The Counterpart
Pairing: Jacket
Rating: PG-13
Setting: Post-island. AU
Summary: They left the island, but the island didn't leave them.
A/N: this is a little brainchild i've had for a while! may be confusing at first. will probably run about eight similarly small parts. thanks to hilary for the title. i don't own lost, but i hope you enjoy it all the same!
One
--
A young red-haired boy watched his feet as he walked. His hands were warm in his pockets and he scrunched up his nose a little to rid it of an itch. A blonde girl of the same age walked with him but a metre higher along a squat brick fence, her arms extended either side of her for balance.
"Hey Amy," the boy said, looking up at his counterpart, "my friend nicked a restricted movie from the video store. Wanna watch it? It's called 'The Fly'. Sounds bloody brilliant."
"No thanks Colin," she replied absently, busy focusing on keeping her balance.
"You never wanna watch anything with me," he pouted, scuffing his feet as he walked.
"I don't like movies." Amy jumped from the fence, landing in front of Colin so he had to stop suddenly to avoid walking into her. She flashed him a smile, curls bouncing around her face.
"You're a weird girl."
"Thanks."
The pair continued down the street, side by side.
A few minutes later, Amy stopped outside a house that looked no different than the ones that preceded it.
"Bye Colin."
"Wanna go play for a while?" he asked quickly, pointing to a small playground across the street.
"Nah I have homework. I'll see you at dinner." Amy walked down the short path to the house, turning at the door as Colin called out to her.
"You know you're the strangest person in all of England."
Amy smiled. "And you're the freckliest."
--
Jack washed his hands. Rinsing off the soap, he took a brief look at his reflection in the mirror. He sometimes had trouble recognising it. Maybe that was just the alcohol.
He turned the faucet and dried his hands on the towel by the sink. With a final glance at the mirror he stepped out of his bathroom into the hallway of his Los Angeles home. His breath suddenly caught in his throat as a young girl stood at the other end of the hall, staring at him. It was the same girl he saw following him into the ocker room at work the previous day, and the same girl he caught watching him from a park bench a week before that.
"Hey!" he called, "what are you doing in here?!"
The girl quickly ran around the corner, blonde curls trailing behind her in a blur.
"Hey, get back here!" He chased after her, down the hall around the corner. She was gone.
"Wherever you've gone, you shouldn't be in my house! Go home!"
Footsteps.
He spun around, and there she was, grinning at him.
"What are you doing here? Who are you?" he asked, quickly approaching her. Her blue eyes tore into him, trying to decipher something. Just as he got close she disappeared around the corner with a familiar laugh.
A laugh he missed dearly.
"Get back here!" he called after her, racing through the house. He checked every room, but there was no sign of the girl. She'd disappeared.
--
"Amy, are you dressed for dinner?" Juliet called from the kitchen, fiddling with the nobs on the oven.
Amy walked into the room and leant against the counter, watching her mother.
"Sun's calling."
Juliet looked up at her with a questioning gaze, and a brief silence surrounded them.
Then the phone rang.
She tsked and let out a little sigh. "Don't do that. Especially when Nigel and Colin get here."
Juliet picked up the phone and answered. "Hello?" Beat. "Hi Sun…"
The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Amy said and Juliet nodded, trying to listen to Sun down the line.
She opened the door to a tall man, dark-haired and handsome.
"Hello Amy!" he smiled, laying a hand on top of her head.
"Hi Nigel. Hey Colin," she added as her friend popped out from behind his father.
"Hello," he said quietly.
"Oh Colin, don't be so shy," Nigel added, pushing the young boy in front of him and inside.
"Where's your mum?" he directed at Amy.
"On the phone in the kitchen," she replied.
"Ah, well I won't disturb her just yet then. How's school?"
"Fine."
"Colin told me your teacher said you wrote the best book report in the class! Well done," he smiled good-naturedly.
Colin blushed a deep shade of crimson.
"Sorry about that," Juliet said, emerging from the kitchen. She smiled as she reached Nigel, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "Hi."
"Hi," he grinned.
"Let's get dinner started then, shall we?"
--
Jack walked hurriedly down the street, occasionally breaking into a jog. He was very late for work.
As he rushed he suddenly noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head, and there she was again. The little blonde girl stood across the street, staring at him.
He stopped. She smiled.
"What do you want from me?" he called out. The girl turned away from him, opening the gate of the house she stood in front of and walking through.
"Hey, don't run away!" Jack quickly crossed the street, following her as she walked briskly down the path and escaped through the house's front door.
Jack squared his jaw and approached the door, knocking loudly on the wooden surface. He was going to give this girl's parent an earful.
The door was opened by a soft looking blonde woman, who suddenly looked relieved to see him.
She sighed. "I was wondering when you were going to show up."
Jack was confused that she knew who he was, and the woman noticed this.
"I'm Rachel."
Jack's eyes widened.
"You'd better come in."