Ten times you danced
1.) Six year old boys don't care about curtains. While Christian and Margot Shephard roamed through the home decor store looking at fabric upon fabric to match with their newly bought Persian rug, young Jack wandered away to find something more interesting to do. He slipped through one of the store entrances and into the main hallway of the local mall.
The scent drifting through the air was enough to give Jack incentive to find his way too the food court. Once there he immediately found a hot dog stand. Standing on tip toes, skinny legs pushed the small body higher and Jack's eyes peeked just over the counter. "Hi!" he chirped happily to the clerk who seemed to not understand where the voice was coming from. "My name is Jack. I would like a hot dog and a Sprite please." After the clerk told him that the total amounted to $5.50, Jack was suddenly aware that he had no money, and more importantly, had lost his parents. He immediately began to wail, frightened that he had been left by his parents to spend his entire life in the food court.
"Shhh, shhh, don't cry!" A young man crouched to look at Jack at eye level. "What's wrong?"
"I lost my mommy and daddy!"
While Jack rubbed at his eyes, the youth paid for Jack's order and returned to the same crouching position, handing Jack a cup and a hot dog wrapped in paper. "Here, we'll find them together, alright? I can help you look."
There was another sniffle, but Jack looked hopeful. "Really?"
The young man smiled softly behind his bangs. "Really."
Jack gave a little hop of excitement, careful to clutch onto his food as he landed in a bit of a wriggle. It was as coordinated of a dance as could be expected.
2.) He was thirteen when he went to his first school dance. Jack stood in front of the mirror in his room, taller now and with much less clear skin as a cluster of zits had gathered around the side of his nose. Margot Shephard fussed at his hair, complaining that Jack had used far too much gel and it was too late to wash out now. His bangs stood up in a high awkward curl as his mother sighed in exasperation. He would just have to go like that.
3.) He was eighteen when he went to his Senior Prom. Streamers and balloons filled the gym as couples standing two feet apart swayed across the floor. Standing at the punch bowl, Jack wasn't sure why he had come. He was the only one of his friends with no date, and just walking up to a girl seemed rude.
"Excuse me, Jack?"
He looked up a bit, almost surprised that the bowl didn't hide him completely. "Marie?"
The girl looked just as shy, staring down into her corsage as if she were talking to it rather than another person. "W-would you like to dance with me?"
4.) To Jack, college was for studying. He didn't enjoy the fraternity culture and was content to keep his nose in the books and socialize with a close circle of friends. During his sophomore year his roommate Marc was organizing a talent show to benefit the tennis club. After much ribbing, Jack caved and decided to perform as a favor to his best friend. As his first and only time onstage, Jack ascended the steps when his name was called, heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know the first thing about performing and had, for better or worse, let Marc pick what he was to do. With an inaudible sigh, Jack reached his hands up to touch his thumb to the rest of his fingers in front of his face and began the Chicken Dance.
5.) Med school was grueling, even for someone as studious and dedicated as Jack. While in the library he had heard a rumor of something that the students were going to do as a stress reliever, but he had only smiled to himself and shook his head, dismissing the idea as entirely too silly. That day as he left the building and entered the parking lot, Jack stumbled a bit when he discovered that the rumor was true: a large block of med students had filled the parking lot and were currently in the middle of dancing to "Thriller". With a laugh, Jack dropped his backpack on the steps and hurried to join them.
6.) When he looked over the patient's broken body, Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. He knew that this was part of the job, but it always made him feel a bit sad when an innocent person was in such pain. The woman was on her way to look at a wedding dress when her car was hit by another, driven by a man who had run a red light. His heart sank even more when she whispered that she had planned to dance at her wedding.
One year and a miracle surgery later, Jack faced to soon to be Sarah Shephard before the altar. He had fixed her, and had vowed both to himself and to those in attendance that he was fully intent on doing all in his power to make her happy, staring with the first dance.
7.) Nobody would say anything. They didn't have to. It was very apparent when a marriage began to fall apart. The routine was the same: wake up, go to work, return home late, repeat. This dance was no longer enjoyable, but something inside him was unable to let go. His feet had long fallen into step and he had grown to love the dance, no matter how much it hurt him.
8.) When Sarah had finally left, Jack found himself floating aimlessly, burying himself even more into work, not wanting to grant himself sleep until he reached the point of collapse. He didn't want to meet new people and was done with relationships. Yet somehow he found himself slow dancing with a date in the middle of a posh restaurant's dance floor. The head covered in soft brown hair rested calmly against his chest as Jack let the music guide them. He didn't know how long whatever it was that they had would last, but he knew that he liked it.
9.) Standing in the middle of the beach, Jack came to the realization that he had lost everything. Even his job which he had so tightly clung to all his life seemed like only a mere memory that vanished along with various pieces of the plane which were no longer to be found. Yes, he was the island's doctor, but it wasn't the same. Palm trees and coconuts were a poor excuse for sanitation.
Still, certain elements of society had remained with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Many had found their luggage and retrieved anything they could find which reminded them of home. One of the few who Jack would later grow to call a friend lent him his cd player. When Jack pressed play he was a little surprised to hear the voice of Willie Nelson through the headphones. Hurley didn't seem like the type who would be a fan of any form of country music, but lately that was one unexpected incident that he was more than happy to handle. As he walked across the coastline with cd player in hand, Jack bobbed his head steadily with the beat. This wasn't normally his genre of choice, but it was something familiar. It was home.
10.) This wasn't what he thought it would be. He was back in the real world. He had gotten his old job back, had a roof over his head, but now more than ever it seemed like the world wouldn't stop spinning. The heel of his hand pressed against a closed eye as Jack stumbled across the kitchen floor, desperate to force his feet to fall into step against their will. He was where he had fought with every fiber of his being to be, and yet it wasn't enough.
He had returned, but Dr. Jack Shephard was nothing more than a shadow of what he once was. He would never admit it to himself, but he heard the whispers. Every time he overheard a rumor concerning him being passed from person to person he felt the itch to retaliate. He needed to connect, to lash out and force the bastard to listen. He was sick, and he knew it. Why couldn't anybody else understand that?
It didn't much matter now anyway. He liked being alone, and his new dance partner never complained, never protested - only provided. She wasn't new per se, but it felt like a new discovery, like a person reunited with a loved one and making up for lost time. As the days grew longer he caressed her by the neck and let her lull him to sleep. He had depended on her before, but now he couldn't live without her, especially not after all that had happened. As far as he was concerned, the sweetest kiss could only be reached by a bottle to the lips.
The scent drifting through the air was enough to give Jack incentive to find his way too the food court. Once there he immediately found a hot dog stand. Standing on tip toes, skinny legs pushed the small body higher and Jack's eyes peeked just over the counter. "Hi!" he chirped happily to the clerk who seemed to not understand where the voice was coming from. "My name is Jack. I would like a hot dog and a Sprite please." After the clerk told him that the total amounted to $5.50, Jack was suddenly aware that he had no money, and more importantly, had lost his parents. He immediately began to wail, frightened that he had been left by his parents to spend his entire life in the food court.
"Shhh, shhh, don't cry!" A young man crouched to look at Jack at eye level. "What's wrong?"
"I lost my mommy and daddy!"
While Jack rubbed at his eyes, the youth paid for Jack's order and returned to the same crouching position, handing Jack a cup and a hot dog wrapped in paper. "Here, we'll find them together, alright? I can help you look."
There was another sniffle, but Jack looked hopeful. "Really?"
The young man smiled softly behind his bangs. "Really."
Jack gave a little hop of excitement, careful to clutch onto his food as he landed in a bit of a wriggle. It was as coordinated of a dance as could be expected.
2.) He was thirteen when he went to his first school dance. Jack stood in front of the mirror in his room, taller now and with much less clear skin as a cluster of zits had gathered around the side of his nose. Margot Shephard fussed at his hair, complaining that Jack had used far too much gel and it was too late to wash out now. His bangs stood up in a high awkward curl as his mother sighed in exasperation. He would just have to go like that.
3.) He was eighteen when he went to his Senior Prom. Streamers and balloons filled the gym as couples standing two feet apart swayed across the floor. Standing at the punch bowl, Jack wasn't sure why he had come. He was the only one of his friends with no date, and just walking up to a girl seemed rude.
"Excuse me, Jack?"
He looked up a bit, almost surprised that the bowl didn't hide him completely. "Marie?"
The girl looked just as shy, staring down into her corsage as if she were talking to it rather than another person. "W-would you like to dance with me?"
4.) To Jack, college was for studying. He didn't enjoy the fraternity culture and was content to keep his nose in the books and socialize with a close circle of friends. During his sophomore year his roommate Marc was organizing a talent show to benefit the tennis club. After much ribbing, Jack caved and decided to perform as a favor to his best friend. As his first and only time onstage, Jack ascended the steps when his name was called, heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know the first thing about performing and had, for better or worse, let Marc pick what he was to do. With an inaudible sigh, Jack reached his hands up to touch his thumb to the rest of his fingers in front of his face and began the Chicken Dance.
5.) Med school was grueling, even for someone as studious and dedicated as Jack. While in the library he had heard a rumor of something that the students were going to do as a stress reliever, but he had only smiled to himself and shook his head, dismissing the idea as entirely too silly. That day as he left the building and entered the parking lot, Jack stumbled a bit when he discovered that the rumor was true: a large block of med students had filled the parking lot and were currently in the middle of dancing to "Thriller". With a laugh, Jack dropped his backpack on the steps and hurried to join them.
6.) When he looked over the patient's broken body, Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. He knew that this was part of the job, but it always made him feel a bit sad when an innocent person was in such pain. The woman was on her way to look at a wedding dress when her car was hit by another, driven by a man who had run a red light. His heart sank even more when she whispered that she had planned to dance at her wedding.
One year and a miracle surgery later, Jack faced to soon to be Sarah Shephard before the altar. He had fixed her, and had vowed both to himself and to those in attendance that he was fully intent on doing all in his power to make her happy, staring with the first dance.
7.) Nobody would say anything. They didn't have to. It was very apparent when a marriage began to fall apart. The routine was the same: wake up, go to work, return home late, repeat. This dance was no longer enjoyable, but something inside him was unable to let go. His feet had long fallen into step and he had grown to love the dance, no matter how much it hurt him.
8.) When Sarah had finally left, Jack found himself floating aimlessly, burying himself even more into work, not wanting to grant himself sleep until he reached the point of collapse. He didn't want to meet new people and was done with relationships. Yet somehow he found himself slow dancing with a date in the middle of a posh restaurant's dance floor. The head covered in soft brown hair rested calmly against his chest as Jack let the music guide them. He didn't know how long whatever it was that they had would last, but he knew that he liked it.
9.) Standing in the middle of the beach, Jack came to the realization that he had lost everything. Even his job which he had so tightly clung to all his life seemed like only a mere memory that vanished along with various pieces of the plane which were no longer to be found. Yes, he was the island's doctor, but it wasn't the same. Palm trees and coconuts were a poor excuse for sanitation.
Still, certain elements of society had remained with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815. Many had found their luggage and retrieved anything they could find which reminded them of home. One of the few who Jack would later grow to call a friend lent him his cd player. When Jack pressed play he was a little surprised to hear the voice of Willie Nelson through the headphones. Hurley didn't seem like the type who would be a fan of any form of country music, but lately that was one unexpected incident that he was more than happy to handle. As he walked across the coastline with cd player in hand, Jack bobbed his head steadily with the beat. This wasn't normally his genre of choice, but it was something familiar. It was home.
10.) This wasn't what he thought it would be. He was back in the real world. He had gotten his old job back, had a roof over his head, but now more than ever it seemed like the world wouldn't stop spinning. The heel of his hand pressed against a closed eye as Jack stumbled across the kitchen floor, desperate to force his feet to fall into step against their will. He was where he had fought with every fiber of his being to be, and yet it wasn't enough.
He had returned, but Dr. Jack Shephard was nothing more than a shadow of what he once was. He would never admit it to himself, but he heard the whispers. Every time he overheard a rumor concerning him being passed from person to person he felt the itch to retaliate. He needed to connect, to lash out and force the bastard to listen. He was sick, and he knew it. Why couldn't anybody else understand that?
It didn't much matter now anyway. He liked being alone, and his new dance partner never complained, never protested - only provided. She wasn't new per se, but it felt like a new discovery, like a person reunited with a loved one and making up for lost time. As the days grew longer he caressed her by the neck and let her lull him to sleep. He had depended on her before, but now he couldn't live without her, especially not after all that had happened. As far as he was concerned, the sweetest kiss could only be reached by a bottle to the lips.