Nobody's Home

[Roxie !]

Well, this got a bit more dramatic than I intended it to be, but oh well.

Nobody's Home
By Tessa, Roxie, and Jimmy(you guys tell me if somethin' needs changed)

Chapter 1

The distant chirping of birds and the rustling of ferns that accompanied the travelers’ movements were the only noises that broke the jungle’s stark silence. None of the reluctant companions wanted to be the first to speak. Dan walked slightly behind the castaways, portraying his usual wariness as they went. Charlotte was at his side. She was tensed as if she expected some rampaging attacker to emerge from the undergrowth at any given second. Jack and Juliet walked together a little further head, neither speaking, though once or twice they shared a glance that it seemed only they understood. Kate led the way, and occasionally cast a distrusting glance back at Charlotte. It was clear that she wasn’t fully convinced of the two freighter peoples’ innocence.

Charlotte glanced up and held Kate’s stare challengingly for a moment. Then she turned to look at Jack and said in her thick British accent, “So what are you going to tell them?”

Jack paused. He seemed taken aback by the sudden shattering of their silent vow, but answered none-the-less. “Sorry?” He replied, nonplussed.

“Your people.” Charlotte replied easily. “They’ll be wondering where we’ve been.”

“Sun told them that Juliet and I went to look for you.” Jack told her calmly. “We’ll fill them in when we get back.” His simple tone left an air of questioning after it. Dan and Charlotte shared a glance.

“You don’t think they’ll find it a bit…disturbing?” Pressed the redhead.

Jack blinked and fell silent for a moment, but Juliet raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Should they?” She asked quietly.

Dan raised a hand. “The thing is,” He said, his eyes darting from Charlotte to the castaways and back again. “If our mission hadn’t been…strictly confidential, we wouldn’t have left unannounced.”

“You mean you snuck off.” Kate stated dryly.

Charlotte seemed to bristle at her friend’s side. “Now wait a moment,” She snapped. “What exactly are you trying to say? We just saved your bloody lives, and you seem to have marked us off as untrustworthy.”

“Hell yeah, I’ve marked you off. You hit me over the head with your gun and left me in the jungle!”

“Charlotte…” Dan warned, foreseeing her outburst. Charlotte ignored him, however.

“I’ve already told you—“ She began angrily, but Jack cut her off.

“Look, arguing isn’t getting us anywhere.” He stated. “If my friends want answers, I’m not going to lie to them. Especially if you’re not giving me a legitimate reason to.” At this, everyone fell silent. Jack’s thoughtful frown remained in place, but when the freighters provided no protests, he continued, “So…if we keep moving, we can make it back to the beach before dark.”

And they were off again, but not before Dan and Charlotte exchanged a dark glance. This did not go unnoticed by Kate, nor by Juliet. Kate scowled slightly and Juliet narrowed her eyes, but they both remained too stubborn to confide in one another. It would have to be dealt with later.




The return to the beach was a quiet affair. They’d only been gone a few days, so no one had really worried much. Or if they had, they’d kept it to themselves. Kate, returning from Locke’s camp, exchanged hugs with Sun and Jin. Dan and Charlotte slipped away to discuss the matters at hand, while Juliet exchanged a few brief smiles with the few castaways that trusted her, before she too escaped the scene.

Kate was giving a quick recap of her time at Locke’s camp to Sun, whose eyes widened slightly.

“But you are alright, aren’t you?” Sun asked tentatively, and Kate nodded with a slight smile.

Jack, who’d been standing nearby and listening politely, glanced down the beach. Kate had glanced at him pointedly when she mentioned her fight with Sawyer, but he wasn’t sure what she expected him to do. The two of them would have to work it out, and he didn’t want to be in the way any more. But now, something else was troubling him. Juliet wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and while it wasn’t unlike her to slip away and be on her own for awhile, something about this worried him. Yesterday, she’d been the most open and emotional that he’d ever seen her be. Of course, when they’d reunited with Charlotte and the rest, she’d reverted to her usual reserved self, but it seemed to him as if something had been troubling her. Jack turned back to the small group that was gathering and spoke. “I’m going to…take a walk. I won’t be gone long if anyone needs me.”

And with that, he headed down the beach.

Sun watched him go with mild interest, and then returned her warm brown gaze to Kate. “Jack seemed a little distracted,” She commented idly. “Is he alright?”

Kate shrugged. “He seemed fine on the way back.” She answered, then bit her lip as if there was more she wanted to say. But for once, she held back, and an awkward silence fell between them.



The rhythm of the waves crashing on the shore was the only noise that broke the silence on the beach. Juliet sat among the rocks and looked out at the foaming blue-green water. Her expression seemed almost lost, as if she were somewhere far away. In a way, she was. But her thoughts were troubled; almost as stormy as the ocean before her. Ben had found her. He was a prisoner in Locke’s camp, and yet he still managed to haunt her. He’d somehow sent Harper to her, ordering her to kill Dan and Charlotte. Sure, she’d let them go, but what would have happened if she hadn’t? Then the gas in the Tempest would still be deadly, and who knew what Ben had planned to use it for? Would she never be free of him?

“Everything okay?”

Jack’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts, and she gave a start. He grinned sheepishly, seeing this. “Sorry.”

Juliet shook her head briefly, forcing a smile despite her worries. “I’m fine, Jack.”

“Well then,” Jack replied, sitting down next to her and causing her to blush uncharacteristically. “I’ll have to re-examine my definition of ‘fine’.”

Juliet lowered her gaze and chuckled half-heartedly. He was getting too good at reading her. Jack was…had always been…the obstacle in her perfect plan to get off of the island. Because of her feelings for him, she hadn’t been able to betray the castaways to Ben, though he had promised to let her go if she did. As if that would ever happen.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to resent Jack for any of this. That was her problem. She’d gotten too emotionally attached to him, and now, if Ben ever got a chance to confront Jack on this…well, she didn’t want to think about the results. Juliet would just have to push him away, for his own good. All it would take was for her to snap at him, to tell him to leave her alone…and he’d be safe. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

“I…I’ll just be glad when this is all over.” Was what came out instead. Juliet’s eyes widened and she clamped her mouth shut tightly. She hadn’t been able to do it. She wanted to smack herself for being selfish enough to let her feelings get in the way of Jack’s personal safety.

“You and me both.” Jack replied with a smile. And then, when he noticed her somewhat miserable expression, he did something that made her jump. He took his hand in hers gently, and stared firmly into her eyes. “Julie,” the use of the nickname took her by surprise, “I’m going to get you off of this island.”

Juliet gazed back at him, wishing with all of her heart that she could believe him. But before she could speak, Jack’s lips were on hers. He kissed her gently at first, and as she stiffened and then eased into it, it grew a bit more intimate. Their mouths parted and Juliet wrapped her arms around his neck; and even when the kiss subsided she let her forehead rest against his.

“I promise.” Was all that Jack said, and Juliet bit her lip.

“Jack,” She said softly, earnestly. “You don’t owe me anything.”

Jack only smiled and caressed her cheek for a moment before murmuring, “We should eat. Stay here. I’ll bring you something, alright?”

All Juliet could do was nod as Jack stood and headed back toward the beach, glancing back once or twice. Once he’d slipped out of sight, Juliet turned back to the ocean and let out a soft sigh. This was going to be complicated.

A few moments passed, but she was too involved in her own thoughts to notice much of the world around her. Which was probably why she hadn’t heard the soft footsteps approaching from the opposite side of the beach. Between the crashing of the waves, a voice rose out over the silence.

“Hello, Juliet.”

She blinked and stiffened instinctively, and then slowly turned to face the newcomer, though she already knew who it would be.

Standing no more than six feet away from her was Benjamin Linus.

[torneh]

-runs out of fingernails to bite- -grabs roxie's hand and begins biting her fingernails-

[Roxie !]

-shrieks- My nails! Ehmigawd, I JUST got these done. -flips hair- Anywho, thank you for the...support? Yeah xD -hugs Torneh- and I was really tempted to have all of Charlotte's lines with the last two words ending in CAPITAL LETTERS! But that would be just mean ^^

[{ tessa }]

Roxie, awesome chapter! I wuv you *hugs* Here's mine, and don't worry, its even sappier/angstier.

Chapter 2

Juliet was on her feet in a flash. The way she was looking at Ben, one would think that she intended to dash away and run for her life. Only there was no place to back up to. On one side was Ben, the other the ocean. But in a moment her mind cleared. Of course it would be no use to run, not from Ben. She knew him too well for that. “What do you want?” She spat icily.

“Oh,” Ben sounded almost dryly disappointed. “Careful, Juliet. I’m almost starting to think that you haven’t missed me.”

She wasn’t in the mood to play games with him. “Why. Are. You. Here?” She rephrased her question through gritted teeth. Uttering her words in rigid fragments.

Ben remained unimpressed. “I think we’re both a little too mature for playing pretend, don’t you think? We both know why I’m here.” He replied calmly.

Juliet’s eyes flickered. Yes, she did know, but if he thought she was just going to go along with his sick little mind game this time, he had another thing coming. “I’m done with you, Ben. With all of you.” She was referring to the rest of the Others, of course. By now, Juliet had managed to regain some of her cold, collected tone.

“Yes, I sort of guessed when you betrayed us.” Ben’s dry sarcasm was ever-present. “Interesting little trick you played there, by the way. I suppose I should have seen it coming,” He continued, his cold gaze boring into her. “Although I have to admit, I never pegged you as a mass murderer. But now…they’re all dead because of you. Your people are dead because of you, Juliet. Isabel. Tom. All of them.”

Juliet winced. When she’d picked her side and told Jack about Ben’s plans, she knew that people were going to get hurt, that war between the castaways and the Others was inevitable at this point. Ben was screwing with her, and she knew that, but the image of Tom being shot right in front of her wouldn’t leave her mind. “I wasn’t the one who ordered them to kidnap pregnant women, Ben.” She responded coolly.

Ben’s reply was immediate. Like he was waiting for her to speak those very words. “But you, of all people, know why that was necessary. We needed them. But then, you were just looking out for yourself. I can respect that.” He mocked. “There’s only one problem…I also need to respect the rules of my community. Eye for an eye.” The last four words were spoken softly, sending shivers down Juliet’s spine as Ben turned in the direction of the castaways camp.

“Those people, the survivors of the plane crash…they’ve killed a good many of our people, thanks to you. And now they’ve summoned a freighter to this island that could very well destroy everything I’ve worked for here. I’m inclined to stop this behavior before it gets worse.” Ben’s eyes were back on Juliet. “I don’t want innocent blood on my hands. But then, they aren’t exactly innocent, are they? Such a pity—“

“Don’t you touch them.” Juliet interrupted abruptly with a ferocity that startled herself.

“Rules are rules, Juliet.” Ben smirked. “But then, rules always seem to have their exceptions, don’t they?”

This was it. It was easy enough to see that he had come here to blackmail her.

“What do you want?” Juliet asked bluntly again.

“Want?” He replied in mock surprise. “Nothing. I’m merely trying to explain to you, Juliet, that you’re work for me isn’t done. So if you agree to come with me, I’ll make sure that this war stays between me and the people on that freighter. Your castaway friends will be safe. Sun, Jin, Claire and her baby,…Jack.” He added pointedly.

Juliet was silent. She’d promised herself never to go back to the Others, after she’d finally realized that she couldn’t betray the castaways, and that Ben would never let her off the island anyway. And so the choice presented to her now was sickening, because she knew that there in fact really wasn’t a choice. Ben had always been good at exploiting whatever it was that she was emotionally invested in. He’d said it himself. She was half furious with herself for getting in over her head like this, and half filled with a certain resigned sadness. She looked away.

“I need to get my things.” She muttered. “And I need to leave without anyone else noticing. Meet me here at nightfall.”

Ben regarded her thoughtfully. They both knew, she thought, that these weren’t the only reasons she wanted to wait until nightfall. Ben wasn’t stupid; he knew that there was a person among the castaways that she wanted to see one more time. She expected him to protest for this reason, but he didn’t.

“I thought you would have learned by now, Juliet.” He said heavily. “Your emotions make you weak. But if you insist,” he added, as if he were committing to some noble sacrifice. “Nightfall. I trust you won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.” When she gave a short nod, Ben sighed, and turned. He started to trek up the sandy slope, and Juliet closed her eyes as if to will him away. But Ben paused and turned around again.

“And Juliet?” He called, causing her eyes to flicker open in exasperation. “…No tricks this time.”



She knew she had precious little time left before nightfall, and the hours seemed to be slipping away. Juliet tried to ignore this fact as she zipped up her bag. She’d pretty much packed everything. Now there was only sneaking out unnoticed to worry about. Ben had ordered her not to tell anyone where she was going, but she wouldn’t have anyway. If Jack found out, he’d only try to stop her, and she couldn’t let him. Not when this was for his own good. She supposed that this was her fault anyway, for getting involved in a romance this star-crossed. It would have never worked out.

Stepping out of her tent, Juliet was careful to leave her bag inside for the moment. It would only look suspicious if she was all packed up. She looked around and saw Charlotte, Dan, and Jack discussing something. It was probably about when the freighter was going to arrive. It was crazy, leaving when they were all this close to being rescued, but what choice did she have? This way, at least the survivors would get their long-awaited rescue. Juliet laughed bitterly. She never imagined sacrificing her way home for someone else, but here she was.

She almost didn’t notice Jack walking over to her. “No news yet,” He said quietly, wrapping an arm around her waist. “But I’m sure it won’t be long.” Jack was usually a pessimist, so the fact that he wanted to re-assure her was touching. But Juliet couldn’t bring herself to force a smile. She closed her eyes tight, not wanting him to see the tears building in them, and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. She buried her face in the side of his neck, knowing that this would be the last time she’d ever be near him.

Jack was surprised by the sudden gesture of affection, but he didn’t object. He brought his other hand up and caressed her hair softly.

Juliet let the embrace linger for a long moment, and then pulled away slightly so that she could look at him. “Thank you.” She whispered.

Jack smiled slightly. “For what?” He asked, puzzled.

Juliet kissed him once, a soft, genuine kiss. “You really did save me. In more ways than one. Please…don’t forget that.”

They were both silent after that, Jack holding her to him still as he took in what she had said in wonder; Juliet leaning against his chest and staring out at the ocean. The sun went down, her last sunset on the beach. She was glad it was with him.

[Roxie !]

Eee!! Tessie! Awesome chapter! Ben is scary x.x. This story's gonna be awesome -nods-.