A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to get back to this story. Enjoy!

Chapter 14.

The golden reign of Hugo Reyes, what the hell? James can't take it in. He's hearing things, has to be, damn, god damn, Hugo a leader. Big Hurley, who loved to eat, was uncannily good at sports like table tennis and throwing damn horse shoes. There was nothing he could beat the big tub of lard at and it use to do his head in. Hugo, the "make everyone happy guy", the do-gooder that had another side not everyone else saw. He was smarter than you'd give him credit for. Often right, sometimes saviour of the day and well why not? Why not have Hugo Reyes be the next leader of the 'Others'? Kind of fitting in a whacky sort of way. Certainly make a damn sight better leader than the last miserable one standing right before his eyes looking sort of smug and smarmy and James doesn't care that things might have changed he'll never trust Benjamin Linus.

He catches Jin's eye and sees the hesitation there before taking in Juliet's pale face. It has that pinched drawn look, the cool mask. He hasn't seen it in a long while. She looks just as doubtful of Linus' motives as he does. He returns his attention to Linus.

"So ya saying Hugo is in charge around here?" he asks rubbing his forehead.

Ben Linus beady eyed direct gaze met his. "Yes James."
"B-But how?"

Linus sighed. "Why don't we sit down at the table and talk," he suggests, "looks like we have a lot of catching up to do."

They sure did, James muses. Ben Linus the only one seeming at ease. James sits down stiffly, Juliet gingerly, Linus' eyes resting on her belly again as if it is something he just can't quite bring himself to believe.

That's right Linus, my kid in there James feels like saying again just to see the expression on his face, priceless.

"So where have you all been?" Linus enquires.

Where do they start, James glances at Juliet, then Jin and lastly Miles. How did they explain it?

"We've been living in the 70's man," Miles replies, "with the Dharma Initiative."

"Watched you grow up," James adds giving Ben Linus a pointed stare.

Surely he couldn't have forgotten that, the jerk is a mastermind at lying and manipulating the facts when it suited him. "You ain't really gonna sit there and say you don't remember us back then ..."

"I remember," Ben speaks, simply, brushing some imaginary lint of his shirt, "I purposely tracked down Juliet and brought her here, she had to come to the island, events had to unfold in the right order," he continues.

James froze. He knew! He deliberately brought Juliet to the island because it had to be? What the fuck. His eyes flew to her, the faint lines in her forehead deepening.

"But that was all I knew at that stage."

Linus' eyes rests on him. "Wasn't sure where or how you got there, you can't imagine my surprise when your flight crashed on the island and I saw you."

James clenches his jaw.

"You with your cockiness and surly attitude, I knew I had to beat it out of you, break you down."

James remembers it only too well, the humiliation, the not knowing if he or Kate would survive.

"I knew never to let Juliet near you and set her up with Jack," Linus continues in that cool calm way of his, "but I should have known better," he sighs with a resigned shrug of his shoulders, "whatever happened would happen no matter what I did."

His voice was softer now, his expression ironic and self reflective, he turns his gaze to Juliet.

"Sure enough Juliet shot Pickett saving your life and Jack saved Juliet's life by making an agreement with me to fix up my back, John Locke blew up the sub and here we all are."

Linus raises an eyebrow. "Alive."

Silence follows. James takes a deep breath, unclenches his fists.

"You knew all along," he manages to get out in a hoarse voice.

"I didn't know you would end up back here," Ben admits, "but I do remember the ruckus you all left behind when you suddenly vanished down at the Orchid, Horace tried to hush it all up but you can't really keep something like that quiet."

Horace, it was only just hours ago he'd last seen him, the bewildered look on his face. James still feels bad about lying to him.

"So where are we now?" Jin asks.

"On the island of course."

"What year?"

"2011."

James eyes met with Jin's. "Guess Faraday was out by a couple of years."

"Faraday?" Linus exclaims.

Well that explained some things, James muses. He looks back at Linus.

"How the hell did Hugo end up back here? I saw him on the helicopter, he got off the island," he states.

"He came back," Linus returns, "along with Kate, Sayid and Sun."

It was as if a bomb had suddenly exploded ... Jack, Kate, Sun?

"You mean Locke brought them back?"

"Yes James."

"And Sun?" Jin demands looking alarmed, "Sun was here?"

"She isn't here now, she went back," Linus hastily added, "when she realized that you guys were missing in time."

James rubs his forehead again feeling sorry for Jin, knew the poor guy had been through hell these last six years.

"So how about ya start at the beginning then, tell us everything ..." James begins, his voice breaking off there when he hears the elevator start up.

"I think Hugo is the best one to tell you that, sounds like he's on his way down."

James slowly got up from the chair and walked towards the lift followed by the others. He felt Juliet slip her hand into his. He turns to look at her and sees something he hasn't seen in her eyes ever, hope. It was a strange sight to behold. He doesn't want to hope, not yet, too soon.

"It's 2011 James," she whispers, a shaky smile crossing her pale face, "finally we might get off this island and back to our proper time, back to where we really belong."

He doesn't know what to say. Belong, he never belonged back there, didn't know what belonging was till he came to the island, till he ended up in Dharmaville in the 70's, till he found her, Juliet.

"Sun was able to leave," she continues.

She has a point, but could they, was it a reality now? Did they hope? He doesn't know what to think or feel yet? His whole sense of purpose tied up in the island.

The elevator door opens and Hugo steps out and god damn but he's a sight for sore eyes. The big guy has hardly changed, doesn't look a day older, if anything he looks good, still big but not like before and he looks ... young.

"Dudes!" he exclaims and James finds himself caught up in a bone crushing hug. "I don't believe it, we all thought you must be dead or something or stuck in time."

Ribs are about to break, he can't breathe. Luckily Hugo releases him and hugs Jin next. James gingerly rubs his ribs, it feels so good seeing him, but surreal too. Is this really happening?

Faraday had really done it! He had sent them back to the future. Unbelievable.

Hugo's eyes widen when he sees Juliet.

"Wow look at you," he says, smiling broadly, and glancing at James, winking, "you two have been busy." He kisses her on the cheek.

"How do you know it's his?" Miles butts in.

James frowns at him.

"It's the obvious choice," Hugo shrugs, "good looking girl gets with good looking dude."

"I'm not good looking enough?" Miles exclaims.

But no one is paying much attention to him, too caught up in the weirdness of the moment.

"Sawyer a father," Hugo laughs, "who would have thought and remember that time you couldn't even catch a fish?"

Jin smirks. "He still suck at catching fish."

"Well y'all laugh it up, no need to catch damn fish when living in the Dharmaville, plenty of food there."

He can feel Hugo's eyes rest on him, sizing him up.

"You guys have gotten older, how long were you in the 70's."

"Six years," James replies and frowns, "how did you know ...?"

"Ben told us, said he remembered you there but that you had all disappeared in the Orchid and none of us knew what had happened, where you all had gone."

"Here," Juliet speaks, "it like happened today, this morning."

"You mean 30 years ago," Ben adds, "for me that is."

Hugo shakes his head. "Time travel."

"So how the hell did you end up the leader?" James enquires, giving him the once over, still unable to believe all of this was happening.

"How about we go back to the barracks, have dinner and we can all talk about it then," Hugo suggests and glances around the dim dank corridor, "this place always creeps me out."

James gently picks up the sleeping Mary and carries her, glad she can sleep through all of this. His head is still thumping.

"I'll take her," Jin offers, "you shouldn't strain yourself."

James isn't about to argue and hands Mary to her. Hugo is watching them.

"I still can't believe it dude," he says wistfully, "you a dad."

"Yeah well I've grown up, had to."

Didn't bother to say that he'd found himself on the island because that would sound so damn cliché.

It was dark up above. Luckily they didn't have to walk as Hugo had the hippy van.

"Man it's weird," Miles remarks, running his hand along the van, "these things are still going."

James looks worriedly around the enclosing jungle.

"Ain't you all concerned about the smoke monster?" he asks.

"He no longer exist dude," Hugo returns, opening the door for them to clamber in.

James notes the sad expression on Hugo's face. What is that about? Why does the big guy look suddenly sad? Wasn't it a good thing the smoke monster was gone? And how did that happen? He has like a million questions to ask.

Where's Jack now and Kate?

Hugo gives him a smile. "All in good time dude."

So Hugo can read minds now, James muses and climbs into the hippy van.

Juliet peers out the window at the dark jungle swirling around them. Her heart beat is still erratic as she tries to control her thoughts. They were in 2011, they really were in 2011! She is going to go home maybe. But she had her hopes up before, just once, when it looked as if she and Jack would get to leave the island via the sub, till Locke blew it up. The devastation she had felt that day. She shut her eyes.

Does she dare hope again?

"Hey Juliet," James whispers in her ear, his breath tickling her neck, "You've been quiet."

"Hmm just thinking."

His hand rests on her belly, feels soothing, she feels she can pretty much face anything with him by her side.

"So curly tops," he continues, she overlooks the nickname, even starting to find it endearing now. "I guess things are looking promising."

She feels for his hand resting on her belly, squeezes his fingers and turns her gaze to his.

"I think I'll believe that when I'm off this island James."

"Of course, no point getting ya hopes are high girl."

Obviously this was worrying him or other things. She really can't see him wanting to leave the island, afraid of all that awaits him back on the mainland. And she gets that because part of her is afraid too. It has been ten years since she was last there and now the real possibility that she could possibly get off this island for once and all was starting to hit home.

Was Rachel alright?

Had Ben Linus been lying to her they whole time on the island?

Was she still alive? And Julian would be ten years old now. She would be a stranger to him. Juliet closes her eyes again. Rachel just had to be alive. It didn't bear thinking otherwise.

"Well I'll be damned," James let's out in a low voice, "ain't that the barracks."

Juliet opens her eyes and gazes out the window as the barracks come into view.

"What happened to the sonic fence?" she asks.

"No smoke monster no sonic fence I guess," James returns and frowns, was this the same island?

It just seemed so damn peaceful and calm and different.

He leans forward in his seat, closer to Hugo.

"What happened to the hostiles?" he asks.

"What hostiles?"

"Ya know the others?"

"Are you not married to one," Ben quips in the seat alongside Hugo.

James shuts his mouth. Trust Linus to throw that in his face.

"We all work together now," Hugo adds, "no more battles, no more wars."

"Well ain't that just dandy," James mutters, though really it was a relief, just weird is all.

A huge grin splits Hugo's face. "Dude you haven't changed in some things."

James frowns, what the hell he mean by that?

The first thing Miles notices is that the barracks are no longer yellow, guess that's too 70's now, they were painted a more rustic earthy colour and it looks odd. He almost expects to see Horace wave to him. "Yo ho Miles, all good out there?"

Almost expects to see his mother's lovely sweet face hello big Miles. They would share a smile and something he can't explain, pain or loss, he doesn't want to think to hard about it, the longing stirring in the pit of his stomach.

Guess he doesn't have to worry about that anymore and a sense of loss hits him square in the guts.

Everybody has someone, everybody but him. But he doesn't do self pity, despising even this little lapse of emotional reason.

Ugh emotions.

He tries to recall the bitter woman that he remembers his mother being but all he can see is the 70's version, the younger woman, the one who was happy, content, not the embittered woman he once knew. The amount of times he wanted to tell her I'm your son.

He glances over his shoulder at Juliet and James. James whispering in her ear, the secret look they share and for a fraction of a second he has to wonder if he'll ever have that? And there are nights, maybe more than he wants to let on, where he dreams of what he could, should and yearns to have. Yeah he laughed it off, he made the remarks that everyone else was to chicken shit to make but secretly wanted to and that made people both like and dislike him within the same given breath.

Yeah he could be the sarcastic funny guy but sometimes he wondered if he'd ever be more that? Snap out of your morose thoughts man, he chides and shakes his head.

This wasn't him. Whatever the hell 'him' was?

If he could see the future ... what would it be? But all he was capable of seeing is people's last thoughts as they die. How fucking morose is that?

If things had been different, if say by chance his mother had never left the island? Say by chance his old man had swallowed his pride and tracked her down. Why hadn't he, did he not care? He should have found them. Why did he stay on the island, why did he lie? Why couldn't he give like he should have and Miles has to wonder if he weren't after all just like his old man in the end? Afraid, afraid of losing, too afraid of getting close to another human being.

Yeah really bloody morose man, Miles chides.

Guess he's alone in his thoughts. And now, fuck now, he is back in the future and shouldn't he be happy about this so why isn't he? Why is he sitting in this old hippy van thinking about his mother's face when he'd just seen her this morning, waving to him, smiling, happy, baby Miles, him, the little boy picking flowers in the garden. Now, him the adult version, living, breathing within the exact same space.

So that was his life then, this is his life now. He drags his gaze away from Jim and Juliet and out that damn hippy van window and he can shut his eyes and pretend he's back there.

Hugo takes them to the mess hall. It still looks the same. James almost expects to see the old Dharma people milling around and not the African American woman who comes to greet them looking strangely familiar.

He suddenly recognises her. "Rose?"

A big happy smile crosses her face.

"Sawyer!"

He finds himself caught up in her warm embrace. "I can't believe it ..." her eyes take in Jin, "Jin!"

She hugs him next and pulls back, looks over her shoulder. "Bernard!" she calls, "Bernard, look who is here."

Rose's gaze rests on Juliet. If only he had a camera to catch her astounded expression.

"Juliet ..." her voice trails off there.

James takes hold of Juliet's hand. "She's with me."

But he's confused.

"How did you and Bernard end up here? You'll travelling through time like us? We were looking everywhere for you but we couldn't find ya."

And he's just got to know.

"We didn't want to be found."

He frowned. "What? Why?"

Rose smiles, places her hand on his shoulder.

"We just wanted to live out our lives away from all the turmoil and fighting."

"But the hostiles ..."

"They left us alone, we were no threat to them."

James can well believe that.

"Then today the sky lit up and everything changed, our hut we'd built was gone and we just knew we'd moved through time again and we went investigating and that's when we stumbled upon Hugo," Rose explains.

"Well I'll be damned."

Bernard approaches then and there is more hugging. By this stage Mary has woken up by all the excitement and looks particularly grumpy.

Hugo has a feast going and even though it's approaching ten at night everyone has a lot to say. It's like old times, James muses. Hadn't realised how much he missed the beach camp days. Hugo is still as jovial as ever, Bernard and Rose disagreeing about something, Rose fusing over them like some mother hen. He must be smiling too much, his face aches, headache momentarily forgotten. Juliet has this dreamy look on her face, the sort that says someone pinch me to make sure I'm not dreaming.

He pinches her arm.

"Ouch." She gives him a chagrined look.

He grins at her, his lips brush her forehead.

"It's real Blondie."

Of course it's only a matter of time before Hugo tells them about what had happened four years earlier, when him, Jack, Kate, Sayid and Sun came back to the island. It sounds like a story someone has made up. Smokie had taken on Locke's form, tricked Ben into killing Jacob. It was hell crazy, needless to say, Smokie tried to destroy the island so he could escape. Jack had become the new Jacob for a short while before passing that mantle onto Hugo. They defeated Smokie but it had come at a price. Jack and Sayid were both dead. They had buried their bodies in the cemetery at the beach camp. Once a year they held a memorial and remembered all the people who had died.

James couldn't take it all in. For a long while there was nothing but silence in the room. He looked at Jin's sad face. Jack and Sayid had died saving the island and that meant them surviving too, that meant peace now reigned on the island.

It meant they could all go home. That had always been Jack's promise after all, look like he kept it in the end.

So many questions and Hugo patiently answered all of them.

They found Claire. Kate took her home to Aaron. And not all was lost, Kate had Jack's baby, a boy, Jeremiah, he was nearly four years old now.

Sun went home to her daughter. She often kept in touch, always asking if Jin had returned. Hugo was excited that he could now tell her yes.

Hugo had taken on Jacob's mantle. James didn't even bother to try and understand that? But it appeared to him that Hugo was perfectly happy with this role he now played.

"And today you guys came back," he finished up saying, a huge grin splitting his face. "This is the best day ever dudes!"

"And you know where Sun lives?" Jin asks, hope lighting up his face.

"You bet dude and I bet you can't wait to see her huh?"

Jin nods, tears glistening in his eyes. "It's been a long time."

Hugo pats him on the back.

"Well you don't have to wait much longer, the sub is docked at the pier and she's ready to run anytime you all want to go home, of course I hope you stay a couple of days."

James would stay forever if he could.

His eyes slowly met Juliet's. Her face is alight with wonder and James swallows the lump in his throat. Of course she will want to go back, no two ways about that. But as for him ... hell he doesn't know what to think. All of this is so sudden and it kind of terrifies him.

He's not ready yet.

Juliet pinches him, a grin crosses her face.

"Wake up James, looks like we will be going back to the real world."

A/N: Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to this story but the good news is that I've plotted it out to end now and in just one weeks time it is school holidays here in Australia and I'll have a two week break to continue this story. Hopefully my marking workload from hell will start to ease up then and I'll have more free time to write!

Thanks to all who have been following this story to date and sorry for the long wait but stick with it, it will have closure!

Reviews always appreciated so send one my way to let me know you are still following this crazy story!