Author's Note: Like I said! I'd update tomorrow! It's tomorrow! And I'm updated! I never break my promises! Well. It's still tomorrow for me anyways.. I haven't slept yet. But I am now!
This one goes out to... dundundun.. teh-Sara. For liking what I write, when she normally doesn't like that kind of stuff!
Heartland:
Chapter 16: Don't Belong
Alis volat propiis -
She flies with her own wings
-state motto of Oregon
"Get out of here," Juliet stated forcefully, standing up.
"Juliet.." Jack stated, reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder.
Juliet frowned, smacking his hand away and holding Rachel with her free hand. "I can't go back, Jack," she told him. "I refuse to bring my daughter there.."
"Then don't.."
Juliet narrowed her eyes. The urge to slap him was becoming more and more of a good idea in her head. "I'm not abandoning her either," she snapped out. "I can't believe you.. what makes you think I would leave my child here and come back to that stupid island?"
"Juliet.. if you and Sawyer come back, we can get back to our time.."
Juliet was silent as she watched Sawyer pull up in the pick-up truck.
"Juliet.." Jack tried again. If he was going to get through to anyone. It would be her. "What about your sister?" he asked. "This is your chance.."
Juliet said nothing in response.
"Wha the hell is going on?" Sawyer questioned, walking up and putting a protective arm around Juliet's shoulder. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack, he just didn't trust why he was here. "And how the hell did you get here?"
"Need to talk to you," Jack told him.
"Fine," Sawyer said with a roll of his eyes. "About what?"
"He wants us to go back.." Juliet answered quietly.
Sawyer frowned. He wanted to kick his ass right then and there. The only thing that stopped him was Juliet's hand gently on his arm. She was telling him with the gesture not to start acting rashly.
"The only way to get back to our time is if all of us are on the island, Sawyer," Jack told him. "Not all of us can live like this in the 70's."
Sawyer took a step forward but stopped when Juliet stepped in front of him.
"James.." Juliet warned quietly. She smiled at him just a little bit and offered Rachel to him, who he accepted. She turned, and without hesitation, reeled her arm back and hit Jack square in the jaw with her fist.
Sawyer stared openly at her in shock. He hadn't expected to see Juliet do that, but he also didn't expect to see Jack get knocked onto the ground from Juliet's hit to the jaw. He reminded himself never, ever, to piss her off like that.
Juliet frowned and stayed standing in front of Sawyer and Rachel as Jack stood back up to his feet.
"Juliet.. Sawyer," Jack said quietly. "I know you don't want to listen to me," he told them both. He put his hands up in a mock surrender to Juliet. "And I know what you have here, you think is perfect.."
Juliet frowned slightly. "And its not?" she questioned, folding her arms over her chest.
Jack sighed, shaking his head. "It can't be," he told her. "Because we don't belong here."
Juliet glanced back at Sawyer.
Sawyer simply shook his head in response, keeping Rachel in his arms and turning around, heading inside.
Juliet sighed now in response. In a sense, she knew that Jack was right. That they didn't belong in this time, this year. "How exactly do you plan on getting us to our own time?" she questioned, staring at him intently.
Jack was relieved, even after her punch to the face, that she was now asking questions. Now he knew that if he could get through to one of them, it would be Juliet. "Dan figured it out," he told her. "You remember how Locke stopped it by going down into the Orchid station right?"
"Yes.." Juliet muttered.
"If we do it one more time, with all of us, we'll get back into our own time."
Juliet stared at him. "I went through those flashes once before Jack," she told him. "Those flashes killed somebody," she noted to him, her voice having a tinge of anger to it. "I am not bringing mine and James' child through those flashes, I saw what it did to adults, I don't want to see what happens to an infant."
Jack took a step forward but stopped when Juliet took a step back away from him. "Juliet.." he stated quietly. "Rachel won't get hurt," he told her. "Those flashes effect people by how long they've been on the island, she's never been on the island. Richard asked Jacob, he assured Richard that there would be one single flash, harmless to Rachel."
Juliet said nothing at first in response. She closed her eyes, thinking about his words. She sighed, muttering the words out loud, although not entirely meaning to. "We don't belong here.."
()()FLASHBACK()()
Two years and nine months into their Dharmaville stay, Sawyer chuckled as he watched Juliet under the Dharma van on the security monitor. It had been a year now since she'd agreed to accept that he loved her, and to give 'them' a shot. One year since they'd gone on the picnic over at the secluded beach. And he admitted to himself that he loved her now even more then he did at that point.
He chuckled, just a little at the fact that when she'd gone under the van, she'd been perfectly clean, but as she wheeled herself out from under it, she was completely covered in oil and wearing an extremely pissed off face.
"She doesn't look thrilled."
Sawyer grinned back at Horace as he stepped into the security room. "Nope," he responded with a laugh. "I think someone screwed up."
Horace just laughed in return at the statement and shook his head. "Wait, isn't today that one year aniversary of you two that you were going on about for a week straight?" he questioned curiously.
"Yep," Sawyer admitted with a shrug.
Horace narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I thought you were going to have someone cover for you and surprise her."
"Doesn't seem like she even remembers it's been a year," Sawyer explained, sighing.
Horace chuckled in response. "Well.. I hate to break the news to you. She's a woman, they never forget. It's just as likely she thinks you don't remember."
Sawyer blinked at Horace's words. He was right about that. Juliet never seemed to forget anything. He groaned, smacking himself in the head.
Horace was silent, waiting for the question.
"Uh.. boss?"
"Go," Horace said, laughing even harder.
Sawyer didn't bother to wait for Horace to say anything else before he got up off the chair and stood up, heading quickly towards the door. He stopped and turned, about to ask about the possibility of getting flowers.
"Ask Ames," Horace stated without turning, sitting down at the monitors.
Sawyer blinked, not entirely sure how to react. "Right.." he muttered, going back out the door. "Thanks H!"
~*~*~*~
Juliet sighed, wiping her the oil off her face with a rag as she headed towards the secuirty office. When she went in she blinked, holding the rag by her face and stared at Horace sitting at the monitors. "Horace?"
Horace turned and glanced at Juliet. "Hey Juliet, what can I do for you?"
"Uh.. I was looking for James.." she admitted in confusion. She swore he was supposed to be there for another hour. "Where did he go?"
Horace held back the chuckle. "I told him to take the rest of the day off," he explained to her.
Juliet couldn't hide the baffled look that crossed her face.
Horace blinked now, wondering maybe if Sawyer was right about her not knowing. "He should be home."
"Alright," Juliet stated, shrugging her shoulders. "Thanks, Horace," she told him before heading out of the security office. She shook her head slightly and sighed before heading towards the house they shared. When she opened the door she couldn't help the baffled expression that once again crossed her face at the vase of sun flowers on the table.
"Hey," Sawyer said, glancing over at her as she walked in the door.
"Hey.." Juliet responded, the confusion clear in her voice and her expression.
Sawyer chuckled a little. He decided he'd been right originally when he'd told Horace he didn't think she realized what today was. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?" he questioned.
Juliet frowned, glancing from him to the flowers on the table. It wasn't exactly that she didn't know what he was doing. She just didn't understand why he was doing it. "No.. no I do," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry," she stated, but noticed that he didn't really seem offended.
"So why are you so confused then?" he asked. "You didn't think I'd remember?"
Juliet chuckled slightly. "It's not that either," she told him, taking a seat at the table without bothering to go clean herself up. "I just never celebrated an anniversary before.."
Sawyer didn't bother to hide the bafflement that covered his own facial features now. "Never?" he asked.
Juliet just shrugged in response.
"Well," Sawyer said, chuckling now. "Neither have I."
Juliet stared at him openly.
"What?" he asked next.
Juliet smiled now, unable to help it. "Thanks.." she finally told him, standing up and wrapping her arms around him.
Sawyer just grinned. For one thing, he was glad he could surprise her. And for another, he was pretty sure she'd just covered him in oil.
()()END FB()()
Jack remained silent at her statement, knowing she was just trying to figure out what was really best for them. "Juliet.. you have family in the real world to go back to.."
"Jack," Juliet stated, shaking her head. "My sister probably thinks I'm dead," she told him. "After seven years, I don't think she's really hoping anymore."
Jack sighed. "That doesn't mean she doesn't want you to be."
Juliet eyed him. "Besides," she started. "It doesn't matter if we get back to our own time, there's no way off that island, Jack."
"There's the way me, you and Sawyer all got here."
Juliet frowned. He was shooting down all of her reasons not to go to the island and go back to their own time. "Son of a bitch," she muttered out, feeling incredibly like Sawyer at the moment. "Damn it, Jack.. you have no right to do this to us now."
"If I wasn't one hundred percent sure, Juliet.." Jack assured her. "I wouldn't be here asking you to come back."
Juliet took and deep breath, balling her hand into a fist before turning around. "Stay out here.." she muttered out before heading inside.
Sawyer glanced at her as she walked in the door. He could already tell she seemed upset, and he was pretty sure he knew why. "You want to go back.. don't you?" he asked her.
Juliet's eyes softened slightly as she walked over to Sawyer and let Rachel take hold of her finger and coo. "He's right.." she mumbled. "I hate to admit it.. but he is.."
"What else is new.." Sawyer stated with a roll of his eyes. "Juliet.."
"He wouldn't lie.." Juliet stated. "Would he?"
Sawyer stared at her in confusion now. "About what?"
Juliet stared at their daughter. "He said.. there was no chance she would get hurt.. go to the Orchid, its one flash and we're back, James.." she stated in a jumble. "Would he lie about that?"
Sawyer frowned. He knew if a way, Jack had changed. But he also knew, Jack wouldn't lie about something like that. "No.." Sawyer admitted with a sigh. "No he wouldn't.."
"We have to go back.." Juliet stated, her voice a hoarse whisper.
Sawyer hated the fact she was so upset about this.
"We abandoned them, and we did it purposely.." Juliet stated, finally saying it out loud after a year.
Sawyer sighed, holding onto Rachel with one arm and pulling Juliet to him with the other. "Juliet.." he whispered. "If going back is what you want to do.. then.." he started, hating what he was about to say. "Then we'll go back.."
Juliet sat there silently for a few minutes before she finally spoke. "Should I tell him or do you want to?"
Sawyer finally retracted his arm from around her and handed Rachel to her. "Guess I'll do it," he told her. "Maybe you should pack a diaper bag.."
Juliet smiled sadly, shaking her head as he walked out the front door.
()()END()()
Not as long as I wanted it to be. But I'll just make the next one extra long. I'd have written more, buuut.. unfortunately I'll be out of town for a 50th birthday party for my Aunt all day. And I have to leave in 5 and a half hours. I need some shut eye. I'll update when again when I get home. That means sometime Sunday night, or Monday afternoon!
