A/N: Okay, so I've finally gotten my lazy butt up and updated! I lost my muse, but I got a new one in the form of a giant polar bear. It's attacking me and forcing an update out of me. Enjoy! Oh, and be warned, there is two character deaths in this, so please don't flame me for it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone!
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Juliet stared at the opposite wall as Ben was allowed into the rec room. She heard the resounding click that meant that they were locked in the room for the time being and she sighed.
"Juliet. What a surprise." Ben said, not surprised at all. He sat in a chair across from her and she still didn't look at him. "You wanted to talk to me."
"You win." She whispered after a moment.
"Excuse me?"
She looked at him, her gaze intense as her blue eyes glittered with tears she forced back. She had promised herself she wasn't going to cry. She was going to be strong, if not for herself, then for Jack.
"I'm not going to fight you anymore Ben."
"So the guilt had finally sunk in. You feel guilty for getting Edmund and Goodwin killed. Lucky for you Jack got off the island before I could get to him." Ben stated. "I know you slept with him and in about a day, he would be dead. Congratulations, you managed to prevent another death."
Juliet stared at him, furious.
"Please, continue what you were saying." He said, giving her a smirk. She growled.
"I'm not going to fight you because I wanted Jack to live. He's the only man I've ever loved the way I do, and I'll never love anyone more than what I love him." She said fiercely, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "I hate you Benjamin Linus, but I'm telling you that you win. No one will ever be killed again because of me."
"I see you've learned Juliet. That's good." He stated and her hand came around, making to smack him, but he grabbed it before it reached him. "Or maybe not."
She wriggled her wrist free from his grasp, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with?" She asked coldly and he smirked, brushing a lock of her hair from her face. She jerked her head away and he chuckled.
"Why destroy such a pretty face?" He asked as she turned her face away from him. She wasn't going to let this man see her cry. He never had and never would. "Now, if you mean what you say, I can arrange for you to be out of this rec room and sleeping in a real bed." He said. "Do you mean what you say Juliet?"
Hesitating for a moment, she slowly nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks.
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Jack stopped for a moment, debating on whether or not he should do this. Staring up at the office building, he knew this was the place to start. This was the office of Charles Widmore, father of Penelope Widmore. Desmond had mentioned her and her father, and Jack knew Penelope might be the one to help him. Especially she wanted someone still on the island as well.
Taking a single step forward, a young woman stepped out the door and, not paying attention, ran headlong into him, nearly knocking him down. She fell to the ground, her files going everywhere.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She muttered, gathering up her files. Jack quickly bent down to help her. "I'm so busy I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"It's alright." He muttered as their gazes met. She seemed to freeze in place.
"You're Jack Shephard aren't you? The doctor that was rescued from Flight 815?" She asked and Jack sighed, nodding. "I'm Penny."
"Well, erm, nice to meet you Penny." Jack mumbled. "I'm actually looking for someone. Penelope Widmore?"
"That would be me." She smiled, brushing hair from her face as she stood. Jack handed her the files she had dropped. "Thanks. What were you looking for me for?"
"I don't think this is a discussion for exactly this moment, but maybe if we could meet -."
"I'm heading for lunch now at a restaurant just a few blocks down. You could join me if you'd like and we could talk there. My treat." She stated with another smile. Jack chuckled.
"I suppose that will work."
"Great. Just let me toss these files in my car and we can walk."
She went to the curb near a rather fancy sports car and opened the door, tossing the files into the passenger's seat before shutting the door and locking the car with the press of a button on her key chain. She gave Jack another smile before they headed down the road.
Once they were settled at their table at the restaurant and had ordered, Penny looked at him expectantly.
"Talk away Dr. Shephard." She stated.
"Call me Jack."
"Only if you call me Penny."
"Alright, Penny, I came to talk to you about the island." He said slowly. She frowned. "I know you're looking for it. Desmond told me."
At the mention of her boyfriend's name, she froze. Penny had known he wasn't on the Freighter, and had known he hadn't come back. He was still on the island, and she was still looking for it. In fact, the files she had dropped had to do with her research about it. Her father hadn't wanted to say a word about it, but she was smart. She knew he had to have something to do with it. Otherwise, that boy – Charlie – wouldn't have known her, or Jack wouldn't have known how to find her.
"Desmond's alive, isn't he?"
"Yes, as far as I know. He wanted to stay on the island to figure out a few things. He knew I would be back, eventually, to get those that didn't go with us the first time." Jack stated. Penny didn't say anything as she sipped at a cherry coke.
Soon after, their food arrived and she still remained silent as they ate, and didn't speak again until the waiter brought the bill. Jack reached for it, but Penny snatched it before he could react.
"What do you need me for Jack?" She asked after a moment, pulling out a credit card and placing it on the edge of the table for the waiter to come by and pick up.
"I'm looking for someone back on the island, and I can't find it by myself. If we helped each other, we could find it faster and get back the ones we love." He said quietly. She looked at him, an eyebrow slightly raised as the waiter brought her credit card back. She stowed it away in her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Scribbling down something, she handed the paper to Jack.
"This is my phone number, cell number, and my address. You'll usually reach me at one of the three." She stated. "I want you to make sure this is something you want to do Jack. I've wasted a lot of my life and other peoples looking for this island. It's practically consumed my thoughts. I don't want your answer now, but contact me in a few days after you've had time to think about it. And I mean honestly think about it. You're a successful surgeon, and this task can cost you your job, your family, everything." She said quietly as she stood, looping her purse around her shoulder. "I've got to head to a meeting at the moment. It's was nice meeting you Jack, and I hope to chat again soon." She told him with a smile before heading for the exit. After a beat, Jack followed.
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"I'm going to shove a pen up your damn nose in a moment if you don't bloody shut that hole on your face!"
"Coming from you Charlotte, that's nothing new." Miles stated, folding his arms across his chest. Charlotte rolled her eyes and resorted to throwing him nasty looks over her shoulder. She, Miles, Frank, and Daniel were seated in a small limo, carrying them to god knew where.
As it slowed and it got out, Charlotte frowned. They were in what looked to be a rather wide, deserted alleyway between two warehouses. The scent of saltwater stung her nose, meaning they were somewhere near the Pacific Ocean, where it met the west side of the city of Los Angeles.
"You're late."
They turned to see Charles Widmore standing a few feet away, almost invisible in the shadows of a building. He stepped forward. None of them said a word.
"I have another job for you four and a new team member who'll be joining you."
"What is it this time?" Frank asked as Charlotte bit back a remark. She knew better than to smart off to someone like Widmore.
"You remember Dr. Shephard, don't you?" He asked. Not waiting for a response, he continued. "He's trying to find the island again. The sources I have at certain locations informed me that he met with my daughter about finding the island. I've taken care of her for the moment, but I want you to keep an eye on Shephard. At least, two of you will be keeping an eye on him." He stated.
"What about the other two?" Charlotte asked, almost regretting opening her mouth. Widmore's mouth twisted into a slightly demonic smirk. He nodded once to someone not visible behind them and two gunshots rang out.
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A/N: I'm sorry, I had to leave it as a cliffy. I'm not telling who died just yet!