"Are you sure you're ok Jack? It looks pretty swollen."
Juliets worry towards him was annoying him, it made him feel like if she thought he had gotten beat up, he didn't get beat up.
"I'm fine Juliet, it was only one punch, I've taken a lot more before and a lot harder too."
Juliet grinned sensing his uneasiness.
"I'm just making sure."
"You should have woken me up, I should have opened the door."
"For what? To start fighting right from the beginning?"
"No."
Juliet grabbed her light jacket on the chair and started walking out.
"I'm going to go check how he's doing, make sure he got the stitches."
Jack got up quickly and grabbed her hand.
"You shouldn't go, ask someone else to do it."
Juliet felt a little angry that he wouldn't want her to go, but she realized he was right.
"Your right, I'll tell Amelia."
"Amelia?"
"Yeah, she's a good friend of mine, she loves Goodwin."
"Oh great."
Juliet saw Jack roll his eyes and she giggled.
"I'm sure she'll love you two."
Just as Juliet was hanging up on Amelia she saw Ben walking up to her house.
"Oh hell."
She ran to her room shoving Jack out of the way.
"What is it Juliet?"
"Ben is coming and all I'm wearing is this shirt. He probably knows about what happened, maybe he heard us last night."
Jack smiled and motioned for her waist.
"We weren't THAT loud."
Juliets girly laugh sank into his chest as he finished accommodating her shirt.
"I'm talking about the fighting."
"Oh."
They had enough time to give each other two soft kisses and then Bens infuriating familiar knocks were heard throughout the small house.
They both walked out of her room and towards the door, as for her, she didn't care if Ben knew about her and Jack anymore, in fact she wanted him to know, because in less than a few hours her and Jack would have Anne hostage, and that was their ticket out of here.
"Hello Jack… Juliet."
Ben's clever smile let them both know he was familiar with what had happened earlier, and probably the previous night as well.
The couple stepped aside and let the small but powerful man enter the living room, motioning for him to take a seat.
"How did you sleep Jack?"
"I slept fine."
"I'm sure, your friends outside must have had a tough night though. Especially Kate huh?"
Jack and Juliet both looked at each other, remembering why Juliet had not taken the blanket as promised. Not one ounce of remorse in neither of them.
Ben had always been uncomfortable with the idea of Juliet with another man, he had hated it when it was Goodwin, but this time it was a feeling much greater than hate, and only because it was Jack.
"How can she leave everything she knows, risk everything for this man she practically just met?"Jack made it his job to find out what he wanted; it would be time to leave soon.
"Can we help you with something Ben?"
"We?"
The duo remained close, as if they had been together all their lives and everyone knew about it.
"Yeah, We."
Jack swung his finger between Juliet and him, making it very clear.
Ben's eyes took a wider, more round and defined shape, as he searched for an answer.
"No, I just need Juliet."
"Well Juliet and I have plans Ben."
"Yeah Ben, I'm sorry, I told Jack we would go into the jungle searching for the few people we left behind."
"No."
"Excuse me?"
"I said no Jack, it's too dangerous."
"I'm not asking for your permission Ben."
"You can go alone, but you're not taking Juliet with you."
"I don't know what I'd do if something happens to Juliet, last time she got captured I thought I would die."
"I'm not asking for your permission either Ben."
The three adults stared intently into each others eyes.
"As you two wish. Well back to the point, we just received more pills Juliet; last I heard you were all out."
Juliet looked down at her feet, too many thoughts running through her mind.
"He's doing this to let me know that he knows I'm sleeping with Jack, he wants to rub it in my face. He wants me to know I'm in danger of being pregnant."
"I'm sure your very pleased Juliet, I hope it's not too late, whenever you get back you can pass by and pick them up, you know where."
They both watched Ben get up and walk himself out. Jack was still wondering what Ben was talking about when he noticed Juliet wasn't by his side anymore. He walked through the shallow hallway and found her on the floor desperately rummaging through the cabinets in search of something, judging from her expression and her movements something very important. Jack got on his knees next to her, doing his best to organize the mass of this she was tossing all over the place.
"Jules what is it? What are you looking for?"
"I need to find it Jack, it has to be here, I had one."
"Find what?"
"A pregnancy test Jack!"
Juliet kept throwing everything about and seeking out the small box, Jack was now frozen in time, expressionless and speechless. It was a few seconds before he felt ready to ask her another question.
"Why are you looking for a pregnancy test? Is it because of what Ben said?"
Juliets had lost her breath, her eyes round, and her hair was now covering her face as she leaned forward on the ground franticly digging through the huge mess.
"I can't be pregnant! I can't!"
"Juliet, why would you think you're pregnant?"
Jack waited for an answer but didn't receive any. He grabbed her hands that were now a soft grey. Held them tightly in his and with one hand moved a strand of hair that had fallen down her sweet face.
"Jules, why would you think you're pregnant?"
"Ben said he hoped it wasn't too late, maybe he knows something, maybe Jacob told him."
"Who's Jacob?"
Juliet's eyes were distant once again, and the only way he got her attention was by squeezing her palm
"Just help me look for the test Jack, please."
He let her go and together they kept searching for the small box containing the test, finding it ten minutes later, jammed behind a large container of a thick large liquid.
"What is that?"
"I'll tell you later Jack, open the box."
Jack pulled out the thing stick enclosed inside and handed it to her, turning the box around and reading the direction out loud.
"I know how to do it Jack."
Jack felt her voice shrill, and worried. He looked in her direction, she was already doing as the box said, so he moved on to read the meanings of what would appear on the stick in five minutes. Five long minutes. She got up and walked up to him. Scared of showing any affection in fear of his rejection, each and every pregnancy she had had before was followed by a distant gesture or an indifferent grin. Maybe this time it would be different.
"If I am pregnant, it would be Jacks, what would he do? I have to get off this island."Jack wrapped his free hand around her waist and kissed the top pf her head.
"These are five long minutes huh?"
They both chuckled and she let her head fall into the crook of his neck where she fit so perfectly.
"No matter what happens Juliet, it's a good think. Ok?"
She smiled taking this as a good sign.
"How would it be a good thing Jack? We've only been together twice and I might already be pregnant, I'm so stupid."
Juliet's old insecurities and judgment about herself was slowly returning, but Jack quickly fixed it.
"We've been officially together for less than a week, and we've slept together twice, but I'm already falling in love with you, and if anything, I'm looking forward to this. I might not be completely ready, and it's a little…"
"Fast."
"Yeah, but if it does happen, it's a good thing, for us."
Juliet started crying, tears started swaying down her cheeks for the hundredth time this week, but once again from happiness.
"Don't cry Jules."
Juliet sobbed into his chest.
"I'm happy Jack."
He laughed and squeezed her firmly into him.
"Hey, ten years from now, we'll look back on this day and say to each other… why were we so scared, it was the best thing that ever happened to us?..."
Her sobs were turning into a happy girly giggle.
"Ten years from now?"
"Mhm, and then it'll be 15, and then 20, and then 30."
"Wow."
Juliet looked up at the clock hanging in her bathroom and there were still three minutes left. He noticed her staring and kissed her cheek.
"Maybe you should stay; I'll go and get the woman."
"No Jack, I might not even be pregnant, maybe Ben just wanted me to freak out. I'm going with you."
"Well, if you are pregnant its safer here. You have to think about…"
"I'm going Jack."
One thing he didn't understand was how easily she controlled him, he couldn't say no to her, they were equals, in each others eyes, they were both powerful and smart, and neither thought any less of the other. He didn't feel the need to protect her, but he wanted to, and she didn't feel as if she needed to pretend to be someone she wasn't, or lie and break him down, because being her self around him was just right.
"Ok, well what do you say we go now, either wise we'll be late."
"What about the test?"
"It'll be our little surprise for when we get back, or reason to hurry back."
She smiled staring lovingly into his eyes and stepped up just enough to kiss him slowly.
"Let's go."
They both headed out, grabbing their bags on their way out. Walking by the cages but not stopping or even looking at the faces of the enclosed people inside them. To them Jack definitely seemed like a bad guy, like an other.
They walked for two hours, stopping only a few times.
They talked about everything; they even started thinking about baby names.
"I like the name… Carrie… "
"Carrie? Like that psycho in the movie?"
Juliet stifled a giggle and defended her choice of name.
"She wasn't a psycho, she was just in a bad situation."
"Come up with sane names, like how bout Elle? Or Eloise?"
"That second one is nice. What if it's a boy?"
"hmmm, Robert? Naw I don't like it."
"How about… Prescott?"
"Prescott? That's it, its official, your not naming our child Jules, what kind of name is Prescott?."They walked on, sometimes hand in hand others apart.
They finally reached the caves and within minutes of standing there they heard twigs snapping and from within the jungle Juliet saw the familiar woman appear holding nothing but a small wooden… log, in her hand.
"Ben? Benjamin?"
Juliet silently pulled out some torn clothes from her bag, damped it with a clear liquid from a bottle and started approaching the woman's back. Jack grabbed her hip and pulled her back.
"What is that?"
"When she inhales it it'll knock her out for at least two hours."
"Is it safe?"
"Of course Jack."
Jack took it from her hand and pushed her up behind a rock.
"I'll do it."
Juliet pulled out her gun and was ready to shoot anybody that popped out from the jungle trying to defend the frail woman.
Nobody did, she was all alone as planned.