Title: It Takes Two To Tango
Pairing: Jack & Kate
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Don´t own Lost or Jate. If I did, S7 would be on air and dealing with the 3 years Jate spent off the island ;)
Author´s Note: I wrote this ages ago and just now realized that I´d apparently forgotten to post it here. It´s not my usual style and it´s probably the fic I found it the hardest to write, but, in the end, I was satisfied with how it turned out. I tried to make it somehow in harmony with the melody of the tango - so, it´s best when read out loud (if possible, with some tango melody playing in the background), because the rhythm can come in the first plan then.
It´s set somewhere later in S3, but before the finale. I think the best setting would be a few days after that scene where Kate told Jack about Naomi and he completely ignored her, siding with Juliet instead; because the tension was at its highest then. Oh and, if you´re wondering why the hell Jate are dancing tango, especially while in fight, well, let´s say that Claire organized Dance With the Losties competition (that sounds believable, right? :p)
It Takes Two to Tango
The sun was slowly going down to its sleep as the golden traces of fading day surrounded the sky, embracing it with only them known shades of colors, scattered across the silky surface of mist… and air. The island was enclosed with some vague sense of anxiety: tension pulsating through every pore, every leaf, and every molecule of this unusual place. Even the birds high upon the sky would stop occasionally to catch a glimpse of that unusual sight.
A man…and a woman. Standing at the distance, opposite to each other. One wearing black suit; the other scarlet dress. Black and Red. The colors of lust, passion and love. But also the colors of pain, hurt and hate. Two eyes locking each other. Hazel piercing the emerald. Emerald invading the hazel. Love and Hate. Colliding. At the same time.
Suddenly, the music starts playing… Slowly and quietly at first, then louder and faster as the Black and Red head towards each other, meeting at half way. They stop. Music cuts short. Eyes lock. Again. ´Now or never. Your last chance to give up.´- thinks one. ´Give up? Me? Never.´ - responds the other, without using words. It´s all in the eyes. ´Fine!´ - the eyes of the first say. ´Fine!´ - reply those of the other.
The music sets off again as the man slowly, yet forcefully pulls the woman closer, his right arm settling on the curve of her spine; while his left one grasps her right in strong yet sensual clasp. But the woman fights back too. Intertwining her left arm with his right, she clutches her fingers tightly on his upper shoulder, touching the muscular shape of his menacing tattoos. Blast of electricity shoots through their bodies; but they are both determined not to let it be noticed. Stubbornness…and pride. Tricky combination. Sometimes good, sometimes destructive. But always sensual.
And then, he starts moving, slowly at first…his lead smooth and balanced, guiding them through the twilight. Their eyes fixed on each other as they glide across the cinnamon beach, soft summer breeze caressing their skin and intensifying their senses. He hates her. He hates her for hurting him so much. But at the same time, he knows he doesn't hate her. He loves her instead. And that´s why he wants to hurt her. Not physically. Not emotionally either. ´Cause he could never stand to see her shattered again. He wants to hurt her with his willpower. To drive her insane from desire. From passion. From... lust.
That´s why he suddenly pushes her away, only to pull her closer again; her chest crashing with his, all in the flaming explosion of the tango rhythm.
Tango. The dance of Passion. Of Heat. But, above all, the dance of Love. She breathes heavily as she feels his lips only inches away from hers; she´s almost ready to give up to temptation; but the moment ends the second she looks up at his eyes, glittering with the triumph over the effect he had on her. ´S o he wants to play like that, huh? Let him be. But he won't be the last one to laugh.´ - she promises, reaching her left arm around his neck and pulling him closer. Powerful quake shakes his body as she suddenly wraps her leg around his calf, pressing her pelvis against his. He makes a deep intake of breath, trying to regain control over his senses again, but failing as he feels her hot breath sending shivers all the way down his neck. He catches her victorious glance; and, he´s out of the trance immediately, determined not to let her win in this game of lust and will. Instead, his arm clutches tighter around her back and without any further warning he sets them off towards the tree, his steps fast and unpredictable; his eyes focused on hers; his lips smugly curving into the smallest smile at the sight of her expression. Shock? Lust? Maybe even…fear? He doesn't give her a chance to recover though as he pins her against the nearest tree. Not harshly, ´cause he would never hurt her, but passionately; his fingers burning her flesh, his eyes digging into hers.
He can hear her hastened breathing, but he doesn't care; his eyes fixed, his mind determined to drive her crazy from lust. With one of his hands still firmly positioned around her back, holding her in place; he lifts her right arm upright; and her eyes flash with recognition of what he is about to do just a second before he starts lowering; his hand first: his fingers brushing the soft skin of her forearm, descending to her shoulder; then his whole body going down; his eyes still fixed on hers as his hands slide down her side, brushing against her, but so lightly that it feels like butterfly touches.
She´s completely lost it; the beach is gone, the island is gone, their friends are gone - her senses unaware of anything else besides his touches. And his eyes. His piercing, chocolate eyes that are digging into hers, making her, willing her to surrender, to give up. And, as much as she doesn't want it, she can't help it anymore; his enchantment too powerful for her to resist. And she knows that he knows it. But, as she watches him climbing up again, victorious gleam in his eyes, she is surprised to discover that it matters nothing to her. Who won or who lost. Nothing. Because all that matters is to have her old Jack back. Not that distanced and indifferent stone of the man he´s been ever since they´d returned from the Others or this wild, passionate…beast, as much as it was making her feel lightheaded with its presence. No. She wants the gentle, caring and kind Jack; the Jack she has fallen in love with. And as she continues to watch him going up, in harmony with the dawdling melody that fills the air around them, she realizes with sadness that maybe it is too late; too late to return to the way it used to be, to the Jack he used to be.
He watches her closely as his arm wraps around her waist again. He noticed the abrupt change in her expression, from shock and surprise to pure sadness, and he knows the reason behind it. He knows it because he knows her. Despite all of the years she´s spent trying to hide who she really was, he knows her like he´s never known anyone else, not even his wife. She´s sad because she thinks she lost him.
The melody slows… it´s only a whisper in the night now… allowing him to slow down his movements too. His face is now in level with hers, and he moves it a bit on the right, inhaling her scent; his lips almost touching her earlobe. He can feel her body trembling and he pulls her closer, wanting to warm her with his body, although he knows that the breeze has nothing to do with reason she is quivering. His determination slowly starts to fade away: he´s not angry or hurt anymore; all he wants to now is to protect her, to comfort her, to tell her that everything would be alright. It´s as if the passionate rhythm of the dance took away all the frustration, rage and pain he was feeling in the past couple of weeks; leaving him to be able to breathe again, liberated of all the negative emotions.
She´s lost in her thoughts, reality totally slipping away from her, but this time not because of the magic of his presence or the heat of his body, but because of the undeniable realization that she lost him, lost him forever. She feels a silent tear escaping her eye and she slowly moves her head to the right to hide it…causing her lips to brush his.
Both of them freeze for a second, none of them having expected that kind of a movement; and that single touch is enough for Jack to lose that smallest willpower he had left: his lips crush against hers; his fingers leaving her hand and coming to rest on her neck, pulling her even closer to him.
The kiss is passionate at first; two hungry lips assaulting each other, putting in it all the energy, stress and frustration that have mounted up since the last time they kissed, that day in the jungle, when she desperately needed comfort and in some strange way found it in him. But then Jack slows down; his lips now soft and gentle on hers, while his fingers absently play with a couple of loose curls hanging down her face, because he feels that it´s what she wants. No, not wants – needs. She needs her old caring Jack back, and he finally feels that he is ready to go back again, to let go of all the hurt and anger and just be…Jack again.
And she understands the sudden change in him; the corner of her lips curving into a small smile of relief as her hands come to rest on his chest, nestling there like in long-wanted sanctuary. She leans closer, wanting to taste every inch of his mouth, wanting to find that familiar warmth and comfort she still remembers from the last time their lips joined. The music is still playing, but it´s so slow and silent now that it´s barely perceptible, as if it decided to follow the rhythm that now the two of them are dictating.
Their tongues continue to dance until there´s no more air left in both of them, and Jack slowly pulls away, breathless, his eyes closed, his forehead resting on hers, his breathing synchronized with hers.
˝I missed you. ˝he hears her saying quietly and he knows that those three small words contain everything they´ve both felt and gone through ever since they had been so abruptly taken and separated a couple of weeks ago.
He knows that she is waiting for a reply, but he has other things on his mind, as he listens to the melody slowly going to its end. He waits until the last beat and, without further warning; he ducks her down, ending their performance in a memorable closure, causing her to grip the edges of his collar in surprise, but she relaxes soon, knowing that he would never let her fall.
He waits for the melody to cease; then leans over and whispers ´I missed you too.´ before bending down to kiss her again; as the night falls silent...
I worked really hard on this one, so please let me know what you think. :)