Fic: looking up into sapphire tinted skies

May 27, 2009 21:54

Title: looking up into sapphire tinted skies
Fandom: LOST
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Juliet/Sawyer
Spoilers/Warnings: season 5; tag for “Nameste”
Disclaimer: not mine, because if they were, well, let’s just say some things would be different.
Summary: As she watches James run out of their room, Juliet can feel it in her bones: change.
A/N: first LOST fic and it surprised even me, but Juliet is too awesome. Big thanks to jesterlady for the quick beta.


looking up into sapphire tinted skies

As she watches James run out of their room, Juliet can feel it in her bones: change. Something has happened, something is about to shift in their lives, she can tell from the tension James carried out of the room with him. The same tension is crawling up her spine, cold and unwelcome. There was something in James’ eyes, something he wasn’t telling her and she wonders why he lied to her. At the thought Juliet feels more than a little disappointed in herself. Tossing off the covers that are still draped over her body, she stands, turning towards the chair and grabbing James’ spare t-shirt and slipping it over her body. It’s the shirt he had been wearing the day before and it smells of the Dharma deodorant and a purely male scent she associates with James.

He hadn’t lied, she knows. She knows he hasn’t lied, exactly, he just hadn’t told her everything-anything, really, but if it’s one thing she’s knows it’s when James lies. He gets smooth and even more charming than normal when he’s conning someone, and that, for sure, wasn’t the sight she had been greeted to minutes ago. He had been flustered and worried, and now, as she starts fully waking and the fuzziness of James’ mad dash out the door begins dissipating, she can focus on how he looked… agitated, too much so.

In the end it all goes back to change, something has happened, and she’s pretty sure it’s not good.

Making her way towards the bathroom she decides to go see Miles after she leaves the house.

*

Part of her can’t help but feel worried when she hears James say they’re back. The two words sit on her shoulders and press down, two heavy weights of time and consequence. James had left in such a rush she hadn’t been able to full wrap herself around the situation, she hadn’t been able to read how he had felt about the situation. Not fully, at any rate. There had been agitated excitement in his eyes and worry, but there had been that flicker of hope. Hope for what, or who? She hates her own doubt, it’s not part of who she is, but that doesn't mean it doesn’t creep up on her unexpectedly as an unwelcome surprise.

Taking a breath she faces their bed and closes her eyes, calming herself. She and James have been together for three years and she’s being paranoid. She needs to stop it. They love each other and they always knew this day would come. In the back of their minds, even as they let themselves settle in the Dharma Initiative, they always knew one day it would change, end, shift.

It looks like that day is today. She needs to find Amy and get the sub manifest if their plan is going to work.

Opening her eyes, Juliet lets out a heavy breath. Here we go again.

*

It doesn’t burn to see Kate like she thought it would. A deep understanding that they’re back, but that’s it, goes through her when she sets eyes on the woman. (Later, when she finds out that Hurley has saved her from breaking news that she shouldn’t feel guilty about, she’s grateful. The fact that she feels relief makes her uneasy because she and James are both adults and this relationship has lasted the better part of three years.)

Still, it’s Kate. It’s Kate and Jack, and when they look at her and James she feels her shoulders tense even when she knows they shouldn’t.

*

After Jack leaves their house James finds her in the bedroom, trying and failing, to concentrate on her book. She’s been staring at the same line for the past two minutes and still hasn’t reached its end. Finally sighing, she puts the book down on her nightstand, the one which house James’ extra glasses and the phone that she almost wishes hadn’t rung this morning. When he enters the room, she can feel him look at her and looks up, her lips pressed together in a gentle line.

“The Doc just left.” James sits at on the edge of her side of the bed, facing her, his coveralls brushing her demin-clad knees. “As you can imagine, he wasn’t real gung-ho about what happened with Sayid today.”

She nods because she knew that. Jack was too used to leading; taking orders, from James especially, was probably not going to go over well.

“I figured.” She leans back against the headboard and watches as James’ hand rest easily on her thigh, fingers rubbing slightly. Huh, she muses with a small smile, she hadn’t even really noticed, probably like he didn’t even notice he did it. She wonders when touching, so simply, so easily, had become so natural to them. She also wonders if that’s going to stay the same now, then she berates herself for even having that thought, the second after she has the thought.

“Hey, Blondie, talk to me.” His other hand slips through her hair and finds a resting place on her neck, warm and heavy.

“I’m worried. It’s only been a day and Jack-”

“Hey, don’t worry about the Doc, I’ll make sure he and the rest of the Scooby Gang don’t start raising up trouble.”

She chuckles, low and dry.

“Trying for a miracle, are you, James?” The joke is stale on her tongue but she needs to make it, because they both know: now that the others, (and how things change, she’s not an Other anymore), are back, trouble is coming; there’s no way around that. The relative peace of the last three years is slipping away by the minute. She can’t help but resent them a little for that because in the smallest way she had stopped waiting.

She must not hide her thoughts too well because James tugs her closer, forcing her to bend her legs at the knees slightly, his side sliding against hers.

“Look at me, Juliet, I ain’t gonna let them mess up our life here. I know it sounds like I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid, but we have a good thing here, good life, and I’m gonna make sure we keep having one.” His hand slides down her neck, across her jaw and pushes her hair behind her ear. “Dharmaville didn’t turn out so bad for a bunch of polar bear raising hippies.” He’s smirking, a blend of smugness and sweetness only James can pull off, and she knows he’s doing it because she loves it. He knows she loves it.

Turning her head into the muscle of his shoulder, she rests her chin on its curve, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You sure know how to sweet talk a girl.” He chuckles and she continues, “But I’m still worried. Them coming back can’t mean anything good, you know that, right?”

James sighs, facing her fully, his arm tight around her waist. “Only too well, sweetheart, but we’ll manage, won’t we?”

He says we like there’s no other alternative and she presses a kiss to his lips in agreement. “Of course, I got your back.” He pulls her closer to him, shifting their bodies so that she has no choice but to practically move onto his lap, his hands pressing at the curve of her ass, hers finding purchase around his neck.

“Bonnie and Clyde ain’t got nothing on us,” he says, cupping her head and she can feel the sly grin against her lips.

Juliet laughs, sliding closer, the weight of the day finally letting her go.

character: juliet burke, tv: lost, ship: juliet/sawyer, !fanfic

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