This chapter is for Leah, who gave me my first review for this story! Thank you!

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It was exactly the first day of her third month on the island when Juliet made her first major breakthrough.

She knew that the radiation levels on the island were abnormal, and up until this point, she'd assumed that the radiation was the primary cause of the death of the pregnant women on the island, much in the way that overexposure to radiation gave people cancer and made them sick. She'd assumed that the added stress of a pregnancy on the body's immune system was what tipped the balance unfavorably for these poor women...but she'd been wrong.

In the last month, Juliet had been using some of her own genetic material to serve as a kind of control group to measure against the samples she'd taken from the women on the island. She'd postulated that, when grown in the lab, her cells would replicate at healthier rates, due to the fact that she hadn't been on the island for very long. Yet to her surprise, the other cell samples were out-performing hers in terms of growth.

She'd dismissed her first batch of test results, thinking that she may have screwed up some where along the way, took new samples, and repeated the experiment again. The results were the same. Juliet was perplexed, but she'd continued with the experiment, drawing it out until she had trackable data spanning a month's worth of time. According to the results, the women on the island were in better, healthier shape than she was. What the hell?

Then it had occurred to her: Hormesis.

Exposure to the island had stimulated every natural defense in this community, which explained why its inhabitants rarely got sick. For a woman to carry a child to term meant that, for nine month, she was required to carry and nourish a cell mass that was only genetically half hers. The deaths of pregnant women on this island were not the result of radiation poisoning, but instead the result of an autoimmune disorder.

Juliet braced her hands on her desk, her mind racing off into a million different directions. Autoimmune diseases were treatable, and even then, the treatment would only have to be administered during the woman's gestation period…

She spent the rest of the morning tearing through her notes and cross-checking her data. She was going to need to talk to Ethan about immunosuppressant therapy, and she would need to have test animals for clinical trials. Her desk was covered in papers, and she'd laid several of her journals open on the floor surrounding her. Her heart was racing. She couldn't wait to speak to Ben…

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she called, wondering if Ben had somehow managed to telepathically infer that she wanted to see him.

But the person that came through the door wasn't Ben…it was Alex.

"Um…hi," she said hesitantly, surveying the chaos surrounding her. "Is this a bad time?"

"No! Not at all," Juliet smiled. "This is a great time. Please come in!" She motioned Alex forward cajolingly.

"You look busy."

"I am, but not too busy for you."

Juliet stood up and extracted herself from her circle of madness. She pulled up a stool for Alex and one for herself. Alex sat down carefully. It was clear she had something on her mind. Juliet sat down too, smiling at her invitingly.

"What can I do for you Alex?"

The young woman was nervous. Juliet watched her take a deep breath and marshal her forces before she looked up at Juliet.

"I have to ask you something," she said shyly.

"Okay," Juliet smiled and waited.

"Do you like my dad?"

"Well, yes, we're friends," Juliet replied, taken aback. What was this about? "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that…he talks about you a lot. I think he really likes you…like, really likes you."

"Do you mean…romantically?" Juliet asked, perplexed.

"Yes," Alex nodded.

"Okay…" Juliet wasn't sure how to respond to this information. "What made you want to come share this with me?" she asked. Alex blushed and looked down.

"It's just that…he isn't always happy, my dad, and when he talks about you, he gets happy…and trust me, I've never seen him act that way about anyone before. It's a first," she smiled.

"Well, I, um…" Juliet wasn't sure what to say, or more pressingly, what Alex wanted her to say.

"Look," the thirteen-year-old's tone suddenly grew mature for her years. "I'm not saying you guys have to get married or anything, but if you like him too, you should maybe…date, or something. And if you don't like him that way, then just…be nice to him?"

Her gaze faltered for a second, and she looked down at the floor.

"Don't get me wrong," she added. "He's not my favorite person right now. He's been a total jerk about me and Karl, but…" she trailed off and looked up at Juliet. "He's my dad, you know?"

Juliet nodded. "I know."

"And he really cares about you."

Juliet nodded again. "Okay."

"And, he doesn't really date, but he could be a really good boyfriend."

Juliet chuckled and nodded again. "Fair enough."

"And I just thought…you should know," Alex trailed off quietly.

"I appreciate that," Juliet replied, wondering just how she was going to deal with this information. She was suddenly very grateful to Alex. By coming to her, Alex had given her the heads up she needed before she accidentally did something stupid and hurt Ben's feelings, and Ben was definitely some that she didn't want to hurt.

They were both quiet for a moment before Alex stood up and started to move her chair back to its original location. Juliet did the same.

"Um," Alex began when they were done. "Please don't tell him that I was here and I told you this. I think he'd be a little mad."

Juliet nodded and held out an arm to the young woman. Alex stepped closer and Juliet pulled her into an affectionate embrace.

"Thank you for coming to me with this," she said to the top of Alex's head. "Your dad is a lucky man to have a daughter who cares about him the way you do."

"Thanks," Alex's reply was muffled by Juliet's collarbone. She squeezed Juliet tightly before stepping back.

"I think Karl's pretty lucky too," Juliet added with a wink. Alex blushed and mumbled "Thanks" again.

Juliet walked Alex the few steps to the door.

"I'm sure I'll see you later," she smiled warmly.

"Yeah," Alex nodded smiling back. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Juliet replied. "And thank you."

Alex nodded once and went through the door, closing it lightly behind her.

Juliet took a deep breath and let it out slowly. What a day!

She looked over at her desk and could see why Alex had been so hesitant to disturb her. What a mess. She walked over and began to reorganize the chaos, letting her hands do the work while her mind attempted to reconcile her life.

I'll have to find Ethan in a bit and ask him about getting those testing supplies. I should start the trials as soon as possible, and I need to update Ben on my progress…but Ben has a crush on me…Wow, what am I going to do about that?

She put her lab journals back into chronological order while simultaneously reflecting on her past interactions with Benjamin Linus. Sure, they had a great rapport, and he always seemed happy to spend time with her…and he was certainly physically attractive, and most of the time she found him endearing…

But then again, he'd never really made a move to let her know how he felt. Every touch, every compliment had been friendly…except the night he'd kissed her hand. She thought about that moment, replaying it over and over in her mind. He brought her dinner, helped her with her work, then kissed her hand, and when he did it, her heart had definitely jumped…there was definitely something like attraction between the two of them.

Juliet re-organized the few research articles she had on autoimmune diseases into a binder and began to imagine what it might be like to have a relationship with Ben. He was usually so reserved, almost shy with her. What would it be like to really flirt with him? What would it be like to hold his hand as his girlfriend and let him kiss her?

Juliet accidentally dropped the binder on the floor at that thought. It was almost uncomfortable to contemplate…not repulsive uncomfortable, but just a little tantalizingly weird.

She shook her head to clear her mind. All of this was irrelevant until her work was done.

She picked up the last four papers and put the remains into some semblance of order. Right now, she had to work, she told herself. She had to go find Ethan or Richard and start making arrangements to test her new hypothesis. She'd think about whatever was going to happen between her and Ben later.

Her stomach grumbled. It was lunchtime. She knew Ethan always had his lunch in the cafeteria. When he wasn't being their doctor, he was always working odd jobs around the island. If she didn't catch him at lunch, she probably wouldn't be able to catch up with him for weeks. She looked up at the clock. The cafeteria served lunch to all the island workers from twelve to one, and it was twelve-forty now. If she was quick, she could make it, and also get food.

She reached the cafeteria at twelve forty-five, just in time to snag a sandwich and a bag of chips. She looked around the gradually emptying room, but Ethan didn't appear to be there. She walked into the tables, her eyes darting from face to face, but she was right; he wasn't there. Damn.

"Juliet?" and distinctive voice called out. Juliet turned, surprised to see Ben sitting at a table by himself. He was reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, and she'd somehow managed to walk right by him without seeing him. "Are you looking for me?" His expression was hopeful.

"Um…no," she said a little too bluntly. His face fell slightly. "I mean, not that it's not good to see you, Ben," she stammered, trying to recover. "I was just looking, and…I mean, it's good to see you…but I was just…"

Oh my God, is this how it's going to be from now on? She thought, feeling ridiculous. You're just going to babble at him like an idiot? Get a grip, Juliet!

She stopped trying to talk and just walked over and sat down next to him instead.

"I was looking for Ethan," she said, turning to face him. "Because I think I'm onto something in the lab, and I need him for a consult and to help me set up some experiments."

Good girl.

"Juliet, that's wonderful!" Ben's face broke into a smile, her favorite smile: the one that made his eyes crinkle. She loved that smile because it was so rare, and to elicit one took something really special. How many more times had she been the recipient of this smile than the others?

"Well?" he prodded her, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Well…?" she repeated uncertainly.

"Are you going to give me the details, or do I have to beg?" Ben chuckled and made a gesture of exasperation with his hands.

"Oh! Right…"

She started to fill him in on her journey of discovery, telling him about how she'd thrown out her original results and started the new batch of cultures…

"Was that the night I brought you dinner?" he interjected.

"Yes! Exactly. I started the new batch that night. That's why I was there so late," she nodded.

"And that was the batch that led you to your brilliant discovery?"

"Yes, well, I'm not sure if I'm actually right yet, but we'll see," she shrugged.

"I helped label those cultures, you know," his tone was serious, but his face was mocking her.

"Yes, I remember," she chuckled. She filled him in on the rest of the story and her new theory about the over-active immune systems of the women on the island. When she was done, he leaned back in his chair and studied her intently.

"That's brilliant," he told her, his expression akin to awe. "You're brilliant."

"Stop," she grinned, then looked down at the table to hide her blush.

"Juliet, I'm serious!" he cried, reaching forward to take her hand and squeeze it in triumph. "You should celebrate."

"I am celebrating." She gently disengaged her hand from his because something about the contact was making it hard for her to breathe. She picked up her sandwich instead. "See? I'm eating lunch today." She took a bite and grinned victoriously before chewing and swallowing.

Ben shook his head at her in mild disapproval, but stayed quiet while she ate. Juliet could feel his gaze on her when she wasn't looking. She pretended like she didn't notice, and went on eating. The silence weighed on her, but she wasn't sure what to say, so instead, she ate, and waited for a cue from Ben.

"Ethan is out at The Staff today…he won't be back until much later this evening, but I can be sure he comes to see you in the lab first thing tomorrow morning," Ben said eventually.

"That would be perfect," she said, finishing up her food. "Thank you, Ben."

More silence.

Juliet looked around to see where she could put her tray, but Ben suddenly rose and took her tray to the waste receptacle to clear it, then added it to the stack on the sideboard.

"Come on," he called, looking back at her, Les Miserables under his arm. "I'll walk you back to the lab."

He stood, smiling and expectant, waiting for her by the door. She rose and joined him. He opened the door for her, and they walked out into the sunshine together.

Somehow walking side-by-side was even more awkward for Juliet than sitting next to one another. It was a beautiful day, and she couldn't appreciate it because she was wondering what Ben was thinking, and what he was feeling, and if he was ever going to tell her what he was thinking and feeling.

His hand brushed hers as they walked, and she practically jumped, wondering if it was an accident, or if he'd done it on purpose. Then she realized he'd done the exact same thing to her weeks before, only she'd been the one making contact with him, and he'd been the one jumping. How long had they been dancing this dance? And for how long had she been an oblivious partner?

She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, but Ben didn't seem to notice anything…but then, of course, Ben had the best poker face of anyone she'd ever known. She glanced down at his offending hand. Ben had very nice hands. His nails were clipped and clean with fingers that were nicely shaped. They were strong hands, capable hands, and they were slightly calloused on the palms. Juliet had a sudden urge to slide her hand into Ben's, but then, that would be crossing the "friend" line: very few "friends" held hands as they walked together, but she was tempted to do it anyway, just to see how he'd respond.

But this is Ben! Her brain protested. Should she be thinking about things like this with Ben?

Well, maybe, she thought, because according to Alex at least, he was thinking those sorts of things about her.

"You're awfully quiet," he commented lightly. "Is everything alright?"

"Um, yes," she lied unconvincingly. "I'm just thinking of all the work I need to do, and the materials I need to ask Ethan about, and…everything else."

Silence.

"You know, you don't have to do this alone Juliet. I'm here to help you, if you need me."

If you need me…

They had arrived at the infirmary already. She looked up at the door leading to her lab with sudden apprehension, realizing that he was right. She dreaded spending the whole afternoon in there, by herself, with all the pressure, and nothing to do but work on this new idea and pray that it would succeed. She had a thought and looked over at Ben.

"I need you," she said simply. His face brightened. "It's too much to be in there, alone with my thoughts-especially at this stage in the game. I need someone to bounce ideas off of for an hour or two. Can you come around noon tomorrow? After I've had a chance to consult with Ethan?"

Ben nodded, his face difficult to read, but he seemed pleased.

"It's a date," he said, his eyes never leaving her face.

"It's a date," she echoed, returning his gaze.

Then she turned and went inside.

…

This is a new fandom for me, and I hate to be a review whore, but boy, would I like some reviews on this! Thank you.