[Fanfiction] You’re gonna need someone on your side {Lost}
TITLE: You’re gonna need someone on your side
SERIES: Family Portrait - Part 06/25
FANDOM: Lost
AUTHOR: nicis_anatomy
CHARACTER: Juliet Carlson/Jack Shephard
GENRE: het, romance, angst
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 3,127
SUMMARY: Jack and Juliet are on their way to Jack's parents, when Juliet asks Jack a favor ... Written for prompt "Friend in need" for schmoop_bingo and prompt #055 "Kindness" for 100_tales.
WARNING: English still isn't my native language (although I wish) and the story is not beta'd. General spoiler for season 6.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I just borrow them from time to time to have some fun with them.
NOTE: This is a series of oneshots that can stand alone. But they work better as a multipart-story. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Bonus.
~*~*~*~*
"Jack, can I ask you something?" Juliet asked and the tone of her voice was so strange and unfamiliar that Jack almost stopped the car in the middle of the street. But since they were still in the middle of the rush hour he couldn't do this and instead turned off the radio, assuming this was going to be longer conversation that couldn't be interrupted by this weird voice their DJ of tonight had.
They had almost reached their destination and his parent’s house was right around the corner so that Jack kept driving instead of searching for a parking stop right here, where they were.
They were on their way to their usual monthly dinner at his parent’s house, and although Juliet seemed to get along with both of his parents, and although she never complained about these dinners or tried to find excuses to not have to go, Jack felt bad about the whole arrangement. What had started as one dinner - just to introduce Juliet to his parents, six months after they started dating - he had thought about as something they would do every once in a while; birthdays, holidays … these usual family get-together days you just had to suffer through with your family and relatives. But her parents (mostly her mom) had other plans and she considered it a crime if Jack didn’t show up (and bring Juliet) at least once a month.
Juliet had never said anything that would have told him that she was annoyed by these dinners or by his parents in general. Quit the opposite had happened after that first dinner. She seemed to really like his parents and enjoyed being around family every once in while; even if it was his family and not her own parents.
Juliet was more a family person than he would ever be, and especially her mother seemed to be happy to have someone to cook for - someone, who appreciated her efforts and whose thank-yous were more honest than the ones he and his dad usually muttered, before asking for some coffee.
These dinners were a win-win situation for everyone; even for Jack, since it was good to know that his girlfriend was accepted by his parents and that - should the time be right to take the next step in their relationship - at least his parents would be pleased and take his side, if necessary. He hadn’t met Juliet’s parents, yet, but he was afraid that they wouldn’t like him as much as his parents liked Juliet, and from what he’d heard (from Rachel), especially Mr. Carlson was pretty reserved when it came to his daughter’s boyfriends. Jack was glad they were living in Florida, far away from them, and that it wasn’t their house they had to visit every month.
These dinners at his parent’s house still weren’t his favorite event of the month, but as long as Juliet enjoyed them, and as long as it was enough for his mother to see him only then (and not every week as she used to before he’d started Med school) it was something he could live with.
But the way Juliet now sounded, wasn’t a good sign and turning his head to look at her, Jack felt something big would follow this carefully verbalized question.
Maybe now was the time when Juliet would tell him that she couldn’t do this anymore; that all this was too much for her and that everything he was afraid of ever since he’d met her (that she would leave one day) would come true. It had to happen eventually, Jack knew this. Juliet, their relationship, the way she made him feel … everything related to her was just too good to be true and something he hadn’t deserved. It had to end eventually, and although he tried not to think about it too much (and be optimistic for once) it was in moments like this that his fear came back, transforming his stomach into one huge twisted nod that made it hard for him to even breathe.
Jack swallowed, expecting the worse, but when Juliet reached for his hand, intertwined their fingers and smiled at him, shyly, Jack instinctively knew that he had been - once again - too pessimistic Relieved he returned her smile and stopped the car in front of his parent's house. Then he turned his whole body to show her she had his whole attention.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Did something happen?”
Juliet shook her head. She opened her mouth and closed it again, as if she didn’t know where to start. Jack squeezed her hand to show her it was okay - no matter what was bothering her, they would work it out. This was exactly the opposite of how he’d felt only a minute ago, but that always happened when Juliet looked at him like this; a shy smile on her lips and this sparkle in her eyes that showed him, every time, that she loved him as much as he loved her. Of course, you could never know for sure what was going on inside of someone, but if that someone looked at you like Juliet looked at him, you instinctively know that what you saw was real, true …
Jack relaxed a bit, but from the way his shoulder pressed into the back of his seat, he knew that there was still a rest of doubt inside of him that only Juliet’s words would be able to blow off.
But for now the relief he wished for wasn't coming. Instead, Juliet shifted on her seat, trying to find a comfortable position, but when she couldn't find one, she just gave up and looked at him, sighing. The deep furrows between her eyes almost caused Jack to smile, but he knew that would be contra-productive, so he just bite his lips and waited for whatever Juliet would tell him.
“You know that I would never ask for something if it wasn’t important, right?” she asked cautiously. Jack nodded, but didn’t say anything to not interrupt her, although he was confused and wondered where this was leading to.
“And you know that I rather work things out on myself than asking for help?” she continued and Jack nodded again. “I don’t like to depend on others or be in someone else’s debts. I try to be independent and strong. And I know that this isn’t always the best way - or the easiest - but … that’s who I am. That’s me and I … I ...”
“What is it, Jules?” Jack interrupted her stammering. He still had no idea where this was going to, but he knew that he would never find out if he let her go on like this. Hearing her stutter was cute, but now was not the time for being cute - besides, he was certain that now wasn’t even a time, Juliet wanted to be cute. She had something important on her mind and she was afraid it would upset him, so much he'd found out; and that she could assume that at all, scared Jack even more than anything else.
“Are you in trouble, Juliet?” he asked, afraid of her answer. “Or don’t you want to go in. You know … we don’t have to meet my parents. If you’re not feeling well, I’m sure they would understand.”
“No, it’s not that,” Juliet said. “I love your parents and ... you know I’m always looking forward to these evenings. It’s just … I need help and I don’t know how to ask for it. It’s … well, it’s not for me. It’s for a friend and … do you think your father would help me, us?”
“Well, to answer this, I need to know more details,” Jack said, grinning, although he felt a knot growing in his stomach again that made it harder for him to concentrate by the minute.
He couldn’t really point his finger on the reason for his feeling, but by the way Juliet was beating around the bush Jack just knew he wouldn’t like whatever she had to say.
"Is this friend someone I know?" he asked.
Juliet hesitated and the knot grew larger
"It’s Ethan Goodspeed," she finally answered, dropping her gaze to avoid his eyes.
Ethan … well, he could understand why Juliet had been nervous.
It wasn’t a secret that Jack had his problems with that guy. Everyone had problems with the know-it-all, and that Ethan kept flirting with Juliet, whenever he got the chance, wasn’t helping at all. He didn’t like to see Ethan flirting with Juliet, and although she had assured him that she loved him and no one else - including Ethan - Jack had his doubts about this guy. He had never told Juliet, but she must have sensed his jealousy and, lately, he hadn’t seen her talking to Ethan or even looking at him.
That she was now asking to help Ethan was a huge surprise to him and he wondered what else he didn't know about these two ...
“What about him?” he asked, trying to keep a neutral tone in his voice, but failed. “I thought you and him … I didn’t see you talk to him lately.”
“That’s because I didn’t,” Juliet said, annoyed. She looked up at him, sighing deeply. “I know you don’t like him and … to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of him either, but … he needs help, and I think your father could be doing him a huge favor.”
“Is he sick or something?” Jack asked, still clueless about what Juliet wanted from him (or his father) and where this conversation was leading them - except for a fight they were heading straight for, if he wasn’t careful. A fight was the least he had in mind and Ethan wasn’t important enough to ruin their evening.
Jack signed and squeezed Juliet’s hand apologetically.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gently. “It’s … it’s just that I don’t like Ethan very much. He’s a weird kid and there is something about him that gives me the creeps. Besides … I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.”
“I know,” Juliet said, quietly. “I know that. And that’s why I told Rachel, I couldn’t do it. I told her Ethan wasn’t your - our - friend. But she insisted I should try anyway.”
“Wait a minute … Rachel? What has Rachel to do with Ethan?”
“Nothing. She doesn’t know Ethan,” Juliet replied. “But she knows his mother, Amy. They are working in the same library together, and I think they are also friends. It was Amy who introduced Rachel to Richard, and now Rachel thinks she owes Amy. You know … because she is so madly in love with Richard and everything." Juliet rolled her eyes and sighed theatrically. Jack grinned. Yes, he knew how mad Rachel was about this Richard, and he couldn't wait to meet him. Now, that he knew that Richard had some connection to Ethan … well, the desire for a double date diminished.
"Richard is working for Amy’s husband, Horace," Juliet explained, "and somehow … I don’t know how or why … but they played matchmaker and set Rachel and Richard up.” Juliet signed. “And you know Rachel … she takes every opportunity she can get to help people, even if it’s by asking me to ask you.”
Juliet rolled her eyes again, and Jack sighed.
The last time Rachel had felt the urge to help someone out of his misery it had been him and Juliet who’d painted Mrs. Carmichael’s living room and not Rachel who'd made he offer.
Mrs. Alice Carmichael lived next to Rachel and Juliet. She was one of these nice old ladies everyone secretly wanted as their grandmother (including a dog that was as wide as it was long and hundreds of these fluffy pillows that she'd decorated every free space of her tiny apartment with), and when Mrs. Carmichael had told Rachel she couldn’t stand the apricot-colored wallpaper in her living room anymore, Rachel had promised her to help. And while Rachel and the old woman had spend the day in the kitchen looking at old pictures, he and Juliet had redecorated the living room all by themselves.
They had much fun that day and Jack didn’t mind helping an old woman in need, but still … it wasn’t right that Rachel made these promises and let others do the dirty work.
But that was Rachel; she had a big heart and cared about everyone. Juliet loved her, she was part of her life, and with that Rachel was also part of his life, and he just had to accept her (little) quirks.
“Okay … so it’s Rachel fault,” Jack said, smiling. “Then why are you so nervous, Jules? Are you afraid I would be mad at you instead of Rachel?” Juliet nodded and Jack leaned forward to kiss her. “That's silly. I could never be mad at you. Especially, when Rachel makes you do things. You should know that …”
“I do,” Juliet said, but the way she said it wasn’t very convincing. “It’s just … it’s just that I don’t even know if I want to help Rachel. Or Ethan. If it wouldn’t involve your father, then maybe, but -“
“My father loves you,” Jack interrupted her. “He really likes you. Like a daughter.” Or maybe even more … and Jack couldn’t say that he was just glad about the way his father felt about Juliet. Of course, he was happy that his father approved of his (maybe) daughter-in-law, but he couldn’t deny that he felt also jealous.
His dad had never treated him the way he treated Juliet, and it sometimes felt as if Juliet was the child Christian had ever wanted to have. She was smart, charming, good-looking, self-confident and polite. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to disagree - without ever being rude or crossing a line. But she could be stubborn and defend her opinion until the other surrendered. She believed in things and fought for them. She stood up for what she believed in … In short, she was everything Jack wasn’t, and it was obvious that Christian preferred Juliet’s company over his.
Jack had learned to live with this. The less he had to do with his father, the better he felt, and there was always his mom he could talk to, but it still felt odd sometimes …
“Do you think he likes me good enough to write Ethan a recommendation letter for an internship at St. Sebastian?” Juliet asked. “I mean … he doesn’t know Ethan and …”
“But he knows you,” Jack interrupted her. “And as you said … you wouldn’t ask, if it wasn’t important. He knows that, too.” He put his arm around Juliet’s shoulder to pull her close. “Don’t worry. We will talk to him, okay?” The idea of having Ethan around in the same hospital wasn’t really something Jack was looking forward to, but being in the same hospital didn’t necessarily mean you had to deal with each other all the time. And who knows … maybe one day he would need Ethan’s help and then it was good to have an ace up your sleeve.
In the end it came all down to having the right relations, and although Jack tried to go through life the way Juliet did (by dealing with everything by himself) he knew that, sometimes, it was important to have people around with the right influence.
Skills and accomplishments were important, but careers weren’t built on them alone anymore. Knowing the right people in the right position was worth much more than what they learned in school, and having Dr. Christian Shephard as a father was the main reason why he (and Juliet) would start their internship at St. Sebastian next month - not their good grates or Juliet's captivating smile (although, that might have helped to get his father's attention in the first place).
“Thank you, Jack,” Juliet whispered, kissing his neck and from the way her whole body relaxed against him, Jack could tell that she was more than relieved now that she got this thing out of her system.
It hurt him a bit that she didn’t trust him completely to know that he would never deny her a wish. But since he was also carrying these doubts around and he still had these fears to lose her one day, he wasn’t really in the position to blame her.
“I love you, Jack,” she said. “I’m so glad that I met you. And I'm not just saying this because you promised me your help.” She smiled and pressed her lips on his mouth, gently kissing him and as he moved his hand though her hair, Jack realized that he seemed to be good for something after all, and that Juliet - unlike his father - knew that.
She was the one keeping him alive. She gave his life meaning. She was there for him and she made sure that he knew how important he was to her, even though she could live pretty well on her own.
He owed her more than he would ever get the chance to pay her back, and all he could do was taking every opportunity to show her how thankful he was to have her and how much he loved her. Unfortunately, he had still a lot to learn when it came to women, but he kept trying.
“I love you, too,"he whispered, brushing her lips with his, "and I'm not just saying this because you look so damn beautiful tonight that I would love to take you home again instead of suffering through dinner, listening to my mother talking about people I don't know, while all I can think of is how you look without that dress,” he said in a low voice and the smile she gave him in return was just one more thing he would always love her for.
"I think you know how I look without this dress," Juliet said, smirking. "As far as I remember, you got a pretty good look on it earlier today."
"That was hours ago and this dress is pure torture."
"I know," Juliet said. "That's why I am wearing it tonight." She grinned and opened the car door and before Jack had realized it, she had already made it through the front yard and waited for him on the porch.
Sometimes, she was such a pain in the neck. She managed to change moods from one minute to the other, always making him feel better in the end. It was amazing.
Jack shook his head, slowly, unfastened his seat belt and left the car to follow her, hoping dinner would be over quickly tonight. He needed to get her out of this dress as soon as possible …
- tbc -
A/N: Yes, Richard will be our Richard. I've never written him before so it's all your fault that I might screw up when he makes his appearance (soon) ;)
SERIES: Family Portrait - Part 06/25
FANDOM: Lost
AUTHOR: nicis_anatomy
CHARACTER: Juliet Carlson/Jack Shephard
GENRE: het, romance, angst
RATING: PG
WORD COUNT: 3,127
SUMMARY: Jack and Juliet are on their way to Jack's parents, when Juliet asks Jack a favor ... Written for prompt "Friend in need" for schmoop_bingo and prompt #055 "Kindness" for 100_tales.
WARNING: English still isn't my native language (although I wish) and the story is not beta'd. General spoiler for season 6.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I just borrow them from time to time to have some fun with them.
NOTE: This is a series of oneshots that can stand alone. But they work better as a multipart-story. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Bonus.
~*~*~*~*
"Jack, can I ask you something?" Juliet asked and the tone of her voice was so strange and unfamiliar that Jack almost stopped the car in the middle of the street. But since they were still in the middle of the rush hour he couldn't do this and instead turned off the radio, assuming this was going to be longer conversation that couldn't be interrupted by this weird voice their DJ of tonight had.
They had almost reached their destination and his parent’s house was right around the corner so that Jack kept driving instead of searching for a parking stop right here, where they were.
They were on their way to their usual monthly dinner at his parent’s house, and although Juliet seemed to get along with both of his parents, and although she never complained about these dinners or tried to find excuses to not have to go, Jack felt bad about the whole arrangement. What had started as one dinner - just to introduce Juliet to his parents, six months after they started dating - he had thought about as something they would do every once in a while; birthdays, holidays … these usual family get-together days you just had to suffer through with your family and relatives. But her parents (mostly her mom) had other plans and she considered it a crime if Jack didn’t show up (and bring Juliet) at least once a month.
Juliet had never said anything that would have told him that she was annoyed by these dinners or by his parents in general. Quit the opposite had happened after that first dinner. She seemed to really like his parents and enjoyed being around family every once in while; even if it was his family and not her own parents.
Juliet was more a family person than he would ever be, and especially her mother seemed to be happy to have someone to cook for - someone, who appreciated her efforts and whose thank-yous were more honest than the ones he and his dad usually muttered, before asking for some coffee.
These dinners were a win-win situation for everyone; even for Jack, since it was good to know that his girlfriend was accepted by his parents and that - should the time be right to take the next step in their relationship - at least his parents would be pleased and take his side, if necessary. He hadn’t met Juliet’s parents, yet, but he was afraid that they wouldn’t like him as much as his parents liked Juliet, and from what he’d heard (from Rachel), especially Mr. Carlson was pretty reserved when it came to his daughter’s boyfriends. Jack was glad they were living in Florida, far away from them, and that it wasn’t their house they had to visit every month.
These dinners at his parent’s house still weren’t his favorite event of the month, but as long as Juliet enjoyed them, and as long as it was enough for his mother to see him only then (and not every week as she used to before he’d started Med school) it was something he could live with.
But the way Juliet now sounded, wasn’t a good sign and turning his head to look at her, Jack felt something big would follow this carefully verbalized question.
Maybe now was the time when Juliet would tell him that she couldn’t do this anymore; that all this was too much for her and that everything he was afraid of ever since he’d met her (that she would leave one day) would come true. It had to happen eventually, Jack knew this. Juliet, their relationship, the way she made him feel … everything related to her was just too good to be true and something he hadn’t deserved. It had to end eventually, and although he tried not to think about it too much (and be optimistic for once) it was in moments like this that his fear came back, transforming his stomach into one huge twisted nod that made it hard for him to even breathe.
Jack swallowed, expecting the worse, but when Juliet reached for his hand, intertwined their fingers and smiled at him, shyly, Jack instinctively knew that he had been - once again - too pessimistic Relieved he returned her smile and stopped the car in front of his parent's house. Then he turned his whole body to show her she had his whole attention.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Did something happen?”
Juliet shook her head. She opened her mouth and closed it again, as if she didn’t know where to start. Jack squeezed her hand to show her it was okay - no matter what was bothering her, they would work it out. This was exactly the opposite of how he’d felt only a minute ago, but that always happened when Juliet looked at him like this; a shy smile on her lips and this sparkle in her eyes that showed him, every time, that she loved him as much as he loved her. Of course, you could never know for sure what was going on inside of someone, but if that someone looked at you like Juliet looked at him, you instinctively know that what you saw was real, true …
Jack relaxed a bit, but from the way his shoulder pressed into the back of his seat, he knew that there was still a rest of doubt inside of him that only Juliet’s words would be able to blow off.
But for now the relief he wished for wasn't coming. Instead, Juliet shifted on her seat, trying to find a comfortable position, but when she couldn't find one, she just gave up and looked at him, sighing. The deep furrows between her eyes almost caused Jack to smile, but he knew that would be contra-productive, so he just bite his lips and waited for whatever Juliet would tell him.
“You know that I would never ask for something if it wasn’t important, right?” she asked cautiously. Jack nodded, but didn’t say anything to not interrupt her, although he was confused and wondered where this was leading to.
“And you know that I rather work things out on myself than asking for help?” she continued and Jack nodded again. “I don’t like to depend on others or be in someone else’s debts. I try to be independent and strong. And I know that this isn’t always the best way - or the easiest - but … that’s who I am. That’s me and I … I ...”
“What is it, Jules?” Jack interrupted her stammering. He still had no idea where this was going to, but he knew that he would never find out if he let her go on like this. Hearing her stutter was cute, but now was not the time for being cute - besides, he was certain that now wasn’t even a time, Juliet wanted to be cute. She had something important on her mind and she was afraid it would upset him, so much he'd found out; and that she could assume that at all, scared Jack even more than anything else.
“Are you in trouble, Juliet?” he asked, afraid of her answer. “Or don’t you want to go in. You know … we don’t have to meet my parents. If you’re not feeling well, I’m sure they would understand.”
“No, it’s not that,” Juliet said. “I love your parents and ... you know I’m always looking forward to these evenings. It’s just … I need help and I don’t know how to ask for it. It’s … well, it’s not for me. It’s for a friend and … do you think your father would help me, us?”
“Well, to answer this, I need to know more details,” Jack said, grinning, although he felt a knot growing in his stomach again that made it harder for him to concentrate by the minute.
He couldn’t really point his finger on the reason for his feeling, but by the way Juliet was beating around the bush Jack just knew he wouldn’t like whatever she had to say.
"Is this friend someone I know?" he asked.
Juliet hesitated and the knot grew larger
"It’s Ethan Goodspeed," she finally answered, dropping her gaze to avoid his eyes.
Ethan … well, he could understand why Juliet had been nervous.
It wasn’t a secret that Jack had his problems with that guy. Everyone had problems with the know-it-all, and that Ethan kept flirting with Juliet, whenever he got the chance, wasn’t helping at all. He didn’t like to see Ethan flirting with Juliet, and although she had assured him that she loved him and no one else - including Ethan - Jack had his doubts about this guy. He had never told Juliet, but she must have sensed his jealousy and, lately, he hadn’t seen her talking to Ethan or even looking at him.
That she was now asking to help Ethan was a huge surprise to him and he wondered what else he didn't know about these two ...
“What about him?” he asked, trying to keep a neutral tone in his voice, but failed. “I thought you and him … I didn’t see you talk to him lately.”
“That’s because I didn’t,” Juliet said, annoyed. She looked up at him, sighing deeply. “I know you don’t like him and … to be honest, I’m not a huge fan of him either, but … he needs help, and I think your father could be doing him a huge favor.”
“Is he sick or something?” Jack asked, still clueless about what Juliet wanted from him (or his father) and where this conversation was leading them - except for a fight they were heading straight for, if he wasn’t careful. A fight was the least he had in mind and Ethan wasn’t important enough to ruin their evening.
Jack signed and squeezed Juliet’s hand apologetically.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gently. “It’s … it’s just that I don’t like Ethan very much. He’s a weird kid and there is something about him that gives me the creeps. Besides … I don’t like the way he’s looking at you.”
“I know,” Juliet said, quietly. “I know that. And that’s why I told Rachel, I couldn’t do it. I told her Ethan wasn’t your - our - friend. But she insisted I should try anyway.”
“Wait a minute … Rachel? What has Rachel to do with Ethan?”
“Nothing. She doesn’t know Ethan,” Juliet replied. “But she knows his mother, Amy. They are working in the same library together, and I think they are also friends. It was Amy who introduced Rachel to Richard, and now Rachel thinks she owes Amy. You know … because she is so madly in love with Richard and everything." Juliet rolled her eyes and sighed theatrically. Jack grinned. Yes, he knew how mad Rachel was about this Richard, and he couldn't wait to meet him. Now, that he knew that Richard had some connection to Ethan … well, the desire for a double date diminished.
"Richard is working for Amy’s husband, Horace," Juliet explained, "and somehow … I don’t know how or why … but they played matchmaker and set Rachel and Richard up.” Juliet signed. “And you know Rachel … she takes every opportunity she can get to help people, even if it’s by asking me to ask you.”
Juliet rolled her eyes again, and Jack sighed.
The last time Rachel had felt the urge to help someone out of his misery it had been him and Juliet who’d painted Mrs. Carmichael’s living room and not Rachel who'd made he offer.
Mrs. Alice Carmichael lived next to Rachel and Juliet. She was one of these nice old ladies everyone secretly wanted as their grandmother (including a dog that was as wide as it was long and hundreds of these fluffy pillows that she'd decorated every free space of her tiny apartment with), and when Mrs. Carmichael had told Rachel she couldn’t stand the apricot-colored wallpaper in her living room anymore, Rachel had promised her to help. And while Rachel and the old woman had spend the day in the kitchen looking at old pictures, he and Juliet had redecorated the living room all by themselves.
They had much fun that day and Jack didn’t mind helping an old woman in need, but still … it wasn’t right that Rachel made these promises and let others do the dirty work.
But that was Rachel; she had a big heart and cared about everyone. Juliet loved her, she was part of her life, and with that Rachel was also part of his life, and he just had to accept her (little) quirks.
“Okay … so it’s Rachel fault,” Jack said, smiling. “Then why are you so nervous, Jules? Are you afraid I would be mad at you instead of Rachel?” Juliet nodded and Jack leaned forward to kiss her. “That's silly. I could never be mad at you. Especially, when Rachel makes you do things. You should know that …”
“I do,” Juliet said, but the way she said it wasn’t very convincing. “It’s just … it’s just that I don’t even know if I want to help Rachel. Or Ethan. If it wouldn’t involve your father, then maybe, but -“
“My father loves you,” Jack interrupted her. “He really likes you. Like a daughter.” Or maybe even more … and Jack couldn’t say that he was just glad about the way his father felt about Juliet. Of course, he was happy that his father approved of his (maybe) daughter-in-law, but he couldn’t deny that he felt also jealous.
His dad had never treated him the way he treated Juliet, and it sometimes felt as if Juliet was the child Christian had ever wanted to have. She was smart, charming, good-looking, self-confident and polite. She knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to disagree - without ever being rude or crossing a line. But she could be stubborn and defend her opinion until the other surrendered. She believed in things and fought for them. She stood up for what she believed in … In short, she was everything Jack wasn’t, and it was obvious that Christian preferred Juliet’s company over his.
Jack had learned to live with this. The less he had to do with his father, the better he felt, and there was always his mom he could talk to, but it still felt odd sometimes …
“Do you think he likes me good enough to write Ethan a recommendation letter for an internship at St. Sebastian?” Juliet asked. “I mean … he doesn’t know Ethan and …”
“But he knows you,” Jack interrupted her. “And as you said … you wouldn’t ask, if it wasn’t important. He knows that, too.” He put his arm around Juliet’s shoulder to pull her close. “Don’t worry. We will talk to him, okay?” The idea of having Ethan around in the same hospital wasn’t really something Jack was looking forward to, but being in the same hospital didn’t necessarily mean you had to deal with each other all the time. And who knows … maybe one day he would need Ethan’s help and then it was good to have an ace up your sleeve.
In the end it came all down to having the right relations, and although Jack tried to go through life the way Juliet did (by dealing with everything by himself) he knew that, sometimes, it was important to have people around with the right influence.
Skills and accomplishments were important, but careers weren’t built on them alone anymore. Knowing the right people in the right position was worth much more than what they learned in school, and having Dr. Christian Shephard as a father was the main reason why he (and Juliet) would start their internship at St. Sebastian next month - not their good grates or Juliet's captivating smile (although, that might have helped to get his father's attention in the first place).
“Thank you, Jack,” Juliet whispered, kissing his neck and from the way her whole body relaxed against him, Jack could tell that she was more than relieved now that she got this thing out of her system.
It hurt him a bit that she didn’t trust him completely to know that he would never deny her a wish. But since he was also carrying these doubts around and he still had these fears to lose her one day, he wasn’t really in the position to blame her.
“I love you, Jack,” she said. “I’m so glad that I met you. And I'm not just saying this because you promised me your help.” She smiled and pressed her lips on his mouth, gently kissing him and as he moved his hand though her hair, Jack realized that he seemed to be good for something after all, and that Juliet - unlike his father - knew that.
She was the one keeping him alive. She gave his life meaning. She was there for him and she made sure that he knew how important he was to her, even though she could live pretty well on her own.
He owed her more than he would ever get the chance to pay her back, and all he could do was taking every opportunity to show her how thankful he was to have her and how much he loved her. Unfortunately, he had still a lot to learn when it came to women, but he kept trying.
“I love you, too,"he whispered, brushing her lips with his, "and I'm not just saying this because you look so damn beautiful tonight that I would love to take you home again instead of suffering through dinner, listening to my mother talking about people I don't know, while all I can think of is how you look without that dress,” he said in a low voice and the smile she gave him in return was just one more thing he would always love her for.
"I think you know how I look without this dress," Juliet said, smirking. "As far as I remember, you got a pretty good look on it earlier today."
"That was hours ago and this dress is pure torture."
"I know," Juliet said. "That's why I am wearing it tonight." She grinned and opened the car door and before Jack had realized it, she had already made it through the front yard and waited for him on the porch.
Sometimes, she was such a pain in the neck. She managed to change moods from one minute to the other, always making him feel better in the end. It was amazing.
Jack shook his head, slowly, unfastened his seat belt and left the car to follow her, hoping dinner would be over quickly tonight. He needed to get her out of this dress as soon as possible …
- tbc -
A/N: Yes, Richard will be our Richard. I've never written him before so it's all your fault that I might screw up when he makes his appearance (soon) ;)