The 12 Days of Christmas
Alright…I've extended the Christmas cheer as long as I possibly can. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed….countdown to season 6 is officially on!
Day 10
It was 2 a.m. and Juliet couldn't sleep. Perhaps it was the fact that the holidays were almost upon them. Christmas in Dharmaville hadn't ever been all that great for her, and in the past, celebrating the day had only made her miss her sister. But if Juliet was being totally honest with herself, she would have to admit that at this particular moment (and most of her moments as of late) Rachel wasn't at the forefront of her thoughts. And what replaced the image of her sister was that of a certain southerner.
The clock had struck midnight and sick of tossing and turning; Juliet left her bed and opted for the back porch instead. There were two perfectly good plastic chairs, but she chose to sit on the steps. Hugging her knees she quickly lost herself in the last nine days, and what they all meant.
She couldn't deny the mounting attraction between her and James. The logical side of her brain told her that in their circumstances, it was only natural that they'd find solace in one another…and that their growing bond would eventually lead to more intimate notions. But what scared her most was that it wasn't just about the physical attraction. If all she wanted was a roll in the hay, she could have succumbed to that months ago – it wasn't like the other Dharma guys hadn't expressed interest.
But with James, he'd gotten under her skin, and not in a bad way, or rather, not always in a bad way. He was a part of her life, the best part of her life actually, and it was only in the past nine days that she had started to believe that they could be something more. But where was she supposed to go from here?
She jumped back to the present as she heard the door creak open. Sawyer padded out onto the deck, clad only in his boxers and a t-shirt.
"Bad dream?" he asked walking over to the steps.
She sighed. "No dream actually … can't fall asleep."
"Makes two of us."
Before he could take a seat next to her, she stood, walked out into the yard, and laid down in the grass, with arms and legs spread wide.
"What are you doing?" he asked as he moved to stand over her.
"Didn't you ever do this as a kid?" she asked, fanning her arms and legs over the soft grass, much like children do in the winter when making snow angels. "Didn't you ever roll around in the grass at night? Feel the cool earth against your body, the grass as it tickles the back of your knees." She paused, reminiscing. "Rachel and I used to sneak out into the yard when we were younger." She smiled, staring up into the sky. "More than once my parents found us sound asleep in the grass the next morning."
"When I was growin' up, if I was rollin' around on the ground it was because what I was feelin' against my body was another body," he responded with a wink and smile. "But I definitely recall the grass being a hell of a lot softer than the dirt."
Her laugh was genuine, as was the blush that covered her cheeks and the warmth that spread quickly throughout her body. Luckily, due to the darkness he didn't notice her sudden change in color. She'd be mortified if he knew the mere thought of him naked and rolling around on the ground outside turned her on.
But then she thought about just how many people he'd probably rolled around with in his youth. She knew his type, and she didn't understand how a person could just sleep with another person without any feelings or strings attached. Sure she'd made herself believe that if she wanted to have sex she could pick from any number of guys who were ready, willing and able, but that was an outright lie. When it came down to it, she just wasn't about one-night stands. The men she'd slept with in the past…she'd had feelings for all of them. She couldn't understand how people had sex just to have sex.
"Is it always just about sex with you?" she asked turning her head towards him.
Staring back at her with a gleam in his eye, suddenly, with speed he rarely exuded, he quickly rolled over and before she knew it, he was propped on his elbows, his body covering hers, and their faces were mere inches apart.
"I don't know…is it?" he whispered, as he looked intently into her eyes, his thumb brushing against her cheek.
"James," she whispered struggling to keep her eyes on his when his lips were so enticing. She didn't know how the conversation had turned so quickly but her it became harder to think with her body unconsciously arching up towards his. Mentally she was in a state of shock, but physically, she only wanted more.
That single syllable was all that was uttered before his mouth swooped down to capture hers.
She couldn't stop the moan that escaped her, and she quickly traded handfuls of grass for her hands against the warm of his back. He angled his mouth against hers, deepening the kiss. She snaked her hands underneath his shirt to feel the scorching skin below.
His soft hair fell and brushed against her cheeks as they continued to explore. Out of breath and panting he finally pulled back.
"What no rollin' around?" she asked in a fake southern accent.
He smiled, confident they were on the same page, and as he rolled over pulling her on top of him, he brought his mouth back to hers.
---
Around 4 a.m. Miles woke to his alarm. Grumbling, he got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.
'Whoever invented 5 a.m. security shifts were out of their mind!' he thought as he showered and brushed his teeth.
Once dressed, he headed to the kitchen to grab something to eat. With his stomach full and a lunch packed, Miles left the house and started on his way to work. He stopped suddenly, spotting his two friends spooning on the back lawn – sound asleep.
"AHEM!" he practically shouted, his voice echoing all around them. Sawyer and Juliet both jumped awake, suddenly realizing where they were. Color instantly flooded Juliet's cheeks; Sawyer just grumbled and rubbed his eyes.
Miles smiled and kept walking.
----
Sawyer and Juliet stood and made their way back into the house. They reached Juliet's bedroom door and Sawyer suddenly smiled.
"Stay here a minute, I'll be right back," he said with an excitement she didn't think was possible to exude at such an early hour.
Seconds after leaving he returned, with one hand behind his back.
"I was going to save this for a different time but I think, aah, given the circumstances, these might make for a more interesting 10th day of Christmas gift."
She held out her hand and into it he dropped, "keys?" she asked.
"Three keys," he replied.
"What are they for?" she asked.
"Just be patient, you'll find out soon." He smiled his full on dimple smile then leaned in for the softest of kisses.
"Get some sleep," he said, pulling back. "I'll see you in a few hours."
She just nodded and headed into her room. 'Three keys,' she thought. 'What were they going to open?'
Day 11
It was Christmas Eve. The stockings were hung, the presents were wrapped and under the tree. The foursome found themselves sitting around the living room, sipping spiked eggnog and telling stories about their ghosts of Christmas past. Miles was attempting to keep the mood lively, but as they digressed further and further, they realized that none of them had the greatest childhoods, and more often than not, their Christmases were filled with sadness and longing.
Wanting to make the most of their Christmas, Juliet decided to intervene.
"…And so I had her up against the wall, one hand under her shirt and I was about to…"
"I think that's enough Christmas stories for one night," Juliet interrupted before Miles could finish his reminiscing.
"Couldn't agree more," Sawyer chimed in. "So what's there to do?"
"We could play cards?" Juliet suggested.
The three men simply grumbled, which had her smiling. She'd kicked their butts so many times they simply refused to play with her.
"How about a walk on the beach?" Jin suggested.
They all looked around at each other, liking the idea. Miles and Jin rose and walked towards the door.
"We'll meet you guys down there, just give us a few minutes," Sawyer said as he grabbed Juliet's hand, holding her back.
Miles smirked and Jin smiled and nodded, the two headed out and down towards the docks.
"What's up?" Juliet asked.
Sawyer smiled. "I just wanted to give you your 11th day of Christmas present and I didn't want those two around when I did."
She sat down, thinking he'd have to go get it, but was surprised when he reached in between the lower branches of the tree and pulled out a package that had been hidden from sight. It was flat and small, but had some weight to it. Juliet had no idea what it was.
She carefully opened the paper, noting that this was the first present he'd given that was actually wrapped. She found two small, silver picture frames. One had a candid shot of the two of them inside, they were sitting in the lunchroom sharing a laugh over god only knows what. While it only showed their profiles, she loved that it clearly captured how happy they were. The second frame was empty.
"I wanted to give you some pictures of us, but this was the only one that I could find. So, I figured we can get another one taken and put it in there."
"I love it James, thank you," she smiled and leaned over for a kiss. When she attempted to pull back, he pulled her in, deepening the kiss and causing a flush to creep up the back of her neck.
She finally pulled back, out of breath and whispered, "They'll be wondering where we are."
"So," Sawyer growled, then expelling a mock sigh of frustration, "We're gonna finish this one way or another Blondie, and no grass stains tonight," he joked.
She smiled, nodding and remembering the previous evening. The feel of him against her had been electrifying, but she refused to take things all the way, arguing that anyone could happen by at any moment…and that there were security cameras constantly scanning the area.
At that, he had begrudgingly relented, but had been looking at her like a hungry dog looks at a piece of meat ever since. While the comparison was crude, the feelings his stares evoked seemed to be something other than human. Juliet had never been so aware of herself or of someone else in her entire life. Currents ran through her and she felt like her body was humming with electricity. She had to get away from him or they'd never make it down to their friends.
She stood, grabbed his hand and pulled him off the couch.
They took the familiar path down to the beach, and under an almost full moon, easily found their friends at the end of the dock. They made their way down and when they'd almost reached the end, Sawyer unceremoniously lifted Juliet over his shoulder and ran the rest of the way.
"DON'T YOU DARE JAMES F… LA'FLEUR!" She shouted.
Jin and Miles were laughing hysterically, as was Sawyer. Finally, after several false attempts of swinging her out and over the water, following an especially powerful swing, he simply let go.
She screeched like a girl as she flew into the air, hitting the water with a huge splash. Surfacing she looked at the three men staring down at her.
"None of you are getting any Christmas presents," she shouted. "I'M TAKING THEM ALL BACK!" She immediately started swimming towards shore
"I don't think so," Miles shouted after her. "I NEED that phonebook!"
The trio of men looked back and forth between each other, then.
"ONE, TWO, THREE!" Shouted Sawyer and the all jumped in together.
Day 12
Dinner was winding down, she couldn't eat another bite. As the four friends attempted to clear their plates of the fantastic Dharma Christmas feast, Juliet paused to simply take in the moment. She couldn't remember a better Christmas … even if it was in the 70s and surrounded by Dharma members. They sat at a table in the cafeteria -- Horace's idea. He wanted everyone to have a good Christmas, and because not all of the Dharma members had close family or friends on the island, he'd decided a dinner party was in order.
Juliet didn't mind, because it meant she didn't have to cook. And it also meant guilt free eating seeing as they wouldn't be plagued with leftovers. She stood and grabbed their plates, and took them over to the dishwashing window. Some poor shmuck would be stuck with those dishes later and she was selfishly glad it wasn't her.
Finished eating, everyone rose to mingle and the desserts were being laid out on a table in the corner. She surveyed the room, taking it all in, truly happy to be celebrating Christmas.
She watched Sawyer walk towards her, and couldn't help but smile.
"Come with me," Sawyer whispered in her ear, sending shivers up and down her spine. He tugged on her hand and led her out the back door.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"You'll see," he responded. "But we have to make a stop and grab something first."
They walked towards their house, and once inside, she waited in the living room while he walked towards the bedrooms. A minute later he walked out, one hand in his pocket.
"Ready?" he asked, all dimples.
"Sure."
They started walking. He led her past the playground, across the quad and towards the newer section of Dharmaville. As the community had grown, more houses had been built. Juliet knew that the newest of the houses had just been finished a few weeks prior. They stopped in front of one of the new builds, Sawyer reached into his pocket and produced a set of keys … her set of keys.
"But," Juliet said, confused as to what was going on.
"Go see if they fit," Sawyer responded, as he handed her the keys and gave her a small push towards the house.
She walked up to the front door, and tested her keys. The first one didn't fit, but the second one slid right in. Turning the key, she unlocked the door.
She walked into the darkened home, still not sure what was going on. Sawyer followed her in and flipped the light switch. The rooms lit up, she noticed the layout was similar to their own, but everything just seemed…newer. The furniture was brand new, and the house lacked the odds and ends that made a house a home, but for a moment she imagined herself living in this house, and she hoped that he wasn't playing a cruel joke on her.
"Happy 12th day of Christmas Juliet," he said, not wanting to keep her in the dark any longer.
"This is for me?" She asked, her face full of surprise. "You got me a house?"
His smile faltered for a second, "Well, actually what I had in mind was…"
Realization dawning, she cut him off, "You got us a house."
It wasn't a question but a statement.
She wrapped her arms around him drawing him close, and they simply stood in each other's arms and took it all in.
"Merry Christmas James," she said, finally pulling back. "This was the best Christmas I've ever had."
"Back 'atcha Blondie," he replied and lowered his mouth to hers.
The end! Sorry so full of fluff…but I needed just one more happy ending for those two!