Okay all. We've made it. Z.

First off, thanks to all my readers and reviewers, this chapter is dedicated to all of you; those who want alerts and those who review, give ideas, comment on every chapter and take the time to let me know how they feel about what I write. I appreciate EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! And I hope you like Z!

This is my Christmas gift to you!

For the last time in Alphabet Soup;

enjoy.

Z is for Zenith

zenith - the time at which something is most powerful or successful; the highest point reached by a celestial or other object...

Washing dishes was something they did together most nights. Sometimes in silence, sometimes talking about mundane things, sometimes singing along with the radio or entertaining Jin and Miles or Amy and Horace.

Tonight was a good night. Sawyer managed a good day at work, Phil being out sick, Radzinsky with his head stuck up another project, Jerry out on perimeter checks.

Juliet had gotten off work early, got all the grease off her hands and face and even managed to scrape the burned remains of Sawyer's last attempt at baking from the bottom of a pan.

Now they stood shoulder to shoulder, elbow deep in bubbly water, passing dishes and joking back and forth. "So I saw Derek talking to you today," Sawyer teased, sending a wave of bubbles her way.

Juliet grinned and pulled a pan into the soapy water. "Yeah, and I saw you talking to Judy on your way home,"

"You jealous Blondie?" he smirked at her, taking the pan from her. Juliet chuckled a little and started on washing the cutlery and cups.

"Are you, James?" she smirked right back, dimples matching his. He sent another tiny wave in her direction it sloshed up over the sides of the sink.

"James!" she cried, jumping back, though a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Yeah baby?" he said innocently pulling out the forks and drying them off.

Juliet came back to the sink and scooped up two handfuls of water, flinging her hands in his direction. He froze and she caught her laugh in her throat, lips pressed together as a smile fought to get through.

"Blondie," he said lowly. Water dripped off his chin and nose and the ends of his hair. The front of his shirt was wet and his own dripping hands hovered in the air like he wasn't sure what to do.

"Yes?" she answered in the same innocent tone he had adopted.

"Run," he warned.

She took off like a shot, sprinting out of the kitchen with a laugh bursting free and hair flying behind her. He caught up with her in the hallway near the backdoor. The light overhead was burned out and he could only see her by the fading light of the sunset.

One wet hand caught her wrist and pulled her back to him while the other found her waist and a finger slid through her belt loop.

She let him turn her with a breathless smile, looking up at his laughing face. "Not fast enough," he drawled slowly. Juliet felt heat creep up her neck, spreading from her stomach as he gazed down at her. She would never get tired of this reaction, of the look in his eyes.

The hand on her wrist released her and his palm against the wall next to her ear, the other leaving her belt loop and sliding just up inside her shirt to feel her skin.

His fingers were still wet.

Her own dripping fingers pushed up into his damp hair, messing it up, before sliding down his chest and then up under his own shirt.

She smirked as the hand on her skin gripped her hip.

"Maybe I let you catch up," she whispered against his lips. When did he get that close? They were both acutely aware of the proximity of their bodies, their hips brushing.

"I think you're just slower than me," he said smoothly. She smiled now and stuck out her tongue.

"Don't stick your tongue out unless you're gonna use it," he warned quietly.

Juliet smirked and brought her tongue back into her mouth, trailing fingertips down his stomach. He shivered. His mouth hovered over hers and she leaned back against the wall with a teasing smile.

Sawyer just took a step forward, their bodies now touching from sternum to hips, one of his knees between hers, pinning her to the wall.

"Are you going to teach me how to use it?" she asked lowly, looking up at him from her lashes. It always made him smile when she said things like that; he was definitely rubbing off on her. He leaned down slowly, lips just whispering against hers, breath mingling..

And then she was gone.

"What the f-,"

Her laughter sounded from behind him, and he whirled. "What the hell was that?" he asked incredulously.

Juliet just grinned and stepped forward, pressing him back against the wall now.

"Just somethin' I picked up," she copied his soft southern drawl. She leaned up and her lips were on his, his hands gripping her belt loops again, pulling her against him.

Their mouths opened and Sawyer groaned, Juliet smiled through their kiss. She pulled back and stuck her tongue out.

"Well, you did use it," he chuckled, not letting her retreat. Juliet tilted her head to one side, small smile on her face.

"I love you," she said in that quiet, thoughtful way of hers.

"One of these days I'm gonna ask you to marry me," he said in that new way of his, dimpled, sincere grin, fingers gently stroking skin just above the top of her jeans.

Her soft smile widened. "Okay,"

They leaned their foreheads together and shared a quiet laugh. "You can take the ring out of the floor now," she whispered.

Sawyer just shook his head with a smile. "Whatever you say darlin'," They leaned together again before Sawyer pulled back and lead Juliet by the hand down the hallway.

The next morning, he woke up with Juliet wrapped around him, skin pressing against his; the phone was ringing. It was Jin.

His stomach was already sinking.

I don't know what it is with me leaving these little one shots with one of them knowing something bad's about to happen...hm...I'll have to work on that.

BUT there was fluff! 99.9% fluff! To end on a good note.

Merry Christmas if you celebrate, if you don't, pretend I said what you do celebrate, otherwise Happy Holidays! That's me covering all my bases and not forgetting anyone! :)

Thank you SO SO SO MUCH again for all the support and encouragement throughout this story and for the next, as well as ideas and feedback. They are LOVE and they make my day.

THANKS!

:D