Disclaimer: William Golding owns everything. The story, the characters, my soul, etc. Well...not the slash...but you get the picture :)

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The night air was slightly cool, and a wet breeze blew from the south. Ralph sat on the beach, his hands in his lap. The tide came in and washed over his feet and knees. It was warm.

Every star in the universe shone down on him, and the moon was full. It reflected on the ocean, giving everything a silvery glow. Ralph took a deep breath and tilted his head back.

"Ralph."

He jumped at the sound of his name. His hands flew out and onto the sand next to him.

There were light footsteps behind him. The hairs on his neck raised and he dug his fingers into the sand.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice even.

The person sat down just behind him without speaking. Ralph asked again.

"What do you want?"

Suddenly, something touched his shoulder. He jolted forward, toward the ocean. The tide came up and washed over his hands.

He whirled around. Jack stared at him blankly. His spear sat behind him.

"A little jumpy, aren't we?"

Ralph sat back into the water, it soaking into his shorts. His hair was in his eyes, so he brought up his hand to brush it out of his eyes. "Why are you here?"

Jack looked back at his spear and then at Ralph. "I'm not here to kill you."

Ralph let his eyes leave Jack's face. The taller boy was slender and muscular, and he sat cross-legged on the sand. His face revealed no emotion, but something was going on behind his eyes. There were bruises on his arms and a cut on his chest.

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You hate me, don't you," Jack said. Ralph's mouth opened in surprise. Jack looked back at his spear.

"Jack, what are you doing?"

Jack looked up at Ralph, his eyes pained. "You hate me."

Ralph started to stand. Jack reached out and grabbed his wrist. Ralph was pulled back into a sitting position.

"Don't leave…"

Ralph watched Jack's face for any sign of malicious intent. The red-head looked down.

"You hate me," he said again.

"I don't…don't hate you…"

Jack's head jerked up in surprise.

"But why are you here?"

Jack's chest tightened. Ralph stared at him, almost curiously. Jack moved his hand along the sand, making a tiny groove.

"Jack, why—"

"They kicked me out."

Ralph sucked in a breath. Jack started to stand. "I don't know why I came here."

"They kicked you out?"

Jack bit his lip. "Isn't that what I said?" He reached down and grabbed his spear. Ralph flinched back and Jack smiled.

"I said that I'm not here to kill you."

Jack started to walk up the beach. His eyes began to sting, and he walked faster. Couldn't let Ralph see him cry. It would be like suicide.

"Why?"

Jack turned around. "Why what?"

"Why did they kick you out?"

There was no answer. Ralph stood up.

"Jack?"

The taller boy made a small noise. His head hung down, and the spear was barely propped up by his limp fingers. His chest shook once.

"I'm their chief…and they just thought…I'm going to kill…" Jack's speech was ragged and choppy. A droplet of water fell from his nose and onto the sand.

"Jack…are you crying?"

Jack looked up. Sure enough, his eyes were red-rimmed and shiny. He bit his lip and the spear dropped to the ground.

"There. I'm not so tough, am I? Just as bad as a littlun, aren't I?"

Ralph started toward Jack. "Why are you here?"

"I thought…maybe…maybe you would be more…I don't know. You'd have no reason to like me. All I've done is hurt you. Why would you do any different to me?"

Jack turned and continued up the beach, leaving his spear on the ground. Ralph watched him disappear into the trees.

"Jack!" he yelled. There was no answer.

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Jack walked through the trees. The forest was silent. He angrily wiped the tears from his eyes, leaving trails of sand on his face. He was an idiot. What was he thinking, going to Ralph?

He heard his name once, but then Ralph didn't call it again. Jack sat down by a nearby tree. He then buried his face in his hands and began to cry again.

If only Ralph could see how Jack felt. No…Ralph knew how he felt. Jack had stripped him of his friends, left him alone in his own quest for power. Jack had killed Simon. Jack's tribe had killed Piggy. Everything was his fault.

Ralph's face floated to the top of Jack's thoughts. His eyes were so beautiful…each one so deep and soulful. His entire face was warm and kind.

Jack slammed his head back into the tree hard. He couldn't think like that. Ralph was just another boy. But he was just so perfect, so amazing. Jack needed to be near him again.

He picked himself up off of the tree and balled his fists. He was going to go back onto the beach.

No. Ralph said that he didn't hate him, but…there was something in the way he looked at Jack. Something cold. Something…scared. Ralph was scared of him.

Jack made himself walk. His feet didn't want to move anymore, but he made himself go back to the beach.

As he left the trees and came out into the open air, he felt his courage leave. Ralph was still sitting on the beach, looking out over the ocean.

Making sure he didn't make a sound, Jack slowly came toward the fair-haired boy. Just seeing Ralph made Jack's heart speed up. He took slow breaths as he crept forward.

His spear wasn't where it had been. Ralph had it in his lap. The tip was crusted in blood, and Ralph was washing it off. Jack watched him from a few feet behind. Ralph hadn't noticed him yet.

He took another step, his foot sinking a bit into the sand. There were only a couple feet between them. He clenched his teeth and tried not to make a sound as he took another step.

Ralph was scraping the blood from the spear and into the water. He then took the leg of his shorts and used it to dry the spear tip off.

Jack's skills as a hunter let him get one step closer. If he moved his leg, he would nudge Ralph in the back.

As quietly as possible, he knelt down behind Ralph. A smile almost reached his lips as he watched Ralph dry off the spear. His hands were so delicate as they carefully handled the wood.

Jack felt something come over him. He silently moved his arms up and over Ralph's shoulders. Then, as tenderly as possible, he brought his arms together, surrounding Ralph in a hug.

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Hi people! This is my first Lotf fanfic, and I just LOVE anything to do with Ralph/Jack. Yeah, that's where this is all going. I don't mind a little Ralph/Roger, though ;) *hint*hint*

Please review! I just love reviews, flames, whatever. Any kind of feedback.