In Shallow Seas We Sail

Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.

Enjoy,
Sara

*

It's another tidal wave
I'll be waiting with my eyes closed.
World Away

[2]

He was so tired of watching the damn monitors. Day in and day out. This job was nothing like Dharmaville. In that little town, there was always a hint of action associated with his job. He always had someone to protect. Sure, with this job, he had the mall's merchandise to protect, but he couldn't get the same adrenaline high from that. He wasn't going to get a call on his walkie to go to the sonic fence; he wasn't constantly scanning the monitors for Locke, or Jack, or Kate; he didn't even have Juliet to spy on.

He was beginning to think that maybe he should've gone back to school or something. No sooner had the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it. Going back to school was something he could never do, not in a million years, and he sure as hell wasn't going to try those internet colleges.

"So then she says to me, 'Get out,' just like that. She doesn't say anything else at all." Brian, a tall, lanky man with huge hands and feet and a perpetually red bulbous nose was quickly becoming as annoying as Phil had been, although he was considerably better-natured. He was in his late 30s, but tried to maintain his status of being the most "hip" security guard. "So I go upstairs, and I just grab stuff, whatever I can get really. And you know, she just stands in the doorway, with her arms crossed, and she doesn't say another word. Not one other word."

Sawyer gave a nod. He didn't try to feign interest anymore. He'd learned that even complete apathy couldn't dissuade Brian's endless complaints about his wife. If Sawyer wasn't completely mistaken, Brian's wife had also thrown him out the week before. Luckily, he never had to hear anything about why Brian went back, or what he'd done in the first place to make her angry.

"So I go downstairs and I yell some choice words up at her. I'd rather not repeat them, you know. Probably shouldn't have said them, but it happens. In the heat of the moment, you know. So that's when I see it, just sitting on the coffee table, so I go over there and take it. Isn't that a trip? Just out of nowhere, I take it, and she's going to be looking for it. Isn't that hilarious?"

"Yeah, hilarious," Sawyer murmured.

"God, I can just imagine her," Brian said, actually rubbing his huge hands together, "having to get up to turn the TV on, to turn the volume up. She'll look for that remote for weeks."

"Don't you think she'll just buy her a new one, Hutch?"

Brian's hands fell, clasped, on his lap. It seemed like this was honestly the first time that possibility had ever occurred to him. "They do make those universal ones…" Disappointment filled his voice so much that Sawyer almost felt sorry for him.

"But she's a lady, she probably won't even know what to buy," Sawyer said, trying to cover his earlier statement.

Brian gave a resolute nod. "You're right."

He continued on about something or somebody that Sawyer had no interest in. Sawyer turned his attention back to the monitors. In a few minutes, he'd be switching to floor-shift which, while equally boring, at least provided some exercise. He could see the current floor guard, Randy, purchasing a large cup of Dip 'n Dots.

"Don't you ever have problems with your girl?" Brian was saying.

"No," Sawyer answered. Sure, he and Juliet argued. Their relationship wasn't perfect, but they'd nearly lost each other once, and that had been enough for them. Plus, he wasn't about to talk about his own relationship with Brian.

"Lucky," Brian said. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk in front of them. Sawyer almost said something to him, but he had to bite his tongue. He wasn't head of security anymore.

Instead, he kept his eyes on the screens. It was late fall, and the mall was fairly empty. Most of the little mall rats were in school, and they caused the most trouble.

The longer he looked at the monitors, the more he saw. On one screen, he saw the Swan site, bustling with workers. Slightly lower and to the left, he saw the motor pool. He squinted to see Juliet, but she wasn't there. Must be off for lunch, he thought to himself. He looked toward the dining hall's monitor, but he didn't see her there either. He saw Jin's hippie bus bouncing over the uneven roads, heading back to the station. He quickly looked over to the boundary, and luckily, it was quiet. His walkie grumbled with feedback, then Miles' voice. "Most boring day of my life. Where's the hostiles when you need them?"

Sawyer ignored him. He leaned back in his seat, still looking for Juliet. He felt a hand on his arm and jumped. "What, what?!" His eyes were wide and frightened.

Brian gaped at him. "I was…I was asking if you had a picture…of your girl," Brian stuttered. "Didn't notice you'd gone into another world there."

Sawyer turned quickly back to the monitors. The images of Dharma-life had faded, leaving the images hazy in his vision. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed them again his shirt. When he put them back on his face, the monitors showed exactly what they were supposed to.

Brian watched him with curiosity. "What's going on, man?"

"Nothin'." He leaned forward and fished his wallet out of his pocket. He pulled out a picture of Juliet. He'd stolen it from one of her old picture boxes, one day when she was away and he was left to clean the house. It wasn't wallet sized, so he creased it, very gently, down the middle so he could keep it with him. In the picture, she was not quite looking at the camera, but at the person who was taking the picture (Rachel, he thought). She was laughing and had her hands on her hips. "This is the only one I've got," he said, and pushed it across the desk to Brian. Normally, he wouldn't have showed the other man Juliet's picture, but it seemed like the only thing he could do to keep Brian's mind off his odd behavior.

Brian took the picture and let out a low whistle. "Damn," he said, but the way he said it made him sound like some kind of rapper: "day-um."

Sawyer snatched the picture back.

"Don't let that one get away," Brian warned, still visibly impressed.

"Don't worry about that."

-

He was happy to finally be home. Juliet's car was already in the driveway, and no doubt she had the little rascal himself in there with her. He parked his truck (bought with some con money, but he really didn't care) and walked across the front lawn. Juliet had pulled back the front curtain, and he could see her and Julian through the front window. She had her back to him, but Julian saw him immediately and spirited toward the door.

Before Sawyer could open the door, his phone started to buzz in his pocket. The caller ID showed an unknown number, but that wasn't so odd. Jack seemed to like to spread his phone number around to whoever asked. It hadn't been long since he'd heard from Jin, and he was thankful that the other man could still remember English.

"Hello?"

A frantic voice replied, "Sawyer? It's Cassidy." He'd erased her number long ago.

In his mind, Clementine's little face appeared, and he hoped that nothing was wrong with her. He couldn't imagine Cassidy calling for that. "Cassidy? What's going on?"

"Sawyer – I didn't know who else to call. You said you knew Kate and so I thought maybe you could help…I don't know what to do anymore!"

"Whoa, slow down, Chatty Cathy, what's going on? She's still staying with you?!"

Cassidy took a deep breath. In the background, he could hear someone talking; a woman, probably Kate. "Just – Just you talk to her."

The phone crackled as it passed hands. "Sawyer?" Kate's voice piped in.

"What's going on?" he repeated, feeling infuriated.

"We have to go back," she said softly.

He shook his head, knowing exactly what she meant. Back. That could only mean one thing. "Back where?" he finally croaked out.

"To the island," she said, "We have to go back."

*

"Open!" Julian yelled, standing in front of the door. Juliet just smiled. James would open the door soon enough. Minutes ticked by, and she could only hear James' muffled voice outside the door. "Open!" Julian demanded again.

"He's on the phone, Julian. He'll be in soon." Regardless, she stood, casting aside her monster trucks, and crossed the room to stand beside Julian, who was anxiously looking at the door. She could barely make out James' voice.

"What are you talking about?" James said, his voice rising. There was a pause. "You're not going to convince me." Pause. "Listen, Freckles – " His voice was softer now.

Juliet didn't hear anymore. She walked away from the door and sat on the couch. Kate, the fugitive. Even on the run, she was making trouble. Juliet felt badly for thinking such a thing; there was no proof that Kate was causing any trouble…yet. But it wasn't the fact that James was standing outside on the phone with Kate, it was the nickname. Freckles. She hated that stupid nickname. If anything, it was indicative of their relationship, their history. Most women hadn't had the pleasure that Juliet had of seeing her current boyfriend and his former lover having sex. Sure, she and James weren't together at the time, nowhere close, but she wished that memory had been erased.

The front door opened slowly, and she felt that James was taking a few moments to compose himself. She tried not to appear jealous, anxious, anything, but he would know as soon as she put her walls up.

Julian jumped at James' legs with a loud screech. Obediently, James picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. "Think ya could scare me with that again?" he chided playfully. Julian giggled.

Juliet stood and smiled, but she could tell by the look in his eyes that everything was not okay. He crossed the room to give her a light kiss. She sat back down, watching as Julian pulled James down to his monster trucks.

-

As soon as Jared and Julian were out the door, Juliet grabbed James by the wrist. "Spill," she demanded.

James sighed heavily and led the way to the kitchen. He sat down at one of the kitchen tables, and she sat across from him. "Cassidy called me today," James said.

"Oh, so you call Cassidy Freckles too?" Juliet said before she could stop herself.

He tilted his head. His eyebrows scrunched over his eyes, alerting her that he was serious. "Listen, I'm not tryin' to hide anything from you, Juliet. Can I finish?"

She nodded. She felt stupid and childish for saying anything; it wasn't like her. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. This wasn't worth losing her cool over.

"Cassidy called me today," he began again, "She was freaking out, telling me something about Kate and how she didn't know what to do anymore. I tried to get her to explain it to me, but she wouldn't – she put Kate on the phone. Yeah, they've still got a fugitive living with them." He shook his head. "Anyway…she told me we have to go back."

Juliet couldn't hide her surprise. Her mouth dropped open slightly. "To the island?"

"Yeah. I told her she wasn't going to convince me. There was no way I was going back. She told me that if I don't, it will come to me. Now I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean. I got Cassidy back on the phone, and she said Kate is certifiable crazy now. She told me I have to come talk to her. Now I don't want to go traipsin' off to Albuquerque again, but I sure as hell wanna know what's going on."

Juliet nodded slowly, looking down at her hands on the table, then back at him. "Well, go."

"Come with me. I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be fine on my own."

"Maybe I won't be," he said, flashing his dimples.

"Do you think you're going to be any closer to getting Cassidy to let you see Clementine if you bring your girlfriend to visit?" She smiled. It was forced.

He seemed to be a loss for words. "I'm not going. I'll call Jack."

"Kate didn't want to talk to Jack," Juliet said.

"Cassidy didn't know how to get a hold of Jack," James argued.

She nodded. This was true. "I can't just go, James. I have work. I have to keep Julian and – "

"Come with me, please."

She looked into his pleading eyes and realized he was still perfectly able to con her. "When are you leaving?"