Title: Tribe 4: The Bad Day Trilogy: But I Do Love You
Chapter: Section 10
Fandom: The Tribe
Author: PinkTribeChick
Summary: The most unexpected love in their world . . .
Extended Summary: An alternate-universe Series 4 romance story, from the point of view of Amber, Jack, Bray, and others.

Rating: Teen
Pairing: Jack/Amber, Bray/Amber, Pride/May, and Bray/Original Female Character, with many more to come!
Author's Notes: Massive thanks to Ariannya and Whit for their thoughts and proofreading on various sections over the years, especially Ariannya, because she is the one who got me to outline all my ideas for the story and then break them down into three separate stories, which became this trilogy!

Enjoy, and please review! Feedback is much appreciated!

*NOTE – PLEASE REMEMBER THESE NEXT FEW SECTIONS ARE FLASHBACKS OF HOW JACK AND AMBER'S ROMANCE BEGAN!*

Disclaimer: All characters, situations, and song lyrics remain the property of their respective owners. Any original characters are sole property of me, PinkTribeChick. The lyrics featured in this section are from "All My Only Dreams" by The Wonders, from the soundtrack for the movie "That Thing You Do".

But I Do Love You

Section 10

Jack stood in front of the bathroom mirror early that evening, fresh from taking a shower. He wiped the mirror off with a towel and began to comb his hair out. His hair had very little of its former orange color left, because Virginia's homemade shampoo had stripped most of it out. At that point, his hair was its natural brown. He planned on dyeing it orange again soon if he could just find the time. Parting his damp hair down the middle, he put the comb down and started to get dressed for supper. He pulled on a pair of khakis and headed toward the bedroom that he and several of the other guys shared to get his favorite shirt out of the closet. For some reason, he wanted to look nice tonight, although it was no different from any other night at the farm. They would be eating supper and having the weekly movie night. Except Amber would be there.

Jack slowly buttoned up his bright blue shirt over the white t-shirt he had on, leaving the last few buttons undone, as he thought about how she had behaved that morning. She definitely hadn't behaved like herself, like the Amber he knew. She seemed really on edge, from the moment he had walked into the room. Maybe she likes me . . . Jack thought. Then he shook his head. Nah, she couldn't possibly ever see me that way. He was a computer geek, and she was . . . a goddess. Goddesses didn't fall for the dorks.

Some of the other guys were in the room, hustling around him to get cleaned up for supper. Jack was moving in slow motion, wrapped up in his thoughts. Just picturing Amber in his mind made Jack's stomach do flip-flops. He was itching to just see her, to see her beautiful smile and green eyes. Someone put some music on and turned it up loud, startling Jack a little bit.

"Every night I pray . . . I'll have you here someday . . . I'll count the stars tonight . . . And hope with all my might . . ."

As the supper bell rang and the other boys started to file out of the room, Jack sat in the window seat across the room and looked outside. Amber was on the front lawn with the Harvesters' dog, Buddy, playing with him. She wore a long coral-colored denim skirt that was loose and had ruffles on the hem, along with a sleeveless white shirt that laced up a little bit in the front and had eyelet lace on it. Her hair was down for once, a mass of thick blonde curls down her back, and her cheeks were rosy from being outside. She still looked beautiful as ever. Why hadn't he ever noticed her before? Maybe because she seemed so out of reach? Or maybe because he just hadn't really looked at her before?

"And when I close my eyes . . . You'll be right by my side . . . If I could have just one request . . . You'll stay with me, girl . . . I confess . . . All my only dreams . . ."

Then Jack remembered Ellie. Ellie, his wonderful girlfriend, who was still in the city, waiting for him to return. Ellie, the girl that had chosen him over all the other guys in the mall, when she could have had anyone she wanted. Ellie, the girl he wasn't even sure if he really even cared about as anything more than a friend anymore. He wasn't even entirely sure he would ever see her again, or that he wanted to. Even if the Chosen were defeated, Jack liked the farm, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to leave. He looked down at Amber again. If Ellie was the wonderful, attainable girl, Amber was the impossible dream.

He remembered the way he'd felt when he first saw Amber yesterday, first realized it was her. He hadn't been just happy to see her alive. He hadn't been just relieved to see a familiar face. Seeing her had sparked something inside of him. A feeling he'd never felt before. He felt something about her that he had never felt about anyone before, not even close to how he had felt about Ellie. Love. He loved Amber.

Watching Amber, he felt like he didn't deserve someone as wonderful as she was. She was a strong, smart, funny girl, and he didn't deserve her. There was no way in the world she could ever love him back. But he could hope, couldn't he? Sighing, he stood up and went downstairs to supper.

"And when I close my eyes . . . You'll be right by my side . . . If I could only have one wish . . . It be the girl who's lips I'd kiss . . . All my only dreams . . ."

That's it for now! Please review – I'm anxious to hear your thoughts! And thanks for reading!