Author's Note: This one goes to my anonymous reviewer, 'Awesome Story' haha. They left one really nice review, and it definitely made me smile. So thank you! I wish I could respond to the review personally, but unfortunately, that's your perk of being anonymous! Sorry this took a few days, we're kind of redoing the living room, I had to go through an obstacle course just to update this! Be happy!
Also, when Sun and Jin speak in italics, its in Korean. I wish I had my own language that nobody else understood..
Heartland:
Chapter 22: Follow the Leader
Give me something to return to, in your heart.
I fear nothing, but to leave here, without you.
We were left in this world for each other.
But I can't run from the fate,
I've been fighting for so long.
Fate(Bleak ft. Ana Johnsson)
Juliet walked side-by-side with Sawyer, with Sun and Jin right behind them as they followed Richard.
"We're short on time," Richard explained. "It won't take someone too long if they wake up to realize that Sun and Juliet are both gone," he told them all. "We're going to cut through the barracks to get to the temple, it'll be faster that way."
Sawyer simply nodded at Richard, though as he glanced down at Juliet he could see the exhaustion in her eyes. Even if she wasn't speaking up about it, he could tell she was tired. Truthfully, she'd barely spoken a word since they'd been reunited an hour ago. Mostly if someone spoke, she reciprocated with 'mmhmm' if she needed to respond at all. "Richard.."
Richard glanced back at him for a moment, and when he watched Sawyer nod his head in Juliet's direction, he got the hint. "We're almost to the barracks now.." he told them. "We'll take a rest there while we still have the chance."
Sawyer nodded his head in thanks, and as he glanced back at Sun and Jin, even though they both seemed happy to have found each other, he could see Sun occasionally glancing forward at Juliet with worry. Regardless of the fact Sun probably still didn't like him, he was going to have to ask her what went on back at the Others' camp.
When he did turn back to look at Juliet beside him, he noticed for the first time, the bandage on her forehead. He didn't hesitate when he lifted his hand and moved the strands of hair that had been blocking it to glance at it further.
Juliet glanced at him when she felt his hand on her forehead.
"They really love each other.." Sun whispered to Jin, holding onto his hand as they walked. "Has he changed as much as Juliet says?"
Jin smiled at her. She knew he spoke English, he'd been telling her along the way. Obviously now she was speaking Korean so they didn't understand. "Yes," he answered. "He is not the same man he was. More.. mature."
Sun glanced at him in surprise, and held back the chuckle.
"You are worried about Juliet.." Jin stated, watching her glance forward at the blonde again.
Sun smiled sadly. "It's what she told me.." she admitted. "She told me.. that this island can and does take away everything from us.. she was going to stay with The Others to keep Sawyer safe.."
Jin frowned as he now glanced forward at Juliet. Now that he was looking for it, he could see the sadness lurking behind the facade she was currently presenting. The worry, the guilt. It was all hiding behind her eyes. "She's scared.."
Sun nodded now. "She's changed a lot too.."
This time Jin smiled. "She is.. a very good person."
"Only a few of these houses are still somewhat decent," Richard told them. "And it would be safest to stick together in one, just in case anyone is closer then we think.."
They followed him in silence to one of the houses.
"Is this Claire?"
Sawyer pushed passed Richard immediately into the house and stared at the young woman sitting on the floor of the house. "Jesus.." he muttered. "Claire?"
Juliet pushed her way through now as well. She went passed Sawyer as well and went straight to Claire, squatting down next to her. "Claire.." she said quietly, resting her hand on the the younger blondes shoulder, shaking her slightly. She watched as Claire opened her eyes a little and looked at her.
"Oh.." Claire said. "Hi Juliet."
Juliet stared at the younger woman with slight confusion. Her voice was, different somehow, her eyes glazed over.
"Is she okay?" Sun asked, stepping behind Juliet. "She looks.."
Juliet frowned, studying Claire slightly with curiosity. "Drugged?" she suggested.
"I want to go home now.." Claire muttered, yawning.
Juliet blinked at Claire's lax attitude. She smiled a little at Claire and nodded. "Of course you do," she told her. "We're going to take you home, alright Claire?"
Claire smiled now. "And to Aaron? I really want to see Aaron.."
Juliet glanced back at Sawyer who nodded. "Yes.. home to Aaron."
"Just gonna rest a little longer then.." Claire mumbled, closing her eyes.
Juliet's eyes softened slightly at the younger woman.
"James.." Jin stated quickly.
Sawyer glanced back at Jin who was now pointing out the window. "Son of a bitch.."
()()FLASHBACK()()
Sawyer was sitting in the security office when Horace came down the stairs. He turned and glanced at him. He still had the bruise that Jin had given him the week before, but it had faded to a yellowish color.
"Looks better," Horace noted to him.
Sawyer chuckled. "Jin packs a hell of a punch."
"Guess that's what you get for cheating at poker with a drunken Jin," Horace told him, chuckling as well.
"I swear, I wasn't cheating," Sawyer told him with a grin. "Dropped the damn card on the floor, I was just picking it up!"
Horace laughed now.
~*~*~*~
Juliet was working underneath of one of the Dharma vans when she heard someone knocking on it, indicating they needed to chat. She wheeled herself out and expected to see Sawyer, but she was surprised to see Jin. She laid the drill down next to her and stood with Jin's help, pulling the goggles off her face. "What's wrong, Jin?"
"I should.. apologize, yes?" Jin questioned.
Juliet tilted her head to the side slightly. It took a moment for it to register that Jin was talking about hitting Sawyer in the face last week. She smiled a little bit now. "Honestly, he deserved to be hit in the face for that," she admitted with a shrug. "It's up to you if you'd like to apologize for hitting him," she stated next. "If you did, I'd say your a better man then most."
Jin smiled a little and shook his head. "Would you mind.. getting him?"
Juliet smiled now in return. "Sure.." she told him. "Why don't you go wait at my house? I'll get him and bring him there."
Jin nodded. "Thank you."
Juliet chuckled slightly as Jin walked off. She shook her head and glanced over at Caleb. "Caleb, I'll be right back."
"No quickies on-shift!" Caleb called out to her, causing the other men to woot with laughter.
Juliet smirked. After a while, she learned to get used to Caleb's twisted humor. "I swore quickies were all you knew how to do though, Caleb."
All of the men laughed even harder now.
Caleb just grinned. "I'll make a man of you yet, Juliet."
Juliet laughed, taking her bandanna from her hair and throwing it at Caleb's face before heading towards the security office. She went down the stairs of the building and blinked as she walked in on Horace and Sawyer laughing about something.
"Hey there, Juliet."
Juliet smiled toward Horace. "Hi Horace, would it be alright if I stole James for a few minutes?"
Sawyer blinked back the confusion and shrugged when Horace glanced at him in curiosity.
"Sure, just bring him back in one piece," Horace said with a chuckle.
Sawyer smirked now and stood up, heading to Juliet.
"I'll do my best," Juliet said with a smile.
"Where we goin'?" Sawyer questioned, following her our of the building.
"Jin wanted to talk to you," Juliet admitted. "Just not in front of everyone."
Sawyer frowned. "He's not gonna hit me again, is he?" he questioned. "He could at least wait til the first bruise is gone.."
Juliet laughed now, shaking her head at him. "No James, he's not going to hit you again," she stated as she opened the door to her house. She glanced over at Jin sitting on the couch. "I'll be in the kitchen."
Sawyer sighed but nodded, heading over to Jin.
Jin stood, glancing at the mark still left on Sawyer's jaw. "I'm.. sorry for hitting you."
Sawyer stared it him in shock. "Why?" he questioned. "I had it comin'."
"Yes, you did," Jin admitted. "Almost.. a year ago, you had it coming."
Sawyer sighed.
"But.. you changed," Jin explained. "So.." he stated, holding his hand out to Sawyer. "I will forgive you.."
Sawyer stared in shock.
Juliet chuckled to herself in the kitchen at Sawyer's silence. She listened to the door open and close and she stepped out of the kitchen, leaning against the wall as Sawyer turned and looked at her.
Sawyer stared at her in disbelief. "Did you put him up to that?" he asked.
"Not at all," Juliet stated. "He came to me and asked if he should."
"And you told him yes?" he asked.
Juliet smirked. "Actually, I said you had it coming."
Sawyer raised an eyebrow up at her.
"Why, did the forgiveness hurt?" Juliet questioned, turning and going back into the kitchen.
"What?" Sawyer asked in confusion.
Juliet smiled as she walked back out of the kitchen a moment later, throwing a bag of frozen Dharma string beans and hitting him square in the face.
"What the hell was the for?" Sawyer questioned, picking up the bag of string beans.
Juliet shook her head as she headed for the door, Sawyer following behind her. "Because you're lucky," she told him. "If I were him, I probably would have just shot you."
Sawyer closed the door behind him and stopped in shock at her words.
Juliet turned and looked at him. "But I guess since I already tasered you, that would make us even," she said with a wink before heading over towards the motor pool.
()()END FB()()
Juliet turned after she heard Sawyer let out the curse, only to see him go running out the door. "James!" she called out quickly standing up and following after him with Sun and Jin right behind her. She stopped in shock beside Jin and Sun as she watched Sawyer tackle Benjamin Linus to the ground.
She wasn't entirely sure what to do or say at the moment as she watched Sawyer punch Ben over and over. She managed after a minute to shake herself from the shock and awe and run over to the two men. "James!" she yelled, grabbing his arm before he could hit Ben for what she thought was probably the sixth or seventh time. "James stop!"
Sun watched in surprise as Juliet was attempting to stop Sawyer from, what she guessed was, killing Ben. "Why is she stopping him?" she whispered to Jin.
Jin could only shake his head in response to the question.
"James, damn it," she muttered, pulling him off of Ben. "He's not worth this.."
Sawyer let her pull him off, and he glanced at her as he stood, then back down at Ben. Finally he looked back at Juliet's worried eyes.
Juliet kept her hand gently on his arm and smiled a little at him. "He's not worth it.." she told him again.
Richard was surprised as he came out of the Dharma house with Claire in his arms. "I'd suggest we get going," he told them all. "If Ben already found us, then who knows how far behind everyone else will be.." he told them. He hadn't expected that Juliet would stop Sawyer, so he had to give her credit. He was understanding Jacob's interest in getting her off this island more and more.
"Come on.." Juliet told him quietly, linking her hand with his and pulling him away.
Sawyer listened, regardless of the fact he felt as though he shouldn't. Whenever they didn't finish Ben off, which was every time, he always came back to bite them in the ass.
Juliet stopped next to Richard and glanced at Claire in his arms. "You got her?"
Richard smiled and nodded. "Yes.. now let's hurry, if we do, we can make it to the temple in the next thirty minutes or so.."
Juliet glanced at Sawyer who nodded at her. "Let's go then.."
()()Miami, FL, 2008.()()
Kate sighed as she stood at the door of Rachel Carlson's home. She took a deep breath, and finally worked up the courage to knock on the door. Even though it had only been a minute, she felt like she was stuck waiting for this woman for ages to answer the door.
"Yes?"
Kate studied the woman's face. She and Juliet looked very different from each other, yet is some ways they also looked the same. "Rachel Carlson?" she asked.
"That's me.." Rachel stated, glancing at the woman wearily.
Kate groaned inwardly. "I.. know your sister, Juliet.."
Rachel eyed her incredulously. "My sister's been missing for over 7 years.." she explained carefully. "So if you're looking for her then you won't find her here.." she admitted, going to shut the door.
"Rachel, wait!" Kate called, watching as the woman opened the door back up. "I meant that I know your sister.. not that I used to know her.."
Rachel stared at her. "Who are you?"
"My name's Kate.." she told her. "And I met your sister 4 years ago.."
Rachel frowned in disbelief. "That's impossible," she told her. "Juliet wouldn't have never come back unless something happened to her, this isn't a funny joke."
Kate caught the door as Rachel went to close it, with her free arm. "Rachel.. this is Juliet's daughter.." she told her, holding the little girl out for her to see.
Rachel glanced down at the little girl with her blonde hair and blue eyes. She frowned as she looked back at Kate. "What makes you think I'm going to believe that?" she asked.
"She named her after you.. she named her Rachel," Kate told her. "I know that Juliet's the reason you got pregnant," she told her. "And I know that she was only supposed to be gone for six months, so she would be back in time for you to give birth.."
Rachel stared at her in shock. "How did you.."
Kate smiled a little. "I know all of this.. because I know your sister, and I know she loves you very much.." she told Rachel. "Whenever she spoke about you.. her eyes lit up. Like she knew everything would be okay.."
Rachel took a deep breath now. This was impossible.
Kate sighed. She knew this would be hard. "I'm here because those people that your sister took a job offer from.. they weren't who they said they were," she told her.
"Wait.." Rachel stated. "I know you.. you were.."
Kate frowned. "Yes.. I'm one of the Oceanic 6.."
Rachel shook her head. "Then how do you.."
"We lied, Rachel.." she told her. "We weren't the only survivors, and that island wasn't the one we crashed on.."
Rachel stared at her now. "You're telling me my sister was on that plane?"
Kate shook her head. "No.. your sister was on that island."
Rachel was silent now.
"Those people.. Richard Alpert and the rest of them, Rachel they were not good people," she told her. "And your sister had no idea of that when she went with them.."
Rachel frowned as she watched Kate pull out pictures from the bag on her shoulder. She took them as she handed them to her, and stared at them. The first one made her catch her breath, as she saw her sister and the infant in Kate's arms, the little girl with her hands on her sister's face. When she flipped to the next one, she glanced at Juliet, the baby, and a man she'd never seen before. "Who is he?"
Kate glanced at the picture. "His name is James.." she told her. "And he's trying to find your sister.."
Rachel looked up at Kate instantly.
"He's going to bring her home, Rachel.." she told her. "He loves her.."
Rachel felt the flutters in her stomach at the thought of her sister coming home. "Come in, Kate.." she finally told the brunette.
()()END()()
Woohoo.
