Jack crept through the undergrowth silently. He watched a large pig lazily stride across the small clearing. On the other side of the clearing he could see Roger crouched behind a rock, his painted face watching the creature intently. Jack waited until he had established eye contact with the other boy, and then he held his hand high in the air and started counting down his fingers.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two…

Once Jack had lowered his last remaining finger, both boys sprung out of the jungle foliage towards the pig. After one large step, however, Jack was brought down to the ground by a vine that had been wrapped around his ankle.

The pig charged towards Roger, who raised his spear and quickly brought it down, but at the last moment the pig changed directions slightly and rammed into Roger's knee, causing him to fall forward and over the animal. The pig commenced to break through the foliage and into the jungle from which the boys had just emerged.

Jack and Roger lay silently on the ground, covered in dirt and in minor pain from their falls. Jack slowly turned his head and looked at Roger. The boys stared at each other for a few moments before the both broke out in laughter. They lay on the jungle floor for several whole minutes giggling until their chests hurt.

It was Roger who stood first. He approached Jack and offered his hand to him, he grabbed it and was pulled up by Roger. "Well, that was embarrassing," he joked.

"We'll get him next time," Roger assured him. He was wearing the smile on his face that he only showed when he was with Jack.

"I hope so," Jack responded, "But I guess we will just have fruit for the feast tonight."

"We can try again later, and bring more people with us," Roger suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Is there any special reason for this feast, chief?" Roger asked, suddenly back to his normal solemn demeanor.

"No, we just haven't had one since we let Ralph into the tribe, and that was a while ago," answered Jack honestly. Roger nodded slowly.

"That's true." He took a long pause before he said his next words. "Are you regretting doing that? Letting Ralph into the tribe, I mean." Jack looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"What? Of course not. Why would I?"

"History has a habit of repeating itself," Roger said cryptically.

"You think Ralph is going to try and be chief again?" Jack asked Roger, clearly not believing it.

"It's not Ralph I'm worried about," Roger responded in the same mischievous tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You aren't the same when Ralph's around. You aren't as focused. Hell, you just let Ralph start the signal fire on top of the mountain again," Roger accused him.

"What's so bad about that? We can't stay here forever, Roger. We need to be rescued," Jack retorted.

"That's not what you used to say. Ralph's manipulating you," said Roger. The heat of their argument showed deep contrast to the laughter they had been sharing just a moment ago.

"Ralph is not manipulating me. There's a difference between that and making me see what needs to be done," proclaimed Jack.

"You're so fucking blind, Jack. He changes you!" Roger was yelling now.

"Yeah, He does! He changes me for the better, Roger." Jack said at an equal volume.

"Why are you so eager to do anything he wants? If it was anyone else on this island, you would…"

"Because I love him," Jack interrupted. Roger's eyes widened at this, he was too shocked to speak. He stared back at the red head, the passion of the argument was still present in Jack's face.

"You what?" Roger asked after a few moments. His voice was quieter, but filled with both astonishment and disgust.

"You heard me," Jack whispered. He turned away from Roger and paced a few steps away. He was obviously regretting divulging that piece of information, but he was making no effort to deny it. Roger watched him, and before he knew what he was doing he was walking up behind Jack. He grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around, Roger then did what he had been waiting to do for so long. He pressed his lips against Jack's with all the strength that he had. Jack was paralyzed in surprise for a moment, but as soon as he came to his senses he violently shoved Roger away.

"What are you doing?" He screamed at Roger. Roger stood several feet away, standing still and saying nothing. "Jesus Roger, this…this is why we have to get off of this island. Everything is falling apart. Did you see how fast we went from laughing together to being at each other's throats? And then…whatever the hell that was. It's making us crazy."

"Why him and not me?" Roger muttered suddenly.

"What?" Jack had been caught off guard by Roger's sudden response.

"Why Ralph and not me?" Roger repeated. "We've known each other for so long, you don't even know him." Jack's jaw dropped slightly, realization dawning on him.

"Is this why you hate Ralph so much? You're jealous of him?" Jack asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? It used to be just you and me, but then we get here and you totally ignore me so you can be with him all the time," Roger said. Seeing the boy show emotion was so foreign to Jack. He didn't know how to respond.

"Roger...I do love you. But I could never love you the way I love Ralph. You're like a brother to me," Jack said in an attempt to comfort him. Roger just scoffed.

"Brother? I know you're an only child Jack, so I'll explain this to you. A brother isn't someone you make do all the things you're too scared to do, not someone you ignore until you need something from them. And you definitely don't lead on your brother for years," snarled Roger. With that, he turned and bounded off into the forest. Jack quickly followed.

"Roger! Wait!"

"It isn't our right to keep that information from him, Eric!" Sam shouted at his brother, who quickly sushed him. They were standing on the beach with several other boys nearby. Eric couldn't let them hear any of what he and Sam were discussing.

"We cannot tell Ralph about any of the things that happened here before he lost his memory. It will only make things worse," Eric told Sam quietly.

"How? If what you said about him and Jack being…together is true, then he deserves to know what Jack has done," Sam argued.

"Besides the two of us, Jack is Ralph's only other friend right now, we can't just-"

"Jack is not a good person, Eric. Ralph is better off without him!"

"So what do you suggest we do? If we tell Ralph what happened, he isn't going to want to be with Jack anymore, and that might be the only thing keeping him alive," Eric pointed out, "Besides, right now Roger is a much bigger threat to Ralph than Jack is. Once we've taken care of Roger, we can talk about telling Ralph the truth."

"I don't know, Eric," Sam expressed with doubt.

"Just trust me, this will work. Ralph promised me he was going to tell Jack what Roger did to him. Once Jack knows, he will take care of Roger. He might be an awful person, but he does care about Ralph," explained Eric.

"Did you not see Ralph this morning?" Sam retorted, raising his voice again. Eric found himself reminding his brother again that they were not alone. "He had a black eye, Roger clearly got to him again," Sam continued at a more hushed volume.

"That's exactly my point, Roger is a bigger threat right now."

"I know, but if Ralph was attacked again, that means he still hasn't told Jack. Which can only mean that Ralph doesn't completely trust him, and rightfully so," Sam explained. Eric frowned, seeing his twin's point. After pondering the issue for a moment, he spoke up.

"Then I'm going to tell Jack for him," he proclaimed. His twin angrily put his head in his palms before looking back at his brother.

"Did you not here what I just said? There's a reason Ralph hasn't told Jack, we can't take that choice away from him!"

"The only reason he hasn't told him himself is because he doesn't want to be seen as weak. But personally, I'd rather he lose a bit of his pride than his life, so I'll tell Jack. Ralph can be as mad at me as he wants; I can live with that. What I can't live with is seeing my best friend get murdered knowing that I could've saved him. We take care of Roger, and then we tell Ralph the truth and let him sort it out himself. Okay?"

Eric delivered the monologue with such an urgent passion that his brother could only nod timidly in response.

"Good," Eric declared. He sounded as if he had even surprised himself with his speech. "It's getting dark, Jack will probably be at the feast soon. We should get up there and tell him."

Jack could see the fire roaring on the hill from deep in the jungle. He smiled to himself, even under the oppressing weight of the boar he held on his shoulders. He had spent all day hunting for that pig, even after being left alone by his best friend. A feast would be a great distraction after all that had happened with Roger, and he would finally be able to see Ralph. Much to his disappointment, the fair boy hadn't ended up coming to his cave the previous night, and he had been gone all day hunting so he hadn't had a chance to talk to him.

Ralph had certainly made himself busy, however. The fire on the mountain was clearly a success, as it was contained and burning proudly. He wasn't surprised, of course. Leave it to Ralph to organize all the boys and tackle a huge project in one day.

He stepped out of the jungle and onto the summit of the peak. When all the boys saw their chief carrying a boar on his own shoulders, they erupted into a fit of cheering. Jack grinned proudly and set the boar down next to the fire, leaving it for some of the other boys to skin and prepare.

He glanced around the mountaintop in search of Ralph, wanting to congratulate him on his achievement, but he was nowhere to be found. He sighed lightly and sat down on a rock. There was nothing to distract him from the thoughts in his head that were desperately fighting for his attention.

Roger.

Jack had always felt a deep connection to the raven haired boy, ever since they were young. But what he had told Roger had been the truth, the feelings he had for him weren't the same as the ones he had for Ralph.

Whenever the thought of Ralph even slightly crossed his mind, there was a warmth that he felt deep in his chest. A sort of pleasant dizziness that made him want to smile and hold him and just be around him. That wasn't there for Roger. Of course he loved him, but it just wasn't the same.

He felt awful. It had never been his intention to hurt Roger, if he had known how Roger had felt about him, he would've said something. He would've made it clear that he didn't feel the same way. Roger had always been so protective of him and Jack knew he was a very jealous person.

Before he could ponder the matter any further, he heard his name being called. He looked up to see one of the twins approaching him.

"Jack, I need to talk to you about something," the twin, who Jack guessed to be Eric, stated urgently. Jack sighed and stood up.

"Listen…Eric?" The boy nodded, affirming he was indeed who Jack thought he was. "I've had a really bad day, and I don't mean to be rude, but if this is about anything other than the feast, I'd rather we waited until tomorrow." Jack made an attempt to brush by him, but Eric grabbed his arm.

"It's important."

As dusk fell over the island, Ralph was finding it more and more difficult to find suitable fuel for the fire. Picking up one last log, he decided to give up. He had stockpiled enough wood to keep the fire going for two or three days. Plus, he knew wandering around by himself in the jungle wasn't the smartest idea.

Especially after last night…

Ralph's confrontation with Roger hadn't gone exactly as he had planned. Ralph found himself holding his hand against his purple and swollen eye, reliving the events of the previous evening…

"Simon, huh?" Roger muttered eerily. Ralph found his mischievous, almost happy tone thoroughly unnerving.

"That's what I said," he replied sternly. He stood his ground as Roger paced back and forth.

"If you remember Simon, why do you need me to tell you about him?" Roger questioned him suspiciously. Ralph frowned. He was reluctant to explain himself to the other, but he decided to anyway.

"I had a…dream. I saw him and then his name came to me later…I don't know anything else," Ralph admitted. "I need," he paused a moment before continuing, "I need to know how he died."

"Just Simon? You don't want to hear how Piggy died?"

Piggy?

"What are you talking about? Who's Piggy?" Roger stopped pacing and looking directly into Ralph's eyes.

"You know, the fat kid, with glasses," Roger explained slowly, "He was a pain in everyone's ass, always following you around and telling people what to do. Nothing a boulder to the head wouldn't fix, though."

An image of a boy with broken glasses and a bloody gash across his face flashed in Ralph's memory. He felt the familiar pain that came with remembrance creep into his skull. He lost his focus and let his guard down to hold his head in his hands. It was all the opportunity Roger needed…

He sprinted forward and pounced on Ralph, sending both boys back into the stream behind them. After a prolonged struggle in the rapid water, Ralph was able to escape Roger's grasp, but he was only able to make it as far as the bank of the stream before Roger snatched his arm and turned him around. Before he could react, Roger punched him with such force, it sent him falling to the ground. Roger was on him in a matter of moments, pinning his wrists to the ground.

"You see, Ralph, you're asking all the wrong questions," Roger growled menacingly, "Why don't you ask me how you lost your memory?"

"I know how I lost my memory," Ralph insisted, trying to sound as fearless as he could.

"If you really believe that you fell and hit your head, then you aren't nearly as smart as I thought you were." Ralph found himself caught between fear of what Roger was going to do to him and intrigue as to what he knew.

"Then tell me what really happened," Ralph demanded with an authority that reminded Roger of when he had been his leader. Roger tightened his grip on Ralph's wrists, causing him to wince. He brought his face downward, so close that Ralph could feel the other boy's breath ghost against his skin.

"Your boyfriend tried to kill you," he said calmly.

"Bullshit," Ralph whispered back. Roger laughed. "If that was true, and you hated Jack and I together so much, why would you wait until now to tell me?"

"Because I knew a naïve whore like yourself wouldn't believe me," said Roger with a grin, "Besides, that would be too easy. I think the real question is why didn't you tell Jack I attacked you if you trust him so much? Did you have a dream about him too?"

"I didn't want to put him in danger," Ralph answered. The answer wasn't completely a lie, but the truth was Ralph didn't know whether he could trust Jack or not. Roger cackled once again.

"Isn't that adorable?" He proclaimed mockingly. "You made the right decision by not telling him, Ralph," the raven haired boy snarled, "Because rest assured, if he had to pick between me and you, he would pick me every single goddamn time."

"Get off me," Ralph ordered, ignoring Roger's taunts.

"Don't tell me what to do."

"So what? You're going to pin me down here until someone finds us in the morning?" Spat Ralph. Roger looked down at him and smiled.

"What was it you said earlier? Rape and kill?"

Ralph shuddered. Roger hadn't managed to do either of those things, Ralph was able to fight him off and get his knife back, but he had tried. Ralph wished he could lose his memories of that night and regain the ones he lost from earlier. Something bad had happened on this island, he knew that. What he didn't know was why everyone was lying to him about it. At least, he hoped Roger was lying. What he had accused Jack of was too horrible to be true.

But if it is true…

Ralph didn't want to think about it. He had enough problems with Roger alone for the time being, and after what he had done the night before, there was no doubt in Ralph's mind that Roger would kill him.

He needed to convince the twins to tell him the truth somehow. Eric had already lied to him about Simon, but Ralph had a feeling he could be convinced to share everything.

Once I know the whole story, I'll know who to trust. Until then, I can take care of myself.

Ralph did his best to collect himself once he was close enough to hear the chatter of the tribe on the mountaintop. He had to pretend like everything was normal.

As he emerged from the foliage, he saw Jack. When their eyes met, Jack stood quickly and rushed over to him, Eric followed him a few paces behind.

"Jesus Christ," Jack exclaimed as he took Ralph's chin in his hand and tilted it so he could examine his black eye. His reaction seemed a little strong for such a simple injury. "What happened to you?"

"Oh, my eye? It's kind of embarrassing," Ralph began, trying to sound as casual as possible, "Eric and I were carrying a log up here for the fire and my hands slipped and I hit myself in the face with it."

Ralph had expected Jack to laugh, but he just continued to look into his eyes. Ralph frowned and let out a nervous laugh.

"Tough crowd tonight," Ralph joked.

"Eric told me Roger did it," Jack said suddenly. Ralph's stomach dropped. He opened his mouth to try and speak, but no words came out. "It's true, isn't it?"

Ralph didn't say anything. He had been caught off guard, he didn't know what to say. Instead, he looked Jack in the eyes and slowly nodded. A wave of anger washed over Jack's face and he looked away for a moment, but when he turned back he put his hand on the back of Ralph's neck and pulled his head to his own chest. He buried his head in Ralph's hair and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Ralph."

After holding him for a few moments, he pulled away and placed his hands on the fair boy's shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Once again Ralph had no words. He suddenly felt so guilty for leaving Jack in the dark.

How could I think I couldn't trust him? He's the only person here besides the twins who cares about me.

He tried to hold them back, but tears began to fall down his cheeks anyway. He choked out an 'I'm sorry' before pressing his face against Jack's shoulder. Jack kissed the top of his head and ran his hands through his hair.

"Don't ever be sorry," he whispered into Ralph's ear.

"Jack," Eric whispered harshly from behind them.

"What is it?" Jack asked, releasing his hold on Ralph and turning around. Eric pointed across the clearing, Jack followed the direction of his finger until his eyes met with Roger through the dancing flames of the fire.

Eric watched Jack's nostrils flare and his hands curl into fists. Ralph looked on with wide eyes, not saying a word. Jack began to slowly advance towards Roger's position, Ralph made an attempt to stop him, but Eric grabbed Ralph's hand.

"Just let them work it out," Eric said to him.

Jack made his way around the fire and over to Roger. Roger walked up to him, oblivious to Jack's knowledge of what he had done.

"Jack, I just wanted to say I was sorry about earlier, and I-"

Roger was interrupted by Jack's fist colliding with his stomach. He lost his breath and doubled over. He gasped for air as Jack grabbed his hair and his wrist and threw him to the ground. He landed face down in the dirt and made an attempt to get onto his knees, but a swift kick to his midsection from Jack caused him to flip onto his back.

"Why are you doing this?" Roger chocked out from his compromised position.

"You know why." Jack spoke for the first time. The rage that radiated from his eyes was something Roger had never seen before. With that, Jack leapt on Roger. He had one hand on the boy's throat and raised the other hand high in the air. Jack's fist came down with a tremendous force and struck Roger in the face.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Roger vision started to blur and fill with dark spots as the hard impact of bone on bone collided again and again. He could feel the wet trickle of blood as it ran down every corner of his face. Ralph couldn't bear to watch any longer, he broke out of Eric's grasp and sprinted through the crowd of boys watching the confrontation in both excitement and awe.

"Jack! Stop!" Ralph screamed. His voice was high and scratchy from the tears and it broke with the volume. Jack heard the voice, but his fury prevented him from acknowledging it. He was about to bring his fist down again, when he felt something grasp his wrist.

"Jack, please don't do this," Ralph pleaded. He hated Roger, but no one deserved to die like this.

"Why not? After what he did to you…"

"It's no worse than what you're doing right now," Ralph said gently. It wasn't an accusation, it was soft and diplomatic. Jack didn't say anything for a moment. He kept his eyes locked on his former best friend, the hatred still lining his features. But finally he stood up, keeping himself between Roger and Ralph.

He watched as the raven haired boy shakily rose up from the ground, his face bloodied and unrecognizable. Once he was standing, he glanced around at all the boys watching the fire-lit scene silently. He didn't say a word.

"If you ever touch him again," Jack snarled, approaching him so that their faces were only inches apart, "It will be the last fucking thing you do."