(no subject)
Title: Watch As Your Breath Paints Against The Sky
Fandom: Lost
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Juliet
Word Count: 985
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: HERE but also for #9 - Risk at
12_stories
Author's Note: Set in the same reality as It's No Cause For Concern, but it isn't necessary to read the first one.
Summary: Jack didn't believe it when he heard her voice on the other end of the line.
He picks a bench off to the side of the road, under the cover of darkness. And then he waits.
She’s late. She said eleven and now, fifteen minutes past that, he’s watching the last of the late night buses fly by, disappearing in a blur of red and yellow flashing lights that leave dots in his vision.
Jack didn’t believe it when he heard her voice on the other end of the phone. It came up as an unknown number and all she said was a time and a place before she hung up. He called back, only to be told that the number had been disconnected. Despite all the second guessing about whether it was really her and if this was some kind of set up, he had to go, had to meet her, if only to find out what was going on.
Juliet startles him. Comes from behind and slides onto the bench next to him, dressed down like someone who not only wants to hide but needs to as well. “I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”
“Curiosity,” he offers.
“Killed the cat,” she finishes with a small smile. It instantly puts him on alert, if only for the way she says it. That wasn’t where he was going with that at all. “I’m sorry I was so brief on the phone. I didn’t have a lot of time.”
It’s not that he’s worried about so much; that can wait. He can think about why she had to be so secretive on the phone after he finds out what she’s even doing on this bench with him. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I think you got that message across when you and the others got in a helicopter and left without telling us.” Juliet replies, less bitter than her words imply.
Still, “That wasn’t my choice.”
“I never said it was.”
He nods. “How did you get off?”
She looks sadder than she should when speaking of rescue and freedom. Only later does it occur to him that perhaps she still doesn’t have her freedom. “Ben has his ways.”
“You’re working for him.” It makes sense to him now; of course she is.
“You say it like I have a choice.”
“Do you?”
The expression on her face tells him that she hates him just a little bit for even having to ask that. “No, Jack, I don’t.”
He’s not sure whether that makes him feel better or worse about this whole situation. “What do you want?”
“To see you.” She looks out into the street in front of them, at the woman crossing the intersection, at the cars that pass by, like she’s calculating all the risks of her sitting here with him. Like everyone’s a spy; everyone has the potential to get her in trouble.
“Why?” He asks, both to her bring her attention back to him and because he does want to know.
Her gaze falls back on him again. “Because I missed you.”
When she leans in and presses her lips to his he almost doesn’t see it coming. She’s forward, direct, and he doesn’t expect these things. He’s spent too much time around Kate, fighting through mixed signals, to be used to this. Her hand comes up to the side of his face, to deepen the kiss, but there’s a hurried, nervous quality to it that’s never been there previously.
They break apart, her hands falling to her lap, and he exhales, deep, watches his breath as it disintegrates in the chilly air. He didn’t realize it was so cold until right now. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back until now?”
“I wanted to, but I couldn’t.” She shakes her head, almost to herself. “I still shouldn’t have.”
“Why?” It feels like that’s all he’s been asking tonight.
“It was too much of a risk. If Ben finds out…”
“He’ll what? He’s not as powerful as he thinks he is.” Jack isn’t afraid of him and he never has been. People are only as powerful as you let them be. He adds, for effect, “As you think he is.”
“There are things you don’t know. That you can’t know.” She tells him. “And if he finds out that I saw you, that you know I’m here and alive, he will come after you.”
“So you came here to what?” The more she says, the more frustrated he gets. “To tell me something you’ve already told me?”
“To tell you that I’m okay. I know you worry, about everyone, not just me.” He doesn’t look her in the eye when she says it, won’t let her know that she’s right. “And to tell you that there are people you think you can trust that you can’t.”
Of course. There’s always something else. It can’t ever be easy. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t tell you. But Jack I’m not the only person working for him and you need to know that.” Juliet keeps checking her surroundings, looking even more anxious than earlier. “Just don’t believe everything people tell you.”
“Who…who are you talking about?”
“I need to go.” She gets up, and he grabs a hold of her wrist before she can leave. “I’ll try to call you again. When we can talk more. But in order to do that I need to go now, okay.”
Reluctantly, he lets his grasp loosen and, free, she takes one last look at him, one last sad, longing, slightly sympathetic look at him, and walks away. And he lets her because he can’t force himself to stand up and call out after her.
Someone he can’t trust. Someone he thinks he can trust that he can’t. Her words play over and over in his head until it’s all he can think about.
If Jack thought he had insomnia before now, he didn’t know what that was.
Fandom: Lost
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Juliet
Word Count: 985
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: HERE but also for #9 - Risk at
12_stories
Author's Note: Set in the same reality as It's No Cause For Concern, but it isn't necessary to read the first one.
Summary: Jack didn't believe it when he heard her voice on the other end of the line.
He picks a bench off to the side of the road, under the cover of darkness. And then he waits.
She’s late. She said eleven and now, fifteen minutes past that, he’s watching the last of the late night buses fly by, disappearing in a blur of red and yellow flashing lights that leave dots in his vision.
Jack didn’t believe it when he heard her voice on the other end of the phone. It came up as an unknown number and all she said was a time and a place before she hung up. He called back, only to be told that the number had been disconnected. Despite all the second guessing about whether it was really her and if this was some kind of set up, he had to go, had to meet her, if only to find out what was going on.
Juliet startles him. Comes from behind and slides onto the bench next to him, dressed down like someone who not only wants to hide but needs to as well. “I didn’t think you’d actually show up.”
“Curiosity,” he offers.
“Killed the cat,” she finishes with a small smile. It instantly puts him on alert, if only for the way she says it. That wasn’t where he was going with that at all. “I’m sorry I was so brief on the phone. I didn’t have a lot of time.”
It’s not that he’s worried about so much; that can wait. He can think about why she had to be so secretive on the phone after he finds out what she’s even doing on this bench with him. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I think you got that message across when you and the others got in a helicopter and left without telling us.” Juliet replies, less bitter than her words imply.
Still, “That wasn’t my choice.”
“I never said it was.”
He nods. “How did you get off?”
She looks sadder than she should when speaking of rescue and freedom. Only later does it occur to him that perhaps she still doesn’t have her freedom. “Ben has his ways.”
“You’re working for him.” It makes sense to him now; of course she is.
“You say it like I have a choice.”
“Do you?”
The expression on her face tells him that she hates him just a little bit for even having to ask that. “No, Jack, I don’t.”
He’s not sure whether that makes him feel better or worse about this whole situation. “What do you want?”
“To see you.” She looks out into the street in front of them, at the woman crossing the intersection, at the cars that pass by, like she’s calculating all the risks of her sitting here with him. Like everyone’s a spy; everyone has the potential to get her in trouble.
“Why?” He asks, both to her bring her attention back to him and because he does want to know.
Her gaze falls back on him again. “Because I missed you.”
When she leans in and presses her lips to his he almost doesn’t see it coming. She’s forward, direct, and he doesn’t expect these things. He’s spent too much time around Kate, fighting through mixed signals, to be used to this. Her hand comes up to the side of his face, to deepen the kiss, but there’s a hurried, nervous quality to it that’s never been there previously.
They break apart, her hands falling to her lap, and he exhales, deep, watches his breath as it disintegrates in the chilly air. He didn’t realize it was so cold until right now. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back until now?”
“I wanted to, but I couldn’t.” She shakes her head, almost to herself. “I still shouldn’t have.”
“Why?” It feels like that’s all he’s been asking tonight.
“It was too much of a risk. If Ben finds out…”
“He’ll what? He’s not as powerful as he thinks he is.” Jack isn’t afraid of him and he never has been. People are only as powerful as you let them be. He adds, for effect, “As you think he is.”
“There are things you don’t know. That you can’t know.” She tells him. “And if he finds out that I saw you, that you know I’m here and alive, he will come after you.”
“So you came here to what?” The more she says, the more frustrated he gets. “To tell me something you’ve already told me?”
“To tell you that I’m okay. I know you worry, about everyone, not just me.” He doesn’t look her in the eye when she says it, won’t let her know that she’s right. “And to tell you that there are people you think you can trust that you can’t.”
Of course. There’s always something else. It can’t ever be easy. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t tell you. But Jack I’m not the only person working for him and you need to know that.” Juliet keeps checking her surroundings, looking even more anxious than earlier. “Just don’t believe everything people tell you.”
“Who…who are you talking about?”
“I need to go.” She gets up, and he grabs a hold of her wrist before she can leave. “I’ll try to call you again. When we can talk more. But in order to do that I need to go now, okay.”
Reluctantly, he lets his grasp loosen and, free, she takes one last look at him, one last sad, longing, slightly sympathetic look at him, and walks away. And he lets her because he can’t force himself to stand up and call out after her.
Someone he can’t trust. Someone he thinks he can trust that he can’t. Her words play over and over in his head until it’s all he can think about.
If Jack thought he had insomnia before now, he didn’t know what that was.