wanted her far away in case of any media spotlights. Kate called his hotel (the one Oceanic had arranged for him to stay at) almost immediately after his arrival to tell him that she'd informed Cassidy of his return and to give him Cassidy's phone number. ("Maybe you should call her, James." "To say what, Kate?"). He couldn't think about Cassidy yet, no matter how much Clementine had been on his mind these last couple of days.

Not ten minutes after he'd hung up on Kate, Miles came knocking on his door and James finally felt some solid ground beneath his feet. He called Juliet while Miles kept up his nonstop chatter in the background (mostly about how nice the hotel room was and that it was unfair that he hadn't received this kind of courtesy after three years of island life).

"They're just making me sit through a few meetings with some airline peeps. Sun's on top of everything else. How are you holdin' up?"

He could hear her sigh. "I don't know James. She's watching me like a hawk. As if I'm going to disappear again if she leaves me alone for ten minutes." She cleared her throat. "She wants to know everything that's happened. I feel like I have to watch every word that comes out of my mouth."

"Can't you just tell her there are certain things you ain't ready to talk about yet?"

"There are things I'll never be ready to talk about with her."

"I know."

She was silent for a few seconds.

"Juliet..."

"How long before you get here?"

"Two days tops."

"Don't worry!" Miles shouted from behind. "I'll make sure he behaves himself."

"I think it will be the other way around" Sawyer commented while looking at Miles examining the ins and outs of his hotel room. "He's emptying the mini bar like Speedy Gonzales on crack."

Juliet now chuckled on the other end of the line. "You better go take care of him then."

"You got any suggestions for treating short Asian men with post traumatic stress syndrome doctor?"

"Sorry. I'm kind of still figuring that one out myself."

James smiled. "I'll be there soon, I promise. Things will settle down."


Miles added a significant amount of money to the Oceanic hotel bill, including most things on the room service menu and a reload of the mini bar. But James couldn't care less. He felt relaxed and happy to have his friend around. Maybe he would convince Miles to move to Florida.

After Miles had left, Sun and Jin called with a lawyer update. Things seemed to be going well and it looked like they would reach a settlement within days. When only Jin remained on the other end of the line and James asked him how he was doing, the Korean stayed quiet.

"Jin?"

"I am… just very happy James. I don't know what else to say."

It was the way Jin said it – so full of honest emotion – that left James speechless as well.

When he was finally all by himself, without company or phone calls, James turned off the air-conditioning and opened one of the windows. He lay himself down on the bed, closed his eyes and relaxed to the distant sound of LA traffic. He let his mind drift to the only person he really wanted to be with right now.


Flashback, November 1974

James woke up to the sound of running water in the bathroom. He grunted and rolled over to go back to sleep. These Dharma shacks were so damn thin-walled. And what time was it anyway? Without opening his eyes he reached for his nightstand to locate his watch but his hand landed on something soft. Another pillow. He peaked through his eye lashes.

I'm on the wrong side of the bed.

He moved over to where he usually slept and then it dawned on him. This wasn't his bed. This was Juliet's bed. He'd spent the night here. They had sex. Had they? He peaked under the covers. Yep, he was definitely naked.

Holy crap. How had that happened?

James closed his eyes and let the film of the previous night replay in his mind. Her failed date (amen to that), them drinking beer, her leaning against the kitchen counter, looking kind of sexy. When she'd asked him that question, he'd presented himself with a dare. Lame but true. He challenged himself to see if he could get what this Jack guy obviously couldn't. He'd always considered Juliet off limits for the sake of the con. But with her standing there, looking at him with those big blue eyes, all he could think about was maybe adding some silver lining to this whole doomed 70s situation (and save himself from having to go through with any of the Dharma ladies in the near future).

He heard footsteps approach. Shit. The thought of seeing her after the all night exploration they'd just shared made him feel awkward. Should he pretend to still be asleep? No he shouldn't. He'd been through more 'morning after' scenario's than he could remember. Nothing to worry about.

When he opened his eyes Juliet was already standing in the doorway, wearing a robe. She seemed uneasy to find him awake, but quickly covered her face with that blank expression he'd grown so accustomed to.

"Good morning" she said quietly.

"Mornin' yourself." He smiled at her while willing his heart to slow down.

She walked past the bed to her closet, opened the left door and started searching its content.

"What ya doin'?" he asked.

"Getting clothes" she answered while flipping through the different bundles of fabric in front of her.

"You gettin' up?"

"Yeah." She picked out a pair of sweat pants, a tank top and underwear and turned around. "But you don't have to if you don't want to" she added as she started walking back towards the hallway.

Damn. Last night might have been unexpected, but he felt no need to rush back to normal. She could just come back to bed for a little while longer.

"Juliet." He pushed himself up into sitting position. She paused at the sound of her name and looked at him, her arms tightly folded around the bundle of clothing.

"What's the rush? Bed's still warm". Lame. She bit her lip while hovering at the doorway. Something in her face shifted though, like she was considering her options. James was about to add 'please' when there was a knock on the front door.

Damnit.

"I… I better get that" she half whispered. And out the door she was.

James rubbed his eyes and sighed. He could hear Amy's voice. Little miss nosey parker probably came by to ask about Juliet's date, since she had been the one to set it up. Well I got news for you missy. Guess who she ended up with last night?

He'd kissed her. Yep, that's how it happened. He'd kissed her and she'd kissed him back (and with a lot more passion than he'd expected). She was a damn good kisser. Hell. She turned out to be a damn good everything. And somewhere between that kiss and him unzipping her dress he forgot about his 'dare' and honestly thanked his lucky stars. He was going to make sure she would not soon forget this night.

He thought he'd done a pretty good job at that until she just now basically fled the bedroom. James threw back the covers and swung his legs over the side of the bed. His boxers and jeans were right there on the floor. He put them on and walked to the bathroom to trash the condoms, evidence that they'd indeed had sex. And lots of it.


He waited till Amy was gone before entering the living room. Juliet, now dressed in her sweatpants and tank top, was by the kitchen counter making coffee.

"Did she come by to check up on your 'date'?" James asked in a slightly sarcastic voice.

"She came to invite us to dinner" she answered, not taking her eyes of the coffee maker. "It's Paul's birthday and she's having some people over. I guess she doesn't want to be alone."

"Shit."

"Yeah."

Sawyer rested his shirtless back against the fridge, observing Juliet's actions.

"So…" he started. "You gonna tell me why you felt the need to sprint out of the bedroom just now?"

He could see her tense up but chose to ignore it. "I mean. Call me crazy but from what I recall I wasn't the only one enjoying myself last night."

"James.." She switched on the coffee machine and gave him an incredulous look.

"What?"

She turned away from the counter and stared at him for a few long seconds, opening and closing her mouth like she was looking for the right thing to say.

"Can you step aside?"

"No." He crossed his arms, very aware of the fact that he was blocking the fridge.

"Come on. I just want to make breakfast."

"And I just want ya to talk to me." He pushed himself off the cold metallic door and walked over to her. He raised his right hand and let it wander on the skin of her shoulder and down her upper arm.

"We're roommates." She stated matter-of-factly, as if he didn't know.

"We also had sex last night."

He could see her cheeks flush as she dropped her eyes towards his chest.

"I'm well aware of that."

"And from the amount of condoms in your dresser I'd say you were expecting to get laid." Shit. Leave it up to him to go ahead and make such a crude comment. She didn't seem to mind though. Instead she let out a chuckle.

"Yeah. Just not.."

"By me."

She nodded in response.

"Hey" he reached for her chin and lifted her head so he could look at her. "We had a good time right?"

"We're already in over our heads here James. I don't need any more complications."

"Who said anything about complications?" Slowly he placed his lips on hers. "Tell me" he whispered. "When you woke up this morning, did you regret what we did?"

"Did you?"

"I'm kissin' you right now, ain't I?"

She smiled. "Only cause I'm letting you."

End flashback


Los Angeles, March 2008

He woke up to a nasty ring by his right ear.

"It's 8 am Mr. Ford."

James grunted, while slowly waking up to the reality of being in an LA hotel room.

"Would you like me to send up some breakfast? And oh. A woman named Juliet called earlier. I told her you were still asleep. She didn't leave a message."

Sawyer rubbed his eyes and searched for the glasses he'd collected in the Philippines with Penny. They were crap, but better than nothing.

"Yeah. Well. If she calls again, just put her through. Don't matter what time it is."

"Yes sir."

He hung up and dialed Rachel's number. No response. He needed to get himself a cell phone. So should she. He got up and moved to the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror was downright depressing. He looked just how he felt: hung over and jetlagged.


By 11 o'clock he was sitting in one of the meeting rooms at Oceanic headquarters, feeling a lot better now that he'd had a shower and a few cups of coffee. He'd shaken a couple of dozen pair of hands already and had listened to even more apologies. Jesus. These people feel insanely guilty. Like it was their fault his plane just broke in half in mid air. A guy named Johansson had apparently been assigned to deal with him this morning. He was Sawyer's age, tall, clean shaven and tie wearing. The complete opposite of James, who had grown attached to his stubble. And even though he'd had them washed at the hotel, the clothes he was wearing were still the same as the ones he'd worn underneath his jumpsuit in 1977. He really needed to do some shopping.

The man searched a tiny briefcase that he'd brought along and took out a folder filled with paper work.

"Listen" James started in an attempt to speed things up. "I'm sure ya all updated yourselves on my life story from before the crash. So you can imagine I ain't keen on letting my old social circle know that I'm alive and well. If you don't mind, I just like to lay it low. Start over some place new. I've lost enough time as it is."

The Johansson guy nodded while flipping through the papers inside the folder.

"If there's any media people with burning questions they can talk to Kwon's lawyer. His story is my story."

"I understand Mr. Ford. And we'll be in touch with Mr. Kwon as well. It's just been quite the month for survival stories as you probably know."

Yeah I know. Let's not get into that.

"All the more reason why the media should be fed up right now and move onto something new."


Miami, that same day

It was 10 pm and quiet on the streets. He'd lost all sense of direction during the cab ride but the address he'd scribbled down a couple of days ago matched the house he was now looking at.

He should have called. He should have bought that cell phone just in case. What if she called his hotel? He had completely forgotten to check out but still… He hadn't spoken to her all day.

He handed the driver his fare and got out of the car. It was warmer here than in LA and the silence outside calmed his nerves. He grabbed his luggage – a small bag, containing no more than some toiletries, his crappy glasses, his passport, some cash and a credit card – and made his way to the front door. When he pressed the doorbell on the left side nothing happened. So instead he knocked, while double checking the address.

Ever since he'd been able to brush off any commitments that would keep in him LA and instead had hopped on the first available flight out to Miami, he felt dazed. Like he was about to enter some alternate universe, back into Juliet's old life, where Rachel had been a regular and he was the new kid in town.

He heard someone approaching and straightened his back. It wasn't Juliet. Some other woman opened the door. She looked displeased to have a stranger come by her house at this time of night and gave him a questioning look.

"Yes?"

"Are you Rachel?" he asked, working hard to keep his voice calm and steady. Why was he so damn nervous?

The woman placed one hand on the doorframe while she observed him with some hesitation.

"I'm James."

Her eyebrows rose as realization seemed to kick in. "Oh." One hand went to her mouth. "Shit. Yeah. Jesus. I mean, come in." She opened the door for him to enter and he stepped into a neat, small hallway. Coats to the left, mirror on the right, children's shoes on the floor.

"I'm sorry about the doorbell." Rachel continued. "My son's asleep. And the thing is kind of loud."

James glanced at what he thought to be the entrance to the living room. The house was totally quiet.

"Juliet didn't say you were coming tonight."

"That's cause I ain't told her. I finished up early. Thought I'd just fly out here."

Rachel was still standing by the doorway, studying him.

"Is she here?" he asked.

"Of course she's here. Where else would she be?" Rachel answered as she closed the door behind her.

The protective tone of her voice unsettled James a bit. "Nowhere. Of course she's here. I just… Where is she?"

"Upstairs. She's been having trouble sleeping. So I send her to bed early."

"Can I see her?"

He must have sounded desperate, because Rachel's face softened and she gave him a smile.

"I think she would kick me out of my own house if I said no that."


He followed Rachel upstairs, one floor, two floors, towards the guest room. With every step his stomach seemed to do a u-turn. By the time they reached the top floor, he was feeling dizzy and he kept his hand on the railing just in case. Rachel didn't seem to notice. She pointed with her head at the door and stepped back.

James pushed down the handle. The door opened inwards. Directly to the right was the bed and he could make out Juliet's sleeping form in the bit of light that streamed in from the hallway. Relief washed over him at the sight of her. Oxygen seemed to find its way back to his brain and he felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders relax. She was on his side of the bed, back turned towards the door. Her breath was calm and even.

James placed his bag on the floor and walked over to where she was lying. Rachel remained in the doorway, her silhouette casting a large shadow on the bed. James wished she would just go away and give them some privacy. He felt like crying and he'd be damned if he was going to cry in front of the long lost sister.

He kneeled down by the bed. Juliet was fast asleep. She had one hand tugged under her cheek and was clutching the bed sheet with her other. His hand moved to her face and he traced the line from her eyebrow to her chin. She stirred lightly.

"Blondie" he whispered, while repeating the movement.

She moaned a bit and clutched the sheet even tighter to her chest. "Let me sleep James. I wanna sleep…"

He smiled at her murmuring and placed a kiss on her wrist. "That's fine with me. It's just that you're on my side of the bed."

"Huh?" She opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy, disoriented look.

"Welcome to Miami sleepyhead."

"Oh" she whispered as she seemed to realize where she was. "You're here."

She tried to lift herself but her still sleeping muscles failed to cooperate.

"Sssh. Easy there."

She pushed herself onto her elbows and he helped her to sit up. She touched his chin and placed her hands on both his cheeks. "You're really here." Her voice was shaky and he smiled. "I'm here."

"When did you get here?" she asked while taking one hand of his face to rub her eyes.

"Just now."

"Did you meet Rachel?"

"Who else do you think opened the door for me, Sherlock?"

Juliet bit her lower lip and sniffed. He could tell she was about to cry. He leaned in to kiss her. Her hands moved to the back of his neck and he could feel the coldness of her ring press against his skin. This was all he wanted. He didn't need anything else but this. Juliet pulled back and rested her head on his shoulder. He started rubbing small circles on her back, like he'd done a million times before. When he looked up at the door, Rachel was gone.

On to Epilogue part 3!