Interlude II

Awkward sexual tension and Steak

"Why don't you leave Aaron's cot by my tent; I'll fix it for you later." Claire nodded sending him an appreciative smile, "Thanks Jack." She headed over to the kitchen where Charlie and Desmond where talking about catching Boar.

Jack stood admiring the view, as much as he wanted to get off this island he had to admit he would miss the peace he felt when he stared out into the clear blue ocean, their was something different about this island but he couldn't put his finger on it. He herd Juliet's laugh float past and found himself impulsively heading towards it, "Ahh its number two! How's it going dude?" He sent Hurley a confused yet slightly amused nodded, "Good thanks."

"Two?" Juliet repeated looking skeptical.

Hurley stated matter-of-factly "Dude, remember Locke? He was totally number one with his badass knives." he turned slightly towards Jack, "No offense dude."

Juliet and Hurley shared a secretive smile and erupted in a fit of giggles.

"Do I even want to know?"

Jack sat on the other side of Juliet and she crinkled her nose as she smirked, "Probably not."

He instinctively leant towards her face to hear her, her tone was light and fun yet somehow intense and meaningful, his eyes fell on her lips and for a moment Juliet thought he might try to kiss her.

The atmosphere had transformed and Hurley could hear electricity crackling in the air.

He found himself feeling a little uncomfortable with the level of sexual tension that had arisen with Jack's arrival, "This has been fun Jules but I gotta go and do... uhh stuff. Laters Jules!"

Jack leaned back from Juliet and watched as Hurley jumped up and plodded off towards the kitchen, "Was it something I said?" He asked with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Rolling her eyes, Juliet couldn't stop her own smile from finding its way across her face, "Don't take it too personally… he just likes me better."

Jack's eyebrow rose, his cockiness emerging, "What?! After two days here he already likes you better than me? Please Hurley loves me. Everyone loves me."

It was Juliet's turn to become cocky as she lifted her own brow and questioned, "Everyone?"

Jack smiled widely hiding a secret behind his lips he nodded, "Everyone."

They sat silently for a moment lost in each others thoughts, "What's that?" Juliet pointed to the large plate of boar meat sitting on the kitchen ledge.

"Lunch." He stated simply as other camp members began lining up for their share. "This isn't exactly the barracks Juliet; we don't have toasted cheese sandwiches for snacks."

"Oh, Like I hadn't noticed while I was bathing in the ocean."

Juliet replied sarcastically as she stood up and placed her folded clothing deeper inside the tent, "Any chance they'll let me have some? I know I'm the enemy and everything.." Jin and Sawyer walked past at that moment, Jin ignored her completely and merely nodded at Jack while Sawyer sent her a look of sheer disgust. She gave Jack a pointed look that said 'I told you so'.

"…but I'm starving!"

He stated protectively, "Let me handle it." And before she could protest he was marching off towards the kitchen area sand falling submissively in his wake.

She sighed as she watched him go, she'd never felt so vulnerable. It wasn't being at their camp that made her feel so weak and insecure, it was the fact that at any moment Jack could out her. He could reveal everything he knew about her and 'the Others', as his people had started calling them, he could sell her out in a heartbeat.

And that above anything else that worried her, she trusted him yes, but she had trust Ben before him and look how that turned out. She was an expert at blindly trusting people before she came here, and she always paid for it later. She rolled her eyes internally, when had she become so cynical and jaded?

Shaking her head of those thoughts she reaffirmed to herself the reasons she had decided to tell Jack, to trust Jack, in the first place.

Firstly he knew her, he knew her better than anyone had ever known her. Almost better than Rachel her own sister, because Jack understood her and her motives, he was her. They were equals in every sense.

Secondly, He had risked his life, his chance to escape the island to save her. He lied for her when she was on trial and he told her they were in it together. But more importantly she believed he truly meant it.

And in the end no matter what Ben said about her, no matter how much control he thinks he has over her, she doesn't trust him and she doesn't believe him.

The deal breaker had been the trust Jack had in her, he was so honest and so selfless in his actions towards her. She didn't think she could ever really express just how grateful she was for him coming into her life. A ghost of a smile graced her features and she wondered briefly if Jacob had heard her prayers over the last two years and sent Jack as the answer she had been pegging for.

She nodded to herself, she had made the right decision in confiding in Jack she was surer of this than she had been of anything in her whole life.

"Your steak, medium are as ordered, Madame." Jack had a goofy grin on his face as he handed her the piece of boar, a green flourish decorating the meat.

She grinned back at the small yet significant gesture, "You are such a dork." Sobering a little she tried not too get too emotional over a silly bit of garnish,

"But thank you."

She wondered if he realized what she was really thanking him for was something she could never put into words.

Jack's eyes were the color of emeralds they shone brighter than Juliet had ever noticed before, "Your welcome."

Juliet raised the piece of meat to her mouth and yanked it back down, the rubber texture surprising her.

Jack heard the loud snap of the tough meat and tried not to laugh too hard, "Missing those Hamburgers yet?"

She turned towards him raising her hand to cover her mouth, "Only everyday."

As this is my first real LOST fic I'd love to read what you all think about it!

Did I capture the character voices or was I a bit off?

How was the characterisation of Juliet? Did she seem to make sense? Obviously to go into the mythology of the island and the reasons why Juliet had stayed there so long and believe Ben and Jacob (and to explain my idea of Jacob himself) would have taken forever so sorry if it doesn't make sense but basically in a nutshell I think that Jacob is a sort of Jesus who has 'holy' powers I guess and the island is like Eden a magical 'paradise' of sorts.