Juliet visits his cell again, the third time that day if he is not mistaken.
After the incident -- the broken plate to her throat and her wicked knuckle sandwich to his face -- they reach a tentative impasse. She stops in more often. She stays for longer periods of time. She gives him a jacket and a well-wish to 'stay warm'. The jacket is thin, but something (especially from her) is usually better than nothing at all.
He starts to think dangerous thoughts.
Jack starts to believe Juliet likes him.
**
She visits the next day with a tray of goodies in tow. She spends a few moments on her side of the glass wall to set up the television before coming to his side of the divide.
She looks different somehow.
Prettier? Maybe.
Better? Absolutely.
He automatically presses himself against the far corner of his room. He wonders idly, if his cooperation is because of her, and if true, why is he strangely okay with it.
She knocks four times.
The door opens.
**
He looks at the tray and at the bowl with popcorn flowing over the top. "Popcorn?" he says incredulously. "Really?"
"Oh," she looks at him curiously, wide eyed and unblinking, as if she was looking at a sample under a microscope, "nachos-hotdog kind of person?"
His mind blanks, then, "I'm sorry?"
"For the movie," She says, "I thought you would love popcorn."
"Is that in my file?"
"Sure, Jack," she does not roll her eyes, but by her expression, she does not need to, "it's on the same page as your underwear preference."
She does not wait for his comeback.
She hops onto the table at the center of his room (cell) and folds her legs into a cross legged position, a mirror image of the time she offered him a cheeseburger. She looks at him expectantly for a moment but when he does not move, she pats the spot next to her.
"Sit," she says. And when he does not, she finally rolls her eyes, but still kindly asks, "Please, Jack."
He shrugs his shoulders and grins at her before picking himself up. "Well, since you said please."
He takes a seat next her. He's close. Close enough so he can feel the faint heat coming from her pale skin. And if he could feel her, she could definitely feel him.
"Popcorn?" she offers, placing the bowl of fluffy goodness between them.
"Umm, sure." He pops a couple kernels into his mouth. Light salt and pepper, no butter – perfect. Just like her.
"Soda?" she asks, handing him a big gulp sized cup with one hand and fiddling with some sort of electrical device with the other, "it's real coke, too." She says proudly, "no dharma generic's for us."
"I'm more of a pepsi man, myself." He says, being difficult just because. In the end, he takes the proffered drink anyway, sipping fizzy soda pop through the straw.
The bubbly fizz in his mouth, the taste of home and the familiar – sublime.
"So, what's so special about tonight?"
But she's not looking at him anymore, her eyes instead focusing on the television screen on the other side of the room.
It hisses to life, transforming from black screen to the blue FBI copyright warning.
He looks at her, then at the television, "What are--"
She holds up a finger to her lips, "Ssshh!"
"Look, I don't know what you're trying to do, but this-- wait, Star Wars?"
She nods, solemnly, "Episode 3."
"Oh my god," he whispers. "Hurley is going to kill me when he finds out. You too, probably."
She laughs, "I can take him."
"Think so, princess? He hits like a Wookie. Just ask Sawyer."
Her face lights up: absolutely, beautifully.
Despite his prison cell, and her manipulation and lies, he knows that this moment is theirs. It has nothing to do with destiny, or the island, or the others, or any other impossible crazy thing that has happened since he crashed.
It is about Jack and Juliet.
And Star Wars, of course.
"Jack, really." She looks at him, finally, her eyes wide and bright and warm. "Be quiet."
And he is quiet, for awhile, until his curiosity gets the best of him.
"How'd you know? About how much I love Star Wars?"
"Your file." She teases.
"Juliet…"
"It's Star Wars, Jack. Who doesn't love Star Wars?"
**
The movies ends, but before Juliet can leave, Jack leans over and whispers something softly in her ear.
She looks at him, a tinge of red touching her cheeks, "I'll make sure to do that for you."
"Goodnight, Juliet."
"Night, Jack."
**
That night, before she fell asleep, Juliet opened up Jack's file and penciled in two new pieces of information under the Miscellanous section.
1) Loves Star Wars.
2) Popcorn.
3) Boxer Briefs.
**
Seriously, where did this come from? I drank, came home, and this came out. Please be gentle with it.