time in a bottle 13 "Fire on the Mountain"
Title: Time in a Bottle
Chapter: 13. "Fire on the Mountain"
Author: pengyn
Rating: Teen
Spoilers: Through to "The End"
Summary: James returns to the real world, trying to deal with his grief and still hold on to his memories of Juliet. Meanwhile, thirty years earlier, a series of sabotages in Dharmaville leads him to suspect the one person he doesn't want to believe could have done it.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting chapters up - my family has been in town and it's hampered both my writing time and my posting ability. So I'll just take this opportunity to thank everyone who has commented, it really keeps me writing.
previous: prologue one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve
Chapter 13 - "Fire on the Mountain"
James ended up sleeping at his desk. She hadn’t asked him to - she hadn’t kicked him out or suggested he should leave - in fact, she hadn’t said much of anything to him. She’d walked back to the house, gone into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.
He could’ve just gone home and laid low but he felt like a prized ass - he didn’t want to do any more damage. So he slept at his desk. On the one hand it meant that he could keep a watch on Phil and Jerry as they finished their nightshift - on the other it meant he woke up with achy joints and a crick in the neck.
The aftermath of the incident at Horace’s house had left the security team feeling stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened before and the knowledge that someone had intentionally tried to kill their leader made them angry and more than a little afraid. James had sat them down afterwards and told them they weren’t to breathe a word of it to anyone - as far as the rest of the population was concerned, it was an accident. He didn’t want any talk of sabotage and subterfuge.
He wasn’t sure what to make of anything anymore. Someone had known enough about them, enough about their movements, to cause unimaginable chaos. Whoever had done it, took advantage of them being distracted. They’d snuck in, stolen the first tape and James had learned later they’d also disabled the camera pointed at them in order to cover up their tracks a second time. It was more than a two-minute job - certainly more than the time it takes to grab a first aid kit - and that only made him feel more of an ass.
James stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He needed to talk to Juliet before he did anything else to screw things up further. It was early but he was counting on her wanting to be up and out the door before he could corner her again. He tried to prevent himself from just running across the compound - if people saw members of security running around, they panicked. James had trained his entire team to walk with a sense of purpose - look like you’re busy so nobody bothers you but don’t go alarming everyone by racing around all over the place. He figured that last night’s events at least justified him marching.
He arrived at the house - he could smell toast so he knew she was awake. He shut the door behind him just in case she needed to stab him with a fork and didn’t want witnesses - he felt he at least owed her that option.
Juliet walked out of her bedroom still tying her hair into a ponytail. She stopped short when she caught sight of him.
“Hi,” he said, feeling like an idiot for not offering more.
“Hi,” she replied, before heading into the kitchen.
He followed her. “Look I... I was outta line. I’m - I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she said, scrubbing at a plate as if she was anything but. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago they’d been cozying up by that very same sink and now she could barely look at him.
“I didn’t mean... look I was just -“
“Doing your job, I get it,” she interrupted.
“Yes. No. Dammit Juliet, things were crazy last night an’ I wasn’t thinkin’ straight,” he told her.
She turned around to face him. “Spare me the attempt to backtrack James - you think because I was there when Miles suggested the tape that I somehow had something to do with it. You think that because people are getting shot and the Others are involved that by default it makes me guilty because you can’t let go of the fact that I used to be one of them. So I’ll just say this once,” she paused, walking towards him so that his face was inches from her own. “I came to this island voluntarily and when I got here I was told - that I could never leave. And every time I tried to get away, I was shot down. As much as you wanted to get away from here, trust me, I wanted it more but I had to help you - all of you - because you needed it too. I’m just rolling with it - all of it - because I’ve come to learn that I don’t have control over any of this. And the only reason why I am here - is because you asked me to stay. Do you think if I was involved that I wouldn’t have been smart enough to figure out how to get the tape all on my own? Do you think I needed to rely on Miles accidentally mentioning it in front of me? I’ve lived on this Island for more than four years - trust me when I say I don’t need a map.”
“Juliet,” James said quietly.
She stepped away from him, there were tears in her eyes and she didn’t want to break this close to him. “I guess I should just be lucky that you didn’t accuse me of seducing you in order to do it.”
She exited the kitchen, going back down the hall and into the bathroom. He heard the door close and lock behind her. It made him feel worse.
Grabbing a pen and paper off the coffee table, he headed down the hallway after her. She’d have to come out in order to go to work and he wasn’t sure why, exactly, but he needed to fix this now.
He sat down next to the bathroom door - knees protesting as he did so - and leaned his back up against the wall. He scribbled something on a piece of paper, tore it off and slipped it under the door. It contained two words - I’m sorry.
He waited a minute and then scribbled something else - I’m an ass. He slipped the note under the door and without waiting for a response - not that he thought he’d get one - started scribbling again. I’m a huge, giant ass and you are probably the only person on the planet I’d admit this to. Under the door it went. I’m sorry. This thing between us - I don’t know what it is exactly but it’s... REAL. He read over it again and pushed it through. I know you’re pissed, he wrote, you’ve got every right to be. Gotta go to work. He smiled a little as he slid that one under and began writing another - Gotta take a shower but I can’t get into the bathroom.
He waited another minute and then pushed himself up off the floor. He was about to go when he heard the latch click as Juliet opened the door. Her face was red and damn if he didn’t hate himself even more. He tried to say something but found he didn’t know what to say.
“You should go see Richard,” she said. “See if he has anything to say about it. If he’s lying - I’m sure you’d be able to figure it out.”
“So basically you’re pushing me toward the people with guns.” It was a weak joke but he was almost sure he saw the corner of her mouth move. “Yeah, I guess I deserved that.”
“Go see Richard,” she repeated.
He nodded. “I’m gonna have to go on foot - protocol says we can’t take another vehicle out of zone while there’re so many in the shop. Don’t wait up.”
He hovered in the doorway, uncertain of what he should be doing. Eventually she nudged him gently into the bathroom.
“You really do need to shower,” she told him and he smiled impishly. “James?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful today.”
James nodded - she was talking to him and that was a start.
Chapter: 13. "Fire on the Mountain"
Author: pengyn
Rating: Teen
Spoilers: Through to "The End"
Summary: James returns to the real world, trying to deal with his grief and still hold on to his memories of Juliet. Meanwhile, thirty years earlier, a series of sabotages in Dharmaville leads him to suspect the one person he doesn't want to believe could have done it.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting chapters up - my family has been in town and it's hampered both my writing time and my posting ability. So I'll just take this opportunity to thank everyone who has commented, it really keeps me writing.
previous: prologue one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve
Chapter 13 - "Fire on the Mountain"
James ended up sleeping at his desk. She hadn’t asked him to - she hadn’t kicked him out or suggested he should leave - in fact, she hadn’t said much of anything to him. She’d walked back to the house, gone into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.
He could’ve just gone home and laid low but he felt like a prized ass - he didn’t want to do any more damage. So he slept at his desk. On the one hand it meant that he could keep a watch on Phil and Jerry as they finished their nightshift - on the other it meant he woke up with achy joints and a crick in the neck.
The aftermath of the incident at Horace’s house had left the security team feeling stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened before and the knowledge that someone had intentionally tried to kill their leader made them angry and more than a little afraid. James had sat them down afterwards and told them they weren’t to breathe a word of it to anyone - as far as the rest of the population was concerned, it was an accident. He didn’t want any talk of sabotage and subterfuge.
He wasn’t sure what to make of anything anymore. Someone had known enough about them, enough about their movements, to cause unimaginable chaos. Whoever had done it, took advantage of them being distracted. They’d snuck in, stolen the first tape and James had learned later they’d also disabled the camera pointed at them in order to cover up their tracks a second time. It was more than a two-minute job - certainly more than the time it takes to grab a first aid kit - and that only made him feel more of an ass.
James stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He needed to talk to Juliet before he did anything else to screw things up further. It was early but he was counting on her wanting to be up and out the door before he could corner her again. He tried to prevent himself from just running across the compound - if people saw members of security running around, they panicked. James had trained his entire team to walk with a sense of purpose - look like you’re busy so nobody bothers you but don’t go alarming everyone by racing around all over the place. He figured that last night’s events at least justified him marching.
He arrived at the house - he could smell toast so he knew she was awake. He shut the door behind him just in case she needed to stab him with a fork and didn’t want witnesses - he felt he at least owed her that option.
Juliet walked out of her bedroom still tying her hair into a ponytail. She stopped short when she caught sight of him.
“Hi,” he said, feeling like an idiot for not offering more.
“Hi,” she replied, before heading into the kitchen.
He followed her. “Look I... I was outta line. I’m - I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” she said, scrubbing at a plate as if she was anything but. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago they’d been cozying up by that very same sink and now she could barely look at him.
“I didn’t mean... look I was just -“
“Doing your job, I get it,” she interrupted.
“Yes. No. Dammit Juliet, things were crazy last night an’ I wasn’t thinkin’ straight,” he told her.
She turned around to face him. “Spare me the attempt to backtrack James - you think because I was there when Miles suggested the tape that I somehow had something to do with it. You think that because people are getting shot and the Others are involved that by default it makes me guilty because you can’t let go of the fact that I used to be one of them. So I’ll just say this once,” she paused, walking towards him so that his face was inches from her own. “I came to this island voluntarily and when I got here I was told - that I could never leave. And every time I tried to get away, I was shot down. As much as you wanted to get away from here, trust me, I wanted it more but I had to help you - all of you - because you needed it too. I’m just rolling with it - all of it - because I’ve come to learn that I don’t have control over any of this. And the only reason why I am here - is because you asked me to stay. Do you think if I was involved that I wouldn’t have been smart enough to figure out how to get the tape all on my own? Do you think I needed to rely on Miles accidentally mentioning it in front of me? I’ve lived on this Island for more than four years - trust me when I say I don’t need a map.”
“Juliet,” James said quietly.
She stepped away from him, there were tears in her eyes and she didn’t want to break this close to him. “I guess I should just be lucky that you didn’t accuse me of seducing you in order to do it.”
She exited the kitchen, going back down the hall and into the bathroom. He heard the door close and lock behind her. It made him feel worse.
Grabbing a pen and paper off the coffee table, he headed down the hallway after her. She’d have to come out in order to go to work and he wasn’t sure why, exactly, but he needed to fix this now.
He sat down next to the bathroom door - knees protesting as he did so - and leaned his back up against the wall. He scribbled something on a piece of paper, tore it off and slipped it under the door. It contained two words - I’m sorry.
He waited a minute and then scribbled something else - I’m an ass. He slipped the note under the door and without waiting for a response - not that he thought he’d get one - started scribbling again. I’m a huge, giant ass and you are probably the only person on the planet I’d admit this to. Under the door it went. I’m sorry. This thing between us - I don’t know what it is exactly but it’s... REAL. He read over it again and pushed it through. I know you’re pissed, he wrote, you’ve got every right to be. Gotta go to work. He smiled a little as he slid that one under and began writing another - Gotta take a shower but I can’t get into the bathroom.
He waited another minute and then pushed himself up off the floor. He was about to go when he heard the latch click as Juliet opened the door. Her face was red and damn if he didn’t hate himself even more. He tried to say something but found he didn’t know what to say.
“You should go see Richard,” she said. “See if he has anything to say about it. If he’s lying - I’m sure you’d be able to figure it out.”
“So basically you’re pushing me toward the people with guns.” It was a weak joke but he was almost sure he saw the corner of her mouth move. “Yeah, I guess I deserved that.”
“Go see Richard,” she repeated.
He nodded. “I’m gonna have to go on foot - protocol says we can’t take another vehicle out of zone while there’re so many in the shop. Don’t wait up.”
He hovered in the doorway, uncertain of what he should be doing. Eventually she nudged him gently into the bathroom.
“You really do need to shower,” she told him and he smiled impishly. “James?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful today.”
James nodded - she was talking to him and that was a start.