(no subject)
Title: Different Names For The Same Thing
Fandom: Lost
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Juliet. Mentions of other characters.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,633
Spoilers: Slight spoilers for 3x15 - Left Behind.
Summary: Set directly after 3x13 - The Man From Tallahassee. Jack has a plan and a favor to ask.
When she got inside she had to restrain herself from hurling the ornate vase, with its overly cheery flowers, clear across the room. Not that she had anything against the vase, not really anyway, but it was the closest thing to the doorway that she knew would shatter if she threw it. Juliet was frustrated, angry even, and the sight of something so beautiful, of something that represented happiness, was only a reminder of how she was expected to be, of the mask she’d had to wear for the past three years.
Tom had told her to go home. He would take care of this; he would take that man - the one who’d blown up the submarine - to Ben. “Just go home and get some sleep Julie,” he’d said, compassionate, helpful even, because all of this lying and fighting had never been in his nature. Go home. That’s what she had been trying to do. This wasn’t home, and no matter how man times she’d tried to pretend it was, at least for the time being, she could never quite believe it.
She couldn’t sleep either. Not with the knowledge that the submarine had been the last way off the island. With it gone, there was no way to leave. No way to get back. This place was all there was. How does one sleep on the night that their entire world comes crashing back down on them?
The knock on the door was greeted with some sort of relief. Sitting in the dim light attempting to read the book club’s latest session just wasn’t quite the thing she needed. She couldn’t focus; it wasn’t getting her mind off of her current predicament. Juliet hadn’t yet read the book because she wasn’t supposed to even be here for the next meeting. And now this was what her life was. Book club meetings and muffins.
“It’s unlocked,” she called out into the entryway, not moving from her chair. Ben, she assumed, come to apologize for the unfortunate happenings on the docks. Come to say how much he wished it could’ve been prevented and how he was deeply saddened. She knew all his words already because they were all lies. Lies he had used before because this wasn’t the first time that a tragic ‘accident’ had stopped her from leaving. It would be the last however. And she would have to humor him.
The door opened and closed, and she heard the deadbolt click into place. She stood up, cautious as always. You didn’t walk into someone’s house and then lock their door if it hadn’t been already. She knew it wasn’t Ben now. It wasn’t his style, not to mention the fact that she couldn’t hear the sound of his wheelchair being pushed along the wood floors. That was why she wasn’t surprised to see Jack walk in to her view, greeting her with a friendly, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she responded in kind. “It’s late. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” Just like her. Though she was aware that Jack very rarely slept, and when he did, he did so on the couch rather than his bed. Too many days on the beach had made him accustomed to sleeping in an uncomfortably place rather than a soft bed. It was one of the many habits of his that she’d noticed by spending time watching him on the monitors.
“It’s close enough to morning; we might as well just get an early start.” She said, playing down the fact that she knew he was here for some other reason than not being able to sleep. “I’m sorry, Jack. About the sub. I know how much you wanted off this island.”
Jack nodded, avoiding her eyes. It took her a minute to realize he wasn’t avoiding them intentionally so much as scanning the room, and trying to be as discreet as possible about it. “Wasn’t the only one.”
This wasn’t normal for him. He was too disconnected. He may have been carrying on a conversation with her that made sense but there wasn’t any feeling behind his words. “Is there something wrong?”
His eyes flicked over to hers and though she was pretty sure he was trying to tell her something, she didn’t know him well enough to understand. She couldn’t read his eyes that seemed to speak volumes, and not from lack of trying either. He was highly expressive, which is why she thought he would be angrier at his chance of rescue being taken from him. And by one of his own people to add insult to injury. Then again he didn’t know everything that she did. So all she did was frown in response.
He came towards her, stopping with mere inches separating them, staggered off to her side. “Are they watching you too,” he whispered, close enough that she could feel his hot breath against her skin, and then he passed by her, picking up the book she had laid down previously. He looked over the back of it for a few seconds, before locking eyes with her and asking, “Is it any good?”
Clearly he wasn’t looking for an answer to the second question. That was just a cover. He was being careful. He didn’t have to be. “No,” she said, seriously. “They’re not watching me. No cameras, no hidden microphones.” Jack put the book down, and she could see him tense a bit, dropping the easy, relaxed act. It was the opposite of most people’s reactions. “Why did you lock the door?”
“I don’t want to be interrupted.” He replied, with a certain air of mystery to his words. This wasn’t going to be good, she could see it in his face. That crazed expression he’d had when he threatened to let Ben bleed out was just under the surface. “How much do they trust you?”
She went along with his line of questioning, if only because she was curious. “Enough. Depends on who you’re talking about. I’ve been with them, been one of them for three years. That doesn’t just go away because of what I did to Danny.” Nevermind the near execution. That tension had eased since they returned to the main island. Her main problem had been Isabel and she was still on the other island.
“Good,” Jack said, nodding like some brilliant plan of his was falling into place. From what she knew of Jack, plans weren’t exactly his strong point. They tended to get people captured or killed. “We need to get out of here. And I need you to do me a favor.”
“Jack…” she started, because as much as she wanted to get out of this Stepford-esque place, she wasn’t sure if now was the time. Especially not with everyone on edge because of the new intruders. Friends of his.
“Will you do this for me or not?” He asked, his voice turning firm and demanding. Even if she didn’t help him he’d probably figure out a way himself. Jack had been dead set on leaving since he was brought there. He’d find a way or die trying. That’s what scared her, as well as intrigued her about him. He had such a drive. He didn’t give up. For a person who had gotten screwed over as many times as he had that was nothing short of amazing.
“Okay,” she acquiesced, trying not to hesitate too much and run the risk of him not believing her. Juliet tried to tell herself that she just wanted to know what he was going to do; whether or not she would go along with his plan was a different story. “What is it?”
“I need you to find a way to get Kate out of here.” The minute she heard the other woman’s name she looked down, knowing this would be more about Kate getting out of here then them. He was also self-sacrificial, a quality she no longer had in her. “I don’t care how, I just need you to get her out of here. Take her home.”
“Home?” She asked, with raised eyebrows. How did he expect her to leave the island exactly? Better yet how did he expect to leave?
“The beach,” he elaborated, like it was common sense.
He’d just referred to the island as home. In eighty days he’d accomplished what she hadn’t been able to do in three years. He’d adjusted, moved on. She knew it was about the people, not the locale. He genuinely cared for them. That wasn’t all an act, like her fake sympathy towards these people was.
“Can you do that?”
Juliet raked her teeth over her lower lip, mentally going through all the ways she could get Kate out of there, without letting Tom or anyone else know. “Yeah, I can. At least I think so. But do you really think she’ll just willingly go with me. She’s not exactly very trusting. Even if I tell her you sent me.”
“Well then tell her…” he trailed off in thought and she watched the wheels turn in his head, cycling through memories. Then he smiled, a true, honest smile, that spoke of one particularly good occurrence she wasn’t going to be privy too. “Tell her I wasn’t thinking about the caves. Tell her I was checking her out.”
Juliet nodded, ignoring the slight tinge of hurt that made her chest tighten. She’d already known this was coming; where his true loyalties lay. Where his heart was. “I’ll be gone in an hour,” she replied, and he shook his head, turning to leave. She heard the door close behind him seconds later. She may not be saying good bye to this island but she was saying goodbye to this life. One way or another.
Fandom: Lost
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Juliet. Mentions of other characters.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,633
Spoilers: Slight spoilers for 3x15 - Left Behind.
Summary: Set directly after 3x13 - The Man From Tallahassee. Jack has a plan and a favor to ask.
When she got inside she had to restrain herself from hurling the ornate vase, with its overly cheery flowers, clear across the room. Not that she had anything against the vase, not really anyway, but it was the closest thing to the doorway that she knew would shatter if she threw it. Juliet was frustrated, angry even, and the sight of something so beautiful, of something that represented happiness, was only a reminder of how she was expected to be, of the mask she’d had to wear for the past three years.
Tom had told her to go home. He would take care of this; he would take that man - the one who’d blown up the submarine - to Ben. “Just go home and get some sleep Julie,” he’d said, compassionate, helpful even, because all of this lying and fighting had never been in his nature. Go home. That’s what she had been trying to do. This wasn’t home, and no matter how man times she’d tried to pretend it was, at least for the time being, she could never quite believe it.
She couldn’t sleep either. Not with the knowledge that the submarine had been the last way off the island. With it gone, there was no way to leave. No way to get back. This place was all there was. How does one sleep on the night that their entire world comes crashing back down on them?
The knock on the door was greeted with some sort of relief. Sitting in the dim light attempting to read the book club’s latest session just wasn’t quite the thing she needed. She couldn’t focus; it wasn’t getting her mind off of her current predicament. Juliet hadn’t yet read the book because she wasn’t supposed to even be here for the next meeting. And now this was what her life was. Book club meetings and muffins.
“It’s unlocked,” she called out into the entryway, not moving from her chair. Ben, she assumed, come to apologize for the unfortunate happenings on the docks. Come to say how much he wished it could’ve been prevented and how he was deeply saddened. She knew all his words already because they were all lies. Lies he had used before because this wasn’t the first time that a tragic ‘accident’ had stopped her from leaving. It would be the last however. And she would have to humor him.
The door opened and closed, and she heard the deadbolt click into place. She stood up, cautious as always. You didn’t walk into someone’s house and then lock their door if it hadn’t been already. She knew it wasn’t Ben now. It wasn’t his style, not to mention the fact that she couldn’t hear the sound of his wheelchair being pushed along the wood floors. That was why she wasn’t surprised to see Jack walk in to her view, greeting her with a friendly, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she responded in kind. “It’s late. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep.” Just like her. Though she was aware that Jack very rarely slept, and when he did, he did so on the couch rather than his bed. Too many days on the beach had made him accustomed to sleeping in an uncomfortably place rather than a soft bed. It was one of the many habits of his that she’d noticed by spending time watching him on the monitors.
“It’s close enough to morning; we might as well just get an early start.” She said, playing down the fact that she knew he was here for some other reason than not being able to sleep. “I’m sorry, Jack. About the sub. I know how much you wanted off this island.”
Jack nodded, avoiding her eyes. It took her a minute to realize he wasn’t avoiding them intentionally so much as scanning the room, and trying to be as discreet as possible about it. “Wasn’t the only one.”
This wasn’t normal for him. He was too disconnected. He may have been carrying on a conversation with her that made sense but there wasn’t any feeling behind his words. “Is there something wrong?”
His eyes flicked over to hers and though she was pretty sure he was trying to tell her something, she didn’t know him well enough to understand. She couldn’t read his eyes that seemed to speak volumes, and not from lack of trying either. He was highly expressive, which is why she thought he would be angrier at his chance of rescue being taken from him. And by one of his own people to add insult to injury. Then again he didn’t know everything that she did. So all she did was frown in response.
He came towards her, stopping with mere inches separating them, staggered off to her side. “Are they watching you too,” he whispered, close enough that she could feel his hot breath against her skin, and then he passed by her, picking up the book she had laid down previously. He looked over the back of it for a few seconds, before locking eyes with her and asking, “Is it any good?”
Clearly he wasn’t looking for an answer to the second question. That was just a cover. He was being careful. He didn’t have to be. “No,” she said, seriously. “They’re not watching me. No cameras, no hidden microphones.” Jack put the book down, and she could see him tense a bit, dropping the easy, relaxed act. It was the opposite of most people’s reactions. “Why did you lock the door?”
“I don’t want to be interrupted.” He replied, with a certain air of mystery to his words. This wasn’t going to be good, she could see it in his face. That crazed expression he’d had when he threatened to let Ben bleed out was just under the surface. “How much do they trust you?”
She went along with his line of questioning, if only because she was curious. “Enough. Depends on who you’re talking about. I’ve been with them, been one of them for three years. That doesn’t just go away because of what I did to Danny.” Nevermind the near execution. That tension had eased since they returned to the main island. Her main problem had been Isabel and she was still on the other island.
“Good,” Jack said, nodding like some brilliant plan of his was falling into place. From what she knew of Jack, plans weren’t exactly his strong point. They tended to get people captured or killed. “We need to get out of here. And I need you to do me a favor.”
“Jack…” she started, because as much as she wanted to get out of this Stepford-esque place, she wasn’t sure if now was the time. Especially not with everyone on edge because of the new intruders. Friends of his.
“Will you do this for me or not?” He asked, his voice turning firm and demanding. Even if she didn’t help him he’d probably figure out a way himself. Jack had been dead set on leaving since he was brought there. He’d find a way or die trying. That’s what scared her, as well as intrigued her about him. He had such a drive. He didn’t give up. For a person who had gotten screwed over as many times as he had that was nothing short of amazing.
“Okay,” she acquiesced, trying not to hesitate too much and run the risk of him not believing her. Juliet tried to tell herself that she just wanted to know what he was going to do; whether or not she would go along with his plan was a different story. “What is it?”
“I need you to find a way to get Kate out of here.” The minute she heard the other woman’s name she looked down, knowing this would be more about Kate getting out of here then them. He was also self-sacrificial, a quality she no longer had in her. “I don’t care how, I just need you to get her out of here. Take her home.”
“Home?” She asked, with raised eyebrows. How did he expect her to leave the island exactly? Better yet how did he expect to leave?
“The beach,” he elaborated, like it was common sense.
He’d just referred to the island as home. In eighty days he’d accomplished what she hadn’t been able to do in three years. He’d adjusted, moved on. She knew it was about the people, not the locale. He genuinely cared for them. That wasn’t all an act, like her fake sympathy towards these people was.
“Can you do that?”
Juliet raked her teeth over her lower lip, mentally going through all the ways she could get Kate out of there, without letting Tom or anyone else know. “Yeah, I can. At least I think so. But do you really think she’ll just willingly go with me. She’s not exactly very trusting. Even if I tell her you sent me.”
“Well then tell her…” he trailed off in thought and she watched the wheels turn in his head, cycling through memories. Then he smiled, a true, honest smile, that spoke of one particularly good occurrence she wasn’t going to be privy too. “Tell her I wasn’t thinking about the caves. Tell her I was checking her out.”
Juliet nodded, ignoring the slight tinge of hurt that made her chest tighten. She’d already known this was coming; where his true loyalties lay. Where his heart was. “I’ll be gone in an hour,” she replied, and he shook his head, turning to leave. She heard the door close behind him seconds later. She may not be saying good bye to this island but she was saying goodbye to this life. One way or another.