A TALE OF TWO BALCONIES
28 October 2016
A/N: Written for LOST Day 2016. Based on this awkward first meetings AU prompt: "I needed a drink of water after my shower but I forgot that I opened the blinds to my balcony and you just saw me walk into my kitchen naked."
This is an extended version of the one I originally posted on Tumblr.
This is both a modern AU and canon divergence AU, which leads to a different first meeting AU. Here, Diane chose not to be with Wayne (she and Sam could still be divorced) so Kate doesn't kill her stepfather. Therefore, she doesn't go on the run. This is also set post-divorce for Jack (up to y'all if you want to ignore his Phuket 'adventure' or not; it doesn't really matter). Also, no plane crash. Lastly, while she's only mentioned, Claire isn't pregnant with Aaron.
I also borrowed a bit from the flash sideways verse.
Rating: T, for nonsexual nudity, some swearing, and sexually suggestive passages.
Hope y'all like this one!
I own nothing. Everything belongs to ABC, JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse. If I owned LOST, Jack Shephard, and Kate Austen, then Jate would have been canon before Season 4. All mistakes are mine. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome.
Kate toweled off as she came out of the shower. Wrapping the fluffy blue towel around herself, she listened for the drone of the television as well as Florence + The Machine's music coming out of her roommate's iPhone. "Claire?" she called out for good measure. "You home?"
She received no response, and the apartment was silent. Satisfied that she was alone, she pulled the towel from her body and wrapped it around her wet brown hair instead. She hummed a tune that she remembered from the previous night as she slathered on body lotion and applied moisturizer to her face and neck.
Her iPhone beeped while she was performing a quick breast self-exam. When she was done, she grabbed it from the countertop and read her roommate's message.
I'm going out for drinks with my study group at 7 tonight. Care to join us? – Claire
She leaned against the wall and tapped out a reply.
Sorry, I can't. Meeting with my group for actual studying tonight. – Kate
She would rather be stranded on a deserted island than spend another minute with a couple of Claire's friends in the Gender Studies B.A. program. Plus making out with her friend Jamie during study breaks appealed to her more.
Her stomach rumbled just as she received another text.
Brody and Mike would be devastated. ;) – Claire
I don't care. – Kate
She pressed 'Send' as she exited the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, she walked along the short hallway and across the living room as if she were on a catwalk during LA Fashion Week. She was thankful that Claire was not home, or her little nude adventure would be the subject of her best friend's next paper.
Her stomach rumbled again as she glanced at the textbooks and notes on the dinner table. Placing her phone next to her closed laptop, she darted a glance toward the refrigerator and smiled when she remembered the leftover food from the previous night's dinner with her study group. "Late lunch first," she muttered to herself as she traipsed toward the kitchen. "Then more studying."
She served herself half of the grilled salmon and the leftover brown rice. Humming her favorite Kelly Clarkson song, she heated up her food before pouring herself a glass of cold water. She leaned against the counter as she sipped her beverage and stared at her textbooks as if willing the knowledge in them to get into her brain more quickly and more efficiently.
Her gaze landed on the balcony doors. Knitting her eyebrows together, she straightened up and set the half-full glass on the countertop. "Have the blinds been open the whole time?" she asked herself. A few moments later, her eyes widened. "Shit!" She closed her eyes and scolded herself for forgetting that she drew the blinds open right before she began studying that morning.
Taking a quick look at her body, she wondered if anyone had seen her walking around without a stitch on. She glanced at the wall clock before scowling at the chocolate brown vertical blinds. The people across the street must be at work or at school, right? She heaved a relieved sigh at the thought and hoped that she was correct.
She took the plate out of the microwave and set it on the kitchen island. She darted her eyes toward the open blinds as she removed a fork from the drawer. "Oh, what the hell," she groaned before unwinding the towel from her hair and wrapping it around her body.
She clutched the towel tightly to her chest as she padded toward the balcony doors. She drew the blinds closed but pushed two slats apart with her fingers. Peering through the small opening, she let out a soft gasp when she spied someone––a dark-haired man––sitting at the balcony directly across hers. His head is down, so he probably didn't see me. She knitted her eyebrows together as she wondered why he was home at 1:30 in the afternoon.
The man across the street raised his head and caught her gaze, although she doubted that he could actually see her. He froze for a moment before he rose from his chair and rushed inside his apartment.
She sighed as she returned to the kitchen. Shit. I just hope that he didn't see me naked. Or that I'll never see him again. Or both, she prayed as she began eating her late lunch.
Months later…
Laughing at her coworker's joke, Kate stole a furtive glance at the attractive male doctor that was sitting by himself a couple of tables away. She had noticed him sending her glances since he entered the hospital's cafeteria. In fact, he stopped in his tracks when their gazes met. He looks vaguely familiar though, she mused.
"Hey, Marilyn," she said once her fellow nurses had stopped laughing. She tilted her head toward the doctor. "I don't think we met that one. What's his name?"
The veteran nurse glanced behind her and immediately smiled upon seeing the man, who grinned back and nodded at Marilyn. "That's Dr. Jack Shephard. He's a spinal surgeon," she explained.
"Oh, is he the doctor who operated on the eight-year-old kid at six this morning?" asked Kate. "The one who repaired her spine?"
Marilyn nodded. "He's an incredibly skilled surgeon. He also fixed his ex-wife's spine and helped her walk again. Well, that was before she was his wife." She smirked at the younger nurse. "Why do you want to know?"
"I've caught him staring at me a few times. I think I've seen him somewhere before, but I just can't exactly place him. Did he go to med school in UCLA? Did he teach there?"
"Or maybe he was visiting the campus, and you bumped into him but can't remember it?" offered Louise.
Kate only shrugged in response. It's possible.
Marilyn thought for a moment. "Well, he did go there. I'm not sure you'd have met him at UCLA, though, since he's several years older than you. He's also more of the fixing type, Kate, rather than the teaching type."
"I see," she replied, knitting her eyebrows together. "I probably ran into him somewhere else. Thanks anyway." She smiled at the head nurse, who beamed at her.
"Maybe he's just attracted to you. Would you like me to introduce you to him?" The older nurse's eyes twinkled in mischief.
Kate vigorously shook her head. "No, no, it's OK. I'll probably work with him later. It'll come to me when I've stopped thinking about it."
"I actually ran into him earlier," chimed in Julieta. "He seemed so intense! It scared me a bit. I thought someone had pissed him off."
Marilyn sat back and chuckled. "He's not so bad actually. He even makes jokes every now and then. And he's always kind to us nurses. And I don't think he's been accused of sexual harassment or something worse. That makes him a good egg in my book. He's also been single for a while." She shrugged and smiled at the younger nurses. "But all right. Suit yourselves."
"OK, enough about Dr. McBroody over there. Any lesbians here, Marilyn?" Victoria asked, changing the subject.
Only half-listening to her fellow nurses, Kate resumed eating her meatball sub. Several minutes later, she risked one last glance and found him gazing at her. She gave him a small smile, which he surprisingly returned. She took a sip of ginger ale as she pondered why the sight of his flushed cheeks inexplicably quickened her pulse.
Kate sighed as she got on the elevator at the end of her shift. She was exhausted, but she had a great first day. She got along with most of the nurses and doctors. Marilyn and a couple of doctors also praised her for her lovely bedside manner.
She and her fellow new nurses were even allowed to watch Dr. Shephard operate on a 40-something paralyzed man. Marilyn is right: he is an incredible surgeon. She smiled at the memory of how he took charge in the operating room, how brilliant and prepared he was, and how his triumphant smile lit up the room when the surgery was over. She flushed as she remembered how attractive he looked the entire time. Thank God Claire won't be home until midnight, she thought, making her giggle.
The giggle turned into a soft gasp when the celebrated spinal surgeon entered the elevator on the next floor. She flashed him a smile as she fidgeted in her spot. A moment later, she heard him clear his throat. She looked up at him but quickly lowered her eyes to his proffered hand.
"Hi. I'm Dr. Jack Shephard." The shy smile that he gave her lit up his face.
She smiled back as she shook his hand. Her heart thumped when their skin made contact, but she chose to ignore it. "Hello. I'm Kate Austen. I just started working here as a nurse."
He nodded. "Right. Marilyn told me you went to UCLA School of Nursing. I also went to UCLA for med school."
"Yeah, yeah," she replied with a chuckle. She stared ahead for a few moments before turning to him. "Can I just say how amazing that surgery on Mr. Locke was?" She grinned when she noted his flushed cheeks. "Thanks to you, he may be standing up and walking around soon."
Dr. Shephard ducked his head and blushed even more. "Thanks. Well, we'll know when he wakes up. I was talking to him before he went under, and he and his wife want to renew their vows. Hopefully he'd be walking and dancing with her this time around."
She remembered seeing Marilyn talk to a tall and beautiful 40-something woman in the waiting room earlier. She briefly imagined Mr. and Mrs. Locke waltzing together, the joy evident on their faces. "I hope so. They seem like a lovely couple."
"They are," he agreed with a nod. "Um, do you have a car, Kate?" he asked as they exited the elevator at the parking garage.
Glancing up at him, she fought the urge to raise her eyebrow. "Y-yeah. Why do you ask?"
He scratched the back of his neck and avoided her gaze. "Well, I'm just wondering if I could give you a ride home. Unless, of course, you have plans tonight?"
"Oh, I'm just, you know, gonna eat junk food in front of the TV and sleep early. And I brought my car, so I'm good, thanks."
Claire would also be doing research for tomorrow's edition of the local morning show and would not be home until midnight at the earliest. But Kate chose not to tell him that.
"What about your roommate? The petite blonde woman?"
She halted her steps and gaped at him. "What? How did you know that I have a roommate? Are you stalking me?"
Dr. Shephard had turned around to face her, his eyes widening in horror at her last question. He raised his hands as if surrendering to her. "Oh, no, no, nothing like that." He lowered his hands and slowly advanced toward her. "Kate, I live in the apartment building across yours. In fact, our balconies face each other."
Her jaw dropped as his words prompted the image of a dark-haired man with a broad back entering his apartment through balcony doors in her mind. She vigorously shook her head, and her cheeks burned. "Y-you…" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You didn't see me walking around––"
His ears turned red. "Stark naked? Yeah, I did." Nodding, he pursed his lips and immediately tore his gaze off her.
"Dr. Shephard!"
He raised his hands again. "I'm so sorry! In my defense, I didn't intend to look. I was just enjoying some fresh air on my balcony on my day off. I looked up from the Neurosurgery journal, and there you were––naked in your living room. Of course, you're free to do whatever you want in your own apartment. But, um, the blinds were open. I tried to focus on what I was reading, but I did look for a second. I am sorry for that. And then I––"
Anger rose in her. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. "And then what? You went back inside to masturbate?"
"No! I went inside to take a cold shower. I mean, you have a beautiful body, Kate. You're a beautiful woman. But I don't feel comfortable jacking off to a woman I don't even know and who doesn't know who I am." He lightly placed his hands on her upper arms and looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry for looking at your body. And if you're worried about this coming out, don't be; I've never told anyone about this, and I never will. Honestly, I never thought we'd be working together. Regardless, I promise to be completely professional, especially if you feel uncomfortable at the memory."
The anger in her eyes and heart dissipated. "Oh. That explains your reaction when you first saw me in the cafeteria," she remarked in a softer voice.
"Yes," he confirmed, nodding for good measure. "I'd been told that the new nurses were starting today, but I didn't know you'd be one of them."
"I see." She took a deep breath. Shit, I think I overreacted. "Actually, you don't need to apologize. I completely forgot that the blinds were open. I was hungry, thirsty, and home alone. So I thought, 'What the hell? I'll just walk to the kitchen without any clothes on.' It took me a few minutes to realize that anyone from the building across the street could see me. Then I saw you hurrying to get inside your apartment. I wasn't even angry; I was just… embarrassed." She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, Dr. Shephard. I was out of line. I––"
"Jack. You may call me Jack when we're not working."
Mildly surprised, Kate nodded. "I hope this doesn't affect our working relationship."
He shrugged. "Why should it? And I won't say anything about it unless you do. Your secret is safe with me."
"Thanks. Let's just forget that ever happened, OK?"
"Yeah, of course." He looked around the parking garage. "Do you want me to walk you to your car?"
"You really don't need to. But…" She took a deep breath and shrugged. "OK, Jack."
They exchanged a relieved and pleasant smile before Kate led him to her car. When they reached her blue Pontiac Sunfire convertible, she opened the door and moved to get in. Surprising herself, she stepped back and turned to him instead. "My roommate is working late tonight. Do you want to hang out at my apartment? We can order Chinese food or something and veg out in front of the TV."
He looked shocked for a moment. "Sure," he finally replied with a shy nod. "I'll see you in, what, half an hour?"
"Yeah. See you later, Jack." Without waiting for his response, she got in and started the car. She winked at him as she pulled out of her parking spot, making him chortle.
Shit, even his laugh is sexy, she thought as she drove away from the hospital. If this goes well, maybe I'll let him see me naked up close.
I honestly don't know if I got their voices right. I'm due for a full series rewatch, so I apologize if they seem OOC.
I also don't remember where it's mentioned in canon that Jack went to UCLA for med school. But it's on Jack's page on Lostpedia. If anyone could direct me to a canon source, then that would be awesome. But I thought it's convenient, so I just left it in. It's an AU anyway, so whatever.
I deliberately chose a gender-neutral name for the person whom Kate casually liked before meeting Jack, so it's up to y'all to imagine which gender Jamie was. Plus, the name starts with 'J,' so... *shrugs*
So what do you think? Hate it? Like it? Love it?