I can't help myself! This epilogue is not going to be just one chapter but three. Part 1: Juliet. Part 2: James. Part 3: Juliet, James and everyone else. Hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review.

Juliet arrived at Miami International Airport on March 16, 2008. Her only luggage was the temporary passport in her pocket and the clothes she was wearing. After over 24 hours of traveling, a transfer in Tokyo and one in Chicago, she was finally home (even though the word 'home' had lost its meaning over the years, except for a certain man who was still at the other end of the world). The airport looked vaguely familiar and completely alien at the same time. Her stomach felt jittery and her hands were sweating.

"Miss Burke?"

A friendly female voice interrupted her thoughts and nerves. Juliet nodded at the stranger.

"If you would like to follow me, please?"

"Follow you where?"

The slightly shorter woman, obviously a customs clerk, smiled politely. Her name tag read M Davis. "Your family is waiting in one of the rooms at the end of the hall."

Instantly the nerves were back, along with a growing lump in her throat. Juliet forcefully smiled back at the lady and followed her passed the 'baggage claim' signs, down the hall. She had to keep it together for at least a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes and she could touch Rachel again.

She had spoken to Rachel over the phone three times already. The first time James had been with her. They were still on Desmond's ship. The first 'shift', as James called it, had already left. Jack, Kate, Frank, Hurley and Sun had set foot on the island of Papua New Guinea that morning. They were all probably being interviewed about their second miraculous plane crash survival already.

Juliet and Miles were in the second shift. Even though there stories had no obvious link, at least they would both have someone there for support during their first days back in the real world.

Jin and James would be the third shift, the last ones to leave (they had agreed on creating a multiple week break between the return of the Ajira people and Jin and James, just to avoid any unnecessary media suspicion). Desmond had mapped out the entire plan, including stops in three different countries: Papua New Guinea first, Singapore second, The Philippines last.

"Why are you doing all this?" Juliet had asked him, hinting on the fact that he didn't really owe any of them anything.

"Wouldn't you do the same?" had been his reply. She couldn't answer that question so she just kept quiet.

After Jack and co had left, Penny had walked up to Juliet, handing her a phone and a number. "Call your sister" she'd said softly before walking off.

That first call had been all about tears, an awful lot of 'Oh my god! Is it really you?'-s from Rachel and a bunch of apologies from Juliet (although: what did she have to apologize for?). James' hand had been on Juliet's back the entire time and tears had just kept rolling down her face non-stop.

Rachel hadn't even asked her where she'd been all these years until the second phone call. That time she had been alone in a hotel room in Singapore. Miles was next door and she could hear his shower running. They talked a little bit about Julian, James, and Adam, the new guy in Rachel's life. But mostly about that last time they had seen each other. Rachel's parting words had been 'make us proud'.

The third time they spoke, Juliet was behind a computer in the hotel lobby. This thing called Skype was amazing and seeing Rachel's face on screen had been just too overwhelming. She'd looked so healthy! They had simply stared at each other for several minutes.

"I wish I could hug you" Rachel had whispered.

"Soon Rach. I'll be there in two days."

Now she was in Miami following this stranger to a room where Rachel would be. Juliet felt a slight surge of panic. The thought that this was all 'too good to be true' had popped up and she froze for a second.

What if I can't have them both?

She suddenly wanted to turn around and go back. Why couldn't James have been here with her?

("You know why Blondie. We just gotta play this out right. Don't mean I like it though."

She heard Miles call her name behind her. He was ready to get off the boat. James touched her chin and kissed her gently. "I know this ain't ideal. But I'll be showing up on your doorstep before you know it.")

"Mam? Are you ok?"

The clerk had also stopped walking and was now looking at her with squeezed eyebrows.

"Yes… Sorry. I'm fine."

Thirty meters further down the hall the woman stopped while pointing to a door on the left.

"We're here."

"My sister is in there?"

"Yes mam. You can go in." She smiled at Juliet, took her hand and shook it. "Welcome home, miss Burke."

Rachel was sitting at a table. When Juliet entered she abruptly rose, kicking over the chair while doing so. They both didn't notice.

Rachel's eyes were red. She had obviously already been crying. Her hands trembled when she walked over to Juliet to touch her face.

"Hi sis" was all Rachel managed to say.

The same strange feeling she'd had at the airport stayed with Juliet throughout the ride to Rachel's house. Everything was so familiar, yet so alien. Traffic was overwhelming, the highway seemed wider, there was advertising everywhere of things she'd never heard off, new buildings had emerged. And the whole scenery altogether just seemed less colorful than she remembered.

They were in the back of a cab, constantly touching each other, holding hands, stroking hair, wiping away each other's tears. Like actually feeling the other person was the only way to reassure themselves that this was really happening.

"You don't have a car?" Juliet tried to joke, not knowing what else to say. What words could possibly add value to their reunion anyway?

"You think I'm fit to drive right now?" Rachel joked in return, while rubbing Juliet's hand a little more.

Rachel had moved twice over the past six years. First to Juliet's apartment, right after Julian was born. She stayed there for three years.

"I'm telling you. Recovering from cancer, raising a toddler and organizing the search for the long lost sister? Not a good combination." Rachel smirked while saying it but the pain behind those words was obvious.

After three years a friend had advised her to move. So she bought this house, a semi detached family home with a nice spacious back yard. The move had been both closure and a new beginning. She let go of the hope of ever finding Juliet. She packed up Juliet's belongings and gave a lot of it to charity.

"There are some boxes with your stuff up in the attic. Clothes, books, pictures. I'm sorry Jules. I just couldn't handle keeping it all."

To Juliet's relief, Rachel had been so wise to have Julian spend the night at a friend's house. Even though she was anxious to meet her nephew, all she really wanted to do for the next few hours was just sit with Rachel, smell her, listen to her voice. Have her all to herself.

She called James while Rachel was in the kitchen making them tea. He was well on his way to the Philippines with Jin, Desmond and Penny. They would get there in a few hours and then he and Jin would be off to the real world as well.

"You sound tired."

"Call me crazy, but I ain't exactly sleepin' well when you're up in the air. B'sides, I have this crazy fiancé who calls me at 3 in the morning."

"I'm sorry" she started but he cut her short.

"Don't be ridiculous. You know damn well I've been waiting for this call."

It felt so insanely good to hear his voice.

"You allright? Rachel allright?" he continued.

"We're fine. She's in the kitchen. It's… It's just…"

"Kinda overwhelming?"

"VERY overwhelming. She looks at me like I came back from the dead."

"To her you did come back from the dead."

"I know."

"Just take it slow. You'll be fine."

Juliet could hear Rachel enter the living room behind her. She turned around to see her sister putting down a tea pot and two cups on the coffee table, along with some sandwiches. Rachel sat down next to her and started pooring tea.

"Did you hear from Miles?" Juliet asked James.

"Rachel just walked in?"

"Yep…."

She could hear him chuckle. "Miles is fine. Landed in LA a few hours back. He said he'll have the 'Welcome home LaFleur' sign ready when I land."

"How thoughtful of him."

Another chuckle.

"Look baby. You go back to your sister. The weirdness will wear out."

"I know."

"I'll let you know my flight details as soon as I get 'em."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She hung up and turned to Rachel. Her sister's face was softer now. Maybe the weirdness was already quieting down.

"You feel better now?" she asked Juliet.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I just promised him to call as soon as I got here."

"Why are you apologizing for that? He's your fiancé." She handed Juliet a cup of tea. "Did you tell him I do intend on giving him the third degree when he gets here?"

"Not yet."

"I swear to God Julie. If he is anything like Edmund…."

"He's nothing like Edmund!"

"Good." Rachel picked up her own tea and placed her free hand on Juliet's knee. "Now. Start talking."

"I don't know where to start…"

"Start with something happy. We can get to the bad stuff later. Tell me how you and James happened."

Flashback, November 1974

It had been a nice evening: a laid back diner, a nice bottle of wine and a great view (he was handsome, she had to admit). He had walked her home like a proper gentleman. He had kissed her and she had let him.

"Why do I get the feeling there's not going to be a second date?" he asked when she pulled back after a few seconds.

"Jack…"

"It's ok Juliet…" He smiled at her. "I'll leave it to you. If you're ever up for it, let me know." He pushed a stray of hair behind her ear and placed a kiss on it.

Then he stepped off her porch, with a small wave and a smile.

Oh God Juliet. Why can't you just feel good about this? Why can't you just BE good AT this?

She was so fed up with this reservation she always seemed to have around men.

She opened the front door and let herself into the house.

"You're back early!" Sawyer commented from his chair, his book resting in his lap.

Juliet ignored him and instead started taking off her shoes. She still wasn't comfortable wearing heals again. Maybe she would just give in to a lifetime of sneakers and Dharma boots.

"Maybe it's the name." Sawyer continued. "Jack." He paused, no longer looking at her but at a random point in space. He tapped his chin with his index finger. Juliet couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Jack. Jack. Jack…. Yep!" He put his book aside and pushed himself out of the chair. "It's the name." He walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I'm tellin' you Blondie. Try something different. You know Jacks are boring." He walked over to her and handed her a beer.

"He's not boring" she answered in an attempt to defend her choice in men.

"It's 9.30."

"He's not boring!" she repeated, a little louder this time. "And he's an excellent kisser." She took a sip of her beer before looking up at James and giving him a smirk. "Boring is you, here, alone, on a Friday night."

"I'm alone by choice."

"Whatever." She brushed passed him and sat down at the dining table. He followed her, occupying the chair opposite hers.

"If he's so great, then why is he not in your bedroom right now and am I sitting here with you instead of a pair of ear plugs?"

Juliet looked down at her beer. She knew he expected her to come back with some sharp comment. But she just didn't have any.

They finished their first beer in silence. James stood up and walked back to the fridge, returning with a fresh six-pack.

"I feel like I spent half the night avoiding questions and the other half lying" Juliet started. She opened the second can James handed her. "I mean. He asked me about my childhood. That's fine. But how the hell am I supposed to know what children's books were popular in the 40s! He even asked me where I was when Armstrong landed on the moon."

"You'll get used to it."

"I wish I didn't have to." She sighed and took another sip. She looked up at him and he stared back at her for a few long seconds. "How do you do it?" she finally managed to ask. "How do you keep this up?"

"You keep it up because you have to. And then after a while you've got yourself a solid fake life that you start mistaking for your real one."

"That's how you do it?"

"It's the only way." He lifted himself from his chair and grabbed a pack of cards from the coffee table. "Now. Onto happier topics. Let's play Uno and drink more of this Dharma piss. Night's still young."

Many months later he would admit to her how relieved he had been that she had come home early and alone that evening. That day he'd thought it was because he didn't feel like running into another guy in the bathroom. The truth was he didn't want to run into another guy. Ever. Period.

Two hours and five games of Uno later they decided to call it quits. She was feeling deliciously tipsy. James grabbed the empty beer cans and walked over to the kitchen to dump them into the bin. She followed him.

"I'm such an idiot" she sighed while leaning back against the counter and folding her arms. "I could be in bed right now with a handsome guy."

"Instead you've been playing Uno with a handsome guy." He flashed some dimples her way. "Not a bad deal I'd say."

Very true. Though she would never tell him that.

"James? Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Am I… cold? With men?"

He looked at her, surprised. "No" he answered after some seconds.

"You had to think about that?"

"I had to think about why on earth you would be asking something like that." He slowly walked over to where she was standing.

"I was cold with you before we got stranded here."

"Well I didn't give you much room to be anything else back then."

"I was cold with Miles."

He smiled. "We were all cold with Miles. With good reason."

His left hand moved up her arm as he pushed one of the straps of her dress back up her shoulder. She shivered under his touch. "You're not cold Juliet." he whispered. Their eyes locked. He was awfully close all of a sudden. She could smell the sweet scent of his sweat and the hint of beer in his breath.

"Good" she managed to mumble. "Cause I don't want to be."

His left hand was still lingering on her shoulder and she felt it moving upwards, to her neck, and then onto her cheek. The kitchen counter pressed uncomfortably against her lower back as nerves were rapidly building in her stomach. Was he messing with her?

Before she could answer that question his lips were on hers. She was so startled by his move that she pulled back instantly, placing her hands down on the counter to steady herself. He backed away, though his hand remained on her cheek.

He wasn't smiling. In fact, he looked all serious. Oh God, she wanted this! How she hated herself for wanting this! He opened his mouth to speak but before he could form a word she moved forward, closing the gap between them, and kissed him. He hummed in approval and she felt his right arm circling her back, pulling her closer. A small moan escaped her throat at the taste of his tongue. His hands were ridiculously gentle and firm at the same time, pulling her away from the counter and down the hallway. What if he was messing with her? She couldn't care less right now. At least she would be getting him tonight.

End flashback

Miami, March 2008

That night in bed Juliet couldn't sleep. Rachel's guest room was comfortable and cozy. But empty. She had just been reunited with her sister hours ago and now she felt totally alone. She was beyond exhaustion and kept staring at the empty pillow next to her. It was midnight. That meant noon in Manila. Maybe James was already at the Embassy. Maybe he already had a new passport. Maybe he would be on the phone with Oceanic. He could be in the air in a few hours.

Oh please let him be safe.

There was a light knock on the door. Juliet turned around to see Rachel standing there, leaning against the door frame.

"I saw your lights on. Thought you might need this." She sat down on the edge of the bed and handed Juliet a sleeping pill. "It's mild stuff. Don't worry."

Juliet pushed herself up and tugged her hair behind her ears.

"Here." Rachel handed her the glass of water that was on the night stand.

Juliet swallowed the pill, grateful for the fact that six years apart hadn't damaged Rachel's ability to read her little sister's needs.

"You thinking of James?"

"I'm just worried about him flying. Last time he was on a plane it crashed."

"He'll be fine."

Juliet placed her palms on her eyes and sighed. When she removed her hands she looked at her sister, the person right next to her, the one she should be focusing on now. "I'm not going to talk about him anymore now. I promise."

"It's okay."

"No it's not. I haven't seen you in over six years. I want to know everything that's happened to you. I want to meet your son. And Adam. I want us to look at old pictures and…"

"Ssssh! Juliet." Rachel interrupted her. "Stop it." She placed both hands on Juliet's shoulders. "We'll have plenty of time for all that. Plenty of time. To be honest, I still need to get my head around the fact that you're here. I know I've been looking at you funny. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Juliet crossed her arms and placed her hands on top of Rachel's. "We can take our time?" she asked.

"I think we have to."

"Can I ask for one thing Rach?"

"Anything."

"Can I sleep with you tonight? I don't want to be alone."

"I thought you'd never ask."