The little yellow houses of the staff with their quaint exterior and small gardens were just as deceptive as the Dharma Initiative that were housed in them. From the outside they gave the appearance of a quiet soothing getaway camp where happy memories were made. In fact this village was hardly ever quiet and the drama that went down behind closed doors would be enough to fill novels. And while the troupe of time travelers found the 1970s era to be slower paced than their own world, the day-to-day grind of Dharmaville still ran them ragged. And so it was that Jim LaFleur rose before the first peak of light glinted through the trees and headed for the security office, grumbling as he tripped over a stray paver on his path. And though it was still dark, other members from this clandestine organization buzzed with activity as they headed to the cafeteria or their daily posts.
Juliet Burke was not among those early birds. Somehow (and to James' chagrin) she had managed to get a late morning shift at the garage which meant she got to sleep in most mornings and enjoy the house she shared with 3 men ("The frat house," as she lovingly referred to it) all to herself. This provided her with the much needed alone time she craved. Before coming to this island, as an introvert she was used to solace and only found out how much she needed it when she found herself trapped with a bunch of busy-body Others who she never seemed to be able to escape from for a few quiet moments. Even when she had one of these bungalows all to herself (in what seemed like forever ago) someone was always knocking on the door or tracking her down to talk in the lab. And now that she was surrounded by roommates, her leisurely morning routine had become quite important because without a moment's peace she found she could become quite crabby.
At the security office, Jim LaFleur got the evening report from Jerry as he sipped his coffee. He was glad when there wasn't anything to report. It gave him hope that the day might be quiet on the security front (which was often the case). Even still, he always seemed to be waiting for the shoe to drop. Maybe it was all the months leading up to landing in the 1970s, but he found it hard to trust anything could go smoothly on this island. So a good nights report was a first step in having a good day.
"Alright man, see you tonight."
Now left alone in the monitor room, his brain hadn't fully wakened yet and so he absently watched the screens in front of him. There was nothing out of the ordinary so he used the time to think.
His thoughts meandered across time. Usually he tried not to think of life before his second 1974. What was the point? It was too trippy. He thought it best to let Sawyer die right along with all this memories of the island before.
'What's done is done.,' he thought.
He preferred to think about right now…hell even the future (past-future-whatever) seemed like it might be worth something to imagine. He couldn't remember a time before now that he wasn't a slave to the past and the revenge that used to eat him up inside. It was like when John Locke moved the island that last time he rescued him in more ways than one. Who was he to question this new found life? For the first time in forever people respected him. And it was a feeling he could get used to. Not only that, but he got to spend his days with a woman that seem to respect him without pity. No, he was not giving this up. It felt too damn good. He smiled to himself as he pictured what life might look like with her. He kicked his heels up on the desk as he gave into his daydreaming; the hustle and bustle outside his office muted by the half-closed door.
After sleeping in, Juliet sat at the table drinking her coffee and reading. Thoughts from the night before kept creeping back into her conscience. She was a little worried that James was upset with her still, but she tried to push it from her thoughts. They always ate lunch together, so she decided she would simply have to look for any awkwardness later today. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her and nothing was going on. Or maybe she was right and he was having trouble reconciling her actions from when they first met all those months ago. Either way, she wasn't making it very far in her book. Frustrated she pushed back from the table and headed off to get ready for the day.
Jim was torn from his daydreaming when he suddenly noticed the blonde who was filling those thoughts walking across the commons on one of the security monitors.
"What's she doing out and about this early?"
As she disappeared from one camera angle he jumped up to find her on another. She didn't seem in a hurry or upset. Now his curiosity was more than he could manage. He grabbed the controls and zoomed in on his target to study her more carefully, when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.
"Umm, boss."
Jim froze like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar.
"What is it Miles?"
"Dude, are you serious? You're stalking her now? Why don't you just ask her out?"
"What are you talking about? I ain't stalking nobody."
Miles rolled his eyes at him, although he didn't notice. Not wanting to lose her on the monitor, he didn't turn to face Miles.
"Whatever dude. I was going to tell you Jin and I are heading over to grid 10Z. Thought we might do some searching while things seem cool here."
"Alright, whatever man. Sounds fine."
Miles shook his head before walking off and calling back down the hall.
"Just ask her out already."
His brow crinkled as he thought about his suggestion. Clearly Miles was on to him. He wondered if it was that obvious to her. Why wasn't he just asking her out? His thoughts were interrupted as he watched her walk into the commissary. He felt an urge to run over there immediately, but had no idea what he'd say to her once he found her. So instead he grunted and sat back down in his chair.
Juliet browsed the aisles of the commissary, stocking up on some essentials they were running low on. She all but ran when she spotted a small batch of Apollo bars on one of the end caps; their beautiful blue and gold labels shining brightly in a sea of generic Dharma initiative branded items. These things were a precious commodity around here and only came in stock every so often. She decided she would get one for all her roommates and one for herself. She then returned back to the house to drop off all her groceries before heading out. As she unpacked the groceries, she snatched up one of the Apollo bars, deciding maybe a peace offering was just what she needed to settle whatever was going on between James and herself.
A little while later he saw her appear on the monitor again, but tried to ignore it. She was just heading to work. Who cares? Then he noticed she was heading a completely different direction again.
"What now?"
He watched her walk calmly across the main path. He smiled to himself, admiring that even in a jumpsuit she managed to look cute. Then she made another turn on the screen.
"Oh shit, she's coming here!"
He jumped up from his seat and ran to the desk on the other side of the room. If she was going to come see him, he didn't want her to think he'd been spying on her all morning. He heard her voice already as she greeted one of the officer's in the hall. There was a light tapping at the door and she was suddenly in front of him. He pretended to be busy studying a document in front of him before looking up.
"Hey!" He tried not to look too happy at her arrival.
"What do I owe the pleasure?"
She smiled at him. He didn't seem upset to see her. Maybe everything was just in her head after all.
"I brought you a gift."
He stood up, walking around the desk closer to her, still unsure what this was all about.
"A gift? It ain't my birthday."
Her eyes sparked as she smiled at him, stepping even closer now.
"Yeah, but it isn't every day you find one of these. So I thought I should bring it to you before it gets stolen."
He looked down at what she was holding and grinned back at her.
"We wouldn't want that."
She reached out to hand him the candy bar. He was hesitant to take it.
"Well, where's yours?"
"Oh don't worry, it's safely stashed away for a rainy day."
"Well I can't just eat this on my own. Maybe you should split this one with me."
She chuckled as she stuck her hand out for him to take it again.
"It's okay. I got it for you."
He took the bar, their fingertips grazing as he did. She sucked in a breath. And he flashed his dimples at her.
"I insist."
She stood looking at him and wondered for a moment why he was always able to persuade her against her better judgement. It was a quarter to ten in the morning, but apparently she was going to now sit and eat chocolate with him.
"Alright. Fine."
Now satisfied, he backed up to sit against the desk and she copied him so they were both seated side by side; legs dangling. He took the candy bar out of the wrapper and broke it in half. He tried to hand her the larger piece, but she gave him a knowing look.
"I'll take the other piece."
"Suit yourself." He happily mocked.
They both sat enjoying the heavenly taste of the Apollo bar not saying much. He glanced over at her and she shyly covered her mouth as she chewed.
"So you went grocery shopping huh? What happened to the "me time" you're always going on about?"
She rolled her eyes at him. She was not going to be sharing all her insecurities with him, no matter how powerful those dimples were.
"Well….sometimes I'm boring," she deadpanned.
He laughed, trying not to spit out his chocolate.
"I don't think you're boring."
As soon as he said it, he regretted the way it came out. He was being way too obvious with his flirtation. Miles would definitely rag him if he were here. And apparently it was not lost on her because she looked back at him and gave him the same look she'd given him on the dock the night he asked her to stay. It was a like a slow flicker of the eyes, clearly questioning his motives.
"Thanks."
He could tell she felt embarrassed. He could not tell if it was because she wanted to dismiss his advances or if she felt the surge of energy he was feeling too. She jumped up from the desk before he had time to figure it out.
"Well, I should go. My shift starts in 5 minutes."
He didn't want her to go. He wanted to reach out and grab her into his arms. He didn't of course. He stood, gathering his wits about him again.
"Okay. Thanks for my gift."
She smiled shyly this time.
"You're welcome…I'll see you later I guess."
"Lunch?"
"Yep!"
As she turned on her heels to leave he pulled her back by the arm. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes.
"You've got a little something.," he said pointing at her mouth.
He hesitated, but reached up and swiped away a smudge of chocolate from the corner of her lip with his thumb. She didn't take her eyes off him as he did it. The electricity between them was too much and they both stood silent until he finally withdrew his hand, lingering way too long to be a friendly gesture. She smiled, breaking the spell.
"Thanks."
He tried to clear his throat. "No problem. I…I'll see you later then."
She turned and left him standing in the empty room in shock.
"Shit, shit, shit."
He returned to the desk and let his head drop onto the hard surface. It was going to be a long day.
An equally flustered Juliet walked down the long corridor to exit the security office. She smiled at the other officers as she left, but inside she was a mess.
'What the hell was that,' she wondered.
She walked the brief trip to the garage, clocking in, and all but dashing under the vehicle she had left up on the lift from yesterday. Once safely under the Jeep and away from prying eyes she finally felt safe to freak out. She laughed to herself as the true nature of his weird behavior dawned on her.
"Well I guess he's not mad at me," she said to herself.
She spent the rest of her morning work trying to come to terms with this new discovery.
