What It Takes
Title: What It Takes
Characters: Jack, Sawyer. Mentions of Christian, Clementine and Cassidy.
Pairing: Jack/Sawyer
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU where Jack survived and escaped the island on the Ajira plane.
Summary: Written for invisiblelove who requested Jack at lostsquee Summer Luau. When Sawyer chickens out of contacting Clementine, Jack must persuade him to change his mind.
“I didn’t go in,” Sawyer admitted when he walked through the door.
Jack laid down the sports pages that he’d been reading (to be honest, he was glad of the excuse to take his mind off the latest crushing Sox defeat at the hands of the Yankees anyway), and glanced up at him. “Why not?”
“You know what I told you about Cassidy,” Sawyer replied. “She’s never gonna let me through the door.”
“But you were prepared to take the chance on that yesterday,” Jack reminded him. “Yesterday when we were talking about it, you were all set to go in there and fight for your chance to see Clementine. What changed your mind?”
“I guess I just realised that I’d make a terrible dad,” Sawyer sighed. “I mean, look at me. What the hell am I supposed to do with a kid?”
“You know something?” Jack asked. “I used to think I’d make a terrible dad myself. I was always afraid that I’d be the same way as my dad used to be with me, always pressuring my kid to succeed, because that was all I knew.” He bit his lip suddenly, remembering that Sawyer had spent most of his life without a dad and that to him, Jack’s upbringing probably sounded preferable, but Sawyer didn’t comment on that.
“Are you kiddin’ me? You’d be a great dad. You’re responsible, you’re smart. If it had been you, you’d have faced up to it, made sure you supported Cassidy and Clementine, instead of runnin’ like me.”
“So maybe you weren’t ready back then,” Jack replied, “but that’s then, and you’ve changed a lot since that time. You’re always great with Aaron whenever Claire leaves him with us, do you remember that time when she joked that you should adopt him because you were the only one who could ever get him to sleep?” He was pleased to see Sawyer laugh at that despite himself.
“Hey, can I help it if the kid’s a sucker for an accent?”
“And I know you wouldn’t be the kind of dad who’d put pressure on your kid to succeed all the time,” Jack continued. “I can’t see you, for example, ever telling Clementine she hasn’t got what it takes. I’d see you as the kind of dad who’d know how to have fun with his kid. But whatever happened, whatever you might have done back when Cassidy knew you, now I know you’d stick around for the long haul.”
“Wanna try coming along and telling her that?” Sawyer joked.
“From what you’ve said, I imagine she’ll want to supervise at least initially, so she should hopefully realise for herself. But if you really think it would help, I’d be happy to.”
“Nah, you’re okay. But thanks for talkin’ some sense into me. I’m not gonna give up just yet.”
As Jack returned to his newspaper, his eye was caught by the Sox story again and he thought back to his father. Jack was determined that this time, he’d prove him wrong. Because with Clementine, Jack and Sawyer had the opportunity to prove they both had what it takes.
Characters: Jack, Sawyer. Mentions of Christian, Clementine and Cassidy.
Pairing: Jack/Sawyer
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU where Jack survived and escaped the island on the Ajira plane.
Summary: Written for invisiblelove who requested Jack at lostsquee Summer Luau. When Sawyer chickens out of contacting Clementine, Jack must persuade him to change his mind.
“I didn’t go in,” Sawyer admitted when he walked through the door.
Jack laid down the sports pages that he’d been reading (to be honest, he was glad of the excuse to take his mind off the latest crushing Sox defeat at the hands of the Yankees anyway), and glanced up at him. “Why not?”
“You know what I told you about Cassidy,” Sawyer replied. “She’s never gonna let me through the door.”
“But you were prepared to take the chance on that yesterday,” Jack reminded him. “Yesterday when we were talking about it, you were all set to go in there and fight for your chance to see Clementine. What changed your mind?”
“I guess I just realised that I’d make a terrible dad,” Sawyer sighed. “I mean, look at me. What the hell am I supposed to do with a kid?”
“You know something?” Jack asked. “I used to think I’d make a terrible dad myself. I was always afraid that I’d be the same way as my dad used to be with me, always pressuring my kid to succeed, because that was all I knew.” He bit his lip suddenly, remembering that Sawyer had spent most of his life without a dad and that to him, Jack’s upbringing probably sounded preferable, but Sawyer didn’t comment on that.
“Are you kiddin’ me? You’d be a great dad. You’re responsible, you’re smart. If it had been you, you’d have faced up to it, made sure you supported Cassidy and Clementine, instead of runnin’ like me.”
“So maybe you weren’t ready back then,” Jack replied, “but that’s then, and you’ve changed a lot since that time. You’re always great with Aaron whenever Claire leaves him with us, do you remember that time when she joked that you should adopt him because you were the only one who could ever get him to sleep?” He was pleased to see Sawyer laugh at that despite himself.
“Hey, can I help it if the kid’s a sucker for an accent?”
“And I know you wouldn’t be the kind of dad who’d put pressure on your kid to succeed all the time,” Jack continued. “I can’t see you, for example, ever telling Clementine she hasn’t got what it takes. I’d see you as the kind of dad who’d know how to have fun with his kid. But whatever happened, whatever you might have done back when Cassidy knew you, now I know you’d stick around for the long haul.”
“Wanna try coming along and telling her that?” Sawyer joked.
“From what you’ve said, I imagine she’ll want to supervise at least initially, so she should hopefully realise for herself. But if you really think it would help, I’d be happy to.”
“Nah, you’re okay. But thanks for talkin’ some sense into me. I’m not gonna give up just yet.”
As Jack returned to his newspaper, his eye was caught by the Sox story again and he thought back to his father. Jack was determined that this time, he’d prove him wrong. Because with Clementine, Jack and Sawyer had the opportunity to prove they both had what it takes.