Lost Fic: Free To Stay - Ch. 7
Title: Free To Stay
Chapter: 7/8
Show: Lost
Rating: pretty much PG
Characters/Pairings: Sawyer/Juliet, Miles/Juliet friendship, and Jin and Daniel somewhere in the background.
Summary: Juliet is uncertain, Miles knows all, and Sawyer's too late. 70s Dharma fic.
Author's Note: Bad news-I suck at updating. Good news-I already have the ending written. Kudos to the people who are still reading this; I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting. I figured since our OTP got their happy ending (such a glorious reunion, that was) I have no excuse for never finishing this haha. Enjoy.
~
Chapter 7: Chivalry
Sawyer has touched many women in his day. Some were timid, some were not even remotely. With Juliet, it's a curious combination of the two. She has him pulled so firmly towards her body he's almost afraid to move. Her face is buried along his neck, one of her palms clinging to his shoulder in a solid grip while her other arm is wound around his neck, her fingers gently tangling in his hair. This is the self-assured Juliet he knows, the one who acts with swift and unapologetic movements, but he suspects the blush creeping up cheeks are remnants of the old Juliet he heard about. The pushover he will still have to really see to believe exists.
It seems so strange that this sheer human contact seems much more intimate than any steamy kiss he's ever given and he almost feels overwhelmed by the simplicity of her embrace. He's still reeling from the fact that 30 seconds ago he was sure she was ready to sock him in the face, so doesn't really get what this is all supposed to mean, but he can't help but pull her closer anyway.
He's not sure how long it's been before they hear a throat clear, effectively breaking whatever quiet spell they're under. Like teenagers caught behind a classroom building, they awkwardly spring apart to the vision of Horace entering Juliet's station, followed by an always-seemingly-grumpy Phil, a calmly restrained smile forming at Horace's lips.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Horace says, his voice failing to hide his amusement. If it weren't for the fact that Horace is such an honorable leader, Sawyer would consider decking him to wipe that almost-taunting hippie-smirk off his face. "I need to talk to you for a second, Jim."
Sawyer notices Juliet greet Horace and Phil with a flustered smile before averting her gaze and pretending to busy herself with some random auto part. He tries not to snort.
"What'dya need, Boss?" he asks, leaning against the van Juliet's supposed to be working on, as if the awkwardness in the air is something they're all merely imagining.
"It's Jerry. He's having van trouble near Hostile territory and it's not a big deal, but since the sun is going down, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind escorting him away from the area. We're short-staffed anyway, so we'll just leave the van for morning."
"It's not like you're busy or anything," Phil murmurs at the lack of an immediate response from Sawyer, his arms crossed and his voice inexplicably grouchy, and Sawyer thinks he'd have no reservations in punching him instead. Even his eyebrows were grumpy and annoying.
"What's the problem with the van?" Juliet asks, and the three men turn as if just remembering she was present.
"A faulty engine, but really it's-"
"I can take a look at it if you'd like."
Sawyer's eyes flicker to hers, wondering what game she's playing at, if she's even playing one at all.
"Oh, there's no need in that, Juliet," Horace says resolutely, his hands clasped together and resting against his stomach.
"It's no problem, Horace," she smiles back, setting down a rag against the open hood. "It'll just take a second, I'll go-"
"Like hell you will."
Horace looks a little startled as he turns towards Sawyer.
"James," she starts, her voice that eerie sort of calm it gets when she's trying to prove a point while convincing herself she doesn't have to kick your ass to make it. "It sounds like a simple repair. It's better than leaving it out all night and-"
"Yeah and being alive and well sounds a lot better than riskin' you gettin' jumped by some trigger-happy natives."
Horace shifts his weight from one foot to another, sensing the tension and looking as if he's feeling guilty for starting some lover's quarrel. He clears his throat again.
"You know what? I think it'll be fine, Juliet. Honest," he hastens, his eyes on Sawyer. "We'd rather be safe than sorry. It's just a one van and the repair is simple enough to be saved 'til morning-I'm sure even Phil here could do it." Phil and his eyebrows glance his way. "No offense, of course."
Both Phil and Juliet open their mouths but before anything further can be said, Sawyer is pushing past Phil to get to the nearest Jeep. "Ya'll can stand here and debate all you want. I'll go fetch King of the Muttonchops Guild."
Juliet stares after him, her face unreadable as she turns towards Horace. He shrugs at her, a twinkle of amusement still left in his eyes.
~
Juliet grips the foil-wrapped plates in silence, trekking down towards the security office to Miles and Jin. She figures since James isn't back yet and she can't just be sitting around focusing on that sole fact, she'd bring them something to eat. She ambles in, still a little uneasy on her feet, having left the one crutch she was using at her station.
She's greeted with identically amused looks.
"What?"
They thank her and reach for the food, failing to answer her question, but Miles continues to smirk at her through a mouthful of sandwich.
"There's cameras in the motorpool," he says, lounging back in his chair.
"I'm aware," she coolly replies, hopping up to sit on the counter in front of the monitors, grabbing at Miles' thermos. "Don't you two have jobs?" she asks, taking a swig of his water.
"I'm just saying, I think you broke poor Phil's heart."
Her eyes flicker to his unblinking, resisting the urge to react.
"I think he has a thing for La Fleur," he swallows, and finishes with another broad smirk. The ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth despite the overwhelming desire she has to roll her eyes. Miles is an idiot, but Phil sure seemed a little more peeved than usual.
"So...no more mad at James?" Jin asks, he's smiling too, and it takes her a second to remember he probably didn't catch much of what was just said. She relents and nods anyway.
"Looks like mom and dad have stopped fighting," Miles drawls with mock enthusiasm, his smirk still apparent as his voice drips with sarcasm. "Hooray."
"Miles, it's almost the weekend. Please don't make me hurt y-"
A loud crack tears through the air, the aftereffects of a gunshot reverberating around them before leaving an eerie silence, skidding their conversation to a halt.
The three of them stand there and stare at each other for a second before Jin springs up while Juliet whirls around and they both quickly scan the monitors together. Before they get very far, Miles' walkie hisses a few times before being flooded with crackling noise.
"Where's Juliet?"
They recognize the voice immediately. Sawyer sounds out of breath, which doesn't exactly settle Juliet's growing worry.
"Jim?" Miles responds, hastily picking up the walkie and holding Juliet's gaze as he speaks into it. "She's here with Jin and me. What the hell is going on?"
"I'm fine. Just make sure she stays where she is."
So naturally, this is when she starts heading towards the double-doors.
Only to be stopped by Jin.
"Juliet, no," he says, his grip on her arm is gentle but his voice is firm. "Sawyer not want this."
"Jin," she begins, a stable intensity in her tone. She tips her head to the side and straightens her back to stand her full height in front of him. "You once told me you'd go wherever Sun went."
She doesn't continue, but instead lets her words hang in the air as she calmly watches his face shift into resolve. He releases his grip and nods to her slightly, a hesitantly softer, knowing look present as his eyes bore into hers. At the back of her mind she felt it was a low blow to bring Sun up, considering he refused to speak about it, but something like silent understanding passed between them and she knows Jin gets it.
Miles mumbles to himself, watching as Juliet heads towards the motorpool to snag a Jeep to go play hero, and adjusts the dial on his walkie to page Horace. "Never a friggin' normal day."
~
As she nears the territory, she catches sight of James immediately. His eyes close for a second as he exhales, demonstrating the fact he's less than pleased to see her. Jerry lays unconscious by the van's left tire, his shoulder openly bleeding, while Sawyer's hands are up, willing Widmore's gun to not fire at will.
"Ah, there she is," Charles smirks, announcing it as if he'd been expecting her and he takes a step forward.
Great. The last thing they all needed was a confrontation with Charles-fucking-Widmore in the moonlight.
"Goddammit, I told you to stay back in town," Sawyer seethes, all but spitting, as he eyes Widmore's distance. "Don't you dare get any closer to her. We have a truce with your pretty-boy Rich."
Widmore merely smiles in his self-assured creepy-Widmore manner.
"Well, I don't look like a Richard Alpert now, do I?"
He pauses for a moment, the artificial mirth sliding off his face to give into a trademark stony expression. "What were you doing on the island 20 years ago and why doesn't it look like you've aged a day since I last saw you?"
"Botox. Works wonders. Maybe you should try it."
Juliet wishes she could laugh, but with the malicious way Widmore's regarding James, she can't do much but will her heart to stop beating so fast.
Widmore's short temper seems to rear its ugly head again as ever as he speaks.
"Answer my questions or I'll kill her right here in front of you."
Juliet and Sawyer simultaneously whip their heads in Widmore's direction, as if it's again that night in the jungle, as if it's an unpleasant case of déjà vu.
"Not this again, Chief."
And before Juliet can stop him, she watches James lunge towards him. She swears she isn't breathing, but before Widmore can do more than turn to face James and fumble for his own gun, Juliet's hand swiftly pulls a handgun from the back of her jeans, and sets the barrel to the back of his skull. He stills, kneeling on the ground before her as Sawyer scrambles away from him, surprise clearly etched on his face.
"Put your gun down, Charles," she orders, her voice this fierce sort of resolve Sawyer's not sure he's heard before. Her hand is steady on the trigger even when Widmore lowers his rifle slowly.
"Guess this makes us Mission Impossible," Sawyer murmurs.
"Widmore! Stand down!"
The image of Horace passing the pylons, his own Dharma brand of cavalry behind him, seems to distract them all.
Before anyone can stop him, before Juliet can roll her eyes at James' comment, Charles moves and Juliet finds herself being shoved down upon prickling grass and James feels a subtle aching at the back of his skull before the world goes black.
~
I swear I'll have the next chapter up soon. Reviews are love.
Chapter: 7/8
Show: Lost
Rating: pretty much PG
Characters/Pairings: Sawyer/Juliet, Miles/Juliet friendship, and Jin and Daniel somewhere in the background.
Summary: Juliet is uncertain, Miles knows all, and Sawyer's too late. 70s Dharma fic.
Author's Note: Bad news-I suck at updating. Good news-I already have the ending written. Kudos to the people who are still reading this; I'm sorry that I've kept you waiting. I figured since our OTP got their happy ending (such a glorious reunion, that was) I have no excuse for never finishing this haha. Enjoy.
~
Chapter 7: Chivalry
Sawyer has touched many women in his day. Some were timid, some were not even remotely. With Juliet, it's a curious combination of the two. She has him pulled so firmly towards her body he's almost afraid to move. Her face is buried along his neck, one of her palms clinging to his shoulder in a solid grip while her other arm is wound around his neck, her fingers gently tangling in his hair. This is the self-assured Juliet he knows, the one who acts with swift and unapologetic movements, but he suspects the blush creeping up cheeks are remnants of the old Juliet he heard about. The pushover he will still have to really see to believe exists.
It seems so strange that this sheer human contact seems much more intimate than any steamy kiss he's ever given and he almost feels overwhelmed by the simplicity of her embrace. He's still reeling from the fact that 30 seconds ago he was sure she was ready to sock him in the face, so doesn't really get what this is all supposed to mean, but he can't help but pull her closer anyway.
He's not sure how long it's been before they hear a throat clear, effectively breaking whatever quiet spell they're under. Like teenagers caught behind a classroom building, they awkwardly spring apart to the vision of Horace entering Juliet's station, followed by an always-seemingly-grumpy Phil, a calmly restrained smile forming at Horace's lips.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Horace says, his voice failing to hide his amusement. If it weren't for the fact that Horace is such an honorable leader, Sawyer would consider decking him to wipe that almost-taunting hippie-smirk off his face. "I need to talk to you for a second, Jim."
Sawyer notices Juliet greet Horace and Phil with a flustered smile before averting her gaze and pretending to busy herself with some random auto part. He tries not to snort.
"What'dya need, Boss?" he asks, leaning against the van Juliet's supposed to be working on, as if the awkwardness in the air is something they're all merely imagining.
"It's Jerry. He's having van trouble near Hostile territory and it's not a big deal, but since the sun is going down, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind escorting him away from the area. We're short-staffed anyway, so we'll just leave the van for morning."
"It's not like you're busy or anything," Phil murmurs at the lack of an immediate response from Sawyer, his arms crossed and his voice inexplicably grouchy, and Sawyer thinks he'd have no reservations in punching him instead. Even his eyebrows were grumpy and annoying.
"What's the problem with the van?" Juliet asks, and the three men turn as if just remembering she was present.
"A faulty engine, but really it's-"
"I can take a look at it if you'd like."
Sawyer's eyes flicker to hers, wondering what game she's playing at, if she's even playing one at all.
"Oh, there's no need in that, Juliet," Horace says resolutely, his hands clasped together and resting against his stomach.
"It's no problem, Horace," she smiles back, setting down a rag against the open hood. "It'll just take a second, I'll go-"
"Like hell you will."
Horace looks a little startled as he turns towards Sawyer.
"James," she starts, her voice that eerie sort of calm it gets when she's trying to prove a point while convincing herself she doesn't have to kick your ass to make it. "It sounds like a simple repair. It's better than leaving it out all night and-"
"Yeah and being alive and well sounds a lot better than riskin' you gettin' jumped by some trigger-happy natives."
Horace shifts his weight from one foot to another, sensing the tension and looking as if he's feeling guilty for starting some lover's quarrel. He clears his throat again.
"You know what? I think it'll be fine, Juliet. Honest," he hastens, his eyes on Sawyer. "We'd rather be safe than sorry. It's just a one van and the repair is simple enough to be saved 'til morning-I'm sure even Phil here could do it." Phil and his eyebrows glance his way. "No offense, of course."
Both Phil and Juliet open their mouths but before anything further can be said, Sawyer is pushing past Phil to get to the nearest Jeep. "Ya'll can stand here and debate all you want. I'll go fetch King of the Muttonchops Guild."
Juliet stares after him, her face unreadable as she turns towards Horace. He shrugs at her, a twinkle of amusement still left in his eyes.
~
Juliet grips the foil-wrapped plates in silence, trekking down towards the security office to Miles and Jin. She figures since James isn't back yet and she can't just be sitting around focusing on that sole fact, she'd bring them something to eat. She ambles in, still a little uneasy on her feet, having left the one crutch she was using at her station.
She's greeted with identically amused looks.
"What?"
They thank her and reach for the food, failing to answer her question, but Miles continues to smirk at her through a mouthful of sandwich.
"There's cameras in the motorpool," he says, lounging back in his chair.
"I'm aware," she coolly replies, hopping up to sit on the counter in front of the monitors, grabbing at Miles' thermos. "Don't you two have jobs?" she asks, taking a swig of his water.
"I'm just saying, I think you broke poor Phil's heart."
Her eyes flicker to his unblinking, resisting the urge to react.
"I think he has a thing for La Fleur," he swallows, and finishes with another broad smirk. The ghost of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth despite the overwhelming desire she has to roll her eyes. Miles is an idiot, but Phil sure seemed a little more peeved than usual.
"So...no more mad at James?" Jin asks, he's smiling too, and it takes her a second to remember he probably didn't catch much of what was just said. She relents and nods anyway.
"Looks like mom and dad have stopped fighting," Miles drawls with mock enthusiasm, his smirk still apparent as his voice drips with sarcasm. "Hooray."
"Miles, it's almost the weekend. Please don't make me hurt y-"
A loud crack tears through the air, the aftereffects of a gunshot reverberating around them before leaving an eerie silence, skidding their conversation to a halt.
The three of them stand there and stare at each other for a second before Jin springs up while Juliet whirls around and they both quickly scan the monitors together. Before they get very far, Miles' walkie hisses a few times before being flooded with crackling noise.
"Where's Juliet?"
They recognize the voice immediately. Sawyer sounds out of breath, which doesn't exactly settle Juliet's growing worry.
"Jim?" Miles responds, hastily picking up the walkie and holding Juliet's gaze as he speaks into it. "She's here with Jin and me. What the hell is going on?"
"I'm fine. Just make sure she stays where she is."
So naturally, this is when she starts heading towards the double-doors.
Only to be stopped by Jin.
"Juliet, no," he says, his grip on her arm is gentle but his voice is firm. "Sawyer not want this."
"Jin," she begins, a stable intensity in her tone. She tips her head to the side and straightens her back to stand her full height in front of him. "You once told me you'd go wherever Sun went."
She doesn't continue, but instead lets her words hang in the air as she calmly watches his face shift into resolve. He releases his grip and nods to her slightly, a hesitantly softer, knowing look present as his eyes bore into hers. At the back of her mind she felt it was a low blow to bring Sun up, considering he refused to speak about it, but something like silent understanding passed between them and she knows Jin gets it.
Miles mumbles to himself, watching as Juliet heads towards the motorpool to snag a Jeep to go play hero, and adjusts the dial on his walkie to page Horace. "Never a friggin' normal day."
~
As she nears the territory, she catches sight of James immediately. His eyes close for a second as he exhales, demonstrating the fact he's less than pleased to see her. Jerry lays unconscious by the van's left tire, his shoulder openly bleeding, while Sawyer's hands are up, willing Widmore's gun to not fire at will.
"Ah, there she is," Charles smirks, announcing it as if he'd been expecting her and he takes a step forward.
Great. The last thing they all needed was a confrontation with Charles-fucking-Widmore in the moonlight.
"Goddammit, I told you to stay back in town," Sawyer seethes, all but spitting, as he eyes Widmore's distance. "Don't you dare get any closer to her. We have a truce with your pretty-boy Rich."
Widmore merely smiles in his self-assured creepy-Widmore manner.
"Well, I don't look like a Richard Alpert now, do I?"
He pauses for a moment, the artificial mirth sliding off his face to give into a trademark stony expression. "What were you doing on the island 20 years ago and why doesn't it look like you've aged a day since I last saw you?"
"Botox. Works wonders. Maybe you should try it."
Juliet wishes she could laugh, but with the malicious way Widmore's regarding James, she can't do much but will her heart to stop beating so fast.
Widmore's short temper seems to rear its ugly head again as ever as he speaks.
"Answer my questions or I'll kill her right here in front of you."
Juliet and Sawyer simultaneously whip their heads in Widmore's direction, as if it's again that night in the jungle, as if it's an unpleasant case of déjà vu.
"Not this again, Chief."
And before Juliet can stop him, she watches James lunge towards him. She swears she isn't breathing, but before Widmore can do more than turn to face James and fumble for his own gun, Juliet's hand swiftly pulls a handgun from the back of her jeans, and sets the barrel to the back of his skull. He stills, kneeling on the ground before her as Sawyer scrambles away from him, surprise clearly etched on his face.
"Put your gun down, Charles," she orders, her voice this fierce sort of resolve Sawyer's not sure he's heard before. Her hand is steady on the trigger even when Widmore lowers his rifle slowly.
"Guess this makes us Mission Impossible," Sawyer murmurs.
"Widmore! Stand down!"
The image of Horace passing the pylons, his own Dharma brand of cavalry behind him, seems to distract them all.
Before anyone can stop him, before Juliet can roll her eyes at James' comment, Charles moves and Juliet finds herself being shoved down upon prickling grass and James feels a subtle aching at the back of his skull before the world goes black.
~
I swear I'll have the next chapter up soon. Reviews are love.