Kiss and Say Goodbye
Juliet was running, running into a dark void with no clear end in sight. She knew something or someone was chasing her as she could hear the fast approaching footsteps behind her. Any moment, her feet would give out and she would be at the mercy of her assailant.
"You're going to pay for what you've done to me," said the voice. It was startlingly clear despite the distance between them. "You destroyed my happiness and I want justice."
Juliet felt her legs grow heavier by the second and, before she knew it, her body was rooted to the spot. Her heartbeat accelerated as a profound sense of fear bombarded her. Like many others, she had dreamt of how she would die. Of all the scenarios she had cooked up over the last several years, she had never once thought she would be the object of another's revenge. She knew she would die tragically, like her namesake, but hoped it would be poetic in the least.
She turned her head to get a better look at her attacker but his or her features were submerged in shadow. A hand appeared in front of her and pressed the cold barrel of the gun up against her temple. Juliet closed her eyes with a wry smile. It was typical that even in death none of her wishes had been granted. The death that had been handed to her was the ultimate cliché.
"JULIET!"
She opened her eyes and felt all serenity dissipate. A small glimmer of hope surrounded by traces of fear took its place. "James! Stay back!"
Her heart sunk as he began to run toward her, his eyes flashing angrily. He never listened to her, even when it really counted.
The attacker cocked back the gun, aimed for Sawyer, and pulled the trigger. He grunted in pain as a bullet buried in his right shoulder, but continued running despite his injury. Three more shots were fired, seeming to land in his chest area. He yelled in agony and his body fell to the ground, sliding towards Juliet upon impact.
"No…" Juliet whispered. "James?"
She sank to the ground next to his body, as her own body suddenly became too heavy for her legs to support. Her shaking fingers landed on his chest, and the warm liquid seeping from his wounds covered her palms within seconds. She lifted her hand from his body and examined her palm with widening eyes.
"No…" she whimpered tears trickling down her face. "NO!"
She closed her eyes and felt the pain overwhelm her. When she opened them, the yellow walls of Sawyer's apartment came into focus. The relief washed over her in waves despite the fact that her face was still wet with tears.
She moved in an attempt to sit up, but a heavy muscular arm was wrapped tightly around her midsection. It was then that she noticed the hot breath against her neck and the hard planes of his chest pressing against her back. Blood rushed to her cheeks before she could stop it and she cursed herself for acting like a school girl. She was a full grown woman, for God's sake.
She turned in his arms to face him and felt her breath hitch when she realized the small distance between their faces. Their noses were nearly touching, their lips...
If she leaned just a millimeter closer, she could capture his lips in an instant. He had done the same to her just the night before on her forehead. If he happened to wake up, she could easily blame it on the minimal space between their bodies, or even pretend she was sleeping. In all honesty, she was just returning the favor, right? He had probably kissed hundreds of women. To him, a kiss was probably nothing but a greeting. It wouldn't mean anything to him at all if she were caught in the act.
With that final thought in mind, she felt herself losing her resolve. She decided, instead to press her lips lightly to his forehead. His arm tightened around her waist upon contact and he pressed his forehead upon the curve of her neck. She could hear him whispering something and she leaned closer to hear his words.
"Love you… I love you…"
If possible, Juliet turned an even darker shade of red as the impact of his words hit her full force. Love? No. He couldn't possibly… he didn't know her well enough to feel that way about her, did he?
"I love you, mom… don't leave… I don't wanna be alone…"
Of course, Juliet thought as she breathed a sigh of relief. Of course he wasn't talking about her. What in God's name had she been thinking to allow that thought to cross her mind for even an instant. Her thoughts were her brain's way of telling her that it was too early for her to function. Memories of her prior intentions of kissing him whist he slept flashed through her brain. If that had been what she had been planning to do just moments earlier, then she knew she must be disoriented. Or completely certifiable.
Juliet moved into a sitting position, with her back pressed against the headboard of Sawyer's bed. As she did so, his head abruptly slid from her neck to her lap. Her breath hitched in her throat as she silently prayed that he would remain asleep despite the impact.
"Mom, I've done some horrible things… can you forgive me?"
Despite feeling slightly disturbed that her bed mate was referring to her as his mother, Juliet said, in her most convincing southern accent, "Of course I forgive you, James. You're my heart, my soul, my everythin'. "
He grimaced a bit in his sleep, and Juliet could almost feel his anguish. "You say that mama, but you don't know. I killed an innocent man. I'm going to burn in hell."
Juliet lifted her hand off the bed and began massaging his scalp slowly in an attempt to remove some of the tension. "I forgive you, James. The only thing left for you to do is to find it in your heart to forgive yourself."
"It ain't that easy," he murmured sleepily.
"I didn't say it was going to be easy, James. Anything you truly want has to be worth fighting for. If you want redemption, you better be ready to fight for it. You hear me?"
"Yes, ma'am," he whispered, his lips lightly caressing her inner thigh as he spoke.
She felt herself shiver a little at the contact which, although purely innocent in nature, caused illicit images to flash through her head. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, silently begging him to drift off to sleep soon. If he were to wake up whilst in the position they were in, she wasn't sure if she would be able to explain herself.
And, of course, there would be mocking in the most humiliating fashion.
She leaned down to get a better view of his face and breathed a sigh of relief when he turned his face upward. Her eyes scanned his face curiously. His eyebrows were still furrowed and his entire face contributed in the formation of his customary frown. Customary though it may have been for everyone else, she rarely saw it when they were alone. Though, to be honest, she had never truly seen a smile on his face that wasn't tainted with smug satisfaction.
For a moment, she was tempted to lift the corners of his mouth with her fingers, just to catch a glimpse of what his face would look like when he smiled. Once that moment had passed and she had realized just how childish she was being, she briefly wondered if those flashes hadn't permanently damaged her brain in some way.
"If you were awake and knew what I've been thinking, you'd have me committed," she said to Sawyer. "I think I may be going crazy, and if I hadn't stayed clear of all of Phil's "baked goods" I would think I was high or something."
The corner of Sawyer's lips twitched up in response, and if Juliet hadn't been incredibly observant, she would have missed it completely.
"James?" she asked cautiously. "You awake?"
"You know darlin' if you wanted me all to yourself like this, I coulda had somethin' arranged," he said as his eyelids fluttered open. His smug green eyes made her wish she had shoved him off of her the moment she had woken up.
"Though to be fair, any man in my position wouldn't exactly be complainin'. I got myself a nice view of—"
She glared at him with such ferocity that he could feel the anger radiating off her form,
"—your face," he concluded. She had easy access to his face and he was at a clear disadvantage. He decided it was best not to test her patience. Instead, he closed his eyes. "It's just a joke, Spock. Lighten up."
She raised an eyebrow, all anger forgotten. "Did you really just call me Spock?"
"If the pointy ears fit."
She snorted at his response, "I suppose that makes you McCoy, then?"
He opened her eyes and sent her a mock glare. "It's 'cause I'm southern, ain't it?
"Not at all," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're sarcastic to a fault and you've got the scowl down pat. From what I hear, you're also a skeptic. The accent just tips the scale in your favor just a bit."
"That's a shame. When I was a kid, I wanted to be like Captain Kirk. I mean, I'd run around the house pretendin' I was the captain of my own damn starship," he said, smiling slightly. "Now I know that being a hero is mighty hard work. I'd rather be the sidekick."
"You know," Juliet said suddenly, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I think you're pretty heroic, James. You don't need a starship or a cape, hell; you don't even have to be a nice person. We lived on the same beach. I know how far you go for the people you care about. Believe it or not, you are a hero."
"Whatever you say Ms. Lane," he scoffed. In reality, he was trying his best to hide the appreciation he felt at her compliment. "You can choose to believe in whatever you want."
"I choose to believe in you, James," she said, smiling softly.
He looked up at her and wondered what a woman like her was doing here with him. It didn't make any sense to him at all. Granted, they were just friends and nothing more, but even their friendship was strange to him. They had once been enemies and he had despised her even when she claimed to have defected from the others' camp. However, the moment he had washed up on that beach and locked eyes with her, all that had melted away. Tabula rasa.
Yet, despite those barriers being broken, he still couldn't understand what kept her around. Sure, he was really easy on the eyes and a god in bed, but he was sure that didn't interest her at all. She saw and brought out things within him that he didn't know he possessed. She believed in him even though he was close to giving up on himself. He knew it wasn't pity that she felt towards him. It was something else… something he couldn't quite place.
He realized he had been staring at her for quite some time. She was looking down at him curiously. When he suddenly looked away from her she said, "You know, you could just take a picture; it lasts longer."
"Ha, ha," he said, dryly. "You should really think of bein' a comedian."
"I try."
"It must be six o'clock in the morning or something. I wasn't planning on waking up this early," Sawyer said as he closed his eyes again and turned sideways, laying his cheek on the top of her thigh. "I think I'm gonna try to go to sleep again."
"And when was it exactly that I volunteered to be your personal pillow?"
"I woke up this way because you just couldn't help yourself."
Juliet could feel her cheeks growing hot from both anger and embarrassment. "You know very well that you—"
"If you find some way to help me fall back asleep," he said, yawning, "then I'll promise to never bring this up again."
"There won't be any mocking?"
He sighed, "Though it pains me to let this one go, I value sleep more than mockery. I'm sure I'll find some better material in due time."
"Could I possibly have that in writing?"
He chuckled. "What? You don't trust me or something?"
"Or something," she replied teasingly. After a few moments, she pressed two hands to both his temples and said, "Just listen to the sound of my voice, James. You'll be asleep within the next five minutes."
"How do I know you're not trying to hypnotize me?"
"You don't," she said simply. "You're just going to have to trust me."
"Whatever, Houdini," he said, chuckling. "Work your magic."
She cleared her throat, took a deep breath and began massaging his temples. Then, she suddenly began to sing:
"Good night you moonlight ladies,
Rock-a-bye Sweet Baby James
Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose
Won't you let me go down in my dreams
And rock-a-bye sweet Baby James…"
She began to sing the second verse of the song, but stopped once she heard a rather loud snoring sound from her lap. Had he really fallen asleep that quickly? The effect had never been so immediate, even when she had sung to Zach and Emma.
At first, she thought he was merely humoring her. She remained still, his head still balancing precariously on the curve of her thigh. After a few minutes, she realized that he had truly fallen asleep. Not one to make the same mistake twice, Juliet gently pulled her leg out from under him and placed a pillow in its stead. With any luck, he would think it was just a dream.
Juliet sighed as she stood up, only to fall flat on her face moments after. She bit her lip as her body crashed to the ground and pain shot through her leg. Though the injury was painful, she did not scream. She didn't want to disturb his slumber even though the son-of-a-bitch was partly responsible for her fall.
She massaged her thigh, which had fallen asleep during their long conversation, and decided that, if ever faced with a situation like this again, she would just shove him off without a second thought. Even though it had felt nice being able to see the vulnerable side that he hid so carefully, the feeling wasn't worth the subsequent humiliation and mockery.
Grabbing a fist full of blankets, Juliet attempted to lift herself off the bed but froze when she noticed something lying next to her foot. Though the room had not yet been bathed in sunlight, she recognized the object immediately and felt her blood run cold at the sight.
It was a rose.
It wasn't the object itself that caused her fear; it was the color of its petals. Even in the darkness she knew it was black. She didn't have to be adept in the language of flowers to know what it symbolized. Someone, somewhere, wanted her dead and they were close enough to be able to place the rose by her bedside whilst she slept.
She stood up shakily and walked to the bathroom, feeling the fear dissipate with every step. It was common knowledge that the others were quite a ruthless bunch, but there were no miracle workers. They could not disappear and appear through will alone. As long as she recognized that her enemies were only human, she could easily think of her next possible course of action.
Her fingers, now miraculously steady, grasped the knob on the sink and turned it to the left. A steady stream of water gushed from the faucet and, for a moment, she listened as her fingers lightly gripped the marble edges of the sink. It was her personal remedy for stress that dated back to the days of her philandering husband, to the times when she'd come home to the gasping and moaning of a 20-something traveling from the master bedroom. When she had first found out, she would lock herself in the bathroom and cry, curled up in the corner with her head pressed against her knees. The running water had served as a method to drown out the horrible sounds. Once she had come to accept the fact that her marriage was in shambles, she found solace in the bathroom, using only the faucet, rather than her tears to cope with her husband's infidelity.
Now, it was that little piece of stability that calmed her in her state of hysteria and allowed her to think clearly. She thought back to everything the other Dharma initiative members had said about her, trite or otherwise. There had to be something she was missing… something suspicious that she had simply forgotten.
She thought back to a few days ago, when she had been embarrassingly babysat by Roy. It had been one of the most fun-filled evenings she had ever had. He had made her feel special for those few hours he'd spend with her, but she knew there was something off about him. No, there was more to it than that… he had said something that made her wary of him. What was—
Suddenly, Juliet turned off the faucet as a thought struck her like a bullet. She ran to the front door, slipped on a pair of Sawyer's shoes, and ran out of the house as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Juliet!" said a voice from behind her. She turned around, slightly annoyed at the interruption she turned around with a wide plastered smile. Her smile faltered slightly as she realized who it was.
"Tom," she said, refusing to grant him the courtesy of a greeting.
"Look, I'm sorry for the other day. I made a total ass of myself," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm not asking for your forgiveness or anything, but I want you to know that I'm sorry for being a chauvinist pig."
Juliet sighed. She really didn't have time for this. "It's fine, Tom. You really didn't say anything to me that I haven't heard before. You shouldn't feel bad about it; you weren't the one who threatened to throw me to the wolves. You made a simple comment expressing what you thought, but it wasn't crass enough to make me angry."
"You're really something," Tom said, wistfully. He then blew his chocolate bangs out of his face in a way that was strangely endearing to her. He smiled and glanced at her, hopefully. "Maybe we could be friends?"
This time, Juliet truly smiled and lightly squeezed his surprisingly muscular shoulder with her left hand. "I would really like that."
He coughed suddenly and turned his head to the side to hide the blush rising to his cheeks in response to her smile. "Well now, Ms. Juliet. I'm on watch duty, so I have to stand outside of every building or house you enter."
Juliet sighed deeply. "I'm headed to Roy's house. I've got something I want to ask him about."
"Sure thing," Tom said. He allowed Juliet to walk a few paces in front of him so he could keep an eye out for any intruders. After a few moments added, "Though I have to warn you, the man's very offbeat."
"I think it's charming," Juliet lied. Tom raised an eyebrow and Juliet laughed again. "Okay, I find him a bit strange as well, but perhaps not for the reasons you do."
When they reached his door, Juliet took a deep breath before raising her fist to knock on the door.
"You shouldn't be so nervous," said Tom, his eyes twinkling with laughter. "He's an astrophysicist. I can definitely take him if something were to happen in there. Hell, I think you could take him." He stopped, thinking over what he had just said and added, nervously, "I mean that in a very non-sexist way."
"Thanks, Tom."
"No problem," he said, waving her off. "You sure you don't want me to come in with you?"
Juliet nodded quickly as she rapped on the door a little harder than intended. "I'm sure."
Within a few moments, a shadow appeared behind the small glass panes on the door. There was a telltale click of the door's lock followed by a loud creaking sound before the door swung open to reveal the rather disheveled scientist.
For one small moment, Juliet truly believed that she had been wrong in her deduction. This rather small, sleepy, slightly cute man standing before her couldn't possibly be the culprit, right? His boxer shorts had smiley faces on them for God's sake.
However, then she remembered the chilling words he had whispered to her earlier. YOUR SECRET'S SAFE WITH ME.
It couldn't hurt to question the guy, smiley face boxers be damned.
"Juliet," Roy said, smiling brightly. "I've been expecting you. Though I actually thought you'd come knocking at my door sooner."
"Sure you did," Tom whispered as he rolled his eyes.
"Come in," he said, ignoring her companion's comment.
"I'm actually going to stay out—"
"I was talking to Juliet," Roy said simply as he encircled his hand around her wrist lightly. "You're supposed to stay put and make sure no one comes near her."
"Are you telling me how to do my job?"
"Should I get a ruler, or can we get on with it?" Juliet asked, rolling her eyes. "It wasn't my intention to stand here and listen to your bickering."
"Sorry, Juliet," Tom said as he placed his hands in his pockets and began to walk down the steps leading to Roy's house. "I'll be waiting here for you."
"Thanks," she said as she waved at him before allowing Roy to lead her inside his house.
As she heard the door close behind them, the fear began to well up in her chest again. She nearly regretted refusing Tom's help earlier. However, there was something much more important than her fears that could perhaps be the very reason someone was targeting her.
Juliet jerked her hand from Roy's grasp and backed a few paces away from him so that she was a bit closer to the door. "I'm going to be completely honest with you; I don't trust you, Roy."
If she was hoping for an explosion of indignation, she had come to the wrong man. The man in front of her didn't even humor her at all. He simply laughed with a strange sort of abandon. It made her want to slam his back against the wall.
When he finished laughing and wiping the tears from his eyes he said. "So you think I'm the culprit? I know I may be a little odd, Juliet, but that's no reason for you to go pointing fingers all over the place. You don't even have any solid proof."
"Don't patronize me," she said through grated teeth. "You said you knew my secret. How can you say something like that and not expect me to be suspicious."
"I said that your secret was safe with me," he said, a trace of a smile still on his face. "That doesn't mean I would write horribly dramatic words on your mirror. It's much too theatrical; I'd have done it in a much more practical way."
"I'm sure you would have," Juliet retorted. Her cheeks were growing hot from embarrassment and she was starting to think she had been very wrong about her hunch indeed. "I don't have anything to hide that you could possibly want to keep safe—"
"Of course you do!" he exclaimed, cheerily. "You're from the future."
Juliet's eyes widened and she felt her heart speed up suddenly. She opened her mouth to respond, but found that she was only capable of opening and closing her mouth looking very much like a goldfish.
Roy took this opportunity to grab her hand again and lead her to the dining room sitting area, the very same place they had sat a few days ago when he had confirmed his suspicions about her time traveling escapades.
"I suppose you need an explanation?"
She simply nodded, unable to even string two words together.
"It's very hard to explain," he said, holding his chin in his hand. "I knew it the moment I met you. I wasn't just flattering you when I said you were different from the others. The way you carry yourself and the way you talk is different. At first, I thought it was a hunch but, when you came here, you confirmed my suspicions. You said you didn't belong here because you chose not to belong, that you wanted to distance yourself from people. I knew it was probably because you don't want them to remember you or something.
"I was certain that you were from the future when you commented about my movie reel. It's brand new for this era, very rare and very expensive. For you to have hinted that you'd seen one was preposterous. You sounded like it was an antique or something rather than a new innovation. "
"Well," Juliet said, still in awe, "I wasn't expecting this at all. I don't know what to say except that you're a regular Sherlock Holmes."
"When I find something fascinating, I have to see it through to the very end," he said, smiling. "However, I don't want you to think that I planned this discovery. I really did want to get to know you better because you're fascinating as well. I only wish you could see it yourself but, then again, I suppose that 's part of your charm."
"I'm sorry," Juliet said suddenly, feeling ashamed of herself. "I shouldn't have accused you outright like that. I should have talked to you first. You kept my secret for these few months even though you have an obligation to the Dharma Initiative. For that you have my greatest trust and gratitude."
"I knew you didn't really believe I was capable of threatening you. You're strong and you stick to your convictions even though you may be wrong. I think that's laudable and that your suspicions weren't completely unfounded."
Juliet nodded, feeling awkward in front of this man who knew too much for his own good. "I should probably get going then. If I get back, I can get a few more hours in before the day really starts. You should probably head back to bed as well, Roy. Sorry for waking you up so early for nothing. I suppose I will see you around."
Just as she began to turn around, Roy launched himself at her. She almost yelled, fearing that he was about to harm her, but the scream died on her lips as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. It was a desperate embrace, not a comforting one. He held on as though he never wanted to let go, as though he was frightened for her.
"Be careful, Juliet," he whispered as he pressed his face into her shoulder. "Please be careful. Just know that if anything happens to you…"
"I might fracture the space-time continuum?" she added weakly.
"I might just lose it," he said abruptly.
"You don't even know me," she said quietly. "If anything happens, you should just continue to live your life as always."
"I know enough, Juliet. I really do care about you as more than just an experiment or something to test my theories against. You're the first person in this place that looks me in the eye and isn't deterred by my odd personality. You didn't know who I was but I got to know who you were just by watching you interact with those you cared about. You accept me and I…well, I love you."
Juliet paused for a long time before she spoke, choosing her words carefully. "I believe you."
If he found her response strange, he didn't show it. He released her hesitantly and nodded as he stared into her eyes, looking very relieved. "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear. You should get back to Lafleur."
Juliet blushed again for the umpteenth time. "That's enough out of you. I'm not even going to ask how you knew I was staying there."
"The security guard was standing outside his house instead of yours this morning. I put two and two together."
"Well we just slept, it was completely innocent. I don't want those dirty cogs to start turning now," she said with a mock scowl. Then, her face softened as she placed her hand on the door knob to leave. As she flung the door open, she looked at him over her shoulder and said, "Thanks…for everything."
As the door shut behind her, Juliet let out the breath she felt she had been holding during their conversation. She was happy that he wasn't the culprit, but she now she had absolutely nothing to work with except for the black rose. Whoever had placed it by her bedside had to have seen the flower in her hair the night before. Most likely, that was where they had gotten the idea in the first place. Said person also had to have been able to sneak into Sawyer's bedroom without alerting the security guard on duty. It didn't make sense at all.
"Don't move, Blondie."
Juliet froze and just like that, all the pieces fit together like a sinister jigsaw puzzle.
She felt a man's hand on the small of her back gently ushering her forward. "Keep walking and smiling like we're having a conversation or I'll kill that geek friend of yours," the man said, his voice filled with venom.
She forced her lips upward in a shaky smile. "You're going to kill me, right?"
"That's right."
Juliet sighed, realizing there wasn't much else she could really do. She knew he had an accomplice and if she injured his partner, said partner might kill more innocent people just to get to her. No, it was much better to come quietly.
"Can you do me a favor, then?"
He chuckled, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. "You're not in the position to make a bargain with me."
"It's my dying wish," she said, smiling wryly. "All the best murders listen to a victim's dying wish and the better ones have integrity and fulfill those wishes."
"I suppose I'll humor you. However, that depends on what it is."
"I want to say goodbye to James. I promise I there won't be any funny business. He's sleeping and he probably won't even hear me. If he wakes up, I'll just say you're escorting me in and we're about to leave."
"You love him?" he said, and she could almost hear the sneer in his voice.
"I don't know," she said sadly, "But, now, I suppose I'll never find out."
"You won't, Blondie. There's no way out of this. For that reason, I'll let you talk to him. If you try to tell him what's going on, I'll slit your throat.
"Duly noted."
He followed her into Sawyer's house, through the hallway, and into his bedroom and watched as she climbed into bed and sat up next to him as she had earlier that morning. Her fingers trembled as she threaded them through his hair slowly.
"James?" she said, softly. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You've opened my heart, a heart that has become so cold and dead after all these years of pain. With you, I've done things I would have never done had I never met you. Remember that spectacular food fight or the race to the dock? I remember when you hugged me and, even though I was completely naked, in those strong arms of yours and I felt completely safe for once in my life. I hurled my fifty-thousand dollar wedding ring into the ocean just because you told me I should. I feel so free around you, like I could fly if I really wanted, like everything around us melted away when we were together. You were James and I was Juliet and we didn't expect each other to be anything other than what we were
"I wanted to end my life within moments of coming here. You gave me a reason to keep pressing on, to keep living even though nothing in this life has turned out quite the way I wanted it to be. I fought through the pain knowing I had a companion, a best friend who would always have my back no matter what. I want you to keep living even when I'm gone, James. Keep living and don't let people tell you who you are. You can be whoever you want to be. If I believe in anything, I believe in you, James."
She heard a cough from behind her and a gruff voice telling her to "wrap it up".
The tears were falling before she could stop them. "I feel something for you that I can't explain. I don't know what the hell to call it. It seems that, even in death, I find it difficult to express my feelings adequately. I guess I'm falling in love with you, James. Perhaps I'm already there, perhaps not. I'll never know for sure. I know that if I'm falling into this thing called love, I want you to catch me. But I don't have that choice now; death will catch me first.
Juliet then pressed her two palms on either side of his face. As she inched closer, her hair fell over her shoulder like a curtain blocking both her and James from view of her soon-to-be murderer. What she felt now was different from what she had felt this morning. At that time, she had been full of hesitation, of blind wonder. Now, she was crying silently and yet her resolve had stiffened. Hesitating for only a second, she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips desperately against his. Her tears were falling unto his face like rain and she could taste them on her lips as she kissed him.
Then she slowly lifted her head, tears blurring her vision as she looked upon him one last time "Goodbye, James."
She turned toward her captor and nodded as she slid out of the bed, her face eerily calm once again. "I'm ready."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not going to kill you here. That would be too obvious. "
He grabbed one of her t-shirts from her nightstand and said, "Lift your hair up."
She did as she was told and stood silently as he tied the cloth around her eyes and the nape of her neck. "You can let go now."
He navigated her out of the house, pressing his palm to the small of her back once more. It only took them a few moments to arrive at the destination. Juliet heard the door open and felt him push her inside. Once the door slammed behind her, he shoved her into a chair. It was hard, wooden perhaps, and there was a cushion on the seat.
"Well, well, well," said a voice. It was distinctly female, which greatly surprised Juliet. "Look what the cat brought in."
"It was surprisingly easy to bring her here. That security team is full of a bunch of idiot losers who don't know their head from their ass."
"Excellent work, Dave," she said, the approval evident in her voice. "Now the fun really begins."
Before Juliet could even utter a word, she suffered a blow to the head from a blunt object and her world became still.
Sorry! This took a really long time again, but I've been preparing for college so I haven't had much time, seeing as this is my first year. What did you think? Did you see the ending coming? He he. I wonder if anyone has figured out who the mastermind is. It's really hard to figure out, but, like I said, it shows continuity with an event in the early episodes of season 5.
This chapter was inspired by the song "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by the Manhattans. The title really fit the chapter, I think. I really love the song; it's a 70s classic. Anyways, I don't know when I'll update next. I may surprise you. Or not. We'll see.
Miki-hime