time in a bottle 21 "Stages of Grief: Reconstruction"

[pengyn]

Title: Time in a Bottle
Chapter: 21. "Stages of Grief: Reconstruction" 
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

Comments

[propernice]

I can't even be mad at this chapter for not rescuing Juliet because ohmygod.

The way you're capturing James' emotion over the whole thing, it just...it's amazing.

I can't even wait to see how explains what happened to Juliet to Rachel. (If he does.)

[pengyn]

Would it sound weird if I said that sometimes I think James' emotions are mine? Juliet is my favorite character, so when she died it was like - I had to grive just as much as James did.

Yeah, ignore that.

I'm glad you're not mad at me for having to side-step post-Island for a bit :-)

[propernice]

it makes sense it makes sense it makes sense OH MY GOD THAT MAKES SENSE.

And I get excited over that because I really, really felt emotionally hit by Juliet's death, but it's so hard to explain that to other people - try friends who say "IT'S JUST A SHOW" - and what you just said is perfect.

[pengyn]

I've NEVER been this rocked by a death on television before and I would never talk about it outside of fandom because - you're right they don't understand. So when I write, that's me trying to process everything I felt in a creative way.

[lormats]

omg what a sad chapter *eating chocolate* and great... hon is completely fantastic the way you're going ith the story, time travel being a bitch after all those years, and the newspaper *sighs* can't wait for him finding Rachel...

[pengyn]

Thank you Laura, you're always so kind ♥

[lormats]

Thanks, but I really, really, really like your work... so maybe you make me kind lol :)

[afishwithawish]

I think this was my favorite chapter of this fic. The way you described James and his emotions was excellent. It felt so in character.. so James. Especially the part where he thinks about Kate and how it was and is with her for him.
And the second half.. well let's just say that James wasn't the only one who felt like he was being stubbed.

[pengyn]

The bizare thing about this chapter is that it literally started with a flashing cursor. I knew he was going to have some kind of interaction with Kate and actually - something else was going to happen in this chapter which I ended up pushing to the final James chapter. So this chapter was very - I don't know - organic. I'm really glad you liked it!!

[mfirefly10]

Oh, James...*hugs him*...We all feel that way, bb.

I love the fact that you're bringing Rachel into this. One of the biggest disappointments I had over the actual canon was that they never resolved the Juliet/Rachel relationship and I always imagined that James would find a way to explain things to her once he got off the island. I can't wait to see how you handle that conversation! :D

[pengyn]

ITA about Juliet/Rachel - I was so disappointed at how that was dropped and I still don't by Darlton's "we've run out of stories".

[mfirefly10]

UGH, that excuse pissed me off so much! No more stories?! What about Juliet trying to get home to her sister? Ya know...the main character motivation she had for all of seasons 3 & 4! Or how about some closure for her twisted relationship with Ben? I would've LOVED to have seen some scenes between them after she saved his life when he was just a kid. And I would've adored his reaction to her relationship with James. We all saw how he handled Juliet's affair with Goodwin :D

Stupid excuse was stupid and wrong.

[navras_rheya]

You are so good. SO GOOD at this. And I've read so many fics where Sawyer and Kate are around each other and rings true for their fic but never sits well with me because I just can't see them be anything but distant, like they are here. And then you go and throw old Willie in here? Genius.

I can't wait to read Sawyer and Rachel. Can't wait. I've tried writing that many times and always end up making it about Sawyer and Julian because in my canon, Julian is the son Juliet never had. BLAAAAH. I have thought about this too much.

(oh look, me commenting :)

[pengyn]

Paul! What an awesome comment, thank you. Half the time I don't really know what I'm doing, I try not to think about the 'James' chapters until I get to them and then I just see what happens.