This really is the final chapter! :( It's kind of long, but I had too many scenes in my head that I at least wanted to touch upon, so I just kept writing. It's mostly J&J, with some Miles and Kate (other characters are mentioned here and there). Time period: March - July 2008.

Thanks to everyone for reading! I had a great time writing it (mostly anyway, he he). Please leave a review, because this is my last chance at hearing all your lovely thoughts!

Miami, March 2008

The first few days James spent in Miami were awkward to say the least. It wasn't that he didn't like Rachel. In fact, had circumstances been different he would probably have been very comfortable around her. She was funny, hospitable and extremely direct. And when Rachel's boyfriend Adam came over for dinner on James' second night, he'd actually had a good honest laugh. Adam was a fellow Southerner who'd moved here for work and they'd both spoken with an exaggerated Southern drawl all evening just to get at the girls.

No. The thing that made this whole situation awkward was seeing the two sisters together. Both of them tried so hard to keep up the 'reunion bliss' even though it was painfully obvious that the Six Years of Separation filled every corner of every room. Juliet played the happy long-lost-aunt to Julian a little too enthusiastically while being evasive with almost every question Rachel asked. Rachel, who tried to stay patient and understanding, was seemingly growing frustrated.

The side effect of the whole sisterly charade consisted of the increasing amount of jealous glances James received from Rachel. Something he couldn't blame her for really. He knew everything that had happened to Juliet. And he knew that Rachel knew that. He'd taken over Rachel's role of confidant in Juliet's life, and it triggered a weird sense of guilt in him. Sorry for screwing your sister while you were busy mourning her.

("What have you told her Blondie" he'd asked her on his first night with her, after they'd gone to bed.

"I've told her all about us."

"Happy to hear, but that ain't what I meant."

She had rolled herself onto her back and had started talking with that distant tone in her voice, like she was giving him the weather report.

"I told her Richard brought me to an island, somewhere in the Pacific, on a submarine instead of a plane. I told her there was no communication with the main land, so that people could focus on their work, without distractions. That my research was harder than expected and that I couldn't finish it in the six months I signed up for. And that when I wanted to leave and go home to be with her, he wouldn't let me."

"Who's 'he'?"

"…. Richard."

"You're givin' him an awful lot of fake credit here."

"James… please.")

On his third day in Miami he found Rachel in the kitchen late afternoon, making preparations for dinner. It was pasta night and she was chopping up vegetables while staring out into the back yard where Juliet was wrapped up in a discussion with her nephew. At the sound of James' footsteps, Rachel glanced over her shoulder.

"Careful with that knife there" he tried to joke.

Rachel gave him a half smile, her eyes tired, before turning her head back towards the scene outside. James grabbed a glass from the cupboards and checked the fridge for something cold to drink. It was another hot day out there and it wasn't even summer yet.

"How ya doin' Rachel?" he tried.

She seemed caught off guard by his question. "I'm fine" she answered dryly, while continuing her work.

The easy thing to do now was to smile, nod and go back to his book. Instead he walked over and leaned himself onto the kitchen counter next to where she was standing.

Rachel looked at him without blinking (Damn, I guess that ain't an 'Other' thing after all) and sighed. "It's just… sometimes she looks at me…. And it's just… cold….. Was she like that when you met her?"

Well…. The memory of Juliet staring at him in the jungle as she took that meds briefcase from his hands flashed through his mind. She'd intimidated the hell out of him back then. Probably out of Sayid too.

"Sometimes" he answered evasively.

"She used to be almost too emotional, you know. I always criticized her for that, told her to toughen up. And now…"

"She's been through a lot."

"Through what, exactly? All she does is give me these little bits of info. Like I'm a kid that gets fed a cookie just to shut up. I mean. Jesus. I just want to fill in the blanks."

She knew she wasn't being fair to Rachel. But she just didn't know how to tell her more than she already had. She just wanted to keep things simple and happy. But the bubble was showing cracks.

Then one night during diner Rachel announced she had a hospital appointment the next day. Could Juliet pick up Julian from school? Just like that. As if the combination of 'Rachel' and 'hospital' in one sentence didn't bring back a shitload of bad memories.

"What do you mean, hospital? For what?" Juliet asked with a dry mouth.

"It's just standard procedure Jules. Annual checkup. Two scans. I'll be gone three hours tops."

"They do annual checkups for five years Rachel. You've been cancer free for almost seven."

Her sister stopped eating and stared at her from across the table.

"I..."

When Rachel didn't continue, the rest of the table went silent as well. Cutlery stopped scratching on plates and Juliet could just feel her nephew's eyes moving from his mum to her and back.

Oh God.

She felt James place a hand on her wrist but she yanked her arm away, dropping her fork on the floor while doing so. His touch was too warm and she could almost feel his pity. Her hands turned into fists as she tried to focus on her sister's face, ignoring the ringing in her ears.

"Your cancer came back…" It was more a statement than a question.

Rachel's face tensed up slightly. As if she was surprised that this news would upset Juliet this much. She looked… apologetic at best. "I'm fine now Julie. It's no big…"

"Just… tell me" Juliet interrupted. Her mouth felt even more dry now, and why wasn't there any water on the table? There was always water on the table.

"Yes" Rachel whispered. "They found another tumor, about five months after you left."

(Your sister won't be giving birth in three months Juliet. She'll be dead by then. Her cancer is back.)

Juliet swallowed hard to get rid of the acid taste that was forming in the back of her throat. The smell of roasted potatoes and chicken suddenly turned her stomach upside down. I'm gonna be sick.

"I need some air" she whispered while slowly getting up. She avoided James' look and walked toward the hallway, to the staircase. She clutched her hand around the hand rail as she rushed to the top floor, taking the stairs two steps at a time. In her bedroom she headed for the small guest bathroom and locked the door behind her. She fell down on her knees, yanked the toilet lid open and threw up.

She wanted to be alone. By herself, on the bathroom floor, with the cool tiles pressing against her back. But James came looking for her and she couldn't keep him out. He was wise enough not to speak. Instead, he just sat down next to her, waiting for her nausea to fade.

When she heard Rachel put Julian to bed she forced herself to get up.

"I think I need to talk now."

"OK."

"Not everything James. Not… everything."

They both got up and headed downstairs. When Rachel came back, they all sat down in the living room. Juliet next to James, Rachel on the smaller sofa at the opposite end of the coffee table.

"I don't know where to start." Juliet whispered.

"Why don't you start with Ben."

She shared as much as she could, automatically switching to that serene calm voice she had ready for whenever something too painful was about to be exposed. But the calmness failed her this time. When she talked about Ben, her voice wavered. When she felt Rachel's fingers trace the lines of the mark on her back ('they gave me that when I tried to leave against their will') she just wanted to run back upstairs. When she shared the names of all the women she'd lost, she cried. She didn't mention Danny, or the fact that Goodwin died because of her. Not a word about time traveling or smoke monsters or Jacob.

When Rachel asked if she was safe, if there was a chance that these same people would come looking for her again, James helped her out.

"They're dead. Alpert had an accident. And Ben died… of cancer."

And that was that. Half truth. Half lies. Juliet looked at James as he pinched her hand. Everything unsaid would stay between them.

Miami, April 2008

One morning, Jin called with the news that a settlement with Oceanic had been reached. Fuckin' finally. Their lawyer would be in touch with James as well, but Jin wanted to give him a heads up.

This could mean closure of some sort. He and Juliet would have the financial means to buy a house and get started with their own lives. When Jin had explained the ins and outs as best he could the Korean fell silent.

"Somethin' wrong Jin-bo?"

"James. Sun is pregnant."

"Well, don't you move fast." James grinned in response. "Congratulations Papa-san! How's Sun? She ok?"

"She is ok. But I…"

"Looks like you're gonna break the daddy record" James kept going. "Two kids in one year. What's your other girl think of becomin' a big sister?"

"James…"

"What?"

"Sun got pregnant on the island."

"What?"

"I think you should talk to Juliet."

He'd been twisting his thumbs for over an hour when he finally heard the front door open. Juliet and Rachel had been on a shopping trip the entire morning and he could hear them giggling as they entered the house. So much of the heavy atmosphere had been lifted since that evening on the couch. And now he held a piece of news that could (would) possibly unsettle things again.

He masked his face and greeted them both, Rachel with a smile, Juliet with a kiss. He sat through their display of newly acquired items (finally, cell phones…) but as soon as Rachel slipped away for a bathroom break he turned to Juliet.

"We gotta talk."

"Hmmm?" she was flipping through her phone manual, seemingly intrigued by this 'modern' piece of equipment.

"Sun's pregnant."

That caught her attention. "What?"

"Jin called while you girls were out."

"But… how? He can't… They can't…"

James heard Rachel flushing the toilet and leaned over. "She got pregnant on the island Juliet."

She stared at him in disbelief, as if she was half expecting him to admit to a joke.

"Everything ok?" came Rachel's voice from behind.

"Yeah. All good. It's just.." James started. "Would ya excuse us for a few minutes? Jin called with news about the settlement. I wanna run some things by Juliet real quick." He grabbed Juliet's hand and guided her out of the living room.

Upstairs they sat down on the edge of the bed.

"They used protection" Juliet mumbled, while twisting her engagement ring, something that made him even more uneasy.

"Yeah."

"Maybe she forgot to take them. I mean, that's possible. It happens."

"That don't sound like Sun. Not on the island anyway."

Juliet placed her face in her hands. "Oh my god."

"Let's not… jump to conclusions. We just gotta get you one of these tests. Those things are pretty spot on right?" His palms were feeling slightly sweaty and he rubbed them against his jeans a few times.

"I could be pregnant." Juliet straightened her back and looked at him. Was she happy about that. Sad? He couldn't tell. Blankness had taken over her face.

"We've never talked about kids" she continued.

"No." And with reason. Him? A parent? Worst idea ever. Right? Still, he had to ask. "Have you thought about it? With me, I mean?"

"Yeah. I have."

"And you never brought it up."

"Timing was always off James."

Understatement of the year.

She turned her attention back to her ring. "What are we going to do? If I'm pregnant?"

"Don't know. Take you off alcohol and wait for nine months. I guess…"

"You'd be ok with it?"

Hell no. The thought alone freaked him out. What did he have to offer a child anyway? "I... don't know" he sighed, staring down at his hands. "But at least I got you to compensate for all my future parenting mistakes, right?"

"Don't talk yourself down like that."

"I don't think I am."

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then he pushed himself up. Best to just dodge the bullet as fast as possible. "I'll run by the drugstore."

An hour later all three tests (better make sure you get it right) came back negative. To his own surprise, James didn't feel relieved.

"Well" Juliet said, while staring at the little displays. "All that worry for nothing." She walked back into the bathroom and tossed everything into the bin.

Los Angeles, March - April 2008

He did it twice in the last four weeks. Just two times. Pick up his 'old' job. But only for the cash. People still knew him. Three years away hadn't changed the fact that he was quite unique in his field. And if he'd wanted to, he could have easily slipped back into that type of life. But the aftermath both times had been disturbing. His parents came to hunt him in his dreams. First the way he'd seen them last (how twisted was that anyway): healthy, in love, happy. But somewhere along the line they turned into corpses, then into ghosts, and he would wake up panting, sweating. But the waking up didn't bring relief. His parents were dead. And his stomach turned at the memory of his mum on her death bed, or the thought of his dad dying in the purge.

So he turned the page. No more of that stuff. If he was staying away from the dead, maybe the dead would stay away from him.

Miles kept busy during the weeks that followed. He visited the gym daily, even though he hated it. He accepted Hurley's offer to help him out with some work at Mr. Cluck's Chicken Shack. He started spending nights with the Reyes family, even though Hurley's mum drove him mad. He tried to enjoy all the benefits that modern civilization had to offer.

But whenever he was by himself, in that crappy apartment that he'd rented (one of the few available affordable places he could find) loneliness hit him hard. His closest friends lived on the East Coast or across the Atlantic and even though in this time zone his parents had been dead for years, to him it had only been weeks. Hadn't he seen them almost every day for the past three years? To know that he would never see them again made his stomach cramp up.

When Sawyer called him on the last Friday of April he tried to play it cool (as he always did when his friend called). James was in a good mood and gave him the ins and outs on how finally he and Juliet had found a house for themselves. Rental, but still. They would keep house hunting, but at least they'd have more privacy.

"That's great Jim" Miles grumbled unintentionally.

"Don't sound too excited Enos."

"Well. I'm just fed up with this shithole I'm living in. That's all."

"If your apartment is crap, why don't ya just move?"

"Yeah, yeah. There's a million things I need to do LaFleur. I mean Ford. Whatever… B'sides, not all of us are loaded."

"I ain't loaded if ya must know. Just… comfortable." James sighed. "I know you feel like shit Straume."

Miles heard Juliet mumble something in the background. "Hold on. The woman wants to talk to ya."

"Miles?"

"Hey."

"We miss you."

Damnit. She was making things worse. "No need to butter me up for this whole best man thing, Juliet. It's a yes already."

"Girls don't have a best man. You should update yourself on wedding protocol."

"Ha ha. Hilarious. Just make sure you have plenty of booze or I might purposely lose the rings."

"Miles?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you move to Florida?"

He lowered his phone and squeezed his eyes shut.

Los Angeles – Albuquerque, March – April 2008

Kate felt like everything had just slipped through her fingers in the worst possible way. Jack, Claire, Sawyer (again), Aaron.

Aaron.

Missing Aaron was like missing a long or half of her heart. It made breathing difficult and caused burning sensations in her chest. Things had been bearable on the island, but now that she was back, the sense of loss was overwhelming. She couldn't talk to Jack. Like going back to the island hadn't healed anything between them, but instead had created greater distance. He was caught up in his own world, trying to get back on his feet, without alcohol, spending long days at the hospital. He was busy and she was probably too much of a reminder of his destructive depressive years. The rejection hurt. Hadn't they loved each other?

She looked up Mrs. Littleton online and memorized her phone number. But she never had the courage to call. (What to say anyway? I'm sorry I couldn't get your daughter back. Can I please, please hear Aaron's voice?).

She briefly moved back into her old house. But Aaron's room was right there, along with all his stuff, and just the knowing that he was gone was enough of a torture already. She didn't need the million visible, practical little reminders like his blue sneakers, his toys, his drawings on the fridge, his pictures on the wall (Jack's pictures on the wall…).

So, she left.

Kate didn't know how to grieve. But she knew how to run. She ended up in Albuquerque, where she found comfort in the company of a friend (her only one, it felt) and the sweet face of Sawyer's daughter.

Cassidy was patient with her and a good listener. But when Kate started talking about James, that he was still alive, how he'd changed, Cassidy cut her short.

"Stay out of this Kate." As far as Cassidy was concerned, Sawyer was a closed book. Clementine thought her father was dead (which up until a few weeks ago had actually been 'the truth').

But Kate couldn't (or wouldn't) give up on this. She longed to make something right to make up for the million wrongs in her life. Eventually Cassidy gave in and went along with Kate's request to give Sawyer her phone number.

"You happy? Now drop it."

And then, six weeks after leaving the island, Jack called out of the blue. "Claire is back."

Claire is back.

She was in Australia with her mother and Aaron and had called Jack. Wasn't he her brother, after all? She'd asked for Kate as well. Asked for her to call.

When Kate typed in the Australian number she had imprinted in her brain for weeks now, she felt a shot of aliveness move through her body. A surge of hope. Maybe things would be ok after all.

Miami, May 2008

James had bought a car earlier that week and was now taking her for a spin. The tarmac beneath him felt so smooth he could imagine himself flying. On his way back to their new rental place he decided to pay the ocean a visit. The sound of waves rolling on beaches would do him good.

Half an hour later he opened his door, pushed his chair back and closed his eyes. For a moment he let himself think he was on the island again. The simple, happy life that had been. Well, maybe not simple. But his options had been limited and that had made things easy in a way. Now, when he thought about the future, he found himself faced with a million possibilities and it made him restless. One in particular had been eating at him ever since he got off the island.

OK. Time to do this buddy.

He'd inserted Cassidy's number into his phone weeks ago, not trusting himself to hold onto the little folded piece of paper that had been sitting in his wallet. He grabbed his phone out of the glove compartment, checked his contacts list, and dialed.

When she picked up after what seemed like an eternity he briefly panicked.

"Who's this?" he heard her ask.

"Cassidy?"

Silence on the other end of the line.

"Cass?"

"Hello Sawyer."

Their conversation was short and stiff. They exchanged civilities for a minute or two.

("Kate told me you're getting married?"

"Yeah"

"Lucky lady"

"Yeah, well…"

"You just missed her, you know."

"Clementine?"

"Kate."

"Kate's staying with ya?"

"She was. She's in Sydney now, with Claire."

"Claire's back?"

"Apparently."

"That's good. For Kate, I mean."

"What do you want Sawyer?").

But in the end he got what he'd hoped for, a shot at getting to know his daughter.

"If you intend to chicken out or disappear on her you might as well not come."

"I won't."

"Just the one visit. Then we'll see. And leave your fiancé at home."

Albuquerque – Miami, May 2008

Sawyer met his daughter on a rainy Friday afternoon in May. Clementine had her mother's nose and chin, but his eyes, his dimples. Everything else was simply her own. Her hair was long and sandy colored, tied together in a braid on her back. Her worn off jeans and simple purple sweater showed him she wasn't a girly girl. But then again, neither was her mother. She shook his hand firm and steady, but he could tell she was nervous by the slight blush on her cheeks (that makes two of us, kiddo).

She stayed close to her mum throughout the visit, though her curious eyes never left James, shamelessly examining him, taking him in. The combination of shyness and attitude took his breath away.

After diner, as he was getting ready to leave, she walked over to him and tapped on his hand.

"You're coming to see me again, right?" She tilted her head just so she could look at him and he was enchanted for a second. His own eyes were staring right back at him.

"You want me to?"

Clementine shrugged her shoulders. "If you want."

"Then I'll come again." He glanced over at Cassidy standing a few feet away. But she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were on her daughter.

Clementine's arms circled his waist to hug him, just briefly, and then she ran off to play in the back yard.

On the flight back to Miami he couldn't think of anything but his daughter's eyes. He felt so much heavier with the weight of potential fatherhood on his shoulders. But at the same time he felt so much lighter. As if another piece of 'Sawyer' had just crumbled away.

Two weeks later they found themselves in their usual evening setting, reading on the couch, while taking the occasional sip of beer (from a bottle this time, so much better). He couldn't focus on his book though and instead kept glancing over at Juliet. Imagining what it could be like, with her. What it would look like.

She caught him staring. "What?"

"Nothin'."

She cocked an eyebrow at him but he just shook his head and returned to his book.

In bed that night they moved slowly. He pressed his nose against her skin, tracing a line from her earlobe to her collarbone with his tongue, kissing her breasts, his hand moving down her side toward her thigh and back up again. She sighed and he paused for a second to look at her. She had her eyes closed and her forehead was furrowed in that familiar way that gave away her pleasure.

They could do this. Could they?

He kissed his way back up until he was able to cup one side of her face with his hand.

"Juliet."

Her eyes opened.

Nerves kicked in at the sight of those blue eyes but he forced himself to say it. "I wanna have a baby."

Another frown, one of surprise this time. "What?" she asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"I want us to have a baby."

She moved from under him and rolled onto her side, her eyes turning all serious. "Is this because of Clementine?"

"No. Well yeah. Maybe."

"That's not a very clear answer."

He pressed his left elbow in his pillow and rested his head in his hand. "I guess, ya know, Clementine's great. I think we could get along, I could make her like me. And maybe she'll call me daddy one day. I don't know."

His right hand moved to Juliet's shoulder and he curled a stray of blonde hair between his fingers.

"She's beautiful. And she looks like me. But the thing is, she ain't yours. And it got me thinkin' what our kid would look like."

"Last month you almost panicked just thinking about it."

"I know."

Juliet turned onto her stomach to lean onto her elbows. She started doing that thing again, playing with her ring. And it made him nervous, again. As if she could take it off at any moment.

"Raising a kid is a huge responsibility James" she whispered.

"That's ok with me."

"Shouldn't you focus on your daughter first?"

"No. Yes. I mean, I can do both. Right?" Damnit, he didn't mean to sound hesitant. He smiled at her to ease away any doubt. But her face was already full of it. Whether it was about his intentions or her own feelings he couldn't tell.

"Don't you want this Jules?"

She lifted her eyes from the ring and looked at him. "I do. I do want this." No hesitation in that answer.

He exhaled.

"Let's just…" she continued. "Can we take some time to get used to the idea? Together?"

"You got it Blondie."

Miami, July 2008

Juliet woke up to the best possible scenario. Warm lips pressing gently against her shoulder blade and fingers lacing with her own in front of her chest.

"Mornin'" James mumbled against her neck.

"Hmmmm." She pressed back against his body in a way that she knew would get to him.

He sighed deeply. "Time to get up Blondie."

"Huh? No." If he wasn't in the mood at least she could sleep a little longer. "Just a few more minutes…"

He tried to untangle his hand from hers but she wouldn't let go. She could hear him chuckle. "Your sister's goin' to be here in thirty."

"Ugh." She let go of him reluctantly. Why was Rachel stopping by so ridiculously early?

Then it dawned on her. This was her wedding day. She rolled over to look at James, who was grinning from ear to ear. "Let's do this sweetheart."

She bumped into Miles on her way to the bathroom. He was already dressed, his hair still damp from a shower.

"Late for your own wedding day. Classy."

"Good morning to you too Miles" she answered while quickly tying her hair together with a rubber band.

He smiled his typical annoying yet heartwarming Miles smile and she reminded herself to sit him down later that day and force a decision out of him. But he'd only arrived yesterday and spent most of his time with James (Rachel had made her try out different hair styles all afternoon, untill she finally decided to just leave it the way it usually was, down. Nothing fancy). So maybe Miles already told James he'd be moving out here and James had just forgotten to let her in on that, cause, well, they had other things on their minds last night.

Great Juliet. Walking down the aisle with a lack of sleep and sore muscles.

"Already made coffee" Miles called after her as she entered the bathroom.

"I love you Miles."

Coffee helped. And by the time she was back in Rachel's guest room, looking at herself in the mirror, wedding bliss had come over her. With Ed she didn't have a white dress. It had been mostly a formality, not a celebration, though at the time she'd completely not been aware of that.

But this dress was white, or ivory to be precise. Simple and elegant (a man's opinion, Adam's to be exact), A-line, all the way to the ground, small straps over her shoulders. She looked back at Rachel who seemed almost ready to cry and smiled. "It's still nice, huh?"

"Jules, it's gorgeous. Honestly. You look beautiful."

The ceremony took place just outside of Miami, close to the beach. Jin and Sun were there with Ji Yeon. Sun was already starting to show and as Juliet was getting ready she came knocking on her door, holding a picture of a recent ultrasound in her hand.

Rachel, Adam and Julian were there. As well as Miles, and Clementine. Cassidy had been reluctant to the idea but when James offered them both a week by the ocean at his expense, she gave in. She'd dropped her daughter off in the morning and would pick her up right after dinner.

James was wearing a suit, making him look insanely handsome. As he walked over to Juliet the feeling hit her that everything had been worth it. Every damn thing that had happened to her had been worth it. Because it had taken her here, to him, to this moment.

They had decided to walk down the aisle together, much to Rachel's protest. But moments before the start of the ceremony James changed his mind.

"I just wanna see you walkin' toward me Blondie."

"I thought we decided against that?"

"Humor me will ya. I'm only gonna do this once" James answered, and she felt the butterflies in her stomach do another flip.

"He's just a softie" Miles commented from behind and Juliet turned to look at him.

"You're both softies" she smirked, well aware that Miles was not unmoved by this day as well.

Saying their vows was easy and swift, the only interruption being Rachel who had to come to Juliet's rescue with paper tissues. Miles hadn't lost their wedding bands. He fished them out of the inner pocket of his jacket and handed them to his friend on cue. "Here you go LaFleur" he whispered, getting two smiles in response.

James fingers trembled as he placed her ring on her finger, just like he had that other time, on a boat in the Pacific. Juliet was no better at it and he had to help her, the Florida heat having caused his fingers to swell just slightly. But they managed, leaving him with nothing else to do than kiss her. And so he did.

THE END (now just imagine them having babies, Miles moving to Florida, Jin and Sun having a baby boy, Claire moving to LA with Aaron, and everyone living happily ever after!)