A/N: Oh gosh, I've really been neglecting this story. I had no inspiration for it, but at work today I decided that I am absolutely determined to finish it. So, I'm really sorry I kept everyone waiting, but I'm back with a new fire that could match Jack's hair. I don't own Lord of the Flies, tragically. Dedicated to Sheridan, my little Ralph.

Roger

I take my time filling the coffee pot with water, sticking in the filter, measuring out the grounds. Jack is upstairs with that pretty blonde doctor, and I'm here all alone, without anyone watching me. I guess Jack must really trust that I'm not going to try anything again, leaving me on my own like this.

With the coffee brewing, I am left to lean up against the counter, do my best not to close my eyes, not to let those memories seep in. I try to focus on anything else. Thoughts of Jack, maybe, laying in bed next to me, one arm strewn over my chest, soft breaths tickling the bare skin of my neck. The little things I live for. The things I know I would have missed, even if I'd have been too dead to realize it.

I might be standing there for n hour, or maybe only a few short minutes. Either way, I haven't moved at all when I hear the quiet sound of footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, Jack appears in the doorway of the kitchen, wringing his hands ever so slightly. "Hey," I say quietly. Jack's eyes flicker around the room nervously, because even still we're always, always on edge.

"Hey," he replies casually, crossing the room until his body is mere inches away from my own. Jack reaches out to put his hands on my hips, presses his waist into my own. His lips are smiling, just a little, but there is something in the depths of those endless blue eyes I just cant place. Regret, maybe, and fear. "How are you feeling?"

I know what he's really asking, even if he doesn't actually say it. And I know he's worried about me, even though he tries to act like he's so damn tough. "I'm good," I tell him, and I might even mean it. As an after thought, I add, "Better now that you're here."

Jack grins that familiar devil grin, thumbs linked in the belt loops of my pants. He opens his mouth as if he might say something more, but in the end he only tilts his head and closes the distance between our lips. The kiss is slow, soft, everything that Jack is not. A small reminder that he's here, that he's not going anywhere. I moan a little, raise my hands to fist them into his hair.

He's just brought a hand up to cup the side of my face when we hear a small cough from somewhere behind us. Ripping himself away from me, Jack spins around to find Ralph, hovering beneath the archway, looking a little disoriented and a lot uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to interrupt," he mumbles quietly

"You didn't," Jack says quickly, and I'm just left staring at the floor, because he did, actually, but I don't say a thing. "There's coffee, doctor-"

"I asked you to call me Ralph."

I think I see Jack cringe, just a little, at the sound of that. But he composes himself with ease, smoothing out the places his shirt has gotten a little wrinkled. Outside the sun is resting lazily in the cloudy October sky, preparing for its dive beneath the horizon. "Right," Jack replies evenly. "Ralph."

An uncomfortable silence passes over us all, leaving us to our own thoughts for a second or two. I notice the doctor Ralph, push his hair back away from his face before turning his pale gaze upon me. "I, uh, was hoping we might talk a little," he speaks slowly. "Get to know each other."

In spite of myself, I glance over at Jack, but he's standing perfectly still, perfectly controlled. My lifeless gray eyes return to the doctor. "Of course," I tell him stiffly. He nods, just so, and disappears into the living room.

Instead of following like I know he expects me to, I retreat to the coffee pot and fix myself a cup. I'm well aware of Jack's eyes upon me, taking in my every move. "Roger," he calls out softly to me. A voice that sounds so delicate, so not Jack. "I need you to be completely honest with him. He's here to help you, okay?"

I grip the handle of the coffee mug a little harder. "I know."

In a moment, Jack is upon me, arms wrapped around my waist. His head was resting against my back, and with every breath he takes I feel my own body shudder. "I just don't want to lose you," he murmurs. "I need you here with me."

I cant help but smile a little at that. Setting down my glass, I turn around in his arms so that we're facing again. "I need you too, Jack."