A/N: No it's not a hallucination and yes it really is another chapter of Yesteryear. Enjoy!

Chapter 13.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Head, god it hurt. What had happened? Where was he?

What do you think you're doing Jim? That's right, Horace, was there, but where?

Drip, drip, drip, drip.

His mouth felt dry and he tried moving.

Jim, Jim. Was that Miles?

What are doing Jim, have you gone mad?

Stay back Horace.

What the fuck was Horace doing there, he shouldn't have been, that man, always interfering like he owned the god damn island.

We gotta go back.

Where?

Back to the future. Damn that had sounded so lame.

He'd let go of her hand, Juliet, that's right. He had to stop Horace coming any closer.

Twitchy! He'd yelled, you better hurry up and turn that damn wheel!

I trusted you James!

Horace, shit, why did he feel so bad? It's not what you think.

Then everything went crazy after that. Radinsky appeared out of nowhere, they started fighting, someone had hit him, he thinks and then nothing.

Shit. It didn't work? Did they stop Daniel? He tried to force his eyes open.

"Shh, it'll be okay." Juliet's voice, least she was with him.

He wanted to speak, wanted to ask what the hell had happened, then he felt something wet and warm on his face.

"Dada, wake up."

Mary, kissing him, he screwed up his face but felt instant relief. He forced his eyes open and gazed straight into Juliet's concerned face.

Mary clapped her hands. "Dada awake now."

Normally he would have found this adorably cute but other more pressing issues were on his mind.

"What the hell happened?" His first words, sounding more like a croak.

He swallowed, felt like his damn head had split apart.

"Well Radinsky tried pushing past you and you got in a tussle with him, and he punched you hard enough to send you falling back and you hit your head on the side of the table," she returned, biting down on her lip. He knew she only ever did that when she was really worried.

And well he kind of already knew that much. Least his memory was still intact, that had to be a good sign.

"It didn't work?" he asked.

"Well," she sighed, "we are not in the 70's anymore James."

James felt his stomach tighten, it had worked then! He tried to sit up. Juliet held him down.

"Your head is still bleeding, it bled a lot." He heard the worry in her voice. "Let it stop before you attempt to sit up."

He looked at her with open confusion.

"So the flash happened?"

"Yes."

His eyes raked over Mary, back to Juliet and her noticeable pregnant belly. It was okay. Thank god. Raising a hand he touched her face.

"You're okay?"

Her face softened, she managed a small smile.

"Yes," she murmured.

"You know where we are?" he asked.

"In the Orchid, but I don't know when."

Mary placed both little hands on either side of his face and peered down at him.

"Dada better?" she asked, looking up at Juliet.

Juliet looked down at the small girl, a tender smile crossing her face.

"Dada will be better," she said.

Thank god, it was all good, they still had Mary and Juliet was still pregnant.

"Where are Miles, and Jin?"

"They went up top to take a look."

He frowned, they had left Juliet alone? "How long have I been out of it?"

"About ten minutes."

Ten minutes! That long!

Juliet removed the rag she was holding to his head to stem the bleeding and peered at the gash there.

"The bleeding has nearly stopped but it'll need stitches," she murmured.

Great timing. "Ya think it's necessary because ..."

But one look from Juliet's face silenced him. Okay, he knew that look, no point arguing with it.

"It's not like we are in kind of hurry James."

Of course, not really, they don't even know where the hell they are, in time, and if by chance Daniel did get it right then they would have to assume they were in 2007.

Miles took in his surroundings. The place certainly looked forlorn. Nothing like the bustling hive of activity it was in the 70's and for a moment his felt bereft. Weird but not more than 20 minutes ago he was standing in this very spot and nothing looked familiar anymore. Now the place was just old, rundown, unused. It was sort of creepy.

"It will be dark soon," Jin spoke, "no point going anywhere now."

"Good lets go back down," he returned heading back towards the elevator. He didn't want to be up here, exposed, vulnerable.

Jin followed.

"You got any idea when we might be?" Miles asked, glancing at him over his shoulder.

Jin shook his head. "No, we won't know that till we get back to the beach camp."

The beach camp, that was years ago, it was still imprinted on his mind like it was yesterday. And Charlotte dying, he didn't really want to remember that. Felt sorry for Daniel having to live knowing what he does. That would suck. Probably better off not falling in love to begin with.

But say by chance they were now in 2007 and they got back home, him now 33, when he was supposed to 30. Damn but he really wasn't getting any younger and the thought of finding someone, well maybe he'd have a better chance once home, maybe. Maybe he will find someone, fall in love and get all lovey-dovey like James and Juliet, enough to make anyone puke, seriously. Okay well then just maybe part of him did envy what they had, but he just couldn't see it happening to him? Like he was cursed in that department or something; doomed to be unlucky in love.

James was awake when they got back and sitting up. That was a good sign, a relief. He hadn't looked good when they'd left. Him and Jin exchanging worried looks but Juliet obviously wanted to be left alone with him.

He'll be fine Jin had said reassuringly.

Miles had to marvel at him. How did the guy always remain so positive after everything he'd lost? But maybe he'd get it back now? And he'd been the only one still alone, he inwardly sighed. Yep his allotment in life.

Juliet was stitching up the gash to James' head. James was trying hard not to grimace with pain.

He looked pretty pale.

"What are you staring at Enos?" he snapped.

Nothing wrong with his tongue, he mused.

"What'd you see up there?" James asked.

Miles shrugged. "Everything is overgrown, looks unused so we've travelled to the future, just don't know when?"

"And it's nearly night, no point in going anywhere now," Jin added.

"I guess we stay here for the night."

They found some old tins of Dharma spaghetti and sat down at a rickety table to eat it cold. It was pretty grim and everyone was unusually quiet. Juliet didn't know what to feel or think. Okay so they were in the future but still on the island. Ben Linus was out there, somewhere, a grown man, probably still ruling this island?

Though maybe he was no longer on the island? John Locke, from memory had told them that Ben Linus had turned the wheel making them skip through time and whoever turned the wheel vanished from the island and back on to the mainland. She hoped that is where Daniel was and he was okay.

But knowing Ben he'd probably found a way back. She wouldn't put it past him.

If it was 2007 what were they going to find? That worried her more than anything currently. It was obviously pressing on everyone's mind too given the silence.

Her eyes rested on James. He looked pale and her memories were still so vivid, the sudden terror she'd felt at the last moment.

James had let her go, what did that mean? She wanted to scream at him. Don't you dare play hero now! All he had to do was hold on to her, stay the hell away from Horace.

She remembered seeing the confusion in Horace's eyes, the disbelief and feeling bad.

We don't belong here she had said.

And Horace had kept back until Radinsky appeared and Juliet knew straight away it was bad news.

Fuck Radinsky. Had she yelled that? And James, he had let go of her hand when he shouldn't have!

It all happened in slow motion after that. Radinsky striding straight up to James, James warning him to stay back but Radinsky was an ass. She never had liked the guy. James punched him. And it was on, the big fight. Radinksy was a strong man and all she could do was watch dismayed, the dread hitting her hard as James fell back smashing his head on the table. He was out cold before he even hit the ground. She saw the blood, turned horrified eyes to Radinsky.

What have you done? Saw Horace's face pale and then nothing but white bright light and the screeching in her ears, making her head feel like it was going to explode. She'd had Mary in one arm, the bag in the other and just held tight.

It had taken a moment for her to realise what had happened, where they were. Mary was crying in her arms. She took a deep sharp breath, the bag dropping from her hand as she felt her belly, instant relief, so palpable. She was still pregnant, it was okay but James. Shit James.

She was by his side in an instant, grabbing whatever she could find from the bag, a bunny rug and pressing it to the side of his head.

So much blood.

James ... please answer me James ... you just better be okay ... you can't go and die on me now, I'll never forgive you ... ever.

He was breathing, his eyelashes fluttered.

Miles and Jin were suddenly by her side, asking a million questions, stressing her out.

Why don't you just go up the elevator and find out if we have or have not gone to the future! She'd yelled. She could deal with James on her own. She didn't want them around, just in case it was bad and she lost it, started screaming like some Banshee woman. No, she needed to be alone with him till she had the reassurance all would be okay.

Miles and Jin had nodded, and left, much to her relief.

Mary started kissing James' face. Wake up Dada. And it broke her heart. What if he didn't? It was always hard to tell with head injuries and it could be mild? But it could be serious too.

Then his eyes opened and such a sweet relief swept over her. The words he uttered even better. He would be fine. And god but she wanted to smack him out at the same time.

How dare he scare he like that!

She stroked his face instead. Poor baby, always in the wars but he was tough, seemingly surviving the worst. Just as well because she really didn't know what she would do without him? She had never had this sort of closeness with any other human being except her sister but that was different, of course, as it should be.

So there they were, just the four of them, five including Mary. They exchanged silent glances as if everyone was too afraid to speak their minds, perhaps because they are in fact thinking the same thing. They eat their tins of spaghetti in relative silence. Juliet stared down into the now empty tin of spaghetti. Again the hope, did she let it in? She wanted to, desperately but time spent on this island where there was no certainty about anything ... she couldn't ... not yet, no way would she allow the hope in till she was off this island, on real mainland soil with her sister standing right in front of her eyes. Only then would she let the hope in.

"You think these tins are still safe to eat?" Miles spoke breaking the silence.

"Soon find out," Juliet replied.

Miles swallowed, spoon coming to rest in the tin.

"I hate it when you do that," he grumbled.

She managed a smile.

"Well we just got blasted through time again and exposed to god knows what so what harm could an old tin of spaghetti do?"

Her hand rested on her belly. Could do a lot to the baby but she couldn't even allow those fears to surface now. She had to believe it was going to be okay. But the baby hadn't moved since they'd been there. It had only been an hour. No need to worry yet right?

"Taste alright to me," James said, licking the spoon.

Miles glanced at him. "Yeah but you'll eat anything," he remarked with a small grin. "Hey you might even get to lose a few pounds if we have to live on tinned food for a while."

"Ha, ha, you go ahead," James returned, "have ya fun, but at least I know when I go to sleep at night I'll still have a full head of hair when I wake up in the morning."

"Only it'll be totally grey by the time you're 50."

James shrugged. "Better grey than bald."

"Better bald than fat," Miles chipped in.

Juliet rolled her eyes, not this again but in part she welcomed the suddenly lighter mood.

"I'm not fat," James protested.

"Not yet but give it time," Miles smiled, pointing a spoon at James mid section, "you're starting to get a bit tubby there."

James frowned, shook his head. "We'll see how good you look at 42 and ya wanna hope ya meet a girl before ya start losing that hair."

Miles folded his arms.

"That's alright, I'll still be witty, charming ..."

"And bald," James finished for him.

"Is unca Miles bald?" Mary spoke, looking at him in such earnest that Juliet couldn't help smiling.

Miles didn't look impressed.

"No he's not," he told her.

"Not yet," James pointed out.

"Me want baby Miles," Mary said, "can me please play mama."

Big Miles looked visibly pale. "It creeps me out when she does that."

Juliet enfolded Mary in her arms. "Not now baby, its bed time and tomorrow we are going to go for a long walk, daddy will give you a piggy back ride."

What was the time? She knew it was night time here but everything seemed weird, back the front.

Mary's bottom lip fell. Not a good sign. Big tears began to well in her eyes. She was good at the emotional trump card.

"C'mon here girl," James said, taking her into his arms.

He rocked her in his arms, stroking her hair. "Ya gonna need ya strength tomorrow."

Her little hand reached up and touched the bandage on his head. "Sore?"

"A little, it'll be alright, ya old man is tough."

"When he's not being a klutz," Miles remarked.

"Or doing stupid heroic acts," Juliet added.

James frowned. "Yeah well I had to do something."

"Please don't do that again James," Juliet breathed, "you told me never to let go of you and then you went and let go of me."

James had the audacity to look ashamed. "Yeah well at least it all turned out okay," he said in his defence.

"For now." Jin pointed out, solemnly.

"Let's not think about that," Miles muttered.

"About the 100 things that could go wrong," Juliet mentioned, it was about time they discussed it. "What if Ben Linus is still the leader of the island?"

There she had said it now. It was out in the open.

"What if the 'others' are still hostile? What if they take us captive? How are we going to get off the island?" Miles murmured.

"Richard might help us," James returned, a thoughtful look crossing his face, "he might be the leader now?"

Juliet blinked. Unlike James to be that positive, normally he is the one pointing out all the pitfalls.

"Thing is," James continued, "we really won't know anything till we get out there."

"We should have taken Linus out when we had the chance back in the 70's," Miles murmured.

Juliet glared at him. "He was just a boy."

They had had this argument before, back in the early days, Juliet still remembered it. The day she realised that Benjamin Linus was just a boy with the Dharma Initiative.

Flashback

That first night, she had sat on the pier and allowed James to talk her into staying for two weeks. Since when had she'd been a sucker for charming men? But there was something different about James. Something she hadn't been able to put her finger on but it made her think about him more often than she had wanted too.

This was the guy who had hated her and now he was begging her to stay? And she was saying yes!

Well he was kind of cute, surly but strong in a way that had surprised her, how he'd just taken charge when everything went horribly wrong. He was smarter than she'd initially given him credit for. She had felt strangely connected to him. Not sure how she had let that happen?

If she'd had any common sense she would have got on that sub the next morning and left the island for good.

But the very next morning she was walking back from the clothing store room, her arms laden with clothes and linen, surely she didn't really need so many clothes when she was only going to be here two weeks. And that's when she saw him, a boy, kind of gangly looking. He was wearing silver rimmed round glasses.

"You need some help ma'am?"

He looked so timid and nervous. Poor boy.

"Sure," she replied, "could do with some help, how about you take the bed sheets?"

"Okay."

He looked so pleased. She placed the sheets in his arms, totally oblivious to who he was. It hadn't taken long to find out. She had no longer dumped the clothes and linen on the sofa and headed back outside, the boy in tow when an angry looking man came striding up to them.

"Benjamin!" He had yelled.

The boy cringed. Juliet had eyed the man over as he approached them.

"I told you to stay away from the new people."

"I-I just saw her walking," the boy stammered, "I j-just wanted to help."

"Sorry about that ma'am," the man spoke, as he came face to face with them, giving her an apologetic look, "I hope he wasn't a nuisance?"

"No, not all ..." she began her voice breaking off there as she watched horrified, the man hit the boy across the head.

"You do as your told next time, now get out of here."

She blinked and watched the boy scamper away, looking terribly ashamed. How awful for him. She turned her gaze to the man.

"Who are you?" she demanded, voice cold.

"Roger ma'am," he replied and pointed to the tag on his overalls, "workman."

The only word standing out to Juliet was the one word she hoped to never see or hear again.

"Linus," she whispered.

"Yeah and that was my son Ben."

Her eyes met his, horrified. There was a buzzing in her ears. What did he say? No! It couldn't be? That boy was Benjamin Linus!

"And your name?" Roger Linus asked and she saw the way he eyed her over, eyebrows rising in approval and she felt sick in the stomach.

"Juliet," she'd replied stiffly.

He eyed her over again and it was nearly too much for Juliet. "Well Juliet, I'm glad to make your acquaintance."

Oh god, she had to get out of here.

"If you excuse me I've got things to do," she said coldly and walked away.

Benjamin Linus was here, here in Dharmaville, how? He was supposed to be an 'Other'! Dazed, feeling sick to her core she found James in the clothing store room.

"There ya are Blondie," he said barely glancing her way, sorting through a rack of jeans, "damn but there's nothing here without flares and I sure ain't wearing flared jeans," he snorted in disgust, "and look at these shirts," he continued, pulling one out and showing it to her, scowling, "flowers all over it, what the hell am I going to wear?"

"I-I ..." but the words got stuck in her throat.

James looked at her, a frown denting his forehead.

"You alright girl?"

She swallowed. "Ben Linus," she'd managed to get out.

His frown intensified. "What?"

"I saw Benjamin Linus."

He shook his head, confused.

"How? That ain't possible."

"He's a boy James," she'd explained, "a boy living with his father here in Dharma."

She'd never forgotten the look on his face that day, the complete astonishment.

Finding Jin, Miles and Daniel they had discussed, argued about what to do with Benjamin Linus.

"I say will kill him," James had suggested and she'd rounded on him so abruptly.

"Really," she had demanded, "you really think you could kill a boy?"

Least he had had the audacity to look ashamed.

"We can't do anything," Daniel had stressed, "whatever happened happened!"

And none of them were killers. Well James had killed a few people and herself included, but she didn't like thinking about that. It still gave her nightmares.

"I can't kill a kid," James had muttered raking a hand through his hair.

That was that. They lived in Dharmaville alongside Benjamin and his sleazy father that Juliet hated just as much as she hated the grown up version of Benjamin Linus. She watched Ben Linus grow from a boy of just 11 years old, through his teenager years, right up until the age of 17. And watched his father continue to mistreat him all those years and it was no wonder he'd turned out like he did, though how much of an excuse was that really because James' had had it worst and he'd turned out alright in the end. Well okay so maybe it had taken him a while but the important thing was that he had.

When she looked at James now it was hard to believe what he once was. She smiled at the sight of Mary fast asleep in his arms. He was so patient with her, loving and kind.

Had your father been like that with you? She'd asked him one day, not that long ago.

He'd stiffen, avoided her gaze and muttered sometimes.

But I don't want to remember him he had told her and she'd never asked again.

"We should put Mary on the sofa," she spoke, softly.

Rummaging through the bag she found a blanket and Mary's favourite teddy bear. James placed Mary gently on the sofa and Juliet wrapped the blanket around her, placing the teddy bear under one arm. She straightened up, found James watching her, that tender look in his eyes. He pulled her into his arms.

"Thank god you're alright," he murmured in her hair.

She pulled back, gazed into his face and touched the bandage on his head.

"How is it?"

"It's one humdinger of a headache," he returned, "but it all turned out okay, we are safe and probably in damn 2007 and god knows what's gonna happen but we're alright."

He pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling warmly. Juliet leant in towards him, pressed her lips against his and what was that noise?

Pulling back she looked into James worried eyes.

"What the hell," he muttered, "that sounds like the lift."

James turned to face the lift, took a few steps towards it. Miles and Jin got to their feet, Miles chair falling backwards.

They exchanged worried glances.

"Someone's coming," Jin spoke.

"Fuck, any guns down here?" James asked, eyes scanning around the room. "Look everywhere."

They quickly searched through doors, cupboards, Miles finally finding a gun. He handed it to James.

"It's not loaded."

"Better than nothing, and whoever it is ain't gonna know that."

Juliet swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. This, the waiting was killing her. What if there was more than one person? What if they were armed?

"James," she began.

"Stay behind me Juliet."

Juliet felt her stomach roil.

"We could just hide," Miles suggested.

"What all five of us?" James snorted. "No we face whatever is coming down that lift."

"What if we don't like what it is?" Miles continued, face pale.

"How bad it can it be? ..." James words died off there when the elevator came to a stop.

Juliet watched the doors open and the last person she ever wanted to see again step out.

Benjamin Linus. Her heart sank. Had thinking about him conjured him out of thin air? Time stood still. Ben looking as equally shocked to see them as they were seeing him.

He began walking towards them, confusion crossing his face.

"Just stay right where you are Linus," James warned.

Ben Linus blinked, his eyes growing rounder.

"Is that you James Ford?"

"Yeah it's the ghost from Christmas past," he remarked, "now you wanna tell me what you are doing here?"

Benjamin Linus eyes flitted from Miles and Jin before landing on her, a question in their depths.

"I don't believe it," he murmured, looking even more shell shocked.

He slowly began walking towards her. Juliet felt all colour drain from her face.

"I'm warning you Linus," James growled.

"Shut it James that gun isn't even loaded."

"Son of a ... okay then I'll just have to knock ya out."

Ben stopped, looked him over with some disdain before his eyes rested back on her and her pregnant belly. His eyes just about popped out of his head. She would have smiled if she wasn't so terrified.

"You're pregnant," he murmured in disbelief.

"Yeah and it's mine," James pointed out.

Ben's face paled. He brought a shaking hand up to his forehead. "I need to sit down."

Juliet threw James a desperate look. What did they do now?

Ben's eyes rested on the sofa and Mary fast asleep there before they shot back to her.

"Is she yours too?"

"Yeah she is ours," James bristled, "and if you touch her or Juliet I swear to god I'll kill ya ..."

Ben raised up a hand up to silence him.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone," he spoke in a calm voice.

Juliet had to give it to Linus, he sure managed to get his emotions under control very quickly. She watched him reach into his pocket, her heart beat quickening.

"What are ya doing?" James demanded.

"I'm getting my walkie talkie, if that is alright with you James," he returned.

James was still scowling, a distrustful look in his eyes. "No, you'll just call up ya buddies and arrest us and throw us all in animal cages."

"It's not like that anymore," Linus sighed and pulled the walkie talkie out of his pocket. "Trust me."

"Why should we?"

"Because everything has changed," he began, looking from James to Juliet a slight puzzled frown denting his forehead, "where have you been?"

"You should know? What don't you recognise us Linus because we sure as hell remember you, a boy growing up in Dharmaville?"

"I have no memories of that."

Juliet met James' eyes. Was that true? But how and what did that mean?

Ben brought the walkie talkie up to his mouth. "Is that you Hugo?"

Juliet's eyes widened. Did Ben Linus just say Hugo? She saw the same question in James' eyes.

"You won't believe what I've found down in the Orchid," Linus continued, "get down here as quick as you can."

Ben lowered the walkie, talkie. He glanced around the room at each person.

"James, Jin, Miles, Juliet," he acknowledged.

"I guess we all have a lot of catching up to do," he sighed, slipping the walkie talkie back into his pocket. "But first up, welcome back to the island, and just to get you up to date with things around here you are all now under the golden reign of Hugo Reyes."

He gave an ironic smile. "I thought that might surprise you."

A/N: I'm not sure what I think of this chapter? I found it really hard to get a flow but luckily it eventually kicked in.

Feed back would be really nice!

This story is close to being done. One or two more chapters should sum it up. Sorry about the long wait! Life and other story plot lines got in the way.