Following, Part Thirteen [Jack/Juliet] [R] [WIP]
Title: Following (Part Thirteen)
Characters: Juliet, Jack, Charlotte, Daniel, Hurley, Bernard & Rose (so far)
Pairing: Juliet/Jack, hints of Charlotte/Daniel
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 4, Season 5 (sort of)
A/N: Another short & talky bit, but we're getting there, for realz...
~~
Charlotte and Daniel left quickly after that: Daniel looked like he was sleepwalking as he made his way toward the foyer, and when Charlotte put her arm around him, it seemed as much of a precaution-to make sure he got properly through the door-as it did a mark of affection.
Juliet followed them outside, leaving the door open behind her. When Charlotte and Daniel’s voices had faded and she still hadn’t returned, Jack stepped out onto the porch. He found her standing stiffly on the stairs in her tank top, clutching her bare arms, looking closely at a small, old-fashioned thermometer that was mounted on the wooden rail.
“Juliet,” he said gently, not wanting to startle her, “hey-what’s going on?” As he came up behind her, she turned toward him contemplatively.
“Look at the temperature, Jack,” she said, glancing back at the thermometer, her finger tracing the red line of mercury to the tip of one of the black lines. “It’s almost freezing.”
“I don’t need a thermometer to tell me that,” he answered, shivering, standing close to her and feeling strangely uneasy. When he reached out for her tentatively, his fingers brushing her arm, he could feel goose bumps prickle along her skin. “If you’re cold, why don’t you come inside?”
She shook her head dismissively as she turned to look out at the dark sky above them.
“Not yet. I just need to-be out here for a little while.” When she had finished speaking, she stopped moving, and for a moment, the porch light made her pale skin look almost transparent.
“Do you-uh, do you want to be alone?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly, “I can wait-inside, if you-”
“No,” she said, turning to him suddenly, her eyes melting, “No, it’s ok. You can stay-if you want.”
“Here,” he draped his arm over her shoulders, “If we’re going to stand out here, there’s no reason we have to freeze.” She felt good against him, her body soft and warm, even though she was shivering. He pulled her close, no longer bothering to avoid his injury.
“Jack,” she warned him, looking doubtfully at his hip.
“It’s fine,” he said into her hair, “The stitches are already starting to itch, believe it or not.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he answered, wrapping his fingers around her bare arm, “You’ll probably be able to take them out in the morning.” Then he looked her over carefully, meeting her eyes, “Juliet, can I- What are you doing out here? Why are you so interested in the thermometer?”
She swallowed, leaning into him, no longer shivering.
“Did you feel how cold it was today? I don’t mean just now, but earlier tonight?”
“Yeah,” he acknowledged, “It was pretty windy.”
“It’s not just-” she paused as if she was too excited or frustrated to find the right words, “It’s not just the wind. The thermometer says five degrees right now. The island never gets that cold: I’ve been through every season here three times, and not once has it ever fallen below twenty. The houses in this camp don’t even have heat-” She took a deep breath, returning his gaze, “I- I had a hard time believing Daniel at first, but he’s right, isn’t he? The island really is changing. I never thought-”
For the briefest moment, her white teeth flashed out at him from between her lips, so quickly that he thought he might have imagined it. When he looked at her again, she had pressed her lips together, her smile smaller, her expression more subdued. She was looking at him self-effacingly, almost shyly.
“Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”
“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” he assured her, squeezing her against him, “I’m just trying to figure out how I can say ‘I told you so’ without making you angry.”
The corners of her mouth turned upward slowly.
“It won’t make me angry, Jack,” she said, her expression becoming more serious as she searched his face, “I never wanted to prove you wrong. Even before you told me that things were going to change, you know I always-” She trailed off helplessly, looking at him as if she could finish the sentence with her eyes. In a strange way, he thought, she had.
“Everybody needs a little hope,” he murmured, barely conscious of what he was saying, as though the sentence had flashed suddenly into his mind, and he had no choice but to give it voice. When Juliet tilted her head at him curiously, he explained, “My-uh, my father said that to me once, when we were working in the O.R.”
“He was right,” she said pensively, almost whispering as she looked out at the houses across the way. The light in Charlotte and Daniel’s window went out, and Jack felt a twinge in his chest, thinking about how odd it was to hear Juliet agreeing with his father. He realized belatedly the incredible irony of the whole situation: that he had been the one to encourage her, to try to give her hope and make her believe. It was something his father would have done; something he himself would’ve simply refused to do years ago on principle-because it was misleading, irresponsible-
Juliet opened her mouth, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Even-even when I didn’t want it anymore, when I thought-it was only hurting me, because I knew I’d never see her again-” she said reflectively, “I couldn’t get rid of it. I couldn’t make myself stop-”
“Juliet,” he said softly. When she looked at him, he could see that she was poised, trembling on the sharpest of edges. It would take almost nothing now to push her over or to pull her back: he just didn’t know which he was supposed to do. Unable to decide, he simply leaned toward her upturned face, which was already close to his, and brushed his lips against hers.
He was surprised when she caught his mouth and kissed him back deeply, pulling him closer. The way that she drew him in almost made him forgot how cold it was outside, but after a few minutes he could feel her shivering violently, and he pulled away to look at her anxiously.
“Juliet, will you come inside with me now? Please? You’re shaking.”
“I’m not-That’s not why I’m-” She took a deep breath, meeting his eyes. Hers were heavy, full, as they focused on him.
“What is it?”
“I want to tell you, Jack,” she said quietly, leaning toward him, pressing her cheek against his neck.
“You want to- You mean-” he began.
“I want to tell you about Rachel,” she explained, pulling away to look up at him, searching his eyes, “Tonight. I mean,” she cleared her throat, “if you’re not too tired-”
“Of course not,” he said immediately, moving his hand into her hair, thinking that there was no amount of sleep deprivation in the world that could prevent him from listening to her now. Already, he felt awake, nervous, as if he was the one who had to do the talking.
“Come on,” he said, squeezing her shoulder, “let’s go inside.”
~~
Part Fourteen
Characters: Juliet, Jack, Charlotte, Daniel, Hurley, Bernard & Rose (so far)
Pairing: Juliet/Jack, hints of Charlotte/Daniel
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 4, Season 5 (sort of)
A/N: Another short & talky bit, but we're getting there, for realz...
~~
Charlotte and Daniel left quickly after that: Daniel looked like he was sleepwalking as he made his way toward the foyer, and when Charlotte put her arm around him, it seemed as much of a precaution-to make sure he got properly through the door-as it did a mark of affection.
Juliet followed them outside, leaving the door open behind her. When Charlotte and Daniel’s voices had faded and she still hadn’t returned, Jack stepped out onto the porch. He found her standing stiffly on the stairs in her tank top, clutching her bare arms, looking closely at a small, old-fashioned thermometer that was mounted on the wooden rail.
“Juliet,” he said gently, not wanting to startle her, “hey-what’s going on?” As he came up behind her, she turned toward him contemplatively.
“Look at the temperature, Jack,” she said, glancing back at the thermometer, her finger tracing the red line of mercury to the tip of one of the black lines. “It’s almost freezing.”
“I don’t need a thermometer to tell me that,” he answered, shivering, standing close to her and feeling strangely uneasy. When he reached out for her tentatively, his fingers brushing her arm, he could feel goose bumps prickle along her skin. “If you’re cold, why don’t you come inside?”
She shook her head dismissively as she turned to look out at the dark sky above them.
“Not yet. I just need to-be out here for a little while.” When she had finished speaking, she stopped moving, and for a moment, the porch light made her pale skin look almost transparent.
“Do you-uh, do you want to be alone?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly, “I can wait-inside, if you-”
“No,” she said, turning to him suddenly, her eyes melting, “No, it’s ok. You can stay-if you want.”
“Here,” he draped his arm over her shoulders, “If we’re going to stand out here, there’s no reason we have to freeze.” She felt good against him, her body soft and warm, even though she was shivering. He pulled her close, no longer bothering to avoid his injury.
“Jack,” she warned him, looking doubtfully at his hip.
“It’s fine,” he said into her hair, “The stitches are already starting to itch, believe it or not.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he answered, wrapping his fingers around her bare arm, “You’ll probably be able to take them out in the morning.” Then he looked her over carefully, meeting her eyes, “Juliet, can I- What are you doing out here? Why are you so interested in the thermometer?”
She swallowed, leaning into him, no longer shivering.
“Did you feel how cold it was today? I don’t mean just now, but earlier tonight?”
“Yeah,” he acknowledged, “It was pretty windy.”
“It’s not just-” she paused as if she was too excited or frustrated to find the right words, “It’s not just the wind. The thermometer says five degrees right now. The island never gets that cold: I’ve been through every season here three times, and not once has it ever fallen below twenty. The houses in this camp don’t even have heat-” She took a deep breath, returning his gaze, “I- I had a hard time believing Daniel at first, but he’s right, isn’t he? The island really is changing. I never thought-”
For the briefest moment, her white teeth flashed out at him from between her lips, so quickly that he thought he might have imagined it. When he looked at her again, she had pressed her lips together, her smile smaller, her expression more subdued. She was looking at him self-effacingly, almost shyly.
“Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?”
“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” he assured her, squeezing her against him, “I’m just trying to figure out how I can say ‘I told you so’ without making you angry.”
The corners of her mouth turned upward slowly.
“It won’t make me angry, Jack,” she said, her expression becoming more serious as she searched his face, “I never wanted to prove you wrong. Even before you told me that things were going to change, you know I always-” She trailed off helplessly, looking at him as if she could finish the sentence with her eyes. In a strange way, he thought, she had.
“Everybody needs a little hope,” he murmured, barely conscious of what he was saying, as though the sentence had flashed suddenly into his mind, and he had no choice but to give it voice. When Juliet tilted her head at him curiously, he explained, “My-uh, my father said that to me once, when we were working in the O.R.”
“He was right,” she said pensively, almost whispering as she looked out at the houses across the way. The light in Charlotte and Daniel’s window went out, and Jack felt a twinge in his chest, thinking about how odd it was to hear Juliet agreeing with his father. He realized belatedly the incredible irony of the whole situation: that he had been the one to encourage her, to try to give her hope and make her believe. It was something his father would have done; something he himself would’ve simply refused to do years ago on principle-because it was misleading, irresponsible-
Juliet opened her mouth, drawing in a shaky breath.
“Even-even when I didn’t want it anymore, when I thought-it was only hurting me, because I knew I’d never see her again-” she said reflectively, “I couldn’t get rid of it. I couldn’t make myself stop-”
“Juliet,” he said softly. When she looked at him, he could see that she was poised, trembling on the sharpest of edges. It would take almost nothing now to push her over or to pull her back: he just didn’t know which he was supposed to do. Unable to decide, he simply leaned toward her upturned face, which was already close to his, and brushed his lips against hers.
He was surprised when she caught his mouth and kissed him back deeply, pulling him closer. The way that she drew him in almost made him forgot how cold it was outside, but after a few minutes he could feel her shivering violently, and he pulled away to look at her anxiously.
“Juliet, will you come inside with me now? Please? You’re shaking.”
“I’m not-That’s not why I’m-” She took a deep breath, meeting his eyes. Hers were heavy, full, as they focused on him.
“What is it?”
“I want to tell you, Jack,” she said quietly, leaning toward him, pressing her cheek against his neck.
“You want to- You mean-” he began.
“I want to tell you about Rachel,” she explained, pulling away to look up at him, searching his eyes, “Tonight. I mean,” she cleared her throat, “if you’re not too tired-”
“Of course not,” he said immediately, moving his hand into her hair, thinking that there was no amount of sleep deprivation in the world that could prevent him from listening to her now. Already, he felt awake, nervous, as if he was the one who had to do the talking.
“Come on,” he said, squeezing her shoulder, “let’s go inside.”
~~
Part Fourteen