I guess I should put a warning here: Mild, suggested (who am I kidding?) sexuality to follow! Like you didn't expect it.
Silver moonlight streaked seamlessly through narrow breaks in the shelter. Soft but defining luminescence splayed knowingly, like ethereal fingers, across two flushed bodies moving drowsily in tandem, as though it were guiding them, embracing them, protecting them. The thin airline blanket all but abandoned, lying crumpled on the sandy floor of the tent amongst various items of discarded clothing; roughly removed from their respective owners in a frenzy when the flames of desire became too excessive to quench with words alone.
Now lips tenderly caressed devotional lips, skin glided against heated skin; hips grinding together slowly, purposefully, compulsively. Strong hands and gentle fingers searched and pressed desperately into warm, wet flesh. Angles and curves fitted together like the world's most beautifully intricate jigsaw.
Wanton moans and jagged gasps of need and encouragement permeated the still night air around them; a culmination of months of restraint, of denial, finally and explosively released. Nothing could keep them apart anymore, this was their true fate.
"Jack..." She whispered breathlessly into to his open mouth as he drove fiercely into her, completing her. Delicate fingers ran through his short hair, over the back of his neck, raked down his spine, catching on the tight bandage before continuing their path; grasping him and urging him deeper. Capturing his mouth again, tongues entwined, she realised how wonderful he tasted; sweet and spicy like warm apple brandy. And she breathed him in; wood smoke, sea salt and fresh, clean sweat. The faintest hint of peroxide still clung to his moist skin. It made her head spin ferociously.
Don't you dare let go.
His right hand reached down and clutched the flesh of her buttock, unrelenting; kneading it almost wildly before it moved up, slowly pushing the underside of her thigh forward so her left knee was bent up against his shoulder, hooking his arm under it, holding it to him fast. It was almost too much for her. Never in all her wildest fantasies had it been this powerful, this impassioned. His attention to her was so engaged, so sharply construed that it made her feel immediately unworthy, unable to touch him fully with one hand out of commission, tightly bound and still aching. But he had sensed her anxiety, and disclosed to her in a heavy groan that she was all he'd ever wanted, more than anything else on this island; this Earth.
I love you, Kate.
Everything got so much more urgent then. Movements strong and bold; meeting each other furiously halfway, impetuous in wanting release. She'd cried out his name against the taut skin of his neck, feeling his sprinting heartbeat against her lips, the luscious and welcomed tensing of her pelvis. She couldn't control it when she rolled her hips firmly up against his; flesh against flesh, bone against bone, straining shamelessly against his hardness. He felt her tighten like a vise around him, finding himself unable to hold back; muttering her name scandalously in her ear, louder and louder until they both fell hopelessly together, over the edge of the precipice, their concurrent screams dissipating blatant into the atmosphere, uncaring if others heard.
I love you too, Jack. I always have.
Kate awoke to a cacophony of early morning beach camp sounds. Aaron was crying; Sawyer was negotiating heatedly with Jin over a fish, as best he could. Hurley and Charlie were avidly discussing the outcome of some fictitious superhero fight. Vincent barked loudly. There was laughter and happiness and contented peace.
Her eyes flickered open, her sleepy mind briefly confused by her surroundings. Warm sunlight filtered through the fluttering tarp of the shelter where moonlight had once been; clothes and blanket haphazardly abandoned on the ground. This wasn't her tent.
Only when she became aware of the comforting warmth of another body pressed surely against her back, a strong arm thrown listlessly around her waist and tender, steady breath against her neck, through her tangled curls, did she realise she hadn't just been enraptured in the best dream she'd ever had.
She shifted slightly, angling more comfortably against him, when she heard his voice in her ear.
"Good morning, young lady." He murmured, tightening his arm around her. She wanted to turn and face him, but his grip was too steadfast. She chose instead to whisper back, smiling broadly to herself.
"Good morning Dr. Shephard."
She heard his breathy laugh at her words, felt him smile against her skin.
"It wasn't a dream, was it?" She uttered in a slight daze, needing the confirmation, inhaling the beach air and taking in with it the stimulating scent of him, so close to her now.
"Not this time." He growled in her ear.
She practically giggled, wriggling out of his grasp and finally turning to him, albeit awkwardly. "So you're assuming I've dreamed about you before, right?
His eyes burned into her, deep chestnut and sparkling green meeting in a fiery dance. "Come on Kate, of course you have. So have I."
His lips met hers again, tongue prying open her mouth with no resistance whatsoever. Kate found it almost obscene that he could get away with it so easily, but at the same time there were absolutely no regrets in her mind. After all, this was what she'd risked her life for; both their lives, in fact.
They pulled away, winded, and Jack deftly rolled her over and on top of him.
"How's the wrist?" He enquired, his fingers idly stroking the new splint he'd bound her arm up in the previous evening.
"It aches, but I'll live. Apparently, I have a very good Doctor." She smirked. "How's the..." Kate gestured at the swathe of bandage strapped across his chest.
"What, this? It's just a scratch." A sly smile spread across his face.
Kate couldn't help but laugh. It was nice to see that his dry sense of humour had returned, along with the healthy colour of his skin. She felt his hands slide down her sides, settling on the top of her hips, pulling at her gently, encouraging her to move against him.
"Hey, no. NO! Come on, get up. We have to go."
He sighed gloomily. "Are you sure you want to do this? We really don't have to." Despite being half-feigned, the resignation in his voice was evident. He'd rather stay where he was with her all day, but deep down he knew. She needed this, as did he, in reality.
"Jack, we have to. I need to know it's finally over."
Their trek through the morass of deep forest was more or less silent. No words really needed to be said at this point, so they both kept quiet. Still, they stayed close; very close, reaching for each other, wanting firm reassurance every now and then. They didn't need a map; their hearts unconsciously knew the way.
Jack broke the silence when they paused side by side for water at a small, swift-running stream, Kate gathering water greedily in one cupped palm while Jack filled a couple of bottles, crouching next to her a little stiffly.
"You never told me, by the way."
Kate gazed at him, a little flummoxed. "Told you what, exactly?"
He tilted his head toward her with a grin. "Why you thought I was the kind of guy who remembered everything?"
The memory of her brushing him down in his tent flooded her thoughts then, a tender smile curling her mouth. It seemed so long ago now, so much had happened since, but she answered all the same. He deserved her response now; a response that hadn't changed since it had first entered her head.
"Because..." She paused for effect, her smile widening a touch. "You're perfect, Jack."
He laughed genuinely, gratifying colour creeping across his face.
"I'm not perfect, Kate." He shook his head subtly, grinning.
"Yes you are." she whispered, leaning over and grazing his lips with hers, moistened from the cool water. "You are to me."
The day slowly grew hotter, more humid, sunlight dappling the ground around them as they continued. The scenery seemed so different from when they had been tearing through it in utter panic. It was almost beautiful now; deep green, serenely calm and still. A stark contrast from what had previously been.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination. Apprehension hung thick in the air, despite the now-sublime surroundings. The trees thinned before them, revealing the purpose of their trip.
They walked slowly together up the slope, still scarred from struggle, but dry now; the scene of so much anguish and terror and indescribable pain. Kate paused for a moment, emotion threatening to overcome her, but Jack took her hand assuredly and pulled her forward.
"Come on. A couple more steps."
They finally reached the top, an arduous mental task to say the least, tension weighing heavily on their shoulders. They peered over, holding each other tightly, and a sudden, growing astonishment swept its way through the pair as they stared over the edge with widening eyes.
It wasn't there.
There was no wreckage. No jagged, twisted, vicious metal leering back at them, protruding profanely from the ground, glinting in the afternoon sunlight as it should have been; there was no trace of anything unusual at all.
It wasn't there.
And then, they understood.
It never had been.
Fin!
So there it is! I finished it, sadly. I hope anyone who's been reading enjoyed it, I'm quite proud I managed to keep it up to be honest (absolutely no pun intended). If you watch a lot of LOST, I'm sure you'll understand the ending. It's full of mystery, right? Hehe :P
