A/N: Wow, this must be record time. Well compared to my usual updates. I've just finished exams, and so I've had more time than usual to write. I've got this and one more chapter written, with more in the drafting stages. Thank you for all the reviews from last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Chapter 10: Better Be Better
"She's getting what?! Can you repeat that? I don't think I heard you right." Mark exclaimed, clearly shocked at this cruel twist of fate.
"I'd rather not Mark. It was hard enough the first time." Jack replied dejectedly.
"Please, Jack. If I'm going to help you, then I need to know what happened. Trust me, you'll feel better after talking about it." Mark suggested.
"Now why don't I believe you?" Jack replied softly.
"It's true. Well, at least it was for me." Mark assured him.
"Alright." Jack finally agreed, taking a deep breath. "Alright. Well, I met her for dinner a few nights after she came back and you know, well everything was going great."
"Wait, you told her you loved her, then she dropped that bomb?" Mark surmised. "That is rough."
"No, no. We'd just slipped back into our friendly routine; you know everything was clicking again. It was almost like all the shit I caused at dinner and my parent's party was erased." Jack continued to detail his story.
"Well that's good. Maybe your kiss didn't bother her as much as you thought it did." Mark tried to cheer Jack up, but Jack was having none of it.
"Yea, I could see how you'd guess that seeing as the next time I see her she's sucking face with somebody else." Jack replied angrily.
"Yea, sorry. So then what happened at dinner?" Mark asked him to continue, even though he knew it getting to Jack. If Jack was trying to hide the hurt and frustration, he wasn't doing a very good job.
"I was getting ready to tell her when she starts looking behind me and waving madly. I asked her what was going on and she basically told me to wait and see. I probably should have just turned around, but you ever just get that sense that whatever it is- it's going to suck? Well, I did, and to be honest I wasn't ready.
"I'm sorry dude." Mark consoled him, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm not going to pretend that I know how that must have felt, but I am sorry."
"Yea, well… then before I know it I looked up again and there she was hugging and kissing Dr. Brennan. Then –" Jack retold some of the worst moments of his life.
"Wait, wait, wait. Dr. Brennan? That dick from the hospital? That Dr. Brennan?" Mark inquired, causing Jack to nod. "Wow. I thought Kate hated him?"
Jack nodded his head slowly, wryly smiling at the cruel irony. "She never met him, she only said she did because I didn't like him. Being a friend, you know?" Jack replied.
"And then she announced the big news, that she was getting married. I felt like…like…well I had to get out of there. I tried to fake a shift but the amazing Dr. Brennan called and rescheduled my nonexistent shift. Then he went on to put the nail in the coffin by bettering me in every single aspect of my life. Basketball, Med school, you name it and he's at least one step ahead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a date." Jack concluded glumly.
"A date? With who? You're over her already?" Mark questioned.
"There's a bottle of vodka waiting for me at home, and unlike every other aspect of my life, I know that it's not going anywhere."
"Hold on there. That's it. What the hell did you do? You're not the type of person to sit there and endure all that for to long, not that it happens to often mind you." Mark said, punching his friend's shoulder trying to brighten his mood.
"Claire called and I just started yelling panicky words and ran out. I got home, sat down and downed a bottle of vodka before Claire started doing her thing." Jack explained.
"Her thing?" Mark asked, clueless.
"She likes to know every little thing going on with me now. She said she missed to much of my life while she was away, so this is her way of making up for lost time."
"It does sound like her." Mark chimed, causing Jack to laugh for the first time that day.
"Yea, it does." Jack said, the smallest of smiles appearing on his face.
Mark knew that talking about all the events of Friday night was probably the last thing he ever wanted to do, but he was determined to get his friend through this slump, and in order to do that they needed to talk.
"So. What did you two talk about?" Mark asked.
"Short version?" Jack inquired, not really looking for answer. He drew in a long deep breath and then uttered, "I told her."
"You told her? You told Claire? Were you drunk? Oh, right." Mark said, recalling what Jack had said earlier in regard to his alcohol consumption. "So how long do you figure before Kate finds out?"
"As long as I need." Jack replied cryptically. He continued on when he saw Mark's eyebrow raised in confusion. "She promised not to tell her. I told her that if Kate was ever going to hear it, it would be from me."
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"So I hear you're living with Jack. How's that going?" Kate asked Claire.
They had met up for lunch to catch up with one another's lives, and were currently walking aimlessly through downtown Los Angeles, not really attempting to find somewhere to eat, despite a growing hunger present in both women.
"Oh, it's going great. But enough about me, let's talk about you." Claire said, switching the point attention as quickly as possible, "Jack told me you had big news. Really big news." Claire said. She already knew about Kate's news, but if she told Kate that then it was only a matter of time before the rest of that conversation popped out and she had promised Jack. She would not tell Kate how he felt, no matter how much she wanted to. But she never promised Jack she wouldn't help him, she only said she wouldn't tell. And that was a promise she intended on keeping.
"Yea, don't you want to wait until we find somewhere to eat. You might pass out. I mean, it's really big news. I mean Jack looked like a deer in the headlights when he found out. He must have been really surprised." Kate claimed.
"Yea." Claire agreed. Or depressed, angry, frustrated, heartbroken, suicidal. One of those would probably cover it. "But I think I'd rather hear it now. I promise I won't freak out."
"OK, OK. Are you ready?" Kate asked, pausing for effect, "I'm getting married." Kate screamed, jumping into Claire's already open arms.
"Oh my god. I'm so happy for you, Kate. Who's the lucky guy?" Claire squealed.
"Tom Brennan. He works at the same hospital as Jack and I." Kate explained, but Claire already knew exactly who he was. The jerk who would not leave him alone for three weeks about that surgery position. That certainly wouldn't have made it any easier on Jack.
"That's great. So how did you two meet?" Claire continued to probe for information.
"It was kind of weird actually. It was almost a month into my trip to New York. I wasn't having much fun, and had been staying in the apartment I'd rented most nights. I was just constantly bored and I missed Jack a lot more than I thought I would." Kate began to explain, "I mean I knew it would be tough to be 3,000 miles from him all summer, but I thought after a few weeks I'd settle in. But it didn't happen."
"So…what changed?" Claire asked.
"I called Jack one night when I was really miserable. It was like two in the morning and I couldn't sleep because I felt like crap, so I decided to call him. I didn't want to seem to vulnerable to Jack because I didn't want him to worry, but he knows me to well. He told me to forget about him and that I should be doing more with my time in the greatest city in the world. He said to forget about him until I came back to LA and enjoy my time in New York. I dunno why, but as soon as I finished talking to Jack I fell asleep and woke up feeling a lot better. That night I went out and met Tom."
"Wow. That is weird." Fate is a cruel, fickle bitch. That is one part of the story that I'll make sure Jack never hears. If he did, well I shudder to think what he might do then. If he found out that he was the main reason Kate and Tom met…I don't even want to think about it.
"I guess I have Jack to thank for meeting Tom. He was only at that club that one night, and I found out later that was because he was just finishing up his move from New York to St. Sebastien's. When I told him I worked there already, it was weird, I dunno, almost like fate."
"How did he not know you already?" Claire asked.
"Well he's Chief of Surgery, and my wing doesn't generally interact with him to much. I told him all about Jack, but he must have assumed there were plenty of Jack's at the hospital, because he never made the connection." Kate explained as they walked by a small café.
"How about we eat here? My feet are starting to get tired." Claire suggested, gesturing towards the café they'd just passed.
"Yea, I agree. I'm starting to get really hungry too." Kate agreed, rubbing her stomach.
They sat down quickly and ordered some food before they began talking about, Claire quickly returning the conversation to Kate's engagement.
"So you've been together…two months?" Claire guessed based on the dates she'd been told.
"More or less." Kate answered, nodding her head.
"And you're getting married in…?" Claire asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.
"About two months from now." Kate answered once more. "Which reminds me, I wanted to ask you something. I asked Jack to be my unofficial 'best man', you know help me plan things and make decision, but I was wondering if you'd be my Maid of Honor?"
"Kate, you shouldn't even have to ask. I'd love nothing more. In fact, I'd be honored." Claire answered, placing her hand on top of Kate's over the table.
"Which reminds me, I have something to ask you." Claire said.
"Anything." Kate answered quickly.
"You think you can take care of Aaron for me for a few hours tomorrow night? I'm meeting up with some old friends from… well, before Australia, and I'd really appreciate if you could watch him for a while." Claire asked sincerely.
"I'd love to. I've been trying to find some time when I could see him. What time should I swing by to pick him up?" Kate asked.
"Oh, I'd say five would be perfect." Claire answered after a quick moment of thought.
"Sounds good, I'll be there." Kate confirmed just as their food arrived.
They ate the majority of the meal in silence, their combined hunger getting the better of their talkative moods.
From what she'd gathered, Claire could tell that Kate was really attracted to Tom, and after listening to both Jack and Kate's description of the man, it was no surprise. But she also knew that Kate would always hold some kind of torch for Jack, it was inevitable after the bond they'd shared since they were teenagers. Jack was her brother, and even though she'd promised not to tell Kate his secret, she sure as hell wasn't going to stand by and watch his heart break in two.
"Kate. This is me asking as a friend here, nothing more. Don't you think this is all kind of sudden?" Claire said, breaking the comfortable silence that had enveloped them.
"What's sudden?" Kate asked.
"You and Tom. You're getting married barely four months after you met him, that doesn't seem quick to you?" Claire commented.
"I don't know, not really. When I met him it felt right, and everything else kind of fell into place after that." Kate said, shrugging her shoulders.
"I guess what I'm asking is, do you love him?"
"Yea, very much." Kate answered as she gazed downward toward the remains of her sandwich.
"You see, Kate, that's the problem." Claire said.
"What's the problem?" Kate asked, obviously confused.
"When someone asks you if you love your husband-to-be, 'Yea, very much' just doesn't cut it." Claire said vehemently, in order to convey her point. "When I ask you if you love Tom, you should get glassy-eyed just thinking about him; you should have a stupid grin that you can't wipe off your face. You should adore every single aspect of him- the way he laughs, the way he smiles, the way you feel around him, all of it. The bottom line is, when I ask you if you love your fiancé, 'very much' shouldn't be the first two words to pop into your head." Claire paused, giving it all a second to sink in.
"I'm not trying to give you second thoughts, I just want what's best for you, Kate." Claire assured her. "So think about that, OK? For me."
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"You've given up, haven't you? You've admitted defeat." Mark asked pointedly.
"What's the point in playing the game if you've got no chance of winning?" Jack retorted.
"The exact same reason that I play you in basketball almost every single day, Jack. If there's even the smallest chance of you coming out on top, you've got to try." Mark answered. "You'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't.
"But he's perfect for her. They share the same interests, he's really successful and she's crazy about him. I needed about 35 seconds with them at Federici's to see that." Jack admitted in defeat.
"Have you ever wondered she's so attracted to him, Jack? I thought you doctor types were smart. What other man in her life is a doctor, that likes basketball and all things outdoors?" Mark asked, attempting to spoon feed him the answer.
"But he's better at every single one of those things." Jack replied.
"That's not the point, Jack. It isn't coincidence that the guy she's fallen for is exactly like you in every single way. Even if he is a little farther on in some categories, it's nothing that can't be changed." Mark said, his eyes glinting mischievously.
"I guess that's true." Jack agreed reluctantly.
"I'm not telling you to go out and sabotage Kate's engagement, cause as much as I know you want to, that's not going to get you anywhere. You just…you better be better. I know you can do that. Even if nothing changes between Kate and you, you'll have done a hell of a lot towards you're self-confidence in trying." Mark finished.
Jack didn't respond, instead nodded his head before heading home. Before exiting the door, he quickly turned and muttered his thanks before heading down the stairs and out into the Los Angeles night.
Later that night, Jack turned on the Lakers game, only to turn it off minutes later after seeing the score. "T-Mac" He muttered, shaking his head sadly. He got himself off the couch and turned to head to bed for a good night's sleep. It may only be just past nine, but he had a long shift the next day. He began walking towards his bedroom when his eyes rested on his telephone.
He recalled Mark's words in his head one last time, before affirming to himself this was the right decision. He picked up the phone, and dialed the number he'd told himself he never wanted to dial.
"Dr. Brennan? I'm calling about that surgery position…"
A/N: I know I have no right to plug for reviews, but if I get a decent amount of reviews for this chapter, I'll post Ch11 before my ETA of next Thursday. If not, well I'll just keep writing anyway and upload it on Thursday. In other words, please review! (Even if you're scared where it's going--tell me about it and I'll do my best to make sure I swerve around dangerous places.)
Coming Up: How does Jack far in becoming a better man? It's going to be a bumpy road.