Title: In the Dark
Rating: Mature
Pairing: Jack & Juliet
Summary: AU. Jack is still caring for Ben and living in Otherville. Months have passed since he first moved in with them.
A dark forest. A flash of skin. The scent of burning wood in the air.
Two dark figures pressed against each other. Their silhouettes dim against the large tree.
"This is dangerous, you know. What we're doing," the woman said. Her hands roamed his back, clawing, gripping.
"It doesn't matter. It's been so long," the man panted. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent, drinking her in.
"You can't be caught. I can't be caught," she warned.
"I know. They'll kill me," he said.
Suddenly, her hands stopped their roaming and slid to grasp the sides of his face turning him to look at her. "Don't say that," she pleaded. "Please don't say that."
He turned his dark eyes to her, staring at her intently, willing her to feel what he felt. His hand slid to grasp hers, slowly bringing it to his lips.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, placing a gentle kiss against her palm.
She nodded, knowing that there was only so much they could control.
But the moment of intimacy was quickly replaced by urgency as she wrapped her free arm around his neck bringing his body flush against hers.
"Jack," she whispered as she pressed her lips against his.
Soon they were lost in a frenzy of heated skin and desperate kisses. Two lovers who met in the dark held back by their obligations, their allegiances. So close, yet so far.
"I've been gone too long," she said breathlessly. "Ben will get suspicious."
"But you just got here," he whined, his fingers tangling in her flaxen hair. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes.
She felt her heart break as he touched his forehead to hers, her finger touching the heated skin of his lips.
"Just a little longer," she pleaded, desperation seeping into her voice. "We'll be together soon."
He lifted his head and brushed her hair off her face – her beautiful face. He kept his arms wrapped around her shoulders, refusing to let go.
"Promise me you'll be careful, Juliet," he begged. "Promise me."
She nodded, a stray tear escaping her eye. "I promise."
Slowly they broke apart; their fingers keeping in contact at the last possible moment, each memorizing the other so that in their sleep they can dream about being together. For as long as they were on the island, both knew that it could never be, that they would continue to have their trysts in the cloak of dark and the safety of the forest. But in their desperate need, they've forgotten that everything on the island could never be a secret. That someone or something was always watching and that nothing could ever hide in the dark.