[Fanfiction] Echoes, Silence, Patient, Grace {Lost}
TITLE: Echoes, Silence, Patient, Grace
SERIES: Family Portrait - Part 11/25
FANDOM: Lost
AUTHOR: nicis_anatomy
CHARACTER: Juliet Carlson/Jack Shephard with two surprise guests
GENRE: het, romance
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 2,438
SUMMARY: A picnic in the park can be full of surprises ... Written for prompt "Picnic" for schmoop_bingo and prompt #082 "Nature" for 100_tales.
WARNING: English still isn't my native language (although I wish) and the story is not beta'd. General spoiler for season 6.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I just borrow them from time to time to have some fun with them.
NOTE: This is a series of oneshots that can stand alone. But they work better as a multipart-story. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Bonus.
~*~*~*~*
"Let’s have a picnic, Jack.“ These were the last words Juliet had mumbled before drifting off into sleep the previous night and that had echoes in the dark and silent room for a long while, until the soothing sound of Juliet's steady breathing had let him fall asleep.
The next morning, Jack wasn't sure anymore if he’d only imagined hearing these words or if Juliet had indeed made this suggestion, but as a very groggy and sore Juliet greeted him at the breakfast table, complaining about how heavy her legs felt after their run and insisting on an additional ‘Queen Day’ for her that should include a picnic, Jack realized that it wasn't just an imagination. She argued that the night before was definitely too short compared to the soreness she felt now, after giving everything to win a race she would even have won if she’d crawled on her knees.
Who was Jack to argue with her, when she looked so cute when she was tired and moody?
“You will get a whole weekend,” he had liberally offered, without considering what he was actually offering and how close such an offer could bring him to being ripped off. But Juliet was Juliet … she was no person who liked to rip off others or to take advantage of something, unless she really needed that something or wanted it so badly.
Obviously, a picnic in the park - despite the cool autumn weather outside - was something she wanted badly, and before Jack could even realize what was going on, they were already in the park, sitting on a huge blanket and eating sandwiches.
Juliet had packed a huge basket full of sandwiches, some fruits, soda, a leftover cake and some cookies, and Jack had secretly packed a small bottle of champagne. He didn’t really know why he’d done this. I was more an instinct than a real plan or something he wanted to do, but it had felt just right, so that Jack didn’t question his action.
After they had lunch, Jack sat with his back against a huge tree, Juliet’s head resting on his lap . Running his fingers through he hair he looked around to take in the beautifully colored park, admitting that this picnic had been a great idea.
They sat there in silence, watching people walking by. Sometimes, they would make up stories for the different people, trying to imagine what had brought them here and how they were related to each other, but most of the time they were quiet, enjoying the silence between them, where no one felt the urge to speak or doing something else to break the silence. It was perfect the way it was and even though - or because - they knew each other for so long now, they could talk without words. It was the way Juliet snuggled up against Jack that showed him how much she was enjoying the day; or the way she reached out to touch his cheek, soft and gently to show him how much she enjoyed his company; the way she looked up at him, smiling when he started to massage her shoulders … they didn’t need words to let each other know how they were feeling, what they were thinking; they never had.
When Juliet reached for their basket to get a cookie, Jack caught her hand halfway and brought it up to his lips, gently kissing each fingertip.
“He, I want a cookie,” Juliet protested, but Jack ignored her and instead he left a trail of soft butterfly kisses on the palm of her hand, before moving to her wrist.
Closing her eyes, Juliet let out a soft moan.
Jack grinned. It was so easy to distract her by doing the unexpected …
“I still want a cookie,” Juliet mumbled as if she’d read his mind and Jack’s grin grew wider.
“I know,” he said. “But you won’t get one. Not now.”
“But I’m Queen. You have to do what I say.” Juliet sounded almost like a small stubborn child and Jack let out a laugh, for a moment picturing a younger version of her trying to wrap him around her finger. He liked the idea of having small version of Juliet running through his house one day; maybe followed by a boy with blue eyes and dark hair like his, but before he could fantasize about their future maybe-family, Juliet brought him back to reality by pinching him in the leg.
“Don’t laugh at me, Jack Shephard,” she said. “I … that is … oh ....” She fell silent again as he, taking her by surprise, closed his lips around her pinky, sucking at it. “Don’t stop,” Juliet begged, although Jack had no intention doing it. He was fully aware of the public place there were and that it wasn’t a wise move to start something that had to end soon, but right now, he didn’t care. All he cared about was making Juliet happy and from the way she moved, he knew it worked.
Eventually, he let go of her hand and lifted her head a bit to kiss her. Her lips still tasted of the cupcake they’d shared earlier and the chocolate taste did something to Jack that he couldn’t explain, and before he had the chance to figure out what exactly it was it was doing to him, something else happened that caught both his and Juliet’s attention.
Reluctantly, they broke the kiss and looked around to see what had caused the interruption.
In a distance they saw three men chasing each other. One was a guy that looked like he’d just climbed out of a dumpster, his clothes were dirty and ripped at various places, his hair was a mess and looked like it hadn't seen any shampoo in months - even from the distance he looked like he would smell like a dumpster. The other two men behind him two cops in uniform. One of them looked Asian; the other one wore his blond hair longer. Both had a dark tan and looked like Hollywood cops - or actors filming a movie.
Jack automatically looked around to search for the cameras, but he couldn’t spot any. Instead, the three men came running in their direction, cursing and screaming at each other.
Jack pulled Juliet closer to him as if trying to protect her from being run over by them.
He knew it was stupid and it would be better to get up and step aside, but Juliet seemed to be frozen to her spot. Her eyes were fixed on the scene and Jack followed her look to see what was going on.
The Asian looking cop had falling behind, but the blond one had almost closed in on the dumpster guy, still cursing and screaming at him. Suddenly, the cop jumped and grabbing the bad guys shoulder he threw him to the ground. A second later he was kneeling over him, pinning him on the ground.
“Son of a bitch,” the cop groaned, reaching for the handcuffs. “Next time you take a shower, before you get yourself caught, Pig-Pen.”
The man mumbled something Jack couldn’t understand, but as the cop’s knee hit the man’s lower back, he fell silent again.
The cop helped him up and turned around to walk away and as he did so, he made short eye contact with Jack and Juliet. He even hesitated and opened his mouth to say something, but the arrival of his partner distracted him and the moment was gone. Instead he nodded into Jack’s direction, gave Juliet one last look (Jack pulled her instinctively closer to him to show the other guy that Juliet was his) and then turned to his partner.
“Next time, try not to trip over your own feet, Bonsai,” he said as they walked away.
Jack frowned at the nickname - in his eyes this was racist -, but he knew better not to say anything to interfere. It wasn’t his business and from what he could see, the cop didn’t seem to be offended (or hurt) by that nickname.
Maybe his name was even ‘Bonsai’ …
Jack waited until the three men were out of earshot, before he turned to Juliet, who was still staring in their direction.
“Do you know this guy?” he asked, sounding more jealous than he’d intended to, but the way Juliet looked at the blond cop made him uncomfortable and the old feelings that he might not be good enough for her love, came back, leaving him insecure and nervous. But as Juliet turned back to him, smiling, he managed to fight back these feelings, and the smile he gave her in return was almost genuine.
“No,” Juliet said, pensively. “For a second I thought I do, but … no … I don’t think I do.”
“Maybe you’ve seen him in the hospital when he brought in some baddie for stitches?” Jack suggested, although he knew it would be better to drop the subject, but he was curious and he wanted to know if this cop would be any danger to him or if he was just someone you see and forget again.
“Yeah, maybe,” Juliet said, shrugging.
“Or you know him from another life?”
“A … another life?” Juliet looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Who are you and what did you do to my Jack?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. The Jack I know is a man of science. You sound like … like a man of faith.”
“I do?” Jack asked.
“Yes, you do. Since when do you believe in an afterlife, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t.” Jack shrugged. He was confused by Juliet’s questions, but more by his own way of thinking. She was right; he was never one who believed in faith. Everything happened for a reason, according to his beliefs. Coincidences didn’t really exist, and while he would admit that there were things on this planet science couldn’t explain, he would never really consider something like a life after death or reincarnation … that was too much and superstitious. Yet, he’d suggested this explanation to her …
Something was definitely wrong with him and Juliet had every right to question his words.
“Well, you sound like you do,” she said, grinning.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” Jack said. “But I do know that - should there be such a thing as an afterlife - I would definitely want to spend it with someone I love.”
“And who would that be?”
“Someone like you.” He grinned and gave her a soft kiss, but Juliet backed away.
“What?” he asked confused. Did he say something wrong to upset her?
“Nothing.” Juliet smiled. “I’m just … you are full of surprises today, Jack.”
“I am? Well, maybe it’s the weather. Or the park, the fresh air, the nature or …”
“We should do this more often,” Juliet interrupted his poor attempt for an explanation and Jack let out a sigh of relieve. As much as he'd liked to find out of the cop was a threat to him, in the end he was glad to have changed the subject. He felt a bit uncomfortable and disturbed by the philosophical topic of their conversation and he wanted to go back to where they had been before the interruption, and Juliet seemed to have the same intention. “Maybe once a month?”
“Sounds good to me,” he agreed and tried to kiss her again. This time, Juliet let him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body to lower her down on the blanket.
“It’s very relaxing,” she said in a soft voice, without breaking the kiss.
“It is,” Jack replied in the same way.
He deepened the kiss and for a while they fell quiet, too occupied by one another. Jack moved his hands down the side of her body, his thumbs barely touching her breasts, and he wished they would be somewhere else; somewhere where he could do more than kissing, where he didn't need to be careful about what he did or where he had to stop. On the other hand, this moment felt so perfect, so right that he wasn’t eager to change a thing.
And maybe this feeling of pure perfection was the reason for what he did next.
He broke the kiss, but didn’t move away from Juliet, nor did he open his eyes as he spoke.
“We should get married,” he whispered against Juliet’s lips.
“Yes, we …,” Juliet started, but as she realized what he’d just said, she backed away from him and sat up, her eyes in shock.
“What?! … Jack, stop joking,” she said and when she continued, her voice was shaking. “That is … you weren’t joking, were you?”
Jack swallowed hard. That didn’t turn out the way he’d planned. Actually, he hadn’t planned this at all. Well, he did … a few times in his dreams and he had definitely planned to propose to her (that’s why he had asked his mother for his grandmother’s ring weeks ago) when the moment was right and they were both ready for this next step. But not like this. Not out of the blue without the right thing to say … On the other hand, this moment was as perfect as any other, and since Juliet hadn’t slapped him or walked away … well, that wasn’t a bad sign.
Jack shook his head. “No, I wasn’t,” he said and he hated how weak his voice sounded. “Unless … unless you want it to be a joke?”
A long silence followed his words and Jack felt more and more insecure and unsure about this whole situation, the more time passed, and when he was finally ready to break the silence by apologizing to Juliet for his behavior, her expression changed and she smiled at him.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes? Yes, what?” Jack asked, although the tears in her eyes were already telling him the answer. “You want it to be a joke?”
“No.” Juliet shook her head.
“Then you … you want to get married?”
“Of course, I want to, Jack. I thought you’d never ask.” She wrapped her arms around him and as she kissed him, he felt her tears wetting his cheeks - or were these his own tears? He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t care either.
There was no time - or room - for thinking or worrying anymore, but before his mind stopped thinking, he realized that it had been a great idea to bring the champagne.
It was almost as if his subconscious had already known what would happen today.
Everything happened for a reason and coincidences didn’t exist … Not in his world.
- tbc -
SERIES: Family Portrait - Part 11/25
FANDOM: Lost
AUTHOR: nicis_anatomy
CHARACTER: Juliet Carlson/Jack Shephard with two surprise guests
GENRE: het, romance
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 2,438
SUMMARY: A picnic in the park can be full of surprises ... Written for prompt "Picnic" for schmoop_bingo and prompt #082 "Nature" for 100_tales.
WARNING: English still isn't my native language (although I wish) and the story is not beta'd. General spoiler for season 6.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters. I just borrow them from time to time to have some fun with them.
NOTE: This is a series of oneshots that can stand alone. But they work better as a multipart-story. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Bonus.
~*~*~*~*
"Let’s have a picnic, Jack.“ These were the last words Juliet had mumbled before drifting off into sleep the previous night and that had echoes in the dark and silent room for a long while, until the soothing sound of Juliet's steady breathing had let him fall asleep.
The next morning, Jack wasn't sure anymore if he’d only imagined hearing these words or if Juliet had indeed made this suggestion, but as a very groggy and sore Juliet greeted him at the breakfast table, complaining about how heavy her legs felt after their run and insisting on an additional ‘Queen Day’ for her that should include a picnic, Jack realized that it wasn't just an imagination. She argued that the night before was definitely too short compared to the soreness she felt now, after giving everything to win a race she would even have won if she’d crawled on her knees.
Who was Jack to argue with her, when she looked so cute when she was tired and moody?
“You will get a whole weekend,” he had liberally offered, without considering what he was actually offering and how close such an offer could bring him to being ripped off. But Juliet was Juliet … she was no person who liked to rip off others or to take advantage of something, unless she really needed that something or wanted it so badly.
Obviously, a picnic in the park - despite the cool autumn weather outside - was something she wanted badly, and before Jack could even realize what was going on, they were already in the park, sitting on a huge blanket and eating sandwiches.
Juliet had packed a huge basket full of sandwiches, some fruits, soda, a leftover cake and some cookies, and Jack had secretly packed a small bottle of champagne. He didn’t really know why he’d done this. I was more an instinct than a real plan or something he wanted to do, but it had felt just right, so that Jack didn’t question his action.
After they had lunch, Jack sat with his back against a huge tree, Juliet’s head resting on his lap . Running his fingers through he hair he looked around to take in the beautifully colored park, admitting that this picnic had been a great idea.
They sat there in silence, watching people walking by. Sometimes, they would make up stories for the different people, trying to imagine what had brought them here and how they were related to each other, but most of the time they were quiet, enjoying the silence between them, where no one felt the urge to speak or doing something else to break the silence. It was perfect the way it was and even though - or because - they knew each other for so long now, they could talk without words. It was the way Juliet snuggled up against Jack that showed him how much she was enjoying the day; or the way she reached out to touch his cheek, soft and gently to show him how much she enjoyed his company; the way she looked up at him, smiling when he started to massage her shoulders … they didn’t need words to let each other know how they were feeling, what they were thinking; they never had.
When Juliet reached for their basket to get a cookie, Jack caught her hand halfway and brought it up to his lips, gently kissing each fingertip.
“He, I want a cookie,” Juliet protested, but Jack ignored her and instead he left a trail of soft butterfly kisses on the palm of her hand, before moving to her wrist.
Closing her eyes, Juliet let out a soft moan.
Jack grinned. It was so easy to distract her by doing the unexpected …
“I still want a cookie,” Juliet mumbled as if she’d read his mind and Jack’s grin grew wider.
“I know,” he said. “But you won’t get one. Not now.”
“But I’m Queen. You have to do what I say.” Juliet sounded almost like a small stubborn child and Jack let out a laugh, for a moment picturing a younger version of her trying to wrap him around her finger. He liked the idea of having small version of Juliet running through his house one day; maybe followed by a boy with blue eyes and dark hair like his, but before he could fantasize about their future maybe-family, Juliet brought him back to reality by pinching him in the leg.
“Don’t laugh at me, Jack Shephard,” she said. “I … that is … oh ....” She fell silent again as he, taking her by surprise, closed his lips around her pinky, sucking at it. “Don’t stop,” Juliet begged, although Jack had no intention doing it. He was fully aware of the public place there were and that it wasn’t a wise move to start something that had to end soon, but right now, he didn’t care. All he cared about was making Juliet happy and from the way she moved, he knew it worked.
Eventually, he let go of her hand and lifted her head a bit to kiss her. Her lips still tasted of the cupcake they’d shared earlier and the chocolate taste did something to Jack that he couldn’t explain, and before he had the chance to figure out what exactly it was it was doing to him, something else happened that caught both his and Juliet’s attention.
Reluctantly, they broke the kiss and looked around to see what had caused the interruption.
In a distance they saw three men chasing each other. One was a guy that looked like he’d just climbed out of a dumpster, his clothes were dirty and ripped at various places, his hair was a mess and looked like it hadn't seen any shampoo in months - even from the distance he looked like he would smell like a dumpster. The other two men behind him two cops in uniform. One of them looked Asian; the other one wore his blond hair longer. Both had a dark tan and looked like Hollywood cops - or actors filming a movie.
Jack automatically looked around to search for the cameras, but he couldn’t spot any. Instead, the three men came running in their direction, cursing and screaming at each other.
Jack pulled Juliet closer to him as if trying to protect her from being run over by them.
He knew it was stupid and it would be better to get up and step aside, but Juliet seemed to be frozen to her spot. Her eyes were fixed on the scene and Jack followed her look to see what was going on.
The Asian looking cop had falling behind, but the blond one had almost closed in on the dumpster guy, still cursing and screaming at him. Suddenly, the cop jumped and grabbing the bad guys shoulder he threw him to the ground. A second later he was kneeling over him, pinning him on the ground.
“Son of a bitch,” the cop groaned, reaching for the handcuffs. “Next time you take a shower, before you get yourself caught, Pig-Pen.”
The man mumbled something Jack couldn’t understand, but as the cop’s knee hit the man’s lower back, he fell silent again.
The cop helped him up and turned around to walk away and as he did so, he made short eye contact with Jack and Juliet. He even hesitated and opened his mouth to say something, but the arrival of his partner distracted him and the moment was gone. Instead he nodded into Jack’s direction, gave Juliet one last look (Jack pulled her instinctively closer to him to show the other guy that Juliet was his) and then turned to his partner.
“Next time, try not to trip over your own feet, Bonsai,” he said as they walked away.
Jack frowned at the nickname - in his eyes this was racist -, but he knew better not to say anything to interfere. It wasn’t his business and from what he could see, the cop didn’t seem to be offended (or hurt) by that nickname.
Maybe his name was even ‘Bonsai’ …
Jack waited until the three men were out of earshot, before he turned to Juliet, who was still staring in their direction.
“Do you know this guy?” he asked, sounding more jealous than he’d intended to, but the way Juliet looked at the blond cop made him uncomfortable and the old feelings that he might not be good enough for her love, came back, leaving him insecure and nervous. But as Juliet turned back to him, smiling, he managed to fight back these feelings, and the smile he gave her in return was almost genuine.
“No,” Juliet said, pensively. “For a second I thought I do, but … no … I don’t think I do.”
“Maybe you’ve seen him in the hospital when he brought in some baddie for stitches?” Jack suggested, although he knew it would be better to drop the subject, but he was curious and he wanted to know if this cop would be any danger to him or if he was just someone you see and forget again.
“Yeah, maybe,” Juliet said, shrugging.
“Or you know him from another life?”
“A … another life?” Juliet looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Who are you and what did you do to my Jack?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. The Jack I know is a man of science. You sound like … like a man of faith.”
“I do?” Jack asked.
“Yes, you do. Since when do you believe in an afterlife, anyway?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I don’t.” Jack shrugged. He was confused by Juliet’s questions, but more by his own way of thinking. She was right; he was never one who believed in faith. Everything happened for a reason, according to his beliefs. Coincidences didn’t really exist, and while he would admit that there were things on this planet science couldn’t explain, he would never really consider something like a life after death or reincarnation … that was too much and superstitious. Yet, he’d suggested this explanation to her …
Something was definitely wrong with him and Juliet had every right to question his words.
“Well, you sound like you do,” she said, grinning.
“Maybe. I don’t know,” Jack said. “But I do know that - should there be such a thing as an afterlife - I would definitely want to spend it with someone I love.”
“And who would that be?”
“Someone like you.” He grinned and gave her a soft kiss, but Juliet backed away.
“What?” he asked confused. Did he say something wrong to upset her?
“Nothing.” Juliet smiled. “I’m just … you are full of surprises today, Jack.”
“I am? Well, maybe it’s the weather. Or the park, the fresh air, the nature or …”
“We should do this more often,” Juliet interrupted his poor attempt for an explanation and Jack let out a sigh of relieve. As much as he'd liked to find out of the cop was a threat to him, in the end he was glad to have changed the subject. He felt a bit uncomfortable and disturbed by the philosophical topic of their conversation and he wanted to go back to where they had been before the interruption, and Juliet seemed to have the same intention. “Maybe once a month?”
“Sounds good to me,” he agreed and tried to kiss her again. This time, Juliet let him. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her body to lower her down on the blanket.
“It’s very relaxing,” she said in a soft voice, without breaking the kiss.
“It is,” Jack replied in the same way.
He deepened the kiss and for a while they fell quiet, too occupied by one another. Jack moved his hands down the side of her body, his thumbs barely touching her breasts, and he wished they would be somewhere else; somewhere where he could do more than kissing, where he didn't need to be careful about what he did or where he had to stop. On the other hand, this moment felt so perfect, so right that he wasn’t eager to change a thing.
And maybe this feeling of pure perfection was the reason for what he did next.
He broke the kiss, but didn’t move away from Juliet, nor did he open his eyes as he spoke.
“We should get married,” he whispered against Juliet’s lips.
“Yes, we …,” Juliet started, but as she realized what he’d just said, she backed away from him and sat up, her eyes in shock.
“What?! … Jack, stop joking,” she said and when she continued, her voice was shaking. “That is … you weren’t joking, were you?”
Jack swallowed hard. That didn’t turn out the way he’d planned. Actually, he hadn’t planned this at all. Well, he did … a few times in his dreams and he had definitely planned to propose to her (that’s why he had asked his mother for his grandmother’s ring weeks ago) when the moment was right and they were both ready for this next step. But not like this. Not out of the blue without the right thing to say … On the other hand, this moment was as perfect as any other, and since Juliet hadn’t slapped him or walked away … well, that wasn’t a bad sign.
Jack shook his head. “No, I wasn’t,” he said and he hated how weak his voice sounded. “Unless … unless you want it to be a joke?”
A long silence followed his words and Jack felt more and more insecure and unsure about this whole situation, the more time passed, and when he was finally ready to break the silence by apologizing to Juliet for his behavior, her expression changed and she smiled at him.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes? Yes, what?” Jack asked, although the tears in her eyes were already telling him the answer. “You want it to be a joke?”
“No.” Juliet shook her head.
“Then you … you want to get married?”
“Of course, I want to, Jack. I thought you’d never ask.” She wrapped her arms around him and as she kissed him, he felt her tears wetting his cheeks - or were these his own tears? He couldn’t tell, but he didn’t care either.
There was no time - or room - for thinking or worrying anymore, but before his mind stopped thinking, he realized that it had been a great idea to bring the champagne.
It was almost as if his subconscious had already known what would happen today.
Everything happened for a reason and coincidences didn’t exist … Not in his world.
- tbc -