I'm so sorry I haven't updated this in forever. Truth be told, I forgot all about this story (oopsie) but I hope you all haven't. There's not much Juliet/James interaction in the beginning of this but I was just trying to put all the pieces together. It's in Juliet's point of view. Hope you enjoy and please be a sweetheart and review. :)

"Alex? How are you feeling?" Jack asked as the young teens eyes fluttered open. It had been a few hours since her operation--Ben brought her in in pretty bad shape and although he refused to explain how the injuries had occured, Jack and I both knew it wasn't something we would want to know anyway.

"I'm...okay." She answered huskily, adjusting her position in the hospital bed, "Where's Ben?"

"He's waiting outside. We deemed it best he wasn't anywhere near Juliet, and since she insisted on helping me with your operation, Ben's been quarantined until later." Jack explained. I slowly got up from my seat in the corner and made my way over to Alex's bedside, touching her lightly on the shoulder. I then turned towards the doctor, "Jack, can you give us a minute?"

He nodded before exiting the room and I turned my attention back to the young girl, "Alex, we've known one another for a while now."

"Three years."

I nodded, "Three years...And during those three years, you helped me through so much. Save Amelia and Goodwin, you were one of the only people I trusted on the island. And I hope you trust me." I paused before asking softly, "You do know you're pregnant?"

Tears immediatly started welling up in Alex's eyes and I quickly cleared up, "The baby's fine. Which is a miracle by itself, considering the condition you were in."

"Does Ben know?" She asked frantically, holding back a sob, "Because Ben can't know--he can't. If he finds out then..." She shook her head, "Oh God, he can't find out."

"I haven't spoken to your father since last night." I answered honestly, wrapping my arms around the teen in a firm embrace, hoping to stop her crying.

"I know this is scary, Alex...I know." I consoled her, "But just think of the positive--if Ben finds out, he won't let you go back to the island to simply die. You'll get to live here instead, in the real world, with a real life."

She looked up at me with wide, sparkling, innocent eyes and said horsley, "That's true." She gulped, holding back tears, "But he'll hate me."

"Juliet?" Jack asked suddenly, cracking open the door and sticking his head in, "Ben wants to see Alex."

"Alright." I nodded in his direction, then turned towards her to say, "I'll check up on you a little later, okay?"

She swiftly shook her head and whispered, "Please stay. I don't want to tell him alone."

I paused for a moment, not wanting to be in the same hospital, let alone the same room as the man who had lied, decieved, and killed in order to have a chance with me.

I pursed my lips, "Okay. I'll stay."

"Are you sure about that, Juliet?" Jack lectured, "I don't think it's such a good--"

"I can handle myself, Jack." I argued sternly. I knew he only wanted to insure my safety but sheesh, couldn't he ever give the hero thing a rest?

"Alright..." He said reluctantly, "I'll tell him to come in."

In only a few moments, Ben was standing in front of us with a look of genuine concern mounted on his face. I didn't know what shocked me more, that he seemed to actually care about Alex's well being or the fact that he hadn't even noticed my presence in the room.

"Shepherd said everything went smoothly--was he being entirely truthful? You look as if something's wrong."

"Daddy..." She began, tears falling down the side of her cheeks. Ben looked taken aback by her use of the word father, and truthfully, I was as suprised as he looked. In all my years on the island, I hadn't once heard her refer to him as anything but Ben.

"Daddy." She repeated, "I'm pregnant."

His mouth became a thin line and his eyes widened as he repeated plainly, "Pregnant?"

She nodded and the simple motion turned his eyes into a ball of fire. He took a step closer, raising his voice with each word he spoke, "How could you be so foolish as to let this happen? You know how dangerous the island can be--how fatal pregnancies are. Were you doing this as a suicide, or simply to spite me?"

"It was an accident."

"Does Carl know?" He scowled and she shook her head. Suddenly, it was as if all the energy drained out of him and he admitted, "Well be sure to tell him in a few days. I'll get him on the next sub."

"You're not going to hurt him, are you, Ben?" She asked cautiously.

"I'm not a complete cynic, Alex."

"So you're just going to let him off the island, no questions asked?"

"Yes. He'll be allowed to stay here in the real world--along with you. I shouldn't have kept you on the island as long as I have anyway. I was being selfish." He paused before glancing in my direction for the first time, "But of course I don't want you completely on your own... Juliet will be glad to let you stay with her, won't you, Juliet?"

I automatically took a step away from him, unsure of the entire situation. He seemed to be acting completely genuine with his daughter but he couldn't be, could he?

I shook my head, "I don't work for you anymore, Ben."

"I'm not ordering you, Burke. I'm asking you. You're one of the few people I still trust--although you haven't given me good reason to."

I knocked on the large, wooden door and was almost immediatly greeted by Clementine. She looked up at me curiously and childishly asked, "Whatcha doin' here, miss?"

"Hello, Clementine. I'm here to see your father. Is he around?"

"Mhm. I'll get him." She nodded happily, before screaming, "Papa! A lady's here!"

"What? Clem, ya' know ya' ain't 'sposed to open the door fer no strangers." He growled back, "Tell 'em I'll be there in a second."

"He'll be here in a second." She repeated, oblivious to the fact that I had already heard him myself, "Umm...you're not gonna be my new mommy, are you? 'Cause I think I like Auntie Kate beterer."

I let out a small, annoyed chuckle, thinking of a response when James traisped into the room and greeted happily, "Oh, Jules, it's you."

He rushed over to give me a kiss on the lips, then quickly questioned, "How'd the operation go? What happened? She okay?"

"Alex is okay." I sighed, "But she's pregnant."

He ran his fingers through his hair, "Son of a bitch...Linus must've been--"

"Daddy!" Clementine squealed, "No cussing!"

"Right." He grunted, "That's gonna take some gettin' used to...Now why don't you go in your room an' play while I talk to Miss Juliet, here?"

"What if I don't wanna?" She asked singsongingly, and James shot back, "What if I take 'way your tv privileges 'till you're thirty?"

"Fine." The little girl sighed before shuffling off into her room. James turned his attention back to me and before he could say a word, I asked, "James, do you trust me?"

"Never trusted nobody more in my life. Why's that?"

"Alex is going to be staying with me--with us."

He blinked, "Whaddaya mean, stayin' with us?"

"She has nowhere else to go, James. She's just a kid. We can't just let her roam the streets."

"I was on my own at her age--hell, I was on my own way 'fore I was sixteen." He rationed, "An' she grew up on the island. Compared to black smoke an' that destructive dad o' hers, LA is the safest place she's ever been."

(Flashback: the night before)

I smiled warmly, my eyes shining brighter than the flash of white I had become much too accustomed to back on the island. I couldn't believe this was all happening--that, in some strange twist of fate, the two of us had both remembered everything and could finally live our happily ever after.

There were so many things I wanted to say to James--so many stories and jokes and feelings I wanted to express, that I didn't have a clue where to begin. Luckily, he started, "Jules, s'what does this mean fer the two of us?"

I didn't answer, and he continued, "I know it'll be hard, but...I think I want to start where we left off back on the island."

I did nothing but nod, absorbing his words, and he grinned as he admitted, "Jules. I was gonna ask ya' to marry me."

My smile turned into a full grin as I said softly, "I know. I saw the loose floorboard when I was rearranging furniture one day." I paused, "I was going to say yes."

"Was?" He asked, "That mean that ya' don't wanna--"

"No, no." I assured him, "I still want to."

He smiled warmly, clearly trying to hold back his excitement and I teased, "But I would like an actual proposal."

"That ain't no problem."

"Shouldn't be, for a sweet talker like you." I quipped.

He nodded before grabbing ahold of my hand and saying softly, "Jules, I been with ya' through a hell of a lot. Not only did I fall in love with ya' once on the island, but ya' had to make me go all head over heals fer ya' again in the real world." He paused as I laughed slightly, "Hey, this ain't no comedy show, sweetheart. This is a proposal. Ya' should be cryin' yer eyes out, not laughin' yer head off."

"I'm sorry. It's just, it's sweet--you're sweet." I gave him a soft kiss on the lips, "I love you so much."

"I love ya' back, Blondie. An' I sure as hell ain't livin' my life without you in it. So how 'bout it? Will ya' make an honest man outta me?"

I nodded, then pressed my lips to his once again, "Absolutely."

"Your sister's gonna to think ya' gone crazy--marrying a guy ya' just met. From what ya' told me 'bout her, won't be simple explainin' our relationship to her."

"We started dating in the seventies after getting chased down by flaming arrows and flashing through time, James. Our relationship is anything but simple." I paused, "So what exactly is our plan? After I figure out some way to explain this all to Rachel, of course."

"Well, first off, I say let's get a house. I'm sure we can scrounge enough money together to buy a decent one."

"Yeah? And what will this house look like?"

"Yellow, a' course. An' we'll have a nice batch a' sunflowers in the front."

I smiled, "And will Miles and Jin be living next door?"

"Nah. But maybe Rachel and Julian will." He shrugged, "That sound good to you?"

"That sounds perfect."

(End of Flashback)

"Hell, Juliet..." He sighed heavily, "Don't really want two teenage hooligans runnin' around my house."

"James, I--"

"But..." He interrupted, "If ya' really think it's a good idea. I got yer back, Blondie."

"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly growing hesitant, "I want us to have the perfect life and--"

"Small details don't matter, sweetheart." He said, brushing back a piece of my hair, "Long as I'm with you, my life's as perfect as it gets."