He said “I don’t know what you’re living for at all”

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally had been on the island less than a week and she'd already done something stupid. She'd gotten drunk and kissed someone. Someone who wasn't Larry. Someone she hardly knew

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[captainjack]

Jack had rolled out of bed at the crack of...afternoon. Too much to drink and way too much dancing, of every kind, and he was in dire need of a shower, some coffee, and something to wear that didn't smell like the gutters of New Orleans.

All three taken care of, Jack wandered into the rec room, headng for the starwell. Fourth floor...he didn't have any memory gaps. Not from last night, anyway.

Going to find Sally wasn't as hard as that, though, and he walked over to where she sat, took anothher chair, and kicked his bare feet up onto the table.

"Bad hangover?" he asked, smiling affectionately at her.

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally regretted instantly telling Jack where she was staying. It's not like he couldn't find out, but at least it would have taken him a little while to find her.

She wasn't upset to see him, she just wasn't in the mood yet. She looked up from her book nonchalantly and spoke."It was worse earlier. I think I managed to kill it with caffeine."

She turned a page, keeping her eyes on the words. "What about you? Bad morning?"

[captainjack]

"Slept through the bad morning," he grinned, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "I was exhausted by the time I went to sleep."

[blinkingsparrow]

"That's the way to do it." Sally said. She felt her stomach clench in nervousness and she really just wanted to run out of the run somehow. She really didn't want to talk about the night before.

"If you're here to check up on me, I'm quite alright. I'm a big girl, you know." Sally said, a bit too coldly.

[captainjack]

"I know that. I never had any doubt."

Jack watched her steadily, waiting for any sign that she was truly angry at him, or if she was generally upset...or simply covering her own ass. He'd done all of those at one time or another, and none of them particularly bothered him. In fact, avoiding a problem altogether was something he was adept at.

"What are you reading?"

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally felt bad, but not too bad. She felt like a different person since ending up on Tabula Rasa. She didn't react to things the way she used to. And now, she didn't know how to act around Jack.

What was she reading? She'd mainly been using the book as a mask to hide behind since Jack walked in. She sneaked a look at the top of a page. "Jane Austen. Sense And Sensibility."

[captainjack]

"Never read it," he answered quickly. Once he'd figured out about Jane and her sister, Jack had lost his taste for Austen. It felt too much like spying, and in a way that didn't get him anything.

"Sally, just so you know? I know this dance, too. Is there something you'd rather be saying to me, rather than pretending to read? Or, if you want, I could just make myself scarce."

Might as well throw it out there. In all the time here, he had gotten past tiptoeing around things. Face it and move on.

Okay, maybe it wasn't strictly an island quirk for him.

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally sighed, tossing the book into a nearby chair. "There's nothing I want to say to you, really." She ran a hand through her hair and rested her chin on her hand. "I'm just not feeling too proud of myself today." She sat, thinking for a minute.

"What does your boyfriend think about you kissing other, well, other people?" She said, her voice more curious than anything.

[captainjack]

"To be honest, I think he's gotten over the whole kissing thing. I'm from a different time, and touching, kissing, things like that aren't much more than being friendly. He's happy I've quit going to bed with other people," Jack grinned, then leaned closer.

"You haven't been here very long, Sally, so I'll just tell you to save you having to puzzle it out. I flirt. I kiss. I dance. I like getting close. As close as I can. Some people? I get closer than others. Where ever you want to draw the line, I'll respect that. And, around me, there's nothing to be ashamed of, ever. Can I ask...are you sorry you let me kiss you?"

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally thought about the question, really thinking about how to answer. To her surprise, she said "No."

"I just still feel connected to people back home. This isn't an easy transition. I started a relationship with someone, and didn't even get to kiss him once." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm not angry with you. And I don't want to throw all my issues at you. I don't know why I'm acting like this, this isn't even me."

[captainjack]

Jack sighed and leaned on the table, folding his arms. "Sally..." he started, thinking how to tell her. "Your timeline has split. All of ours have. I...I don't think that back home they know you've gone, because for them, you haven't. There are four people here from my future, and there? I'm still me, and I don't know anything about this place. It's like being split, and one comes here, and the other goes on. Does that make any sense in a...what did you call it? Wibbly wobbly timey something?"

[blinkingsparrow]

Sally nodded. It made sense. It made perfect sense to her. "I don't know if the idea that some different version of me is still at home, living the life I want, really makes me feel better. But thanks." She said, looking down.

She sighed. "I think it's just that time of the month." She said, teasing him.

[captainjack]

A gentle smile accompanied a slow nod. "Yeah, we can call it that and move on. Yeah? For what it's worth, I like the woman I met here. Even if she's overwhelmed."

[blinkingsparrow]

"Thanks. And I like the man I met. Even if he has a boyfriend." She said, smiling, biting her bottom lip. "I think I need to meet this elusive man."

[captainjack]

"You want to meet Greg?" Jack asked, looking a little surprised. "He's in the clinic on Saturdays, or at my hut any other day. He's not hard to chase down." Jack didn't expect her to get that joke, but it made him chuckle softly.

[blinkingsparrow]

"What, I'm not invited to dinner?" She said, smiling in a sly matter. "I guess that could be a tad awkward."