Author's Note: I'm not super happy with this chapter, but it's necessary to move things along. I'm hoping I won't have such a hard time with the next chapter.

Disclaimer: Lost is not mine.

Please read and review!

Dreamcatcher

Chapter 3

Ben approached Juliet. "I have something to show you." He said. She looked him brows furrowed, but followed anyway.

"Where are we going?" She asked as she followed him deeper into the jungle.

"You'll see." He walked in front of her along the top of a hill never even glancing back. They kept walking until eventually he stopped and turned towards her. "I'm sorry, Juliet." He said although his voice didn't sound very sorry.

"Sorry about what?" She asked, still confused.

Ben turned and looked down the hill. Juliet followed his gaze. There was Sawyer laying in the grass, a large stick jutting out from his chest. "Oh my god." She breathed as she ran down the hillside. She knelt next to his body. "Oh my god." She repeated. Her hands went to his face. The skin was cold and grey. He was gone. And had been for a while. She couldn't stop the tears from falling. "What happened?" She finally managed to look up at Ben and get the words out.

His voice was calm and even. "We don't know. There weren't any witnesses."

"Why are you showing me this? Why did you bring me out here?" She asked through tears. Her eyes glued to Sawyer's face, the closed blue eyes she'd never again see open.

Ben looked at her.

"You knew this would happen." Her voice broke. "You wanted him to die. Why?" She stood and yelled.

Ben's eyes bored into her. She'd never seen him so angry. "Why?" He yelled back at her. "You're asking me why? After everything I did to get you here, after everything I've done to keep you here how can you possible not understand that you're mine?!"

Juliet was speechless. She simply stared at Ben as more tears fell. He looked down at Sawyer and then back at her. His voice returned to the calm and even tone it had earlier. "Take as much time as you need." And with that he climbed back up the hill leaving Juliet alone with Sawyer's body.

Juliet sat straight up in bed. Tears streamed down her face as she looked frantically around the room before realizing she was not in the jungle with Ben, but in her own bed in the house she shared with Sawyer. Sawyer. She looked the side of the bed he'd occupied over the past few weeks only to find it empty. More tears came and she fought back sobs. Where is he? Is he alright? Why isn't he here? Then it dawned on her. She remembered the whole day - Miles waking them up, Sawyer shoving Miles back into their house after work to tell her the entire Dharma Initiative now believed she and Sawyer were a couple thanks to his big mouth, Sawyer being called back into work after dinner.

Juliet had gone to bed alone. Phil reported seeing a hostile on one of the cameras and any hostile sightings required a full grid search of all of Dharma. As head of security Sawyer had to be there. It would take hours for them to finish, especially in the dark so she hadn't waited up for him. Now she wished she had. She sat on the bed in the darkened room and tried to control her breathing. The dream had seemed so real. Ben had sent Sawyer to die. She could still see his face, the cold discolored skin. Each time she closed her eyes she wanted to cry more.

She thought back to the actual events of that day. The day Ben took her to see Goodwin's body. It had been horrible. She'd been so distraught and angry over the whole thing. She'd loved Goodwin and that was why he was dead. She'd had plenty of dreams about that day before. And plenty of dreams about Ben. This one was different. She couldn't begin to describe how she'd felt at seeing Sawyer's body.

She never thought it would be possible to feel worse than she had felt on that day. But in that dream it had been worse. And she didn't know what to think about that. She'd loved Goodwin. Sawyer was just a friend. She couldn't remember the last time she cried over Goodwin. She still felt horrible about it and there was still a place for him in her heart, but the sobs that wracked her body were for the Sawyer in her dream.

Voices outside silenced her. She could hear Sawyer talking with someone. "Night." She heard. "See you tomorrow." "Bye, Boss" It was Miles. And Sawyer was coming inside. She jumped up and quickly closed her bedroom door. He couldn't see her like this. She couldn't tell him she'd just dreamed about his dead body. She climbed back in bed and laid down. Shortly after there was a faint knock at her door.

"Jules?" She could hear the confusion and concern in his voice. They'd always kept their doors open so they could talk to each other when they couldn't sleep. And lately her bedroom had become his as well. Now she'd closed him out. She felt bad, but knew she couldn't bear to face him. Juliet closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep as the door opened a crack. Light from the hallway spilled in as Sawyer peeked in to check on her.

Sawyer saw her shape outlined under the covers. He made out the faint rise and fall of her chest and quietly closed the door. Things had been a little awkward between them this afternoon. He'd made Miles tell her what he did. She wasn't happy, but didn't seem too upset. Their afternoon and evening progressed as usual - they read, Juliet cooked, Sawyer did the dishes. But things had been a little different.

Maybe they should have talked about it. Maybe he shouldn't have been stupid enough to think things wouldn't change. He'd had such a long night at work all he wanted was to go to bed. And he could get no better sleep than when Juliet was nestled next to him. Sawyer sighed and turned towards his bedroom. It hurt that she had closed the door on him, but he berated himself for feeling that way. They were just friends and as such it shouldn't matter to him where she slept. And he should have known it wouldn't last forever.

He undid the perfect bed she'd made. He felt foolish for ever thinking she needed him as much as he needed her. He climbed into bed and willed himself not to dream as he drifted off to sleep.

Juliet listened as he left her door and headed for his own. She could hear him moving around until the light seeping in under her door went out and his mattress let out a soft creak indicating a new weight on top of it. More silent tears fell as she thought about the dream and realized how hurt he must have been at finding her door closed. She didn't sleep.