This is a one shot story. I got the idea from a picture that someone created of Kate shaving Jack and thought I'd have a little fun. Hope you guys like it.
THE BET
The survivors were now settled into a regular routine living on the island. Michael was overseeing the building of new showers while Kate and Sun continued tending to the garden that was flourishing under their watchful care. Hurley continued to fish with Jin on a regular basis and was proving to be quite a capable fisherman. The others stepped in and covered the other chores that needed to be handled. Slowly a community was starting to form.
One afternoon Hurley declared it a holiday and got a group together including Jack, Charlie and Michael for a game of golf. Others came to watch and relax. It was on the last hole with Jack due up that Kate challenged him to a bet.
"Bet you won't make it." She teased.
Jack looked back over his shoulder at the smiling brunette. "Didn't we do something similar before?" he asked.
She shook her head. "That time I was betting on you, this time it's just between you and me."
"Oh really?" Jack chuckled suddenly intrigued. "And just what are the stakes this time?" he turned to face her.
"Hey Jack!" Charlie yelled from across the green. "Are you taking the shot or not?"
"Hold up!" he yelled back then turned his attention back to Kate. "What's the bet?"
She smiled shyly and paused as if she was thinking up an answer. "Well… I've got a tube of sunscreen that's yours if you make the shot."
"And if I miss?" he was enjoying this playful exchange with the pretty young girl. "What'd you get?"
Kate licked the top of her lip before replying. Looking into his warm hazel eyes she felt that same slight jolt she always seemed to get when they locked eyes. "I get…to shave your beard off." She announced.
Jack was taken aback by what Kate had just said. 'I get to shave your beard off' He wasn't quite sure what Kate had in mind but he was certainly interested in finding out.
"Hey Jack come on!" Charlie yelled again. "Some bloody time today!"
He ignored Charlie's impatient hollering. "Shave my beard?" he asked.
"Yep." Kate reached up and brushed her fingertips lightly across one side of his face against the light beard. "Time to see your real face."
"It's not that bad." Jack laughed as he brought his hand up to his face and stroked the same spot where Kate's fingers had just touched. "Besides I did shave a couple of weeks ago."
"No, you trimmed it." She corrected. "So, Dr. Shepard is it a bet or are you going to wuss out?"
"Wuss out?" he laughed. "I don't wuss out. You got yourself a bet."
With that the handsome man turned back around and set up for the tee. Looking at the ball while he adjusted his hands on the club his mind flashed back to Kate's fingers brushing against his cheek. The smile on her face that made her green eyes dance and the light breeze that blew her curls across her cheeks caused Jack's pulse to race just a bit and as he swung the club and watched the ball fly through the air he knew he'd lost the bet.
The next day Kate came walking into the garden and greeted Sun.
"Kate, are you sure you want to work in the dirt with that top?" she asked referring to the rose colored lacy tank top Kate had on. With the delicate thin shoulder straps the top had fathered material in a band around the front and back. Kate had also let her hair down with the curls loose around the shoulders.
The young lady shook her head. "I'm not going to plant today. I've got something else to do."
"With anyone in particular?" Sun asked coyly. "A certain man?"
Kate blushed slightly the tint in her cheeks almost matching the rose in the shirt. "What make you say that?" she laughed.
"Well, that's not a top you'd wear if you were going to pick fruit with Shannon." She replied.
Kate laughed. "Okay. Let's just say I'm going to collect on a bet. And I need your help."
"Okay. How?" Sun replied curious as to how she fit in with all this.
"Let me explain what I need."
A short time later Kate was headed back to the caves. Looking around she found John Locke sitting on a rock near the waterfall. "Hi John." She greeted cheerfully.
"Well, hello Kate. Don't you look lovely." He replied smiling warmly.
"I need a favor." She said slowly.
"Sure. What can I do for you?"
"Can I see your knives?"
A few minutes later Kate was happily on the path to the beach. Someone at the caves had told her that Hack had gone down to deliver water. Sure enough as she came out of the jungle she spotted the handsome doctor talking to Rose. Tugging at the strap of her backpack she smoothed out her top and licked her lips before walking over to the two.
"Hey!" She said softly hoping not to be interrupting a private conversation.
"Hey Kate." Jack smiled warmly upon seeing her.
"Kate, don't you look nice?" Rose commented warmly.
"Thanks." She said shyly before looking back over at Jack. The two stared at each other for a long second with Jack wondering if he should verbally agree with Rose's observations. Kate did look very nice.
"Ahum…" Kate started to say. "Did I interrupt something?"
"Oh no," Rose said quickly. "I was about to excuse myself." It was obvious to Rose that the young woman wanted to speak with the doctor alone. "I promised Charlie I would go over and see him."
"Okay," Jack turned and smiled at the older black woman. "We'll talk more later."
"Sure." Rose patted his forearm and smiled briefly. "I'm always around. Enjoy yourself." She added before turning around and leaving the two alone.
Jack turned back his attention to Kate. "So, what are you up to? Gardening?" he teased.
"No. I'm here to collect on a bet." She replied.
Hearing that Jack laughed. "You were serious about that?" he asked. "I thought you might have changed your mind."
Kate shook her head tossing her loose curls from one side to the next. "Oh no. I won the bet fair and square and you've got to pay. Unless, of course, you're going to try and welch out." She teased.
"Me welch? He teased back smiling. "Oh no I am not a welcher."
"Good, then." Kate started to turn around. "Follow me." She started to walk back towards the jungle.
"Wait, where are we going Kate?" Jack asked.
With a smile that reached her eyes she started walking again. "You'll see."
"You're not going to tell me?" he asked following her anyway.
"Nope doctor. You're just going to have to wait and see." She replied. "But don't worry, it's not like you're in any danger."
"That may be debatable" Jack replied under his breath as he continued to follow her. His curiosity totally peaked.
The two walked through the jungle for several minutes. From the direction Jack could tell they were not going to the caves. A short time later they were at the clearing where Kate had first encountered Jack, shirtless and bleeding, asking for her help.
"Look familiar?" she asked softly not sure if he would remember or not.
"Nodding Jack smiled. "The makeshift sucture room from the first day, if I recall."
Kate was thrilled that he remembered where they first met as well. "Ah huh. I come here every once in awhile when I want to get away. It's pretty preaceful and the view of the shore is nice." She walked over to a rock near the tree trunk. On one of her previous visits she had pushed the rock over to the tree and made a makeshift chair.
"The view is nice." Jack replied looking at Kate and not really referring to the ocean beyond her.
"Okay, Jack." She gestured towards the rock. "Have a seat."
"You know, you could just give me the razor and I can shave myself." He offered.
"No, that wasn't the bet."
"I know, but…"
"You lost the bet. Now stop stalling and sit down before I got back to camp and label you a welcher." She threatened.
Laughing in spite of the fact that he wasn't crazy about losing the facial hair the young man did as instructed and sat down.
Opening her backpack Kate pulled out a coconut shell that contained an aloe vera mixture that Sun had put together to use as shaving crème. Then gently digging around in a side pocket Kate pulled out a rag that was wrapped around a straight edged knife that Locke had loaned her. Finally she pulled out a bottle of water and a clean rag.
Jack's eyes grew when he saw the knife. "What are you doing with that?" he asked.
"How else am I going to take the beard off?" Kate asked innocently.
"With a razor." Jack replied putting his hand up to protest. "That's usually how it's done."
"This is more fun." Kate retorted.
"Maybe for you." Jack countered.
"Oh come on Jack, John Locke has been using knives to shave and he's fine."
"Well, that's Locke's face, this is mine." He continued to protest. "And I happen to be fond of my ears and nose."
Kate looked over at Jack and tried to fake a look of indignant. "Oh please, I use to help my grandfather shave with a straight razor when I was a younger."
"Why don't I know whether to believe that or not?" he laughed weakly.
Kate smiled almost seductively and moved closer to him. "Come on Jack, "she purred softly. "It'll be fun. I promise."
Jack stared at Kate for a moment taking in her beauty. He hadn't met a woman that affected him the way Kate did before. She was a mixture of innocent sweetness with a fiery level of danger ness that made her so intriguing to him. And lately it seemed as if their flirting had not only increased but was getting to the point where one of them needed to step up and make a move and from the looks of it Jack was guessing this was Kate's move. Nodding his head he put his hand down settled back on the rock.
"Great." Kate smiled broadly. Dipping her fingers into the gel mixture she bent over and started to gently apply it to Jack's face. The moment her fingers touched his skin Kate felt herself take in a quick breath. She was hoping Jack didn't notice.
"What's that stuff?" Jack asked his voice a bit hoarse. Apparently the contact is affecting him too, Kate thought.
"Sun made it from a couple of plants." Kate explained as she slowly dragged her fingers across his right cheek. "It's suppose to...ahum…soften the stubble and soothe the skin."
"Ok, ok. Good." Jack made eye contact with Kate and held it for a moment. Kate felt herself getting lost again in the warm hazel sea of his eyes. She loved his eyes – despite the stoic manner he worn at times Kate always noticed how his eyes if only for a brief moment would reveal the feelings and emotions he was carrying at the time.
"You might want to put some on the other side." Jack said quietly breaking Kate out of her thoughts. She looked down and noticed she had momentarily stopped applying the gel and had left his left side bare. Recovering quickly she scooped up some more and covered up the rest of his face.
After applying the gel Kate took the knife in her hand and suddenly realized squatting in front of Jack wasn't giving her the right angle to reach his face properly and because of the tree standing behind him wasn't an option. 'Okay, Kate, 'she thought to herself, 'you made this bet for a reason and it sure wasn't just to give him a clean face'. In fact Kate actually found the facial hair quite sexy on him but she needed a reason to get him alone and get him close. 'Okay, you might as well follow through with it.' Standing up Kate smiled at Jack. 'Here goes' she thought to herself before straddling the surprised doctor and sitting on his lap.
"Kate!" he cried out almost jumping out of his skin. "What are you doing?"
"It's the only way I can…ahum…get the right angle to shave." She giggled. "And you're the one that said he was fond of his ears and nose. You don't want me to draw blood, do you?" she said sweetly. As she spoke she could feel her heart start to beat faster.
Taking a very deep breath, Jack, who's own pulse was definitely starting to race, nodded. "No, no blood."
Kate brought the blade up to the top of Jack's beard and carefully dragged it down a bit. "Don't move Jack." She instructed and she repeated the process on another spot.
As she started intently at her work she swayed just a bit and instinctively Jack brought his hands up to Kate's waist to steady her. "You don't move." He laughed tightening his grip.
Kate shivered slightly when he grabbed her waist. His hands strong and firmly placed on her waist holding her down on his lap. She stopped shaving for a second as she enjoyed the feeling of being held by the handsome man.
Jack meanwhile had made up his mind to enjoy this whole experience. It was obvious that Kate had spent some time planning this out and he knew she could tell her nearness was affecting him. Well, two can play that game he thought.
Kate started shaving his cheek again getting a feel for the knife and getting into a smooth groove when she felt something that sent another shiver through her. Jack's thumbs had started rubbing the sides of her waist gently and softly swirling in tiny circles back and forth. She bit her bottom lip, no fair. This was supposed to be her game and now he was 'fighting' back.
Jack watched Kate's face intently looking for a reaction and he saw her shudder when he rubbed her waist with his thumbs. Perfect, he thought, she's feeling it too. He slightly added more pressure with his thumbs while pulling her just a little closer to him.
"Jack, what are you doing?" she asked softly as she felt herself being pulled just a tiny bit towards him.
"Just making sure that you can reach my face, "he replied his eyes dancing. "that blade isn't very long now is it?"
"No, but it's very effective." She replied dragging and pulling the knife along his chin and carefully under his nose. Jack had his eyes closed and was simply enjoying the feeling of the cool blade sliding across his skin and the nearness of this beautiful woman. Thoughts of their predicament on the island and the unknown dangers vanished along with his beard. He wanted nothing more than to momentarily forget about being a leader, having people depend on him. Forget about not having enough medical supplies or trying to make sure everyone had food. He was here alone with Kate, holding her in his hands, starting to feel something he hadn't felt in a very long time and he was going to let it go wherever it went.
Kate finished up shaving and cleared her throat. "Could you…ahum…hand me the water and wash cloth?" she asked, not really wanting to move from her current spot.
Jack opened his eyes and looked up at Kate and nodded. Without breaking eye contact he reached down and pulled up the items and handed them to her. Dropping the knife she poured water into the cloth and then slowly started wiping off his face. "See that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked warmly.
"No, "Jack admitted smiling devilishly at her. "Not bad at all."
Leaning her head in Kate could feel the electricity around them starting to build. She wanted this and she could tell he wanted it to. Pressing her lips to his she felt her heart skip a beat. Bringing her hands around his neck she felt Jack tighten his grip around her waist again and pulled her even closer as she wrapped her legs around his waist. The kiss deepened as Kate felt Jack's tongue explore her mouth sending tingles down her spine.
Breaking the kiss only to get some air Kate's eyes sparkled as she looked at Jack. "Wow." Kate whispered. "That was…"
"Amazing." Jack finished the comment breathing heavy. He hadn't had a kiss like that, well, since he could remember. Reaching back up he captured her lips again as Kate ran her hands along his arms silently admiring the defined muscles. Letting out a little groan she broke off the kiss.
"Jack" she whispered.
"What's wrong?" he asked concerned she was having second thoughts.
"Nothing." She said taking another deep breath. Pulling her hands on the sides of this face she caressed his newly shaven face. "I just think we need to slow things down."
"We've been taking it pretty slow as it is." He pointed out holding her by the waist again.
Kate looked down nodding. "I know." She said in almost a whisper. "It's just that…I don't want to miss this up." She confessed. "I've made too many mistakes in the past."
"And you wanna make sure this is another one, right?" Jack concluded, his voice betraying the sense of disappointment he was starting to feel.
Looking up into his eyes she shook her head vehemently. "No, Jack, this isn't a mistake. I know that much. If I didn't know it before the kiss I certainly knew that after." She gave him a small smile which he returned. "And that's precisely why I don't want to rush into anything. I want us to take our time enjoy it every step of the way. Are you okay with that?"
Jack gave her another smile then reached up and kissed the tip of her nose. "If time is what you want time is what you'll get."
"Thanks." She giggled before leaning in and giving him another quick kiss.
"But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop getting shaves, does it?" he teased.
"No. And you don't even have to lose a bet." She laughed.